Author's Note:
Happy 2014, guys! And to usher in this new year, here is a new chapter! Thank you to every single person who followed/faved/reviewed. Tomorrow, is the official first day of school for me, unfortunately, so if I am not able to update regularly, sorry. Enjoy!
~Halvax
Notes and Warnings:
1. This is Pertemis. Don't like? Don't read. But I suggest you keep an open mind. This won't be a mindless love story centered around Percy and Artemis making out.
2. Pertemis will be gradual, as I don't like it when things are taken too fast. They will first start off as friends and will proceed from there.
3. Artemis and her hunters won't come in until future chapters, so be patient. I want to build up the story and other characters first.
4. This is an AU. So expect a tiny bit of justified OCCness.
5. The POVs will mostly Percy's, Artemis' or third person, unless necessary.
6. This is a fiction based loosely off of the different myths. I will try to stick as close as possible to the originals, but the time lines are different, to fit the story. You'll see what I mean.
7. I will try to update as soon as possible, but with school starting soon, so no promises.
8. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Please Follow, fave, and review.
9. The most important note: I DO NOT OWN PJO OR THE CHARACTERS. IT ALL BELONGS TO THE AMAZING AUTHOR RICK RIORDAN.
Earth's Champion: Humble Beginnings
Chapter 1: Fathers and Foundations
Third Person POV
4 years later...
It has been four years since Sally and Perseus was kicked out of her father's palace and shipped of to Athens, to live with Gabriel. Four years since Perseus' name was changed to Orion.
Gabriel has been a pain in the neck since the day the mother and son moved in to his palace. Since Minos didn't want people to know that Sally's son was not the 'heroic type', the pair's cover story, was that they were Gabriel's slaves. He expected them to clean and provide him money for his nightly trips to the various brothels in the city.
His father cut his funds as he spent to much, so Sally had no choice but to get a job at the local bakery. No one in Athens knew of the Cretian princess' true identity. She also taught Perseus, as Gabriel did not allow him to go to school. The young boy matured fast for his age.
Poseidon visited every two months in the guise of Perseus' long lost uncle. He gave him gifts and provided him company.
"Is uncle Nereus coming today, mommy?" Perseus asked eagerly. Perseus liked his uncle alot. Although he was only his uncle, Perseus considered Nereus more of a father than Gabriel.
"Yes he is Percy. He will come after you finish your lessons, while I work at the shop." Sally informed his son.
"What about Smelly Gabe? Where is he gonna be?" he asked with fear. When he was just learning to talk, he could not say Gabriel properly so he stuck with Gabe.
"That's cute honey. But don't call him that unless you want to get beat up again." Sally joked. Percy visibly flinched when his mother said beat him. Even though he was young, Gabe mercilessly beat him up every chance he got.
Percy's flinch didn't go unoticed. Sally croutched to her son's level. "Did he beat you again?" she said concerned. Percy shook his head wildly. If he told his mom, then Gabe would beat her. And he couldn't stand it when his mother got hurt.
"Alright. If you say so, then I trust you. Anyway, he won't be back until next week. He went to visit his sister in Sparta." she ruffled her beloved son's hair.
A loud knock came from the door. "That would be Nereus. I'll leave now, so no funny business, ok?" Percy nodded and gave her a crooked smile. Sally kissed his forehead and took off to answer the door.
"Sally! It's so good to see you!" Nereus said the moment the door opened. He planted a kiss on his lover's cheek and she blushed. "Same to you Nereus. Now what did I say about PDA? What if people see?" she muttered the last part.
'Nereus' rubbed the back of his head sheepily and apologised. "Uncle!" Perseus shouted while running full speed toward his favourite uncle. He jumped into 'Nereus' open arms. "Its great to see you too my boy. Head inside while I talk to your mother for a while, ok?" he said.
Perseus nodded eagerly and ran deeper into the palace. When he left, Poseidon pulled Sally closer and kissed her passionately. After a minute, Sally broke the kiss, breathless. "It's good to see you too Poseidon." she smirked. He laughed, the sea god missed Sally dearly. Although Amphitrite is nice, she had nothing on Sally, in his opinion. Poseidon wanted nothing more than to stay with his first love and make their family grow. But being the loyal person that he is, he didn't want to leave Amphitrite and the new baby they had afew months after Perseus was born.
He turned serious and said, "Have you decided?" Sally let out a sigh and said, "Yes. I plan to tell him today. He is maturing faster than any boy his age. He will understand. And I have decided to let Chiron start teaching him a month from now, a week after his fifth birthday. I will tell Gabriel that I have sent Perseus off to find work."
"Do you want me to be there when you tell him?" Poseidon asked, concerned. "Are you fine with staying? Don't you have your duties in Atlantis?" Sally asked. "Nope. I have the whole day off. Delphin is covering for me. And I would love to be there when you tell him his true parentage." Poseidon answered.
"Alright. I will see both of you later. Try not to break anything. That goes for both of you." She said and rushed out the door. He chuckled and went to find his favourite son.
Later that day...
"I'm home!" Sally called from the door, carrying a large bag of pasteries that she brought back from the store.
"Mommy! You're home!" Perseus shouted gleefuly, running to meet his mother."Did you get anything for me?" he asked hopefully. She laughed and said, "Take this bag to the kitchen and see." Perseus took the bag, kissed his mother's cheek and ran past his 'uncle' on the way to the kitchen.
"Welcome home, my love." Poseidon whispered, and pecked her lips. "Let's go see what our son is up to."
They walked hand in hand slowly through the halls of the castle. The castle is not all that big. It only had one floor and only a few rooms. It had a small garden and a small stable. It also had a small ballroom that has never been used. There were no other servants as Gabriel had no money to pay, instead, he makes his wife and 'son' maintain his home.
In the kitchen, Perseus was divouring his third blue cookie. "Slow down, my boy. And save some for me." Poseidon said. Sally rolled her eyes at her love's childish ways.
After the family had their fill, Sally looked at the lord of seas, signalling that it was time. He nodded in understanding. He cleared his throat and said, "Perseus, your mother and I need to talk to you." Perseus raised an eyebrow. His uncle never calls him his full name unless it was serious. It was always Percy or my boy. The last time 'Nereus' called him Perseus was last year, when he purposely broke Gabriel's antique vase. So he sat up straighter and waited to see what he had done wrong.
"Perseus your mother and I are going to tell you a secret. A big secret that you can never tell anyone else unless either one of the two tell you other wise. Understand?" Poseidon asked with a tone that left no room for argument.
The four year old nodded slowly. This must be a big secret he thought. Sally took a deep breath and said, "Percy, you have to know that if this secret gets out then your life will be in more danger than it already is."
"What do you mean by already is?" he asked puzzled. "Tell me Perseus, who are you?" Poseidon asked his son.
Percy knew this. His mother has drilled him with this question since he was young. He memorised the answer that he was taught from a young age. "I am Orion, son of Gabriel, prince of Athens. I am the first grandson of King Minos of Crete. I am the prince that will unite the thrones of Crete and Athens." He said, albeit unsure. He never felt right about being called the son of Gabriel.
"That is half correct." Poseidon said. Percy again raised an eyebrow. "Your real title is Perseus, son of Sally, princess of Crete. You are also the son of Poseidon, Lord of the Seas, Earthshaker and Stormbringer. You my child are the Prince of Atlantis, second in line to the thrones of Crete and Atlantis." Poseidon said.
At first Perseus was shocked then he was skeptical then he was sad. "If my father really is Poseidon, why does he never visit? Am I not good enough to be his son? Do I bring shame to him, like I bring shame to grandfather Minos? I would much rather be your son, uncle, than be the son of a god who has no time for me." He said, on the brink of tears.
"You didn't let him finish Percy. You know your father much more than you think. He is in this very room right now." Sally said in a kind and soothing tone. It took a few minutes for Percy to put two and two together. When he did, his jaw dropped, and his eyes threatened to fall out of their sockets.
His parents laughed at the child's hilarious expression. "Fa-father?" Percy asked cautiously. "Yes, son?" Poseidon said with a smirk.
At first Percy was silent, still unable to get over the fact that he was the son of a god. His mother taught him all about them, and how they would get together with mortals. He also could not believe that Gabe was not his father.
"Daddy!" Percy finally said and ran into Poseidon's strong, tanned arms. "Yes son. I am your father. But remember, do not tell others. It is not that I am not proud of you, because I am. I cannot ask for a better son. But if people know of your true parentage, you and your mother will both be in danger. Do you understand?" Poseidon said.
"Yes father."Percy happily said. Poseidon beamed at his child. "Although I would love for you to be the heir to my throne, it cannot happened. Not even Zeus knows what will happened to Atlantis if Amphitrite were to find out that Triton is not the heir to the throne. She loves him more than anything in the world. She might destroy the city, or worse, ally with her father and wage war on Olympus.
And I cannot allow that to happened. The first Titan war just passed afew centuries ago and Olympus' forces are still weak. We cannot afford another war so soon. For that, I am sorry." Poseidon stated.
"It's fine, dad. I don't want to rule anyway. Besides, the only reason you will really need an heir is because you are dying, and that will never happened. I'm just happy that you're my daddy and not Smelly Gabe." Perseus replied happily.
"Thank you Percy. You are truly your mother's son. I must go now. I still have my duties as king of Atlantis. But I will return soon. I will need to teach you how to control your developing powers. Goodbye Percy, Sally." the king of the seas said.
With one last hug for the two people he cherished most in the world, he faded into mist, leaving a faint scent of the sea.
A month later...
A loud knock came from the door of Prince Gabe's Castle. The said prince was currently in his room, suffering the consequenses of last night's drinking escapades. His orders were that he not be disturbed unless his father is dying.
Sally answered the door, knowing full well who the visitor was. It was Chiron, the immortal trainer of heroes and Sally's old friend. When she was younger, her cousin used to train with the old centaur so she tagged along to watch. She studied with Chiron as her father had forbiden her to learn the art of combat.
"Chiron! I'm so glad you came! Please, come inside."Sally greeted and enveloped him in a hug. "Of course I came. You were my best student when it came to literature. Besides, I do not have any students as of now."Chiron said returning her hug.
They made their way to the kitchen where Perseus was stuffing himself with breakfast. "Morning mom. Who is this?" he said while staring at Chiron. "Where are your manners?" Sally said.
"Oops, sorry. I'm not used to having visitors." he said sheepishly. "My name is Orion, son of Gabriel, prince of Athens. I am the first grandson of King Minos of Crete. I am the prince that connects the thrones of Crete and Athens. How are you this fine morning, sir." Percy said with a now.
Chiron let out a small chuckle. "I must say Sally, he seems to be a charming young lad. I am Chiron, trainer of heroes. How old are you, child?"
"I turned five just last week, sir. If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" Perseus asked curiously.
"For you of course. You young Orion are going to be trained to become a hero." Chiron said clearly amused at the baffled expression on Percy's face. "Me a hero? Are you sure? Don't you need someone heroic to be a hero?" the five year old asked.
"No. Well, yes. On this journey, you will learn what it means to be a true hero." Chiron said. "Journey? What do you mean journey? Can't I stay with my mom?" Percy asked. "I am sorry but the journey we will be going on is a very dangerous one. You will be putting your mother in danger if she were to come." Chiron said.
"Mom are you alright with this? I can stay with you, if you want. Smelly Gabe is sure to give you a hard time if I left. And what about dad, what did he say?" Percy said to his mother. "I will be fine Orion. You go on. And your father will not be any prouder, whatever you may choose." Sally answered.
The young prince contemplated this for a few moments, and sighed.
"If you're sure abot this, mom. Then sir," he turned to the centaur. "It is an honor to train with the best teacher in all of Greece."
"Alright, Orion. I will come for you tomorrow morning. Be ready by then." Chiron said. After bidding the mother and son farewell, he took his leave.
"When is dad coming? I want to say good bye." Percy said. "Right now." A voice said. A man materialized beside Sally, a second later. "Father!" Percy said and gave Poseidon a big hug.
"Hello my boy. Your mother is right. I am very proud of you. I am sorry I was not able to come on your birthday. I had to go to a meeting on Olympus." Poseidon said. "It is fine dad. As long as you are here now." Percy said.
"I still have a present for you." Poseidon said. He materialized a sickle-like sword. It had a leather grip. It had golden patterns along the length of the sword. At the base it said 'Harpe' in greek letters. Along the middle, it curved slightly like an egyptian kheopesh.
"Is this what I think it is?" Percy asked. "This your namesake's sword. The very same one he used to slay Medusa. Now it is yours. I had my most trusted cyclops to enhance it. It will grow as you grow. I hope that it will keep you safe throughout your journey." Poseidon said.
He materialized a sheath and handed the weapon to his son. "Thank you dad. I promise to make both you and mom proud." Percy said with confidence.
The next day...
"Are you ready to go young Orion?" Chiron asked. "Yes sir." Percy said. He was dressed in a green chiton and sandals. On his belt was the sheath that carried Harpe. He had a change of clothes and a waterskin in a sack.
The pair walked towards the outskirts of the city of Athens. They shared a friendly silence. Percy's head looked from left to right, trying to familiarise himself with the city he grew up in but never had the chance to see as his 'father' forbade it.
After an hour, they finally stood at the the edge of the city. He looked back at his home, with a sigh. Athens was truly beautiful. If only he could have stayed longer, but he had to train.
"Tell me, Orion. Why did you agree to train with me?" Chiron asked. Percy said without hesitation, "Because I want to learn how to protect my mother. When I was younger, my 'father' used to beat me up all the time. I never told my mom because I knew that he would beat her. I would rather that I get hurt instead of her.
She has given up so much for me, it is the least that I can do. I also want to make her and my dad proud. My grandfather practically disowned me the moment he laid his eyes on me.
I want to prove to him that I am worth something. I want to gain his respect. I could careless about being famous or rich. As long as I am able to protect those I care about, I am happy."
Chiron nodded and lead the way into the forest. His mind was always thinking many things. Currently, the most prominent was what his new student said. He wants to protect his mother and gain his grandfather's respect. Usually, his students would say for fame and fortune. Or to be the strongest in the land.
He also found it strange that the boy said 'Smelly Gabe' and father as if they were two completely different people. While saying 'Smelly Gabe' as if it were the most vile thing on earth, he said father with such adoration and respect.
This boy is cetainly very interesting.
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading the latest chapter. This chapter is very short compared to the next chapter. So here is little sneak peak of what to expect in the next chapter.
~Halvax
Sneak peak at chapter 2: Attending Agoge
Perseus and Chiron have been travelling all over Greece saving people and training. Percy makes a new friend and gets into a fight with another of his kind. He discovers that he is good at hunting but cannot hit the side of a barn with a bow.
Stay Tuned!