A/N: Prior to the beginning of this, I will attempt to preempt the question "What about the rest of canon?" In the world written below, unless I distinctly call it out, assume that the events skipped over occurred as they did within Rick's original canon. The chapters of the epilogue will be shorter than those of the actual story and I am attempting to write in a style more compatible with the original stories mixed with the new world created by Perseus.

Epilogue

Chapter 1 - Am I a Horrible Person? Or do I just look like one?

As cool as all the Greek stuff was, it seemed like everyone was more interested in the room next door. A big banner read, and it took me a long time to read it, "Meet the Julio-Perseids, first family of Rome." It surprised me, with that Sparta movie coming out next year, everyone loved ancient Greece right now, but everyone was looking more at Roman crap.

"Mr. Brunner, who is that?" the tone in the girl's voice was the same I'd heard her use talking about Brad Pitt in Troy. I followed her gaze, and I understood her tone. Carved in what appeared to be life-sized marble, the man was impressive. His armor showed muscles I'd only seen on '300' posters, his legs and arms were the same. Hell, I wished I could have muscles like that, but skinny twelve-year-old seemed the game for now. A beard covered most of his face and even though they were stone, his eyes scared me.

When Mr. Brunner spoke, there was sadness in his voice, and I expected him to say it was some god or something equally fake. But no, he just cared about the Greek stuff so much. "That is Publius Ventidius Bassus Perseanus Britannicus, or as most people know him today, Perseus Augustus Caesar Britannicus, second Emperor of Rome." He looked to the damaged stele and flamed marked statues in the Greek room. "He is why so little of Athenian majesty exists intact. Why so little of these relicts exist."

I'd never heard someone sound so sad about ancient things, sounded like those firefighters or cops on TV around 9/11 memorials.

"What did he do?" I heard some idiot ask, clearly not seeing this made Mr. Brunner upset. Not that I understood why.

"My dear boy, the better question might be what did he not do?"

While the others wandered into the Greek displays, we were there to see, I found myself drawn to the other displays. I moved forward. More slowly than was natural because this stone dude scared me as I walked under his gaze toward a big, illuminated display. Thirteen faces looked down on me. Six of the thirteen had crossed swords under their names. I read the legend, painfully, at the bottom. They'd all died in battle. I found it strange that their leader would fight in the war, I couldn't see the President fighting in a war. Next to the display of thirteen faces was one of labeled Tactics, I didn't care about it and skipped to the one labeled "Cruelty."

I looked up at it and saw some buildings I recognized but didn't know why. A big cross was painted over them with the number 500,000 in big numbers. After a few minutes, my dyslexia scrambled brain managed to figure it out. "It is estimated that during the span of Perseus Caesar's campaigns, over half a million people lost their lives. I took a step back, looking between the big cross and the stone statue of PERSEVS.

"Yes, my dear boy?" Mr. Brunner said from beside me. I did not know how he could be so quiet in that wheelchair.

"A cross?"

"A Roman favorite. If I have my history correct," I had zero doubt in his history, "Nearly fifteen thousand were crucified when he ended the bid for freedom in Greece. In Germania, I have heard it was nearly fifty thousand." I turned to him in shock. But a statue behind him caught my attention as I quickly read the carved name upon it. It caused me to nearly miss, "Jesus was by no means the first to be placed on one."

I studied the statue. The man held a trident. I reread the label. "Shouldn't that say Neptune?" Mr. Brunner turned, his eyes taking in the statue as well. He raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you ask?"

"Because he's," I pointed at the mass murderer, "Roman."

"Yes. But he was born a Greek, and that particular statue came from the Acropolis in Athens, when he destroyed the city." I turned to another display, my ADHD not letting me focus on anything for too long and not recognizing that there was no sign on the statue of Poseidon, just the ancient carved letters. It showed every battle he fought in. They were all victories.

"How did he win all of these?"

"A mix of tactical genius and terrible ruthlessness."

"But to win so much!" I blurted out. My life seemed to be just one loss after another.

"Do not forget, Percy. For every victory there is a defeated party that suffers." I'd never heard Mr. Brunner say something so serious and shuffled away to the room with some Greek burial column thing feeling really nervous.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They all stared at me as I walked out of the house. So many kids in their orange shirts. All staring at me. Why? Because my mom's dead?

Because, once again, I'm the freaking new kid? I passed two kids that looked like twins and could hear their words.

"So that's a Perseus? He doesn't seem too scary."

"No, because he looks scared." They lowered their voices and leaned together conspiratorially as I passed. A girl with shoulders broader than mine glowered (is that a word, I think it's a word, I'm keeping it) at me. I don't know why. But, if I'm being honest, I preferred glowering to the fear I saw from some people or the disgust that blond-haired girl had given me.

Suddenly a tall boy with a scar on his face stepped into my path. He had blue eyes and a wicked scar on his face. He looked me up and down for a few minutes. I could see his eyes narrow as he took in my face. I didn't know what that was about. I returned his look but could not help but look around at the other kids also staring at me. The tall boy, clearly older than the others, smiled down at me.

"Chiron told me your name is Percy. I'm Luke, Head Counselor for the Hermes cabin, come on we'll find you a spot in the Hermes cabin. He turned around and began to walk, about fifteen feet ahead of me, he turned his head to call out over his shoulder, "Are you coming?"

I took a look around everyone staring at me and took off after him at a shuffling jog.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I've taken a hit before, the weird kid with dyslexia and ADHD is an easy target. Honestly, I've lost count of how many times another kid from my class has thrown hands because the kid with a weird name is a little weird on top of that. But these people, these people put my worst bullies to shame. It started as some pranks… and not the good kind. They were mean. The butchy girl from Ares was the first to throw hands. I proceeded to explode a bathroom on her, though I'm not entirely sure how that happened. After the Capture the Flag incident with the trident over my head, crap got worse.

It wasn't just the Ares kids that wanted to fight anymore. Everyone seemed to want a piece of the new "Son of Poseidon," who by terrible luck shared a name with the biggest boogey man since, well, I don't know. But the last "sword practice" turned into everybody fighting Percy one after another and see what happens. After I snapped her spear in Capture the Flag, she wanted revenge and Clarisse waited until round seven or eight and after a few minutes landed a right hook that leads us to my current position.

Laying in a medical bed in the Big House with my cheek swollen as hell and at least three teeth loose. I heard some whispers from the other side of a curtain. "But what if it is him? What if he turns on us again?"

I reached out and while I meant to open the curtain, proceeded to rip the whole thing down. The Annabeth girl was there talking with some Apollo kid who was my medical treatment. I'm fairly certain he used less nectar and ambrosia now that my father's known than he did before. "What the hell do you mean? How in God's, the gods' names could I be someone else?"

"For the record, you drool when you sleep," I cut her off.

"So you've said."

"But, come on, I'll show you." Despite the Apollo kid's protests, she drug me to a dark building on the edges of the woods. She pulled a box of matches out and lit a torch, which I did not see as particularly safe on the edge of woods with an old wooden building, but she's Athena's daughter, not me.

We stepped inside and I found myself looking at the most glorious, what's it called – when the little pieces of stone or glass are formed into a picture. Um. Um. Mosiac, yeah mosaic. Anyway, the thing was beautiful, despite the terrible scene. It looked like me, I'm ashamed to admit. It was a tall man in armor, the man from the museum exhibit I realized with bright green eyes and an arm outstretched. At the end of the arm was a city in flames. I recognized the big building in the center, I'd seen pictures of it in textbooks and let's be real, I wasn't exactly reading them. But I did not know its name. Annabeth reached out her hand and stroked the image.

"That was the greatest temple to my mother in existence. The Parthenon of Athens. Perseus of Corinth, or Publius Ventidius Bassus Perseanus as he was known then, desecrated it. He set fire to it and most of Athens, he destroyed the Athena Promachos in front of the temple and carried away the Athena Parthenos the greatest statue of her to ever exist. You share his name and his dad. You heard Mr. D when you got here, he senses you're an old soul. You're the new guy, somehow never found, yet you've already killed a Fury and a Minotaur. Surely, you've had some weird dreams where you see things you don't understand," I had but I didn't think now was a good time to reveal that. "People's souls are allowed to be reborn, they get washed in the Lethe and forget their previous lives and come back. I think I'm one of them, I remember battles I couldn't possibly have fought. You're one. We think you're him," she pointed to the image in the mosaic. He looked terrifying and evil. "And you are, you're a fucking omen and monster." For some reason receiving an f-bomb from a demigod that was my age hit a lot harder than any that Gabe or his friends had ever thrown around. So… I responded in pure New York fashion.

I'll admit, fuck you was probably too strong, but my only male role model was an alcoholic stepdad named Smelly Gabe, so fuck'em.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Chiron, they say my name is a bad omen. I don't understand."

"That is a long story, Percy. It is not kind, and it is painful for me to tell. Are you certain you want to hear it?"

"If it explains why they treat me like crap, yes." He sighed heavily and took a deep breath. I felt a little bad for making him tell it, but being treated like crap is a pretty good reason to hear I figured.

"Allow me, Chiron." Mr. D had walked in. "I was a god already; I saw it all play out." His words were strange and reminded me of some of the things Luke said. Saw it all play out, like whatever it is that causes Chiron so much pain was a damn game. "We start in Corinth, some thirty years before Chiron would start the story." He took a deep drink of Diet Coke. "Lucius Mummius had killed the city eighty-six years earlier…"

What seemed like days later, I sat in shock between them. I'd say I wasn't ashamed of the few times I cried. But as a twelve-year-old in NYC, you ain't supposed to cry. I could see the sadness on Chiron's face, and I felt shame that an old me caused it. Because, based off what they said, how could it not be? The Underworld let us be reborn, and I used to be a monster. I did not say a word and walked out. Grover and Annabeth sat on the porch waiting. Grover looked at me with pity. Annabeth did so with anger. I resented them both.

I ignored them and made my way to the dock by the lake. I stared into the water. Nymphs chased each other but ignored them too. I stared at the water, hoping beyond hope that what everyone thought about me was wrong. But Mr. D already said I was an old soul. With my father? My appearance? How could I not be that monster? And my name, dear gods. I had never once resented my mother, and with her missing I felt terrible. But crap, Mom, Perseus as a Son of Poseidon. Gods.

Now I felt guilty, like I deserved all this shit. I started to cry again.