The vast cavern echoed with the ticks and cracks of dozens of tunneler machines. The other workers stared at Percy enviously as he drilled continuously. Every half hour, most of the aliens reached their limit and had to take a breather. Not the so-called human. He kept at it for hours and hours, often times going the entire shift without putting down his tunneler once. They had never heard of his kind in any of their speciology classes they took in their younger years and he was absolutely fascinating. A fucking show-off who didn't need to work that hard but still. He was smaller than most of the aliens on this ship and somehow ten times as strong if not more.

His first fight in the Pits had raised his notoriety much higher than Percy had anticipated. Everyone knew him in the halls, in the lunchrooms, in the dormitories. No one had ever really talked to him at all, mostly because they didn't recognize his species. But now, it was out of apprehension. Percy had never felt more alone. Trapped in another galaxy, away from his family and friends, treated like a freak, powerless to help his own world.

Percy set down his drill to the side-eye of many. All the emotions were hitting him like a dozen maglevs and he needed a moment or he would snap. He walked out of the room and now everyone didn't even try to hide their curious glances. The human taking a break? A black-colored Rayune put down his own tunneler and considered. After several moments of hesitation, he followed.

Colony AR-31 was an interesting...space station? Contraption? Percy had gotten a single good look at the thing and it had blown him away. It was impossible to properly describe but its shape resembled a three-legged bar stool covered in platinum-colored armor. Innumerable ridges and windows and doorways dotted its surface. It was thinner and sleeker towards the pointed ends and stockier towards the rounded out end where he assumed all the storage and dormitories were held. Percy had no idea what the fuck it was made of or how it powered itself or how a civilization could possibly build something like it. All he knew was, it had the power to pull in or latch onto asteroids many, many sizes bigger than it.

The insides were even more interesting. It was organized by layers, he discovered. Most of the ship's space was dedicated to cargo holds and landing bays, since its primary purpose was to mine materials. Every hour of the day, about a dozen cargo ships landed and departed full of goods. Percy watched them, absorbing every detail he could. He had thought about commandeering one but he quickly deduced that transports of this size would never outrun the patrols that surrounded the Colony. Still, it was worth keeping notes.

The second layer was almost exclusively made up of mazes of hallways and elevators. The Colony was too massive to traverse by foot and so the ship literally used a train system to ferry workers from the dormitories, chow halls, and breakrooms to the mines. People who had lived here for years didn't have use for the map but newbies like Percy kept their holopads close like they were bibles. Not only did it serve as a navigation device, it was useful for digital transactions to pay for food and other needs. In other words, a big fancy wallet.

The third layer was the thinnest and held the dormitories. The workers were grouped in the middle whereas employees of the ship such as the engineers, the mechanics, and the maintenance lived in one end towards the engines and the commanding officers had private quarters buried somewhere near the front of the ship.

The last layer was the most heavily guarded and most important. It was the core of the ship, its heart and nervous system. It was the only place workers were forbidden to enter. Percy had spent the last two months doing recon, snooping about in hopes of finding an easier way to steal a ship. So far, he had come up short. It was frustrating having no one want to communicate with you. They would shun him only because of his unknown origins. Now, with his recent show, maybe things would turn around.

Stepping into the hallway, he made his way to the bathrooms, keeping a tight pace. On a ship this massive, you would think the actions of one single alien would go relatively unnoticed. Negative. It was a small world for the workers. Maybe about a quarter of them attended the fights every week and passed the word along to their friends. So he still caught some quick glances here and there. Percy simply met them with his wolf stare.

He turned a corner and caught a shape from the corner of his eye a few yards behind him. Percy turned the corner three more times, coming back to his original path. The shape was still there. He was following him. Percy entered the bathroom, finding it mostly empty and squared up. The moment the alien, a Rayune, entered the room, Percy grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

"Whatcha' doing there friend?" He said in a low dangerous voice.

His awareness spread across the room. There was too much moisture in the air for anyone to hide from him and now he could sense a couple goons walking towards him.

"Stop," The Rayune rasped and Percy realized he was talking to the goons. "I just want to talk to him."

The goons hesitantly left the room but he knew they were waiting outside. Percy glared at the alien. "Why were you following me?"

The Rayune smiled. "Name's Bregamar. Nice to meet you, Percy."

Percy tightened his grip on his throat. "How do you know my name?"

"Last night's fight was fantastic. Although I admit, I walked out of the arena a 1000 achyms lighter."

"Okay, that's the second. Now answer the first."

"I just want to have a simple conversation Percy Jackson."

Percy narrowed his eyes. The Rayune was clearly only interested in him because of his battle prowess. But what use could that be on a mining colony? "Alright, you got yourself a conversation. Keep talking."

Bregamar held up a 100 achym piece. "How about this? One civilized conversation from you, 100 achym from me?"

Percy stared at the chip. Half a day's worth of money...for a talk? "It's a date. Chow hall next break. Alone."

"How romantic. You got a deal."

Percy took the chip and released the Rayune. Bregamar rubbed his throat, clearly in pain but smiled nonetheless. Percy's stare was unrelenting. "Until then, stay away from me."

Percy made his way back to the mines, checking over his shoulder. Bregamar and his goons stood at the doorway to the bathroom, watching him leave. Percy picked up his tunneler and began working once more. The guards made their rounds, making sure everybody was being productive and not taking too long breaks. Percy lost himself in the vibrations and the sting of the miniscule rocks pecking his skin. His goggles protected his eyes and the gloves prevented any burns. He still felt the need to check his surroundings. The Rayune didn't look at him again, focused intently on his job. Percy didn't like his demeanor. He was too confident. Too observant. But the only thing he could do was count down the time until chow time.

When the buzzer rung, Percy dropped his machine and was amongst the first to leave the room. The faster he got to the cafeteria, the better his chances of securing a private table. He paid for the lump of colorless, flavorless 'food' and forked over 10 achym for a private seat. The Rayune entered a little while later and sat down, not bothering to pretend he was gonna eat.

By that time, Percy wolfed down his food and waited impatiently. "Well?"

Bregamar considered him. "Why are you here?"

Percy blinked. What kind of a question was that? "To make money, Sherlock. Why else?"

"Sherlock?"

"Forget it. Why do you want to know that?"

"Just curious. What do you need the money for?"

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What business is that of yours?"

"I'm just looking for a friendly conversation, that's all."

"Really? I've been here for two months, nobody outside the employees has spoken a word to me, let alone pay me for it."

Bregamar pulled out a bundle of smooth achym slabs. "Percy Jackson, every single alien on this ship is on here to make money. I know that. Why else would you intentionally isolate yourself from the rest of the pleasures of the galaxy and your loved ones? This ship makes millions of achym a month. The pay is better than most jobs offered in the Grimbard core. Only the desperate come out to the far edges of the galaxy to work on a mining colony such as this one. I want specifics."

Percy's eyes lit at the mention of the galaxy. He had fully accepted his predicament long ago: He was stranded on the other side of a sea of stars from his home. On Hanaku, the Zorum had been so primitive, they didn't know the technology to travel between solar systems was possible. They hadn't even invented vehicles or constructed buildings for themselves. Therefore, they had failed to tell him the story of the innerworkings of the stars. And coming onboard Colony AR-31, nobody talked to him. They saw an outsider and ignored him. And now, a day after his fight, he was being approached for the first time by someone willing and knowledgeable. The price, however, was telling his own story.

Percy stared him down. "I wonder why a random Rayune would want to know anything about a human who happened to win one lousy fight."

Bregamar slid a chip across the table. The orange slab glittered under the blue lights of the chow hall. "Okay, 100 achym for each answer. And don't lie to me. You do know of the abilities a Rayune possesses?"

"Let's say I do." Percy snatched the achym. "There, one question, one answer."

Bregamar chuckled a little then his lungs let out a roar of a laugh, alarming Percy. He looked around, realizing they had just garnered a lot of attention. Bregamar waved a hand. "Ignore them. They've never seen a Rayune, or any other species for that matter, speak with an unknown lifeform such as yourself. You got spunk, kid. A deal's a deal. Keep the chip."

Percy frowned. "So you just give money away to complete strangers?"

"They say philanthropy heals the soul."

"And yet you say only the most desperate come onboard a mining colony. Why don't you answer your own question: why are you here? You clearly have enough money."

Bregamar grinned. "You got a brain. Noted. But since I'm the one paying for answers, you'd be smart to let me ask the questions."

Percy propped his elbows up. "Shoot."

"I'm gonna make some educated guesses here backed up by a little bit of stalking: the way you've carried yourself these past two months makes it clear to me an environment like this is completely new to you. You have little to no knowledge of the Rayune, the famous species that invaded this galaxy a little less than 5 decades ago. So you don't keep up with galactic events at all. Or, you come from a world so primitive, you had no idea a wider galaxy even existed. And finally, your kind is not documented on any records, bringing up all sorts of questions. But my first one is this: how did you get here?"

Percy almost felt the need to run away. True, he had not disclosed where he was from, not even to Temenok the recruiting officer. But it wasn't like telling the truth would be dangerous, right? Nobody knew where Earth was located. Percy shifted in his seat, suddenly excited. Or did they? "I come from a planet called Earth. I was transported here via portal to the purple planet over there, Hanaku."

Bregamar's forehead creased. "You're not lying. Where is your planet located? Which system?"

"I don't know."

"So...you're a migrant? Are you from Ytiralim?"

Percy frowned again. "I don't know what that is. We call my galaxy the Milky Way. It's a spiral galaxy, I think."

"And who's we? Your galactic government?"

"No, we don't have a galactic government. Our planet is the only known place where life exists."

Bregamar looked stunned. "One planet? That's it? I mean, I guess if your species isn't advanced enough, you don't realize where to look for signs of life or even how to identify them."

Percy sat up straight. "We have space probes. We're not blind. It's just our galaxy is...dead, I guess. Life only exists on Earth as far as we know."

"Yeah, genius, that's what I'm saying." Bregamar was silent for a minute. "It's clear to me now. You're lost and you're looking for a way back aren't you?"

Percy clenched his jaw. "And if I am?"

The Rayune smiled. "Well, I could be of assistance."

"Why would you help me?"

Bregamar shook his head. "I need you to think, boy. I can't have morons running around my crew. Why would I pay someone to tell me about himself?"

Percy hid a smirk. "Because you're an idiot yourself?"

"Hilarious. Are all humans comedians?"

"Only the interesting ones."

"Well, Mr. Interesting, let me spell it out for you. I'm looking to build a crew for a job. I payed you to answer questions and used my abilities to gauge whether you could be trusted. And the only reason I would pick someone so small, was because I've seen what you can do. So I gave you half the sentence. How about you fill in the blanks?"

Percy cocked his head. "You want to hire me as muscle."

Bregamar did a slow clap. "Bravo. So are you in?"

Percy had the nerve to laugh. "That's it? That's your pitch? You didn't even tell me what we're doing or what you're paying me!"

Bregamar snickered. "I already know your price. You need a ship. Preferably a fast one. I can get you that. All I need is a month of your time, a few dances with death, some covert ops, and you get to go home. Oh, but you don't know where that is, do you? Guess what? I can figure that out, too."

Now Percy was intrigued. "And how would you do that?"

"A portal you said? Portals can only be opened by the gods themselves using divine energy. You think a species as advanced as this one can't figure out how to trace such energy? I can calculate the exact date and place where you emerged. So again: Are you in?"

Percy considered. Gods existed here, too? Could it be true? Regardless, this was his best shot. A month of work for this guy and he got home? Versus fighting in the arena and mining for half a year?

"Okay. What's the plan?"

Bregamar stood and stretched his arms. "What was that, seven questions? Eight? Ah, here just take the stack. I'll be in contact."

Percy caught the bundle and watched the Rayune walk off to the mines. He wasn't sure whether Bregamar could be trusted but it was easy money. At the very least, if the job wasn't to his liking, he could still fight in the Pits. Percy pocketed the money and waited out the rest of his break, pondering on this new turn of events.

Two Months Earlier...

Percy waited in the processing chambers, completely naked once again.

His meeting with Temenok had been unpleasant enough. It hadn't gone completely off the rails but Percy got onto the transport ship to Colony AR-31 drained of his spirit, completely numb. Even experiencing space travel for the first time couldn't budge him. He had gone through all the effort of searching for the fabled Grimbard only to be hit with a disheartening revelation. He was in fact in another world. Another galaxy to be exact. The galaxy called Grimbard.

The Zorum had led him to believe the Grimbard were a people. Which, to give them credit, they were. But the truth was, the Zorum were too primitive to even begin to comprehend the marvel of the Rayune, the species that ruled the galaxy, the Grimbard. They were a species so advanced, they had already discovered how to navigate between the stars.

Percy didn't know all the details; Temenok, the recruiting officer he spoke to, hadn't revealed everything, believing that the strange alien already knew his way around the galaxy. Percy had to lie to him actually. They would have never believed his story so he pulled a Star Wars out of his ass so quickly and well put together, Percy began to think he was secretly a genius.

Temenok offered him a job on Colony AR-31, a mining station centered in an asteroid field not far from the purple planet of the Zorum, Hanaku. Percy had his own theories as to why the head honcho of the Rayune would bother offering a 'pirate' a job. Mostly, he thought, to keep an eye on him. But since Percy revealed to Temenok his desire to get a ship, the recruiting officer made him a deal: work for him on the colony, buy a ship directly from Temenok, and he would grant him the necessary codes to travel back where he came from.

That was all fine and good but the problem was...Percy had no idea where he was supposed to fly off to once he got his own ship. But, of course, he couldn't tell Temenok that. His story would fall apart. Already Percy was shocked he hadn't been arrested. But another of his theories was that Temenok was hoping his 'pirate' buddies would come looking for Percy and then, the Rayune could arrest them all at once. So, in a way, Percy was a prisoner on this colony. He could be watched 24/7 and work for them at the same time. As long as Percy acted like he didn't know he was a prisoner, he could cruise through this whole ordeal.

At least that's what Percy figured.

But he quickly learned this galaxy was a completely different beast. The landing bay appeared so much like Star Wars, it was crazy. Everything was made of polished metal. The floors were black, the walls a dark grey, the ceilings white with blue lights. The heavy doors slid open automatically. Cleaner droids whirred around everywhere, sweeping and polishing the floors. Everything was too clean. It felt like a hospital. Or a mental asylum.

Disembarking the ship, he was escorted down to a central column by a pair of Rayune sentries. They wore thin metal armor, especially focused around their secondary brains latched onto their backs like a hump. They carried a bizarre array of tools and weapons all over their body in openings and nooks. They didn't speak a word to him. They didn't show a hint of curiosity as to who this new alien might be. It made Percy wonder if any humans populated this galaxy, which was completely insane. That was impossible. But still...their lack of reaction...

Behind him, there was a wide area that was open to space save for an energy barrier. On the opposite end, where a wall should be, a section full of large thick containers sat. A variety of shapes crisscrossed that area, using these hovering pads carrying smaller containers. That caught his attention. He had already met two alien species and this was his first time seeing a dozen aliens different in the same area.

There were a couple Zorum, a few tall birds with two mouths, a stick thin alien with two horns that could best be described as a walking grey yak, and a lot more. Percy's mind couldn't take it all in. He thought the Greek mythology was diverse. He could spend years studying these 12 species alone. And there was supposed to be a galaxy full of these sentients.

Anyway, they led him to the center of the landing bay where a support column stood. There was a set of doors, presumably an elevator, and two windows on either side. Or so he thought they were windows. It was actually an opening in the walls covered by an energy barrier to protect the Rayune personnel manning the station.

The Rayune sitting behind the barrier had different features than the others he had met. From the vibes he was picking up, he felt this was a female. "Percy Jackson?" She chirped.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, ma'am."

"Excellent. Warden Temenok sent word ahead and we prepared your dormitory for you. Normally, we would give you the option to choose between a contract employment or a regular employment but it has been made clear the details of your stay with us is very much unclear."

Percy took it all in but what most stood out to him was how she addressed Temenok. Warden? Is that how their titles worked here?

She continued. "Now, I assume you would like to be paid in solid achym?"

"Um, yeah, I guess." Percy tried to sound sure of himself but of course, 'um' is never a good word to use when assuming a facade of confidence.

"Hmm. Well, to be clear Mr. Jackson, you have an array of options at your disposal. We can transfer the credits to your personal banking account if you have your account information, you could set up a Colony AR-31 account, and of course cold hard achym. Out of those options, I recommend using an AR-31 account for discounts on rent, food, and supplies. It would also be safer and easier than having to carry around achym.

Percy scrunched his face together. What was the difference? He didn't even know how banking accounts on Earth worked, let alone on an entirely new galaxy with its own rules. They recommended an account with them which Percy figured would make it easiest to buy that ship from Temenok later, right?

Percy strengthened his tone. "I'll set up an account here, thank you."

"Of course, no problem. Now, is Percy Jackson your first and last name?"

"Yes."

"Excellent," She clicked a button and a 2-D hologram flared to life. She tapped at a few buttons floating in the air and opened up what he figured was the account setup screen. She said his name out loud and looked at him once more. "Now, which particular system of the galaxy do you hail from?"

Percy began to sweat and shift. "Um...Coruscant."

The Rayune looked puzzled. "Okay, that's not showing up on the records. How do you spell that?"

Percy resisted the urge to burst out laughing. It was ridiculous. He had legitimately been hoping that was a real place in this galaxy. Maybe he was being a child and hoping he had entered the Star Wars galaxy. "Okay, I'm gonna be honest. I ran with a crew for as long as I can remember. They took care of me since I was a baby. I don't know where I come from or what system I come from. I don't even know who my parents are."

The Rayune woman gave off emotions of sympathy. "I see. You were an orphan of the 5th War?"

Percy blinked. She was unintentionally spoon-feeding him what he was supposed to say. Why not? "Yes."

"It is a sad chapter in the history of Grimbard. On behalf of my people, I apologize, son. Of course, if the Banashek hadn't driven us out of our own home system...but I digress. We support all survivors and victims of the 5th War. Of course, I would be more than happy to help set up a savings account for you, Mr. Jackson."

The sentries at his side let out barely audible sighs and he could feel their impatience and annoyance. Percy took that as a sign that this would be a tiring ordeal.

"Now, I'll just write that into the system. I've never seen a species such as yours. What is the name?"

"I'm Human, if that's what you mean."

She let out a polite gasp. "Oh! How interesting! Okay, then. How old would you be using the standard galactic calendar?"

By the buttcrack of Hades, come on. "I'm not sure. The people who raised me weren't very strict on my educational upbringing."

"Um...that's okay. Would you be considered young for your species?"

"Yeah. I should be reaching maturity right about now." Yeah, right. Percy almost smiled to himself, thinking what Annabeth would say if he heard him utter that sentence. Then he remembered and the urge to smile died quickly.

"Perfect. I'll put 12 years, just to be safe. Just a few more questions-"

"Yeah, sorry to interrupt, but does this information go into some sort of legal database?"

The Rayune blinked. "Of course. Your record is being written now as we speak."

"So...this would be available to police forces and stuff?"

"For security reasons, yes sir. If you were to commit any sort of crime, your record would be there to pin to."

"Okay, interesting." So Temenok hadn't written up a criminal record already. Why was that?

"Mhm. So, as I was saying, just a few more questions."

After that was done, Percy learned these people were very thorough. He had to strip off his clothes and hand over any weapons, not that he had any since losing Riptide. Then he was loaded onto the elevator and they descended down to the lower levels. Suddenly, the elevator stopped and started moving sideways which almost made Percy jump. This galaxy was definitely weird.

The doors opened to a wide room full of light. Percy resisted the strong urge to shove the sentries out of the elevators and take off on his own. Instead, he suffered the humiliation of walking into a room full of aliens completely naked. His hands stayed firmly on his pubic area and his eyes focused right ahead. He expected jeers but quickly realized everyone else was naked, too. That provided little comfort. He was taken to the front desk to another receptionist, this one a dude.

"Name?" He said, bored out of his mind.

"Percy Jackson."

"All right, Perry Jockson, this is just a quick medical examination to make sure you're not carrying any dangerous pathogens. We'll provide any immune system boosts that might be required to work in our hazardous conditions. We can also install any language translator chips should you want one, though that one would be charged on your monthly bill. Any questions?" He said all this at full speed, looking like he was ready to kill himself.

"Yes." Percy said without thinking then realized he wasn't sure which part was confusing him. It was just a lot to take in.

The Rayune waited, glaring at him.

Percy grinned cheekily just to piss off the asshole. "Never mind."

The Rayune turned back to his holo screen. "All right, your records are...Oh. My. Gods. That freaking fiend!" He glared at the sentry guards. "Why did you let her send him down here with these fucked up records? What in the name of the Breklim am I supposed to do with this?"

The guards smirked and the one to his right responded. "I'm not paid to double check her work, bud."

The receptionist ran a hand through his balding head. He pointed at each of them as he spoke. "Fuck you, you, you, and this shit. Get in room 22 and wait for the examiner. Your records are gonna be fucked buddy, better be sure about that. I'm done fixing her shit."

Percy flashed him another lopsided smile as the guards led him away. The room was cold and had a ghostly vibe to it. There were strange tools everywhere along the walls and counters. In the center of the room was a glass tube stretching all the way from floor to ceiling. The base was made of black metal and had screens and buttons all glowing blue.

The sentries left Percy sitting on a table and checked in on him every now and then. Percy didn't bother trying to explore. For all he knew, these were dangerous lasers that would blind him or slice off an arm. And there was no point stealing anything. Where would he hide it? Up his ass? Again, Percy smiled. That was something Leo might've joked about.

The doctor closed the door as he walked in, another yellow-skinned Rayune. "Good night, Mr. Jackson. How are you feeling?"

"Like the socks of Ares."

The doctor's brows furrowed. "That's good, I presume?"

"Jolly, doc. Freakin' jolly."

"Excellent! I can't help but notice you can understand me. Tell me, how long ago was your translator chip implanted?"

Percy pursed his lips. "Yeah, I don't think I was."

"So you grew up learning our complicated little language?"

"Nope."

"Oh. Curious. We'll see about that. This tube of ours is called Ferruzja's glass. It's basically an advanced biological scanner. It'll run skeletal, blood, genetic, and energy tests all at once, saving a lot of time for busy doctors such as myself."

Percy frowned. "Energy?"

"Don't worry about it. Very unlikely you'll exhibit any signs, if that doesn't offend you."

"Seeing as I don't know what the heck you're talking about, I don't see how I could."

"Wonderful. If you'll just step in we can get started."

He just gestured to the glass container. Percy thought for a sec, said fuck it, and stepped in. The tube hissed as the pressure dropped and a thick liquid started pouring down and flooding in. It wasn't sticky, it just felt kind of like melted jello.

"You know, you could've bought me dinner first." Percy said, trying to break the awkwardness.

The doctor ignored him, staring at various screens and made some notes, frowning.

Percy started getting nervous when the liquid came up to shoulder level but suddenly whatever was pumping it in, stopped. The doctor left the room, leaving Percy in a state of nervousness and panic. Whatever the doctor had read on his screens, it apparently wasn't good.

The doctor reentered the room with another Rayune who spoke first. "Percy Jackson?"

"Yeah?" Percy had never felt more vulnerable. The amount of shit he had to allow to happen all to return home.

"Your records don't indicate a species. Which is normal, we discover new sentients every other year. But your biology...your parents are marked as unknown. Do you have any memory of who they might be?"

Percy wondered how much he should reveal. Better to act stupid. "Not even a little, man. Sorry. Can I get out of this goo now?"

The doctors looked at each other. He pressed a button and the gel drained. Water started spraying everywhere, washing away the gel and making Percy feel as invigorated as ever. The doctors' eyes widened, staring at him with their mouths opened.

The glass door opened and Percy stepped out. "So what's the deal?"

The doctor managed to close his mouth. "Mr. Jackson...do you believe in the gods?"

Percy almost did a double-take. "Depends. Which ones?"

The other doc was no less fascinated. "The kind that mate with sentients. The kind that your blood seems to be tainted with."

Percy clenched his jaw. These people actually had the tech to detect magical energies. Was there a benefit to lying about this one? They were doctors. They believed in data. Their suspicions were surely confirmed already. Better to go with the flow. "Sure, why not?"

They looked at each other again and began whispering to themselves. "We found another one! We have to report this to Temenok!"

"No!" Percy said in such a forceful voice, they instinctively took a step back.

Percy straightened his shoulders, let his aura of power unfold, and stepped forward, not bothering to cover his genitals anymore. They backed up all the way to the wall, suddenly terrified. Percy got real close, scowling so fiercely he could actually hear them praying under their breaths.

"Pray to me," Percy growled. "Your little devices detect godly blood in me because I am a god. I am here on divine matters. You interfere in any way, report this to anyone, breathe a word to Temenok...and I'll rip out your spines. Am I clear?"

They quaked in their boots, nodding so fast they got whiplash. Percy got even closer. "Good. Your reports will indicate I am a normal sentient. If that changes at any point..."

Percy reached out with his mind, feeling the blood circulating through their veins. Since his first time controlling blood on that fateful day, he found it easier to do it. Their bodies rose into their air, their vocal chords vibrating but not making any noise, their eyes bulging, ready to explode. They had to feel that he was not bluffing. He was a god and he would not be denied. He let them go and they crashed into the ground, panting.

Percy stepped back. "Get up. Now!"

They scrambled up. Percy gestured to the door. "This examination is done. Everything is normal. I'm free to go. Right?"

The doctors nodded fervently. "Y-Yes! Of course!"

"Excellent."

Two Months Later...

Temenok stared out the window of his office, staring at the vast green nebula that populated the night sky. The smooth ring of his holoband brought him back to the world. He brought his wrist up to his chest and activated the channel. "You know how I feel about distractions this late."

Doctor Topolov's face wasn't very clear. He was half in shadow and clearly distraught. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I have important information. Intel I should have relayed a long time ago."

Temenok growled. "Spit it out then."

"Percy Jackson. The Human. His tests were falsified...by me."

The Warden counted to 10. "If you think self-volunteering this will save you from my wrath, you are mistaken. You have a single sentence to explain this lapse in judgment."

Topolov breathed out shakily. "Percy Jackson carries the blood of a god."

"Explain."

"His medical examinations came back strange. His energy levels were off the charts. Our own species has a reading of-"

"I know what Rayune blood is capable of, doctor!" He snarled.

"Right, sir. Sorry, sir. I...he threatened me. He told me he was a god, demonstrated his power. I believed him. But now, considering his current predicament...it makes no sense why a god could be subdued so easily."

Temenok glared at the doctor. "Indeed." He muted him and opened up another channel.

"Sir?" A sentry asked, apprehension in his eyes.

"Give Dr. Topolov numbers immediately." He cut the channel and reopened the first one, unmuting. "You have done well, doctor. Your honesty will be fairly compensated."

"Thank you, sir. Though I must beg you sir to please grant me a personal guard. Jackson, he-"

His words were cut short by the opening of a door. "Yes?" Then screams of utter agony. Temenok shut off the holoband, his gaze back on the nebula. "So, Percy Jackson...what else are you hiding?"

A/N:

Drop them favs and follows or I'll kill your families! That's from Community by the way. ;)

Okay guys, I know this is all pretty confusing. For some of you, you read the original chapter 12 and already know some of the details; but for new readers, it's a lot of cryptic shit. I'm trying to keep it digestible, not mention too many names, so that by the time future chapters are published, you can piece the puzzle together. But honestly, the context clues are all there. You have an idea of what's going on.

Like I said many times before this, I got a lot of worldbuilding to do so buckle in. God of War, you're the man. Thanks for all the support. Hellraider...I still think you're a bot. ;)