Disclaimer: Besides the OC's, I do not own any of the characters or content from Percy Jackson & The Olympians or Heroes of Olympus. Those belong to Rick Riordan.

Hey everyone. This is the story of my OC, Arthur Pride and his adventure into the amazing world of Rick Riordan. It's my take on some concepts from the original stories that I always found interesting and wanted to explore myself. This entire story takes place in the months in between The Lost Hero and The Son Of Neptune, so of course there will be incorporations of beloved characters but this is an OC-centred story. I do my best to stay as canon-accurate as possible in terms of what's happening at this point in time in the world of the books but there may be a slip up here and there, so if you spot a mistake, please forgive me lmao.

This is also somewhat my return to the world of writing. I just got bored and was hit with the stick of inspiration and decided to turn those thoughts into a story. These first 5 chapters are sort of like the prologue to the story. Then it'll most likely be singular chapters released on a weekly basis, depending on how things go.

Anyways, I reckon we're good to begin with our first chapter.

CHAPTER 1: THE FIRST DAY

Eggs. Butter. Medium to High Heat- woops too high. Stir. Stir. Pan off heat. Stir. Back on heat.

Once done, lightly season; salt and pepper should do. Aaaand a touch of crème fraîche for that extra creaminess. Decorate it with some chopped chives and… voilà. A simple set of scrambled eggs for a perfect start to the morning.

"You know, I remember a time when I usually made breakfast"

I swiveled around to see mom all packed and ready. Dana Pride. Her uniform had not a single wrinkle or crease. She wore her green-splashed fatigues as she stood proud, along with her tan beret resting on her head. Her brown eyes matched mine as her black hair draped down her left shoulder in a single braid. Her skin was flawless (a trait she passed down to me) except for the small scar on her upper lip.

"Yeah, well, since you're gonna be gone on deployment for a while, I've recently taken up a new hobby." I smiled, satisfied with the golden presentation of eggs before me. "And I've been getting pretty damn good at it."

I set her plate down on the table-side closest to her. She pulled out a chair, laying her rucksack to her side, and with her fork took one solid bite out of the carefully produced scrambled eggs. I watched her intently as the portion of scrambled eggs became less and less. Half-way through her meal she stopped.

"Pretty damn good, Arthur," she said.

Yep. That's me. Arthur Pride. My mom always said that she picked it because it was a strong name; like for a king or a knight. I always thought she picked it because it sounded nice alongside the surname 'Pride'. Regardless, to hear those three words from her was enough to sustain me for a whole week. Unfortunately, she was gonna be away for much longer. No matter how many times I got used to living on my own, as is the reality of a military family and with no dad, I never got used to her leaving.

I couldn't imagine how it must have felt for her; having to leave me on my own. But she was tough, my mom. The toughest I know. 'Rangers lead the way' she'd always tell me. That was the motto of the 75th Ranger Regiment, her regiment. I reckon she can outperform most of the young soldiers she serves with. And despite being one of the only women in her battalion, she never bragged about it. Being an army ranger was no joke, and getting into a position like that takes a different kind of effort. It astounded me how she never complained, not once. She said that becoming who you want to be is always going to be difficult and that taking shortcuts only delays the inevitable struggle.

Now you probably know why I admire her so much.

"Clearly I've got my breakfast sorted," she muffled through a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine mom. I made an extra batch."

"Alright, honey. Just don't be late for school."

Right, school.

I would start the second semester of my sophomore year at a school in Brooklyn. Thornbrook High School. It was a big move. I was born and raised on the west coast. L.A. baby. Where occasionally I would live on a base called Fort Benning in Georgia whenever duty called for Mom. Now, for some reason, she wanted us to move fully to New York to be more on the east coast. I had asked her why couldn't we just move to Georgia, so that way I could always be close, but she said New York was 'cooler' and 'more exciting' and had the Statue of Liberty. She also said she didn't want me growing up forever surrounded by a strong military culture, as much as our family is a part of it, she wanted me to experience my own life. Which I guess is an okay reason but I'd still prefer to be as close to her as possible. All my friends, relatives, and favorite food spots had to be left behind. I occasionally get to catch up with some of my close friends online but it isn't the same.

The first semester at Thornbrook took some time to get used to, and whilst it's not horrible, it doesn't compare to home. Well, I guess this is my new home now. My two-bedroom-apartment home. After both of us enjoyed our meals, I finished cleaning up the kitchen along with the dishes. I woke up early so I could prepare my mom that special meal before she leaves, so my bag was already packed.

"Okay this is it." Mom smiled as she slung her rucksack across her back.

Yeah, this is it.

She's had to leave more times than I can count but it was different this time. I'm not even going to be in the same state as her anymore and I'd have to get better at living alone. I wouldn't see her for what, 6 months? 12 even? I wasn't even paying attention until she put her hand on my shoulder, reading the distress on my face. She was good like that.

"Hey, I'll come back. You know that right? I always do."

I looked up at her, not able to form any words. She stroked my head.

"How old are you now? 16 right?" She pulled some form of stone pendant over her head and placed it in the palm of my hand. "Here, it was given to me by my father and his father before him… yada yada. It's seen a lot of battles."

She wasn't wrong. I was taught the Pride family were a line of warriors and soldiers. She grasped my hand firmly as I clasped the stone pendant.

"Keep this close. If you ever feel alone or lost, just remember that I'm here." She gestured to the pendant. "We all are. It'll help. I know it's gotten me through some tough situations."

"Then shouldn't you keep it?" I replied.

Mom chuckled. "I have a feeling you're gonna need it more than I do."

"Okay mom, school isn't that bad."

"I meant–" Her face stiffened. She met me at eye-level. There was a look in her eyes I had seen before. It was her 'I'm serious, Arthur' look.

"There's still a lot you don't understand," she said. "One day you will."

That caught me off guard. Mom always gave straightforward, methodical answers. She never left me hanging, but it felt like this time she did. Probably just a mysterious parent thing, but before I could process what she was trying to say she quickly moved on.

"And remember: Phalanx"

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh, I know mum. 'Shoulder to Shoulder'"

It was a discipline she taught me and a term burned into my memory. A phalanx was a popular Greek military formation that consisted of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder, bronze shields and spears presented outwards. It made them impenetrable. But if one man was too reckless, undisciplined, and decided to aggressively go on the offensive, then the whole column would break. Used famously by the Spartan warriors of Greece.

Mom always loved the Spartan philosophy of discipline and duty. She kept going on and on about the Battle of Thermopylae. I always used to remark how those 300 Spartans ended up dying fighting the Persians but she'd just look at me half-disappointed, telling me that's not the point. All 300 Spartans died protecting their homeland she'd say, and that's what they did. 'We fight to protect' she'd tell me. To stop conflict rather than cause it. She'd always remind me that she didn't become a ranger to 'fight bad guys', but she became one to protect me. She told me how our family line is a close descendant of one of the 300 Spartans. Though I found that very hard to believe, considering that would be extremely rare because they all… you know… died.

She nodded. "Good. Oh and don't forget, 'Prides don't break rank-'"

"'-we keep them'," I groaned, "yes I know, mom."

She smirked. "Just making sure, smartass. You know how you can get with that hothead of yours."

"Just call me as soon as you can," I ordered, knowing well that 'soon' could mean anything.

My mum just let out a soft chuckle as she stroked my cheek. "Always keep your head on a swivel Arthur. You'll be taking point from now on."

I nodded, doing my damndest to hold a stoic expression.

We said our final goodbyes as I saw her exit the door and walk down the rows of apartment stairs. I watched her go down each flight of stairs, a bit of me hoping that she'd come running back up shouting 'deployment doesn't start until next week! My bad!', but for obvious reasons that didn't happen. Once I was sure she had left I stepped back into the now empty apartment. I still had half an hour left till school.

I'll check if any of my friends are awake.

They're back in LA meaning it's very early in the morning for them but knowing their sleep schedules, one of them's bound to be up. I went to grab my phone until realizing I still held the stone pendant firmly in my hand. I hadn't actually properly looked at it. I gave the pendant a thorough inspection. It was a flat, circular rock with a familiar engraving at its center. It was the greek letter lambda, essentially an upside down V. I only knew what it was because my mom had shown me the same symbol countless times. The lambda stood for Laconia, another name for Sparta.

"Eyyy Artie! How's it in New York?"

"Yeah… I feel like Peter Parker. Just minus the web-swinging, the super-strength and everything cool about him," I reply, "but hey dollar pizzas are neat."

"Come on, it can't be that bad. New York's got all the cool italians and likes all the classics."

"Yeah, try telling new yorkers that New York is just a bunch of cool italians… but okay it's pretty cool," I admitted, recalling my constant urge to shout 'hey I'm walking here!'.

Though, I'm sure many new yorkers wouldn't appreciate that.

Sorry guys, still new around here.

"Well, the boys do miss you bro. You know we're down if you ever wanted to call."

"Yeah thanks Reg." I sighed, I missed them too. "I mean I'm calling you right now aren't I?"

Reg, short for Reggie, was among the closest group of friends I've ever had since elementary. Reggie only came around in middle school but quickly fit in our 'motley crew'. There was also Carlos, Brandon, Dante and Vick. We each remember very different versions of how we all met, but we just did and it happened to work. But now that crew was on the other side of the continent.

"How's school?" Reggie continued. "Make any new friends? Maybe you met a girl, huh?"

An ugly laugh escaped me. "What makes you think I have a better chance in New York than I did in Los Angeles?"

"Nah nah, don't say that. You hot man. You got the whole jawline thing going, and you're jaaaacked."

"Pffft sure." I scoffed. "But in terms of new friends, not really. You know I can't replace you guys."

There was a slight pause before Reggie began to speak. "Look I know we're all amazing back here, but you can't just be all alone up there with nobody."

"I mean the school's resource officer is pretty cool though. The guy keeps spewing cop movie references at me."

"Yeah… but I meant people your age bro"

"Dude don't worry about me," I insisted. "I'll be fine."

To be honest with you, I wasn't sure if I fully believed that but I had to be fine… for mom.

I moved on. "Anyways I should probably start heading off soon. And you should fix your sleep schedule."

Reggie snorted. "Wow, just like that? You know it's impossible for me to fall asleep. Besides, if I'm to become a successful billionaire one day I can't waste my time on trivial things such as sleep."

"Yeah, okay Reg." I chuckled to myself. "I'll catch up with you guys later"

"Aight, laters Artie."

And just like that my momentary feeling of familiarity had expired. I was back in my mediocre apartment in New York. The smell of freshly eaten scrambled eggs lingered around my nose. I looked over at the clock; 7:10. Yep, time to go.

I did one final sweep of the apartment, making sure everything was closed. Also made a quick stop at the bathroom as I slicked back my hair, never using too much product otherwise it would make my black hair look too shiny. That did mean that occasionally a few strands of hair fell over the top and down my forehead. I've been told it looks cool but I just found it annoying as it gets in my eyes sometimes. I wore my usual plain long-sleeve paired with some dark cargo pants. I like to keep things minimal. I also liked to wear a pair of brown military boots Mom managed to get for me. I always found them extremely comfy and very sturdy. I slung one of the straps of my already prepared backpack across my shoulder and headed for the door. Once I made sure the door was locked, I descended down the flight of stairs and out into the fresh Brooklyn air. Plot twist: it wasn't that fresh.

I will admit, the walk to school was nice. Though, that's only in the morning when it's quiet. Otherwise you're greeted with honking cars, barking dogs and angry couples in their apartments. Rarely anyone would bother saying 'hi' or 'good morning', but instead give you that 'I got places to be' look. Didn't bother me though. I'd just spend the whole walk thinking about food and what recipes I could try next. Maybe an Eggs Benedict. Or a nice Teriyaki Salmon. Or how about a classic Risotto, Gordon Ramsay style. I do like Gordon Ramsay. Fun fact: cooking also helps me with my ADHD; just something to keep my mind and hands occupied.

I finally reached the street that housed the school. I took a deep breath knowing good and well that this day could go either way. No L.A. No friends. No mom. What could go wrong?

Just as I make a B-line for the entrance, a familiar voice stops me.

"Please tell me you speak english."

I didn't even realize there was someone in front of me. I guess that's what happens when your brain goes on autopilot.

Remember that resource officer I mentioned earlier?

"I'M. OFFICER. BIRCH!"

I blinked at him cluelessly. "What are you-"

He leaned in closer. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS THAT ARE COMING OUT OF–"

"-'My mouth'." I half-smiled. "Rush Hour. Right."

"And that's a point for the L.A. wonder!" The officer chortled before slapping me on the back, which hurt by the way. "Good morning to you, Mr Pride."

Officer Birch. Quite the enthusiastic guy, let me tell you, but he's cool. He grew a typical brown 'cop stache' paired with his square-face jaw. The shades he always wore and the buzz-cut he rocked made him look intimidating. Birch could easily be a bouncer. If you saw him during a street fight, you'd run. That is, until you talk to him and realize he's one of the most jolly human beings you'd ever meet. I'd still recommend not picking a fight with him though.

He's probably the only real 'connection' I've made at school. From day one he's always greeted me with a smile accompanied with some cop movie reference. I quickly learned he loved that stuff. Any movie or show centering around law enforcement; he's seen it. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty obnoxious at first but it's kinda starting to grow on me. I've started to guess the movie references. Though I'm pretty bad at it.

"You get around to watching that show I told you?" Officer Birch questioned.

"What? The comedy one?" I paused for a moment. "Brooklyn Ninety-Nine… or something?"

"Nine Nine," he corrected, looking slightly offended.

"Yeah sorry Birch-man. Haven't gotten around to it."

Birch frowned. "Oh come on, kid. How about Point Break? Lethal Weapon? Jump Street? At least the new one? Everyone's seen the new one."

I stared at him awkwardly. "Uhhh… Hey look Birch, I gotta go."

Slowly, I inched my way farther and farther from him. I could see the open gates of the school and gazed upon the tall brick structure of Thornbrook High School. Already I could see a few students piling in. It was your standard city school, except the small courtyard that contained a bronze statue of three hounds in a sort of protective formation. The hounds were the mascots of the school, and the 'Hounds of Thornbrook' football team being its pride and joy. Apparently there was an incident with the center hound statue. It had been knocked off and they had to get it replaced with a new one. I remember walking in here on my first day and they were just installing it. I still wonder; how do you knock down a bronze statue?

As I strolled through the gates, I made my way around the statue and towards the steps that lead up to the double glass doors of the school. Behind me, I could hear Officer Birch shout something.

"Hey Pride! Maybe after school you should come out to the coast, we'll get together, have a few laughs!"

"What? Why would I…" I stopped, realizing what he meant. "Die hard! Okay, I've watched that one!"

I accompanied the rest of the students as we began our day at Thornbrook. I got there at 7:30, just as homeroom class was starting. Mum would probably consider that late and lecture me for it. I chuckled at the thought. Going through the hallways of the city school, students are quickly rushing to their respective homerooms like me whilst some don't even care. I hear the sounds of chattering students as I walk by the classrooms, until I finally reach mine. It was at the end of a hallway, it was one of the closer ones to the canteen so that was nice

Homeroom X10. Which also technically means 10/10 if you think about it.

The homeroom was already practically full with maybe about a quarter, still getting themselves settled in.

"Ah," my teacher called out to me. "I see you took your time."

"Apologies Mrs Stone, weird morning."

"Well let's hope the rest of the day isn't."

So that was my homeroom teacher, Mrs Stone. She's alright I guess as far as teacher's go. I heard that she earned herself the nickname stone cold. Not because she's mean or anything but because she rarely shows any emotion. You can never tell if she's disappointed or proud – or both. She always gave me a 'deadly librarian' vibe.

I take my usual seat, second row from the back, as the class starts to quieten down.

"Hey," a voice to my left whispered. "Why are you late?"

I turn and recognise the spectacled face of Eli. He looked like what you'd typically call a geek, and he definitely had no shame in it. Still, he was one of the few people that I've managed to somewhat strike up a conversation with so far. However, besides discussing what the homework was, I didn't really know much about him other than his fascination with urban legends. He tugged on the string of his hoodie as he stared at me intently.

"Uhh, like I said, morning was weird", I replied.

"No, no, no. You always arrive at homeroom at 7:15. 7:20 at the latest. However, today you arrived at 7:35 which is unusual for you."

Has this guy seriously been keeping track of all this?

"What are you talking about Eli?" I look at him. "Dude, I'm like 5 minutes late. Relax."

I try to move past the topic but he persists.

"No, you're never late. What happened?"

"Nothing, man." I looked straight ahead.

"Were you attacked by a sewer alligator?"

"No." I raise my voice slightly. When the hell does attendance start?

"Did you encounter a Mole person?"

"No." I start to tense up.

"Oh! Was it a Lizard person? I hear they're on the move-"

"My mom's gone! She left for deployment," I barked back, though quiet enough so only Eli could hear. "There, happy!? Got anything better to do than to ask annoying ass questions?"

Eli looked stunned for a second, and so was I. Did that really set me off? That's when I noticed my breathing was a bit heavier than usual. I stop for a moment. 'Don't break', I repeat to myself. 'Phalanx', just like my mom said. Keep it together.

"Sorry," I managed to say. "I didn't mean to be so harsh."

Eli quickly shifted from stunned to indifferent. "Eh, that's okay. I know I annoy people. Didn't know it was a touchy subject."

"No, you're fine," I responded. "I… guess I didn't know it was a touchy subject either."

"So you're mom's in the military?" he continued. "That's cool. Not as interesting as mole people, but cool."

Before I could say anything else, he immediately went back to whatever he was writing in his notebook, almost as if the conversation we had didn't even happen. Now, I can hear Mrs Stone starting attendance.

But I'm still processing how quickly I snapped. That was so unnecessary. I can't believe I overreacted like that. The anger problems aren't getting worse are they?

"Arthur Pride?"

The teacher's voice manages to catch me out of the spiral. Mrs Stone peered over her half-rimmed reading glasses as she waited for a response.

"Uh, yes ma'am. Present."

Nice, Arthur. Haven't even gotten through homeroom and you've already made a fool of yourself.

Yay.