"So, you ready to tell me what happened?" For the umpteenth time, her question was met with silence.

She sighed, closing the door to the house behind her. "Fine, if you don't want to talk, then I will." she said, the remainder of her patience slowly eking away.

"I know it's not been easy, and I know you're not happy being here. Believe me, being back here, in this city, it's been hard on me too. We both have a lot of bad memories associated with it. But you cannot keep doing stuff like this. It's not what they would have wanted for you. More to the point, you cannot resort to violence every time someone says something that you don't agree with. That's what villains do." That did it, Kota eye's watered as his head lowered, and without another word, he rushed upstairs, the door to his room slamming behind him.

Mandalay let out a sigh, and braced herself against the door. What had she been thinking, taking in a kid? She wasn't ready to be a parent, and she sure as hell wasn't ready to be the parent to someone else's kid. But what was she supposed to do? Let him rot in an orphanage, knowing that he had family out there but that they hadn't cared enough to bring him in? She wasn't going to do that.

But holy hell the kid was not making it any easier for her! This was the third time in as many weeks that she had been called in because he had acted violently towards another classmate. At this point, she was considering consulting professional help.

With a grunt, she pulled her ears off and stalked off towards the kitchen. There was still some leftover salmon from the night before in the fridge that she would heat up. Kota could either join her or go without, at this point she was too frustrated to care.

As she set about fixing her dinner, her thoughts turned to her other 'problem child,' though Percy was far less of a headache than her nephew. Her heart clenched painfully at the thought of the broken young man she had agreed to reacclimatize to the modern world. She had read the file Nezu had given her, a full psychiatric workup that had been compiled by Hound Dog during their counseling sessions. What was inside had been…distressing.

The poor man was broken, lost and alone. He'd been forced to live a dogged life on the run, eating moldy food out of leftover throwaways from restaurants and whatever scraps he could get his hands on. Living out of an abandoned warehouse at the port.

In the middle of winter.

With nothing to wear but a ratty t-shirt, and worn out jeans.

It had been a minor miracle that he hadn't died of exposure. Not to mention the mental trauma associated with knowing that he was literally all alone in what amounted to a completely alien world. Even still, he had tried to do good in the world. Half-starved and frozen, he had taken it upon himself to try and stop evil from spreading. He'd spent months stopping villains and running from heroes.

She grimaced, remembering all too clearly the times she and the Cats had teased poor Rumi over her inability to stop the half-crazed homeless man with the strange quirk. Knowing what she did now about him, she was embarrassed over her callous words. It hadn't been a surprise when he'd broken down on their first day. That was the real reason they had ambushed him. It had been Nezu's idea, under the guise of further "testing him" to "prove he belonged," a well-orchestrated scheme to push the poor broken man over the edge, and finally talk about the gut-wrenching guilt he carried with him.

She couldn't even begin to imagine what he had been going through. To know that every person you loved had been dead for hundreds of years, while you were living out a childhood fantasy. His exact words. The one's that had told her everything she would ever need to know about him.

She smiled though. In spite of everything; the man was a fighter, through and through. Whether he was even aware of it or not. She knew that her words to him had made their mark on his soul. She could see it in the way he interacted, not just with the Cats, but the other students as well. She had cornered the students he hung out, the group some were calling U.A.'s "big three." He had avoided them for weeks before apparently the Hado girl had decided that if he didn't want her friendship, that was too damn bad.

She loved that.

And little by little, over the course of the last two weeks, she had watched as the carefully constructed walls the young man had built around himself began to crumble. He was finally letting others in. Finally willing to forgive himself, and allow himself the opportunity to be happy. It warmed her heart. She and the other's had watched over the videos of him with his class as well, the way that he interacted and led them. Like a big ol' mama cat nurturing her kittens. He guided them, instructed them, and led them. She didn't think he even realized how much he'd come to mean to them, or them to him. He didn't see the way that they turned to him when they had a question or concern, before they even thought about going to one of the teachers.

He didn't see the awe in their awes when they watched him fight, or the way they listened attentively to his every word when he spoke. More importantly, he didn't see the way he looked at them. The pride in his eyes when they succeeded. The disappointment in himself when he watched them fail. Their victories were his, and their losses his as well. In spite of his blatant attempts to distance himself from the class, to cut himself off from relationships out of some misguided notion of disrespect to those he'd lost, he cared for those kids. And he cared for the Cat's as they did for him.

Pixie-Bob had only been playing around with him for the first few classes they'd had together, light teasing and prodding, as a way to break down his defenses and get some kind of a reaction out of him. When he finally started pushing back, playing her little game, somewhere along the line her friend decided to make things serious.

Normally she could ignore Pixie's little game. But not this time. She didn't like it.

Neither, apparently did Rumi.

She didn't know exactly what was said on that date-that totally wasn't a date but absolutely was-but it had rattled the little rabbit. She only knew that Percy had made some of kind of promise to fix things, and she had told him to win the sport's festival. Rumi texted Mandalay almost daily with questions about their man out of time, and had all but ordered her to keep him away from Pixie whenever they were not strictly in an academic setting. If Mandalay didn't know any better, she'd say the poor woman was absolutely smitten with him.

Judging by the ring around his neck, the one she'd learned had been the wedding ring he'd bought for his girlfriend in his time, she didn't know if he'd ever be ready for something like that.

She hoped someday that would change. He, more than anybody she'd ever met, deserved a win.

Though she tried to ignore the tight feeling in the pit of her stomach when she imagined him with Rumi.

With another groan, she banged her head against the fridge, she needed to stop thinking like that. More importantly, she needed to stop joining Pixie and Tiger for their little Rom-Com movie sessions. It was screwing with her head.

As she finished fixing up her dinner, she settled down at the kitchen table, and hoped that if nothing else, her favorite, if only, student, was managing to allow himself to have a little bit of fun at the training session at the USJ.

BREAK

"I'm telling you; something isn't right! Neither Thirteen, nor Aizawa are answering my calls,"

"You are needlessly worrying, think logically, they are most likely simply wrapped up in the exercises."

"I should go. I was supposed to be there anyway and-"

"No, you will not. You are still not at one hundred percent. Now please, sit back down, enjoy your tea and stop worrying. Honestly, as much as it pleases me that you've taken to teaching with this much vigor, you are worrying too much over nothing."

"Principal Nezu, Sir, I know in my gut that something is wrong here, I can feel it." Nezu suppressed another sigh as he placed his up down on the table in front of him. This was the same conversation that he and All Might had, had for nearly fifteen minutes.

"I understand you wish to be there for your successor," he began,

"Sir, That's not-"

"But," Nezu cut him off, "You cannot be there for him around the clock. As a teacher, it is your job to let your student grow. That cannot be done, if you are hovering over their shoulder, worrying like a mother hen every time he uses his quirk."

All Might deflated, which was an even more pitiful sight given his emaciated form, "You're right…" he grudgingly admitted, sinking deeper into the couch cushions.

"Of course, I'm right," Nezu said cheerfully, "Now please, enjoy your tea and relax."

The door to the lounge burst open before either of them could get comfortable. The armored form of Iida Tenya stood in the entrance, sweat dripping from his forehead as he panted,

"Mr. Iida" Nezu said in surprise and no small amount of alarm. All Might was already standing and leaving the room. "What are you-"

"Villain attack…USJ…need reinforcements."

Nezu didn't hesitate, "Meet us at the main gate." and the door slammed shut in the boy's face.

Nobody spoke. All Might didn't gloat he had been right.

Nezu hit the emergency switch under the table.

All Might buffed up.

BREAK

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, a scoop of rice and salmon, halfway to her lips. With a huff, she fished out the device.

ALL POINTS BULLETIN: VILLAIN ATTACK AT USJ. STUDENTS TRAPPED IN FACILITY. REQUESTING IMMEDIATE PRO HERO REINFORCEMENTS.

She was on her feet, and gathering her equipment in a flash. Calling out to Kota that she was going back to school for an emergency meeting.

Her heart beating painfully in her chest, she tried not to panic, Percy could hold his own against the Cats, and he had two other pros backing him up.

No need to panic.

Not yet.

BREAK

Izuku couldn't breathe.

Tsu's mouth was open in a silent wail, tears already streaming down her face.

Mineta was screaming.

But it was all drowned out, by the gut wrenching, earth shattering scream of Percy, as his arm fell from his shoulder, landing in a bloody heap on the ground. He collapsed to his knees. His good arm shaking as it clutched at the stump of his shoulder, blood seeping from the wound, and pooling around his knees on the floor of the facility.

Izuku couldn't think. He couldn't move.

What.

How.

Why.

How could this have happened? How could things have gone so horribly wrong? Where was All Might, where was Iida, where were their reinforcements?

Then the bastard laughed. It was cruel, maniacal even. The kind of laugh that Izuku had only heard in cheesy superhero movies and cartoons.

"This is exactly what's wrong with you heroes today. You claim to stand for truth, justice, and peace. But you're all just shills on the government's dime, and we are here to expose you for what you really are," he guffawed, "Oh this is just too perfect, when All Might finally arrives, it won't be the heroic entrance of a man come to save the day. But it will be to find the man from the era before, dead and crippled, trying to save his precious classmates. Oh, I can see the headlines now. 'Hero exposed for the fraud he is! Oh, it's too good to be true!"

Something inside Izuku snapped.

Then, he saw red.

How dare this bastard laugh! How dare he hurt his friend! Hadn't Percy been through enough! It was all his fault, if he hadn't frozen up. If he had only acted. If he had been the worthy successor that All Might had believed him to be then this wouldn't have happened. It was too late to undo the damage that had been done, but it wasn't too late to keep Percy from being killed or worse.

His body acted before he consciously even made the decision. He was leaping out of the water, One For All, coursing through his veins. Something inside him stirred, a group of voices, ringing in his ears, telling him to move, to protect, to act. That he could do this, that he could stop this before things got any worse.

"STOP LAUGHING AT HIM." he roared, as his fist made contact. He felt something shatter, for once, not in his own body, but in someone else's. He watched, in muted fascination, as the cheek bone of his victim collapsed, blood exploding out the nose, ears, and mouth of the man that harmed one of the few people to ever truly help him.

Like a ball launched from a canon, the pale man's body was catapulted. Connecting with the ground hundreds of yards away, and bouncing into the wooded forest surrounding the fountain. He watched as several trees shattered, and collapsed as the man's body was flung end over end, in a limp cartwheel. Breaking and bending as it collided with tree after tree, before finally coming to a rest, limp and motionless.

There was the sound of something cracking, and a blur of motion as the black and purple monstrosity raced into the trees after Izuku's victim.

But Izuku paid it no mind, far too concerned with the wellbeing of his friend. Because that's what Percy was, his friend. He'd helped Izuku, guided and instructed him, taken the time away from his own schedule to try and make him a better hero, a better man. Sure, Percy could be a little distant and aloof at times, but he had a good heart, he cared for their class, and he cared about being a hero. More importantly, he had just saved Tsu's life at the expense of his.

Percy was hunched over, his breathing ragged, his good hand clenching the bleeding stump that once been an arm.

"Percy-Percy, we have to get you and Aizawa out of here, we need to move now!" he tried to say. He didn't know where this newfound courage was coming from, but he wasn't going to stop now, not when Percy was bleeding out on the floor, and there was still the guy with the warp quirk nearby.

Tsu had shakily gotten out of the water, hobbling over in Percy's direction. Tears streaming down her face as her gaze went down to the detached limb on the ground, before darting back to Percy.

Mineta was still screaming, and they were running out of time.

There was a roar, and a crash, as the monster landed back in the clearing, the pale man hanging loosely off of one shoulder. Izuku's attack had knocked the hand off his face, and Izuku could now clearly see the manic and now deformed man that had hidden underneath. His lips were chapped and yellowed with age and rot, and his eyes, bloodshot and furious, burned with a fiery hate that Izuku had never seen before.

They were out of time.

BREAK

There hadn't been time to think, only to act. He'd only barely caught sight of the freak with hand on his face, lunging for Tsu, before his body had acted. He'd seen what that quirk had done to Aizawa, he knew what would happen to Tsu. He couldn't let that happen. Not to one of his kids.

Percy couldn't decide which was more concerning, the fact that the bloody stump where his arm used to be didn't hurt, or that Midoriya might have just killed a man.

Focus. Aizawa is out, for some reason Midoriya is here, which means that the students got separated. Iida got away which turns this into a stalling game now.

The dripping of his life-blood onto the facility floor snapped him back to momentary reality.

Right, stop the bleeding first

Within seconds, he had managed to control his body and had stopped the blood for pouring from the large wound.

Next, adrenaline

He focused on the water in his adrenal glands, and commanded his organs to begin cranking out as much of the hormone as possible. He still wasn't experiencing any pain from his wound, but that might have been simply because his body was going into shock.

Third, ambrosia

With his good hand, he reached away from the stump at his arm, and opened one of the pouches on his belt. Grabbing the toffee looking food, he ripped the wrapper off with his teeth and popped the candy into his mouth. At once, his body surged with a warmness, as the familiar taste of chocolate chip cookies exploded across his taste buds. The food of the gods wouldn't outright heal him, but it would keep him going. This was a waiting game now, if they were lucky, the bastards would lick their wounds and get going before the pro heroes managed to get there.

Percy didn't think they'd get so lucky.

Especially not when the monster he'd been fight landed back in the square with a crash, the pale bastard who'd taken his arm dangling from his shoulder.

"hng, urk," the man was groaning, from the looks of it, Midoriya had shattered his cheekbone. His bloodshot eyes wide, and enraged. With a shaky finger, he pointed at their small group, the three students huddled around Percy.

"I don't know what cheat codes you're using to be so strong, but it doesn't matter. Nomu! Kill, those fucking brats," the pale man hissed, his voice even raspier after the attack, "Starting with the time-traveler"

There was just enough time for Percy to blast the kids out of the way with a gust of air, before a fist connected with his stomach. He felt something snap, as he rocketed backwards. The force of the punch jettisoning him into the cliff at the rear of the small lake. He crashed into the rock wall, debris exploded around him, cutting through his costume and slicing tiny gashed across his frame. There was a blur, and he couldn't even move before the creature was in front of him again, this time grabbing him by the head, and slamming it back into the wall.

Something cracked, and he lost his vision for a brief moment. He tried in vain to gather the energy for an attack, but he was hoisted into the air by the leg, and abruptly thrown back into the courtyard. He crashed through the fountain, rolling to a stop only a few feet from where the attack had begun. His vision began fading in and out, and could barely make out the shapes of Midoriya, Tsu, and Mineta, standing frozen, by the body of their teacher, and Percy's missing arm.

He wanted to reach out to them, wanted to call to them to run, to get away as fast as possible. Percy tried to blink as rivulets of blood ran down his scalp, and darkened his vision more as the viscous liquid dripped over his eyes. He tried to speak, but there was so much blood pooling in his mouth that all that came out was a gob of red mess, and a few shattered teeth.

Something grabbed him by the leg, and he found himself being hoisted in the air, he tried to summon the energy to do something, anything. But all of his remaining energy had been diverted into stopping the blood flow to his arm, and overworking his internal systems so he wouldn't die.

Not that it seemed like it would be much longer anyways. He was disoriented, between his fading vision, and his equilibrium being thrown off as he was upside down, he didn't even register that he was soaring through the air, until he collided with the water.

It didn't hurt, rather, it felt as though he had simply fallen into a soft comfortable bed.

He wanted to scream, but his throat wasn't working.

He wanted to rage, but his body wasn't responding.

This couldn't be how it ended. Not with the lives of the people he cared about at stake. Not when he was the only thing standing between them, and the afterlife.

He was so tired. Maybe if he closed his eyes, and rested for a minute, he'd regain his strength.

Dad…help me…

In the pouch of his utility belt. A little, plastic, white spork, glowed brightly.

BREAK

Izuku didn't bother to try and stop the tears from flowing down his cheeks as he watched the creature systematically tear Percy apart. The image of Percy, laying prone on the ground, coughing up a lungful of blood as he tried to reassure them that everything would be ok, would live in his nightmares for years to come. Then the monster had lifted the strongest fighter their class had by the leg, and tossed him away and into the water of the lake like he was little more than a sack of potatoes.

His body trembled, as those cold dead eyes of the monster the villains had called Nomu turned his attention to them. He could hear Mineta whimper beside him, as he shared the thought that ran through Izuku's mind.

This is how I die

Tsu clutched desperately at his arm, tears still streaming down her face, and he unconsciously shifted the shivering frog-girl behind him.

A wave of icy realization hit him again

This is how I die

Flashes of All Might, Percy, Aizawa, his mother, all flashed in his mind's eye. Followed by those of Uraraka, Iida, Tsu, and the others from his class that he had been growing to like and cherish, the first few friends he had ever had. After they killed him, those friends would be next.

No!

The same feeling, he had felt when he saw Percy be dismembered coursed through his being, as his fear was replaced by something else.

I will not let them hurt anyone else!

Green lightning sparked to life, sparking and dancing along his body, as red and purple veins began to protrude along his face, arms and legs. As the same voices from before, eight in total, spoke at once in his head.

Protector

Symbol

Hero

He took a step forward. Clenching his gloved fist tightly, "Tsu," he said, surprising even himself with lack of his usual stutter, "Grab Aizawa and run back to the entrance,"

"W-what? Midoriya! N-no! You can't be-"

"DO IT!" he shouted, and before he could give her a chance to countermand his order,

He charged.

BREAK

He was sinking.

He could feel the water around him contort, and thrash, as it desperately attempted to heal his mangled and broken form.

It was dark. Even with his ability to see perfectly in the water, he saw nothing, the only reassurance that he was even still breathing, was the lap of the water against his skin. But there was something else, a strange sensation around his belt. A thrum of power, one he knew; it was comforting and familiar. Like the touch of an old friend, or the comforting arms of a loved one. It was soothing, and it enveloped his entire being, cocooning around him like a warm blanket.

Perseus

The voice rang in his head, familiar, yet distant. He knew that voice, though it had been so long since he'd heard it.

Perseus

What was it? Who was speaking to him? Was he dreaming? He wasn't dead yet, he didn't think so anyway.

Perseus my son. Last of my blood. Sword of Olympus. Son of Sally. Listen to my words.

"Dad?" he tried to say, "Dad is that you?" But the voice didn't respond to him, it continued to speak, like a message on an answering machine.

My time is nearly at an end. Our kin is fading, and already, I can feel much of my power is lost. I know you are not dead my son. I know you are merely lost.

The fates have informed me of your greater destiny. Of the greatness you will go on to achieve. I know that right now you feel lost. You are alone, and scared, and in a world that is not your own. The road ahead of you will be difficult. You will be tested, your resolve strained, and your will weakened. But you will not give up. I know this. You are the strongest of my children. My pride and joy. My greatest treasure.

Know that I am forever proud of you, my son.

Even now, as I fade, I can see the world is changing. A new era of heroism is emerging. Powers, once thought only held by our kind, are evolving, and changing the world we live in.

There will be great heroes to come. Great battles fought. And greater evils to be conquered.

This world will need a protector. A symbol of hope, and justice. A symbol that can mold, and bend, but never break.

Which is why I speak to you now. As our kind slowly go extinct, you will become the last legacy of Olympus. The last vestige of the age of true heroes. And you will need to be strong enough to fight. Strong enough, to be the symbol of hope, that you once were for us.

Which is why I grant you what little power I have left. Take it. Take it and become the man I know you are, and the one I know you will become. You have many more trials left ahead of you my son. But I know you will overcome them.

Good luck my son. And know that even in death, I will always love you.

The voice faded.

Power flooded his veins.

And he ascended.

BREAK

For Shigaraki Tomura, things could not have gone more poorly. Not only had All Might not been at the facility, as their information had led them to believe. But the children were even more of a nuisance than he had anticipated. He had known Eraserhead would be there, but the man was a negligible threat against the likes of Nomu. He had assumed that he would merely be the mini-boss before the final boss arrived.

He had been wrong.

How was he supposed to know that the real mini-boss was that faker from the time before quirks! But he had been there, and had ruined everything! Not only had he been a match for Nomu, but he had drawn out the encounter long enough for one the brats to slip away and call for help!

And then there was Midoriya Izuku.

Who the hell was this nobody?

He wasn't supposed to be this strong! Yet his ruined left cheekbone would disagree with the assessment. Now, even this brat was putting up a fight!

Granted, he was still no match for Nomu, the created monstrosity had already ruined one of the kid's arms, but he was still breathing! They needed to leave; they were cutting this far too close as it stood.

He'd just been about to call of Nomu, when the something, peculiar, happened.

Dark black clouds began to appear, low, just below the ceiling of the facility, and the distant rumble of thunder cracked as a slow breeze began to pick up.

What the hell? The weather manipulation center is at the other side of the building, what's going on here? Did something happen in one of the other regions? Is that brat causing this!?

The wind picked up speed, until it was a loud gale, as the thunder overhead boomed and roared in shorter and shorter intervals. He felt something small and wet hit his cheeks, as a small sprinkle of rain, fell from the heavens. The slow trickle, very rapidly evolved into a torrential downpour soaking him to the bone. The speed of the wind picked up in intensity, even greater than before, as the rain was thrown sideways.

The power of the gale nearly knocked him off of his unsteady feet, and yet somehow, it kept growing stronger and stronger. Trees along the man-made forest creaked and groaned, as they were battered by the winds.

"Nomu!" He called out, "Kill that kid already, we need to leave!"

Was this the work of the pro hero's? Had they arrived? It didn't matter, something was up, and he didn't like it. He turned to run back towards Kurogiri, intent on ordering him to open a warp-gate back to headquarters, when the water in the lake beside them, exploded.

BREAK

Izuku tried to brace himself against the sudden hurricane. But his legs were refusing to cooperate. He had been giving his all against the Nomu, but it hadn't been anywhere close to enough. The monster had broken one of his arms, and Izuku could feel the strain of his power on his body. He had been pushing his limits in his desperate attempt to buy time, but it hadn't been close to enough.

It was just too strong.

He could only take solace in the fact that he had been able to entertain the creature for long enough, that Tsu and Mineta had been able to get Aizawa to safety.

He fell to the ground, and cried out in pain as Nomu landed on his thigh, snapping the bones to pieces. He barely managed to dodge out of the way of a strike, as a large hand embedded itself into the ground beside his head. A large hand lashed out, and secured his torso to the ground, pinning him against the floor, as another hand drew back.

Izuku shut his eyes,

At least I'll die knowing that they left before they could hurt anyone else. I'm sorry All Might. I failed you.

He waited for the pain, the darkness, the light at the end of the tunnel, or whatever awaited someone when their spirit left the mortal realm.

But nothing happened.

He could still feel the pain in his broken leg and arm. Could still feel the pressure of the Nomu against his chest, and could taste the coppery flavor of blood in mouth. His eyes opened slowly, hesitantly, not willing himself to be hopeful that he'd been saved just yet.

The Nomu was on his chest, arm cocked back and ready to deliver the final blow. Only, it couldn't move its arm. Izuku looked up, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. There, behind Nomu, with the only hand he had left clenched tightly around the monster's enormous fist, was Percy.

At least, he thought it was Percy.

His costume had been torn down the middle so that it billowed like a jacket in the wind, revealing the sweat and blood-stained undershirt beneath the armor. His eyes were glowing, the previous green irises having been replaced by a startling all white. But that was the most startling change.

On his forehead, was a navy-blue symbol, an Omega, the tails of which jutted down like tear stains that came to an end near his cheeks. Along his torso, and under the sleeves of his uniform, Izuku could see other, similarly glowing blue marks, likely matching the symbol on his forehead. Percy spun, gripping the Nomu tightly, before throwing him with a strength Izuku didn't know Percy possessed. The creature soared, through the air, before being embedded with a sickening 'THUD' against the fair wall.

Percy reached down, and grabbed Izuku, gently picking him up, and holding him limply under his arm. Then they moved, Izuku blinked, and suddenly, they were at the top of the stairs, and he was being laid gently on the ground next to Thirteen and Aizawa.

There were gasps of surprise and horror, but Percy ignored them. He turned, and from his place on the ground, he watched as Percy approached Shoji. The two had a very brief discussion that, over the roaring gale of the winds, he couldn't hear. Shoji was looking conflicted though, over whatever was being said, but eventually, seemed to relent. Gripping Percy's good arm in one of his own, in an embrace. Percy turned back to others, the serious and grim but determined look still etched on his face. He looked at them each in turn, ignoring the questions and alarmed shouts about his arm, and injuries. He approached Izuku and knelt down next to him. When he spoke, his voice was even lower than Izuku remembered, and exuded an aura of calm and determined strength, that eased his worries and soothed his concerns.

"You did good kid." he said, his voice coming with a slight reverberation as though speaking in a large cavern, "You acted like a real hero today. I'm proud of you, I know you're going to be a great hero someday. Never stop believing in yourself, and there's no limit to what you can accomplish." Then, in flicker of speed, he vanished.

Izuku's heart clenched painfully,

Why did that feel like a goodbye?

BREAK

I don't know what this is dad, but thank you. Unfortunately, I don't have long in this form. My body can't seem to handle the strain of it. So, I'll just have to make the most of it. No more pulling punches, this could be my last shot, so I need to kill that thing here and now. I'm confident that thing has some kind of regenerative capabilities. Which mean's any damage I do to it, will be healed quickly. But, if I can tear it apart fast enough, then it shouldn't be able to recover fast enough to save. That's how my healing works anyways.

Percy reappeared in front of the shocked form of Shigaraki. His body hummed in delight at the raw, unadulterated power that was surging through him. He'd never felt so strong, so attuned to the world around him. His connection to water and aquatic life had always been powerful, but he could feel the flow of the waters of the pacific miles away. Could feel every molecule in the facility, and hear the call of the seas in his ear.

"W-what the hell is going on here?!" Shigaraki demanded, but Percy ignored him. He couldn't concern himself with the bastard at the moment. Not when the other creature was still alive. It looked like it hadn't even been damaged. Percy clenched his fist, and two javelins of ice, shot out of the ground behind Shigaraki, impaling him behind the knees. The man cried out in pain, and collapsed to the ground, blood pooling from the wounds, and trickling down the ice, as he was pinned to the ground. The specter shot forward, but with a wave of his hand, the warp-gate creator was blasted away with an explosion of air.

He looked back at the main entrance, where some of his class lay in wait for their reinforcements to arrive. His heart filled with regret. Regret that it had come to this, and regret that they had been forced into such a terrible position. But in spite of that, he was proud. He was proud of his kids, and their bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.

His kids?

When had that happened? When had he started thinking of them as his kids?

When had he allowed them in like he had? He didn't even think he'd been conscious of the decision. He'd started out trying to keep everyone at arm's length. Yet somewhere down the line, they'd become immeasurably important to him.

When he first came here. He was alone, he had nothing and nobody. Then, slowly but surely, that had changed. First with the staff, then with Miruko, then the kids from the exam, the Cats, his class, Nejire and Mirio and Amajiki.

Power, hope, and love blossomed in his chest. Realization came crashing down on him like a tidal wave.

He wasn't alone.

On some level, he'd known that for weeks. Between Mandalay and Nejire hammering it into his head on an almost daily basis, it was hard not to. But, at some point, words become hallow. They don't mean anything. Sure, they're said, and there's kind and goodly intent behind them, but they don't have the impact they once had. So even though he'd heard for weeks that he didn't have to face things alone. That he didn't need to feel guilty or regretful about finding new people to fill the holes in heart. He hadn't truly believed it.

Not until now.

Not until all of that had been threatened.

Not until these bastards had tried to take the only things keeping him sane.

He roared, energy and power permeating everything around him. He would not let someone take from him again. Not when he'd just realized what he'd found. Not when he finally had hope that he could live again. He would fight, and he would die before he let anything or anyone try to harm what was his.

Something crashed nearby, and Percy ducked, as an enormous fist passed over his. The attack, seemingly coming as though played in slow motion. Sweeping the legs out from under it, Percy grabbed one of its legs as it toppled through the air. With a yank, he once again threw the creature, this time directly into the pool of water. It skipped across the surface of the lake like a stone, and Percy reappeared above it. Landing on it's back, he heard a 'CRUNCH' as the back of the monster broke under the force of the impact.

He allowed the momentum from the attack to carry him forward, as he sailed overtop of the Nomu. He slashed downward, creating a blade out of the water, aiming for the monster's oversized head.

as he watched the spine snap, and it moved out of the way, just in time to avoid being impaled.

However, it lost its arm in the process.

Percy landed back on the water, before charging with blinding speed, back at the Nomu. Behind him, tendrils of water formed, and shot forward, impacting, and blowing through the body of the Nomu, as though bullets from a gun. Not wishing to give it a second to breath or counter, Percy spun, lifting his foot into the air. His foot collided with the chest, and from the heel of his foot exploded a combination of elements. Percy channeled wind and water in one furious assault. A gust of wind tore through the chest of the Nomu, scarring, and bruising it, as scalding water erupted from the same point, burning the eyes of the creature, which hissed and roared in pain.

Percy didn't let up the attack.

Percy didn't let up the attack. Jumping off the Nomu, Percy slid across the surface of the water. Gliding over the surface like it was made of ice, a wake following behind him as he sped across the lake. Skating in a circle around the Nomu, he gathered up as water beneath it, spinning his hand clockwise as he did so. Skidding to halt, but still on the water's surface, he shot forward once again. With his hand outstretched, he raised it skyward, as a pillar of water jettisoned to the heavens, carrying the Nomu with it.

Percy climbed the spiral like a he was riding a waterfall, reaching the top before the Nomu, and crashing into it with a kick. The 'BOOM' from the collision echoed around the facility, and the Nomu careened back into the water, as Percy fell after it. With another wave of his hand, four pillars of ice fell from the sky, impaling each impaling one of the remaining limbs, as a final one embedded itself in the creatures brain.

This is it, I can feel it, the last of my strength. I'll give it everything I got, in this one last attack.

He extended his limbs outward, and reached out with his will. He drew upon every raindrop, every molecule, everything he could pulled. The water below him churned and roiled, rising into the sky and heeding its master's call. The lake emptied, and the Nomu fell to the floor of manmade creation, and struggled to get to its feet. The combined effects of Percy and Izuku's battles pushing its shock-absorption to the absolute brink of what it could withstand.

The water rose behind Percy shaping and molding itself to its master's design. Time once more seemed to slow as he fell, and the construct behind him took shape.

One by one, tentacles started to form. Rising from the depths of the lake, as the mythological beast from times long before once had. Then came the head, and torso, long, sleek, and powerful. It's enormous, beak-like maw opening, to show rows of razer sharp teeth.

It was something straight from his imagination. The very same Kraken he'd fought before coming to this time. The one that had taken him from everything he'd held dear. Now, in this moment, that defeat, would become his victory. From his loss, he would gain strength, and from his sorrow, he found hope.

"NOW TAKE THIS!" he roared, as he lifted his arm over his head, the aquatic creation matching the movement as he did so, images of those he'd loved and lost. Of Grover, Annabeth, his mother, and all the others flashing before his mind's eye.

"MY GRIEF, MY ANGUISH, ALL OF MY SUFFERING!"

He slashed down, and his creation followed suit, it's eight limbs spinning, as though they were enormous, overly-large hydraulic drills.

The cats, his class, the big three, and Mirko appeared before him. As he pushed every last ounce of power into his creation. He used his new reasons for living as his inspiration,

"AND ALL OF MY HOPE,"

The arms slammed into the chest of the Nomu with all the force of the son of the sea god behind it,

"SEVEN SEAS SMASH!"

The Kraken exploded into a tidal wave of water. All of it directly hammering into the body of the Nomu, shredding skin, and tearing limbs from body. It pulverized, ground, and pummeled. As the pain and hope ebbed from the son of Poseidon and he poured every last drop of his diminishing power into the attack.

The force of the attack, combined with the winds of the still raging hurricane, sent Percy flying through the air. He landed with a 'THUD' on the concrete in front of the now broken fountain, lying face down, in a small crater, his entire body quivering, as he tried to find what little power was left in him to stand.

Panting, he heaved himself up enough, to see the waves of the small lake churning and splashing against the shore. The blue omega across his forehead faded away, as his green eyes returned. The rain, wind, and thunder subsided, as the hurricane died away with the last of Percy's energy.

He let out a small, painful laugh, that it turned into a coughing fit, as the pain hit his body all at once, and he collapsed to the ground. He'd pushed his body beyond the limits of what it could do. And now it was taking all of his remaining willpower to even remain conscious.

But in spite of the pain, he could grin. His body might be broken, and he might have given it all he had, but his spirit had not been crushed. He had overcome, he had triumphed, and he had won.

And then the purple hand, rose from the depths.

"No…" He coughed out, "No, no, no,"

Slowly, and with mounting horror and disbelief, he watched as the monster hauled itself up and out of the water. Showing off the extent of what his attack had done.

The entire right side of the monster's body was gone. Sawn in half, like it had been run through with a buzzsaw. Its leg was bent behind it awkwardly, broken and destroyed. Large gashes, cuts, and bruises dotted its body, arm, and leg. And its beak had snapped in half.

Then, it started to glow.

Its missing leg regrew. Followed by an arm. Then head. Then beak.

Somewhere, Shigaraki laughed. "Do you see now," he rasped, "Do you see now the futility of this fight little fraud. This, is why he was created. He is the perfect counter to the weakening fraud of a Symbol of Peace. Try as you might, no matter how much you damage it. It will regenerate. Regrow. And continue to fight as its master commands. Nomu," He called,

"Break him."

The creature disappeared.

Then there was a knee in his back.

He felt his spine shatter.

And blackness consumed him.

AN: Big Yikes there bud. Gonna be honest, became a little more DBZ than I anticipated, but for good reason. This will all come into play later, probably much later, but it's very important. Poor Percy though, I just love breaking him. I can't help myself. I like to see my heroes lose every now and again. BUT, it's not all in vain. Thanks for all the support you guys, it's been so fucking unreal. I'm so happy you all have been enjoying this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Stay safe, love you all, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Love,

LilDB