Sup guys!
I'm sooo sorry! JC LIFE REALLY BUSSSSYYYYy

here's another chapter! It's so late and i'm dying of exhaustion, so shoRT AN

Enjoy!

~Kuntakintae

Percy's POV

The moment I saw Mr Brunner's face, I knew that I was already stuck in deep shit.

He didn't have the normal twinkle in his eyes. He emitted absolutely none of the usual warm vibes he gave everyone and he even looked like he was ready to take a bow and arrow- his favorite weapons- and shoot at someone straight at the face.

For the first time in a long, long time, I felt a small spark of fear. I had immediately quenched it out to nothingness, but the very fact that I even felt fear when facing him was something really commendable.

There aren't many things that can scare a person once that person has survived through the worst place in the world- The Tartarus version of Earth- ironically called Tartarus as well.

I had a very, very awfully good feeling that that was exactly what he wanted to discuss with me about. Even though he was supposed to have no idea about what I had been through.

"Perseus Jackson. Explain," Mr Brunner's unexpectedly cold voice reverberated through the room and caused me to be taken aback for a moment.

"What's there to explain?" I questioned in an even colder voice, keeping my expression as emotionless as possible and my body as relaxed as a hibernating polar bear.

It doesn't matter if he was my dad's trusted friend or whatever. There was no way I was going to tell him anything about what had happened in Tartarus.

He wasn't going to make me relive through all those memories again. I had spent years building up mental walls of steel and titanium to prevent those memories from flooding in.

If I had let the memories dwell in my thoughts and mind for the past few years, I would probably have hanged myself long ago. Either that, or I would have gone back to what I had been doing.

I wouldn't have met and befriended everyone I knew today.

I wouldn't have met Annabeth. That thought caused a twinge of immense pain in my chest and I thanked the gods silently I had managed to hold out this long.

Unfortunately, Luke had to come in and fuck everything up.

"Don't you play dumb with me, young man. You know exactly what I'm talking about. You know Luke," He said, his voice deadly cold and stern as he stared straight at me with a piercing gaze.

"I do not know him," I said in a robotic voice. I was dead set on not letting Luke come into my life at all.

"I know you went to Tartarus, Percy. I know you met him there. Today's fight showed me enough," Mr Brunner hissed, narrowing his eyes as he stared daggers at me. His words hit me like a sledgehammer.

"I do not know what you are talking about," I said despite my shock, carefully keeping my façade up even though I could feel my insides twisting and turning at the thought of Mr Brunner knowing about that place.

Mr Brunner closed his eyes and took in deep breaths, trying to keep his temper in check and not do something that he would regret.

Personally, I thought what he was doing would already be a regret to him later on.

No one just talked about Tartarus like this. The fact that he even said the place's name told me that he had never been there before.

Even Luke would not be stupid enough to casually mention that place.

"Percy, this is not just about yourself. I need to know," Mr Brunner said through gritted teeth, his fists clenched and his body tensed.

"What's it to you?" I asked coldly. As far as I knew, Tartarus didn't affect anyone I know- at least, on those I had made friends with after Tartarus- and Mr Brunner was clearly interested in it for other reasons other than my well being.

"I cannot tell you. Not yet."

"If you cannot tell me, I have nothing to say to you," I told him firmly, using a venomous tone that clearly said 'No more questions'.

I then turned around and marched towards the door. I had been dead set on not stopping no matter what Mr Brunner said to keep me in the bloody room, but the next few words he told me stopped me right in my tracks, freezing me in place.

"It has something to do with your parents' deaths."

My façade immediately got destroyed when those words rang in my ears. My brain stopped functioning completely and my face grew slack. For a few seconds, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't move, I couldn't talk or react.

I was so utterly stunned.

In a split second, memories that I had buried deep in the recesses of my mind rose up.

"Run! Percy just go!" A woman's voice screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Mommy! What's happening?!" I cried and cried, tears streaming down my face as I curled into a ball at the corner of my room.

The entire place was burning. Blood red flames were scorching and turning everything to ashes. The acrid smell of smoke permeated the air and the soot floated all around the place.

"Percy! Open the window beside you and GO!" A man's voice- my father- shouted urgently.

"Daddy! Mommy! Help me!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, eyes wide as I stared fearfully at the approaching flames- flickering dangerously and promising impending death.

"Percy! Open the window beside you, jump down and run as far away as you can!" My mother's chocked voice rang through my head.

Somehow, hearing my mother panicked voice shook me out of my state of shock and caused me to move. I scurried up to the window and wrenched it open with all the might I could muster with my chubby arms.

"Mommy! Daddy! I've opened the window! Come here now!" I shouted back at them, eyes trying to see through the smoke that filled the whole area.

"Go! We'll catch up with you, I promise! Just go!" My dad shouted in a commanding tone.

It scared me so much- he had never used that kind of tone at me before. Hearing him say it in such a manner caused me to obey immediately.

Coughing and sobbing, snot running down my nose and tears rolling down unstoppably, I climbed up the ledger as fast as I could, repeating his words in my head, trying to convince myself that they will be back.

They promised.

They didn't keep it.

"Percy!" Mr Brunner's worried voice pierced through the thick, dense fog of derision. MY head snapped up and I stared at him with empty eyes.

He frowned.

"Percy, what-"

"Fuck. Fuck!" I cursed and swore, grabbing my head, trying but failing miserably to stem the flow of memories flowing like tidal waves into my mind.

"Percy! Stop!" Mr Brunner shouted as I staggered and crashed into the door, shaking uncontrollably, gasping for air like a fish out of the water.

"Go away! GO AWAY!" I screamed at Mr Brunner, just on the edge of going into hysteria. If he stayed any longer, I had no idea what I would do in my hysteric moments. I wasn't going to risk it.

Mr Brunner seemed to hesitate, but after seeing the look on my face, he decided to do just as I said. Looks like he wasn't a total stupid asshole after all.

My parents. Tartarus had something to do with my parents? My mother? My dad? How in fuck's name are they related?

The questions kept on bombarding my mind and the memories couldn't stop coming in. Answers. I needed answers.

Tartarus. Luke. Annabeth. My parents. Mr Brunner.

A thought struck me and a cold feeling of dread descended upon me like a thick, heavy layer of wool.

I had a very bad feeling that this whole thing wouldn't turn out well. There was only one possible connection I could make between Poseidon- my dad- and Tartarus.

Kronos.