Chapter Two of the Heroes of Remnant. Re-Write Published as of 5/22/19
Song of the Chapter: No More Surprises - Alan Silvestri
Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize.
Two Weeks Before the Fall of Gaea
Nine Months Before the Battle of Beacon
-Leonidas Valdez-
"Jeez, now that's a castle." Percy said as he let out long, low whistle,
Leo nodded his head in agreement, "Uh-huh."
The son of Hephaestus truly did believe that this castle was awesome. The openness of it made it so full of light and life, he never would have expected it to be an academy. From what he had understood from a pamphlet he had read on the bullhead earlier, Beacon was a school that trained teenagers to become huntsmen and huntresses. Basically kids that were the same as half bloods, but had been granted unique abilities and access to tools know as auras, semblances, and Dust.
From what he understood, an aura was basically a protective force field which covered a person from head to toe, and a semblance was a by product of unlocking one's aura. Apparently it gave the user a special power, similar to Leo's control of fire or Percy's control of water, which could be activated during the middle of fight. However, each semblance was unique to a user and didn't really seem to follow any rules. People had speculated that a warrior's semblance was a part of who they are. They believed that their personality and character defined their semblance, while others thought it was vice versa.
Semblances and aura didn't make much sense to Leo, and so he didn't care much for it. However, the one thing that did catch his eye was Dust. While many people on Remnant saw it as a tool, Leo saw it as an opportunity. Dust had an almost untapped potential as both an energy source as well as in weapon and armor making. The upgrades to his and Percy's gear as well as the tools he could make had no end.
Before the pair got very fair into Beacon, they heard an explosion behind them. Percy and Leo flipped around, alert and ready for action, but the rest of Beacon's continued to walk as if nothing happened.
Their eyes witnessed Ruby, the girl Leo was undeniably attracted to, covered in soot and in a small crater, being subject to the wrath of a girl with white hair, a white dress, and what looked like a fencing sword mixed with a revolver at her hip.
Leo was quick to come to his new found crushes defense, "Hey! Leave her alone!"
The girl turned to face Leo with a scowl on her face, "Excuse me? Do you know who I am? I'm Weiss..."
Leo cut her off, "Sorry, but I don't care. Your name doesn't give you the right to be mean to someone. How about you leave Ruby alone?"
Weiss then huffed, "I'll have you know I was educating this dolt on the dangers of dust!"
"Dust?" Percy asked, "What's that?"
Leo facepalmed. He had told Percy to try and read the pamphlet that Leo read himself on the bullhead. It was no obvious to see that Percy had not done that.
Weiss just glared at Percy. "You aren't very smart, are you?" Weiss said with rude tone.
She then held up one of the vial's that was in her hand, "This is dust - mined and purified from the Schnee Quarry."
"Uhh, that doesn't really explain what it is?" Percy pointed out.
Weiss just rolled her eyes, "You're hopeless."
"So I've been told," Percy replied as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Anyways," Weiss continued, obviously annoyed, "Dust! Fire, water, lightning, energy! We use this to help us fight the Grimm!"
Leo and Percy shared a look when Weiss mentioned the Grimm. The two had become aware of the Grimm when they watched a news report when they had stayed overnight at the bullhead station. They saw footage as Grimm ripped through a small settlement beyond Vale's walls until the camera eventually cut out with it being deemed too violent to be showed on public airways.
After that video, Leo knew that the demon bear he saw in his dream was one of the Grimm. It matched up with the violent creatures habits as well as the weird glowing red lines it had on it's skullish armor. Leo had learned that there were multiple species of Grimm, and that they were prone to senseless violence. They were unlike animals in the sense they were only focused on survival, the Grimm could sense fear, anger, sorrow, and sadness, and were even attracted to it.
The two demigods had had a serious conversation about the Grimm. The pair had come up with the idea that there was a chance the Grimm had a master and weren't just packs of ravenous animals stemmed from some form of evolution. The Grimm were unnatural, and like the monsters back home that were ultimately swayed by Gaea, Tartarus, or Kronos, there was a chance the Grimm had been left off the leash, but were supremely controlled by a single entity.
However, it was just a theory. The Grimm had been around for thousands of years and had been a plague to Human and Faunus kind ever since. It could be perfectly logical that the Grimm were just mindless animals similar to Greek monsters.
Leo extended a hand out to Ruby and helped her up off the ground.
"You okay?" he asked, with concern in his voice.
"Yeah I'm okay," she replied.
Ruby then turned towards Weiss, "I'm really sorry I sneezed on your Dust! I didn't mean to blow up!"
Weiss gave her a cold stare, "You are complete dolt! What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?"
Leo tried to come to Ruby's defense but Weiss cut her off before Leo could even start, "This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice, you know! We're here to fight monsters so watch where you're going!"
"Who are you princess?" Percy asked from the side, his annoyance beginning to become apparent.
Before Weiss could answer, a girl with black hair and amber eyes approached them. She was dressed black stockings covered by a pair of white shorts. Her white shirt was covered by a black buttoned vest which had coat tails hanging down the back. And to tie the outfit all together, the girl had a little black bow resting a top of her head. In her hand was a tiny vile, probably one of Weiss' that had been blown away.
"It's heiress actually" the oreo themed girl replied, "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company."
"Finally!" Weiss said smugly, "Some recognition!"
The girl spoke again, "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and business partners."
"Wha- How dare you! The nerve! Ugh-" Weiss said as she was caught off guard.
Weiss yanked the vial from the girl's hand and stormed off, muttering insults and slurs under her breath the whole way.
Leo then yelled out, "Yeah! You just got burned!"
"I'm sorry!" Ruby called out next to him, "I'll try to make it up to you!"
However, the icy girl was out of range and Ruby's apology feel on deaf ears.
"Ugh," Ruby said, "Thanks for the save though! What's your-"
Percy then cut in, "Uhh Ruby, she left."
Ruby then looked around and and saw the girl with the black bow was nowhere near them, and on her way toward Beacon's center.
After seeing the girl walk off, Ruby sagged her shoulders and looked up to the sky.
"Welcome to Beacon," she said sadly, the disappointment in her ability to make friends clearly evident.
Before Percy or Leo could comfort her a blonde boy dressed in jeans, a hoodie, covered by a well worn cuirass and shoulder pads approached.
"Hi I'm Janue," The boy said nervously "I saw you blow up and I wanted to say I thought it was kinda neat."
Ruby beamed at the blonde boy before her and Leo and Percy got a good look at him as well. Something was off about Jaune. Unlike the the other students who carried themselves with a large amounts of swagger, confidence, and smidge of arrogance, Jaune seemed incredibly reserved and timid. Leo was no master at reading people like Piper, Annabeth, or Reyna, but he had been able to pick up on things that didn't belong.
"Gee… well thanks!" Ruby said cheerfully
She then motioned a hand to herself and then to the two demigods next to her "I'm Ruby, and these are my friends, Leo and Percy!"
Leo flashed his signature grin while saying, 'what's up', and Percy took Jaune's hand in handshake.
"Owh dude! You got a really strong grip," Jaune said as he massaged his right land with his left after the two separated.
"My bad," Percy said as he rubbed the back of his head and gave an awkward smile, "Years of sword fighting and training gives a guy a strong grip."
"I'm sure dads' are just absolutely thrilled when they meet you" Jaune whispered under his breath, but none of them heard.
The group then began walking towards Beacon in a comfortable silence. Eventually, Jaune broke the silence as he began talking about his motion sickness problem. It was truly nasty stuff, and Leo by no means wanted to hear about the trash cans Jaune filled with vomit.
"All I'm saying is motion sickness is a more common problem than people let on!" Jaune said to the group as he attempted to defend his plight.
"Don't worry Jaune, I'm with you," Percy said as he agreed with the blonde "I hate flying… but at least I didn't throw up."
Ruby then started to giggle, "Look I'm sorry! Vomit boy is the first thing that came to mind when we saw you earlier."
"Oh yeah? What if I called you crater face?" Jaune fired back, unwilling to be put down by the teasing of a 15 year old.
"Hey! That explosion was an accident and I didn't mean too! I accidentally sneezed and it just went ka-boom!" Ruby said while waving her arms.
The group began to laugh at Ruby. Her wacky, waving arms reminded him of the inflatable blow up men that were positioned outside of car dealerships.
After the laughter died down, Jaune spoke, "Anyways, the name's Jaune Arc! Short, sweet, and rolls off the tongue - ladies love it!"
Ah yes the swave approach. Leo knew this tactic quite well.
"Do they really?" he asked skeptically.
"They will!" Jaune replied in protest, "Well I...I hope they will! My dad always says that..."
"Don't worry Jaune," Percy said as he clapped a hand onto his shoulder, "I'm sure you'll find a nice girl during our time here. Or maybe a nice guy, I'm not one to judge."
Jaune's face blushed and Leo and Ruby chuckled at the blonde boy's embarrassment. The four continued to walk before Ruby stopped and grabbed something off her back.
"So I got this thing…"
The black and red haired girl pressed a button on a small box, and it slowly transformed into a giant scythe. The group of boys eyes widened at the initial sight of it, and Jaune let out a little yelp when Ruby brought the tip of the blade into the ground.
"This is my baby, Crescent Rose," she said proudly, "I made her myself."
"Whoa," Jaune said as he stared at it, "that's really impressive."
Leo moved closer to the scythe, and his eyes examined the blade. The weapon was certainly impressive for a 15 year old girl to make, that was for sure. A project like this would have to be taken up by at least two or three of his siblings
"Can I hold it? I promise I'll be careful with her" Leo asked as he looked to Ruby.
"Uhh...sure. But if you hurt her I will end you!" Ruby said deathly serious.
Leo held the scythe in his hand as he scanned over it with his eyes.
"This a real piece of work Ruby," Leo said as he studied it, "Military grade titanium with a custom paint job? Very nice."
Leo then ran his hands across Crescent Rose, the giant blade threatening to tip over if he shifted his weight at an odd angle. However, he paused when he felt the loading boat of a rifle.
"Oh and a bolt action rifle loader, by the feel of it it's takes…" Leo paused as he thought about it, ".50 caliber rounds?"
Percy and Jaune had confused looks on their faces and Ruby as he and Leo engaged in shop talk, "She's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"
Percy and Jaune still looked lost.
Ruby noticing older boys confused looks dumbed it down for them, "It's also a gun."
"Ohhhh," Percy and Jaune said simultaneously, finally understanding.
Ruby turned toward Leo and had a look of curiosity on her face, "How did you know that? Just by touching Crescent Rose?"
Leo glanced at Percy, and Percy shook his head side to side,
"I, uhh, just have a thing for building stuff," Leo said. "I like to make things. When I was little me and my mom would take things about and put them back together. One thing I took apart was a gun because she wanted me to be safe and know how to handle them" Leo improvised.
"That's awesome!" Ruby said "My uncle taught me everything there was to know about scythes. Normally I don't let people touch Crescent Rose, but you seem to know a lot about weapons. Would you mind maybe… helping me do some maintenance on her sometime?"
On the outside, Leo was playing it cool. But on the inside he was whooping with excitement. The girl who Leo thought was attractive wanted to hang out with him and work on weapons together. Maybe coming to Beacon wouldn't be too bad after all.
"I'd love to" Leo agreed with a toothy grin "My friends don't call me Repair Boy for nothing."
Leo handed the scythe back to Ruby and she collapsed it back into it's small carry box and she hooked it to her belt behind her.
"What about you guys?" Ruby asked "I'm a huge weapons nerd, so can I please see your weapons?"
"Oh...uh,"Jaune said as he pulled his sword out from it's sheath, "I got this sword!"
"Ohhhh," Ruby said as she studied the weapon.
"Nice," Percy said.
Jaune continued, "Yeah! And I've got this shield too."
Jaune raised his sheath and it expanded into his shield.
"Double nice," Percy said, clearly a fan of the classics.
Ruby lightly touched his shield, "So...what do they do?"
Jaune fumbled with his shield as it sprang off his arm, it expanding and retracting multiple times until he grabbed its retracted form and reattached it to his belt.
"Well the shield gets smaller, so when I get tired of it, I can just put it away…"
"But wouldn't it still weigh the same though?" Leo asked.
"Yeah it does" Jaune said dejectedly. "But it's a hand-me-down, my great-great grandfather used it when he fought in the war."
"It sounds more like a family heirloom to me," Percy said as he spoke up "Trust me, sometimes ancient weapons are the most reliable ones."
Ruby then turned to Percy, "It sounds like you have a love for the classics Percy. What do you jump into the fray with?"
As she finished her sentence, Ruby did a karate pose, pretending to punch imaginary enemies. Percy chuckled at the small girl. He put his hand in his pocket, pulling out a plain ball point pen.
"Uhh Percy?" Ruby said with worry in her voice, "That's a...pen."
Percy gave a small laugh, "Trust me, it's more than that."
He uncapped the pen and tapped his watch, and the steel blade and newly forged shield, sprung to life. His sword gleamed in the sunlight. Meanwhile Percy's design on the front of his shield captured Jaune's attention, the blonde boy in awe of the beautiful piece of work on the front of weapon made for battle.
Ruby squealed in excitement. Leo could only guess that Ruby had never seen a magical weapon before, especially one that could go from a pen into a deadly killing machine. The black and red hair girl attempted to grab the sword and shield from Percy to examine it, but the son of Poseidon raised the blade and shield into the air and and above his head, taking it out of Ruby's range.
Ruby groaned in annoyance as she tried to jump and reach them, "Please let me see it!"
Percy shook his head and kept his arm raised, "Nuh-uh. This sword are my newborns, and unlike Crescent Rose, I don't go passing them around to who ever wants to touch them."
Ruby 'hmpfed' in annoyance and crossed her arms, "I will get that sword and shield Percy Jackson. You mark my words."
Percy rolled his eyes and tapped the very top of shield, the weapon shrinking back onto his wrist in the form of a silver watch, and he touched the cap on to the tip of his sword, the weapon shrinking back into its standard pen form.
"I don't mean to cut this short" Jaune said "But what time is it?"
Ruby and Leo shrugged their shoulders, the youngest of the four without a care in the world. Percy then checked his watch.
"It's 1:50. Why do you ask?"
Jaune's eyes widened, "Because Orientation starts at 2! We can't be late on the first day!"
"Oh schist…" Percy said as he became slightly frantic "Well then let's go!"
The four took off running and at 1:59, they slide into the main hall before the assembly began.
The three huntsmen and one huntress in training looked at the massive hall filled to the brink with new students. Leo tried his best to look for an empty seat, but his modest height of 5'6" made it difficult to see between students. Finding four seats would be hard, but nothing was impossible.
However, Leo's attention was pulled away as someone called out to their female friend.
"Ruby!" A blonde girl yelled across the hall, "Over here, I saved you a spot!"
Ruby turned to her new friends, "I … I gotta go. See you after the ceremony?" she asked.
The group stammered out their yes' and Percy even teased her not to explode again. Ruby rolled her eyes but still let out of laugh before she left to go sit with the blonde girl who had called her.
The light's began to dim, signaling that orientation was about to start.
"Come on guys, over here" Percy said, "I think I see some open seats."
The group of three boys headed toward the seats, but little did they know though that a certain spartan with red hair and emerald eyes began to follow them, as there was a fourth seat open where the three boys were.
The boys sat down, Percy sat on the end next to a stranger, Jaune next to him, and Leo on the end near the open seat. The son of Hephaestus was making himself comfortable on the wooden bench when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and Leo's jaw almost dropped.
In front of him stood what Leo could only guess was the reborn and female version of Achilles or maybe even Reyna's long lost cousin. The girl had red hair, emerald green eyes, and red clothes and bronze armor that seemed to blend together perfectly. Leo could tell she was a fighter, she carried herself like some of the more modest campers in Cabin 5.
"I'm sorry, but is it okay if I sit here? Everywhere else seems to be full" the warrior asked.
"Yeah sure" Leo said as he attempted to scooch over with what little room he had.
The girl sat down on the bench and Leo stuck out his hand for a handshake, "My name is Leo. What's yours?"
Instead of telling him her name, the girl asked Leo a question of her own, leaving Leo hanging in the process, "Wait you don't recognize me?"
Leo then felt himself put a weird look on his face, "Should I?"
He then turned to Percy and Jaune, "Hey guys do you know who this is?"
Percy and Jaune glanced over. The blonde shook his head now and the black haired boy shrugged his shoulders. Leo turned back to the redhead, who was clearly surprised they didn't know who she was.
"So can I get your name then?" Leo asked trying to make sure it didn't get awkward.
"Oh - of course!" the girl said as she shook herself out of whatever strange emotion was running through her head, "My name is Pyrrha, Pyrrha Nikos."
"It's nice to meet you Pyrrha" Leo said as he shook her hand, "I'm Leo Valdez, and if we go down the line, that's Jaune Arc and Percy Jackson."
The other boys said their hellos and Pyrrha waved with a friendly smile. However, before anything else could be said, the Headmaster of Beacon graced the stage.
"I'll... keep this brief." The Headmaster began "You have traveled here in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."
Ozpin looked out at the crowd, considering what to say next.
"But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose... direction."
"Wow," Leo whispered to the makeshift group "What a rousing speech. I sure wanna give my life for the people now!"
Percy snorted.
"You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."
With that Ozpin finished his speech and Professor Goodwitch stepped up to center stage.
"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed," Goodwitch said.
-Percy Jackson-
After that, the students started to disperse and Percy, Leo, Jaune, and their new friend Pyrrha made their way outside into the courtyard.
"Hey me and Perce are gonna look around the school. Do you wanna come with us?" Leo asked the pair .
"Nah I think I'm gonna head to the ballroom and try and find a good spot," the knight replied.
"Me as well" Pyrrha added "Would you like us to save you some space next to us?"
"Yeah that would be awesome," Percy said cheerfully "Thanks guys! We'll see you tonight then."
Percy and Leo waved goodbye to Jaune and Pyrrha and set off, touring Beacon for the first time.
As they were roaming the winding halls of Beacon, Percy turned to Leo and asked him a question, "What are the odds you could make us something more protective than jeans and a t-shirt?"
"Hmm I don't know," Leo paused. "But come to think of it, having some armor wouldn't hurt. After looking at all the other kids here it might be a good idea to have some since we don't have any nectar, ambrosia, or aura's to protect us."
"Alright then I think we have an answer," Percy said as he clapped his hands together. "Do you think you could start tonight so that way we'd have them for whatever Ozpin has planned for us tomorrow?"
Leo raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think I have to do it?" He questioned. "You have two hands."
"Well, uhh, I just assumed cause ya know, you're a child of Hephaestus an-", Percy muttered.
The Latino boy just started cracking up, "Dude, you should've seen your face."
Leo finished his laugh, "Of course I'll make em Perce. Anything you want specifically?"
"Use your imagination Leo, make sets of armor for the ages," Percy said with a smile.
A big smile was on his face, "Don't worry Percy! I won't let you down!"
Leo then took off the hall with a determined look on his face and he shouted, "Watch out world, the Supreme Commander of the Argo II is coming through!"
"Uhh Leo," Percy called and he pointed his thumb over his shoulder, "The forge would be that way."
Leo then turned around "Watch out world! The Supreme Commander of the Argo II is coming through part two!"
Percy just laughed and shook his head, "Never change Repair Boy."
He turned around, quietly musing to himself about where he should go. However, instead of seeing an empty hallway, he came nose to nose with the expressionless face of Glynda Goodwitch.
"Holy Hades!" Percy said as he moved back a bit, the professor way too close for comfort, "Someone should put a bell on you."
The blonde professor remained unfazed by Percy's comment, "The Headmaster would like to see you in his office. Please follow me."
Percy wearily followed the professor through Beacon's empty hallways until they had arrived at the elevator. She pressed a button calling for the elevator and the two waited a few seconds in silence. Eventually, the elevator dinged and the doors slide open. Percy and Professor Goodwitch filed in, and she pressed the top button on the panel.
The elevator began it's long ascent up toward move up, and Percy heard the familiar sound of music coming from a speaker in the elevator. He was absolutely confused. How did a different planet, reality, or universe have Stayin Alive by the Bee Gees?
"Huh," Percy mumbled, "You guys have terrible elevator music here too."
"What was that?" Goodwitch asked.
"Nothing!" Percy said quickly.
The elevator door dinged, signaling they had arrived and Percy was quick to step out to avoid anymore follow up questions. Once exiting the elevator and stepping out, Percy was met with the view of maybe the most futuristic office he'd ever seen. The ceiling and floor were covered by a thin glass layer and behind it were the inner gears of Beacon's clock tower.
As Percy began to walk forward, he took note of Ozpin's desk. It seemed to match the interior of the room, having dark legs as well as a glass surface. On his desk was a myriad of papers, more than likely paperwork for the now bustling academy. The headmaster sat in an equally as impressive chair, watching as him and Glynda entered the room.
The finally arrived in front of Ozpin's desk. Percy stood in front of the headmaster, while Glynda Goodwitch moved to stand slightly behind her employer.
Percy spoke up first, "Uhh sir, did I do something wrong?"
Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "Why do you think that Percy?"
"Well usually whenever I got called in to the headmaster's office, it usually resulted in me getting expelled," Percy admitted.
"No, no" Ozpin said with the wave of his hand "I simply wanted to ask you how you and Leo have been adjusting to Remnant."
"Well, I don't want to speak for Leo, but so far it's been pretty good. We haven't been attacked by a monster in the two days we've been here so that's always a plus," Percy said.
"Good. I'm glad you feel this way," Ozpin said.
The silver haired Headmaster spoke again, "However there is something I would like to discuss with you."
"Are you sure you're not expelling me?" Percy asked from his seat "Because that's usually along the first lines of me getting expelled."
"No child you are not getting suspended," Ozpin said with slight irritation in his voice.
"I have a simple request for you," he said as he continued, "Do not tell anyone your's or Mr. Valdez's heritage."
Percy raised an eyebrow, and Ozpin saw it as a sign to continue
"We have many enemies in this world" Ozpin stated "If they caught wind of a rumor that two half-gods were attending Beacon, it could prove to be very dangerous for this school and its students."
Percy nodded his head as he understood what the Headmaster was getting at, "I understand Professor."
"Good," Ozpin replied "It has also come to my attention that last night I was rather rude when I left you and Mister Valdez to your own devices."
Ozpin then opened one of the drawers on his side desk, and removed three objects. He placed them on the table. Two of the objects were the same, but they were two different colors. One was colored red and the other was a deep shade of blue, and they were give or take about the size of Annabeth's iPhone 8 back on Earth.
Ozpin then grabbed blue looking phone and held it up, "This is called a Scroll. We use them to communicate with one another as well as monitor our aura levels during battle. You may call and text message with these to your heart's desire. One is for Mr. Valdez and the other for yourself. Please see that he gets it."
Ozpin slid the two scrolls and Percy gladly accepted. Percy put the red one in his back pocket for Leo and the blue one in his front left.
The third object on Ozpin's desk looked like it was a credit card, but there were a lot of them.
Ozpin held the cards in his hand, "This is Lien. It is our world wide currency. I realized that you and Mister Valdez have very little to call your own, so I will gladly give you some so you may buy some spare clothes as well as school supplies.
Percy took the lien from Ozpin and put it in his front right pocket.
"Are you sure about this Professor? I feel bad taking your money."
"Do not worry about it," Ozpin said as he waved off Percy's concern, "I have plenty to go around. Just return before sundown tonight with your new belongings. We wouldn't want you to be late for your first night here now would we?"
Percy then rose from his chair and thanked the Professor, before turning back toward the elevator. He pressed the button and the elevator door dinged immediately and he stepped inside. The demigod pressed the button for the ground floor and the doors closed.
As he descended downward, Percy heard another familiar song. The Girl From Ipanema, to be precise.
"Gods I hate elevator music" Percy groaned as the elevator moved downward at a snail's pace.
-Leonidas Valdez-
Leo wiped the sweat from his brow as he took a break from working on Percy's armor. The project proved to be a challenge as Leo pushed himself to his creative limits. He had originally thought about creating an armor similar to the ones he had made back at Camp Half Blood. Leo knew Percy would like the reminder of home, but that reminder could be a double edged sword.
Percy had done well at hiding it, but Leo could see that he missed home. Percy was a just a little bit quieter, a little less rowdy, and a bit more introverted. I mean what could Leo expect though. Percy had left the potential love of his life, family, and friends behind when he die. He never made it out of Tartarus and he even had a scar in the middle of his chest to prove it.
Leo shuddered when he thought about that vertical scar that ran along Percy's chest. It was almost as if Leo's nightmare had come to life. The image of a lifeless Jason and Percy side by side and the later with a glass sword running through his chest was just… hellish. It was almost as if the Fates had decided to scar Percy and use it to torture Leo at the same time.
The worst thing about Percy's scar though was that it was a constant reminder that things had changed. Percy was... different. He was quieter and didn't joke as much as he used to. He seemed almost like he was a bit less.
However, the son of Hephaestus had faith he might be able to bounce back. He and Percy been giving the Fates the middle finger ever since they had manifested their control over the elements. But that nightmare, the cause of Leo's anxiety, was his way to save his friends and maybe get. Leo would be damned if he had that nightmare plague him every night and didn't do something to try and counter it.
That counter came in the form of Leo creating a newer, much more modern armor. Unlike the armor Leo made for Jason that was made out of leather and celestial bronze, this new suit of protective armor was a brand new design. A mix of Kevlar and Carbon Fiber for defense, with a splash of Polymer for comfort and flare. The suit was mostly black, Leo deciding to go for sleaker look, but in the middle of the sternum and across the pecs was where Leo had added his own signature design.
The mechanic had opted to add to the armor the same logo he had added to Percy's new shield. On the sternum resided a silver trident and a laurel wreath. The trident stood horizontally, piercing through the opening. Beginning on the edge of the laurel wreath were three silver lines. They weren't thin, more of a solid block in design. They resided one on top of the other, and they stretched out across the pectorals and onto the shoulder blades.
He took a step back as he admired his work. The armor was truly a work of art and wouldn't have been possible without Beacon's vast surplus of ready materials. Leo would have to thank Ozpin for that later.
He made his way back to his work bench and began to examine the last part that would be attached to Percy's new armor. Resting on the bench in front of him was a leather harness that tucked under the arms at the arm-pits. However, the most important feature of the harness was the powerful magnet on the back that only attracted one type of metal: Olympian Steel.
While Percy's shield came in watch form, it proved that it could be a bother at times. The watch, having to be pressed to be activated, could place Percy in a bind. He could be locked in a situation where he wouldn't be able to tap the small shield button on the watch, placing him at a disadvantage. Afterall, the watch was meant to conceal the shield from the mortal world, but in a place such as Remnant, where the open carry of weapons was seen as normal, no one would bat an eye if Percy had a shield on his back.
The device was ready. It had been tested by the last remaining piece of Olympian Steel that Leo kept on his person. It wasn't much, the small chunk weighing slightly less than a pound, but it was enough to be tested with. Satisfied with the harness, Leo turned and grabbed his Archimedes Sphere from the table and tossed it into the air. The small rotors inside of it turned on, the sphere fumbling a bit before it stabilized itself in the air.
"Alright A.S." Leo said to the sphere "Display the designs for my personal armor. I believe it's File 6794."
Leo waited a moment, the sphere taking a second to process his command, and then a blue screen filled with data, charts, and and the design for his armor finally appeared. He began to study it, refreshing his mind as it had been a week or two since he had even examined this particular schematic. However, while Leo was preoccupied, he didn't see a girl in a red cloak sneak up behind him with a mischievous look in her eyes.
"Hey Leo!" Ruby shrieked as she got right next to Leo's right ear.
"Ahhh!" Leo screamed.
Leo took a step backwards, fumbling slightly. However, he quickly recovered in a karate pose, ready to chop away at whatever threat was near him. Once his eyes landed on Ruby though, the paranoia disappeared and was replaced with a relieved, yet slightly annoyed look.
"I should have known it was you" Leo said with a laugh as he shook his head side to side.
The red reaper was holding her sides from laughing so much.
"You should've… you should've seen your face! You were like 'AHHHH.' That was great." Ruby said wiping a tear from her eye.
Leo just grinned, "Yeah yeah whatever…You did get me pretty good though. But you better stay on your toes! I'm gonna prank you back now!"
"Bring it on Repair Boy!" Ruby challenged and the two laughed.
Leo then turned back to the to the display that was in front of him. He reached his hand out and scrolled downward, reading more of his notes and double checking his research. Ruby, her interested peaked by the sphere in the air and the hologram in front of her, walked over next to Leo and tried to see what he was reading.
"Sooo what are you working on?" the reaper asked.
"Well I just finished forging a new set of armor for Percy" Leo said he motioned to the combat suit that rested on a mannequin, "And now I'm refreshing myself on the designs I had for my own little arsenal."
Ruby nodded and began studying the blueprints. Leo could only guess she was slightly lost. After all, his notes were messy and complicated, and most importantly, she started reading in the middle of his work. Thus it made Leo even more surprised when Ruby asked a question.
"You're planning on making a metal glove? Like a gauntlet?"
Leo turned to Ruby, slightly surprised the girl had picked up on his notes so quick.
"Not exactly" he replied "This is going to be a metal wristband, similar to a FitBit, if you've ever heard of that."
The girl shook her head no, but Leo continued anyways.
"Basically it's made of something I've been working on called Nanotech" Leo then began to scroll through his notes, sliding down until he found what he was looking for.
"Ah here it is" Leo said as he came to a stop.
Before them was a theoretical replica of what Leo wanted to do. Before them, the diagram played out. A hand placed five fingers onto the wristbands small screen. The hand then dragged forward, forming a gloved hand made of metal. The diagram of the glove then flipped, where the palm would be was a small metal circle, made of some type of glass. Ruby glanced at the list on the side that listed the abilities the glove allowed.
"It shoots a laser?!" Ruby asked enthusiastically.
Leo laughed a little, "No it's not a laser. It's a blast of energy generated from extreme heat. And besides that it can do a multitude of other things besides shoot lasers."
Ruby turned back and continued reading, her silver eyes widening as she continued to go down the list.
"So you're telling me this little tiny glove made of nanotech" Ruby said as she used her fingers to place air quotes on nanotech "Can shoot a sonic wave, emit extreme brightness similar to a flash bang, and even help you fly?"
"Well not really fly" Leo said as he grabbed the last piece of Olympian Steel from his work bench along with a hammer, chisel, and small crafting tools "More like a controlled fall at its best."
"And you're sure it'll work?"
Leo shrugged his shoulders " I hope so. Nanotech is a thing I've kind of invented on my own, so it's all theoretical. If this works, then I'll have created my own… thing?"
Ruby giggled at that, "Well I wish you luck, even though I don't think you'll need it. But I have to go back to the Great Hall and find Yang. If I'm not careful she's going to run off with her friends again."
With that, Ruby zipped out of the room, leaving behind a flurry of rose petals in her wake. Leo smiled and shook his head. Ruby was certainly an odd one, but that was okay. People always said opposites attracted, but Leo really hoped that wasn't the true with Ruby. She had said she loved to make weapons and creating was one of his favorite things to do.
-Ruby Rose-
Inside the Great Hall of Beacon Academy, Ruby laid on her sleeping bag. She was dressed in her favorite pajamas: a black tank top, white sweats with roses decorating them, and a sleeping mask resting on the top of head. She was on her stomach with a pen in hand, writing in her journal.
Then a blonde girl, who was dressed in an orange tank top with flaming heart on the front and black athletic shorts flopped down on the sleeping bag next to Ruby. The girl was Ruby's half sister, Yang Xiao Long.
"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang said with enthusiasm in her voice.
Ruby just continued to stare at her journal, but replied to her sister "I don't think Dad would approve of all the boys though."
"I know I do!" Yang said with a purr in her voice as she looked at several guys, sporting their nightwear.
However one boy caught Yang's eye.
"Who's that with the black hair? Yang asked.
Ruby glanced up, her eyes peering over her journal and saw Yang was staring at Percy on the other side of the hall. The boy was in a pair of black running shorts and he was looking for his shirt.
Ruby knew her sister well enough to tell she was checking her new friend out. Ruby wasn't overly smitten with boys like her sister. She thought they were slightly icky and better as friends, but she could see why Yang was intrigued.
Percy's windswept black hair and extremely toned body made Ruby a little bit red in the cheeks. He wasn't overly muscular, unlike some of the meaty boys at orientation. A six pack graced Percy's stomach and Ruby could see Yang almost droll at the sight. However, what caught Ruby's attention the most with the long vertical scar in the middle of Percy's chest and other minor scars that covered his body.
Normally, Ruby wouldn't be one to pry when it came to scars. She had learned that the stories behind them could be embarrassing or emotionally stressful, but Ruby was still curious as to what caused them. After all, Aura usually cured scars with enough time. It must've been a real tough hit if Percy had received a scar that didn't heal all the way.
"Oh that's Percy" Ruby said as she finally answered her sister's question, "I met him and his friend Leo today."
"Wait ! You met a handsome hunk like him and you didn't introduce me?" Yang then covered her heart with one hand and raised her other hand to her forehead and pretended like she was going to pass out, "You wound me Ruby!"
"Well it's not my fault you ran off with your friends and left me by myself!" Ruby shouted as she grabbed a pillow and it at her sister, hitting her in the face.
Yang recovered quickly, "Ruby you have to learn how to make friends! It's important to know how to get along with others."
"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!" Ruby pouted.
"Well ...uh - what about the blonde guy you met earlier... Jaune? He's nice! And you met Percy and Leo! They seem like two cool dudes." Yang argued.
Yang started up again, "See! You're doing fine. That's a hundred percent increase right there!"
Ruby then flopped onto her back, "Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend though…"
"There's no such thing as a negative friend," Yang said as she tried to reassure her sister "You just made three friends and one enemy! Look it's only been one day. Trust me, you've got friends all around you, you just haven't met them yet."
Yang then jumped up and grabbed Ruby by the hand.
"Wait Yang! What are you doing?!" Ruby shrieked.
"You're gonna introduce me to your friends," she said bluntly.
Yang then dragged Ruby across the ballroom floor until they stopped in front of Percy, Leo, Jaune, and Pyrrha.
Leo then turned and looked at Ruby and Yang, "Uh... hi Ruby. Who's this aggressive person dragging you across the floor?"
"This is my sister, Yang Xiao Long. She wanted to meet you guys." Ruby said, clearly embarrassed.
"Hiya guys!" Yang said cheerfully "Like Ruby said, I'm Yang."
Pyrrha went first, "Hello! My name is Pyrrha. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Jaune went next, "The name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, and the ladies love it." He said in a flirtatious manner.
"Do they though?' Yang asked, clearly unimpressed.
Leo and Percy laughed, the two finding it funny that blonde boxer in front of them said the same thing Leo said earlier.
"Why does everyone say that?" Jaune mumbled under his breath.
The five around Jaune laughed, clearly thinking the boys embarrassment was truly funny.
Leo decided to take the heat off Jaune and introduce himself, "I'm Leo Valdez, A.K.A. the Supersized Mcshizzle."
Yang just raised an eyebrow and laughed, "You look more like the Under-sized Mcshizzle if you ask me."
"Insulting my height huh? That's low blondie, you're gonna get pranked now. You and Ruby both!"
Yang then looked at Ruby, and the red reaper shrugged her shoulders.
Percy went next, "I'm Percy Jackson. It's nice to meet you."
When Percy introduced himself to her sister, Ruby saw Percy give Yang a strange look. It wasn't strange in the sense that Yang was weird looking, but almost as if Percy recognized her from somewhere. However, that face only lasted for a few seconds before it disappeared, replaced with a friendly smile.
Yang, trying to continue the conversation with the boy she was intrigued by looked down at Percy's arm and noticed the permanent ink on his arm.
"So what's the meaning behind your tattoo?" she asked.
"Oh I forgot about that," Percy said as he turned his right wrist up and looked at the tattoo "It means Senatus Populusque Romanus, or in english, The Senate and People of Rome."
Percy then pointed to the one line on his arm under the trident, "This line represents my first year of service to the legion. Technically I'm supposed to have ten lines, but I got out of it."
"Oh that's cool. Well I like it! I think it looks good on you," Yang said as she smiled and winked at Percy.
Percy smiled a bit at her sister's shameless flirting, "Thanks. I'm not sure if I'd ever get another one, but if I ever thought about it, I'll be sure to get your opinion."
She then turned and said bye to each them, "Sleep tight P-Money! See ya Vomit Boy! Bye Undersized Mcshizzle!"
Then she got to Percy and had a genuine tone in her voice and a the slightest shade of red graced her pale cheeks, "Goodnight Percy."
She then turned and dragged Ruby away, even as her younger sister tried to pry herself free from Yang's grip.
"Bye guys! Yang let me go!" Ruby said as Yang dragged her towards the corner of the ballroom, where a certain black haired girl with a bow on her head was quietly reading a book.
-Perseus Jackson-
The new students of Beacon Academy had been up for a few hours. The majority had showered and prepared for the day knowing that today was unlike any other. Today would become their first step in becoming full fledged huntsmen and huntresses, protectors of Remnant from the ravenous Grimm. The students had begun to prepare in Beacon's co-ed locker room, some sharpening their weapons and others mentally preparing themselves for the initiation ahead of them. In the corner of the locker room, two demigods had begun to prepare themselves.
Leo stood in front of Percy's locker, a hand on the latch that opened the storage unit.
"So Percy you ready to see your new armor?" Leo asked, clearly eager to show off his newest invention.
The older demigod nodded his head, "I'm ready McShizzle. Let's see what you got."
A bright smile covered Leo's face and the demigod yanked the door open, revealing a black modern combat suit. Percy was in awe. He took a step forward and placed his hand on the suit that hung inside his locker. He took it off the hanger it rested on, and the demigod began to change.
The suit felt good on Percy's body. Unlike the bulky Celestial Bronze armor he wore at camp, this armor felt like dry-fit clothing. It hung closely to his body and gave him wider range of flexibility than any Greek armor ever could. He began to move around, throwing a few punches to see if the suit stayed as comfortable when exerting some energy. He was pleased to find that it held up. Percy then turned back towards his locker and pulled out a brown leather strap with two holes and a small square on the back.
"What's this?" he asked as he pulled it out of the locker and held it in front of Leo.
"That my friend is another creation of mine which I call a shield harness. Slip your arms through and then activate your shield and I'll show you how it works."
Percy his right arm in first and then his second. The harness didn't hang at all, instead hugging closely to his back. He grabbed his watch that was resting inside his locker. He pressed the button and it expanded into his shield. Percy slid his arms out from the leather straps and handed it to Leo.
The son of Hephaestus grabbed the shield with both hands and told Percy to turn around. He did as instructed and he heard Leo move closer to him. Percy then heard a soft hum from his back and felt the shield connect to his back. He peered backwards, surprised to see the shield now connected to his back.
"How is it doing this?" Percy asked as he turned back to face Leo.
"It's basically just a really strong magnet that locks onto the metal that your shield is made of" Leo said as he grabbed his own gear from his locker "It's actually really not too complicated."
Percy nodded his head and turned back toward his locker. The son of Poseidon gazed at his reflection in the mirror in the back of his locker. The tight fighting combat suit clung to Percy's body, very clearly highlighting his muscles and toned form. If anything, Leo had given Percy a few style points.
Percy closed his locker and turned to Leo who had just finished getting ready. The boy was dressed in his familiar fireproof clothes, a white long sleeve shirt with the first button undone and sleeves rolled up, blacks pants, and brown shoes. A metal glove was on Leo's right hand and he had his magical tool belt around his waist. Lastly, he had a metal pauldron on his left shoulder along with a pair of metal knee pads.
At first Percy was surprised by Leo's decision to add armor. Leo had always been one to run or gun with his fire powers or wit, choosing to use them to get himself out of whatever situation he found himself in. But Leo had proven himself to be much more of a fighter since Percy had last seen him. His display with combat screwdrivers was truly impressive. Leo's decision to add armor must've been a result of his new found seriousness for dangerous situations.
"Alright I'm all set" Leo said as he turned to face Percy, "You ready to go?"
"Born ready" Percy said with a nod of his head.
The group of students attending Beacon's initiation had lined up along the cliffs. Leo was standing on a metal tile to the right of Ruby, and Percy stood to the right of Leo. Professor Ozpin spoke to them and Glynda Goodwitch stood behind him, tablet in hand.
"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest" Ozpin said to the students in front of him.
Goodwitch then spoke from behind him, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard the rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today."
Percy heard a faint cry of protest further down the line.
Ozpin started up again, "These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone whom you can work well with."
Percy could hear Ruby groan.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years," Ozpin said, dropping the bombshell on his new students.
"What!" Ruby shrieked.
Percy ignored Ruby and continued to listen to Ozpin, "After you've partnered up, make your way toward the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you will die."
"Jeez now he's just a ray of shine," Percy heard Leo mumble under his breath.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item as well as your standing, and we will grade you appropriately. Any questions?" Ozpin asked.
Jaune raised his hand, "Uhh sir?"
Ozpin ignored Jaune, "Good! Now take your positions."
The students stepped onto the tile in front of them and got into ready postion. The tiles then began to launch the students into the air, starting on the left and working their way to the right where Percy was.
"Uhh sir," Jaune said as he tried to get the Headmaster's attention, "How exactly will we be landing? Cause I didn't get a parachute."
"There will be no parachutes, Ozpin said, deathly serious, "You will be falling."
Before Jaune could ask another question, Jaune was launched from the pad, screaming the whole way.
"I'll see you on the other side Perce," Leo said as he launched into the air.
The son of Poseidon braced himself.
"Well" Percy mumbled to himself "Once more unto the breach."
He was then launched from the tile, and the son of the Sea sailed through the air.
This is son44 signing off. Until next time folks, and happy reading.