The Lost Tides

Description: Percy Jackson's life is forever changed when he loses his mother to a monstrous drakon at age eight. Taken in by Artemis, he becomes an honorary Hunter, navigating the treacherous world of Greek mythology. As he grows stronger, Percy's path leads him to Camp Half-Blood, where adventure, danger, and romance await.

(Percy is 9 year old)

It started with the rain.

I didn't notice it at first, not over the sound of Mom's laughter. She was kneeling in the sand, her yellow sundress soaked through, helping me build a castle big enough to "withstand the gods" (her words, not mine). Her hands moved faster than mine, patting down towers and carving tiny windows with a seashell.

"See, Percy?" she said, her voice warm even as the wind picked up. "You've got to make the walls thicker. Like this." She pressed her palm into the wet sand, and for a second, I thought I saw the ground ripple beneath her fingers.

I frowned, squinting at the castle. "But if the walls are too thick, how will the soldiers shoot arrows?"

Mom laughed, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. "They're sea soldiers, silly. They'll use… harpoons! Or tidal waves!" She winked, like she always did when she talked about the ocean. I didn't get why she loved it so much—the water was cold and smelled like fish—but I liked how her eyes lit up when she talked about it.

Then the thunder came. Not normal thunder. This sounded like a growl, low and hungry, rolling across the beach. The sky turned the color of a bruise.

"Mom?" I whispered. My hands were still buried in the sand, but now it felt… wrong. Gritty, like broken glass.

She froze. Her smile slipped away, and for the first time ever, Mom looked scared. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped my wrist. "Percy. Run."

I didn't move. I couldn't. My brain was stuck on the way her voice cracked, like when she talked about Dad—the guy who'd left us before I was even born. But then I saw it.

The water moved.

Not like waves. Like something alive. A shadow surged beneath the surface, long and coiled, and then the beach exploded. Sand sprayed my face, and I stumbled back, coughing. Mom yanked me upright, her hands shaking.

"Go!" she screamed, shoving me toward the boardwalk. "Don't look back!"

But I did.

The monster rose from the waves, taller than the carousel at Coney Island. Its body was all scales and spines, its eyes glowing like pennies in a fire. It didn't have a face, not really—just a gaping hole lined with teeth that dripped green slime.

"Mom!" I screamed, but the thing was faster. A whip-like tail lashed out, wrapping around her waist. She didn't even fight. She just looked at me, her lips moving silently: I love you.

Then she was gone, dragged into the sea.

The rain turned icy. I stood there, my fists clenched, waiting for her to come back. She had to come back. She always did. When the kids at school called me "freak," when the teachers sighed over my spelling tests, when the lights flickered in our apartment and Mom swore it was just bad wiring—she always came back.

But the beach stayed empty.

I don't know how long I stood there. My jeans were soaked, my sneakers full of sand. The monster didn't return. Neither did Mom. The waves just kept crashing, like nothing had happened.

"Stupid ocean!" I cried, kicking the castle. It collapsed into a lump.

"It's not the ocean's fault."

I spun around. The girl standing behind me looked about twelve, maybe older. She had short black hair and silver eyes that glowed in the dark. Her hoodie wasn't normal, either—it shimmered like someone had stitched it out of moonlight.

"Who're you?" I asked, wiping my nose on my sleeve. My voice sounded small, even to me.

She ignored me, crouching to study the broken sandcastle. Her fingers brushed the towers, and for a second, I thought I saw them twitch back into shape. But when I blinked, the castle was still ruined.

"Your mother knew this day might come," she said, her voice low and urgent. "She asked for our protection… should the world ever turn against you."

I stared at her. "What are you talking about? My mom's—"

"Gone. For now." The girl straightened, her silver eyes piercing. "The drakon was sent for you, Percy. Not her. She bargained with it to spare your life."

My chest tightened. "No! She's coming back! She—"

"You're marked," the girl interrupted, gesturing to my arms. I looked down and froze. My skin was glowing faintly, like bioluminescent algae in dark water. "The sea knows what you are. They all do. While I don't know what you are, you attract danger. And until you can defend yourself, you'll never be safe."

The girl—Zoe—extended a hand. Her palm was calloused, her nails short and practical. "Artemis offers sanctuary. Not out of pity," she added sharply, "but because your mother's sacrifice demands it. The Hunt will train you. Hide you. But make no mistake—you are not one of us. You will never be one of us. You are still a boy, even at your young age."

I glanced back at the ocean. The waves hissed against the shore, taunting me.

"Why should I trust you?" I whispered.

Zoe's mouth flattened. "You shouldn't. But you'll die if you stay here. Choose."

The rain soaked through my hoodie. Somewhere in the distance, a siren wailed.

I took her hand.

...

A/N This story will be different from the usual "Son of Artemis" fanfics. Artemis was one of the only deities that actually sided with (or didn't side at all) Percy and the hunt didn't seem nearly as cruel as most fanfic writers have made them. Feel free to criticise my writing throughout, just please provide constructive criticism instead of insults :)