Warning: This story contains darker themes. If you do not like gore, death, and horror, you are welcome to leave.
Viewer discresion is advised.
Chapter 2: The Lost Hero. Again.
In a bar in the middle of New York, stood a tall boy. He wore his bartender uniform that matched his sea green eyes behind his big, round glasses. His long dark hair tied in a messy male bun and a body that spoke of many hours of workout routines. Yes, you could say, Perseus Jackson, at his 21 years, had aged well. He was, after all, one of the main reasons people came to this bar. His show while preparing drinks and his looks earned him a reputation of someone who everyone must see.
He sat there on that Saturday night, cleaning some glasses and pouring drinks to the people who came and asked for them.
"Hey, gimme a whiskey. On the rocks." Said a man.
Percy nodded. He grabbed the whiskey bottle and threw it in the air. He hit it with his elbow to lift it and he held it there as the clear caramel liquid fell into the glass. As if by the art of magic, the clear liquid swirled and turned in the air as it dropped into the glass of ice.
"Amazing!" said the man as he received his drink. "A true prodigy. Here kid, have a tip." He gave Percy a fifty-dollar bill, even if the drink was only seven dollars.
"Thank you for your generosity." Smiled Percy as he left the man to drink.
"I see that you still do your little tricks." Said a voice next to Percy.
"Oh, shut it, Simon," Percy said. "Go sulk on your shadow or kill a flower."
"Ha. Ha." Simon said.
Suddenly, the doors of the bar opened. In came Six figures. They were around the bartender's age. Young and fit. They looked at the bar curiously as they walked. Some men were ogling the girls, much to the annoyance of the males in the group.
Percy, upon seeing the group, felt anger for the first time in many years.
"I guess we have some company." He said darkly to Simon.
"Yes, indeed we do," Simon said, smirking at Percy. Percy smirked back. The plan had finally been called into action.
Percy recognized Annabeth, Jason, Thalia, Nico, and Rachel as they entered the bar. Another blonde boy entered which Percy recognized but couldn't pinpoint a name in his head.
"Damn males." Muttered Thalia.
"Might as well get this over with. Still confused as to why so many of us came." Jason said.
"Simple, so we can all get a chance at beating the seaweed brain's face." Said Thalia with a smirk.
As they walked deeper into the bar, they marveled at the décor. It was like an old, medieval bar but it did not seem nor old nor dirty.
"Are you sure he is here?" Asked Annabeth to Rachel.
"Yes, in fact, we should go get a drink now that we're here." She said with a knowing look.
The group moved to the bar table and sat down in a row. The bartender was finishing drying some glasses. So, the demigods just waited until he turned.
Percy turned to come face to face with the people he wanted to avoid for the rest of his life.
"I guess my old cousin wasn't wrong when he said that shit was going to get real." He thought.
"Hello", he said to the demigods, "What may I get you?"
The demigods eyed him suspiciously, they had seen him before, most of them, but they couldn't pinpoint where. All except one person.
Annabeth's breath caught in her throat when she saw Percy. He had changed. His hair was now long and tied in a man bun, his beautiful sea green eyes were now behind the frames of glasses. He had gotten taller and more muscular, much more attractive.
"P-Percy?" she asked tentatively.
At that, the demigods turned to watch her.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked.
"Percy? Is it you?" She asked.
"Percy who?" Asked the bartender.
"Annabeth…this isn't Percy…" Said Thalia, though she sounded unsure.
"Thalia, look at his eyes. Those eyes belong only to one person." Annabeth said, still looking at the confused bartender.
Thalia looked at the man, and she recognized him.
"Percy…" She said.
Slowly, Jason and Nico's eyes widened in recognition. The blonde boy looked at Percy curiously. Rachel just smiled.
"It's you!" Nico yelled, anger in his voice. "How dare you!"
"Perseus what were you thinking of leaving?!" Yelled Jason.
"Whoah, whoah. Calm down. I'm not this Perseus. My name is Antonio. See?" Percy/Antonio pulled out an ID and showed it to them.
"It's fake! You're Percy!" yelled Thalia, throwing a punch at the son of Poseidon and it caught him straight in the nose. Percy fell back, blood coming out of his nose.
"What the fuck is wrong with you people?" Asked Percy/Antonio. "I'm not this Perseus. Now get out before I throw you out." He said. The people in the bar began to look with malice at the group of teenagers, some of them staring with a hidden threat at the group, ready to protect the man that they liked.
"Calm down Antonio. Our friends here might've confused you with someone else." Said another voice. The teens turned and saw a boy walking towards them. He was around the same age as them. Tall, muscular and had pale white skin. He had hair as black as night and emanated an uneasy feeling. Nico stared at him through narrowed eyes. There was something about him. He reminded him of someone.
The other demigods weren't faring any better. The sudden appearance of the new demigod had startled them. They had thought he was a son of Hades, his traits matched Nico's, but he had something different. His eyes were gold, honey golden eyes. Hazel and Frank also had a tickling in the back of their minds. Like they had seen him somewhere.
"Who are you?" Asked Nico threateningly, surprising the demigods.
"My name is Simon, and you just hit my friend Antonio. What do you want?" He asked, calmly.
"Percy, what is going on?" Annabeth asked.
Percy/Antonio looked at Simon and nodded.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the bar is closed for tonight. Thank you for coming, see you tomorrow." He said. People nodded and began walking out. The demigods were surprised that nobody objected.
Once the bar was empty, Percy stood up. He removed his hand from his nose and, to the surprise of the demigods, it was like nothing had happened.
"So much for trying plan A.," said Simon.
Percy laughed. Told you it wouldn't work. He then turned to the demigods and fixed them with a very unnerving stare.
"What do you want?" He said an edge in his voice.
"Percy?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes?" Percy said Darkly to the daughter of Athena. Annabeth jumped and tried to hug him only for Percy to sidestep. Annabeth fell and the blonde ran towards her.
"What is wrong with you?" The blonde male asked.
"And who are you?" Percy asked the edge on his voice still there.
"I am Sebastian. Annabeth's Boyfriend." He said the word as a taunt. Percy didn't care.
"Ah yes. I remember you. You, who came and seduced Annabeth one day. She cheated on me with you and we broke up. Now you are a couple. Lovely." Percy said as he turned and poured himself some whiskey.
"You haven't answered my question. Why are you here?" He asked again.
"Hey, Perc—"
"Rachel. Shut up." His voice was so commanding that the demigods had thought he had used Charm speak.
"Wha-?" She tried to say.
"We had a deal. You broke it. I specifically made you swear to not tell them where I was, yet I left a loophole. You could bring them here and the oath will still be valid. Yet it showed me once again why I cannot trust you. Don't feel bad though, just one more name to add to the list." Percy said as he sipped his Whiskey.
"Wow, Percy bro—" Jason tried.
"Don't call me that," Percy said.
"What? What did I do to you?" Jason asked.
"Remember our deal?" Percy said with darkness in his eyes.
Jason looked confused, then his eyes widened in realization and his face fell.
"I asked you specifically not to tell people about my little trip to Tartarus and the things that happened there. You knew I was suffering, and you didn't care. I didn't make you swear it by the Styx because I trusted you. You and Piper. And what do I find? People coming to ask me about Tartarus hours after I told you." Percy said. "you broke one promise. That's why you're first on the list."
"You." He turned to Thalia. "You humiliated me in front of the Hunters."
Thalia looked sheepish.
"It was a pran—"
"NO!" The ground vibrated. "You knew how much I suffered in the pit. Yet you also spoke of it. The hunters came into my rooms, dressed as Dracaena, as Hellhounds and Cyclops. They change my rooms into a close approximation of Tartarus after what I told you. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING NIGHT. I woke up from one nightmare to go into another one. You knew how much it affected me."
Thalia looked down in shame.
"And you." Nico looked scared now. He knew exactly what was coming. "You let her die."
"Percy, what happened to your sister and mother—"
"I asked you, Nico. No, begged you to protect them, there was something following them and you knew. And you went to fuck your boyfriend and they died. All of them. MY sister, MY mother, and MY stepfather."
The rest of the demigods, save Simon, looked shocked at the news.
"I came into my apartment one night to find a cloaked creature feeding on my dead sister. Barely a few months old she was. Fuck you, Nico. I trusted you like a brother, and you disappointed me."
He drained the whiskey.
"All of you. Small and large disappointments from all of you, from those who I trusted the most. Piper and her rumors, Hazel and her paranoia, Frank and his anger management, Leo and his loose tongue. All of you disappointed me. Do you want to know why I left? Because I couldn't bare looking at you. You may have not realized it but I needed you more than ever." Percy looked darkly at Simon. He stepped forward and hugged his friend. Percy hugged him back.
"Simon was there though. Through my pain, once I left. He helped me bury my parents, he helped me disappear." Percy said in a pained voice.
"Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it." He said again. "Leave."
The demigods were shocked. Tears on Annabeth's eyes. So much had happened in those few months after the war. Wounds were still fresh. No one was thinking straight, and they had unknowingly betrayed their best friend. Annabeth stood up from where she had fallen and began to walk to the door. She stopped at the doorframe.
"A war is coming, Percy. Someone or something very powerful has an object that can make a god fade with just one cut. Aeolus faded due to it. If there is any love left for your family, come back to us." She said. She walked out. Followed by Sebastian. Jason walked out with one last look at Percy. Then Rachel with tears in her green orbs. Thalia followed, tailed by Nico. When Nico turned around to face Percy tears had started to fall from his Dark eyes.
"Percy—" Nico said.
"fuck you." He got in response.
"Please listen—" Nico tried again.
"Fuck you!" Said Percy, louder.
"I'm sorry—"
"FUCK YOU!" Percy yelled with such force, that the glasses around him shattered, sending the alcoholic beverages all around the bar. Glasses and bottles exploding.
Nico flinched at the tone. Since that day he had carried so much guilt that nothing could ease it. And now he was getting his retribution.
With one last look, he left.
Percy stood there. Looking at the door as tears started to form in his eyes.
"that was intense." Said Simon.
"I hate them," Percy said.
"No, you don't," Simon said back.
"No, I don't. But it is easier to hate them." Percy answered with a sigh as he sat down on a chair.
"I know. I understand. Take your time." Simon said calmly as he looked through the broken bottles for something salvageable. "About Nico…"
"I don't hate him. Not more than anyone else at least. It's just…they died Simon. My parents died. I had asked him to keep them safe when I went out with Annabeth to meet her cousin. I came back to find a scene of a nightmare." Percy began to cry. "Something killed my family and ate my baby sister. Nico came running back to find me crying over my parents' body, and the creature was gone. I hit him, Simon. Punched him until I couldn't lift my arms. But I don't hate him. It was not his fault."
"But it is easier to blame someone," Simon said as he came back with half a bottle of Rum.
"Isn't it always?" Percy asked.
"You've changed. I met you as this broken kid, someone who was painfully loyal, so loyal in fact that he had a shattered heart. Yet you've gotten better. Grown strong. We've traveled all around the world looking for this creature. We've faced so many different things. You're strong Perseus. Don't let anyone take that from you." He poured the rum into two glasses.
"Are we going?" Asked Simon as he took a sip of the liquid.
"I don't know," Percy said, taking his own sip.
"You said that before we went to Hungary, and Russia, and France, oh remember Budapest?" Simon asked with a smirk.
"Never mention Budapest." Said Percy, returning his smirk.
They stood there in silence for a long time. Percy looked over his now destroyed bar. After almost five minutes of silence, he sighed.
"Get the bags." He said.
Simon smiled.
Told ya. It's dark. Like my soul. And heart.
See ya next time;)
-CallMeLatino