Percy sprung forward, thrusting his sword at Theos's midsection. Theos sidestepped the thrust quickly, his hands lazily stuffed into his pockets. Percy performed a backhanded sword swing from his lunging position. In an attempt to hit Theos's stomach for the second time, Percy-again- missed.
"C'mon now," Theos whined.
"You can do better than that." He said. Percy gritted his teeth. Theos removed his hands from his pockets. He let them drop to his sides. He rolled up his sleeves and cracked his knuckles.
"Are you warmed up?" Theos asked. Percy nodded. A grin spread on Theos's lips.
"Alright, we'll move on to the next phase." He said. Percy's head tilted. A puzzled expression wore on his face.
"What's phase 2?"Percy asked. Theos now moved on to flexing his fingers.
"Well, I can't just let you swing that sword around at me." He said. A chuckle escaped his lips.
"What...do you mean?" Percy asked. Theos grinned cheerfully.
"I'll start hitting back now." He said, still grinning. Percy felt an instant pang of dread. His mouth began to fill up. Percy gulped the saliva down and let out a breath. His pinky began to shake slightly out of a twinge of nervousness. Theos, who seemed to notice this, raised an eyebrow.
"You good?" Theos asked.
"You aren't...scared. Are you?" He asked with his eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. Percy shook his head, took a deep breath, and lifted his sword slowly.
"Ok. Let's do it." He said. Theos smiled.
"Good." He said. Percy gripped the hilt of the sword. He dug his feet into the ground and charged. He started the same, With a mid-section thrust at Theos, who did a cheeky little spin move, Avoiding the strike entirely. Mid-spin, He balled his fists, and since he spun forward, he managed to close the distance between himself and Percy. Theos planted his feet and punched Percy directly in the jaw. Percy toppled over. He staggered for a few seconds before regaining his balance and readying his sword again.
"The thrusts are clearly not working." Theos called out. Percy gritted his teeth. He tried to ignore the stinging pain in his jaw and picked up his sword. Percy lifted it to his face and gritted his teeth. Anger seeped through his teeth. Theos glanced at him.
"Round 2?" He asked. Percy didn't even respond. He charged at Theos, slashing this time. Theos dodged easily. Percy wasn't finished yet. He swung again, making Theos leap back. Percy then decided to thrust. It didn't work. Theos slid to the side. Since Percy got a tad overzealous with the thrust, He stumbled forward a bit, allowing Theos to get back on the offensive. He threw a punch, which Percy almost broke his neck to dodge. Theos followed it with a kick to the stomach. Percy was forced to stumble back. He didn't even have a second to catch his breath before Theos barreled forward to attack him. Percy swung his sword aimlessly, praying to make him retreat. He couldn't. Theos ducked the swing MID RUN and shot his fist directly into Percy's gut. Percy keeled over. Theos didn't stop. He rocked Percy in his right jaw this time, evening both jaws out. Theos finished things off with a knee to the face. Percy slightly stumbles back. He somehow managed to hold on to the sword. Percy took a long breath.
"One last stand." He muttered. He let out a roar and charged at Theos. Percy leapt in the air, sword held high, as he tried to slice him in half. Theos stood there, Smirking as always. At the last moment, he stuck his hand out, grabbing Percy's wrist. He violently pulled it to the right, moving the sword's trajectory from his face, and causing Percy to come crashing to the ground. The blade finally fell free from his grasp. Theos laughed a little and strolled towards Percy.
"Eerrrgg" Percy cried out. A lot more than his jaw stung. He was sprawled out a couple of feet from Theos, with his sword mere inches away from his hand. This wasn't good.
"Yello!" Theos called out as he inched closer to Percy
"That's all you're going to give me?" He asked. Percy gritted his teeth. He had one last idea. It wasn't a great one, or creative, but maybe he could take a shot. He just needed Theos to get a little bit closer.
"Come on, get up will ya!" Theos said he was now standing over Percy. He had his hands on his hips, and a stupid grin on his face. His guard was down.
"Gotcha." Percy spat out. He gripped his sword, sprung to his fit, and violently slashed at Theos's chest. A cry rang through the room.
"Woah." Percy breathed. Theos was crouched down, his hands shielding his body from the sword, and by extension, a black mass of energy was protruding from them. The same one that Theos had demonstrated just 30 minutes before. The sword cracked. Percy could see it. Like venom, the cracks were spreading throughout the blade, as a face of shock began to form. Right infront of his face, Percy's sword fell to shards at his feet. The glow from Theos's energy beam subsided and Percy heard a voice speak to him.
"You lasted a few seconds." Theos said, a smile on his face.
"You're pretty persistent too." He added. He stood back up and offered his hand.
"Good job!" He chirped. Percy didn't react, his eyes were glued on the pile of shards at their feet.
Theos chuckled sheepishly.
"I kind of went overboard there." He said, glancing back at the shards. Percy gripped his temple, his hands began to tremble.
"God dammit" he muttered, he was forcing back to urge to cry. Theos cocked his head to the side
"You good buddy?" He asked, his face a mix of concern and amusement.
"That was my sword!" Percy cried out.
"Wha-?" Theos asked.
"I've had that since I was a kid." He added, bitterly peeking at the shards through his fingers. The amusement dropped from Theos's face, and he rolled his eyes.
"Seriously?" He said.
"It's not even that…." He sighed. There was no way it was that serious. Theos walked to Percy and awkwardly patted his shoulder. Percy didn't look at him.
"Look, I know a guy." Theos started
"We could go to him, and get you a new one…..alright?" Theos asked. He looked at Percy, trying to gauge his reaction. Percy stared at the floor.
"Yeah whatever," he said and trudged out of the room. Theos watched him walk
How dramatic.
That night was a strange one for Percy. He shimmied in his new bed, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't easy. He didn't have this problem the night prior. He slipped into unconsciousness the moment his head hit the pillow then. Well he had been awake for 48 straight hours that day. M
He glanced at the bag on his nightstand. Theos was nice enough to sweep up the shards and give him the bag of them after that whole ordeal. Percy smiled. Yeah, he was kinda being whiny then. I mean, what's there to whine about, he was getting a new sword anyway. He looked back to the ceiling and sighed. He missed them. All of them. He missed what his life used to be. Before his mom had to sweep in and ruin everything. Percy grunted and sat up. He missed his friends. He couldn't just let them go. Especially Jared. Percy slipped out of his covers and slid in his weird shoes before dashing out of his bed room. There's nothing he could do to go back. To fix things. He was in the hall now. He didn't need to go to the bathroom, or water or anything. Percy walked past the display case, library, and kitchen area, before reaching the back exit door. The one him and Theos sat the night prior.
"Fresh air?" He said.
"Am I that cliche" Percy asked himself. He pushed the door open and stepped out. The soft grass squishing under his weight. Percy strolled out on the backyard, and smiled at the overlooking town below him.
"Hiya!" A voice behind him said. Percy yelped and sprung up in the air. He whipped around in fighting position, quickly dropping them when he saw Theos holding a mug.
"Jeez." Theos said.
"You're on edge."
"What are you doing out here?" Percy said.
"You scared me half to death." He cried. Theos shrugged and sipped his beverage.
"Can't a guy catch an early morning?" He asked as he leisurely strolled past Percy.
"Come, join me." Theos called to him. Percy scratched his arm and followed behind. Theos slid to sit at the ledge and took another sip. Percy followed. Similar to how they had the day before. They sat, watching the forever buzzing market.
"The town the never sleeps huh?" Theos said, watching the stands with a smile.
"There's always something going on." Percy glanced at him. Theos took a sip and looked at Percy.
"Can't sleep?" He asked. Percy looked back at the town.
"Yeah." He started
"I guess you can say that" he added. Theos smiled.
"You miss your home?" He asked before taking another sip. Percy glanced at him.
"You gave me a hard time when I tried to bring you here." Theos said.
"It doesn't take a genius to tell how much you want to go back." He added, stirring the spoon in his drink. Percy pulled at the grass next to him.
"I had a couple of friends there." He said
"Two of them."
Theos turned to look at Percy.
"Ava and-" Percy paused. He bit his lip.
"Jared." He said. Theos raised an eyebrow.
"I've known them for practically my entire life. Every second of every day, I'd be in close quarters with them. Whether it be rooms, meals or free time." Percy said. He lifted his hand and spread around the stray grass on his palm.
"We were family" He said, sprinkling it back on the ground.
"It's kind of tough being ripped away like that. And not doing anything to get back." Percy began. He looked back to the people below.
"It's sort of like torture" He muttered. Theos set down the mug and placed his hand on Percy's shoulder.
"I kind of figured that transition isn't the easiest." He said.
"It's never gonna be." He added patting Percy.
"But I'm pretty sure you know what you are." Theos said looking at Percy.
"At least I'm sure you know, that you're not like the people you're talking about." He added. Percy avoided that intense gaze Theos was subjecting him under.
"The journey you'll go through…" Theos paused, and took his eyes off of Percy. Staring off into the deep blue night
"It will require change." He said. His gaze trained on the stars.
"Things out of your control will force you out of comfort." He added. Percy's face shifted to a scowl, he was clenching the grass on tbe ground, and glaring off into the night.
"So I just got to accept it." He spat out. Theos looked at Percy. Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"But that doesn't mean you can't appreciate what you had in the past." He said. Percy glanced at him.
"What?" He asked. Theos dug in his pocket and offered a small paper out to Percy.
"I was able to swipe this from your place back in school." Theos said. A grin plastered on his face. Percy took the paper. Shock first. Complete and utter astonishment took over his face as he stared at the image. Then it twisted. His face twisted as he tried to fight back a grin. It was an image of the three of them. Him Jared and Ava, all in the picture. Percy was grinning, while Jared had his arm around Percy, with bunny ears behind Ava, who was scowling at Jared. Percy lost the fight with the grin, as his face broke into a smile. He looked back to Theos, who was already standing up.
"Hey bud, enjoy that." There was a slight smile on his face.
"Get some sleep too" He added. He turned around, before looking back.
"Tomorrow…we're gotta get you a new sword"
Line Break
Percy trailed behind Theos, Gazing around the Bourg-like environment in awe. He glanced at Theos, who was waving and smiling at a fish seller standing to the left of them. The two walked down the brick path. It was full of many people browsing the surrounding markets and shops. Families, teens, lone adults, and even some small children. All, though, greeted Theos. Whether it was a smile from the adults, a wave from the families, or the children straight up gaping at Theos, all seemed to love him.
"So this is your kingdom?" Percy said, awestruck. Theos winced.
"I wouldn't call it my...Kingdon." He said, choosing his words with deliberation.
"Moreso...like a mayor." He said, stuffing his hands in his leather jacket.
"MY KING THEOS!!" A voice boomed to the right of them. Theos's head snapped in that direction. Percy's gaze followed. He saw a man, A big one, Grinning at them. He had an enormous grizzly beard that covered half his face and wore a stained, tight tank top. The guy was standing behind a table that held various random objects. Theos's face instantly broke into a grin. He ran to the table and gave him a fierce bear hug.
"My mans!!! How are you!!!" The guy cried out. Theos grinned.
"Things are great!" Theos said, he then turned to
his left and said
"This is my kid Per-Percy?" Theos trailed off, and stared at the empty spot next to him. Percy was gone.
"What…?" Theos started. Percy, who had seemingly disappeared, had instead, just decided to wander off on his own. There were a lot of stations that surrounded the road. All sold entirely different items. Some shops sold food, some sold books, and some sold toys. None caught the attention of Percy. Except for one. A young woman stood behind her station. She had cropped hair in a pixie cut style, wore a sleeveless off-white button-up shirt, and had a necklace that sparkled alluringly in the soft light of the lanterns. Percy approached the stand. The lady smiled a dazzling smile as they made eye contact. Percy returned it. He took his eyes off the young lady and looked at the Crystals on her stand.
"What are these?" He asked, scanning the various crystals, rocks, and stones scattered across the table. The lady picked up a white one.
"Gems." She said, holding it up for Percy to see.
"I'm selling them in their raw state. Making them incredibly versatile and usable." She added, placing the white one back down. The lady then looked back and forth before leaning close to Percy.
"Some people say they bring good luck." She whispered. Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Wow." He murmured.
"These small things?" He questioned as he picked up a gold one.
"Where do you even find those?" Percy asked as he held it close to his face
"On the outskirts of town." The lady said, pointing past the road and buildings. Percy glanced in that direction. He turned back and smiled at the woman.
"Awesome." He whispered. Percy placed the gem down.
"How much do these usually co-"
"PERCY!" A voice shouted. Percy turned to see Theos expectantly staring at him. Inches from his face He yelped, and leapt up about 7 feet in the air.
"Gosh, you have to stop scaring me like that." He cried out. Percy looked over Theos's shoulder to see the burly guy loudly speaking with another lady.
"I guess your conversation ended." He told Theos. Theos looked back at the dude.
"Yeah, mainly cause you disappeared." He hissed. He then looked at the lady
"What were you and this lady talking about?" Theos asked. Percy shrugged.
"I saw some gems there that looked pretty cool. I decided to check them out." He said. Theos scratched his chin.
"Really?" He questioned. Percy nodded. The woman smiled sweetly
"Would you like one?" She asked both of them. Theos shook his head.
"Uh nah I thinks we're-" he started.
"I was actually gonna ask if you could get me a couple." Percy said. Theos bit his lip. He groaned
"Maybe." He said. He patted his pockets
"How much?" He muttered
"200 scal" the woman said smiling. Theos's Face dropped.
"You'll have to come tomorrow." He stated.
"I didn't not bring that much." He added. The woman waved a hand.
"It's all right! I'll be here regardless." She said with the same smile. Theos returned it.
"Great!" He said. His smile dropped and he turned to Percy
"let's go now" he ordered, as they continued on their journey.
"Wait wait wait wait!" Percy called out.
"Why did we come down here if you didn't bring any money?" Percy asked after running Theos down.
"Don't you have to buy a sword?" Percy whispered. Theos glanced down at Percy. He chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"We're not buying a sword my friend." He said. He leaned in and cocked his head to the side
"We're gonna make you one"
Line Break
Soon enough, the 2 approached their destination. A small hut at the end of the road. It had less foot traffic than the central area, and Percy was sure it was the end of Theos's Kingdom. They had walked for a bit, Theos constantly waving to the civilians, and signing some random artifact that they'd brought to him. Theos stretched, then strolled up to the door and knocked on it. It was barely a door, more so a big chunk of wood leaned against the hut, but Theos still gave it respect. He stepped back and stood expectantly at the door.
"Coming!" A voice rang from inside the hut. The "door" was pushed from the frame, and an old man poked his head out of the door. He grinned when he saw Theos.
"Back again aye?" He said. His short beard stretched when he grinned and revealed his toothy smile. Theos smiled back and winked.
"You already know." He said.
"You need a new weapon already?" The man jeered. Theos laughed.
"No, no Sirus, It's for this guy right here." He said, jerking a thumb in Percy's direction. The man seemed to notice Percy for the first time. He looked at him up and down, intrigue emerging on his face.
"Alright then." The man muttered. He slipped back inside the hut. Percy and Theos stood there in silence for a few seconds.
"Wha-" Percy started, But Theos put a finger up before pointing back to the makeshift hut door. With a groan, the door slowly shifted to the side, revealing the man's total figure. He was a small man. He leaned heavily on a cane, causing him to hunch down, and was barefoot over the rocky terrain.
"Come in." The man beckoned as he shuffled into the hut. Theos and Percy followed. Percy glanced around the inside of the hut. First, it was dark. Really dark. The hut had no windows or crevices for light to seep into. This caused Percy to run face-first into a wall. The man grumbled and lit a lamp that was at his feet. As the orange light filled the room, he discovered that the hut was also tiny. It only took 3 steps for the group to make their way to the back of the house. The hut was the size of a king-sized bed made into the form of a circle. Percy couldn't imagine how someone could live in a place like this. He wasn't even sure if he could lie down. The man slowly and carefully lowered himself down to a kneeling position. The soft light sparsely illuminated the tiny shack barely enough for Percy to see the small outline in front of the man. Percy shuffled forward and leaned over him, peeking over his hunched shoulder. The man slowly lifted his hand and placed it on the door. He closed his eyes and murmured to himself for a couple of seconds. Instantly the trap door began to rumble, Shaking violently as if the city suddenly caught an earthquake. Once the rumbling approached its climax, the door spontaneously swung open, revealing a lower level, as if it were some basement. But the strong fumes that wafted in his nose proved something entirely different. The smell of acrid wafted into Percy's nostrills. A very intense smell, caused a grunt to escape from his throat.
"Calm down youngin" Sirus called out.
"You'll survive." He added. The faint glow of the workshop partially illuminated his leathery skin. Sirus pulled goggles that hung around his neck and slapped them on his face, before diving down the hatch.
The workshop was hot. The oven resided in the far back of the unit, and Percy could still distinctively feel the hot blast occasionally wash over him. Sirus began to make his way to a subsection next to the oven. A few short seconds later, the floor infront of the 2, rose and a huge steel table rose from the the opening. Bearing 3 slabs of metal. Percy knitted his eyebrows in extreme concern and looked up at Theo. He looked back at Sirus in shock. Theos leaned slightly toward Percy and chuckled
"He's an architect. What? You actually thought he lived in a hut?" He muttered to Percy. Sirius shuffled to the table. He leaned forward, resting his hands on the table, and waited expectantly. Percy was still frozen with his mouth agape. As if he just got tagged in a game of freeze tag. He might have stayed that way for a couple of centuries if it weren't for Theos, who nudged Percy and broke him out of his trance. Sirus impatiently beckoned Percy to the table. Percy obliged and power walked to Sirus, joining the 3 at the table.
"You want a sword correct?" He asked Theos, absentmindedly placing his hand on the middle slab. A sharp silver color, reminiscent of the moon but silky smooth instead. Theos nodded.
"Yes, one sword." He responded. Sirus nodded.
"And what material?" He asked looking at Percy expectantly.
"Wait- Wha- you're asking me?!" He sputtered out. Theos sighed. I don't think he knows the properties he said. Sirius groaned. And muttered out something about "young kids" before walking back to the first slap.
"This, is oxtaryion bronze, it's mainly known for its pounding abilities, make a sword with it, and your attack force is stronger enough to instantly snap any sword." He said proudly.
"Problem is, it's heavy. Really heavy. It's mainly used in daggers and arrows, only a few can really wield a full blade without crumbling under its weight." He added. Percy glanced at Theos
"Can I lift it?" He asked him. Theos gestured towards the slab.
"It wouldn't hurt to try." He said. Percy walked to the table and inspected the slab.
"Doesn't look like anything special." He muttered as he poked the shiny bronze. Sirius slapped his hand
"Don't smudge the product you bufoon" he hissed. He pointed to a bronze sword laying on the desk next to the slab
"That's what you're testing on." Siri's said beckoning Percy to lift it. Percy walked to the edge of the table where the sword lay. I mean. It was just bronze. Could it really be that hard? He grabbed the hilt and planted his legs. He took 2 deep breaths and closed his eyes. Percy then gritted his teeth and pulled with all his might. At least he was able to get it off the table. The moment the sword wasn't being supported by the desk, it sunk to the ground, Percy didn't stand a chance at lifting it up. Theos rubbed his temples
"Jeez kid you're embarrassing me" he muttered as he walked to Percy. Theos grabbed the sword and lugged it on the desk.
"You can lift it?" Percy asked in awe.
"Yeah."
"But it makes me so slow in battle that it's not even worth it" he added as he guided Percy to the second slab.
"This one." Sirus started
"Is the opposite. It makes your strikes abnormally fast, and sharp. The problem...is that it's way too fragile. Breaks too easily." He said. For demonstration, sirus, lifted a block of one. Not a slab, but about the size of a textbook. And held it over his head. He dropped it, and watched as it hurtled to the ground, shattering on impact.
"Here." Sirus said tossing the sword to Percy.
"Woah..." he breathed bouncing the sword up and down.
"It feels like nothing." He said with a smile.
"Wait until you swing it" Sirus said grinning. Percy gave it a slash. Then another then another. As he slashed each time, the grin on his face deepened. It was as if there was a propeller on the back side, pushing his sword as he swung. The more he swung, the more momentum he gained. Percy slowed his swinging and gave the sword an awestruck look.
"I want this one." He said bubbling with excitement. Sirus shuffled forward cane in hand. He gave Percy a sweet old man smile.
"Show it here." He said. Percy, with the smile still on his face, lay the sword on his two hands and presented it to Sirus
Crash
Sirus with one swipe of his cane snapped Percy's precious sword into 2. He turned and strode back towards the desk.
"It's no good." He called.
"It's impossible to use in combat, one block and it'd shatter." Sirus said. Percy let the pieces fall. Horrified with what just happened. He looked at Theos
"Is there any way I could get a sword like that? But not..fragile." He said. Near the brink of tears.
"The third slab-" Sirus started, but Theos cleared his throat.
"Third slab?" Percy questioned and turned to Sirus, who was leaning on the desk.
"Eh- maybe when you're older" Theos said, shaking his head at Sirus. Sirus chuckled and stood up from his leaning position.
"Listen kid," he started.
"We got a problem here. Ones strong but slow, the other is fast but weak." He added making his way to Percy.
"So what do we do? Slab 3 is always an option" Percy said. Sirus shook his head.
"Yeah, if you think inside the box" he said. Percy cocked his head to the side.
"What?" He asked
"There's not a lot of resources around here, Sector 5 only really has the basics for a blacksmithing." Sirus said shuffling close
"Sector five...?" Percy asked
"I've been working, been planning. Even though none of the slabs match you, we can easily offset that." Sirus said, stopping infront of Percy. Percy scratched his head
"What? Am I going to have to steal materials from outside of here" He asked. A twinge of dread. Sirus grinned, leaned forward, and patter Percy on the shoulder
"No, we're gonna make our own slab" he said
Man oh man it's been a bit. Like a long time. Around a year actually.
I dropped a 3000-word chapter for y'all though. I haven't really implemented the PJO universe in this story yet, and I wanna make this clear that the Percy you've been following is not the OG Percy Jackson. And even though it might be frustrating that you aren't seeing these kids, I will start to implement them in starting next chapter
As for updates. I promise I will try my best to update more consistently. I sort of just forgot about this ngl. I do like where the story is going and i definitely have plot points that will start to show up.
Alr cool kids, another update will come soon, I swear. Stay cool from this heat wave, peace