A\N: This story just would not leave my head, so here you are! I do not own the PJO universe.
Chapter 1: Consequences of being good in your past life: Get reborn as an American.
Fourteen years ago,
20th September 1992,
Brooklyn.
In the false light of dawn, a young woman sat at the kitchen counter, gazing into her cup, as if the depths of poorly made instant coffee held the secrets of the universe. With her mahogany locks piled messily on top of her head and the bags under her eyes, she was a poster girl for an overworked college student. The whole scene had a poignant feel to it, a hint of the melancholia of the young adult experience.
She heaved a sigh, setting her mug aside and reached for the bowl of cereal near her, which by then had probably set into a congealed mess reminiscent of cat food. Idly, she stirred the mixture, if it could be called that, and leaned in to take a bite.
"WAAAAH!"
A baby's shrill cry disturbed the stillness of the apartment. Silently groaning, the young woman put down her spoon, and got up to go to the makeshift nursery in her room.
A few years ago, Salacia "Sally" Jackson wouldn't have thought that she would be here at 21, mother to two of the most wonderful, yet frustrating children, and in the danger of dropping out of college in her final year.
Humming a lullaby to calm the twins down, Sally gazed at the adorably snuffling little bodies in the crib, and couldn't bring herself to resent Poseidon for leaving her, not when their relationship had resulted in the twin lights of her life.
With love brimming in her heart for her precious babies, Sally started humming a little louder as the twins opened their eyes. Already, their eyes were changing from the usual baby blues to ones resembling their parents'.
Busy cooing at her twins, Say failed to hear the soft knocking at the door at first. After a few more seconds of insistent knocking, she went to open the door, wondering who on earth was even awake at this hour, other than single mothers with newborns.
Opening the door, she was taken aback to find a handsome man with green eyes standing in her doorway, a hopeful smile on his face and her favorite flowers in his hands.
"Poseidon." Her mouth flattened slightly.
In hopes of reducing her ire, Poseidon offered up the small bouquet of blue hyacinths he had brought with him.
"Hello Sally. You look as beautiful as ever."
"Cut the crap. I look like every new mother out there. Why are you here? And with flowers too." Sally questioned coolly, raising a sardonic eyebrow.
"May I come in, please? I want to see them."
"Oh, come on in." Waving a hand, she invited the sea god in.
"But seriously, why are you here?" Sally put the flowers in a vase, and spun around to face the god. "Last time we spoke, you told me that you would not be able to see them after they were born. That it would be dangerous for them."
Running a hand through his hair, he wearily replied, "And it still is. However, if I don't stay for long, my scent would not be detected on them. I just wanted to hold them once."
"Alright," She softened at the desperation in his eyes, thinking they are his children too, and he won't be able to see them grow up, or even be in their lives, "Come meet your children, my love"
Poseidon gave a start at the endearment, and a sad smile stretched across his tanned face as he followed her deeper into the apartment. She was one hell of a woman.
Going up to the crib, the sea god felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight of the two tiny bundles. Shakily, he ran a finger down the soft cheek of the nearest one.
Exhaling softly, he murmured, "I knew you were having twins…, but seeing them now, like this… Oh Sally, it's been millennia since I have been blessed with twins."
Looking at the almost desperate look in his eyes, Sally picked one of the babies up and transferred him into his father's arms.
"Here, hold him like this. No, not like that, you idiot, support his neck with your hand. How are you so bad at this? You've had children before"
"It's been a century since I've held a babe in my arms, sally. It is possible I might have forgotten some things."
Due to the disturbance, hushed it may have been, the twin in the crib started making a fuss. Her mother lifted her into her arms and swayed lightly, hushing her with a soft hum. The baby settled down and opened her eyes, blinking slowly.
Heart full of adoration and love for his children, Poseidon asked in a hushed voice, "what are their names?"
"It's a boy and a girl. The one you're holding, his name is Perseus Aeneas Jackson. And the one in my arms is named Aurelia Phoebe."
"Good, strong names. They will be heroes. It will be a dangerous but glorious life for them, but with you as their mother, they will prevail."
Tightening her hold on Aurelia slightly, Sally asked with a waver in her voice, "Are you sure? Do you promise that my babies will live?"
"Oh, Sally," Poseidon shifted his hold on Perseus and dropped a kiss on her temple, "the life of a demigod is always treacherous, but our children will be two of the strongest. That much I have seen."
A tear slid down her cheek.
His heart ached at the sight of her tears, but he could do nothing to ease her worry, except comfort her. He kissed her on the cheek, and carefully took her into his arms, putting his son down in the crib. Still cradling Aurelia, Sally leant into his chest, tears streaming down her face at the thought of her children being in danger.
After a while, Sally composed herself, putting her daughter down to let her cuddle with her brother. Both of them, mortal and god, gazed at their children in quiet contentment.
"They really are beautiful and strong children. Their souls shine brightly."
A voice behind them made them spin around, trying to shield the twins. Poseidon was especially wary, his senses not having warned him of any approaching beings.
A Being of indeterminate gender and age stood before them, clad in an iridescent black toga.
Poseidon called his trident into being, and drew himself up, eyes glowing with power. Fathomless black eyes shifted to him, and a corner of their mouth ticked into a smirk.
"Don't be so alarmed, dear great-grandson. I mean them no harm."
The Sea God's eyes widened. Sally gasped as she too understood who stood in front of them.
"Khaos," Poseidon breathed out, awed, and more than a little frightened over the implication of the primordial being there.
"Just so," The personification of the void confirmed.
Sally clutched at Poseidon's arm, but asked in a brave voice, "Why are you here, if I may ask, my lord?"
The Primordial shifted their attention to the mother of the twins, and something seemed to flash through their eyes. A knowing look came over their face as they answered, "Peace, dear lady. I come here with benign intentions. Your daughter is my chosen."
Poseidon closed his eyes at that, understanding what they had not said. Now, both his children would be burdened by their destinies.
Sally, not having the same insight as her former paramour, tilted her head in question.
Correctly reading her expression, Khaos further elaborated, "She is to be my paladin in the mortal plane. I tend to choose one every few centuries. They are catalysts of change, and go where they are needed."
"Are you here to take her away?" she asked tremulously.
Poseidon tightened his grip on his trident at Sally's question, but knew he would not be able to do anything should his Great-Grandparent decide to take his daughter with them. Despair welled up within him.
They laughed lightly, but raised a hand. "Peace, little ones. I am not here to spirit her away from her family. I am here mainly to talk to both of you. Unlike most of the immortals, I tend to take a more proactive role when it comes to my chosen, my harbingers of change. Should we sit, first?" They indicated the seating are with a wave of their hand.
When the God and his former lover had taken a seat, Khaos sat themselves on an armchair and continued talking.
"While only your daughter is to be my champion, Ananke and her triplets have chosen your son to be a catalyst as well, and have weaved your children's fates tightly together. Whatever threats they will face, they will do so together. I could countermand that, but over the millennia, I have come to understand humans better. I have found that humans cope better if they have, I believe the term is, a support system. I will not jeopardize my herald's chance for emotional stability. For a demigod, that is."
Poseidon's face grew grimmer as his ancestor explained. Sally was looking shocked, and slightly confused, at his side, her hand clutching his thigh tightly.
Poseidon could see Sally gearing up for questions, and hoped he was not about to see the mother of his children being smote.
As if she could read his thoughts, she shot a stern look at the sea god, and asked, "What does that mean, my lord?"
"Even before I had chosen her, Ananke already had plans for the both of them. In retaliation to my perceived meddling, her daughters bound their fates together. This means that their lives would be much entangled with each other's. And so would their fates. Should one die, the other would follow soon after. Prophecies about one would involve the other as well, unless it specifically refers to a particular twin."
Blood drained from the Sea God's face as he understood the ramifications of that. Sally was similarly pale.
Poseidon cursed inwardly. The Great Prophecy was almost certainly about his children. He had hoped to spare at least one of the twins from the burden of the prophecy, but this made it impossible.
Taking in their shell-shocked faces, Khaos raised a hand, and consoled, "Don't be disheartened. This is not a death sentence for either of your children. Ananke's triplets might hold the threads of their fate, but should they live to twenty, they will only die of old age, this I promise."
Poseidon was not reassured. The life of a demigod was perilous, and for the children of the Elder Gods even more. Not to mention that the biggest threat to their lives right now came from his brothers.
However, before either of the new parents could say a word, the Void said, "I do not have much time. I came here to inform you of this, as well as bestow a gift. Due to the machinations of my sister, I am unable to change my champion's fate too much. However, I can ensure that she and her twin will have a childhood without any dangers."
A blink, and the Primordial was standing by the crib. Hastily, the couple made their way to their babies' side.
The personification of the Void ran a finger along an ear of Aurelia, and a black ear cuff appeared on the earlobe. They repeated the action with Perseus.
"These ear cuffs will prevent anyone from recognizing them as demigods. It will hide their scent, and a monster would have to be within a meter to identify them as half-bloods. Even so, their parentage will remain secret. The protection will last until they reach twelve, and it will slowly wear off," Khaos explained.
Sally suddenly sagged against her former lover. "Oh thank God."
Their lips quirked into a smile. "You're quite welcome, my dear."
Poseidon gathered her up in a hug, relief coursing through his body.
"I will take my leave now. My chosen already has my Blessing, and I look forward to seeing how she fares. How both fare."
And then, there were four.
Sally made her way to the sofa on shaky legs, and collapsed, her head in her hands. Even though he was a god, Poseidon felt like doing the same.
But he refrained, and sat down slowly, laying his hand on her back to comfort her.
"What am I going to do?" Sally plaintively asked, running her hands through her hair, pulling it out of its haphazard bun. "Champion of Khaos?! Gods, it was hard enough when they were just your children."
"I know, love. I know."
Poseidon patted his ex-girlfriend's back soothingly. "You know you could always come live with me under the sea. The children would be much safer, as well."
This had been a familiar request throughout Sally's pregnancy.
"I really can't, you know that. You have your wife, your heir, and your kingdom to look after. Meanwhile, we are mortal. The children need to socialize with humans, as well. I cannot, in good conscience, isolate them so, especially now that Khaos has been so generous."
"Ours is an open marriage, and you know it. Amphitrite will not mind your presence, and Triton will come around."
Seeing as this was not working, Poseidon changed tracks. "It will be difficult raising one child, let alone two, as a college student. Let me at least make sure you and our children are comfortable and not lacking for money. Think of it as child support," He beseeched his ex-love, appealing to her pragmatic side.
Sally said nothing for a long while, just looking at him. He could see pride warring with her pragmatism, and hoped she would not be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn.
"Fine." The pragmatism won out. "You can provide us with financial support. But within reason. No gold-plated mansions."
He smiled, thankful that he would be able to do this much at least, even if he would not be able to visit them again, lest his brothers discover the twins. He was lucky he even got to meet them.
He deliberately shifted the matter of his baby girl being Khaos' chosen to the back of his mind, not wanting to deal with it just then.
"Now let us just hold them for a while. I think we both need to."
Present day,
1st June 2007,
Museum of Modern Art,
New York.
Perseus Aeneas "Percy" Jackson stared at the spot where a Fury had been only a few moments before.
Ray is going to freak.
What had been a normal museum field trip had turned into a disaster once Mrs. Dodds, or whichever Fury she had been, had gotten him alone. Fortunately, he never went anywhere without his weapons, or he would have been monster chow. And then, his sister would have found a way to raise the dead just to mock him.
He did not want that.
Not because it would be morally corrupt, or that it would stain his sister's soul, but because the world would not survive an Aurelia Jackson with powers over the dead.
He did not know where the mad scientist gene came from, but he and his mom had had their hands full with her normal experiments. The number of times a fire had to be put out in their basement would give any fire marshal a heart attack. His water bending had improved in leaps and bounds once his sister had discovered the joys of science.
He capped his pen-sword, Riptide, and made his way to the rest of his school group. He hoped no one had seen his fight. But then he relaxed, as felt the faint threads of the Mist blanket the room. He felt grateful for his earring, when he was able to easily dismiss the Mist suggestions of there never being a Mrs. Dodds, and that a Mr. Roland had always been the Math teacher. Thank you, Hecate.
Clearly the very shady Mr. Brunner had ensured that the normal humans in the museum had not witnessed anything supernatural. He still wasn't sure if he was a monster or something more benign. Percy wondered what he must have thought of his fight with the Fury.
Percy himself was not sure about it. The Fury had been his teacher for a whole year, but had only attacked at the end-of-middle-school field trip? Though he was pretty sure it had something to do with the fact that he had forgotten to turn off his water-proofing when he had spilled coffee on himself.
When he approached the group clustered around a Piet Mondrian painting, Grover looked up from the information booklet, and asked, "Is everything alright? What did Mr. Roland want?"
Time for some Oscar-level acting.
"Oh, he just wanted to make sure I hadn't hurt myself from the hot coffee. What did I miss?" Percy asked nonchalantly.
See, the thing was, Percy was aware his best friend was a satyr. But Grover did not know that. He was still under the impression that Percy was unaware of the whole Greek Demigod thing. So, to not make things awkward, Percy had just…chosen not to tell him, when it was evident Grover had gone to great lengths to hide his species.
"We went through the Bauhaus room. You would have liked it."
Percy frowned, genuinely upset he had missed that. Art had always been a passion of his. His mild dyslexia had kept him from truly enjoying the written word, and he had found refuge in Art and Music, unlike Ray, who had dived into experimental science with unholy glee.
Seeing his face, Grover consoled him, "I'm sure you can come back again to see it. The sign said that the exhibit was for another month. Summer vacation begins in a week, remember?"
"Yeah, you're right," Percy sighed. "Now, let's just enjoy the rest of the tour."
He pretended he couldn't hear the satyr's sigh of relief.
Present day,
2nd June 2007,
Milton Prep,
Orange County.
Notch. Draw. Aim. Release.
Thwack.
Repeat.
The repetitive motions of practicing archery, (not that she needed any practice), were very soothing to the young woman at the empty range, the sounds of arrows hitting the targets echoing through the room.
Aurelia Phoebe "Ray" Jackson was uneasy. Her normally cool and collected state of mind was in turmoil, her mood sour. It had been so since she had gotten the email from her twin.
A Fury. In his school. As his teacher for a whole year.
She was just as annoyed at him for not noticing a monster under his nose, as she was at the Fates, and the Lord of the Underworld.
Well, no, she wasn't mad at Percy, but it was easy to be angry than let the worry consume her.
When she had first realized that she had been reincarnated into an American, she had cursed the gods of her previous life. But however much this country irritated her, she had gotten something she hadn't had before. A loving family, and more importantly, a twin brother. Even the revelation that the Greek Gods were real, and that they were children of one, hadn't fazed her much, not when she had a loving mother and brother to support her. If she was thankful towards her patron for something, she was thankful they had given her a family this time around.
Ever since she had properly acclimatized to her situation by the age of five, her brother had become the center of her world.
And now the fact that he had faced a Fury without her, sent all her instincts haywire. She herself had killed an empousa the day before, but the presence of the Fury meant that they, or at least Percy, had come to the attention of higher beings.
During the winter holidays, their half-brother had informed them of a theft on Olympus during the Solstice. This was probably the opening salvo of a game played on the divine scale, with the twins as pawns.
She scowled fiercely at the mere thought of being used as a pawn. She had no intention of letting either her or Percy dance to the tune of others.
Thwack.
She lowered the bow after shooting the last arrow.
Bullseye.
Let the games begin.
Present day,
8th June 2007,
New York.
Percy gazed out of the window as the Greyhound bus sped down the highway to New York City. It had been a harrowing week since Mrs. Dodds had attacked him.
He had sent both his mom and sister emails about the incident immediately after coming back to his dorm. (Being a demigod, he couldn't really use normal phones. Which sucked, honestly). Since he was going home after a week anyway, his mom had told him to stay at school and enjoy with his friends, unless there was another monster attack.
But instead of enjoying, Percy had to witness his best friend being extremely cagey, and at the same time, very nosey. Somehow, he had managed to play being clueless well enough that Grover had let up on the nosiness. Even the dodgy Mr. Brunner had not paid much attention to him specifically.
Clang. Bang. Screech.
The sound of the bus breaking down shook him out of his reverie. Black smoke pouring out of the front of the bus made everyone hurry out of the bus. The passengers were milling about on the shoulder of the road when a fruit stand on the other side of the road caught his eye.
His heart stopped.
Grover, who was accompanying him till New York, looked at Percy in confusion. He followed the demigod's gaze, and paled when his eyes landed on the three old ladies knitting with huge balls of yarn.
Snip.
Percy's breath caught in his chest when one of the old ladies picked up a pair of huge golden shears, and cut a bright blue thread.
He panted as whatever spell that had held him still, lost its hold on him, as the old ladies tidied up their knitting. Suddenly, the smoke stopped coming out, and the engine of the bus began to purr.
They got back on the bus, Grover sending Percy alarmed looks. He ignored this, which was rather easy due to his own preoccupation.
Di immortals, the Fates had seen fit to show him that. He hoped, prayed, it was no one he loved.
He determinedly ignored the fact that the color of the thread was an exact match to the streak of color in his sister's hair.
Having spent the rest of the journey in uneasy silence, they arrived at the bus station. After Getting off the bus and collecting their luggage, Percy turned to his best friend.
"Hey, will you be able to come to my house right now, before you leave for yours?" Percy asked. "My sister wants to meet you."
Grover tilted his head, considering. And then shrugged.
"Sure. My ride is coming in the evening, anyhow."
"Awesome."
Percy hailed a cab. "West 85th street, please."
He felt slightly guilty for making Grover come to his house under false pretenses, but he could never say no to his sister. He felt slightly sorry for Grover, and hoped Ray would go easy on him.
When the cab pulled up to their townhouse, Percy found his sister waiting for them on the front steps.
As soon as he paid the cab fare and unloaded their bags, he found himself with an armful of his twin. Taking in her comforting scent of sea breeze and lavender, his body lost the tension it had built up since the encounter with the Fury.
When the twins had turned twelve, their mother had made the decision to send them to different boarding schools, in order to minimize the risks of a monster attack. While they had understood the reasoning behind it, it was always difficult for them to be apart for so long. Especially this time, as it had been the last semester of middle school, and they had been planning to go to the same high school. So this had been the last time they were going to be separated. It had been the worst two years of his life, and Percy was thankful it had ended.
So maybe, just maybe, their mother was somewhat right about their codependency.
Grover cleared his throat. The twins detached from each other and turned towards the satyr.
"I didn't know she was your twin. When you said sister, I imagined she was your younger sister, the way you talk about her," Grover asked curiously.
Ray slapped her brother's arm jokingly, "What have you been telling your friend?"
Percy just grinned at her, content in just basking in her presence.
"Hi, I'm Aurelia, this idiot's twin sister. You can call me Ray," she introduced herself, smiling sweetly.
"Grover Underwood," the satyr replied, smiling back somewhat hesitantly. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Don't be fooled by her angelic façade. She's a demon, honestly," Percy ribbed her gently.
"Shut up. Or your friend will hear about the time in New Orleans."
Percy paled, and held up his hands in supplication.
Then her face became serious. She told Percy to bring his luggage inside, and come back outside after locking the door. Percy did as she asked, faintly curious, but having a fair idea where she was going with it. They were left with just their backpacks, Ray having brought it out, and Grover's suitcase. By then, Grover had gotten suspicious, a wary look on his face.
"What is going on, Percy?" he asked, now tense.
Before Percy could reassure him, Ray strode to the end of the curb, and flipped a golden drachma onto the road. The coin sank into the asphalt as she spoke in Greek, "Stop! O Chariot of Damnation!"
By Percy's side, Grover started.
"What…But-"
"I'll tell you everything on the way," Percy interrupted him, as a smoky grey taxicab materialized in front of them.
Grover cast him a dubious look, but followed him into the cab.
"Half-blood Hill, please," Ray said to the Graeae sitting in the front seats.
"That will be two Drachmas," the one with the tooth cackled as she fended off her sister's grab for the tooth.
"I'll pay when we arrive," Ray bargained.
"Hold on, then, demigods, here we go!" the driver exclaimed. Unfortunately she was not the one with the eye.
"There is a satyr there as well, sister!" the one with the eye chortled.
"Oh ho! A satyr and two demigods! A quest it is!" the driver called out as the taxi careened around as they headed down the Columbus Avenue.
"Give me the eye, you hag!" the middle sister screeched, lunging to her right. "They are not on a quest, it is so obvious!"
"But we know where the quest is to, don't we sister?"
The other two sisters cackled.
The three teens in the backseat had been silent, mostly because they did not want to bite their tongue off if they spoke. Percy struggled to find his balance, and holding onto his sister's arm, he straightened up, and cautiously asked them, "Where is our quest, my ladies?"
"He calls us ladies!"
"Oh, what a polite young man!"
"Nothing like the other demigods!"
"They're always so rude!"
"Very rude!"
"Very well, young man, we will tell you, because you asked us so nicely!" the sister with the tooth cried out merrily. "You will find your answers in the city of the angels!"
The twins shared a look. "Los Angeles," they chorused.
"What the absolute fuck is going on?!" Grover cut in, frustrated. The poor guy had been stewing in increasing aggravation, Percy realized, and was on the verge of pulling his hair out.
Percy took pity on him. "Um…we have known since a long time that we were demigods. Our mother believes that knowledge is power, and told us when we were six," He said sheepishly, narrowly avoiding crashing into Ray as the Taxi almost swerved into the walls of the Midtown tunnel.
"What was the point in acting like you didn't know anything, then?" his best friend cried out.
Ray interjected then, "Monsters and other immortals often reveal more when they think you are not aware of the supernatural world. They are also slower to attack. Given that Percy's teacher attacked him so late in the year, it makes sense."
"So you both are demigods, then. Um…" here, the satyr hesitated.
"Spit it out, man," Percy told him.
"Well, I mean, do you share the same godly parent, or…" Grover trailed off.
Percy was mortified.
"Yes. We have the same godly parent, in this case, our father," Ray replied, amused.
"Oh."
They descended into an awkward silence, with the cackling of the Gray Sisters as a background noise.
As the taxi sped through the suburbs, Percy wondered what Camp Half-Blood would be like. Though he was sure they would be able to handle anything, he still felt nervous.
"So, do you guys know who your father is?" Grover asked anxiously.
"Yeah, we do, but it would be wise to remain quiet about it, no? At least until he claims us visibly," Percy cautioned.
Grover nodded his head, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by the taxi abruptly screeching to a halt.
Groaning, Percy peeled his forehead from the front seat. They got out, stretching.
"Perce," Ray called out.
Her tone straightened his spine, and he turned around, absently noticing Ray paying the Graeae.
Gathered at the foot of a hill with a pine tree at the very top, was an absolute army of monsters. And at the head of the mob was the Minotaur.
Hello, old friend.
A\N: Please Review!
