Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or the characters, Rick Riordan does.
Edit: Sorry, had to fix a couple of mistakes I saw, and add a couple of little things here and there, nothing major I assure you guys.
"What... What shall we do with the boy?" A villager asked hesitantly. "Jack did not have any other family..."
"Well, I can't take him in! I have enough trouble feeding my family as is." Someone grumbled. "And with the possibility of a war coming up..."
"I can't take him in either!"
"He's obviously bad luck!"
"I told Jack not to take that child in, I told him so! Now look where that got him."
People around him were protesting, whispering, discussing his future, but Percy didn't care.
He couldn't believe it.
He was gone.
His father was dead.
He felt numb. He hasn't slept in days, couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was how red the clear pool of water was, the lifeless corpse of his father, his severed head staring back at him... The gruesome scene they were assaulted with when they arrived at the clearing, the sheer savagery of the beast...
It was almost as if the beast had a personal vendetta against Jack.
And it was all his fault. Percy knew that.
After all, he was the one who walked into that clearing, even though his father explicitly told him not to.
His father was looking for him.
It all came down to him.
It was all his fault.
"Silence!" Gabe shouted. "I shall take the boy in. After all, Jack was about to name me Perseus' official godfather."
"But Gabe! The boy is bad luck I tell you, bad luck!" Someone protested.
"We'd be better of just exiling him from the village." Someone else proposed, the crowd murmuring agreements.
"Yes! He's obviously cursed! We should get rid of him before he kills us all!"
'"He'll be our downfall!"
Percy looked down. Of course they'd say that, none of the villagers ever liked him. The only person that ever cared about him was now dead. Maybe they were right. Maybe he would be better of dead.
"Silence!" Gabe yelled, glaring at everyone viciously. "I wish I could say I'm surprised by your reactions, but I'm not. You humans have always been pathetic, turning against a child, right after his father died... Who's the real monster here? I've had enough of this pitiful village, and of all of you vile creatures."
"You can't leave!"
"We need you!"
"Did that guy just call us humans?"
Gabe grabbed Percy by the shoulder and dragged him out of the townhouse. He crouched down and stared into Percy's eyes.
"Perseus, I'm really sorry about what happened to Jack. He was a dear friend of mine, and I wouldn't wish that fate upon my worst enemy. However, I promised your father I'd take care of you. I think it's time you and I start anew, away from these useless villagers. What do you say? Do you trust me?"
Percy felt uneasy.
His gut was telling him to run, and run fast. It always did when he was around Gabe, and his father taught him to always trust his gut.
But... He had nowhere else and no one else to go to and Gabe seemed nice enough, even though he had a foul odor about him and this weird habit of calling people humans, as if he wasn't one. And, he was a friend of his father...
How bad could he really be?
Percy went against every fiber of his being and nodded his head hesitantly. "Okay... I... I trust you."
Gabe smirked smugly, a victorious twinkle in his eyes. "Excellent."
-Line Break-
It's been six years.
Six years, since Percy decided to live with Gabe, and in those six years Percy was able to conclude one thing:
Gabe stinks.
Both figuratively, and literally.
He stunk to high heaven, and Percy liked to call him Smelly Gabe in his head.
He could never call Gabe that to his face though, because Gabe had a nasty temper on him. He learned that within the first day of living with him. He also learned that it was worse when Gabe drank, much much worse. Gabe was a big fan of... Tough love. Although throughout the years, it seemed like he only focused on the tough, not so much on the love. But, Percy didn't mind. He could handle all of that just fine.
It was the things Gabe says to Percy that got to him. He seemed to have an endless supply of nasty and vicious remarks for Percy.
The worst part of it all?
They were always true.
All of it.
How it was Percy's fault that his dad died.
How Percy wouldn't, couldn't amount to anything.
How no one could ever love him.
How unwanted he was.
How he deserved every bad thing that happened to him.
All of it, true.
Which is why Percy never held it against Gabe when he deprived him of food. He knew how to hunt just fine, even with the limited hunting grounds in London. In fact, he relished the moments he wasn't in that small one-bedroom apartment with Gabe.
He tries to be optimistic, he really does, because he should be grateful, right? Gabe saved him, from a life of wandering the streets, or probably an untimely death. He brought him to the booming metropolis that is London, gave him shelter, and sometimes food. Deep down, very deep down, Gabe must care for him, because otherwise, why would he do all this? What other reason could he possibly have for taking him in?
But Percy hated it. All of it. He hated his life, he hated Gabe and he despised himself. Not a day goes by where he wished that that beast killed him, instead of his father. Or, maybe just killed him too.
Percy was lost in thought, staring at the three lines located on his left forearm. He had no idea why they were there, or where they came from, all he knew was that he woke up with a new one on his birthday every five years.
When he saw the sun come up, he sighed. Another day, and yet another dead end.
He's been hunting that damned werewolf for six years now, gathering information about werewolves wherever he could. From books to newspaper clippings, to rumors and he hasn't found a single trace. Figures. What an expert hunter he was. It didn't help that every time he tried reading something, the words seemed to just swirl around and rearrange themselves.
"I probably shouldn't have trusted those little shits. Damn street urchins." Percy grumbled. "Of course they didn't really see a werewolf in Hyde Park, they were just taking the piss out of the 'yankee'. Doesn't even make sense! I'm not from America! Five pounds, down the drain."
He was on his way home, taking the long way back by Curzon street when he heard it. Growling, in one of the alleys.
Jackpot.
He located the alley where the growling was coming from, when he realized something: The beast wasn't alone.
Percy clenched his jaw. It was fine, he could take on two of those beasts if he wanted to, it's what he's been training for these past six years.
He peaked around the corner, and was confused at what he saw. Yes, there was a werewolf, but it was heavily wounded, and surrounded by three other werewolves. Wait, no, those weren't werewolves. He didn't know what they were, but werewolf definitely wasn't the correct term.
These creatures were smaller than the werewolves, but no less intimidating. They had the blackest fur Percy had ever seen, it was like staring into the abyss, and glowing red eyes that promised death. They were like these... Hounds! Yes! That's it! Percy remembered seeing a passage about them in one of the books he's read. These were hounds of death! Although, he was pretty sure you could only find them in Baskerville, and this was definitely not Baskerville.
Doesn't matter, Percy was going to deal with these hounds later. He'd recognize this particular werewolf anywhere. It had the same ugly shade of brown fur, and a distinct scar across its forehead. This was the werewolf that killed his father, and Percy would avenge his him. No matter what it takes.
Steeling himself for the fight of his life, he clutched the silver dagger, aimed carefully and threw. The beast moved, so instead of piercing its heart like he originally planned, the dagger pierced its left shoulder, making it cry out. It was like music to Percy's ears.
His cover was definitely blown now, because suddenly all of the different creatures stared into his direction.
Percy cursed in his head, and grabbed two more silver daggers before coming out of his hiding spot. He glared into the red eyes of the hounds and said "Back off, that mutt is mine."
The hounds started growling even louder, until one of them spoke up in a rough voice.
"Back off filthy human scum."
"This doesn't concern you."
"Leave, before its too late."
Percy clenched his jaw, he didn't know they could talk. However, he stood his ground. The hounds looked ready to pounce, when someone spoke up.
"Stop."
It was a tall man, wearing a black suit, his hair slicked back, with a voice soft as silk. He had glowing yellow eyes, a smirk on his lips, and a superior air about him. He was staring at Percy, like one would at a zoo animal.
"Let the kid handle the mutt."
The hounds stopped growling, instead they turned towards the man. "But Lucius! He's just a filthy human!"
Lucius glared at the hound that spoke up, bared his teeth and held up his hand. Then the weirdest thing happened, his nails started growing into these sharp black claws.
"Are you questioning my authority?" He growled out.
The hound that spoke up started whimpering and held its head down, its tails between its hind legs. "No, of course not my liege!"
Lucius sniffed. "Good. I won't tolerate it. Besides, you should use your noses, that isn't any ordinary human, now is it?" He smirked at Percy when he said that.
The hounds' eyes widened, before bowing their heads.
Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What are you talking about?"
Lucius just kept on smirking, but put his hand back down. "Oh, you'll see. I assure you, this won't be our last encounter." He looked back at the downed werewolf, and then back at Percy.
"As a gesture of good will, I'll let you do whatever you want with that beast. Marcus, Finnian, Balthazar, stand down. Let young.." He stared at Percy, as if he was expecting something.
It took longer than it should've, but Percy realized he was waiting for his name. "Oh, sorry. My name's..." Percy hesitated. He didn't know if he wanted them to know his name. Then again, they practically gave him the werewolf on a silver platter... "Perseus."
Lucius smirked. "A fitting name, if you ask me. Anyhow, let young Perseus here handle this one." He turned towards Percy. "I shall see you around Perseus and I do hope you enjoy yourself. Don't hold back, these beasts deserve no mercy." He spat into the werewolf's direction. "However, if you find yourself tiring, my men would gladly finish the job. All you've got to do, is say the word."
He made this gesture with his hands, and the three hounds disappeared into the shadows. Lucius looked at the werewolf one more time, before winking at Percy and then he was gone, enveloped by the shadows.
Percy furrowed his eyebrows, more confused than ever. Who were they and why was that Lucius guy so nice to him?
He shook his head, there would be time to figure all of that out later, the werewolf was still alive.
It was growling at Percy, clutching the silver dagger. It didn't seem to have the strength to pull it out.
Percy smirked. "Nowhere to go now you mutt." He threw another dagger into the beast's right shoulder.
It howled even louder before it spoke in a voice that was familiar. "You wouldn't dare, boy."
It couldn't be...
Percy narrowed his eyes, clutching the handle of his daggers even harder. "Gabe?"
The werewolf chuckled darkly, turning into its human form. "Surprise."
Percy fell backwards. "What.. But.. Why?!"
Gabe glared at him. "I was ordered to kill you, and anyone that stood in my way."
Percy shook his head. "Who! Who sent you?!"
Gabe just smirked smugly. "I'm taking that with me to my grave."
"I trusted you!" Percy yelled.
"And that was your mistake." Gabe yelled back. "My mistake was not killing you the moment I smelt your filthy scent."
Percy scoffed. "You think I stink?"
Gabe growled. "Watch it boy."
Percy glared, and walked up to him. He twisted the silver dagger, making Gabe howl. "No, I don't have to listen to you.. You bastard! You killed my father you fucking asshole."
Gabe smirked and whispered something, coughing up blood.
Percy frowned. "What?"
"He.. He wasn't... your father. But he sure did scream like your bitch of a mom."
Percy clutched his shirt, brought him closer and glared at him. "You're lying."
Gabe chuckled darkly, coughing up even more blood. "I swear... river Styx...not lying."
A thunder clap was heard. Nothing happened to Gabe.
Percy dropped Gabe, who just kept on chuckling and coughing up blood. He clenched his jaw before looking into Gabe's eyes. "You knew my mother? What did you do to her?! Why didn't you kill me that day?"
By this point Gabe was wheezing, and coughing up blood at an alarming rate, but he managed to answer one of Percy's questions. "I... take... time... kill... spirit... then.. body.."
"Sadistic bastard." Percy muttered. Oh, how he wanted to take his time killing Gabe. He wanted to torture him, listen to his screams, revel in in his blood. He was itching to make cuts all over his body, deep enough to be felt, shallow enough to keep him alive.
But, he wouldn't.
It was obvious that those silver daggers were doing just fine, and it would go against everything his father taught him. Percy pulled out the two silver daggers, and wiped them on Gabe's shirt. This bastard didn't deserve daggers as fine as these. Percy worked hard to get these daggers, he'll be damned if Gabe got them in the end. Besides, Percy had something better planned. His father will be avenged all right.
"You're going to die today Gabe. But it won't be by my hands. Ohh, no, I've got something better planned." Percy said smugly. He wondered what word Lucius was talking about. He looked into the shadows, and saw three pairs of red eyes, "Marcus, Finnian, Balthazar, he's all yours."
Gabe's eyes widened in panic and fear. "No! You... no... leave!" The hounds came out of the shadows slowly, relishing Gabe's screams. They sounded better than any symphony ever could in Percy's opinion. "I'll talk! I... tell... who... sent!"
"Too little, too late Gabe." Percy smirked. He let out a little chuckle. "I guess this is goodbye then. Wow, gotta say, I've dreamt of this moment a lot over the years, but this is better than anything I could ever come up with, even in my wildest dreams."
Percy turned his back on Gabe, and walked away. He didn't look back once. Not when Gabe started howling in pain, not when the howling stopped.
He just kept on going.
-Line Break-
"Name?" The government official asked him by the docks.
"Perseus." Percy answered.
The man sighed. "Full name kid."
Percy hesitated. He didn't have a last name, and he definitely wasn't going to use Gabe's last name. Maybe...
"Jack's son?"
"So, Perseus Jackson?" The man asked.
Percy smiled. Perseus Jackson. Yeah, he could live with that. "Yeah, I'm.. Percy Jackson."
"All right Percy Jackson, reason for migrating to the States?"
Percy hesitated again. He very well couldn't tell this guy that he sort of killed is guardian now could he? Besides, he had to get away from the horrors that took place in a particular alleyway, Half Moon Street. Fitting name if you asked him. And, he was kind of running away from that Lucius guy. He seemed to be nothing but trouble.
He heard people behind him mutter impatiently. Percy looked around, grasping at straws, when he remembered what everyone's been talking about lately. What's been in the back of everyone's mind: War.
"I would love to join the American Army sir." Percy announced confidently.
The man perked up. "All right kid, you caught my attention." He gave Percy a paper and said "Don't lose it. You're gonna need that if you want to live here. Go down that corridor for your medical check up."
Percy nodded at them man. "Thank you sir."
The man saluted him. "Welcome to America kid."
-Line Break-
"So... you want to join the army?"
Percy nodded his head. "Yes sir."
"You?"
Percy nodded excitedly.
"How old are you?"
Percy smirked. "Old enough sir."
The man looked him up and down, and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Sir?"
"Why do you want to join the army son? There ain't no war going on... Yet. It's only a matter of time now, what with that archduke being assassinated."
Percy shrugged. "The glory of war? Becoming a man? Nothing else to do? Nowhere else to go? Take your pick... sir."
The man stared into Percy's eyes, seeing a kid that's seen too much at his age, before chuckling and shaking his head. "Ohh, I like you kid! You've got spirit. You're gonna need it too. All right, sign here, present your ID, and then we'll see if you're healthy enough to shoot some bad guys, eh?"
Percy smirked, and saluted the man. "Sir, yes sir."
... I don't even know anymore. I should have been working on my story, I'm already late enough as is, but... I don't know, I really got into this story all of a sudden. I just get sudden bursts of inspirations, and scenes I wanna include. It's even made me interested in history, which was a pleasant surprise to say the least. I was able to work out so many details about this story, I've got a timeline and everything. I even figured out the age thing, when it comes to Percy, and I am so stoked for what's coming up, you guys don't even know!
Aagh I'm getting ahead of myself. This chapter didn't turn out as longs I wanted to but.. Yeah. Anyhow, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, if you've got any ideas, thoughts or comments, well... You know where to find me ;)
Now on to the reviews:
To SonOfHades1: You know it dude! Besides, I could never forget this story. It was an idea that popped into my head, and it hasn't left since. It's just been on the backburner for the last... Wow 2 years. Time sure does flies, doesn't it?
To StyxxsOmega: Ah thanks dude, I appreciate itA I cannot believe you actually waited two years for this. It just... It blows my mind, every single time I realise how much people actually like my story, enough that they'd be willing to wait for it. Hope you like this one too ;)
To Matt: Yeah, he was! Not the subtlest turn of events, but, then again, subtlety has never been my strong suit :/
Welp that's all of em. Once again, thanks to everyone that read, and a special thanks to everyone that reviewed. You guys are the real MVP's! I hope you're all well, and I look forward to seeing you all, in the next one.
Laters skaters,
Joy