Percy stood atop the pool water. Ripples pulsed with his steady heartbeat, bouncing to the pool's edges where the Trinity of the Justice League stood. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman were posed shoulder to shoulder at the water's edge as if their presence was enough to demand his attention, which it didn't. He had left them waiting for five minutes before he cared to rise from the depths.
"My name isn't Clark," Superman tried to deny.
Percy shrugged, "Sure thing, Clark."
"It isn't."
"Right, totally, Super-Clark," Percy pressed.
"How did you even come to that conclusion?"
Percy recoiled in confusion, "Really? You wear glasses at best for a disguise."
"Clark Kent and I have both attended the same events before," the superhero tried.
"Right, and we don't live in a world of magic and mishaps. Plus, doesn't the Martian shapeshift?" Percy snorted. "Seriously, Clark, we can move past this. You came to me for a reason today or, rather, tonight. What is it you want?"
"We wanted to recruit you, Perseus," Wonder Woman spoke up. "We believe your latent talents and skills will be useful to the world."
Percy raised a single eyebrow, a frown marring his face. He didn't speak so much as a word while the water beneath him stilled. The water touching his feet froze, forming a platform of thin ice below him. He still did not speak. He simply stared down the Amazonian princess with a frown.
She stared back, her neutral stare shifting into a confused frown.
Nobody said anything for a beat, letting an uncomfortable silence reign.
Superman traced his eyes back and forth between the two Greeks. Diana herself continued to hold Percy's challenging glare.
"Percy?" Clark 'Superman' Kent prodded.
Percy glanced at the alien, "Yes, Clarky?"
"Did you hear what Wonder Woman had to say?"
"No, I couldn't hear her over the sound of indifference, to be honest," Percy shrugged, turning away from the trio. He began to walk towards where his clothes lay, the water freezing under his step.
"You dismiss me?" Wonder Woman finally spoke again, offended. She put her hands on her hips as her frown became a thinning of her lips. "You believe me indifferent?"
"Batman, you hear something?" Percy laughed, snapping his finger and forcing all the water in his hair and on his body back into the pool. "You know, Batman, I've been curious. Do you wash the costume? I mean, you have to be out sweating in that thing all the time, and if you are out every night…. I mean, do you have uniforms for the days of the week, or do you just have some bat-deodorant doing the work of the gods for you?"
Percy waited for a response. However, when it became clear he wasn't getting one, he shrugged and pulled his shirt on.
"Percy, we are trying to be serious here," Superman approached Percy. "This is a very important matter we want to talk about."
"I am being serious."
The Man of Steel sighed before nodding, "Alright. Well, then, we should try to get back to what Wonder Woman was saying. We would like for you to join the League. Well, not officially, but a pseudo-member all the same."
"Why?"
"We believe your skillset would be inva—"
Percy held up his hand in a stopping motion, "Don't give me that spiel. I'm not a kid or some newbie with powers. If you have Diana here, you know exactly who I am. You know what I've done and what I can do. Sure, you want that for yourself, but you've had quite a few years to approach me. You only came now. Why?"
Superman gave his compatriots a look, but neither spoke in his stead. He turned back to Percy, "A multitude of reasons. We need someone who can help develop the next generation of heroes. To put it short, we also want it to be someone outside of the League to help them so they do not feel that they are only being forced along a path by us. You came recommended by a few people."
"Let me guess, you went to the architect first? She then pointed you to me," Percy said, grabbing the things he brought with him to the pool.
"Yes." Superman frowned. "How did you know that?"
"You'd be an idiot not to go to her for something like this." Percy shrugged. "Add in the fact that you are here now, which means she turned you down. This makes me think the smartest thing for me to do is turn you down also." Percy let out a sigh, but his gaze was drawn past the three heroes by a movement of darkness.
She stood there. Billowing clouds of black extended from her back, floating outwards like wings. The same miasmic fog floated across her almost nude form as it clung to her like the barest hint of primal wear. Even her flowing hair helped hide her skin. Across her body, the same stars that splattered her cheekbones splattered her torso. He could even make out the form of the Huntress aiming her bow at the goddess' heart.
She gave him a pearly white smile, and he knew what she wanted from him.
She wanted him to accept their offer….
After all, it was no coincidence that she finally cashed in the same night the League appeared to recruit him. Percy only wished he knew what she truly wanted, what she truly meant. He couldn't blame his younger self for jumping at such a deal back then. He only would've wished his younger self had made a more demanding agreement with the goddess….
Percy closed his eyes, resolving himself to his fate.
He focused back on the superheroes, who waited for his answer, "You are in luck, it seems. What is it I am expected to do for you? I will warn you, I am not afraid to smack a child."
He glanced back at where the goddess once was, but she was gone just as fast as she came. Not even a hint of the fog she emanated lingered in her absence.
"We would prefer you did not smack a child for your entertainment," Superman winced. "Or at all if you can avoid it."
Percy shrugged, "So, train some kids. What other reasons do you have?"
Batman glanced at Wonder Woman, as did Superman.
She stood arms crossed and raised her brow back at them, "He made it clear he doesn't care what I say. Perhaps we should leave him to figure this out on his own."
"Diana…" Superman said like a disappointed father.
She turned to Percy, who was biting his fingernails, ignoring the woman. She turned back to the men of the group.
"I told you before we came. He holds a grudge against the Amazonians. It would seem it runs deeper than I thought."
Superman turned to Percy, "That will not be efficient for the workplace. I suggest you two find some common ground to make amends then."
"Sure, right after I lounge around while some kids struggle to keep their heads above the tide. Then, maybe once they do something I could do a lot easier, I will sweep in and be the hero for everyone else."
Diana stormed forward, zeroing in on Percy, "That is not how that went!"
"Right," Percy mocked. "You didn't sweep in at all to play hero and help us. You only care about mortals. I'm sure the camps full of kid demigods couldn't have used your help when they were spilling their blood for the sake of the world. I mean, come on, I crawled out of Tartarus with my bare hands and still fought against the Earth Mother. What is your excuse? What are any of your sister's excuses?"
"I was mou—"
"I don't care!" Percy snapped. "Not one! Not a single one of you or your sisters came to help us at Mount Olympos. Not one, and we were right there next to your island. I mean, come on. Even the Party Ponies came to help us, and they are centaurs that roam America drunk and coked up.
"So, for our 'workplace efficiency,'"— Percy air quoted —"I will ignore you and go about my day. Simple as that. You'll learn with me that I'm pretty bad at communication, and that will be to everyone's benefit here, for once." He turned on Superman, who was about to protest. "No, Clark, I will not do better than that."
"What if lives are at stake? Can you work with Diana then?" Batman finally spoke. Percy had to admit he was surprised by how gruff the man spoke. He really leaned into the intimidation factor.
"Sure. I'm not immature or stupid."
"Could've fooled me," Diana snarked.
"Piss off." Percy snapped his finger, and the Amazonian yelped. It was quickly followed by a splash.
The two heroes turned to the third, who was struggling to rise to the surface of the water. She thrashed against the binding water that held her under, but her efforts were for not as Percy smiled, his hand clenched as he continued to keep her submerged.
"Release her, Perseus," Batman spoke.
Percy raised a brow at the man's authority. The Batman's stance had shifted, clearly ready to fight.
"In a sec. I have stipulations to this deal."
"Name them," Superman said, frowning at Percy.
"My family gets full protection at all times, even when we all think whatever danger has passed. Full protection."
"Of course."
"My little sister gets whatever schooling she could ever want paid for."
"Done," Batman said.
"Arthur, or Aquaman, or whatever he calls himself, is not allowed to introduce me to the world as a son of Poseidon, nor are any of you. I am not going to be tethered to the mortal rendition of Atlantis. They may pray to my father, but they are not my Atlantis. That and I know it's inevitable that I will have to put on some stupid mask and get up, but just because I do, I am not subservient to your League. I'm not some maniacal villain, and you know this, or you wouldn't be coming to me to entrust a bunch of kids to my care.
"On top of that freedom, it extends to the kids. I get say over what those kids are and aren't allowed to do. They are kids at the end of the day, and I will allow them to be such. I am not going to turn out mindless superhero drones for you to snatch to join your League."
Batman and Superman glanced at one another. A silent conversation happened before, and both nodded at the same time.
"Let Diana up, and we can all shake on it."
Percy nodded and dispelled his control over the pool water.
Immediately, Wonder Woman burst from the pool. Water sprayed everywhere as she floated above the water.
"Perseus Jackson!" she roared, drawing her blade from her back as a shield sprung from her arm.
Then, she lunged at him.
Her sword came down on a war path from over her head as she aimed for Percy.
A part of Percy wondered if she would actually attempt to kill him as she so blatantly was trying. Another part of him wondered if she thought Superman would intervene and prevent anything from escalating. Then, of course, maybe she expected Percy to defend himself….
Her sword tore through his body. The blade sliced down through his head and across his ribs before it came out near his waist.
Nobody moved as she stood there, holding her final stance.
Percy could see the slightest tremors in her hand as she slowly turned to face him. Her eyes, which were once poisoned with rage, held fear.
"Worried you would kill me with that?" Percy warbled from his liquidized state. "I really thought Superman would stop you from actually trying to kill me, but well, Clark didn't move an inch. I'm kinda hurt. Emotionally, not physically, mind you. Though, I guess you are your father's child. I shouldn't put it past you."
"I figured you would dodge," Superman defended himself with a shrug. "I would say you did."
Percy laughed. At first, it started as if he was underwater, and then it became natural again. As did his body, from the aquatic state he shifted into, it reformed back into his normal human state of skin and bones.
"How did you do that?" Diana panted, stepping away from him. Her blade surrendered and pointed to the floor, and Percy allowed himself to relax. She, ideally, shouldn't be attacking him again anytime soon.
"I've been alive for thirty-five years," Percy started. "I have done things people will never believe. I have seen things that would make even you superheroes hesitate. Sure, I may seem like a friendly coffee shop employee to the world, but I am not. I have become very familiar with what my powers can do, and frankly, sometimes, I question what they cannot do."
"Why so prepared then? Need all that power to pour and stir drinks?" Batman gruffed.
Percy shrugged, stepping past the Leaguers, "Never know when a god needs you to do the impossible because nobody else can."
AN: Follow. Favorite. Review. Join the Discord!
Over on Discord, they voted on the next sequence of updates, so if you would like to push for this story to be updated more, join up.
That said, discord. gg/ 4xTFdeQsFv Copy and Paste that into a url bar, remove the spaces, and you are in!
Would love to chat there. I answer all questions, even if you want the content spoiled.
I do hope you enjoy this story. If you would like to read more PJO crossovers peep the page. I got Star Wars, Harry Potter, and DC comics. I also have other content to view, with much more in the pipeline.
That's about it.
-Manke
