Chapter One: cosplays a dead vampire from Buffy.

A/N: Not sure if I completely like this but I got to start somewhere.

Percy hugs his mom tightly. He doesn't care that it's in front of Yancy Academy entrance or how cheap his mom's car must look like - how poor they are - and is. He closes his eyes so rebellious tears don't fall from his eyes (so his mom doesn't see); he's already trembling in her arms.

That's more than enough.

Percy doesn't want to show how-

Percy isn't scared. He knows how this all basically plays out. He doesn't remember every detail (Who would? Okay maybe Annabeth.) but he knows the major events because he lived this already years ago that now are his present. (He also knows these are the good days; the easy times.)

Yet as Percy breaths in one last breath, the smell of candy - of his mom - isn't comforting for first time in his life. It feels like there's a weight on his chest even though he knows Hades is one the better gods (which, yeah, was hard to shallow because Percy's uncle had always reminded Percy of a bully just, you know, a godly one - actually he was a bully) to have your mom kidnapped by. Or rather this time he's unknowingly protecting her even though the very thought of him kidnapping mom made Percy's teeth grind.

But his mom is right. If you change to much you can't predict it all. (Yet she had let him get the tattoo, her lips had been thin from disapproval.) Percy is going to change stuff but not everything.

Unfortunately, even though Hades will be unknowingly protecting her, his mom being held hostage was not one of those things.

The only reason he's allowing it is because he knows mom was in safe hands: her own.

Eventually Percy regretful slips out from the hug. There's a pang in his stomach at he looks at mom one last time (mom and her flat belly) before climbing the steps of Yancy Academy. Percy had stumbled off the steps this morning dazed and horror creeping in on him (slowly suffocating him). He's back with a bandaged shoulder, sea green eyes that don't belong on this face that baby fat lingers on because his eyes look as old as the sea itself (they're the eyes that belong to a soldier), and with a crushed piece of paper in his fist that is no longer stained with blood.

[\]

Percy does well in school only because he knows this stuff already. Chiron, Mr. Brunner, looks at him with pride in his old eyes. Percy doesn't do it from him despite the respect he feels for his teacher. He does it for his mom and for his Annabeth because she would kick his ass for purposely failing in school when he can do better than slack off and call a teacher an old sot. (That of all the small details to recall of this year he remembers.)

Sleep however is something Percy is not excelling at. He tries sleeping on the floor after practicing with Chiron's sword collection, trying to gain some muscle because he can't just wait around (he'll go crazy). That doesn't help even though his scrawny body aches and weighs down on him afterwards when he sneaks back to his and Grover's room.

Every night Grover has to wake him up while he's thrashing about on their floor otherwise he'll start screaming his head off.

"Percy's what's wrong?" Grover will ask him every night.

His friend uses the restroom more often nowadays because nervousness makes him have to go. Percy wants to confide on him; to tell his best friend who Hera took him from. (Yanked as though a puppet instead of lose canon that he undoubtedly is.)

Percy doesn't though even though most nights his eyes burn from tears and his throat is sore from screaming his head off at the horrors of Tartarus that he and Annabeth had endured together.

[\]

"You scream like you're dying," Grover confesses to him quietly one night. Percy lies against the wood of one of the beds, his nightshirt sticking to him because of sweat. He stinks, Percy realizes or rather smells but he doesn't care of his body odor. What's important is that his heart doesn't feel like that of a scared rabbit's.

Grover's eyes remind him of a kicked puppy so Percy looks anywhere in room (that's filled with a small amount of light from only a lamp being on) but at his friend's eyes.

"I'm not," Percy tells him, his bare feet cold from the wooden floor.

He doesn't move to put socks on them. Percy just takes deep breathes in and out because that is all he can do (for now).

[\]

Grover is afraid for him. Percy is too tired to feel anything but a weight on his chest and homesickness for his time and his Grover.

[\]

Percy never wanted to be a half-blood. Much less half blood of prophecy or one of the seven. He most certainly did not want to relive two wars again. He'd just wanted go to college with Annabeth and Grover in New Rome.

His opinion didn't matter.

It takes escaping to the boy's restroom, taking off his long sleeve shirt of the day so he can stare at the tattoo on his arm through the the restroom mirror and feel like - to remind himself - he isn't just a pawn.

(He still never got around to playing a game of chess but he did google what the hell a pawn was. He was right. They did get sacrificed a lot but if they reached the other side of the board they can become any piece from the game besides the king.)

[\]

It feels like forever for the field trip to arrive and then suddenly it's there. He and Grover are sitting on the worn seats of the school bus. Bobofit something, a rather freckled red headed girl a shade darker than that of what Percy remembers of Rachael's hair, tries to hit Grover in the back of head with pieces of her peanut butter and ketchup sandwich.

It takes one glare, Percy turning his head so he can look at her and him telling her: "Just try it again," with a lupus like snarl that could cut glass for her to wisely stop.

Grover watches the exchange with something in his eyes Percy can't quite name. He wonders if Grover can see or sense how barely kept together his shards are. How Percy isn't his Percy.

Instead of saying thanks Grover mutters 'why always twelve' to himself. Percy glances at him from the corner of his old sea green eyes. He doesn't want to lie to Grover so instead of saying anything he just slips his hand into his best friend's hand.

Grover holds on tight to Percy's hand. Grover is afraid (like Percy is tired).

"You know it's ok? I like peanut butter."

Percy felt a lump in his throat, "I know," he confesses as Mrs. Dodds gives him the evil eye.

He returns the glare unafraid despite knowing who she is. This time around he's not going to accidentally vaporize her.

When they all start getting off the bus Percy lets go of Grover's hand so he can grab his crutches even though he knows Grover doesn't need them. Bobofit loudly murmurs a thank God and mutters something about what gay losers they are.

Grover immediately stops focusing on his crutches so he can grab Percy's wrist in fear of Percy decking their bully. Even though this time around their principal hadn't threatened Percy's death if this school trip turned out like any of Percy's previous and infamous school trips the man had heard about.

The water fountain in front of the museum doesn't explode, Percy notes. What that means makes Percy frown (because that's wrong or maybe-) Percy, despite Grover's wrist on his right hand, turns around punches Bobofit right in her freckled nose just like he wished he had whenever he had looked back on this field trip. She stumbles back onto one of the bus' seats with a soft thud. Grover groans in despair. Percy's hair on the back of his neck stood up as was suddenly appeared behind him.

"Now honey," falsely crooned at him. This time Percy doesn't guess his punishment. "You need to come with me."

"Wait!" Grover yelped in panic. "It was me. I punched Nancy."

glared at him for the obvious lie. Grover's whiskery chin trembled. Percy smiled at his friend's attempt at protecting him; it probably didn't reached his eyes or the dark circles under them though.

"I'll be fine," Percy reassured Grover.

"Honey," Mrs. Dodds rudely barked at him. "Now."

Percy shot the his deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare before walking behind her knowing full well what was in store.

[\]

The gallery his teacher chose was empty and vast. It was a mix of Greek and Roman marble friezes. Some Percy could put a name others he couldn't. All the while Alecto had started making a noise in her throat that if Percy didn't know she wasn't human he would have suggested her to pick up some cough drops.

"You've been giving us problems, honey," the fury told him.

Percy stared and didn't say anything. He sincerely doubted that if he was to tell the truth she would believe him.

The weight was heavy in his chest as he waits for Chiron. His fingers flexing next to his jeans despite Riptide not being in his pockets. Which was another thing, probably in the top ten if he ever was to make a list, Percy missed from his time.

Thunder shook the building. Percy stood his ground.

"Confess Percy Jackson. It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."

Percy sincerely doubted that. He didn't voice his doubts though. His fingers curve into a fist and then he open them as he waits for Chiron (except the fountain hadn't exploded).

"Your time is up," the fury hissed, finally done on waiting for him to break the silence.

Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers began to stretch but Percy didn't wait to watch them transform into talons. Instead he glanced at the doorway several feet from him. His nails dug deeply and painful into his palm. jacket melted into large, leathery wings which completed her transformation onto her true form: one Nyx's daughters, a fury. Alecto was her name but since wouldn't stop referring to him as honey for years to come he would keep calling her by the name her first known her.

She lunged at him; there's no Chiron. (It's too early; it's too late.)

Percy has no weapon on him. There's no Riptide thrown in the air for him to catch and uncap. If he dies here and now who will protect Annabeth and Grover? Keep an eye out for Tyson? Help in the quest for the Golden Fleece that heals Thalia? Be there for Racheal so she'll know she isn't insane?

Percy has missed his sword and the presence of a pen in his pocket but he doesn't need one. Percy lifts his hand. There's blood running down his palm from where his nails dug in. Percy thinks he should feel sick as Alecto clawed at her brittle throat with her sharp talons that cut into her very flesh. Yellow powder starts falling from her throat. Unlike him she doesn't bleed. Sulfur fills the air and clogs up Percy's nostrils.

Alecto makes a sound, a horrid screech, like she's drowning as more of her slowly but surely and agonizingly becomes powder. It's a sound Percy sure will haunt his nightmares along with Annabeth screams and fearful grey eyes.

The water fountain didn't explode but eventually stops pouring out from the self inflicted wounds of her neck and she explodes in yellow powder.

Percy walks out of gallery and makes his way to the group of Yancy students like he didn't just purposely make cosplay a dead Btvs vampire.

[\]

Percy joins the group just in time for Bobofit to snicker something about the naked guy on the stele as Chiron talks about something Percy can't hear over Bobofit's smart comments.

"Will you shut up?" It comes out louder than intended and Percy feels like banging his head into one of the museum's walls as the group - including Chiron - falls silent.

...Percy pretty sure this happened last time. The urge to bang his head into a wall just became stronger.

"Mr. Jackson, did you have a comment?" Chiron asks.

"No, sir."

Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the vases.
"Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"

It wasn't question. Thankfully Percy knew the answer.

"That's Rhea presenting Kronos a rock instead of Zeus."

"Why did Kronos want to eat his son Mr. Jackson?"

"Eeew." One of the girls behind Percy muttered.

"The same reason Zeus ate Metis- I think that's how you pronounce her name."

Chiron leaned forward from his wheelchair. There was something in his eyes. "Could you tell me why?"

"They were afraid of being overthrown. Of their power being taken from them so that's why Kronos ate his children except for Zeus. And years later Zeus ate Athena's mother."

Behind him, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "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.'"

"And why, Mr. Jackson," Chiron said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"

"Busted," Grover muttered.

"Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter red than her hair because of Chiron's "radar ears" having caught her smart remark. But then again she had a point. Mortals didn't have to worry about their godly parents deciding to murder them because they were a threat to them.

Percy shrugged halfheartedly. "I don't know," he lied easily.

"I see." Chiron looked as though he didn't believe him.

[\]

That night Percy doesn't even try to fall asleep. Grover stays up with him and they eat apples and the candy Percy hasn't illegally sold yet.

When Grover falls asleep, snoring loudly with a piece of apple on his beard, Percy pulls a piece of paper from out of his sneakers before grabbing a pen from their desk.

In barely legible writing Percy writes down: grocery shopping before camp.

[\]

Grover, unlike Percy, is a terrible liar. He can't ask what happened to without admitting there was a .

Percy's grades don't slip after their school trip unlike last time. He sells the rest of the candy his mom gave him to other Yancy Academy students so he can go grocery shopping. This time on their quest they're going to have supplies that aren't blown sky high.

EDIT: I don't know why but I Doc Manger won't allow me to use Alecto's teacher alias at certain places in the chapter despite how many times I try.