II
PERCY
BEING CHASED ACROSS CALIFORNIA BY ALL THE KING'S MEN wasn't exactly what Percy had in mind when he had left the Wolf House three days ago. He thought he'd just take a bus or a taxi to Camp. When monsters greeted him at the bus stop, he realized maybe he wasn't cut out for public transportation.
Maybe all of this monsters-out-to-kill-you gig was just another day in the life of Percy Jackson. He didn't know. Or rather he couldn't remember—anything past his time at the Wolf House was a blank.
He had woken up from what felt like a very deep sleep. He'd opened his eyes blearily to the sharp visage of a she-wolf just inches from his face. It didn't do his heart any favors to say the least. He had tried playing dead in vain, much to the amusement of the wolf goddess. That was how Percy had met Lupa, goddess of Rome, mother of Romulus and Remus.
He had tried asking Lupa about his past but she would only respond with carefully cryptic words. He had clues of his previous life on his persons. There was the bead necklace and his pen that can turn into a bronze sword.
It was unclear how much time Percy had spent at the Wolf House, living amongst the wolves; time felt different there—almost suspended. Lupa taught him the ways of the pack, how to hunt, how to survive. She sharpened his instincts in battle, molding him into a hunter—into a wolf of her pack. From sun rise to sun set, she would train him like a Spartan—er Roman—in the wilderness near the House.
When the day was done, she would tell stories of Rome. He would listen to tales of Aeneas and his journey from Troy, guided by the gods to set the foundations of what would become Rome. He learned of the seven kings, of the Triumvirates, of the emperors, the rise and fall of many figures. The bed-time stories the she-wolf would reminisce about fascinated Percy. He couldn't quite pin down why he was so interested. It just felt as if he had become tied to the history, as if Lupa had entrusted a piece of Rome's legacy to him.
And then, after she was satisfied that she had taught all that she knew, Lupa sent him on his way—to find the Roman demigod camp.
The trip south to Camp Jupiter would have been a breeze...for a regular mortal. The thought that the son of Neptune, strolling around by himself to bus-stops or shopping districts, might attract hordes of monsters didn't seem to cross Percy's mind when he left Lupa's protection.
And then the bus-stop incident happened. And then the supermarket-checkout incident happened. And that police thing happened.
Monsters everywhere.
Wherever he went, there seemed to be some hideous creature leering at him from a corner. Sometimes they found him. Sometimes he found them. From the confusingly nostalgic Monster Donut shops to the many-headed sea monsters that seemed to be in every body of water...to the homunculi that were currently chasing after him through the dead of night, there was never a moments rest since Percy left the House.
He couldn't quite figure out why he was so unlucky.
The monsters claimed that they could "smell" him. But Percy wasn't sure what they meant. He'd tried covering his scent with deodorant, perfume—he even tried caking himself in mud. Nothing seemed to stop them from finding him. It was like they had a GPS for locking in on demigods. 'Travel 1.5 miles, turn right, and continue for 3 miles, you will find one nice and juicy demigod to your left!'
Honestly, he was at his wit's end.
But now it seemed at long last, his journey was drawing to an end. Percy could somehow feel that the Camp was close—like a little homing device in his gut. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He had very quickly discovered that the monsters couldn't hurt him for some reason. Fangs, claws, weapons—they all just bounced harmlessly off of him as if his skin were made out of some indestructible material. It had saved his life countless times already. He had tried sleeping in the midst of monsters feverishly hacking and gnawing away at him.
He did not sleep well.
He didn't ever want to wake up drowning in monster saliva with his clothes shredded again. He didn't ever want to wake up in the claws of some flying beast hundreds of meters above the earth. And he did not ever want to wake up having to cut his way out of the belly of a beast or sea monster or other. Never again.
Percy continued running. His legs burned as he ran up the umpteenth hill. His mind was still figuring out how to work, the brain struggling to turn its many cogs that provided mental function. Run. Being chased. Camp. Near. Sleep. Ah.
Percy face-planted into the ground. It took a few seconds to register but he soon realized he had tripped over something as he was running in the dark. Groaning, he pushed himself up. He checked himself. Nothing seemed broken or sprained. The pen sword was still in his pocket. Rummaging into his backpack, he found a flashlight and turned it on. His internal radar was telling him that Camp was basically in front of him. Just a few miles…At this point, it didn't really matter if the flashlight could be a beacon for the monsters—they were able to "smell" him anyway—he just hoped that maybe some Campers on the lookout for demigods running for their lives would see the light and come pick him up.
A crackle of lightning split the skies, followed by thunder. He looked up to see funnel clouds swirling about in a vortex almost right above him. The ground shook or maybe it was him; Percy couldn't tell. Not good.
He looked behind him.
They were close. This morning—or rather yesterday's morning—after he had ditched the police car he borrowed from two Lamia posing as cops, Percy had been accosted again by these humanoid things made out of mud. They had been pursuing him ever since.
"There he is!" Speak of the devils. He cursed and turned around, uncapping the pen in his pocket. The bronze pen sword seemed to glow from the light of his flashlight.
There, before him, stood three misshapen figures of earth. Their forms changed frequently, rippling into deadly talons, wings, tentacles. The light of the moon danced in and out of sight amongst the impending storm in the skies, casting eerie angles onto the golem creatures that approached Percy. The Mist around them were strong. But now that there were no mortals around, their grotesque appearances were in full display.
All three looked like they came straight out of a horror story.
A hooded goliath with a scythe-like hook towered over Percy to his left, multiple cold green eyes glowed from underneath the hood. He could hear odd whispering sounds from across its body and had a sickening image of multiple mouths hissing and salivating underneath the ragged cloak.
The abomination to his right didn't look any better. At one glance, it looked like an angel of black obsidian—with its black wings outspread, the night seemed to grow darker. On closer inspection, he could see agonized faces writhing across the surface except for the head. There were no features where the face should have been—only a gaping maw. It had tentacles for its right hand which wrapped around a broadsword the size of a truck—the weapon looked to be made from human bones. Its left arm was a third wing that could cover its entire body.
Before the two nightmares on either side, the figure in the middle almost had Percy disappointed at how normal it looked—so normal and ordinary that it could almost pass for a human. It wore Roman armor and a mask under the helmet—probably could've fit right in a Renaissance festival...except for the fact that green glowing veins covered its body like vines. He seemed to be the leader of the three as when he raised a careless hand, the other two froze like statues.
"You put up a good effort, Perseus Jackson," the middle man rasped. "Put us on quite a wild goose chase. But you should be on your last leg by now. When was the last time you slept?"
"Thanks for your concern. Didn't think you cared so much." Percy edged back, maintaining the distance between him and his pursuers, trying to keep all three in vision. "By any chance, could you let me off just this once? I promise I'll come and play tag again at a later date."
Captain Hook to his left hissed with a cackle, and the rags wrapped about its body rippled. Percy was now convinced there were more gaping maws underneath it. The Roman soldier in the middle regarded Percy with amused sickly green eyes that glowed in the darkness. "Oh, no, Jackson. We have yet to return your hospitality."
"I'll pass on your return," Percy , eyes darting around. How to get out of this mess? The smell of the ocean came as the storm overhead picked up. He glanced in the direction of the sea. If he could get to water…
"Ah, yes. You could escape to the seas." The knight seemed to have read his thoughts. "We would be unable to reach you in your father's domain neither would any of Gaea's forces of course." The wingman to his right snarled but the knight ignored it and continued, "You would escape your destiny: the prophecy of Seven. You would become a spectator to the greatest war since the first giant wars."
"And watch as the world burns from the Earth Mother's rage," Hook finished, its voice—or voices to be more accurate—somewhat disembodied. "Watch as your friends, your family, the gods die."
"It would be a beautiful spectacle to see." The knight agreed.
"Not a chance." Percy said quietly. He couldn't remember any of his friends or family. And maybe he would never remember. But just standing by as the people the former Percy Jackson knew died was out of the question. Not to mention the world was at stake apparently.
It also meant that one possible path to escape was cut off. Running for the refuge of the seas meant running from the War. He would be turning his back on Camp and the possibility of regaining his memories. He would be turning his back on his friends and family that he would never know. He couldn't do that.
"Admirable—choosing to die with your friends rather than living alone." The apparent leader of the three acknowledged. "But foolish." He raised a finger as if a thought struck him. "There is a third option."
"And what's that?" Percy was happy for anything that could stall out the time at this point. Camp was so close. There had to be somebody on watch that had caught sight of the commotion. Three monsters were practically looming at their doorstep.
"My king may offer you, your friends, and your family a sanctuary. Give fealty to my lord and he may grant you freedom."
"And what of Gaea? Aren't you one of her lackeys? I'm pretty sure she wants everything that has to do with the gods dead." Any time now, lookouts.
The knight actually laughed. "I serve my king and no one else. My lord just has a sort of...partnership with Mother Earth." He gestured at himself and the other two. "We were given temporary vessels as part of a deal. After Gaea and her Giants tear Olympus down from the skies, she promised us bodies of flesh and territory."
"Gaea doesn't care whether we spare a few mortals. She just wants you out of the way."
"And by joining you guys, I would be out of her way?" Percy caught the gleam of gold from the corner of his eye. It was so brief that he wondered if he imagined it. He hoped not. Reinforcements right about now would be great. He didn't know how long he could keep them talking.
The king's vassal shrugged. "We share a common goal...for now."
"I see." Percy lowered his sword, feinting hesitation. Silence filled the air as he pretended to contemplate his decisions. The three in front of him stood there unmoving.
There was a fierce howling of wind and forecast overhead darkened. Lightning split the skies; it lit the skies and the black vortex above him. Thunder boomed over the mountains. The ground started to shudder and rumbling could be heard in the distance.
"It seems time has run out," the leader remarked. "Gaea's forces will be upon the Camp soon." He reached out a beckoning hand. "Your answer, Son of Neptune? Will you not join the King's men?"
Percy stared down at his sword arm. It was trembling from fatigue. His head had started spinning again. The guy was right about one thing: he was on his last legs. He hadn't been able to catch another glimpse of gold in the darkness. Maybe it really had been a hallucination. But he had to bet on it.
He met the mud man's gaze. It seemed to understand. "That's just too bad. I had thought that we could have you come willingly. How unfortunate." The two horrors on either side of him lunged forward with frightening speed.
Riptide pierced the ground as Percy buried the sword to its hilt. He let out a shout that he himself couldn't hear and called for the power of Neptune that ran in his blood. The world spun faster. There was a tug in his gut. And then sea engulfed everything.
-II-
Thanks for reading. I'll try posting character designs and other pictures relating to the chapters when I get the chance on wattpad. Leave a review if you have the time. Thanks again.