(A/N So This idea is not originally mine. I read Ryann Aurelia's "The Question of the Exploding Toilet" and adjusted her story a little to the left. I highly suggest reading her pieces because they were excellent! But I reframed the timeline closer to cannon.

I hope you enjoy!)

Amos faced a lot in his lifetime. Most of the time he didn't have to deal with mortals too much because they couldn't comprehend what they saw. He did need to protect them though. Most monsters didn't care about mortals, but they could still be hurt. Every now and then however, he'd find a mortal with clear sight.

This woman appeared to be one such mortal. She swung a beam she'd picked up from the alley wildly while her young son stood behind her.

Several times the toddler stepped forward to help, but would listen when the woman commanded him back to the wall. He wouldn't run though. His hands were fisted and there was just as much anger in his expression as fear.

Amos took all of this in as he sprinted to help. He didn't come to this side of the river often, Manhattan was a bit taboo, but sometimes errands demanded it. He was glad to be there now.

"Sa-mir!"

With the flash of a symbol at his command the creature's hide burned. Its intelligent focus turned to Amos for a long second before spinning back to the woman and lunging.

She didn't scream.

She didn't cry out.

She just fell.

The monster, he saw it had scaly legs, burst into gold dust when he lopped off its head with his khopesh in his next step.

He dropped to his knee beside her.

"Mommy?" The boy's eyes were wide as he watched her gasp for air.

"Percy," she grunted as she reached her hand toward him.

"I'll do what I can, but you need a paramedic." Amos was applying pressure to the wound, but a strange rash was spreading up her neck and down her abdomen.

"You saved my son."

"I'm trying to save you too." He pulled out a healing draught.

"You saw it."

"Yes. I'm not familiar with the kind, but...yes."

"Can you…" She winced and held onto the boy's, Percy's, hand. "His father told me to send him to camp. He said that'd be safe. But I wanted to keep him close." Her breathing was ragged, but she didn't seem to mind the pain. That worried him more than screaming would have. "Will you keep him safe? Others will come. I need him to be safe."

"I-"

"Please."

"Mommy? Are you okay?" He spoke with the half formed words of a toddler. Clear, but not articulate.

"Oh, sweetheart. I love you. You know that?"

"Love you, too." A tear ran down his face. Amos doubted he understood death, but he knew pain and didn't like seeing his mother in it.

"His name is Perseus Jackson." Her gaze had turned back to Amos.

"You have my word. I'll do my best to keep him safe."

She smiled with a sigh and looked back to her son. He was the last thing she ever saw.

.

A quick investigation revealed Percy was 3. His stepfather had no custody rights over him and didn't seem to care what happened to him. Amos, with Julius and Ruby's help, set to work adopting the boy.

Percy loved playing with Carter, who had just turned one and begun walking. When he was alone he was likely to get into trouble, but with Carter he was very protective.

Oftentimes strange things would happen. Sally, the woman, was right. Monsters were attracted to him. Amos couldn't figure out why, though. He was very obviously mortal with no Blood of the Pharaohs. A paternity test was inconclusive. Actually, it was incomplete as no paternal DNA could be identified.

He definitely had an affinity for the water. Amos was constantly fishing him out of the pool. He even ended up fashioning a shabti that functioned to keep him away from the pool. About a month in Amos set up a mini aquarium in his bedroom.

He needed to be careful when taking Percy out with other people. His temper was easily spiked and that seemed to announce his presence to monsters even more.

He was five and attending kindergarten when Sadie arrived. He'd finish the year, but his principal had made it clear he was not welcome back in the fall. Amos thought that was just as well, the school did little to accommodate his ADHD and dyslexia, and the stunt with the sphinx was atrocious.

It had been an odd looking sphinx with no headress. Percy had managed to dodge and corner it, but he had no way to harm it. Plus he thought it was just a rabid cat. Amos sent a spell the moment he saw it and it dissolved before them.

Amos often worried about Percy's mental health. When so many monsters were after him, especially when they didn't know the reason, he was bound to have nightmares. And he did have them. Often he'd tell Amos about them in vivid detail. He was fairly alarmed when, at age seven, the same three or four characters were in most of his dreams. They were always in peril and barely survived. One night he woke up crying, but instead of explaining his story he drew a picture. Now, seven year olds are rarely major artists and that was doubly true for Percy, but somehow he made a masterpiece with his crayons. There were two blonds, a boy and a young girl, and a half goat man climbing a hill. The girl was looking back at a hoard of monsters. The monsters didn't have any real detail, they were just a dark mass with several sets of eyes, but the idea was conveyed easily enough. Between the three on the hill and the hoard was an interesting obstacle. He'd drawn a girl with short, black hair and blue eyes in marker. She held a spear pointed towards the sky and a bronze shield with a face pointed towards her enemies. In pen a lightning bolt struck the tip of her spear and she was engulfed in the electricity. Overtop of the lightning girl was a pine tree in crayon. The tree followed the design of the electricity.

Ruby mentioned having him take art classes, when he showed her and Julius the drawing. But when he held up Percy's usual work they were just as stumped to see his barely contained scribbles. He never replicated his ability from that night, nor did he talk about his dream. In fact, he stopped mentioning those characters altogether when he had dreams and nightmares.

Carter, Sadie, and Percy spent as much time together as possible. He was almost an older sibling to them instead of a cousin. If Julius and Ruby were traveling the kids all stayed with him in Brooklyn House and the couple hosts Percy if Amos is the one leaving. It's a good system, but it can't last.

.

"Ruby. You can't act without the support from the House."

"I have to, Amos." The three had had this argument several times in the past few months. She was having visions. Visions were difficult to decipher on the best of days, but apocalyptic ones were their own brand of cryptic.

"What if you're wrong about the visions?"

"What could I be wrong about? I see Apophis rising. Not a battle. Not a fight. Nothing. Just Apophis and his destruction."

"Amos. The old ways were banned for a reason, we know this. But it's been centuries. If we can harness-"

"Julius! Just considering the Path of the Gods is forbidden."

"We need an ally, Amos. We left because they tried to separate the kids. Objectivity be damned!" she added when she saw Amos cringe. "They won't listen to us, but you could convince them."

"Ruby, even I am on thin ice." He recalled all the times he was visited and Percy was asked after. The inconsistencies about his past and the strange circumstances that often surrounded him made them suspicious. 'He should be in the system.' But Amos couldn't abandon him like that.

"I'm sorry, Amos," Julius said. He'd been present for a few of those heated discussions.

"How have you been having these visions?" he sighed.

"My ba has visited Bast in my sleep."

"You've been having the dreams, too?" His voice was small on the stairs and the three adults turned to see Percy in his pajamas with a slightly distressed look on his face.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Amos asked as he went to pick up Percy. He'd grown lanky as another growth spurt approached. At ten years old his entire demeanor and body language screamed trouble maker. He was a good boy, but trouble did follow him, and his appearance led everyone to believe it was his fault. He'd managed five schools in five years.

"A voice." Ruby stirred when he said that.

"Can you tell me about it?"

"He's trying to convince someone to let him out."

"Who is 'he?'" asked Julius while Amos held him.

"He's underground. I'll be in a cavern while he talks. The voice… it comes from a pit. I can't see into the pit. It's entirely black."

"What does he say?"

Percy shrugged. "A lot. He tells him to be angry. He says no one cares. He… promises things. Sometimes he'll say my name. Then he'll just laugh. It's…" he shivered. "He makes everything cold. It's like time slows down and presses in around me. It's...suffocating."

There were tears in his eyes and a scowl on his face as he shivered again.

"It's okay. We're here and you're safe." Amos held him close and rocked him. Usually Percy didn't let him hold him like that anymore, but apparently these dreams were really bothering him. "How long?" he whispered.

Percy shrugged again.

"A while. I've been waiting for them to pass. Like they used to."

Amos nodded, thinking of all the nights Percy would wake in the past. Looking up he saw Ruby and Julius exchanging worried looks.

A week later Ruby released Bast. Carter, Sadie, and Percy quickly figured out what mortality was.

Next came Julius's custody battles. Carter hated being separated from Sadie and Percy could hardly contain his anger on his cousins' behalf.

What came after made it all the worse. Julis was banned from contacting anyone in the House of Life. Amos included.

Percy's dreams didn't stop.

.

Two months after being separated from their family Amos sat Percy down.

"It's not fair!" He practically vibrated with anger. "Aunt Ruby died. Why would they split the family even more?! Sadie needs Uncle Julius." He began pacing. "And I need Sadie and Carter." At this he leveled his glare at Amos. He loathed to think what Percy would look like as an adult. Even nearing eleven he was almost intimidating to the man, and Amos had faced countless real monsters.

"Please sit for a moment, Percy. I want to explain something."

He sat with a harumph, his arms folded and a scowl on his face. Though, 'scowl' was being kind as 'death glare' was more accurate.

Reaching to his clasp, Amos removed his pendant. It was the House of Life's symbol.

"Do you know what this is?" Percy rolled his eyes and sighed.

"A hieroglyph. The Per Ankh. You know I'm not nearly as interested in Egyptian history as you and Uncle Julius." His scowl deepened.

"It's not just some symbol," he started. "And I've tried to make it interesting for you," he tried to tease. Percy shifted.

"I know. It's just… it feels wrong when we're studying."

"Says the kid with ADHD. It feels wrong to sit still you mean." Amos smiled down at him as he pulled a face but didn't argue. "But we're not here to talk about Egyptian history. We're talking about the present."

"Hate to tell you this, Uncle Amos, but nobody reads hieroglyphs in the present." Another eye roll, but Amos let it go.

"So I guess I wouldn't be able to do this in the present either?" He called a simple word of power and watched as Percy's eyes widened. His eyes tracked the glowing hieroglyph and he paled as a light gust of wind engulfed them. Frankly, he looked like he was going to be sick.

"Uncle Amos?" he asked with a shaky voice.

"The Per Ankh, or House of Life, is an organization. I am part of it. Ruby and Julius were as well, but revoked much of their status when they started a family. Mixing our bloodlines made many…uncomfortable."

"Bloodlines?" His voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Some families are descended from Egyptian Pharaohs and have the Blood of the Pharaohs. Both ours and Ruby's families are this way. It makes us more powerful than most magicians and when Carter and Sadie were born…"

"Her birthday cake…"

"Yeah. The House wanted them separated from the beginning for safety reasons, but, like you said, they are family and needed to stay together." Percy looked more ill by the second. "You still with me?"

"Yeah...just, it feels wrong, ya know?"

"Like finding a strangled snake in the bed of my kid? Yeah, I know."

"I was three!"

"Yeah," Amos chuckled, "your mom said you'd be trouble." He winked, hoping the mood was a bit lighter. At least some of the color had returned to Percy's face.

"So, uh… I'm gonna need to process this…"

"Yeah. I understand. I haven't changed Percy. But you have. You're old enough to keep a secret and I want you to understand why things have changed in the family."

"Aunt Ruby?"

"She expended too much energy and it killed her." Percy teared up, but nodded for him to continue. "What she did was forbidden. That's why Julius is now exiled from the House of Life. All… all contact between him and members is meant to cease."

"You mean all contact between you and him." Amos sighed as anger flashed across his face briefly. "I don't like it."

"I didn't expect you to."

"Thank you for telling me."

He smiled and pat Percy's knee as he got up to let the boy consider everything.

.

"He is a menace!"

"He is my son."

"We don't even know what he is!"

"He's mortal!"

"No he is not. I don't know what he is, but it is not mortal."

Amos couldn't see Percy where he sat. He knew he'd be told to return to bed and reprimanded for eavesdropping if he was caught.

"Look Amos. Things happen around him that don't make sense. Magic doesn't treat him like others, it's like our power doesn't know what to do with him. He's a monster magnet, some of them we've never even heard of before. He is dangerous. You need to get rid of him."

"I will not abandon him. He's not some dog to send to the pound!"

"Amos-"

"No!"

Percy was practically drawing blood as he fisted his hands and tried to control his temper and stay hidden. He'd taken a few anger management classes and focused on his breathing. The men continued arguing and he decided to go for a walk. Maybe a run. He needed to clear his head and spend some of his hyperactive energy.

With his khopesh at his belt he started jogging up the East River. Brooklyn wasn't a place a 12 year old should be running alone at night, but Percy wasn't afraid. He didn't have any combat training, Amos didn't want him seeking out trouble, but he could think on his feet and find escape fairly easily.

If any mortals gave him trouble he'd just be his usual 'menacing' self.

He scowled remembering the argument he left. He took out his khopesh as he approached a tree on the bank and began swinging. It felt good to let his frustrations out.

He wasn't expecting the green girl.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

He jumped back and stared at the girl, mouth hanging open.

"Uhh…" Real intelligent that there.

"Well?" She demanded. He shifted his khopesh between them.

"Are you a monster?" he asked hesitantly. Asking a girl if she was a monster could go horribly if she wasn't.

"I'm a dryad you buffoon! And I don't appreciate my home and life force being used as your sharpening stand!" She radiated anger, but also a bit of fear. He realized she thought he could hurt her, but she felt she needed to stand up for herself anyway.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Do you usually go around assaulting nature?"

"No… I just needed something to clear my head… and now I'm talking to a tree."

"Dryad."

"Right." He shifted, uncomfortable as he processed the fact there was a talking tree, dryad, on the river's bank.

"If you just want to swing that…sword," she made a funny face when she looked at his khopesh, "at something, then go get the thing that's been destroying the bank up by Rikers."

"Thing?"

"Yeah, it's...not the usual kinda monster. It smells funny. But it's been giving us a lot of grief."

"Sure, uh… I'll look into it." She seemed surprised for a moment and then nodded and melted into her tree. He winced as he looked at the ugly gashes he'd left among the bark.

"Right," he said to himself as he headed up the river. Maybe monster hunting would make a good apology for harming her tree.

After a short while he found himself where the river widened around Rikers Island. He didn't really know what he was looking for, but when he saw a giant crocodile chewing on a car he figured that was it.

Hefting his khopesh he reminded himself he went looking for this

Amos was gonna kill him.

That is, if the crocodile didn't first.

He approached slowly and noted the golden necklace it wore. It was a Son of Sobek. Cursing, he did his best to approach stealthily.

He failed.

He dodged the wide jaws several times and tested his hurdling ability as he jumped over the swinging tail twice. In an attempt to stay away from those teeth-big, big teeth-he ran up the tail and scaled the spine, lunging for the collar at the last second. For a brief moment he felt proud for keeping his footing, then they dove underwater.

Percy refused to let go of the necklace. He didn't know if or when someone would track down the monster again, so he held on for dear life. He was so focused on keeping his grip as the water rushed past that he barely realized he was underwater. When they surfaced Percy swore he'd met a world record for holding his breath.

They were in an entirely different area now, he wasn't quite sure where.

For a fleeting moment he thought they were headed to the beach. The crocodile dove and began rolling.

Clinging again Percy felt around the collar for any symbols. He knew he had to get this off and the monster would turn back into whatever poor lizard had slipped it on.

Finally, finally, Percy found four symbols on the pendant. He couldn't see them, but pressed each one in turn.

The monstrous form below him disappeared and he sank quickly while weighted down by the giant gold necklace.

He watched his bubbles float to the surface as he thrashed against the gold entangling him. Surprisingly, he managed to propel himself upwards and by the time he broke the surface the collar had shrunk down to pocket sized.

He paddled his way to shore and looked over his khopesh. He'd sheathed it before leaping for the collar, but it was crushed and useless now, bent in the wrong direction.

Sighing, he pocketed his trinket and took note of his surroundings. A drizzle of rain had started and he figured it was about one in the morning. He seemed to be close to the tip of a peninsula or island. There was a hill in the distance with a distinct pine tree on the crest. He couldn't remember how many islands were in the bay, but he knew it'd take until dawn at least to make it back to Brooklyn.

Of course, it couldn't be that easy.

From the trees on the other side of the road he heard a snorting noise. Heavy footfalls followed and Percy rolled out of the way just in time.

A giant bull man had charged past him. He stood seven feet high and radiated blind rage.

.

*minotaur fight-happens just like in the books*

.

She awoke to a familiar bleating. Grover was distressed. It was barely one in the morning, but she heard several people outside including the satyr and Chiron. Grabbing her hat, she snuck out to follow them.

"Do we know what happened?"

"A demigod came to our borders and was attacked by the minotaur before he reached safety."

"Oh no. Not another one. He was so close…" Grover said disheartened. Annabeth couldn't blame him. Even the best demigod would have reason to pause when facing that particular beast, let alone someone untrained and unfamiliar with their heritage.

"The sentries said he's still alive. He killed the minotaur!" Chiron stated in disbelief.

Annabeth gasped and the two turned to her. She held her breath as they eyed where they thought she might be.

"Any ideas who he is?" asked Grover when they continued.

"No. And that worries me."

She followed them over the hill and saw two satyrs half dragging a boy her age up from the road.

"Catonine said she saw the whole thing," stated one of the sentries as he hauled the boy onto Chiron's back.

"Can she meet us in the Big House?"

"I'll get her." He was dismissed with a nod.

"Annabeth? Could you keep him from falling? I already feel him slipping."

She removed her cap and fiddled with her necklace as she looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"It's fine. Come here, child."

She mounted behind the boy and they all made their way to the Big House.

It was already afternoon and she was still dripping spoonfuls of Nectar into his mouth periodically. She missed all her training sessions that day and her cabin counselor had come to check on her a few times. He mumbled in his sleep every now and then, but was mainly out of it. He'd spent too much energy fighting the monsters. The report said he'd killed a giant crocodile before facing the minotaur.

She marveled at that. The minotaur alone should have been a near impossible opponent, but to have nearly drowned before facing it with no weapons was scary to even think about.

Looking back at his face as she pulled herself from her musings she saw he was beginning to come to.

"You drool in your sleep," she told him with a smirk. He reared back and rolled off the other side of the bed. "Whoa! Hold on." She moved to help him up. "Be careful y-" she was cut off as he pushed her hand away and dashed past her.

This wasn't good. She was supposed to be taking care of him.

Marching after the boy she yelled for Chiron. Galloping over from the archery lessons he scooped her up and they ran after him towards the beach.

"He woke up and freaked out before I could explain anything. He doesn't know where he is," she explained.

He was ankle deep in the water and running west when they reached the beach. Annabeth slipped off Chiron's back as he addressed the boy.

.

"We don't mean you any harm."

When Percy heard the voice he turned to see another monster. He had the body of a horse and at the horse's neck he shifted to a man. A centaur. Percy thought those were a myth. He didn't have a weapon now, but the centaur didn't seem to be hurting the blonde girl beside him. It was the same girl he'd woken up beside.

"I need to get home," he said carefully. He didn't want to be tricked into staying and he didn't want to give too much away about himself. Oddly, the girl looked confused by his statement.

"But you're safe here." Even from the distance he could see the storm in her gray eyes. Her blonde hair framed her tanned face in princess curls as she played with a bead necklace at her throat.

He barely repressed a snort. 'Safe' was something Amos told him was never good. He was more inclined to believe his uncle and not these strangers.

"What is your name, child?"

"Names are powerful…" Percy scowled.

"Right you are, dear boy. How about I go first, hmm? I am Chiron."

"You're named for the Greek heroes' teacher?" He smirked. "I'm actually named after a hero." He let out a breathy chuckle.

"Which one?" asked Chiron with a smile.

"Perseus. I go by Percy."

"Percy Jackson?" He could swear his voice broke as he said the name. Percy regained his defensive position.

"Sometimes Kane. Sadie gets annoyed since I go by either one."

In a heartbeat everything changed. The sky darkened as thunder cracked, the sea stilled behind him, and the ground began to shake.

"Get down!" yelled the girl as the air began to smell of ozone.

A bright streak of lightning streamed through the sky, hurtling directly for Percy. He only had time to gasp before it should have crashed into him.

Instead, a man stood over him in shorts and a Hawaiian tee. His sea green eyes were barely visible as he glared up at the sky, anger written all over his face.

He had redirected the lightning somehow.

Taking in the man's features, his eyes, his hair, the general shape of his face, Percy came to a realization.

"You're my father?" His voice was barely a whisper, but seemed to carry for miles as his entire world expanded tenfold and then rebounded back into this one moment.

The man's lip twitched upwards at Percy's comment, but then he fixed his scowl again.

"Any attack on my boy will be treated as an act of war."

'My boy.' This man was his father. This man who redirected lightning was Percy's father.

"Do you want to risk that? … You and I both know you'll stand alone. … No, but I'd dare convince them. … I've no interest and I'm tired of your paranoia. He is my son and I will treat him as such. Do well to remember that. Or do you forget Hades' treatment of your daughter after you thought- … No. I will not interrogate him fearing the worst. I acknowledge the very slim possibility and will defer to Chiron on that account."

He removed his gaze from the sky and the atmosphere switched back to normal. The clouds returned to their white and fluffy state, the ground stilled, and the sea rolled once more.

"Father." It wasn't a question this time. Sure, Percy had a lot of questions, but he couldn't form any other words.

He smiled down and placed his hand on Percy's shoulder.

"I thought you were dead. Your mother… She was a goddess among women. I broke an oath when I sired you. I am sorry for that. And I am sorry I fated you with a hero's life. They are seldom happy. I wish I could take it back, but I'd loath to lose you again."

Percy blinked. He was pretty sure he had a concussion and was hallucinating, because none of this made sense. He met his father, which in of itself is bizarre, and he's some really powerful magician that talks to the sky. The sky tried to kill him after he told the mythological creature his name. Percy didn't have Blood of the Pharaohs, so how was his dad so powerful? And his father was sorry he had him, but didn't want to lose him.

"I-I think I'm gonna be-"

He fainted before he could finish his sentence.

(A/N I plan to continue this at some point, but I have way too many projects open right now! Let me know what you think and check out Ryann's page!)