Hello. Yes, it's been too long.
First of all, credits.
HubrisP is one of the most dedicated people I have eved had the pleasure of knowing. I know if he got it his way, he would make plenty changes to my story but I just ask him not to hate my story. The time he willingly wasted on me, telling me about the character I introduce in this chapter, is well spent. I hope I don't disappoint him.
GeekofWesteros is another really epic person. When my story ends with a spectacular ending, you will have him to thank for it. His imagination is awesome, really.
Thank you, both of you. Alot.
I'm sorry this chaoter is coming a little late, I was distracted with my birthday and stuff but consider this my gift to you :3
I hope you like it.
PERCY:
He walked into the kitchen to find Jason sitting on the counter, munching on dry Fruit loops.
He handed Percy a cereal box.
"Nico left these for you. I have no idea why"
Percy opened the cereal box to find blue rings of weird cereal.
Frowning at the cereal, he picked one up and munched on it. Surprisingly enough, it tasted good.
"Very thoughtful of Nico", he said casually and Jason looked least bothered.
"So", started Percy between mouthfuls of blue cereal, "when and how are we leaving?"
Jason frowned at Percy. "THE Jason must've had cars. We'll find then, pack the necessities and then leave. Then after we reach a certain part of the country, Nico can take us straight to Pyrgos"
Percy nodded and turned to leave.
Then turned back to face Jason, "Are you showing off your body?"
Jason laughed, "What, are you jealous?"
Percy wolf stared at Jason and Jason wolf stared back at him.
Damn, Lupa made sure her pups learnt to never back down.
And Jason was good. His blue eyes pierced through Percy, as if searching for a weakness to claw down.
For a moment he looked so much like his sister that Percy almost backed off.
Percy found himself irritated.
They must've stood like that a long time because suddenly a voice interrupted, "Uh, Percy, you need a bath"
They both turned at the same instant to stare at Nico, who stood shirtless at the kitchen door in light blue jeans.
Percy didn't remember seeing him in anything other than black so he was half sure that he was staring at him with his mouth open and eyes wide. He wanted to look away but he was frozen somehow.
For someone bordering on malnutrition, Nico seemed to have a good enough body. Not too muscly but not as skinny as Percy had thought. Not that Percy had thought about it.
At least not before recently.
Suddenly he felt pain at the back of his head. He wheeled around to find Jason tucking his hand behind him.
"Stop staring at him like that", he hissed in a low voice.
"Why, only you can?", Percy hissed back. "You don't own him"
Jason stared at Percy in disbelief. Then smirked.
Suddenly Jason and Nico were so chummy that Percy wasn't even allowed to look at Nico.
Nico looked uneasy. "Uh, I thought I'd borrow some clothes from this guy but everything he has looks too expensive"
"Well, he won't be needing them anymore so take what you want", Jason replied casually.
Turning to Percy, he said, "You stink. Go take a bath"
Having no idea what to say, Percy just glared at the two younger demigods and left.
He showered, wrapped a towel around his waist and went through the Original Jason's wardrobe to look for things to wear.
The wardrobe was full of glittery or silk stuff. Or neon colours. Percy felt like he was about to go onstage or something.
Finally, he found a white shirt and designer jeans. Sheesh. This guy didn't own normal clothes.
Almost satisfied with his choice, he walked to the full length mirror and studied himself.
He could hardly recognise the gaunt man staring at him. He looked old. And tired. But his eyes still sparkled.
He missed his mother.
The sudden thought brought a sharp pain of nostalgia in the form of tears.
He blinked them back and walked out to meet the others.
He walked into the living room to find it deserted. He checked the kitchen too but no one was present.
"Uh, Nico?", Percy called out, "Jason?" No reply.
Worried, he pulled out Riptide.
"JASON! NICO", he bellowed, his voice echoing in the room.
He looked at the flat screen TV which was turned on but muted. He frowned at the horror movie that was being broadcasted.
His eyes fell on something shiny sticking out from the back of the TV, which he didn't remember previously noticing.
Now, as a demigod, he was Experian ed enough to know that if something was out or place, it meant trouble.
He went closer to the tv to examine the shiny thing that turned out to be a metal lever of some kind.
Percy being Percy, obviously pulled at it.
The ground was pulled from under his feet and he was sent tumbling down through a moist tunnel.
After a while he was tossed out of the pipe like tunnel and his butt hit the wet ground hard.
So much for wearing expensive new clothes.
He stood up to find himself in a dark underground room, as large as two European football fields.
A river (if that was what it was), ran through the side of the room towards a more darker region. He could tell that the river was saltwater.
"Nico?", he whispered but it sounded like he had yelled the name on top of his lungs. He was himself frightened by the magnitude of his voice.
Something on the water glowed, the end of the tunnel and Percy gripped Riptide harder, his heart thumping loudly in his ears.
A glowing ship emerged from the darkness.
It was larger than the Andromeda but it was sleeker.
It had lights on the deck and looked like futuristic cruise ship.
By the time it reached right in front of Percy, his ADHD was acting up. He needed to do something, he couldn't stand still any longer.
He was about to go explore the ship, which in fact, would be really dumb thing to do since it probably was a dangerous ship full of horrid monsters or immortals who wanted his head. But there was a chance Nico and Jason were on the ship and if they were, it was upto him to save them.
He willed the water to create a staircase and he hopped up to the deck.
As he set his foot on the deck lightly, the water receded completely. Latin music seemed to be drifting from the front cabin.
Percy was contemplating tiptoeing or shouting and charging when the cabin door opened and a man walked out with a drink in hand.
It looked like an apple martini, Percy noticed.
He man stood smiling, in a white shirt, his sleeves folded and the front unbuttoned with a pair of Bermuda shorts.
His tanned chest and all his other bare skin almost shone in the shady lighting.
His hair was silky straight and jet black, his eyes grey, bordering on purple. They twinkled like a stars.
He smiled at Percy and his heart soared without consent.
This guy was surely a god. Nobody could look that good without godly genes.
"Percy", he said in a deep husky voice. He cleared his throat.
Gods didn't generally call him Percy, they called him Perseus. But he didn't mind, honestly.
"Who are you?", he asked.
A better question would've been to ask about his friends but Percy couldn't stop himself.
The guy laughed and Percy stared, awed.
"You're better than Jason described you to be", he said laughing, now his voice just a soft rumble. "But definitely not as good as Nico said you were"
Percy didn't know if he was supposed to be flattered or angered. But the way this guy said it, everything was a song.
"Where are they?", he managed to say.
The guy smiled coyly. "If you will follow me, Percy Jackson" he said, walking inside the front cabin.
Latin music played in the background as they entered what seemed to be a bar.
"Would you like a drink?", the guy asked as he poured some whiskey for himself.
Percy shrugged and was handed a glass of neat whiskey. He figured he might as well, since he was kinda thirsty now that he thought about it.
The sweet taste of whiskey set his to tongue on fire and he thought he'd choke.
The guy smiled as if he knew how Percy was feeling and sat down on a low couch.
"So, Percy", he started casually, "I could kill you, since my father, or fathers always hated your father"
Percy chugged his whole glass down and set the glass down on the bar table, his head spinning.
"But would that be wise?", he asked hoping he sounded confident.
They guy studied him and then burst out laughing.
"No, dude, can you imagine me saying that?", he replied still laughing, "It's so creepy...and Olympian"
"Who are you?", Percy asked, surprised as the guy sounded his age when dropped his facade.
"I won't kill you, Perce", the guy promised, "Until I hear you out"
"Sounds like a good idea", Percy decided.
"Yeah, I'm the future, honey. I have to be good", the guy pointed out.
Before Percy could ask who he was, the guy stuck his hand out for Percy to shake.
"Zagreus", he said formally, "Son Zeus, Hades, take your pick"
"Wait, Zagreus?", Percy exclaimed, "But aren't you the same as Dionysus?"
Zagreus sighed. "Kids these days..."
"I honestly don't understand", Percy replied.
"Do you ever?", Zagreus asked sarcastically.
Before Percy could think of a sassy reply, Zagreus continued.
"I am not Dionysus and Dionysus isn't me. He may have some of my qualities, even though I like to think that most of those are over shadowed by his other disgusting habits"
"I'll quietly agree to that", Percy interrupted.
"I know, right?", Zagreus continued, "So after the crackpot titans killed me and my heart was fed to Dionysus's mum, he inherited some of my genes that's all. WHY DO PEOPLE TWIST MY HISTORY, I DON'T GET IT"
Percy was confused. Or maybe it was the whiskey.
But any way, he hadn't expected Zagreus to be this way. Zagreus seemed too, sane, to be a god, even though he was exceptionally good looking.
"But you're still Zeus's heir, right?", Percy asked.
"Yeah, I guess", Zagreus replied sadly, "I haven't talked to them for a while..."
"Why so?", Percy asked before he could stop himself he himself didn't often talk to his immortal father but he had hopes that the Olympians paid attention to their immortal kids, at least those who would one day inherit the world.
"Well, the last time I got close enough, I tried to kill him", Zagreus stated casually.
"Naturally", Percy said soothingly.
Zagreus patted Percy's arm and his heart fluttered. He could almost say that he had a little crush on Zagreus.
But could he?
"So, what about, uh, my friends?", Percy asked, ignoring his mental conflict.
"They were here, somewhere", Zagreus waved his arm dismissively.
As if on cue, Percy heard voiced from the back door of the bar.
"Why would you tell him that? Cornflakes are stupid"
"Because he loves blue?!"
"But why would you take my name?!"
"I'm helping you, duh"
"Are you really, or are you just making it more awkward?"
A very red faced Nico entered the room, followed by a dismissive Jason.
They stopped when they saw Percy, but only for a moment.
"I do like the game room", Nico told Zagreus, who grinned in reply.
"The amphitheatre is legendary", Jason added and Zagreus' smile seemed to stretch.
"How do you even have an amphitheatre in a boat?", Percy asked confused.
"I'm a god, I do what I want", Zagreus replied.
He motioned all of them to sit. Once they were seated, he started.
"This is an exchange. We trade stories", Zagreus told them, "You tell me yours and I'll tell you mine. And you can't leave the ship until I want you to"