Percy walked with his head hung down, the hood of his jacket casting a shadow over his face. He has been alone by himself for some time already. He self taught himself everything he knew by stopping in multiple libraries to read many books of all sorts of subjects. He watched and observed the people around him, like how they walk and talk. The people around him jostled and pushed him around in a hurry to get by him. He did nothing and let it happen. Normally he would be bothered with this, but not now. Right now, he was on a mission.
As the day dragged by, the shadows extended longer, he glanced up. The day was soon coming to an end. He would pause his mission momentarily. He briskly walked past the crowd of people and peered into an alley. Making sure not to look into the alley too long, or else it would seem suspicious, he entered the darkness. Just as the sun set under the mountains and the stars and moon came out of their hiding places.
Percy's eyes trailed the stars, as after each passing hour, grew brighter and brighter until they were shining as brightly as they could be. Well, as brightly with pollution masking the glow. His eyes stopped at the moon. Right now it was a full moon. He was able to see the craters littering the moon behind the bright light and brilliant glow.
Percy continued to look up to the sky before his eyes closed, with the moon and stars imprinted behind his eyelids, drifting off into the realm of Morpheus.
A large hand suddenly settled on his shoulder startling him out of his dreams.
Percy's eyes snapped open, staring into another set of eyes.
"Hey...hey kid, wake up. Are you alone?"
Percy clamped his mouth shut refusing to reply to the question, which was a quite childish action, instead looking around to find an escape route. He was looking for an escape route because even though he was confident in his abilities to escape or possible fight this mortal, but he wasn't cocky. He knew that the man in front of him was heavier, bigger, and stronger than him. So, he merely looked for an escape route, calmly.
The man tried one more time, "Are you by yourself?"
The man narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Hey, dude. The kid won't answer my questions."
Another man emerged from outside the alley.
Percy thought glumly, there goes one escape route with the man blocking the alleyway.
Percy dubbed the man that just entered the alleyway, Man 2, not very creative.
Man 2 sighed and knelt down in front of Percy, "Hi, my name is Thomas. What is yours?"
Percy looked off to the distance away from the two men, acting like a rebellious teenager. It was not the behavior he usually acted like, but today he was just really stubborn and was furious for being shaken out of his sleep. His eyes still continued wandering for an escape route and his mind going a thousand miles per hour.
"Ok. Fine. Don't tell me your name. How about another question?" Without waiting for Percy to respond he asked the question, "How old are you?"
Percy looked dubious, but replied to Thomas, deciding that answering the question shouldn't hurt him. "I'm 10." Short and sweet.
Thomas's eyes widened and shared a look with Man 1. They continued to stay silent as they seemed to exchange a conversation with their eyes.
Man 1 knelt down in front of Percy, next to Thomas and said in a manner that was attempted to be soothing, which Percy thought wasn't at all, "Hey, kid. Don't you wish for a home? You can come with us. We'll find you a new home." The orphanage, the one place he ultimately dreaded.
Percy said nothing so both men leaned in closer to him to repeat the question, but before they could, Percy shot out of his seat on the ground and ran around the two men. Sprinting out of the alley, Percy tried to lose the men that was currently running after him yelling, "Stop!" "Can't you see I'm trying to help you?" "Gah!"
It seemed one of the men tripped. Percy stifled a laugh despite his current situation. An hand closed around Percy's arm. Percy's arm froze in shock, how did he catch up to me so fast?
The man who grabbed Percy, who Percy identified as Thomas, pulled Percy back, forcing him into a stop and closed his arms around his arms and waist. Percy continued to struggle as Man 1 caught up to Thomas. "So, you caught him. Damn he is one fast runner."
Percy growled out, "Would you please release me?"
Thomas nodded his agreement to the question from Man 1 from above Percy's head and ignored Percy's question. Thomas said, slightly relieved, "I'm so glad that the orphanage is so close to here."
"Agreed."
Thomas set Percy down so he could walk, but still kept his hands closed around Percy's wrists. Percy tried to rip his hands out of Thomas's grasp, but was unable to as he was suddenly forced to start walking in the direction the men desired him to go to.
Sooner than Percy expected, the party arrived at the orphanage. Percy examined the rundown orphanage. To Percy, the orphanage appeared to be a prison. Of course, it wasn't exactly what a prison looks like. It didn't have the barbed wire gates and it didn't have bars on the window and on the doors. The orphanage was practically radiating happiness and love. Exactly what Percy despised, for he was neglected and hated, showing him the true image of life. There are no colors, there are only black and white and gray.
Man 1, which Percy still didn't know what his name was, knocked on the door, which Thomas's iron hands clamped down on Percy's hands even harder, possibly causing some bruising.
Percy snapped, "You do know that hurts, don't you?"
The man looked slightly guilty and loosened his grip some.
The wooden door creaked open and a woman stood from behind it.
"Hello," she greeted kindly, shifting her gaze at the two men to the boy in between them. "What may I do for you two?"
Man 1 gestured to the boy whose hands were being held by Thomas, "We found him in an alley and would like to place him in your care?"
She questioned Man 1, "And who may you be?"
Percy looked intrigued, finally I am going to know what his name is. "I'm Mark." Oh.
Man 1, newly named Mark, gestured to Thomas and himself, "We are the police."
"Ahh." The woman introduced herself, "I am Alex. And I will be happy to take him in."
Thomas warned her in a slightly joking manner, but with seriousness lurking underneath the playful tone, "Be careful. This little guy may run away."
Alex smiled reassuringly, "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Both men nodded, "Of course." The man holding Percy nudged him in Alex's direction, before she took hold of his hand.
Thomas continued, "We will be departing soon and we will be leaving him in your care."
Alex nodded, "Of course." She seemed confidant that he will not run away.
The two policemen started walking away before stopping when Alex asked them, quite loudly, while holding Percy's hand gently, "What is his name?"
Mark shrugged, "I'm sorry, but we weren't able to get him to tell us his name. Sorry. But we were able to get him to tell us his age, he's ten."
Alex's eyes widened, "But he looks so much more older than a normal ten year old."
"That guy's seems to have been by himself for a while, of course he has to grow a bit more earlier than normal ten year olds."
During this whole conversation, Percy stayed silent, watching from the shadows. Gathering information. Most of it may be useless information, but more or less information. To be honest, Percy liked Alex better than the two men from the police.
Alex ushered Percy inside the house and closed the door silently behind her. She knelt on the floor in front of Percy and asked softly, moving slowly, approaching Percy as if he was a scared animal. Percy shook slightly in anger.
Percy straightened his shoulders, standing up tall, and said in a voice that was beyond his years, "Ma'm, would you please get off the floor and stop treating me as an scared animal? I am very much capable of holding an intelligent conversation with you." Percy inwardly smiled, he simply loved the way business, politicians, and lawyers talked. Business-like, serious, and mature.
Alex stared at Percy in shock and slowly got off of the floor, and straightened from her kneeling position on the floor, "Of course."
Percy merely nodded and thanked her politely.
Alex asked him, "Where did you learn to talk like that?" She looked at the ten year old boy curiously.
"Listening to others speak."
Alex cocked her head in confusion, "But kids your age don't talk like this."
Percy scoffed, "Of course not. I speak as the older men and woman who speak with dignity, without childish words and behaviors."
Alex continued with her next question, "If I may, I am curious to ask, what is your name?"
Percy looked on and a small smile spread on his face. What name should I choose? I will definitely not say my name is Percy, for that name is a connection to my past. Hmm...
Percy looked up at Alex and smiled, "My name is Kenji."
Footsteps pounded by Kenji's bedroom door. Kenji sat crisscrossed on his bed with his eyes closed serenely, but one could see it was difficult for his to do whatever he was doing. A still silence was broken when a hesitant knock knocked him out of his meditative-like state.
"Kenji? Breakfast is ready." The last part was rushed and fast paced footsteps faded as the boy ran away from his door, eager from breakfast. Kenji got up from his bed and started to walk to the table where breakfast sat ready to be eaten, where a disaster was happening. Kids were all over the place, running around, hyperactive, even though it was the morning. Many of the kids were in argument about whatever subject they are discussing. Alex desperately tried to regain order of the chaos at the breakfast table. Kenji's eyes saw Alex in the far corner at the room, letting a small smile flicker onto his face. He didn't mean to stay here at the orphanage, but she was just so kind to him, she was practically the first person to not look at him in pity, or anger, or nothing, she was just plain kind to him, so he decided to stay. But he frowned when he was what she was doing at the moment. She was trying to break up a physical fight between two boy, but is unsuccessful.
As when he was was silently down the stairs, he purposely made a loud stomping noise at the bottom of the staircase. All movement stopped. The kids were looking at him wide eyed.
Kenji calmly stated, "Isn't it time for breakfast? Am I right, Alex?" When the kids did nothing to go to their seats, he glared at them.
Almost all at once, all the kids ran to their seats, not even taking the time to argue with one another about a taken seat, instead moving off to find another seat, leaving two seats at the head open.
Alex tiredly slumped down on the head of the table and groaned, "I don't know what I am going to do without you. Thank you, Kenji." She smiled fondly at the oblivious Kenji as he maneuvered his way to the only remaining seat, next to Angela.
"You are welcome." Right as Kenji sat down at the table, there was a still silence for a couple seconds before different kids started to reach for the food. And soon, everyone was eating and conversing with one another happily.
Alex asked Kenji, exasperated, "How do you get these kids to listen to you? All they do is ignore me!"
Kenji let a ghost of a smile linger on his face, he answered the question in a nonchalant tone, "Well, all you have to do when you first arrive at the orphanage is beat up all the older kids. That is how you earn the respect of the kids younger than you."
Alex pouted, "Well, how am I going to do that?"
Kenji raised an eyebrow, "You can't."
Alex shook her head, "Well, I am glad that you did just that, but I don't want you to be beating up any other kids."
"Ok."
Kenji rose from his seat, "Alex, I will be heading to the library right now."
Alex grabbed his hand, before Kenji violently snatched his hand back, "Come on, Kenji. Every single day, you spend in that library. Every single day. Well, not counting school days. You need friends in your life."
Alex knew that the orphanage was barely scraping by. With all the mouths to feed and kids to educate. Soon, she would not be enough to support the orphanage. The teenagers that were old enough to work decides to be idiots and waste their life partying and doing drugs. Kenji volunteered to not go to school and go to the library every school day to do his studies and help Alex get money. At first Alex protested, saying that kids like him need to have a proper education. But later she relented as the money was slowly declining. Also the fact that Kenji was pretty smart for his age and that he would not lie to her about whether he was learning or not. As for the work, money kept being sent to the orphanage every month. Kenji was able to keep what his job was from Alex. After a while of pestering from Alex and Kenji being unrelenting, Alex gave up. And Kenji was relived.
Kenji dropped his plate and utensils in the sink and headed out the door. Leaving the orphanage where chaos ensues. Kenji ducked in the library and settled in his usual seat in the farthest corner, where nobody else sat. Percy walked into the section where the books for his subjects were. He gathered his Science, Math, History, English and Japanese books. Right as he was walking back towards his seat, he passed by the Greek and Roman mythology section. He hesitantly walked in the section and picked the book he usually chooses. A book about demigods who get disowned and what happens.
Kenji stared down at the stack of books before him before shoving his school books off to the side for a later time. He took out a pair of glasses from inside his jacket pocket, put it on, and flipped open the mythology book.
When a demigod(s) get disowned, the demigod(s) becomes blocked off to their godly side. This effectively creates a wall between their mortal and godly side. The process of being disowned by the demigod(s) is extremely excruciating. Not many survive this process because as the wall was being built between the two sides, the two sides are being ripped apart as they are infused together. For example, the demigod's blood is generally seen as red with gold specks in it. To separate the red and gold is definitely painful for the demigod itself. When the demigod is only blocked off from their godly side, they can still do everything a demigod can do like see through the Mist and be harmed by godly metals, but they are just unable to access their powers inherited through their mother or father.In some case when the god wants the demigod to be completely rid of their godly side, the wall will still be built as a barrier between the two sides, but once the wall is finished, another ritual could be performed to destroy the godly side of the wall, causing the demigod to be fully mortal. Which includes that the former demigod can be fooled by the Mist, the demigod can not be harmed by Imperial Gold or Celestial Bronze or any other godly metal.
The survival rates of even being disowned is extremely low. If the demigod(s) are just blocked off to their godly side, they could survive from ten to twenty years after disownment. But if the demigod(s) has their godly side killed off, their chance of surviving is severely slim and almost impossible. If a demigod(s) somehow survives the process they can only live up to five more years.
*The information enclosed within this book may not be accurate information*
Kenji closed the book slowly and stared off into the distance, absorbing and thinking the information he just received over. He pushed the mythology book off to the side and dragged forward the school curriculum books.
Hours after hours, the sun streaked across the sky and the moon and stars came out once more. Kenji walked around the library, place his school books back onto the shelves in the correct places and checked out the mythology and Japanese books with his library card. Alex got him a library card when he decided to not go to school, instead learning in the library. Kenji was thankful for the card and he has expressed his thanks over and over again and Alex would reply smiling, "You don't need to thank me, it is nothing. I need to thank you."
Tucking the two books underneath his arm, he walked back to the orphanage briskly. He swung the door open and closed it quietly, stepping carefully onto the floor to not make any noises. As he was making his way up the stairs, Alex saw him out of the corner of her eye and called out quietly, but enough for Kenji to hear her, "Goodnight, Kenji," she said warmly.
Kenji looked surprised, but quickly covered it with an indifferent mask, he nodded, "Goodnight."
Alex's eyes trailed after him as he hurried up the stairs and into his room, quickly slamming the door behind him.
Kenji made him way over to his bed and dumped his books onto the bed. He slumped down before placing his head in his hands wondering, how long have I been in this orphanage? How low have I lived under a separate identity?
What made him choose the name Kenji? Kenji placed the glasses back onto his face and flipped open his Japanese book, searching up Kenji. Aha! Found it!
In Japanese the meaning of the name Kenji is: Intelligent second son; strong and vigorous.