Chapter Text
“Please, one more mile,” Sally begged, repeating what she pleaded for the past few miles. Begging her legs not to break down, even if they burned and throbbed with pain and strain. The creatures chasing her, hunting them, loomed behind her, shaking the ground and blurring her vision. The only saving grace, her only saving grace was the rain at her back, obscuring the vision of the monsters and slowing those behind her just enough for her to get the lead. It wasn’t the most effective but the best thing she could ask for. The best thing she had at the moment. Especially since she was so close to freedom. To safety.
“WAHH!” Her little pearl cried, startled by the roar of the creatures behind her. Still, she held her baby close, trying to conserve body heat despite the two being perfectly dry. The storm above her was the harshest hurricane to hit the North-Eastern coast in the past few decades. But it kept the two alive. It kept them safe. Safe from monsters behind them. Safe from the Gods prying eyes who should never learn of the babe in her arms.
“Shh, Μαργαριτάρι μου, everything will be okay. I promise,” Sally said, even as a car went flying past them, narrowly avoiding the two. She didn’t have time to thank the Winds before she was ushed faster by the winds behind her, the water clearing from her path.
When she saw the graffiti sign, warning all who entered, far in the distance, barely visible through the pouring rain and yet clear as the sun in the clear skies, she almost sighed in relief. She was home. She was Safe.
“ROAR!!” Or she would be safe once she found her way home. Once she passed the boundaries of the city.
“Get away from my Son!” Sally yelled, pulling a charm off her bracelet. She turned just long enough to aim the charm at Harpy’s head before she threw it. Halfway through its travel, the charm transformed into a long, celestial bronze, javelin. Sally’s aim landed true, turning the Harpy into golden dust, washing away with the rain. The Javelin, on its way down, stabbed through the side of a hellhound, turning him to dust too.
“RROOAARR!” The hellhounds howled, forced to dodge the javelin fueled by her rage, the winds, and the rain. With the added time, Sally was able to run past the boundaries of the city, over the river that encircled the city, and promised protection.
“We’re almost there,” Sally whispered, running to the other side of the bridge, just behind the sign begging people to leave this place. With her feet planted on the concrete, she turned, standing tall as she stared down the approaching monsters.
“TURN BACK!” Sally yelled, just as the rain finally began to set in, slowly but certainly soaking her. The monsters hesitated for a second, gathering on the other side of the bridge. Despite Sally getting soaked, the baby in her arms stayed warm, stayed dry. Still, she stood tall as the temperature plunged, and the wind picked up. As more than just her ancestor joined the area.
“TURN BACK NOW!” Sally yelled as the wind picked up, pushing her down, and pulling her up. The monsters hesitated for a second more, before crossing the bridge. The second they got halfway through the bridge, Sally closed her eyes, trusting in the words of her once lover.
“DEMIGOD!” Sally heard the footsteps come closer and closer, as the waves below her grew louder and louder before screeches filled the air. When Sally opened her eyes, as relief filled her body, she saw the bridge destroyed, as the very river itself shot up to destroy the monsters. When the river fell back down, a single figure remained, a woman made of water.
“Thank you,” Sally said, barely pushing down the tears welling in her eyes. The figure, the Naiad, nodded, glancing down at the babe in her arms, before disappearing back into the rivers. But, even with the immediate threat gone, Sally knew her baby was still in danger.
“W-waahh!” Sally looked down, as her baby started crying once more. Sally held him as close as she could, bouncing him up and down as she began to walk further into her city.
She ignored the looks as she sang her son to sleep. Thankfully, she still knew how to navigate the city, and she knew how to exclude a bad enough aura to dissuade anyone from attacking her, something she was thankful for. If she had to fight, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to do so while keeping her baby close. But, as she walked through the City, her nose burned with the so familiar pollution of her home. As suddenly the rain started to slightly burn, polluted by the chemicals lingering in the city.
When she arrived just outside the gate of her destination, the tears she was holding back began to fall. As the emotions she’s repressed for the past few days began to rise once more. The emotions she’s repressed ever since the monsters started hunting her, the day after she gave birth.
It was nothing for Sally to bypass the traps that filled the yard, led by the wind around her and the blood in her veins. When she arrived at the door, she paused for a second, covering his ears as best she could, before banging on the door. They stood for a second, waiting as the rain finally began to soak her son after all this time. As her son began to wail, crying as the cold finally sat in.
She pounded on the door once again, waiting for it to open as she fussed over her son, curling over him to protect him from the now gentle storm.
“My Ap-Sally? My dear, what are you doing here?” When Sally looked up, she couldn’t stop the smile that appeared, accompanied by tears of relief, as she saw her grandfather in all but blood across from her.
“Alfred,” She said in relief, as she carefully moved the now-soaked blanket away from her son’s face, “I-I need your help.” Her voice broke as she said that, even as Alfred’s eyes opened in disbelief.
“My dear, is that?” Sally nodded to his unasked question, before flinching when the thunder cracked.
“Oh, come in, come in. Why it’s pouring out there,” Alfred said, gently luring Sally into the manor. She took a second to bask in the warmth of the manor, before slipping her shoes off. She followed Alfred to the Palor, reluctantly taking a seat when Alfred pushed her onto the coach. She let her gaze fall to the pictures filling the area. Photos Alfred always insisted on taking. The first group of photos were pictures of her father, stepmother, and her baby brother. They looked particularly happy in the photo taken just days after they left the hospital. The next group was of her and her brother, with the first one taken just a few days after they met. She wouldn’t know until later, but Alfred told her that meeting her was the first time Bruce truly smiled after the death of their parents. They showed the two siblings growing up, starting from when they were seventeen. From when Sally got her diploma, how she lorded that over her brother, to when she first learned of her brother’s biggest secret. The next group of photos was of her brother and his ward. While the hostility between the two was clear, you could see it ebb away with every additional picture she showed up in. She was her nephew’s favorite after all. But, the last group only had a few pictures in it, a newly framed one. It was of Bruce with a new child, one that looked barely twelve years old. It was a morbid thought that followed, for the child would’ve been old enough to go to camp.
“Stay here. I shall be back with new clothes and warm tea,” Alfred paused, reaching out for a second before retracting, “and a warm blanket for the babe. I’m afraid we don’t have any clothes for a baby, but I shall rectify that shortly.” Before Sally could stop him, Alfred walked away, too used to Sally’s refusal to spend money on her. She sighed, before turning her attention back to her babe.
“That was your grandfather, Alfred Pennyworth,” Sally whispered, leaning back into the coach, “Soon, he’ll be bringing your Uncle on my side. Don’t worry, Μαργαριτάρι μου, he’ll love you.” She shivered once as the cold sat in. With a second decision, wincing when she realized Alfred would have to clean more water damage, she moved to sit closer to the fire. She relaxed when she felt the heat from the fire, and just barely realized she stopped shivering.
“Sally, Alfred tol-” Sally turned to her brother, just barely coming down the stairs before he stopped in surprise. Bruce Wayne, The Batman in all his glory, stopped to stare at the baby in her arms, as though it was an alien.
Sally tilted her head, as she smiled, barely holding back giggles. Considering Batman met a great many aliens in his time, he stared as though it was something else.
“Are you going to stare, Bruce, or are you going to come down and meet your nephew?” She asked, standing. She decided to meet him halfway, stopping just before the exit, or entrance, of the stairs. Bruce stared for a few seconds, before carefully rushing down the stairs.
“I-uh, can I hold him?” Bruce asked, reaching out with shaky hands. Sally smiled, before carefully laying her son in the arms of his Uncle. She laughed, as Bruce stayed as still as a statue, still than even Medusa’s statue.
“Bruce, you’re not going to hurt him if you move,” Sally said, gently leading him back to the coach. Unfortunately, her brother wasn’t that great when it came to emotions, something Sally had to adapt to. Still, the small smile of pure love and devotion on his face caused Sally to relax, even if Bruce hadn’t moved since he sat down.
“How?” He eventually asked, causing Sally to raise an eyebrow at him.
“Do I have to detail how human reproduction worked Bruce?” Sally teased, laughing when Bruce turned bright red.
“No, no,” He quickly said, leaning back slightly, “It’s just, how? I didn’t know you were dating anyone, or that you were pregnant. Is he?” Sally nodded, gently lifting her son out of his arms, much to his disappointment. When her son opened his eyes, she smiled at the sight of his sea-green eyes.
“Yes, he’s mine. He was a,” She paused, gently bopping him on the nose, “delightful surprise. I wasn’t dating his father long, no more than a week, when I learned I was pregnant.” When she looked back up, she recognized the look in Bruce’s eyes. The Look that meant he wanted to ask question after question, to interrogate her on her son, and her son’s father. Thankful he refrained, causing him to sigh.
“Why didn’t you tell me when you learned you were pregnant?” Bruce asked, reaching out to gently hold the boy’s head. Sally paused for a second, barely suppressing a wince. Thankfully, before she could say anything, Alfred walked in, interrupting them.
“Before you interrogate Miss Sally, allow her to change into dry warm clothing. As well as the babe,” Alfred said, a change of clothing draped over his arm. Under the clothes was a small blanket, one Sally recognized as Bruce’s Baby blanket.
“Of course,” Bruce said, leaning over to kiss Sally’s cheek. But, before he could take Sally’s son from her, Alfred interfered, grabbing him before anyone could. In a second, Sally had warm clothing in her arms, and her son was in Alfred’s.
“I’ll go prepare your room then,” Bruce said, just barely pouting. He leaned down to kiss Sally’s son’s forehead, before walking back up the stairs. Sally watched him with a grin, barely chuckling as her brother sulked off. She turned back to her Grandfather, who was smiling down at Percy, looking his Age, for once.
“That was mean,” Sally said, standing up. She winced at the water pooling around her feet, a result of the water dripping off her.
“If I didn’t take him, then Bruce would never put him down,” Alfred said, softly rubbing his grandson’s eyebrows, “Besides, I would like a chance to hold my grandchild.” Sally sighed, before kissing his cheek and moving to the bathroom.
She quickly changed into the new clothing, putting her soaked clothes in the basket. She took a second to stare at her reflection. A small scar crossed her right cheek, just barely healed over from the hydra attack. Aside from that, her own eyes were shining, a result of her unique heritage. Something that shouldn’t have existed, but did at the will of the fates.
“Poseidon, please watch over your son,” Sally said, relaxing when she felt a small wave of sea breeze wash over her. She smiled, before leaving the bathroom, only to find Alfred softly singing a lullaby to her baby. This, this was everything she’d ever wanted for her son. A family. A home. She hoped to Elpis that her baby would still know it after everything.
“Aunt Sally!” When Sally looked up, she saw the joyful young man she helped raise standing at the top of the stairs. Before she could scold him for sliding down, she saw a small boy just hidden behind him. She smiled at the boy, as kind as she could, as Her nephew slid down the railing of the stairs.
“Master Grayson, how many times have I told you to stop sliding down the railing?” Alfred scolded, even if it wasn’t as effective as it normally was since he didn’t look up from the baby in his arms.
“Sorry, Alfred,” Dick said, as he wrapped Sally in a giant hug. While it was a very nice hug, one Sally returned with as much love as he could, she did pout a little when she realized her nephew was taller than her.
“What are you doing here? Bruce didn’t say he told you about Jason, or that you were visiting. Oh, speaking of Jason, Jay come down!” Dick said, his attention bouncing around the area. It nearly made Sally laugh, as he was too reminiscent of her friends back at camp.
Sally turned to the small child barely coming down the stairs, almost consumed in the large hoodie Sally recognized as Dick’s. Dick gently grabbed the boy’s, Jason’s, shoulder, and guided him to stand in front of Sally.
“Hol-um, Hi, ma’am. I’m Jason,” He said, twitching in place. Even Sally could see it took everything for him to not hide behind Sally, something that made her wince.
“I know she’s scary, but I promise she’s super nice,” Dick whispered, before gently pushing Jason to her. Sally knelt before Jason, smiling as kindly as she could.
“Hola, Jason,” She said, holding a hand out to him, “¿Prefiere hablar español o inglés?” She was grateful she learned Spanish in camp, especially if it meant she’d help someone else feel better. Especially since she saw Jason light up when she spoke it.
“Español, por favor. No puedo hablar inglés bien ahora,” Jason paused, before glancing back at Dick, “Pero, Dick me está enseñando.” At hearing his name, Dick perked up, before wrapping Jason in a giant hug, ignoring his squawking and struggle.
“Aw, muro tikno phral del duma pa mande?” Dick said, kissing Jason’s cheek despite him swatting him away.
“Master Grayson, put your brother down,” Alfred said, finally looking up from his grandson. Thankfully, before either of them could retaliate, on each other most likely, Bruce came back, plucking Jason from Dick’s hold and putting him down.
“Dick, stop holding your brother like Simba,” Bruce said, before moving to stand next to Sally. She resisted the urge to squirm when he looked down at her with worry, putting a hand on the middle of her back.
“Sa-” “Dick,” Sally interrupted him, unwilling to think up answers to questions she couldn’t answer, “Jason. How would you guys like to meet your baby cousin?” The look of absolute joy on Dick’s face, and near fear on Jason’s, nearly caused Sally to laugh, as Alfred, rather reluctantly, walked over to the four of them.
“Dick, Jason,” Sally plucked her son out of Alfred’s arm, much to his disappointment, and carefully placed him in Dick’s arm, “This is your baby cousin.” Dick held her son as gently as he could, kneeling just enough for Jason to see him while holding him tight.
“El es adorable,” Jason said, softly reaching out to him. To Sally’s surprise, her son woke up, grabbing Jason’s finger with a surprisingly strong grip.
“Lo Quiero,” Jason whispered, as her son giggled, squeezing Jason’s finger stronger.
“But, where’s his father?” Dick asked, as she carefully laid her son in Jason’s arms. While Jason froze, unlike his adopted father, he melted when her son cooed at him.
“He’s lost at sea,” Sally said, having practiced the lie the entire time she was pregnant, “He was a… fisherman. He went on a trip, but a storm hit the area he was fishing. He, uh, he never came home.” It hurt Sally she had to fake sadness. Her relationship with Poseidon truly was a weekend thing, just something that happened while they were at Montauk.
“Oh,” Dick said, before wrapping Sally in a hug. Even Bruce, in his emotionally constipated way, wrapped his arms around Sally. She let a few tears fall, both for her son and for being forced to lie to her family.
After a second, she pulled away, even if Bruce kept his arm around her shoulder.
“What’s his name?” Jason asked, his voice stuttering like he was thinking of the words. Once again, Sally kneeled, before carefully moving a strand of dark hair out of Percy’s face. His name was something she took a while to decide. She wanted it to represent all of his family, even if he wouldn’t meet half of it until he was older.
“Perseus, for luck,” Sally said, before looking up at Bruce with a smile, “Thomas after our father,” She turned to Alfred with a teasing smirk, “Thaddeus after our grandfather, Triton, after his father, Jackson.” Both Alfred and Bruce were bright red, a mix of embarrassment and honor, before Bruce lifted Perseus out of Jason’s arm, much to Jason’s annoyance.
Bruce looked down at his nephew with a rare, but true, smile.
“Welcome to the family, Perseus Thomas Thaddeus Triton Jackson,” Bruce said, not even stuttering over Perseus’ long name, “Welcome to the family. We might be a little messy,” “A little Bruce,” “But we love each other all the same.”
Notes:
Translations (I would like to apologize for some of these. While I am decently fluent in speaking Spanish, I do not speak Romani or Greek, so I had to rely on Google Translate):
"Μαργαριτάρι μου" = My pearl
“Hola, Jason... ¿Prefiere hablar español o inglés?" = Hello, Jason. Do you prefer to speak Spanish, or english?
"Español, por favor. No puedo hablar inglés bien ahora... Pero, Dick me está enseñando" = Spanish, please. I can't speak English well right now, but Dick is teaching me.
"muro tikno phral del duma pa mande" = is my brother talking about me?
"El es adorable... Lo Quiero," = He's adorable. I love him.
Chapter 2: Percy pulls a Jason and Kills his math teacher
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Percy, as he preferred to be called, was well aware he was odd, even when compared to his family. Especially when compared to his family. For one, he didn’t want to be a vigilante. He was the only person in his family to Not want to be a vigilante for any reason. Even his mother was the terror that was Ρόπαλο. Flash still feared the day she would enter the field again. No, he was perfectly content to watch from the sidelines, giggling as he heard the annoyances of patrol from his cousins.
Another thing was his age. He was the youngest in his family, by at least one year. Even Damian, the one closest to his age, was a year older than him. It was, amusing at times, annoying at others. While they no longer treat him like he’s a baby, something that took much longer than necessary, they still babied him. Admittedly, they still babied Damian, but still. It was very, very annoying. Especially when Connor and Dick brought up knowing when he was a baby. Their favorite story was when Dick first took him on a mission. He was still called that infernal nickname whenever he visited Mount Justice.
The third thing was his heritage. Unlike the others, he wasn’t an orphan, abandoned by his family, or trained as a weapon. Considering those were the three biggest reasons people joined his family, he was well aware it was worrying. Instead, his awesome, amazing mother gave birth to him, and he grew up loved, surrounded by his numerous older cousins, his Uncle, and his Grandfather. The only tragedy in his life, excluding the numerous deaths and reappearances of his Cousins and Uncle, was his father. A few weeks before Sally Jackson, Percy’s mother, realized she was pregnant, her then-boyfriend went out to sea, only to never return. At least, that was the story they were telling people. In reality, Percy’s father had gone out to sea, for that was where he belonged. But, he wasn’t an Atlantean, like the theory Kid Flash stubbornly clung to. No. Rather, his father was Poseidon, God of the Seas.
It took a bit for Percy to conclude, since, neither Kaldurr, Arthur, or Sally could directly tell him. But, through clever placements, and subtle hints, Percy came to the conclusion himself, which only seemed to worsen the danger, as monsters began to attack him. But, it was nice. He knew his father hadn’t abandoned him. He was with him with every gentle rain that came when he doubted himself, or whenever they were visiting the beach and the waves gently cradled him. The only pain that came with the realization, painful monster attacks aside, was the inability to tell his family. Sally explained it, of course, but it still hurt. Still, Percy Thomas Thaddeus Triton Jackson was happy.
“Percy, wake up! We have the field trip today,” Well, as happy as he could be at Yancy Academy for troubled children. Since almost every other school in New York kicked him out, for reasons that were not his fault, he was forced here, at Yancy Academy. His Uncle has threatened that, if he’s kicked out of this one, he’s coming to Gotham Academy, something all of his cousins have been trying to get happen for years now.
“Uggh,” Percy groaned, turning around to nuzzle into a stuffed animal. Wait, he didn’t have any stuffed animals. At least, not at Yancy. Percy shot up, only to groan when he saw his adorable little bat stuffed animal, something the shunned Uncle Clark, at least according to his mother, got him when he was a baby. The last place he had it was when he stayed the Night at Mount Justice, meaning.
‘Ughh,” Percy groaned, as he saw his papers rearranged on his desk, little gifts left behind. Unfortunately, gift-giving is one of Many Love languages in his family, only second to Dick’s and Connor’s near-fatal cuddling Love Language.
“Morning, Perce,” Grover said, sitting in the chair next to him. Percy smiled at Grover, before turning to glare at the gifts on the desks. Grover was one of Percy’s first friends that weren’t his family, or related to his family. He was also the only friend he made at Yancy and the only one he would want to keep when he, inevitably, switch schools.
“Morning,” He said, yawning, before he grabbed the stuffed animal, holding it close.
“Remember we have the field trip today, so you can’t be late,” Grover said, before grabbing his crutches to limp off to the bathroom. With Grover in the bathroom, he immediately moved to the desk. He sat down, glaring at the oh-so-pretty wrapped things on his desk. Particularly the post-it note on the dresser. It was written in Greek, which was much easier for him to read than the Gods forsaken English.
‘Γεια σου μικρή Περλ. Θα ζητούσα συγγνώμη, αλλά δεν λυπάμαι. Καλή τύχη στην εκδρομή. Προσπαθήστε να μην κάνετε κανέναν να συναντηθεί με κανένα ψάρι αυτή τη φορά, παρακαλώ. Αγάπη, η αγαπημένη σου ξαδέρφη.’ He glared at Dick’s familiar handwriting, rolling his eyes, but placing it with the other post-its. Since he moved to New York with his mother, when he was Seven, the earliest his Uncle would let them go, it wouldn’t be uncommon for Tim to drop by, dragging the Titans with him, or for Dick to be there when he got home. Still, he opened the present, nearly cheering when he saw one of his required books in Greek. Since it was, technically, his first language, it was always easier to read Greek, than it was English. He didn’t even speak English until he was three years old. The other gifts revealed the standard candy, knives, and blackmail materials. There was even a framed painted artwork of their entire family in front of the Manor.
“Hey, Perce. The bathroom is open if you want to change,” Grover said, having changed into the Gods-awful uniform of Yancy Academy,
“Yeah, Give me a second,” He quickly shoved the knives, two custom batarangs, and a switchblade, into the mess on his desk, to never be seen again, before he stood. After a stretch, where his back popped worryingly, he headed to the bathroom, ready to change.
Together, the two of them head down, meeting the other twenty-four mental-case kids, and two teachers. All of them boarded the bus, and off they went on the most tortuous trip has gone on, which is saying something considering he’s visited Nada Parbat on one momentous occasion.
They were all headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at Ancient Greco-Roman stuff. Normally, Percy would be excited, especially since Mr. Brunner was running it. But, for some reason, he had a bad feeling about it. He couldn’t tell if it was because it was a field trip, or because of something else. Even worse, he hadn’t been attacked by a monster since he entered Yancy Academy. That Never happens, not while he’s in New York. Gotham, maybe. New York, definitely not.
Still, he was grateful Mr. Brunner was running it. He was a middle-aged man in a motorized wheelchair, with thinning hair and a scruffy beard. He always smelled like coffee and told the coolest stories. He reminded Percy of his own Mother, late at night when she told stories of her own travels before she met her brother.
Even better, he didn’t berate Percy for existing. So, despite his track record, Percy really hoped everything would go well. Then again, his track record was extensive. There was the time Jason dared him to touch the Revolutionary War Cannon, causing it to go off and hit the bus. Or, in fourth grade, the time they were taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World Shark Pool, only for Percy to hit the wrong lever. Dick hadn’t mind playing with the sharks. The others, not so much. There was even the time they took a trip to Gotham since it had some of the oldest architecture in the world. While it, technically, wasn’t his fault Ivy kidnapped his school, he did end up talking with his Aunt Ivy for a few hours, so he was expelled.
Still, he was determined to be good. Even if he had to put up with Nancy Bobofit, a freckly redheaded kleptomanic girl, who targeted Grover for her bullying. Gover was seen as an easy target since he was scrawny, cried when frustrated, and was probably held back, since he was only a sixth grader with acne and the start of a beard. On top of all that, he was disabled, requiring crutches to walk. But, still, he could run, fast, when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.
Still, Percy was pissed anyone dared bully his friend. His mom always said he’d be protective, something from his father supposedly. Not that it mattered, since he grew up with the world’s most protective cousins and the world’s second most paranoid man.
“I’m gonna kill her,” Percy muttered, rising from his seat, only to be pulled back down by Grover.
“It’s okay,” Grover said, pulling him back down, “I like peanut butter.” Percy looked back to glare at Nancy, causing her to flinch back.
“You’re already on probation,” He gently reminded, “You know who’ll get blamed if anything happens, Percy.” Percy sighed, trying to follow the breathing techniques Jason taught him a long time ago.
When they arrived, Mr. Brunner led the museum tour. He wheeled himself to the front of the galleries, leading them toward the large galleries, and past the marble statues. It always baffled him that these things survived after thousands of years. It was almost as impressive as when he’d stare at the ocean, or let the rain wash over him.
They gathered around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column, with a large sphinx on top. It was a grave marker, a stele for a girl their age, speaking of the carving on the sides. Percy was interested in what they were saying, but he couldn’t hear them. Not with the whispering and chattering around them. Every time he tried to turn to them, Mrs. Dodds gave him the evil eye.
Percy hated Mrs. Dodds, as did almost everyone in his family. Every time he’d go to a new school, his Uncle Bruce would look up to every teacher, learning all their secrets. Only for Mrs. Dodds to appear, with nothing in her past besides a technical degree. She was short, but she often wore a black leather jacket, despite looking like she was fifty years old. She adored Nancy and hated Percy with an unknown passion.
She’d often give Percy undeserved detentions, from beating the erasers clean, to erasing old answers out of the math books. Percy was certain she wasn’t human, but he’s yet to attack him. Still, he hated her.
When Nancy Bobofit snickered about the naked guy on the stele, rage bubbled up, causing him to snap at Nancy.
“Will you shut up!” Percy hissed, much louder than he meant to. Everyone turned to him in surprise, and Nancy flinched back at the venom in his words.
“Mr. Jackson,” Mr. Brunner said, “do you have a comment?” Instead of flushing red, like Nancy was waiting, Percy stood tall, staring Mr. Brunner in the eyes. Something he learned from his brothers was how to appear confident, even when it would be hard to. He just had to copy Damian’s stature, an easy thing to do.
“Apologies, sir. I was asking my fellow classmates to quiet down so I could hear you,” Percy said, keeping his voice as even as he could. Mr. Brunner just nodded, looking at the students around them, before pointing to one of the pictures.
“Well then, perhaps you’ll tell us what this picture represents?” Percy looked at the picture, looking it over, forcing down a smile when he realized he knew what the picture was.
“It’s a picture of Kronos eating his children,” When Mr. Brunner nodded, motioning for him to continue, “Kronos was the King of the Titans. When his children were born, he received a prophecy that they would one day overthrow them. So, to prevent that, Kronos ate them. But, his wife, Rhea, gave him a rock to eat instead of the youngest, Zeus. When he grew up, he tricked his dad into barfing up his brothers and sister, and they fought. In the end, the Gods won.” Percy couldn’t help but straighten up, especially since he knew he got it right. The tale of Kronos was one of the more popular stories his mother told him. After all, it was important for Percy to know who his family was.
Behind him, Nancy Bobofit snickered, before mumbling to her friends.
“Like we’re going to use this in real life. Like it’s going to say on our job applications, ‘Please explain why Kronos ate his kids’.” Percy’s eyebrow twitched, as Nancy interrupted him once more. But, before he could confront her, Mr. Brunner spoke up.
“And why, Mr. Jackson,” Mr. Brunner said, “to paraphrase Ms. Bobofit’s excellent question does this matter in real life?” When he heard Grover slightly tease Nancy about it, Percy couldn’t stop the smirk, even as he tilted his head to think.
He couldn’t answer the question the Demigod way, which would be much easier, but it was a difficult question to ask.
“To learn from them,” Percy landed on, still mulling the question over in his head. Mr. Brunner, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow.
“Learn from what, Mr. Jackson. Can you elaborate on that?” He asked, folding his hands together.
“Well, almost every Myth in Greek Mythology has two things behind it. One is to explain Nature, and natural occurrences such as Storms, and the Ocean. The other is to explain moral lessons. Such as avoidance of infidelity, or tempering your pride.” For a second, Mr. Burner stared at Percy in surprise, before a look of surprise covered his face.
“Well well thought of, Mr. Jackson. Full credit. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which forced him to disgorge his other five children who, being immortal gods, were undigested. The Gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld,” With a clap, Mr. Brunner drew their attention, and smiled softly, “On that happy note, it’s time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?”
Free to roam, the class drifted off, the guys pushing each other around, while the girls were looking sick. Before Mr. Brunner could talk to Percy, Percy pushed Grover forward, nearly forcing Grover to walk as fast as he could.
Defeated, Mr. Brunner turned to stare longingly at the Stele. It was for a girl he knew after all.
The Class fathered on the front steps of the museum, where they watched the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue. But, their attention was drawn by the storm brewing above them. More importantly, it drew Percy’s attention and his worry. Since Yule, odd weather plagued New York, from wildfires to snow storms, to flooding. It was so bad, that his Uncle repeatedly offered for them to stay at his manor, away from the weather.
Still, nobody cared for the danger they were in, content to pelt pigeons with cracher crumbs, or pickpocket tourists. Or, rather fail to pickpocket from tourists. He and Grover sat away from the others, hoping that, if they did that, nobody would connect them.
“Are you okay, man?” Grover asked, leaning against the fountain. Percy sighed, before shaking his head head.
“Yeah,” He paused, passing over his packed lunch, “Just homesickness. I haven’t seen my mom in forever, ya know?”
“Yeah, I get that,” Grover said, taking the offered lunch. After being blessed with the delicious cooking of Alfred, and near heavenly baking of Sally, most foods failed to measure up. With Grover eating the lunches Yancy packed for them, Percy turned to the stream of cabs. It would be so easy for him to jump in one, and get home. If he was lucky, one of his cousins would be there, being pampered by Sally and stuffed to the brim with cookies. She’d hug him tight, but she’d send him right back. At least, he’d be sent back packed with cookies.
When Percy looked up, he saw Mr. Brunner in his wheelchair, eating celery while reading a Paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, looking like a motorized cafe table.
“Oops,” When Percy focused in front of them, he saw Nancy Bobofit, with her ugly friends, drop her half-eaten lunch in Grover’s lap. Once more, rage bubbled in Percy, fueled by the falling rain. Instead of the gentle drops it once was, he forced it to pelt her. He wanted her soaked. He wanted her to regret what she’s done. He wanted to drown her for what she’s done.
When the rage washed away, as the rain forced itself to calm, he realized Nancy was on all fours in the fountain, as if someone pulled her, head first.
“PERCY PUSHED ME!” She cried as others whispered about the water. Mrs. Dodds materialized next to them, but something was odd about her eyes. Something about excitement, and glee. Something that caused fear to replace the boiling rage, rage not of his own.
“No, honey-” Mrs. Dodds croaned, as though Percy was something she planned to eat. If she was a monster, then she most likely did.
“I know, a month erasing workbooks,” He grumbled, his hand drifting to the small “fixed” tear in his pants.
“Come with me,” She said, continuing her terrorizing croan. Her croan made him straighten in fear, gently pulling at the string holding the tear together.
“Wait!” Grover cried, standing up, despite wobbling, “It was me. I pushed her, not Percy!” Despite his fear, Grover stared Mrs. Dodds down, shaking as he did so.
“No, nod I don’t think so, Mr. Underwood,” she said, a painful smile on her face as she beckoned Percy to follow her.
“But-” “You—will–stay—here,” She emphasized, using her height advantage to glare Grover down, causing him to squeak.
“It’s okay, Grover,” Percy said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Thanks for trying.”
“Honey,” She growled, “Now.” Percy sighed, glaring at Nancy when she smirked, before turning back to Mrs. Dodds. To his surprise, Mrs. Dodds was already at the museum entrance, waiting for him with a sadistic grin. Two more checks for the definitely a monster column.
Percy glanced at Mr. Brunner for a second, waiting to see if he’d notice, before looking back, where Mrs. Dodds had once again disappeared to be inside the entrance. He followed her deeper into the museum, quickly grabbing the knife hidden in his “fixed tear” and slipping it into his hands. While it was made of Mortal metal, it would work in a pinch to deter her, until he led her back outside.
When Mrs. Dodds stopped teleporting, he guessed, they were inside the Greek and Roman section, in an empty gallery. It was quiet, except for the low growl filling the air.
“You’ve been giving us problems, honey,” She said, her voice echoing with a coldness through the gallery. But, Percy refused to cower before them. Not when he was his Uncle’s kid. His Mother’s son.
“Did you really think you would get away with it?” She hissed, as Percy shuffled his feet, getting ready for an attack. Still, he refused to answer, refused to back down before the creature.
“We are not fools Perseus Jackson,” She hissed, “It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess and you will suffer less pain.” Percy narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow. He doubted she was talking about the illegal stash of candy, or how he plagiarized his Tom Sawyer essay from Jason.
“Ma’am, I don’t…” Percy was cut off by the harsh hissing from Mrs. Dodds, as her patients waned. In a matter of seconds, the oddest of things happened. Her eyes glowed like burning coals, her finger stretched to sharp talons, and her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. What was once Mrs. Dodds now stood a shriveled hag with batwings, razor-sharp claws, and a mouth full of yellow fangs.
With the confirmation she was a monster, Percy threw the knife at her, his aim true. While it wasn’t the Imperial Gold his mother used or the Celestial Bronze Aunt Diana’s sword was made of, it was enchanted with Atlantean magic. So, even though the knife passed through her heart, or where her heart would be if she were a human, she still screeched in pain.
“What ho, Percy!” When Percy whipped his head to the side, he was surprised to see Mr. Brunner toss a pen in the air. At the same time, Mrs. Dodds lunged. Just as Percy dodged, the talons barely clipping his ear, he grabbed the ballpoint pen out of the air. Only, it wasn’t a pen anymore.
Instead, it was a sword. Mr. Brunner’s bronze sword he used on tournament day. It was an odd sword, for one thing, and one thing only. And that wasn’t because it used to be a pen. It was because it was perfectly balanced for him. One of the biggest gripes Damian had for him was how difficult it was to find a blade for him. Even weapons forged in Atlantis were difficult for him to wield.
Still, Percy propped up, the sword in hand. He twirled it once, before beckoning her closer. She growled, before lunging, right as Percy expected her to. He sidestepped her and swung the sword right through her body. It passed through her like butter, resulting in a sharp hiss. As many monsters did, she exploded into yellow powder, and vaporized on the spot, leaving only a leather jacket behind.
A chill set in as he realized a Fury was sent after him. He dropped the sword, which quickly transformed back into the pen, and nearly collapsed to his knees. If a Fury was sent after him, as she’d have to be Sent after him, then something was seriously wrong in Olympus.
Percy took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He wished he could talk to his mother about this. Or anyone from Olympus. Hades, he’d even take Kaldurr or Arthur. But, no. He’s alone, left to deal with the fury attack.
After a sigh, Percy grabbed his leather jacket, after all, it was his spoil of war, and left, twirling the pen as he did so. And, maybe he wasn’t as alone as he thought.
Once he stepped outside, it was pouring. Storms were his father’s territory, so that meant his father was watching him. Percy stepped out, letting the rain wash over him. Letting it wash away his fear and anxiety. When he finally walked forward, he saw Grover still by the fountain, a museum map tended over his head, and Nacy Bobofit, shivering, was talking to the others.
“I hope Mrs. Kerr kicked your ass,” She glared, much to the surprise of Percy.
“Who?” He asked, confused. He wondered how the Mist, as Zatanna called it, was going to cover this up, but it wasn’t like it could just conjure an entire person up, right?
“Our teacher. Duh!” Nancy said, only to roll her eyes when Percy raised an eyebrow at her.
‘Did the mist conjure up a whole-ass person?’ Percy wondered as he wandered over to Grover.
When Percy asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was, he paused, looking over to the side before asking “Who?” He couldn’t fool Percy though. Not only was Grover a really bad liar, Percy grew up with some of the best liars in the world. He couldn’t fool him.
“No, seriously? Whose Mrs. Kerr,” Thunder boomed overhead, causing Percy to wince after he asked the question. But, to his surprise, there wasn’t any lighting that followed. Maybe his Uncle, he’d have to find a different title for him, wasn’t watching over him.
Percy slipped the knife, which was enchanted to return to him, back into the handmade pocket, before he walked back to Mr.Brunner, still under his red umbrella.
“Ah, that would be my pen,” Mr. Brunner said, attempting to act nonchalant about the whole situation. Still, he didn’t fool Percy. Not when Percy had to discern whether or not Damian was telling the truth about taking the last of his mother’s cookies.
“Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson.” Acting Dazed, Percy handed back Mr. Brunner the pen, rather reluctantly. He didn’t know what it was, but something about him didn’t want to let the Pen go. It was almost like the Pen called to him, singing to the immortal blood running through his veins.
The Pen was almost worse than the jacket. While the outside material was rough and waterproof, the inside was soft and comforting. Yet, the scent of death clung tightly to the jacket. It reminded Percy of when he’d steal Jason’s leather jacket. Except this jacket fit him perfectly.
“Right, sir. Sorry,” Percy said, before walking off. It was time for them to board the bus anyway, so he headed back to the bus, joined by Grover. Grover slipped his hand into Percy’s, looking at him with worry.
“Fags,” Nancy whispered behind them, just as Percy turned to glare. Once more rage filled him, whispering for him to drown her, but it was softer. Subdued. Like something was stopping the full force of the rage from consuming him.
Not that it mattered. After all, it wasn’t Percy who had to act, as Grover stepped up and punched Nancy right in the nose. It was satisfying to see blood pour from her nose, even as Mrs. Kerr yelled at Grover, giving him three nights' detention.
Not that the two cared, as Grover, in a surprising act of bravery, forced Percy back into the bus, straight to the back.
“So worth it,” Grover whispered, as he leaned his head on Percy’s shoulder. Still, Percy couldn’t help but fidget with the sleeves of his jacket, calling up worse and worse scenarios as to why a Fury was sent after him. None of them were good.
Notes:
Translations (Still Apologies):
"Ρόπαλο" = Bats (Sally's Vigilante name)
'‘Γεια σου μικρή Περλ. Θα ζητούσα συγγνώμη, αλλά δεν λυπάμαι. Καλή τύχη στην εκδρομή. Προσπαθήστε να μην κάνετε κανέναν να συναντηθεί με κανένα ψάρι αυτή τη φορά, παρακαλώ. Αγάπη, η αγαπημένη σου ξαδέρφη' = Hello little Pearl. I would apologize, but I'm not sorry. Good luck on the trip. Try not to make anyone meet any fish this time, please. Love, your loving cousin
Chapter 3: The Aftermath
Chapter Text
Unfortunately, the rest of the school year did not go as well. Things only seemed to get worse from then on. The day after the school field trip, Percy was kidnapped by his brothers. Jason, and the original Roy, for reasons Percy really didn’t want to think about, signed Percy out for the day. The day started nice, going to the shooting range, visiting the beach, and eating un-Alfred-approved foods. Until it dissolved into a small discussion about Percy’s field trip.
Percy couldn’t lie to them, not when they asked about Mrs. Dodds, who Jason seemed to be the only person to remember. So, he told them the truth. He said Mrs. Dodds turned into a monster and tried to kill him, only deterred by his knife. He just didn’t tell his Cousins about how Mrs. Dodds accused him of something, or how Mr. Brunner arrived to give Percy the weapon he needed.
It wouldn’t matter anyway, since Jason was Pissed. It took thirty minutes for him to calm down, stop ranting, and release Percy. Even then, Jason didn’t want Percy to return, only agreeing if Percy promised to send letters more often or find a way to talk to them more frequently. Something told him it wouldn’t matter, as his cousins, and possibly even his Grandfather and Uncle, would find a way to visit.
That wasn’t even the worst of it. While it was nice to see cousins more often, everything that happened afterward wasn’t. Mrs. Kerr was an odd teacher. Every so often, she would pause, as if confused as to how she would be here. He planned to slip Zatanna’s card into her purse to help her deal with the aftermath of that. He felt bad she was so confused about everything, but she was a decent teacher. She was no Mrs. Dodds, who was a decent teacher despite being a Fury and planning on killing him, she was okay.
But, more odd things happened. The weather only got worse and worse, to the point most people avoided New York whenever they could, and no flying Heroes would soar above it. It even blew the windows out in his dorm, causing Percy to groan as all his papers got soaked. Five days later, the worst tornado in history touched down in Hudson Valley. The weather was worse than it’s been for years. Even mortals could feel the rage and anger in the air, knowing something was wrong.
Even worse, Percy had nightmares and dreams about something deep in the underworld. Sometimes it would be the Furies crying over something. Other times, it would be from something much, much older. Despite the comfortable discomfort the jacket brought, it was hidden deep in his closet.
Still, Percy could feel his anger rising to match his father’s, causing his grades to tank from low Bs and high Cs to Ds and Fs. He got into more and more fights, terrorizing the student body. When he called his teacher an “Old Sot”, and broke Nancy’s arm, the principal finally sent Sally a letter officially stating Percy would not be welcomed the next school year. Not that he cared.
He could tell he was homesick. He just wanted to be Home. He wanted to be hugged by his Uncle, who’d mutter promise after promises of keeping him safe. He wanted to be squished by his Cousins, who’d hold him tight after a rough day to remind themselves there was good in the world. He wanted his Grandfather and mother fussing over him, cooking the best food in the world when they learned he wasn’t welcomed back. He just wanted to go home.
Still, there were a few things he’d miss. He’d miss the view of the Hudsons, and Naiads playing, giggling, and overall doing their best to distract Percy from his work. He’d definitely miss Grover, his first real friend. He’d even miss Latin, and Mr. Brunner, one of the only classes Percy liked. The only class Percy was willing to study for.
It was why he was reading the Cambride Guide to Greek Mythology, one of the few books he didn’t have in Greek. Unfortunately, with the excess of energy brought by the rage in the air, Percy couldn’t read anything. The letters swam up and down the page, making it nearly impossible for Percy to read them, even if he did sit down to read. How was he supposed to know the difference between Chiron and Charon if he couldn’t sit down and Focus on the book itself? Even worse, since Spanish was a Romance Language, Percy’s brain immediately went to Spanish when he saw things in Latin. It. Was. Frustrating.
Eventually, he dropped the book, groaning in annoyance. After a deep breath, he decided to go on a walk, hoping that would help calm him. It was something Dick always made them do when they were frustrated, or upset. While he wouldn’t be walking through the Manor and its garden, he figured it’d have the same effect here.
Grabbing the jacket, since it was surprisingly cold, Percy set off, letting his feet lead him to wherever he was going. While he did, accidentally, grab his spoil of war, it was surprisingly warm and uncomfortably comfortable. Eventually, he realized he was just outside the teachers’ office, particularly Mr. Brunner’s, and his ajar door.
He crept forward, using Casandra’s teaching to not make a noise, and spied on the teacher, hoping to hear answers to the test of something, he was surprised to hear Grover speaking.
“I’m worried about Percy, Sir,” Grover said, as Percy could imagine his twitching in discomfort, “Alone this summer. I mean, a kindly one was in the school! We know for sure, and they do too!” It took a second for Percy to realize what Grover was talking about. But, he assumed Zeus. When he confronted his mother about who he was, she warned him of the danger Zeus brought. That, if Zeus knew Percy existed, he wouldn’t exist for much longer.
“We would only harm the boy by rushing him,” Mr. Brunner said, causing Percy to raise an eyebrow, “We need him to mature more.” At that, Percy narrowed his eyes. He was plenty mature, much more mature than some of the Heroes entrusted to protect the Earth. He was definitely more mature than Green Arrow, or Flash.
“He might not have enough time! The summer solstice deadline,-” At hearing the summer solstice deadline, he got confused. Then again, the weather got worse around the time of Yule.
“Will be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance a little longer,” Percy had to hold in a laugh at what Mr. Brunner said. Percy hadn’t had his ignorance since he was a baby. Not when he was carried on missions with the original Young Justice, or used his abilities to save Wally’s life when he was three. Any traces of ignorance were definitely gone when he was seven, and put together he was a demigod.
“A-actually, sir, I don’t–” “Grover, if he knew about his heritage, if he even suspected it, he would be at camp. We must trust we can convince him it was his imagination. If he is who we think he is, then revealing his parentage will only bring him more danger.” Percy tilted his head, letting everything Mr. Brunner said sink in. It meant they were from the camp for Demigods his mother rarely talked about, but that didn’t make any sense. From what he understood, the demigods were expected to find their way to camp, not the other way around. Sally even said she’d bring him to the start of Camp when he was thirteen. So, why were they coming to find him?
“Sir, I-I can’t fail my duty again. You know what that would mean,” Grover sniffled, causing Percy’s heart to crack. He felt back for Grover, even if he wasn’t sure what Grover was. Still, he was a little curious as to what that meant.
“You haven’t failed, Grover. I should have known her for what it was. We were lucky enough that Percy was able to stand his ground for that long. For now, let’s just worry about keeping him alive until next fall,” Mr. Brunner sighed. Sensing the conversation was coming to a close, he took a step back, careful to avoid the squeaky cracks.
Just as he left, he saw a glimpse of Mr. Brunner’s shadow. More importantly, he saw the odd, inhuman shape of his shadow. It only confirmed what he knew, Mr. Brunner was not human. Considering the inhuman shape of it, Mr. Brunner was most definitely a Centaur. If he had to guess, he’d say Mr. Brunner was actually Chiron, but that didn’t make any sense. After all, he asked his Mom if she’d ever met Chiron, and she said no. Something off was going on.
Determined to get answers, Percy snuck out of Yancy, much easier than sneaking out of the manor, and made his way to the Hudson.
After waving hi to the Nariads, Percy used the moonlight to form a rainbow in the mist and threw one of his few drachma in it.
“O, Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering, Show me Kaldur in Atlantis,” For a second, the rainbow shimmered, before it showed a young man with dark skin, a young man only a few years older than Dick.
“Kaldur!” Percy yelled, causing Kaldur to whirl around in surprise, water gathering to attack before he realized who it was.
“Ah, my Prince,” Kaldur greeted, with a nod, “How are you?” After a second, he raised an eyebrow, as he saw the darkness behind Percy.
“And, shouldn’t you be asleep by now? From what I remember Dick saying, you should have finals soon, correct?” Percy blushed red, looking off to the side in both embarrassment and in being caught. After cleaning his throat, he turned back to Kaldur.
“Maybe, but I need to ask you something,” With Kaldur’s nod, Percy launched into a discussion of everything that happened, not leaving a single thing out this time. As he talked, Kaldur’s expression only soured. When Percy stopped, Kaldur paused to think, before he frowned.
“That is worrying. I will send a Celestial Bronze Weapon to you soon. If you’re being attacked by monsters now, you’ll need it. As for this Mr. Brunner. I believe he would be Chiron, the trainer of heroes. Considering you are, well, you are your father’s only mortal child at the moment, and the ban on children of the Eldest Males, it would make sense for him to collect you personally,” Kaldur said, his calming tone relieving some of Percy’s anxieties and worries.
“So, I’m not in danger?” Percy said, mindlessly playing with some water from the river. Below them, the Naiads shot a deadly water blast at an approaching harpy, before giggling and waving to Percy.
“From him, no. Nor from your Friend, Grover. He is most likely a satyr. From what I understand, they are sent to different schools to find different demigods and bring them to camp.” Kaldur said, staring at Percy with sad eyes. Sadly, the sad eyes made sense. Being a demigod was dangerous, and Kaldur always got a look of regret, and sorrow whenever he talked about it.
“Huh? My mother told me she had to make her way to camp,” Percy said, even as Kaldur nodded.
“To protect them, demigods are naturally drawn to the Camp. It’s not uncommon for demigods to make their way to camp on their own. Either way, it can be extremely dangerous. Watch your back, Perseus. Please. I fear to think how your mortal family would react to your demise, much less your immortal one.” Kaldur said before his attention was drawn by the call of his name.
“Go on, Kaldur. I’ll be fine. I have to go to bed soon, anyway,” Percy said, smiling softly at him. Kaldur took a second to stare, thinking, before he nodded.
“Be safe, Percy. Please,” Kaldur said, before waving his hand and cutting off the Iris message. Percy just stared at the area where the message was, before yawning. When he saw the Naiads beckoning him closer, he couldn’t help but jump into the river.
There, he fell asleep, protected, and watched over by the Naiads. There, he would be as safe as could be.
Except for his mind.
That night, he had a horrendous dream, one of many. It opened to a beach, a pure white beach with black water. A beautiful horse ran across the beach, searching for something.
In the air, screeching around him, was Mrs. Dodds, and her two sisters. They screamed, “Where is it?” “Where’d you hide it!” Their voices were so shrill, it felt like his ears were bleeding.
When Percy tried to take a step forward, it felt like he was moving through molasses. He could barely walk two steps forward, before a dark voice called to him, just as the horse spotted Percy.
“Will you die, Perseus Thomas Thaddeus Triton Jackson for a family that abandoned you? That left you to rot?” A chill Percy’s never felt before began to set in, as a thick fog began to choke him. As the horse frantically raced toward Percy, only to be stopped by tendrils of shadows curling around its hooves.
“Wake, Perseus. It is not your time to die. Your string will not be cut now,” A separate voice cut in, one much more kind. Three pairs of hands grabbed him, lifting him out of the fog, “You still have much to do. For now, you must Wake!”
Percy shot up, closing his eyes, pushing away the panic.
“Shh, little Prince. It’s okay. You’re safe. We’ll protect you,” The Naiads whispered, their soft, soothing, voices accompanied by sharp fangs and claws. Percy closed his eyes, guided into breathing by the Naiads around him before he felt comfortable to open them.
Only to scowl at the litter covering the bottom.
‘Stupid Mortals,’ He thought, almost bitterly, as he forced the litter into a nearby bag, ready to bring it with him to the surface. While he knew some people were active about not littering, seeing the various campaigns done by his family, many did. That, he, and many other heroes, hated. Beside him, the Naiads giggled, running their hands through Percy’s hair, braiding it.
When the sun began to shine on the river, he was gently pushed out by the Naiads, his bag of trash going with him.
“Visit soon, Little Prince,” They whispered, “We’ll keep you safe, and have fun games to play.” Percy waved goodbye to the Naiads, unwilling to tell them this would probably be the last time he saw them for a while, before he headed back to his dorm, taking a quick detour to put the trash in the trash bins.
“P-Percy! Where were you?” Grover asked, twisting his hands in worry. Percy winced, as he entered the dorm, heading to his bed.
“Sorry, Grov. I went to take a walk, you know, to clear my head. I guess I passed out near the river.” Percy shrugged, as he walked over to his dresser. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grover visibly relax, as he stood from his bed to limp over to his dresser.
“Well, I hope you’re ready for our first exam.” He said, pulling out his uniform.
“Ugh, why’d you have to remind me, Grover!” Percy groaned, grabbing a fidget ring from his dresser, before the rest of his uniform. Across from him, the traitor, Grover snickered, before limping to their bathroom.
“Suffer for making me worry,” Grover said, before using his crutch to enter the bathroom. With Grover gone, Percy dropped his head to the dresser to groan once more.
‘I can do it. Father, please give me the patience to sit through this,’ Percy thought, only to smile when the smallest of hints of a sea breeze ruffled his hair.
With the support of his unseen father, Percy changed and left, ready to take on the three-hour exams his way. He was certain he’d not fail.
By the ninth hour mark, having just left his three-hour Latin exam, Percy was going to Die. Die a slow painful death of boredom. There were only so many times he could check, and recheck his answers before the headache and anxiety got to him. He reached that moment six hours ago.
“Percy,” Mr. Brunner called, stopping Percy from fully leaving, “Don’t be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It’s-it’s for the best.” Percy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, tilting his head to the side. What, what did he mean by that?
“Okay?” Percy asked, before getting distracted by Nancy making a kissing motion.
“I mean… this isn’t the right place for you. It was only a matter of time,” Mr. Brunner said, running his hands along the wheelchair in anxiety. For a second, Percy’s face fell, before he was able to stop it.
“Oh,” He whispered, even as he flicked his wrist so Nancy’s pen would explode in her hand. It was an excellent way to get rid of frustration after all.
“No, no,” He said, “Oh confound it all. What I’m trying to say… You’re not normal Percy. That’s nothing to be-” In childishness, Percy walked away from the conversation, trying to keep a steady pace. It didn’t work, as he practically ran to his dorm, locking the door.
In a fit of rage, he packed as many things in his small bag as he could. His various knives, wrapped in his clothing, his few Drachma, his Books in Greek, his leather jacket, and his photos were shoved into his bag before he collapsed.
There, covered by his blankets, Percy allowed the tears to fall. Even when Grover came by, thirty minutes later, to help confront him, Percy didn’t stop crying.
He just wanted to go home.
Chapter 4: Percy Learns to Knit (He still prefers Crochet)
Chapter Text
The final day of school couldn’t come soon enough. Percy avoided Mr. Brunner as much as possible. Even though Mr. Brunner was Chiron and likely meant well, his words hurt—really hurt.
Additionally, the past few days had been filled with harsh teasing. Classmates assumed Percy was poor because he wore shoes until they were completely worn and had clear hand-me-downs. This led to cruel remarks about his looks and any plans he mentioned.
Percy could claim he was going to his Uncle’s mansion in Gotham, but doing so would reveal he was a Wayne—the last thing he wanted. Reluctantly, he endured the teasing, imagining what Damian would say in his defense. For Damian, his words cut deeper than any sword he wielded.
At least he had received his Celestial Bronze Knife from Aunt Diana and Kaldur, which was a great help. Although his attacks had decreased thanks to the Hudson Naiads' protection, he still faced the occasional assault from a Harpy or hellhound. Thankfully, the Naiads aided him with water control and were friendly, despite their sharp fangs that soundly defeated any threatening monster.
Yet, the end of term brought something worse than cruel taunts or deadly creatures. Knowing he wouldn’t return after break meant saying goodbye to Grover. Even if Kaldur was right that Grover was a satyr, Percy had to make his farewell meaningful. On the off chance Kaldur was mistaken, the goodbye was still necessary. It felt like a lose-lose scenario.
That was until Grover coincidentally boarded the same Greyhound to Manhattan. Percy had chosen that bus to avoid overprotective family members, which proved irrelevant. For instance, Jason and Dick, poorly disguised, sat only three seats ahead and glanced back frequently at them.
Meanwhile, Grover was panicking, glancing around and pushing Percy into the window seat. Ten minutes into the ride, Percy couldn’t take it anymore.
“Looking for Fur-” Percy stopped, recalling his mother’s advice about names, “Kindly Ones?” Grover’s sudden stiffening in fear almost made Percy laugh—almost. It also stirred a pang of sympathy.
“W-what do you mean?” Grover fidgeted. Percy glanced at his cousins, who were engaged in a heated debate, before focusing back on Grover.
“I may or may not have overheard you and Mr. Brunner the day before the exams,” Percy confessed, casually shrugging. The way Grover’s eyes widened in fear was worth it, even as he tried to mask his expression. Growing up with elusive figures like Sally, Alfred, and Dick made it amusing and odd for Percy to witness others’ reactions.
“H-how much did you hear?” Grover asked, eyeing those around them suspiciously. He was worse than Wally at being discreet.
“Not much,” Percy fibbed, resting his elbow on the empty seat in front of them and cradling his head in his hands. “What’s the summer solstice?” Watching Grover go pale and wince was oddly gratifying. Perhaps he did inherit some worrisome traits from his family.
“P-Percy… I was just concerned for you! I mean, hallucinating demon math teacher—”
“Grover!”
“And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were stressed or something, because there’s no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and-”
“Grover!” Percy cut in, just loud enough to catch Grover’s attention. Grover blushed but let him finish, wincing as Percy’s troublemaker grin emerged.
“Grover, you’re a really terrible liar.” Grover let out a squeak before struggling to retrieve something from his jacket. As he handed it to Percy, the latter raised an eyebrow, unwilling to decipher the intricate cursive—not when he likely already knew what it said.
Ahead, Jason and Dick were nearly growling at each other, shooting glances at Percy before resuming their argument.
Grover hesitated for a moment, blushing again and shifting his gaze.
“It’s, uh, my summer address,” Grover explained. As Percy continued to stare, making Grover squirm further, he added, “In case you need me or something?”
“Hmm,” Percy replied, examining the card in his hands. “And what would I need you for?” He aimed for a kind tone, not wanting to offend Grover but also hoping to prompt him to speak up. Making him confess would be sweet payback for causing Percy to worry throughout the year.
“L-look, Percy. The truth is, I’m kinda meant to protect you.” Percy took a second to think that over. If Percy didn’t know who he was, who Grover supposedly was, then it’d be a rather interesting phrase. After all, Percy was typically the one who got into fights protecting Grover. Percy was the one who defended him from cruel words and teachers. Yet, Grover was supposed to protect him?
Then again, Grover was a satyr sent to collect him for camp. And, every so often, he’d disappear, only to reappear with the slightest hint of dust attached to him. Maybe Percy had more than just the Naiads watching over him.
“Grover-” Just as he said that a large grinding noise filled the air before black smoke trailed up from the engine.
“Shit,” The driver said, something Percy just barely hear, but Grover definitely did, as he pulled over to the side. Even worse, the stench of sulfur filled the air, forcing them to exit the bus while he tried to figure things out. In the chaos of the evacuation, Percy, kinda reluctantly, snuck away from Grover, only to pop up next to Dick while waiting.
“Hi!” Percy said, causing Dick to jump, his hand going to the batarang in his pocket. Jason grumbled over to the driver, using his mechanic expertise to help fix the bus.
“Shit, Percy!” Dick shouted, before pulling Percy into a tight hug, “You have got to stop doing that.” Percy pulled slightly, trying to get away. It was only after a minute or so, did Dick, reluctantly, let Percy go.
“So, how were finals?” Dick said, keeping an arm around Percy’s shoulders, tucking him into his side. Percy sighed, leaning into the embrace even as sulfur continued to fill the air.
“They sucked. Like always,” Percy muttered, only for Dick to pull him closer.
“It’s alright, Perc. Who knows, maybe we can convince Aunt Sally to move you guys to Gotham. Then we could help tutor you,” Dick said, his hand going up to run through Percy’s hair. Percy just closed his eyes, relaxing into the comforting embrace of his older cousin. There he was safe. Almost perfectly safe. Nothing could hurt him while his cousins were around.
It was only once he stopped did Percy snapped to attention. When he straightened he notice not only had Dick stopped, but everyone did. Like they were frozen on the road. Like a statue, or something worse.
After searching the area, he finally saw the three who weren’t frozen. Three ladies sat in rocking chairs at a stand selling fresh fruits and juice. They were knitting something that appeared to be a large pair of socks. It was only once he looked closer, did the socks shimmered between a tapestry and socks.
The one in the middle, the one holding the basket, beckoned him closer. Assuming they were the ones causing this, Percy quickly crossed the road to stand in front of the stand.
“Sit, my dear, sit and grab a pair of needles,” The one to the right said, waving her hand just as an extra rocking chair appeared, “Tell me, have you ever knitted before?”
Reluctantly, Percy sat, grabbing the needles and yarn from the third, who handed it over with a soft smile.
“N-no, but my grandfather taught me how to crochet,” Percy said. The lady to his left smiled at him, and nodded, gently guiding his hands to the correct positions.
“Well, knitting isn’t quite different from crochet. Only, instead of using one tool, you’ll have two.” She guided him through the beginning and had him start a chain, before she sat back in her chair, knitting her own sock tapestry.
“You have questions, deary,” The middle one asked, staring at him with sadly kind eyes, “You may ask.”
“A-are you the fates?” He asked, reluctantly doing one chain, before staring more. The one to his right nodded, lowering her sock tapestry to smile.
“Yes we are, but, that isn’t the question you wanted to ask, was it?” Percy hesitated, before looking over to his brother Jason, head deep in the bus’s engine.
“No,” He said, but unable to ask the question he wanted. Instead, he focused on the yarn in front of him, staring to see if it too would turn into a tapestry.
“Worry not, my dear, that wool is simple wool. Nothing to worry about,” The middle one said, before encouraging him to start knitting. Still, it was difficult for him to do. It wasn’t as simple as crocheting, and he’d often forget to move the second needle.
“Why won’t you ask the question you want?” The one to the right said, as she helped to correct one of his mistakes, “I swear to you, we will not get mad. Nor upset. Everyone wishes to ask the question you wish to know.”
Percy couldn’t stop the frown, staring at the three fates with a slightly new look. Not that it mattered.
“Because I already know the answer,” Percy said, before looking down, pretending to focus on his project, “And you don’t do you?” The one to the left laughed, gently putting down her project to force Percy to look up.
“No, my dear, we do not,” After a melancholy moment, she picked her project back up, “We mourn every string we must cut short. But there is nothing we can do about it. We are simply meant to cut the strings when they are to be cut.” Somber filled the air as the four of them started knitting once more until Percy messed up again. Then, with an amused smile, the one to the left helped fix it.
“If, I may ask, why did you want to talk?” Percy asked once he got back in the hang of things. The one to the middle tilted her head, as she looked through the yarn, before giving a small thread, a blue thread, to the one to the left.
“You see, there is an important decision you must face in the future, my dear,” The one on the left said, her kind manner gone, as she focused on her project.
“For you to make this decision, you must know something important,” The one on the right said, her kind manner gone as well.
“We decided to use this opportunity to talk to our chosen one,” The one in the middle said, her kind manner leaving as well. Instead, the three of them kept a serious expression, even as they focused on their projects, or the ball of yarn they held.
“Chosen one?” Percy asked, frozen in surprise. For a second, the kind manner returned as the one to the right nodded, before it was gone.
“Yes. You will learn of a prophecy soon. A very important prophecy,” This time, the one on the left pulled on the blue thread, until she was happy with its length.
“Something you must know is prophecies will always occur. It’s up to those fulfilling them to determine what happened. Just because a prophecy says someone is lost, doesn’t necessarily mean they have to die. There are many meanings to many things. Remember that, Perseus,” With that last word, the one on the right pulled out a pair of scissors, before snipping the yarn. The snip filled the air, causing him to flinch, as his heart raced.
“Shh, my dear, breathe,” The middle one said, rubbing his back as the power, the meaning, washed over him. A life was ended in front of him. But in the myths…
“W-was that Mine?” Percy asked, barely able to choke out the words, even with the middle’s calming presence.
“We can not say,” The one to the left said, as she bundled her sock tapestry, “We can not change fate. We can only enforce it.” Percy took a few deep breaths until he felt stable enough to speak and not stutter.
“Why show me this?” Percy pleaded, looking to the one in the middle with wide baby-seal eyes. She sighed, reluctantly moving her hand as she spoke.
“Much work has gone into ensuring you were born, Perseus. More work than any of us have done. Your life was a beautiful tapestry before you were even born. I must admit, we got attached,” She said, looking away with a blush.
“Attached?” Percy asked as the other two looked away with a blush.
“Yes, attached,” The one to the left muttered, crossing her arms in a pout, “If the Gods wanted to try and prevent a prophecy, then we had to take matters into our own hands. We had to carefully craft your family, your legacy, so you would have a chance to handle all thrown your way. Along the way we, well we got attached.”
Percy stared for a second, before laughing softly. Like a catalyst, the other three delved into laughter, momentarily forgetting the harsh reason for why.
“Return back to your cousin,” The one on the right eventually said, waving her hands as their stand slowly began to disappear, “And please, Perseus, don’t make us cut your string early.”
In the blink of an eye, Percy was standing next to Dick, and exhaustion hit him like a Kryptonian punch.
“Percy, you okay?” Dick asked, as Percy suddenly hit him, his legs no longer working.
“Mmh,” Percy hummed, not having enough energy to stand up. Behind them, they heard a familiar triumphant cheer, as the bus turned back on.
“Come on, Perce, let's get you back to your seat,” Percy barely registered Dick lifting him, nor him gently placing him back down when they got back on the bus.
He barely even registered when Grover sat down next to him, muttering about running off, and stupid friends.
All he could think about was how the thread was sky blue. The same sky blue as Diana’s, or Cassie’s eyes.
Chapter 5: Grover Loses His Pants, and Jason Loses His Mind
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
The thing that woke Percy was the most irresistible scent in the world. One that could lure even Gaea from her slumber. It was one that must be coveted, lest the others steal it before him. He knew his cousins. There would be none left if he did not act now.
He threw the dagger toward the creeping hand and launched from the couch to grab the cookie plate.
“Mine,” He hissed, holding the blue oozing chocolate chip cookies to his body. Above him, Jason hissed curses in Spanish, even as he pulled the dagger out of the table.
“Told you that’d wake him,” Dick said, already biting into his cookie.
“Perseus! Share with your cousins!” Sally yelled from her study, the sound of keys clanking against her typewriter. Despite Bruce’s instance, she refused to get a laptop, content to use her typewriter.
“Yeah, Percy,” Jason said, as he snatched a cookie despite Percy’s hissing, “Share with us.” Percy glared, but put the cookies back, after stealing three for himself.
“What happened?” He asked, after biting into the cookie. Jason and Dick shared a look of concern, as they sat on the couch. The apartment they lived in was a very modestly expensive one. It had three bedrooms, a fully stocked kitchen, and a fully stocked living room. They owned the unit, and it was heavily decked out by Bruce, something he insisted on doing when he couldn’t convince Sally to stay with them. It was either that, or they stayed with him.
“You don’t remember?” Dick said, as he sat as close to Percy as he could, without risking getting stabbed that was. Jason sat across from them, picking at the cookie before him.
“Not really? I remember the bus broke down and then…” Percy paused, not sure how to detail the interaction with the fates, “Then I got really tired all of a sudden. I think I passed out?” Dick nodded, reaching out to rub Percy’s back.
“I think it was stress. Bruce didn’t find anything in your blood anyway,” Percy grince that that was their family’s first reaction, but it made an annoying amount of sense. Percy still shivered when he was dosed with cuddle powder for the first time. Aunt Ivy found it hilarious.
“Probably. The finals were not fun,” He winced, only to perk up when he took another bite of the amazing cookie. Even his father liked these cookies.
“Speaking of the finals,” Jason winced as he pulled out the familiar report card and placed it on the table.
Percy grabbed it before Dick could, only to wince at his grades again. They weren’t as bad as they could be, but that was only because of his Latin Grade. The others were pathetic. He sighed, before handing it to Dick, who put it in the nearby shredder.
“Percy,” Sally said, just as she entered the living room, her manuscript in hand, “Welcome home.” She quickly crossed the living room to hug him and kiss his forehead, before she headed to the kitchen.
“Are you boys hungry? I have the ingredients to make Gnocchi alla Romma or Trippa?” Dick perked up, standing to help her, only to be pulled down by Percy.
“No,” Percy said, causing him to pout. Jason rolled his eyes, before standing, rolling his sleeves up as he headed to the kitchen.
“How about Trippa, Tia? Comimos pasta para el almuerzo. Puedo cortar los tomates en dados si estamos haciendo la salsa desde cero,” Jason said, his voice trailing off as he entered the kitchen.
Left alone, Dick bumped Percy with his shoulder, his ever-kind smile on his face.
“So, I met Grover earlier today. He seemed surprisingly protective of you. Almost didn’t let me take you alone, even when I called Sally to prove I am your Cousin,” Dick wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Percy to laugh as he shoved him.
“Ew, no. Grover is just a friend,” Percy said, rolling his eyes as he shoved Dick off the couch. Dramatic as ever, Dick fell, pretending to have been shot.
“Oh, how Miro tikno ćhavo betrayed me so,” He groaned dramatically, tilting his head back as far as he could, “Left to Die!” Percy giggled, before leaning over Dick.
“If you die, do I get your room?” He dodged the pillow Dick threw at him, but he wasn’t fast enough to dodge Dick himself.
“See if I show you mercy this time!” Dick said as he caught Percy in a noogie. Percy tried his “best” to get out of it, not daring to manipulate the water and risk hurting Dick, but Dick knew his moves before he knew them.
“DICK! Let me go!” Percy called, pushing at Dick’s arms as best he could.
“Dick, let your cousin go!” Sally called, even as she chopped the pancetta. Reluctantly, Dick dropped Percy, only for Percy to tackle him.
“Don’t break anything you two!” Sally called, just as the two cousins started wrestling. While Percy had the upper hand initially, due to starting the fight, Dick quickly overpowered his younger cousin.
“Percy, Dick, set the table,” Sally called, after a few minutes of the two fighting. Near immediate, the two popped up, scurrying to set the table and bring the rest of the cookies with them. With familiarity and ease, Percy and Dick had the table set thirty seconds before Sally and Jason left the kitchen.
“Siéntate,” Jason demanded, as he carried the pan. Sally thanked him with a kiss to the cheek, before taking her seat at the head of the table. Beside her was Dick, and Jason, and then Percy.
She bowed her head in a quick prayer, copied by Dick, Jason, and Percy, even only she and Percy prayed to the same Gods before they began eating.
“Gods,” Dick groaned, as he shoved as much food into his mouth as he could, “Shish is so gooss.” Sally rolled her eye at Dick’s theatrics, even as the others got their own food.
“Jason, Dick,” She said with a kind smile, “How has Gotham been? And Percy, how was Yancy Academy?” It was the same routine they’d go through every summer. Two or three of the bats would be at Sally’s the day school ended, just adding to the normalcy of everything, staying the night, before they all headed to Gotham to spend the summer with his Uncle.
Still, it was an easy tradition to fall into. Jason and Dick easily teased each other about pranks played on the field or moaned about having to clean mustard out of their suits whenever Condiment King was out. Percy complained about school, and how teachers sucked, and Jason and Dick would comfort them.
It was easy to pretend nothing was wrong. That Jason didn’t have green tinting his eyes, and Dick didn’t carefully calculate every interaction with Jason to ensure he didn’t blow up.
There, watching them all, Sally just smiled, occasionally chiming in, as the fire, in the fireplace, roared behind them. Every so often, Percy would sneak a wave to the small face appearing in the embers, showing a young teen with a sad smile watching over them.
“Excited to head to Gotham?” Dick teased, after finishing a story of how Ivy destroyed a building dumping chemical waste into the ocean. They apprehended her, of course, but they were “unfortunate” enough to arrive after the building was destroyed, thankfully free from civilians. Even worse, a seed got caught in her handcuffs, letting her break free from her bindings, and escape.
“Ugh,” Percy faked groaned, even as blue Baklava was placed on the table, “And have to spend an entire summer with you guys.” He faked disinterest, before smiling brightly, even as grabbed a small slice of Bakalva.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Unlike the other bats, mainly Bruce, love, and affection came to Percy, and Sally, which easily made up for many of Bruce’s fallings and occasional failings.
Jason blushed bright red, turning away in embarrassment, as Dick squealed, pulling Percy into a suffocating hug. The green rising to combat the calm, kind, words it hated
“Dick,” Sally sighed, pointing her butterknife at Dick, “Put Percy down, please.” She sounded exasperated, almost as bad as when Dick shyly admitted to breaking the chandelier for the fifth time that week.
With great reluctance, Percy was gently placed in his chair, only to be pulled to be tucked into Jason’s side, a possesiveprotective arm around him.
“Jasons,” Dick pouted, even as he twirled the butterknife below to a backward grip.
“No,” Sally said, ending the rising tension as easy as it came, “You know the rules. No fighting at the table.” The two pouted, but Percy stayed by Jason’s side for the remainder of the evening. Unfortunately, as the youngest of ten, Percy was used to his cousins's clinginess.
After the plates were cleared, and the baklava gone, Sally stayed seated. In confusion, and slight fear, as this meant something Serious™, was happening.
“I am aware this is out of the normal, but I was thinking Percy and I would go to Montauk for the first week of summer before we arrived in Gotham.” You’d think she just announced she killed their father with the way Dick and Jason straightened in fear. On the flip side, Percy broke into a bright, wide smile, excited to spend the week at his favorite place, even if it was taunted with the knowledge of that being where he was conceived.
“A-are you sure?” Dick asked, nearly causing Sally to wince. She was well aware of their, near-dangerous, codependency, made worse when, nearly every time one of them left Gotham, they either died or got gravely injured. The major reason why a member of the Batfam seemed to visit as often as they did, once a week at the latest, was to ensure they were Safe. While it warmed Sally’s heart, it was rather challenging to have to work around them to keep their secret. To keep Them safe.
“Dick,” Sally reached out to grab his hand, as Jason pulled tighter to Percy, eyes glowing a near-toxic green, “Percy and I will be okay. Besides, I’m not asking for Privacy for the entire week. Just three days would be fine.” Three days with the two of them would be long enough to explain everything and head to camp. And, it would give her time to think up an excuse for why Percy couldn’t spend the summer with them.
“No,” Jason hissed out, pulling Percy to his chest, wrapping his hands around him like a vice, “No.” Sally stood, staring down the toxic-green eyes without fear. Beside her, Dick backed up, phone ready to call Bruce and tranquilizer to stop Jason from hurting anyone.
“Jason, what’s wrong,” Sally slowly, calmly, asked, approaching Jason with hands out, like he was a spooked animal.
“Mine,” Was all he said, as he pulled Percy closer and closer. Sally shook her head when Percy tried to push back against the arms circling him.
“Jason, Percy will be okay. I promise,” Sally said, backing off when Jason growled at her.
“Liar,” He hissed, his voice losing to the hiss of the pit, “Oathbreaker.” Behind Sally, Dick winced, for reasons unrelated to why Sally did. Because to Dick, that meant the pit had control. That the danger of Jason’s vice turning deadly was dangerously real. That the fading scar across Percy’s chest would be joined by another.
“Percy will be okay,” Sally said, after snapping her fingers, the snap echoing through the apartment. Almost at once, Dick and Jason’s shoulders fell, as an uncanny feeling of relaxation hit them.
“Percy will be okay,” Dick said, slipping the tranquilizer into his pocket. After the first incident of the Pit taking over, they learned that Sally’s Magic seemed to work on the Pit, pushing it down just enough for Jason to take back control.
“Percy will be Safe,” Sally said, snapping her fingers once more. Once again, Jason’s shoulders relaxed, and his arms followed suit. This time, the glowing toxic green fell away, leaning Jason to let his forehead fall on Percy’s shoulder, taking quick, but shuttering, breaths.
“Jason,” Sally said, standing on one side of him as Dick came to the other.
“Jason,” She repeated, kneeling to rub his back, guiding him to big breaths.
“I’m sorry,” Jason said, despite all three of them arguing against it.
“It’s not our fault, Jason. The waters are not easily deterred,” She said, before forcing Jason to look at her, to see they were worried FOR him, and not ABOUT him, “What was it that sparked them?”
It took Jason a while for him to speak, for him to be calm enough to trust the Pit would not rise again.
“I-Fear, I guess. Just, nothing, yeah,” Jason said, unable to get the words fully out.
“How about you come with us to Montauk,” Sally said, after a moment of contemplation. When she saw Dick and Jason light up at the suggestion, she knew she made the right decision.
Even as she doomed Jason to their Hades of a reality.
“Alright,” She said, standing up while pulling Jason up as well, “get packed. Dick, could you go inform my brother that Jason will be coming with us?”
Dick stared at them with sad eyes, mournful eyes, before nodding, replacing his sorrow with his usual glee and happiness.
“Of course!” He said, before ruffling Jason’s hair, watching for any hints of green, “Just be sure to care for Baby Bird here!” Jason snapped his teeth together, before going to the “guest” bedroom, or the bedroom meant to house whatever family members visited.
It wasn’t long before they packed into Sally’s car, driving alongside Dick on Jason’s bike until they had to separate. Dick went down to New Jersey, and the family headed toward, according to Percy, the greatest beach on earth.
When they arrived at their little slice of Olympus, Percy couldn’t help but sigh in relief. After Sally admitted to meeting Percy’s father there, Bruce bought them a cabin, along with a small section of beach so it was just theirs. Not even Sally was able to stop him, but she did put her foot down on Bruce retrofitting it. She enjoyed the rustic feel of the cabin.
Immediately, the duo were able to fold Jason into their tradition of getting the cabin ready, as they could with any of their extended family when they decided to stay. They cleaned the area of spiders, a job Jason took to with glee when he was handed the makeshift flame thrower, and dusted off as many surfaces as they could. Once all the windows were open, and the beds were ready, they were free to walk to the beach.
Or, Percy was free to jump in the freezing water, swimming as far out as his mother let him, at least while Jason was around, to play with the fish. Walking on the beach, just talking and watching Percy splash around in the water, were Sally and Jason, eating all the blue corn chips, and candies his mother packed.
Jason only cackled when he saw that everything was dyed blue for the trip, as was almost every food Sally made. It all started when Sally and Bruce got into a conversation about Bruce’s lack of cooking skills. It ended with Bruce saying there was no such thing as Blue Foods in the hope of winning the losing argument. Since then, everything Sally made was blue. She could be petty like that. Especially when her brother was involved.
When it got dark, they made a fire, or Sally made the fire and Percy kept trying to tackle Jason to make him wet. When Jason was thoroughly soaked, they sat by the fire to warm up, toasting, or burning in Jason’s case, marshmallows and cooking hot dogs.
Sally used the embers to tell the stories of the sky, detailing great battles, or horrid events. Still, she captivated her two audiences, even if they’d heard the stories multiple times.
Eventually, the small family found themselves curled around the hearth in their cabin, the one addition Sally let Bruce add, ready to fall into Hypnos’ embrace.
“Mom,” Percy asked, just as Jason passed out in the corner, giving him a full view of the cabin and space to jump to Sally’s and Percy’s protection.
Sally hummed, continuing to run her fingers through Jason’s hair, prompting Percy to speak.
“Can you tell me of Dad again?” He asked, laying his head on her lap. She smiled, running her fingers over his eyebrows.
“Oh, Percy. Your father was wonderful. We met at this cabin, you know. He was so sweet and kind. He offered to stop the tides for me, or build me a castle under the waves,” She paused for a second, before continuing to speak, “He was so distraught when he realized he’d have to leave you. He stayed as long as he could, you know. He even helped cover the hurricane you made when you were just born.” Percy turned bright red at the reminder, even as his mother laughed.
“He loves you so much, Percy,” She leaned down to kiss his forehead, “He’d be so proud of you. Μαργαριτάρι μου.” Percy smiled before it dropped. He knew he should tell his Mom about Mrs. Dodds and the fates, but he didn’t want this to end.
Still, it’d have to eventually.
“Mom,” He said, sitting up, “There’s-” Percy was cut off by a harsh knock on the door.
Immediately, Jason and Sally jumped up, ready to protect Percy.
Once more, a harsh knock filled the air, and Sally, after grabbing a moral knife, went to the door. When she opened it, they were surprised by the harsh storm outside, one reminiscent of the storm when Sally brought Percy to Gotham.
No, what was more surprising was who was at the door.
“Grover!” Percy asked, shoving his way past Jason, his eyes wide. When thunder flashed behind him, Percy flinched, only to have Jason wrap his hands around him.
“WHAT THE FUCK!” Jason yelled when Grover stepped forward. After all, Grover was there, not wearing any pants.
That meant his Goat legs were on full display.
Notes:
Translations:
"Tia? Comimos pasta para el almuerzo. Puedo cortar los tomates en dados si estamos haciendo la salsa desde cero" = Aunt? We ate pasta for lunch. I can dice the tomatoes if we're making the sauce from scratch
"Siéntate"= Sit down
Μαργαριτάρι μου = My little Pearl
Chapter Text
Thankfully, they were able to cram into the car without Jason asking many questions. Or, rather, Jason was shoved in while throwing intelligible question after question at Sally and Grover.
The rain was pouring now, destroying any sense of visibility, yet the speed never dropped below ninety. It was almost something for Jason to be impressed by if he wasn’t still surprised by Percy’s half-goat friend.
Or Satyr as they said.
“So, you two know each other?” Jason asked, turning back in his seat to stare at Grover. Only to be gently smacked over the back of his head by Sally.
“Face forward,” She said, as she swerved to avoid a car, “And yes, Grover and I have known of Each other.” Jason, pouting in the passenger seat, crossed his arms, raising his eyebrow as he looked through the rearview mirror at Grover.
“Known of Each other?” He repeated while asking a question. Grover shifted in his seat, not quite liking the green in Jason’s eyes, while Percy snickered in the back.
‘Suffer’ Percy mouthed, cackling at the look of betrayal from Grover.
“Well, I’ve never Met Mrs. Jackson, but she’s known I was watching over Percy. Protecting him,” Grover said, trying to make eye contact only to fail miserably. Percy snicked more, much louder this time, only to earn a look of betrayal from Grover, and suspicion from Jason.
“Protection from what exactly?” Jason spat, forcing the green that threatened to come back. Sally reached out to squeeze his shoulder for a second before she focused back on driving.
“Monster, Gods. People that want to kill me because I exist,” Percy said, shrugging when he got a look from both Sally and Jason.
“WHAT!” Jason shouted as Sally sighed.
“Percy, please be less nonchalant about this,” Sally asked, only for Jason to whirl to look at her.
“You know about this!” He demanded, only to wince when Sally turned to, slightly, glare at him.
“Unfortunately Yes,” She said, slightly hostile, before she sighed, looking more tired than Alfred did after deadly patrols, “Even worse, it’s a fact Percy and I have had to live with for years. For our entire lives. And there’s nothing you can do about it. Nothing We can do about it.” Jason went to argue about it, but he couldn’t. Not when he saw the look in Sally’s eyes. The same one she had when she comforted him about what he did when he returned. About who he nearly killed.
“Fine,” Jason spat, clearly not accepting it, but not wanting to argue, “Now, what did you mean by Monster and Gods?” This time, when Jason turned, Sally didn’t scold him, only wincing when she saw something through the flash of light.
“Really, really long story short, the Greek Gods still exist, and are still Whores,” Percy said, only to be scolded by Sally, Jason, and Grover, two for language and one for disrespect.
“Okay, fine, some still are,” Percy admitted, turning to Jason with sorrowful eyes. “Another long story short, My Dad is a Greek God, but my Mom won’t tell me which one.” He didn’t have to say he already knew—at least, not with Grover in the car. Knowledge was power after all.
“Wait, you already know!” Grover said, turning to face Percy once the realization sat in. Percy winced, before turning to Grover, Jason turning back toward the road to give them a false sense of Privacy.
“Yeah?” Percy said, wincing when he saw Grover’s expression, “I’ve had weird stuff happening to me since I was born. Plumbing being destroyed,” Jason, Sally, and Percy winced at the reminder, “Snakes trying to kill me when I was three, even Cyclopes, and Naiads watching over me. It wasn’t hard to put together, especially when Mom was obsessed with Greek Gods.”
Grover stared at Percy with sad eyes, his lip wobbling for a second, before he sighed.
“I’m sorry,” Grover said, before pulling Percy into a hug, “If I knew you knew I wouldn’t have tried to, you know. I wouldn’t have lied to you or…” Grover trailed off, as he buried his head in Percy’s neck, tears slightly falling.
“It’s alright, Grover,” Percy said, patting Grover on the back for a bit. Grover sniffled for a few more seconds, before releasing Percy. After he wiped away his tears, Jason turned back around, ready to interrogate the two more.
“Cute moment and all, but what exactly are you? And where are we going?” He directed that second question to Sally, even as he stared down Grover.
“Your cousins are scary,” Grover whispered to Percy, who nodded in agreement, before turning to face Jason, only to wince at his glare.
“I am known as a protector,” Grover said, taking a deep breath, “We’re sent to different schools across the country to find Demigods, and ensure their safety as we bring them back to Camp.”
“Camp?” Jason raised an eyebrow, leaning forward as much as the seatbelt would allow. Grover gulped, looking over to Percy for help, only to receive a shrug.
“Y-yes,” Grover stuttered, “It’s a place for Demigods like Percy t-to learn how to d-defend themselves against Monsters, and l-learn what they n-need to survive.”
A dark expression covered Jason’s face, before he reluctantly nodded, after a look to Percy.
“Good,” Was all he said in the manner, before he looked out the back window, “Now what the hell,” He paused in confusion before shaking it off, “What is chasing us?”
His mostly innocent question caused the two of them to whirl around, eyes widening in fear.
“Ms. Jackson,” Grover said, his voice trembling with fear, “Can you drive faster please?” Immediately the car sped up, going as fast as she dared in the rain, but it only caused the monster to speed up.
It was a large hulking beast, more decked than Jason, or Diana. It reminded Percy of when he was told the story of Blockbuster, or when he was younger and Met Bane for the first time. Only five times larger. Even worse, most of him seemed to be covered in fur, and large protruding horns came out of his forehead, ending in a sharp point.
“Mierda!” Percy shouted, only to get scolded for language as well, “Mom, it’s the Lybrinth’s Monster.”
“Faex,” His mother repeated, earning a snicker from Percy.
“Language,” Percy said, earning a slight glare from Sally.
“Wait, Labyrinth? Isn’t that the-” “No!” Percy yelled, almost physically moving forward to cover Jason’s mouth.
“Names have power, dangerous power. When you know of the demigod world, saying a name is like sending a flare in the pitch-black of night. All it will bring you is attention, and, in most cases, not good attention.” Sally said, glancing at Percy for his outburst, before calming down.
“So the M-Labyrinth’s monster is following us? And wants to kill us, because Percy’s deadbeat Dad is a Greek God,” Jason slowly said, growing more and more confused, and pissed with every word.
“Well, no,” Sally said, wincing, but not wanting her nephew to not know the truth, “He only wants to kill Percy and Me. Odds are, he’d leave you two alone.” When the familiar green fashed over his eyes, Sally reached over, squeezing his shoulder in comfort as he struggled to regulate his breathing.
“What?” He hissed, even as his eyes were squeezed shut, “No, you two… You were supposed to be Safe from all this.”
Grover, nearly forgotten off to the side, scooted further away, repaying their moment of privacy.
“I know,” Sally sadly said, even as she focused on the road before them. Jason growled before he managed to get his anger calm before he could ask Sally another question.
“Is that why you didn’t tell us?” He asked, the betrayal causing Sally and Percy to flinch.
“No,” Sally said, before nearly laughing as the tears fell, “In an odd twist, we wanted to protect you all.” At Jason’s confused look, she sighed.
“Our world is dangerous, much more dangerous than the one you know,” When Jason went to argue, she put her hand up, “It’s dangerous because you won’t be able to see it. The mist covers almost every creature, even if you know about it. Even then, if you don’t have the right materials, you can Not fight the monsters. And the materials can not be found outside our world, nor can they be replicated.”
“We didn’t tell you because we wanted you guys to be safe,” Percy said, his voice quieter than Jason has ever known it to be, “As safe as you could be while we stayed with you.” When Jason looked back, he winced when he saw the look of regret, yet determination on his face.
“What do you mean?” Jason asked as gently as he could, even if the green inside him begged to be harshed, whispered at him to scream. Taunted him to yell.
“All demigods give off a scent,” Grover said, wincing when Jason turned to look at him, “The stronger a demigod is, the stronger their scent is. Some demigods have scents so strong they can’t leave camp without getting attacked almost immediately. The worst thing is that scents can linger. So, if Demigods stay in one place for too long, or around someone for too long, then eventually that place or person would start attracting monsters.”
Watching the horror of the realization slowly wash over Jason’s face caused all of them to flinch. As he remembered times when Sally would walk off, only to come back with bruises that weren’t there before. As he remembered when he’d hear growls in the middle of the night, only to be joined by a shaking Percy, with the faint trails of gold dust sticking to him. Whenever Kaldur or Cassie would disappear, only to reappear a few hours later, their hands shaking but eyes oddly stern.
“Oh,” Was all he could say before thunder filled the air. Before Sally and Percy froze. Before a blinding flash filled the air, and a jaw-rattling BOOM!
For a second everyone was weightless, like when on the few missions where they were in space, before everything crashed down.
“Oww,” Percy groaned, as pealed his head off the passenger seat.
“Perce!” “Percy!” Jason and Sally shouted, trying to turn to him only to be restricted by their seatbelts.
“I’m Okay,” after a look at Grover, Percy winced, “I don’t think Grover was though.” Percy looked up, only to wince at the large, sizzling, hole through the roof of their car. They were hit by lighting. That only meant one thing.
Percy was screwed.
“Percy, get out,” Sally said, pushing on her door. Beside her, Jason glared up at the hole, before cutting his and Sally’s seatbelts free.
After grabbing Grover, Percy forced his door open, dragging himself and Grover outside.
“What the fuck was that!” Jason said, after shoving his door open. He helped Sally get out, before throwing Grover over his shoulder.
“Percy’s Uncle” “My Uncle” Percy and Sally said in unison, before flinching when thunder roared above them.
“The Fuck!” Jason said, even as he followed Percy and Sally through the road.
“Good news, we’re near the property line,” Sally said, stumbling for a second before being gently pushed by the northern winds, “Bad news, Percy’s Uncle knows about him now.”
“Property line?” Jason asked, stumbling, but catching himself, on the thick grass below them, grass that almost seemed to curl around them.
“Yes, the property line of the camp. It’ll protect us,” Sally said, yanking off her charm. Once more, a javelin appeared in her hands, ready to be used at her convenience. She turned for a second, throwing it as far as she could. Her aim was true before the winds themselves fought over the javelin, the eastern wind trying to blow it off course, while the northern wind kept it on track.
In the end, it only pierced the monster’s thigh, slowing him, but not stopping him.
“The fuck!” Jason asked once more, watching the winds push and pull at the javelin.
“Not the time,” Percy shouted, tugging Jason toward the pull his blood sang. The ever-familiar feeling he’s felt ever since he arrived in Long Island. The urge to go. To be safe.
“Jason, Percy, listen to me,” Sally said, stopping in her tracks, “He can not see very well. But, when he does, he’ll charge. Wait until the last second, before jumping out of the way sideways. He can’t change directions well once he’s charging. Got it!”
“Sally, how do you?” Jason asked, before wincing at the harsh look of determination on Sally.
“Get to the farmhouse. I’ll cover you,” Sally said, pulling out a small pin, one she nearly wore every day. She tapped the needle against the pin three times before the pin transformed into a Gladius.
“Sally,” Jason said, only to be tugged away by Percy.
“Come on,” He said, nearly dragging Jason away from Sally, “Mom’s got this. She knows what she’s doing.” Jason stopped for a second, unwilling to let Sally go. He didn’t want to leave her. Not when Sally was Sally. The closest thing he’s ever had to a mother. His Aunt.
But he had to protect Percy. He had to make up for his mistake. It was only when Sally nodded, before turning around, her sword in hand, did Jason force himself forward.
“Fine, let’s go,” With his other hand, Jason picked up his cousin, and ran as fast as he could toward the property line. Toward the Giant pine tree.
Reluctantly, toward the pull of his blood.
They nearly made it, nearly arrived at the Pine Tree to be safe. Running through the thick grass, propelled by the wind behind them, but pulled down by the shadows curling around them.
Until they heard a scream. An unfortunately familiar scream.
When they turned around, Jason paused. His blood froze in his veins, even as the rage bubbled up. As the rage slowly curled around him, pulling him into the familiar darkness Jason despised.
When they saw Sally trapped in the hands of a bleeding Minotaur, her blade below her.
“Jason,” She groaned, “Percy. Run!” She screamed with her last breath before the Minotaur closed his fists.
“NOO!!” “MOOM!” Jason and Percy yelled, frozen even as Sally slowly dissolved before her, melting into a shimmering golden light.
Jason struggled to not give in to the ever-growing green. The Green whispering to him, promising revenge. Taunting him for letting Sally die. Shaming him for being weak enough to let this happen.
“No,” Eventually, Jason collapsed, his body drained of everything, taken away to push down the encompassing green.
“MOM!” “Percy, wait!” He tried to stop his raging brother. But he was too late, once more. He was always too late.
He could only watch as Percy forced the rain under his command. As blades of water helped him pin the rampaging monster to the ground.
Fight
Could only watch as the monster slowly overpowered Percy. As Percy slowed down, exhaustion and shock settled in.
Protect Him
Could only watch as the monster eventually got Percy in his grasp as well. As Percy struggled and fought as his breath was slowly taken away.
FIGHT!
“GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!” Jason couldn’t explain what happened next. Couldn’t even begin to describe what he felt. It wasn’t anything he’d felt before. It wasn’t anything he’d known before.
One minute, he’s watching his baby cousin, his baby brother, die before him. The next, Percy is protectively tucked under one arm, Sally’s Gladius in the next, and a decapitated Minoutar before him. He didn’t notice the shadows creeping away from him, leaving him without their protection.
“Jason,” Percy said, panting, and his eyes wavering in alertness.
“It’s okay, Percy,” Jason said, hitching up Percy so he’s protectively against his chest, “I got you. And I swear I’ll never let you go.”
When Percy started crying, as the rain only fell harder and harder, Jason winced. Still, even as the tears fell, Jason walked forward, even grabbing the neglected Grover, still passed out on the ground.
He walked past the thick grass, past the pine tree that marked the property line. He continued walking, even as the exhaustion set in once more. As his muscles burned with every step, every breath.
Still, he continued walking, unwilling to let his brother down.
It wasn’t until he saw the farmhouse Sally talked about, did he fell to his knees. Did he allow his exhaustion to take over, and his eyes to finally fall shut.
“Get away from him,” Was the last thing Jason said, covering Percy with his body, when two shadows fell over him. One similar to what he’d expect a Centar to be, and one the size of a twelve-year-old child.
Notes:
"Mierda" = Shit
"Faex" = Fuck
Chapter 7: Pinochle, the best Game to cheat in
Chapter Text
“Hello, Jason.” Fear gripped Jason’s heart as he shot up, throwing a dagger toward the voice. He couldn’t remember what happened after he passed out. Nor did he recognize where they were. They were in, what looked like, a stereotypical farmhouse, with wood planks and cobwebs in the corners. To his right was another bed, with Percy in it. He felt his fear and tension ebb away, as he saw Percy was safe.
“Hello, Jason,” This time, Jason turned again toward the voice. With his second dagger, he popped up, ready to defend against the intruder.
Before him was a tall stranger, almost as tall as him. He had honey-gold eyes, and black hair down to his shoulders. His skin was the color of teakwood, yet he kept a kind smile on his face. Behind him were two beautiful wings, shimmering in black, dark blue, and purple. Despite the familiar shadows curling around his ankles, the man didn’t seem a danger. He, disturbingly, seemed to put Jason at ease.
“Who the hell are you,” Jason growled, trying to hold to his anger. To hold to the ever-so-dying green. It was a disturbing situation for him. But he wouldn’t let anyone hurt his baby cousin.
“Do you not remember me?” The man said, sadness covering his face. Yet, it didn’t seem that he was sad Jason didn’t remember him. Rather, he was sad Jason’s first reaction was fear or anger. He was sad Jason lived such a life, he’s had to react to fear or anger to every little thing normal people would.
“Should I?” Jason sneered, stepping closer to protect Percy. The man stared him down, before sighing, walking to take a seat on Jason’s bed.
“No,” He sighed, before gesturing for Jason to take a seat, “Rare are those that come back to life. Even rare are those that remember me.” Jason stared the odd man down, even as he sat down next to Percy. He knew he knew the man, something that tickled in the back of his mind, but he didn’t remember him.
“Who are you?” Jason asked, even as he twirled the dagger, before sheathing it. He despised how easily it was to relax in the presence of the man.
“A simple force of nature,” He said, crossing his legs, as he smiled softly at Jason, looking at him with the same eyes Sally looked at him, “But, it matters not. I have something more important to speak to you about for now.”
Just then, a rumble shook the earth below them, as the shadows crept higher and higher. Something much older, much stronger, was creeping toward them. One that made Jason shiver, and shake. One that cloaked the area in shadows, and darkness.
“Damn, I wished to have more time with you,” He swore, before sighing, almost as though he expected this.
“Listen closely,” The man stood, crossing the room in a blink, before taking Jason’s hands in his, covering one over the other, “Perseus will be sent on a quest to find something very important. You must go with him. You must retrieve my master’s item. You must learn how to use your abilities to survive.”
When Jason finally tore his hands away from the man, frozen from the familiar coldness that saturated the area, he winced at the sad look on his face.
“The fates can not save you once more. So, please, do not fail,” Jason stared at the man before him, before he felt the shadows finally rise and yanked him down.
“Merida!” Jason yelled, shooting back up, and throwing his dagger in front of him. Only, he wasn’t in the shadow-covered room. He wasn’t stuck with a passed-out Percy and an annoyingly familiar man. Instead, he was back in the farmhouse room, a shaking Gover before him, and a laughing Percy beside him.
The odd thing was he felt Fine. No soreness from the crash. No cuts barely healing over, or bruises fading away. It was almost like he woke up after a refreshing nap, something he hadn’t had since he took a dip in the Lazarus Pit. It was disturbing.
Even worse was the only unfamiliar thing he felt was two small objects, one that felt like earrings, in his hands. The same ones he saw in the man from his dream.
“Where the fuck are we?” Jason asked, waving Grover off as he stood. He didn’t even feel the numb feeling that came with resting for a long time. If it weren’t for the green lingering in his mind, he’d feel like he did before the waters. Like he was still learning English from Dick and Bruce, who were so kindly patient with him. Like he just got a batch of the best blue cookies in existence, while tucked in Sally’s side, reading and rereading books from the library.
“A-are you okay?” Grover asked, even as Jason stretched.
“I’m fine, this isn’t near the worst I’ve been through,” Once again, he waved Grover off, before walking over to Percy, pulling him into a side hug, “How are you squirt? That couldn’t have been easy to see, much less deal with.”
Underneath him, Percy shook, before tucking closer to Jason, holding him with shaking hands. Percy took a deep breath, trying to calm the shaking, before shaking his head.
“It, it hasn’t sunk in yet. Mom, Mom was the best. Yet she’s gone,” Percy cried, even as Grover sat on his other side, rubbing his back. Jason did his best to comfort Percy, letting him cry into his side. But something was off. A little tickle in the back of his mind that told him Percy was wrong. Something saying Sally wasn’t dead. Not yet at least.
He shoved that back with the green, focusing as best he could on Percy. After a few more seconds of crying, Percy wiped his tears away, sitting taller.
“But, Mom wouldn’t want us to cry over her,” Percy sniffed, before sitting taller, “How long have we been out?”
Grover hesitated for a second, before sighing, moving to sit across from them. He sat on Jason’s bed, crossing his legs. He fidgets with his shoe, revealing a cloven hoove ever so often, as he thinks of what to say.
“You guys have been in and out for two days,” Grover fidgeted, moving back and forth as he messed with his face shoes.
After a second, Grover started sniffling, before he started crying.
“I'm so, so sorry Percy, I’m the worst satyr ever. I’m a failure,” After a second of him crying, Percy shoots off the bed, to pull Grover into a hug. Percy comforted a crying Grover, patting him on the back.
Uncomfortable, Jason turned to the window, leaving the two to comfort each other. The Green never quite liked emotional scenes like this, rising to combat it. Now, thankfully, he was able to push the Green down so he didn’t have to deal with the dangers the rage brought. Still, it made him uncomfortable when he was there.
But, he was surprised to see how beautiful it was outside. Groves of trees surrounded the area, creating a beautifully secluded area around them. A winding steam crossed the area, nearly separating it into two, and leading to a gorgeously clean lake. He could see cabins, and buildings not far from them. A valley filled with horses, and archery targets. The tallest pine tree across from them radiated a type of power Jason couldn’t see, but his soul knew.
Everything around him was beautiful. It felt weird to him. To see such beautiful nature after growing up in the city, raised on the streets. Not even Nada Parbat was this beautiful. If Nada Parbat was a harsh, cold, intimidating beauty, depending all obey its leader, then this place was a warm, welcoming, beauty, welcoming all who need it with a smile, and a warm blanket. If Nada Parbat was Talia, then this place was Sally. He could feel something in his very soul relax, unwind. As if he discovered something he never knew, but had always known about himself.
Jason tried not to flinch when Percy used Sally to get Grover to stop crying. While effective, it reminded him a little of Tim when he felt backed into a corner, or hurting. Then again, something in him told him Sally wasn’t dead. Like his brain refused to accept that fact. It was the same thing that made him agree with Tim, helping him hunt down Bruce when Bruce was lost in the timestream. Like his very being refused to accept something that wasn’t fact. He knew he saw Sally… no, he can’t think of that, lest the green rise once more. Still, why wasn’t his soul letting him accept the fact?
“Jason,” Jason blinked out his introspectiveness, turning to Percy and Grover, who were now standing, “Come on. Grover said we have to meet the director, Mr. D.” Jason’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, even as he stood, following Grover and Percy, watching over their back.
“Mr. D?” He asked, looking a Percy. Only, Percy shrugged, gesturing to Grover.
“Mr. D is the camp’s Director,” Grover only repeated, wincing under Jason’s glare, “I-I can’t really say more.”
“Why not?” Jason asked, slipping his earrings into his pocket. He didn’t want to keep them, yet something was stopping him from throwing it away. Whether it was the recognition he had toward the man who gave him it or the uncomfortable familiar way the man looked at him. Either way, it didn’t feel right for him to throw them away.
It was only after he placed them in his pocket did he felt the pin in his. The same pin Sally always wore. The one she’d pin on them when they went away on a long mission.
‘For safety and luck,’ She’d always say. Considering it could transform into a Gladius, it made a lot more sense. They’d always just joke around about the pin, even if they were protective of it.
Yet, if it was magic, how did Zatanna not sense it? Hell, which was going to be weird for him to say, it didn’t even give off the same feeling other magic. What was it that made the simple red wolf pin transform into a Gold Gladius?
When they walked on the porch, Percy grabbed Jason’s hand. When Jason looked down, guilt seized his heart. He could feel Percy’s shaking. He was nervous, even if he refused to show it. As Jason squeezed his hand in support, he made a silent vow to himself. He wouldn’t leave Percy alone. He would be there for his brother.
As they walked, Jason, and Percy, couldn’t help but look at the beauty decorating the area. The buildings he could barely see were much clearer, with Greek architecture on display. An open-air pavilion and amphitheater were close by, only a few hundred feet from the farmhouse they were in. He could even see a circular arena nearby, barely hearing the clanks of swords hitting each other. In the opposite direction was a sandpit, dozens of high-school-aged kids and satyrs playing volleyball. He could even see the lake clearer, canoes rowing back and forth. Everywhere, a couple dozen if not a hundred, kids with orange T-shirts filled the area, yet it seemed to be empty. Even worse, the one fueling the rising green, these kids were his age or younger. He’d yet to see someone older than him.
“Jason,” Percy whispered, tugging at him, “It’s okay. I promise.” Jason took a few controlled breaths, forcing the rising Green down, before nodding.
“This place reminds me of Themyscira,” Jason whispered back, focusing on the beauty instead of the horror of the realization waiting to sink in. The horror of none of the people here being older than him.
“It’s so unfair you got to Themyscira before me,” Percy pouted, laughing when Jason ruffled his hair.
“I’ll see if we can’t convince Di-Artemis to take you during the winter break,” Jason promised, already mentally planning the trip. Even if Diana said now, Artemis would, just to piss her off.
“Wait, can I say Artemis?” Jason asked, realizing she was named after the Gods. That would be weird now. Gods, why did he have to learn about the multiple Gods?
“So long as you say it while referencing the Amazon, instead of the Goddess, it should be fine. At least, that’s what Mom told me.” Jason, rather reluctantly, nodded, still trying to wrap his head around it. How did the mechanics of that work? Was it like Martian manhunters, where he could passively read the thoughts and emotions of everyone around him? Or was it more like their names acted like a beacon? Or was it an intention thing?
“But how-” “We’re here” Grover nervously said, fidgeting in place. When Jason turned toward the people in front of them, it took everything for him to not raise his eyebrow in confusion. Two men were sitting at a card table, with a blond girl standing next to them, off to the side.
One man he recognized, from the few times he attended a parent-teacher conference with Sally. Really, he only went to cuss out Percy’s English teacher, but Mr. Brunner was one of the few teachers who knew how to teach a kid with ADHD.
What he didn’t recognize was the man next to him. He was… stout would be the kindest way of putting it. He reminded Jason of the gamblers he’d see in the underground dens. The ones who were willing to do anything if it meant they could continue gambling. Yet, something was off about him. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he radiated a muted power. It reminds him of when the Duke first came to the house, constantly suppressing his power in hopes of fitting in. Or when Kaldur and Cassie would go into cities, subconsciously suppressing their abilities so they didn’t stand out.
“That’s Mr. D,” Grover whispered, chewing on his lower lip, “He’s the camp director, so, please, both of you be polite. The girl next to him, that’s Annabeth. She’s been here longer than most anyone. I’m assuming both of you know Chiron.” Jason raised an eyebrow Grover pointed to Mr. Brunner to refer to Chiron.
“Chiron, as in the trainer of heroes?” Jason asked, doing his best to not be dismissive. It was hard to imagine the soft-spoken Mr. Brunner as Chiron, the Trainer of Heroes. The one who trained the original Jason, or Heracles.
“Hey, Mr. Brunner!” Percy called, waving to him. He turned to Percy and the other with a wide, yet mischievous, smile.
“Ah, now we have five for pinochle,” He gestured for them to sit across from them, the mischievous smile only growing. It reminded Jason of when he’d, or the others, replaced Tim’s coffee with Decaf. Something that was for his benefit, sure, but would have interesting results either way.
Still, he didn’t like how Mr. D stared at them with bloodshot eyes and a harshness behind them. So, he gestured for Percy to sit first, only sitting after Grover and Percy did, fidgeting with Sally’s Pin.
“Well, I suppose I must say it,” Mr. D sighed, as he shuffled the cards, “Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now don’t expect me to be glad you’re here.” He paused for a second, eyeing Jason with an uncomfortable glare.
“Even if it’s odd for a demigod of your age to make it here.” That made everyone stop, from Grover’s nervous fidgeting to Percy’s ADHD fidgeting.
“Wait, Demigod!” Percy shouted, only kept from standing by Jason’s now stilled hand on his shoulder, “Jason’s a Demigod! But how?”
Mr. D raised an eyebrow at them, yet he was unreadable. It was harder to read Bruce when he was in one of his moods, or Talia on a bad day than it was to decipher the Camp Director’s facial ticks. It was like he didn’t have them. Which, didn’t make sense! He was human, or humanoid. Every humanoid had some. Didn’t they?
“I hope I don’t have to explain how reproduction works to a twelve-year-old boy,” Mr. D sighed, dealing the cards, “You see when a God finds a mortal attractive, then they disguise themselves as a mortal. And-”
“Wait.” Percy screeched, his face bright red, “I know how sex works. I just… didn’t know Jason was a demigod. I thought he was a mortal, a clear-sighted one, but mortal nonetheless.”
“You have to admit, Mr. D, Chiron,” The blond girl chimed in, looking at Jason with familiarly calculating grey eyes. It was the same ones Bruce had when carefully planning things, “It is rather odd for a demigod to be his age, and not know who they were, much less never heard of camp.” The way she spoke made Jason bristle and the green rise. There was a slight hint of superiority in her voice. Like she knew she was then everyone, at least better than Jason.
“Still,” Mr. D scoffed, peaking at his cards, “Don’t expect me to give you any special treatment just because you’re an anomaly.” Jason bristled at the term, anomaly, but Percy’s cold hand stopped him from attacking.
Thankfully, or worryingly, the green in his eyes caused the girl to flinch back, before turning to Percy.
“You drool in your sleep,” She said, before running off, her blond hair flowing in the wind. Something about her made Jason stand on edge.
“I must say,” Chiron said, breaking the odd standoff between Jason and Annabeth, “Despite everything, I’m glad you two made it here alive. It’s been far too long since I made a house call. I’d hate to see it go to waste.” The green roe once more, rising in turn with Jason’s rage. A waste. His Brother! They nearly died getting here. Sally DIED for them. And he’d consider Percy as waste.
“Jason,” Percy’s voice cut through the rising green like a knife, his cold hand a place to focus on. With cold, measured, breaths, Jason forced himself to calm and forced the green back to its corner.
“You went to Yancy just to teach me?” Percy asked, holding Jason’s hand tight. His naturally cold hand combated Jason’s rising heat.
Chiron gave Jason a worried, yet calculated, look, as he watched the rising, and falling, green in Jason’s eye.
“Honestly, I was unsure about you,” Chiron said, watching Jason carefully as he spoke, “We contacted your mother, and yet she was rather crypt about everything. Knowing you already knew you were a demigod explains a bit, but still.” His eyes flickered to the pin in Jason’s hands, something hidden behind his eyes, before continuing.
“Still, you had much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that’s always the first test,” Chiron said, nodding with acceptance. Despite the rising green, Jason kept himself calm, using Percy as a lifeline.
“Grover,” Mr. D pitched in, his tone impatient, “Are you playing or not?” Grover, almost forgotten once again, squeaked before he took the fourth chair.
“You two do know how to play pinochle,” He skeptically asked, a suspicion the only thing Jason could read off Mr. D.
Jason and Percy shared a look, one of mischief and amusement. It was the same one they had when they teamed up together to dominate in Mario Party.
“Unfortunately, no,” Jason eventually lied, keeping a look of mischievous innocence under the scrutiny of Mr. D’s eyes.
After a second of searching, he scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Well,” He started, passing out chips, “it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young man to know the rules.”
“I’m sure the two could learn,” Chiron said, looking at his own cards. Jason and Percy shared a look, before looking at their cards, a mischievous look reflected on each other.
“Chiron, how did Jason survive as long as he did, if he’s a demigod?” Percy asked after Mr. D explained how to bet. Percy placed his Bet, and Jason followed suit, raising an eyebrow at Percy. It was still something he struggled to wrap his brain around it. How was he a demigod? He knew his father and his shitty mother. It didn’t matter how awful they were, they were still his parents. Weren’t they?
“I believe it has to do with Gotham. Because of how populated Gotham is, the mortal scent covers almost any scent. Even more so, since so many mortals die in Gotham, the place is saturated with the scent of death and the underworld. You live in the city correct?” Chiron asked, placing his own bet.
“Not quite, but I do spend the majority of my time in the city,” Jason admitted, drumming his fingers on the table.
“Hmm,” Chiron said, entwining his fingers, “Still, it’s rather fascinating to find a demigod older than the age of sixteen. Rarely do demigods live that long.”
Once more the rage rose, consuming his veins with heat and flames. The only thing keeping him from attacking, from the Green consuming him, was Percy’s hand, nearly digging into his arm to ensure he didn’t attack.
“I’m more surprised you two know what a demigod is,” Mr. D muttered, sliding his empty Diet Cola can over to a shaking Grover.
“Is it that much of a surprise?” Jason asked, doing his best to keep his hostility out of his voice.
“Yes,” Chiron said, keeping a calm tone, “Most parents don’t tell their children, whether it was for their safety or other reasons. It was rare for a demigod to arrive knowing they were a demigod. Even rarer is a demigod that doesn’t know who their parent is.”
Percy did his best not to flinch at the slight accusation from Chiron. After a second, he shrugged, doing his best not to let the tears form or fall at the thought of his mother.
“Mom didn’t tell me who my father was,” Percy said, yet his ear twitched once, “She said I’d be safer if I didn’t know.”
Jason did his best to not react to the lie, resisting his urge to narrow his eyes. If there was a reason Percy didn’t mention he knew who his father was, then it was definitely a good one.
But, then who was Percy’s father? The only ability Jason knew Percy had was water manipulation…
Oh, but why wouldn’t he want people to know he was Poseidon’s son? Sure, Poseidon had a lot of children, and most of them were monsters, but there were quite a bit of Greek Heros related to Poseidon.
“Hmm,” Was all Mr. D said, looking at his cards. Still, he was staring at Jason over his cards.
“And you,” Mr. D eventually said, raising an eyebrow at Jason, “Do you know who your parent is?” Jason tried not to flinch as the attention of the not-quite-human, whom Jason was sure of, stared at him, nearly glaring him down.
But Jason wasn’t sure. He knew it had to be his father, it better be at least. After what the bitch Sheila did, he knew she was his mother. But then, who was the parent? There were, unfortunately, plenty of Greek Gods that could be. But, it did narrow it down to an extent.
“I’m not sure,” Jason eventually said, not willing to deal with the dangers that came with saying the wrong name. Especially since he didn’t know his father was a greek God until now.
“Oh well,” Mr. D said, before waving his hand. There, next to him, appeared a wine goblet, filling itself with red wine.
“Mr. D, you’re restrictions,” Chiron warned, as thunder roared above them. With curious eyes, Chiron watched Percy flinch at the lighting.
“Dear me,” He said, waving his hand as the goblet disappeared, replacing it with a Diet Coke, “Old habits. Sorry.”
Both Jason and Percy shared a look of confusion. If he summoned a goblet of wine, then he must be Dionysus, the God of wine. It would explain the power he excluded, but it wouldn’t explain his appearance.
“Are you Dionysus? The God of Wine?” Percy asked, tilting his head in confusion. For a second Mr. D raised an eyebrow at him, before smirking.
“Very clever, Peter Johnson,” He said, earning a confused look from Percy, and a slightly insulted look from Jason.
“But, why couldn’t you drink wine?” Jason asked, drumming his finger against the table, “Isn’t that, like, who you are?”
Mr. D huffed a laugh, as he sipped at his Diet Coke.
“Yes, but, since my father loves to punish me, I was forced to suffer one hundred years of sobriety. Even worse, I have to work at this summer camp. ‘Be a Good Influence’ ‘Support the youth instead of breaking them’ He said. Hypocrite.”
To Jason’s surprise, Percy froze, his hand shaking, before scowling.
“Isn’t keep a God away from their domain torture!” Percy asked, his eyes hysterically wide. Jason froze as well, the realization setting in. The two of them froze, looking at Mr. D with wide almost sad eyes.
Mr. D froze, and looked at the two in surprise, before shrugging.
“What can I do about it,” He said, almost defeated. Yet, when he looked to Percy, he saw a look of rightful rage, of promises of vengeance. A soft breeze of grapes circled them, almost thanking them for their concern, before it drifted away, with only Mr. D’s indifference showing it occurred.
“But, why? Why would your Father do that?” Jason asked, keeping a fuming Percy from picking a fight with the King of the Gods.
“Unfortunately, Father announced a wood nymph off-limits. And, I didn’t quite follow that,” Mr. D said, shrugging as he took another sip of his Diet Cola. Jason scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“Uh, huh. And why was that wood nymph off-limits?” Jason asked, even as Percy was only filled with rage, bristling.
Mr. D huffed a laugh once more, the briefest of smiles coming across her face, before putting his cards down.
“Why indeed. But, no matter. I believe I win,” He said, laying his cards down.
“I believe the game actually goes to me,” Chiron said, laying his own cards down.
Slightly calmed from their rage, more like their rage was forced down, Jason and Percy shared a grin.
“Actually, the game goes to us,” Percy said with a smirk, as they placed the cards down. Chiron’s eyes grew wide, and a look of pure gleeful mischief came over Mr. D. Instead of saying anything, or playing down his cards, Grover, forgotten off to the side, started eating his cards and playing chips like they were chips.
“You won,” Mr. D said before laughing in amusement, leaning forward with amusement, “You actually won.” After laughing for a few more seconds, he sat back, grinning widely.
“Well then, it’s been a while since anyone has beaten Chiron,” Mr. D said, his grin being the only real show of emotion he’s had the entire time, before standing.
“What a shame it had to end,” He sighed before turning to the forgotten Grover, “Come Grover. We must talk about your less-than-stellar performance. Again.”
Grover stood, shaking in place as he trotted toward Mr. D. Mr. D turned back to the two, placing a tight hand on Grover’s shoulder.
“Cabin Twelve you two. Do be on your best behavior,” In a flash, accompanied by the scent of grapes, Mr. D and Grover were gone, leaving the two cousins along with Chiron.
“Very well,” Chiron said, lifting himself out of his chair. It took Jason a second to register what he was seeing, and it took everything for him to not shiver as he watched Chiron eventually come to fully stand.
“Let’s show you two around camp.”
Chapter 8: Jason and Peter are Adopted (Again)
Chapter Text
To be honest, Percy and Jason followed just to Chiron’s right. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust him, but… after an incident with their horses, let's just say they didn’t trust his backside as they did his front.
Still, Percy couldn’t help but be baffled by the beauty around them. Jason was asking Chiron question after question, probably trying to calm the Lazarus Pit by rationalizing everything away. After all, when M-, No. Don’t think of her. Not now.
It hurt to think that his Mom was gone. He always knew that was a possibility. He knew his cousins had died more times than he could count. He’s nearly died more times than he can count. But to think his Mom, the one person who was supposed to be Safe, was dead just felt wrong. He could only imagine how Jason felt. Then again, he could partially see the green seething beneath his skin.
Speaking of Jason, he didn’t expect Jason to be a Demigod. They knew he wasn’t a normal mortal, not that anyone in their family was a normal mortal. But nobody else was clear-sighted. At most, Bruce would be able to muddle through the fogginess of the mist. But that was it.
Even when he was younger, Jason was susceptible to the mist. Then again… so was Percy. They assumed it was the result of the Lazarus pits. Jason only became clear-sighted after he was dunked in the Lazarus pits. That was why his Mo-, it was why they felt okay with letting Jason come with them. If Jason could see it, they could explain what he saw. Then he could help them explain it to the rest of the family.
He and Mom made a promise. After his first summer at camp, they would explain everything to the others. He hated having to lie to them. After Tim came to live with them, lying just sort of stopped at the house. With help from his Mom, their family learned how to properly communicate. Yet, because it was dangerous, he and Mom were never able to tell them the truth.
And now she was gone. His Mom, a warrior strong enough to earn respect from Wonder Woman and terrify both Flashes, was gone. It still didn’t feel right. His Mom lived long past the estimated life expectancy for Demigods, she was able to have a life, and she died protecting him. She died Because Of him.
“Hey,” Percy turned to Jason, not realizing he had stopped, “If this gets too much, we can take a break.” Percy hated seeing the soft look on Jason’s face. It wasn’t natural. Jason wasn’t soft. Jason had gruff words and kind actions. He was standing awkwardly while you hugged him because your mom had died. He was many things. But he wasn’t soft.
“It’s fine,” Percy said, trying not to sound snappish, “I’m okay.” Despite his best attempts, Percy knew he wasn’t the best liar in their family; that honor went to Cass. So, it didn’t surprise him with Jason gave him an unbelieving look, and pulled him closer. He hated how he relaxed into Jason’s side, how he clung to the familiar scent of death and motor oil. He hated how right everything felt when Jason’s hand came to rest on his shoulder, pulling him closer.
“As I was saying, the woods are stocked…” Once again, he let Chrion’s voice fall into the background. If he missed anything important, Jason would tell him. Instead, he focused on his surroundings.
It was so much different than what his Mom told him. Rather, it was different from what little he could infer from his Mom’s stories. Despite telling him stories, she would vaguely talk about the camp itself. And, whenever he asked about Camp, she was vaguer than his Uncle Bruce could be.
But from what he knew, it wasn’t this. The way she made it, it sounded like she stayed at camp year-round. That it was more militaristic than this. And she spoke fluent Latin. She spoke more Latin than she did Greek. But why? If she were a demigod like him, wouldn’t she speak Greek?
Dick told him that his first word was in Greek. That he spoke Greek, then Spanish, and then Latin. Greek came to him easier than Spanish did, yet his mom always spoke stilted Greek. Like it was a language she learned rather than a language quite literally written into her DNA.
“-he camp will pr-” “Mr. Br-Chiron?” Percy interrupted, trying not to feel small as he looked up at Chiron. It felt odd to look up to someone as all as Chiron. It felt different from when he had to look up to Jason, or Dick. Even looking up to Bruce felt different than this. It was like he was larger than life. He stood and walked like he had seen a thousand lifetimes, and knew he would see a thousand more.
“Yes, Percy?” He asked with a kind smile. He didn’t seem the least bit annoyed about being interrupted. Rather, he was expecting the question. He just stood and waited with a kind, patient smile on his face. It was like Alfred’s, if Alfred were a, confirmed, immortal.
“If the Greek Gods exist, then do the Roman Gods exist?” Percy asked, earning a confused look from Jason and a brief look of fear on Chiron's face. If Percy and Jason weren’t trained by the best, they wouldn’t have spotted it. Barely a millisecond of fear, before he kept the kind smile.
“In a way, yes,” He said, continuing to walk, “Tell me, do you know where the Roman Gods come from?”
“From the Greek Gods, and stories carried over by the first settlers of Rome, right?” Percy asked, walking side by side with him. Jason, walking just behind Percy, gave him a confused look, only deterred by Percy’s promise of explanations through a nod.
“Correct,” Chiron said, a pleased grin on his face just barely hiding the fear in his eyes, “When Rome was founded, the first settlers brought the beliefs of the Greeks with them. As time passed, their names were changed, even as the Gods behind the myths stayed the same.”
“So,” Percy asked, raising an eyebrow, “The Roman Gods are just the Greek Gods with different names?” Instead of answering, Chiron nodded with a brief hum, the fear in his eyes gone.
Immediately, Jason and Percy shared a look, one promising an in-depth talk about this later. They were well aware of what non-answers meant. It meant there was much more than he was hinting too.
“Ah, Annabeth,” Chiron said, calling to the blonde girl from earlier, who was clearly coming from the infirmary if the bandage on her shoulder was any indication, “Could you take over? I have a master's archery class in fifteen minutes.”
Almost immediately, Percy clocked her for a child of Athena. If it wasn’t the stormy eyes that set him off, it was how everything in his body SCREAMED at him to leave. To jump into the waters where he would be safe.
Kaldur explained it to him long ago, when he asked about his abilities. When he asked why Artemis, the Amazon, and Aunt Diana just made him feel off. Kaldur explained the Sea’s grief. Of the rivalry between Athena and Poseidon. Of how, after Athena accidentally killed Pallas, the Seas mourned the loss of their princess. Every child of the seas is born with an innate distrust, and, depending on the situation, fear of children of Athean for their safety. Of how the children of Athena were never allowed in the Seas, for the Seas' rage would be too great.
He couldn’t stop himself from tucking into Jason’s side further. He couldn’t help curling in on himself to call the water in the air to rest nearby.
Thankfully, Jason didn’t question it, just pulling him closer.
“Of course, Sir,” Annabeth said, looking at them with knowing Grey eyes. It was worse than when Uncle Bruce was in Batman mode and was colder than he would ever be at home.
“Thank you, Annabeth,” Chiron said, before turning to them, his eyebrows furrowed when he caught sight of Percy, “Don’t worry. Annabeth has been here longer than anyone. Why, I’d say she knows the camp more than I do.”
Annabeth turned bright red, blushing from the slightest praise. Yet, as quickly as it came, it disappeared, turning to the two with sharp, almost hateful eyes. Percy couldn’t explain why, but her eyes made him want to flee. He nearly did, if Jason hadn’t held tight to him.
“Well then, I’ll be off.” Just as he went to leave, he stopped, only turning his top half to face Annabeth, “Oh, and Annabeth? Cabin Twelve.”
Annabeth raised an eyebrow, more at them than at Chiron, before nodding. Even as Chiron trotted away, she kept her skeptical eyes on them, clearly not believing what Chiron said.
“I’m surprised,” She said, putting a hand on her hip. It… it reminded him of Damian, actually. Like she was training to act older than she really was. Like she refused to allow herself to act her age. Like she couldn’t, for whatever reason, just be twelve years old.
It, almost, hurt Percy to see. He knew the effects growing up too fast can have on people. His entire family would be a heartbreaking, yet groundbreaking, demonstration of the subject.
But he didn’t understand how that could be. Camp was supposed to be safe. The place where demigods, people doomed to die by sixteen, could relax and learn how to protect themselves. So, what happened to her to force her that way? To force her to survive like so?
“How so?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow at her. Yet, even then, he was softer than he usually was. His voice didn’t have the familiar bite to it. He wasn’t acting like himself. Yet, the green wasn’t rising. His eyes didn’t glow, and the calling green didn’t rise. So, why was he acting like this?
“Typically, whenever one of Mr.D’s children comes to camp, he shows him around,” She scoffed, before turning, walking away, “I wonder what you did to earn this.”
Rage roared within him, flooding his vision red. How dare she talk down to him? How dare she insult him! What right did a child of Athena have to insult a child of the Sea! Poseidon’s Son
“Percy, calm down,” Jason’s quiet, yet instant whisper was like a breeze of cold air. No, there was a breeze of cold surrounding them, washing away the rage. Percy rapidly blinked, trying to shake away the remnants of rage that wasn’t his. It always felt so off whenever he got like that. Whenever he caught remnants of his father’s rage.
“Sorry,” Percy said, turning toward Annabeth, “But Jason and I are undetermined. Mr. D assigned us to Cabin Twelve.” He tried not to be snappy about it, or snooty. Or anything that could cause her to bristle and sneer at him. But, unfortunately, after living with his family for years, the sarcasm is strong within him.
So, Annabeth sneered at him, rolling her eyes.
“Well, then you’re probably Dionysus adjacent,” She said, marching forward. Yet, despite the harshness behind her voice, Percy could see the tips of her ears bright red. Although he wasn’t quite sure if he should feel bad about embarrassing her or not. After all, she did subtly insult them for no reason, and it made the rage lingering in the air delightful to see, but it just felt wrong.
“Dionysus adjacent?” Jason asked, his voice a forced calm, as he tucked Percy closer to him. Dick always liked to joke that the two of them were attached at the hip. That not even the strongest of metahumans could pull them apart. Percy tried not to feel the sadness and guilt that welled with the thought of Dick.
“It’s what we use to refer to kids of minor Gods related to other Gods. For example, if a child of Phobos were here, we’d call them an ‘Ares adjacent’. It’s just to help make space in Cabin Twelve,” She said, gesturing to one of the cabins before them.
Percy hadn’t noticed the area they walked into, too consumed by these thoughts. So, he took the chance to look around, trying to control his amazement. In a horseshoe shape stood twelve large cabins. Ones that reminded him of when they’d go camping in the woods every summer, either for training or for fun. At least, they would if they weren’t the weirdest collection of buildings Percy had seen. He couldn’t tell if one was painted gold or if it just shone that brightly. Another was painted silver, with blackout curtains, and symbols of moons and arrows.
The odds were on the left, and evens were on the right. It took him a second to realize that they were the cabins for the Demigods. Each Cabin was separated into its different parentage. Another thing that never made sense. When Sa-, when she talked about the cabins, she mentioned bunking with a child of Mercury. How could she bunk with a child of Mercury if they were separated into different cabins? Granted, she didn’t say who her godly parent was, but it couldn’t be Mer-Hermes, could it?
“Perce,” Percy took a deep breath, forcing himself to turn to Annabeth and the cabin she gestured to. Unlike the other Cabins, that Cabin looked like a summer camp cabin. At least, what he’d think a summer camp cabin would be, if it weren’t for the age. The paint was peeling, the wood looked rotten in places, and the caduceus was faded. It was clear she longed to go to the cabin, as her eyes kept shifting to it, and she subconsciously leaned toward it. He wondered who was in the cabin to be so important to her.
“Hey, Annabeth,” Annabeth turned to him, a clear dislike on her face. Percy wondered if she knew why she didn’t like him or if it was just an instinct thing. There were a few Gods that Athena didn’t get along with, but none were quite as strong as Poseidon and Athena. Did she know that, or did she just trust what her instincts told her?
“What?” She nearly spat before blinking. Almost like she was surprised she was that hostile to him. Well, that answered that question.
“Do you know about legacies?” He asked, only to get a raised eyebrow.
“Legacies? W-what are those?” She spat again, this time much angrier. Like she was upset she didn’t know something that Percy did. It filled him with a glee unlike his own, one that he shook off, a scent of sea breeze following it.
“Well, what if the kid of a demigod came. Or a kid of a kid? Wouldn’t they be in as much danger as a demigod would be?” He asked, resisting the urge to fidget under her glare. Under the look of pity on her face.
“Most demigods don’t live that long, Percy. And if they do, they don’t have kids,” She said, with a somber tone.
“Oh,” He said, holding tight to Jason. He tried not to let the tone fall, or let the grief and sadness consume him. It felt different hearing a demigod say that. Sure, his Mom warned him of the dangers of being a demigod, but it didn’t feel real. Sally was one of the best fighters he knew. She’d spar regularly with Wonder Woman! She’d help train the Young Justice groups, at least, once it was clear she could use them for babysitting. The danger never felt real. At least, until now.
“Right,” Annabeth said, her tone as emotionless as Damian’s could be when he talked about the League of Assassins. Something that they preferred not to acknowledge, a cruel fact of life.
“Come on,” She said, marching forward, toward a Cabin opposite the Herme’s Cabin, “Castor and Pollux are the only members currently residing in Cabin Twelve, so I’m sure they’ll welcome you two.”
Percy watched as she left, keeping his hand in Jason’s. Jason, who was taking slow and measured breaths.
Percy watched as she marched off, keeping his hand in Jason’s. Jason, who was struggling to take slow, measured breaths. He wished his Mom were with him. If she were here, she could’ve calmed him down. She was always the emotional one in the family, with the second going to Dick. She was the one who learned to manipulate the mist so she could calm Jason. She was the warrior who could fight alongside Gods. She was the one who should be here, not he.
“Come on,” Jason muttered, finally walking forward when the green died down, “Let’s go meet our cabin mates.” Percy kept close to Jason as they walked, not that Jason really let him go. He couldn’t tell if their closeness came from trauma, prolonged exposure to cuddle powder, or a mixture of both, but whenever he’d hang around his siblings, he’d be attached to at least one. Normally, he pretended to hate it, but now he couldn’t help but cling closer. It was nice having the confirmation that Jason was still alive, that his impossibly slow heartbeat was still there.
“Castor, Pollux!” Annabeth called, knocking on the door, “Open up!” Percy just barely heard shuffling through the door before it swung open to reveal a kid his age. He had long blond hair and deep purple eyes. He was wearing an orange shirt that read “Camp Half-Blood”, as nearly everybody he’s seen wore, and a pair of Hawaiian shorts. Despite being twelve, maybe thirteen, Percy could see the hints of muscles around the baby fat still stubbornly clinging to him. Resting on his head was a woven crown of strawberries.
“Yes, Annabeth?” He asked, an exasperated tone matching his annoyed eyes.
“I have two new campers for you.” Immediately, he perked up, looking around her at them. When his eyes landed on Percy, a wide grin covered his face, even as confusion shone through his eyes. Percy just barely stopped Jason from hiding him behind him, shoving his way to stand just in front of Jason.
“Hi!” He said, giving him a wave. The kid returned the wave, even as he turned back to Annabeth.
“Dionysus-adjacent?” He asked, opening the door, and letting them enter. Instead of entering, Annabeth stood to the side and gestured for them to enter. The second he stepped onto the wooden porch to the cabin, three things happened. First, a flash of anger washed over him, disappearing as quickly as it came. Second, a cold breeze washed over him, sweeping away the anger. Third, an amused wind came over them, the scent of grapes and vines just settling over their skin.
“Undetermined, actually,” Percy said, forcing himself over the doorway. He waved to the other person in the Cabin. They had to be a twin or something to the person who answered the door. The only difference between them was their haircuts, with the person who answered the door having long blonde hair, and the person in the cabin having short hair. The inside of the cabin wasn’t much different from the outside. A wooden cabin with vine plants interwoven throughout the logs. The scent of grapes filled the air, like it had saturated the very ground they stood in. A few planters were hanging near the windows, and an entire wall was dedicated to psychology books. Bunk beds were shoved in the corner, and a small fireplace, with couches surrounding it, was in the middle. The person in the cabin was sitting on one of the couches, with one of Harley’s few published books, translated into Ancient Greek.
“Really?” The guy asked as Jason came to loom over him. The person on the couch placed a bookmark, made of dried woven flowers, before standing.
“Yeah, Mr. D told us to come this cabin,” Percy said, before holding out his hand, “Hi, I’m Percy Jackson, and this is my older co-brother Jason Todd.” The guy who opened the door smiled, shaking his hand to shake.
“I’m Castor, and that’s my twin Pollux.” He said, an easy-going smile on his face. Pollux matched his easy-going smile, giving Percy another wave.
“But, why would Dad send two undetermined kids to us?” Pollux asked, only to get a shrug from everyone.
“Why don’t you ask him?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow as he struggled not to glare at them. Pollux winced, rubbing the back of his neck.
“It’s complicated. Since the Gods aren’t allowed to interact with us outside quests and stuff, Dad’s more or less forced to ignore us during the day. The only times we’re really able to talk to him is at lights out, when he comes to our cabin to sleep.” Percy could feel the rage radiating off Jason, even if the green stayed down. He could hear the breaths Jason took to keep himself calm, even as his hand came to rest on Percy’s shoulder.
“That’s fucked up,” Was all Jason said, even as his eyes shined bright green. Pollux and Castor shared a look before shrugging.
“Welcome to the world of Demigods,” Castor said, a sad yet determined look on his face. It took everything for Percy not to hug them or do more than fidget in place.
“Castor, Pollux, can you finish showing them around? I have… stuff to do?” Annabeth asked, before running off, barely waving goodbye as she left.
“Honestly, Annabeth,” Castor muttered, before turning to them, “Sorry about her. She’s kinda always like that. Athena’s kids, ya know?”
“No, no, I don’t know,” Jason said, giving them a pointed look. Percy tried not to laugh as they winced, only to fail.
“Right,” Pollux said with a wince, “Well, do you guys want to be shown around, or do you want questions answered?” Jason stood straighter, his lips barely lifting up in his verison of a grin.
“I have so many questions,” He said, putting his arm around Percy. Castor gave a slightly awkward laugh as he gestured for them to sit on the couch with them.
“Yeah, I love him, but Chiron is not the best when it comes to answering questions. And Annabeth isn’t much better. But, I’d be glad to answer any questions you have.”
Percy relaxed into Jason’s side, asking Castor and Pollux question after question. Even with everything happening, he was finally home. He no longer had to hide from at least one of his brothers, and soon the rest of his family would know. He refused to acknowledge his mind's plans to break into the underworld to get Sally back.
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