Chapter 1: New World, Same body?

The sun beat down on Percy's face, giving him a rude awakening. His body ached and groaned with every miniscule twitch and he couldn't help moaning in pain. Bringing his hand up, he slapped himself in the face in an effort to block out the rays of golden sunshine.

He didn't want to open his eyes, instead he wanted to sleep the day away and pretend he had never woken up in the first place. Unfortunately, the bed he was laying on was particularly stiff and dusty. Of course, when he did eventually open his eyes he realized why.

Underneath him was the ground; rocks and leaves and branches and everything else that entailed. Trees were covering the nearby surroundings though the branches didn't extend the canopy enough to cover the sunlight. Some nearby insects chirped annoyingly in the growing heat of the day. He found himself in a forest much like the one at Camp.

Camp he thought.

With a sudden burst of energy, Percy sprang up from the ground and tried to see where he was.

Everywhere he looked he saw nothing but more trees and rocks and leaves. Turning upward, he saw the bright blue of the sky with a golden, yellow sun shining down happily. He thought he caught a glimpse of a strangle animal in the distance but it took off before he could even identify what it was.

Reaching down, Percy shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out Anaklusmos as fast as he could. If this forest was as active as it appeared to be then he wanted to be prepared for anything that might come at him.

That's when he noticed the oddities with his clothes. His pants were suddenly baggy on him. The legs extended far behind his feet and if not for his belt his pants would probably be around his ankles right now. They were already loose around the waist as it was. His short-sleeve shirt had turned into a long-sleeved one and the neckline was almost like it was overly stretched out.

Looking down at his feet he realized a few other strange discrepancies he hadn't initially. Chiefly among them being he seemed closer to the ground than he remembered. He could have sworn that his feet were at least another foot away from his face.

What in Hades is going on? He questioned.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he begin to get small flashbacks in his mind about his current situation. Percy could make out images of moving boulders and vines flying towards him. He could imagine some rotting smell clogging his nose that just wouldn't go away. Looking down at his body he noticed a distinct lack of cuts and scrapes he was sure he received the day before.

Gaia! He thought whipping himself around. He couldn't see the primordial goddess anywhere and there was a distinct lack of a river too. Percy was sure he was by the Camp's river before waking up.

He tried to recall everything that had happened since yesterday. The demigod remembered the fight on Half-Blood Hill against the monster hordes with the Greeks and Romans. He could remember the tired and worn-out faces of his friends. Jason and Frank on sickbeds; Nico looking exhausted but still using his Shadow Travel to scout the enemy; Piper trying to motivate everyone with her Charmspeak and Hazel going around making makeshift slings and braces for the injured.

Percy remembered Leo sailing in the air trying to stop Gaia only for Octavian to shoot an onager of Imperial Gold at the goddess and miss, killing both of them instead of Mother Earth.

Perhaps worst of all, he remembered the tired and defeated look Annabeth gave him in their quiet moment alone on top of the Hill before he left to fight the Primordial.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled out loud. His voice echoed throughout the mysterious forest. "Annabeth! Where are you!?"

Only the chirping of cicadas answered him.

"Nico! Jason!" he yelled again. "Frank! Chiron! Anyone!" he continued growing more and more frustrated with each name he yelled out.

Still, nobody responded.

Realizing that nobody was coming to find him, he knew he'd have to go and find them. The sun was directly above him so he figured it was probably midday by this point which meant he didn't have any sense of direction to rely on. Taking the first step, he literally had no idea where he was going.

With each passing step more and more seemed to be coming back to him. The crazy face of Gaia stood out to him with her screwed up eyes and her malicious smile. Percy quickly shoved the image of that Roman soldier being impaled by a stake of dirt out of his mind. That memory could stay forgotten as far as he was concerned.

He remembered cutting through her leg and how it completed healed itself with the nearby dirt and how she whipped up that avalanche of rock and dirt to send him into the woods. The Son of the Sea could still feel the anger he felt towards the goddess when he found out she had sent a surprise attack on his friends during their fight.

He picked up the pace wanting to find the nearest source of life. His walk turned into a jog which quickly became a run. Percy had to roll up the excess length of his pants to avoid tripping.

This felt so similar suddenly. Running through the woods brought him back to running towards the river at Camp to stop Gaia. It was like he was reliving everything that had happened yesterday.

Bursting through a thicket of trees, Percy found himself at a running river except this time there was no crazy Goddess threatening to destroy the world. The only sound was the bubbling of the river and the chirping of insects in the blistering sun. Percy could feel a breeze in the air that whipped up the water creating small rapids that splashed against rocks in a gentle mist.

Looking around cautiously, the demigod made his way closer to the riverbank. He felt extremely tired for such a short run which was very odd considering he had only gone maybe a could hundred yards. It couldn't have been more than the length of four or five football fields. Something was definitely wrong with him.

Falling to his knees on the banks Percy brought his hand down into the cool water and quickly splashed some onto his face, throwing his head back into the air. He felt more invigorated than he had in his life, and that included his swims in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and even after he emerged from his dip in the River Styx. This river was the most pure form of water that Percy had ever experienced in his life. It was so clean it made the Hudson River seem like a toxic waste dump, which to be fair was somewhat true but humans had done a lot to clean it up as best they could over the decades.

Wanting to experience the full sensation of the river, Percy wasted no time in jumping in and laying down against some submerged boulders. The rapids weren't that strong but if Percy wasn't paying attention he could easily float downriver without even realizing it.

As the water cascaded over his body he felt the aches and pains of yesterday leave him. Working it's wondrous magic, wherever the water touched, the cuts and scrapes from the fighting were slowly healed up until they were nothing but new skin and distant memories. He heaved a sigh of relief as his body regained its energy and stamina.

He only laid down in the river for a couple of minutes but that was all he needed to feel like a new person again.

Standing up, Percy willed the water off his body and, with surprising response, the water shot off his body faster than it ever had before. Usually he felt a tugging in his stomach and experienced even minor resistance to his commands over water but when he willed the water off him this time it was as if it was eager to obey him.

Wanting to experiment a bit, Percy brought his hand up and commanded the river to obey his wishes. As his hand rose so too did the river in a large gathering of water with the same appearance. He closed his hand in a fist and the water mimicked his movements in real time with no delay. Every inch he moved his hand the water responded in kind.

He found that if he willed the water to increase in size it grew to whatever imagine he had in his mind. The same was true for the opposite. Percy let his fist drop and the water corresponded with him.

He looked around a bit unsure as to what was happening to him. First his body seemed different and now his power seemed stronger than it ever had before. Something was very wrong though he didn't know what exactly.

Turning to get out of the river finally, Percy tripped against some rocks below him and crashed back into the cooling river. The good thing about his new power of water was he could easily get it to cushion his fall. The downside was it brought him very close to the surface and for the first time in a few days Percy got a good look at himself.

And what he saw was shocking to say the least.

The clear river reflected back Percy's face with perfect detail. The only problem with that was the face looking back at him was not the face he remembered having yesterday. In fact, it had been a couple years since he remembered looking like this.

Staring back at the demigod was still himself but as he remembered looking like when he first arrived at Camp Half-Blood when he was 12. His cheeks no longer had the same gaunt appearance to them after he and Annabeth returned from Tartarus; in fact they were a little chubby actually. His hair was still it's shiny, messy black with no hints of gray from holding up the World or golden monster dust or dirt from his fighting.

The one thing that didn't seem to change though was his eyes. The sea-green color that swirled like a hurricane as his mother and Annabeth had always told him remained the same. There was an added weight to them though and looking down into those stormy irises he saw all his years of fighting and hardships staring back at him.

What the Hades! He thought to himself in shock. Percy quickly began examining his body all over to see all the changes.

Aside from the obvious changes to his height and weight, Percy began noticing small details. His branding from Camp Jupiter was completely erased. The Trident and marks for his years of service missing, as if he never received them in the first place. All the cuts and scars he accumulated over the years during his training at Camp and his quests were replaced with unblemished skin. Even the star-shaped scar from the Pit-Scorpion Luke set on him at the end of his first year at Camp Half-Blood disappeared.

None of this made sense to Percy. He tried to reason out why he was suddenly twelve years old again but it wasn't until he remembered what happened at the end of his fight with Gaia that things clicked into place.

Yellow eyes. Percy distinctly remembered glowing yellow eyes looking down at him with power beyond anything he ever experienced. And then darkness. That hole the man created swallowed him up and must have sent him here along with changing his age.

And then those final words he uttered:

"Farewell Percy Jackson, Slayer of Gaia. May you find despair away from your loved ones."

Who was the man? Where exactly had he sent Percy? Why did he de-age Percy back to when he was 12? The demigod couldn't remember anything else about him aside from his eyes and his final words though. He figured he'd remember those until the day he finally died.

A feeling of hopelessness enveloped Percy as he just sat in the river as everything he could remember came back to him. He was alone now. His friends were gone and he had no way of finding them. No Connor or Travis to play a small prank and lift everyone's spirit. There was no Nico or Jason or Thalia to share the burdens of leadership anymore. No more mom to support him and give him words of comfort. And no more Annabeth to watch his back and anchor him to the world.

Realizing that he didn't have anyone anymore, Percy let himself cry for the first time in many years. As Percy cried the sun slowly began its descent towards the horizon.


It was late afternoon when Percy dragged himself out of the water and began walking. To where? He had no idea. He had no destination in mind and barely any willpower to continue on. What did one do when their entire world was just ripped out from under them?

His current situation reminded him a lot of when he was kidnapped by Hera and forced to go to Lupa and the Romans. The only real difference, aside from the obvious 'this being a new world situation', was that this time his memory was completely intact. Before, he had a goal; get to Camp Jupiter and recover his memories. But he had no such thing this time.

This forest was unlike any other he had heard of, though it's not like he spent his entire life living in the woods either. Everything about this place was too serene, too pure. It was as if this world was untainted by the technology and evolution of humans.

He drudged along trying not to let his dark thoughts consume his mind. This place was nothing like Tartarus and he would never want to go back there but right now the sense of loneliness he felt could only be compared to the dark realities of that pit of Hell.

A small noise called out in the nearby woods suddenly.

"Grandeeney! Grandeeney!"

Percy's ears perked up at the voice. It sounds so quiet and soft even if it was yelling aloud. Whoever it was, they were upset about something as well. The demigod looked around trying to identify where the noise was coming from. At the very least there was somebody here with him and maybe he could ask a few questions.

"Grandeeney! Where are you?! Please come back!"

The demigod picked up his pace in an effort to find the voice. It sounded close by but he still needed to get through trees and fallen branches before he finally found it.

Standing 20 feet in front of Percy was girl who couldn't have been older than six or seven. She had dark blue hair that came just to her shoulders in a bob cut with long bangs that covered her forehead and framed her face. The white shirt she wore was a bit dirty, as if she had been walking around for a little while, and her blue shorts ended just short of her knees revealing some minor cuts and scrapes on her legs.

It was her eyes that drew Percy's attention though. They were big and brown much like his mother's eyes. The only thing he found wrong with them was the numerous tears leaking out of them.

"Grandeeney!? Why did you leave me!?" the young girl yelled again. She tried to wipe the tears from her face but they were falling out too quickly for her to make any progress.

Percy just stood there a moment unsure about what to do. He had never been good at comforting girls, Annabeth could certainly attest to that. The girl hadn't noticed him yet so he could sneak away though he wouldn't be able to get any of his questions answered. Then again, could he honestly live with himself if he left a six year old girl alone in the woods?

He knew the answer to that.

"Umm… hello?" he said at last drawing attention to himself. He silently cursed himself for the greeting.

Upon hearing his voice, the girl stopped her crying temporarily and looked up at him. She still had tears in her eyes but now she'd looked at him with uncertainty.

He gulped when she didn't say anything. She just continued to watch him and let silent tears stream down her face. "Why… umm… why are you crying?" he asked when the silence got to be too awkward for him.

That seemed to released the floodgates. Immediately the young girl sprinted towards him and began sobbing harder than before. He couldn't make out many of her words, her tears and hiccups prevented coherent sentences, not to mention that having her face stuffed into his shirt muffled her voice further.

However, what he could make out was tough to comprehend though something he had seen many times in his life unfortunately. Most of his family could relate to it one way or another.

"She left me!" the girl shouted. "She left me all alone!" She squeezed tightly to his back and pressed herself further into his shirt.

Percy's heart went out to the girl. Whoever she was, she was abandoned. Just like he was. Just like every other demigod was.

He pulled her a bit closer to him and gave her a small squeeze back. The demigod tried rubbing her back gently in imitation of what his own mother would do for him when he was upset. Percy even tried muttering small words of comfort, though he knew there never would be words enough to express the sentiments.

"It… It will be ok" he said stuttering. "You're fine and I bet this Grand weenie is fine too. They're probably looking for you too." he said hoping some optimism would cheer her up. She really was laying those tears on thick. The entire lower half of his shirt was a dark orange now while the top remained its vibrant neon color.

It was a couple more minutes before the young girl calmed down. She still clung tightly to him but Percy could tell she wasn't crying as much and she didn't hiccup quite as badly anymore.

"Grandeeney" the girl said at last.

"Huh?" Percy responded.

Blue hair pulled back from his stomach just enough to look up at him. Her brown eyes met his and though they were still glassy, they no longer leaked tears.

"Her name. My mother's name is Grandeeney. Not Grand weenie."

She didn't sound angry about correcting him but he couldn't say for sure. After all, he did just meet this girl. And he knew he'd be upset at anyone who got his mother's name wrong.

"Oh. Erm… sorry" he said. Percy brought his free arm up and rubbed the back of his head in discomfort. It served to make his already messy hair even more disheveled.

Now things were really awkward. This girl was still clinging to him in a hug though she looked at him as if she might break again in any minute.

Deciding that an introduction would probably be best if she wasn't going to let go, Percy introduced himself.

"I'm Percy" he said at last.

"I'm Wendy" she answered back. Her eyes still looked at his but she seemed a bit calmer now that they knew each other. Or at least knew each other's names. She was still six after all.

Percy hoped that saying hello would have made her more open to talking but it seemed to do the opposite. Now, Wendy seemed very shy and embarrassed by her actions though it didn't seem to stop her from hugging him.

The demigod cleared his voice hoping to release the awkward air.

"Sooo…" he said drawing out the syllables and not really sure where to go. He had wanted to ask her questions about this world and this place but how much could a six year old actually know?

Pulling away, Wendy finally let go of the hug and put her head down. "I need to find Grandeeney" she said. It seemed like she had more she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to. Instead, Wendy shuffled her feet back and forth a few times in nervousness.

Percy might have looked twelve but he still had the mental age of a seventeen year old. He wasn't a genius by any stretch of the definition but it also didn't take a genius to figure out what Wendy wanted to ask.

Taking a deep breath Percy gave her a small smile. He really wanted to know what was going exactly but he couldn't just ignore this girl either. He figured he could maybe spare a couple hours or maybe a few days to figure out where this girls mother disappeared too.

"Do you want some help?" he asked with fake cheeriness. To an adult it would be clear he didn't really want to do this but to six year old Wendy it flew right over her head.

She gave him a teary nod before grabbing his hands and pulling him along down the dirt path they were on.

And as one, Percy and Wendy began their journey not realizing just how long or where it would take them.


Percy knew he should have asked about it sooner. He saw the slightly sharper than normal canine teeth Wendy had when they found some food he deemed safe enough to eat but he figured that was just probably something she was born with. He noticed that she seemed a bit fairer of skin than normal but just figured she didn't spend a lot of time out in the sun. All simple things really that he easily dismissed in the first few days of their journey together. The demigod just figured Wendy would look like her mother and that's where she got these traits from her.

Turns out he was right but also completely wrong at the same time.

When after a few days he finally asked what her mother looked like, to say he was shocked in learning she was a dragon would be a vast understatement.

At first, Percy just stared at Wendy in disbelief. A dragon? Raising a little girl? Maybe to eat her when she got a little bit older. That's what the dragons he knew about might do if they didn't just give into their instincts and eat the demigod outright.

Then he got a little bit more to the story.

Wendy was abandoned very early on by both her parents; she assumed from birth though she didn't have any way to confirm that. Grandeeney found her and adopted Wendy and raised her until a few days ago. When Wendy woke up that day she couldn't find Grandeeney anywhere. She yelled and screamed throughout the forest but Percy was the only other one she came into contact with. It also seemed that Wendy couldn't remember everything about her life either. She had gaps in her memory and she didn't know what was supposed to go there.

Percy could relate.

He had told her a bit about his own life though he left out his demigod nature. She didn't need to know about that and would probably just bring unwanted attention to him. He explained about how his own dad had left him and his mom before he was born though he later met him in life. He talked about his friends at a camp where he went and explained all the fun activities he did there like sword fighting and rock climbing. He left the part about lava running down the rock climbing wall out though. He didn't want to bring up any embarrassing stories about falling down because he was slower than burning rock.

Wendy seemed in awe of some of the stories he told about camp. It probably helped that he might have downplayed some of the beatdowns he took from Annabeth and Clarisse too to make him look better.

He offered to show her a few moves but she seemed really hesitant. It became clear to him pretty quickly that she didn't like confrontation all that much which he found endearing considering she had a dragon for a mother.

Right now it was raining outside and Percy and Wendy were huddled up under a tree trying to avoid the weather. The rain wasn't affecting the demigod badly - he did get an energy boost from the water after all - but Wendy was shivering like crazy. They didn't have any real protection from the elements though Wendy did have a small backpack of supplies she was carrying around on her. Percy only had Riptide and the clothes on his back.

"Coldddd" Wendy said stuttering. It was a cold night out too. Without a thermostat to tell exactly, Percy didn't know the temperature but with the rain he could guess it was in the low 50s or mid to high 40s.

"Come here" Percy said with his arms wide open. Wendy hadn't really touched him since that first day but there was no hesitation now as she climbed into his arms and curled up into a ball for protection. She was still shaking but seemed to take comfort in his warmth.

The son of Poseidon grabbed the sleeping bag Wendy had been carrying in her backpack, the only one they had, and wrapped it around them in an effort to keep the heat in. He had avoided this as he didn't want to use his powers needlessly but it was clear this was a situation that definitely demanded their use.

With a clear mind, Percy willed the rain to completely avoid Wendy and himself essentially creating a barrier around them. It was like a small ball formed around them in a protective cocoon. Percy felt a small steady drain on his power but he knew he could keep this up till morning if necessary.

When Wendy realized that the rain had stopped she opened her eyes to look around. Then they bulged out wide when she saw the ball of water around them and the rain gathered in shield to protect them from the downpour. The young girl turned her head to look at Percy and the demigod gave her a cheeky grin before pulling her back down to his chest. It was obvious she had questions but Percy didn't feel like answering them tonight. There was always tomorrow.

"You get some sleep Wendy" he said hiding a yawn. He didn't want her to see just how tired he was too.

The girl didn't say anything instead nodding her head before yawning herself and began her descent into slumber.

She did mutter a tiny "thank you Percy" before sleep consumed her entirely, bringing a smile to the demigod's face. He gave her a small hug in answer before he settled in for a long night of protecting them from the rain.


Percy usually tried to pretend that he knew what he was doing and where he was going. He knew the value of not showing weakness, especially when he had people looking up to him. However, looking around now, the demigod could honestly say he had no idea what the Hades was going on.

Standing in front of Percy was a large building in the shape of a cat's head. Even calling it a building might be too much of a stretch really. It was basically a canvas tent with two connecting side tents each with large cat's ears sticking up in the middle. Two large windows rested just above the tent opening that cast an eerie orangish glow looking almost like cat's eyes.

It seemed whoever these people were took their love of cats even further because they added ornamental stones and ruffles around the entryway. The top of the flap had a black stone that was situated right between the odd eye-looking windows leaving little doubt that it was supposed to be a nose while whoever lived in the tent ruffled up the top corners in a curve that made the entryway itself look like a cat's mouth.

Why these people seemed to love cats made no sense to the demigod but they were the first people he and Wendy had seen since coming out of the woods so he wasn't going to insult their crazy theme. At least not openly.

As Percy and Wendy made their way down to the town Percy was pleased to see that not everything had the cat theme. The town itself rested at the base of a small rocky formation giving it plenty of defense to the north and the heavily forested woods to the south that they just came from. Thick wooden watchtowers ringed the village in a protective circle.

The roads themselves were made of granite stones tiled offset from one another and about the size of concrete blocks. Some of houses making up the path to the main tent were made of wood while a few were also made of canvas tent and almost all of them were painted a mix of earthy colors blending to give a distinct exotic feel. Honestly, looking around at everything Percy was reminded a bit of Piper.

However, as he was taking everything in, one thing became very clear to Percy.

Wherever this place was, it was nothing like any town or city he'd ever seen.

To the demigod, everything seemed a bit primitive. As far as he could tell, there didn't seem to be any cars or other modern transportation methods. He couldn't see anything run by electricity now that he was paying close attention. There did seem to be running water going to the main pavilion however so at least things weren't completely backward.

Wendy was looking around in just as much wonder as Percy was and holding his hand tightly. Her grip was iron and she was walking very close to him but he indulged her shyness. It had been a few weeks now since they met and right now she was not only the only person he knew in this world but he had grown quite fond of her.

What was really odd though was he couldn't see any people anywhere. As they walked the main path towards the big pavilion he would have expected to see a few people out and about doing shopping or repairing some of the more run down homes. Yet it was as if this place was deserted.

The young blue-haired girl must have picked up on his unease because she gave him a big smile in hopes he would relax. It was something he had grown used to while on the road with her.

Whenever Percy was cautious or nervous about their surroundings she would nudge close to him and smile up at him for protection. It was a cute little quirk of hers.

"Hello? Is there anyone around?" Percy asked in the air when they finally stopped in front of the tent. He didn't want to just barge into somebody's home if there was somebody around.

It seemed that was a wise decision as suddenly Percy could hear the clinking of bottles and somebody shuffling around inside before falling over. The demigod raised an eyebrow at Wendy causing the six year old to giggle childishly.

"Just a minute! Hang on one minute" a male voice said from inside. It sounded old and hoarse.

Percy shuffled his feet back and forth a few times in anticipation of meeting this fellow causing Wendy to mimic his actions. His ADHD was acting up and something about this place just didn't sit right with the demigod but he couldn't put his finger on it.

After about a minute the voice called out to them. "Come in" it said calmly and Percy pulled Wendy along behind him making sure he was standing in front of her in case this place wasn't friendly.

The inside of the tent was surprisingly bright and cozy with numerous carpets and ornamental clothes strewn about. It had wooden floors that met along the heavy wooden frame giving the tent it's shape in the first place. Perhaps not so surprising was the inside was covered with various objects representing all different kinds of cats. Percy thought he recognized lions and tigers though there were a few he definitely didn't know either.

Seated in the center of the pavilion was an older man with a very large white beard that covered most of his face and he had some kind of headgear made of deep purple and red feathers. The center of his forehead had a strange tattoo etched onto his skin with a single red dot and two curved lines on either side.

The old man was shirtless and although he was certainly small and slim he also had muscle to him as Percy could clearly see definition on his arms. The elder was so fit he actually made Percy look downright fat in his twelve year old body. Around his neck sat a necklace made of large teeth causing the demigod to involuntarily reach up to his own neck and finger the beaded necklace around his own. He felt the mini trident and the empire state building with the names of everyone who died in the war sketched into it. He couldn't help but wonder what this years bead would be with the defeat of Gaia.

As Percy and Wendy approached the man smiled genuinely to both of them. Wendy looked at the man with some hesitation before she made her way behind Percy's leg to shield herself from the uncertainty of the situation. Percy wasn't ready to say things were safe yet so he didn't do anything to stop her. If living the past half decade as a demigod taught him anything it was that monsters would do anything to convince their prey they were safe.

"Hello" the man said in a kind voice when Percy stopped them a few feet short. He wasn't bothered by the action. "It is a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Roubaul. And who might you be?"

By now Percy knew that his name was fairly renown in the mythical world. Sometimes it seemed that he didn't even need to introduce himself before he was suddenly being attacked by monsters. Since this was the first interaction with somebody from this place it was a good test to see if his fame, or infamy depending on who you asked, was still relevant in this place.

Eyeing the man warily, Percy introduced himself and Wendy.

"I'm Percy and this is Wendy." he said gesturing to the bluenette behind him.

The demigod was watching Roubaul closely to see any kind of reaction at his name but the man just smiled and nodded his head in greeting. There was no acknowledgement of the name. Not even a slight hint of recognition.

That brought both relief and worry to the demigod.

The relief came from the fact he was unknown to this man. Either that or this guy was such a good actor he made Dionysus' kids look like amateurs and they were literally the sons and daughters of the God of Theater. Definitely unlikely though it was still possible.

However, he could practically feel some kind of power emanating from this place the second he and Wendy entered it so he knew this world, or at least more specifically, this place had something mythological or supernatural about it. Which unfortunately added another layer of confirmation for Percy that he was in a new world. The only left to do now was ask.

"Nice… tent you have here" Percy said when it became clear the man wasn't going to say anything. He made sure to give the cats and exotic carpets a curious look before addressing the elder.

For Roubaul's part he didn't seem fazed by the less than enthusiastic comments. He continued smiling that kindly smile and went into the details about a few of the statues and carpets lying around. Percy did notice a distinct lack of bottles however.

Wendy was eating everything the man was saying up. She had come out from behind Percy's back though she didn't stray far from his side. Her eyes gazed at everything happily and she was eagerly listening to all the old man's stories. Percy supposed they seemed realistic enough considering this guy was clearly very old.

"Is this a guild?" Wendy asked awed by everything coming at her. Percy looked at her unsure what she was asking though.

"A guild? What's a guild?" He directed the question at Wendy though it was Roubaul who answered.

"A guild is an organization where people may requests jobs and services to be performed by their members for payment. Although something tells me Ms. Wendy was asking about a specific kind of guild huh?"

The young girl blushed at being directed a question but she nodded her head nonetheless while Roubaul gave her a reassuring smile. Percy just raised an eyebrow waiting for him to continue.

The old man hesitated a moment under Percy's scrutiny but recovered quickly.

"This is the guild Cait Shelter under the authority of the Magic Council of Eathland. We have a few mages but we are a fairly small guild."

Four words specifically stuck out to Percy. Magic Council of Earthland. His mouth fell open at the revelation but quickly recovered before either Roubaul or Wendy noticed.

Magic? Earthland? What the hell is going on? He questioned in his head.

While Percy was silently freaking out, Wendy was very pleased with finding out about the guild. Despite her shy nature she took a surprisingly active role in questioning Roubaul which clearly amused the old man.

"You have mages here that can do magic?" she asked in wonder. "Where are they? Where is the rest of the town?"

Roubaul looked panicked for a second but he closed his eyes and the next thing Percy knew the flaps to the tent were opening up and in strode a large man dressed in similar native garb to the elder. He had his hair shaved from his head revealing large ears and similar red tattoos on his cheeks that Roubaul had on his forehead. His pants were loose though tied with a cloth belt and he too was shirtless except for a dark teal vest.

"Ahh... Naoki. It's good to see you. Have the other returned from the job?" Roubaul asked regaining his composure.

The man, Naoki, nodded. "Yes guild master. Busk and the others have gone to their homes. The villagers are starting to come out of their dwellings now that the large spiders and other insects have been taken care of."

"Good!" Roubaul said standing up. He walked over and gave Naoki a hard slap on the back as if checking to make sure he was corporeal. Percy paid close attention but didn't see anything odd with the scene. In fact, it seemed Naoki's words were accurate as the demigod could start to hear commotion coming from outside the pavilion now.

Wanting to check for himself, Percy turned around and walked right out the tent only to see numerous faces of all different people buying and trading goods and food in the town square. A short distance away, he saw a pair of young men lifting heavy pieces of wood and begin repairing some minor damage to the homes at the end.

Percy looked around in wonder at how so many people could just suddenly show up like this. This wasn't a major city by any stretch but a village this big should still have had some activity when they entered. There had to be over 200 people out and about. Just Percy and Wendy walking into the town should have drawn at least some attention.

And yet here everybody stood now. Percy walked over and started grabbing some people only for a few to shoot him dirty looks before they ignored him and walked away. A few even cursed him out.

"Percy?" Roubaul asked. "Are you alright? I don't think Tania there likes being quite so manhandled by you." The woman, an auburn-haired girl that stood only a few inches taller than him, glared Percy's way before she slapped him across the face and stormed away.

A few passersby chuckled at him as they walked past but Percy was dumbstruck about everything. How could these people just appear now? Was this some sort of power like the Mist in action? The Mist couldn't ever make anything tangible so that didn't make much sense but Percy didn't have an answer otherwise.

"Where did all these people come from?" the son of Poseidon asked quietly. He thought he mumbled the question but Roubaul must have heard him because he answered anyway.

"Why they've been here the whole time. They were just locked away in their homes like Naoki said. We had to send a few of the guild members out to clear out a nest of large spiders that attacked the town a few days ago. That's why some of the people at the end are repairing the homes. Some poison from the spiders was sprayed on the frames and they were corroding away."

Roubaul said it with such sincerity that Percy couldn't help but think he was telling the truth. The houses those guys were fixing were definitely falling apart and it looked like it could have been from some kind of attack. But it just seemed so odd that nobody had come out before the members had taken care of the monsters. Something still wasn't sitting right with Percy but he couldn't place what.

When Percy didn't say anything else Roubaul continued talking.

"So, why, if I may ask, did you both come to Cait Shelter? Certainly two young ones such as yourselves are not traveling alone." The elder directed the question towards Wendy and her brief bout of confidence dried up like a prune. She must have realized just how far Percy had walked because she ran up next to him and grabbed his hand for support, clinging even tighter to him. He didn't mind as he didn't want the girl to leave his side in this strange place either. If something did happen it was better to have her nearby.

Percy took the initiative to answer for them.

"I ended up getting lost in the woods and have been trying to live off the land the past few weeks." he lied. It wasn't a great lie but it was believable at least. "I stumbled across Wendy and we've been trying to find her mother ever since."

Wendy chimed in then. "Have you see Grandeeney? She just disappeared on me and left me all alone if I hadn't found Percy." Tears threatened to form in her eyes again and Percy gave her hand a small squeeze in comfort.

Roubaul's face fell at that. Sympathy was written all over his body language and Percy could tell that it was genuine.

The elder shook his head unfortunately. "No, I'm sorry Wendy. There is nobody by that name here nor has she passed through Cait Shelter."

Wendy nodded glumly. Percy had warned her that there was a chance many people weren't going to see the dragon but he understood the hope that they might have.

"And what about you Percy? Lost in the woods you said. Are you searching for your parents as well?"

The demigod tensed up for a moment before he shook his head. "No" was all he said. Roubaul picked up on the finality of the statement and let it be. Percy quietly thanked the gods the old man was going to let the conversation go but he knew it wasn't over. At some point Roubaul was probably going to come back and ask him again.

Before either Percy or Wendy could dwell on darker thoughts though Roubaul clapped his hands and gathered their attention.

"Well how about some food then? You both look like you're hungry."

Both Percy and Wendy's stomachs answered for them. A large growl escaped their midsection much the embarrassment of the pair and the amusement of Roubaul and those around him. The elder took it all in good stride though.

"Come on inside and let us eat and talk. I have something I want to ask both of you." he said holding open the tent flaps for them. To the side a few woman were bringing in small trays of food and any sense Percy might have had to avoid the situation vanished as drool began leaking down his face. His stomach growled again and it seemed his mind was made up.

"Well maybe for just a few minutes" he said hungrily. Wendy nodded to his side and pulled him past the elder to where food awaited them.


The food here was absolutely amazing, Percy decided after eating his second helping of some kind of noodle dish. There were plenty of vegetables mixed in but they were cooked together so effortlessly that Percy couldn't even tell what they were. Only that it was all delicious.

Then again, traveling for a few weeks on the road and eating wild vegetables and other small animals he could catch weren't exactly the most appetizing meal either.

Dinner was mostly a quiet affair with Roubaul making small conversation with Naoki and a few other people that came into the tent but Wendy was so focused on eating an actual meal for the first time in who knows how long that she didn't catch much of it. Percy, on the other hand, used the excuse to listen in on every word that the guild members were saying.

Unfortunately, he didn't learn a whole lot about the world. Sure, he picked up on some minor details about something with the Magic Council and establishing trade with some of the nearby towns but for the most part Cait Shelter seemed fairly secluded.

It was just as he was finished eating that Roubaul turned his attention back towards Wendy and him.

"So, it seems that you both are looking for somebody. Grandeeney you said right?" he asked Wendy.

The girl nodded her head and put down her noodles to look at him.

"Well, as I said, I don't know anyone by that name or even anyone who came through town who could be a stranger. I'm assuming you will continue on with your search of her?"

The girl nodded her head again not verbally answering him. Grandeeney was such a tough topic for her right now and Percy knew just how bad she was feeling. He remembered all those times he asked his own mother about Poseidon before he even met him and felt empathy for her.

"Well in that case, I have a proposition for you" he announced kindly. There was a gleam in the old man's eyes that didn't exist before. "I can tell that you both are capable of strong magical powers, am I right?"

Percy raised an eyebrow at him. Magic? He couldn't use magic. He still didn't even know if it truly existed in this place yet. Nothing he's seen so far led him to believe that magic existed here. The people coming out of their homes was definitely odd but nobody could just conjure up hundreds of people out of thin air and give them physicality and personalities. Percy doubted even the gods could do something like that.

Wendy however confirmed it. "Yes we can. I can use Sky Dragon Slayer Magic." she said shyly. It was as if she didn't want anyone else overhearing her it was so quiet.

Roubaul looked a bit surprised for a moment but smiled pleasantly down at her. "A very rare magic indeed. Nobody has seen magic like that in hundreds of years."

Wendy blushed under the attention but Roubaul turned his attention on Percy before the girl could overheat due to the redness.

"And what about you Percy? I can sense great power in you. What can you do?"

Percy almost scoffed at the invasive question. They had just met these people and now they wanted them to tell them all about themselves? Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

Just as he was about to tell the old man off though he caught the eyes of Wendy. She looked so pure and innocent with her puppy-dog eyes staring back at him. He did protect them in that rain bubble during the storm and promised he would tell her what he did. She already knew he had some kind of ability and it appeared she had one of her own though he hadn't known that.

Taking a deep breath he internally caved under the sweet looks of Wendy Marvell. But he wasn't going to tell them everything. He still didn't trust these people and there was something wrong with this place. He just needed to figure out what.

"I have some minor control over water" he said nonchalantly. He hoped that by trying to downplay his powers Roubaul would let it go.

It initially seemed his plan was going to work as the elder nodded but young Wendy just had to ruin it. Percy wanted to silently curse the girl out but she was six and didn't know better. However, the demigod did resolve to discuss things a bit more thoroughly alone with her when they had some time. And perhaps teach her a bit about the importance of not revealing everything when somebody asked.

Roubaul looked at Percy in amusement. He clearly could see the frustration Percy hid behind his eyes from Wendy though he didn't comment on it.

"Alright, so maybe it's a bit stronger than that. I just have an easy time with water is all."

"A bit stronger?" Wendy asked in a high-pitched voice. "You stopped the rain Percy. You protected us from the storm with your water bubble! You're so strong!" she gushed. She was revealing far more than he wanted to admit and he wanted to strangle her. "I wish I was that strong" she added at the end in a mumble and looking down at the ground. Any violent thoughts Percy had about her disappeared as he covered up his anger with a comforting smile. She smiled back at him. He found it difficult staying angry with her.

"Hmm" Roubaul said nodding to himself. Percy was focused on Wendy so he didn't notice the happiness on the old man's face but it was almost as if he had just found a missing puzzle piece.

"How would you two like to join up with the Cait Shelter guild?" the elder asked. "You could still search for your missing Grandeeney but you'll always have a place to come home to. You would go out on jobs and earn Jewels along with information you might come across."

Wendy gasped at the offer clearly not expecting it though Percy couldn't say the same. He was about to decline when Wendy asked Roubaul in wonder, "You mean it? We can join a guild and become mages?"

Roubaul laughed at the innocent question and nodded down at her. Wendy squealed in happiness, an odd sound Percy hadn't heard before, before she turned towards him.

"Can we Percy? Please can we? We'll be able to search Grandeeney everywhere and I'm sure we can find out where she went."

The demigod grimaced. Not only because he didn't want to get tied down here but he knew finding Grandeeney would probably be unlikely if she didn't want to be found which appeared to be the case. That wasn't to mention that Percy needed to try and find a way back to his own world on top of that. Setting roots here wouldn't be wise.

But looking into Wendy's dark chocolatey eyes it was getting hard to deny her.

"I don't know Wendy" he said weakly. "We don't want to impose on these people" he said trying to make up an excuse.

The young girl looked on the verge of tears about his hesitation. The other guild members around the tent watched on in disapproval though Roubaul seemed as if he was expecting the decision.

"I assure you Percy that you wouldn't be imposing on us. You would be doing us a great favor by joining up actually. We don't get many jobs out here but I have a feeling that in time that will change and we could use somebody of your and Wendy's strength" Roubaul said.

"Please Percy?" Wendy chimed in when the old man finished. Percy just looked at her trying everything he could think of to decline the offer.

But the simple truth is that nobody in this village had shown anything but openness and kindness to them. Percy still felt something was wrong here but there was no hostility or sense of foreboding from anyone. He knew arguing this would be a losing battle with the young girl.

He could leave her here to herself but that didn't feel right. He had grown attached to Wendy in their travels. Percy would go even so far as to call her his friend and somebody he cared for greatly. Taking care of someone tended to have that effect on people.

After debating with himself for a few more seconds he released a heavy sigh acknowledging defeat. The demigod gave a small nod of his head and Wendy jumped up clearly pleased with the decision before tackling Percy in a big hug. He couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm.

Getting back into a seated position, Percy pried Wendy off of him and set her to his side before throwing his arm around her shoulder. He turned to Roubaul and watched as the old man chuckled at the interaction.

"I am very happy you have decided to stay Percy. Cait Shelter could use a powerful mage like yourself and I know you will do great things in the future both for Earthland and the guild."

Roubaul's words sounded ominous to the demigod but he delivered them with nothing but happiness.

Wendy then gave a big yawn drawing everyone's attention. She blushed feverishly under their eyes but couldn't help it when a second one escaped her mouth. Percy knew that was the signal to get some sleep. Standing up, Percy pulled Wendy to her feet and supported her as the girl swayed slightly in her tiredness.

"Do you have anywhere we can sleep?" he asked the elder, stifling a yawn himself. His annoying twelve year old body was betraying him.

Roubaul nodded before he had some of the other guild members pick up a few blankets he had lying around the pavilion. "Yes" he confirmed, "follow me and I'll show you to the house you can stay in."

It didn't take very long to reach the house; it was barely 20 yards from the main pavilion they just ate dinner in. The house looked a bit worn down due to age but it seemed the most sturdy of all the ones surrounding it. Percy didn't catch sight of any hint of corrosion or rot in the framework and the door looked completely fine. The house was just an ordinary wooden house though; no paint or other materials made it up.

"You can stay here" Roubaul said opening the door. As Percy and Wendy entered they saw it was a small one story house with an open living room and small kitchen area in the back. Two smaller rooms were set in the back corner and were clearly bedrooms for both of them. Overall, the house was cozy enough though it lacked any furniture.

"We can see about getting you some more clothing and household items beginning tomorrow" the elder said smiling at them. "Now why don't you two get some sleep? I'll see you both in the morning and we can get things started. Have a good night"

Percy nodded and Wendy yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Roubaul took that as his sign to leave and, gathering the guild members that followed him in to drop off the blankets and pillows, led the procession out the door and into the night.

The Son of the Sea gently steered Wendy into the bedroom on the right and quickly set up a small makeshift bed for the young girl to sleep on. She didn't give any resistance when Percy told her to lie down and get some sleep. He made sure to tuck her in tightly and Percy watched as she slowly drifted off to dreams.

Making his way over to his own room next door, Percy quickly set up some blankets of his own in a bed and curled up with a pillow. His thoughts ran wild just processing everything he'd heard today and what he's learned these past few weeks.

Magic.

Guilds.

Earthland.

He suspected he had somehow been transported to a different world but just hearing it confirmed to him was extremely painful. His friends were all gone. His mom was gone. Annabeth was gone.

Perhaps never to be seen again.

And now with Wendy, he couldn't just leave her either. She was just a little girl who didn't know anything about this world aside from the few things the dragon Grandeeney taught her and some general information. At some point he knew he was going to have to leave her to find a way back home himself and at least this guild seemed like an ok place. He would have to do more research into it before he felt comfortable leaving her alone with them though.

But he would find a way to become happy and see his family again. He promised himself he would and promised Annabeth he would. It just might take a little time.

And it was those chaotic thoughts that Percy found himself drifting off into a restless sleep.

AN:

Trayia – Didn't do too much on here, sorry for the wait everyone. With the holidays around work has been hectic. Hope you enjoyed it. Thank you to Storm for doing almost all of the work.

Storm – The Holidays are crazy everyone so I apologize for the delay. Work and parties and, in my case, moving into a new home tend to take up quite a bit of time. Though both Trayia and I strive to make the deadlines we set ourselves sometimes it just isn't possible. I'm sure you all can relate and understand.

Anyway, here's the newest chapter. Curious to see how everyone will like how we've integrated Percy into Earthland here. No Fairytail welcoming. At least not yet anyway. Plus, hope the de-age from Chronos helps make the age difference between Percy and Wendy at least a bit more understandable. I was inspired by the Annabeth-Luke early PJO books crush sense. Do you guys like that idea? She's six right now so don't expect anything romantic to pop up any time soon. Would really love to hear everyone's thoughts on how things have played out so far.

Thanks for everyone who takes the time to Favorite, Follow, Review and of course Read our story. We appreciate you guys.

Next Update will be after the holidays, expect sometime in the 1st or 2nd weekend of January, and you can always check my profile for confirmation.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays Everyone!

Stormwreckin & Trayia