Author's Note: Holy crap guys its been like almost a month if not more since my last post. Unfortunately my Fire Emblem story is kind of at a pause right now. No worries, it's coming back I was postponing working on it until I found my 3ds charger because I wanted to play through the game as I was writing it but I figure I'll just watch a lets play or something. This little story was born when I finished the second season of the Umbrella Academy. I wanted a crossover but I feel like the universe of the show isn't really big enough for me to port any of my favorite characters over for the plot. So instead its a crossover with a different idea in mind and different theme than I'm usually writing. I got the idea from a story on Ao3 I can't quite remember the name so if anybody knows, please let me know and I'll put it in here. But yeah this story is very different from the usual stuff I put up and I'm kinda excited about that cause I definitely want to write more of this stuff. Also I love writing dialogue for some reason so this story does a lot of that. Anyways here's my Percy Jackson Umbrella Academy crossover...
Seafoam Symphony
A Song of the Sea
Here within the half-light 'tween the night and day
Upon the sands I lie, with thoughts that idly stirr'd
Seem, as in a dream, with life and death to play,
As o'er the sea there flits a pale white bird.
In my heart I hear it, the murmur of the sea,
Ah! and memories of other lives are stirr'd,
As somewise there came a mystic voice to me
As o'er the sea there flits a pale white bird.
Who but knows that in me is a ghost that hears
A voice it heard of old in the primeval word —
A memory so dim, it like a dream appears
As o'er the sea there flits a pale white bird!
~Robert Crawford
Vanya was privately ecstatic.
You wouldn't be able to tell that of course, her attire seemed normal enough for the day, faded jeans, short sleeve shirt, a light windbreaker in case it got cold outside in between classes. It probably wouldn't to be honest. It was still August so technically still summer enough for it to be warm. She just felt more comfortable with wearing something that covered more skin.
Nothing seemed to jump out and scream that she was happy or even content. She kept her gaze down at her feet looking up every few moments just to make sure she didn't walk into anyone. That would be embarrassing, and on the first day of class no less. Vanya seemed deep in thought or even downcast to those who looked at her. Even those who knew her would be hard pressed to notice the minute smirk that played along the corner of her mouth.
She was free! Number Seven- No, Vanya, that was her name now and forever. Number Seven was the name of a sad little girl who was cowed into submission by her father and mistreated by her siblings every day of her life. Number Seven needed to take two pills a day for her anxiety. Vanya only needed to take one starting today. Vanya was the name of the young woman who had looked past her circumstances, graduated high school and got into one of the best colleges in state to study her passions. Vanya was the name of the young adult who got herself a job, an apartment, figured out how to budget, take care of herself, and plan a safe route through her education all on her own.
This was the beginning of the rest of her life. She didn't need to be held back by her family or her past. She didn't need it and she certainly didn't want any of it. With this first step, walking to her morning classes, she would start to forge her own path. One to success without her family or the pressure of their influence and enmity leering over her.
If she applied herself, maybe she could even make herself more than she was. Vanya could even be more than ordin-
"Eep!" Vanya squeaked as she walked into someone and stumbled back. Her face went red and her hands went cold as she thought of her perfect morning being ruined by a bad spill in front of her classmates. She would never make friends now! How was she supposed to act confident or brave when she faceplanted on the first day by walking straight into someone? Despair choked her thoughts before freezing as she let out a soft breath and her momentum was arrested by a firm hand around her waist.
"Sorry, I should have looked where I was going." A nervous chuckle reached Vanya's ears making her relax. "Are you okay?"
Vanya nodded slowly. "I'm so sorry, I-" She looked up and her train of thought immediately derailed and blew into a million billion pieces.
He was gorgeous. The man, this was no boy that so easily held her, was tall in the way it seemed like he could effortlessly tower over the other students their age and his frame despite being hidden under a nylon jacket was distractingly muscled. She was immediately glad that she wore a jacket so she could match this handsome stranger. His build was larger than it appeared in a way that his presence commanded attention but his figure wasn't overtly structured like a pro wrestler or a football player. It was leaner than that, the arm around her made her think of a swimmer's grace or a sprinters hard-earned musculature. His skin was tanned almost to a bronze like he was constantly bathing in the sun. Playfully vibrant sea-green eyes shone from a face with sharp, striking features. The man wore his jet black hair almost carelessly as if he had been relentlessly been running his hands through it but the wild nature only contributed to his attractive profile. Vanya's eyes slipped lower and swore mentally as her heart skipped a beat. The smile running over his face was an easy one as if he was greeting a close companion or casual friend yet at the edge of the expression it rose in a smirk that screamed of well-earned confidence and teased a secret that only he knew.
The man moved his arm from Vanya's waist and her eyes caught on movement from his neck. There were two necklaces that he wore, one with beads and shapes on them that she couldn't recognize and the other held colorful seashells and miniature starfish on it. The man's eyes narrowed a bit at her and his smile tugged down a tad. "Are you okay?"
Oh, that's right, she never answered him because she was too busying mentally drooling all over him.
Focus Seven.
"I'm fine, sorry, I should've been paying more attention." She remarked. Was she staring too much? She looked down and away hoping that she didn't look like the anxious wreck that she felt like inside.
"Well, I guess we both could stand to be more aware," He laughed quietly at himself. "Apologies aside," He aimed his smile at her again and held a hand out. "My name is Percy Jackson." Vanya bit her bottom lip and shook his hand praying that her own weren't clammy.
"Vanya Hargr-ip?" She said wishing that she thought out her words before saying it out loud. She really didn't want to throw around her last name on the first day of school. There weren't bound to be a lot of Hargreeves, especially in this city.
Percy Jackson seemed to ignore her blunder and held her hand up squeezing it lightly. "Oh, I get it." He winked. "Har-grip." Vanya smiled lightly and nodded just happy that he didn't dig at her obvious cover up. She also quite liked the feel of his warm, firm and calloused hands.
He dropped her hand and grinned sheepishly. "So, Miss Van-ya," He enunciated her name clearly and loudly as if testing out how it sounded. "I may or may not be lost on my way to class, do you know where Room 413B is?"
Vanya grinned back at him feeling light as her worry and anxiety seemed to fade into the background. "You may or may not be lost?" Percy's eyes darted off to the side and he scratched at the back of his head. "I plead the fifth?"
Vanya giggled and Percy pouted mockingly crossing his arms. "Well, do you?" She nodded. "Yes, do you have Calculus I with Ms. Jenner?" Percy nodded in assent. "Yeah, I've heard some pretty scary things about her. Like don't look her in the eyes and don't ask about what happened to her husband;" He held a hand up to his mouth as if to share a secret. "Word is, she killed her husband for using a calculator too much."
Vanya lightly snorted covering her mouth with a hand. "Really? For using a calculator?" Percy nodded solemnly. "I'm bringing mine but I'm probably just gonna leave it in my bag, I don't want to end up like Mr. Jenner-Oh, wait do you have that class too?"He interrupted himself with a question. She smiled. "Yes, it's my first semester, I was scored well enough on my placement test but they recommended I brush up on my math."
Percy shrugged. "Same for me really. Well, I mean math is definitely my worst subject so it wasn't so much of a recommendation for me." He grimaced.
Vanya worried her lip and laced her fingers together. "Well, if you really need help I wouldn't mind helping out a bit. I know I'm not the best at math but-" Percy perked up his eyes wide and expressive. "You will? Cause that would be awesome, I honestly don't even know why they put me in that class and I could use the help."
Vanya fought the urge to fidget as she inexplicably felt her face heat up. Why did his eyes remind her so much of that GIF Klaus sent her of a baby seal? And why was her stomach doing somersaults?
"Um, yes?" She did her best not to sound unsure but her heart was jumping in place and she wasn't sure how to act. Percy seemed to just barrel along letting her collect her thoughts. "Sweet, I was pretty nervous about this class but I'm glad I have someone to help out. Now," Percy pulled out a phone checking the time. "Unless we want to be even later for Calculus and risk death by homicidal widow I'll let you lead the way." Percy stepped aside grinning at her and snapping off a mock salute. "Ma'am."
Vanya buried a burgeoning smile as an uncharacteristic impulse hit her. She stuck out her tongue and shouldered past him the sound of his laugh making her composure break.
Percy was depressed.
Okay so maybe he wasn't actually depressed he was- what was one of those words he learned from his therapist? He was melancholic. More than that he was feeling mostly melancholy, a tad nervous about moving up to college level-he honestly never thought he would ever go to college, well maybe a little but that was just because it was something Annabeth seemed to expect from him it was a whole other situation for him to try and further his education on his own- and maybe a little petulant because his mom thought he needed friends. He didn't need friends! He had lots of people he talked to nowadays. There was Blackjack, Mrs. O'Leary, Tyson and and- okay so maybe all of his friends weren't human but so what? He was fine just doing his daily routine of exercises, going for rides with Blackjack or Mrs. O'Leary or talking with his brother and then chilling out in his room and trying out different hobbies. He even took some tips from Rachael and started painting! it was more or less just throwing paint at a canvas in a colorful pattern but it was kinda fun. Kinda.
Okay, so maybe he was a little lonely. But what else was he supposed to do? He would rather stay away from the camps, they held so many good and bad memories and seeing his old companions was about as appealing as stabbing himself with Riptide. So his mom told him to make friends.
Pftt. Like it was so easy, how was he supposed to make friends? He was used to bonding over a monster hunt or a competitive race up the lava spitting climbing wall. Ordinary people just couldn't comp-
"Mm!" Percy was jolted out of his thoughts by someone bumping into him. He raised his gaze rapidly, his hand twitching to uncap Riptide. Calm down Perce. It's just a normal girl who bumped into you. Not Kelly the empousa or a harpy in disguise. Percy bit down on his tongue as he noticed her stumbling back about to lose her balance. He swiftly hooked an arm around her waist steadying her.
"Sorry, I should've looked where I was going." Percy laughed shortly hoping she wasn't mad at him. "Are you okay?" He asked looking down at her. No wonder she almost fell over, she was so tiny! He might be a bit biased because he was going on 6'4 soon enough hopefully. He had shot up a couple inches in his time after the last quest he thought absently.
"I'm so sorry, I-" She raised her face and pursed her lips nodding. Percy involuntarily relaxed as he gazed at her taking in her appearance. She wore a dark windbreaker that seemed out of place in this late summer weather but he decided not to judge. He wore his own light jacket; it was a hassle trying to come up with creative lies for all of the scars and tattoos on his skin. Her skin was pale but not in the way that his cousin Nico was pale, his skin seemed almost unhealthy like someone shying from the sun at every corner. Her skin was a dazzling ivory that called to mind the keys of his mother's piano. Her features curved softly into each other and her ample lips were lush giving him the strangest urge to run his thumb over them.
Her hair was a chestnut brown that poured over her shoulders in a silky, wavy river. His eyes were drawn to her own, almond colored eyes that peeked out under demurely attractive eyelashes.
They seemed to brighten for a moment shining with a light he narrowed his eyes at. C'mon Percy, get a grip. She's probably freaked out cause you've been clutching her to your chest for way too long.
Percy relinquished his hold around her thin waist slowly and reluctantly returning it to his side. "Are you okay?" He asked once more ignoring the way his traitorous nose twitched at her earthy, meadow scent.
"I'm fine, sorry, I should've been paying more attention." The petite woman smiled kindly and he reflexively smiled back. He's privately glad she wasn't.
"Well, I guess we both could stand to pay more attention." Percy chuckled a bit at himself. So much for his famed demigod senses. "Apologies aside, my name is Percy Jackson."
Percy held out a hand and bit the inside of his cheek to keep from beaming at her instead settling on an easy smile that he fears looks like a grimace. She took his hand and he shook it carefully marveling at how her dainty hand with slender fingers felt so damned soft and perfect within his own.
"Vanya Hargr-ip." He blinked. It almost sounded like she was gonna say something else there. Percy was curious but pushed that aside at her worried face. Everybody had secrets. Instead he brought up her hand in between them and squeezed it lightly hoping that he didn't seem too familiar. "Oh, I get it." Percy winked at her on a whim. "Har-grip."
Percy's smile widened at her nod and pleased expression before gingerly letting go of her hand. "Sooo, Miss Van-ya," Percy said it in two syllables liking how it sounded out loud. He absently wondered what kind of name it was but decided not to bring it up not wanting to somehow talk about his own unique full name. "I may or may not be lost on my way to class, do you know where Room 413B is?" She grinned at him in mirth and he immediately decided that he enjoyed her smile. "You may or may not be lost?" Percy ran a hand through his hair idly as he thought of a response. "I plead the fifth?" He said almost questioningly. He's pretty sure that was a thing. Right?
Vanya's giggles reached his ears and he didn't care anymore. Percy morphed his face into a mock pout and crossed his arms to sell it. "Well, do you?" Vanya bobbed her head. "Yes, do you have Calculus I with Ms. Jenner?" Percy tilted his head. "Yeahhh, I've heard some pretty scary things about her." During his talks with his advisor Percy asked what some of his teachers were like. He knew every teacher couldn't be Chiron but it was pretty foreboding that his math teacher seemed like a Mrs. Dodds. He just hoped this one wouldn't try to claw his head off. "Like don't look her in the eyes and don't ask about what happened to her husband." The advisor had been pretty vocal about that, apparently he was an alumni and had some unfortunate trauma from that situation.
Percy hid a smile and brought a hand up. "Word is, she killed her husband for using a calculator too much." He whispered terribly. Vanya snorted and he fought to keep his expression serious. "Really? For using a calculator?" He nodded slowly trying to impress upon her the veracity of his words. "I'm bringing mine but I'm probably just gonna leave it in my bag, I don't want to end up like Mr. Jenner-" Wait, how did she know the class and teacher for that room? Did that mean- "Oh, wait do you have that class too?" Her bright smile revealed itself once more. "Yes, it's my first semester, I was scored well enough on my placement test but they recommended I brush up on my math." Percy shrugged and for a moment felt happy for her before his thoughts turned towards his own placement test. Definitely not his best work. "Same for me really. Well, I mean math is definitely my worst subject so it wasn't so much of a recommendation for me." Percy frowned thinking about his terrible score on the math section of his test. Numbers just weren't really his thing. Letters and words weren't either but that said, the only kind of arithmetic he used on a regular basis was when he was counting how many monsters he had to kill but honestly he rarely did even that since they usually came to him. "Well, if you really need help I wouldn't mind helping out a bit. I know I'm not the best at math but-" Percy's eyebrows rose in surprise and he grinned widely. "You will? Cause that would be awesome, I honestly don't even know why they put me in that class and I could use the help." He wasn't lying, he could really use the help. He wouldn't delude himself into thinking that was the only reason he wanted to spend time with this breathtaking girl but his math grade was definitely the primary reason. Definitely.
"Um, yes?" Her answer left him feeling excited for a study session for the first time in a long time. "Sweet, I was pretty nervous about this class but I'm glad I have someone to help out. Now," Percy skipped off to the side making way for her. "Unless we want to be even later for Calculus and risk death by homicidal widow I'll let you lead the way." Percy executed a mock salute smirking at Vanya. "Ma'am." She seemed to pause for a moment as if thinking about something before a badly hidden smile rose out of her expression. Vanya stuck her tongue out at him and he showed off his teeth as she bumped him with her shoulder. Percy laughed and followed after her having amended his opinion on college already.
Vanya laughed at Percy as he grumbled to himself on the way out of class. The first class Vanya had was structured very differently compared to her education in the past. Classes with Pogo at the Umbrella Academy were always conducted very orderly and strict as to make the most of class time. Even when she was transferred to a high school by Reginald the institute was a very uptight traditional all-girls school where talking in class was followed by punishments. University classes were an entirely different animal. Students talked in class, slept, played on their phones and even threw things at each other like they were children. It was juvenile and new and she liked it. She wished that she had participated in half of the interactions Percy found himself the center of. They sat next to each other in the back as to avoid undue attention but it seemed like most of the class was turned to look at Percy more than they were the teacher. She found herself a bit disappointed and disconcerted when he easily began making acquaintances with the rest of the class but those feelings went away when between paper throwing matches he would look over at her and ask her something or talk to her. He even tried to corral her into several conversations despite her shy and quiet nature. It wasn't like they didn't get any work done however. A lot of the class was to do with introductions and the syllabus but when they got to the first lesson she could see that Percy was paying attention in his own way. She was pretty certain he had ADHD due to the amount of fidgeting in his chair and his low attention span. Several times he would wait through half of the explanation the teacher gave and then turned to Vanya to ask her what the teacher meant or how to do something. Despite the numerous interruptions she thought it was pretty adorable and she enjoyed the attention. She couldn't recall there ever being a time when her siblings asked her to explain something or wanted her help.
Even though Percy was pretty plainly trying his hardest though, the teacher instinctively seemed to dislike him. Ms. Jenner was an older leathery skinned woman with gray hair that had feathers in it as if a bird was strangled inside. Vanya didn't doubt that because every time a student asked her a question it seemed to be her mission to rail against them and blow their confidence to shreds. Percy was her favorite target.
"I don't understand why I was the only one given extra work." Percy whined as he waved around the paper detailing the problems he had to complete for next class because of his 'behavior'.
Vanya giggled. "She said you disrespected her." Percy sighed exaggeratedly. "I looked her in the eyes once! I swear that's all I did, I didn't even talk to her or say anything about her and she still found a way to punish me! The education system hates me." Vanya raised her eyebrows at him. That sounded particularly ominous. "The system hates you?" Percy nodded looking down at his shoes. "Seven schools in seven years during grade school and one high school." He muttered. Vanya's eyes widened and her mouth turned upwards inappropriately. "Eight?" She asked almost breathlessly. "You got kicked out of eight different schools?" She couldn't even list eight schools in the area off the top of her head. Percy bobbed his head kicking at something on the ground. "It wasn't my fault." He grumbled petulantly.
Vanya snorted. "How did you get kicked out of eight different schools without it being your fault?" She wasn't calling him a liar it was just a bit beyond belief that circumstance just placed him in eight different situations that got him expelled.
Percy shrugged. "The system hates me." Vanya sighed. She probably shouldn't press the topic seeing as how they just met today but you can't just say something like that and not expect to explain it!
"Percy..." An eyebrow climbed in disbelief. Percy seemed to bite on his lip worryingly. "It's not like I'm a thug or anything, I don't go around getting in tons of fights or doing drugs or anything." He swept a hand through his wild hair. "In first grade, I got expelled for peeing into a water bottle, in second grade a teacher tried to paddle me and I ran from him and the rest of staff for an hour and a half before they caught me, in third grade I pulled a chair out from beneath a bully as a joke and they got a concussion which put me out again, in fourth grade I accidentally hit a release on a catwalk when we were at Seaworld above the shark pool and sent my class swimming with the fishes, in fifth grade I accidentally set off a cannon at the Saratoga Battlefield field trip and hit a school bus, in sixth grade I beat up a guy for talking about my mom, in seventh grade I got scapegoated for putting laxatives in the teacher's lunches and in high school I beat up a couple guys for talking about my ex." Percy grimaced and looked at Vanya who was staring at him with wide eyes.
Vanya bit her lower lip and stared at him silently. "I'm not sure whether to laugh at some of those or to hug you because of your terrible luck." Percy's demeanor did a 180 so quickly it gave her whiplash. He grinned teasingly at her and held his arms out to the side in a 'T'. "I've been so abused by the system Vanya, I need a hug to make it all better." He intoned lightly, eyes gleaming at her. Vanya briefly flushed before turning her head away and looking anywhere but at him. "I think you're doing just fine Percy. As long as you don't get into any of your usual trouble here, I would say that the education system has given you a clean slate."
Percy snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I can't be leaving you all alone could I? They would crucify you by association." Vanya shook her head. "If anything, they'd know I was keeping your antics in check."
Percy shook his head in remorse. "Antics. You're hilarious Vanya."
There was a moment of silence as Vanya glared at Percy as if daring him to mock her further. Percy's grin grew sharp in challenge and he started to respond. "You-" Ruuumble
Percy froze and looked down at his stomach. Vanya giggled as he poked at it muttering, "Traitor." He looked up at her a sheepish smile on his face. "Are you-" RuuUUuumblee
Vanya blushed heavily and she shuffled her feet looking down. She waited a moment before looking up at Percy expecting to be heavily teased. Percy instead smiled graciously and pointed to a campus map on the wall.
"Lunch?" Vanya smiled back at him and nodded gratefully. "Please."
They ended up eating at a sub shop that Percy picked out that looked interesting. There were a couple spots on campus that had student run cafes and eateries but they decided to pick one of the restaurants run by what Percy claimed was 'real New Yorkers' not the out of state posers. His words, not hers. They were currently sitting in the corner of the shop looking at one of the small paper menus, Vanya trying to decide what to eat and Percy deciding the few items he didn't want to order for lunch.
"I think I want tuna." Slap Vanya jumped a bit in her seat as Percy slammed his hands on the table looking at her horrified. "Vanya, how could you?" Vanya raised an eyebrow in confusion at him. "Want tuna?"
Percy frowned at her. "Vanya. Fish are friends, not food." Vanya laughed at him smiling. "Is that a quote?" Percy gaped at her. "You haven't seen Finding Nemo?" Vanya averted her eyes. "No, I uh I had a sheltered life before college." He seemed to peer at her closely before nodding. "Well, that is an absolute crime against humanity. I should turn you in right now."
Vanya smiled at him. "Should you?" Percy nodded solemnly. "I shall be forgiving only under the condition that you watch Finding Nemo at your earliest convenience." Vanya bobbed her head and brushed aside her hair to look over the menu. "Will do. So, if I'm not getting the tuna, because fish are friends of course," She glanced up at Percy to see him grinning at her proudly. "Then what should I get?" Percy stood and placed a hand on the menu looking at her. "How much do you trust me?" He asked lightly showing off his teasing grin.
Vanya rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him. "Go ahead Percy, I'll trust in your judgement." Percy smiled once more and winked at her before walking towards the counter.
Bzzt
Vanya hurriedly unzipped her backpack and fumbled through her things looking for her phone. She had never owned a phone before going off to college but so far it had been fairly useful for talking to her manager at work and getting things set up with her classes and such.
Finally, after rifling through several pockets she snatched up her phone looking through it. She raised her eyebrow. An unknown number? There's not even five people who have her number who could it be?
She opened up the conversation curiosity welling up in her.
happy national chicken boys day dear sister of mine!*
Klaus?
Klaus? Is that you?
but of course darling it is i your favorite brother in the whole wide world
Hi Klaus. Um not to be rude but how did you get my number?
Alas mein freund my powers have evolved and I am now a super psychic!:)
You are?!
nah benny told me
oh
That makes sense. How are you? Are you doing alright?
i am peachy appley pineapply fine baby sis coming out of the clean place for the first time in a couple of weeks so i was able to juice up some dearly departed ones for your number but anyways sis how are you? i wanted to check up on my fav sibling on her first day of big ed
That's amazing Klaus! I'm proud of you for staying so long, I know it can be very hard for you. I think you can do better for yourself if you really focus. Also listen to Ben, he cares about you a lot. And me? I'm doing good Klaus. Really good. University is so different compared to high school or the academy and I love it. I think I can really make myself a career here. I also think I made a friend.
ahh sis youre gonna make me cry me and ben love you lots too happy youre happy about your school you always were more dedicated to making a life for yourself than the rest of us and what is this about a friend? do tell
His name is Percy. We met on my way to my first class and ended up going together. He's nice, funny and really friendly. I don't really have a lot of experience making friends because... well you know, but he seems to really like me for me.
ooooohh sounds amazingly spicy he seems perfect i sense with my psychic powers that thats not all though... is he handsome? i bet hes handsome and going by how you talk about him already dear sister it sounds like you might like him a bit more than a friend...
Klaus! We met only today! Literally a couple of hours ago! :(
you know you cant lie to your big brother vanya i expect detailllls
Agh. We're the same age dummy.
No distractions baby sis you know you can tell big bro anything
Fine. I'll tell you.
yayyy
Tonight. I'll call you tonight and if you're not out getting drugs or getting drunk you can hear all about what I think of my friend.
hmmm you drive a hard bargain sister. spoken like a true hargreeves jk i dont mean that but i do expect EVERYTHING little sis
I promise. I'll call you when I get home and you can get to know everything.
alright baby sis I'll hold you to that ttyl!
I'll talk to you tonight Klaus, be safe.
Vanya smiled fondly and looked up seeing Percy on his way back to the table with a large tray. She stuffed her phone back in her backpack. Percy smiled at her as he put the tray down revealing four large subs with various meats and toppings and two drinks off to the side.
She blinked. "There's no way I can eat two of those Percy." He winked at her and sat down. "Two? No, that one is yours," He grabbed the three closest subs and tugged them over to his side of the table. "These three are mine." He grinned at the confusion on her face. "You're taking one of those home with you?" She guessed.
Percy took a messy chomp out of the first sub. "Nope. I'm a growing boy you know. I gotta eat as much as I can."
Vanya eyed him skeptically. "How are you not overweight?" Percy grinned in between a piece of lettuce and an onion. "Lots of exercise." He answered truthfully.
"Exercise." Vanya intoned dully still looking between him and his meal fit to feed two grown men. She shook her head and took her own sub in hand taking a bite of whatever he had ordered for her.
"Mm." Vanya involuntarily moaned a bit in delight. It was really good. She had eaten out before but it was mostly low budget stuff. In the past it was all healthy meals provided to her by her high school and the less said about the Academy's stringent diet the better.
"What is this?" She asked Percy interrupting his last bite of his first sub. How did he put that away so fast? She contemplated asking her friend when he was born for a moment to see if super metabolism was a power.
Percy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "New York City's very own pastrami sandwich. It's a classic. I thought you would like it."
She nodded and smiled warmly at him. "I do, thank you. What do I owe you?" Percy waved a hand as he finished his sandwich. "Muffin'" Vanya raised an eyebrow. "Muffin?"
Percy swallowed. "Nothing, it's on me." Vanya frowned. "Percy, I can buy food for myself. I have my own apartment and I'm putting myself through college. I don't need you to buy me food."
Percy put down his latest sub and frowned back. "Woah, slow down there. I'm not saying you can't provide for yourself or questioning your capability or anything like that. You're probably more responsible than I am." He smiled gently at her. "I'm doing this, paying for your meal with mine, because of two reasons. One, I like you and you're my friend. You're really helping me out a lot with that math class you know? I appreciate that." Vanya fidgeted as she thought about his words. He liked her. For a moment she thought about taking her second pill to combat the emotions running through her but she opted not to simply because it felt good. It felt really good to be acknowledged as a friend. And that he liked her.
"And two, I didn't pay for any of this." Percy commented nonchalantly as he munched on his returned sandwich. Vanya looked at him in confusion. "What? You didn't pay for this?"
Percy nodded. "Yeah, I kinda helped the owner out this one time. He was being robbed by these drugged up thugs late at night and I just happened to be in the middle of a large cheese steak with the works when they told me to give up my wallet. I didn't like that."
"What?"
"What? Only one of them had a gun."
"Percy!"
Alright, forget any observations she made earlier. Percy is insane.
"Were you hurt? Did you get in any trouble?" Vanya frowned. A cold feeling ran down her spine at the thought of Percy facing danger like her siblings used to. No. This was different. Her siblings were bonafide child soldiers that their father had molded them into from birth. Percy was just ordinary like her.
"Me? Trouble? Yeah right." Percy flashed his by now familiar smirk of smug confidence with a hint of what she now recognized as the sign of a troublemaker. God help her.
Vanya rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. You should really be more careful about that stuff Percy. Wait a second." Vanya looked at Percy straight in the eyes who now seemed shifty and nervous. "Did you choose this place because you knew we could eat for free?"
Percy opened his mouth looking anywhere but back at her.
He closed his mouth. "Um. No?"
Vanya shook her head. "Percy." Percy grimaced and looked back at her. "Vanya I wasn't kidding about wanting to pay you back and appreciating you. I was just in the mood for subs and this place came to mind. I knew you would like that sandwich anyways so I decided to go for it. If you want, next time we eat somewhere we can go somewhere you pick and I'll buy our meals. I'm not that cheap I swear."
Vanya gave him a exasperated smile. "I'm not mad Percy." She really wasn't. It was a relief that he had even taken the time to hang out with her. Making friends wasn't her strong suit so this was the best thing that happened to her in a while. "It was just a little surprising. You're just a lot different from what I expected."
Percy cocked his head to the side. "What did you expect?"
Someone normal and ordinary who isn't a hero and who doesn't like me. Instead Vanya shrugged. "I'm not sure." Percy shrugged in return going back to his sub.
He was on his third and final sandwich while Vanya was about two thirds done with hers when he spoke again.
"Oh yeah, who were you on the phone with earlier? I saw when I was walking back." Percy said looking down at his sandwich. Vanya peeked up at him in surprise. "Oh, that was my-"
"Boyfriend?" Percy interrupted her an odd tone in his voice. Vanya shook her head noting his strangely serious expression. "No, that was my brother." Please don't ask too much. Keeping her family history from Percy created this odd barrier between Vanya and Number Seven and she liked that. She was able to keep Number Seven locked up and as long as no one was around to remind her of the past she could build a new persona. One that was confident and happy and not damaged from her childhood. One that could be liked by others.
"Ah." Percy smiled. "Making sure he knows who to hunt down after if you go missing?" Vanya chuckled. Klaus hunting someone down to be an overprotective brother was a hilarious thought. If anyone was the overprotective brother in her family it would've been Diego. Or at least it was during the times when he didn't forget she existed. "No, he was just checking up on me on my first day."
"That's nice of him." Percy grinned at her. "I actually have a baby sister. Her name is Estelle and she started crawling not too long ago. Last time I visited my mom she was zooming all over the apartment like a maniac." He chuckled.
Vanya bit her lip looking at the far away, serene expression on Percy's face. He really loved his sister. "She sounds adorable." Vanya complimented. Percy shone his teeth back at her. "She is. I was really worried about my mom during the pregnancy but when Estelle came everything was so perfect. She's perfect really." Percy wrinkled his nose. "Except when she decided she liked green instead of blue."
Vanya giggled lightly. "Green instead of blue?" Percy bobbed his head. "Yeah, blue is the undisputed best color but somehow, Estelle likes her green onesie better than the blue one I got her. I blame Paul." Percy scowled. Vanya quirked an eyebrow. "Paul?" Percy finished off his last sub. "Yeah, Paul is my step-dad. I thought he was alright but then he goes and pulls this crap." Vanya shook her head in mirth before finishing off her own meal. This is what normal families must be like. Having love between them without letting egos or past mistakes getting in the way of relationships. The worst grievances being light-hearted complaints about favorite colors.
"You done?" Percy asked as he drained his drink in one pull and threw it into the trash can across the room. Vanya sipped on her own drink nodding. "Yeah, this was really nice Percy. Thank you."
Percy beamed at her and picked up their tray putting it aside. "Anytime." Vanya reached into her bag checking her phone. It was just about time for her next class. She hesitantly looked back up at Percy hoping that he would be understanding "Class?" He asked lightly and she smiled in relief.
"Yes, I have to run. I'll see you tomorrow?" She didn't want to sound desperate but the truth was that Percy seemed like a good friend and their relationship began by accident. She couldn't even fathom trying to find someone else to talk to or relate with outside of classes after the ease that they had fallen into. Percy grinned. "Definitely. Just don't walk into me again." Vanya pouted at him. "That was all you. You were so lost you didn't even know where you were."
Percy sighed. "True. Alright, I'll see you then." He went to get up. Vanya looked up after him a bubbling feeling rising in her chest. "Percy."
"Yeah?"
Vanya smiled exasperatingly and handed him a handful of napkins. "You're a bit of a mess." Percy blinked and looked down at himself. "Oh." Vanya giggled to herself happy that she met this nice, friendly and strange man who fought thugs and made a mess when he ate.
Vanya tiredly sighed as she locked the door to her apartment. She had a long day and it wasn't until late that she was able to go home. After classes she had to race over to her job to cover a coworker's shift. Vanya took all the work she could get. She had a good sized safety egg of money in an account from Reginald after she graduated high school but she wasn't willing to touch it until she really needed to. Being a waitress wasn't the most celebrated occupation but it helped her pay her bills and take classes without relying on that man's money.
Vanya's thoughts about her job were interrupted by her phone ringing. Vanya took one look at the caller ID and snorted opening up the call.
"Klaus?" She asked. "Vanya! There you are!" Klaus breathed excitedly into the phone. Vanya shook her head in mirth before remarking. "Klaus, I thought I was going to call you?" There was a muffled 'Ben shut up' on the other side of the line before Klaus answered. "Well, I got worried Sis. It was getting late and I thought you might have forgotten little ol' me."
"Of course not Klaus. I just got home actually, it's been a long day." Vanya smiled tiredly. "It was definitely productive though. That I will admit." Klaus chuckled at something on the other end before speaking. "Well, tell me all about it sis."
So Vanya detailed her day skipping over what she felt Klaus would really want to focus on for the next topic.
"Soooo... baby sis." Klaus mused. Vanya sighed lightly. "Yes Klaus?"
She could almost hear the smile he wore in his next words. "Tell me all about this new boy toy of yours and since you promised everything, I want to hear everything." Vanya laughed. "Well... I'm not sure how to start. First off, he's not a boy toy. I told you that we met before class but I didn't mention that we met by literally walking into each other."
Klaus snorted over the call. "Cliche much sis? That's funny though, what else?"
"Well, he might be just a bit handsome."
"Vaaanya."
"Okay, he's gorgeous. Like really stunning if I didn't know any better I would think that he was going into acting with Allison or something. I was honestly surprised he took the time to talk to me but we spent a good amount of time together. We had lunch together."
Klaus made an excited noise. "I called it! Give me five! Ha! Just kidding you're a ghost. What else Vanya?" Vanya smiled fondly. "He's really funny and sarcastic. He teases me a lot but he doesn't make fun of me if that makes sense. He's got this smirk that makes him look like a troublemaker but he insists that trouble just finds him and that he doesn't look for it."
"What does that mean?" Klaus asked curiously. Vanya sighed. "He's really confident and brave. But also kind of crazy. He took me out to this sandwich place and ended up telling me that he didn't pay for the meal. When I asked how he just admitted that he saved the owner from robbers offhandedly like it didn't really matter that he was outnumbered or that one of them had a gun. It's kind of exciting but it also worries me that he doesn't seem to make much of it like he gets in a lot of situations like that."
"Oooh so he's crazy. That's hot."
"Klaus!" Vanya blurted. Her mischievous brother seemed to radiate smugness from the other end. "Sis, you can't tell me that after all that, you aren't attracted to him. You definitely like him a lot. Is this your first crush?"
Vanya groaned. "I don't have a crush Klaus."
"The first stage of love is deniaaaal." Klaus sang. Vanya rolled her eyes. "I thought that was grief."
"They're pretty much the same thing." Klaus commented. "But anywho, I'm sure that you guys will be together sooner than later. You are certainly carrying a torch for this stud. I'm sure he likes you too."
Vanya bit her lip. "But I'm just Vanya. I'm not interesting or pretty and I don't know why he pays attention to me instead of finding someone more attractive or smarter." Klaus sighed back. "Vanya, you are beautiful and smart and worth all of this guy's attention if he knows what good for him. You're perfect the way you are. Just try to have some more confidence in yourself."
Vanya resisted the urge to sniff as a cloying sense of heady gratefulness and emotion rose up in her. "Thanks Klaus." She said thickly. "No problem meine schwester. Now, I'm sure you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow. I'll let you grab some Z's."
Vanya wiped away a tear. "Goodnight Klaus."
"Nighty night sis."
Vanya ended the call tossing her phone onto her bed. "Siblilngs." She sighed exasperatingly. She wasn't going to lie though, it felt nice that Klaus put in an effort to to keep up with her. The rest of her siblings seemed fine with not knowing if she was alive or not. It would be so easy to blame them-she wished she could blame them. But she knew better. Their worse than awful family dynamic was the result of the even worse parenting that Reginald Hargreeves had done.
Percy laid back on his bed in his modest apartment tossing a ball in the air. His apartment was pretty nice all things said. It had been kind of a nice going away present from his father the last time he saw him. After Gaia was defeated, Percy was left treading water without a life raft. Well, bad analogy, he was in very bad sorts. The death of a lot of his close friends, his descent into the pit, the actions he took to survive and the death of one Annabeth Chase left his life in ruins just as he turned 18. The first thing Percy did was find help. He might be pretty dense sometimes but he knew that he was fucked up after the war and he wouldn't be able to continue with his life until he healed marginally.
A lot of therapy, crying, screaming, and the birth of his baby sister later he was able to pick up what was left of his life and try to move on. He was almost ashamed to admit that his way of healing from the mess that was his life was to separate himself entirely from the supernatural side of things. He made it known in no uncertain terms that he would no longer be Olympus' lapdog and that he intended to live his life without the chaos induced from world saving quests every couple of years. Surprisingly, his father supported his decision. He had gifted Percy a seashell necklace which served to mask his scent from monsters, making life in the mortal world a very real possibility. His education was a bit tricky but with some help from Paul, Percy was able to take accelerated courses to catch up and graduate high school. It wasn't long after that that his mother influenced him to start looking for a university to go to. Percy admitted that he wasn't sure if there was anything he was interested in that he could incorporate in a career but he decided to trust his mothers judgement and find something to occupy his time. Funnily enough, he chose to pursue a degree in marine biology. He couldn't exactly make a career killing monsters but the other facets of his heritage intrigued him enough to pick out a career where he could stay close to the water.
He worried about money a bit, he didn't want to hurt his mother and Paul's life together because he wanted to go to college but the two had endeavored to help him anyways. Sally was a successful author nowadays and when the money didn't go to supporting Estelle or their little family it went to Percy's college expenses. The apartment was Poseidon's contribution to Percy's new life. It was his way of making sure his favorite-really only- son always had a home to come back to. All of that didn't mean that Percy wasn't working though. He did the occasional fishing trip with some of the contracted crews along the harbor for restaurants and such. He was more or less regarded as a bit of a lucky charm for those that went out to fish because of his natural propensity to draw in sea life with his presence. That did leave him feeling a bit guilty for all of those fish though so when he wasn't in the mood for that he would take his personal trawler, the first thing he bought with his guilty fish money, and take out small parties for tours of the harbor and Long Island.
Percy's phone lit up and buzzed from where it lay on his bed. He reached for it and opened it up hesitantly. Phones were a new development for him. The necklace made it so monsters weren't drawn to him anymore and so far it had proved to protect him from monsters homing in on him via his cell phone. He really didn't know how that worked to be honest it didn't make any sense to him. He wasn't one to look a gift pegasus in the mouth however and was glad for the convenience.
Oh, his reminder was going off on him. He had set one up to remind himself to call his mother after his first day. Percy was pretty independent but he definitely wasn't shy to say that he had a close relationship with his mother. Spending time with her after the crazy events of his youth was amazing and it made him realize how much he missed out on in between school and killing monsters.
"Hello?" Percy broke out into a grin at the sound of Paul's voice thick from sleep. Paul had been a rock for Sally and Percy in the worst of times. The man had really stepped up when he came into their family, taking his demigod adventures in stride and providing support to him and his mother. He also had a godly amount of patience to be able to deal with a PTSD afflicted step son and a pregnant wife at the same time. guy j u77. ji
"Paul, how are you? I was just checking in, Mom wanted me to call after my first day." Percy softly intoned.
Paul yawned over the phone. "Hey Percy, I'm doing really good actually. I have your mom's phone at the moment. It's her turn with the baby tonight so she's in the baby room at the moment. Bit of an early night for us today so don't worry about disturbing our sleep. Your mom's got a signing tomorrow morning."
Percy smiled. "That's awesome Paul, tell her I'm really happy for her will you?"
Paul cleared his throat waking up a bit more. "You should tell her yourself, she actually just came in with the baby. Here Sally, it's Percy." There was a moment of silence before his mother's voice played across the call.
"Percy, how's school? Is everything alright? Did you have any problems?" His mom's tired but concerned voice soothed him in the way only a mother could. Percy cleared his throat. "Hi Mom, I'm doing fine thanks." He laughed. "I don't always call because something's wrong you know?"
Sally laughed back. "I'm not entirely convinced of that mister. Seriously though, how was class? Did you make any friends?" Percy gave a low grunt. "I'm still mad that you think I need friends Mom."
"Percy-" She interrupted.
"Blackjack is a great conversationalist and we always go out for lunch together."
"He's a pegasus Percy, and eating donuts together isn't lunch."
"And Mrs. O'Leary counts as a friend too, she's saved my life more times than I can count."
"She's a dear Percy but she's still a hellhound."
"What about Tyson though? He's my brother, different mother or no. He was even teaching me the basics of forging last time I saw him."
"He's a cyclopes darling."
"What does that have to do with anything? We're still family."
Sally sighed. "Percy, I love you and I adore Tyson and both of your pets. But none of them are remotely human Percy. It'll be healthy for you to make some new friends and maybe even go out on a date when you're ready. You're young Percy and you have the rest of your life to enjoy."
"Mom."
"Honey, they wouldn't blame you at all for making new friends. They would all want you to move on and be happy." There was a pause as Sally wrangled with something internally. "Annabeth would want you to be happy."
Percy swallowed. "I know Mom. Gods I know. It's just hard you know?" Percy's reluctance for making new friends was strongly due to the fact that he felt he would somehow be betraying his old friends by making new ones. He never wanted to forget them and he didn't want to just.. replace them. There was a time when even thinking about trying to date someone would set off a bad mood but he had come a long way.
"I know baby." Sally said softly. "Now," Her tone changed forcibly into something more upbeat and happy. "I want to hear all about your first day of school. You didn't get into trouble did you?"
Percy bit his lip. "Maybe a little."
"Percy!"
He groaned. "It wasn't bad Mom. My Calc teacher just gave me some extra work in her class for my 'behavior'. I swear I didn't even do anything." He whined.
His mom sighed and muttered something under her breath. "Anything else?"
"Well," Percy grasped at straws trying to find something that would take her mind off of his penchant for getting in trouble. "I made a friend?"
"Oh?" She sounded pleasantly surprised and Percy continued. "Yeah. Her name's Vanya and we have that same class together. She helped me find the classroom and afterwards we grabbed lunch together."
Sally breathed in rapidly in delight. "Percy that sounds wonderful. What's she like?"
Percy scratched his temple. "Well, she's really nice for one. She's helping me understand a lot of the material in calculus. She seems kind of shy but she's really interesting. Can you believe she hasn't seen Finding Nemo yet?"
His mom laughed. "No way."
"Yeah, I know. But, she thinks I'm funny which is awesome because she has the coolest laugh and when she found out I stopped those robbers at the sandwich shop she got all worried and mad and I almost laughed at how cute-"
Percy stifled his words and reddened. That went a bit further than he had expected.
"Cute what?" His mom asked innocently.
Percy groaned. "Mooom." He pleaded. Someone shoot him now. "I'm not sure that I have to be so worried." Sally laughed. "You're making friends already on your first day."
"Mom, please."
Sally giggled. "Okay Percy. I'm just happy for you is all. Did you wanna talk to Estelle?"
Percy shook his head in exasperation. "I'd love to."
There was a short moment filled with the rustling over the line before he was greeted by the soft burbling of his baby sister. "Hi Estelle, it's your big brother, Percy." His voice lowered to be gentle and fawning.
"I know Blowfish can be a bit grumpy." There was a snort in the background. "But he loves you just as much as your Mom and I do. Be good for them okay?" Estelle's tender babbling was music to his ears and he smiled fondly. "Thanks Sis. Now, get some rest and let Mom sleep you little monster. I love you." His mom put the phone back to her ear. "You're so good with her Percy. She's already calming down. You'll make a great dad someday."
Percy rolled his eyes. "I don't know about that Mom. I just love her a lot."
"Yeah," She breathed. "She's got us all wrapped around her little finger."
Percy chuckled. "She sure does. I'll say goodnight now Mom. Good luck on your signing tomorrow, I'm proud of you."
"Thank you Percy. Don't wait too long to visit now Hon. I love you, get some sleep."
Percy grinned. "Will do. I love you too, goodnight."
Percy ended the call and plugged his phone in before shutting the lights off in his room. Might as well get some extra sleep in, he would go to the harbor tomorrow so that might make for a long day.
Percy scoffed as he turned over in his bed. A great dad huh? Thank the gods that's not happening anytime soon.
Author's Note: Woooo! There it is everybody. I've got more content for this story pretty much written up but it might be a bit before anything else comes out I just really wanted to give you guys something because I didn't want to be inactive for the entire month you know? I hope that the characters act how you think they should and that things read as well as they did in my head. I realize this is a very niche area for FF I'm pretty sure this is the first UA and PJ fic out there but I'm not 100 percent on that so don't quote me. On other things, I've been pretty obsessed with Mass Effect for the last month. I read an amazing Evangelion ME crossover by Xed Alpha and I couldn't get Mass Effect out of my mind. I did a tear through the existing crossovers and I've been left very eager to write my own crossover. I think I've settled on a Final Fantasy XV ME crossover of all things. I'd love to do some star wars stuff or destiny stuff but I'm thinking I want a full crossover instead of just transporting a character over in an act of God lmao. It's gonna be a lot of lore mixing and writing but I think I might be up to the challenge. I just hope that I keep things coherent enough for ME fans or FFXV fans to enjoy. On a more sober note I really need a kick in the ass to get my school shit done. I've been very lazy with that stuff and not been keeping up the work or material. I'd blame work but I'm not swamped in that stuff. When I have time to work I just don't and I'm suffering for it so I'm going to do my best to catch up so hopefully I make some time for writing. Also I got Ni No Kuni 2 on a sale and I was a little preoccupied with that so that wasn't such a good idea. hehe I'm really good a digging my own grave. Anyways that's enough whining from me I hope you guys enjoyed this story please review tell me what's good what you don't like that stuff I'm really hoping I can drum up some interest in this story but if not, oh well I'll probably just keep writing it anyways.
-Insaneauthor050701