Disclaimer: Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a book series authored by Rick Riordan and is not in any way owned by me. This story is purely for entertainment directed towards mature readers, written and posted completely for free. Any names of people or places mentioned in this story which might be similar to actual people or places in the real world is either purely coincidental or completely fictional.

Foreword:

Special Thanks and a huge shout out to FeralG3. If it wasn't for him, I never would have gotten the inspiration to write this story. Read on and enjoy my newest fanfiction story, Percy Jackson - Anathema.

)-(

My Sister Visits Me in Prison.

What kind of trade do you see yourself doing in the future?

I'm sure all of us have been asked this question at least once while growing up, in one form or another. I got this particular question from my history teacher back in third grade, when I was about nine years old. Everyone in my class was given the same question. And the answers ranged from working in hospitals as nurses or doctors, to working in a five-star restaurant as a chef, and even going into outer space as an astronaut. The sort of answers you would expect from young children who still had a bright and rosy colored view of the world. Who are yet blissfully unenlightened to the grim and dark realities that are concealed to them.

And I was no different. My answer to my history teacher's question was 'traveling all around the world saving people as a hero'.

Awesome right? The only problem is, heroes do not exist. Or rather, you can only find them in comics, feature films, television shows and really old books written by really old geezers back during the time when indoor plumbing was barely even a concept. If I had known this at the time, I would have given a different answer to that question, and perhaps did a few things differently going forward. Hindsight truly is twenty-twenty.

So what have I done recently that is considered a trade? Well, does convicted felon count as a trade? Is murderer a paid occupation? If so, then I can safely say I already have some experience on that front. If you ever need someone's arms and legs broken or their skulls cracked like eggshells or just burned alive, don't hesitate to call me up. I don't ask for much in return. Hell, I might even do it for free if I like you enough.

You might say, that's not very nice of you. Or you might say, that's not what heroes do. Heroes are always about saving other people and protecting the innocent and beating the bad guys.

Dude, believe me when I say this. Strip away all the coloration and all the romanticism and all the accolades, and you will soon find out that Heroes are no different from your average killer or murderer. They just got really good at killing and murdering and were lucky enough to kill or murder the right people at the right time, and they got famous for it. And that's why they're called Heroes.

And if there is one thing that history has proven to me time and again, is that one person's hero is another person's villain. One side's righteous champion is another side's most bitter enemy. The knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress was also the same knight who raided a town, butchered all the men and raped some of the women. It's always just a matter of perspective. Kinda dark? That's because the world is dark and grim, a lot more than most people think.

Hi, I'm Percy Jackson, fifteen years old. Juvenile delinquent and convicted felon. Currently rotting behind bars in Gerard Eisenhorn State Prison near the south side of Queens, New York.

Oh wait, my bad. Let me correct that last bit. Currently undergoing treatment and rehabilitation in Gerard Eisenhorn State Detention Center. Which is just a fancier way of saying 'rotting in prison'. Something the pencil pushers over at the Department of Justice came up with so that other people will feel a bit less guilty about locking up a fifteen year old boy. So what did a teenage boy like me do to get himself thrown inside a steel and concrete box? It's simple. I acted like a hero, and paid the price for it.

In this really old book that I just mentioned, the hero saves his best friend and he gets honored for it. But in the real world, he saves his best friend from a group of bullies and he gets expelled from school for it. His best friend tries to help him out and defend him, but it doesn't go well. Because those bullies had rich and influential parents who did not appreciate the sight of their pompous hell-spawns with their teeth rearranged by yours truly. And so on top of getting expelled from school for the seventh time and most likely the last time, the would-be hero also ends up spending a few nights in jail shortly before his mom finally managed to scrape up enough cash to bail him out.

This isn't like the movies. The law doesn't abide for young teens like me who did something to break it, even if it was for a righteous cause. But that same law does however bend for those with enough cash in their bank accounts. And my mom certainly doesn't make enough money working in a candy store over at grand central. But that's not all.

In that same book, the hero saves the damsel in distress from a monster and he gets the girl. In the real world, the hero also saves the girl from a disgusting monster of a human being. In his anger, he kills the monster and severely injures a couple of his poker buddies who were also trying to get in on the fun. But the owner of the apartment building shows up, sees the grisly scene in front of him and immediately calls the cops. They show up, see what has happened, they put two and two together, and immediately arrest the would-be hero and throws him into prison.

And no amount of tears and pleas from the damsel in distress or his mom was enough to sway the judge from convicting him for voluntary manslaughter, two counts of attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault. And all of this combined earned him a grand total of twenty years in prison without bail. Awesome right?

I'm actually lucky that I only got twenty years in prison instead of getting a life sentence, or even the death penalty. All because I'm still a minor and I was technically trying to save someone. But suffice to say, that was the last time I am ever gonna to act like my namesake and try to save a supposed damsel in distress. Or anyone else in distress really. If anyone ever gets in trouble again, let some other idiot White Knight save them instead.

I immediately shook my head as a sad smile soon crept up my face. I'll take that last bit back, there is still one other girl in this world I would immediately rescue without a second thought, regardless of where it lands me afterwards. And as that girl comes to mind, it makes me wonder how she and mom were doing right now. God, I miss them already.

I don't regret the decisions I made that put me behind bars, as far I am concerned, I was completely justified. But I do regret being stupid enough get myself caught. Because every minute I spent wasting away in this steel and concrete shithole was a minute not spent looking after her and mom. I am the only man left in their life and it is supposed to be my great responsibility to protect them. Yet here I am slowly rotting away.

I heard the locks on my cell door turning and the iron deadbolt slid out with a rather loud bang shortly before the door was finally opened. It was rather dark inside my little cell so the light that came flooding in the moment the door was opened made me squint my eyes a little. When they soon adjusted enough, I was met with the ever familiar sight of one of my correctional officers.

"Hey, Jackson. You got a visitor."

"Who is it Officer Cain?"

I asked while still lying in bed, not even looking at his way.

"Just your sister."

The older man said to me with a smirk. And that caught my full attention and made me look fully towards him. Officer Cain was one of the few correctional officers I was able to befriend during my stay here at prison. He was a pretty chill guy, down to earth and likes to joke around sometimes. He was a tall guy and well-built, grizzled and slightly rough, making him look older than he actually is. And even though his primary task here is to keep me from escaping , Officer Cain always goes out of his way to teach me how to be better person, in the hopes that when I finally get out of here, I won't ever need to go back.

"And how do you know it's my sister? Far as I know, you never met her before."

I challenged, a teasing smile on my face. Trying to mask the hope that was now ballooning within my heart. And without missing a beat, Officer Cain's smirk widened as he said.

"Well, she's way too pretty and far too sweet to be your girlfriend. And I don't see why any girl would waste their time on you. So she has to be your sister or something."

And that little stinging comment effectively wiped the smile off my face. Because that was the other sad truth of my situation.

Not only am I locked up in prison, I am also still single and have never had a girlfriend. Hell, I never even so much as kissed a girl yet or even seen one naked. And no, looking at Playboy magazines and watching low-budget animated porn in the internet back when I was still free does not count. Sad indeed. I might as well go live in a monastery after I get out of here and become a monk. Since I am not exactly popular with the local female population, Percy Junior isn't seeing any action anytime soon. But then again, I wouldn't be named after a famous Greek hero if I just gave up so easily. And I never give up.

"Asshole. Just you wait. One of these days I'm gonna show up here with a pretty girl in each arm and make you wish to all the gods and all the saints out there that you could trade places with me." I proudly declared to the older man while glaring at him. Even though my own words sounded a bit hollow to my own ears. And this of course caused Officer Cain to laugh at me.

"Ha! That will be the day kid! That will be the day!"

He said to me with obvious amusement and clearly doubting me, shortly before he turned serious again and said.

"Now get your ass up. She's already waiting for you outside."

I hopped off the bed and approached Officer Cain. Already knowing how this works, I presented him both of my wrists and the older man fished out a pair of handcuffs from behind his back and clapped both of my wrists with the restraining devices. The stainless steel feeling cold to my skin and it kinda bit down in a slightly uncomfortable way, but I was already used to this so it didn't bother me much.

"Let's go. And try not to start another fight again, alright kid?"

Officer Cain said as he began leading me out of my cell and towards the visiting area of the correctional center, a firm hand on my shoulder.

"I don't start fights Officer Cain. I just finish them."

I replied rather nonchalantly as I followed him out of the hallway and passed by the many other cells that currently stood empty, an easy smile on my face. A rather tired sigh escaped my correctional officer's lips though before he looked at me reproachfully and said.

"I mean it kid, don't get into another fight, even if provoked. Normally we wouldn't allow you to have visitors while your in the box, but since she really wanted to see you and said it was urgent, we decided to let you two meet. But if you get into another scrap with the other boys out there again, I will throw you back into the box. You got me?"

"Aye, aye Commissar."

I said to him casually, and Officer Cain looked at me in a strange way, no doubt a little confused by that nickname. But he finally let the matter rest and continued to lead me outside.

I may have developed a bit of a bad reputation lately, but even I can be perfectly behaved when I want to. Especially when she's around. Aside from my mom, she's the one other person whose bad side I wanna steer clear of, and whose good side I wanna remain in. So yeah, even if just for today, I'll be good-boy Percy instead of face-breaker Percy.

It didn't take long for us to emerge into the visiting area. It was a rather spacious and air-conditioned hall with recess lights providing adequate lighting. There were many tables with plenty of chairs spread throughout the hall and with it being right next door to the mess hall, there were plenty of other kids here hanging out, with more than a few of them already talking with visiting friends or family members. But all of this was completely out of my mind at the moment as my eyes soon landed upon the one person in this whole place, possibly in this whole world even, that I truly cared about the most.

She was sitting on one of the plain aluminum folding chairs right by one of the empty tables, her hands upon her lap, her posture and demeanor making her look rather innocent but also regal. Her soulful sea-green eyes continued to roam across the hall, searching and expectant, with a small smile upon her lips that was tinged with pink lipgloss. She was modestly dressed in that embroidered baby-blue dress she had, the skirt hanging just slightly above her knees, and that plain denim jacket she wore over it. Her complexion was lightly tanned and her skin looked healthy and smooth to the touch, with not single blemish upon it. Her long raven-black hair was vibrant and looked smoother than silk, reaching all the way to her slender waist while tied in an elegant braid.

She was truly beautiful to behold, if I were to be perfectly honest. But as I walked closer, her eyes finally landed on me. And the moment she saw me, her small smile turned positively radiant as she looked at me eagerly, thus making her even more breathtaking than she already was. I swear, I'm gonna break the legs of any idiot that does anything to hurt her.

And we couldn't possibly look more different from one another. She resembled some sort of princess in that dress and those heeled shoes while I looked like some dangerous thug in this bright orange shirt and pants that I'm wearing. It also didn't help that my hair was all messy and a bit oily, and that I'm also bigger and more muscled, and that I have a few scars on my arms while sporting a double-headed eagle tattoo on my right shoulder and a skull tattoo on my left shoulder. She on the other hand was all soft and slender, and looking perfectly immaculate and exquisite while smelling of lavender and vanilla.

Beauty and the Beast for sure. I was almost too embarrassed to stand in her presence. It's been three years already since we last met, and I can tell she has changed a lot since then, but I still know it was her.

"Hey Andy. I'm glad to see you again."

I said to her in greeting, finally gathering enough of my senses as well as my courage to speak. But as I was about to pull out one of the chairs to take a seat, Andy quickly stepped around the table and approached me. And before I knew it, she caught me in a tight hug. The smell of lavender mixed with vanilla immediately entered my nose. The pleasant feel of her silky hair tickled my chin. And I felt her soft womanly curves pressing against my hard frame and the warmth exuded by her body. All of this gave me this warm and pleasant feeling inside that almost threatened to bring tears to my eyes.

I never knew just how much I missed her until she finally held me in her arms again. And now I secretly wished I could get the hell out of here much sooner so I could be with her and my mom again everyday.

"Oh Percy! I missed you so much! It's been so long!"

She said to me with such joy, with a palpable need even. And hearing her say that was enough to take away all of my worries and all the loneliness and hurt. Making me wear this almost stupid-looking happy smile on my face and causing me to feel warm inside. She always had this affect on me. She was one of the few people in this world whom I truly cared about. And to see her here with me, holding me in her arms once again after a long time apart, I couldn't be any more happier. I would have returned the hug if I could, but my hands were still bound in handcuffs. So I settled with just kissing her on the top of her head and pressing my cheek against her soft and silky hair.

"I missed you to sis."

Yeah, as gorgeous as she was and openly loving towards me, Andy was in fact my older sister. I'm pretty sure lots of other guys would like to trade places with me right now, and I don't blame them. But I would also be quick to give them the death-glare if those idiots even think of trying anything funny with her. Not that Andy needed much help on that regard, I know she can handle her own well enough, but I will always be protective of my big sister and that's something that probably will never change.

"I'll give you both some privacy."

Officer Cain said with a smile before turning away and leaving us to enjoy our little reunion. Something that I was grateful for.

She gently pulled away from me though her hand still held onto mine, and I noticed how soft and delicate they felt, a stark contrast to my own thick hands that were full of callouses. We both took our seat at the table and made ourselves comfortable, with my sister sitting right next to me and still holding onto my hand. But I noticed the strange way that Andy was now looking at me. Like she had just found a lottery ticket worth a million dollars.

"Look at how big you are now! Definitely can't call you little anymore. Just when did my brother turned into such a hunk?"

That comment made me blush a bit, feeling slightly embarrassed all of a sudden. "I just worked out a little bit, nothing special."

That might have been an understatement on my part. With little in the way of entertainment and still royally pissed off at my current lot in life, Officer Cain advised that I unleash all my anger and frustrations out on the yard or in the prison's gym, and that's exactly what I did. Sweating out buckets as I worked myself to total collapse nearly every day of the week , with only the weekends serving as my rest days.

And before I knew it, I was now bigger and harder than most of the other kids here in the detention center. I never did this to impress anyone or even to make myself look better. The regular exercise was just a way to temper my aggression and act as an outlet for my anger. Otherwise, I would have gotten into more fights with the other kids here. Something that would have gotten me into deeper trouble.

"Well, whatever it is you've been doing, keep doing it."

Andy said with a cute giggle, her smile widening. My sister was clearly relishing the fruits of my labour as she began checking me out and her hands started rubbing my arms and chest. And I kinda liked it to be perfectly honest. Feeling my ego getting stroked in just the right way.

"If my girlfriends at school could only see you now, I'm sure they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off of you either. But since you're my little brother, big sister gets first dibs."

She said suggestively, winking at me while wearing such a playful grin that made her resemble the Cheshire Cat. And this of course made my blush grow even fiercer. Just when did my sister become such a flirt? I guess this was also part of the change she underwent during these last three years. And I wasn't too sure about getting that kind of attention from any of her friends or from any other girl to be honest. I was never really good with girls growing up and my experience with them was practically zero.

Hell, my only real experience with girls was with Nancy Bobofit and her team of skanks who always tormented me back in sixth grade.

"Well, uh, thanks I guess."

I said a bit nervously as I smiled, still appreciating the comment. But then I started looking around us as I noticed something a bit off.

"By the way, is mom here with you?" I soon asked.

"Nope. Mom is putting in some extra hours at the candy store today, so I came and visited you all in my lonesome. Pretty cool huh?" Andy answered rather proudly to me, while wearing such a sweet and innocent smile on that angelically beautiful face of hers.

And I felt like I was about to suffer an attack after hearing what she just said. My older sister, still a teenager who probably only weighed less than fifty pounds at most and was a head shorter than me, travelled from our apartment at the upper east-side of Manhattan to my prison over here at the south side of Queens, all on her own. I'm sure the trip only took about an hour or so, maybe two at most, but she still travelled alone in one of the busiest, most populated and potentially one of the most dangerous cities in the whole continental U.S. And I am not just referring to gangs and crazy homeless people on the streets here.

There were some things in this city that need not be named right now. Things that I wished were just the products of my own paranoia and schizophrenia, but were unfortunately very much real. And one of those things could have attacked my sister while she was alone.

I'm truly torn between cursing her for her recklessness and seeming lack of desire towards her own self-preservation, and praising her for her bravery and resourcefulness. After taking a moment to calm my blood-pressure, I decided to take a more gentler approach, since outright berating her for foolishness would not sound so well coming from a guy who was currently in prison and wearing handcuffs. But I decided not to tell her about some of the things I know. She probably wouldn't believe me, or worse, she might think I've gone completely nuts.

"I really appreciate you coming here to visit me Andy, I really do. But it's not safe out there, especially when you're alone. Something bad could've happened to you."

I expected her to be miffed or something. Instead she reached out with a hand and started affectionately rubbing the top of my head, as if she was petting a puppy.

"Aw, my sweet little brother is worried about me! Don't worry my noble knight in not-so-shining-armor, your big sister is a lot tougher than she looks. Everything will be just fine."

She said with such sweetness as she smiled quite lovingly at me, making me both pleased and embarrassed at the same time. I guess it really doesn't matter how much bigger I'm gonna get, because in Andy's eyes I am always gonna be just her little brother. The fact that we were only a year apart didn't matter. But to my slight amusement, she soon pouted at me rather cutely and said.

"Although, I wish you would stop calling me Andy. It was fine when we were little, but now it makes it sound like I'm a boy."

I chuckled at that and grinned at her. Yeah, she never really liked how I shortened her name, and it kinda does make her sound like a boy. But since my sister always loved teasing me and sometimes would even make fun of me, calling her Andy was only fair.

"Well, Andromeda is a bit of a mouthful so calling you Andy makes it easy for a dumb-ass like me. And besides, even a blind man can see that your actually a girl."

"Don't say that Percy, you're not dumb. And how can a blind man see exactly?"

She lightheartedly reprimanded before asking me. Raising one elegant eyebrow while wearing a frown. I appreciated the way my sister was so quick to defend me even from my own attempts at self-depreciation. So I decided to repay her in kind by telling her the one and honest truth about her. I smiled an easy smile and said.

"Just by looking at you of course. My beautiful big sister is a natural cure for blindness."

And that alone was enough to turn that frown upside down as my big sister soon smiled at me demurely, blushing at the compliment, and this somehow made her look even prettier than she already was. Well, that statement of mine was true.

Not the cure for blindness part, I don't have enough hard evidence to back that up. But the beautiful part was definitely true. Sometimes it can be difficult to believe that my sister was still only sixteen, what with the way she was quickly growing up into one of the hottest young women I have ever seen. She definitely won the genetic lottery, having been born with gorgeous good-looks that would make even some world-class lingerie models green with envy. A part of me quietly wondered how much more attractive she was going to be when she finally turned eighteen. Every boy in New York City might just go crazy for her, if they haven't already. I wouldn't be surprised if she already had plenty of boyfriends, because no hot-blooded male would be able to resist her charms and my sister had always been pretty outgoing and friendly.

In fact, now that I looked at her more closely, I could see she was filling up that dress quite nicely in all the right places, and despite my best efforts, I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering up and down her supple form, especially to the soft valleys of her breasts that were left somewhat exposed due to her dress having a rather low neckline. Seeing just how ravishing she was made my pants feel uncomfortably tight all of a sudden.

"Bad Percy! Bad! That's your sister you're checking out, you filthy pervert!"

I inwardly cursed and kicked myself, feeling both guilty and ashamed for having such inappropriate thoughts and disgusting feeling towards my own older sister. Half-sister yes, but that does not make us any less related by blood and it certainly does not make what I felt for her any less wrong! I blame my raging teenage hormones for this. That, and my current lack of a girlfriend. I seriously need to find one when I finally get out of here and set myself straight before I do something I might seriously regret.

Unfortunately, Andy soon went from a demure and blushing girl to looking like a shark that just smelled blood in the water. Now seeing another perfect opportunity to tease me.

"Well, looks like someone also turned into a real charmer while he was away. Careful Percy, people might start to get the wrong idea about us if they hear you say that."

Andy warned me, grinning with that same playful grin. I felt mortified all of sudden and I immediately went on the defensive.

"Hey, that's not what I'm- uh, I mean was just trying to…to."

Oh Lord! Coherent speech just flew out the window! I can't even form a one proper sentence right now what with how embarrassed I was. And my mischievous devil of a sister was deriving some sick pleasure from this, now laughing at me.

"Oh man, just look at how flustered you are. It's almost too cute!"

She laughed at me, a single elegant and manicured hand over her lips, her face so full of mirth. I wanted to be annoyed with her for teasing me like this, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Because seeing Andy smiling and happy made me feel happy.

"Honestly though, if you had always been this way instead of being such a rebel and a bully, I think you would have been the most popular boy at school." Andy commented, smiling at me while once again appraising me in an appreciative way.

"Alright, I admit to the rebel part, but I am not a bully. Some people just don't know how to leave me alone." I said in defence, finally regaining much of my lost composure.

"Really? Is that why you chose to fight with those senior-high football players back in sixth grade? Because they simply didn't leave you alone? If I recall correctly, they were picking on someone else, not you." Andy challenged, looking at me knowingly. And I was quick to push back.

"Hey, my main man Grover and I are tight. Anyone who messes with my best friend is also messing with me. And anyone who messes with me gets their face planted in the dirt."

"You did more than that though. You sent all five of those older boys to the hospital." This time Andy looked more concerned as she spoke a bit softly, clearly remembering the incident that finally got me kicked out of Yancy Academy for good, because she was there to witness it.

"Not my fault they couldn't take a hit." I shrugged my shoulders and said, not at all feeling bad about that.

I still stand by what I said, anybody that messes with me or my friends will get their teeth kicked in. And it really doesn't matter if you're the kid of this guy or that guy, or if you're the daughter of some kind of royal bigwig. I do not discriminate and I do not hold back. Because nobody who felt the need to rough me up or pick on me since I was six ever held back either, so why the hell should I do the same?

Unfortunately, Andy sighed and now looked at me with sadness in her deep sea-green eyes. And I could also detect a hint of disappointment in there. Damn it, now I'm starting to feel like trash here.

"I guess there are some things about you that still hasn't changed."

I refused to comment on that as I simply looked away, not willing to meet my sister's eyes.

"Thankfully for you, my ever rebellious little brother, I came here bearing good news." Andy soon added with a smirk, causing me to finally look back at her.

"What kind of good news?"

"Mom and our lawyer finally managed to talk the judge into shortening your sentence!" Andy said rather triumphantly, looking quite giddy now. "He said that as long as you maintain your good behavior, you'll only have to serve seven more years instead of the original twenty. That's a huge deal, am I right!"

That was definitely a huge deal. Mom had been fighting tooth and nail to get my sentence shortened for the past three years now. So for her to have finally gotten it shortened and by this much was a big win. I should have been feeling victorious about this. But instead I felt a huge weight begin to settle at the bottom of my gut.

"That's, uh, great I guess…"

I said to Andy, trying my best not to let my discomfort show. Unfortunately, not only am I terrible actor, Andy seem to have a built in radar system in her because she instantly detected something was wrong.

"Percy, what is? What's the matter?" My sister asked, now looking really concerned.

I immediately ran for cover, hoping to avoid the incoming airstrike. "Nothing, really. Everything is alright."

But Andy did not look the least bit convinced by that because she glared at me. And it might just be my imagination, but I could spot a hurricane brewing within those sea-green eyes. "That look on your face doesn't seem like nothing. And now I can't help but finally notice how you are the only one wearing handcuffs here. So fess up Perseus, what did you do this time?"

Oh crap. She just used my real name. Andy only ever called me by my real name whenever she was mad. And just from her tone alone, I knew that I should tread carefully or else I'll risk having a storm unleashed upon me by my big sister. She may look all sweet and friendly and playful, but Andy actually has a tempestuous temper on her. Sometimes I wonder where she got it from. Definitely not from mom, that's for sure.

"There was a fight that happened here yesterday. But I wasn't the one who started it." I began to explain to her, carefully and calmly, hoping she would believe what I was about to say. "Those older boys said some things to me, terrible things about you and me that I simply could not ignore. And then they-"

"And so you went and beat them up, is that it? Sent them all to the ICU like you did with those other boys years ago? God, you haven't changed at all!" Andy all but shouted at me, cutting me off before I could finish. And I simply sat there, at a loss for words. Not knowing what else I could say. Not that I could say much more because my sister wasn't finished.

"Mom is already doing her best to get your sentence shortened so you can get your ass out of here much earlier. But you getting into another fight flushed all of her hard-work down the damned toilet! She's already had to work three different jobs since you got locked up, all so she can keep paying your lawyer's fees and find a way to get you free. But it seems to me you would much rather stay behind bars by acting like some violent thug! Tell me Perseus, should I be looking forward to my own brother joining some gang when he finally gets out of jail, if he ever gets out of jail?"

She unleashed her rather blistering remarks and her glare grew positively withering, a solid proof of my sister's rather unpredictable personality. She was just like the sea. Some days it was beautiful and serene. And in other days it can be quite violent and scary. But instead of quailing and letting myself be thrown around by the waves, my legs remained firmly rooted on deck and my hands held tightly onto the helmsman's wheel. Fully weathering the storm that was my sister's wrath.

And there was something about the things she said that caused my own anger to rise and made me feel hurt inside. Hearing her say those things, thinking I'm becoming less and less, that I'm somehow solely to blame for what's happened to me… I may love my sister to death and I don't enjoy getting into arguments with her, but I certainly won't just take that lying down either.

"Tell me something Andromeda." I began, finally using her real name, measured and calm, masking the fury I now felt burning inside. "Whose fault is it I was sent to prison in the first place?"

A look of surprise soon graced her face, before it morphed into one of guilt and remorse. "Percy, I'm…"

I didn't let her finish as I continued, coldly. "Maybe you should blame that fast-ugly bastard Ugliano. If he hadn't tried to rape my sister right in front of me, I wouldn't have been forced to bash his head open like a melon."

The look of guilt on her face worsened, and now I could see fear, genuine fear, within her eyes as my sister no doubt could remember the incident that led to my conviction and current incarceration. I certainly will remember that event until the day I die and I will never regret my decision to kill that man. He deserved to die. Not only for what he tried to do to Andromeda, but for all the pain he ever caused to mom and me, all the beatings he gave us and all the other nasty things he said to us. Sometimes I still wonder what went into her mind that caused her to marry that worthless sack of sewer waste.

"Or maybe you should blame mom for marrying that bastard in the first place and forcing us to live with him. I hated that man since I was six and I still resent mom for picking that obese slime to marry instead of someone else more decent. Now I'm the one paying for her mistakes, not her. And definitely not you."

I said to her most unkindly, my eyes boring straight into her own as I leaned slightly forward with my hands gripping the edge of the metal table, hearing it groan in protest under my grip as I dared my sister to contest my words. And to my quiet satisfaction, Andromeda remained quiet as she shuddered under my gaze.

I didn't want to be mad at my own mother, but I was. I was mad at her and still am. I love her and I would kill for her, but I also blame her for what has happened to me. Because if that mother of mine had simply made some smarter decisions in her life, maybe her daughter would not have gotten into harm's way and her son would not have been forced to become a murderer just to protect his sister. Was it fair for me to blame my own mom, to hate her for what she did? No, it probably wasn't, but it's also not fair that I'm the one locked behind bars either. My whole goddamn future permanently ruined and with very little prospects left for me when I'm finally released seventeen years from now.

"Percy, please… I-I'm sorry for what I said. It was wrong of me! I didn't mean to blame you for this, for anything! I just…"

She finally spoke to me again tentatively, eyes now wet with tears. And I kept silent and waited for her to finish. I was somewhat mollified by the sight her looking genuinely sorry for the things she said. I wasn't mad at her, not really. But I certainly did not like any of the things she said to me either.

"I just want you back with us! I missed you so much! And mom definitely misses you way more! She still blames herself for what happened and she hasn't been the same ever since. She hardly eats, she barely sleeps. And she's always working herself halfway to death as a way to punish herself, and there's really nothing I can say or do to make her feel any better! That's why I need you to come back to us Percy! Before she… she…" Andy had now broken down in tears by this point, sniffling and gasping as she spoke to me.

"You wanna know why I did it? Why I beat those boys up?" I asked her, still looking coldly at her, my rage still not quite abated though I did my best to restrain it. I promised to behave myself whenever I'm around her and I will.

Andy only looked at me in silence and nodded at me tentatively, still looking wary of me. And so I began to tell her the truth, nothing but the truth.

"I was in the showers when those boys came at me. They were armed with shivs that they made from filed toothbrush handles and pieces of hard plastic. But shortly before they tried to kill me, one of them said that after they were done with me, the first thing they would do after they got out of here was to look for you and mom. Said they would take their time raping you both before finally cutting you up like pigs. Obviously, I couldn't allow that to happen, so I did what I had to do."

The moment those words left my mouth, Andy stared at me in horrified shock and disbelief. "That's… That is- If what you said is true, then why haven't you told anyone about this? Why didn't you ask for help?"

A bitter smile soon crept its way to my face as I looked her with some contempt. "Of course I did. But nobody believed me. They just sent me to solitary confinement and wrote me off as a repeat offender. Kinda like what my sister is doing now."

That last bit was like a slap to the face for Andy as she recoiled, the look of guilt on her intensifying, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "Oh God! Percy I… I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."

I looked away from her and let out a huge sigh, feeling extremely bitter about all this but already very much resigned to my fate. I guess whatever higher powers existed out there were clearly out to get me, because why else would I be cursed with such shitty luck.

But I decided to omit one little fact about that encounter though. The fact that one of those boys, the oldest one, did not look normal. In fact he looked like a literal demon from Hell with a long tongue like that of a snake's and short goat-like horns on his head with cloven feet. His eyes also had a sickly yellow color with pupils shaped into slits and were glowing with a strange light. And what made it stranger still was the fact none of the other boys with him seem to notice just how nightmarish he looked. Now that I think about it, I can't help but wonder if that… thing, whatever it was, was somehow controlling those other kids.

But I knew that thing was some sort of monster because shortly after I killed it by breaking its neck, it quickly dissolved into black dust right in front of my eyes. As if it was never there in the first place. And that's when all the other kids soon went back to normal, and none of them could remember what had happened. They didn't even know what they were doing there in the first place. Of course, when Officer Cain and the others finally came into the scene, they only saw a bunch of kids lying on the floor, their faces bleeding and bruised. And me who stood over them who had cuts all over and blood staining my hands, with a bunch of illegal weapons scattered around me. Any unsuspecting onlooker would have immediately arrived at the obvious conclusion.

"Well, it's not too late. When I get back home, I'll tell mom about this and we will make sure your lawyer knows too. We can still find a way to convince the judge you did nothing wrong, and maybe he'll still agree to shorten your sentence." Andy said to me reassuringly, trying her best to give me some kind of hope here.

But I shook my head at that. That couldn't happen. That would only cause more problems. "It's better for you to just go back home and forget everything about me. And tell mom to stop trying to get me free. She should just focus all her energy on you instead."

"What!?" She cried out in shock. "Percy, what are you talking about? You can't just-

"I mean it Andy. It's for the best." I cut her off, now looking back at her, dead serious. "Just forget about me and live your life. You still got a lot going for you and you don't need a convicted felon for a brother holding you down."

"Don't say that Perseus!" Andy once again went back to using my real name, feeling outrage and rightfully so this time as she glared at me with teary eyes. "Please, don't just give up when the going gets tough! The Percy Jackson I know and love is far too stubborn to call it quits!"

Know and love huh? Wow, that was actually really heartwarming and made me smile that stupid-looking happy smile again. I guess I really can't stay mad at my sister for too long especially when says something like that to me. All the more reason I should keep her away from me, because I've already noticed how terrible things seem to happen to me all the time and I don't want Andy getting caught up in any of it.

"It's alright Andy. Everything is gonna be alright. I'll still be here. I'm not going anywhere." I said to her, offering her what I hoped to be a comforting smile.

Whatever else she wanted to say to me though had to wait until next time, because Officer Cain finally came back and said to me.

"Times up you two. Jackson, let's go back to your cell."

I only nodded at that and began to rise up from my seat and Officer Cain soon held me by the arm. But before he could start dragging me back to my little box, Andy quickly got up from her chair and with a look of distress on her ever so beautiful face, cried out and said.

"Wait! Can't he stay a bit longer? We still have much to talk about!"

Officer Cain sighed at that and actually looked at my sister sympathetically. "I'm sorry Miss. But he's still under solitary confinement. He shouldn't be allowed to see any visitors at all, but we decided to make one small exception this time. You can come and visit him again next time though."

And with that, I was soon led back into my cell. I looked back towards Andy, and it broke my heart to see her sobbing openly once again as she stared at me mournfully. Such beauty should never be marred with tears, and yet I am the one that caused it. I really wished I could go back there, wipe them away and hold her close to me. But like Officer Cain said, my time was up. The Damned don't get any privileges, either in the world of the living or the dead.

) … (

Later that night as I lay on my bed, I found myself having a hard time sleeping.

There was heavy rain and thunder roaring outside, the flash of lighting briefly illuminating the inside of my cell through the small window. Another big storm was hitting New York City once again. In fact, there had been plenty of big storms happening around here for the past three years now, even during in the middle of spring and summer when it should have been off-season for them. Not only that, but large hurricanes have also been ravaging much of the lower East Coast and parts of the West Coast with much more frequency lately, with several tsunamis hitting the coastal towns and cities of Florida, Louisiana and California. The death toll was already well into the thousands just from all these natural disasters, and they continue to climb up.

And not only that, but there had been a huge wave of violent crimes hitting the major cities and towns all across the U.S. and local law enforcement can barely keep up with all of the huge string of violent riots, brutal murders, wide-spread looting and gang rapes. Some States have already been forced to call in the National Guard just to help keep the peace. And in addition to the crime waves, a new and mysterious pandemic was also ravaging the whole country. Hospitals in every State were now filled to capacity and tens of thousands of people have already died with many more dying as they all suddenly and most inexplicably began to fall ill. And to further compound an already dire situation, there were food shortages all across the country with countless grocery stores, supermarkets and restaurants literally having no food on the shelves serve or sell. All because a huge famine has also struck much of the farms.

But these troubles were not just happening in the U.S. though. Wars were already raging in the Middle-East between Israel and several Arab countries and in Eastern Europe between Russia and the Ukraine. The death-toll from those two ongoing wars alone was already in the hundreds of thousands and it doesn't seem like the conflicts would end anytime soon. And not only that, but other countries in other parts of the globe have also descended into full-blown civil unrest, such as Colombia, Venezuela, Libya, France, Italy, Greece and Turkey, just to name of few. And all of these countries have also been struck with the same woes plaguing the United States.

The whole world was slowly but surely tearing itself apart, and all of the suffering and destruction and carnage being wrought which was affecting not just millions but hundreds of millions world-wide, made whatever personal struggles I was currently going through look that much less important.

But how do I know all of this? Have I been listening in to the radio or watching the news lately, or scrolling through my phone and looking at my social media feed? Hell no! I'm locked up in prison here and I got next to no access to the outside world. No, the reason why I know for a fact that the whole world was currently going to shit was because I could hear it all, even now.

"Help me! Someone please! My mother is bleeding!" A young boy cried out from a town in Lebanon as it was being shelled with artillery.

"God damn you all! You'll pay for this! You'll burn in Hell for this!" A father of three from a city in Colombia roared out as he watched a group of armed men brutally ravish his wife and daughters right in front of him.

"Please! God help me! Please don't let me die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" A young soldier of barely twenty years sobbed and pleaded as he hid inside a trench out on the war-torn countrysides of Ukraine. Shells continued to rain down and explode all around him.

"Why? Why did this have to happen? Why did it have to be my son… Why him?!" An middle-aged man from a town in India quietly sobbed as he cradled his lifeless son in his arms, whom he just managed to dig out from beneath the rubble after a powerful earthquake shook the whole country.

"Help me! Help! Get away from me! NO!" A young woman from downtown Chicago cried out desperately as what can only be described as a maddened beast with horns and cloven feet ravaged her.

And these were the only ones that I could pick out from among the countless voices that continued to pour into my mind from every direction. I was now sitting on my bed at this point, my hands covering my ears and grimacing as I tried my best to block out the voices. The voices of millions upon millions of people all around the world, all of them crying out for help. All of them begging for relief, for salvation, for retribution. And all of these voices, for some mysterious and truly confounding reason, were all being directed to me. I could hear them all, hear their screams as if they were right beside me. Feel their anger, their pain and their grief as if it was my own. These people all needed help, and desperately so, and they were all crying out to me! And I just want it all to stop!

"Shut up… Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!" I began shouting out now, still grimacing as I tried and failed to keep the voices out, their never ending pleas and cries assailing me like machine-gun fire. "Stop it. Stop begging me to help you! I can't even help myself right now, so what can I possibly do for any of you!"

I could barely take it anymore. All the pain and all the fear and all the anguish they felt pouring into me like a mighty river. And I was so utterly helpless to stop it all. To put an end to their suffering, to save them. I just could not do it! I just didn't know how!

I finally snapped. I rose out of my bed, walked over to the wall on the other side of my cell.

"SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP!"

I reared my fist and slammed it against the solid concrete wall with all the strenght I could possibly muster. My hand should have broken against it, my bones fracturing into a thousand pieces.

*CRASH*

Instead, a huge crashing noise assaulted my ears and countless pieces of rubble hit me in the face, a cloud of dust obscuring my vision and tickling my nose. I coughed a bit and waved off some of the dust as I struggled to see in front of me. But when my vision finally cleared, I was left utterly stunned at what I saw.

Right in front of me was sizable hole on the wall, big enough for a grown man to walk through with ease. Jagged pieces of concrete and shattered bricks were lying all over the floor on the other cell right next to mine. And sitting on the bed on the other end, looking utterly frightened beyond his mind, was another kid who had also been placed under solitary confinement. And right now that kid was staring at me with wide eyes, looking very much like he wanted to be anywhere but here. And I couldn't blame him.

I was just as shocked and scared shitless as he was. But as I slowly looked at myself, I was astonished to see that I was completely unharmed, I was covered in dust but was otherwise devoid of injuries, not even so much as a scratch. A stark contrast to the solid brick and concrete wall I had just destroyed which was nearly a foot thick. It was as if a car had just crashed right through it, when in fact it was simply knocked down by my bare fist.

"What… the …hell?" I said aloud, still in disbelief of what I just did. But there were a couple of things made abundantly clear now.

First one, was that the countless voices in my head have finally and thankfully fallen silent, and all the anguish and desperation and hatred that I felt with them was gone. And I hope this would be the last time this would happen, though I had sneaking suspicion that this might happen again.

And the second one, and this was my most pressing concern at the moment, was that I am seriously going to be in so much trouble again for destroying this wall. I don't even know how I'm gonna explain this to anyone.

) … (

Author's Notes:

Hey all, I would like to welcome you all again to my brand new story. And if you took the time to read this very first chapter, then I thank you and I hope you enjoyed it. For those of you who are already familiar with my other works, then you already know my style and you know what to expect from me. But for those of you who are just reading my work for the first time, well, I hope I'll be able to deliver the kind of story that will, hopefully, do Uncle Rick's original work some justice.

A few things I want to clear up. This story is gonna be AU. It will still mostly follow the major evens of the whole series of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but there will be lots of changes here, as you all undoubtedly saw. Also, I am aware that Rick Riordan took inspiration from the actual Greek and Roman Myths and twisted them for modern readers, and he took quite a bit of creative freedom when he wrote them in the main series. Well, I am gonna be sticking more closely to the actual Myths here. What does that mean exactly?

It means prepare for a darker and grittier retelling of the story of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Because the actual Greek Myths were definitely not children's fairy-tales, but were geared towards an adult audience. The hoplon carrying, spear thrusting and phalanx forming adult audience of the Ancient and Classical period. But with that said, my main goal is to entertain you all, not scare you away. So I'll try my best to tone it down a bit where it counts.

And for those of you who are waiting for the next update on The Slayer's Tale, next chapter will be posted hopefully by next week. Because work has been pretty hectic for me lately and I confess that much of free time has been occupied by this new story, but I'll still do my best to post regular monthly updates both for Percy Jackson - Anathema, and The Slayer's Tale.

Anyways, thanks for reading my new story and please fill up that review box down below and send me all your thoughts. Constructive criticisms, even if harshly worded, will still be accepted.

John out.