Welcome and thank you for clicking on my story!
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Before we begin, there are a few things I'd like you to know
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1. This is my first fanfiction
Please bear in mind that this is not a published book that has had years of professional polishing. I didn't even know how to write dialogue between characters when I first started writing this story, this is as amateur as it gets. I can only promise to try my best. Criticism and critiques are of course always welcomed and please do point out any grammar mistakes you see.
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2. What this story is about
This story is how I imagine what would happen if Percy Jackson was sent to the Attack on Titan Universe. I haven't made any plans to have any other PJO characters join him, it'll just be Percy. The story will mainly be in Percy's perspective with a bit of 3rd person and other character's POV sprinkled in. The point of this crossover is to explore how Percy's presence would change the plot of the AOT Universe, how Percy will react to being thrown into a new world, and how this new world will react to him. I will not rewrite AOT scenes that do not stray from the show or don't have Percy in them.
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3. Update Schedule
I'm on a monthly update schedule. If I miss a month, I will silently post an author's note at the end of the most recent chapter explaining what's up. If you want more frequent status updates, join the discord server I'm on: discord . gg/cNc8Tvc7Gm
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4. It's a slow start (you've been warned!)
This isn't a typical crossover story. If you're expecting Percy to come out gunslinging, killing titans left, right, and center, and flexing on some fools from another fandom, then this isn't the story for you. Percy won't be interjected into the main plot of AOT and won't even meet some of the biggest characters of AOT until 14 or so chapters in. I have big plans for this story and there are a lot of things I have to set up. Be prepared for a long haul of a story, not short-term satisfaction.
I will be putting Percy in a situation his nature disagrees with and a subsection of the PJO fandom won't enjoy. Don't question why he's there for that long or why he didn't do anything about it. Part of the reasoning is because of the pairing but the bigger reason is that this is how I believe Paradise Island would react to him. If you don't like the situation I put Percy in then too bad. Bear with it or leave.
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Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, HOO, or AOT. This is purely for fun and I'm not profiting off anything.
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Author's note
Narration
Thoughts and Internal Conversations
"Speaking, duh"
Chapter 1: A Broken Promise
They say that when you have a near-death experience, your whole life will flash before your eyes. As a 17-year-old demigod living in a time where our life expectancy is only expected to be 16 years, you could say I've lived long enough to have experienced this 'life flashing' effect once before… Or twice… Or perhaps a dozen times… Can you really blame me? Fighting two massive wars to decide the fate of the entire world, pissing off over half of the Olympian council over time, and getting on the bad side of countless other divine beings and monsters would do that to anybody. What's really surprising is how I haven't kicked the bucket yet. Personally, I like to call myself a seasoned veteran in the 'art of almost dying.'
The experience is always the same for me. First, I'm basked in the warm glow of my father's presence when he visited me when I was an infant. Next, I'll see my mother Sally baking her first batch of those famous blue chocolate chip cookies and the ends of my little toddler hands reaching up at her. Then I relive that bus ride on my first quest cracking jokes with Annabeth and Grover despite WW3 breathing down our necks.
You get the picture. And while these precious memories flow through your mind like a movie screen and as the dream-like ordeal continues, they pick up in speed until before you know it, you're witnessing literal years of your life pass by in a blink of an eye. At some point the pictures of your past flash by so fast that they become practically impossible to fathom.
But while your vision can only see flashes of color and light at this point, your other senses are still able to comprehend what's going on. The scent of strawberries and the laughter of young campers tell my mind these particular flashes of color are the summer months I spent at camp. The taste of salt in my mouth, feeling submerged in a cool and energizing element, and the soft grainy feeling of sand on the bottom of my feet tells me that these other flashes are from the summer days I spent at Montauk beach with my mom. Everyone has those tastes, feelings, and smells that they can't identify but are able to nostalgically associate them with some holiday, place, or person in your life.
While I'm at it, I have no idea why you don't relive negative memories or experiences when your life flashes before your eyes. I have my own fair share of traumatic triggers that bring me back into a world of pain, hurt, and Hell itself but I have never relived these PTSD episodes in a near-death experience before. Perhaps this is a way your mind tries to prepare your soul to accept death and peacefully pass on. Surely Nico or Uncle 'H' would know more about this topic. I should ask them sometime…
Anyways, like your sight, your other senses will soon be overwhelmed as well leaving you with the feeling of the overwhelming accumulation of happiness and good vibes of all your happy memories. You would think this would be the make it or break it moment where you fight like hell to get back or decide to give in and pass on. But you actually experience one more thing: the memory that ties your innermost self to the mortal world. For me, I see Annabeth and myself submerged under the waters of Camp Half Blood's lake sharing our first kiss as a couple; the happiest moment I share with the person I love the most.
But something is wrong. This time it's different. My life hadn't flashed before my eyes. I didn't see memories of my friends and family or smell the nostalgic scents of my past. I didn't see myself kiss Annabeth underwater. All I see black. Literal nothingness. I don't feel pain. I'm not hot nor cold. There's no scent of strawberries or saltwater. I can't hear the laughter of campers or the lovingly comforting voice of my mom. I never tasted my mother's cookies. All I feel is emptiness. No, not the depressing type of emptiness but the emptiness that makes you feel like you're floating in Chaos's void. Wait. I can feel something, but what is it? I… I feel….
Agonizing pain.
"PERCY!"
What's happening!? Where am I? What was I doing? Am I falling? Yup, I'm definitely falling. Wait, was that Annabeth just now? Why is my chest wet? Water isn't supposed to make me wet.
Why won't it dry?
"Get him ambrosia. QUICKLY! Stay with me Seaweed Brain!"
Yup, that's definitely Annabeth. What's she doing here? Wait, am I hurt? I attempt to sit up, craning my neck towards my chest to check if I'm injured but something is stopping me from rising up. Something strong weighing down my chest. I give up trying to sit up and reach out to touch the wetness on my chest instead. I bring my palms to my face. They're dripping in a dark crimson liquid. Is that blood?
"Stop moving so much Kelp Head, we're trying to help you!"
Oh hey! Thalia's here too! Now that I think about it, I bet it's her hands keeping my shoulders on the ground. I realize another pair of hands has been keeping pressure on my wounds but who else is here? Then another pair of hands grab my own. They're Annabeth's. I turn my head seeing her face is etched in worry looking down at me as her stormy grey eyes tear up. While they may be filled with tears and reddening, her eyes are ever planning, likely calculating the effectiveness of every medical technique known to man to find the best way to save me. Around me there are others yelling and shouting but for some reason I can't quite hear them. I mean, I know they are there and their noise is reaching my ears but I just can't concentrate on what they are saying. It's all noise to me.
"Ha.. ha. ha.. Sorry... I thought I was soaked in water. No wonder why I… why I can't dry myself. So what got me a pinecone face?"
"A Hellhound." Frank interrupts. "And please stop moving so much and just rest. Jason's getting ambrosia and nectar so just hang on."
Realizing I hadn't stopped trying to sit up, I relax my muscles and let myself lay flat on the ground. I'm glad Frank is here. He was probably the first to take charge of this chaotic situation and the reason I haven't died from blood loss yet. I'll have to thank him later.
"Oh... you're here too Frank? That's nice…."
A wave of drowsiness washes over my body. The annoying rocks digging into my bottom and upper back have seemed to have disappeared. The ground is starting to feel real cozy. Kinda like my bed in Cabin 3.
"Damn it, stay with us, Percy. Where are we right now? What were we doing?" Annabeth frantically asked.
I'm dying, aren't I? I remember one time listening in on Will lecturing a group of young healers in the infirmary. He told them that keeping a dying patient awake drastically increases their chances of survival. I don't know how that works but he's a doctor so I guess I have to trust him. This must be what Annabeth's trying to do. That's my girl.
"We are in central park... right?"
"Yes, that's right! Can you remember what we were doing today? What were our plans Percy?"
"We were…. We were going to go to college in New Rome."
"You Seaweed Brain. That's not what I meant."
Yeah, I know. She was referring to all of us having a group picnic in Central Park as a final hurrah before summer ended and we all went our separate ways. I just… really wanted to talk about our dream right now. The one that pulled us through Tartarus and kept us alive since. Maybe it could pull off another miracle.
"You were going to get a degree in Architecture and become a super…. a super-duper famous builder. And I was gonna get a bachelor's in surfing."
"Percy," Annabeth half giggled and half sobbed, "You know that's not a real degree."
"Then we were gonna get married... on a beach somewhere in California... and then we would have 3 kids."
"2 kids."
"3. And we'd raise them in New Rome. We were… we were gonna live in a perfect house that you built in the city and we were going to raise our kids there."
"[sobbing] Yeah, that's right Percy. Keep going."
"We were going to make so many memories in that house. And we were going to live there until we are all old and gray and wrinkly."
An unnatural gust of wind blows my hair in my face. Annabeth brushes it aside as the taste of ozone touches my tongue.
"I'm back. Here's some medicine." Jason gasped, clearly out of breath.
"Give me the nectar. We'll need to pour it on the wounds. His stomach is too ripped up to digest any ambrosia." Frank explains.
Frank pours the gold drink on my wounds but that accompanying burning sensation it causes as it stitches your body back together doesn't follow. Looks like it's not healing…
Well, this sucks.
"Guys! It's not working"
"No Zeus dammit! Use more!"
"Percy…"
"We can't, he'll burn up."
"Please not him."
"We have no other choice, pour more!"
I think they're pouring more nectar on me? I can't tell, my chest is already drenched in blood. The numbness in the tips of my fingers and toes begins ebbing upwards, covering my limbs, spreading across my chest, reaching my head and clouding my thinking. My eyelids grow heavier with each second, I don't think I can keep them open much longer. The other's voices turn into incomprehensible noise again as my surroundings begin to blur and darken. All I can focus on is Annabeth's face.
"Anna..beth.. I'm sorry."
"Please Percy. Don't talk like that. Just conserve your energy," Annabeth cried
"This world… is a cruel place," I reply, my words making Annabeth cry even harder. "But I'm glad… That I got to… got to spend my time with you."
I blink but find myself unable to open them again. Whole seconds pass by as Annabeth cries out my name in a heart-wrenching scream. With strength I didn't know I had left, I forced my eyes open once again.
"Stay with us Percy! Please! Stay with me!"
"I... love you... Wise Girl… I… love…"
My vision tunnels and I can feel my literal soul slipping away. I try fighting back but it drags me further from Annabeth's face and deeper into the dark abyss. This is much different from all those near-death experiences I've faced before. Gods, I must really be dying this time. I really thought you were supposed to pass peacefully but everything just hurts so much. Why does it hurt? Is it because I'm struggling to stay alive? Is it because I'm dying full of regrets? Annabeth's face shrinks until it's the tiniest of specks in the distance. It's the only thing I can see in this progressively darkening world. My last light.
"Percy, please don't go. You promised you'd be there. You promised, Percy. No..." The speck that is the land of the living is snuffed away by the darkness. Then…
Nothing.
"AHHHHH!"
I sit up off the ground screaming and clutching my racing heart. What happened? I'm alive? Calm down Percy, you're alright. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Wait, something feels… off. I look down.
"My legs… they're… transparent!"
You heard me right. My body is translucent. Glassy. Vitreous. You can fucking see the rocky ground straight through them. I'm dead. Gods, I'm really dead this time. This is not some dream or another dangerous visit to see my uncle. This is actually happening. I'm dead…
But where am I? I look around, taking in the gloomy and rocky landscape. Why am I not in the DOA Recording Studio? I should be in the waiting room with other recently passed souls. Charon should be here, standing behind his desk bored out of his mind and complaining about his wage while we wait for enough souls to fill his boat. It looks like I'm… in the Underworld? How did I skip Charon's ride? It shouldn't be possible for a dead soul to enter the afterlife without the psychopomp's guidance. What's going on?
Taking a closing look at my surroundings, I notice I'm on the banks of the River Styx. The air feels, tastes, and smells stale and my immediate vicinity is dark and dingy. The distant screams of the damned being punished in the Field of Punishment softly echo across the landscape as I watch the Styx's toxic waters gently swirl downstream. The river gives off a dim mysterious glow which makes it stand out in the dark environment and somewhat illuminates its black sandbanks. The river feels unnaturally syrupy to my senses and although the waters are barely moving, each ripple is filled with immense power that my hydrokinesis powers can only hope to manipulate. The foul stench of the polluted trash filled river worms its way into my nostrils making me shrivel my nose in disgust
Wait, I think I recognize where I am! Yeah, this place does look familiar! I can't see the great black Walls of Erebos but I can tell I'm on the side opposite from where Charon emerges as he guides souls across the Styx. That must mean that Cerberus and the main gate of the Underworld are nearby. Maybe I should head that way so my soul can get judged? It doesn't look like anybody is coming to escort me there. Deciding I should try finding the Judgement Pavilion, I stand up but just before I take my first step, something in the Styx catches my eyes.
In the middle of the murky brown river floats a picture. Its frame is no bigger than 16"x20" and it looks to be made of homely red oak wood. Within the frame is a picture of a young couple. They look young; perhaps newlyweds? The man has green eyes, jet-black hair, a long stubble beard, and stands a few inches taller than his wife. His left arm is wrapped around his wife and his right hand is holding the shoulder of what looks to be the oldest son of this family.
The wife has grey eyes, long curly blonde hair, a California girl tan, and in her arms she embraces two other children; a boy and a girl. The girl is in the center of the family huddle and to her right is the boy. I think they might be twins. The mom wraps her arms around the two, bringing them closer together. Their cute annoyed expressions show they aren't fond of the other's close proximity. Taking in the three children's features, it's very clear that the man and the women are their birth parents.
In the background of the photo is a coliseum. My first thought was that they must be taking a photo in front of the famous historical site in Rome but then it hits me that this is actually the coliseum in New Rome. So that means they must be demigods or legacies. Cool.
But why am I seeing this?
The frame gets turned slightly as it meets a swirl in the river and begins to slowly sink into the waters. For some reason, I can't tear my eyes off the couple's faces. The women… I know her! She may be aged up a few years and I've never seen her style her hair that way before but I know those eyes anywhere. Even if my memory is completely wiped out, I can tell that the woman in the painting is Annabeth.
"I know. It's sad to see, isn't it?"
I jump at the feminine voice in my ear and quickly flip around, finding a young woman standing just behind me to my right. What? How long had she been standing there?
I take in the lady's appearance. She has mesmerizing ebony hair that gently wafts in a nonexistent breeze and is wearing these black silky robes that flow out like a cloud of heavy volcanic smoke. Her face is delicate and sublime, with expertly applied make-up of various shades of midnight, and her obsidian black eyes gleam with absolute hatred.
I take a step back, overwhelmed by the feeling of murderous intent in her eyes. But figuring she hasn't immediately attack me, I pause and look deeper, finding out that this is just the natural state of her eyes. I swear I saw a flash of sadness and pity deep within her abyss like pupils but those telltalings vanish as quickly as they appeared.
Her most noticeable feature isn't something you can see. It's something you feel: the power of her presence. Her immense energy bears down on my mind as if trying to make me bow and submit in her presence. A normal mortal would be sweating and visibly shaking if they were standing this close to her. This is the energy of a nearby divine entity. She's a goddess. The goddess of one of the 5 rivers of the Underworld.
The goddess Styx.
"My river wasn't always this polluted." Styx sighs, looking out to her waters. "When humans were hunters and gatherers they were much more simple-minded and lived happier lives. But as they learned how to farm, build towns, and develop sophisticated societies, they selfishly expected to receive more and more. Now my waters are tainted with their loathsome aspirations, wishes and dreams most never deserve. Keys to expensive cars given to a rich spoiled brat, diplomas from Yale students who partied away their first year, and lottery tickets from greedy bastards who only plan on speeding it on booze, drugs, and hookers." She continues, the vengeful intent in her eyes flaring up for a second before settling down. "But sometimes I see a dream that doesn't make me angry. A dream so beautiful, all I can do is watch it dissolve in my waters and pity the poor soul who lost it all."
Following her gaze, I look back at her river to see the top of the picture I was looking at disappear into the murky depths.
My dream.
"But enough about dreams! You must be wondering why you haven't been guided by Charon right?" Styx asks.
"Uhhhh. Yeah?"
Styx smirks then rushes into my personal space. Bringing her lips to my ear, she gently whispers, her breath tickling my eardrums. "I brought you here because you broke a promise."
A shiver runs down my translucent body as Styx finishes her words. A big flash of light blinds my vision and suddenly I'm not in the Underworld anymore; I'm back at camp half blood. Standing near the Big House, somehow I know I've been brought back to the days just following the end of the Second Gigantomachy. The stench of burning flesh in the air is profuse, caused by a dozen burning shrouds in the background. The person I'm hugging deepens their embrace and I instinctively rest my head over their shoulder. What? I'm hugging someone? Who is it? Oh... it's Annabeth. Of course. It's always her. Then I feel my lips and voice move without my brain telling them to.
"It's ok Wise Girl. Everything is going to be ok."
"I should have been there for my siblings." Annabeth sobs into my chest. "I'm their older sister. I should have been there."
"You were busy saving the world, wise girl. We did everything we could to try to make it back to Camp in time. It's not your fault."
I should have listened to my own words back then, but even today I still blame myself for all those deaths. Leo's hit the closest to home but we all have a feeling he has a crazy plan would return one day. The deaths that hurt the most to me were the many demigods that I didn't know. The ones who were introduced to Camp Half-Blood and the demigod world when I was in my coma-induced state. I didn't even know a third of the campers' names. Why did they look up to me and courageously follow me into the final battle when I didn't even know their names? I was supposed to be their leader, their big brother like Luke was to me. I should have been there to train them to wield a sword and teach them to survive outside the camp's magical borders. But I wasn't. They died because they were thrown unprepared and unequipped into battle.
"Why? Why do I keep losing my family? I don't want to lose anyone else. I don't want to lose you." Annabeth cried.
"You're not gonna lose anyone else when I'm around. I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be there for you Annabeth Chase. I swear it, on the River Styx."
"You dummy. You shouldn't make such reckless pledges like that."
"I love you." And there I held her, slowly rocking in her warm embrace until the burning wood stopped its crackling and Annabeth and I had long since run out of tears to shed.
Just as abruptly as I was thrown into that flashback I was pulled right back to reality. Styx pulls her head back and continues speaking.
"I like you, Hero of Olympus. Your dreams add a flavor my waters have been starved from for far too long. Not only did you survive bearing my curse, but you also didn't bathe in my waters for selfish reasons like that child of Hermes. You wanted to bear the Curse of Achilles to protect the ones you love and shouldering their burdens. Although I do like you, it hurts me to say I'm still bound by my domains to punish you."
Not sure why this didn't happen earlier but my death finally hits me. I'm not going to get married, I'll never have kids, and I won't get to grow old with Annabeth. I've been fighting tooth and nail for every day of my life since I learned I was a demigod. That dream I had, to start a family with Annabeth and live in New Rome, has been ripped away and dissolved in Styx's toxic waters.
"How can you punish me if I'm already dead?" I yell, a newfound surge of anger forcing out my question.
"Oh Perseus, you know there are worse punishments than death."
"Like what" I shout.
Styx puts her hands behind my head and kisses my forehead. Embarrassed, I stand still as she embraces me in a hug. What are you supposed to do in a situation like this? If I so much as touch her wrongly, poof! Next thing you know I've been turned into a frog.
"Your death was a cruel one. It hurts not because you won't continue to achieve great things but because it separates you from your loved one." Styx says. She lets out a deep sigh then continues. "The greatest heroes always have the most tragic stories. Your brutal demise would have been a sufficient punishment in itself but alas, that was not your punishment."
"What do you mean?" I stutter, standing as stiff as a board and trying not to move in Styx's embrace.
"Your passing was only the prerequisite. It was your death that broke the promise you made to that child of Athena. I still have to discipline you."
Uncomfortableness and embarrassment flushes out of my body, replaced by an immense feeling of dread.
"W-what?" I stammer.
"That girl is going to have to live her life without you because you let yourself die. She will marry another man, have children, and pass away without you at her side. And when she passes and receives her judgment you would see her again in Isle of the Blest."
The air goes deathly silent as she pauses. But then, the silence is broken as a large bubble in the River of Styx pops with a bang.
"You left her Perseus Jackson. You swore an oath on my name that you would never leave her. So my punishment to you is that you will never see Annabeth Chase again."
And with those final words, the Styx pushes me backwards. The back of my ankle clips a rock and I tumble backwards. Straight into the soul dissolving waters of the River of Styx.
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This chapter was only 4.1k words. Keeping it short to hook you in. Normally, chapters will be between 8-14k words.
The author notes going forward are from when I originally posted each chapter. Feel free to ignore them. It's mostly nonsensical chatter, I may end up deleting most of them.
Thanks again for checking out my story,
-Unbred
Published Originally on 9/7/2020
Big revisions done on 3/3/21
More little revisions on 4/26/21