Percy stood atop the pool water. Ripples pulsed with his steady heartbeat, bouncing to the pool's edges where the Trinity of the Justice League stood.
Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman were posed shoulder to shoulder at the water's edge as if their presence was enough to demand his attention, which it didn't. He had left them waiting for five minutes before he cared to rise from the depths.
"My name isn't Clark," Superman opened.
Percy shrugged, "Sure thing, Clark."
"It isn't."
Percy nodded along as if he was buying it, "Right, totally, Super-Clark."
"How did you even come to that conclusion?"
Percy recoiled in confusion, "Really? You wear glasses at best for a disguise. It's hardly a secret cover. Batman over there at least hides most of his face."
"Clark Kent and I have both attended the same events before," the superhero tried.
"Right, and we don't live in a world of magic and mishaps. Plus, doesn't the Martian shapeshift?" Percy snorted, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, Clark, we can move past this. You came to me for a reason today or, rather, tonight. What is it you want?" he glanced to Batman.
"We wanted to recruit you, Perseus," Wonder Woman spoke up. "We believe your latent talents and skills will be useful to the world."
Percy raised a single eyebrow as his lips twitched, trying not to openly frown as he turned to the immortal warrior. The same one who had been walking around the world for close to a century now and had been alive for countless more on her home island of Themyscira with immortal sisters.
He didn't speak a word while the water beneath him stilled. The water touching his feet froze, forming a platform of thin ice below him. He still did not speak. He simply stared down the Amazonian princess, his displeasure showing on his face.
She stared back, her neutral stare shifting to a confused frown.
The others did not speak up, and an uncomfortable silence festered like a mosquito bite. The urge to speak, to itch, suspended by the notion that they knew it was best to not provoke.
Batman and Superman traced their eyes back and forth between the two Greeks. Diana herself continued to hold Percy's glare.
"Percy?" Clark 'Superman' Kent prodded.
Percy glanced at the alien, "Yes, Clarky?"
"Did you hear what Wonder Woman had to say?"
"No, I couldn't hear her over the sound of indifference, to be honest," Percy shrugged, turning away from the trio. He began to walk towards where his clothes lay, the water freezing under his step. "I'm sure she hears it as well. Should be deafening for her."
"You dismiss me?" Wonder Woman finally spoke again, offended. Her hands twitched on her hips the frown became a thinning of her lips. "You believe me indifferent?"
"Batman, you hear something?" Percy laughed, snapping his finger and forcing all the water in his hair and on his body back into the pool. "You know, Batman, I've been curious. Do you wash the costume? I mean, you have to be out sweating in that thing all the time, and if you are out every night…. I mean, do you have uniforms for the days of the week, or do you just have some bat-deodorant doing the work of the gods for you?"
Percy waited for a response. However, when it became clear he wasn't getting one, he shrugged and pulled his shirt on.
"Percy, we are trying to be serious here," Superman approached Percy. "This is a very important matter we want to talk about."
"I am being serious," he smoothed out nonexistent wrinkles in his tee.
The Man of Steel sighed before nodding, "Alright. Well, then, we should try to get back to what Wonder Woman was saying. We would like for you to join the League. Well, not officially, but a pseudo-member all the same."
Percy looked up, "Why?"
"We believe your skill set would be inva—"
Percy held up his hand in a stopping motion, "No. No. Just no. Don't give me that spiel. I'm not a kid or some newbie with powers. If you have Diana here, you know exactly who I am. You know what I've done and what I can do. Sure, you want that for yourself, but you've had quite a few years to approach me. You only came now. Why?"
Superman gave his compatriots a look, but neither spoke in his stead. He turned back to Percy, "A multitude of reasons. We need someone who can help develop the next generation of heroes. To put it short, we also want it to be someone outside of the League to help them so they do not feel that they are only being forced along a path by us. You came recommended by a few people."
"Let me guess, you went to the architect first? She then pointed you to me," Percy said, grabbing the things he brought with him to the pool.
"Yes." Superman frowned. "How did you know that?"
"You'd be an idiot not to go to her for something like this." Percy shrugged. "Add in the fact that you are here now, which means she turned you down. This makes me think the smartest thing for me to do is turn you down also." Percy let out a sigh, but his gaze was drawn past the three heroes by a movement of darkness.
The goddess stood there once more, appearing twice on the same night. Billowing clouds of black extended from her back, floating outwards like wings. That same miasmic fog floated across her almost nude form as it clung to her like the barest hint of primal wear. Even her flowing hair helped hide her skin. Across her body, the same stars that splattered her cheekbones splattered her torso. He could even make out the form of the Huntress, aiming her bow at the goddess' heart.
She gave him a pearly white smile, and he knew what she wanted from him.
She wanted him to accept their offer….
After all, it was no coincidence that she finally reappeared on the same night the League appeared to recruit him. Percy only wished he knew what she truly wanted, what she truly meant.
He couldn't blame his younger self for jumping at such a deal back then and under the circumstances. He only would've wished his younger self had made a more demanding agreement with the goddess….
It would've only been fair, after all. She did claim him hers. He could've gotten at least a few more miles off his soul than he did.
Percy closed his eyes and sighed, resolving himself to his fate.
He focused back on the superheroes, who waited for his answer, "You are in luck, it seems. What is it I am expected to do for you? I will warn you, I am not afraid to smack a child."
He glanced back at where the goddess once was, but she was gone just as fast as she came. Not even a hint of the fog she emanated lingered in her absence.
"We would prefer you did not smack a child for your entertainment," Superman winced. "Or at all if you can avoid it."
Percy shrugged, "So, train some kids. What other reasons do you have?"
Batman glanced at Wonder Woman, as did Superman.
She stood arms crossed and raised her brow back at them, "He made it clear he doesn't care what I say. Perhaps we should leave him to figure this out on his own."
"Diana…" Superman said like a disappointed brother.
She turned to Percy, who was biting his fingernails, ignoring the woman. She turned back to the men of the group.
"I told you before we came. He holds a grudge against the Amazonians and me. It would seem it runs deeper than I thought."
Superman turned to Percy, arms crossed, "That will not be efficient for the workplace. I suggest you two find some common ground to make amends then."
"Sure, right after I lounge around while some kids struggle to keep their heads above the tide," Percy snarked. "Then, maybe once they do something I could do a lot easier, I will sweep in and be the hero for everyone else."
Diana stormed forward, zeroing in on Percy, "That is not how that went!" Her breath was hot against his face.
"Right," Percy mocked, dragging the word out. "You didn't sweep in at all to play hero and help us. You only care about the mortals. I'm sure the camps full of kid demigods couldn't have used your help when they were spilling their blood for the sake of the world. I mean, come on, I crawled out of Tartarus with my bare hands and still fought against the Earth Mother. What is your excuse? What are any of your sister's excuses?"
"I was mou—"
"I don't care!" Percy snapped, pushing her out of his space. "Not one! Not a single one of you or your sisters came to help us at Mount Olympos. Not one, and we were right there next to your damn island. I mean, seriously! Even the Party Ponies came to help us, and they are centaurs that roam America drunk and coked up out of their minds.
"So, for our 'workplace efficiency,'"— Percy air quoted, stepping into Diana's face —"I will ignore you and go about my day. Simple as that. You'll learn with me that I'm pretty bad at communication, and that will be to everyone's benefit here, for once." He turned on Superman, who was about to protest. "No, Clark, I will not do better than that. She doesn't deserve it."
"What if lives are at stake?" Batman cut in, his voice rough. "Can you work with Diana then?"
"Sure." Percy shrugged, baiting the heroine with a glare. "I'm not immature or stupid."
"Could've fooled me," Diana snarked.
"Piss off." Percy snapped his finger, and the Amazonian yelped. It was quickly followed by a splash. He smiled down at her beneath the waves.
The two heroes turned to the third, who thrashed in the chlorine depths. She struggled against the binding water that held her under, but her efforts were for naught as Percy continued to smile, his hand clenched as he kept her trapped.
"Release her, Perseus," Batman said.
Percy raised a brow at the man's authority. The Batman's stance had shifted, clearly ready to fight.
He turned back to watch the Amazonian glare at him from beneath the pool water, "In a sec. I have stipulations to this deal."
"Name them," Superman said, frowning at Percy.
"My family gets full protection at all times, even when we all think whatever danger has passed. Full protection."
"Of course."
"My little sister gets whatever schooling she could ever want paid for."
"Done," Batman said.
"Arthur, or Aquaman, or whatever he calls himself, is not allowed to introduce me to the world as a son of Poseidon, nor are any of you. I am not going to be tethered to the mortal rendition of Atlantis. They may pray to my father, but they are not my Atlantis. That and I know it's inevitable that I will have to put on some stupid mask and get up, but just because I do, I am not subservient to your League. I'm not some maniacal villain, and you know this, or you wouldn't be coming to me to entrust a bunch of kids to my care.
"On top of that freedom, it extends to the kids. I get say over what those kids are and aren't allowed to do. They are kids at the end of the day, and I will allow them to be such. I am not going to turn out mindless superhero drones for you to snatch to join your League."
Batman and Superman glanced at one another. A silent conversation happened before, and both nodded at the same time.
"Let Diana up, and we can all shake on it."
Percy nodded and glanced back at his prisoner.
She cocked a fist back, slamming it against the top of the water as if she were trying to punch through a wall. Yet, his control held strong as not even a ripple of water was displaced.
Her eyes met his. Pure rage burned in those striking blue eyes. Good. She lit that spark in him, too.
"Perseus," Batman bit.
The demigod dispelled his control over the pool water.
Immediately, Wonder Woman burst from the pool. Water sprayed everywhere as she floated above the water.
"Perseus Jackson!" she roared, drawing her blade from her back as a shield sprung from her arm.
Then, she lunged at him as rage clouded her mind.
Her sword came down on a warpath from over her head as she aimed for Percy.
A part of Percy wondered if she would actually attempt to kill him. Another part of him wondered if she thought Superman would intervene and prevent anything from escalating. Then, of course, maybe she expected Percy to defend himself….
Her sword tore through his body. The blade sliced down through his head and across his ribs before it came out near his waist.
Nobody moved as she stood there, holding her final stance. All that rage burned away in a single moment.
Percy could see the slightest tremors in her hand as she slowly turned to face him. Her eyes, which were once poisoned with rage, held fear. They skittered back and forth as they searched him for the debilitating blow she struck.
Good, Percy thought. Fear the consequences of your actions just as we felt them.
"Worried you would kill me with that?" Percy warbled from his liquidized state. "I really thought Superman would stop you from actually trying to kill me, but well, Clark didn't move an inch. I'm kinda hurt. Emotionally, not physically, mind you. Though, I guess you are your father's child, Diana. I shouldn't put it past you."
"I figured you would dodge," Superman defended himself with a shrug. "I would say you did."
Percy laughed. At first, it started as if he was underwater, and then it sounded normal. As did his body, from the aquatic state he shifted into, it reformed back into his regular human state of skin and bones. "You guys have some faith in me, huh?"
"How did you do that?" Diana panted, stepping away from him. Her blade surrendered and pointed to the floor, and Percy allowed himself to relax. She, ideally, shouldn't be attacking him again anytime soon.
Let it be known he preferred Hylla and her Amazonian girls out on the West Coast.
"I've been alive for thirty-five years," Percy started, flexing his hand and shifting it from being a liquid back to his normal human form. "I have done things people will never believe. I have seen things that would make even superheroes hesitate. Sure, I may seem like a friendly coffee shop employee to the world, but I am not. I have become very familiar with what my powers can do, and frankly, sometimes, I question what they cannot do."
"Why so prepared then? Need all that power to pour and stir drinks?" Batman gruffed.
Percy shrugged, stepping past the Leaguers, "Never know when a god needs you to do the impossible because nobody else can."
AN: Join Discord link in bio! Follow, Favorite, Review!
(Revised Sept. 24th, 2024)
Hope all is well.
-Manke