**Hello all!**

I've been reading fanfiction again and had an idea I just had to write! Enjoy!

*All characters belong to Rick Riordan.*

**Percy's POV**

Millions, maybe even tens of millions, of eyes were on me tonight.

I was giving what might be the most electrifying performance of my career, but also my last.

As I sang my final song, I looked out at the sea of eyes—a kaleidoscope of colors: grey, silver, green, blue, brown, and more, like a vast ocean of stained glass.

When I finished the song, I took a deep breath.

"Thank you all for coming to my show tonight!" I said.

"Encore! Encore! Encore!" they chanted.

"I'm sorry, no encore tonight... or ever again," I replied.

A wave of confusion rippled through the crowd.

"Some of you may have noticed how impromptu this concert was, only being announced last month," I continued.

"That's because I came to a realization one night."

"I'm wasting my life. I know I can do more for the world than just sing and line my pockets. So, tonight, I'm retiring. This will be my last performance as I commit myself to making a difference."

"NOOO!"

"Don't quit!"

"WHY?"

"What the Hades did he just say?"

That last comment caught my attention. I'd never heard that phrase before. I tried scanning the crowd to see who had said it, but the noise made it impossible to pinpoint. I gave up and returned to my speech.

"Thank you all for being fans and for your support over the past three years. But it's time for me to move on, and so should you."

With that, I bowed and walked off the stage.

Later that same night in Percys Bedroom

"The sudden retirement of world-famous singer Percy Jackson has shocked fans across the globe!"

"He's retiring at the height of his career, and multiple industry insiders are calling it the biggest mistake anyone has ever made in their career!"

I turned the TV off before they could say anything else.

As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I thought,
I know I'm doing the right thing. Even though the world won't understand or see where I'm coming from, it doesn't matter. As long as I know I'm doing the right thing.

4 years later
Percy's POV

"Next!" I called out.

A man who looked around 40 stepped forward and said,
"Oh, lucky us! The man himself is here today—serving us mashed potatoes!"

I smiled.
"Nothing but the best for you, Arnold."

He flashed his iconic toothless grin, his two front teeth missing.

"You know, Arnold, we have a dental program here at the shelter. We can get you some new teeth," I offered.

"I know you do—you never fail to remind me. But I heard they gotta inject you with needles to numb you, and after my last experience with needles... I'd rather keep my smile just the way it is," he said.

"All right, all right, you win. Enjoy the food. Are you staying for movie night?" I asked.

"Depends, what's the movie?" he replied.

"Clash of the Titans," I said, excited. "One of my favorites!"

"Hell yeah! I'll be there! See ya then, Peter," he said, walking off.

I smiled and got back to work.
"Next in line, please!"

A man in a suit, far more expensive than anything I owned, stepped up.

"Sir, are you lost? The bank's a few buildings down," I told him, thinking he had wandered in by mistake.

"No, Percy Jackson. I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be," he said with a knowing smile.

My eyes widened slightly.
"Look, you've got the wrong guy," I said, trying to keep calm. "Anyway, it's time for my break, so goodbye."

"Oh, so you won't mind if I play this music video of yours on the projector right here?" he asked, pulling out a remote.

"Okay, okay! Calm down," I sighed. "How did you figure out it was me?"

I had done my best to change my appearance from four years ago. No more iconic sandy blonde-dyed hair, no grey eye contacts. I had gone back to my natural look—jet-black hair and sea-green eyes.

"Don't worry about that," he said casually. "Only a handful of people, including myself, know who you are."

"Hey, Peter, what's for lunch today?" a man behind the suited guy asked.

"Mashed potatoes and fried chicken, Drake! I'm about to go on break, but Lianne will serve you," I said, waving at Lianne, who had just walked in.

Turning back to the suited man, I said,
"How about we take this conversation into my office, Mister...?"

"Call me Hermes," he replied.

"Hermes? Like the Greek god?" I asked, confused by his unusual name.

His smile widened.
"Yes, exactly like that guy," he said with enthusiasm.

"Well, alright, Hermes. Let's head to my office," I said, as Lianne took over my shift.

We walked in silence for a few minutes until we reached my small, cramped office by the boiler room.

"Wow, who would've thought the great Percy Jackson would be working in a place like this," he remarked.

"Nobody, that's why I picked it. Here, I can actually see the difference I make in people's lives," I replied. "But enough chit-chat. Who are you, and what do you want so badly that you tracked me down? If it's money, I donated it all to the charities I personally founded—ones that help impoverished families, orphanages, and halfway houses for troubled youth."

He stared at me for a few seconds, then burst into laughter—a little too hard, if you ask me.

Between breaths, he said, "No, no—hahaha—no, I don't want or need your money," as he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"So, what do you want?" I asked, now more curious than concerned.

"There's going to be a function soon, attended by some of the most influential figures. Your presence would be greatly apprecia—"

"No," I cut him off.

"You don't understand. It's a very important reunion, so to speak," he said, trying again.

"I don't sing anymore. Look, I'll help you feed the homeless, maybe even house some families. But I'm done with performing." I said firmly

"Look, you retired because you wanted to do actual good in the world, right? Not just fulfill whatever carnal desire you had, right? Well, let me put it this way—if this meeting goes well, you could potentially save millions of people around the world," he said with a straight face.

I stared at him, trying to read his expression. I'm an excellent reader of body language—one of the many skills I picked up in the business world.

He wasn't lying.

"How? How could I, just by performing at a meeting, somehow save millions of people?" I asked incredulously.

"Look, I can't give you more information until I know you're on board. This is very sensitive information," he said seriously.

"How much time do I have to give you an answer?" I asked.

"None at all, actually. This is more of a now-or-never situation, because it's happening in three days, and we need to get you to New York as fast as possible—the meeting place," he explained.

"New York? There's no way I can get there in time! And I don't like flying—everyone knows that about me!" I told him.

He smiled, as if I had said something amusing.
"Trust me, I'm fast. You won't need to worry about that. I've got ways," he assured me with a grin.

I thought about it.

All my life, I wanted to do good in the world, to better people's lives, to save people. And now this guy is telling me I can save millions just by singing? It's what I've always wanted... but why does it have to be through singing?

After a few more seconds of deep thought, I came to a decision.

"Alright, I'll help," I said.

He smiled. "Excellent. Go get your things, and we'll leave ASAP."


40 minutes later

Percy stood outside the shelter, his bag slung over his shoulder, looking at the black car parked by the curb.
It didn't look like much—a sleek, black sedan—but something about the way Hermes grinned at him as he opened the door made Percy uneasy.

"A car? That's going to take at least four days just to get to New York!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry. This car is fast... really fast," he assured me.

"Yeah, but how fast can a car be? To cut a four-day trip to three days?" I asked.

"Who said anything about cutting it down to three days?" he questioned.

"But that's when the meeting is, no?" I asked.

"Well, yeah, but what makes you think we're going to take three days? We'll arrive by lunch tomorrow," he told me.

"Yeah, okay, and my back's going to sprout wings, and I'm going to fly at the speed of light," I joked.

He laughed.

"Oh, Percy, you have no idea," he said cryptically.

Hermes smiled without answering, simply turning the ignition. The engine roared to life, but instead of the usual purr of an expensive car, it hummed like... something else.
Percy couldn't place it, but the hair on the back of his neck prickled. He shrugged it off, still processing the fact that he'd agreed to go along with this.

"Time to hit the road," said Hermes.

Later on

The first few hours of the trip were rather quiet and uneventful, the only thing that really stood out was the constant texts Hermes was getting.

"Wow, you're a rather popular guy, aren't you?" I said absentmindedly.

"Eh, what can I say, I'm good at what I do," he responded.

"Which is?" I tried to pry more information from him.

"Nice try, Percy. A lot of the stuff in this gig of yours is going to be on a need-to-know basis. But I respect the attempts," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Okay, so what can you tell me about this?" I asked.

Hermes tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought.

"Look, I know you're still skeptical about all of this. This meeting isn't just a get-together of a couple of guys, it's more of an informal meeting of—let's say—thousands of people," he said.

"And these people have immense influence that we want on our team and not the opposition's," he told me.

"How many people do you have on your team?" I asked.

"Not enough..." he said quietly.

Percy leaned back in his seat, trying to digest what he learned from Hermes.
Sounds like it's some sort of a government thing. Maybe they're like presidents trying to get more allies? I pondered.

I wasn't sure if he was pulling my leg or if there was something he wasn't telling me.
"So why me? Why do I have to sing at this meeting? What difference does it make?"

"Percy, you're... special," Hermes replied, his tone serious for once. "You've always had an impact on people, whether you realize it or not. You can sway them."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I stayed quiet, staring out the window as the city lights blurred by. Special? That was a word I hadn't felt in years since I left the stage behind.


I drifted off at some point during the drive.

It started with me on a stage—nothing unusual there. The familiar sound of a crowd echoed around me, but something was off. When I looked out, the audience wasn't made up of ordinary people. The figures in the seats were strange—blurry, like I couldn't focus on them. Some seemed almost human but had features that didn't sit right, like their presence was too intense for the space.

One figure caught my attention, sitting quietly but watching me with sharp, silvery eyes that seemed to cut through the haze. Something about that gaze felt ancient, far older than the youthful face it belonged to. It was unsettling but strangely captivating.

Others in the crowd had a presence that made the air around them feel heavy, like they carried a weight you could sense but not see. One had a kind of warmth radiating off them, while another gave off an unshakable calm, like they were holding back something powerful. Yet, everything around them remained just out of focus, like the details were deliberately slipping away as soon as I tried to grasp them.

I kept singing, but their eyes never left me—watching, waiting.

At the center of it all stood a man with a gleaming crown, watching me intently. His gaze was sharp, almost predatory, and his voice echoed in my head. "Sing."

I opened my mouth, and the sound that came out wasn't just music—it was something more.

It filled the room with a strange energy, like I was calling something forth. The figures in the crowd reacted, some leaning in as if entranced, others whispering to each other with interest.

As I sang, more and more people started showing up. When the concert was over, they just stared at me without saying anything. One particular person, with eyes of gold, stared at me as if I were just an insect to him.

After a while of just looking at me, he laughed, but it wasn't a fun laugh or one with good intentions behind it.

It sounded as if someone were using nails to scratch a chalkboard. His laughter got louder and louder as the crowd of people started to chant my name.

Percy.

Percy.

Percy.


"Percy!"

Hermes' voice jolted me awake. His hand shook my shoulder gently, but urgently.
"We're here. You'll have two and a half days to prepare."

"Wait, what?" I muttered groggily, rubbing my eyes as I sat up. My dream still clung to my mind, but I shook it off. "That fast?"

"Told you the car was fast," he said with a grin. "Come on, I'll show you the venue."

The venue was massive, with an open space that could hold thousands of people. Hermes led me inside, and I could already picture myself on stage. It was perfect acoustically, almost too perfect, like it was designed for something more than a simple concert.

Oddly enough, as I walked through the space, I noticed a few strange things. People moved about, but they didn't look quite right. Some had eyes that were unnaturally bright, others had an odd shimmer around them. At one point, I could've sworn I saw a man with... hooves?

"Hey, Hermes," I muttered, "what kind of place is this?"

"Remember what i said?" he asked

"right 'need-to-know basis-" I grumbled

Hermes showed me the room where I'd be rehearsing. "You'll have plenty of time to prepare," he said. "We've arranged everything."

I picked up the guitar that had been set up for me. It was in tune, the strings vibrating with a rich sound as I strummed. It felt good to be holding an instrument again, but something about the atmosphere still didn't sit right with me. I caught sight of a couple of people standing in the doorway, whispering and pointing in my direction.

"Who are they?" I asked.

Hermes glanced over and shrugged. "Just... attendees arriving early for the meeting."

"Attendees?" I echoed, not liking the way they were looking at me. "Why do they seem so... interested?"

He waved it off. "They've heard rumors. Word gets around fast."

I frowned. "Rumors about what?"

"Nothing important," Hermes said quickly. "Just focus on practicing."

"I'm gonna go and get some work done. I had to put it on hold while I picked you up," Hermes said, getting ready to leave.

Just before he walked out the door, I remembered something.

"Wait! You still haven't told me where I'm staying tonight… you know, to sleep and eat?" I asked.

"Oh, right! Sorry about that. My mind moves a bit too fast sometimes, and I forget things," he said apologetically.

"Just head to the front desk and say Hermes sent you. They'll show you to your room," he added with a smile.

"Alright, I'll let you get back to your practice," Hermes said, rushing out while glancing at his phone.

"Thanks… I guess," I muttered to no one in particular.

Well, time to practice, I thought. Do I even have the same skills I had back then? It's been years since I did anything performative.

I picked up the guitar and strummed a few chords. And like magic, my fingers knew exactly which chords to play, which strumming pattern to use.

Guess muscle memory's a thing, I thought to myself.

Hours passed, and it was starting to get dark. My eyes were getting heavier by the minute.

Might as well call it a day. Don't wanna overwork myself just for practice.

Later, as I headed to my room, I passed by several people who gave me curious looks. One of them, a young woman with an almost ethereal presence, stopped me.

"You're Percy Jackson, aren't you?" she asked, her voice filled with a strange kind of awe.

I hesitated, unsure how to respond. "I go by Peter," I said cautiously, but she didn't seem fazed.

"Yes… Peter," she said, her eyes glimmering with something unspoken. "You'll make quite an impression."

As I walked away, I felt eyes on me—whispers rippling through the hall. The whole thing felt strange, but I shrugged it off. I had bigger things to focus on.

I finally reached my room without any more interruptions. Luckily, Hermes had arranged for some food to be sent to my room because when I entered, I saw what looked like a buffet waiting for me—everything was blue, of course.

I kind of expected that. My love for the color blue is pretty well-known.

After I ate and took a shower, I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling, reminiscing about my life, particularly my childhood.

I remembered coming home from school to our little, dilapidated house. Every time I came home, the scent of fresh cookies welcomed me. Blue chip cookies, as my mom called them. They were just regular chocolate chip cookies with some blue food coloring, but I swear she added something to them that made them taste 100 times better than any other cookies.

Of course, with that fond memory came the bitter ones.

My biological dad, Gabe Ugliano, always managed to replace the sweet smell of cookies with the stench of his disgusting aftershave, which smelled like a mix of garbage juice and dog sweat. Every time Gabe came home from work, I'd hide in my room (if you could even call it that), which was just slightly bigger than an average closet.

Eventually, my mom found success in her writing career and gained enough financial independence to divorce Gabe, and we moved out. Not that he took it well.

I'll never forget the night Gabe punched her, giving her a black eye. Of course, I tried to defend her, but I was just a kid. He swatted me away like I was nothing, and I blacked out.

Mom said the neighbors called the police after hearing all the crying and screaming. When they arrived, they quickly pieced together what had happened. Gabe's been in jail ever since.

I also remember my mom giving me my first guitar for my birthday. At the time, I didn't have much interest in music, but I could tell how much it meant to her that she could finally afford to buy me a gift. So I made sure to play that guitar as much as I could. Eventually, I realized I was pretty good at it. Performing my first-ever song for my mom is still my most cherished memory with her.

Man, I miss her. Not that she's dead—she's just on a trip with her new boyfriend, Paul. I don't know much about him yet, but my mom seems happy, and that's good enough for me. I don't think she's told him who I really am, though. I guess I'm still more relevant than I thought.

Eventually, I found myself yawning, and slowly, I drifted off to sleep.


The Next Day:

One and a half days left until the meeting.

I woke up hungrier than I'd ever been in my life, which was weird since I didn't exactly starve myself yesterday. Maybe it was the stress.

After a quick change of clothes and another shower (showers always helped me relax), I went down to where Hermes said there was a complimentary breakfast.

After asking for directions a couple of times, I finally found the place.

As soon as I walked in, a wave of delicious smells hit me like an assault. I mean, it was a nonstop barrage of the best scents I'd ever encountered.

I grabbed a plate and started serving myself everything within reach. Cupcakes, muffins, banana bread, tarts, danishes, eggs, waffles, pancakes—pretty sure people were staring at me. I even grabbed something I'd never heard of before. The label by the plate said "Ambrosia," and there was a drink called "Nectar." But just as I was about to sit at an empty table, someone stopped me.

"Excuse me, the nectar and ambrosia are for VIP guests only," said a warm voice from behind me.

I turned around and saw a woman who looked like she couldn't hurt a fly, with the warmest smile I'd ever seen—besides my mom's, of course.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know," I said, putting the ambrosia and nectar back.

"Don't worry about it. Someone forgot to label them properly," she said.

"How do I become a VIP?" I asked.

"It's… kind of complicated. You're sort of born into it, I guess?" she said.

"Huh, like some kind of exclusive club?" I asked.

"You could say that. It's more like—hey, wait, do I know you from somewhere?" she asked, mid-sentence.

"Uh, no, I don't think so," I said, maybe a little too quickly.

"No, I'm sure I've seen you before." She paused, squinting. "Wait a minute… aren't you Percy Jac—"

"Shh! Please don't say my name out loud," I said, cutting her off.

As I finally confessed, her eyes widened like saucers.

"What are you doing here?!" she exclaimed.

"I was sort of invited to play for a meeting coming up here," I told her in a whisper.

Her eyes sparkled as if she knew something.

"You're going to be in that too?" she asked.

"Too? Wait, are you in it as well?"

"Yeah! I kind of have to be in most meetings with my family, or else they'd go nowhere!" she told me with a grin.

Family? I thought to myself.

"I'm surprised you figured out who I am. I even changed the way I look," I told her.

"Oh, there's no way I wouldn't recognize you! I went to almost every one of your concerts! Me and some of my siblings! My name's Hestia, by the way," she explained excitedly.

"We used to sing along with your songs! Of course, then you retired," Hestia added, a little sadly.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just felt that around that time, I could be doing things more important than just singing. I wanted to make a real difference, not just sing into a microphone. I wanted to see change in the world and have a hand in that change. That's why I accepted the offer to perform here. I was told I could potentially affect the lives of millions," I explained.

"Well, I understand why you retired, but Percy, let me tell you this," she said seriously.

"You were already making a difference when you were singing. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people uplifted by your music. Myself included," Hestia said.

"At my lowest point, when I was starting to give up on my family... for the first time in my life, I discovered your music. It helped me remember why I loved my family and reignited that flame in me again," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Hestia. It means a lot to know people were actually helped by my music," I replied with a smile.

"But does this mean, now that you know who I am, I can get some Ambrosia and Nectar?" I joked.

Hestia chuckled and said, "Sorry, that's still only for VIP members. Even if I gave you some right now, I don't think you'd like it. It would probably send you straight to the hospital."

"Okay, okay, no need to say anything else, I give up," I said, holding up my hands in mock surrender.

"But real quick, does anyone else know I'm here?" I asked.

"No, Percy. I just happened to be here to say hi to some extended family. This was a happy little accident," she said.

"Oh, okay. Good. I really don't want to be swarmed with fans—if I even have any here... besides you, that is," I said with a chuckle.

"Oh, I think you'd be surprised how many people still love your music. Ah, it seems my family is here. I can't wait to hear you sing again, Percy. Until then, goodbye," Hestia said, before heading off to greet a group of people who had just arrived.

After talking to Hestia, who honestly left a great impression on me, I made my way down to the lobby to find the practice room.

As soon as I stepped into the lobby, I saw Hermes talking on the phone, standing right in the middle of the room.

I only caught bits of his conversation.

"No, George—I don't have any rats right now—Martha, please stop yelling in my ear and put Dio—"

By the time I got to him, he had finished the call.

As I approached, he somehow knew I was there even though I was behind him.

"Ah, Percy! Just the man I wanted to see," Hermes said.

"Oh? Why's that? And good to see you too, Hermes," I replied.

"Well, I thought it'd be important for you to know how long you'd be playing and specifically what songs we'd like you to perform," Hermes explained.

I froze. I hadn't even thought about what songs to play. I'd just been doing basic warm-ups and singing random songs these past few days. It also hadn't occurred to me that I'd have to play for a specific amount of time.

"Yeah, that's actually why I was looking for you," I lied, not wanting to seem unprepared.

"Well, the whole meeting should last about two to three hours. But honestly, depending on how it starts, it might be even less than two hours," Hermes explained.

"We're hoping that when they see you, they'll stay and listen to our side," Hermes said.

"I hope they like my music. I still don't know how it holds up after all these years," I said, trying to manage his expectations.

"Percy, your music is known across the world and is still widely regarded in the industry as modern masterpieces. Trust me, your music still holds up," Hermes reassured me.

"Thanks, Hermes," I said, feeling some weight lift off my shoulders.

"As much as I'd love to keep chatting, I've been getting busier the closer we get to the meeting. I'll catch up with you later tonight!" Hermes said, speeding off.

Later tonight? What's happening tonight? I wondered.

I walked to the practice room only to find someone already inside.

He turned around and gave me what I can only describe as the brightest smile I'd ever seen. Not figuratively, but literally—the brightest smile.

I quickly glanced at the number by the door to make sure I was in the right room.

"You're in the right room, Percy," the man said.

Oh great, someone else who knows my real name. I retired years ago and no one has been able to figure out who I really am, but in one day, two different people said my real name, I thought to myself.

"Wondering how I knew your name? Well, it was my idea to get you to sing tonight," the man said.

"Oh, well in that case, thank you for the invite," I said, still a little skeptical of who this guy was.

"Let me guess, you're skeptical of me, right?" said the man.

Okay, so this man is a mind reader.

"Well, I mean, wouldn't you be? You haven't even told me your name," I responded.

"Just call me Apollo," he said.

Wow, they're really going all out with the Greek god theme, I thought to myself.
First Hermes, and now that I think about it, Hestia is a Greek god's name too, and now this 'Apollo' character?

"Apollo? Did your parents really name you that?" I asked.

"Hahaha, yes, my family is Greek in origin, so you'll find there are going to be a lot of people here with Greek-sounding names. I'm assuming you've met some already?" he asked.

"Besides Hermes? Just one other person named Hestia—really nice lady, by the way," I told him.

He chuckled and said, "Yeah, that's what everyone says about her."

"So, why are you here?" I asked.

"Well, of course, to introduce you to your new band!" Apollo said, as he waved a group of people in through the back door.


Author's Note:

This is just an idea I had while listening to Imagine Dragons. I wanted to make a story where Percy is 100% mortal with no divine connections to the Greek world. Now, he will eventually gain some powers, but nothing too crazy. I wanted to write a story where a mortal human is the one who's going to win the war—not a demigod or a god—a human mortal. So Percy is going to face problems that other demigods/divine beings don't have, such as not being able to Iris message people or having any demigod powers. (Percy will get some powers, but nothing too crazy like in other fanfics.) Something akin to more strength, stamina, and other tame power-ups.

The pairing is going to be—drumroll please—Pertemis! As that's the only pairing I love. It will be a slow burn, so please don't expect any romantic development for a while. I feel that as a maiden Greek goddess, it's going to take a loooong time for her to finally even mildly like someone. In other Pertemis fanfics, Percy and Artemis always have some sort of contact, either the canon one when they save Nico and Bianca, then the holding of the sky, or in other fanfics they grew up together, or Percy is already a god, or Percy is the go-to soldier for Olympus since ancient Greek times. In this fanfic, they'll have none of that history... kinda, but I can't get into it without spoiling the story! Anyway, enjoy!

Please leave reviews on what you think about the premise. The reactions/reviews I receive from this chapter will tell me if it's worth writing the rest of this.

Now, if you've read my previous fanfic New Age Earth, you're probably wondering why I stopped writing it. Long story short, I had the next chapter written, but then some serious IRL stuff happened, and I completely forgot about it and lost the chapter file. I also completely forgot where the story was heading. If I remember the plot in the future, I'll continue it, but there's only a small chance of that happening.

Also, is AO3 a good site to post on? I've never really posted anything there.

PS This fanfic has been spellchecked with chatgpt.