There are few things Poseidon was above when it came to his son, and one of those things was not begging. Poseidon had not seen such potential in a half-blood since George Washington, and he doubted he would ever see more potential. The boy was young and uneducated, but when it came to the rules of the world, few were more knowledgeable than Percy Jackson.

Percy Jackson was an adorable five year-old with a beautiful soul. He lived with his mother and his new step-father in a small apartment. He had wide and kind eyes that could melt any woman's heart, and he had a cute little smile that made people coo without fail. Even without these features, his laugh was infectious and he would grab onto adults' fingers' with such tennacitity that they'd crumble to his will.

Percy Jackson was an extremely frightened six year-old with a scar marring all of his features. His soul was darkened by the evil he had seen. His smile cracked by a vicious slice with a straight-razor. His eyes, well, now there was only one of them, the other had to be surgically removed so that the glass would come out. Finally, his laugh became hollow and quiet, and his fingers never fled far from his waist as he hid himself from adults of all kind and especially men.

The reason such a drastic change occurred in such a short time was because of one man: Gabriel Giovanni Ugliano. He was scum. He was a reject from the Italian mafia, too stupid to make it by with them, so he moved to New York and settled down with "some bitch and her son". He always referred to them like that. A psychologist would say that he had deep psychological scarring, but that wasn't the case, no...You see, he never really found pleasure in consensual sex, so when "that bitch" was gone, he would do horrible, horrible things to Percy. The physical torture was bad, but the mental torture, it must've killed the boy. Gabriel had always threatened Percy that if he told his mother about his actions, he would kill her, so the boy stayed quiet, but one day, something terrible happened.

Sally could barely make ends meet as a clerk at the candy store, so at nights, she would trade in her apron and her dignity for a cocktail dress and an extra paycheck. Working double had its disadvantages though, such as the increased chance of falling ill and ending up unable to work at all, which happened one fateful, horrible afternoon.

Sally had passed out while working the desk at the candy shop and she was driven home by a coworker, whose name is unimportant. When they arrived at the building, Sally opened the door to her apartment, and saw something she hoped to never see. In the middle of the living room was Gabriel, with his pants around his ankles and his hands covering Perseus' mouth as he brutally raped him. He turned to spot Sally, and just as she reached for the phone, he pulled out a revolver, and shot Sally Jackson in the chest. Percy stared at her as Gabe wiped off the gun and pushed it into Percy's hands and ran to Sally's side pretending to be innocent while zipping up his pants. Percy didn't bother doing anything, he was still too much in shock to do anything but stare at his mother's corpse.

Percy looked at her body, but he didn't see her. Instead he saw her in a beautiful black dress that she wore when she got home from work. He saw her in her PJ's with him, reading him a bedtime story and tickling his ribs. He saw her as his living breathing mother, not as this...toe tag. The young boy fell to his knees, a single teardrop of blood sliding down his face, and he screamed. He screamed and released from inside himself a primal force untapped by mere mortals; hatred. He glared at Gabe and he yelled profanity after profanity at him, screaming curses and slurs in languages that he had never heard before. He then gave him one last dead eye stare before he stuck his hand out and gave a single signal. Thumbs down.

Gabe frowned for a micro-second before suddenly, all the skin on his body began to peel away, leaving him nothing but a raw, red, fatty pile of tissues. Percy suddenly let his head droop and stepped out the doorway, into the hall, his pants automatically rising by themselves and he walked out onto the New York City streets. He made a beeline for out of the city, far away from where he was. He marched calmly and directly in no direction in particular, and he continued that way, unconscious. When he finally stopped, he was hugging a tree, a tall pine tree. And he had a beautiful dream that his mother was there with him.

When Perseus awoke, he was greeted by the sight of a young woman of about eleven years old or so stroking his hair. She was a daughter of Aphrodite, not that Percy knew that, so when Percy murmured "Pretty..." In his trauma induced haze, she smiled at him.

"Aww...thank you sweetheart, you're pretty cute yourself, but just rest for now." She insisted, brushing his hair from his face and slowly spoon feeding him ambrosia. He ate it slowly and soon he began to drift on into a nightmare infested sleep.

It wasn't the usual nightmares involving Gabe that hurt anymore. It was the torturous new and improved visions that Percy writhed in fear of. There wasn't just one Gabe anymore. There were thousands of Gabriel's. Every man that he passed on the street was a Gabriel. Every man's voice he heard was Gabe's and every time he'd be pushed down or knocked into by somebody, that person would look down at him with Gabe's face and mutter a slur at him.

"Useless bastard."

"Ugly little shit."

The list went on and on. And whenever Percy stopped moving and began to cry, one of the Gabriel's would kick him or punch him or cut him. Percy struggled and screamed, "No, stop hurting me! Stop it please! Please Gabe! No! Not there! I still have scars! Please! No!" He cried in his dream, and in the infirmary he cried out in pain, feeling every cut in his dream, and every punch, and every kick. He cried out in such pain that it caused Silena to whimper and she began to comfort him any way she knew how. She pulled him toward her and rubbed his arms, trying to wake him up. She lifted him into her arms and began to whisper soothing words into his ear; finally, she kissed him on the head and did something she hadn't done for anyone else. She began to sing the closest thing she knew to a lullaby.

"Take my love, take my land,
take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care, I'm still free,
you can't take the sky from me."

She began singing, and Percy began to awake. He looked up at her and she saw the tear stains on his cheek, and the bloodshot eyes that showed he had been crying. "Do you think you can stand cutie?"

Percy nodded and Silena took his hand and guided him to Chiron. Percy slowly lurched along the hallway, sticking close to Silena as they passed other campers. Boys smiled at Silena, occasionally leering, while the girls that they passed all stared at Percy, and occasionally, a nymph would kneel down and coo at him, giving him flowers, which he gave to Silena once the nymphs left.

By the time Percy and Silena made it to Chiron's study, Silena had a small bouquet of lotuses, hydrangeas, lilies, violets and even a rose and Percy was finally beginning to speak.

"My name's Percy." He said, and Silena smiled. "What's your name?" He asked and Silena smiled, deciding to tease him.

"Wow, you got me flowers and you don't even know my name?!" She asked, feigning surprise, causing Perseus to pout, not knowing whether she was happy, mad, or joking. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'm just joking! My name's Silena." She said, leaning down and looking him right in the eye.

"Oh..." Perseus said, calmer now. When he looked up, he saw the door right in front of him, if he had walked any farther, he would've bonked his head. "We're here?"

"Yep, come on, I'll introduce you to Chiron, he's a big softy." Silena said, smiling widely. The reaction that Perseus gave, however, was not what she was expecting. He suddenly froze and stared at the door with dread. He shook his head vigorously and began to step back, his eyes bulging. "Don't worry Percy, you'll like him. I'll be right here!" She tried to calm him down, but she was fighting an uphill battle against Perseus last year of life and experiences. She would never be able to win. So, instead, she knocked on the door and Chiron quickly opened it, wheeling himself into the hallway. Perseus crawled backward, behind Silena and whimpered, curling into a ball and flinching away from Chiron's touch. Finally, Chiron sighed and decided to stop trying to comfort the boy.

Around this point, the recording stopped, and Aphrodite was in tears. She had just watched a vibrant young boy turn from a heartbreaker to a broken heart in two hours of recording. It killed her to see such a young boy so brutally beaten. So much so that she had to hold herself back from going down there right now and just taking the boy and hiding him from the world.

"Do you see now?!" Poseidon asked, being the one that showed the video. Aphrodite nodded. "He's terrified of men...of adults, hell; he's scared of Chiron, who would never hurt him, what can I do to get you to help me...and him. He needs help, he needs to be fixed. He's been broken by that bastard Ugliano, and he needs help!" Poseidon urged, getting to his knees and bowing his head. "Please."

"I'll do it!" Aphrodite responded, nodding fiercely, and planning a way to rehabilitate him. "I'll do whatever I can to make him better."

"Uncle." Poseidon heard from behind him. It was Artemis. "I will as well." Poseidon was dumbstruck; he had two goddesses willing to help his son. "He is well below the age of corruption; therefore, the hunter's will accept him." Artemis confirmed, holding back tears herself at that poor boy's treatment.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Poseidon said, bowing to both of the goddesses. "I cannot thank you enough!" Poseidon said, before he received a tap on the shoulder. It was Athena, and Hestia was holding her other hand, with Hera not far behind. His eyes widened and one by one they nodded, all agreeing to help him in any way that they could. "Thank you...thank you all..." He whispered as he collapsed at their feet. "I will do anything to repay you. I will be your servant for the next millennium if the need be! I will do anything to thank you! Thank you! The sea is forever in your debt!" Poseidon said, tears streaming down his face. Hestia wrapped her petite body around his in a hug while Athena put her hand on his shoulder, and Hera, Artemis and Aphrodite got to work on plans to help Perseus.

"So, Artemis has agreed to let him live with the hunt, now, that means that we all have to participate as well, and we should all have healthy relationships with Perseus-" Athena was cut off by Hera here.

"'Healthy relationships'?! Holy mother-! You sound like a psychiatrist!" Hera exclaimed, finding something that she could be part of embrace whole-heartedly. "Percy doesn't need a psychiatrist, or healthy relationships! He needs a family! He needs a mother that he can rely on, and a strong sibling, while usually I'd suggest a brother, his aversion to men means that he needs a strong sister! He also needs someone to teach him life lessons, and common knowledge, and finally, he needs people that he can relax with." Hera implored, looking to her sister for reassurance. "That's what he needs! And if I just described 'healthy relationships, then so be it! But we can't take a critical and distanced look at this, this boy is our family, and he needs help now."

"I've always wanted a brother." Artemis remarked coolly. Athena shot her a look along with Hestia.

"You have a brother…" Athena said. "Apollo…?" She suggested, but Artemis shook her head.

"No, I have a thorn in my side. Now, I have a brother." Artemis said, smiling at an image in her head of sharing shooting tips with Percy and laughing with him and the rest of the hunt. She smiled and Hestia felt just the slightest twinge of hope come from Artemis.

"I wouldn't mind having an adorable little nephew…" Aphrodite said. "He's quite the cutie, and when I'm done with him, he'll be a heart-breaker for sure." Artemis then turned and glared at her. "Metaphorically speaking, of course." She tacked on hastily. Aphrodite imagined him coming to her with his first crush, or maybe coming to her with two or three girls. She smiled at the thought and felt a little premonition coming on. He wouldn't lead any girls on like that, he would be loyal, he'd stick to just one girl, and she'd be one lucky lady. Once again, Hestia felt hope.

"A son…he'd be my son." Hera said, staring into the distance with a placid smile on her face. Finally, Hestia smiled as she felt hope soar through Olympus, this child had done so much already, she couldn't wait to see the changes he would make to Olympus.

Percy was still cowering behind Silena when suddenly a single flash brought many surprises. Five women sat or stood in different positions around the room, and all of them were staring at him. Despite Perseus' trepidation when faced with the kind centaur, he relaxed when faced with five powerful goddesses who could incinerate him on the spot.

"Thank you, Chiron, but we'll take it from here." Athena said, nodding to the worried old horse. Hestia, still in her eight year old form, stepped up to Perseus and offered him her hand which he hesitantly took. Hestia then smiled and pulled Percy to his feet, tapped him on the shoulder and ran away, calling behind her.

"You're it!" Perseus followed her, running after her with all his might and gallivanting off the porch. For the time being, the goddesses had arranged that all the boys would currently be in their cabins, unable to leave, while the girls could come and go as they pleased.

Back at the big house, Aphrodite smiled at Silena and gestured that they move the conversation outside and followed the two youngsters. Hestia and Percy were having a great time, running around the cabins chasing each other, occasionally Hestia would pop up behind Percy when he was hiding and holler into his ear, scaring him, but it was all in good fun. Hestia was so engrossed in her reinvigorated childhood that she didn't look where she was running and she bumped into Clarisse La Rue. Clarisse looked down at the little girl and was about to tell the girl to go away when she saw the boy behind her, chasing her.

As soon as she saw the scars on the boys smiling face, and the bandages that still covered his left eye, she knew that he had been a victim of abuse, just like her. She then looked down at the little girl who was trying to look innocent. "Are you with the boy?" Clarisse asked and some of the other girls from her cabin gave her puzzled looks. Hestia nodded and Clarisse beckoned the boy over. "Never let them see you cry." She whispered in his ear in a tone even she had never heard herself use before. She then pulled him into a hug and handed him her bandanna, wrapping it around his bandaged eye.

Soon, the boy began to sniffle, and he wouldn't let go of Clarisse, and for once, Clarisse didn't mind having somebody crying on her. She didn't care that it made her look weak, or that her shirt was wet, she cared that for this moment, she was the most important person in the world to this boy. Percy finally pulled away and pulled the bandanna taut around his head, nodding once to Clarisse with his eyes still bloodshot from the tears he shed. Clarisse then looked over at Hestia who was looking at her with wide eyes and decided; 'what the heck?'. She then leaned in and hugged Hestia as well, rubbing her head and giving her a smile before walking back to her cabin with her long brown hair swaying in the light breeze. Hestia then reached over to Percy and took his hand before guiding him back to the big house.

"Hello Perseus." Hera said as she kneeled down and hunched in front of Percy. Percy smiled shyly at her and brought his hand up to his face as a nervous response, until he felt the bandanna and remembered Clarisse's words. Never let them see you cry. When he remembered that, he stepped forward and smiled crookedly at them, his eyes finally betraying the slightest hint of happiness for the first time in a year.

"Hi, I'm Percy!" He said, feeling the need to reintroduce himself after such a drastic change in character. "I'm not going to let them see me cry." He said, finally finding something that he could cling to and fight for.

"That's excellent Percy, but we're here to take you to a special place where you'll be away from all the boys." Hera said, brushing his hair from in front of his right eye. He nodded in acceptance and she continued. "I know that I'm not your mother, and I'm not trying to replace your mother." Hera began. "However, I would like to be your mother. In fact, all of us here would like to be your new family." She explained and Athena stepped forward.

"Hello, my name is Aunty Athena." Athena said, smiling as kindly as she knew how at the boy who crossed his hands behind his back and smiled shyly again. She brushed her hand across his cheek and gave him a kiss on the forehead.

"My name is Auntie Aphrodite, and I can't wait for us to have so much fun together." Aphrodite said and picked him up in a hug. He hugged her back and gave a small giggle at her antics. "Aww! You're such an adorable boy." She squealed and finally put Perseus down.

"I'm Artemis, I'm your big sister!" Artemis said forcefully, nodding at her own words. She then leaned down and picked Percy of the ground, holding him from under his armpits. "You and I are going to be living together from now on!" She said smiling again.

"And I'm Hestia." It was his aunt, his real aunt. "I'm your sister too, and we're going to have so much fun together." She said, hugging him in her eight year old form. Percy hugged her right back and whispered in her ear.

"You're it." He then ran off and was followed closely behind by Hestia, but it didn't feel like he was running from Gabe anymore, now, he was running into the open arms of his new family.