(DISCLAIMER: I do not own Young Justice, DC or PJO)

AN: so uhhhh I guess I'm still alive, but don't expect much, I have about 3-4 chapters already ready to publish I had just forgotten to post them with the others last time. I have been very busy and have yet to find any time to write sooo apologies for the long wait, and apologies that I'll most definitely take a long long while before getting back into continuing my stories. On the bright side, I'm not dead and I have not given up on writing either, once I start to find the time again, I promise I'll get back to all my works eventually. On the not so bright side though, idk how long that'll take so we'll just have to see. Anyways thank you to everyone who's been reading my works even though I know they are far from great, thank you for all the reviews as well. I'd just like to say that I really miss writing and that I'll be coming back someday, I promise.

Not gonna lie, with it being over a year, I have kinda forgotten where this story was headed so gonna have to get back to that sooner or later as well. Thats future me's problem though, not mine. So without further ado...

Hope you all enjoy reading!

Interlude I: Helena Bertinelli

| May 16, 2003

| Gotham Mall

The Gotham Mall was particularly crowded on weekdays, but on some weekends and on very specific time periods, it would be close to empty and those are the times Percy enjoyed the most. On some days, he would use the opportunities to simply stroll around the place, relax and perhaps chat it up with some strangers for a good use of his free time. On others, he'd use it to buy some groceries.

On this lovely, sunny day, he was doing the former.

Percy was currently roaming around. Having passed the centre of the mall with the huge water fountain for the second time during his aimless walking, he then changed his course and went over to the second floor.

Reaching it, he resumed his activities, passing by stores and shops of all kinds, passing by some other Gothamities whom he pleasantly recognised. Not that he knew them personally of course, but once one became a regular there, you had no choice but to get familiar with many of the faces you'd usually see.

Though this time as he walked towards a small bench positioned on the middle of the floor where one could overlook the floors below and above through the big gaps, Percy locked eyes with someone he actually knew. One of his students and the daughter of his boss.

He knew her identity right there and then once their gazes locked.

She was a young girl in her teenage years, with olive skin and long, black hair that fell down her back. Her crystal blue eyes were as piercing as ever, her intense gaze boring into his, a trait which she clearly inherited from her father. She wore a simple, black blouse with a dark purple skirt.

With the air of intimidation that she naturally exuded and the impassive expression that would be stuck to her face most of the time, many of her peers and strangers alike found themselves uneasy in her presence especially when they were the subject of her scrutinizing eyes. He wasn't one of them.

"Hello, Helena, good to see you outside of class for once," He greeted with a smile, which Helena Bertinelli gladly returned with her own.

"Insegnante! Hi hi! It's nice to see you…" She said happily, before then tapping the empty space beside her. "Please, take a seat."

"Don't mind if I do," He said, occupying the space on her side before quickly adding. "Also, I'm gonna assume Insegnante means teacher or Percy in Italian, because I clearly remember telling all my students to not call me sir." He joked.

It made him feel old, the thought itself made a shiver run through his spine.

Her cheeks went red at that, before quickly recomposing herself. "Si si," She nodded, pausing for a second. "What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same to you," He grinned, and chuckled as she blushed in response. "Right now? I guess I'm just enjoying my weekend. You?"

"Ah, I came with my papa. He's here to speak with an acquaintance of his."

"You're not with him?"

She shook her head. "I'd rather not, it would be boring."

Percy hummed in agreement. "What about your mother? Where's she at?"

The demigod soon regretted asking as he saw an all too familiar look appear in the Italian girl's eyes as they drifted down to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Frank never said- I didn't mean to…" She shook her head.

"No no it's quite alright," She sniffed. "I wouldn't expect you to have known. Yes, my mama, she passed away two years ago."

Seeing himself in her as he stared at the crestfallen Helena, who was obviously on the verge of tears, Percy placed a hand on her shoulder. She raised her head silently in reply, her sad eyes boring into his and his sympathy immediately got the better of him. He slowly inched his body closer to her and wrapped his arms around her.

She was unresponsive for a few moments until she let herself fall apart in his arms, her head burying itself into his chest as she sobbed. Meanwhile, he did his best in doing what he could and whispered quiet reassuring words to her.

When she'd finally stopped, Percy took her silence as a sign to pull away.

Helena slowly wiped the tears off her puffy eyes as she composed herself, while he kept silent. Once she was able to appear collected for the most part, she spoke.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it, kid," Percy shot her a small smile, which she returned with her own. "Feeling better now?"

"Much better…grazie, Percy."

A pause. "You've been bottling up your emotions, haven't you?" Helena didn't make any kind noise to correct him, prompting him to continue. "Let's say I speak from experience." He explained.

"I don't mean to pry but…" He started. "Is there any reason as to why you haven't properly mourned your mother till now?" He inquired, wondering why she would willingly skip such an important process in grieving, especially when it was someone like a parent she'd lost.

…then again, he was one to talk as well.

"…my papa…you didn't see him when it happened. He looked so sad…and hurt…and I just wanted to see him smile. I heard that smiling and appearing strong could make others do the same, so I tried it because I wanted him to stop crying and to smile again," She admitted with a sigh. "I suppose that was wrong of me to do."

"Not entirely," He corrected. "What you did was very admirable. Your intentions were good and your heart was in the right place, you just went about it in a way that, while it may have helped your father, it also hurt you in the process."

"You have a good heart, Helena," He smiled at her. "Let it guide you, but be careful with how you follow it. You can't recklessly risk your own health like that be it mental or physical. Helping others is all well and good, but you must also worry about yourself. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Helena said as she stared curiously at him. "Yes, I think I do…Percy? What did you mean when you said, you speak from experience?"

Percy was caught off guard by the question, contemplating whether or not he should tell her. After a few seconds, he ultimately decided on telling her, sort of.

"I lost my mother…recently too, so I know the feeling," Percy said, not intending on elaborating any further, something Helena picked up on and decided not to pry. Instead, she went and hugged his arm.

"My condolences," She murmured against his sleeve. He chuckled and patted her on the head.

"Thanks," He said. "I'm fine now though, so you don't have to worry about me."

She pulled away. "Really?"

He smiled. "Really." Truth was, he didn't sound convincing at all and they both knew it. Helena decided to leave that topic and save it for another day though, as she turned away from him and stared back at the fountain whilst sticking closer to her teacher for warmth.

Percy followed her gaze and the two remained in their stillness, content with the silence as both individuals were deep in thought.

After a minute passed, he went and broke the quiet air between them.

He cleared his throat before shifting the conversation to a hopefully lighter subject.

"Not that I'm questioning it, but what's with the ice pack?" He said, having finally noticed the object placed on her other side.

Helena looked like she was busted, turning towards him with a nervous expression. "Uhhm…"

"You know what, forget I said any—"

"No!" She protested. "I mean, no. It's alright, I want to tell you, it's just…I…"

"Scared?" He asked, earning a slow nod from her. "You know I won't judge you right? You can tell me."

She sighed and instead of opening her mouth to speak, Helena thought it would be better to show him. She brought up her sleeve to his face before pulling it down to reveal the bruises and small cuts littered on her forearm.

Percy's eyes widened as he assessed her arm. After a few moments his eyes trailed up to meet hers.

Was this an accident? He thought to himself, but quickly dismissed it. No, this…

"Who did this to you?" He demanded, his tone louder than expected, his eyes looking menacing, causing Helena to flinch under his strong gaze.

He was sure that he made it so that bullying would not be tolerated on campus, so what…

"Thomas Elliott," She confessed.

He mentally cursed. Ah yes, he knew of the boy, who wouldn't? He was not just a wealthy and influential child like a lot of the others enrolled in Gotham Academy, he was also a part of one of Gotham's founding families, the Elliots. His father was Roger Elliot, a name which needed no introduction.

He was a highly privileged boy born with a golden spoon. A young man who acted graciously, had amazing intellect and had a great musical talent. A very kind and compassionate child who enjoyed helping out the less fortunate in his community by donating some of his riches to charities.

Atleast, that was how most people knew him from how he was portrayed through the media, but for those who had the displeasure of meeting him in person would know what he really was. A spoiled, young boy who had no remorse in hurting his peers either physically or emotionally through insults if one ever became the subject of his bullying.

However, Percy thought that he had solved that problem a while ago. He spoke with him and his parents during a consultation he had arranged months ago. The boy seemed to have already ceased his old antics and truly looked like he was aiming to change for the better. Well, with the truth facing him now, that clearly wasn't the case.

"How?" He asked, curious. He prided himself on always being the first on the scene should a fight break out or should a student be bullying another, so it irked him inside that such a thing had happened to one of his students and it went unnoticed by him.

She hesitated, her mouth opening but without any words coming out. She was afraid of him. Percy could understand the reasoning behind it, but frankly, he wasn't scared and he wasn't going to allow this to happen to any of his students.

Pressing on, he placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "I don't care who his father is or what he can do, I promise you I'll take care of him, I won't let you or any other student be treated that way. Not as long as I'm here," He promised her with a determined fire burning in his eyes.

She still looked a little uncertain but eventually opened up after thinking deeply for a few seconds.

"It started after you had spoken to him and his parents. He was being quiet for once and someone commented on it, aloud. He became angry and went to him, but I got in his way. I stood up to him that day…" She said, her head dropping as she continued. "That's when it started."

"After school, he'd always follow me with some of his friends and corner me on some alleyway…"

She paused, shuddering. "Then they hurt me…and called me names. I told him that I'd tell my father, but he said he'd have my father removed if I did," A look of anger appeared on her face. "Quel Bastardo." She muttered under her breath, inhaling sharply before continuing.

"I tried to fight back but they outnumbered me, so I couldn't do anything. Since then, they always came after me after school and I kept quiet about it so papa wouldn't lose his job."

After a few seconds of silence from her, Helena looked back up at him with an ashamed expression.

"I should've probably told you about it or fought back more, maybe then they wouldn't have picked on me as much as they did. I'm sorry…"

"Hey, don't," He said gently, gripping her shoulder tighter. "You don't have to apologise for anything. It doesn't matter, you told me now that's what's important. You were scared for your dad, I get it. Don't feel bad, everyone gets scared sometimes, a lot of people even let it control them, but it's what you do about it that matters."

"Tell me," He started, staring deep into her blue eyes. "Do you want to let him or any other bully who comes into your life treat you like that?" She shook her head. "Do you want to do something about it?" She nodded. "Do you want to stand up to him?" She nodded again, this time more enthusiastic.

"Okay then," He said with a lopsided grin. "I'll deal with Kevin, you have my word, but should anyone try to do anything like what he did to you again, you have to learn how to defend yourself."

She cocked her head to the side. "So should I enroll in some self-defense classes? That sort of thing?"

"You could," He said, pausing to stand up as he rolled down his sleeves, earning a confused look from Helena. "But it could take a while before you actually learn anything. So, I'm gonna teach you some real basics now. Come on, stand up."

"What?" She asked while standing, her eyes wide. "Do you know how to fight, Percy?"

"You could say I know some things. May have even fought in a war or two," He said cryptically with a shrug.

"But you're so young…were you in the military?" Her eyes shined with curiosity and awe.

"Something like that," What he said next took her by surprise. "Now hit me."

"W-what?"

"I said, hit me."

"Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "Just do it," A smirk worked its way up his face. "Why? Scared?"

Helena responded immediately to the mock and punched him right on his chest. Percy made no attempt to move as he let himself absorb the hit.

"Hmm," He mused aloud. "I'm not gonna lie to you. That sucked."

She looked disheartened. "But!" He continued. "Wanna know a secret?" He leaned in, whispering.

"I was even worse when I was a kid," He admitted. "I was bullied when I was about your age too, you know." Her incredulous expression made him chuckle.

"Yep, all true," He shrugged. "And now look at me!" He flexed his biceps teasingly whilst wiggling his eyebrows at her, making Helena giggle.

"I'm built like a god," He smirked. "Point of the story is. Everybody's gotta start somewhere and it doesn't matter how bad you are right now, that's the point of training, so you can get better. Now are you gonna keep wallowing or are you ready to learn how to sucker punch Kevin Elliot's face?"

"I'm ready!" She said, full of energy, looking very eager to learn.

"Now try to hit me again. This time I'll try to avoid you, so don't stop until you hit me, okay?" Earning a nod, he continued. "Alright then…GO!"

As if a flip had been switched within her, Helena immediately went and tried to punch him, this time with more force behind her punches and more speed. But still nothing

Percy couldn't handle it as he effortlessly dodged them all. Helena, as expected, went tired easily as she exhausted all her energy quickly.

When she could no longer throw any punches, he stopped moving and went closer to her panting body.

"H…How…?" She managed to let out as she inhaled and exhaled erratically.

"Time for your first lesson!" His voice thundered loudly in her ears. "Want to know how I avoided you so easily? Well other than being awesome, you made a mistake. Actually you made several, but the first one was that you were telegraphing your punches…aside numerous other things like your form and posture of course."

"W-what?"

"Don't worry, all will be explained in due time," He assured her, before looking around and saw that both he and Helena were being stared at by a few passers-by. "But first, I suggest we move our sparring elsewhere. I know a guy who owns a gym not too far from here."

"Wait, let me ask my dad first," She said, pulling out her phone.

"Ah…yes, of course," He totally didn't forget that she was here with her father. Nope.

After talking to her father for a few minutes, she handed her phone to him, mouthing the words, "He wants to talk to you."

He nodded, gulping as he placed the device to his ear. "Hello kiddo," He heard from the other side and immediately his nervousness was replaced by annoyance.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that…I said, call me Percy, P-E-R-C-Y, Percy!" He said irately, eliciting a laugh from his boss.

"Perhaps, when you start calling me Frank instead of sir, then I might consider it."

"I…" He couldn't say anything to that. "Touché."

Frank chuckled. "Anyway, what's this about you teaching my daughter how to fight?" There was no animosity in his voice, but there definitely was a warning.

"I'll tell you all about it later sir. Right now, all I can say is your daughter will need it."

"Hmm," Frank hummed, sighing before he spoke. "Very well. I was thinking about teaching her myself as well when the time came, and since you so kindly offered to be her mentor, then why the hell not? Although I will have to see your skills for myself as well later on, that won't be a problem, no?"

"Of course not sir."

"Don't hold back on my daughter," He said unexpectedly. "I fear I may have pampered her a bit too much all her life, so it would be good to have her toughen up. Don't be afraid to inflict some bruises and wounds here and there, as long as it's nothing too serious, we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Okay then. You may go now. We'll work out a schedule afterwards once I'm done with the affairs over on my side."

"Okay…" He nodded absentmindedly until his eyes widened as his brain began processing all of what Frank had been saying. "WAIT! What are you…sir…this is just a one time thing…right? I'm not…sir?…sir?…SIR!?"

Oh shit. He thought as he turned towards Helena, who had been standing nearby while he was talking to her father. Welp, this wasn't going to end well.

| May 16, 2003 - A Few Hours Later

| With Percy and Helena

"Had fun?" Percy asked, watching Helena happily devour her ice cream cone as they exited the gym.

"Mhm!" She replied gleefully, nodding. Despite the aches in her body and the new bruises she had gotten from her teacher, Helena couldn't ever feel more alive.

"Good, cause your dad's right there and I think he's giving me the stink eye," He joked, enjoying the look of shock appearing on her face as he pointed at Frank Bertinelli, who was nonchalantly standing a few feet away from them.

Her surprised face was replaced by one with excitement as she ran towards her father.

"Papa!" She ran into his welcoming arms as the father and daughter hugged.

"Mio tesoro," He replied, smiling as he stared lovingly at his child.

Meanwhile, Percy watched them with a fond smile on his face.

After the two finished embracing, they both turned towards him. Frank extended his hand to him and he shook it.

"I saw you both earlier and I must say, kid. You're full of surprises aren't you?" He grinned. "Anyways, thank you for volunteering to be my daughter's new trainer. I was thinking of having you over to teach her every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. What do you think?"

"I…" Percy sighed exasperatedly. Oh fuck it, why not? "It sounds good."

Frank smirked, patting him on the back. "Great! You start next week," He turned to Helena. "My dear, why don't you say goodbye before we leave?"

He stepped back, watching as his daughter nodded and made her way over to Percy.

Percy and Helena stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, both of them smiling at each other until the latter broke the silence by running into Percy and wrapping her arms around him.

Once they broke apart, Helena beamed at him. "Thank you so much for everything Percy!"

Said demigod ruffled her hair before crouching down to her level. "Anytime, Helena. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll always be here, alright?"

She nodded. "I know!"

Percy chuckled, extending his hand and wiping off some ice cream on her bottom lip. "You know, you should smile more. Makes you look much prettier…who knows? That might even get you a boyfriend as handsome as me," He smirked at her flustered expression.

Before he could tease his student any longer, his eyes caught sight of her car stopping right in front of Frank.

"Well," He said, standing to his full height. "This is goodbye then. I'll see you around, kid."

Helena smiled. "See ya, Percy!" She said as she walked away from him and towards her father, both entering the vehicle that had arrived.

Percy saw a glimpse of Helena waving from inside the car before it finally sped off into the distance.

Now alone, he smiled to himself and began walking away as well. His place was not far off.

| May 17, 2003

| Gotham Academy, Headmaster's Office

Frank's fists were clenched tight. His lips were tightly shut as he grit his teeth. He was flaring with anger as he had been informed of what his daughter has been through for the past few months from Percy.

Like a complete opposite to the enraged man, Percy on the other hand was standing at attention before him and looked impassive, his expression unreadable as the matter at hand didn't require his usual, light-hearted self. Deep down, he was a little unnerved at seeing the usually stoic man let his emotions loose in front of him, though he did understand why that was.

"Sir, I need you to calm down," He said, but that only seemed to anger him further.

He marched closer to him to look Percy dead in the eye. "La mia bambina…you expect me to calm down after hearing that my daughter, my only child, the only family I have left has been bullied for the last two months?"

Percy was quiet. "How long have you known?"

"Your daughter told me yesterday."

Seething, Frank exhaled slowly, before turning around and slamming his fast onto the desk behind him. The desk shook. As he lifted his hand, Percy could clearly see that the object made of wood now had many noticeable cracks on it, the table itself looked about ready to collapse as its state gradually worsened with each second.

His eyes widened slightly at the strength of his boss, but made no comment on it as he simply stared at Frank, who let out numerous words in Italian which he could only assume were profanities.

"That kid," He spat, chuckling darkly. "Oh how I'm gonna make them regret it, both him…and his father. The boy definitely takes most of the blame, but some of it has to go to the parent. His spoiled and rotten upbringing could very well be the explanation for his behaviour."

Turning back to Percy, Frank said with a devious grin. "I promise you this Percy, they will pay for this. I will see to it personally that they will suffer for making her suffer."

Deciding that now was probably time for him to intervene, he took a step closer and grasped Frank's arm tightly. "Frank," He said softly, effectively shaking the man off his daze. "She's my student too, but we can't just do whatever we want. And as much as I hate to admit it, Thomas Elliot isn't someone we can just touch."

Frank frowned. "She is only your student, Jackson, that's why you're not as angry as I am right now. You'll see what I mean when your own child is born, believe me," Without waiting for a reply, he continued, but not before laughing creepily. "Also, don't worry about me, there are many ways to get back at that wretched boy and his father."

Percy's eyes examined the man in front of him whilst his brain began connecting a few dots. Now that he thought about it. Knowing Falcone's origins, surely Frank was no ordinary man as no one could become so close with the former crime boss unless they themselves were either well versed in the same kind of work or knew someone who was.

So that begged the question. Who was Frank Bertinelli?

Ending his musings for the time being, Percy tightened his hold on the man, causing Frank to widen his eyes at his strength. "You're right, I can't relate," He started. "And you may have your ways or whatever, but still, you cannot do anything rash or anything that could endanger your own job or maybe even get you arrested."

"Because if you do, then where would that leave Helena? If you lose your job or get arrested, what will happen to her?" He asked. "Think of the consequences before letting your anger get the best of you, Frank."

Hearing himself out loud, Percy thought, wow, look who was talking. He knew that he himself was no better than Frank and had no right to say those words, especially when he really knew that if this was his daughter, he'd be doing and thinking along the same lines, most likely even worse.

Frank sighed, looking like he was calming down slightly. "So what do you expect me to do then? I can't just let this continue nor can I let the boy get out of this unscathed. I won't allow it," He growled.

"I agree," Percy nodded. "But there are better ways to do this. In terms of punishment, we'll have to speak with Kevin and his parents to discuss how we will deal with him."

Frank narrowed his eyes in thought, mulling it over for a few long seconds before responding with a nod.

"And to ensure this doesn't happen again…remember who you're talking to?" He asked with a grin. "I'm her trainer, so let me worry about that. You can rest easy, Frank, she's in good hands. By the time I'm done with her…she'll be good, real good." He promised.

Frank grinned back. "Okay then," He said, his voice low. "I'm trusting you, Jackson."

Percy chuckled, having realised that they were now calling each other by name. "You won't regret it, Frank."

A pause. "You free at around…say, 7?"

Percy cocked his brow. "What if I am?"

"Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to finally test your abilities. You up for a spar?"

"Want me to hold back, old man?"

"No no, I'd rather you wouldn't," He smirked. "I've still got a lot of fight left in me."

"We'll see about that."

"I guess we will."

| May 18, 2003

| Outside Gotham Academy, In a Nearby Alleyway

After classes had ended, Percy made sure to follow after Helena, his eyes never leaving her once he caught up with her outside, which was a bit of a trial as he had to single her out amongst the huge crowd of students that were pouring out of the campus.

Staying undetected, he watched her walk towards some alley east of the school. He hid by the corner as he looked over and saw Helena meet up with none other than Kevin Elliot himself who was accompanied by his friends. The boy looked like he was expecting her.

As time moved forward, Percy watched the scene before him unfold with a scrutinising gaze, his body ready to move at a moment's notice to protect her. He saw Kevin and Helena's lips moving, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Whatever they were talking about though, Percy could clearly see that Helena was doing something to purposely piss her bully off.

He didn't know why, but he was soon about to find out.

Helena squared off her shoulders and took a step closer towards Kevin, her expression looking fierce but nervous at the same time as if she was mustering up all her courage for whatever she was about to do.

He didn't hear it, but what left her lips next was what caused Kevin to finally snap. His face became red, fuming with rage, his posse mirroring his expression.

Percy watched with bated breath as Kevin threw a punch at her and his instincts immediately took flight, his body seemingly moving on its own but he stopped himself from going over there. What happened next made his eyes widen and his heart swell with pride.

Helena avoided the fist that threatened to collide with her face and instantly followed up with an attack of her own. Her fists were relaxed, her posture and feet were well adjusted, though they could have used some more work. She ducked down, raising her arm as she then shot upwards. Her eyes were glued to her opponent as she used her hips to cock her torso backwards.

She then swung it towards him and everything else followed. Her fist, upon coming near its intended target, finally clenched tight and collided with Kevin's chin. The effect was instantaneous. The boy's head flung backwards due to the impact. Kevin would've fallen over right then and there were Helena finished with her attack, but she wasn't done.

Immediately after, she extended both her hands, took hold of his arm, turned around and judo-flipped him.

It was safe to say that the young boy was going to be unconscious for a while.

Kevin's friends were standing there like deers caught in headlights, their mouths agape as they stared at Helena. Percy's state was much the same, only he was feeling proud, whereas they were nervous and angry.

Meanwhile, Helena stood there in shock as well, but once that resided she felt happy for some reason. Happy that she was able to stand up to Kevin, happy that she was able to reduce him to such a state. Not long after, she dismissed any concerns or questions she might've had about her reaction to seeing her peer on the ground and very much injured, and shot her fists into the sky in triumph.

"YES! I DID IT!" She cheered.

That did not last long however as she had forgotten about the three others behind her who were very much still conscious. It wasn't long after her words were uttered did they finally snap back into attention, one of them even already going to hit her from behind.

The fist never landed on its destination as someone caught it. Helena slowly turned around and gasped as she saw Percy right there, his hand grasping the fist that had been aiming for her. The others immediately tensed, recognising the teacher.

"Now…" Percy spoke with a seemingly innocent grin. "Why don't you boys run along and while you're at it, I'd like you all to do some self-reflection on your past actions because I might just 'accidentally' let Ms. Bertinelli over here do the same for what she did to Mr. Elliot to all of you the next time this occurs."

Chuckling with a dark smile, he continued. "But of course, you're all gentlemen aren't you? Surely, there wouldn't be a next time…" Whatever wouldn't be spoken was left open to their own imaginations. The boys nodded fearfully in reply, prompting Percy to let go of the fist he had been clutching. Shortly after, the boys didn't hesitate to run off, leaving Percy and Helena alone, along with the unconscious Kevin.

Percy sighed, turning around to face Helena who was standing behind him, looking at him at amazement. "How…"

"I've been around the corner the entire time, wanted to see for myself," Percy answered. "And I must say…well done, very well done." He clapped.

Helena blushed. "It was all thanks to your teachings, Percy," She admitted.

"Yes, but you were the one who used it. I wasn't the one who listened attentively. I wasn't the one who learned. I wasn't the one who threw the punch nor was I the one to incapacitate him. That was all you and your effort, don't sell yourself short."

She smiled. "Okay!"

Seeing her so happy, Percy just couldn't resist the temptation. "Don't feel too proud though. And don't expect things to get any easier from here either, you still have a lot to learn," He said, lips in a thin line, before morphing into an evil smirk when he continued. "Your father gave me the thumbs up, so I'm gonna work you to the bone." Helena's shoulders slumped as she both dreaded and anticipated the training she had ahead.

"You're mean, Percy," He laughed at her pouting expression.

After a few seconds, his laughter died down as his eyes landed on Helena, causing him to lose his smile. She was now staring at the hurt Kevin, who had quite a bit of blood leaking from his mouth.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, he spoke, shaking her away from her thoughts. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Was what I did, right?"

Percy looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…was violence really the answer?…and also, am I weird for liking it?" She looked afraid, fearing that he would judge her, but those doubts were expelled as his gentle and warm smile reappeared.

"Violence may not always be the answer, but it is necessary, especially for this situation. Sometimes, guys like him won't listen to reason and the only way to stop them is to beat it into their skull," He said, though his opinion might have been biased as he himself almost always resorted to violence when dealing with conflicts most especially in the Pit. "And as for enjoying it…" He trailed off, exhaling as a sudden burst of memories flashed through his mind.

"I know the feeling. It's okay to enjoy it…just as long as you don't let it get out of control and allow it to change you for the worse," His words spooked her, prompting him to tighten his hold on her shoulder. "It's okay though, I'll help you through it in every step of the way…" So that you don't end up like me were the unspoken words.

A smile teased her face as Helena stared up at him before then running into his arms and hugging him.

"Thank you."

"Anytime, kiddo."

"…Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"I did…good right?"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah you did good."

AN: Damn. Readin this shit after like a year, I'm like lost asf HAHHAHAHA. Anyways, hope u all enjoyed the chapter. If so then follow and favorite, and you all know the rest ofc.

I just wanna say thank you to everyone who's read my stories and somehow found some enjoyment in reading them. Being so busy, I had no time for fanfiction, I do miss reading and writing, so I do promise to get back to my works once I found the time. In the meantime, I hope you all stay safe and take care! Thank you all for reading and for bearing with my writing, Idek what the hell im doin sometimes...anyways thats all for now. Thank you all once again and see u all again someday!

Byeee!