AN: Inspired by IDKHowToWritePlzHelp who wrote a chapter on this crossover. First couple chapters will be a bit of a filler so that I can focus on character building, but will start to pick up fast. So will the writing quality.
Lastly, just want to say that this story is T rated BORDERING M rated. This is due to its sensitive themes such as mental health issues, along with lots and lots of descriptive graphical violence upcoming. Literally the only thing stopping this from being M rated is the lack of sexual scenes, so read at your own risk. Enjoy!
The bus came to a sudden halt, jolting Percy from his slumber. He instinctively grabbed the pen that was in his pocket, whilst scanning his surroundings, expecting an ambush of sorts. However, he let out a sigh of relief once he spotted the bus sign marked outside as 'Stardew Valley', his stop. He exited his seat, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder, and took a glance at the driver who had just put on a performance worthy of the Grey Sisters. He understood how the driver managed to achieve such a feat once he glanced at her appearance, a woman who looked to be in her 50s gripping a can of beer with one hand, seemingly inebriated. As he stepped foot into land, he was immediately greeted by a woman with red hair, adorned in utility gear and wearing a friendly smile.
"You must be Percy Jackson," she said cheerfully. "I'm Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis asked me to meet you here and take you to your new home."
Percy, wanting to give a good first impression, extended his hand, which Robin shook warmly. "Hi Robin, thanks for coming to get me."
"No problem at all," Robin replied. "It's always exciting to welcome someone new to the valley. Ready to see your new place?"
"Sure," Percy said, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.
They walked a couple hundred metres following a trail, before passing by what looked like an abandoned shack.
"Thank the gods I'm not living there," Percy commented ignorantly, before he continued walking but stopping once he realised Robin wasn't following him.
"Actually," Robin said, with a hint of pity in her words. "This is where you'll be living. I know it's not much, but I'd be happy to help renovate this place if you want."
"For free?" Percy said wistfully, to which Robin just smiled in reply. "Fine," He groaned. "We can sort it out later. Thanks for helping, uh, introduce me to my house."
Robin took a folded map out of her back pocket, and handed it to Percy. "Of course! If you need any help, just go to the place marked as 'Robin's Shop'. I can assist with any sort of building renovations or supplies. Good luck!" She said, before heading back the way they came from.
Using the key given to him by Chiron, he opened the door to his house, and tossed his duffel bag in the entrance. It was a compact interior, yet still gave a sense of home. As he was now a farmer, he knew his priority was to ensure he had land available for growing crops, which was not possible in the farm's current state due to an abundance in overgrown grass and weeds. Luckily, being a son of the sea came with perks, and so for the next couple of hours until the sun started setting, he used water from a pond nearby to drown out all unwanted occupants in his farm. He quickly tilled a crop of land for it to be suitable for growing plants, before burying parsnip seeds in equal distances and watering them. Finally, once his farm was complete, he set out to town.
The town was illuminated with ambient street lights. It was a stark contrast to the bustling streets of New York City, yet a similar "natural" aura to that of Camp Half-Blood's. The buildings were charming, with their rustic appeal and colourful facades. As Percy walked towards the town square, he noticed a few townsfolk going about their day, each offering him a curious glance, wanting to steal a look of the newcomer.
He noticed that all the buildings were currently closed, except for the salooon, and so he entered it.
Similarly to the outdoors, the saloon had a cosy atmosphere, with dimmed out yellow lights and wooden walls. In contrast, compared to the silence outside, there was a wave of discussion taking place in the saloon. Fairly civilised ones took place in the bar, and competitive arguments were held in what seemed like a game room between three teenagers. It seemed that the saloon itself accepted all ages, as long as those underaged remained in the game room. Percy made his way to the bar, sat on an empty stool, and ordered a beer.
"New in town?" the bartender, Gus, asked, before snorting at his own question. "Actually everyone already knows that, it's not often we get newcomers in this town, so when we do, it's all we talk about."
"Yeah, just got here today," Percy replied with a tired smile, taking a swig of the cold beer. "I'm taking over as the farmer."
Gus nodded. "Well, welcome to Stardew Valley. First drink's on the house."
Percy spent the next few hours drinking and chatting with the locals. He learned about the town's festivals, its history, and the unique personalities that called it home, while also spotting the familiar face of the bus driver, once again downing a beer with her alcoholism reminding him of Dionysus. He was engaged in conversation with the man next to him who introduced himself as Dr. Harvey, before he was greeted by Mayor Lewis himself, and they exchanged formalities.
However, while discussing his living situation, he spotted an interaction in the corner of the bar, between a woman and a man who seemed to be around his age. Based on his excessive touching and her closed posture and lowered gaze, avoiding eye contact, she was clearly in an uncomfortable situation and so he quickly excused himself from Lewis.
Percy, being the genius he is, walked towards the pair and shouted "Hey sis!". The girl, who was initially confused, quickly followed the ploy by responding with a greeting. The man who was next to her wore a confused expression.
"Leah, you never told me the new guy would be your brother" He said with a puzzled look, although he didn't seem to be intimidated by the fact that his brother was now next to her as he still hung an arm around her. Percy couldn't blame him completely, because despite Percy being rather tall and well built himself, the guy in front of him was built like an ares kid. They engaged in conversation a bit, with Percy trying to whisk the girl, Leah, away from him saying that they had family business to catch up on, but to no avail. He didn't want to engage in violence with him, as while he would back himself in a fight, he was trying his best to keep a low profile on his first day, along with just wanting to be rid of that life. However, once the man started bragging about him being the best drinker in town, an idea formed in Percy's head.
"Hey Alex," whose name he had learnt based on their conversation. "You haven't seen me drink yet. I'll take you up on a drinking contest," Percy boasted with false confidence as he has never participated in a drinking contest, but smirked at him with eagerness nevertheless.
Alex raised an eyebrow, contemplating the idea, before saying "I only do drinking contests with wagers. Does a hundred sound good?" Percy nearly yelped in a panic, but for Leah's sake, he agreed to the terms. They walked to the counter, with Leah quickly giving him an appreciative nod before sneaking out the salon as Gus served them each 15 shots of vodka to down.
Needless to say, the drinks started to catch up with Percy rather quickly, and by the tenth shot, he was done. He gave Alex his money and ran out before he could throw up, although not before knocking a pitcher full of water held by a blue haired waitress to the ground and spilling the contents all over his shirt, to which he quickly apologised to the waitress.
Stumbling out of the salon, Percy made his way down the darkened streets. He was doing well, managing to walk mostly in a straight line, when he suddenly collided with something. He heard a cry as someone, not something, hit the pavement.
"Ugh, I think my arm's broken!" a voice yelled out.
Percy looked down, and barely managed to make out a blonde girl glaring at him. However, her tough demeanour was betrayed by the tears in her eyes, clearly emphasising that she was in a lot of pain. She was beautiful, even in his drunken haze, but her expression was less than friendly. Unconsciously, he touched her arm, and willed the water molecules surrounding his wet clothes to his hand, using it to heal her arm. The girl seemed to relax to his touch, as she clearly felt the previous pain on her arm fade. Even her expression seemed to soften, further amplifying her features. Her long, flowing blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders like spun gold, catching the light in a way that seemed to make her glow. Bright blue eyes, framed by delicate lashes, sparkled with curiosity, and she had the perfect figure to compliment it all.
Percy, realising he was staring, quickly shook himself out of his trance, and quickly offered a hand, which she grabbed with her previously hurt arm's hand and stood up.
"Sorry," Percy mumbled, trying to steady himself. "I-I didn't see you."
"Clearly," she said, rolling her eyes. "How did you do that?"
"Uh, I just set your arm, it just, um, slightly popped out?" Percy said, questioning his own words.
The girl seemed to believe him, as she didn't pursue the subject further. "Who are you anyways? I've never seen you around before."
"My name is Percy. Percy Jackson," he replied, slurring his first name. "Just moved here today."
"Great," she muttered. "Well, you're clearly drunk, so I'm going to go home. Hopefully I don't run into you again."
She walked away, leaving Percy standing there, feeling like an idiot. He walked back home with no further run ins, and as he got ready to sleep, he still couldn't shake her off her mind.
Just when he was on the brink of Hypnos' realm, he realised why. She reminded him of Annabeth.