Wow so remember how I said I would update this as fast as possible. Yeah may well have lied and you should probably not trust me.
Anyway thank you everyone who has reviewed/Favourited and Followed this story, seriously guys I really appreciate it.
Main Pairings: Percy/Olympians, Percy/Artemis
Side Pairings: Percy/Annabeth
I in no way own PJatO or HoO
"Father." A voice hisses, Percy jumps and shudders at the same time moving through the shadows, shadows that look nothing like the room he fell asleep in.
He blinks once and twice looking at his hands.
He is dreaming.
"Triton." A louder voice replies with a grumble.
Percy looks up from his hands and towards the voices, he sees nothing there but a closed door, one that is at least two times bigger than the one at Olympus.
Gazing around carefully Percy looks around the room a room Percy decides is a hallway with multiple doors to the sides. Quickly he checks to see if the coast is clear.
His dad and half-brother, Triton, are behind that door. He is certain of it.
He is about to step out of the shadows, ignoring that screaming sensation telling him to stay still, when the door opens. Percy watches the duo walk/swim out of the room, their movements in perfect synchronisation.
Percy sees it then, while he looks more like their father it is Triton who is the most like the eldest sea god, whether that be from a millennia of following and copying the older god or if it is simply just the way he is. Percy finds the thought odd and brushes it off to the side.
He has always found it weird that his half-brother, let alone his father, is a god.
The two move in silence for a moment until suddenly they stop, Poseidon's head bowed in what Percy thinks may be sadness, a weird emotion for a god he decides quickly.
Triton stops beside him and lays a gentle hand on the older gods shoulder, it's weird seeing two gods act so casual together, so familiar. He shudders.
"Father? What's wrong?" sympathy edges into his voice in a way that Percy finds odd.
Poseidon looks up at his son with a sad smile.
"I've done something." Triton stiffens.
Percy's rage begins to pool in his veins he clenches his eyes together in an attempt to calm down before he opens his eyes again. Watching the duo in front of him.
"Another mortal?" the merman asks and Poseidon shakes his head dispelling his son of all thoughts of another woman entering into their family. Percy can practically hear the sigh of relief. "Then what is it? It can't be that bad."
Poseidon is silent for the longest time, Percy watches the god carefully, his veins are frozen in fear and anxiety, his heart is hammering in his chest like a hammer in a forge.
Triton leans his head back, Percy is unable to see his face but he can imagine a look of total confusion before something in him seems to click.
"It's that Jackson kid isn't it." He grumbles.
"Percy." Poseidon says looking back at his eldest son, right in the eyes with a look of warning. "Your brother." He says as if to remind the young god that they are related.
Percy can just imagine a dummy in the training arena with his face on it, he is sure both Triton and Amphrite have probably taken their frustrations out on it.
He shudders at the thought.
Triton crosses his arms and stares at their father. "What about him?"
Poseidon is quiet for what feels like hours. Percy's mind is at a standstill suddenly overly aware of everyone and everything, he can feel the ocean currents, hear the hushed murmurs of noise coming from another room at the end of the corridor and for a moment he swears he can hear his father's heartbeat.
"We are going to change him." he whispers. Percy knows this of course, but that doesn't mean his emotions accept what his father has just said. Poseidon looks away from Triton, the merman's eyes are scrunched up in confusion.
"Change him?" he asks looking across the hall, as if trying to put a puzzle together. "You don't mean turning him into a god? Do you?" Triton turns on their father quickly then with the precision of a viper, Percy feels the currents around him shift dangerously.
He can feel the darkness around him as if it were about to swallow him. He moves back slightly against the wall as Poseidon shifts his view to where Percy is currently standing. Percy has never been caught sneaking in a dream, he doesn't even know if he can be caught snooping in a dream, and he doesn't really want to test that thought out right now.
"You can't do that?" Triton growls out and suddenly Poseidon is staring back at his son with a scowl. There is a brief moment of relief that floods through the demigod before it is crushed by a wave of gratitude for his half-brother. That is until Triton shakes his head and continues. "I will not have that mortal gifted in such a way."
Yeah he figured it would be too much to ask for , for Triton to help him out.
Poseidon looks angry for a moment. Percy almost cheers him on to squish the god with his fist. With a sad sigh Poseidon shakes his head as if trying to rid himself of any anger he may have at his eldest son.
"Triton." He mutters, "I know you do not approve of my… extra-curricular activities with mortals." Triton nods his head along his arms folded across his chest as he stares down at his father. "But Percy is my son and your brother" Triton opens his mouth to rebuke but Poseidon simply casts a hand over his sons mouth and continues on with a sad smile. "And I refuse to lose another child."
Tritons face softens for a moment. Percy wipes away a droplet of water that he swears is from the ocean around him and not from any form of tear.
The two are silent for a total of seven Mississippi's before Triton suddenly speaks up. "I may not approve of the women you see behind mothers back. However that doesn't mean I hate them, or you." Percy can see Tritons forehead crease and there is a moment where Percy can see himself in the young god. "But I want to help you." He says slowly, his eyes fixed to the sea god.
Poseidon smiles kindly at his son and hugs him. Percy has never before felt like such a third wheel in his life.
The demigod frowns slightly, his temper surprisingly kept at bay by the probability that they will sense him.
Honestly he is surprised his father hasn't noticed him already. Didn't he get this unpredictable gift from him? Shouldn't he be able to sense him at least?
"Thankyou Triton." Poseidon says, his eyes drifting back to the spot where Percy stands. A twinkle in his eye tells Percy that his father knows.
Percy wakes up, sweaty, confused and in pain. Rachel stands over him with a triumphant grin. Her shoe just millimetres from Percy's ribs.
"Ouch!" he grunts gripping the area her foot had been just seconds earlier, he looks up at his friend in confusion and irritation. "What was that for?"
Rachel stands over him with a wide smirk. "You were making weird noises."
Percy doesn't remember that being on the list of reasons for kicking someone awake. Then again he is fairly sure that if that list was real, Rachel Elizabeth Dare would be more interested in knowing if the paper was recycled or not.
If it wasn't Percy would be subjected to a long lecture about preserving the natural world, something he already believed in.
Really he was all for protecting the planet and nature but what he wasn't interested was listening to someone talk about it non-stop for an hour, he had gotten enough of that from Grover and Rachel, even on one horrid occasion, he had been forced to listen to them both blather on about it after seeing one of the Aphrodite campers drop a candy wrapper on the ground.
It was a Tartarus that even Annabeth hated.
Percy slowly rises from his makeshift cot still grumbling about lists and recycled paper.
He looks around the room, as if to make sure the nightmare he is currently living is real, upon seeing the decrepit walls of sheet metal that surround him he sighs and shakes his head.
It wasn't all a crazy nightmare. It was all real.
All of it, the thanks he gets from them is this, a decision made about him without even a single input of an idea from him. He never asked for this, in fact he never asked for anything after the Giant War, he already had everything he needed, everything he had ever wanted.
There is a pooling sensation in his gut, which he recognises immediately as irritation and anger.
After everything he has done for them? They force him into this. Even his own father. The same father that had called him the 'Greatest Hero' who had praised him after every quest.
The pooling sensation turns red hot, his eyes get teary from the overspilling emotions of betrayal and anger. He forces them shut and clenches his jaw.
The walls around him begin to shake.
There is a shout somewhere near him but he can't hear it properly over the crashing tides of blood that rushes to his head, he clenches his fist as tight as he can, the skin burns hotter than the coals in a forge, his knuckles feel as if they are about to rip through his skin like a werewolf changing form.
"Stop!"
There are hands on his shoulders shaking him, or is he just shaking?
"Percy!" the voice shouts again, Percy knows its Rachel now, who else would it be?
Who does he want it to be?
Annabeth. He thinks softly her name like a calming breath. A calming breath that turns toxic and lethal after a second. They made me leave her. I was HAPPY!
The floor beneath him crackles and above all the noise Percy can hear the waves of the ocean crash against the wooden beams of the docks around them, the salty air pushing and pulling him shifting him into a shape of no design.
He just wants to be left alone.
Why isn't anyone leaving him alone.
"Percy!" the voice sounds closer as if screaming in his ear. "They will sense you!" the anger grows and suddenly Percy feels like a volcano his anger building and building. It should scare him, he should be freaked out. He knows what can happen if he gets too out of control it will not be a pretty sight.
A hand touches his face.
His eyes spring open, the tears stop and with one final and mighty push he shoves Rachel off him, he watches her fly across the small room he has been sleeping in as if having an outer body experience, she falls and her head catches against one of the metal beams that hold the light sheeted metal up.
She screams.
Suddenly the anger stops, everything comes to a blinding halt. The roof stops shaking.
"Shit!" Percy shouts eyes wide he leaps off the cot towards his friend.
He skids to a halt in front of her, immediately crouching onto his knees. He is millimetres away from her.
"Rachel?" he asks, his hand moving to her chin. She looks up at him tears in her eyes, her face unusually pale. "Oh gods." He mutters, tears begin to blot his eyes as a wave of guilt and anger floods through him.
He removes his hand quickly and throws it towards his cheek with a stinging slap. Rachel frowns a little and Percy wants to scream. "Oh gods." He says again resting his head in his hands as he stares down into his lap. "Oh gods."
He could have killed her. He knows that.
"Oh gods." He says again standing.
"Shut up." Rachel whines with a faraway look, she starts to move to her feet. "Give us a hand." She grunts back a hand reaching out towards him in expectation.
Percy rushes to her side and helps her to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice cracks a little from the guilt. He is too dangerous to be near his friends.
"Yeah, yeah." She says, but she sounds half-hearted at best, something Percy takes note of. He bites his lip. "Just have a bit of a headache." She mutters dusting off her jeans.
He stays in his guilt ridden silence for a couple more minutes, slowly inspecting his friend to make sure that she is okay and not just telling him she is. He doesn't know much about medical science, but he has watched enough episodes of 'Grey's Anatomy' , surprisingly a favourite show of his step-father Paul, to know what to look for if she really has hit her head too hard.
He had hated the show, personally he had found it boring a repetitive. Really it was a shame Paul and Sally enjoyed it so much that they would organise their whole night around the show forcing Percy to sit with them and watch it.
Percy was going to buy them the box set for Christmas.
Except well know the prospect of spending Christmas with his parents was a bleak thought that was causing him more harm than good. It was a shame really, Paul made a good Christmas pudding.
"Stop." She says suddenly and Percy is brought back to the real world all thoughts of Christmas pudding thrown out the metaphorical window. Slowly she walks towards him until she is standing right in front of him, a worried look crosses her face Percy finds it odd. Shouldn't he be the one worried for her? He did just push her up against a wall.
"I need you to relax." She says carefully, her eyes drift all over his face as if trying to take everything in. Percy thinks she very well may be concussed.
"What? Why?" he asks rubbing the back of his head, he imagines a large lump that would be painful to touch on the back of the oracles head, he hopes there isn't a lump. He won't be able to live with himself if there was.
"They can sense things like that." she takes a step back and turns around, Percy has a brief opportunity to look for any sort of lump on the back of her head before she moves away. He sees nothing too prominent and brushes that thought to the back of his mind and instead focuses on the new topic.
"Sense what?" he asks, he shoves his hands in his pockets. His right hand nervously toys with Riptide.
Rachel Elizabeth Dare stops and turns quickly then giving him a quick once over, her brow raised as if inspecting him for something, a bleaker thought in Percy's mind tells him that she is checking to see if he will have another emotional breakdown and hurt her again.
He shudders.
"Your anger." She replies before picking something up off the ground, beside an overturned desk that Percy swears was standing upright earlier.
Percy doesn't have much of a chance to suss out what the mystery object is before what she has said sinks in.
"What?" He asks frowning. "My anger?" he thinks back to all the times he has blown like just now and frowns at himself, it's a side of him that he doesn't really enjoy, but there isn't much he can do about it. His anger is a part of him, he can't simply brush it away. "What?" he says again before looking back up at Rachel who is checking the mysterious object out. There is a moment where Percy thinks it may be a wallet. "How?"
She looks up at him then with cautious eyes before she slowly turns around the room and then back to him.
That's when Percy takes in the destruction and mess his small little outburst has caused.
The small room that had been designated as his bedroom, was completely and utterly trashed.
Sheet metal that had once separated the tiny room from the rest of the warehouse now hung from the structural beams and looking like huge shiny pieces of paper, there was paper too, paper that had once been sitting in a filing cabinet in the corner was now scattered all over the rickety floor, Percy was surprised that the floor hadn't caved in already. And then there was a hole in the roof, creating a natural skylight that spelt trouble for when it rained next and judging from the clouds that could be any minute.
He sighed loudly, it seemed his little temper tantrum would make him have to change rooms.
It was a shame really, this room was absolutely perfect for him for reasons such as; being closest to the makeshift bathroom, which was nothing but a portable toilet that had been left behind after Rachel had gotten into a fight with an architect and builder over the main load bearing wall getting knocked down or not causing all work to stop, it was also the smallest room in the entire warehouse that overlooked the main floor with an emergency exit that could only be opened from the inside and led out onto the back docks for an easy escape and well it also had a window with a really pretty view of the city.
If he looked close enough he could see his apartment complex.
But looking back at Rachel Elizabeth Dare he truly realises the damage he has done, this was her warehouse, a place that she had bought with her own pocket money, an exorbitant amount of pocket money of course, but still something she had worked hard to buy.
He frowns slightly she was going to use it as an art studio. Somewhere she could paint and show her art, she had even told him she was going to have workshops for those who were struggling in the art world, it was a dog eat dog world out there for struggling artists apparently.
The look she had, had was something Percy had only seen when Annabeth was designing the temples on Olympus.
He frowns at himself and looks back at his friend, his sea green eyes filled with sorrow.
"I'm so sorry." He says his hand running through his hair and he stares around the room. "I will pay for the damage."
Rachel rolls her eyes and stares at him, he can tell he is being stupid and he can tell that she is thinking the exact same thing. "Really?" she says Percy can practically hear yet another eye roll. "What are you going to pay for it with? Your charm?"
Percy smiles back at her without humour.
Rachel palms the mysterious object one more time before throwing him the object. "Speaking of paying."
He catches the object in one hand, studying it he notices that is in fact a leather bound wallet. A leather bound wallet filled with cash.
Shocked he looks back up at Rachel Elizabeth Dare and smiles before shaking the smile off and shaking his head.
"I really can't accept this." He says tossing it back to her.
She catches it against her chest and stares back at him bewildered. "Really I insist." She says before throwing it back.
Percy catches it and for a moment he stares at her, honestly he wants to take it her really does but he can't she has done too much. "I can't RED." He says looking back down at it before tossing it back. "You've already done so much for me."
She catches it and glares at him. "Seriously. Percy take it."
She throws it again. This time Percy raises both hands and takes a step to the side he watches it sail past where he had once stood, it lands on the floor with a soft thud that is accompanied by another roar of thunder.
"Percy." She sighs. A hand on her hip another resting on her forehead. "You need to take it." The hand that had once covered her eyes move quickly and he is staring into her green eyes again. She looks frustrated and tired.
Percy feels at least a million times guiltier.
"I can't." he replies with a resigned sigh. "Rachel, you have already done enough" he shrugs his shoulders a movement that makes him feel like he is once again holding the sky. "I can't accept or ask for anything more."
He looks back up at Rachel who is glaring at him as if he has just called her a mule. "Okay first up" she starts with a frown. "Stop with the whole nobility thing, nothing noble about it," Percy smiles a little, "It's kind of annoying." She walks towards the wallet and picks it up.
"And you know everything about annoying, don't you?"
Rachel Elizabeth Dare glares at him. "Secondly." She starts walking back to him, the wallet in her hand. "You are going to take the money." She shoves into Percy's chest. "And you're going to spend it. Got it?"
Percy has never been more terrified of Rachel Elizabeth Dare in his life, at least that's what he tells himself when he accepts the money.
ADHD is probably one of the best things to happen to a demigod, really its great those reflexes and that constant need for movement and being able to focus in on both everything and nothing at the same time can really save your life in dangerous situations.
It can also be a terrible horrible thing that can have every demigod a bored and hyperactive mess in just a couple of minutes. And if you times those couple of minutes by a day and a half and you have yourself one bored as Hades demigod who is just about climbing the walls in boredom.
So maybe it was his total boredom that brought Percy out of his not so humble abode. Rather for the first time in days the sun had let up and Percy was determined to escape his confines for at least an hour.
Unfortunately Percy was terrible at judging the passing of time, something Sally had said she found ironic after his victory over the Titan Lord Kronos. So after what Percy had thought was only half an hour which had actually been an hour and a half Percy had wandered over towards Central Park.
It seemed that everyone had taken that brief advantage of sunlight that had lured him out of his safe house.
"Wow." He muttered entering the park narrowly dodging a little girl who was making a runner from her parents who were chasing her down. He smiles slightly as the mother scoops her up and yells at her for running off. Percy had been just like the girl when he was younger, he was the reason his mother had grey hairs.
He liked to think now though, that he was a responsible adult that knew right from wrong and when to run and when not to run.
A smell wafts in the air distracting Percy from his inner thoughts. "Hot Dogs."
Saliva starts pooling inside his mouth and his eyes water from joy. It seemed that finally something good was happening, luck that was long overdue.
He walks quickly, not running he swears. After days of living off protein bars, dried fruits and various nuts that Rachel had given him after telling him to stay put for a few days he was starting to go insane with hunger for real food and after just two days of eating nothing but dried packaged food he realised there was no way he would be able to last another day without normal food.
He craved food, real food. Like a cheeseburger or pizza, the kind of food that was essential for a young strong demigod like him to live. Rachel had glared at him and had shaken her head telling him that there was; 'No way in Hades am I going to cycle a pizza out here for you.'
So Percy was stuck with those tasteless protein bars, well until now.
Yeah he figured that leaving the warehouse was quite honestly a terrible idea and that is he had any sort of brain he should have stayed inside and eaten the rest of his gross boring food until it was safe for him to leave, but the sun was out and boredom had well and truly kicked in and kicked him out of the safety of his home.
Finding the hot dog vendor who is standing just a few meters away from the entrance to the park, probably a way to lure innocent demigods into a cholesterol hell, he smiles.
"Two please." He says, a smile obviously pointed at the hot dogs that sit on display in front of him.
The man smiles right back at him and hands him the food. Percy just about snatches the dogs out of his hands practically throwing the money at him and saying his thanks in between mouthfuls of food. Before wandering off to eat his delicious meal alone.
He wanders around for another twenty minutes, before once again growing bored and extremely paranoid. Slowly he heads away from the park he passes Goode and with a sad smile continues on his way, his hands in his pockets he slowly soaks up the sun, his unusually pale skin, from the days of sitting in a dark room, getting as much light as it can and honestly it feels great to be out soaking up the rays as well as attempting to get his natural Olive coloured skin back to normal.
Something he would have been doing on the beach at Camp with his friends and girlfriend if shit hadn't hit the fan and thrown his life up into the air.
In fact that's how he spends the rest of the day, walking around New York, avoiding as many people as he possible can. He even goes so far as to buy a New York Yankees baseball cap.
Sure it wasn't like the one Annabeth had but it was close enough and if he angled it right he could easily cover half of his face that wasn't the only reason he bought it though.
There was also a sentimental reason behind the purchase, after all it took him at least twenty minutes to find the right hat one that looked the most like Annabeth's. He wouldn't deny the sentiments behind the purchase, he figured that the world owed him as much not to feel guilty or wimpy for buying him a hat that reminded him of his girlfriend.
He had written a letter for Annabeth and had given it to Rachel the afternoon she left to go back to camp. He didn't need to tell Rachel who it was for, she was smart like that and knew straight away. He was sort of glad that he had her with him right now.
That didn't mean he didn't know how dangerous it was for her.
Part of him was actually weighing the positives and negatives of her helping him. So far the negatives far outweighed the positives and he knew that soon he would have to leave without telling her. The less she knew about his whereabouts the better.
That was probably why he wasn't dragging Annabeth along with him. It was far too dangerous. Yes he needed and wanted her at his side but honestly he had a feeling that he would be safer on his own, he wouldn't have to worry about anyone or about his flaring temper.
He rounds a familiar looking corner and almost drops down to the ground by the sheer presence he suddenly feels around him.
The hairs on the back of his neck rise, his stomach drops and suddenly he grows hyper aware. He feels like right now if someone threw a grain of sand at him, he would be able to catch it without even blinking.
It's the presence of a god.
More than one it seems.
He shudders realising that he is standing just outside his parent's apartment.
Seems like they have set up a watch. He thinks with grinding teeth.
He must have accidently followed his route home from Goode, a route that he was so used to. A route that could have very well screwed his life up.
"Crap." He growls shifting the hat a little to cover more of his face.
The street looks empty like it did the night before. Percy would have questioned his instincts but the feeling that surrounds him is so overpowering that he knows he should trust it.
He turns quickly and carefully walking out of the street and back towards Central Park, hoping to lose any followers in the large crowds that have gathered by the park.
After a few minutes of wandering the park the paranoia wears off and he is certain that no one has followed him, he practically runs to the docks and back towards the warehouse.
A feeling of dread pools in his stomach again, making Percy feel nauseas. He thinks it could either be the two hotdogs and all the running or relief that he is back at the closest thing he has left to a home.
He turns down a small alley way until he is face to face with the warehouse.
The salty ocean air whips around his face calming him almost immediately, lulling him into a false sense of security. The strange feeling however still sits in his gut. It feels worse than the butterflies he had when he and Annabeth had first started dating, worse than the time his English teacher forced him to do a speech on Macbeth for a class assignment. Something he thought should be in the Fields of Punishment.
He fishes the key out of his pocket brushing off all negative thoughts.
I'm safe. He thinks with a calming breath, he slots the key into the lock and takes another deep breath, the feeling of dread fading rapidly. I'm okay. Breath. Your fine. Don't freak out. He turns the key, finding little resistance from the use over the past few days.
He remembers the night Rachel Elizabeth Dare brought him here for the first time telling him that this was his new home. It had taken them ten minutes to try and twist the key in the lock so they could open the door.
The door opens with an ear splitting screech that has Percy close his eyes and grimace. "Gah!" he calls out before slowly stepping inside the dark room.
He frowns an off feeling hitting him, the smell of the sea growing stronger and stronger until all he can smell is a salty freshness that he associates with two different things the beach and-
"Perseus."
"Fuck."
Sort of a cliff hanger but not really. Hope you all enjoyed and please review to tell me what you thought. :)
Utoris Son of Gaia: Haha thankyou so much, I'm glad you enjoy them. :)
xRinneandSharinx: Shits always about to hit the fan with Percy. Thank you for the review hope you enjoy this chapter.
monkeybaby: thankyou so much. Hope you enjoy this chapter
Urethane: thank you so much. I hope I finish this story as well. :)
banesith777: Cheers, hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
Ronnie R15: That is actually a brilliant idea that I'm going to think over, I originally wasn't going to have her leave but now I'm rethinking it. I was going to use the whole guilt thing to build the Pertamis relationship around though, because I can't really see another way around to build the relationship between them. Thank you for the review and suggestions, I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
Jelly Pie: Hahaha sorry for the long wait I suddenly became extremely popular these past few weeks. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :)
ChaoticMathFreak: Its cool mate, I know the pain of a low battery. I'm looking forward to the Pertamis part too, but it's going to be a while :/
Bambino01: Thank you so much hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Guest: Sorry I made you wait a million years. Hope you enjoyed the chapter though :)
fantomfaire: Wow thank you so much, I'm so glad you are enjoying it so far :)
Jilly Jelly: Thank you so much, my ego has been officially boosted. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)
GO PERICO: Mwahahaha I do what I want hahaha. I mean who says he is going to be immortal *shifty eyes*
Thanks again all who reviewed muchly appreciated. :D