A/N: Wow, been a while since I had time to write anything, but with quarantine and lockdown comes more time. Originally, I wasn't going to have more than one story going at the same time but this story is far more polished plan wise than anything else I have at the moment so I thought I should upload it.
To those who may have read my other story, it has not been abandoned. I'm just not so happy with the way its been written so far so I'm adding slight edits to it. With a bit of luck, I can start writing more for that soon. :)
This is written in British English. This may change but for now, I'm sticking with it because it's comfortable for me. Also, the title of this story may change, but I'm not sure yet.
Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or The Legend of Zelda. I am not that lucky. They belong to there respective owners and creators.
Summer had finally arrived, and Percy was free from school at last. This year had been incredibly stressful for Percy. Not only was he still recovering from the second giant war and Gaea's return, but also Percy had been pulled back a year, forced to redo the year that he missed while he had been off fighting. Luckily, with lots of extra tutoring from Paul and with the love and support from his family and girlfriend, Percy had made it through the year with relatively decent grades, for once.
Percy bound down the steps of Goode High school, a wide grin plastered on his face. Paul trailed along beside him, shaking his head in amusement.
"Someone's happy," he chuckled, and Percy turned to give him a quick nod.
"Of course I'm happy, school is out! And in a few days, I can go back to Camp and see Annabeth again!" Percy said, excitedly. Annabeth too had been very busy with her own studies and hadn't been able to visit in such a long time. Though they did Iris Message each other as much as possible to make up for there lack of contact, it wasn't the same.
"A few days?" Paul said, confused. "I would have thought you would have wanted to leave for Camp immediately."
"No, I want to stay with you guys for a little bit longer. Don't get me wrong, I love Camp and Annabeth very much. But I love you guys too. So, I want to spend a few more days with you, Mum and Estelle," Percy explained, then hastily added, "If that's ok?"
Paul laughed at Percy's question. "Is that ok? Percy, you don't need to ask that. Of course, it's ok."
By the time they had finished talking, they had made it to Paul's car. Though Percy could drive, it was still nice to get a lift from his step-dad every once and a while, even if it meant having to a wait a little longer then everyone else before he could properly leave school for the summer. They got in and Paul started the engine.
He was about to drive away when there was a tap on the windscreen. Then another, then another. It had begun to rain.
Paul frowned mumbling, "that's odd, it wasn't forecast to rain today."
"Oh don't say that," Percy groaned. "Knowing my luck, the Fate's will have a field day if you start saying things like that."
Paul gave him an apologetic look, before saying, "It's probably nothing. After all, how accurate is the weather forecast anyway," he said jokingly.
By the time they made it back home, the spitting rain had turned into a heavy downpour. Normally, the rain didn't bother Percy much, as he could easily repel the water and not get wet. However, when surrounded by so many mortals, Percy had little choice but to allow the water to cling to him. Though the rain itself was refreshing, the wind that had whipped up was chilly, making the water feel like ice on his skin. What's more, Percy was wearing summer clothes, which provided little protection against the harsh weather.
"Oh my!" Sally gasped when Percy and Paul walked in through their apartment door, water falling off them to form puddles under their feet. "I noticed it had started raining, but I didn't think it had gotten that bad."
"And it's cold too," Percy said, shivering. The cold had stiffened his muscles, making the idea of getting a towel from the bathroom seem more daunting than it was. instead, Percy manipulated the water to peel itself of his body and drain from his clothes. He did the same to Paul, forming a large bubble of water above their heads, then ordered it to flow down the sink in the kitchen.
"Thank you, Percy," Paul said gratefully, his teeth still chattering slightly as he rubbed his arms.
Sally came forward and placed a hand on his cheek, but flinched away when she felt how cold Paul was. She did the same to Percy, resulting in a similar reaction. "You're both freezing! I'm going to make you both some nice warm soup. That will warm you up in no time," and with that, she disappeared into the kitchen.
"Mum, you're awesome," Percy called after her. "But seriously though, why is it so cold during summertime? Have the Gods messed up and got the wrong season or something?"
At his words, an ominous rumble sounded overhead and Percy frowned towards the nearest window. "What? It's a valid question!"
Paul shook his head, sitting back against the pillows of the chair in the living room. Percy sat on the floor behind his baby sister, Estelle. She was playing with a bundle of wooden blocks, all of different shapes and sizes. The blocks were meant to improve problem-solving and motor skills, but Estelle seemed more interested in chewing on the blocks then playing with them. Percy reached forward and gently pulled Estelle into his lap, earning a contented gurgle from her, around a large, bright yellow, triangular block.
Estelle's bright blue eyes looked up at him and immediately a cheery, baby grin appeared on her face. She pulled the block out of her mouth and presented it to Percy, making baby noises all the while.
Percy gave Estelle an overly-exaggerated look of shock, saying "is that for me?!"
Estelle giggled happily as Percy took the block and began looking at it in his outstretched hand. He looked like he had received the gift of a lifetime, his eyes shimmering like sunlight over shallow water, and the sight made Paul's heart melt.
Percy adored Estelle, and Estelle adored Percy. They were hardly ever apart, whenever Percy was home. At first, Percy hadn't known what to make of her. It had been a complete surprise for him to come back from war to discover that his mother had been pregnant and given birth to a brand new baby sister. He had loved her unconditionally right from the beginning, but their bond had properly taken root roughly a week after Percy had come home.
Every night Percy had been plagued by nightmares caused by his PTSD, and without Annabeth by his side to calm him down, there was little that he and Sally could do to help him in the long run. That was until Paul had woken up one morning to find Percy huddled in a rocking chair, within Estelle's bedroom, the baby in question lying fast asleep on his chest.
Percy had woken up about an hour after Paul's discovery, to which Percy explained that Estelle had started crying in the middle of the night. Percy had been awake at the time, recovering in the kitchen with a glass of water after a particularly bad nightmare. Percy had said that falling asleep with her had been a complete accident, as he had only been trying to rock her to sleep again when he must have dozed off on the rocking chair. Percy had also been thrilled that he hadn't had a single nightmare after he had fallen back asleep. After that night, it was not uncommon to find Percy sleeping in Estelle's room as she somehow had the unique ability to drive away Percy's fears, causing their bond to gradually grow stronger and stronger.
The sound of Sally's voice from the kitchen snapped Paul out of his thoughts. The smell of tomato soup was thick in the air, and Paul saw Percy stand up with Estelle in his arms and move towards the dinner table. He followed.
"Oh wow, mum. This looks great!" Percy thanked, sitting in front of his bowl after placing Estelle in her baby seat, her bowl of baby food sat there waiting for her as well.
A few years ago, Paul might not have agreed with Percy. Sure, the soup smelled wonderful, but it's bright blue colour would have put him off. That was until he learned of the Jackson family tradition of blue food. Now, having learned that Sally was an excellent cook and having heard the story behind there blue food addiction, he gladly followed in there family ways. But even now, he couldn't deny it was still a bit of a shock to eat blue coloured soup only to taste rich tomatoes.
Sally sat down with them, her bowl of steaming soup already in front of her at the table. In her hand was a plate with a couple of slices of homemade bread, also tinted blue. Percy eagerly grabbed a slice once she placed it down on the table.
"Oh no," Sally said suddenly, startling the pair slightly.
"What is it?" Paul asked.
"I forgot to fill up the water jug," she groaned, her eyes on the empty glass jug that sat next to the plate of bread, " and I just sat down too."
"I got it!" Percy called. He waved his hand, and instantly a floating stream of water snaked around the kitchen door, straight from the tap. It twisted in the air like a coiling snake as it neared Estelle and she giggled appreciatively, her hands outstretched to try and grab the floating water. After a moment, the stream then dived into the jug, taking its shape and becoming motionless.
"Thank you, dear!" Sally thanked, and Percy shrugged, his attention already back on the bowl of delicious soup and bread.
Paul looked from the jug to the soup, then to Estelle's smiling face, before declaring warmly, "I love this family!"
Sally and Percy looked at him, both with beaming smiles.
They ate steadily, the warmth of the soup replacing the cold. All the while, the storm raged on. It didn't seem to be getting any worse, but it certainly wasn't getting any better. The rattle of the rain pelting the windows was a constant noise as they ate, drowning out there occasional slurps and the tinkle of their spoons hitting their bowls. The noise was making Percy nervous. Paul had been right when he had said that the weatherman had not predicted this to happen. In fact, he had promised bright sunshine and warm temperatures. Percy looked up from his half-empty bowl of soup to look out the window, condensation forming over the glass surface. The sky was an iron-grey, with not a hint of blue anywhere.
The more Percy stared out at that sky, the more nervous he became, but the reason why he felt this way was something he couldn't quite explain. The weather changed all the time, sometimes reflecting a certain God's mood, and because a deities mood wasn't always easy to predict, sometimes the weather wasn't predictable either. But this storm seemed to be more than just a product of a God or Goddess having a bad day.
"Percy?"
Percy turned to the sound of his mother's voice, to discover her worried face looking at him. "Is something wrong, dear?"
"I-I don't know," he admitted. "This storm...it's not right."
"I'm sure it's nothing, Percy. Like I said before, the forecast isn't always right," Paul said, trying to be reassuring. "And with it being controlled by the Gods then-
"That's the thing," Percy interrupted. "This doesn't feel like the product of a God deciding to delay summer a little longer, or one having a tantrum."
There was another rumble of thunder, but Percy ignored it.
"Something about this storm feels...unnatural," he said, feeling uncertain of his words even as he said them. How could he explain this to them so that they would understand?
"Unnatural?" Sally said, "How?"
"I don't know," Percy admitted, "It's just a feeling, in my guts. Something is wrong, but I don't know why."
A tense silence followed this statement, and Percy could practically see his parents thoughts as they looked to one another. More than anyone, Percy did not want there to be another potential world-ending event. Partly because the end of the world would be very bad, but also because Percy knew that if such an event happened, he would more than likely be involved. Percy was done with adventures, probably for a lifetime. He had a life planned out ahead of him. He wanted to go to university in New Rome. He wanted to have a life with Annabeth, get a decent job and maybe have kids. He wanted to have a full life, unlike so many other Demigods before him who were denied the chance. But it seemed The Fates had other plans for him. He was a hero, first and foremost, as far as life was concerned.
Percy sighed, trying to relieve some of the tension that had built up over the sound of the rain outside. "I'm sure it's nothing," Percy said with a smile.
But it seemed The Fate's were enjoying this moment far too much, as, at that exact moment, Percy heard a voice from right behind him call his name. Percy jumped, propelling himself out of his seat, his instincts bringing his hand into his pocket and uncapping Riptide in a flash. He missed the way his parents had jumped as well at his quick action.
"Woah Seaweed Brain, I didn't mean to startle you."
It was Annabeth. She was Iris messaging him, the image of her head and upper body suspended in a hazy mist.
"Annabeth, you nearly scared me half to death!" Percy said, his tension leaving him at once.
"I had no idea," she said in an airy voice, a smirk pulling at her lips. She then nodded her head down towards Riptide and said, "Good job she can't touch Celestial Bronze."
Percy looked down to see Estelle reaching for Riptide. He hadn't realised that his instincts had caused him to jump in front of Estelle, his fearlessness to protect her being his automatic response at the first sign of danger. Percy chuckled at the look of utter confusion on her face as she watched her grabbing fingers passed straight through the blade of his sword.
"No Estelle, you don't grab swords. Remember."
She hadn't, and it didn't seem like she would remember this warning either. Her staring eyes never left his faintly glowing sword or showed any reaction that she had heard him speak at all.
Annabeth laughed, "you sure told her."
"How can I possibly tell her off though? I mean, can you be harsh to that face?!" Percy said mock defensively, gesturing to Estelle who looked extremely cute with her wide, fascinated eyes, chubby cheeks and small yet adorable smile.
"No, I guess you're right," she said warmly, as she observed Percy cap Riptide and ruffle Estelle's hair. She squealed with delight at the touch.
Then, quite suddenly, a very familiar voice sounded from somewhere behind Annabeth. "I am sorry you too, but we don't have time for chatting."
"Chiron," Percy called, stepping forward as the centaur appeared next to Annabeth.
"Percy, I'm very sorry I have to do this but we need you down at Camp, immediately," Chiron said seriously.
"What's the problem Chiron?"
Chiron sighed. "Truthfully, we aren't sure."
"It's hard to explain Percy," Annabeth said, worriedly. "It's better if you see this for yourself."
"Alright, I'll pack my things and get there as soon as I can."
"Thank you, Percy, " Chiron said. "I'm very sorry about this, I know you wanted to spend more time with your family."
"It's fine Chiron." It wasn't but Chiron and Annabeth did sound very worried about something and he knew they would only call him away from his family if they had a very good reason to do so. Whatever it was, sounded bad but hopefully not world-threatening.
Percy stepped forward and swiped a hand through the image. It disappeared.
Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair as he turned to his family. They all looked disappointed but also worried. Then Sally stood up.
"You finish your soup Percy, while I go pack your bags." Percy was about to protest but Sally came around the table and pushed him gently back into his seat, saying she had already finished hers. Her bowl was still mostly full but Percy knew no amount of protest would stop her. She was stubborn like that, much like himself.
Percy ate fast, wanting to help his mother pack. She was pretty good at doing it herself, but he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could get, even if it was only packing.
When he finally walked into his bedroom, Sally was just zipping up a large duffle bag filled with all the stuff he might need. She turned her head to him as he stepped up to her.
"You, young man need to be more careful about what you leave lying around," she said and he cocked his head slightly to one side, confused.
His mother then reached down and lifted something that was hidden behind the bag. It was a canteen and Percy pressed a hand to his forehead. "Oh, I forgot about that," he groaned.
Within the canteen was a small supply of nectar that he kept while at home, just encase he needed it. "I told you to keep this in the kitchen Percy, on a high shelf where Estelle couldn't find it. You know how much of an explorer Estelle is when she crawls."
"I know," Percy said guiltily. "It wasn't on the floor, was it?"
"Luckily no, It was still in this bag, but knowing her, she could get into anything given half a chance."
Despite himself, Percy couldn't help but chuckle. Estelle was a complete monkey at times.
They fell into silence, the two of them not knowing quite what to say to one another. Eventually, Percy spoke up.
"I'm sorry this has happened, Mum. After everything that's happened, I really did want to spend more time with you this summer."
Sally gave him a gentle look, one that always made him feel safe and loved. "Percy, it's alright. I am disappointed that you couldn't stay longer but by no means do I blame you for that, or for anything that's happened for that matter," she said reassuringly.
"Thanks, Mum," Percy said smiling.
"Hopefully it's nothing too serious," he said, taking hold of the straps of his bag to take it to the door, ready to grab when he left.
"Yes, I hope so, but still be careful ok."
"I will Mum, I promise."
Time flew by painfully quickly. It seemed like in no time at all, Paul was stopping the car on the side of the road not too far from the hill which led up to Camp Half-blood. However, he couldn't deny how relieved he felt to be back.
"Take care of yourself," Paul said as Percy stepped out of the car.
"You too," Percy said, grabbing his bag from the back seat. "I'll send an Iris message to you all as quickly as I can, once I know what's going on."
"We'll be waiting," Paul said as Percy closed the car door.
After giving Paul a wave, he adjusted the bag over his shoulders and began to walk up Half-blood Hill. Behind him, he heard the rumble of Paul's car engine start-up, then slowly disappear as it drove down the road, back towards New York.
Before Percy had even made it to Thalia's tree, he knew something was wrong. There was a strange smell in the air, almost like sulfur or rotting meat. There also seemed to be a strange humming sound coming from somewhere, and Percy picked up his pace a little when he realised the humming and smell was getting louder and stronger the closer he got to Camp.
Percy soon made it to the top of Half-Blood Hill but froze when he saw the state of Camp Half-Blood. All over the camp, mounds of purple-black organic-looking sludge was clinging to almost every surface and activity area that he could see from the top of the hill. Dotted here and there, Percy could see other campers either weaving there way around the sludge or trying there best to move it, their efforts appearing futile. The sludge was clearly the cause of the smell and the eerie humming.
"What in the name of the Gods is that?" Percy exclaimed.
A/N: What do you guys think? I really wanted to write in some interaction between Percy and his baby sibling, as I feel like Percy would be an amazing older brother and to add a little bit of hearty goodness before everything starts going wrong for him.
I'll try and upload this story as regularly as I can but I can't promise anything, unfortunately.
Till next time!