"Do not settle for anything less than greatness."
Five Months Later
"How could you leave me!?"
"You left your own mother. You left your sister!"
"Never show your face here again, Perseus!"
"You left me to die!"
"You should die!"
"Die!"
"Die!
"DIE!"
With a strangled gasp the son of Poseidon awoke to a barely rising sun on the horizon. The soft, orange rays leaking through his window to signal the start of a new day. Turning to his side with a groan, Percy rubbed his tired eyes as he tried to forget the voices that always tormented him in his sleep. They always do that to him when he's sleeping. He's tried everything but not even drowning copious amounts of alcohol would stop the voices. Mom, Paul, Chiron, Annabeth, his dead friends, he heard them all. He's even seen them too in the corner of the eye.
"Why?" Percy cradled his head. "Why are you still here!? What do you want from me!?" He asked into the air. Obviously receiving no response and probably won't anytime soon, the demigod took a moment to gather himself before he got up from his bed and prepared for the new day.
Brushing his teeth and putting on a pair of blue jeans, a black hoodie, and leather hiking boots, he opened the door of his cabin and was greeted by the beautiful image of the valley. Birds chirping high into the sky, the soft wind brushing against his face, the smell of the pines, and the sound of the now unfrozen river rushing downstream. It was simply breathtaking, something he had never seen before coming here. It was a little too chilly for his likeness but that's because winter had just passed by. It was a little difficult surviving in the Alaskan wilderness especially in the harshest of seasons, but they prevailed.
Thankfully, Travis and Connor had stumbled upon an actual road that led them to a small town called Pine Woods, home to just a couple hundred people. Percy smiled as he remembered the brother's shocked faces as they came running back hollering about finding civilization. Thanks to the town, they were able to get enough supplies to survive the winter. From new clothes, food, tools, they had everything they needed to survive and prosper.
Still within his thoughts, the demigod made his way over to the river that was rushing rapidly at this point in the season thanks to the melted ice. Sitting down, he opened up a few protein bars and listened to the sounds of the water as he stared up at the mountains that surrounded him.
"Morning, Percy!" A voice called out to him from across the river. Turning his head, he found Emily waving at him as she carried a basket filled with what looked to be strawberries. Returning the gesture, he watched as she disappeared into the big house, they had built a few months prior. Yeah, they copied the name from the original one back at Camp Half-Blood, so what? Anyway, there was another thing he forgot to mention. Now that they had a home, it was time to bring in new demigods. Currently, they had well over thirty demigods living in the valley now thanks to Grover and his satyr friends. He had asked his old friend through their empathy link to help him out and bring any new demigods that they had stumbled upon to the valley.
Grover at first was apprehensive which was understandable considering he was basically helping out an enemy of Olympus but thankfully years of friendship prevailed. Of course, there were drawbacks to this. They couldn't bring too many demigods into the valley because it would draw suspicion as to why the satyrs weren't bringing in new campers like they were ordered to. And the ones they did bring to Alaska were given the choice to stay or go to Camp Half-Blood after being told who exactly lived in the valley.
Percy sighed as he thought of all the lost prospects, they could've had here but that was the drawback when you're labeled an enemy of Olympus. New demigods were either simply too scared to go against the Gods or just didn't want to. The ones that did choose to live in Alaska, however, were demigods who hated their Godly parent for abandoning them or because of the exploits they heard that the famous Percy Jackson did. His name did carry weight after all. But it was probably just the satyrs exaggerating he story to try to reel them in
The ones that lived in the valley were almost all children of minor Gods except for a couple, one being Emily, the girl who waved at him earlier. She's a daughter of Demeter and basically a carbon copy of Katie except for the black hair she sported. The two sisters were practically glued at the hip, spending most of their days in the strawberry field Katie had grown all by herself after winter was over. That field was a major contributor to the prosperity of their valley, offering plenty of food with not just strawberries but also corn and squash.
With a hefty sigh, Percy stopped being in his thoughts, finally stood up from his position and decided to get started with today's work. Grabbing an axe from the tool shed Leo had built, the son of Poseidon walked deep into the forest, looking for the right tree for the job. Stopping at a large pine that looked well into its years, he knocked on its bark before getting started.
"Hello? Anyone home?" He asked the tree but after a few minutes of no reply, he slung the axe over his shoulder and started the long process of cutting the tree down. The reason he asked the tree if anyone was home was because there were actual nature spirits such as nymphs and dryads living in these woods. It was certainly a surprise to find this out when he went into the forest one time to hunt and instead almost died due to a heart attack when a dryad jumpscared him.
Turns out that these nature spirits had originally lived in the valley for many years but were driven out by the monster army that had occupied it earlier. Thanks to their actions of defeating the army, the nymphs and dryads were able to move back into their home. At first it was a rocky relationship with them considering that the valley was originally theirs but after negotiating and promising they won't disturb the forest without their blessing, everything was good. The nature spirits had even helped them build, offering their magical abilities to assist with things that otherwise wouldn't be possible in this remote place such as air conditioning and plumbing.
Continuing on with his task, the son of Poseidon failed to realize that he had company behind him. Still in his thoughts, he swung with all his demigod strength, cutting down the tree in such a fast time it would cause a lumberjack to squeal in joy. Quickly walking backwards, he watched as the pine tree slowly fell to ground, the sound of the snapping wood echoing throughout the quiet forest. Satisfied with his work, Percy was about to go get a handsaw but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Turning around with unimaginable speed, he brought out riptide and slammed the unknown assailant into a tree with his sword at their neck.
"Kyahhh!" A high-pitched squeal came from the assailant as they felt the power of the legendary demigod overcome them. With wild eyes Percy eyed the enemy like a wolf about to kill but immediately backed away once he saw who he had pinned against a tree.
"Lyah!?" He said, looking at the frightened dryad that still had her hands against her face in fear. Capping riptide, Percy knelt down and took her hands into his.
"I'm sorry for scaring you. You just startled me, that's all." He tried to comfort the young girl as he wiped a stray tear off her cheek.
"You mean I scared the great Perseus Jackson!?" Lyah happily asked, her features immediately morphing into a happy teasing look. Percy rolled his eyes at her antics as he stood up.
"Yeah right. Scare me!? Pshhhh." He replied, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. The little girl could only laugh as she twirled around him, jumping up and down as she sang about scaring the legendary demigod. Percy watched her with happy eyes, remembering how the two of them first met. He had gone hunting in these very woods and instead of finding a deer, he found Lyah who jumped out of a tree right in front of him, scaring him half to death.
Turns out her parents had fought with him in the battle of New York against Kronos a couple years ago. After the war, the two of them had moved to Alaska and had her in the process. Growing up Lyah was told the many stories of the legendary son of Poseidon, often listening to her parents tell how he defeated Kronos and Gaea as she went to bed. He guessed he was her story time hero and when she saw him walking in the woods, she couldn't contain her excitement and jumped on him, squealing something like "Oh my gosh! It's you!"
"So, what are you doing out here?" The girl asked, finally stopping her teasing as she climbed on top of Percy's broad shoulders. The son of Poseidon rolled his eyes but helped her up on to him as he began to walk back to camp.
"Getting timber." He answered, stepping over a fallen tree. "We're building a new big house. The old one is getting too crowded with all the new arrivals coming in."
"Jeez. The valley is getting more and more crowded every day." Lyah replied.
"Is that a good thing to you?"
"Absolutely! It means more friends for me!" Lyah squealed in delight. Percy laughed as he made his way out of the wood line, the camp now becoming in sight. The two conversed some more about nothing important as they walked through the camp's barriers. Oftentimes it was just Lyah talking about anything she could think of like what she recently learned or what her mother cooked last night or the new friends she made. Those new friends were squirrels that lived in the tree next to her by the way. He had to remind whoever went out hunting next to not kill any squirrels lest they incur Lyah's wrath.
With the young dryad still yapping into his ear, the son of Poseidon walked up the steps of the big house before entering, immediately being greeted with a chaotic scene.
"I told you the eggs go into that bowl! Why would you put it on a baking sheet!"
"I can't tell the difference! You know I can't cook!"
"It's not even cooking! All you had to do was crack eggs into that bowl! How hard could that possibly be!?"
Both Percy and Lyah watched with wide eyes as the kitchen in front of them became a battlefield with food and kitchenware being thrown like grenades. The son of Poseidon ducked as a rouge skillet came flying his way, turning around in the process so he could protect the young dryad who held onto him for dear life. With a resounding clang, the skillet came into contact with his back before dropping on to the ground. All went still as the two "cooks" realized what they had just done. Turning back around with a smile on his face that held no mirth, he walked into the kitchen slowly, trying his best not to kill the two demigod children of Nike.
"Ben…Ashley…what did I tell you not to do in the kitchen?" He slowly asked with deep breaths.
"Not to turn the kitchen into a battlefield." The two replied in unison with heads held low.
"And what did you do?"
"…Turned the kitchen into a battlefield."
"Right. So, once you clean this up and make breakfast for everyone, I want you two to finish up timber duty for the rest of the day." Percy replied, mentally clapping himself on the back at his smart idea. Immediately, the duo shouted in outrage but stopped when Percy held his hand up.
"It's either that or you can go help Katie in the fields. Your choice."
The siblings slightly shivered at that option. Katie Gardner, despite her sweet appearance, was the devil incarnate when it came to farming. She was so OCD about it that whatever you did to help, it was always wrong. The only one that could live up to her standards was Emily.
"We'll take timber duty." The brother/sister said with slouched shoulders as they began to clean up the kitchen. Walking deeper into the big house with a satisfied look on his face, Percy entered the hallway where the boys slept before opening the door that led into Jason's room. The room was as dark as the underworld with the only sound coming from was the son of Jupiter's snoring. With Lyah still on his shoulders, the two of them silently made their way to Jason's bedside before yelling loudly in his ear, making him jump out of his bed like a scared cat that was getting sprayed with water.
"WHAAAAA!" Jason screamed, looking around for the intruders in his half-awaken state. Percy and Lyah laughed loudly at the image of the blonde demigod in only his underwear as he frantically looked around.
"Good idea, Lyah. You don't know how hard it is to wake that man up." Percy chuckled as he ruffled the girl's hair.
"What. The. Fuc-"
"Hey. Hey. Hey! We're in the presence of a lady. No cussing." Percy interrupted, gesturing to the young girl who swept her hair to the side like a pompous Victorian lady would.
"That's right." Lyah said, crossing her arms with her head held high.
"Oh really? Because I see two ladies and one is very ugly." Jason replied as he got back up to his feet.
"I think he's talking about you." Lyah nudged the man she was sitting on.
"Nonsense. I'm the pretty one." Percy replied, receiving a slap on the face in reply. Shaking his head, the son of Poseidon told his cousin to get ready for the day and come down to eat breakfast with everyone. Closing the door behind him, he made his way towards the dining room, being greeted by everyone who was already there. It was certainly a sight, seeing thirty or so demigods sitting in one place together, eating copious amounts of food. The room was louder than an elementary cafeteria, but he wouldn't have it any other way.
Taking Lyah off his shoulders and putting her down on a chair next to Piper, he made his way to the head of the table where the main seat was reserved for him. Sitting down with already a full plate in front of him, the son of Poseidon dug in as he listened in to numerous conversations going on around him. Piper was talking to Lyah about hairstyles, Leo was talking to some guys about building an armory, Travis was talking about the wallet he stole off of some wannabe gangster in town. Yup, just an ordinary morning in the valley.
"Sorry I'm late. I was rudely awakened by two goblins earlier." Jason announced as he walked into the room, giving the two "goblins" a dirty look. Lyah stuck out her tongue in reply before turning back to Piper.
"Sure, you weren't just looking in a mirror?" Don, a son of Nemesis, asked with a mouthful of eggs.
"I'm going to ignore that comment. It's too early for that kind of bantering." The son of Jupiter replied as he sat down and began to eat his meal. Eating quickly and finishing before anyone else, Percy wiped his mouth before getting up from the table. There was still much that needed to be done and if there was one thing he hated, it was wasting time.
"Everyone knows their jobs. Make sure you complete them by the evening." He announced to the demigods before making his way outside, his hand already fiddling with Riptide in pen form. Lyah got up to follow but Piper held her back.
"Not this time." She said much to the dryad's disappointment.
"Why?" The little girl whined, wanting to be by her hero's side.
"You should know better, Lyah." Emily said from across the table, eyeing the son of Poseidon as he walked out. "It'll be too dangerous for you to follow. Especially outside the valley."
The young dryad didn't understand the older girl's words and instead crossed her arms in disappointment. She wanted to see the legendary demigod in action. The stories she heard about the way he fought made him sound more like a God than a demigod.
"I hate when he goes out there alone. Who in their right mind would go outside the valley by themselves to fight any monster they see. It would be suicide if he weren't a son of Poseidon." Jason huffed in annoyance. The Roman demigod just didn't understand his Greek counterpart. To fight a battle alone was stupid according to Roman standards. Fighting together like a well-oiled machine was the smartest and most efficient way, something Percy could learn.
"Clearly he's doing something right." Ashley waved her fork around as she blocked her brother's hand from stealing any of her food. "I don't see Lyah being told bedtime stories of your battles."
"I have you know I'm also a member of the Seven and a person who has killed a Titan." Jason responded mildly, annoyed that once again his cousin had taken the spotlight. It wasn't like he was jealous or anything. He loved his cousin and wanted him to go down in the history books as one of the greatest demigods who ever lived. He just wanted his name to be among Percy's too.
"Child's play compared to what Percy's done." Nico interrupted the conversation, putting in his own two cents. "The things I've seen that man accomplish. The battles he fought and all the monsters he has faced. Not even Achilles can compare and trust me, I've met him down in the underworld and even he has heard of Percy."
This conversation on who the greatest demigod of all time continued for quite some time, eventually leading to a food fight among the thirty odd demigods. Outside however was a different story. Instead of dodging stray food from across the table, the son of Poseidon was dodging arrows aimed at his head.
"Get that stupid demigod!" A cyclops ordered his ragtag group of monsters, pointing over to where Percy had run off to through the trees. Weaving and dodging throughout the trees as if he was a hunter of Artemis, Percy quickly ran away, hoping to find a better angle to attack. Hiding behind a tree, the demigod tried his best to catch his breath as he waited for the nearest monster to cross his path. With his sword vertical of his chest, Percy bided his time as he could faintly hear the sound of snapping branches getting closer and closer to his position. Being as still as one of Medusa's statues, the demigod waited until the first monster ran past his tree, not even noticing where he was.
Quickly and quietly, Percy grabbed the monster's head before slitting its throat in one clean motion. Dropping dead on the ground like a sack of potatoes, Percy picked up the monster's spear off its body before heaving it at a hellhound that was running towards him. Striking it dead smack in the eye, the demigod decided to go on a full assault seeing that there were less monsters than previously before. Craning his head to the side as an arrow flew right past it, he continued to charge as the first monster came directly at him with its sword raised.
Blocking the overhead strike with Riptide, the son of Poseidon swiftly spun around while in the process heaving his sword across the chest of the monster, effectively ending its life. Wasting no time, he continued on, dodging and parrying anything that came at him. Eyeing the Dracaena that was still annoyingly shooting arrows at him from a safe distance, he grabbed the closest monster close to him and used it as a shield with arrow after arrow hitting his makeshift shield that only screamed out in pain before going limp in his hands. Tossing the now dead enemy to the side, Percy charged at the Dracaena as fast as he could, hoping to end the fight before his luck ran out and get hit by a projectile.
He almost laughed as he watched the monster's face turn into pure fear as he got closer and closer to its position. Fumbling for the next arrow but knowing that there was no time before he would get there, the Dracaena decided to do the smart thing and attempt to run away. Sadly, however, the demigod was much faster and had already closed the distance in mere seconds. Raising his weapon, he prepared to kill the monster but what the son of Poseidon wasn't prepared for was a large hand smacking him in the face, sending him flying into the nearest tree.
With force that would kill a regular mortal, Percy crashed into the pine tree, the sheer force causing it to snap in half. Groaning as he spat blood out of his mouth, he mentally cursed himself for forgetting the elephant in the room. Or rather should he say Cyclops.
"Not so strong are you without that curse of Achilles, puny son of Poseidon." The cyclops chastised as he slung his club over his shoulder while walking towards the downed demigod.
"I don't even need a weapon to kill the likes of you." Percy clapped back as he attempted to get back up. Spitting out more blood, he attempted to access his injuries. Yup, definitely broken ribs and a punctured lung.
"You can't even get up. How are you going to kill me in that state?" The cyclops laughed as he eyed his next meal eagerly. What the monster didn't expect from his potential meal, was his eyes glowing a sudden poisonous green as he outstretched a hand.
"What are-" Were the only words the monster could get out before its neck snapped in one clean motion. Percy watched as the life drained out of the cyclops's eyes as they fell down onto the ground with a loud, resounding crash.
"I'll kill you like that." The demigod got the last word in, trying his best not to laugh and cause even more pain to his body. Leaning his head against the fallen tree, Percy closed his eyes and tried his best not to throw up any more blood.
"Fuck me! Why did I forget the cyclops!" He cursed, wanting to slap himself if it weren't for unfathomable pain in his abdomen. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't go back to camp looking like this and the nearest water source that wasn't in the valley was at least a mile away. While still in his thoughts, Percy began to hear the crunching of leaves, signaling there to be another monster or person nearby. Scrambling for his sword, he held the handle tight as he waited for the unknown entity to reveal themselves. Holding his breath as the footsteps got closer, he watched as the black silhouette of a hellhound came into view, its bleary, red eyes already deadlocked with his.
"This day can't get any worse." He groaned as he eyed the hellhound that began to circle him. With his vision beginning to blur and darken, he realized he only had a few minutes left of consciousness. If he didn't take this hellhound out now, it could spell the end of him. Unfortunately, he couldn't use his control over liquid to take this monster out. His energy has been used up thanks to internal blood loss and even if he did use it, there was no guarantee it would end the fight. There was a possibility that it wouldn't kill the hellhound or there could be more nearby.
So the only thing he could really do in this situation was point Riptide at the monster and hope for the best. With a low growl, the beast crouched low and began to attack. With its menacing teeth bared out and eyes hyper-focused, it lunged at the downed demigod. Gripping his sword with all his might, the son of Poseidon prepared to fight for his life. His sheer will to survive being the only thing keeping him conscious.
Thankfully, it seemed today wasn't the day he would meet Hades as the appearance of a grizzly bear came rushing into the scene, tackling the hellhound. The two humongous beasts clashed against one another, their power causing the surrounding trees to fall from their might. Percy watched as the bear swiped at the hellhound's neck, causing it to fall backwards. With strength that only a grizzly could acquire, the bear jumped onto the monster with all its weight and began to pounce on it until eventually it broke its spine, rendering it dead.
Percy smiled despite the situation he was in. First the hellhound and now a fucking grizzly. What luck! But despite its appearance, he knew that truly wasn't the case. Putting his sword away, the son of Poseidon did his best to get up and began to stumble his way towards the bear. With his vision almost nonexistent and ears ringing, he walked up to the bear that only looked at him with disapproving eyes.
"Mind taking me to the river, Frank?" Percy's last words were before he passed out against the grizzly's large frame.
It felt nice to embrace the cold soft touch of unconsciousness. It was like sleeping in a sense, just not with the crazy dreams that every demigod is graced with. Sadly, a demigod such as he wasn't allowed to have a blissful rest such as that. With the familiar sensation of the cold Alaskan water racing across the entirety of his body, the son of Poseidon awoke as he was tossed into the river. Sighing in relief as he felt the water mend his broken body, Percy closed his eyes and let the water do its job until eventually he was as good as new.
"Get out, now." The stern voice of his savior said from above the surface. Choosing to follow his orders, Percy did as he was told and shot up to the surface. Appearing above him back in human form with his arms crossed was Frank Zhang and he did not look happy in the slightest.
"Morning." The son of Poseidon replied, doing his best to give his friend a smile.
"It's afternoon now. You've been down there for three hours." The son of Mars replied without missing a beat. Percy looked up to the sky and it seemed that was indeed the case. Climbing up onto the banks, the son of Poseidon rolled his shoulders to alleviate the soreness before beginning to make his way back to the valley. There were still jobs that needed to be done. However, a hand on his arm stopped him from walking towards his destination. Turning back, he saw Frank who still had that stern look on his face.
"What were you thinking!? I know that you're the strongest one here but to go out there on your own is too risky. There're too many unknown variables. You about died because of some monster. What happens if you encounter a God out there?"
"I've been doing this for months now, Frank." Percy shook his hand off of him. "And what happened back there was the first time something like that has happened to me in a long time. It won't happen again."
"But it did happen." The son of Mars clapped back, causing Percy to feel slightly irritated at his words. "You would've died if I wasn't out there."
"What are you trying to get at?" Percy asked as he began to walk back home. Frank rolled his eyes at Percy's impatience but elected to follow him back.
"Percy, ever since I've lost Hazel I've been through numerous phases of grief. From hate, sadness, guilt, acceptance, I've experienced it all. And from what I can gather from spending close to seven months with you here is that you're experiencing something similar to what I've gone through."
The two men continued to walk but Frank didn't miss the slight tick Percy had when he said that. Continuing on the conversation while they passed through the woods that had numerous nature spirits walking through it, waving at and greeting them.
"You've lost many people throughout your years. More than I've had but now that we've accomplished our goal of creating a new home for demigods, you're trying to make up for that loss."
"What do you mean?" Percy asked.
"Please, you know exactly what I mean. From taking on more jobs than anyone else. Going out of the valley alone to take care of the monsters. Doing any job that you think might pose a risk to the others. Percy, you're doing too much to protect us and it's starting to show."
Stopping in his tracks, Percy turned back to Frank. The son of Mars could see the exhaustion showing in his eyes as the demigod stared at him. Lowering his head and giving a big sigh, Percy leaned against a tree.
"Have the others noticed?" He asked.
"No. I think Nico and I are the only ones who can tell." Frank replied as he watched Ben and Ashley carry a log to the new big house off in the distance. "And don't think I don't hear you talk to the voices in your room. I know about that too."
Percy's demeanor took a sharp turn as his head shot up.
"Bianca. Luke. Zoe. Lee. Beckendorf. And many more. I've heard you scream out these names. I had to ask around to get a full understanding of what those names meant but now I do." The son of Mars continued.
"And I think the reason you keep hearing their voices is because you're still grieving and trying to not add more voices to the list. That's understandable but you're not doing it in a healthy way."
"What do you suggest I do then?" Percy tiredly rubbed his hand against his face, finally letting his facade slip. This was the one conversation he never wanted to have with anyone but here he was. It wasn't like him to open up like this. To be vulnerable in a sense. It was a feeling he wasn't used to, and Frank could tell.
"Relax." Frank answered with a smile. "It took me some time to learn how but eventually I did, and it was definitely the best piece of advice I ever took."
With the faint voices of the other demigods off in the distance, the two men made their way back to camp without another word. They both had a lot on their minds but maybe after this conversation, the two could progress both mentally and physically. Percy definitely had a long way to go and much more to learn but Frank's words had definitely impacted him. That word kept repeating in his head over and over again as he walked into his room.
"Relax." Percy mentally said to himself. It was easier said than done especially with all the things he's gone through in his life, but it was worth a shot. Frank had definitely come a long way since Hazel's death. Maybe he himself could do the same? It was worth a shot especially now since they've accomplished their goal of creating a new camp. Closing his eyes and listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat, the son of Poseidon did his best to begin practicing this foreign thing called relaxation.
Off in the distance however, on top a mountain overlooking the entirety of the valley was something or rather someone that would cause Percy to end this new practice he vowed to try in a second. Scribbling onto their notepad the coordinates of the newly formed demigod camp, the unknown figure took in the majestic sight the country had to offer. Looking down at the small figures in the distance carrying timber to what looked to be a house under construction, he smiled at what was to come.
"We've found you, Percy Jackson. And we're coming to pay back what you've done to us."