AN: How will Percy deal with his mom? What are some of the things he endured? I'll answer some of these questions, along with how he got the eyes, and explain on the Greek runes a bit, and why he's not in pain. I also have a poll going on what you want my next story pairing to be, and the rating. Good luck voters. It will be on my page. Wish me luck.
Disclaimer: I don't own PJO
Percy POV:
As me and Thalia materialized in front of my mom's apartment door, Thalia pulled me to the side gently by the hand. "Kelp-Head," she said sternly, "don't be surprised if she starts breaking down, or crushes you in a death grip. We had to tell her you died, so she wouldn't worry about you suffering. Just a head's up." she warned. I almost kissed her for letting me know beforehand, then realized that she was in the hunters, and then realized she wouldn't be flirting with me if she was. I wasn't sure about any of it, so I went with the safe route.
"Thals?" I asked "What?" she answered "Are you still with the Hunters?" She got that cute look in her eye when she was thinking. "No, they kicked me out because I was hanging around with Nico trying to find proof of your innocence. Why?" she said. I wouldn't let my one chance slip. "Good," I said noticing her confused expression "because I can now do this." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her into a kiss. At first she was surprised, but eventually, she deepened the kiss and wrapped her arms around my neck. After what felt like a few days later, but in reality was a few minutes, we broke the kiss. As we rested our foreheads together, I asked her quietly, while looking into her sky blue eyes, "Does that make us official?" She smiled and gave me a small peck on the lips. "Definitely. I've been waiting since you revived me from the tree to do that. That's why I joined the hunters because I didn't think I'd get you." I smiled back at her and told her, "You won't have to worry about that anymore. I'm yours."
With my spirits high and my beautiful girl at my side, I knocked on the door preparing for the worst, but thankfully, it didn't come. Instead, I had found the mother-of-all mood swings. When my mother opened the door, she nearly hit the ceiling jumping for joy. Then the next think I knew, my mother hugged me with tears in her eyes. After our moment, she ushered me inside, and sat down next to me and asked me with fire in her eyes and said three words that drove fear into my heart "Where. Were. You." I looked to Thalia for any help but she just shook her head. I sighed and told her what happened that fateful day
Flashback:
It was a few weeks after Gaea had been defeated, and everybody moved on pretty well. Me and Annabeth were growing quite apart, for while I wanted to stay out of the way and lie low, Annabeth wanted to bathe in the lime light. We started bickering, and it always ended the same way. Me taking Annabeth out into the public. I knew it fed her ego, made her fatal flaw go out of whack, but what I didn't expect was for her to go so far.
I decided to get away from it all, and propose to Annabeth in peace. I bought two tickets to the Parthenon, and got a beautiful ring. It was a specialty ring, made by Hephaestus himself, and he was proud of the product. It was sea green, the color of my eyes, with swirls of celestial bronze and imperial gold on the band. It was adorned by a beautiful emerald that glistened in the sunlight. On the inside, there was an engraving that read, 'Wise Girl, be mine forever.' But that wasn't all. I made a matching silver band that had the same metals in it, but this one read 'Seaweed Brain, I'll be yours.' I was going to propose here the green one, and wear the silver one if she said yes... but as always, my plans NEVER work out.
While staying in Athens, Annabeth grew distant. I didn't expect this so I asked her what was wrong, and she mumbled so I could only just hear it, "You took me away from the people..." I wanted to know if I was hearing right so I asked her to repeat, but all I got was a 'nothing' and a quick 'goodbye' and she left. Me being the dumb ass I am, didn't understand what she meant, but now I do. Her hubris took over. Over a couple of days, I caught her rummaging through my stuff, but she never really told me what she was doing.
Finally the day was here, the day I proposed. Everything was according to plan. On her face I saw delight, curiosity, and something else. Was that... regret? As we walked through the Parthenon, I finally found what I was looking for. The statue of Athena. I wanted her to be proposed to in the 'eyes' of the mother. But when we got there, we were flashed to the throne room on Olympus where the 12 Olympians sat. I was shaken a bit when Zeus boomed "PERSEUS JACKSON!" All I could do was wonder what I did wrong. "You are accused of treason by your closest loved one, Annabeth Chase. What do you have to say for yourself?" I gawked at him like he was about to scream 'APRIL FOOLS!' but that never came. I asked him "This is a joke right? I just saved you all and I'm accused of treason! By you of all people Annabeth! Where is your proof?" I asked incredulously. "Right here." she stated handing me a piece of paper
When I looked upon it, I couldn't believe what I saw. It had a thing written about how only a child of Athena could unlock something within the statue of Athena at the Parthenon. It said that I was going to use it for a "Siege of Olympus' while 'the gods were still weak from the attacks of my brothers in arms.' But the bottom is what killed me the most. My signature. I taught it to her so she could write my names for verification at the camps since I don't do paperwork well. She made this. That fact ripped a hole through my heart. I took out the box for the rings Hephaestus made and I threw it at her. "That's why we were at the Parthenon. So I could give you this." I said venomously. I didn't notice the tears of regret on her face when she saw the rings. I didn't care.
"Your sentence shall be Tartarus because it is the only place worthy of people on your level." Zeus declared "All against?" Apollo, Artemis, Dad, Hermes, and Aphrodite raised their hands. "All for?" Everyone else raised their hands, but I saw Hestia shaking her head at the gods who voted 'for.' At least someone cared, I thought. "Percy, do you have any last words?" Zeus asked "I hope your happy. I gave everything for you, got your weapon, helped you with two wars, but sadly your paranoia is all for naught. I am innocent, and I can only hope you find out that I am too." And with that, The King of the Gods raised his Master Bolt, but just before he could fire, I saw Thalia walk in with Nico and heard her scream "PERCY!" and all went black. Not the unconscious black, but no light black. I heard the stomping of feet and cold laughter that I haven't heard in years. My last thought before the pain started was 'I hope the get me out of here soon'
Flashback End
As I finished my story my mother and girlfriend were all looking at me in sympathy. But my mom came out of her trance when she saw something that she failed to notice. "Percy," she began, piecing her words together along the way, "what happened to your eyes? And if you were in Tartarus, then where are your scars?" I looked at her and said softly, "You don't wanna see them. Trust me." But she remained stubborn and wanted me to show her my scars,but before I took off my shirt, I warned her, "Beware mom because they are gruesome, and the story behind them is even worse." With that said, I took off my shirt, only to find my mother gaping at my wounds. Without warning, I started telling them about my eyes, which also explained the Stygian iron chain.
Flashback
When I arrived at my 'humble abode,' I was immediately seized after my last thought and was bound and gagged before Kronos. As I struggled against my bonds, I felt the cool metal of a shackle attached to my wrist. I stopped struggling, knowing there was no way out. Kronos grabbed my chin and breathed his sickly breath on my face as he spoke. "My, my, my, what do we have here. Just the person I wanted to see. You know, you caused me a lot of trouble back a few years. So now, lets get rid of that horrid eye color. It's too warm and comforting. Let's change that." he ranted. Grinning as my eyes widened at what he meant.
He had some bleach and started walking towards me. Wait, I thought, where did he get bleach?! But before he could pour it into my eyes, I closed them, sealing it from liquid. "You're just adding on to the list of injuries." he scolded, "Now be a good boy and open up!" he screamed as I felt a slash go from my left eyebrow to my chin. 'Most likely a knife', I assumed. "Medusa!" he bellowed "get the Greek fire." I was scared now. What were they gonna do with that? My question was answered when I felt unimaginable pain. So much, that I forgot to keep my eyes closed. When the shot open, Kronos started pouring the bleach in my eyes. The pain doubled, searing all of my nerves to high alert.
As soon as It started, it stopped as Nectar was poured onto my eyes and wrist, and an ambrosia square shoved down my throat. When I could open my eyes, I looked down and saw a Stygian iron shackle fused with my skin, and when Kronos shoved a mirror in my face, my eyes were not my own. They were ice white. "See," the Titan taunted, "aren't they much better" the only thing I heard as I passed out from exhaustion was the cackling of the insane.
Flashback End
As I finished my story, my mother was in tears, and I was trying to comfort her. Out of the blue, Paul came in and said, "Honey I'm ho-" he stopped and pieced together what was happening. "P-Percy? Is that you?" I looked up at him from the couch and wittily replied, "Of course, Mr. Fish." AN: Cookies to who gets the joke! He rolled his eyes as he sat next to Mom, and asked what happened to her. "I was telling her what happened to my eyes." He looked at me like I was crazy, but when he finally looked at me, he shivered and nodded. "So, what happened to you? Where did you go?" he started to ask. "Tartarus." I replied, and that was all I needed to say.
He looked upon my right arm and paled. "Is that what I think it says?" I looked down at my arm and looked at the curse. On the bicep, it had the most pure word in Greek upon it " ζωή" or "Life", but in this context, it was the most vile word in existence. Around "ζωή" was the next step of the curse. The word "ταλαιπωρία" or "Suffering" was circling around "Life". For the final visible part of the curse, "αιώνιος" or "Eternal" was the next circle in the curse. I looked at him and told him, "Partially." His eyes snapped up and he looked at me in confusion silently asking 'What do you mean' I lifted up my arm and upon my tricep was a crude rune, looking as if it had been made with a shaking hand. It read "αιτία " or "Cause". The full curse was made with the four words of "Life, Suffering, Eternal, and Cause", which roughly translated to "Cause Eternal Suffering for Life.".
Paul's eyes widened when he translated the the 'curse'. "How?" he squeaked. I grimaced as I remembered the pain of the initial curse. By now, my mom was fully functional and aware, but I wanted to save her another breakdown and asked her, "Instead of staying, can you please make some of your famous blue cookies? I would rather you not hear this." She smiled at me gratefully and left to make cookies. Thalia stood up and took the spot the had previously held my mom, and cuddled into my chest. But I hardly noticed as I unconsciously started stroking her raven black hair and was starting my story, staring off into space. "It was around my second year of imprisonment, where I swore not to join him." I started narrating, already at the mercy of my memory.
Flashback
I was again woken by the feeling of being dragged, with my hands bound with the chain sprouting from my chain. I learned a long time ago not to fight it, but I never lost hope. If you wanted to know what happened the last time... well you've seen the scythe on my chest. The blackness reminded me of the raven black hair, certain hair that belonged to the only girl who probably follow me, and never betray me. As always, I found my mind slipping, thinking about things that could never be mine, so I instead focused on where the two monsters were taking me. Again I saw my jailor, the Minotaur, Ironic isn't it, I asked myself, which is another habit I've started, that the one that I can kill easily, is the same thing I am now at the mercy of.
I was cut out of my musings when I saw golden orbs staring at me as my right arm was strapped to the table with leather straps, and my left was bound to the floor. "Why hello there, my little insect." he stated happily, "how was your nap?" "Wonderful." I uttered sarcastically. He laughed and looked my in the eye."I have an offer." he began with all mirth gone from his voice, "Mother is rising, and she wants you to lead the army. Think about it. Revenge against the people who put you here, quaking in fear in front of you as you exact your compensation for unneeded grief and torture." It was my turn to laugh as he looked at me like I was a brand new tool. "What will stop you from killing me after you get what you want? Or possibly throwing me back in here. You've seen the way the monsters look at me like they want me to die a very slow and excruciatingly painful death. Me, at the mercy of them? BAH!" I ranted leaving Kronos looking like he understood my plight and was about to explain something to me but I cut him off "Also, my fatal flaw is loyalty. Yes the gods banished me, but there are hundreds and thousands of demigods who didn't make the same mistake. You will probably destroy the camps when this is all said and done, so no. I swear on the River Styx I will never join you."
He smiled and said with malice dripping from his voice, "I knew you would say that, so that's where I comes into play. You see, I found a very potent curse, one that will make you wish you were dead, but will keep you in pain for all your life. I call it 'The Curse of Kronos' , and you will be the one to test it out for me." Then suddenly, I felt pain in my arm, but soon that was replaced my the best feeling ever. I looked down and saw "life" carved into my arm. "Not good with curses are you big guy?" I asked with fake sympathy. He kept grinning and continued to carve.
TIME LAPSE
When he finally pulled back, the pain coursing through me was so immense, my legs gave out from under me and since I was leaning on a table with my arm strapped to it, I broke my arm. As I screamed in agony, Kronos walked calmly up to me and released my arm. I fell to the floor with my arm at an odd angle, but the Titan just stood there with an amused expression. I was using all my willpower not to scream as he stepped on my arm. He leaned in to tell me, "I'll let you and pain get re-acquainted." and with that he left me on the floor. I only had one option to stop the pain. Reverse the curse. But how could I when it made a bathe in the River Styx look like a thumbtack compared to a giant spike in the kneecaps.
I thought of everything, on how to stop the pain,but the only way is to carve another word into my arm. 'Think Percy, think! How about I use this to my advantage. Let's use... 'cause' so I can transfer this curse. But I can't barely move! What would Thal... Thalia.' I thought with renewed vigor. Thalia was the one who never gave up. Never left me behind. 'She might even be up there fighting about me being here. She even cared when I was sent. I gotta fight. For her.' With shaking hands, I gripped the pen in my shorts, which seemed the only thing I could use. He would try to heal me later, and this is a cursed blade, so it'll stay. Right? I transformed my pen into my trusty sword and lied it on the floor to get a better grip. As I gripped the sword by the flat of the blade and carved into my upturned arm, I screamed. The pain was almost too much, but I had to finish.
When I was done, the pain vanished, and I pretended to pass out. I wanted revenge. I heard footsteps when riptide returned to my pocket. I heard him walk up to me and he gasped, "That little..." but instead poured nectar all over my arm, but I felt no tingle of healing, so I knew it didn't work. He screamed in rage and boomed, "Pick him up!" I took my chance at revenge. I popped up and looked at the person who was gonna pick me up, the Minotaur. Perfect. As I thought 'Suffer' , He started to scream in pain. I smiled manically at Kronos ,but before I could do anything, my arm was on the floor. I screamed in pain and blacked out. As I came to, I saw my arm reattached and pinned to the floor with Riptide, not stabbed into my hand, but was chained to the hilt as it was plunged into the ground. After being aware of my surroundings, I heard Kronos say from somewhere in the black abyss, "Your real torture starts now."
Flashback End
This time when I finished, Paul congratulated me on my wit, and went to help mom with delivering the cookies. Thalia looked up at me from her chest and asked, "You thought about me?" I gave her a peck on the lips, and answered, "You helped in more ways than one." After cuddling for a while, Mom came out with some blue cookies. I smiled and announced, "Let's forget about these dark thoughts. How was your life so far Mom?" I inquired, to which she answered enthusiastically by telling me all about her life. As the day went on, Thalia fell asleep and the house filled with her gentle snores. But soon, I gave my mom a hug and a kiss goodbye, shook Paul's hand, grabbed Thals, and vapor traveled to the camp border. After I crossed, I VP'd to the Zeus cabin and tucked her in. Just in case she freaked and thought it was a dream, I left a note for her to read when she woke up.
As I left the cabin, I heard cheers coming from the ampitheatre. Well, I thought happily, time to show my face.
AN: What do you think? Don't forget to vote and review. I kinda changed the curse from the prologue, because the inspiration hit me. Also, I changed the term of 'his right hand was pinned by his very own sword, Riptide' because he had no hole in his hand. Hope you like! I'll get started on the next one.