A Demigod out of time
The Lightning Thief
III
"Ah, Luke!" Chiron suddenly called out when they got close to cabin eleven. "Would you be so nice and take over this new camper? He will join your cabin until he is claimed."
Percy, who was still glancing at the Ares cabin till that moment and thus hadn't noticed the aforementioned person yet, just barely stopped his head from jerking around immediately and turned around at a normal pace instead.
He had expected to feel anger, resentment, or even betrayal the next time he would meet Luke again, but instead, he felt actually saddened and nostalgic by his appearance. Only now that he saw him face to face again could he recognize how weak and ill he had been looking during their last few encounters. Compared to the version of him he fought on Olympus, the one possessed by the Titan King, this Luke looked healthy and strong!
"Sure thing, Chiron," Luke answered once they were close enough to speak in a normal volume.
Luke's smile didn't waver in the slightest, and even knowing what his true feelings about another undetermined demigod -another demigod 'abandoned' by his godly parent- must be didn't allow him to see any hidden thoughts or emotions on his face.
"Alright then. I will introduce him to the rest of the cabin."
Chiron nodded before turning to him again. "Percy, this is Luke Castellan, counsellor of cabin eleven. He is one of our most experienced campers, so he should be able to answer whatever question comes into your mind."
Percy gave the centaur a small smile while suppressing the apprehension at the thought of being alone with Luke, even for only a fairly short amount of time. He knew that Luke wouldn't do anything to him, not before his father claimed him at least, but standing in front of the boy uncomfortably remembered him that his twelve years old body was much more inferior compared to the nineteen years old's physiques.
"Well," Luke spoke up with a friendly smile once Chiron galloped away. "You already know who I am, so introducing myself is kinda useless. Still, welcome to cabin eleven, the probably best cabin in the whole camp. Nobody knows how to have fun as well as we do, so just tell someone when you feel down and I guarantee that we will find a way to cheer you up."
He swallowed once before giving him a nervous smile. "I'm Percy. Do you have any idea how long I need to wait until I get determined?"
Luke's smile fell just for a single second before returning in place, becoming a bit apologetic. "That varies. Sometimes you need to wait a few days, sometimes a few weeks,... sometimes you don't get determined at all."
Percy had expected an answer like that, but he still didn't know what to say. Luckily Luke's good mood returned shortly after.
"Anyway, let's introduce you to your future roommates, shall we?"
Cabin eleven was just as packed with people as he remembered. Both boys and girls were everywhere and there were nowhere enough bunk beds for all of them. This was a fact proven by all the sleeping bags that were spread all over the floor, taking most of the free space in the process.
And everyone stared at them, or, to be more precise, at him.
Fortunately, he had taken great care not to trip while stepping in this time, so he didn't make a fool of himself and could actually try to give a good first impression. After all, he had gone through enough to realize if someone was sizing him up, which was just the thing everyone was doing right now.
"Percy Jackson, meet cabin eleven," Luke announced. "And before anyone asks; he is undetermined."
Everybody groaned, just as the last time.
"Now, now, campers. No need to react like that, it's kinda unfair to Percy here," Luke said to the room before turning back to him. "Come on, you can have that spot on the floor right over there."
He gave a small wave and a smile to the room before walking over to the spot Luke had pointed at and laid down the little luggage he had taken with him from home. They were mostly clothes, so it wouldn't even matter if someone stole his stuff. As soon as they realized there was nothing of worth in it they would probably just give it back. The children of Hermes, as well as the people just living with them, might enjoy a good joke and weren't above stealing stuff from others, but barely anyone was cruel enough to steal some kid's clothes. Especially if the aforementioned kid didn't own much more than them in the first place.
He looked up when a sleeping bag was put next to his luggage, only to see the well-known but much younger face of Connor Stoll.
"Welcome in your new home!" the boy said with a big grin. "My name is Connor, and you can come to me or my brother Travis if you have any questions! Here is a sleeping bag for you, seeing as you don't have one yet, but don't ask where I got it from. It's a trade secret if you know what I mean."
He had thought he felt nostalgic when he saw Luke, but seeing Connor was much more intense. They might not have been close friends, but they were friends nonetheless. He was also different in the aspect that he never betrayed either him or the camp, like Luke did, thus not giving him any reason to feel conflicted about him as he did for his aforementioned half brother.
There was also the little fact that he didn't even know if he had been still alive at the time he had battled Kronos.
He thought he did an alright job in keeping his emotions from showing on his face, but he was still glad that Luke stood behind him and thus wasn't able to look at his expression. Better safe than sorry, after all.
He answered with a smile of his own. "Thank you. Though I'm unsure whether I should accept it or not. You look like you're the kind of person that would enjoy pranking the new kid." He hoped that his voice made it clear enough that he wasn't accusing him or anything like that, but was speaking in good humour.
"Oh? What gave you that ridiculous idea?"
"Well, I went through more than enough schools to recognize all the different types of people," he said while trying to sound casual. "And you seem to be the class clown everyone likes to watch creating chaos as long as they themselves aren't involved in it."
He could see some of his housemates nodding in understanding when he said the part about going through several schools. It wasn't surprising, really, considering most half-bloods were kicked out of school at least once.
Connor's smile somehow became even bigger. "Well, would you look at that? He is actually not too dumb! Can't be a son of Hermes then." He combined this comment with a mock bow before him, and Percy could see the satisfaction in his eyes when there were some snickers all through the room.
So he still enjoys making people laugh, he thought amused. It's good that some things never change.
"Anyway," Luke's voice cut through the room. "I think we should get your measures and then went to the Hephaestus cabin. Maybe we can make you an own set of armour before the Capture the Flag next Friday."
He didn't give him any chance to argue with that as he gently proceeded by pulling him along when he made his way out of the cabin. Well, maybe pulling him along wasn't quite right, considering that he went along with it after only a short push in the direction of the door.
"Sorry that I pulled you out of there so abruptly," Luke said once they left the cabin. "But they were getting excited and once that happens there is no way stopping them. We wouldn't have been able to leave for the foreseeable future and there are still a few things we need to do before you can fit right in."
"I'm sorry?"
Luke laughed. "No, no, no need to be sorry. They only got excited because they like you. You didn't get overwhelmed, proved to be smart, and got along with one of our more popular roommates. You could say you passed their test. You're officially part of the Hermes cabin now, congratulations!"
"So it went pretty well, huh?" he murmured. Definitively better than the last time at least.
"You could say so, yes," Luke agreed.
Percy smiled but didn't say anything else. Being surrounded by all the people in the cabin might have calmed him down a bit, and the conversation with Connor had distracted him for a short while, but now that he was once again alone with Luke his uneasiness came back with vengeance.
It was a very unlikely person that rescued him from this situation.
"Well! A newbie!"
He knew who was coming even before he turned around, having instantly recognized the voice. And indeed, there was Clarisse, followed by three boys and two girls, walking over to them with confident steps.
"Clarisse," Luke greeted her, and Percy could swear he heard amusement in his voice. He hadn't any time to think more about that though, because Clarisse continued.
"Luke," she said, sounding to his surprise more civil than he had ever heard her speak before. "Who's this little runt?"
"Percy Jackson," Luke said, pointing first at him and then at Clarisse. "Meet Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares."
"Nice meeting you, I'm sure," he said, his voice sounding simultaneity amused and sarcastic.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You got a problem with me, runt?"
"We have just met, didn't we? You had no opportunity yet to make me dislike you, but if it reassures you, you're doing a fine job at it right now," he said with a big grin. He wouldn't confess that to anyone, but he actually missed his little arguments with the daughter of Ares.
She spat at his feet. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."
He ignored the nickname, longs since being used to it. "Oh, I would like to see it!"
Her face hardened but she didn't attack him, seriously surprising him. "Well, come on then. I'll show you."
"Fantastic!" he agreed jovial.
While it was amusing to walk in the direction of the bathroom side by side with Clarisse and her siblings instead of being dragged that way, it also was very awkward. He wondered what they thought about the situation, but considering their near-feral grins it was probably something along the lines of 'the unknowing prey walks into the trap all by his own'.
If only they knew.
He could feel Luke's eyes on the back of his head and was wondering if he should be surprised he hadn't tried to interfere, like Annabeth had done the last time around, or not. In his defence though, it might just be that Luke thought he had a plan, which was the case, because of how he acted. Especially because this behaviour was different from the one he had displayed earlier.
They continued to walk in peacefully in silence until they reached the cinder-block building that housed the bathroom. One moment he was just walking, and the next moment someone grasped him by the neck and pulled him into the girl's bathroom. He only gave some token resistance, the toilets actually being exactly the spot he wanted them to go.
He didn't plan to wait until the very last moment like the last time though, so he reached out with his senses until he could feel the water in the pipes and willed it to do as he commanded. The feeling he got in reaction to that was a bit sluggish, not as fast and easy as it was supposed to be. When controlling water usually felt as if he used a limb he hadn't known exist before, just waiting for him to flex its muscles, now it felt as if the limb has gone partly numb.
He guessed that was the case because, in addition of being back in his younger self's body, he hadn't used his powers in nearly a year out of fear of being watched or sensed by some god or monster. Still, as unusually difficult as it felt right now, it was still easier than it had been originally this time around. After all, back then he hadn't had any control at all!
Finally, he felt the well-known tug in the pit of my stomach, and he knew he had won.
"I hope you like toilet water, becau-" Clarisse started, only to be interrupted by water blasting out of the toilets and blasting right into her open mouth, sending her flying. Her friends were just as unfortunate, with all of them being hit by water streams themselves. Every time one of them tried to stand up another blast of water would hit them, sending them back to the ground.
This went for barely two minutes, and when it stopped all six of them were lying on the ground, coughing and heavily breathing while trying to get the taste of toilet water out of their mouths.
Percy, while more exhausted than he had any right to be after using only such a small trick, was smiling. It was good that Luke had stayed out of the bathroom, it would have been hard to convince him that he had no idea how he managed what he did had he watched them.
"Well, I liked it. Let's repeat this on a later date, shall we?"
Clarisse hadn't even the energy to glare at him.
It was nearly dinnertime when he finally managed to find Grover.
He had needed a few minutes, but he had convinced him to come with him to the lake to rest and catch up with each other. He had chosen this specific spot because it was the same place the sat together the last time he had arrived at camp and thus thought it fitting to come here again.
"So," he said as soon as they sat down. "What's this about you becoming a searcher?
Grover was so happy, he basically glowed. "I finally got my searcher's license!" he exclaimed, but then blinked in surprise. "Wait, you don't even know what that is, do you?" He didn't give him any chance to answer before he continued. "For completing a keeper's assignment, that means for bringing a demigod, which in this case are you, to camp alive, a satyr can make a request for a searcher's license. If the Council of Cloven Elders approves it the satyr is allowed to go on a journey to find the god Pan!"
"Pan is the god of nature, isn't he?" he asked when it became apparent that Grover was lost in thoughts.
"He is the God of the Wild! And more!" Grover exclaimed, stars in his eyes. "And I will be the one to find him! If everything goes well I can leave before the week is over."
He suppressed a grimace. He knew he would do that, and he definitively deserved it to be the one who found Pan, but he really didn't want him to start his search right now. Especially because he couldn't be sure if he would be able to even get the chance to save Grover from Polyphemus. The worst thing was that he didn't know how he could possibly stop him from going! They weren't close enough friends, due to fault of his own, for him to be able to convince him of staying, not when he wanted to hinder him from fulfilling his lifelong dream. There was literally nothing he could say that would make him stay.
But maybe... if he couldn't make him stay, he could at least do everything in his power to make sure that he would stay alive?
"How many other searchers are there?" he asked while still formulating how to exactly execute his plan.
Grover furrowed his brows. "Currently? I think there were around a hundred new ones over the last twenty years. Altogether? There were countless. I couldn't even make a reliable guess, as we sent searchers out into the world for millennia now!"
"...and how many have returned?" he asked hesitantly, already knowing the answer.
Grover looked visibly uncomfortable when he spoke up next. "None. In all this time not one searcher returned home." There was a short silence, only interrupted by the sound of splashing water coming from some Naiads in the lake, before Grover started speaking with renewed fervour. "But I will return! I know I will. I can't fail, not now when I finally managed to get my license."
"You will," he agreed softly, knowing with all his heart that it was the truth.
Something in his voice must have given him away -or maybe Grover just felt something though his empathy abilities- because his friend gave him a long, searching look before turning his head away. He didn't do this fast enough though, and so he could see that his eyes had become a bit teary.
"How do searchers search for Pan anyway?" he asked, bringing the conversation back on track.
"We visit places where nature, the wild, is still strong, hoping to find the place Pan used to retreat from the world. The stronger the nature enhancing magic in the area, the more likely it is that Pan is close."
Which was exactly the reason why Polyphemus was able to catch so many satyrs, with the Golden Fleece's magic resembling Pan's power, he thought.
"But if it's so easy, why didn't anyone found him yet?"
Grover hesitated. "There are probably dangers, and monster are always a threat..."
"But still! There must be a better way!"
"Okay then, mister genius, how would you proceed to find Pan, hm?"
Percy suppressed a grin. This conversation went just as he hoped it would.
"Well," he said while trying to act as if he was thinking hard about his answer. "If everyone else failed while searching the places where the wild is the strongest I would probably do the exact opposite."
"What, visiting places without nature at all, where you can't even feel the wild?" Grover asked doubtfully.
He grinned. "Exactly." When Grover still looked sceptical he expanded on it. "I mean, if Pan went into hiding and wants to stay that way, especially for as long as he did so far, he would obviously try to hide his presence, wouldn't he? Otherwise, he would be found immediately! And no one would think about going to places where they can't even feel the slightest bit of nature while searching for the 'God of the Wild', would they?" He shrugged. "Seems like an obvious hiding place to me."
Grover stared at him. At first, his look was still doubtful, but with every second a bit more of the doubt left his eyes and finally all there was left was amazement.
"I-I never even thought about that! I don't think anyone else did either!" he exclaimed before jumping to his feet. "I need to check the records, to see what plans other searcher had before they took off on their journey. If truly no one ever thought about that... this might be the breakthrough we have been waiting for! Thank you so much, Percy, I will not forget about this!" And then he ran off.
"W-Wait, Grover? Don't run-" he spluttered, but he was already gone.
He sighed. He knew there was no way of catching up to a satyr when he was sprinting like that, so he just let himself fall on his back.
All he could do now was hope that Grover would heed his 'advice' and would be fine.
Not long after he returned to 'his' cabin after his conversation with Grover he could hear a horn blew in the distance, shortly followed by Luke's voice calling "Eleven, fall in!" through the building.
The whole cabin then filled into the commons yard and lined up, himself being the very last as he was the newest camper of the Hermes cabin. It was on their way to the mess hall pavilion, when the campers from the other cabins joined them, that he saw Annabeth for the first time.
He was relieved that their first 'meeting' happened in such a way, where only he could see her but she didn't saw him and without the need to talk to each other, because he didn't think he would be able to act normal around her right now.
Annabeth was his best friend (of course Grover was too, but that was...different), and he had over the last year, if not even earlier, conclude that he might actually like her as more than just a good friend. He also liked to think that there was a realistic chance of her liking him too. Finally seeing her again took some pressure from his chest that he didn't even know existed!
…but it also remembered him of something; this wasn't the Annabeth he remembered. He had known that about all the other people too, of course, but it was only now when he saw her that he really realized it. Maybe it was because the few people he had interacted most with so far were rather similar to their future personalities:
Grover was Grover, easy as that. Maybe a little less self-confident, but still very much the same satyr he remembered.
Luke was still Luke. He acted just as nice he did the first time they met, but Percy knew he was already under Kronos control. And while Percy still hoped he could save him from his fate, if that was even possible, he knew that right now he was far beyond his reach.
Even Connor was still the same fun-loving and cheerful boy he knew, no matter how much younger he was!
But Annabeth? This younger version of him wouldn't even like him for a while because of who his father was. She wouldn't come around to accept him until after the went through several life-or-death situations together on their first quest, and Percy couldn't guarantee that she would come to like him this time around as well. After all, he might look that way but he was not the same person as when he was twelve. What if this younger version of his best friend, the one who didn't overcome her hubris yet and who actually looked forward to going on a quest instead of being apprehensive of the idea, found him lacking? What if-
A hand pressed him down to sit on the bench. "I know it can be a bit much the first time you see it, but if you don't pay attention you will end without a place to sit," Luke said. "And believe me, standing while you eat and watch everyone else sit on benches is not fun."
He hadn't the energy to do more than to nod.
It had happened a few time over the last year that he got lost on one memory line and ended having a panic attack because his thoughts ran rampage inside his head. He started to think about what could go wrong and didn't manage to ignore these thoughts until it became too much.
With time he had managed to become somewhat adept at completely stopping these things by just not thinking too much about possible bad scenarios at all. This made planning for future events understandable hard, but he managed it just fine as long as he had enough time to think only in small steps.
It was good that Luke had pulled him out of it, even if just unknowingly because it would have been a pain to explain why he had a full-blown panic attack in front of everyone.
Everybody fell silent when Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion. He raised his glass and shouted, "To the gods!"
Everybody else raised their glasses as well and repeated Chiron's words.
Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food and the meal began. It wasn't too long before the first people started to get up and move over to the fire in the centre of the pavilion to drop portions of their meal into the fire.
"Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell," Luke explained unnecessarily.
He approached the fire before he did, bowing his head, and tossed a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes."
He went next, unsure of what to say.
Then it came to him: he didn't need to ask his dad to tell him who he was like he did the last time, as he already knew the answer to that. But instead, he could use this chance to ask him to protect his friend.
Please, Poseidon, he thought, Dad, help Grover on his quest to find Pan. Maybe send him some help, or just protect him when he is close to the sea, just help him.
He scraped a bit slice of brisket into the flames.
It smelled nothing like burning food, but of the sea. He smelled the salt and thought he could hear waves crashing against the coast and feel a slight breeze on his face. Combined with the fact that he was back at Camp Half-blood, he truly felt home.
He hadn't noticed how everybody in the pavilion had turned silent, so he was pretty surprised when he turned around and saw everyone looking at him with big eyes. No, he thought, not at me, above me.
He only needed one glance above his head to see what everyone was looking at.
A hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tripped spear: a trident. The symbol of his father, the proof that he was the Son of Poseidon.
He didn't understand why this was happening. The last time his father hadn't claimed him until after the Capture the Flag next Friday, until after he had proved himself in front of everyone by first beating the Ares campers and then healing his wounds in the creek after the hellhound attack. He hadn't proven himself yet, he hadn't even killed the Minotaur, so why was he claimed?
Chiron's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"It is determined," he announced. "This is the symbol of Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."
I forgot that I divided this chapter, so this is actually just the second half of the third chapter. This means that the changes will only start to have an effect in the next chapter, not this one! Sorry about that.
On the other hand, at least we've got the conversation between Percy and Grover over with. Grover's plot is the one that differs the earliest from the books, but I'm sure you've noticed that already. Oh, and Poseidon claimed Percy! Yeah!
I don't know if it's just my headcanon or if it's the official explanation, but I think Poseidon originally waited until Percy proved himself so that others would see him as more than just his son, but here he already knows that he's his father and so he decided to do it earlier.
Well then, I hope you had fun with this chapter!