When things were good, they were really good.
The twelve year old laughed loudly as Gabe picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. His stepfather had been in a great mood for the past couple of weeks. His cheeks were no longer constantly crimson, his eyes no longer fogged over but clear and sharp, and he had even gained some of his muscle back. He was clean shaven and looked more alive than the Jacksons had seen him in months.
And his smile, his real smile, was back. It wasn't the lazy smile bred from dangerous addictions and desperate attempts of escapism. No, his real smile had intent, it had a purpose. It lit up his eyes, made his cheeks glow a natural red. It filled his stepson and wife with an ease they hadn't felt since the drinking began.
Gabe still hadn't found a job, though he insisted he was trying. The only reason they were able to keep the house was due to the fact that Gabe's family came from money. His parents kept them afloat. They loved Sally and Percy and were somewhat embarrassed by their son's behavior. To compensate for the struggle their son put them through, they provided enough money so they could keep the house and afford groceries. Nothing more. Any luxury items were to come out of Sally or Gabe's own pocket.
"You're getting heavy, kiddo!" Gabe huffed, carrying the boy into the house,"Your mother called you in for dinner ten minutes ago."
"Grover wanted to show me this really cool tree he found-"
Gabe plopped him down on the ground and gave him a frown,"Grover? Percy, he's sixteen, what are you doing hanging out with him?"
Percy looked at him in confusion,"He's my friend."
"Oh, Gabe," Another voice interjected, Sally swept into the room, planting a kiss on her husband's forehead,"Grover is a good boy. And I think it's good that Percy gets along so well with his reading tutor."
Gabe sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist,"I know but..." He trailed off, resting his chin on her shoulder,"he's just so much older than Percy. I don't want our kid exposed to all that mature stuff yet." Percy looked between the two, awkwardly shifting his weight as he waited for them to determine if he could still hang out with Grover.
Sally stiffened, drawing away from her husband slightly,"I think my son has been exposed to plenty of things he shouldn't have been," Gabe winced, swallowing thickly as he fixed his gaze on his shoes,"and besides, Grover has helped a lot with Percy's dyslexia." She pointed out, gliding back into the kitchen to prepare their plates. The hostility in her voice was gone, meaning she had only meant to prove a point rather than make Gabe wallow in his guilt.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Gabe conceded quietly, watching Sally turn off the oven.
Percy followed his mother,"What's for dinner?"
Sally pulled the mash potatoes off the stove before opening the oven,"Baked chicken and-"
"I don't want that." Percy cut her off, folding his arms over his chest,"You don't make it right, it's always so dry." He whined, turning away from her and pulling out ramen from the cabinet,"I'll just eat this instead."
The boy frowned as Gabe snatched the ramen from his hands,"Oh no you don't. Have you lost your mind? Where do you get off talking to your mother like that? You'll sit down and eat what she makes, and you'll be grateful she doesn't send you to your room without dinner." He scolded, glaring at his scowling stepson.
"Mom doesn't care! She wants me to be happy, and she knows ramen is what I want and that it'll make me happy!" He yelled, stomping his foot angrily.
"Well, I don't care what you want!" Gabe snapped, towering over the boy,"You can't always get what you want, Percy, and you should learn to be grateful for what you're given."
Sally was quick to intervene,"Now, Gabe, that really wasn't necessary," She plucked the ramen from Gabe's hands,"here you are. I'll heat this up for you, why don't you go play with Grover while your father and I talk." She smiled as Percy nodded, wrapping her in a quick hug before running out of the room. But rather than finding Grover he slipped around the corner, holding his breath and peeking his head out as he listened to his parents argue.
"What the hell, Sally? You're just gonna let the kid talk to you however he wants?" Gabe snapped, his voice was filled with disbelief and anger.
His mother moved past him and began preparing the ramen,"He's my son, Gabe."
"So? Shouldn't that give you more incentive to discipline him?"
"Why should I? He's my boy...my last boy." Her voice trembled, as though it took great strength to utter that sentence. Percy frowned, last boy? What was she talking about?
A sigh escaped her, turning her back to the man she put the ramen in a bowel,"He's my boy," She repeated, collecting herself and sounding more firm when she spoke,"and he will want for nothing."
"You're wrong." Gabe said,"Because of you he will want for everything, and his world will be destroyed when he doesn't get that. Or did you think of what would happen if he had everything? He would go mad." He took a hesitant step closer to his wife, her back still to him, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
Sally stiffened, whirling around with tears in her eyes as she regarded him angrily. She made no facial expression but the emotion was all in her eyes. She looked at Gabe as though he were a leper, disgusting and contagious, skin shifting and falling off bone, no consistency to be found, and no love to be given.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Her voice was rough, a calm rage, a sky painted various reds and purples, unnatural and dangerous and a warning to those who looked upon it: a storm was coming,"he will have the world. He will have everything I couldn't, he will be everything I can't be. You'll never understand until you have children of your own."
Gabe's face slowly contorted into a scowl, hands gripped the counter and he leaned closer to his wife,"Percy is my son."
"He will never be your son." Sally said quietly, voice sharp, laced with a cruelty Percy had never heard from his mother,"He was made to be far greater than this, far greater than us." She said cryptically, eyes glinting with a type of madness that made Gabe take a step back,"He has gifts neither of us will ever be able to comprehend, gifts from his real father-"
"You can't put him on a pedestal like this!" Gabe roared, slamming his hands onto the counter and further encroaching in Sally's space,"He's a child!" His face was red and he towered over his wife menacingly,"And you're wrong, I am Percy's father."
Sally didn't reply, instead, she turned her back on him and pulled Percy's food out of the microwave. Gabe watched incredulously as she drained the noodles before putting the mix in, acting as though they weren't in the middle of a conversation. She began humming to herself, unaware of Gabe's growing frustration at her nonchalance. She jumped as he reached out and snatched the bowl of ramen from her.
"Gabe-"
"Fuck you." He sneered, spinning around and chucking the food at the cabinet, causing the bowl to explode and noodles to fly everywhere.
Sally looked at him, jaw locked, eyes filled with malice,"That was for Percy!"
"Why don't you make him another one? Since you're his personal servant!" He snapped, hands balling into fists, and face turning red in anger.
"You know what? Why don't you just go get a drink? Getting drunk is all you're good at!" She mocked, taking a step closer to him, and Percy held his breath as fear gripped his heart. Gabe let out a snarl and slammed his fist into the cabinet beside his mother's head. A startled yelp escaped the boy as his mother flinched away, drawing the quarrelsome couple's attention to him.
"Percy." Gabe breathed, backing away from Sally. Percy blinked back tears and sprinted out of the house. He just had to get away, if only for a little while.
A couple days later, when Gabe was grumpy again, cheeks stained an unnatural red, eyes fogged over, and stumbled about the house like a toddler just learning how to walk; Percy knew why.
Percy couldn't fight to save his life, but he could run like hell.
The hunt watched in a mixture of amusement and amazement as the young man darted quickly away from the wolf. Lupa chased after him, snarling at his retreating form as he ran from her. His adult, fox form was significantly smaller than her wolf, but it was somehow outrunning her. Small, black claws dug into the ground as Percy launched himself forward, yelping in fear as Lupa raced after him.
"Stop running and fight me!" Lupa roared, launching herself at him. He screeched in terror, large green eyes looked behind him fearfully, and a bushy tail wagged anxiously as he darted out of the way.
"Time out!" Percy yelped,"I can barely fight as a human, much less an animal!"
"You must learn to fight in whatever form!"
"How the fuck-" A snarl cut him off and he whimpered as he morphed back into his human form. This should have, realistically, slowed him down but he was still flying.
"Calypso help!" He cried, growing frustrated when he wasn't answered,"Pan, you ass! Call off the fight!" The titaness was covering her face in her hands, trying and failing to keep herself from laughing.
Pan huffed out a small laugh,"Perseus! Think of a large animal and turn to fight Lupa!" He instructed and Percy couldn't help but roll his eyes as he continued to run. Lupa was on his heels and he could feel her hot breath on his neck. Without thinking he swerved from his original direction and threw himself at a tree, unsheathing his claws and digging them into the bark. He climbed up with ease, jumping from branch to branch as he evaded Lupa's snapping teeth.
The laughter stopped as everyone gaped at his nimbleness. Even Artemis was slightly impressed as the boy gracefully swung through the branches. A once embarrassed Hermes was now grinning proudly at his son. That pride soon evaporated when Lupa lunged upward, teeth catching on his foot and dragging him to the earth, tackling Percy to the ground. He cursed and fell flat on his back and right into a bush.
Lupa roared in his face,"Get up!"
"Lupa, let's be adults about this-" She snapped her elongated teeth in his face, causing him to squeal in terror. Vines sprung from the earth and wrapped around her throat. With a yelp she was thrown off him. Percy scrambled to his feet, cursing angrily as Lupa cut through the vines with her claws and charged at him once again. Think big. His body morphed into...a fucking lemur. A small, white lemur.
He scampered up a tree and closed his eyes, shifting into...an eagle? Jumping out of the tree he flew into the air, just out of Lupa's reach. It felt amazing, his vision was sharper and he was far lighter than he had ever been in his entire life. He flapped his wings to stay in the air, just above their forest arena and looked at Pan pleadingly, or as pleadingly as he could in eagle form.
Pan smiled broadly at the bird of prey before standing on his hooves,"Alright, we'll continue this training at a later date. Clearly, our godling needs extra practice shifting." He winked knowingly at the eagle.
Calypso chuckled and smiled at Percy in amusement. Lupa huffed in annoyance before slinking off to her pack, obviously dissatisfied with the training session. Percy landed next to Calypso and shifted back to his human form. He was panting, sweat beaded down his forehead as he bent forward and rested his hands on his knees.
"Gods." He puffed,"I can't believe Pan made me fight an actual bitch. That fucking sucked."
Calypso smiled at him encouragingly,"You're very fast. You impressed everyone here." She said truthfully, hoping her optimism would cheer the man up.
Of course, she was wrong,"I was also a huge coward," Percy then turned his accusatory gaze on his mentor,"why would you have me fight her when I barely know how to shift? I looked so stupid out there."
Calypso snorted, fed up with Percy's bratty attitude,"Shouldn't you be used to that by now?" Percy looked murderous, Calypso had no idea how important performance was to him. To be able to execute anything and everything he did perfectly was extremely important. She had unknowingly touched upon a very sensitive nerve. He was so tired of being mocked by everyone, so tired of doubting himself and being put down for being weak.
He had been a CEO. Successful, awe-inspiring, rich, powerful, and strong.
His presence had been able to command a room, garnering everyone's attention and respect just in the way he carried himself. But here there was none of that. Here, he was the butt of the joke, and it was humiliating. No one took him seriously, and being a godling only made everything worse. He would have bouts of anger, lashing out at everyone, unable to handle disrespect with the dignity he had once mastered. Percy could admit that he had always been snobby, but it seemed to have amplified since his transformation.
Percy was panting now, trying so desperately to stop his shaking as he glowered at Calypso,"Just. Stop. Talking." He growled, actually growled, and buried his clawed fingers into his hair. He grasped onto his auburn locks desperately, hoping to tether himself, hoping to prevent himself from falling into a fit of rage. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened with Zoe.
"Please, calm down." Pan spoke quietly, making Percy pause for a moment, his beast somewhat soothed by the god of the wild.
"Percy, you did well!" The voice of Hermes once again put him on edge, the god hadn't noticed his son's distress. Percy whirled around, snapping his jaws angrily at the god. Hermes looked at him in surprise before putting his hands up in a sign of surrender,"Hey, you're good. I'm not gonna do anything." He murmured, slowly approaching the trembling godling. Percy eyed him warily, eyes dilating, and unsheathed claws were poised to strike.
"Percy." Artemis's authoritative tone caused the godling to stiffen and turn to her. She narrowed her eyes at him, silver piercing emerald, and Percy snarled as gold, rounded ears sprouted atop his head.
"Get away from me." He growled, claws growing longer and incisors elongating,"You're all crowding me...get away!" He roared, his beast began to overtake him and he let out a heavy breath as a tail appeared. Calypso looked guilty for having set him off, and brown eyes softened as she looked at him.
"Percy, I'm sorry for aggravating you. I didn't know it would do this." He felt some of his anger subside at her apology, but his feeling of calm was shortlived.
Artemis sneered at Calypso, showing no sympathy for the soon to be god,"Don't baby him, Calypso. He shouldn't be having outbursts over such little things, it's ridiculous. He has the temper of Ares. Percy, you will control yourself, or I'll make you." Percy was back on the defensive, eyes shifting into a murky orange, golden fur began growing around his neck. Normally, he was extremely intimidated by Artemis and very much respected her, but currently, he wasn't in the right state of mind.
"Artemis-" Calypso tried, taking a step in front of Percy as though to protect him. Pan quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the way, ignoring her protests,"Pan, tell her to stop, Percy can't help it. She'll end up really hurting him." Calypso said. There was a slight panic in her voice but she kept her facial expression neutral as she looked at the god.
Pan shook his head,"Sometimes, even though I don't like it, Percy has to learn the hard way."
Artemis looked at Calypso for a moment before her eyes narrowed in suspicion,"Pan didn't bring you here to coddle this boy, if there's a conflict of interest then maybe we should send you back to the island-"
"You won't touch her!" Percy roared, standing tall, standing proud,"Submit, Artemis, and leave Calypso out of this!" He demanded, surprising everyone with his sudden protectiveness of titaness. Hell, he surprised himself.
He and Calypso fought constantly, but she was the closest thing he had to a friend. Though he'd never admit it, he'd miss her if she left. Not to mention her island was a prison, one she didn't deserve to be stuck on. She had been loyal to her family during the war, not even fighting, and she unfairly suffered for it. Trapped on an island. Trapped with men who could never return her love. She deserved better.
Artemis laughed at his audacity, steel in her voice, and eyes glinting with a ferocity that startled even his beast,"I will never submit to the likes of you." She hissed, eyes glinting as Percy let out an inhuman roar. He rushed forward, bursting out of his skin, and a golden lion took his place. Artemis bared her teeth and charged at him, catching the lion midair by his mane and slamming him into a tree.
Percy slumped to the ground before springing to his paws, not feeling pain like he used to as a mortal, and he rounded on the goddess. His hackles were raised and growls were rumbling in his chest. Artemis waited for him to charge at her, and when he pounced he was met with the claws of a large grizzly bear.
Fuck.
A powerful swat sent him flying backward, he slammed into the ground, stunned by the sudden impact. He felt blood running down his maw and before he could get up the bear was over him, roaring loudly in his face. Before he could try to defend himself, powerful jaws clamped down on his throat.
He panicked as sharp teeth pierced flesh, and he yowled as she picked him up in her jaws. The pain was agonizing and he found himself struggling to breathe. He clawed feebly at her face, leaving marks but not affecting the goddess whatsoever. Black dots danced in his vision and a gurgling sound escaped him as he choked on his own blood. The metallic taste sickened him and, had he not been on the brink of death, he probably would have vomited at the overwhelming taste.
"ARTEMIS!" A voice roared, Percy blearily looked to see an enraged Hermes,"You put him down! Now!" The usually relaxed messenger god looked absolutely livid, hands glowing a brilliant gold of godly energy, prepared to blast Artemis if she didn't comply with his demands. It surprised the godling, he had never seen Hermes so protective of anything or anyone before.
Artemis flung him at another tree, watching with slight satisfaction as he slammed into it bodily. A loud snap caused a whine escaped him as he fell to the ground. Crimson rushing from the gaping wounds in his neck, soiling his once golden mane. He was certain he had broken his ribs, but the searing pain was so intense he started to fall unconscious. His body shifted against his will, he whimpered as his form shrunk into that of a fox. The last thing he saw was Calypso rushing towards him.
Hermes was breathing heavily as he watched Calypso tend to his son. His eyes flashed dangerously as he turned to Artemis, the goddess was back in her normal form, wiping blood off her lips with the back of her hand. She looked completely unbothered by the ordeal, brushing off her clothes and meeting his glare with a steady gaze. The scratch marks on her face were already healing, and Hermes wished more than anything that they would have scarred over.
"What the fuck was that!" The god yelled, starting towards her only to be held back Pan.
"Father, listen to her explanation." He murmured soothingly, gripping his shoulder to prevent him from starting another fight,"I don't agree with her methods, I didn't believe she would take the fight with Percy that far, but I trust she'll provide us with some insight." He looked at her curiously before glancing worriedly at his injured pupil.
"He attacked Zoe." Artemis said, crossing her arms over chest and glowering at the godling's limp form.
Hermes didn't even blink,"When." Silver eyes flickered back to blue ones.
"Last week."
"What'd she do."
Artemis bristled at this,"You've seen him, no one has to do anything significant for him to attack."
"Bullshit! He was calming down but you continued to provoke him! Just answer the question!" The god of thieves snapped, hands still glowing with godly energy, prepared to blast Artemis if she gave an answer he didn't approve of.
Artemis's glare hardened,"She taunted him and threw some mud at him. It hardly warrants being attacked."
"Did he hurt her?"
"She was unscathed."
Hermes let out a shaky breath, not wanting to lose his temper, and trying to understand the goddess's protective nature,"He didn't hurt her...yet you hurt him." He said quietly, jaw clenching as he allowed his godly energy to dissipate,"He's your nephew. He's family-"
"Zoe is my family." Artemis interjected, looking at the unconscious godling indifferently, judgment clouded by the desire for vengeance,"He knew what would happen if he were to attack one of my girls, and this was his punishment."
Hermes felt his empathy evaporate,"So, you maim my son because your bitchy little girlfriend antagonized him and got a little scare? If you weren't my sister," He hissed, hands balling into fists,"if you weren't one of father's favorite children, I would have your head on a spike." The god could have handled watching his son get roughed up, he deserved to catch a few licks for his attitude alone, but Artemis had crossed the line with how badly she had injured him.
Percy was a poor fighter, no threat to a seasoned huntress like Artemis, but she hadn't held back in her assault. If Percy had been a mortal she would have killed him, and the thought alone was enough to make his throat tighten and stomach churn. He and Percy weren't close, but the man was still his son, and he was excited at whatever relationship they could build together.
Pan quickly intervened before his Artemis could retaliate,"Artemis, be rational," He sighed as she regarded him angrily,"Percy told me what happened. He did attack Zoe, but he didn't hurt her, and he left her alone the second she apologized. A punishment was definitely warranted, but not to this extent. This was barbaric. Go clear your head, we'll all speak later when everyone has calmed down." He said gently, giving Artemis a disappointed look before turning to Hermes,"Come, let's take care of our godling." Artemis's face was unexpressive, and she turned on her heel to walk away, still frustrated by the situation.
"Pan!" Calypso called out, running up to the gods with a limp fox in her arms, clothes soaked in blood,"I healed him as best I could but he won't change back. I don't know what to do and he won't wake up and..." She stopped when he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she didn't take her eyes off the fox in her arms,"He tried to protect me." She looked up at the god,"Artemis threatened to send me back to the island and he wouldn't let her."
Pan gave her a small smile,"Seems like you've made a friend." She didn't respond, only looking down at the fox worriedly, holding him a little closer to her chest protectively.
His usually sleek fur was matted and the fur around his neck was damp with blood and saliva. He was barely breathing, the wounds in his neck were closed but many thick, jagged scars were in their place. He had a slight indent in his throat from where the bear's teeth had nearly crushed his neck.
Pan garnered her attention by giving her shoulder a slight squeeze,"Don't worry, he won't awake for a while. He's still part mortal, so his healing process isn't as fast as ours. As for his form, I'm uncertain, but I doubt it's anything to be concerned about. It could be a form he feels safe in. He tried to be a lion, tried to act like one, but he's a fox. Another lesson he'll have to learn. Of course, he can turn into whatever animal he wants, but at his core, he will always be a fox." Running his fingers gently through red fur, he looked at Calypso again,"Let's get him to the cave."
"So, it really is you." Percy startled as a man took a seat next to him. He appeared to be around Percy's age and height, and there was a startling familiarity he felt when he looked at him.
It was a pull, something he had never felt before, something that made him want to be around the mysterious man. He had short, sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Those blue eyes carried flecks of gold in them, and a weariness Percy had never seen before. The man was a bit more muscular than Percy but had about the same athletic and lean body type.
He had a thick, deep scar that ran from the bottom of his eye down to his chin. He was dressed casually in a t-shirt and shorts and sat slumped over, an elbow rested on his knee and his chin rested on the palm of his hand. But something was off about this man. Something unsettling. He looked tired, but at the same time, there was energy radiating off him. It made Percy's skin crawl. The man's tan skin had an unnatural glow to it, an unnatural energy and power that almost made Percy shrink away.
The two were sitting on a bench just outside the Empire State Building. It was midafternoon, people were bustling about, always in a rush. Percy had just come from a meeting about his virtual reality helmets and he had thought it went rather well.
The twenty two year old had traveled all this way from Los Angelas to work on new designs and had decided that he liked New York. Besides all the annoying, touristy people that wanted pictures with him, a lot of people also ignored him. Either they didn't recognize him, were too busy to notice him, or they didn't care. It was a nice break.
After his meeting, he had wanted to visit the Empire State Building. He had only meant to examine it from the outside briefly, maybe take a picture, and leave. But there was something holding him back, something that told him to stay, so he found a bench and he waited. It had been thirty minutes before the strange man sat next to him.
Percy looked at him closely,"Do I...know you?" He asked,"Have we met before?"
The man sat up, turning on the bench to face him,"You could say that," His eyes twinkled mischievously before he thrust out his hand,"I'm Luke Castellan, it's nice to see you again, Percy." Percy blinked before slowly grabbing his hand, nearly jumping when something clicked together in his mind. Being around Luke, despite just having met him, despite the strange energy radiating off him, it felt right. It felt normal.
Percy took his hand back just as slowly before raising a brow,"How do we know each other? You're really familiar and...but I'm certain I'd never forget meeting you."
Luke tilted his head back and laughed, clapping Percy's shoulder,"Ah, you're just as charming as the news articles say," Percy looked at him in surprise before the boy continued,"we met when we were extremely little. Too little for either of us to remember, really." Luke confessed, shrugging his shoulders lazily before removing his hand from Percy,"My mother never shuts up about it, seeing as you're famous and all that."
Percy narrowed his eyes suspiciously,"How do you know she wasn't lying?" How do I know you aren't lying?
Luke smiled boldly at his suspicion,"She wasn't." And for some reason, he believed him.
Percy shifted in his seat so he was better facing the blonde,"So, what do you want?" He asked warily, not sure how to react to the man.
"Just to talk."
"That's it?"
"Yeah," Luke looked out at the people rushing around,"I've wanted to talk to you for years. All I've ever wanted was for us to just talk." He sighed, refusing to meet Percy's curious gaze,"For so long I wanted to hate you," He confessed, startling the raven haired man,"you've lived such a great life, one filled with naivety and happiness and an amazing mother...one I would kill for." The intensity in his voice caused a chill to run down Percy's spine.
"Not my fault your life sucks." Percy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling.
Luke looked at him, finally, eyes filled with amusement,"I know. But even though I wanted to hate you...I never could. Not because, logically, it makes no sense for me to hate you for having what I don't. But because you're...you're you," Luke smiled warmly at him,"and I could never hate you." Percy leaned back on the bench, surprised by the intensity, but nonetheless, he found himself smiling back.
"Well, that's good."
"It is," Luke agreed,"I'm glad I didn't try to keep all that fake hatred up. If I did, we wouldn't be having this conversation, and I would have regretted it for the short remainder of my life." The man sighed, and for a moment he looked haunted,"I'm glad we're talking, it's the closure I need."
Percy stared at him with wide eyes,"You're dying."
"I am." The green eyed man blinked, frowning at the ache that filled his chest. Why should he care? He and Luke weren't close, so why was he affected by the man's confession? Why were his hands shaking? Biting his lip he spread his quivering hands over his thighs in an attempt to mitigate the shaking.
Taking a deep breath he asked,"When?"
"A month."
"What's killing you?" He didn't know why he phrased it that way, maybe it was because Luke was so young and looked so strong. The man wasn't dying naturally, something was killing him. Or someone.
"Loyalty."
They were both silent after that, Percy didn't feel like asking for an explanation and Luke didn't feel like giving one. So, they sat there, both completely relaxed in each other's company. A torrent of emotions ran through both of them but neither were willing to decipher them, not yet. Not when sad, green eyes stared into remorseful blue ones. One was sad because of fate, the other was remorseful for squandering what could have been.
Finally, Percy asked,"How old are you?"
"Twenty two."
"You seem to be taking this very well. I would be a wreck if I were in your shoes."
"I've accepted my fate." Luke shrugged,"I've done everything I've wanted to and...I'm really tired." He breathed, shoulders sagging and face suddenly looking gaunt,"I want this all to be over with, but then I feel bad because I'm supposed to be the strong one. Strong people don't give up." His hands balled into fists and he looked at Percy, eyes glossed with tears and shame,"I'm sorry, I didn't want you to see me like this." He sighed, blinking rapidly and turning away from green eyes as he tried to collect himself.
Percy's brow furrowed and he turned away as well, wanting to give Luke some privacy,"I'm not really good with all this...pep talk stuff." He confessed, wringing his hands as he continued to speak,"But I won't bullshit you, Luke, and that means something because I'm full of bullshit." Luke looked at him curiously and Percy smiled wryly at him,"My mom always talked about the importance of vulnerability. Told me that was what true strength looked like...you being honest about your feelings seems pretty strong to me."
"Percy-"
"Let me finish." Percy said, grasping the other man's shoulder,"I spend every day of my life pretending to be something I'm not. I do it to impress people and maintain my image. I tell people bullshit all the time, stuff they wanna hear, so they'll do what I want." A heavy sigh escaped him,"Truthfully, I like it...I know it's wrong but I can't bring myself to care. And you, you're honest about how you feel. That's a type of strength I'll never have."
Luke mulled over Percy's words for a bit, eyes wide as if he saw Percy in a whole new light. Pride. It was genuine pride that filled blue eyes. The blonde grabbed Percy's hand from his shoulder and grasped it tightly between his own. He looked at the dark haired man closely before shaking his head.
"You were just honest with me." Luke was looking at him sternly now,"You have a rare gift, Percy, you know what you are. That alone is what will one day make you strong, don't sell yourself short."
Percy snorted but couldn't fight his blush,"You sound like some type of motivational speaker." He joked weakly, not entirely comfortable with how intensely Luke was staring at him. Not entirely comfortable with how much he had just opened up to a man he had basically just met.
The blonde relaxed before releasing Percy's hand and letting out an easy laugh,"Sorry. Being so close to death makes you think a lot. Sometimes you feel a lot wiser than you actually are."
Percy paled before looking down at his feet,"Is there anything I can do to make it...easier?" He asked quietly, looking at the man imploringly on how he could help.
Luke smiled gently at him before standing up, Percy scrambled to his feet as well, looking at the man in slight wonder,"Actually, this talk with you was all I needed," He reached over and cupped the back of Percy's neck, it was a comforting weight,"just take care of your mother, alright?" Percy nodded and Luke pressed a brief kiss on his forehead before pulling away,"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to be who you needed me to be." Percy frowned, but before he could ask he felt time inexplicably slow. He looked around in shock, but by the time his eyes fell to where Luke had been standing, he was gone.
And a month later Percy jolted awake in the middle of the night, sweat poured down his face and tears streamed down his cheeks. Flashes of steel, crimson, gold, and blue obscured his vision. He felt a piercing stab of pain under his left arm, causing him to lurch forward and cry out. Tears fell faster, breathing slowed, and the dull ache in his chest returned.
The image of blue eyes closing evoked a sob, and he knew it was over.
Percy listened with closed eyes as he heard the gods speak in hushed whispers. He remained in his fox form, curled up in a warm lap, the slender fingers running through his fur caused him to believe he was being held by Calypso. His head was pounding and he felt exhausted. There was a dull ache in his neck, and he had to fight himself from opening his eyes to check on whatever was ailing him. He didn't know what was going on, so he just listened.
"He's been asleep for three days...Apollo, are you sure he's alright?" Hermes asked, a slight tremor in his voice as he spoke.
"Calypso and I have done all we can, I'm actually impressed with how well he's healed. I was afraid that Artemis had caused irreversible damage. Those scars aren't going away, at least not in his normal form." Oh, right, he had gotten into a fight with Artemis. Well, calling it a fight was an exaggeration, he had been decimated by Artemis. It was no surprise how easily she had beaten him, but he hadn't expected her to hurt him so badly. He was turning into a cocky bastard and he'd have to keep himself in check if he wanted to avoid such a situation again.
"Hopefully," Pan's voice broke the silence,"this lesson will help keep our godling calm."
A scoff,"Lesson? That wasn't a lesson! That was a mauling!" Hermes said crossly.
"Father, Percy is as stubborn as you, sometimes he'll have to learn the hard way if he's to learn at all. Even older gods struggle with their emotions. Many of us believe that, because of our power, if things don't go our way we can make them go our way. Percy was raised to believe the same, and now he is suffering for the sins of his mother."
"The sins of his mother?" Calypso asked, hands momentarily stopped moving through his fur,"Percy talks about how great his mother is all the time. From his stories, she seems like a very loving woman."
"A loving woman indeed," Pan agreed, shuffling closer to Calypso and Percy,"but she committed sins that many parents before her have. She put her child's wants above his needs. I would further explain, but it appears Percy is awake, and I don't believe he's ready to hear any critical opinions of his mother." A growl escaped Percy at being caught, but he opened his eyes to look up at his mentor.
Before he could say anything Hermes jumped to his feet,"Percy! How are you feeling? Is your throat feeling better?" Percy inwardly grimaced at the god's loud voice and let out a huff before burrowing himself deeper into Calypso's arms. He didn't feel like facing everyone, not after he had made such a fool of himself. He looked at the worried god that stood over him, why was Hermes so worried about him? Why had he been so protective during his fight with Artemis?
"Percy," The gentle voice of Calypso caused him to look up at her,"can you change back for us, please?" He blinked at warm, brown eyes, before moving his eyes around the cave. Pan was sitting next to them, Apollo was standing at the entrance, and Hermes was standing over him. He felt relief that no other gods were here to see him like this, pitiful and weak.
The fox looked at Pan, knowing he was the only one who could understand him in this form,"I don't want to. I want everyone to leave me alone." He demanded, voice raspy, and a barking cough escaped him. It was difficult for him to speak due to the pain in his throat, but not impossible.
Pan gave him a gentle smile,"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice. We've all be very worried, and you've been in your fox form for a long period of time. It would put my mind at ease if you changed back, staying in that form for too long while you're still new to shifting...can be dangerous." The godling huffed, opening his mouth to protest but then thought better of it. Maybe that'd get everyone to leave him alone faster.
Standing shakily to his paws he removed himself from Calypso's lap and shifted back. He wobbled, trying to get used to his two legs again, before slumping down next to Calypso. Fingers found the marks on his neck and he grimaced, Apollo had said they'd scar, and he didn't even want to know what his wounds looked like. He hated scars, they were ugly and ruined otherwise perfect skin. They drew too much attention, too many conclusions, and too many rumors.
"They don't look that bad." The titaness assured him,"They'll become fainter with time." He looked at her guiltily, remembering her apology, remembering how he had almost attacked her. It was such a little thing to be angry about. Calypso was kind, sure she could be mean to him but it wasn't as though she had no reason for it. He had nearly attacked her, yet she had rushed to his side to heal him, had stayed with him while he healed, and was now even trying to reassure him.
"I'm...sorry." He muttered to her, hating the look of surprise on his face,"I didn't mean to blow up on you."
"I didn't mean to make you so mad." She responded, placing a hand on his knee and giving it a slight squeeze before pulling away,"You made a very pretty lion." She wanted to thank him for trying to protect her, but something held her back. Now wasn't the time or place for such a conversation, Percy obviously didn't want to be around all of them, so she decided to thank him when he felt less overwhelmed.
He chuckled at her remark,"Well, I'm very pretty."
This evoked an eye roll,"Glad to see you're feeling better." And he was, besides the ache in his throat and slight pain when swallowing, he was feeling well rested. He wanted to go out and run around in his fox form, he found it preferable to his human form, but Pan had warned him of this feeling.
Newer gods could sometimes get too wrapped up in their sacred animals, enjoying the feeling of sharper senses and the perks that came with their animals. It was probably a good idea to refrain from shifting, if only for a few days.
"Thanks for patching me up," Percy nodded at both Apollo and Calypso,"I didn't intend to lose my temper like that, and I'll ensure it won't happen again."
"Let's hope that it won't." The voice of Artemis came from the entrance of the cave. Percy tensed at her arrival while Hermes stood in front of him, his hand gripped the handle of his knife, and he stood in a stance poised to attack.
Artemis put her hands on her hips and looked at Hermes in annoyance,"I wish to speak to Percy, alone." Her voice rang with authority, her eyes fixated on the nearly quivering godling. Percy saw flashes of claws and teeth, a big brown bear, blood, and cruel silver eyes. The thought of enraging Artemis again, to the point of her attacking him, caused him to shiver and hug his knees to his chest.
The feeling of intimidation wasn't a foreign one to him, but he had never felt it to this extent. Sure, he had been intimidated by older and wiser business men and women, but he had never feared for his life before. Would this be the new normal? He wondered, not daring to take his eyes off the goddess, she had been the one that warned him of the dangers out there.
He wasn't sure about all the rules on gods and immortality, but he knew gods could still get hurt, and they could definitely be killed by other gods. The thought alone made his heart rate increase drastically.
Hermes snorted at her demand,"If you think I'll let you be alone with him after what happened, then you must think I'm a fucking idiot."
She didn't miss a beat,"I'm glad you know my opinion of you, but that's neither here nor there. Your s-" She stopped herself, remembering it wasn't her secret to tell,"Percy is a grown man, not a child, now leave us so we may talk." Hermes drew his blade but was quickly stopped when Apollo whipped out his bow, and aimed an arrow at his neck.
"Sorry bro, but she's my twin." Hermes understood that Apollo would always take Artemis's side. Besides his mother, the goddess was the most important woman in his life,"Arty," He ignored her indignant scowl at the nickname,"won't hurt Percy. Let them reconcile." Hermes glowered at him before looking at Pan for confirmation.
The god nodded,"Percy will be safe. It'll be good for them to talk." He turned to Calypso,"Let's give them a moment." The titan nodded before following Pan out of the cave. Hermes let released a sigh before sheathing his blade.
He turned to the godling,"If you need anything, yell for me." Percy nodded, deciding to ask the god about his protectiveness at a later time. Hermes then turned to Artemis,"If you touch a hair on his head-"
"I won't." The goddess said impatiently, nodding to her brother who lowered his weapon. Hermes shouldered past her and she stumbled back slightly, turning to glower at the god.
Apollo sighed,"Don't worry about him, sis, he'll get over it." He assured her, causing her to roll her eyes.
"I'm not worried about that," She stepped forward and gave her brother a pat on the shoulder,"but thank you." She gave him a soft smile, one that he returned.
"Anytime." He left goddess and godling alone, making Percy slightly panicked.
He felt vulnerable being alone with Artemis, there was no one here to intervene, she could easily finish him off if she wanted to. His hands became clammy and his body felt hot, he needed to run, he needed to shift. Fighting the itch to burst out of his skin, he instead dug his nails into the palms of his hands.
He tried not to cower away from her, tried to be brave in the face of the ultimate huntress, but he couldn't find the strength to do so. He just stared at her warily as she approached him, he swallowed thickly at the sight of her sheathed daggers and watched her hands closely. If they made even the slightest twitch towards her blades he would get out of there.
Percy had once felt powerful, arrogant even, in his godling form. But Artemis had quickly reduced him to a pathetic, quivering mess. He assumed he resembled one of those constantly trembling little dogs. Fragile, annoying, and somewhat amusing. How humiliating.
Percy flinched as she sat down abruptly in front of him,"I'm not going to hurt you." She said, her tone of voice and facial expression gave nothing away as she observed him. He didn't say anything, only nodded. He had never been hurt before, not like that. That intense pain he had felt, the pain that made him fall unconscious was nothing he had ever experienced before.
Percy had lived a sheltered life. His mother hadn't let him try out for sports for fear of possible injuries, and he hadn't complained, because she had unintentionally made him afraid of getting hurt. On top of that, he had never been allowed to rough house with friends as a child. So, since he was a boy, he had wanted to avoid all types of pain if possible.
The woman had always hovered over him anxiously, never wanting him to get hurt either physically or mentally, so she denied him nothing but always herded him away from doing any physical activities. Unbeknownst to the godling, because of his mother's behavior, he had missed big chunks of social aspects in his life due to her overprotection.
A sigh escaped the huntress,"Percy, Zoe told me what happened," He stiffened, feeling anger momentarily outweigh his fear,"she didn't tell me in order to get you in trouble." Artemis quickly amended, having seen the anger etched in his face,"She told me because she came back to camp covered in mud from when you had taken her down, and I implored her to tell me the truth. That's why I attacked you like that. I wasn't thinking rationally." Percy looked away from her, wringing his hands nervously as she spoke. He had to find a way to fix this, to get in Artemis's good graces again. He had to play the game.
"What I did...was regrettable," He lied smoothly,"I didn't really want to hurt her. I was just so angry, I tried to control myself but...it was silly." He looked down shamefully, praying that Artemis wouldn't pick up on his false regret. Aphrodite had said, had she not been able to read his emotions, she wouldn't have been able to pick up on his lies to her. Hopefully, he was as good of a liar as she claimed.
Artemis was quiet for a moment before speaking,"You didn't hurt her...you reigned in control before you did anything drastic. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did-"
"I get it," Percy waved off her apology,"had someone attacked my mother I would have lost it. Zoe is part of your family, you only wanted to protect her."
"Don't make excuses for me, my punishment was too severe."
Percy finally looked up at her,"Nonsense," He gave her an easy going smile,"I'm clearly alright. If anything, your attack tamed my...beast." He paused before furrowing his brow,"I don't know what else to call it." The godling confessed,"It's a very animalistic part of me that I'm unfamiliar with, it's led by emotions and instincts. Anyway, I don't feel the constant anger beneath the surface anymore, so I suppose I should thank you." He was being partially truthful.
Percy wasn't at all okay with how Artemis had attacked him, but he wasn't trying to butt heads with the goddess again. Reprimanding her would have only made her defensive, so playing empathetic was the best course of action. However, Artemis had indeed quieted his once loud beast. He no longer felt like a ticking time bomb, instead, his beast hid away in Artemis's presence. Percy felt a calm he hadn't in a long time. Perhaps he was a little grateful.
Artemis nodded slowly before glancing at the jagged scar that ran across his neck,"Still, there were better methods I could have used."
"It's in the past. Though, I would like for you to pass my apologies to Zoe. I imagine she wouldn't want to see me anytime soon." He gave her a sheepish smile,"I hope that, when this is all resolved, Zoe and I may begin to engage with each other civilly." Another blatant lie that luckily wasn't picked up on by Artemis. Percy was certain that the goddess's guilt was half the reason he was getting away with such fake genuineness.
Artemis gave him a small smile,"I'm sure she would appreciate that, as well." Gods, how stupid have I been? Percy thought, flashing a smile back at the goddess. The answer to all his problems was within him all along.
The gods, their statuses, their subjects, it was all just a game of politics. He'd just have to keep up his facade with Artemis especially, she was a good judge of character, if he could get her to like him then he would certainly have a handful of Olympians who would give him the benefit of the doubt. The same would go with Demeter, Apollo, and Hermes. All four were Olympians, and he would have a good chunk of the council on his side.
"Tomorrow, would you take me out to practice archery? It's the one thing I'm kind of good at weapon wise, and it's relatively easy to avoid being hit in the face." He joked lightly, purposefully relaxing his body as he spoke. He was still undeniably nervous around the goddess, she could tear him apart easily, which is why he'd have to keep up the act.
Artemis nodded, surprising him with a smile,"Of course. I'm glad you've taken to it so well, especially for someone who's never had to use a weapon before." She stood to her feet, holding her hand out to him,"With enough practice, maybe you'll be as good as Apollo." The godling took her hand and she hauled him to his feet.
"I want to be as good as you." He insisted as she dropped his hand and he followed her out of the cave.
She raised a brow,"Ambitious. Good. Now, let's go find Hermes so he'll stop threatening me."
"Why was he so protective, anyway? I'm not exactly the nicest person to him." Percy said, looking at the goddess curiously.
Artemis didn't spare him a second glance,"That's a question you'll have to ask him."
"I thought I wasn't allowed to go to the mortal world because of my emotions." Percy frowned, glancing suspiciously between the grinning Hermes, Apollo, and Aphrodite,"And why would you guys need to go shopping? Can't you just make clothes magically appear?"
Aphrodite sighed,"If things get out of hand I can taper your emotions. Geez, Percy, you're thinking too practically about this. We're gods," She gestured to all of them,"and we're always so busy. It's nice to take time off and mess around with mortals." She clapped her hands together excitedly,"Not to mention, I love seeing the new things they create! It's either completely ridiculous or extremely cute!"
Percy rolled his eyes at her condescension,"That's all well and good, but how am I supposed to go to some mall? I'm famous and I'll definitely be recognized," He scratched at his auburn colored beard,"even with the hair color change. They'll all be looking at us anyway because, well, we're all attractive."
Aphrodite was practically preening,"Oh, you're so sweet."
Apollo grinned,"I am pretty handsome."
Hermes huffed impatiently at his godly companions before turning to the godling,"You're right, so you change your appearance."
"Change my appearance?" Percy asked dumbfoundedly,"Like, shapeshifting?"
The messenger god nodded,"Yes! Just like shapeshifting except you change the little things, like hair or eyes or height. Like shifting, you need to focus extensively on what you want to look like. You've done really well with your powers so far, I just know you'll be able to do this." He enthused, giving Percy a friendly pat on the shoulder before stepping back, making sure not to make his son uncomfortable.
Percy nodded slowly before closing his eyes. He tried to think of someone to look like, not realizing he was already changing. The gods watched as auburn hair lightened to a sandy blonde, eyes snapped open to reveal green had been replaced by blue, a thick white scar ran from the bottom of his eye down to his chin. Part of the scar was obscured by the short, full beard Percy had decided to keep. His body filled out slightly and the three gods looked at him with a mix of awe and horror, especially Hermes.
He looked like the perfect combination of Percy and Luke,"W-Why did you choose that form?" Hermes breathed, stricken by the look of his deceased son.
Percy raised a brow in confusion,"What form?" Aphrodite conjured a mirror and held it in front of him,"Oh." He said quietly, tears involuntarily pricking his eyes but he blinked them away quickly. He frowned at his reflection, he looked too much like Luke and it didn't feel right. He felt wrong impersonating the man, even though he hadn't done so intentionally.
Concentrating, Percy changed blue eyes back to green. With a huff he was able to make his body type go back to its leaner figure, the scar became thinner and shrunk so it stopped at his cheek, and he instead decided to increase his height ever so slightly. He noticed Hermes relax slightly, but there was still slight alarm in his eyes. Percy decided he'd ask about that later, suspecting that Hermes had known Luke somehow. He must have in order to be that affected by his appearance.
Apollo was quick to break the somber atmosphere,"Alrighty! Let's ditch this dump!"
"Wait, won't Pan and Artemis be mad?"
Hermes smirked,"What they don't know won't hurt them. Besides, you could use a break!"
The godling nodded before uttering,"Thanks." Looking away as the god smiled brightly at him.
"Dibs on choosing the mall!" Aphrodite yelled, grabbing Percy's arm and teleporting them before the other gods had a say.
Instantly they were in the parking lot of a large mall, Percy blinked at the abrupt arrival before squinting at the sign,"Chesterfield Mall? We're in St. Louis."
Aphrodite nodded,"I figured we'd start somewhere not as overwhelming. I wanted to go to the Mall of America but decided we should take it slow." She then grinned lecherously at him causing his cheeks to redden.
"You're not going to be doing this the whole time, are you?"
The goddess laughed before pulling him forward by his arm,"We're best friends now, Percy, it's my job to tease you every once in a while. I just didn't think you'd be such a prude."
He scowled but allowed her to tug him along,"I'm not prude, I grew up on Los Angelas for fucks sakes, you're just...you." He sighed, rolling his eyes as she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"You're sweet!"
"Get off the poor guy." Apollo's voice sounded from behind them as he approached the two with Hermes.
She rolled her eyes,"You don't have to be jealous. Percy and I are best friends, so this," She gestured to their intertwined arms,"is completely normal."
Apollo looked at her, clearly affronted as a frown creased his forehead,"I'm not...ugh you have such a huge ego."
"So do you, it's why we could never work. You think you're the prettiest god whereas we all know that I am." Aphrodite shrugged, smiling as Apollo laughed good-naturedly.
Hermes shot her a look before speaking to Percy,"If she makes you uncomfortable, don't feel obligated to humor her."
Percy bristled at this and his cheeks reddened once again,"I have a spine, Hermes. I don't care if she holds my arm." He grumbled, knowing it was silly for him to get defensive about the subject. Hermes was only trying to help,"But...thanks." He said it so quietly the god nearly didn't hear him. He'd have to catch Hermes alone and find out why he was so protective of him.
The moment they stepped into the mall all eyes were on them. Honestly, Percy couldn't blame all the humans staring at them.
Aphrodite looked like she had just walked off a runway. Long blonde hair cascaded down her back, bright amber eyes looked to be sparkling, and she was shaped like an hourglass. She wasn't dressed up, but she didn't have to be to attract everyone's attention. She wore a red crop top with white jeans and black heels. She clung to Percy's arm and her heels made her come up to his ear.
Apollo looked like an angel. His blonde hair flowed down to his chin, his eyes the color of molten gold, and he wore a blinding smile. He was dressed in a white button up shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. The sun god stood tall, displaying powerful shoulders and his athletic build. He was more muscular than both Hermes and Percy, who were on the leaner side.
Hermes looked a little older than the rest of them, but not by much. His hair was black and curly, making his blue eyes seem to glow even brighter due to the contrast. His features were a bit elfish looking due to how narrow his facial features were. A sly grin was on his face, a look of mischief, and while he wasn't as handsome as Apollo he was definitely roguishly handsome. He dressed more casually, wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and red sneakers.
Percy suspected he looked more roguishly handsome like Hermes. His cropped, blonde hair and neatly trimmed beard made him appear a little cleaner. However, his white t-shirt, grey sweatpants, and black sandals made him feel sloppy. He wished he had had time to change but, due to all the stares he was getting, he didn't feel as self conscious about his outfit as he originally did. Still, he'd prefer to have some better fitting, more professional looking clothes.
Aphrodite was practically glowing under all the attention she and Percy were getting. He had made it very clear that he was uninterested in her romantically, and she was fine with that, but she could also recognize that they made a beautiful couple. The jealous looks she got from other women made her smile smugly, and she nestled closer into Percy as they walked through the mall. Percy smiled slightly at this, perfectly fine with being eye candy and didn't comment on it, instead choosing to look around the mall excitedly.
"We can't buy any clothes, Pan and Artemis would have our heads." Hermes reminded them, causing Apollo to pale.
"Gods, Arty would shoot me with all the arrows in her arsenal if she knew we were here with Percy." He muttered, causing Hermes to grin wildly.
"I know. Isn't this great!" He enthused, taking a moment to glance at his ringing phone before shoving it in his pocket,"It's been so long since I've taken off work...this is going to be a good day. I can feel it!"
Apollo grinned,"Dude, I know! And maybe we can pick up some mortal babes while we're here!"
Aphrodite frowned at the two of them,"Ugh, knock it off you two. We're just at the mall...we'll go to a bar next time." Percy smiled slightly as the two gods high fived, he found that he was somewhat enjoying himself. It was nice to take a break from the constant training and the grating words of wisdom that Pan always bestowed upon him. It was nice to be in civilization with air conditioning again.
"Ooh! Ooh! We've got to go into HotTopic!" Apollo pleaded, causing his three companions to wrinkle their noses at him.
"Yeah, maybe if I wanted to look like a sixteen year old disaster." Percy drawled, rolling his eyes,"I'm well passed my emo days, thank you very much."
Hermes perked and looked at the godling curiously,"You had an emo phase?!"
Apollo groaned,"You guys are hateful, they have awesome superhero t-shirts!" He whined, then began to pout as everyone ignored him.
Percy's cheeks felt hot as he avoided everyone's gaze,"Uh, yeah, when I was, like, fourteen. I didn't really dress the part but I acted like such an angry and depressed shithead. My life was good, so there was no point in me acting like that." He shrugged, briefly thinking of Gabe before pushing the thought away quickly. A couple of bad experiences didn't detract from how easy of a life he lived, he recognized that.
Aphrodite giggled behind her hand,"Aw, that's so cute."
The godling looked at her flatly,"There's nothing cute about an edgy teenager."
"I know, I was just trying to be nice."
The four wandered around the mall for a while, popping into different stores and trying on copious amounts of clothes. Percy just about lost it when Apollo came out dressed in elephant footie pajamas. He looked like an overgrown child as he beamed at himself in the mirror.
"I look good!" He enthused, flexing in the mirror, causing Percy to laugh at the absurdity. Apollo grinned at his laugh before shaking his head, moving the floppy ears attached to the hood of his pajamas,"You should turn into an elephant next."
Before Percy could respond, Aphrodite came over with a handful of clothes and dropped them in his lap,"Maybe we should buy some clothes," She hummed,"especially since we have school in a couple weeks-" She slapped a hand over her mouth as Percy jumped out of his seat, haphazardly knocking the clothes onto the ground.
He looked at her incredulously,"School?"
Hermes pinched the bridge of his nose while Apollo winced,"Aph, what the hell?"
"I'm sorry!"
Percy looked at the two men and crossed his arms over his chest,"So everyone knew about this? Why would I go to school!"
Hermes smiled sheepishly,"Pan thinks it'd be a good idea to practice with your emotions. Since you've calmed down significantly, he figured...high school would be the best place to test it out."
"High school!" Percy gaped, feeling despair overcome any anger he had felt prior to this revelation,"What the hell, why would I do that, I would kill everyone there!" High school had to be some of the worst years he'd have to relive, not because he had a bad experience, but because being trapped with hormonal teenagers again sounded like absolute hell.
Aphrodite laid a gentle hand on his arm,"Don't worry, you won't be going alone," She assured him, as though that were supposed to make things any better,"I'll be in most if not all classes to make sure your emotions are stabilized. Apollo, Calypso, and Artemis will attend school with us."
If possible, Percy's jaw dropped further,"That's, like, the worst combination of people! Apollo and Artemis bicker like children, me and Calypso bicker like children, Calypso and Artemis don't get along, and you and Artemis are complete opposites of each other. Who the actual fuck thought this would be a good idea?" He buried his face in his hands, trying to squash the dread rising up in his chest.
Apollo was at his side in an instant, and slung an arm over his shoulders,"Chill, Perce! This is gonna be so fun!" He was beaming,"We can sit together at lunch and everything. I'll walk you to class, carry your books for you..." Percy groaned, he was going to fucking kill himself.
Aphrodite frowned at the god,"What are you, his boyfriend?"
Apollo smirked as he removed his arm from Percy's shoulders and wrapped it around Percy's waist,"What's the matter? Jealous?" He mocked before turning to the godling with a mischevious grin,"I can be whatever you want me to be, babe." Percy couldn't help but smile as he shoved the laughing god off of him.
Aphrodite rolled her eyes at his antics,"I just want to point out that I already called dibs on playing as his girlfriend."
"Wait, I thought you guys were all going to play as adopted siblings?" Hermes chimed in, and Percy felt a migraine coming on at the entire, convoluted mess.
The love goddess shrugged,"We are. But that doesn't mean I can't still pretend to date Percy."
Hermes made a face,"I guess...it's still a little weird."
"We're not actually related!"
"I know but...still."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes, again,"It's for his own protection. The last thing he needs is unwanted attention from a bunch of adolescents." Percy grimaced at this, gods he'd be stuck with a bunch of dumbass teenagers. There was no way in hell he'd give any of them the light of day.
"The best part about all this," Apollo said,"is that Pan is playing as our dad." He was grinning now,"I say we call him Papa Pan."
Aphrodite sighed,"And here I thought you couldn't get any more annoying."
"As entertaining as this is, and trust me, it is," Percy intervened sarcastically,"where are we going to school?" He asked, eyes narrowing as all the gods became uncomfortably quiet.
"Well," Hermes started, shifting awkwardly,"Forks..."
"Forks." Percy repeated, jaw clenching
"Washington."
"Forks, Washington." Percy said quietly, eyes pulsing with annoyance,"We're going to school at Forks, the dreariest place in America. I heard the sun only shines once a year." His eyes snapped to Hermes's blue one ones,"Why would we go to that small as shit town!"
Hermes met the godling's agitated glare with a firm look of his own,"It's a thickly forested area, so the hunt could set up camp there and we could still continue your training. We'll only be there for a couple of months-"
"Months!" Percy cried, his glare turning into a petulant scowl,"You gotta be fucking kidding me." He then crossed his arms over his chest before shaking his head,"You know what, no. I don't want to go, so I won't."
Hermes's jaw clenched and he narrowed his eyes,"You don't have a choice." Percy didn't feel that familiar rage he had been fighting against for weeks now, Artemis had basically scared his beast into submission, but he was still angry that Hermes was telling him no.
Before the two could get in an argument a cold voice interrupted them,"Well, what a surprise bumping into you four." Percy and the other gods froze, slowly turning to see a glowering Artemis.
Before another word could be said Apollo whispered quietly so only they could hear,"I got this." And took a step forward, smiling broadly at his sister,"Ah, I'm so glad you're here, sis!" He grabbed Percy's shoulder and dragged him forward slightly,"I was just out here...uh..." He blanked for a moment before saying,"respecting women, because women are great, when I saw Percy hanging out with Hermes and Aphrodite." The three looked at him in shock but he ignored them.
Artemis looked unamused as she put her hands on her hips,"Really?" She asked dryly, raising an eyebrow as her twin continued.
Apollo nodded vigorously,"Yes. Being the responsible god that I am, I quickly came up to them and warned them about taking Percy out around mortals. But they didn't listen, they threatened to hurt me, so I decided to stay and watch them in order to make sure nothing got out of hand." He said solemnly,"I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you but-"
"Do you take me for a fool?" Artemis snorted, eyeing his footie pajamas. Apollo looked down at himself and cursed his luck, ignoring Percy as he ripped out of his grasp and gave the sun god a nasty look.
Apollo rolled his eyes at his sister,"Well, to be fair, you thought MILF meant Maiden I'd Like to Fight until last month-"
"That's enough." She snapped, fixing her glare on a giggling Aphrodite.
Hermes nudged Percy to get his attention as the twins started arguing. The godling looked at the god who jerked his head towards the exit of the little store they were in. Percy glanced at Aphrodite who nodded, and the three slowly backed out of the store and into the large mall hallways.
They slipped in with the crowd and were on their way to the exit when Aphrodite was yanked backward. A cry erupted from her lips as she disappeared into the crowd. No mortals seemed to notice her eerie disappearance, meaning Artemis had used the mist to cover up her capture. Percy and Hermes looked at each other with wide eyes, fear gripping both of them as they looked around for the elusive huntress.
"Percy, run." Hermes hissed, and without a second to waste the two were sprinting through the mall. They ran around various people in the crowd, looking back often to see if the goddess was close on their heels. It was all the more terrifying when they found no sign of her.
Percy pointed to the Target section of the mall,"Quick, we can lose her in here, but we have to split up." She couldn't catch both of them, surely.
Hermes nodded and the moment they stepped into the store they ran off in opposite aisle. Percy ducked into clothes section, keeping low as he peeked around for an exit. His breathing was heavy and his heart was beating extremely fast.
Seeing that the coast was clear he quickly darted into the empty electronics aisle. Looking to make sure the coast was clear he changed his hair color to a light brown and shrunk himself to be slightly shorter, hoping it would be enough to throw Artemis off his trail.
He wondered how Hermes was fairing. A loud crash sounded from the opposite side of the Target, causing Percy to jump in fear. He had to get out of here. But wait, he couldn't teleport yet, how the hell was he supposed to get back? A curse escaped him but he pushed the thought aside, all he had to do was get out of here alive and he'd figure the rest out later.
Adrenaline made his pulse quicken and his eyes dart around warily. The fox in him was thrilled at their game of cat and mouse, enjoying running around, but his human side was absolutely terrified. He spotted the exit sign, just past the toy aisle and checkout lines and he'd be home free, the sight of the outdoors made Percy relax marginally as he slowly crept through the store.
Halfway through the toy section, his stomach clenched and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He looked around, frowning in confusion, it appeared she wasn't anywhere near him.
He took another step towards his goal before a bright, red shoe dropped right in front of him. He froze, quickly recognizing it as one of Hermes's sneakers. Oh, fuck. He slowly looked up to see Artemis. She was perched on the top of the shelf, smiling evilly at him.
He squealed in terror and tried to take off running but she dropped down on him, taking them both to the floor. She straddled his waist and with one hand she pinned down his wrists over his head. Silver eyes looked predatory, and Percy shivered when he saw fangs reveal themselves in her smirk.
"Did you really think you could escape me?" She growled, clearly having enjoyed the hunt, despite it being rather easy for her. Percy swallowed thickly as he tried and failed to squirm out of her grasp. He was screwed. Artemis had him in her clutches and he would be done for-
"Sir, ma'am, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you both to leave." A gruff voice startled both of them, causing them to look up in surprise to see a security officer standing them with his arms crossed.
Artemis glared at him, letting go of Percy's wrists and putting her hands on her hips, seeming to forget that Percy was underneath her,"On what grounds." She demanded, and Percy couldn't help but groan in embarrassment at their predicament.
The security guard sighed before shaking his head,"I understand young love and all," He said, completely missing the look of horror that etched itself on Artemis's face. Percy could only blush,"but you can't do that kind of stuff here. We've gotten multiple complaints from people about you already, ma'am. You've been running around the store and disrupting people and workers alike. I'm afraid you two have to leave." He stepped back as the two of them slowly got to their feet. Both of them were extremely uncomfortable as the guard escorted them to the entrance.
The guard gave them a small smile opening the door for them,"I know this is awkward and all, but if it makes you two feel any better, you're a lovely looking couple." Artemis gasped in offense while Percy's blush deepened.
The godling knew why the guard was so patient with them, the nicer you looked, the nicer people were to you. Artemis was beautiful and Percy was handsome, and he supposed they didn't look bad together.
Before the goddess could make a scene, Percy interlaced their fingers and gave the man an easy smile,"Thank you, sir. I apologize for our behavior, I've been away for a while and my lovely lady can get a little frisky if you know what I mean." He winked, evoking a scowl from the goddess and a laugh from the guard.
"Oh, I understand that, man. My girl back home gets the same way. You two have fun now." He grinned knowingly at them before disappearing back at the mall. The two were quiet for a moment before Artemis yanked her hand out of his.
Percy's face felt like it was on fire as it burned with embarrassment,"I'm in trouble, aren't I." He yelped as slim fingers pinched his ear and tugged him out towards the parking lot.
Over 13,000 words cuz I love you guys. That's right, beloved hoes, two updates in less than a month, we back out here.
If you guys think I'm above throwing in Twilight references in the next chapter then you're wrong. Maybe the Cullens pop up as Empousa...who knows. Probably not, but the idea made me laugh.
Lamb Sauce: Awww, the Author's Note is sweet. I hope everything is fine at your end PD11 and your family.
Shucks, thanks LS, we're doing better now. Hope everything is fine on your end as well :)
swordsNarrows: Pluto's Daughter 11, 2018-"I'm a prick"
Indeed, though most of my friends call me an ass :/
Nightshade Stalker: You're awesome and I love you too! Made my day when I saw you updated. I've low key moved on from this fandom to game of thrones cuz I finished almost all he worth while stories here and they were starting to really get repetitive with their themes. Yours have always been unique and I'm glad that you keep updating. Can't wait for the next chapter and I hope we get to see some real perlypso soon!
Honestly I haven't read a PJO fic in years. I'm glad I made your day and hope I can make it again! Ugh, Game of Thrones (not that hellish last season) is amazing but I have a crackship of Daenerys x Arya (don't ask I don't know what happened) and those fics are SCARCE! But luckily I like Brienne x Tormund and Sansa x Margery so I'm well fed. I'm really glad you like this story :) and there shall be more Perlypso interactions, promise.
Alright peeps, lemme know what you thought. Is there any character interactions you'd like to see more of?