Update: 1/1/2022
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
May Everyone have a better and safe 2022!
Chapter .2.
Artemis called out to Apollo as she yelled for the Hunters to set up a tent. She held her hands over his side not removing the cloak yet.
In a flash of golden light Apollo appears.
"Hey Sis do you…", he stops as he sees the carnage around him.
"Apollo! He needs help. Nomad is Perseus!" Artemis tells him frantically.
Apollo's eyes widen and he rushes to the still cloaked man. He sees the blood on the side, leg and on the shoulder.
He pushes his powers into Percy and what he found shocked him.
How can this be?
How could someone have done this?
"I need a tent for privacy!" Apollo orders, "I don't want to move him far"
Artemis snaps her fingers and the tent the Hunters were setting up, sets up in a second.
"I need ambrosia and nectar. I also want privacy", Apollo orders.
Hunters rush to get the much needed supplies as Apollo and Artemis carry Percy into the tent and lay him on the bed.
"Apollo can you save him?" Artemis asks him.
"I can. But Arty these aren't his only injuries", Apollo tells her.
"What?" Artemis asks confused.
"Go outside. I'll call you when you, Thalia and Reyna can come back in", Apollo orders, "I need room to work"
Artemis didn't like it. As she wanted to make sure Percy was going to be alright. But she follows his orders for now and see Thalia and Reyna sitting outside the tent looking at the blood on their hands.
"Milady is he going to be alright?" Thalia asks looking desperate.
"If anyone can heal him it would be Apollo", Artemis tells her.
"How can this be possible?" Reyna asks.
"Some questions would have to be for him to answer. And we WILL get the answers we seek. Now clean yourselves up. You will want to be clean we you can see Percy again", Artemis orders them.
They nod and robotically go and clean up while Artemis checks on the Hunters. Besides from minor injuries it seemed Percy had saved her Hunters from death. Like he always seemed to be able too.
About two hours later Apollo comes out of the tent looking wearily and his eyes seemed to have aged.
They jump up.
"Is he alright?"
"Did you save him?"
"Is he awake?"
"Has he said anything?"
"Can we see him?"
"Can we tell him thanks?"
"Is it really Percy Jackson?"
"Quiet!" Apollo calls out to them, "Everyone but Artemis, Thalia and Reyna go back to your business. They can fill you in later"
The Hunters grumble but move off.
Apollo turns to the three the are left with a serious look in his eyes.
"Is he ok?" Artemis asks him.
Apollo snorts, "He is far from ok"
"What does that mean?" Artemis growls at him.
"There is a reason he hid his looks. To him anyway. He is not awake yet which I consider a good thing", Apollo tells them.
"Can we see him?" Thalia asks pleadingly.
"You can but be warned it is bad. I can't begin to imagine how he is still alive. This will be a shock to ALL of you", Apollo warns them.
He leads them in to see Percy laying on the bed with blankets over him. His face was a mess. For a lack of a better word. He had scars over his lips and them over most of his face. One ear was obviously robotic and the other badly scarred. One eye they could see was removed and was robotic but it was closed. The scars went down his neck and under the blankets so they could see them. The bulky bits under the blankets were that is his robotic arm and leg.
"How?" they whisper.
"That I don't know. But his ear, eye, arm and leg are robotic", Apollo says showing them his arm and leg.
But they looked like they were fused to his flesh.
"They ARE fused to the skin and bone that is left. But from what I can tell and what we have seen they don't hurt him", Apollo tells them, "There seem to be cables into the flesh to the nerve system. But we would probably need Athena and Hephaestus to know that"
"And the scars?" Thalia gulps looking at her cousin.
Who dared to hurt him?!
"The scars basically cover all of his flesh. It is probably why he covers his face and only lets his eyes be seen. His other eye seems to be partial blind", Apollo tells them.
"Who did this?" Artemis growls angrily.
"Not all Arty", Apollo tells her.
The Three Hunters look confused and then Apollo pulls up on side of the blanket and over his side was metal. Metal that also appeared fused to the skin.
"What the…", the stutter.
"It appears he wouldn't be alive without this metal attached to his side. His organs have appeared to be healed. But his flesh not and these needed to be put in place to keep him alive. That is what my scans say", Apollo tells them sadly putting the blanket back down.
"So someone tortured him?" Artemis growls.
"It would seem so", Apollo nods sadly.
"Can't you heal it?" Thalia asks.
Artemis and Reyna look at Apollo with hope too.
Apollo shakes his head, "I can't regrow limps. And these scars seem to be cursed. I can't heal them either"
"Oh Kelp-Head what happened to you", Thalia whispers pushing his black hair back which had wisps of silver in them.
"What did he say after he was injured?" Apollo asks them seeming to know something else.
They told him and Apollo looks troubled.
"But we should watch him when he wakes", Apollo tells them.
"Why? What have you forgotten to mention?" Artemis asks him.
"He has signs of having tried to kill himself", Apollo mutters.
"What?" the three exclaim.
"He HAS tried to kill himself. More than once", Apollo says louder.
Artemis, Thalia and Reyna look at Percy and wondered more about what could have happened to him. Who had tortured him? Who did this?
"Well we at the Hunt will take him in and make sure nothing else happens to him", Artemis decides.
"They will want too. They know his identity and even before that the Hunters wanted a way to thank him", Thalia says.
"And Nico, Jason, Frank and Hazel will want to know we found him", Reyna adds.
"Not yet girls. With what Apollo said we will keep his identity a secret still. No one outside the Hunt can know Nomad's identity", Artemis decides, "Not even the Council"
"Not even Poseidon?" Thalia asks.
"Not even him for now", Artemis says firmly.
"We need to find out about his powers too", Reyna pipes up.
"Yeh where the hell did his fire powers some from?" Thalia exclaims.
"Girls I have other interesting things to show you", Apollo pipes up interrupting them.
"What?" Artemis asks annoyed.
"His weapons", Apollo nods towards where he had put them on the table.
There were a few they recognised as the weapons of Nomad.
"This bow Arty…"
"Don't call me Arty!"
"This bow is unlike any I have felt before. I doubt you would either. This bow is of course reinforced with something to go with his robotic arm. But look at it Arty and try and sense it", Apollo says handing her the bow.
Artemis admits it was a beautiful bow. She tried to sense it but she really couldn't. She tried harder but it seemed to be blocked to her.
"You can't can you?" Apollo asks amused at her frustrated expression.
"No", she admits, "But these carvings look handmade"
"I thought so too", Apollo nods.
"It would seem through to be made of multiple metals from just looking at it", Artemis says weighing the bow in her hands and it felt really heavy, "Heavy"
"It is. Much more so than a normal bow. It makes so only he could use it", Apollo tells her.
"It would see even us would have trouble", she adds with a nod.
"Now look at his quiver", Apollo takes the bow and hands her a beautiful quiver.
Her eyes widen, "This is his?"
"Yes. Straight of his back. I haven't a clue what the arrows are. But I would love to find out. And if you let your senses out you can feel there are more arrows in a pocket space of some kind and he is able to rotate to whatever arrows he wanted to use", Apollo explains.
Artemis felt it too it was like the arrows were separate from the quiver but could change at any time.
"If you try and take the arrows out they will zap you. I would say they have a spell on them so only he can use", Apollo adds.
"This would be a great design for the Hunters", Artemis mutters.
"Easy Arty don't get lovestruck now", Apollo teases.
Artemis throws him a dark look and puts the quiver down gentle.
"Damn! How can Perce pick this up?" Thalia grunts trying and failing to pick up his bow.
"It would be the extra strength in his arm that helps", Apollo tells her, "Only he or someone with huge amount of strength would be able to pick it up and maybe not even then be able to draw it"
"And these are his other weapons?" Reyna asks eyes widening at them.
"Yes. Two Katana's off his back. A Saxe Knife from across his waist with a knife from his buckle. He had hidden knives everywhere. Several guns in different holsters across his body. Daggers and throwing knifes with Hunting knives. Morning stars if you can believe it or not. And this dagger", Apollo points at a different dagger.
It looked like a bone.
"A bone of some kind?" Artemis asks.
"It would seem to be out of a monster. If we want the details it would be from Percy or Athena or Hephaestus", Apollo confirms.
"These all his?" Thalia asks eyes widening.
"Yep! Everyone from his person and the charm bracelet on his wrist seems to have a few weapons shrunk on it", Apollo adds.
The Three Huntresses look over the weapons. These weapons looked to be very detailed and highly expensive. And to think he had managed to make a mortal's weapon a gun a weapon they could hunt monsters with.
"2 Smith & Wesson's nice models", Artemis mutters and blushes at the looks she was getting.
"Those guns must have been modified", Apollo states.
The three look at him like he was stupid.
"Well duh!" Thalia exclaims.
"As he has been killing monsters with them. They would have to be Celestial Bronze bullets or something like that", Reyna states.
"Why didn't we think of that?" Artemis mutters thinking about how that could make guns just as useful to them as they were for mortals.
They saw a familiar pen also on the table.
"Riptide!" Thalia exclaims, "He still has it"
"That and a swiss army knife was in his pocket", Apollo confirms, "He also has a few rings on that I also can't take off like the bracelet. So I don't know what the rings turn into and a pouch which I can't enter"
"And the weapons in his arm?" Artemis asks curiously.
Apollo shrugs, "I don't know. Whatever is in that arm is shielded from me. Only he or maybe Hephaestus could tell us. But that watch attached to his arm is more then it appears to be"
They were all interested in all these weapons.
How did Percy get all of these?
Was he able to weld all of these?
What else did he carry?
How was he able to use all these weapons?
But the more important question was…
What had happened to Percy?
And how did this effect his mental and physical health?
Percy was in darkness he didn't like when he was in darkness. Too many horrible things happened when he was surrounded by darkness.
He remembered what happened and shouldn't he be dead?
Shouldn't Thanatos had taken his soul to the Underworld so he could try for Elysium? Be with the friends he failed? Or had he failed so much Elysium's Gates were closed to him?
He heard talking.
Barely.
His ear automatically turns on.
"Percy will be alright we will help him"
Thalia?
"He will have us at his side and Percy will know we won't let him go easily"
Artemis?
"He won't be getting rid of us easily"
Reyna?
"He will be fine and should wake up soon. But he will need…"
Apollo?
Percy internally cursed. They save him. AND called Apollo. They knew his identity! Why did the Fates hate him?
He felt his limps and they felt heavy at the moment and the pain was dull. Which was a plus. But he still felt exhausted.
Well nearly dying would do that to you.
But he didn't want them to know who he was and now he was getting his feeling back he could feel his face covers off.
They could see him in all his ugly glory.
Someone just kill him now.
Percy groans as he realised he probably won't be escaping anytime soon.
"Perce? Can you hear us?" he hears Thalia ask.
"Percy if you can hear me squeeze my hands", Apollo asks him holding his hands.
"That would be hard with one not working", he croaks out not opening his eyes.
Apollo stutters, "Ok just one"
He felt Percy squeeze his hand back.
"Now open your eyes", Apollo instructs.
Percy groaned and does wincing at the harsh light hitting his robotic eye.
The others saw the robotic eye whirling as it opens revealing the golden tone of the eye. It swirls around as it seemed to be taking it all in.
Percy looks around he see Artemis and Apollo next to him and Thalia and Reyna sitting across from him with worried expressions on their faces.
He moved his flesh hand and felt his face.
Yep his covers were removed.
"Why did you save me?" he groans his head falling back.
"Perseus…", Apollo starts.
"No I fell in battle and I should have past on. Why?" Percy asks them wearily.
"Your not dying anytime soon Jackson", Artemis tells him firmly.
"Why do you care?" Percy asks them.
"We have always cared Kelp-Head", Thalia tells him firmly, "Nico, Jason, Frank, Hazel, Reyna and I have been searching for you for years. To find out you were Nomad"
"And why couldn't you keep it that way? Or not interfere?" Percy asks his robotic eye flashing red.
They wince.
"We don't want you to die Percy", Artemis tells him gently.
"How long have a been here?" Percy asks them.
"4 days", Reyna states.
Percy looks down and realised not just his face was exposed. They would have seen…
"No…No…", Percy states his flesh eye widening.
"Percy I had too", Apollo admits, "But somethings have remained between us. Now I need to take your pulse and vitals…", Percy flinches from his contact.
Percy could feel a panic attack coming on. He needed space.
"Get out", Percy whispers.
"What?" they ask confused.
Reyna going to touch his arm but he flinches back.
"Get out!" Percy says loudly and moves his flesh had to his watch.
"We won't leave you Perce you wanted to die for Gods sake!" Thalia exclaims and tries to touch him but he flinches away from her..
Percy clicks the button only seen by Apollo and Artemis who wondered what they did.
"GET OUT!" Percy shouts at them feeling like his privacy was being broken.
A flash of light feels the room. And the four people in the tent go for their weapons when the 21-year-old form of Hestia appears looking frantic.
"My son!" she exclaims and hurries to his side engulfing him in a hug he doesn't flinch from.
"Son?" they all splutter.
Hestia spins around and noticed them for the first time.
"What happened? Why are you with the Hunt?" Hestia asks Percy, "Artemis, Apollo, Thalia, Reyna what did you do?"
Apollo raises his hands in peace, "Aunt Hestia they just called me when Percy was dying after defeating the Echidna. He wanted to die but they called me to save his life"
Hestia eyes widen at the fact her son nearly die.
"Percy! You didn't!" Hestia says whirling around to him.
"Mum can we please talk in private?" Percy asks feeling a panic attack coming on more.
The others could see it and they more to help but Hestia stops them.
"Get out now. I will deal with this and then I'll call you back in when we are done", Hestia orders.
"He needs…"
"Out!" Hestia shouts.
They didn't see Hestia like that often so they quickly heeded her order and went out. The door of the tent seemed to slam shut and lock.
"What was that?" Thalia asks shocked.
"I don't know but whatever it is it seems Hestia is in the know", Artemis comments.
"So did she really call him son? And he call her Mum?" Apollo asks shocked.
"They did", Reyna states in shock too.
Suddenly the Hunters come up each looking worriedly and bombarding them with questions.
The Hunters were already taken with Nomad Blofson aka Perseus Jackson and it seemed they and him had a new protector.
Or did they?
Percy had calmed down after a while. His Mum's calming presence helped. He told her what happened and how he woke up.
She looks at him with compassion.
"I AM sorry Mum. But I didn't break my promise to harm myself. I was just letting go", Percy replies with a shrug.
Hestia sighs she NEW that to be true. He only promised to not harm himself.
"I know your right. But I still don't like it", Hestia states.
"Can you get me out of here?" Percy asks her struggling to get up.
"Percy it is time to stop hiding my son", Hestia says looking at him with compassion.
"I can just tamper with their memories. They would never know I was here", Percy suggests.
"And how about Apollo and Artemis?" Hestia asks raising an eyebrow.
"You could help me", he suggests.
"No my son. It is time to face your past. The Hunters could be the first step on your journey", Hestia tells him wisely.
Percy groans laying down, "Mum this is not the me they knew"
"But they DO know you as Nomad Blofson. And you two are one in the same", Hestia tells him.
"I don't like showing this", Percy states gesturing to him scars.
"Then don't. For now. Let only those four know. Cover the rest up. But I believe they can help you a lot more then you believe", Hestia replies.
Percy looks down.
Hestia raises his head with her hands and traces the scars making him flinch and close his eyes.
"These scars only show how brave you are and how much you have been through. They won't judge you for that", Hestia says softly.
"Mum I can't…"
"You can. You're stronger than you believe. You will learn things from the Hunters and your friends and they will learn things from you", Hestia interrupts her.
Percy sighs as he looks at his weapons on the table. They had taken them off but he was sure they would have been unable to use them or unlock the secrets to his quiver and bow.
"You can also prepare them for the war that we BOTH know they are under prepared for", Hestia adds, "And you don't want them to die"
Percy winces at the thought of what was coming. He didn't want the Hunters to die. Some of them he had even bought to the Hunt himself.
"Fine Mum I'll do it", Percy grumbles.
"We both know you will enjoy this. No matter how gruff you might make it out to be", Hestia teases him.
Percy rolls his eyes. His robotic eye too. She was right. He would enjoy his time with Thalia and Reyna and maybe the other Hunters.
"Would the other Hunters accept me? Would Art…Lady Artemis accept a man with her Hunt?" Percy asks her.
"You'll be surprised", Hestia says with a smile.
Percy sighs, "At least hand me my pouch. I need clothes and I don't like being exposed fully"
He takes the pouch from her, mentally preparing himself.
"Give me a minute and then you can let them in"
Author's Note: What do you think? Please Review:)