Cursed to a Cruel World

by UnbredEel0

Percy broke a promise he made on the River of Styx and has to pay a steep price. Transported to a new world and thrown into another conflict, witness as he struggles to make sense of what's happening, adapts to his new environment, and attempts to unravel the mysteries of yet another monster infested world. Rate M for violence, use of language, and adult themes.

1. A Broken Promise

Welcome and thank you for clicking on my story!

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Before we begin, there's a few things I'd like you to know

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1. This is my first fanfiction

Go a bit easy on me! Writing was and still isn't my favorite subject. I was always way better at math and science in school so my story will likely have loads of spelling errors, grammar mistakes, and plot holes. I do have a friend proofreading my story and spelling/grammar checking tools but sometimes things slip through the cracks. So please, let me know if you spot anything. And if you have any cool suggestions any questions let me know! I love talking to you guys and would love to hear them.

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2. What this story is about

This story is how I imagine what would happen if Percy Jackson was sent to the Attack on Titan Universe. I haven't made any plans to have any other demigods or gods to join him, it'll just be Percy for now. The story will mainly be in Percy's perspective with a bit of 3rd person and other character's POV sprinkled in. The point of this crossover is to explore how Percy's presence would change the plot of the AOT Universe, how Percy will react to being thrown into a new world, and how this new world will react to him. I think the best way to convey this is to show as much of Percy as possible. I will not rewrite scenes that do not stray from the show and don't have Percy in them.

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3. Update Schedule

It's so frustrating not knowing if an author has abandoned a story or is just taking months to finish the next chapter. Every fanfiction reader knows that pain and I'll never understand why authors that gain a loyal following continue ghosting their audience to this day. At the bottom of each chapter, I'll always leave an estimation date to when I believe I can post the next chapter. Granted, shit happens and I might not be able to make that date but if that's the case, I'll always leave a little note at the end of the most recent chapter updating you guys on the next update's progress. Originally I used to post every Saturday but that proved to be too taxing and as of now, I've moved over to monthly updates.

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4. It's a slow start

This isn't a typical crossover story. If you're expecting Percy to be gunslinging, killing titans left right and center and getting involved in the story from the start, then this isn't the fanfiction for you. Percy won't be interjected into the main plot of AOT and won't even talk to some of the biggest characters until 14 or so chapters in. I have really big plans for this story which is why I've delayed Percy getting involved in the action in favor of focusing more on character interactions and building relationships. So be prepared for a long haul of a story.

Since this is a Percy/Annie pairing, Percy will need to spend time with the Military Police. To do this, I'll be putting him in a situation that his nature disagrees with and a subsection of the fandom won't enjoy. Don't question why he's there for that long or why he didn't do anything about it, a large reason is because of the pairing. If you don't like the situation I put Percy in then too bad. Bear with it or read the other three PJO/AOT crossovers over 10k words.

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5. This story is currently under repairs

Since I posted the first chapter of this story back in September of 2020, I've branched out of my comfort zone and have became a much better writer. Additionally, since then I've also read and caught up with the manga. These first two chapters were more meticulously crafted than the chapters following it and since I wasn't familiar with the AOT characters or with writing in general, you're going to notice a drastic dip in quality. I'm going to put my story on pause once I'm done with the events of Season 2 to revisit old chapters. I'm thinking the repairs will be finished by or in the beginning of Summer. Just wanted to warn you guys before you jump into it and thank you for bearing with me!

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Repair Plans (includes spoilers for my story)

Here are some of my plans. I wanted to give you all a better picture of the edits I have planned and my story in general as well as showing how dedicated I am to making this story better. None of these edits are set in stone, they're just ideas, and as I start rewriting and editing older scenes, I'll likely need to adjust the newer and more refined chapters as well. So this isn't the complete list of editing I'll be doing.

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The most important thing is that there will be a complete revamp of the prison arc. It will include rewritten first impressions, new elements (such as Percy being able to sense titan shifters with his demigod abilities), more interactions with the MPs and the Scouts, Percy planning/debating an escape, and more time spent with Annie. I'll probably end up inserting additional chapters in my story as I rework this critical section of the story.

Chapters 1-2:

-Remove weird italic thoughts/regular text narration combination

-Additional tiny edits

Chapter 3:

(maybe my poorest written chapter)

-Remove weird italic thoughts/regular text narration combination

-Rewrite the fight scene to remove that awkward shift from 1st to 3rd person that happens in the middle of the fight

-Add more details to the fight itself and possible more conversations b/w the Scouts

Chapter 4:

-Rewrite Percy's first meeting with Erwin, Levi, and Hange, including multiple meetings before his trial. Maybe his first meeting is with Hange and her assistant without the others.

-Have Percy's demigod senses go haywire when he meets Annie for the first time

-Include more dialogue from the Scout's perspective about what to do with Percy

Chapter 5:

-Add a little scene mentioning how the Scout's report was leaked by the MPs so they can gain the favor of the public even though they won't be present at his trial

-Revisit Percy's reaction to the trial to make it less cringy

Chapters 6-7:

-Add more dialogue/meaningful time between Percy and Annie most importantly including Annie teaching him about titans and about Paradise Island

-Include the justification for telling Annie about his world: "information is completely useless to them, it doesn't matter whether they know it or not. Plus if they buy it then it paints me in a heroic light!" (credit to AACM25 for giving me this idea, thank you!)

-Percy's demigod senses get a better feel of Annie. She slowly begins feeling more like Tyson or Mrs O'Leary, dangerous as they are natural enemies to demigods but more tame showing they are exceptions.

Chapter 8:

-Rewrite Percy's reaction to Annie being a Titan. He didn't sound confused or surprised enough. He should also realize that is what his demigod sense were warning him about. He should have a brief thought wondering if she was using the mist to hide her true form.

Chapter 9:

-Revisit Mike's short fight scene possibly adding more detail

-Maybe actually write Percy and Nanaba's discussions as they ride towards the hideout. (instead of taking the easy route and just summarizing it). This is also a good moment for Percy to become more familiar with Sam the Horse.

Chapter 10:

-Rephrase/rewrite Percy contemplating breaking out of his chains as he engages the titan at Nördlingen

Chapters 11-present:

-edits and adjustments as seen fit

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End of Repair Plans and spoilers

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Table of Contents

Arrival: Chapters 1-3

Imprisonment: Chapters 4-8

Events of Season 2: Chapters 9-XX

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Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, HOO, or AOT. This is purely for fun and I'm not profiting off anything.

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Author's note/Line Break

Narration

Thoughts

"Speaking, duh"

Chapter 1: A Broken Promise

They say when you have a near-death experience that you can see your whole life flash before your eyes. As a 17 year old demigod living in a time where our life expectancy is 16 years old, you could say I've lived long enough to have experienced this before. Add in the fact I fought in two wars to decide the fate of the entire Earth and have pissed off more than half of the Olympian council and countless other divine beings and I think it's safe to call myself a seasoned veteran in the art of almost dying.

It's always the same for me. First, I feel the warm glow of my father's presence as he visits me for the first time as an infant. Next, I'll see my mother Sally baking her first batch of those famous blue chocolate chip cookies. Then I see myself on my first quest cracking jokes with Annabeth and Grover despite WW3 breathing down our necks. You get the picture. While you see these precious memories and as the dream-like ordeal continues, your memories pick up in speed. Before you know it, you're witnessing years of your life pass by in a blink of an eye. At some point the pictures of your past flash by so fast that they become practically impossible to fathom.

Even when all you are left with to see is flashes of color and light, your other senses can still comprehend what's happening. The scent of strawberries and the laughter of young campers tell my mind these particular flashes I'm seeing are the summer months I spent at camp. Tasting salt in my mouth, feeling submerged in a cool and energizing element, and the soft grainy feeling of sand on the bottom of my feet tells me that these other flashes are from the time I spent at Montauk beach with my mom. Everyone has those tastes, feelings, and smells that they can't identify but associate with some holiday, place, or person in your life. These nostalgic feelings are memories in their own sense too.

By the way, I have no idea why negative feelings and memories don't appear as your life flashes before your eyes. I have had my own fair share of traumatic triggers that can bring me into a world of pain, hurt, and back to Hell itself but I've never seen these images whenever I have had a near-death experience. Perhaps this is how your mind prepares your body to accept death and peacefully pass. I called myself a "seasoned veteran of almost dying" earlier on but I'm still no expert on how a soul passes on to the Underworld.

Anyways, soon your other senses will be overwhelmed just like your sight and then you will only feel the overwhelming accumulation of happiness and peace from all your good memories. You'd think this is where you either die or wake up but you actually experience one more thing. You relive the memory that ties your innermost self to the mortal world. For me, I see Annabeth and myself submerged under the waters of Camp Half Blood's lake sharing our first kiss as a couple; the happiest moment I share with the person I love the most.

However, this time was different. My life hadn't flashed before my eyes. I didn't see memories of my friends and family or smell the nostalgic scents of my past. I didn't see myself kiss Annabeth underwater. All I see black. Literally nothing. I don't feel pain. I'm not hot nor cold. There's no scent of strawberries or saltwater. I can't hear the laughter of campers or the lovingly comforting voice of my mom. All I feel is emptiness. No, not the depressing emptiness but the emptiness that makes you feel like you're floating in Chaos's void where not even air exists. Wait. I can feel something, but what is it? I… I feel….

Agonizing pain.

"PERCY!"

What is happening!? Where am I? What was I doing? Am I falling? Yup, I'm definitely falling. Wait, was that Annabeth just now? Why is my chest wet? Water isn't supposed to make me wet. Why wont it dry?

"Get him ambrosia. QUICKLY! Stay with me Seaweed Brain!"

Yup, that's definitely Annabeth. What's she doing here? Wait, am I hurt? I attempt to sit up and crane my neck towards my chest but something is stopping me from moving. I resort to touching the wetness on my chest with my hands. I bring my palms to my face and see them dripping in a dark crimson liquid. My own blood.

"Stop moving so much Kelp Head, we're trying to help you!"

Oh, Thalia's here too. Now that I think about it, I can feel her hands keeping my shoulders on the ground. I can feel another pair of hands keeping pressure on my wounds but I can't tell who it is or sit up to see. Another pair grabs my bloody hands. I turn my head and see that these ones belong to Annabeth. Her face is etched in worry and her stormy grey eyes are tearing up. They may be filled with tears and reddening but her eyes are ever planning, probably calculating the effectiveness of every medical technique known to man to find the best way to save me. There's other voices too but I can't hear them. I mean, I know they are there but I can't concentrate on what they are saying. It's just noise to me.

"Ha.. ha. ha.. Sorry... I thought I was soaked in water. No wonder why I… why I can't dry myself. So what got me a pinecone face?"

"A Hellhound." Frank interrupted. "And please stop moving so much and just rest. Jason's getting ambrosia and nectar so just hang on."

Realizing I hadn't stopped trying to sit up, I relaxed my muscles and let myself lay on the ground. I'm glad Frank is here. He was probably the first to take charge of this chaotic situation and the reason I haven't died from blood loss yet.

"Oh... you're here too Frank? That's nice…."

A wave of drowsiness washes over my body. The annoying rocks digging into my bottom and upper back have seemed to disappear. The ground is starting to feel like my bed in Cabin 3.

"Damn it, stay with us Percy. Where are we right now? What were we doing?" Annabeth frantically asked.

I remember witnessing Will lecture a group of young healers in the infirmary one time. He told them that keeping a dying patient awake as long as possible increases their chances of survival. Don't know how that works but he's pretty much a doctor so I guess I have to trust him. Annabeth must have been trying to keep me awake by making me think. That's my girl.

"We are in central park... right?"

"Yeah Percy. That's right. Can you remember what our plans were?"

"We were…. We were going to go to college in New Rome."

"You Seaweed Brain. That's not what I meant."

I knew Annabeth was referring to all of us having a group picnic in Central Park as a final hurrah before summer ended and we all went our separate ways, but I really wanted to talk about our dream right now. The same dream that got us out of Tartarus and kept us alive since then. Maybe it could pull off another miracle.

"You were going to get a degree in Architecture and become a super…. a super duper famous builder. And I was gonna get a bachelor's in surfing."

"Percy," Annabeth half giggled and half sobbed, "You know that's not a real degree."

"Then we were gonna get married... on a beach somewhere in California... and then we would have 3 kids."

"2 kids."

"3. And we'd raise them in New Rome. We were… we were gonna live in a perfect house that you built in the city and we were going to raise our kids there."

"[sobbing] Yeah, that's right Percy. Keep going."

"We were going to make so many memories in that house. And we were going to live there until we are all old and gray and wrinkly."

The wind picked up out of the blue and a new taste of ozone touched my tongue.

"I'm back. Here's some medicine." Jason gasped, clearly out of breath.

"Give me the nectar. We'll need to pour it on the wounds. His stomach is too ripped up to digest any ambrosia." Frank explained

I could feel Frank poor the godly drink on my wounds but the accompanying burning sensation nectar makes as it heals your injuries just wasn't there. I realized that it wasn't healing me. Well this sucks.

"Guys! It's not working"

"No Zeus dammit! Use more!"

"Percy…"

"We can't, he'll burn up."

"Please not him."

"We have no other choice, pour more!"

I am beginning to feel more and more numb and my eyelids are getting heavier with each second. I don't know how I can still keep them open. I can't hear the other's voices anymore, they are just noise again, and my surroundings are blurring and darkening. All I can focus on is Annabeth's face.

"Anna..beth.. I'm sorry."

"Please Percy. Don't talk like that. Just conserve your energy," Annabeth cried

"This world… is a cruel place." My words made Annabeth cry harder but I had to keep speaking. "But I'm glad… That I got to… got to spend my time with you."

I blink but my eyelids are just so heavy. I can't open them. A few whole seconds must have passed by now and I can hear Annabeth crying out. With strength I didn't know I had left, I forced my eyes open once again.

"Stay with us Percy! Please! Stay with me!"

"I... love you... Wise Girl… I… love…"

My vision started tunneling and I can feel my literal soul slipping away. This is much different from all those near-death experiences I've faced before. I can still see Annabeth's face but it's getting smaller and smaller. I must really be dieing this time. I thought you were supposed to pass peacefully but everything just hurts so much. Maybe it's because I'm struggling to stay alive with everyone. Now Annabeth's face is only a tiny speck of light in the distance. It's the only thing I can see in this progressively darkening world. My last light.

"Percy, please don't go. You promised you'd be there. You promised, Percy. No..." And Annabeth's sobs were the last thing Percy hears as the sparkle in his seagreen eyes fade away.

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Startled, I wake up gasping and with my heart racing. Sitting up, I put my hand on my chest to calm my breathing. Something doesn't feel right but I don't know what's wrong. I look down at my legs.

"My legs are… transparent?"

Oh. I'm dead. I'm really dead this time. It's not some crazy dream or another dangerous visit to see my uncle. This is for real. Looking at my surroundings, I expect to be in the DOA Recording Studio waiting room in LA with other recently passed souls and see Charon boringly waiting behind his desk until there's enough souls to fill his boat. But that's not where I am. I must have skipped Charon's ride and was sent directly into the Underworld. Nico never told me it was possible for a dead soul to enter the afterlife without the psychopomp's guidance. What is going on?

Taking in my surroundings, I notice I'm on the banks of the River Styx. The air is gloomy and stale and my vicinity is dingy. I can hear the distant screams of the damned being punished in the Field of Punishment. The river gives off a dim mysterious glow and its toxic waters gently swirl downstream. The Styx feels syrupy to my senses and although the waters look to be barely moving, each ripple is filled with immense power that my hydrokinesis power can only hope to manipulate. The polluted river is filled with so much trash and its foul stench worms its way into my nostrils. Wait, I think I recognize where I am. Yeah, this place looks vaguely familiar. I can't see the great black Walls of Erebos but I can tell I'm on the side opposite from where Charon emerges as he guides souls across the Styx. That must mean that Cerberus and the main gate of the Underworld are nearby. Maybe I should head that way so my soul can get judged? I decide that I should get up and make my way to the Judgement Pavilion but as I stand, something in the water catches my eyes.

In the middle of the murky brown river floats a picture. It's frame is made of a homely red oak wood and its dimensions are no bigger than 16"x20". The picture is of a young couple, likely only married for a handful of years. The man has green eyes, jetblack hair, a long stubble beard, and is standing a few inches taller than his wife. His left arm is wrapped around his wife and his right hand is holding the shoulder of what looks to be the oldest son of this family. The wife has grey eyes, long curly blonde hair and a California girl tan. Her arms are embracing the other two children; a boy and a girl. The girl is in the center of the family huddle and her mom's embracing hold is bringing her closer to the younger brother. The two children have cute annoyed looks on their faces due to their proximity to one another. Those two must have an intense sibling rivalry. Taking in the three children's appearances, it's very clear that the man and the women are the birth parents of the kids as each child shares distinctive attributes that both adults have.

In the background I notice a coliseum. At first I thought they were taking a photo in front of the famous historical site in Rome but I realize the family is actually in New Rome instead. They must be demigods or legacies.

But why am I seeing this?

The frame turns slightly and begins to sink into the waters and I strain my eyes to keep looking at their faces. The women, I know her! Her body may have matured a few years and her hair style may be different but I always know those eyes. Even if my memory is completely wiped out, I can always tell that those eyes belong to Annabeth.

"I know. It's sad to see, isn't it."

I quickly turn around and notice a young woman standing just behind me to my right. Was she here the whole time? The lady has mesmerizing ebony hair that is gently wafting in a non existent breeze. Her face is delicate and sublime and her obsidian black eyes gleam with absolute hatred. At first glance I fear she is immediately going to attack me but looking deeper I notice that this is just her eye's natural state. Deep within her pupils I thought I caught a glimpse of sadness and pity but I blink again they're gone. The lady's make up is perfectly done in various shades of midnight and she's wearing these black silky robes that flow out like a heavy volcanic smoke. Then I notice the power of her presence. The immense energy bearing down on your mind that makes you internally sweat and visibly shake. The energy of a nearby divine entity. This woman is a goddess. The goddess of one of the 5 rivers of the Underworld. The goddess Styx.

"My river wasn't always this polluted. When humans were hunters and gatherers they were simple minded and much happier with their lives. But as they built towns and their populations swelled, they selfishly expected to receive more and more. Now my waters are tainted with their loathsome aspirations that most don't deserve. Keys to expensive cars, diplomas from Yale from students who partied away their first year, and lottery tickets from greedy bastards are by far the worst, but sometimes I see a dream that doesn't make me angry. A dream so beautiful, all I can do is watch it dissolve in my waters and pity the poor soul who lost it all."

Following her gaze, I look back at the river just in time to see the top of the picture disappear into the murky depths.

"Enough about dreams. You must be wondering why you're not being guided by Charon right about now." Styx then brings her lips to my ear and gently whispers "I brought you here because you broke a promise."

My eyes widen and I feel a shiver run throughout my translucent body. Suddenly I'm not in the Underworld anymore, I'm back at camp half blood. Somehow I can tell it's only been a few days since the end of the Second Gigantomachy. The stench of burning flesh is profuse and I can see dozens of burning shrouds over the shoulder of an unknown person I'm hugging. Wait? Who am I hugging? Oh, it's just Annabeth. Of course, it's always her. Then I feel my lips move without my brain telling them to do so.

"It's ok Wise Girl. Everything is going to be ok."

"I should have been there for my siblings. I'm their older sister. I should have been there."

"You were busy saving the world wise girl, we did all we could and made it back to Camp as fast as we could. It's not your fault."

I should have listened to my own words back then but I still blame myself for everyone's deaths. Leo's hit the closest to home but we all had a feeling he had a crazy plan would return one day. The deaths that hurt the most to me were the many demigods that I didn't know. The ones who were introduced to Camp Half Blood and the demigod world when I was in my coma induced state. I didn't even know a third of their names yet they followed me courageously and loyally into the final battle. I was supposed to be their leader and their big brother like Luke was to me. I should have been there to train them to wield a sword and teach them to survive outside the camp's magical borders but I wasn't and instead they were thrown unprepared and unequipped to their deaths.

"Why? Why do I keep losing my family? I don't want to lose anyone else. I don't want to lose you." Annabeth cried.

"You're not gonna lose anyone else when I'm around and I'm not going anywhere. I swear of the River Styx, Annabeth, I'll always be there for you."

"You dummy. You shouldn't make such reckless pledges like that." And I held her until the burning wood stopped its crackling and Annabeth finished sobbing into my chest.

Just as quickly as I entered that flashback I was pulled right back to reality. Styx pulls her head back and continues speaking.

"I like you, Hero of Olympus. Your dreams add a flavor to my waters that they are starved from and you willingly took my curse not for selfish needs like that child of Hermes, but to protect the ones you love by shouldering their burdens. However, I'm still bound by my domains to punish you."

Not sure why it didn't happen earlier but it hits me. I'm not going to get married, have kids, and grow old with Annabeth. I've been fighting every day of my life since I was 12 to live a peaceful life and now I find out that dream has been ripped away from me. A surge of anger spurts out of my throat and I sputter out,

"How can you punish me if I'm already dead?"

"Oh Perseus, you know there are worse punishments than death."

"Like what" I shout.

Styx puts her hands behind my head and kisses my forehead. Embarrassed, I stand still and let her embrace me unsure of what to do.

"Your death was a cruel one. It hurts not because you won't continue to achieve great things but because it separates you from your loved one." Styx lets out a sigh and says "The greatest heroes always have the most tragic stories. Your brutal demise would have been a sufficient punishment in itself but alas, that was not your punishment. Your passing was the prerequisite that broke the promise you made to that child of Athena. I still have to discipline you."

Embarrassment was no longer keeping my body still. Now, an immense feeling of dread was keeping me immobile.

"What?" I stammer.

"That girl is going to have to live her life without you because you let yourself die. She will likely marry another man, have children, and pass away without you at her side. And when she passes and receives her judgement you will see her again in Isle of the Blest. But you left her Perseus Jackson. You swore on my name that you would never leave her. So your punishment is that you will never see Annabeth Chase again."

And with those final words, the goddess pushes Percy into the River of Styx with the intent to dissolve his soul.

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This chapter was only 3.5k words, the other weekly chapters I posted tended to be between 6k and 7k words long. Now that I'm doing monthly updates, I'm aiming for 10k+ chapters. I may end up combining this chapter with the next one when I go back and repair my story but we'll see.

The author notes going forward are from when I originally posted each chapter. It's mostly nonsensical chatter, I'll probably end up deleting everything not related to reviews or the chapter once I start my repairs. Feel free to read them if you'd like to see what I was thinking and how the story was going at the time. Otherwise, just ignore them until you get to the most recent chapter.

Thanks again for checking out my story,

-Unbred

Published Originally on 9/7/2020

Little edits made on 9/13/2020

Updated Introduction Author's Note on 12/29/2020