"When the devil leaves you alone, then you know you're doing something wrong."
- Denzel Washington
Later that morning, Percy found himself enjoying breakfast among unique company. Shiro, Winter and he all sat around a table in a small cafe, discussing the coming days. Percy dug into his omelet while Shiro and Winter went back and forth about what the borders of Mantle and Atlas should look like. Percy was only half paying attention, his focus mainly on the small paper weighing down his pocket.
"You have to agree with me there, at least. Right Percy?"
Percy blinked and did his best to make it look like he'd been listening.
He failed.
Shiro rolled his eyes and repeated himself, by now used to Percy's inconsistent attention span.
"I said that the bulk of the countryside going to Mantle rather than Atlas means that we have a better guarantee of dust mines staying in the hands of the MTC, through your influence in Mantle. I'm not sure how much sway you have in Atlas, but it can't be as much as you have with Mantle."
Percy shrugged and shoved a forkful of onion, cheese, and egg into his mouth. "I don't have much influence in Atlas." he admitted once he'd swallowed. "But that'll change while I'm here. But yes, it would be nice to have a more secure dust supply. But those are details I'm fine to let be settled at the peace conference." he dismissed.
Winter stared at him, and even Shiro looked a bit surprised. "Details? Percy, these are the borders of kingdoms we're talking about. They'll decide the course of both nations for as long as they exist."
Percy shoveled another forkful of omelet into his mouth before he bothered responding.
"Give it a few years, they'll be back as one country again. The only reason I don't want to keep them that way outright is because I promised Mantle independence. Rewriting Atlas' constitution and keeping them one country would be good enough to solve all their issues, but it'd feel like a stab in the back anyway. Even if I stay out of it I'd give it a generation or two max."
Shiro pinched the bridge of his nose. "A generation or two is a long time for us mortals, Percy."
Percy rolled his eyes harshly. "The life expectancy of a demigod is fourteen, not fourteen thousand. I'm well aware of how long a generation is, Shiro. But I don't plan on letting either of them slip away in that timeframe, so it doesn't really matter much to me."
"Either way," Winter pressed, "If you leave it up to the peace conference to decide, Mantle will get the entire continent. Atlas' surrender was unconditional, so Mantle has free reign to run circles around Atlas' delegates."
Shiro shot Percy a knowing look. "Oh, I hope not." Percy smirked back, "I'd expect better of their delegate."
Winter narrowed her eyes. "And who will be representing them, exactly?" she asked, knowing the two were sharing a joke she wasn't getting.
Percy shoveled another fork of egg into his mouth.
"Stop torturing the poor woman." Shiro rolled his eyes, and turned to Winter. "It's you. Percy had Atlas' council officially name you General and Headmaster of Atlas when they met to officially surrender yesterday. It'll be announced this weekend, but since the others were all arrested, removed from office, and are awaiting trial, you're the only member of the council. So, you're the sole representative of Atlas."
"I- You- bu- You didn't tell me?" Winter finally settled for glaring at him.
Picking up a sausage and biting it in half, he shrugged.
There was a split second of silence before Winter's saber was in her hand and Percy was out of his chair, frantically dodging a rapid flurry of swipes.
Silverware clattered as Shiro's head hit the table.
Oddly enough, the Asturias' were the first to arrive for the peace conference. In front of Mantle's own police and the press behind them, a large procession of extensively armed and armored royal guards formed an aisle that jutted across the landing platform from where the Asturias' airship had landed, and Percy tried not to think about how many of them were under the sway of Jax's semblance.
He didn't think he'd like the conclusion he came to.
Finally the Asturias' themselves walked down the exit ramp, directly followed by two huntsmen — students? — hauling a chest after them, and then a single cloaked woman even further back.
The siblings were dressed opulently in royal robes, though probably not as lavish as they could've been dressed. Gillian, for her part, was still dressed in something resembling functionality. Just… very rich and prestigious functionality. Jax, on the other hand, wore what amounted to a mix between a general's uniform and a king's robes.
But regardless, when they reached just a handful of feet away they knelt before him.
Shiro shifted uncomfortably next to him, and Percy understood the sentiment. They were dressed in clothes worth what the average family in Mistral would make in a year, and they were kneeling to Percy in his dark jeans and a light jacket. He might not have been able to turn down the promotion to… imperator? rex? But he'd be damned if he was going to play it up.
Cameras clicked, and Percy noted their other three companions staying back so as to not be captured by the cameras.
"Ave, Perseus." Jax led, right arm pressed to his chest and left arm crossed behind him. Gillian echoed him without a moment's hesitation. Then, as one, they both began speaking a Vacuan tongue Percy didn't begin to understand. But the scene was familiar, and his memory flashed back to when he'd first met the two in their hidden base, and they'd sworn fealty to him after Jax had failed to brainwash him.
Those were the same words they were saying now, except now Percy wasn't the only one to hear them. The entire world was there to bear witness to their oaths, and watch as Vacuo was made a kingdom in the empire of Mistral. Mistral was no longer an empire on technicality — for the first time in Remnant's admittedly short history, two kingdoms belonged to one crown.
When they fell silent Percy told them to rise, and they drew closer for some more private conversation.
"We bring gifts." was the first thing Gillian said, subtly gesturing to the chest behind them. "Or rather, a gift. Though, it's best you receive it in private."
Percy's eyes snapped to the chest, and then to the cloaked woman standing behind it, and then back to the chest again.
"Is that…" his mouth went dry. If that was what he thought it was, and the robed woman was who he thought she was…
"It'd be best if we found some privacy." Gilian said delicately, but couldn't keep the proud smile from creeping onto her face.
Percy couldn't help his elated grin either.
"Yeah, let's do that."
"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."
- Jordan Peterson
A couple hours later found them in a small common room in Atlas' spire, talking jovially. Percy had checked the crate nearly as soon as they'd got some privacy, and been very happy to find an ethereal gold and blue sword waiting for him; the relic of destruction. He'd very carefully inspected it for a moment, before placing it back in the crate and shoving it under a table in the middle of the room. He'd have asked Shiro to take it off his hands, but they didn't yet have another place for it and Percy wasn't sure he wanted to keep it with the relic of knowledge. And besides, there wasn't anywhere safer than in front of him at the moment.
Percy had been introduced to two loyal followers of the Asturias' who had been their agents for a couple years now, and were 'honored' to meet Percy. He didn't want to know half the things they'd heard about him from the Asturias', so just accepted it and moved on.
Summer was a bit mortified at having been so dismissive of him last time, but Percy did his best to get her past that. From there there had been drinks, a cheerful atmosphere, and Percy had even invited Winter in to join them in their pseudo-party. 'Samara' — whose real name she hadn't volunteered — was mostly quiet and stayed in the periphery, but Percy let himself enjoy the night. There wasn't anything else he could really do. Until either the conference started or someone else arrived for him to talk to, he had nothing he needed to take care of.
Arm slung around Winter's shoulders on the couch, drink in hand, trading barbs with Shiro and stories with the Asturias', Percy finally decided to relax. Which is why, as Tyche would have it, a soldier standing guard in one of the hallways walked in moments later.
The soldier hesitated for a moment looking between him and Shiro before Shiro motioned him over, something Percy didn't protest. He went back to his conversation with Gillian, trusting that Shiro would tell him if it was something important.
"Percy."
Resigned, Percy looked over to his friend.
"The Malachites have arrived."
His reaction wasn't visibly negative, but his teeth clenched and his muscles coiled. For once his negative reaction to a meeting wasn't because he was dreading it, but because he was ready to rake them over the coals.
"Send them up." Percy decided on a whim. "Have them come in."
The soldier looked to Shiro for confirmation for a split second before realizing what he'd done and snapping his gaze away.
Hastily the soldier saluted his fist to his chest. "Ave."
Percy rolled his eyes and gestured to the door, which the soldier quickly took as his cue to leave.
"Ave." Winter teased, "Should I start addressing you that way?"
Percy looked at her and grinned, some of his anger fading to the background. "Only if you want me to start calling you ma'am."
Winter smiled back. "You know, I think I could get used to that."
Shiro coughed loudly, prompting Percy to roll his eyes and throw a nearby pillow at him. He grabbed it out of the air and threw it back with a laugh. "I thought you were supposed to be strong. You throw like a twelve year old." he teased.
His drink erupted onto his lap.
Winter and Percy cackled together, while the Asturias siblings laughed along. Even Samara, distant as she was, let a soft chuckle rise to the surface.
Waving his hand, Percy decided to spare the irate Shiro the laundry and dried him off. Shiro, ever ungrateful, just flipped him off.
Their renewed mirth was interrupted by a knock at the far door. The next moment it opened and two men in robes entered, the first and older being the current head of the house, Irving. The second and younger was one of his cousins, Istos. Percy only knew the man's name because, in accordance with Foley's teachings, he'd made the man personally loyal to him and set him up to be the next head of the Malachite family. He hadn't stopped at just one guarantee the Malachites wouldn't be lost to him, but that was neither here nor there.
The mood shifted as they entered, and Percy calmly gestured to the empty seats opposite Shiro. "Sit."
Bowing, the two moved past them and took their seats.
"I asked you here," Percy started, his voice level, "to demand an explanation."
Irving opened his mouth to speak, snapping it shut when Percy's eyes flashed. Outside, a light pattering of rain started to fall.
"As recently as one month ago," he continued, unwrapping his arm from Winter's shoulders and leaning forward. "I was told that the Atlas bomb had not even entered testing phase yet, and that it was years — decades — from completion. A week ago, a fully operational one was flown into Mistral."
Irving — who Percy noticed for the first time was truly beginning to show the signs of old age — paled rapidly. "My lord, there must be a mistake. I've seen those reports myself, they arrived securely from our agents who are — were — personally on the project."
"Then perhaps your agents are compromised." Percy retorted condescendingly.
"I- these informants have been in contact with us for almost half a decade, my lord! Never have we-"
"Almost half a decade ago." Percy spoke to the open air. "That's when you replaced Lil' Miss, isn't it?"
Percy took his silence as an answer.
"And did this happen under Lil' Miss?" Percy asked rhetorically, his voice low.
"You're the one that got rid of Metaxia." the head of house Malachite pointed out. "We have to deal with what we have."
"That's right." Percy agreed, "I got rid of Lil' Miss. She wasn't who I wanted to lead The Spiders, so I took her prisoner before she forced me to kill her. Of course, that was a long time ago. Nowadays whenever I need to get rid of someone, I skip to the end." Percy reached for his glass and stared at the man over the rim as he took a drink.
Irving swallowed. "I've always served you faithfully, my lord, there's no need for threats. We'll investigate the agents and get to the bottom of this, I swear it."
"No you fucking won't!" Percy's temper finally snapped. "You're going to give every piece of information you have on every agent who has ever breathed a word about this project to Shiro, who will take our men and find them himself because I cannot trust you to. Then, you're going to reverify every single informant you have in every crevice of this planet until you're willing to bet your life on every single scrap and shred of information you pass on to me. Because whether or not you're planning to bet your life on it, I certainly am."
The room remained silent for a single, arduous moment before Percy leaned back. "Now get the fuck out."
Neither needed more prompting, standing hastily and moving to the door. They both offered rushed bows on their way past, and Percy returned Istos' with a small, tense nod.
"I've never seen you that angry." Gillian said, "Even when Jax and I tried to trick you, it was so… controlled. That was something else entirely." Percy couldn't tell if she was more interested or excited at the prospect, and he wasn't sure which was worse.
Winter stood. "I'm feeling tired. I'm going to retire for the night."
Percy frowned and grabbed her wrist before she was out of reach. "Is something wrong?"
She tugged her arm lightly, and Percy let go. "I've stayed away from your business in the past, and I want no part in it now."
"Are you seriously sympathetic with them?" Percy was baffled, "Winter, you know more than anyone what their failure could have cost if it weren't for you. If they'd done their jobs, you wouldn't have had to go through what you did."
"Or I'd have been told to stay with my team and fight you." she snapped, "I told you already. I want nothing to do with conversations where you threaten to have people killed like it's okay — like it's something normal people do." Her piece said, Winter turned and left the room.
Percy stood to follow her, but Shiro stood and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Let her go. You were harsher on the Malachites than you have been on anyone in a long time. She's not used to any of this. Let her sleep it off, and talk to her in the morning."
Percy stared at the door. If he followed her they'd either end up in a screaming match, or in bed. If he didn't follow her… Shiro was right, she wouldn't stop talking to him over something like this. Frustratedly, he sat back down. He'd already isolated himself from Pyrrha, if he screwed up and it happened with Winter too he wasn't sure he'd know what to do with himself.
By the time the Belladonnas arrived the next day, Percy's mood had dimmed somewhat. The paper in his right pocket felt like it was made of lead, Pyrrha still wasn't talking to him, and he couldn't stop thinking about Winter's words yesterday. But despite that, he wasn't in that bad of a mood. He had another relic, Shiro was dealing with the Malachite situation, and he'd had breakfast with Winter this morning. There was an elephant in the room, but things were mostly normal despite it. They were moving past it.
So when he met the ever-cheerful Kali Belladonna at the exit of their tiny airship, Percy couldn't help but let the infectious cheer spread to him just a bit. He greeted them both formally for the cameras, and then personally welcomed them a bit less formally before leading them back to a room that he was using for meetings in Atlas' spire.
If nothing else he figured they decided not to treat him any differently, because they were all smiles and laughs on the way there. It felt like he was catching up with two old — if slightly distant — friends, rather than greeting delegates of a foreign kingdom.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Percy offered as soon as they got settled in, Kali and Ghira both sitting on a couch opposite Percy. Shiro was handling a side project Percy was working on in Atlas, and wouldn't be needed here either way.
"We're fine, thank you." Ghira answered with a kind smile.
Percy nodded and sat himself. "So," he began, "I asked you to fly up here so that we could talk about how… all of this." Percy gestured out the window, "Affects Menagerie."
Kali bit her lip, showing the first sign of worry since she'd arrived. "You're saying that like it's bad news."
Percy shook his head and reclined, stretching himself out over the couch. "Nothing like that. It's good news. Great news, actually. I'll have to rebuild Mistral first, don't get me wrong, and Vacuo could use a touch-up, but otherwise? I've got a blank check. A lot of that will be spent bringing Mistral even further into the modern age and a few… projects I have, but a lot of lien will be flowing your way soon. There's nowhere else on Remnant I can get so much bang for my buck, so we can get you guys up to today's standards — rapidly."
The couple shared a glance. "Actually." Ghira cleared his throat. "We wanted to bring something else up. I know we're not in a place to make demands, or requests, and you've been very generous, but we want you to at least hear us-"
"Honey." Kali chided.
Ghira sighed. "We'd like to ask you to lobby to legitimize Menagerie as a kingdom."
The hand tapping a beat onto Percy's knee stilled.
Kali had asked him to try before, but he'd told her — truthfully — that there wasn't a snowball's chance of that happening. Now…? Now, things were different. It might be possible.
Except, how did he even make a kingdom? Would he have to get Ozpin and Vale to agree to it, or just a majority of kingdoms? If it was a majority then he had it in the bag, but each kingdom had a CCT, and in order for a new main CCT tower to be created he knew every other main CCT had to grant access…
Except, Menagerie already had a CCT. His CCT. They were connected to Mistral's network, which would soon include Vacuo. He could extend that to Mantle and Atlas too, if he wanted. In fact, Mantle would need a new CCT anyways, being a new kingdom. Well, republic anyway.
So if he could just replace Atlas' CCT towers — which would be very easy to do, considering the state of things — he could tie all of them to his in the same way that he could get every nation on Remnant except Vale to officially recognize Menagerie with a text to Winter.
And, well, he wasn't just a king. Foley liked to call what Tammany Hall did 'kingmaking'. They weren't the kings, but they were the ones standing behind them. The ones that had put them where they were, and could put someone else there just as easily. It's what he did with Junior, Adam, the Asturias' — even the Belladonnas, to an extent. A kingmaker.
Foley had never meant the term literally, but Percy was now an emperor. He had kingdoms under him. He had kings under him. He had made kings.
Why not another one?
Deciding to have a bit of fun, Percy stood. Belatedly, the two stood with him.
"Percy?" Kali called.
"Kneel." Percy gestured to the floor.
Kali blinked, mouth agape. Ghira wasn't far behind her. They turned to share a glance, but Percy uncapped Riptide, pointed at their feet.
"Kneel."
Hesitantly, Kali did, Ghira following. Observing them, Percy was relieved to see their primary emotion was confusion, not fear.
Despite wanting to have a bit of fun Percy wasn't about to have a full-on ceremony, so he simply waved Riptide first by Kali's left shoulder, and then all the way over their heads to Ghira's right.
"Rise as king and queen of the Kingdom of Menagerie." he ordered, making sure to let the slightest bit of his amusement leak through as he capped Riptide.
"Percy," Ghira said, standing slowly. "What are you talking about?"
Kali stared at him with wide eyes for several seconds before she seemingly shook herself from her daze and stood with her husband.
"Did you just-"
"Yeah." Percy nodded, lazily throwing himself back down on the couch. "I did."
"You can't just… say so." Ghira seemed confused. "It requires international agreement…" he trailed off.
"Ghira," Kali grabbed his hand. "He was all but declared the emperor of Mistral. It's within his authority to create and grant kingdom titles…"
Percy nodded, and waved at their vacant seats. "The next part'll be easier if you're sitting."
Ghira frowned, eyes narrowing as he caught up. "There's a catch."
Percy hummed. "I'm sure Kali can tell you what it is."
"Menagerie will be under Mistral, right? Under you?" she confirmed.
Percy sighed, "You know, it really is making me feel awkward to basically be lying down while you two are standing."
They sat, a small scowl beginning to make its way onto Ghira's face.
"We can't accept that," he told Percy. "Menagerie must maintain its independence."
In an effort not to be a complete asshole, Percy sat up enough that he was sitting against one of the arms of the couch before responding.
"What independence?"
Percy winced, that came out worse than he'd intended. There went his plan to not be an asshole.
Ghira was taken aback, but Kali looked more resigned than anything.
"What?" Ghira vocalized.
"What independence?" Percy repeated, but decided to elaborate. "I'll be honest with you, Menagerie isn't independent. Your trade — every lien of it — goes through Mistral. Your market is accessible to Mistral. You are powered by dust from Mistral. You are fed by food from Mistral. Your money comes from debt, to Mistral. Your taxes are, you guessed it, taken from Mistrali companies. Your communications network is an extension of Mistral's. Of mine. Of my trade, my market, my dust, my food, my money, my companies. Menagerie isn't a country, Ghira. Nobody on Remnant recognizes you as one. You want the step up to being a kingdom? This is what it is. This is your step up. Sure you'll officially answer to me now, but at least people will recognize you exist enough to be a subject in the first place. Hades, making you a kingdom would let you do your own trade. Open your markets to anyone who wants to invest, choose who you want to take debt from. I'm losing control over you by offering this. I think I'm being pretty generous here, all things considered. You asked me to make Menagerie a kingdom, and I did. I'm not going to sit here arguing with someone to try to convince them to do something that'll hurt me and benefit them, so say the word and I'll undo it. But this is my offer, and I won't make another."
The two shared a look before Kali turned to him. "Can we have a moment to talk? This is… a big decision."
Letting out a deep breath, Percy nodded and stepped out of the room. Finding a nearby balcony, Percy looked out over the city of Atlas under martial law and exhaled. The fires had been put out and curfew had been extended to dark, but it was still in rough shape. Every tenth building was little more than rubble, and most buildings still had shattered windows or other signs of damage. He'd have thought that conquering a city from the inside, with people who were essentially their fellow countrymen would keep the damage to a minimum. Stupidly, he'd failed to consider that those same people had been extorted for generations and were angry enough to take up arms about it. Not only that, but the men carrying it out were undisciplined amateurs, police at best. They weren't trained for this sort of thing, and neither were their leaders.
But, he supposed, that was unavoidable. Even Atlas' soldiers wouldn't have been prepared to control the frenzy that accompanied taking a city. After all, a city hadn't fallen to anything other than the grimm for at least as long as anyone had been alive.
But that was behind them. Now was time for rebuilding.
He sighed unhappily, watching his breath disappear into the early evening air.
He'd been harsher than he needed to.
Ghira's reaction was far better than it could've been, and the Belladonnas had never done wrong by him. He still felt like they were questioning a very generous gift, but he wouldn't normally have been so… impatient about it. Maybe he was more stressed than he realized. Between Pyrrha, the bombs, the Malachites, finding Cinder, Winter, securing his hold on Atlas, the relics, Salem, figuring out what RWBY was, his upcoming meeting with Ozpin and sitting through the conference itself he had a lot weighing on him. Hades, he controlled Atlas now too; he just had to find the winter maiden and convince her to open the vault… warm or cold.
Which only meant his excuses were running out. Once he had all the relics and could be sure they wouldn't be used for evil — whatever that meant anymore — he couldn't justify sitting on his ass. He had all of Remnant dancing to his tune. Everyone united — with one notable exception. With them or by himself, with the relics or without them, he had to take the fight to Salem.
That she was immortal made no difference, he'd dealt with that before. His hand curled around the familiar grip of Riptide. If there was any blade that could put down this 'immortal' it would be one imbued with the immortal spirit of a hero.
Whatever 'RWBY' meant would just have to reveal itself along the way. Or, supposing he found out, he could shift his attention to that. His time sitting on his hands was coming to an end soon, one way or another.
Pushing off the railing, Percy made his way back inside to the Belladonnas. Knocking quickly, he walked in to find the two hadn't moved an inch.
"Have you decided?" he asked without leaving the doorway, doing his best to keep his voice friendly.
"We have." Kali nodded. "We want to agree, it's just that Menagerie as a nation — recognized by other kingdoms or not —" she shot him a look, "depends on being a place where faunus know they won't be judged for their heritage. Being in an empire ruled by a human…"
Percy closed the door behind him and sat down across from them once again, bridging his hands and leaning on them. He thought for a long moment.
"You can sell it as… an international organization of sorts. An Alliance. I don't mind all that much, I don't need my ego stoked by you guys saying you'll follow my orders all the time." because they would at the end of the day, he left unsaid. "Just do some lip service, pay the proper respect in public, and that's it. I don't need anything else from you. You can probably play up my image as someone who hates the SDC, too. There's a lot of sentiment that I'm incredibly pro-faunus already. In fact-." he opened a drawer under the small table separating them and pulled out a pencil and notepad that had scribbles and notes jotted all over it, scribbling down a note for later. "I can have equality laws baked into Mantle's constitution, and strengthen them in Vacuo. Make sure some resources are used for letting the faunus that want to leave mines come back, too."
The corners of Kali's mouth turned down in a way Percy only recognized from when he'd come home to his mom after being expelled from another school. He wasn't going to lie, it hurt more than he expected it to.
"Would you not do that anyway, Percy? If we'd said no, would you let Vacuo revoke its policy, Mantle's faunus be oppressed, and the workers in the SDC mining colonies remain trapped and impoverished working in your mines?"
Percy looked at the floor. "Do you want me to be honest, Kali?"
Her silence answered him.
"I wouldn't have noticed the Asturias siblings revoking their equality laws unless you came to me about it. I'd have let the people of Mantle decide their own laws like I always do, and I'd have forgotten entirely about the work camps. This isn't my wheelhouse, I'm… focused on other things."
"How focused can you be on other things to forget about an entire race of people?" she asked softly.
Percy met her eyes with his own, pleading for her to understand. "I'm doing a lot, Kali." he tossed the notebook and pencil unceremoniously on the table. "I have more I have to do on a daily basis than I could possibly explain. I'm trying to manage the planet here. Sometimes there are important things — very important things — that escape my notice, or that I leave to the very few people I trust. As a leader of a people yourself, you must understand that."
Kali sighed, and this time it was her who couldn't meet his eyes. "Sometimes I forget how young you still are." she muttered. "I think-" she paused to look at her husband. Ghira hesitated, but nodded. "I think we accept."
Percy pursed his lips, and after a moment's hesitation leaned forward to place a hand on Kali's knee. "Thank you, Kali. For understanding. And for being a good friend all these years. You too, Ghira. You've both done more for me than you had to, and I want you to know I appreciate it."
Kali gave him a big, watery smile. "Oh, you sweet boy… come here." Kali grabbed his wrist and with a grip stronger than he'd expected pulled him around the table into a hug. A bit shell shocked, Percy recovered enough to wrap his own arms around her while shooting Ghira a bemused glance.
Ghira joined them standing with a friendly smile. "You should know that's just Kali by now, Percy. And you've done more for us and our home than you could ever know. You're welcome on Menagerie any time my boy — no matter what changes, that'll be true."
Cheerfully smiling back at the man, Percy waited until Kali reluctantly let him go before he and Ghira shared a handshake and a mutual pat on the arm.
Suddenly sensing danger Percy turned back to Kali, whose eyes had gained a dangerous glint. "And you will be visiting soon." she commanded. "After all, you still have to try my pastelón recipe."
Percy swallowed.
The couple began laughing at his expense, and Percy rolled his eyes. He gestured to the door. "Come on, let me show you where you'll be staying." he fought to keep the smile out of his voice.
As Percy led the two through the corridors he was barely familiar with himself, he savored the light moment. He could admit he was more stressed than was probably healthy, but the solution wasn't to get snappy with people who had been nothing but kind to him. If only it were so easy as recognizing that. No, he needed to find a way to deal with the stress itself.
He considered offloading some tasks onto Shiro, but the man was already doing more than Percy himself was. He considered Winter for a moment before quickly dismissing the thought; she was rebuilding a kingdom herself, and she was new to this. The Asturias' were loyal, but he hardly trusted them to act as he would. Adam was more of the same, except he knew Taurus wasn't even loyal. Maybe he could have the Asturias' deal with-
Turning a corner, Percy froze in his tracks.
Ghira and Kali both walked into his back, but Percy didn't move an inch. He remained stock still staring at the two people at the other end of the hallway. His vision narrowed in on Qrow, who shrugged helplessly.
Percy didn't believe it for a second.
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Belladonna, young Mr. Jackson!" Qrow's companion greeted with a pleasant smile. "I was told to come up here to find my quarters, but I seem to have gotten lost."
Ozpin — Ozma — paused to adjust his glasses. "Perhaps you could be of help?"
Hope you all enjoyed the surprise chapter! Merry Christmas!
If you noticed a lot of updates today, make sure to wish your authors a merry Christmas. I asked everyone in discord to sit down and pump out an extra chapter for Christmas day as a gift from us to you and they were all great sports. So, hope you all enjoy the dozens of chapters today, and once again merry Christmas!
Next Chapter January 1
