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As the sun rose, a woman close to the shore cried out. Almost everyone in the village ran to her side, curious and worried about what was making her scream. As soon as they reached the shore, they saw who had cried. Lady Aspasia was checking on a young boy who was on the shore, when the villagers came to help them they noticed something was wrong with the boy, and when two fishermen lifted the boy and took him to the nearby doctor, they could feel that the boy was dry as if he had never been in the water.
Before any of them could say anything Lady Aspasia was already making her moves. "Please, we need to get him to the healer as soon as possible, this poor guy must be dying" And how could they say no to the small woman? They could already see the fear and sadness in her eyes.
One of the fisherman carried the boy towards the village being followed by Lady Aspasia, who was acting like a worried mother over the unconscious boy. The second Fisherman sprinted as fast as he could towards the biggest house in the village, which was the house of Lady Aspasia and her husband Lord Pavlos.
It was in the middle of the day around a millennium or more ago, was when a boy arrived from the sea into their small village. A boy who would change their lives for ever.
Upon waking up slowly, his eyes blinking away the drowsiness in them, he stretched his limps until a satisfying crack was heard and felt. Percy's eyes were still seeing blurry and he was unable to see where he stood. After he regained focus on his surroundings, he let a dry chuckle escape his lips at seeing the ceiling of his department in New Rome. He got up slowly from his bed. The white soft blanket slid off his body, exposing his war-scarred skin and toned muscles.
Once he finally was up, he slowly made his way to the kitchen in nothing but his boxers, his mind drifting towards his dreams -Memories that will haunt him, until the end of his days- He basked in the feeling of loneliness, after what felt like a lifetime of attention directed towards him -And it had been a lifetime for him, but no one would know about it- He started doing his breakfast, a small bitter smile in his face while doing so.
The only thing he decided to eat that morning was black coffee and smashed eggs over toast. After a long sip from his coffee he started drifting out again towards his memories, his mind playing tricks on him, making him see things that weren't there - A girl around his age, with long black hair talking affectionately at him while placing fresh fruits in front of him - But every time he took a bite from his breakfast, he would regain a hold of his bearings and the image would be lost. He was halfway done with his breakfast when his phone began to ring. With a tired sigh he responded, not even checking who was calling him.
" What? " He asked, not even trying to hide the annoyance from his voice. He pushed his breakfast away from him, not hungry anymore.
A monotone voice with a hint of amusement answered him " It's comforting to hear that I'm not the only one who hates phone calls" Percy rolled his eyes with irritation but his lips quirk up in fondness towards his cousin.
So he tried not to be a bitch towards him, at least not that much of a bitch. " I'm surprised that you know how a cell phone works old man" He heard the snort the boy let out and snickered a bit before being serious about the call. " What happened? I know you won't call me just to hear my voice, would you?"
A few seconds of silence that helped to prove his theory right. He heard Nico sigh with so much force that he had a terrible feeling automatically " We are called to Olympus, you know to discuss once again what we did in the past and all that shit" Percy took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart " We were the last to come back from the past, and they want to know everything we did"
"I see. I'm not sure if I'll be of help though, I can only remember bits and pieces of my time there" He lied and he could feel the bitter and nauseating taste on his tongue - He did remember, how could he forget everything that happened? The people he met, the challenges and most importantly the- Yet he forced his voice to come out steady and clear to hide his emotions " However, I know that my presence is more than necessary. I don't want dear lord uncle to be angry at me, again."
Nico laughed and it sent a spark of warmth all over Percy's body. Because Nico barely laughed and hearing him doing so was too wholesome to even describe it in words. It was like a bright light before the complete darkness of a room. There was too much of a similar yet different sensation when he saw Xenia's smile for the first time.
When laugh died, he finally spoke " Oh Percy, he will be angry at you, not matter what you do"
And Percy laughed because it was true. He laughed at the same time a single tear rolled down his face, when he recalled a memory no one but him could. He hung up and he was still laughing, crying and laughing, desperate trying not to break down.
The woman presented herself as Lady Aspasia from the village of Aristo, wife of the noble man Pavlos, ruler of the village. She was pretty with long, dark, wavy hair, her skin was tanned and her eyes were the color of a river. Although she looked young, she had this aura around her that made her look more mature. Almost like a motherly aura.
When she presented herself and smiled at him with so much hope in her eyes, Percy couldn't help but present himself " I'm " He doubted for a second, before deciding to be formal with the obviously noble woman in front of him " I'm Perseus, and I don't remember from where I am" He lied, praying to his father that the woman in front of her didn't catch on to his lie.
But the woman's smile got impossible wider " You share name with one of Lord Zeus' children! Does that mean we can expect enormous things from you, my child" Percy felt comfortable with this woman, even when he had only known her for a few seconds. Something about the way she didn't ask for more information about himself, maybe the way she looked at him, with so much affection. It could be the way this woman reminds him so much of his own mother.
" I'm not a child, Lady Aspasia" The woman giggled behind her hand and looked at him with even more sweetness in her eyes.
Of course not, you are almost an adult. " But she said it in such a teasing way that Percy gasped a bit. " Please rest, you are still weak. I insist that you join us for dinner. My husband will be here to introduce you." She smiled as she walked out of the room.
Leaving Percy confused.
Olympus was never a sight to get tired of. Yet Percy felt like the place was mocking him at every corner. He knew this place, he knew the changes and the reasons behind them. He could feel and see the amount of work Annabeth put into the reconstruction of Olympus. But it was wrong, wrong.
Oh so wrong.
He felt like Cassandra, cursed to have knowledge that no one would believe. Percy's curse was different from hers yet with a similar cruelty that made his heart ache.
Percy refused to meet Annabeth's eyes. She was still mad at him after they broke up, and honestly Percy wasn't emotionally stable to deal with her drama. Not without causing some serious damage to her while arguing, Percy was different, Tartarus like different. Percy had been reasonable with his reasons for breaking up with Annabeth and yet she was fucking selfish and only cared about that stupid promise he made.
He broke up with Annabeth, arguing that he felt off after coming back. Waking up to nightmares that were more than that. His PTSD finally caught up with him. He can't be with Annabeth and her control freak behavior, but more importantly.
He broke up with her, because he is no longer the Percy she fell in love with.
He broke up with her because Annabeth was in love with Percy Jackson.
And right now Percy felt more like Perseus Jackson.
Perseus broke up with Annabeth, because he had a taste of what it is to be loved with all your flaws and dark sides.
And he can't turn back to her, not after having taken a taste of that nectar.
He was distracting himself by talking with Frank about a new hobby he had discovered since returning from the past. Frank seemed too intrigued by Percy's rambling, not even blinking during the whole conversation. Soon even Hazel and Piper were by Frank's side listening to the conversation, their eyes also never leaving Percy's face.
"And even if I'm not a skilled singer, I do enjoy singing to myself while finishing my homework or when I'm trying to sleep" Percy finished, not even aware of the small audience he had gained with his revelation. The main audience being Frank, Piper and Hazel, but a few passing nymphs had stopped in their tracks to listen. " I mean, it's not a terrible hobby is it?
Before any of them could respond, thunder was heard gaining the attention of all the demigods standing there. In their majestic glory, sitting on their thrones the gods were waiting for them to finish their story. But Percy was aware of the eyes on him. He was the only demigod that none of the gods could remember from the past, which was weird.
They could remember Annabeth in a slave's body, ending slavery and creating a riot. Piper and Hazel became priestess of Aphrodite, spreading their view of beauty. Leo help the people to forget their fear of innovations. Frank and Clarisse make new armies and strategies to help the growth of Greece. Reyna making the myth of the Amazons grow stronger. And finally Thalia along with Rachel and Will, they created a triumvirate in which they helped the Roman empire to grow.
They were only missing Nico's and Percy's adventures. But unlike Percy they did remember Nico and his help during the fall of believers. But no one, not even his father -not even him- could recall a single feat or time when Percy was present. And Percy lied to them, the cursed helping him to fool Apollo's domain.
" Nico Di Angelo and Perseus Jackson" The thunderous voice of Zeus danced across the hall. Making the walls rumble " You owe us an explanation. Explain your feats and wrongs"
Percy sighed. Already feeling the invisible hand around his neck, squeezing oh so slightly, reminding him of the curse, the torture, the price he had to pay. He swallowed his tears and put a blank expression on his face.
Percy knew his purpose after two months. He had to change the fate of this body, apparently he had been an orphan with no happy ending, and it was Percy's job to change his fate.
Three identical and somehow different voices had said the instructions to Percy. The Moirai. Percy received a reading from the fates that revealed the boy's past and gave him his mission.
Upon completing your quest, you may find yourself back in your time, Perseus.
The problem was that he looked like he was 15 years old, when he was 19 to 20 years old. So Percy was currently somehow confused about what he was supposed to do.
" Well Perseus, this girl is Xenia and she will be helping you in the future" Lady Aspasia presented him with a girl around his age, his current age, with long dark hair but a sad, blank face " She's... she's shy, please don't push her too much alright?"
That had been the first encounter between Percy and Xenia. The girl who will become one of his most loyal companions through his quest. Xenia, the girl who was like a sister in blood to him, Xenia the girl who played a major role in his acceptance of his Greek roots.
" It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Perseus" Light, brown eyes looked back at him, with a mixture of sadness and hope in her eyes that made Percy's heart ache.
She bowed towards him - Percy ignored the feeling of pleasure running through the small portion of gold in his veins- and in a very quiet, trembling manner she responded "I'm Xenia my lord, at your service for the time you reside here"
"Please be free to speak your concerns and displeasures. I have no want to force any task on you that you don't want"
Xenia looked perplexed, gazing at him as if for the first time. After some time to gather her thoughts, she said " My Lord, certainly resembles Lady Aspasia in that manner" Percy tilted his head, his confusion must have been obvious since Xenia hurried to explain " Even if my Lord is not their blood child, you remind this lowly servant of them."
The mention of a child now made Percy curious. He had seen the married couple and could tell, the couple had been together for at least ten years of marriage - It was in the way they knew what the other would say, the way they danced around each other, those details were the give away - Yet Percy hadn't seen a kid from the couple in his stay there.
"Xenia, they don't have kids yet, right?" At this the girl stood still for a few seconds, before slumping her shoulders. " Do they?"
"They had, my Lord. Lady Aspasia's entire happiness lies in a boy. He died around five years ago when he was ten years old. A child still"
Percy felt something heavy in his stomach. In his eyes a bow falling from a bridge, a girl dying in his hands, a brother dying before his twin. He regained his ability to speak and with a strained voice he asked " What happened to him?"
" He played by the cliff, he was running chasing his pet and then he-" Percy closed his eyes, already feeling where the story was moving to. " He was taken by the sea. His body was never found again. They say Lady Aspasia prayed every night for her son to return. But Lord Poseidon only gave her a single sentence ' Your child was taken not by me, but by his fate' Lady Aspasia lost her hopes of ever seeing her son again"
At this Percy felt dread. But still Percy asked " What was he like and how old would he be now?" Xenia had a vulnerable look in her eyes. Worry was also intertwined with her other emotions.
" He had Lady Aspasia's hair color and gentle nature, Lord Pavlos' stubbornness and eyes, his mother nose and father's scowl" Xenia stopped in her explanation, giving him time to picture the boy in his head " In short my lord, you held a certain resemblance to him"
What a funny thing to say. He a son of the sea had a similar face to the boy killed by it.
The Olympians were all looking at him with different emotions in their eyes. Ares was bored with his explanation. Hermes and Aphrodite were taking care of their business, with unamused twin expressions on their faces. Hera and Zeus were a mix of anger, resignation and unbelief. Dyonisus and Artemis held suspicions in their eyes. His father and Apollo - oh, gods, it hurts so much to look at him - held a smile in their faces with a bit of fondness in their eyes. Athena was judging him and Demeter had a blank stare along with Hephaustus.
However, they all had the same emotion. Exasperation.
"You still can't recall what you did?" asked Zeus once again. Percy could feel the hand in his throat forcing the words out of his mouth.
Percy forced his face to stay blank, to hold back the tears that threatened to leak from his eyes. " Yes, I can't recall my time in the past, fate made me forget everything about it"
He wanted to scream that no, he did remember everything from his stay in the past. He remembers so well it hurts, it fucking hurts to see the people he grew close to are no longer here, it fucking hurts.
Yet he refrained himself.
"Is he saying the truth?" Asked again Athena towards the only god in the room who would respond.
Now Percy could feel his heart being torn apart when those beautiful eyes looked at him, but instead of the warm and love he was used to see- " Yes, I can feel the magic of the Moirai in him. There is no memory of Perseus's stay in the past. Like we can't remember what his feats are"
I give you my heart, we made a kingdom together, where you were the patron and one of the main gods. Ares blessed my army and I dethroned a tyrant with it. I gave the heart of a man offering it to Aphrodite and she used to come and talk with me as if we were best friends. My father gifted me a horse on which I took down a city on his name. There are so many feats I have accomplished, and you are right there beside me in almost every one.
Athena then closed her eyes to conclude " It seems there's nothing we can do about it. Perseus' feats are to be forgotten" That was by far the worst feeling ever.
But Percy just shrugged his shoulders, a fake smile already on his face " It seems like it" The meeting was dismissed after that. Percy felt numb already, wanting nothing more but to go back to his apartment and cry until he felt sleep.
"Percy, you sure okay? We can head out and grab a coffee if you want" Asked Rachel concerned about him.
Percy just gave her a reassuring smile and nodded " I'm fine, but I would never say no to a cup of coffee" That made the ginger laugh, gaining a few glances from their friends.
Around his shoulder made Percy tense for a moment before relaxing " Did I hear coffee? I'm down, everything to stay distracted from my project" Leo made a funny image, walking on his tiptoes just so he could wrap an arm around Percy's shoulders, Percy snorted at him, and Leo was glaring playfully at him " Even if short I can beat your ass Jackson"
A wild Nico appeared from nowhere - Probably the shadows- " No you can't, even if you were 7 feet tall, Percy would beat your ass Valdez" Leo made an offended sound, clutching his chest with his free hand.
Leo whined angrily to Nico, "You wound me, Nico, we're supposed to be at the same time! We're both tall!". Reyna was walking past them and Leo called to her " Reyna, please tell Nico that I could win over Percy if I was taller than him"
But the girl had only looked at the group, locked his eyes between Percy and Leo and with a monotone voice said " No. Even if you were to magically grow taller than him, Percy would find a way to bring you down to your knees"
At her statement the whole group laughed. For a moment Percy could forget about all the sadness in his chest. He belonged here with his friends, with his family.
With his family.
Perseus.
Perseus you changed way too much from this time.
You took many lives and you saved many lot.
This are your options:
Forget everything abouth this along with them. No one will remember what you did or said, your legacy is going to be lost. Your hardwork will be for nothing.
Or
Maintain your memories, the mortals will remeber you and be aware of why you left, but no God will remember you. And you will be unable to say a word of what happened in here.
We know you are going to break this curse, no matter which one you choose.
Choose wise Perseus.