Percy Jackson was hiding somewhere in Washington. He avoided everything. He tried not to touch anything, as it could start off a whole series of events and lead to that "breaking of the universal fabric". No one saw him. As far as he could tell, no one was looking for him.
When he did need to do things, such as eating, he took a very calculated approach. He only ate wild berries and mushrooms, which was a gamble on his own. Also, he noticed his invincibility was gone as well, leaving him quite susceptible to anything.
As for his future, he didn't have any idea what he was going to do. He thought about living alone, like a hermit who was never seen again. However, he hated the idea of that. He wondered if he should just keep eating the mushrooms until he found one that ended his life. Hopefully that would spare him from this misfortune.
So he kept walking in the forests. He tended to sleep during the day and walk at night, hoping to avoid anyone even looking at him. He didn't know how much damage he could do. However, that came at a couple of costs. He had trouble finding his way through the forest. When he was with the hunters, they seemed to do it easily. However, he kept tripping and skidding his legs on rocks and branches.
But that wasn't the only reason going at night was miserable. Every night, he had to look up to the moon for guidance. And that reminded him of Artemis. He would always think back to the moment before he jumped into Tartarus. Would it have been so bad? Hyperion would have been down there, but it's not like he could have enjoyed it. He could have left with Artemis and have the chance to talk to her, at least. The face she made when he let himself fall haunted his memories. She was so beautiful, yet scared and concerned. And he fell away from that. And now he was never going to see her or anyone else again.
He walked up by a large mushroom growing in the ground. He hadn't seen this one before, but he was willing to take the risk. He plucked it out of the ground and was about to eat it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Percy looked around quickly. His heart immediately started to pound heavily in his chest. If this person interacted with him anymore, they could lose their destiny, and then either spread it, or... he would have to prevent that from happening.
"Go away, now. It's for your own good. Pretend you never saw me, go!" he called into the darkness, not knowing where the voice came from.
The voice just chuckled a little bit and laughed. "Ha ha, there's nothing to be afraid of, Percy. Not with me, after all."
Percy backed into a tree, looking around him. He started to reach for Riptide. "Please, just go. I don't want to cause you any harm."
The voiced snickered some more. "Oh Percy, don't be afraid." Immediately, something... rather, someone, flashed in front of him. It was a man, wearing all white. His skin was pale, it seemed to match his outfit. His hair was brown and about the length of Percy's. In his right hand was a staff of some sort. On the wrist of his other hand was a watch that Percy had never seen before. It had all of these different movements, and a skeleton body, so all the gears could be seen.
"Who-who are you?" Percy asked, with a bit of fear laced in his voice. He was in a vulnerable position after all, without the curse of Achilles.
"You and I probably shouldn't get along, that's for sure," the man joked. Percy looked into his eyes and was amazed. They looked like galaxies.
"After all, I am the stability of the universe. And you, well... it seems like you are destroying that, Mr. 'Defying Fate'," he quipped. Percy just stood there.
"It's alright though. I've always had sympathy for the Earthlings, especially the demigods. You guys have it rough. You're like mortals with more responsibility. Like gods with more weaknesses. And that's not including being their play things. I knew things would go bad when you performed that fading spell. Because you are not in line with fate, whoever you meet will be encountering a 'loose cause', and be thrown off of their trajectory. Hmm, I believe Aristotle called that the telos. Clever guy, Aristotle. Plato was too, but Socrates was my favorite for sure," he mused to himself.
"Who are you?" Percy asked. The man just laughed.
"Oh Percy, I'm surprised you haven't figured it out. I'm Order."
Percy looked at him with a bit of fear. "Like the Order, with a capital 'O'?" he asked.
Order did a bow. "The one and 'O'-nly," he joked. Percy just stood there. Order summoned a fire and then a couple of logs for them to sit on.
"Please, sit," he asked. Percy did with slight hesitation. "You look hungry, Percy. Here, let's get some food cooking." He snapped his fingers, and a tripod stood above the fire. Hanging from it was a grill with different kinds of meats and vegetables.
Percy looked at him and saw him holding a stick with two marshmallows.
He looked at Percy like he was caught-in-the-act of something. "My apologies, did you want to make one, too?" he asked. Percy shook his head. "No thank you," he replied.
"Yeah, as I was saying, you are in a bad situation. Just your very existence is altering reality in a chaotic and unorderly fashion, which isn't good," he mused.
"What should I do about it?" Percy asked. Order nodded his head.
"Good question. Well, there are a couple of things. I can send you to a remote planet where you can live in solidarity for the rest of your mortal life. Or you can stay here, but just uh, don't try to contact anyone. Just remember, it's alright to see. But just do not be seen. If I were you, I would set up shop somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It's not the worst thing you could do."
"Is there anyway at all that I could contact someone?" Percy asked hopefully.
Order looked up for a second, as if he forgot something. "You know, the usual answer is no when mortals break the universal order of things. But I've never had this happen, and I'll make an exception for you." He conjured an envelope in his hand. "Here, take this. This envelope cannot be effected by your chaos. You can send it to whoever, and their destiny will not be altered. But use it well, I don't want anyone looking for you."
Percy looked at him. "And then what do I do?" he asked.
"Like I said, you'll have to live alone, barred away from society for the rest of your life. But don't just pick random berries and mushrooms. You may think death is the best choice, but it never is. Life is too precious," Order said, looking off into the distance. It appeared that he was thinking of someone in particular when he said that.
"Anyways Percy, I should go. Gotta make sure the Earth doesn't fall off its axis... literally. But stay safe, and whatever you do, do not be seen," he said in a surprisingly cheerful manner considering the content of his words. And then he was gone, and Percy was left at the fire alone.
He took the food off the tripod, but he wasn't interested in eating it right now. For the moment, he had to write someone a letter.
Artemis had once deployed her hunters to search for Percy. This time, she was extra focused. If anyone else found him, they would send him to Olympus, where he would be killed or locked up for eternity.
She found herself on top of the Rocky Mountains, trying to get a good vantage point. But honestly, she had no clue where to look. But her motivation to keep trying no matter what never diminished.
She saw a bald eagle fly below her, and a solemn smile appeared on her face. It reminded her of Percy. Not the eagle, but the fish it had in its mouth.
She started to walk down the mountain, jumping from rock to rock. She was about to teleport somewhere else, when something flew out of the air. She looked down, and there was a letter. To Artemis it had, written in shaky handwriting. It looked familiar to her.
She opened the contents.
Dear Artemis,
I'm sure you are wondering where I am. If you didn't know, I'm back in the overworld.
The reason I went to Tartarus was to destroy Hyperion, which I did. I didn't just let him respawn, I made him fade with this ancient spell I found. That spell came at a serious price, which I was unaware of. I am not bounded by fate anymore. I thought that was a good thing, but it also means I am not apart of the universal order. If I appear in anyone's time line, it will send their trajectory of life away from 'Destiny'. At first, I thought that wasn't really a bad thing, but it turns out the consequences could be bad.
Do not look for me. Do not let anyone look for me. If anyone finds me, they will not be bound to ancient laws. I lost my immortality, but who knows what others could lose if they came in contact with me.
Because you can never see me again, I am confident telling you something that I never would have before. Artemis, the moments I had with you in the past keep replaying in my head. When I remember your reaction to me jumping into Tartarus, I get sad. No one as beautiful as you should ever have that expression. You deserve nothing but happiness.
I don't know if things would have ever worked out between us. You probably wish you could be turning me into a rabbit right now for even saying this stuff. And I'm sorry, but I just had to say it.
You are beautiful, Artemis. Don't miss me. You're too pretty to be sad for someone like me.
Percy.
Thanks for reading. I'll edit this later, (perhaps change some of the letter. If so, I'll let you know in the next chapter and ask you to look back at this ending) but I hope you liked it. Have a great day