Chapter 1: I get a glow up. (Literally.)
Chapter Text
An earth shattering BOOM! echoed from the Hecate cabin, reaching the ears of other campers. None looked surprised, the children were always casting spells and potions, usually they were harmless. Unless the bell—installed by the Hephaestus cabin to ring as loud as it possibly can—had been rang, there was nothing to worry about.
Multiple spews of ancient Greek curses that would have had Chiron clutching his pearls followed soon after. Doors and windows were opened to fan the ever rising smoke out, while one particular camper, Lulu, sprinted out towards the big house as if her life were in danger. Dragged behind her in an iron tight grip, was Percy Jackson, dazed, and violently coughing.
Lulu gasped out the words "Lord Poseidon is going to murder me!" before she disappeared into the building, slamming the door shut behind her.
____________
Annabeth held onto her boyfriend's arm, leaning her head against his shoulder with a wary sigh.
One week. That's all they wanted.
One week where no one bothered them, where they were able to live a relatively normal life.
But of course not. Of course the Fates had to laugh in their faces for even daring such a thought.
She couldn't blame Lulu, not entirely. Percy had willingly volunteered to test out a new potion with her, it wasn't either of their fault when things went wrong.
Everyone sat in their assigned seats, a council meeting having been called.
Chiron sat at one side of the table, with Lulu standing near the door, as if ready to bolt at any moment.
"Uh. . .well, I was trying to make a potion that would. . ."
The girl struggled finding her words, gesturing wildly with nervous expressions.
"Mask their scents. Uh, I mean, mask demi-god scents, in a way. It would basically give off the scent that you were a minor gods child, and not one of the higher ups kids. But, I added too much of one spell and not enough of another. That resulted in this."
She gestured to Percy, who was in a similar state of mind as Annabeth. His eyes were closed, his leg bounced anxiously.
"Basically, Percy's ichor, the ichor of his godly parent, will change. It will switch to a different god, the one he thought of while drinking the concoction. That will probably also cause a physical change in his appearance."
Clarisse was practically hissing her breaths, in and out, trying as hard as she possibly could to not give the girl a lethal glare.
"Okay, that's. . . manageable, at least. How long will the masking be for?"
Will, the Apollo cabin leader, said, leaning forward in his seat.
"A month, at most. But, um. . . there's a problem with that. If you were to think of more than one god, it will give you both. One month passes with the form of one god, and another month passes in the form of the other."
Will nodded, as did a few others.
"So, Perc, which one caught your mind, eh?"
Leo, cabin leader of Hephaestus, asked with a grin.
"All of them."
His response was muffled, as he had buried his face in his hands.
Silence once again.
"Um, okay, when you say all of them-"
Travis Stoll, Cabin leader of Hermes, began.
"All of the Olympian gods."
People sharply inhaled, others gave sympathetic glances. Lulu looked ready to bury herself in a hole, and Percy looked ready to join her.
The meeting didn't go very well after that. People talked in hushed tones, Lulu said that the potion should be making an effect soon, and Percy clung to Annabeth for dear life.
A bright, golden light flashed throughout the room like a flash bang, startling people into near heart attacks. Everyone covered their eyes, shouting in alarm at the sudden magic.
Lulu shouted to be heard over everyone else, saying something about this being part of the potion. Or, at least, she thought so.
Once the light had faded, Annabeth blinked, trying to rub the spots dancing in her vision.
She looked up at her boyfriend, only to be met with her own, strangled gasp.
The boy who met her eyes was Percy, but also not. His hair, the same style, was now a honey blonde. His eyes were a sky blue, with tiny flecks of white sprinkled around like clouds.
He held his hands over his ears, like everything had suddenly increased in volume.
Everybody stared in gaping shock. No one moved. No one dared to.
An image of a golden lyre faded into existence above his head. Though it looked confused, flickering in and out of view. But it was there.
Annabeth stared at her boyfriend, no longer the son of the sea. No, he was now the son of music. Of archery, poets, prophecy, and the sun.
Perseus Jackson, the son of Apollo.
The god of the sun froze, mid haiku. His fingers found their own mind, snapping a sign above a child's head. That child was a son of his. He would congratulate them later.
Wait, though. The connection was faint, as if the boy just now popped into existence. But that couldn't be, Apollo felt it in his heart that this child was way over the age to be claimed. Around sixteen, he was sure.
Strange even, that this child seemed familiar in a way that didn't echo father and son. No, this one felt different. This felt like family, but not of one giving life to the other.
Apollo clamped his mouth shut, shaking his head. His sister, Artemis, had an eyebrow raised, no doubt wondering why he had abruptly ceased conversation.
He waved it off, continuing the haiku he had tried to say earlier, but his mind returned to the boy. Over and over again. He would visit him later in the week, give him a welcome to the world around him.
Chapter 2: My (new) Dad teaches me arts and crafts.
Summary:
Percy had begun his stay in the Apollo cabin.
Mischief ensues.
Chapter Text
It had only been a week since the incident, and Percy was already bone tired.
Do to the very unusual situation he was in, everyone was curious, crowding around him as he tried to do the various tasks the Apollo children did.
He had moved his stuff into the Apollo cabin, as he couldn't technically stay in his own, and now followed the schedule they did.
Unfortunately, he still sucked at archery, a poor satyr trying to give them some food almost ended up with an arrow in his eye, and Chiron had to dodge a count of three from hitting his flank.
He absolutely refused to sing, in fear of embarrassment, and he was mildly okay with the arts now. The main thing that caught his attention, was now being able to play the lyre.
He never really focused on instruments, nor singing, so he didn't know if he was good at it even without the sun god's ichor running through him.
He still shuddered at the thought, anytime he mentioned it, the air would get cold, the sea would slam against the banks, and some strange, very protective aura would practically barrel into him.
He desperately hoped his cousin wasn't being hunted down by half the water deities in the world.
(Percy was undoubtedly startled when he saw his reflection, he looked nothing like his father. That was wrong though, he looks like the father he has now, not the father he was born from.)
Everyone agreed to not mention this situation to the gods, at least not on purpose, choosing to keep things silent. Percy prayed Mr.D would be stuck up on Olympus until the time limit for the potion ended, but that was wishful thinking at most.
It would take a full year to get rid of the effects, and Mr.D only stayed up there for as long as he had to. The only reason he was up there now, was apparently because Artemis and Ares were fighting, and everyone was suffering do to it.
Percy sighed, flopping down onto the bottom bed of one of the bunk beds, laying sprawled out with zero care.
Now being an Apollo kid, he actually gained a few of his powers/abilities. One, was the excellent hearing. Which absolutely sucked, he could barely survive a talk with an Ares kid without needing some type of noise cancelling cool down.
Another, was being able to sense lies, cool, but also very tricky to get the hang of. And the third, was basically being a human flashlight whenever the sun touched him. Great, thanks, he hated it.
Footsteps sounded near him, he opened an eye, and was greeted with the beaming face of Nala, a daughter of Apollo.
She had Auburn red hair, always tied in a braid, tan skin, and freckles sprinkled around her body. Her eyes, just like almost all other Apollo kids, were a sky blue, which would fade into different shades of gold depending on their emotions. Oh, yeah, that was something Percy could do too, yippee.
"Dad's coming soon."
Was all she said, grinning at his first shocked, then horrified expression.
"You might wanna hide."
She gave a wink, before waltzing to her bed, beginning to straighten up her little corner.
Percy flew out of his bed, tidying it up, before diving into the sitting room, hiding behind one of the couches laying in the comfy space.
Shitty hiding place, he knew, but sue him, there was nowhere else to go but outside. And the Apollo cabin would be very upset if he were to smash through a window in a fleeting attempt to escape from their dad. (Not to mention, the medic side of him also screamed not to do that. He's been ignoring it since it appeared.)
He didn't need any kid telling him, he could feel when Apollo showed up. Whether that was a new thing, or something he's always been able to do, Percy didn't know.
"Dad!" A kid, presumably Will, yelled, and most likely tackled the god in a hug.
"Hey! How's everybody been, good?"
Everyone responded with different versions of yes, and the light, that appeared when the god did, glowed brighter.
The sun god began to chat with his kids, and Percy thought he was free, when Apollo asked a question.
"Oh, yeah, where is the new kiddo? I claimed him a few days ago, wanted to see him, but was to busy caught up in the fight with your aunt and uncle."
All the kids quieted, thankfully not wanting to rat Percy out. Apollo seemed to think their assumed expressions meant differently, as the light dimmed.
"Oh. . .is he. . .?"
"Oh, gods, no!"
Another kid, June, Percy was sure, screeched. A few kids sucked in sharp breaths at the loudness, and Percy himself winced.
"He's fine! Just. . .um, adjusting pretty badly. And he. . .uh, doesn't want to see you, at the moment."
Percy would've applauded June's bravery if he could, lying to the god of truth wasn't the best, or smartest, thing to do.
Apollo obviously didn't believe it, leaving an awkward silence to fill the room.
"Uh-huh. Where is he?"
Another awkward silence.
Footsteps soon sounded, after a sigh, coming towards the couch. Percy tensed, a few kids seemed to try and run to his aid, but they were too late.
Percy was picked up by the scruff of his collar, like a cat, and angled to see the god's face. Apollo raised an eyebrow, looking Percy up and down.
"You. . .look familiar? But also not?"
He muttered, setting Percy down beside him. Will was left glancing between the two, Percy could practically see the gears turning in his head for any plan to help.
Apollo lit up, giving a quiet gasp, and Percy knew it was over.
"Percy?!"
He all but shouted. Percy winced, covering his ears again.
"A little quieter with your voice, please."
He muttered. Apollo clamped his mouth shut.
"How. . .? Why. . .?"
The god couldn't speak, neither could Percy.
"Um, a potion mishap, Dad. It's hard to explain but,"
Will looked around, finding nervous but confident smiles from his siblings.
"Basically, Percy is your child now. For a little while at least."
Apollo gasped again, looking down at Percy with his mouth hung open.
"I recommend staying away from the water."
Percy mumbled, letting his arms drop to his sides.
It didn't get any less awkward after that.
Apollo stayed a lot longer then he probably should have, sticking close to Percy's side like the demi-god was a newborn. He was tentative in asking questions and making sure the sudden switch in parentage didn't hurt, which Percy already had answers for. His kids had hounded him for the same thing the whole time he'd been here, and even now Percy continuously felt eyes on him.
It made since, Apollo was the god of healing and medicine, this very new situation would leave anyone on the fritz.
It didn't make it any less embarrassing though. And apparently, Apollo basically being your caretaker happened with all the new Apollo children, and while Percy had the idea of sacrificing a bunch of gifts to Apollo for always maintaining a relationship with his kids, right now he wanted to curl up into a ball and die.
Thankfully, the god knew he sucked at archery, so they steered clear of teaching him that, Percy was pretty good with the lyre, and he did not budge on the singing, so arts and crafts it was.
He felt kind of silly drawing pictures while the literal god of the sun hovered beside him. He could hear the snickers of some Apollo kids and half-heartedly glared in their direction.
Percy gave a sigh, he was okay at best with drawing, even with Apollo's help. It felt like a tug of war was going on inside his head, the water would try to pull him back, but the sun would yank him toward its side.
He already felt bad for Frank, but now he wanted to hug him and cry. How did he survive his actual parents arguing in his head, when Percy could barely survive their domains?
With a groan, Percy slammed his head onto the table.
"Woah, buddy, let's not have another Athena incident."
Apollo said, patting him on the back. All Percy could do in response was grunt.
The god gave a huff of a laugh, continuing his half hearted patting, when someone burst through the door.
"PERSEUS JACKSON!"
Percy practically jumped into the god's arms, looking in terror at the familiar stranger that stood breathless.
"Rachel?!"
Percy exclaimed. Everyone in the Apollo cabin rushed over, making sure she was okay, giving her water, and calming her red face.
"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?!"
She yelled back, once two water bottles were drained, wiping her mouth with a steel glare.
Percy could feel the sun god brightening at the sight of his Oracle, and he didn't need to look up to know that he had one of his blinding, toothy smiles on display.
Apollo gently set Percy back down, making sure he was steady, before squeezing the life out of Rachel with a hug.
Rachel quickly said Hi to the sun god, being set down right next to Percy. Apollo backed up, obviously knowing what's good for him, and Rachel let loose.
"Hey, in all fairness, I barely know what happened myself! And, you're supposed to be in that weird school, I didn't want to bother you."
Percy interrupted mid conversation, raising his hands in defense. Rachel, after a few minutes of quiet seething, deflated with a sigh.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm just glad you're okay."
She raised an eyebrow, her face darkening slightly.
"You are okay, right?"
Percy nodded, and she smiled.
"Trust me, these guys have been hounding me for days over this."
He said, gesturing towards the demi-gods standing next to their father. Each gave a wolf-like grin identical to the god, showing that they weren't going to stop anytime soon.
Apollo looked extremely proud.
"How did you get out of that school, anyway? I thought you said they had enough security to guard a prison?"
Rachel snorted, patting his shoulder with a mischievous look in her eyes.
"I had some help from the outside."
Was all she said. Percy didn't press any further, not wanting that sparkle to be turned to him.
"But, with all that said and done,"
Rachel started, gripping his shoulders tightly.
"We're drawing. Now."
Chapter 3: I end up in a custody battle.
Summary:
The sun vs the sea, who will win?
(Both, technically.)
Chapter Text
A water nymph raced throughout the Atlantis corridors, tripping and bumping into things within her chaotic jog.
"Lord Poseidon!"
She yelled, stumbling into a bow beneath the god's throne.
The king of the sea was talking to his wife, suggesting they visit Percy during break hours in their newest meeting, when the nymph burst through.
Triton and Rhodes stood to the side, chatting along with their own conversation. Everyone paused, raising an eyebrow or two at the sudden intrusion.
Poseidon stood from his throne, trident in hand.
"Young nymph, is there a reason you have intruded into my corridors?"
He asked, not yet mad, but definitely not calm.
"I have urgent news, sir! Your son, Perseus,"
Everyone tensed at the name, Triton scowled, while the others furrowed their brows in concern.
"He has been seen talking to Lord Apollo, calling him 'Father.'"
Poseidon tensed further, his hand tightening around his trident as he narrowed his eyes.
Triton scoffed, crossing his arms. The family looked over at him in confusion.
"That is the urgent news? Perseus jokes all the time, it's his main defense system. What's to say that this isn't just a tiny inside joke between the two? They've gotten closer once the sun god had been returned from his grounding, yes?"
That seemed to ease the family more than they let on. Poseidon breathed through his nose, the grip on his trident loosening.
"You're correct. Though I will speak with my nephew over this. Even pretending to claim a child of the sea is not tolerated lightly."
The king responds. Rhodes gives a sigh, while Triton scoffs once more, muttering something about "overprotective Dad".
The water Nymph shakes her head, fear evident in her features.
"No, sir. It is not a joke. Perseus' things have been removed from his cabin, and into the Apollo cabin."
Triton practically snaps his head when whipping it back to the nymph, Rhodes covers her mouth with her hand.
The tension has returned tenfold.
"He has begun training in domains that are specifically for the sun god, has been calling the sun god's children his siblings, and has been sitting at their table when it is time to eat."
The water bubbled, beginning it's boiling point from the sea family's utter rage.
The prince grit his teeth, hissing out a "What."
The nymph flinched, but continued along.
"And, Perseus' physical appearance has changed. He now resembles the sun god entirely."
Amphritite abruptly stood from her throne, putting her hand on her husband's arm to keep him from strangling the poor nymph.
Rhodes seemed to be doing the same for Triton, but the nymph wasn't fooled. The boiling water wasn't the king or the prince's doing, it was the Queen's and the princess's. Poseidon and Triton were taking their anger out on unsuspecting mortals above.
"And worst of all, every single satyr and wood nymph in the area has spoken up that Perseus had been claimed by Apollo a week ago."
The nymph finally stopped talking, done with their report. They just prayed they weren't the sacrifice as well.
Thankfully, the king knew best not to take his anger out on his subjects, distant or no, but Triton was another story. Rhodes was keeping him at bay now, but who knows what he could do if she let her sights off him for two seconds.
Poseidon looked down at the nymph, who shivered from his gaze alone.
"Young nymph, call my nephew to the banks of the sea. It is time we have a chat."
Percy sighed, combing his hand through his honey blonde hair, trudging along with his new dad as they stepped onto the sandy beach.
Apollo looked scared shitless, to say the least, the news that Poseidon needed to speak with him had scared both of them into near heart attacks.
He tried his best to keep up a facade for Percy, but the boy could see right through it. He did it himself after all.
Apollo finally paused at the banks of the beach, the sea lapping at both of their feet. Percy had sadly decided to stay away from the water, that way Poseidon couldn't look in and immediately see what was wrong, so it had been a little while since he had seen the ocean this close.
It was weird to feel damp from it.
Apollo was supposed to have gone here alone, but Percy didn't exactly want his new dad to die, at least, not without a witness, and he volunteered to tag along.
The sun god was using one of his breathing techniques to calm himself, though it wasn't working, while Percy continued to stare off into space, wondering what his father's reaction would be.
Gods, he hoped it was only his father who had found out, having the entire sea on your ass wasn't a good thing in the slightest.
"Lord Phebus Apollon."
The sun god full body flinched at the old name, giving a sheepish grin to the sea god who now stood before him.
Percy's heart sank, Amphritite, Rhodes, Kym, and Triton were here as well, standing on either side of the king.
They all turned to him at the same time, and varying degrees of shock rippled on their faces.
"Holy shit-"
Kym muttered, to which Percy had to hold back a snort. Triton smacked the back of her head, glaring at her to keep her mouth shut.
Once the shock died out, anger replaced it, leaving the misfit family with lethal looks that could cut through steel.
Apollo looked ready to jump in the ocean and drown himself, and while he would never admit it, Percy wanted to as well. He could technically drown now.
"Perseus Jackson."
Poseidon all but growled. Percy closed his eyes, excepting his fate.
There literally was no way he could safely go about this, he knew he probably wouldn't get a word in about the potion mishap once his father started actually speaking.
He bowed, low, as if responding to the presence of a king, swallowing an invisible lump in his throat, and spoke.
"Lord Poseidon."
Oh, he could feel the mixture of shock and absolute seething anger that fell from the sea family. He straightened up, avoiding eye contact from all of them, which wasn't easy when they were staring into his soul.
Apollo gave a squeak of terror next to him, patting Percy's shoulder with an unsaid "Please just don't speak."
"Um, Uncle. Is there a reason you have called me here today?"
Apollo asked, trying to remain respectful. Percy scooted closer to the sun god, possibly to jump in front of him if anything were to get physical.
Poseidon simply pointed at Percy, glaring jagged daggers at Apollo.
"That is what I'm calling you here for. What have you done to my son?"
He hissed out. Apollo flinched once more, Percy took this sliver of a chance and basically jumped in front of the god, as if he were his own personal body guard. He barely took a second to find his footing before opening his mouth, panicking on the inside.
"Do not attack him! Keep your words civil! You cannot kill, hurt, or main him."
Percy demanded, trying to remain composed on the outside. The domains inside his head were practically screaming right now.
Poseidon blinked, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"Percy, step away from the god. Return to your siblings. You have no right to discuss how immortals converse-"
The king of the sea ordered, pointing towards his children. Percy shook his head, praying this dumb idea would work, interrupting his old father to speak.
"Unfortunately, I am not your son. Not anymore."
Rhodes jumped at his words, causing Kym to widen her eyes.
Triton looked ready to behead the sun god, as did Poseidon, who summoned his trident. Possibly so he could wring something other than the god's neck. Amphritite stood as still as stone, boring holes into Apollo's skull.
"Percy, buddy, please stop talking."
Apollo muttered behind him, the terrified grin he held hanging on for dear life.
Percy shook his head again.
"Sorry, Dad, but I'm pretty much the only one who can stop this fight."
He muttered, meaning for it to only be a sentence for Apollo to hear.
But of course, Mister "prince of the sea" just had to eavesdrop.
"That man is not your father."
Triton grumbled, his hands twitching at his sides, no doubt ready to summon his own weapon.
Percy, hoping that this was some type of miracle blessed by the Fates, immediately took his chance to explain.
His father, for once, wasn't talking, no doubt too mad to do so.
"Look, all of this is a potion mishap, okay?"
Percy began to talk loudly, ignoring Triton, like usual. Rhodes blinked, titling her head in confusion.
"Pardon?"
"A young Hecate cabin member had made a potion, and I volunteered, willingly, to try it out. It messed up, and now I'm not a child of the sea."
Amphritite hummed in understanding.
"I see. So you are physically, temporarily, Apollo's child?"
She sounded out the words like a puzzle she was putting together.
Percy nodded slowly.
"Yeah, he's not the only other dad I'm going to get. The potion basically changed the ichor side of me to the god I last thought of when drinking it."
Kym opened her mouth to speak, probably to ask which one he exactly thought of, before it most likely dawned on her.
She groaned, dragging her hands over her face dramatically.
"Don't tell me. You thought of all the gods, didn't you?"
Percy only gave a sheepish grin in response.
Poseidon was still staring holes into Apollo's head, but he was obviously listening, as his white knuckled grip on the trident loosened.
The family all took a collective sigh at the reveal, Rhodes giving a sympathetic smile at Percy.
"Well, that clears it up, doesn't it, father?"
Poseidon nodded slowly.
"Yes. But I am still upset over this, nephew. Know, here and now, that you are not Percy's genuine father. If you are to ever think of it as such, you will be cursed to never step near the ocean again. Understand?"
Apollo nodded vigorously.
"Yes, of course, Uncle!"
This finally seemed to calm the god of the seas, he exhaled through his nose, taking a long glance at Percy. His eyes were solemn.
"Good. How long will this be happening for?"
He asked. Percy lifted his hands up, counting with muttering words.
"Uh, it'll probably end in like- a year and a half."
"A year and a-!?"
Triton began to exclaim, before a sharp elbow to the chest from Kym silenced him. He glared at her, she stuck her tongue out at him. Revenge from earlier.
"One month for each god."
Percy tacked on. Both the king and the queen nodded again at his sentence, but neither looked even the slightest bit calm.
"Do you know which god is going to be next?"
Rhodes asked, tilting her head.
"Uh, sort of? I mean, Lulu said that it went in the order of who was listed first, but in my sheer panic to not die, I kind of blanked on the order. My theory is from the most trusted to the least."
Rhodes nodded in acknowledgement, humming quietly.
"So, are we. . .uh, good to go?"
Apollo asked, giving a teetering thumbs up. Poseidon blinked, turning back to him.
"Yes, you are. Treat my son well or I will dismember you."
Kym snorted, Apollo flashed a deeply scared grin.
"You got it!"
Chapter 4: I burst into flames during dinner.
Summary:
Percy switched from one god to the next. Chaos ensues.
Notes:
I don't know what's going on, but I feel like this chapter is lazier in writing then the last three. Let me know if this is just me thinking it or if it actually is.
Anyway, enjoy this new chaotic god and demigod duo!
Chapter Text
Percy sipped his blue coke, watching as Leo Valdez fiddled with a handmade TV that sat right in front of Chiron's table.
Mr.D still wasn't back yet, as Ares had dragged the fight back out of Artemis, Aphrodite and Apollo backing up their respective favorites. (Everyone knew that fights with the gods would last a while, but this was starting to annoy Chiron himself.)
Due to this, Leo had decided to try and get the Hephaustus TV working on the demi-gods end, so they could watch the fight themselves.
He said that it would be like an iris message, where both sides could see it, but if the demi-god were quiet enough, the gods might not notice them.
And now, everyone, even the kids who usually skipped out on lunch, were sat at their tables, leaning forward to watch the boy.
He was trying his best to turn it on, as everything but the power button was completely finished. Percy set his cup down, standing up to help his friend, when something caused him to freeze.
He felt a warmth pool in his chest, a heat that wasn't natural.
It felt like he just drank a cup of cocoa that was still boiling hot, which totally wasn't concerning.
His vision started to blur, he was seeing a soft red everywhere.
Percy grunted in pain, Will turned to him with concern.
"Perc? You okay?"
He whispered, Nico furrowed his brows next to him, chiming in with his own concern.
"Did something happen?"
"Aha!"
Leo cried, the TV finally switching on. The gods were gathered around the throne room, Hestia standing in the middle of the two gods, trying to reason with them.
They didn't dare touch her, so they argued from a distance, the rest of the family sitting on their thrones like this was the best show they've ever watched.
Mr.D however just looked bored, ready to see his kids again.
Unfortunately, Leo's cry of excitement from his job well done caught the attention of the gods, who looked over at the screen with varying degrees of shock.
Hephaestus looked extremely proud.
Percy grunted again, using the table to steady himself. Will shot from his seat, reaching his hands out to help the boy, Nico getting the attention of the other Apollo kids for some back up, and thus Apollo himself.
The rest of the gods followed the sun god's gaze, the fighting finally on pause.
"Is that the new boy you claimed a little while back?"
Demeter asked, turning to Apollo.
"He kind of looks like-"
Hermes began, being interrupted by the boy himself.
Flames burst from Percy's skin, lighting the entire pavilion in flames that somehow didn't burn the place to the ground.
Everyone screamed, some kids ducking under tables, others running to grab goblets of water from the nymphs.
Annabeth hopped onto her table, yelling out orders to follow so things don't delve into absolute chaos.
Percy wanted to admire his girlfriend, but couldn't with flames interrupting his vision. And also his entire body felt numb.
Hestia's head twitched, her body jolting from an unknown force. Her siblings looked over at her in nervous unison.
She covered her mouth in shock, her hand raising uncontrollably, and snapping twice.
The fire finally died, and Percy stood there, uninjured, yet changed.
His hair was the color of a soft flame, his eyes a burning red, though kinder than any of the Ares' kids own burning irises.
A symbol appeared above his head, one that wasn't recognizable by anyone. Because it had never been used before.
Hestia's symbol.
The hologram of a hearth, burning bright.
Apollo sucked in a breath, the demi-gods fear of fire replaced with the fear of being caught.
"Oh, shit-"
Nico cursed, quickly going to shield Percy, but it was too late.
The gods knew.
The immortal beings were staring slack jawed at the screen, Mr.D himself looking both shocked and genuinely intrigued.
"Percy?"
Hestia muttered, staring at her nephew(son?) with awe.
Percy swallowed nervously, chuckling into the silence of the air.
"Hey, Lady Hestia."
"It looks like. . ."
Lulu piped up from her own table, ready to continue the idea of burying herself alive.
"Percy has switched from the first god, to the next one."
Annabeth stepped down from the table, running into her boyfriend's arms, who gladly embraced her.
"Hestia. . ."
Will muttered.
"Percy is the son of Hestia."
Mr.D was released from Olympus pretty soon after the incident, promptly chewing Percy and his friends out for keeping a secret this big from him. And also for keeping it terribly.
The news of Percy's potion mishap spread like wildfire, the gods voted to have another meeting, but decided against it. They got all the information they needed from Apollo and Poseidon.
Hestia, being conflicted, decided to visit her nephew(son?).
Percy was in the middle of moving his stuff from the Apollo cabin into the Hestia cabin, the bright children mourning the fact that he won't be living with them anymore. (And they say Dionysus is the god of theatrics.)
Hestia's cabin was now used for the unclaimed kids, but the gods surprisingly stuck to claiming their kids right off the bat.
(For the first time, Percy was relieved to see an empty cabin.)
Hestia appeared within the hearth, watching the young boy for a minute.
"Percy."
She addressed softly. He turned, smiling when he saw the goddess.
"Oh, hey."
He glanced around, noticing his bags on the floor, and huffed out a laugh.
"This is a bit weird, huh?"
She chuckled, stepping out of the hearth.
"A little. I am. . .not used to having children of my own."
Hestia sat down, sighing tiredly, though there was a tint of relief in it.
Percy followed, sitting in front of her, a frown on his face.
"I'm sorry, if this is uncomfortable for you, Lady Hestia. If you'd like, I can-"
"No! No, my dear, you are fine to stay in my home."
The goddess quickly interrupted, grabbing the demi-god by the hand.
"I may not have children of my own, and this may be a little. . .uneasy for me, that does not mean I will kick you out of here."
Percy blinked in surprise, looking down at Hestia's hand with a tiny smile.
"Any child, no matter the parent, is welcome in here. That includes you. Even if you are not my biological child, you are still one I call my family."
She squeezed his hand gently, he squeezed it back.
"I am happy to have you here, Percy. I will always be happy to have you here."
Hestia hugged her new son, who embraced her just as quickly.
"I love you, my. . .son."
It wasn't the hesitance of an unsure woman, it was the hesitance of finally being able to say that word. A word she never thought she could even utter.
"Son."
This boy is her son.
Percy Jackson, is her son.
Her child.
"I love you too, Lady-. . .mom."
She tightened her grip on the young demi-god, relief filling her face.
She knew she could never replace his actual mother.
She didn't want to. Sally was a wonderful woman.
But she did know, that she was now one of his moms.
And she would protect him.
She will always protect him.
