Aizawa had expected several reactions to Nezu's quiet proclamation. Screaming, explosive and righteous fury, outright violence perhaps. He had not been prepared for the watery-eyed smile, and the terrifying look of pained acceptance.

"Yeah," Percy whispered, "Yeah, I kind of figured that much."

"Gonna be honest," Power Loader mused quietly, "Was kind of expecting more of a reaction" He probably didn't think Percy would have heard him, but the young man answered regardless,

"I've been here for months sir," he said, silent tears staining his cheeks, "I've had a lot of time to come to terms with the fact that there was no way I would be going back home." he winced, "And uh…I might have already had my meltdown," he admitted,

At Nezu's probing look, Percy just winced again, "You, uh, you remember that, um, hurricane, that hit in the middle of the pacific a few months ago?" he asked sheepishly, and Nezu cautiously confirmed that he did. Aizawa himself remembered. It had been a sudden, and terrifyingly violent storm, the likes of which hadn't been seen in decades. The winds had reached speeds of nearly three hundred kilometers an hour, shattering any other known records of category five storms ever seen before. What had been even more curious, was how rapidly the storm had dissipated. It came on quickly, lighting up the sensors of every monitoring station on the planet, but it disappeared within minutes. It had been sheer luck that the storm had hit far enough away from the shorelines to not cause any damage. Even luckier, the few ships that had gotten caught in the mess had been rescued and mysteriously….brought…to shore…

"Oh, mother fucker" he muttered as the realization hit him, "That was you, wasn't it kid?" he demanded,

Percy just grimaced, "Yeah," he admitted, "When I found out I was in the future, it took a few days to sink in, you know? I thought it might have been a dream or something else. But then I went to Atlantis, found dad's trident, and then well, I couldn't keep it together. I managed to keep a lid on it long enough to isolate myself as best I could, but, when I really lose control of my emotions like that…" he trailed off again but he didn't need to finish the statement.

Everyone there got the idea pretty clear. "But I did my best to help with the recovery," Percy was quick to say, "I knew that some ships had gotten caught up in my, um, temper tantrum," he admitted, embarrassed, "So I worked hard to clean up the wrecks and get the crews to safety!" Not wanting any further potential legal trouble for his slip-up,

"It's all right young one," Said All might, speaking for the first time in the entire meeting, his voice still deep, even in his skeletal form, "We can hardly blame you for what happened. Given the circumstances, I find myself impressed that you were able to temper yourself enough to isolate yourself, and limit the potential damages of your anger. And the fact that you rescued those who were caught up in your outrage speaks to your character," he consoled, and Aizawa had to begrudgingly agree with his words. While it was embarrassing to lose control of your power as the kid had; Aizawa had enough self-awareness to know that if he had found himself in that kind of situation, he wouldn't have been able to deal with it as well. He also wondered to himself, when he had transitioned from thinking the kid ought to be institutionalized, to accepting his story. Having the human lie detector certainly helped.

Percy turned and shot the man a thankful smile, although the action did not truly meet his eyes. The young man tiredly rubbed at his face, the chains of the fuzzy cuffs clinking together slightly as he did so. "Shit," the boy muttered in English, "Where in the gods, do I go from here,"

Aizawa watched in fascination, and no small amount of worry, as both Nezu and All Might shared a knowing glance. A small pit began to form in his stomach, as he thought he knew exactly where this was going to go.

"Well, Mr. Jackson," Nezu began, standing up from where he had escaped Percy's destruction of the table earlier, and wandering over so that he was in front of him, "I might have an idea, that is, if you're agreeable to it."

Percy looked down at the smaller creature; confusion and hope in his features. Aizawa turned an annoyed glance over to Present Mic, who grimaced back, he also seemed to know where this conversation was headed.

At Percy's nod, Nezu continued, "Before I present my offer, may I ask, just a few more questions." Percy hesitated, but ultimately nodded, "Firstly, why is it that, after you realized you were…displaced, you did not return to the United States?"

Percy seemed momentarily confused by the question, but answered, his expression turning withdrawn once more, "Honestly? When I saw the ruins of dad's palace, I just couldn't bring myself to go back there. It's just too much-too many memories." He let out a shaky breath as he ran a hand through his long hair, "At some point I need to go back; I need to see m-m-" His voice broke and he looked on the verge of tears but kept himself composed, "I need to see m-m-mom's grave. But right now, even after all this time…it's too fresh. I need to just be away. I need time-time to clear my head, forge something for myself." His hands raised and clutched at necklace Aizawa had only just noticed dangling over his tattered t-shirt.

It was a simple chained necklace, with several ornately colored beads with odd symbols on each one. In the center, were a pair of dog-tags, which were an interesting addition since the boy had not mentioned any military experience. Most notable, however, was the small gold ring, rubbing lightly against the tags.

"The States hold too much baggage for me right now," he whispered, "At least here, I can maybe start fresh. Try and figure things out." Nezu nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer,

"My second question," the principal said, "What, to you, does it mean to be a hero?"

It was a seemingly random question, especially given the gravitas of the discussion they had been having, but it held a certain gravity to it that was nearly palpable in the quiet room. For a moment, Percy seemed too confused by the sudden change in topic to answer. But then, Percy leaned back in his chair, his head tilted up towards the heavens, his hands fidgeting with themselves as his foot tapped impatiently on the metallic floor.

After a moment's thought, he looked back down at the principal "Have you ever read comic books sir?" he asked suddenly, and to his credit, Nezu didn't even blink at the seeming change of direction,

"I have never really partaken no."

Percy nodded, as though he had expected the answer, "See, I loved comic books. I never really had many friends as a kid, mom and I were always moving around, and I had some difficulty early on staying in school because my powers would act out at random. So instead of friends, I had comic books. Almost all of them were about superheroes; and there was one character in particular, that always really resonated with me. His name was Spider-Man. He was just a kid, like me, from New York, like me, and nothing could ever seemingly go right in his life. So obviously, it struck a chord with me, you know."

Percy smiled at the memory, "But even though life was constantly shitting on him, and his work as Spider-Man was always at odds with personal life, he always tried to do the right thing. He tried to do the right thing, because he lived by a code, a personal motto that I've tried to emulate. His code was, 'With great power, comes great responsibility.' He felt, that because he had these incredible super-powers, he had a moral obligation to use them to do good. That little saying was so popular, and so well known, that you could go anywhere in the world, and you could find someone who knew it."

He dipped his head, and his long hair covered his eyes, "Spider-man might have been a fictional character, but he was so much more than that. He was a symbol; a symbol that inspired hope, and motivated people to do the right thing. He made someone believe that even when the weight of the world was pressed against them, that they could find it in themselves to push forward, and be the best person they could be. That's what a hero is. It's not just someone with a set cool costume, or can fly, or is super strong, or beats up the bad guy. A hero is someone who inspires, who brings the best out of people and pushes them to be the best possible person they can be. They're a symbol of hope, of justice, and everything that a person can be, if they believe in themselves."

He looked back up, and there was a fierce determination in his eyes that was almost inspiring, "That is what a hero is to me, Mr. Nezu."

Nezu just stared at him, and an uncomfortable silence fell amongst the room. Then, the small creature's face broke out in an ear-splitting smile, as his eyes crinkled in utter delight,

"Beautifully put Mr. Jackson. Beautifully put." He clapped his paws together as he bounced on his hind legs, "Well then, onto my proposition. As you know, my job, is to manage the education of the heroes of tomorrow. To help guide them onward to be the next protectors of humanity, and I would like to extend the opportunity to you, to audition to join our student body, as one of those future heroes."

Aizawa couldn't stop the groan of annoyance from escaping his lips. Of-fucking-course Nezu would want to invite the stupidly-powerful, and potentially mentally unstable half-fucking-GOD, to be a student. Part of him understood the rational decision behind it. Jackson was powerful, talented, and experienced. Sure, he was rough around the edges but he could, with a little polish, he would easily be a top-five hero. He had seen enough footage of him clobbering some relatively well-known villains to understand that. So, from a purely business rationale, he understood it. Percy Jackson, could be very marketable for the school.

But he was unstable, potentially unhinged. He didn't know how the kid could be anything but. How could anyone be stable, after finding out they had lost literally everything. And Nezu wanted to put him in a school with-

Aizawa blinked, then lowered his face so that his features were hidden behind the tape around his neck, and he smiled.

That cunning little rat.

Aizawa had not been the only one with reservations, as several loud voices immediately voiced their disagreement with the assessment. But Nezu, Percy and oddly enough All Might, all remained stoically silent.

Aizawa directed a small look at the Symbol of Peace, and the skeletal man gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and a smile. Aizawa may have to rethink part of his opinion of the man. Perhaps he was not so simplistic as he had initially assessed, because the look he sent Aizawa told the eraser hero that the pair were on the same wave-length.

"Why?" Percy asked, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Surely you must be joking Mr. Jackson." Nezu chided softly, "I have seen the surveillance footage of all of your encounters. Your abilities are great, I would wager that you are already on the same level as many of our pro-heroes. Perhaps a little malnourished, but nothing that a few weeks of proper rest and sustenance wouldn't fix. But anybody who can avoid capture from heroes, and subdue villains while limiting risk to civilians, is worthy of admiration. I can speak personally that young Miruko, the top seven hero in the entire country, has been having fits over the wild-bunny chases you've been giving her the past few months. But more than that Mr. Jackson, do you know what I see when I look at you?"

Percy shook his head and Nezu smiled again, "I see limitless potential. I see the future. I see a young man, who understands what it truly means to be a hero. You said you have done research on the strange world you have found yourself in, so I know you know at least a little of what heroism has been shaped into these days. For many, it has simply become a way to become wealthy, or famous; and the virtues of heroism that your time believed so deeply in are on the cusp of being lost forever. As an educator, I would be more than negligible in my duties if I did not seek to nurture and develop that potential, and to see you grow and prosper into what you could possibly become."

The words were indeed moving, and Aizawa could see the effect they had the man out of time. But his brow was still furrowed, and his face still squished in thought. He didn't say anything, and the silence stretched on for an uncomfortable amount of time.

"As much as I appreciate your words, and appreciate your offer, because holy shit, who wouldn't want to be a Superhero? There's more to it than that." Percy said, his voice quiet, but with a decidedly hard edge to it. Aizawa felt his smirk grow as he watched Percy's understanding of the smartest creature on earth's machinations become apparent.

Several faces of the staff became puzzled at the pronouncement, but Nezu's smile only grew, until it was a feral, and intimidating thing. He nodded at the boy to continue his line of thought. The educator in him, clearly pleased at the boy's deductive reasoning, Aizawa could even see Tsukauchi smirk as the boy came to the correct conclusion.

"By accepting your offer," Percy began slowly, "It also gives you the chance to watch over me. Keep me close to the vest. Your words are true, I can feel it, but you're also concerned. You don't want something like me running around unchecked. You said it yourself, I'm strong, and that strength makes me dangerous. By accepting your offer, I put myself under your thumb, and it provides you with a check in case I actually prove myself to be a danger to those around me. That and it puts me in your debt. It will make me grateful, and you want that gratefulness to push me to try and prove that I'm worthy of the enormous trust your putting in me." he trailed off, and Aizawa had never seen the little rat of a principal look so pleased.

"And," Percy continued, "I'm guessing that if I don't agree to your terms, that means that you'll be handing me directly over to the cops. Where I'm sure I'd be spending a very long time either in a cell, or a mental institute. Do I have the right of it?"

Nezu just continued to grin at him even as the rest of the room fell into a stunned silence at his words. Unable to comprehend either the sheer bravado of the former vigilante to call out Nezu as he had, or for Nezu to so brazenly try and manipulate him as he had.

Percy smirked, and then he started to chuckle, and before too long he was outright laughing in nigh hysterics.

"You're a manipulative son of a bitch, ain't ya Dumbledore?" he asked with a wide grin on his face,

"Indeed, I am, Mr. Potter." Nezu said back, just as cheekily. The byplay was lost on everyone else in the room, the reference too old for any of them to really make any sense of.

"I accept your offer" Percy said, extending his manacled hands to Nezu to shake. The creature grasped Percy's enormous mitt in his own small paw and gave it a firm shake, a pleased and proud smile on his face. When Percy pulled his hand back, he looked down at the fuzzy handcuffs, and then looked over at Tsukauchi, concerned,

"So, uh, does this mean I'm not going to be arrested?" he asked, and then a panicked look came over his face. He groaned and covered his face with hands, "Oh my multiple fucking gods," he muttered, and then, still slouching in the chair as he looked in annoyance at the principal, "Does this mean I have to retake high school classes? I know U.A. is a high school, and to be perfectly honest, I want nothing to do with that bull shit again."

Nezu calmly waved off his concerns and looked over at detective Tsukauchi, "One thing at a time Mr. Jackson. Not to worry, the good detective and I will figure something out and have your good name cleared in no time," he tapped his chin thoughtfully, "I already have a few ideas that should take care of everything so there is no need to fret I assure you."

He began pacing as he spoke, a habit the creature had developed over the years, "As to your other concern," he once more waved it off, as though he were batting away an insect, "We will double check your former collegiate records, you said you were a student at New York University correct?" Percy nodded, "We will verify it but if all checks out then you need not concern yourself with having to retake general educational courses. Though, should you be accepted, I would put together a curriculum for you in order to catch you up. While I have no desire to make you have to re-visit old material, much has happened in your years away, and you will need to be reacclimatized to the twenty-third century."

"Wait," Percy said, waving his hands, "Can we back up a sec, you said 'audition', what does that mean?"

Nezu smiled, "It means exactly as it sounds my young time-traveler. In three weeks' time, there is an examination for entrance into our institution. You will, of course, participate. You wouldn't want to just get in without having earned your spot now, would you?" he asked.

Aizawa bit back the statement that, if Percy was able to beat back pro-heroes and villains like the Aggravated Alligator-a beast of a man with an alligator quirk that nearly killed Edgeshot a few years ago-then he would wipe the floor with the combat portion of the entrance exam.

Percy immediately shook his head, "No, no!" he quickly said, "No I want to earn my spot like everyone else."

"Wonderful," Nezu clapped, "I knew you would be agreeable. Now, as I assume your claims about your high school education will come through as you say, I don't believe there will be any need for you to participate in the written portion of the examination, so you will only need to participate in the combat examination."

Percy's grin turned rather feral, and the confident and powerful man that they had seen in the video had returned, "Oh that I can certainly do. Just you wait sir, I'm going to blow the rest of the competition out of the goddamn water." He then abruptly stood up, as a thought seemed to occur to him. For a moment he looked unsure, and uncomfortable, but he seemingly came to a decision, "I, um, I know that my understanding of Japanese customs is pretty limited, nonexistent really, so I hope I don't get this too wrong, but um." He then got down on his knees and bowed his head deeply and lowly, so that his forehead was perched on the ground, "Thank you sir." His shoulders began to shake lightly, and Aizawa could see the man fighting to keep himself from tearing up, "Thank you, for placing your faith in me. For offering me this chance. I swear, upon my own honor, and I swear upon the River Styx, that I will do everything to prove to you that I belong here. I will grow stronger, and show you that you made the right choice in giving me this opportunity."

It was honestly a very touching gesture. That the boy clearly knew nothing of their customs, and had no idea what he was doing, but was attempting to honor them in their own way, and subjugate himself in such a manner.

Nezu merely chuckled, though not unkindly, and calmly patted the young man on the shoulder. "Come now," he said, "There is no need for that. Come on, up you get," he said, and prompted the young man back up onto his feet. The relief on the time-traveler's face was nearly palpable. The fact that, in spite of the terrible situation that he had unwillingly found himself in, he was being offered an opportunity to not have to navigate this strange new world alone, must have been nearly unbearably relieving. Aizawa was a cynical man by nature, but he knew, just by looking at Percy, that the kid was going to do everything he could to live up to his promise.

Didn't mean he trusted his mental faculties however. Aizawa would be keeping a close eye on him.

"Now then," Nezu began as he turned to look at both Tsukauchi and Midnight, "About your little issue with the fine men and women of our police forces, I believe I have an idea."

"Um before we get to that, sir, I have a…potentially culturally insensitive question." Percy asked, looking a little uncomfortable,

"By all means Mr. Jackson," Nezu replied,

"What the hell are you?"

The small creature just laughed merrily, "Who knows!"

BREAK

"And so, he's sitting there, one hand on the kid, the other on the support beam, and this guy just has me dead to rights, right? But instead of finishing the job what's he do?"

"He start's monologuing?"

"This bitch starts monologuing! Telling me all about he's going to be the one to have toppled the number seven hero, and how he's going to be famous, and that I'm going to be nothing but a failure and all that cliché garbage; like he's not talking to the baddest bitch in the country!"

"So, what'd you do?"

"Kicked him out the window, grabbed the kid, and bolted. Dude fell like three stories and broke his fucking hip. It was hilarious!"

Rumi Usagiyama, better known as the number seven hero Miruko, let out a loud laugh as she finished off the dregs of her drink. It had been a hellacious week, and this was the first real down time that she'd had in months. She was using her new downtime to catch up with a group of old friends, the feline hero group known as the Wild Will Pussycats.

The group had semi taken the lone-rabbit under their wing when she first made her pro debut. Having not attended a well-known hero academy, nor had she been a member of any known agency besides her own, they had semi-mentored her. Only semi, because Rumi's independence streak was as infamous as her battle-prowess. That, and she was rather outspoken in her beliefs that those who were part of hero teams, like the Pussycats, were cowards and not self-assured enough to make a name for themselves in their own. In spite of that, the foursome had somehow wormed their way into her life enough that she could call them friends.

"And that, ladies and tiger-man, is why-"

"You don't need a team to be a badass," her compatriots at the table said in unison,

A calloused hand patted her shoulder in what could have been a comforting gesture, but mostly just came across as exasperated, "We know hon," the cat-themed heroine Mandalay said with a good-natured roll of her eyes.

Rumi just sat her glass down on the table and crossed her arms, annoyed, "Ya'll are a bunch of buzz kills, you know that?"

Tiger, the lone man at the table, simply chuckled, before excusing himself to grab another round from the bar.

"You know," Pixie-Bob said, brushing a strand of blonde hair out her face, and Rumi let out a groan as she knew where this was going, "It's exactly that kind of attitude which is why you're still single." It was a good-natured tease, but Rumi wasn't one to let anything slip by her.

"Oh yeah?" she said with a raise of her brow, "Then what the hell is your excuse?"

The blonde spluttered in indignation, and made to lunge over the table at her, only to be grabbed by the scruff of her neck and dragged back into her chair by the green-haired, and doe-eyed Ragdoll. Pixie-Bob rounded on the woman and tried to argue with her. Rumi sat back and watched the byplay, a smug and self-satisfied smile on her face, even as Mandalay sighed, and ran an exasperated hand over her face.

"Why do you have to instigate her? She's going to be hot all night now,"

Rumi shrugged, "Don't start what you can't finish"

"Besides," Ragdoll said, still holding an irate Pixie-Bob at arm's length, "She already has a boy-toy. That little ragamuffin you've been chasing all over town for the last few months."

Rumi growled, as she glared at the woman. For someone who looked to be as innocent and pure as a newborn fawn, the green-haired member of the Pussycats could snarky when she wanted to be.

"Don't even get me started on that obnoxious little-"

"Oh wow, you got it bad, don't ya bun-bun?" Pixie-Bob teased, distracted from her rage by a new opportunity to tease her friend. "Can't say I blame ya though," she shrugged innocently, before her grin turned predatory, "The homeless look is in this year, or so I hear."

It was only Mandalay's firm grip on her arm that kept the woman from lunging over the table herself. The women were referring to the man the locals had taken to calling the "Homeless Hero," the guy in the tattered jeans and orange t-shirt, that been beating the ever-loving piss out of villains for the last few months. He had just shown up one day, stopping some guy with a Rhino mutation-type quirk from demolishing a shipyard. He had quickly made a name for himself as he systematically began taking down villains, before disappearing into thin air.

He was also an enormous pain in her ass.

She had first encountered the homeless annoyance two months ago; she had been trying to answer a potential house-fire in the lower-districts. However, by the time she had gotten there, not only had the fire been put out, but the bastard had even gotten all of the victims out of building. He had been talking to one of the victims when she recognized him, his picture had been sent out to all of the pro agencies as a priority target, as his quirk seemed powerful and versatile. She had been drawn into an hour-long chase around the city, where he had taunted and humiliated her, before just disappearing in a burst of water.

Over the months that followed, she had run into the annoying prick seven more times, and each and every time he slipped through her fingers. The only blessing, was that she was not the only pro-hero who had been embarrassed by the man. Hell even Endeavor, the number-two Hero behind All Might, had been led on a goose-chase before having a koi pond unceremoniously dumped on his head. For that alone, Rumi decided that the guy couldn't be all bad.

She even had the video saved on her phone.

"That little shit is nothing more than a distraction." she bit out, "Besides, he hasn't been seen in weeks, so who knows, maybe karma caught up to him."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Mandalay said softly, grabbing the top of Rumi's head, and swiveled it in the direction of the tv by the bar. There, on the screen, was a picture of the Homeless Hero himself. It was an old picture, taken during a brief fight between the vigilante and Death Arms. Under the photo was a news scroll with the tagline, 'Homeless Hero Found! U.A. Principal announces shocking discovery.

Looking over to the barman, Rumi shouted over the din of the bar, "Neji, turn up the volume, I want to hear this," Neji, and older man with a cybertronic eye, just raised a hand at the television, and the volume increased,

"…and we are now receiving a more information regarding a development in the ongoing case of the mysterious 'Homeless Hero'," said the news anchor, an older man with a deer-mutation quirk that replaced his head with that of a bucks, "We go live to U.A., where principal Nezu has been holding a press conference in regards to the infamous vigilante."

The feed changed, and on the screen was the principal of U.A. sat propped up at a large conference table. Clad in a suit and tie, with Midnight, U.A.'s head of media relations to his right, and All Might himself to his left.

Nezu was speaking into a microphone on the table, "…and it was after All Might's battle with the Toxic Avenger, that he discovered something rather shocking," the creature was saying, referencing a fight the number one hero had a few months previously, "In the bowels of the warehouse, buried several stories beneath the surface, was an underground storage facility. In that facility were a series of pre-quirk era cryogenic stasis capsules. As many of you know, at the dawn of the emergence of quirks, the abilities and powers that are so common in our society today, were threatening and terrifying to the people of days gone by. And so many of our forefathers were ostracized and taken hostage for their abilities. Mr. Jackson was one such man. Taken from his home in the year 2019 and we believe frozen for later study. For one reason or another, we are as of yet uncertain, he was never found."

"But in the course of All Might's battle, the fighting knocked loose the last remaining capsule, causing it to open, and it was there, to our shock, that the man the media has dubbed, 'The Homeless Hero', emerged. Yes, we have confirmed that the vigilante that has been evading law enforcement for the last several months, was in fact the man in that pod. His name is Percy Jackson, and he was part of the first wave of those who had developed quirks, near the turn of the twenty-first century. We have since made contact with Mr. Jackson, and he has been welcomed into U.A. for treatment."

The principal was cut off by the sounds of hundreds of camera bulbs flashing, and the voices of dozens of news reporters, all clamoring over one another to have their questions answered by the esteemed principal.

Nezu easily handled the situation, waving off the torrent of questions and continued speaking, "I am pleased to say that he is recovering well, and his quirk has been officially registered with our government, along with an offer of citizenship for his trials and as an apology for the sins of our predecessors. We have been in talks with the American Embassy, as Mr. Jackson was originally born in the United States, however Mr. Jackson has decided to stay in Japan for the time being. After speaking with Mr. Jackson, as well as confirming his origins and conferring with the chief of police; the charges of vigilantism have been dropped, and Mr. Jackson has graciously accepted our offer to take part in the entrance exams for our Hero Course here at U.A. That is all we have time for I'm afraid, exams are in one week after, have a pleasant day," and the feed cut out.

Rumi's mouth was hanging loosely in utter bewilderment, as the patrons in the bar, who had been listening to the story with rapt attention, exploded into discussion over the revelations. Tiger finally returned with the new round of drinks, and Rumi had a glass pushed into her hand. Though she was still staring blankly at the screen, which had returned to the deer-headed news anchor, talking with a panel of quirk experts and historians, about the shocking discovery.

Finally finding the strength to turn her attention back to her friends, she could only say the first thing that came to her mind,

"What the fuck was that?"

AN: Bam! Introductions are over! Exam's start next, which was a fun chapter to write, especially cause I got to introduce our boy to some of my favorite goddamn characters in the entire show. So I'll see you tomorrow! Thanks for the love this is getting, hope you enjoyed yourselves, and get ready! Things get rolling from here on out! Stay safe. And love you all,

Love,

LilDB