I am SO sorry about not updating WAY sooner. I've been having problems with school, other facfics, writer's block, procrastination and things of that nature. Please forgive me. I'm actually quite surprised I haven't had a mob come down on me yet. Anyways, I want to thank my reviewers: Kitten at BB, musicalgirl4474, piper0984, puzzlingnerd57, Hero of Olympus, Light of Redemption, and Nicercylover108.

I really appreciate the support you guys give me. And also, I want to ask you guys to maybe give me some requests or advice for the story. That would be really helpful.

Anyways, on to the fanfic!

-PJO-PJO-PJO-

Percy's POV

As Argus drove Nico and me to my mom's apartment, I couldn't help but fidget nervously. Would she hate me for making her think that I was dead? Would she hug me and tell me she missed her little boy? Would she kick me out and tell me never to come near her again?

All of these thoughts ran through my head as we drove through Manhattan, and it took Nico yelling my name multiple times to draw me from those thoughts. "Sorry," I muttered, not bothering with acting mocking. I was too nervous to care.

My hands were shaking slightly as I went up the metal stairs of the apartment complex. It was as if I was moving in slow motion, and felt as though I was walking forever until I reached the apartment my mother lived in.

I took one deep breath . . . then two . . . then another, and then I knocked on the door hestitantly, hands still shaking. Nico put a calming hand on my shoulder, but I flinched away from it.

I saw the teen frown in the corner of my eye. My attention was brought back to the apartment as I saw the door open. "Hello?" I hear my mother's voice say, and then I saw her face. She looked slightly older, more worry lines, but she was still beautiful with her kalaidescope eyes and brown hair.

"M-Mom," I stuttered. "I'm home." Her eye's widened in shock. She just stared at me for a few seconds, tears forming in her eyes. And the she slapped me. My eyes widened in shock, but were hidden my my bangs.

"How could you do that us?!" she yelled. "Do you know how worried I was?!" Her voice broke. I mistook her anger as hate, and only realized later that it was just hurt, and that there was love in her eyes.

Tears formed, but I didn't let either of then see them. "I . . . I'm sorry . . ." I whispered. And then I turned and ran away.

"Percy!" Nico and Sally both yelled at the same time. Foot steps rushed after me. Words were spoken. I hardly processed any of it. I quickly outdistanced Nico, and disappeared from his line of sight. The footsteps faded intot he crowded noised of Manhattan.

I ran and ran, not thinking of a destination, not thinking anything really. After about half an hour (though in the state I was in, it could've been any amount of time), I stopped running in a dark alley, breathing heavily.

I leaned against a grimy wall and cried silently, thinking about the amount of hurt in my mother's voice. I stood there for a few minutes after my breathing evened out, then decided to turn back and try it again, to try and talk to my mom again.

"Well, what do we have here?" a voice sounded out. A man with shaggy brown hair and murky brown eyes, all muscly and confident looking, walked out of the shadows, followed by some of, what I guessed they were, his goons.

"It seems some weakling has wandered into my territory," the man said. I glared at him, wiping the tears off my face.

Without a word, I sent a blast of wind at them, which blew them back into the hard brick walls and knocked all of them out with a sickening crunch. I didn't even fear that I killed them.

I backed away slowly, and then tried to run again, but ran into a man that I knew all too well. Kronos, I thought. I looked up into his golden eyes, though I could've sworn they had flashed that beautiful blue for a second.

"Perseus, it seems as though you've gone against me," Kronos deep, cutting voice rumbled as I backed away from him.

I quickly bent into a kneel. "Of course not, Lord Kronos," I said in a soft voice. "I was captured in a moment of stupidity and forced into staying there."

A cold hand, the hand that used to be so warm and gentle, grabbed my chin up and forced me into looking up at the Titan. Those golden eyes seemed to look right through me. "I don't believe you. And now I'll have to punish you. I told you that if you went and told your family that you were alive I'd kill them. And now that's what I'm going to do."

I said nothing, unable to speak out of pure fear. Kronos let go of my chin and grabbed my upper arm, forcing me to my feet. He then flashed me to my mother's house, where her and Nico were sitting, looking immensely worried.

Their heads snapped to Kronos and I, and the way there was no emotions showing on my face, the way I refused to meet their eyes. I spotted the child sitting on my mother's lap, who had beautiful kelaidescope eyes just like my mother, and a tuft of brown hair atop her head.

I looked away. "It seems as though my general has gone soft. So now I'll have to harden him up again," Kronos said, and summoned his scythe. He pointed it at my mother, to where the tip was just touching her neck.

"Percy," she breathed, fear in her eyes. I met them with a cold look of my own. Shock and hurt shown in her eyes, but also understanding.

"I have no lingering feelings for these people, my lord," I said, smirking cruelly. "You can do what you like to them, but it won't affect (effect?) me in the slightest."

Kronos matched my smirk with a smirk of his own. "Then kill them."

Internally my mask slipped, but I didn't let the Titan see it. "Why would you want me to do that, when they could be of use to us when it comes to the Athena girl?" I asked.

Kronos seemed to think about that. I continued. "If we kill them now, the girl would only have more reason to want to defeat us. It would defeat the whole purpose of leaving them alive in the first place."

"Of course," Kronos laughed coldly. "That's why you're my general. You are cruel and rutheless. But know, boy, that if you do hold any feelings for these people," he paused, making a small cut on my mother's neck. She gasped in pain. "-I will make you kill them yourself. Is that clear?"

"Of course, my lord," I said, smirking even wider, and lowering into another kneel.

"I will be taking you back with me now. You are still in line for punishment. You have failed in your duties," Kronos said, making me pale, and my smirk slip off my face. "Ah, I see you realize the severity this punishment will hold." The Titan laughed cruelly, then laid a hand on my shoulder and flashed us back to his palace, fear coursing through my veins.

Nico's POV

The whole exchange between Percy and Kronos left me stunned. Had Percy been acting this whole time? Had it all been fake? I couldn't comprehend what had happened. I barely had enough time to look away when Kronos flashed out with Percy. "NO!" I yelled, but it was too late. They were gone.

I noticed Sally was bleeding. "Are you okay?" I asked her. She nodded.

"He's so different than he used to be," she whispered. I only nodded my agreement. I jolted when I realized I needed to tell Chiron what happened.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Jackson, but I need to go," I said. "I've gotta tell Chiron what happened."

Sally smiled warmly at me, though I could see sadness in it too, and said, "It's fine Nico. Please just . . . help him. And be careful." I smiled sadly at her and nodded. Despite how tired it usually made me, I shadow-travelled to the Big House where Chiron was, making him jump.

"Something's happened," I said. Chiron sat me down and told me to explain, which I did. He looked grim when I finished.

"It seems as though he's gone back to Kronos," Chiron said.

"No!" I exclaimed. "It wasn't that way! Percy was just trying to protect his family! And Kronos told him he was being punished! Percy was terrified. He didn't go back willingly!"

Chiron only shook his head sadly and dismissed me, signalling the end of the conversation.

-PJO-PJO-PJO-

And that's it. I can't really tell if it's short or not, but it really feels that way, so I apologize. Just a tip for the next update, reviewing makes it come much faster. I will most likely respond to your reviews my PM, and I will end up acknowledging you in the Author's Note at some point. I really appreciate the reviews. So review, favorite, follow, and PM. Send requests and I will most likely respond to it.

~O'Malley out!