Don't own PJO or HOO. I'm not Rick Riordan, 'nuff said.

Ten-year-old Perseus Jackson wasn't exactly the happiest guy right now.

Cornered by three fatties (can we just call them Fatties A B and C? Thanks.), the child's ire was growing by the second. Too bad the bastards in front of him didn't realize anything, as they were too busy taunting the boy.

"What's wrong, little boy? Afraid of a little beating by your father?" Fatty A sneered.

"Aww, the poor orphan. We could fix that face of yours right up!" Fatty B cackled.

Fatty C opened his mouth to make a scathing comment, but Perseus snapped.

He lunged forward, kicking Fatty C's knee, bending it quite unnaturally. With a guttural roar, he jumped and sent an elbow into Fatty B's nose, breaking it instantly. Perseus was too caught up in his rage to notice that he wasn't in control of his body anymore.

What's wrong little boy? Perseus growled. Afraid of a little beating by your father? Perseus tensed his legs, ready to strike at any moment. Aww, the poor orphan, we could fix that face of yours right up! He made a huge uppercut, nearly tearing Fatty A's head off his body.

"Pathetic," Perseus spat at the three fatties writhing in agony. He turned on his heel and strode away, as if it was just another Tuesday.

And unknown to everyone else, a seed of darkness had found its way into his mind. Perseus wouldn't admit it to anyone else, of course, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he turned sadistic. And while he knew that sadism could be a great tool, as it could bring personal pleasure while bringing an enemy down…

It could also be the cause of his death.

A year later, Perseus sat cross-legged beside a fire he constructed. It was funny, how construction required presence of mind, specific tools and rules on how to construct things, but you can always destroy anything. Regardless of how many times he thought about it, it still retained much of the original amusement he found in it.

The crack! of a leaf brought him back to reality. Perseus rolled backwards, leaping to his feet, anticipating the opportunity of a fight. Taking out a steak knife he stole earlier, Perseus neared the origin of the leaf crack.

"Who's there?" he called out. Of course, it's not like he actually expected someone to answer. If they did, well...they wouldn't.

"Hello Perseus," a voice replied. Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Perseus growled. Holding the knife out for light, he saw a man with pitch black eyes and hair, with power rolling off of him in tidal waves. Perseus' eyes widened, this wasn't an average Joe; he knew his name and he seems like a person that could destroy all life with a snap of his fingers and a "Cheerio!".

Meanwhile, the man, who had been reading Perseus' thoughts, smirked. No, he couldn't obliterate life with a snap of his fingers, and he doubted saying "Cheerio!" would help. True, he could probably send everything to his domain without much difficulty, but the campers and legionnaires would be protected by their parents.

Perseus, who had recovered his wits, quickly threw the knife at the mysterious man. While only attempting to incapacitate him, Perseus wouldn't complain if the man died. Perseus started planning out questions to ask him.

What he didn't plan for was for the knife to sail through the man like he wasn't even there. What exactly was this guy? Recomposing himself, Perseus attempted a hard kick to the groin, but found he was immobilized by pure darkness.

The man moved forward, eyes gazing coldly at me before showing the slightest bit of pride. Then, he spoke.

"You will make a great warrior Perseus. My domain shall be good training for you. Now, sleep."

Perseus' eyes would have widened, but they crashed shut in a split second. Slipping into unconsciousness, the last thing Perseus thought about was how screwed he was.

It was a dull throbbing at first. Perseus attempted to ignore it and go back to blissful sleep, but the throbbing quickly blew up into painful shockwaves running along his body. It felt like someone was repeatedly slashing and hacking at him. Perseus screamed in agony, but that only served to increase his pain, which increased his screaming.

Ha, he thought bitterly, I'm stuck in a vicious circle.

Just when he decided to give up on struggling, the pain ceased. Perseus wearily raised his head, only to find the man from before, this time regarding him curiously. A woman stood by his side, looking very similar to the man. All three of them were in a dark room, looking suspiciously like a throne room turned bad.

"Interesting," the man mused. "It has never done that before."

"Well, this is your second time doing it, so you should have expected something new," the woman grumbled playfully.

"Excuse me," Perseus called out in a raspy voice. "Who are you?"

The duo shared a glance, as if having a silent conversation. They gave each other hard stares, before finally coming to a compromise (or at least, that's what Perseus hoped what happened).

"Perseus, what do you know about mythology?" the woman asked cautiously.

That was a question he had to ponder. Eventually, he started weaving a response. "Well, there were many kinds of mythology. There was Greek and Roman mythology, the same basic gods, Titans and Protogenoi. Of course, there were some gods that the Romans didn't take from the Greeks, like Janus. There was also Egyptian mythology -"

"Let's focus on Greek and Roman myths. Tell us what you know." the man interrupted.

And so Perseus complied. He spent a good hour talking about the gods, Titans, and the Protogenoi, until the man raised his hand.

"Perseus, everything you just talked about is real," the man said casually, but Perseus could tell the man was gauging his reaction. Although, he probably should have been looking at the woman…

"Dearie, you don't just say that myths from 2500 years ago are real as if you were to list off ice cream flavors," she sighed, and Perseus chuckled. She's not wrong, you know…

The man looked mortified. "What would you have me do? You know I'm not one for theatrics."

"Lies."

The man smiled and kissed the woman on the cheek.

Perseus' thoughts raced. That show of power back at the fire, and how he knew about the mythological world...it was almost certain that this man was powerful in the realm of the gods.

"Are you someone powerful?" Perseus asked? "Hades or Pluto? That would explain this gloominess," he joked.

Just then, a girl around Perseus' age ran into the room, faltering when she saw Perseus. "Who is he?"

The man smiled thinly. "I suppose I should introduce everyone. My name is Tartarus, Primordial of the Pit. This lovely lady is Nyx, or Nox in her Roman form, Primordial of the Night." He paused to wink at Nyx, who rolled her eyes but blushed slightly.

"And the young girl is Bianca di Angelo, daughter of Hades or Pluto."