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Perseus 'Percy,' Jackson, didn't know what he did to deserve this. He tried his best to be a good person, things didn't always work out that way, but no one is perfect. Did he constantly curse the heavens, sure, but to be fair, there are actual gods up there that hate him and have done their best to ruin his life. Currently there is a god down here that might do the same.
He was in the park with his mother Sally, who he loved, his baby sister Estelle, who he also loved, and Athena who scared him more than any monster he had ever faced, oh and two of Athena's owls. Budo was staying with his family and apparently Athena couldn't go anywhere without an owl so she introduced as her owl to Percy and didn't elaborate. It was a chilly almost winter day and the three mortals were bundled up. Athena was in her normal dress, ready for battle or the boardroom in a moment.
Percy was still unsure of what to make of Athena. The story she told Sally and Annabeth that he overheard was a rough one. Percy wasn't sure if he'd ever look at Athena the same way. Poseidon was a dad, that's for sure, not the greatest, sometimes Percy worried he would turn him into kelp on a bad day. But hearing what Zeus did to her made him so happy Sally preferred walks on the beach to skydiving. And not just because it would make hanging with Thalia and Jason weird. It wasn't enough to make him forget about what she put Annabeth through, but it did make it harder to simply hate her and write her off as another distant god. If Annabeth was willing to give it a try he would, for her sake.
Percy didn't know what to make of Budo at first either. She was an owl, a super smart owl since she worked for Athena, but that part didn't make him feel good. Percy couldn't understand her the same way Sally could and apparently Estelle. The Owl was practically his little sister's guardian angel and best friend rolled into one. Budo was his little sister's Grover and it was weird to think about.
Things changed once Percy had a chance to hang out with Budo. Even if Percy couldn't understand her, the little owl was surprisingly cool to be around. She came in one day when he was watching the Dark Knight in the living room and watched with him. Apparently the owl was a bit of a film buff which made her fun to watch movies with despite the language barrier. Despite himself Percy had come to like and trust Budo, even if they were working for Athena.
Still, Percy wasn't sure if he trusted Athena, she had given her word that she wouldn't hurt Sally or Estelle, maybe he was covered in the contract his mom signed with her. Still, sometimes gods just broke their oaths, even to the Styx. He was living proof of that.
So Percy walked in between his mom and Athena on their walk. It put him closer to Athena than he would have liked but it meant his mom and Estelle were further away if something bad happened. Budo flew above them enjoying the windy day, Percy didn't think the owl would hurt his family, despite working for Athena, but he knew she was going to be on Athena's side if things went down no matter how many movies they watched together.
Realistically, he wasn't sure what he could do if things went bad. He wasn't sure he could talk Athena in a fight and not just because she was Annabeth's mother. Percy had fought gods, monsters, titans, and giants since he was twelve. He was good at sword fighting, but he knew he wasn't the best. He had never seen Athena fight, but he had to assume that she was at least as good as Ares, probably better. He had only beaten the other god of war by getting lucky, he wasn't sure if he could count on that against Athena.
If it came down to it, he could give his mom and Estelle time to escape, and keep himself alive until something happened. Athena could only fight him if he challenged her, she might be willing to break an oath on the Styx like their dads, but even the titans respected the ancient law of only fighting mortals when challenged. Even if she might be willing to break one sacred law to get rid of him, Percy doubted she'd break two.
Still, so far he didn't need to worry. Athena was all enough that she could talk to Sally over Percy's head without being interrupted. She is apparently a fan of Sally's book, which was a mixed bag. It was weird to have Annabeth's mom and his mom talking like people, almost like friends. But having the goddess of Wisdom a fan of his mom's book was a great endorsement.
It was a good book, one of the best ever written and Percy would use Riptide on anyone who argued against it. Even Percy thought it was good and he didn't even like to read. Annabeth had been over more to see Sally to gush about the book than to see him, which he tried not to take personally.
Sally had done her best to get Percy involved in the conversation. She knew her son better than anyone and knew he wasn't that interested in books. He liked hers, Sally suspected it had to do with her being his mother and Annabeth reading to him. She did her best to try and get the two of them to have a conversation with each other, so far Estelle had more to add to the conversation and she wasn't able to form words yet.
Time to break out the big guns. "It's a bit chilly out right now," Sally said, thankfully there wasn't any snow on the ground yet, but that didn't mean it wasn't cold. "Estelle, Budo, Tamsin and I are going to head over to that food truck and get us something warm to drink. The two of you wait here."
Not the most graceful of exits but it was all she had. Before either of them could say anything Sally walked to the line leaving the two of them alone in the park. They eyed each other quietly unsure of what to do now. "Perhaps we should sit down," Athena suggested and Percy nodded.
They made their way to the metal benches, Percy was going to sit down before Athena stopped him. "What, am I sitting wrong," Percy asked, sarcastically if you were not aware of his native tongue.
"No Perseus," Athena said, rolling her eyes at him. She looked a bit too much like Annabeth when she did that for Percy to feel comfortable. "It is cold out and the bench is going to be colder than the air," she explained. Then she waved her hand over the bench and took a seat, Percy followed a moment suspicious, but curious.
It wasn't like sitting on a normal bench when it got cold out, it didn't freeze his butt at all. In fact it felt warm and toasty, like he was sitting in a bath instead of a bench. "I would be fine, but as a mortal, you would be uncomfortable. I do not think either your mother or my daughter would be happy with me if I let you freeze for my own amusement."
"Well thanks I guess," Percy said, unsure of how to react. Gods trying to kill him were something he was used to, gods trying to use him was even more common, but a god being nice, even if it wasn't for him, that was strange to him.
The two of them sat in awkward silence for about a full minute, demigod and goddess, both with ADHD, it was obvious one of them was going to break the silence. "How is school," Athena asked, growing sick of the awkward silence first. She was not good at small talk but school was probably a safe topic.
"Oh um, school is good," Percy said unsure of how to proceed, "I mean, I like New Rome better than any of my old schools. I can actually read the material and my oceanography classes have been interesting."
"Good to hear," Athena said, unsure of how to continue. The American education system was the bane of her existence this century. It did not make any sense and it was actively harmful to the young people who were forced into it. Zeus had refused her request to reform the whole system into something that made sense, 'mortals created it so mortals will deal with it' he told her. But she kept that to herself. Percy would not be interested in hearing her rant about how the American Education System deserved to be slain.
There was silence between them once more, heavy awkward silence, until Percy broke it. "Why do you hate me so much," he asked out of the blue. Maybe he could have asked more tactfully, but this was the longest amount of time he's spent with Athena and it just slipped out.
"I do not hate you Perseus," Athena said after composing her thoughts, she did not look at him though, just straight ahead.
"Oh come on, of course you do," Percy said, turning to her now. "Is it because of my dad?"
"No, I have known many children of Poseidon," Athena told him, "I have helped them, mentored some of them. Theseus and Bellerophon, two of your most famous brothers became heroes because of my help. Timothy and Serena were also my students and while they lacked the previous two's fame, they excelled in their chosen fields due to my tutelage. I have helped many of your half brothers and sisters."
"So am I just special then," Percy asked, more angry than before. It would have made sense if she hated him because of his dad. It would still be stupid, but at least it would make a bit of sense. "You helped a bunch of them and voted to kill me, makes sense, sounds fair."
"That was not personal Perseus," Athena said knowing how she sounded. It was true, voting to kill him had not been personal, it had been about preserving Olympus not killing him. "I was asked for my counsel and offered it truthfully. I told you before that wise counsel is not always popular. But I will always answer truthfully. I would have voted the same if it were about Nico or Thalia."
That almost set Percy off. For one thing, sure everything in Greek mythology has tried to kill him, but it has always been personal to him. But it was the casual mention of Thalia and Nico that really set him off. He was about to say something that would have started World War 3, to her about her vote, but she interrupted him.
"For what it is worth, I am glad I was wro-, incorrect," Athena continued.
"Did you just admit you were wrong about me," Percy asked, half stunned, half smug.
"No, I said I was incorrect about the situation, not wrong," Athena insisted. "You were the one spoken about in the prophecy, but you made the right choice in preserving Olympus. Because of this, you saved us all, and I am grateful that you made the right choice."
"Well you're welcome I guess," Percy said, he wanted to rant at her, but it was hard when she took the wind out of his sails like that.
"I was not kind to you," Athena said solemnly, "I do regret that, but despite the prophecy turning out to be another's death, I did what I could to protect my daughter. I do not regret that."
"I would never hurt Annabeth no matter what you believe," Percy told her as his anger started to rise again. Athena had a way of pushing his buttons so he didn't know how to feel.
"You would not cause her physical pain Perseus," Athena said almost sadly, "you would never stab her or beat her, I think you would rather rip off your own arm than abuse her. But that is not the worst pain you can do to someone Percy."
"You heard the Great Prophecy a week before it came to pass. Annabeth knew years before and it almost broke her. I have known what it said for decades," Athena said, her voice growing distant. "No one expected the hero's death to be about Luke, everyone who heard it assumed it would be you, or the other child of the sons of Kronos to reach 16. Annabeth thought, I thought you were going to die and I suspect you thought the same."
Percy nodded even though she wasn't looking at him, just staring into the distance. "It did not matter when we first heard the prophecy if the hero was going to die. A tragedy to die so young perhaps, but nothing I have not seen a million times before. Olympus mattered more to me when the prophecy came to pass. But then you showed up, Poseidon's son who reached Camp Half-Blood at age 12, it seemed likely that you were the child of the prophecy. When you took my daughter and your satyr friend to the underworld for your quest and survived it seemed clear enough. But that was when I started to worry."
"It is one thing to lose a friend or even a lover is one thing, but to lose the one you love most is different. When the two of you met it was puppy love and a crush perhaps but still knowing you were going to die at most in four years was enough to put me on guard,." Athena continued.
"Annabeth didn't have a crush on me when we were 12," was the only defense Percy could come up with. Athena was scaring him right now and he didn't know what to say so he fell on the old reliable saying something stupid.
Athena actually looked at him for a moment, eyebrow raised before turning away. "If you say so," she said before she continued.
"As you grew closer, I could tell she was falling for you harder and faster each day. For a boy doomed to die. I did what I could to protect my daughter's heart even if she hated me, even if it was inevitable. The prophecy might have been different than we thought, but that does not mean your death would not destroy her Perseus."
"Annabeth is strong," Percy managed to get out.
"Of course she is," Athena snapped back, "but think of all those you've lost, the friends." and Percy did against his will. He thought of Michael Yew, of Castor, of Beckendorf, of Bob and Damsen, each one hurt despite knowing others better. "Now imagine losing Annabeth the same way." That made Percy feel like throwing up. He had thought about Annabeth dying before, they lived dangerous lives so the possibility was always there, they had gone through Tartarus for god's sake. He had nightmares about it, but the way Athena was talking made the thought of losing her made it seem all the more real.
"Your lives are dangerous, I wish I could change that. You might not believe me, but I do," Athena continued, she actually rubbed his back as he doubled over in a small act of kindness. "I am glad you have survived more than you know Perseus. Despite everything you survived and so did she, for what it is worth, I am glad."
"I will admit, I am still wary of you," Athena told him, "you are powerful and despite what you want, will do anything you can to save your friends. I shudder to think what you would do if the wrong person threatened my daughter."
"I love her," was all Percy could say.
"Of course you do, and she loves you. The two of you are…, good for each other," Athena managed to admit. "But that does not mean you will not be a force of nature if she were to die before her time. Nor do I wish to imagine what Annabeth would be like if you were the one to pass." Athena had imagined it, more times than she could count. He did not need to know that though.
"Losing the love of your life is painful, Perseus, more than you know. I would not wish it upon my worst enemy, who, despite what you may believe, is not you," Athena told him.
"Well thanks," Percy said trying to muster up his classic Percy disrespect for the gods he normally had. But Athena was different and she scared him. "I've had enough archenemies for a while. I'd rather my girlfriend's mother not be another one."
"From what mortal media I have consumed, most of the time mothers of one's girlfriend tend to become archenemies. Or perhaps that is only when they truly become mothers-in-law," Athena mused. "If that is the case then perhaps we have a few years until I truly come to hate you."
The way Athena said that last part out of the blue made Percy cough as air went down the wrong tube. He had thought about marrying Annabeth, he had thought about marrying Annabeth a lot since his wrestling match with Geras. Probably a lot more than a normal 18 year old thought about marrying their girlfriend. But nothing was normal about Percy's life. Just right now he was sitting on a park bench with Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, who happens to be his girlfriend's mother. Most boys, or men his age, never had to deal with this.
Still, once he recovered, Athena was kind enough to slap his back to help. It hurt, but it wasn't nearly as strong as it had to be, so Percy counted that as a win as his weezing leveled out. "Are you alright Perseus," Athena asked, her voice unsure but the concern at least seemed real.
"Yeah, I'm good," Percy said as his breathing leveled out to normal. "That was just unexpected."
"After everything you have been through with my daughter Perseus I have come around to the inevitable," Athena told him.
"That's great, I'm glad you aren't going to try and break us up," Percy said, half sarcastic and half hopeful.
"I have never tried to 'break' the two of you up," Athena defended herself. "I said how I feel and at the time I used to disapprove of your relationship. But I have never actually tried to break you and my daughter apart."
Percy wasn't sure if that was any better, but it probably mattered to someone like Athena. But that wasn't what he focused on anyway, "you said you used to disapprove of us, does that mean…," despite himself he couldn't help but grin.
"I am not certain if I would say I approve," Athena said, trying to maintain control in the conversation. "Just that I have not attempted to break the two of you up. The two of you would continue to see each other regardless of my opinion on the matter. And the two of you survived Tartarus and Gaia with your sanity and relationship intact, I do not fight losing battles Perseus."
Maybe Percy should take offense to the way she was saying it, but he couldn't. Despite himself, the knowledge that his relationships, his bond, with Annabeth was so strong that even Athena thought she would lose fighting against it made him feel warm inside.
"So you approve of us," Percy asked again, bolstered by Athena's lack of a fight.
"I do not disapprove of the two of you together," Athena managed to say, she looked like she was going to choke on her words.
"I'm just saying, I know things are rough between the two of you. Knowing you approve of our relationship might make her feel better towards you," Percy said, trying to sound neutral instead of smug.
For a second, Percy was sure that Athena was going to stab him as she met his gaze. He was sure most people would wilt under the gaze of Athena, but as intimidating as Athena is, they're Annabeth's eyes too. Sure, somehow they were even more piercing than his girlfriend's, but he was too used to loving that color to feel afraid.
But to his surprise, Athena smiled. A small, but sincere smile all the same. "Well done Perseus," she told him, "it is important to know your antagonist's weaknesses and how to exploit them. Physical, mental, emotional, keeping your opponent off guard is a key part of combat, whether on the battlefield, the ballroom, or even a simple conversation."
"I wouldn't say you are an opponent," Percy said, his voice very hopeful. He had a lot of enemies and people who tried to kill him, he still thought what he learned when he was 14, Athena would be the worst person; god, mortal, monster, titan, giant, primordial, other, to make an enemy of. And not just because she was his girlfriend's mother and his mother's new best friend.
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Athena said instead of giving him a straight answer, "I have never thought of you as an enemy Perseus, but I think opponent is a neutral term. Regardless, I am simply happy that my future son-in-law has grown more clever over the years."
Percy was going to argue, it's what he did, but then he stopped and his face turned red when he realized what Athena called him. Sure she had implied it before, but it was different to hear her state it outright. He had thought about marrying Annabeth before, hell he had thought about marrying Annabeth since he was 15. But to hear Athena call him her future son-in-law was enough to leave him speechless.
"A good lesson to remember is that your opponents can learn how to catch you off guard as well," Athena said, closing his mouth. Now where are our other companions, the line at the drink truck must have been very long," Athena mused drily as she stood up. She knew that Sally, Estelle, Tamsin, and Budo were around, watching the two of them. At least Sally was, Estelle as a toddler probably was enjoying the park and the owls would keep her safe.
Athena left a still dazed Percy on the bench though he followed her after a minute. Athena might not have given her express approval, but they were making progress. Her new therapist told her that you need to count your progress even if it is only in baby steps.
Athena was not sure how much she believed the woman that Dionysus suggested to counsel her, but it would never be said that Athena was unafraid to try. Post story special that I couldn't fit into the actual text
"Could you stop calling me by my full name," Percy asked Athena.
"You do not like being addressed by your full name," Athena asked him.
"I'm not sure if it's about liking it or not," Percy admitted, "but only monsters and immortals call me that. They're always going, 'Perseus Jackson,'" Percy said, trying to imitate their snarls and growls. "Or worse teachers," at least you could kill monsters, you could only kill some teachers. "They would always use my full name whenever I got in trouble. So it just puts me in the mindset of danger or trouble whenever I'm called that."
"Very well," Athena agreed surprisingly easily. "If you wish to be addressed as Percy instead of Perseus I see no reason to argue Percy." It felt weird to say on her tongue, but she would oblige.
"I'm kind of surprised you agreed to change so easily," Percy admitted.
"Names have power Persu- Percy," Athena told him, catching herself. "Not just for cursing your opponent or drawing the eye of someone with a mention. They are bolstering as well."
"I will respect your wishes," Athena told him, "however I want you to know it was never intended as an insult, but a compliment." When Percy looked at her confused she explained, "your mother is a smart woman, naming you after the original Perseus. There have been more heroes than stars in the sky, but he was amongst my favorite, and among my favorite brothers," she had a small smile on her face. "Clever but not arrogant, strong but not bloodthirsty, kind but not stupid. He made mistakes like every hero, but he kept himself grounded and focused on what mattered and it let him find his way home. And having some help along the way did not hurt his chances," she said with a false modesty.
Notes: Part of the reason I'm unsure of how this chapter went was I'm worried that I made Athena seem too reasonable. but at the same time, I think it fits her character in this story. I think she is very sincere and honest when she tells Percy that she does not hate him and that whatever she did or said in canon that she did not like was not personal. Because that doesn't matter and it is something she will have to grapple with. Just because it wasn't personal to her, doesn't mean it's the same for Percy which is an issue that has come up and will keep coming up for her. This is a story about growth after all, even if she's making progress it doesn't mean things can be two steps forward and one step back. Before anyone is too worried, when she found out that Sally planned on taking a walk with her kids as one of their 'lessons' Athena immediately knitted a hat for Estelle and enchanted it so she will never be cold wearing it. Also Budo and Tamsin were snuggling with her to keep the baby extra safe and warm.
Originally this chapter was supposed to go a different way, the walk was going to happen, but they were going to be attacked by a lot of monsters. Percy would have to face them while Athena protected his family, until Athena steps in and shows off how the other goddess of war fights, but I decided to go for a quieter scene. I still might do that later, but for now I think since Athena's been talking to a lot of people, it's time for her to talk to Percy. Their relationship is very unique to the story and the canon PJO universe. I think they're more alike than they think and it's part of the reason there's friction between them, but that is a story for a later day.
I think that Percy is an incredible swordsman, but I also think the fandom has inflated his abilities somewhat. He got disarmed and taken down quickly by Kinzie pretty easily in SON, he was beaten in a fair fight by Chrysaor in a fair fight in MOA, he says Ares was one of the most skilled fighters he's ever fought. So no, I don't think Percy is the best swordsman alive right now, I think he's extremely talented and has great instincts, but I don't think he's there yet. So I don't think he can take Athena in a fight. I think she's probably the best fighter on Olympus even if she is not the most powerful god and that's how this story is written with that in mind.
Let me know how you feel about the extra bit at the end. It was something I was toying with. I always feel like I have ideas for stories that don't necessarily fit in with the chapter, so I might add on stuff at the end when I think about good ideas that I don't want to fall to the wayside. Tell me what you think, if you like the idea, if you think it's dumb and want me to stop, whatever
hope you liked it and please leave a comment if you did