A woman walked with her young eleven year-old child through an empty street in New York. It was raining; not a downpour which rendered walking useless, but one which was pleasant to walk in. They were just coming back from a nice burger place, with the child content for the day. This woman was beautiful for one in her early thirties, with long brown hair and sparkling light blue eyes. A kindly smile adorned her face, one that could only be seen as she looked at her pre-teen boy who chattered excitedly about how much he liked the burgers he had eaten that day.
Sally Jackson was a novelist, who had written several books under the pen-name "Justine Sellers". Her recent series, Colin Newman & the House of Life managed to capture the imagination of many pre-teens and teenagers, making it a huge success. Only those close to her knew of her source of income, as she preferred to stay away from any kind of limelight as much as possible.
Her son, Percy Jackson, however had very little to offer in academics and was an insane troublemaker. Repeatedly getting kicked out of schools for absurd reasons was a specialty of the young boy. Despite the huge difference, Sally loved her little boy and did not pressure him much more than any parent would who cared for the wellbeing of their children. She knew he was destined for far more than sitting in an office and making millions of dollars. All she wanted was to raise her son well, so he would not forget himself and be swayed by the life that was waiting for him.
Unknown to the mother and son, a lone figure followed them around, coming in from a branching alleyway so as to not cause suspicion. He knew the routes the duo would take, having followed them for the past six months. He was heavy-set, standing at 6'4" in a trench coat. This figure wasn't a regular man. He only had one eye. Not as in, blind in one eye. One eye only, stretched across his forehead. A feature which distinguished Cyclopes from humans.
The Cyclops was en route to the intersection where he could see them clearly again, when his hyper-sensitive nose smelled something awful - like rotten beef, but different. Oh no.
He sprinted. If he was lucky, he would reach his charges before the beast ripped them to pieces. The Cyclops knew he would die today. Either at the hands of the beast, or facing the wrath of his master for failing. Better to die with some dignity. He would reform either way after all…
Sally's instincts told her to turn around, and her instincts rarely were wrong. She stopped to look behind towards the street. Her eyebrows shot up once she saw what was approaching them. She quickly looked at her darling child, "Percy, I need you to take this pen. It is a gift. From your father".
"Dad? You mean Gabe?", he growled, quite convincingly for his age and stature. Gabe, his step-father, was a no-good abusive jerk, and Percy never understood why his mom ever married him. Good thing he drowned in the sea, as the child heard.
"No, Percy", she said, shaking her head, "Your real father left this for you before you were born. He told me to give it to you once you were old enough".
"But… why would he gift me something lame like a pen?", he whined, completely ignoring everything else that was said.
Sally chuckled and ruffled his unkempt raven hair. I know exactly how lame you will find this pen to be soon, son. "That would take a very long explanation, Percy", her voice turned stern, "Remember; trust your instincts. You will know when to use it. Now let's go".
Percy grumbled something about parents and lame gifts under his breath. Inwardly, he had a feeling that the pen was much more than it looked like.
Sally didn't try to hurry. The bull-man behind her was not running, just walking. Quite slowly. She was afraid the beast would charge at them, as soon as it found something to be wrong. Sally prayed for the safety of her child as she walked him. She slowly picked up the pace. The rain started to pour harder.
The footsteps behind her quickened all of a sudden; heavier too. Sally grabbed Percy's hand and started running as fast as she could.
"What happened, mom?! Why are we running?!", the confused child cried out.
"Don't say anything, Percy! Just run!"
Crash!
Sally and Percy turned around what happened. Two bulky figures lay on the ground, next to a wall right. Too close to them for Sally's comfort. Percy's eyes widened in terror and amazement. One of them had… the head of a bull. The bull-man got up, and grabbed the other guy's neck in a chokehold. He tried fighting him off, but despite his massive figure he couldn't get rid of it. The bull-man was broader and a foot taller than him, and that was saying something.
Sally grabbed Percy's hand again and made a run for the alley. The rain was crashing down in a downpour, he noticed. For some reason he was feeling good. Lumbering, heavy footsteps could be heard over the sound of the falling raindrops, approaching them at rapid pace. Sally made a turn into the broader street. Once she could hear the footsteps behind her, she stood her ground with a whimpering Percy behind her.
"Mom, is that… is that the-"
"Yes, Percy, it is Pasiphae's son. Don't say its name. Not now. It's dangerous".
The Minotaur, as it was infamously named, slowly moved forward diagonal to them, sniffing the air. Its head suddenly jerked towards them, and he made a dash for them. Sally quickly jumped away with Percy at the last second, sending the bull straight into the wall. Sally ran in the opposite direction, but the Minotaur quickly got up and charged them again. Sally gave another dodge, but this time a horn managed to brush her side.
She cried in pain, clutching her side. The Minotaur charged again, as Sally pushed Percy behind. It smacked Sally across the street.
"Mom!" Percy cried, looking towards his now unconscious mother on the other side of the street. He was angry now. How dare this ugly bull hurt his mom!
Adrenaline fueled him. He wasn't going to run any longer. The rain, too, seemed to be pulling no punches. It was difficult to even see anything between the drops of water, but Percy could see everything clearly.
"Hey stupid! Ground beef! Over here", he cried out at the top of his voice. His voice came out as a squeak, but he didn't care. This bull was going to pay.
The Minotaur bellowed, and charged him. Percy tried to move aside like his mom did, but the beast didn't buy it. It adjusted its motion and tackled him with much too force for an average eleven year old to handle. However, Percy got up a few seconds after the blow. For some reason he was able to stand up, and wasn't even too dazed. He didn't notice the gasp from behind.
The Minotaur charged him again, this time with arms open wide to prevent any meaningful attempt of escape. Instincts he didn't have kicked in. Percy didn't try the sidestep manoeuvre again. Instead, he opted to leap up, kicking the bull-face of the Minotaur and turned around to grab his neck.
The bull tried to free himself from the puny hands across its meaty neck. It was like a rodeo, Percy holding on for dear life, while the bull thrashed about the place. Eventually, it smashed into a wall.
Sensing an opportunity, Percy grabbed the left horn on the beast's head. Seeing his mom lying on the floor made Percy's blood boil. In a fit of rage, he pulled it backwards. With a snap, it came off the head,, the monster bellowing in pain.
"No way", a girl's voice called out. But Percy didn't notice. The Minotaur, now recovered, charged at him again. He was too drained to do anything about it. But the last thing that anyone expected happened.
ZAP!
The Minotaur was suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning, which did not originate from the sky. It came at a horizontal angle, sending it sprawling in its direction. A sandy-haired teenager came up soon after, armed with a glowing bronze sword. Thunder crackled overhead, something which wasn't happening a few minutes ago. The boy tried to kill it with the techniques he and his mother were using but it wasn't working. The Minotaur tried to grab him, but the sword made the approach difficult for the monster.
Percy gripped the horn tightly in his hand. He walked over to the seven-feet-plus Minotaur, eyes filled with determination, and shoved it into the unsuspecting bull-man's side with all his might.
It gave a loud bellow, as it disintegrated into golden dust.
The storm seemed to be receding, and Percy felt completely drained.
"Easy there, kid… easy", the older teen said, as he held Percy from collapsing on the spot.
"Mom…", the kid's voice came out as a faint whisper.
"Sure… Thalia!", he shouted, "Find a phone and call an ambulance for…", he then turned towards him, speaking softly, "What's her name?"
"Sally… Jackson", Percy said, his voice cracking. He tried to stay awake, but the exhaustion was too much to fight. His mind gave in as all he could see was black, before he shut down.
Percy woke up to an unfamiliar environment. He looked about, taking in the surroundings.
He was in some sort of room, though not a homely place. It looked deserted, the only signs of life being the two people, a boy and a girl, that occupied it. Percy vaguely recognised the boy. He was… right, the teen that fought the Minotaur with a sword. But that meant that everything was real, his mom…
"Hey kiddo. I see you woke up nicely", the sandy haired teen said, a little kindness in his voice.
"My mom… what happened to her", Percy asked shakily.
"She's going to be okay. Thalia called an ambulance. And it arrived, thank the gods", Luke answered him.
The punk girl, Percy assumed, was Thalia. She gave him a reassuring smile. Thalia looked around 3-4 years older than him. A little younger than the boy, who looked about sixteen.
"So, where are we?", Percy asked, looking around the place more closely.
"We're in a… safehouse, you can call it. We are safe here for a while"
"Why aren't we with my mom?! In the hospital?" He tried getting up, wincing in pain as he did so. He was still a little sore from the tackle.
"Relax, kid, relax", Luke said, steadying him back on the bed.
Thalia poured a drink into a little glass. And filled just half of that glass. "Here, drink this. You'll feel a little better".
Percy eyed her warily, but gulped it down. Immediately he felt better, no, stronger and more energetic.
"Why don't we start with names? My name's Thalia, and this is Luke", the girl said.
"I'm Percy Jackson".
"So, why don't you tell us what happened? From the start. How did that bull attack you".
Percy wasn't sure if he should trust these guys, but they were nice to him. And they had saved his life. He recounted the events of the day, omitting the gift that his father left him. It felt personal. The kids were surprised to hear about the man that attacked the Minotaur, but they didn't say anything.
"So, my mom…"
"Is safe, Percy. We even left a note in her phone, telling her she has no need to worry", Percy was about to protest, but Luke continued, "But you see Percy, you aren't safe, as you could tell from the Minotaur. Let us explain".
And explain they did. Percy had trouble believing everything what was said about gods, demigods and monsters. But a half-naked, bull-headed man made a very convincing case. They told him that his dad was probably a god. Then they explained the monsters, how they searched for demigod kids who were older and tried to kill them.
Thalia then showed him her bracelet, saying it transformed into a shield. It was a gift from her dad Zeus, whose lightning she also inherited. Percy wondered if his pen had some special property. Maybe you could write "Die, ugly" over a monster, and it would disintegrate like the Minotaur did.
"What do you say, kid? Would you stay with us and learn to fight off these monsters, or go back home and wait for another attack?", Luke asked him.
Percy really wanted to see his mom again, but he understood that it would be best to stay with these two. It was for the best. He'd meet his mom again as a tough boy, ready to protect himself and her from these wicked monsters.
"I think… I will stay with you guys. Learn to fight".
Luke grinned, "I'm sure you'll do fine at fighting. You killed a Minotaur on your first try. That takes some serious talent".
"And that jump on top of the ugly bull," Thalia began, "and pulling the horn right off its head. That was just soo cool, Percy. I don't think I would have ever pulled that off! Wow, just wow", she gushed at him, her electric blue eyes twinkling with sisterly affection.
Percy blushed at the praise. He didn't know what came over him in the fight. Regardless, he knew in his gut that these two were friendly. They'll have all sorts of adventures together. Maybe he'll have them meet his mom one day. She could tell him who his dad was. His mom knew that dad was a god, Percy was sure of it.
So, here's another story. This one won't be updated as frequently as my other two until I finish one of them; Maiden's Dilemma most likely.
Anyways, this is supposed to pretty much a rewrite of canon. Most plot points, even the environment will be completely different from the original, with only a few connections to the books. Hope you all enjoy what is to come. It is a prequel to what was originally supposed to be "Land of Amazon" but that plan's cancelled. The sequel to the sequel of this story (yes, I've already planned that far, vaguely) is going to take its place.
