The Mask

– I do not own Percy Jackson. All rights belong to Rick Riordan. –

Percy Jackson is probably the most famous hero of modern history. If asked to describe him, apart from mentioning the Son of Poseidon's loyalty and his role in saving Olympus not only once but twice, people would tell you a few well known facts: he had a nice childhood with his great mum, showcases a happy-go-lucky attitude, and isn't all that smart.

They couldn't lie further from the truth.

When Percy entered the Greek world, apart from having to come to terms with the bizarre circumstances that were now his reality, he was in shock from seeing his mother supposedly die. Alone and scared in unknown territory, with all eyes on him but nobody telling him anything, he dropped into the default character that had been beaten into him over the years: play stupid, pretend you're happy, don't show the scars.

He had to play stupid, because, in truth, he was anything but. In fact, he was a child genius with an IQ and thirst for knowledge to rival the greatest children of Athena. As for pretending to be happy: There was a time he'd been truly happy, a bubbly child of three years living with his mother who believed the world was a wonderful place just waiting to be explored. But then his powerful scent drew monsters, and, in a desperate attempt to protect him, his mother married a mortal whose stench completely covered the demigod's. She should have taken her chances with the monsters.

Gabriel Ugliano, whom Percy dubbed Smelly Gabe, was an alcoholic unhappy with his lot in life. When faced with the happy child genius, he decided that if he led a miserable life, then so should Percy. After relieving his stress by using the boy as a punching bag, he laid down the rules: play stupid, pretend you're happy, don't show the scars.

Small failures would result in additional punishment to the daily beatings, greater failures or Percy telling anyone the truth would see his mother receiving the self-same treatment for a day. It is no wonder that after eight years any unknown situation would make him instinctively don the mask: play stupid, pretend you're happy, don't show the scars.

By the time Percy realized what had happened, Camp and Olympus had already accepted the mask. So Percy kept on pretending. And though it hurt that his friends and family could not see the real him, he decided it was for the best.

Because while Mask-Percy made everyone laugh with his stupid comments and kept hope alive in even the most hopeless of situations, the true Percy was able to protect his family and friends all the better in secret, because their enemies didn't suspect him and therefore could not plan for him.

There were times when Percy imagined what it would be like if everyone knew the truth and he could be the real Percy Jackson. But then he'd remember that the mask allowed him to keep everybody happy and safe, and that was all he'd ever wanted.

And if the mask made it possible, then he was grateful for it's existence. (play stupid, pretend you're happy, don't show the scars)