The Beginning:
Chapter 4:
What do you do when you realise that your murderous cannibalistic Grandfather yoinked you out of 21st century, back into the ye old days of Ancient Greece?
Well, as Percy was discovering, the action most appealing in this scenario was to scream.
Loudly.
Preferably at the fates, or even Kronos himself.
Because seriously. Percy knew demigods had a rough life, but he had been hoping (quite foolishly, it seems) that after the whole, you know, saving Olympus thing that Percy could have caught a break.
Especially considering that he had thought he was going to die at 16 for years now.
But no. Here he was, in a time so old that he didn't even think it had a date yet, arguing with Queen Rhea about whether or not he was human.
Because now that he had context, her insistence that he wasn't human made sense as well. After all, he may have ADHD, but even he remembers the frequent lectures Chiron gave them about Greek history- in particular, the Five Ages of Men.
Obviously, most of the lectures were about the age most relevant to them- the Age of Heroes. But some went into depth about the other ages, and things slide into place as he remembers the first.
Because yes, Zeus made humans. But he didn't make every version of human. In fact, the first version of humans- of mortals- were created by Kronos.
It was called The Golden Age, and isn't that just a kick in the teeth?
Because from what he remembered, humans in this age lived long, happy lives, wanting for nothing and nobody. No work, and all play.
And Kronos was the one to make this Golden Age for humans. Not the Gods. Kronos, the murder happy scythe wielding Titan.
It really put the Gods into a different perspective.
Still, Percy thought he preferred the gods. Not because of anything they had done, personally (although he supposed his dad, Hestia and maybe Hermes were cool) but because the alternative sucked.
Because Kronos was a piece of crap, and humans in this golden age?
They lived to serve Kronos and his every need. The price for such pristine lives, he supposed (Maybe it wasn't fair to judge ancient humans that he never met, but he was bitter, so.)
No wonder Zeus, in his ever-loving mercy had killed them.
But, according to Rhea's pregnant stomach…. Zeus hadn't killed them yet.
Ugh, time travel was annoying.
"Has my identity really shocked you that much?" The words bring Percy back from out of his head, and he stares at Rhea, confused.
"What?" he says, maybe a little too sharply, although he can forgive himself in the situation.
He just realised that he had time travelled. Give him a break.
Rhea shrugs. "I said my name and you froze." She looks thoughtful. "Although perhaps it was my title, not my name that shocked you."
Percy considers that. "To be completely honest, my lady, it was a combination of both."
She shakes her head in wonder, looking at him. "You are an odd creature! During our marriage, my husband assured me that every being on Earth, Sea and Sky would know my name. And he is not one to make promises lightly."
Her face seems to darken at this, but she presses on. "So how come you stand in my presence, not only not knowing my name, but convinced you are a human when I have met them before, and your very being feels like-"
Percy looks at her steadily, an inkling of an idea in his mind. "My very being feels like what?"
She hesitates a moment too long, and Percy narrows his eyes at the indecision on her face. "It matters not."
"I think, my lady, that it very much does."
Rhea shakes her head, a touch to fast to be normal and says, "I am the Queen. If I say it matters not, then it does not."
"If it does not matter, then you should be able to tell me." Percy hesitates, but steps closer.
"Forgive me for my presumption, but if the matter concerns some… unfavourable opinions of your husband, then you will find no opposition in me. I swear it."
Rhea stiffens, and Percy wonders if he pushed to far- or maybe should of even promised to swear it on the River Styx, although Percy privately feels he had already had way much to much contact with that particular river.
He is just about to press her again-because he refuses to let the matter go, especially if they are in the past, when Kronos rules (after all, admitting what he just did must be, from what he assumes, a death sentence) when she interrupts him.
"Like my children!" She blurts out, before looking around them, horrified at herself. "You feel like my children!"
Her hands come up to her mouth like she is considering clasping them over it to stop herself from saying more, and he blinks.
Her composure- the self-assuredness she had carried throughout the entire conversation- had shattered completely at the slightest push from him about her kids.
Rhea is still staring at the forest as if some beast will come crawling out of it and try to eat them, or something equally horrible as Percy considers the situation.
Truthfully, he has no idea what to say or how to explain himself. After all, what would he say?
Oh yeah, Rhea, no biggie. I just feel like your children because I'm the future kid of one of your sons who may or may not be born yet, sent back in time after I pissed your husband off for daring to try and stop him from destroying the world.
Yeah, Percy got the feeling that wouldn't go over to well.
Still, one thing was clear.
Before he decided to do, or rather, say anything, he had to get some more info on the situation.
After all, there was no way he could tell which kid was in the oven right now, other than it probably not being Hestia, thanks to Rhea's outburst about children (as in, multiple), so Percy does what he does best.
He plays dumb.
He furrows his brow, widening his eyes slightly. "I wasn't aware that you and… the King had any children, my lady."
Rhea bits her lip, an action so out of the realm of most Titan-behaviour (or Immortal behaviour in general) that he almost does a double take.
It's almost entirely different from the confidence she had at the start of the conversation, and it throws him off balance. He wonders if she was normally like this, or he had just managed to happen upon her weak spot.
Looking at her, Percy suspected the former.
"No, I suppose you wouldn't, would you? After all he doesn't want anyone to know…" she mutters under her breath, bitterly.
Percy barely has time to think "oh, I'm probably not going to die from treason then, awesome" before she reaches out and grabs his shoulder.
The sudden bodily contact has his hackles raised again, although he very much doubts Rhea will try anything. Not after that outburst. Not after admitting what she has already done.
"Even on the Island, we shouldn't discuss this here," she looks him in the eye then, her face both hopeful and scared, and lowers her voice, muttering, "She said that I would find help here, and I am running out of time. Please, you must help me. Perhaps-"
She cuts herself off and says "Allow me to guide you to a safer location. Please."
And Percy thinks -slightly hysterically, because today has been crazy by even his standards- that despite it all, despite just finding out that he is very much not where (or when) he is supposed to be and that he may never be able to see his friends again, he wants to help her.
She seems desperate (she must have been, if she was trusting the word of strange people, she met on the bank of rivers- she hadn't even got him to swear on the River Styx about Kronos!) and sad as well, which Percy supposes makes sense considering what exactly Kronos was doing with his kids.
If there was anything he had learnt over his years of being a demigod, it was that the myths had never seemed that bad until he had been dropped right in the middle of them and was no longer allowed to think of them as just stories.
(And that sentence pretty much summed up his life)
Besides, leaving her here would be a pretty shitty thing to do. And it's not like he has anything better to do with his time anyway, with any vague plans he had made of getting back to camp destroyed after the revelation of his surprise jaunt through time.
Also, he was feeling maybe a little bit pissed that Kronos had dumped him here without so much of a "How do you do", basically ruining his life for the foreseeable future.
It would practically be rude of Percy not to take the giant opportunity to be a thorn in Kronos's side once again, after all. No matter what time period.
And putting aside all that… it may have been a strange thing to think about an immortal Titan, but in the moment? When she was begging him for his help? (although he wasn't exactly sure what he could do to help, but still.)
Rhea had seemed very young. And that was coming from a 16-year-old demigod.
Ugh. Percy sighs, mentally kissing his dreams of a quiet life goodbye. Not that he ever really thought they were gonna happen, because they were called dreams for a reason, but still.
He looks at her, with her familiar lightning blue eyes and regal tone
"Do you have a place in mind?"
Rhea nods, her body language relaxing. "Yes, I do. Have you ever heard of Mount Ida?"