Disclaimer : I own nothing.

~0~

The Brightest Star

~0~

A boy looked outside his bedroom window, right at the night sky, trying to find the thing he was searching for. He had no idea how it looked like, and he had no idea if it would appear tonight, but he kept searching anyway.

Thankfully for him, the sky was clear at that time. It was weird- he was pretty sure the people around had ruined most of nature there with pollution, himself included. Maybe he had the luck that one particular night, who knows.

Glancing back at the clock that kept ticking, he was a bit worried when he found out it was already nine. He should've fallen asleep at least an hour ago. His mom could go in here at any second and ground him if she found out he stayed awake after bedtime.

But he couldn't sleep. Not now, especially after he found out his namesake.

Squinting his eyes, seeing through the telescope he got for his birthday, glaring at the sky, he tried so hard finding it. He tried all things he knew to spot something in the far distance. But he didn't find it. None of the stars even slightly resembled a lion. Everything was just random specks of white light, which, yeah, was beautiful, but he wasn't risking being grounded just to see the beauty of the night.

He sighed and dropped his telescope to his bed. What a waste of time. Then again, it was made of plastic so he should've known better.

He was a bit proud though, when mom told him his namesake. He got a bit jealous that his little brother was named after a famous Greek hero, but then he found out he was named after a star.

At first, he thought his name was just some random name that ended with an '-us.' Because, let's face it, names that ended with an '-us' are pretty cool. Mom's name, Sally Jackson. Add an '-us' and it'd be Sallyus or Sallus Jackson. His little brother's name was already Perseus, so it didn't count. Even normal items sounded pretty cool with an '-us.' Macaronius, forkus, spoonus. It just sounded like the name of a wizard.

He smiled when a mental image entered his head- an old man wearing wizardly robes while carrying a staff that had a gigantic macaroni on top, screaming, 'You are no match for Macaronius the Wise!'

Heh, Spoonus the Great and Forkus the Powerful, each armed with deadly enchanted cutlery.

He sighed. God, maybe he really should be asleep right now.

He just dug under the covers after setting his telescope aside to his nightstand, then glanced at the said item.

A gift from mom. He had no idea why his mother would give him a telescope, but he guessed that she decided to buy him that for his eighth birthday after he was caught red-handed staring through a glass bottle to the night sky one night after she bid him goodnight. As you may have guessed, he was grounded. Come to think of it, mom probably knew he wasn't asleep yet tonight. Great.

He sighed again and forced himself to sleep. And now he wasn't sleepy at all. Fantastic.

He closed his eyes again and tried doing that thing in the movies- where the character would count imaginary jumping sheep. But he didn't want to use sheep, because, after all, sheep are boring. Dragons- armored dragons are way cooler.

Grinning a bit, he closed his eyes and counted as the imaginary armored dragons flew past a magical ring. It was working, but then he heard his door opening, and a poor dragon hit the ring, making all the other dragons behind him to hit it too, and everything was engulfed in a fiery explosion.

Man, mom messed up his dragons. That aside, he kept his eyes clenched shut and tried to minimize movement. Mom would just probably kiss his forehead or the top of his head or she'd just stand there staring at him, before she would finally leave.

The thought of this being his mother was dismissed when something- or someone crawled to his bed and burrowed under the covers with him. And then two short arms snaked around his neck. He heard short, heavy breathing with slight sobs mixed in.

That already set off an alarm in his head. But not the kick-and-scream-like-a-banshee type of alarm, but the overprotective older brother type.

He turned around and put his own arms around his little brother's body. One behind his back while the other behind his head. He knew what must be done when it comes to his brother. This usually meant his brother had a nightmare, since he always went to him when he had nightmares instead of going to mom.

Still, he shouldn't be jumping to conclusions.

"Percy," he muttered his younger brother's name softly, stroking the back of his head. "What's wrong? You had a nightmare?"

Percy didn't say anything. His little brother just looked up at him, lips trembling, sea-green eyes shining with tears, his hands holding a fistful of T-shirt. Percy looked so cute and sorrowful he was torn between hugging him or taking a picture.

He chose the former, obviously. He pulled Percy closer, letting his little brother let out the last sobs to his T-shirt, not caring in the slightest that it was probably going to be wet. He put a kiss on the top of Percy's head, greatly decreasing the cries. Percy wasn't going to speak anytime soon, but seeing his reaction, then yes, he definitely had a nightmare.

"...Percy, do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently, holding him close. Good, Percy wasn't crying anymore. He hated seeing Percy cry.

Well, Percy wasn't crying anymore, that was a relief, but he was now either asleep or just didn't want to talk. If he didn't want to talk, it was his decision. If he was asleep, then good. Percy didn't say or do anything, but his breathing was now significantly calmer. He wasn't shaking like before too.

He sighed and positioned both of them so they would be more comfortable. He was about to hum some random tune, but decided that the silence was much more appreciated. Besides, if Percy had already fallen asleep, what good it would be?

Right before he closed his eyes and called it a night, Percy suddenly whispered, "It was scary."

He glanced down at his little brother. Percy wasn't looking at him, but instead, the little man was looking out the window (it was an admittedly big window), staring at the starry sky. He looked sad and afraid.

"What was, Percy?" he whispered back, rubbing circles on Percy's back. The frown on Percy's face disappeared, though he still looked troubled.

"In my dream," Percy mumbled, voice cracking and eyes looking misty. "Everything was on fire. People were... running around. There were these weird lights. There were-" he choked, eyes welling up with tears. "There were some people... they just- they were just sleeping on the ground. Even when people around them were screaming and running, th-they were just sleeping. I-It was..."

When Percy started crying again, he put another kiss on Percy's forehead. He didn't know what Percy was seeing in his dream exactly, but he knew one thing. Percy's dream was messed up. And those sleeping people? They were probably dead.

"Don't be scared, Percy. Don't be scared," he whispered reassuringly, giving a somewhat calming smile. "It was just a dream. Nothing's gonna happen to you."

"Y-you don't get it!" Percy cried, now looking at him. "It was at your school, and you were there too, Ray! Y-you were... you were... on the ground too..."

Ah, Ray. Percy called him that. He didn't mind it, like how Percy didn't mind being called 'Percy' even though his real name is 'Perseus'.

But back to the point. Percy dreamed of him dying? Seriously, what was going on with his brother's mind? That was too dark and morbid for a four-year-old. Nevermind the fact that weird things happened to them almost twenty-four-seven, it was still pretty weird. Even by their standards.

"Don't worry about it, Percy." Ray smiled at his little brother. The fact that Percy dreamt about him dying was certainly worrying, but not like Percy should worry about things like that right now. "I'm here, and I'm fine. It was just a dream. It won't happen."

Percy stared at him for a few seconds, like he was searching for some sort of assurance that his older brother's school won't explode and get said brother killed in the process. Seemingly found what he was searching for, Percy buried his face in Ray's chest once more.

"Y-yeah..." Percy's voice was small, and laced with tiredness. "It was... just a dream... yeah..."

Despite himself, Ray couldn't keep the small smile off his face. "That's right. Good night, Percy."

"Good night..." Percy cut himself off with a yawn. "...Ray..."

As Percy fell to slumber, Ray kept thinking about his little brother's dream.

Oh, he knew he wasn't going to get even a wink of sleep tonight. Just perfect.

He glanced outside the window. He didn't know if it was his imagination or not, but he saw a small white light- a star- that was shining brighter than the rest. It twinkled, as if it knew he was watching, before the clouds rolled in, covering it entirely.

~0~

Sally smiled, peeking through Ray's bedroom door. She always adored her sons when they were together. Probably seeing that their father wasn't around, Percy looked up to Ray instead, and Ray, in turn, cared a lot about Percy.

She was a bit confused when she heard Percy's door opening, but never saw him enter her room. Worried, she got off her bed and searched the small house they had, only to stumble upon that small yet heartwarming scene.

Her husband was right when he decided to name their first child Regulus. It sounded powerful and dignified. But there was another reason, too. Regulus in Latin means 'prince' or 'small king', but the true reason was another thing.

Sally smiled. Regulus Jackson, named after one of the brightest stars. She hoped that Ray would act as a guide to Percy whenever he's lost, and drive him to the right path. Just like a star would.

Granted, the star that usually guided travelers was the North Star, but you get the point.

Sighing softly, Sally closed the door with a quiet click, before she herself walked to her room.

~0~

A year full of yet another batch of strange phenomenons passed, and now Ray found himself walking to the school bus, waving at Percy and their mom as he did. A quick sum-up of things, mom ended up selling their old house because they needed money, and now they were living in an apartment in Upstate New York. Mom claimed the city was a good place to search for jobs, a statement he and Percy just nodded along with.

Ray never liked school. He didn't like it, and he doubted he will ever do. He had ADHD, and so he couldn't stay still. It posed a problem when most of the lessons there needed him to stay still. At least he didn't have dyslexia (the only reason he brought it up was because of Percy, who had it, and he hated whenever his little man got upset when he couldn't read something), so he can read well and good.

Entering the bus, he held back a sigh when all the kids looked away from him, chatting animatedly. He was used to being ignored, but that didn't mean he liked it. All kids, except one, who pointed to a seat beside him without averting his eyes from the book he was reading.

Ray walked over to him.

The kid didn't bother looking up. "Morning, Jackson."

Ray sat down next to him, right beside the window. "Morning, Schneider."

Percival Schneider. A blond German-born kid who barely knew any German, due to his father insisting they live in England when he was little, and finally recently moving to America. He and Percival were the ones deemed as 'freaks' in school, so no one even bothered with their existences.

The first time they met, Ray saw Percival getting bullied by some of the older kids. Apparently, based on their logic, since Percival was born in Germany, that means he was a Nazi too, and therefore must be punished. Back then, he didn't step in. He just waited until the bullies took Percival's money and gave him a black eye before he finally dropped down from his hiding place- a tree- and greeted him.

Of course, Percival gave him a dirty look instead and limped away. To be honest, Ray was a bit disappointed. He didn't even get the 'What the hell is wrong with your eyes?!' reaction.

After the incident, something... else... happened, and they became friends afterward.

Ray put his chin on the hand by the window and glanced boredly at the book on Percival's lap.

"What's that?" he asked. He wasn't interested, nor was he being polite. Boredom was just quite a curse for an ADHD kid like him.

"I don't think you want to actually know."

Ray laughed. "You know me so well."

~0~

When the first class started, he already droned out the rants of Mr. Nicoll, his English teacher. Mr. Nicoll rarely bothered with him, and the only times he did spend some time to speak with him, it was only used to yell at him for being so bad at English.

Ray would always reply with, "We're literally talking using English right now. Why do you think I'm bad at it?"

Just like he expected, he got chewed out for the next 45 minutes.

The next lesson was math, and even if Ray was a normal kid without the weird ADHD tendencies, he seriously doubted he'd do well in this said lesson. He never liked numbers. At least, he memorized the basic multiplication table (how he managed was simply beyond him), and that already made his mother proud, so it was enough.

American history, science, and many more, with his opinion on them depending on how fun/amusing the subject was, and how much the teacher hated him. Ray hated school not just because of the lessons and teachers, oh no. Besides, some teachers and materials were bearable. But the true reason he hated school was... bullies. Always has been, and he suspected it always will.

He was tired of being called the purple-eyed freak that hung out with the Nazi kid. Tired of always seeing the carved harsh words on his desk. Tired of being pushed around. And since it was always the 'cool kids' that kept picking on him, the rest of the students thought it was okay to do so too. He started hating his stupid mutated eyes, but every morning and every night, his mother, his sweet loving mother, always assured him he was her handsome little man and he shouldn't be ashamed of said stupid mutated eyes. His little brother was another reason too, always saying how 'cool' his eyes were. Oh, sweet naïve Percy.

Ray didn't know what was worse, though. There were those who picked on him. And then, there were those who purposefully ignored him. Sometimes, he wished people picked on him instead.

It stung a lot when he called out to some kids he knew and they pretended they hadn't heard anything. Or he tried to bring his own input to his classmates when they were chatting, but instead, it fell on deaf ears. Students planned birthday parties and the such in front of him without even registering he was sitting right there, and he never received an invitation card.

So when he finally got out of school and returned back home, he never felt so relieved.

~0~

Sally didn't like to admit it, but they were low on money. So, for this reason, she always brought her youngest son with her to work whenever her oldest went to school. She just couldn't afford a babysitter, and she didn't really trust her neighbors with her four-year-old son. Don't get her wrong, they were nice people, but not exactly... right in the head.

Then again, as she walked out of a cab with Percy holding her hand in Grand Central, staring at the candy store she worked in, she sometimes wondered if any possible babysitter in the future would be trustworthy enough to be left with her son. After all, her sons could attract... them. And there was no saying if any of them wouldn't disguise as a babysitter to get her sons.

Sally shook her head and entered the shop. She didn't want to think about those things now. Right now, she had to work.

She smiled as her co-workers greeted her, before they greeted Percy too, a bit more enthusiastically than to her. Percy just laughed at the attention. Sally was the oldest staff here. The others were either high school students or college students looking for money. Only one or two were adults, and the adult staff usually come and go.

On Sally's shift, she would let Percy play in the lounge, with one or more of her co-workers watching. She trusted them, at least. She would ask her boss to see her co-workers' background, and she would always assure her that the staffs she recruited weren't a threat to her children.

Sally honestly never expected that her boss was like her sons, though. Her boss always kept a celestial bronze sword on a shelf in her desk, in case one of those things would attack the store. To the other co-workers, they just saw that their boss had a baseball bat in her desk. Sally always hoped that her sons would grow to be like her. To be able to grow into an adult and open a business. Every time she stared at her boss, she always saw a beacon of hope that her sons could survive into adulthood.

With the day passing by quickly, Sally was pleasantly surprised when the door opened with the soft sound of a bell and saw her eldest child walking in, looking around the shelves of candies, fingers tapping the strap of his backpack rhythmically.

Ray smiled at her when he saw her. "Hey, mom."

That caused a smile to grow on her own face. "Ray. Look who's early."

Her son shrugged. "The teachers sent us home early after the principal's office exploded."

Sally's smile dropped a bit. "Exploded?"

"Yeah, a gas leak. The principal wasn't there when it blew up, though."

"Thankfully." No doubt that would be in the news tonight. She hoped the cause wasn't something... unnatural. "Dear..."

"Hm?"

"Your principal... what was his name again?"

Ray looked surprised. "You forgot? His name is Mr. Bandai or Mr. Banzai or something."

Sally was relieved. Ray didn't forget his principal's name (in a way), so that hopefully meant the cause was just that- a gas leak. Not some demonic beast that threatened to eat Ray's soul or something.

But she still had to correct him. "Honey, his name is Mr. Bonsai, I think."

"Yeah, him." By his nonchalant voice, she didn't think he actually cared he got his principal's name wrong. "He wants to quit after this, though. Said he wanted to be transferred to some school called Merrywether Prep."

Sally nodded. She would search for another job too if her workplace suddenly exploded.

Ray looked around before he looked back up to her. "Mom, where's Percy?"

Sally smiled. Percy seemed to be the only priority in Ray's mind these years. "He's in the lounge. You should go play with him. We'll still be here for a while."

"Awesome. Can I have some candy?"

"No. I know you ate some at school."

Ray grinned. "How lame."

After her son left, her boss appeared in the doorway to her office.

Her boss, Kristen O'Brien, confessed that she was a daughter of Aphrodite. She admitted that children of Aphrodite weren't that much of a fighter, but Sally didn't think her boss was telling the truth. The proof was standing in front of her, after all- a healthy, 22-year-old young woman that still knew how to use a sword.

"So that's him?" Kristen grinned. "He seems like a nice kid."

Sally smiled softly. "He is."

"If you don't mind me asking... why are his eyes like that? Don't get me wrong, I think it's nice," she added quickly after seeing Sally's look, "Just a bit unusual."

Sally lowered her eyes. Her oldest son's eyes... she always thought they were beautiful. A perfect shade of dark purple. The doctors never knew what is happening to Ray, either. They divulged that they thought it was a some sort of mutation, but nothing more. The only thing they knew was that it wasn't dangerous.

The conversation- and she was not exaggerating- went exactly like this.

Doctor : Ma'am, I have good news and bad news.

Sally : (worriedly) The good news first, please.

Doctor : We're naming a disease after your son.

Just like you might expect, Sally fainted. The next few hours after she came to, the doctor kept apologizing about the joke and then assured her that the mutation didn't seem like a threat to her oldest son, but he also told her to bring him to the hospital if something odd happens to Ray's condition.

"I don't know, either," Sally admitted, "But what I do know is that it isn't hurting him. And that's enough for me."

Kristen nodded rapidly, not looking forward to saying something worse than she should to the older woman. She then excused herself and retreated back to her office, and Sally ignored how the young woman bit her lip as she did.

Sally sighed on the counter after she left, resting her chin on her arms.

~0~

Ray bit his lower lip to prevent from yelling out in surprise and pain as he set foot in the lounge.

The lounge wasn't that big, probably the size of the living room back in the apartment, but it was definitely made for being cozy. There was a mini kitchen, two rows of orange-colored couches at the corner, and a coffee table. A worker was snoring on one of the couches, a pillow covering his eyes.

And the carpet was covered with toys. Car toys, blocks, action figures, you name it. Scattered around like a tornado just hit the room. And, unfortunately, there were Lego- er, Lepin blocks because actual legit Lego was expensive- there too. And Ray stepped on one.

Wincing, he lifted his foot again. Mouth turning into a grimace, he dropped his backpack to the floor and carefully tip-toed to the middle of the room, where his brother sat, humming something under his breath and shaking a some type of superhero action figure in his hands, as if they were dancing.

Ray suddenly stopped his advance. Looking around, he realized how messy this room actually was. If this was in their home, either his mom or himself would tidy it up, but now they were at their mom's workplace. Mom would be too busy, and most probably too tired, to clean up after their mess. Ray sighed and bent down, picking things up.

Percy, probably hearing the sigh, turned around. And then his eyes widened. He immediately stood up, grinning, and ran at his older brother. "Ray!"

Ray's eyes almost bulged out of his sockets. "Wait! Percy, don't run!"

Too late. Percy stepped on a Lego- Lepin- block (Ray winced in sympathy), and fell, yelping.

Ray, out of reflex, dropped all the toys in his hands and dashed at his brother. He threw himself to the floor and held out his hands, grunting as the various toys poked him in the ribs and stomach.

Percy clenched his eyes shut, most probably expecting pain, but his face twisted to surprise when he landed on something soft instead. Ray studied his brother, worried if he was hurt, then exhaled when Percy opened one eye, almost comically.

Percy laughed and sat up. Ray breathed out in relief. He sat up, only to look down again as his little brother plopped down on his lap, grinning at him.

Ray smiled back. "What's up, Percy?"

"Ray!" Percy exclaimed, eyes bright. "You're back early!"

"Yeah, school's out early. I thought you'd be here."

Percy beamed at him, and Ray smiled, ruffling Percy's hair. He looked around again. 'I should really clean the mess up,' he thought unamusedly. The toys weren't that many- they didn't have much money, after all- but more scattered, strewn out all over the place. Now sitting closer, he noticed some toys on the coffee table and the minibar.

Ray returned his gaze to his brother. Percy was staring at him, those wide sea-green eyes, full of innocence. Chuckling, Ray ruffled Percy's hair once more before lightly pushing him off, standing up.

The younger of the Jackson brothers sat on the carpet cross-legged, watching as his older brother picked up the blue bag where Percy usually dumped all of his toys. He then walked around the room, picking up all of the toys scattered around and putting it inside the bag.

Ray, noticing his stare, glanced at him. "What's wrong, Percy?"

Percy shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just happy you're here."

Ray smiled. He still remembered the day his mom, tired and disheveled, laid on the hospital bed.

~0~

His mom looked exhausted, but also incredibly excited. She turned around, revealing a small bundle in her arms.

"Ray," she called, smiling. "Look- this is your brother!"

As she said that, the little baby with the wrinkled face opened his eyes, revealing that adorable sea green gaze. His mother giggled as the baby yawned and he closed his eyes again.

"I want you to promise me, Ray," his mother spoke after the baby slept once more. "Promise that you will be a good brother, and love him, protect him, guide him whenever I can't."

Even without telling him that, Ray already vowed in his head that he will do anything for his baby brother after Perseus opened his eyes to look at him. He won't disappoint his family- not like his sorry excuse of a dad that left them all alone.

"Of course. I promise, mom."

~0~

Shaking his head, Ray continued to tidy the toys, reaching the spot he stepped on a pointy block. He really hoped he hadn't done anything to disappoint his mom and brother, but he really doubted it. Right now, he absolutely had no friends (Percival and him... it was complicated. Sometimes he wanted to call Percival his best friend, and sometimes he wanted to bash the guy's face in), was practically an idiot with all C's in his report, and he was pretty sure he was getting expelled these past years for having absolutely no idea when to stop talking back to teachers.

Ray sighed (at this point it was close to a groan), putting the last toy in the bag. Something gained his attention when he felt a really slight pull from the bag. He looked down, and Percy blinked back at him, throwing the action figure he was playing with it.

"What're you thinking, Ray?" Percy asked, looking up at him.

Ray shook his head. "Nothing, Percy. Just remembering something."

Ray looked around once more, and to his relief, the room was toy-free. He looked back at Percy, but he was met with empty air as Percy already ran back to another bag (blue, of course) and pulled out some papers and crayons.

Ray dropped the blue bag beside his own backpack and walked over to him.

"Ray, look what I drawed!" Percy said, grinning and puffing his chest proudly, handing him one of the papers.

Ray looked down at the drawing, writing a mental note to remind Percy later the correct past tense of draw. There were some balloonmans on the paper. He referred to them as balloonmans because their limbs were pretty thick, and... yeah, they were like built of balloons.

On the right, there was the tallest balloon guy, wearing what he guessed was the Sweet on America uniform, with long brown hair. On the left, was another balloon people, with the balloon guy's head reaching to the right balloon guy's hips, wearing all black. In the middle was the smallest balloon man, wearing all blue.

Ray glanced from the drawing to his clothes. He was indeed wearing black clothes. He then glanced at Percy. Yes, Percy was also wearing a small blue jacket. And then he remembered that mom was wearing her uniform.

On top of the three balloon people, there was writing in blue crayon. Well, he guessed it was writing, but it was really some unrecognizable scribbles. Ray had to bit the inside of his cheek from laughing, and he felt a little bad for wanting to laugh.

Ray looked back at Percy, who was staring back expectantly.

"Well?" Percy asked, motioning the paper in Ray's hand. "What do you think?"

Ray grinned. "It's... nice." He then pointed to the scribbles on top of the drawing. "What does it say?"

Percy pouted. "Ray, can't you read? It says 'My Family'!"

Ray held back his smile. Of course. Why not? "...Ah."

Percy huffed and crossed his arms, but he looked pretty pleased with himself. He sat down and started drawing on another empty piece of paper. Ray chuckled and ruffled Percy's hair.

Returning his attention to the paper, he traced the edge of the white material with his thumb, silently pondering something. He wondered why he liked black. At first, he thought it was just a cool color. But then, when he started going to school, started to get bullied and ignored, he liked looking at the color black more. He wondered why.

A small jolt of pain shattered his thoughts. Looking down, he noticed that there was a long but shallow cut on his thumb, and blood was slowly dripping down to the carpet. Papercut. Great.

Percy, looking up from his drawing to see why his older brother was so silent, also caught sight of the bloody thumb. Percy's own blood slowly drained from his face.

"RAY!" Percy yelled in alarm, standing up.

"Huh?! What?!" the guy on the couch sat up, the pillow on his face dropping to the ground. But it was obvious he was still asleep. As fast as he sat up, the guy fell back to the couch and continued snoring.

Ray stared at him for a few seconds before returning to look at Percy. Percy's eyes were shiny with tears.

It reminded him when Percy went to him one night. He was searching for the star Regulus when Percy came, crying like he was just doing now, saying that he had a nightmare. He remembered it, because Percy rarely cried. Oh yeah, that was also the only time Percy dreamed of him getting killed. Almost forgot about that.

Ray sighed and put his hand on Percy's head. The one without blood, of course.

"It's fine, Percy." Ray smiled down at his brother. "Just a papercut. I'll cover it up with a band-aid and be done with it."

Percy, obviously worried, just nodded. But then, Percy looked down.

Ohh... Ray knew that look. That hurt look. Percy was feeling guilty. Oh no, Percy wasn't going to feel guilty because of Ray's own mistake in his watch.

"Hey, hey, hey." Ray knelt down beside Percy, setting the drawing aside. "Don't cry. Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm sorry," Percy mumbled quietly, still looking down. "Because of my drawing, your hand-"

Ray's eye twitched. "No, it wasn't your fault, Percy," he cut his baby brother off. "It's my own fault. Don't apologize for things you don't have control of."

Percy looked up at him. After a few seconds of staring at each other, Percy finally nodded, but he still looked a bit somber.

Ray, shaking his head, stood up.

After Percy wasn't that upset- and when he meant wasn't as upset he meant Percy was scratching his crayons on a piece of paper with a frown on his face- Ray walked over to the sink in the tiny kitchen, then proceeded to wash his finger.

Ray furrowed his eyebrows. Sure, the cut was small, but he was pretty sure cuts weren't supposed to close immediately after touching water. He didn't even bother to reach the handsoap- in just a matter of seconds, the cut, now a little white line, slowly disappeared.

Ray waited, letting the water flow through his fingers. After a few seconds, nothing else happened. He was half-expecting another, tiny, hand to grow from his finger or something, but apparently, it could only close cuts. Good to know.

Shrugging, Ray turned around and opening his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat when he saw Percy, staring at something above his head, stunned and jaw slack.

Instantly, Ray also looked up. The thing he was supposed to stare at had already dissipated, but he could see the remains of something green, glowing, and see-through. He watched as the three-tipped spear- after watching The Little Mermaid (Ray disliked that movie, but Percy seemed to like it) he knew that it was called a trident- spun in the air slowly, before it suddenly disappeared.

Thud.

The two brothers' head whipped around to the door, where their mom's boss dropped her bag to the floor. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open. But unlike Percy's whose eyes showed curiosity and awe, hers were filled with fear.

"Your father..." she whispered in dread. "Oh, this is not good."

Ray blinked. "My father?"

Instead of answering, the woman whirled around and ran, kicking the door open. The two boys shared a look, and they too followed. They stopped in the doorway and took a peek. In the shop, they saw the woman earlier was arguing with their mom. Their mom looked more and more worried and scared as the woman kept talking, frantically.

That was an obvious sign of bad news.

Their mom glanced at them, then bit her lip before talking back to her boss. The boss sighed deeply and spoke again, but more softly this time. Their mom sighed too, then nodded. The boss nodded back and went to her office.

A few seconds of silence passed. Before the two boys could speak up, their mom cut them off, "Ray, Percy, get your bags. We're going home."

Ray glanced at the boss' door hesitantly. "But, mom-"

"Please, honey, quickly."

Ray could detect the hint of urgency in his mother's tone, so he immediately turned around and picked up the bags. Mom only spoke like that when those weird unexplainable things would happen. Once, they left a mall as their mom requested, and right before the mall disappeared out of sight, he saw a dog the size of a rhino walked into the lobby. Then there was another time when they went home from a space museum. Ray swore he saw a man that had ram horns.

Glancing at the couch, Ray grinned a bit. It was a bit funny to see that the guy was still asleep, undisturbed.

Back outside, the sky darkened, and water poured down. It was just a slight drizzle, but still, it made Ray shiver. On the curb, his mom was talking to a cab driver, and Percy was laughing giddily as the raindrops hit his outstretched hand from his spot inside the taxi.

His mom turned around just the moment he reached them, glancing left and right as if making sure no one was nearby, then thanked him and took the bags, putting them inside the trunk.

When they drove back to their apartment, the cab was silent. Of course, save for Percy who was telling about his day to Ray excitedly.

~0~

Nothing happened on their ride home, but their mom kept glancing at the windshield worriedly, even though no other cars were on their tail for long. But the weirdest thing was that their mom kept asking to turn left or right on an intersection, or driving through alleyways instead of the road, like trying to shake something off. Because of that, it was already night when they arrived, so Percy and his brother went to take a bath.

Two of them were silent during dinner. And they all felt the awkwardness. Percy knew this because he kept seeing his mom glance at him and his older brother several times. Ray ate much less than he usually did.

Percy hated it. They usually talk and laugh and just be happy at dinners. Not be quiet and frown and be sad.

Suddenly, mom cleared her throat, and Percy looked up, Ray following the same.

"So, Ray..." she began, trailing off. Mom was probably thinking of something to talk about. Percy knew he was. "How was your day?"

Ray looked down on his meal before he spoke, "It was boring. Except if you ignore the fact that the principal's office exploded."

Then he looked up, raising an eyebrow, and gave his most 'Why are you doing this?' look. Percy would know. He kept having that look thrown at him several times whenever they were together.

"...Ah... right, of course." She looked at Percy instead. "How about you, Percy?"

Percy gave her a blank look. Did she forget that she took him with her or something? "Mom, I was with you the whole day."

Mom winced. "Oh... right. I forgot."

Percy and Ray looked at each other. Despite what people said behind their backs (yeah, Percy could listen to what people say behind their backs), he knew they weren't stupid. Himself, he didn't know, but his great older brother obviously wasn't, duh. Sometimes, when meeting new people, they would act like idiots. Ray told him that he would do it to make them show their true colors (whatever that meant). But for Percy, it was just because it's fun.

As Percy looked into his brother's eyes, a message was passed between them. They needed to act dumb. For mom's sake.

Beside Percy, his older brother faked a sigh. The thing is, Ray sighs as much as he breathes, so it sounded real. "Mom, it's so boring here. When can we go to Montauk?"

Percy followed Ray's lead. He snapped his head up. "We're going to Montauk?! When?!"

Their mom snorted and then laughed. Their mom's laughter is so soothing and warm, and before they knew it, Percy and Ray were smiling too.

"Okay, okay," mom said after she finished laughing. She smiled at the two of them, pondering for a brief moment. "How about... tomorrow?"

Percy's eyes widened. That Montauk thing was just an act to make mom smile. He didn't expect that it could lead to this! Besides, Montauk was where mom met dad, so he thought it wouldn't work this well, considering that their dad was nowhere around and all.

A grin broke out on Percy's face, and he started to victory dance in his seat. Looking at Ray, he saw that his older brother was shocked too, before his face turned to relief.

"How many nights?" Ray asked.

"I'm sorry." Mom smiled sadly. "But I think we'll just go for one night."

"Ha!" Ray grinned. "That's more than enough! Percy! High-five!"

Percy high-fived his brother wholeheartedly.

"Down-low!"

Percy moved his hand down quickly.

"Too slow!"

But not quick enough.

And just like that, the night was mostly spent on the table, filled with jokes, stories, and laughter. When it was time to sleep, they all walked to their own bedrooms with smiles on their faces, imagining what tomorrow would bring, momentarily forgetting their worries.

In their shared bedroom, Percy shared a fist bump with his older brother, both grinning at each other.

If that wasn't a mission well done, they don't know what is.

~0~

Olympus, the Eternal City, was shaking madly. Its denizens running around like headless chickens, trying to find cover and safety. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed, rain pouring down hard, wind howling and blowing down trees. The source of this chaos was inside the throne room of Olympus itself- a gigantic space where the great Greek gods of Olympus usually resided.

"HE HAS A WHAT?!"

The satyr gulped. "A-a son, my lord."

The King of the Gods, Zeus, the god of the sky, was seething, body shaking with rage. He clutched his Master Bolt tightly, making his knuckles turn white. Master Bolt, a devastating weapon that could turn cities to ash in just a blink of an eye, was crackling wildly, electricity striking everywhere nearby.

The satyr didn't dare take a step closer.

"How old is he?!" Zeus growled.

The satyr wanted to crawl away and cry. Working in Olympus is what makes you successful, they said. You'll love it there, they said. If it was possible, he wanted to travel back in time just before he accepted the transfer to Olympus and slap some sense into his younger self. The fact that he saw some very unlucky satyrs and other beings accidentally burned to ash because they stood a wee bit too close didn't give him much comfort either. He flinched when a thunderbolt struck the floor just a few inches from his hooves, and he took several steps back. Zeus didn't seem to notice.

"A-around ten years old, my lord," the satyr stammered.

He ducked with a yelp as a powerful gust of wind exploded, passing right over his head.

Zeus roared, and the satyr had enough knowledge to clench his eyes shut as the King of the Gods turned to his true form. "POSEIDON!"

After a few seconds of turning the floor around him to ash, the god finally returned to his original form. Zeus turned to look at the throne beside him, and it added more fuel to the fire when he saw that it was empty. "You broke our Oath! Damn it all, when something happens you just disappear doing who-knows-what!"

The satyr shivered, and not just because of the cold wind that now assaulted his skin. Zeus' eyes were downright murderous when the god looked at him. He prayed with his heart that if he died today, he'd be reborn as a beautiful plant. Or at least a mighty tree. He didn't want to think that when he died he'd reborn into some grass. Worse, he'd get eaten by another satyr.

"Fine then!" Zeus hissed. The god stood up from his throne, his Master Bolt dissolving into the wind. "I will get rid of the boy... myself."

The satyr's neck snapped up so fast he was surprised it didn't break. "I-I beg your pardon?"

Zeus narrowed his eyes at the satyr. "Are you deaf, satyr? I said I am going to kill him."

"B-but-"

"But what?!" Zeus snarled.

The satyr gulped again. This went as well as he expected. "B-but don't you think it's a bit early to kill him? I mean, he's still a child, my lord."

"Exactly!" Zeus scoffed. "I am going to erase him when he's still... young and ignorant."

Zeus pointed his finger at the satyr, and he seriously thought that he was going to be zapped to oblivion. Instead, the god threatened, "No word to anyone about this, goat."

The satyr nodded hastily.

With that, Zeus disappeared in a flash of bright light, leaving the shaking satyr behind. After a few minutes of taking several deep breaths on the floor, he finally sat up.

Then he realized with dread that he forgot to report something else- the fact that there were actually two children of Poseidon. The other one was the kid he reported's younger brother.

The satyr started hyperventilating.