PJO Percy vs. BotW Link

A confused boy stood alone in a dark room, surrounded by flowing waterfalls, with the only semblance of light shining through a narrow opening above.

He crept forward, reaching, in hopes to see this light closer. The cool touch of the water calmed his panicking mind, and he quickly saw things clearer.

A young Percy Jackson was standing in a clearing, arising from a cave entrance into which a small creek flowed. The field was wide, lined with tall trees Percy didn't recognize.

But it was the other boy in the clearing who caught Percy's attention. Immediately, the demigod went on alert and felt in his pocket for his pen, Riptide.

It was there. He let out a sigh of relief but remained cautious.

Slowly, he approached, trying to suppress the imminent danger he felt. He didn't want to appear as a threat if this other person meant him any harm.

Better to meet as friends than as enemies.

He wasn't two meters away when the boy turned to him, unsurprised by Percy's presence, and tiled his head, as if confused.

Percy awkwardly waved a greeting. The other boy was a few inches shorter, standing at about 170cm (5'7") to his 178cm (5'10"). His hair was golden dirty blond, unruly like Percy's, but much longer and tied into a ponytail by a sky-blue hair tie. His eyes were a similar baby blue, a nice contrast to Percy's sea-green.

But what Percy noticed first and foremost was his physique. The boy—no, young man, Percy decided—was well-toned and lean. It wasn't something you got from just working out, he thought. This guy was a fighter; and by the scars Percy eyed on his forearms, he'd been a fighter, and a demigod, for a long time.

"My name is Percy," he suddenly said, realizing he had been quiet for quite some time while assessing his acquaintance.

He heard a low grunt from the other, as if he had determined the same about Percy.

"Link," a voice said, deep and difficult to make out. Percy had to take a second to realize it was Link's voice who had said it.

"Nice to meet you, Link," Percy replied warily, trying to hide his grimace.

It was an after-thought that came to him. Link, clearly a demigod that knew the battlefield like the back of his hand, was not holding a weapon. In fact, the only item on his person appeared to be a rough phone case that glowed a dim blue.

Percy was instantly on his guard. What was Link playing at? And why was Percy being so paranoid? He felt so uncomfortable all of a sudden. What was going on?

Unbeknownst to Percy, Link felt a similar sensation.

He swam in his boots. His last memory was embracing Zelda after freeing her from the clutches of Calamity Ganon.

And now, here he was, in the middle of a field. His Sheikah Slate held no information about his location; instead, it displayed a fuzzy static on the screen: he was outside of its range.

Was this one of the Calamity's tricks? He recalled, just after the fall of the Kingdom, several people were infected by malice and experienced vivid daymares.

Could this be one of them? Could he be in a hell designed just for him by Ganon?

Link wasn't sure. But he did know things weren't normal.

And this "Percy" character was the most suspicious thing here. The boy was sixteen or so, just a year or two younger than Link was physically. But more importantly, he was obviously a soldier. By the way he walked, the way he talked; it was the most obvious thing in the world to Link.

But what shocked Link was how clean and unblemished he looked. Percy didn't look like he had done a lick of manual labor in his entire life, much less trained to become a warrior. And, furthermore, Percy's weapon twitch was towards his pants pocket.

Every soldier has a weapon twitch; Link's was to the Master Sword which usually sat on his back behind his shoulder. As of recently, he stored it in the Sheikah Slate's storage so it could be drawn from thin air in zero time, so his fingers itched toward the Slate attached to his hip.

Did Percy have something similar? Some high-tech storage or the likes where his weapon was stored, inside his pocket? It was Link's best guess, but if this guy had access to something so incredible, then it made him twice the threat he was before.

Link's eyes narrowed, catching Percy by surprise. Percy's hand shot into his pocket immediately, confirming Link's suspicions.

Link's hand jumped to the Sheikah Slate, drawing a Royal Broadsword. It had been a habit of his, to avoid using his Master Sword unless it was absolutely necessary.

Percy's hand flew out in front of him, holding a strange, thin cylindrical object. It looked innocent and harmless, which made Link all the more on the edge. Deciding to end the competition and get some answers instantly, he feinted a blow, which, to his surprise, was parried by a shiny bronze xiphos.

It was just like Link had thought. Percy was a threat. And he would work to eliminate that threat so he could see Zelda again. He wouldn't wait another moment.

"Hyaahhh!" he cried, swinging the broadsword in a horizontal motion.

Percy ducked and weaved, pushing under Link's guard.

The experienced swordsman side-strafed, met one of Percy's swings, and continued his onslaught.

Percy, on the other hand, was overwhelmed. Not just by his fighting style, but by the suddenness of it. He wasn't trying to provoke a fight, but Percy could hardly say it was his fault for the start of this. Besides, he was just trying to figure out why he was here.

Is this how the gods treat him, after saving their butts from Kronos? Well, he didn't really do the killing of Kronos, but surely they'd appreciate him a bit more than to abduct him and throw him into the middle of nowhere for no reason, right? The boy missed Annabeth already.

He wasn't a big fan of being Fate's plaything, but if this Link guy was causing trouble, then he guessed it was kinda important enough for him to deal with.

It was still annoying, though. And, after seeing his adversary's skill, Percy decided he needed a raise for this.

Percy twirled, smashing his blade of Celestial Bronze against Link's mortal metal one, each hit damaging the weaker weapon's material. It took an embarrassing number of hits, but just like Percy predicted, it failed to hold against the pressure.

For once, trading blows seemed to be in Percy's favor, as the weapon broke into pieces. Percy was surprised that Link had a mortal weapon with magical sheathing, but it wasn't the strangest thing he'd seen. Regardless, it didn't matter now, as Percy threw himself forward, prepared to put Link in a hold and demand a surrender.

A blade sunk into his abdomen, flinging Percy backwards. He cried in pain, but there was no blood. He was cursed by the Styx, after all.

On the other hand, Link was shocked. The boy took a direct hit from his Master Sword with no visible damage. Link was certain the boy had no body armor… but then again, if he was an illusion of Ganon's, then he guessed it didn't have to make any sense. The boy could very well be functionally invincible, for all Link cared. He'd still make him yield.

But while the boy was writhing in pain, he kept looking back at the creek behind him. Link noticed this and decided to capitalize upon it.

He picked Percy up by the scruff of his neck, and with blinding speed, flung the boy into the creek. He jumped forward himself and landed on his foe, smacking a hand down on the back of his head.

Even mighty Lynels still needed to breathe. He'd waterboard the boy until he stopped resisting. Then, he'd consider a surrender request.

But Percy did not grow weaker. If anything, his thrashing became more controlled and precise. He didn't look panicked or weakened. No, he looked calm and powerful. More powerful than he had been at the beginning of the fight.

The ground around Link darkened. Link scrunched his brow in confusion before slowly turning his eyes to the sky.

A great serpent of liquid arose from the creek, gnashing its teeth. Link cried out in surprise before hardening his nerves.

The serpent struck an instantly-materialized shield, Percy noticed. It had a blue and red template and repelled the water strike effortlessly, but water doesn't just disappear. Percy curled the water around the shield and pulled.

Link flew along with it into the sky, surrounded by the floating pool of water. Percy smiled. He'd give the boy some of his own medicine. Link flailed as he tried to swim and failed. His lungs filled with water, Percy ensured.

In thirty seconds, Percy was certain the threat would be no more. Link struggled and struggled some more.

A minute passed. Percy narrowed his eyes. His enemy was sporting a different outfit; how, Percy did not know, but it was blue and made his body fish-like. Percy could tell it was improving his swimming ability, but it wasn't nearly enough to escape this trap.

But it was worrying that Link did not seem very alarmed. It was another minute before Link's movement slowed, his swimming coming to a stop as he drifted in the water calmly.

Percy didn't want to kill Link, so he made to remove the water from his lungs, but before he could, Link's eyes fired open once more and, with renewed vigor, pushed forward, catching Percy by surprise.

Link flew out of the trap, falling to the ground and rolling. Percy was certain he had been on the verge of death… how could he…?

An astral projection swam around Link and Percy cried out. He had a fish-person ghost goddess! What?

And Percy was pretty sure he had given Link at least a few cuts before. Where had they gone? Did the fish lady heal him or something? This was unfair! Yeah, Percy had a river goddess make his skin invincible, but bringing someone back to life was totally crossing the line!

Meanwhile, Link wiped his brow and spat out some more water. He'd never get used to drowning, he decided. Smiling at Mipha and voicing his thanks, he watched as she disappeared before returning his eyes to Percy.

Their fight was far from over.

Link knew now that the Calamity's illusion wasn't afraid to play dirty. Controlling water with his mind? That power didn't even make sense. It was time to take the fight into his own hands and end this silly fake reality.

He pulled back his arm and swung forward. Percy tilted his head, confused at the action, which was treated in turn with a slice to his face.

The Master Sword was magical and could generate a beam… a sword with endless range, he'd been told. It could strike at foes kilometers away just as easily as foes within a centimeter.

And Percy took the brunt of it. As if the sword was right in front of him, he was smacked up and down by the magical beams of energy. Percy's instincts took over, and he dodged the invisible blows with a practiced precision, but it wasn't enough.

Every few hits landed, and even if he was not injured, he felt pain, and it prevented his forward assault on the other swordsman.

He summoned a powerful burst of water that was split in two by the magical sword's beams. When he made the split streams of water return to attack his opponent, they were met with bursts of ice from a magical rod Link carried.

"What the Hades?!" Percy cried. How many weapons did this guy have!?

Percy had an idea. He shot another stream forth, only for it to be frozen again, but he used the opportunity to approach quickly. The line of sight had been broken thanks to the ice, and Percy snatched the opportunity by its coattails and threw himself into the fray nearby Link.

By the time Link realized his folly and cracked the ice with the Master Sword, Percy was less than a meter away. He parried the blow easily, but Percy had sought the ice rod with his blade, and it quickly broke from the exchange, leaving Link without an ice weapon.

Percy summoned upon the water once more and flooded the battlefield, knocking Link to his knees, unable to stand firm in the flood.

Percy knew now that his opponent must be partially immortal. It was annoying, yes, especially without a god to assist in the takedown, but it wasn't a lost cause. Link would go down, because that was his purpose here… right? Why… why were they fighting again?

As the water flowed around Percy, he grew more aware, and struggled to understand why he was here. Why was he here, why was Link here, and why were they fighting? It made no sense. The prophecy was over, so Percy should have been free from the Fates.

Link, holding on dear to the Master Sword implanted in the ground, was rocked back and forth. Managing to hold out his hand for just a moment, he snapped his fingers.

Bright, hot, powerful lightning soared down from the clear skies, striking Percy in his tracks and electrifying him to a still. Instantly, the water around him ceased his rushing, stopping to a standstill. Some of the electricity conducted through the water, shocking and damaging Link.

Percy, however, took the full force of the impact, but still quickly recovered thanks to the water he stood in.

Link, realizing he was in a very sticky situation as the impenetrable skin his opponent sported protected a body that already had regenerative powers that could recover from a lightning strike in a second (but also proving he could be hurt), decided he'd have to pull out all of the stops at this point. If he wanted to defeat the boy, he'd have to cause the maximum amount of damage in the shortest amount of time.

Percy, likewise, came to a similar conclusion. If he wanted to call a truce, he doubted this guy would accept until one of them won and the other yielded. After all, they were both demigods in the same situation, and he believed that he'd do the same if he didn't know any better. Demigods were trained to keep fighting until the threat was gone.

If he wanted to win without hurting this guy too badly, he'd have to use all his strength to do it.

And as a small hurricane swirled around Percy, Link looked calm and unperturbed.

What was going through the other's head? That was a thought on both of their minds.

In a strange sense, Link had come to respect the boy, even if he was pretty sure… well, kind of sure that he was just a servant of the Calamity. No, Link wasn't sure about anything anymore. This kind of power… it wasn't like Ganon's at all. Sure, the timing was damning, but nothing else about this encounter screamed like Ganon's trickery.

Was Percy… like him? Also torn from his victory, and thrown into… well, wherever this was?

Percy's powers were unreal. Link didn't think this could possibly be a plot of Ganon's anymore, even if an annoying sense of paranoia kept slamming itself against his mind. It hurt to think straight at times.

The hurricane inched closer. Link closed his eyes and sighed. It was time; the final showdown. Whoever won this would decide the fate of the other, assuming both survived. At this rate, it was hard to tell.

Faster than the blink of an eye, Link flew toward Percy and swung his sword in an arc that Percy could barely see. It was literally blinding speed; speed Percy had never seen from anything before. He actually flinched, but the hurricane surrounding him protected his position from the strike.

But Link's attack didn't stop there. His actions were way too fast. It made no sense to Percy. How could anyone, demigod or not, move that quickly? In a second, Link had literally fought the hurricane down and pushed through into its eye, where Percy stood.

Percy, dropping the hurricane, braced himself with the water.

It hurt. It hurt so much. That was all Percy could remember. It took all he had in him and the water he was enveloped in to avoid being knocked around like a discarded toy.

And Link didn't stop. Percy, swallowing the pain, threw a swipe with Riptide, but Link, somehow, backflipped and returned to his attack.

All in all, it took fifteen seconds, though it felt like fifteen hours, for Percy to have enough. He screamed, and the earth below them shook. A great, powerful earthquake destabilized the onslaught and threw Link down to the ground.

Percy sighed in relief, but to his surprise, Link jumped into the air several meters in response.

What?! Oh gods…

The last Percy saw was a bright shining flash and hellfire rained down on him.

Thousands upon thousands of bombs and explosions were released from Link's bow in rapid succession.

Link drank several stamina-recovering elixirs as the time warped around him. It was his champion's ability: the ability to, in dire moments of battle, literally slow down time around him to react quickly enough.

But it was tiring, and it burned through his stock of elixirs, but the damage was certainly wearing the other boy out.

After he fell to the ground and his bow blasts ended, Percy fell to his knees.

He looked like shit. His clothes were burnt and torn, and he looked to be curling into the fetal position. Link was confused. Percy shouldn't have been physically damaged, just pained, but Percy was covered in burns and writhing in pain.

Had… had Link won? What a bittersweet victory this was, if he had.

He felt sorry. This battle… it was meaningless, wasn't it?

In an impulse act—one he wasn't sure if he'd regret or not—Link picked the boy up by the scruff of his neck like he had done before, and dipped him in the creek a few meters away.

Percy's pained expression visibly lightened, and he drifted off into a tired sleep, exhausted from the exertion.

Link got lucky, he was certain. If that attack had not worked, he would have been Rock Roasted in the end.

Sitting himself down, Link stared at his hands and laid out his creaking body near the boy. He didn't trust Percy quite yet, but he'd keep Daruk's power on all night just in case.

Line Break

Percy was pissed, quite frankly. And not because he had lost the fight. It was because Link got to be the good guy and ask for the truce.

It was just his luck, anyways, that Link would have a nuke stuck up his ass to throw at Percy. Percy's "Achilles' Heel," his weak spot, was on the small of his back, and when the hellfire rained down upon him, more than a few blasts caught him there.

And, as the only point of his mortality, the rest of his health was dependent on it. If it got burned, then he'd have burns everywhere. If it was stabbed, then he'd bleed from every orifice on his body.

That was how Achilles died, and it was not something Percy ever wanted to experience.

I'm not interested in continuing this, to be honest. Lol. Thought the fight scene was pretty good. A basic synopsis of how the plot ends is that Percy and Link team up to beat the crap out of everyone else.

Update April 3rd, 2025: To address those wondering: Yes, Percy could have won, too. Truth be told, I flipped a coin to decide who would win.

Anyways, I've been looking at this, and I've decided that publishing this to FFN would be fine. I wrote this back in October of 2024, and it's been in the archives ever since like many other short stories I feel the urge to write and never continue.

As I see it now, there is a lot of potential with where it can go from here, with many different qualities that could be explored. The weird sensation that urges them to find is one, and what brought them there is another—even better if those are one and the same.

If you'd like me to continue this, then tell me. Until then, see you next time.