Title: To Be A Hero: The Lightning Thief
Author: Keeper Of The Fandoms
Fandom: Percy Jackson And The Olympians (Book)
Major Pairing: Nico/Percy/Talon (Thalia)
Word Count: 3953 words
Tags (Will be added to later): Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Violence, Genderbent!Thalia (Talon), Good!Luke, Mild Annabeth bashing
Basic Info: Please remember this story is slash and poly with a threesome pairing so if that stuff offends you leave now. If you don't like it don't read it. Also please review, follow and favourite if you liked but don't flame. Flaming is stupid and only reflects badly on you, constructive criticism on the other hand is greatly appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson, its characters or plotline. I only own my own ideas!
'Everybody's a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will spend its whole life believing its stupid'
The rest of the year passed quickly but after the incident with Mrs Dodds things only got worse. First every teacher seemed to develop a sudden hatred for the pupils and they were subjected to three times as much homework. Percy suffered in silence, studying well into the night as his dyslexia threatened to drive him insane.
Second the one time Apollo managed to show up a teacher discovered him in Percy's dorm and before Apollo could pull the mist on her she had already reported it so that was another black mark against Percy's name. It didn't help that Apollo had been in his young disguise of an extremely handsome twenty something year old, obviously the school didn't approve of finding twelve year olds being found lying across a much older guy even if it was entirely platonic between the two. Since the school couldn't find the boy to prove it they couldn't expel Percy but he knew one more thing and he was gone, proof or no proof.
The last incident happened when Percy was at the weekly poker tournament held in the year nine boys dorm with liquor and gambling. He had cleaned out as usual and was having a bit of a celebration with some of his friends. The elderly matron had chosen to do her job for the first time that year and had been properly mortified as she walked into the room of half-naked, stoned and drunk boys. Percy was scheduled for expulsion, he was to leave Yancy at the end of the year and never come back.
The school year came to a quiet end and before long Percy found himself waiting outside the school gates for the greyhound bus, he had a gut wrenching urge to get out of the city and back home. It had been ages since he had properly gone into the woods, talked to his grandmother and or was even around nature. Grover was waiting beside him and he just knew Grover was waiting for his chance to convince Percy to go to Camp Half Blood with him. Percy decided to wait till they were at least on the bus till he told Grover he knew all about the gods and the mythical world.
The bus finally pulled up and Percy hopped aboard, his combat boots clicking loudly against the steel of the bus floor. He bagged them two seats at the very back, moments after Grover had settled down beside him the bus lurched forward and the engine began to rumble beneath their feet.
"Hey Perseus I need to tell you something really important," he muttered as the bus roared to life, Percy nodded and smirked, settling his gaze onto his friend in silent laughter.
"Is it that the world of the Greek myths is real, that there is a Camp for half-blood children of the gods and I am one of them. That Mr Bruner is really Chiron, the half horse half man legend or that you're really a satyr and the reason you pretend to have a leg disease is so no one suspects anything." Percy raised an eyebrow as Grover stared at him open mouthed, his eyes wide.
"H-h-how? I mean, who told you?" he stammered, twisting his pants leg between his fingers, giving Percy a brief glimpse of fur beneath the hem before he dropped it.
"My mother Grover, she loved me, so much but she died when I was six. She was a saint you know. She married the most despicable of men to protect me then she was killed. A horde of monsters destroyed our apartment and her, I was there Grover I watched it happen. They paid for it though, I made sure every last one of them was killed. I love my mother but I can't really remember her. My grandmother and brother though, they raised me. They helped me learn to fight and survive, they taught me what it meant to be a demigod and I love them more than I can say." Percy stared out the window, unwilling to look at his friend in fear of rejection.
"I don't care who you are Perce. You're my best friend, hell you're my only friend and I love you like a brother. Who your family is won't change that," he whispered, rubbing a soothing hand along Percy's back. The dark haired teen grinned at the satyr and threw his arms around him, burying his face in his chest.
"Your my brother goat legs or no goat legs," Percy responded, smiling as he heard Grover chuckle, the sound vibrating through his chest.
"Thanks Perce," he smirked just as the bus groaned to a halt and black smoke poured from the back.
"Fuck my life," Percy muttered, trooping off the bus with the others, stilling as he saw the fruit stand across the road.
"Perce you seem to know what that is, now get back on the bus," Grover warned but the stubborn demigod ignored him, marching straight across the road and standing a bit in front of the table.
"Hello Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos," Perseus greeted pleasantly, shading his eyes against the sun and fixing the three old crones with an indulgent smile.
"Young demigod," Clotho said in shock, her two sisters mirroring her, even the gods called them the fates it was rather pleasant to be addressed as separate people. It made what they were about to do all the harder.
Lachesis held a thread before her, an electric blue string that shimmered with youth yet wavered as if it knew its fate. She strung it out and gave it to Atropos with great resentment, she felt that this demigod was different and wished to cause him no pain. They had all held his string before, seen his past and none wished for any more pain to befall the demigod. Even if his destiny was already determined.
Atropos slowly lifted her scissors, her knuckles white around the blade only to gasp with surprise as they were pried from her fingers, a smaller, healthier hand taking the blade. "For the first time ladies, it won't be your fault," Percy stated firmly, lifting the scissors and closing them around the string, the snip audible to Grover even across the lanes of traffic.
"Young demigod, that was most noble… and most kind" Atropos nodded, taking the demigods hand and pressing a basket of ripe fruit into his grip.
"Sisters may I tell him?" Lachesis asked slowly, looking to her sisters for approval, both nodding their agreement.
"Perseus this is most urgent and you may repeat it to no one. The future is not set in stone, we only know what has happened and what is happening not what shall happen except on very rare occasions. You must know young one, there is still a chance, anyone can be redeemed and everyone has goodness within them, sometimes you must simply look closer. I tell you this with the strictest confidence, change it Perseus. Change it for the better, make a new story line and everything shall fall into place. We wish you luck Perseus, chosen of Gaea, for you shall need it," Lachesis whispered quickly, the words storing themselves inside Perseus's head.
He turned back to face the bus as it roared to life and when he turned to say goodbye to the fates they were gone, the stand and everything vanished, the only thing remaining the small basket of fruit within his grasp. "I shall try," he whispered, hoping wherever they were they would hear him.
"What the hell was that?" Grover demanded as soon as they were back on the bus, Perseus casually munching on a peach he had pulled from the basket.
"The fates Grover, they still have feelings you know, they don't determine fate they simply act as its tools. There was so much sadness in them goat boy; if I could prevent even the tiniest bit of it then I would," Perseus shrugged, licking his lips to get the rest of the juices.
"You're mad," Grover took a grape and bit into it, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Probably," Percy shrugged, grinning cheekily up at him. "So my house then Camp Half Blood?" Percy asked, popping a juicy strawberry into his mouth and savouring the sweet taste. The fates must have made some of the sweetest fruit he had ever tasted, and he was the chosen of the earth goddess.
"Yep but we better hurry, at Yancy the scent of all the humans at least covered your scent a little bit, enough to keep most of the monsters away but now you're out in the open they'll be coming for you." Grover warned and he nodded, looking out the window and scowling at the rapidly approaching storm clouds.
The bus pulled up at the final stop before it would return to the city, a solitary bus terminal in front of a huge forest, and several farm houses opposite it. "Do you live in one of them?" he gazed at the large structures and the surrounding farm land.
"Nope, follow me," Percy gestured over his shoulder and took several steps into the forest, pausing as he felt the thrum of life seeping through the soil and into his body, bringing a sense of comfort and home. "Hello there," he whispered, spreading out his consciousness so it flooded throughout the forest, following a narrow, winding path through the trees.
"Perce where are we going?" Grover sounded worried and he paused, waiting for him to catch up before grabbing his hand and dragging him into a large clearing, his house held high in the trees with a small pulley system the only way to get up. "Holy shit," Grover whispered, gazing with awe at the full structure high in the treetops.
"Come on I just need to get some stuff," Perseus pulled him to the pulley and grabbed the vine, ordering it to move with his powers, the lift shooting rapidly upwards. He opened the door and waited till Grover was in to close it. Grabbing his duffle bag from the corner of his room he piled all his clothes into it, adding his stash of liquor to the top so they wouldn't break.
The few mementoes he had from various monsters he fought, teeth, claws, stuff like that was put into a side pocket, his photo album joining the nearly full bag. The books he owned were added to the pile and he closed the bag, slipping the stash of money, both mortal and drachmas into his backpack, patting it comfortingly.
"You live here?" Grover's shocked voice came from above him and he looked up to see him on the main balcony, Perseus knew from experience you could see the entire forest when you were up there.
"Yep since I was six, I created it with grandma's help and I guess I never really had to move," Perseus shrugged and threw his duffle over his shoulder, gesturing for Grover to follow him back down to the bottom of the tree. When they were out of the house he pressed his hand against the tree, visualising it back to the way it was before he made his home. A loud creaking sound filled his ears and he peaked open an eye, smiling when he saw the structure was gone.
"Just how powerful are you?" Grover was staring at the now normal tree and Percy frowned thoughtfully.
"Truthfully I have absolutely no fucking idea," he smirked and led the satyr back out of the forest, casting one last wistful look back at the place that had been his home for 6 years.
"How are we going to get to Camp? I mean there's no buses there, taxis don't come out here and we don't have any form of transport." Grover was panicking now and Percy scowled, slapping him sharply across the face.
"Listen here goat boy, that man over there on the big farm has a car, easy to hotwire, we'll just take that," Percy said, already stalking across the farm and over the fence, sliding smoothly across the hood of the car and pulling a bobby pin from the edge of his shirt.
"But that's stealing," Grover protested, running after him and grabbing a hold of his wrist.
"The man that owns this abused his own wife till she was in a coma in hospital, that was four years ago Grover and she still hasn't woken up," Percy spat, shaking his hand off and jimmying open the door, shoving his duffel onto the back seat and hopping into the driver's seat. Grover blanched but slid into the passenger seat, securing his seat belt with shaky hands.
"Okay Perce we'll do it your way. WAIT! Do you even know how to drive?" Grover asked worried and Perseus smirked, revving the engine and tearing out of the farm onto the road, ignoring the small figure that ran after them for the first few metres. He smoothly shifted into third gear and the car sped up, racing down the abandoned country road.
"I'll take that as a yes," Grover said a bit more calmly, his fingers still in a white knuckle grip around his seatbelt.
"Yeppers my big bro taught me," Percy giggled, throwing the car into second gear and tearing around a corner.
"Gods it is still so weird to hear you say that," Grover groaned, dropping his head forward onto the dashboard and huffing as the next turn made him crash his head into the window.
"So where am I going exactly?" Perseus asked, swerving to avoid a calf that had trooped onto the road unknowingly.
"Long Island, Camp is located in a forest so no one will stumble upon it. Even if they do there's a compulsion charm on it that makes them instantly turn and walk in the opposite direction far, far away," he explained and Percy nodded in determination, turning down the next corner with a sign that read 'Long Island'.
The drive wasn't that long, the rain having started heavily within minutes of entering Long Island with Percy's foot on the gas pedal the whole way, barely slowing when taking corners and his hands clenched firmly around the wheel. His gaze forward as he slammed on the breaks, a dark shape passing by them as the rain. "What the fuck was that?" he screamed, revving the engine and continuing to drive.
"Percy go as fast as you can," Grover said tight lipped, his fingernails biting into his palms.
"What is that Grover?" he demanded.
"Monster," Grover shivered and glanced at Perseus.
A bellowing roar sounding behind them as he stiffened. "No Goat boy not monster, minotaur," Percy responded stiffly, his foot starting to cramp from being forcing the pedal against the floor.
"How do you know that?" he asked wearily, dreading the answer he was going to get.
"I've met him a few times," his eyes were fixed firmly on the road and he refused to look at his friend who was staring at him in disbelief.
"How many times is a few?" he knew he would regret asking.
"Six," the car descended into silence and Percy swerved suddenly, narrowly missing a large shape that had hurtled at the car, he could hear the distinct mooing sound. "A cow!? Who throws a fucking cow?" he yelled bewildered. "Gods I knew he held a grudge but fucking seriously, take the wheel a moment Grover," he demanded, letting go and ignoring Grover's startled bleat shoved half his body out of the window.
A silver charm bracelet was clasped around his wrist, jingling with the multitude of charms hanging from the delicate looking links that belied their true strength. A smirk wove its way on his face and he took a bow and arrow charm from the bracelet, the charm instantly morphing into a shimmering gold bow, music notes carved into the surface.
He brushed off the wet strands of hair that clung to his face, drawing back his bow string and fitting his fingers around the arrow that appeared on the string. "Why don't you throw a fucking horse next time you smelly twit at least then you'll have a chance of hitting us!" he screamed, letting loose the arrow and watching with satisfaction as it hit a nearby tree, the already rotting oak cracking in half and falling in front of him, the half bull, half man losing distance as he attempted to vault the trunk.
Percy held the bow against the bracelet as it turned back into a miniature charm. Still grinning manically he slid back into the seat and took back the wheel from a shaken Grover, slamming his foot against the pedal and swerving wildly in an attempt to throw off the Minotaur. "You're insane you crazy Perce! I mean seriously!" Grover screeched and Perseus smirked, his face suddenly contorting in fear as the hair on his arms began standing on end.
"Grab hold of your chair Grover and don't let go!" Percy shrieked, letting go of the wheel and clutching the seat with his arms, Grover doing the same just in time as the car seemed to explode, tossing itself through the air and slamming against the ground. Percy groaned as they finally stopped spinning, unlatching his arms from around the seat and blearily climbing out of the car, looking in shock at the giant hole that had appeared in the roof, the metal still smoking.
"Grover!" he called worriedly, searching for his best friend amongst the wreckage. He was slumped over in the passenger seat, blood trickling from the side of his mouth.
"Grover! NO! You've got to be okay goat boy. I need my brother," Percy sobbed, grabbing him around the waist and hauling him from the wreckage, brushing a strand of curly brown hair from his friend's bleeding forehead. "If he dies because of this I swear on the Styx Zeus I will kill you, I will make you fade in agony," Percy hissed, thunder booming across the sky, and he meant it.
"Food," Grover mumbled, the voice was quiet but he was alive and Percy cheered happily before stilling as he heard the bellowing roar of the Minotaur closing in.
"Shit," he groaned, wrapping one of Grover's arms around his shoulders and half carrying half dragging him up the hill, looking back over his shoulder every now and then to see him getting closer. Percy concentrated on the sandy earth beneath its feet and commanded it to liquefy, turning the area around him into a mini quicksand pit. He smiled and continued stumbling, stilling as he heard the roar right behind him. That hesitance was all the bull man needed and he swiped at the raven demigod.
He threw Grover to the side and clenched his teeth, ignoring the thin but deep slices along his stomach from the minotaur's' claws. "Fuck," he hissed, grabbing his celestial bronze daggers from his charm bracelet and parrying the monsters clumsy strokes, unable to reach any vital areas with their current position.
He noticed Grover groaning loudly about food and saw that the Minotaur had realised he was there to, and much easier pray than the small teen boy who was leaving a stinging sensation across his body. Percy screamed as he realised he was heading for Grover and frowned, concentrating on a nearby boulder and jerking his head, the boulder sailing through the air and crashing into the minotaur's back.
"Bullseye," he hissed until he realised that the Minotaur was now charging at hin. "Fuck my life," he whispered, preparing to jump to the side as soon as he got close enough. Except his plan didn't go quite as he wanted it to. He approached too quickly for him to move to the side so he went the only other direction available, up.
He flipped his body as he had been taught when he took gymnastics, tucking his body into a ball and landing perfectly on the monsters shoulders, sliding down like he was about to go into a split but instead wrapping his legs around his neck, clinging on as he bucked back and forth, attempting to shake him off. "Take this bastard," Percy muttered, grabbing his horn and pulling backwards, the loud crack almost as satisfying as the bellow of rage that Minotaur let out when it realised its prey had broken its horn.
He turned stiffly and pawed the ground, snuffling as his meaty fists swung by his side, charging at Percy with terrific speed. He had no time to reach his weapons and instead fell into a forward roll, coming up on bended knee and thrusting the horn into the space between its first few ribs, directly in the heart. He let out a loud hiss, his body slowly dissolving into golden sand and being swept away by the rain.
"You fight like a little bitch," Percy growled, feeling his knees shaking beneath him. The rush from battle was beginning to wear off and he could feel every injury. The cuts across is stomach were still dripping blood sluggishly, his top and pants stained red from the deep tears, he knew they would scar with or without nectar. His head was still ringing from where he had hit it against the dashboard and he was slightly worried he may have a concussion.
"Grover," Percy gasped startled, hurrying to his friend's side and tucking his arm around his waist, hauling him to an upright position and stumbling towards the top of the hill. He took a moment to admire the beauty but the sudden wave of pain flooding through his body made him continue, it was dark and he couldn't distinguish anyone on the grounds, the sun having long since set. He rested against a huge white pine for a few moments, before tightening his hold on Grover and stumbling down the hill, heading towards a large white house. He had just reached the porch as he gasped for breathe, his chest tightened, his body wavering as he attempted to stay upright.
Mustering the last of his strength Percy stumbled onto the porch, collapsing to his knees and pounding weakly on the door, his body kneeling to the side as he lay out on the porch, Grover unconscious beside him.
"Percy?!" a shocked voice called from what seemed like far away and opening his eyes he could barely distinguish the shape of his now ex-teacher.
"Hey Chiron, sort of had a run in with a Minotaur," he murmured weakly, his eyes fluttering. Just before they closed he saw two people exit the house, both blonde, a boy and a girl. But the girl had steely grey eyes while the boys shone like the sky.
"It must be him Chiron!" the girl frowned, gazing down at Perseus with suspicious eyes.
"You don't know that Annabeth," the boy shook his head, staring the girl down.
"Shush Annabeth, Luke, help me get them inside." Chiron ordered, the two grabbing him while the boy lifted Grover into his arms.