#percy: *loses it and controls a water fountain*

[ofswordsandpens]

I can't remember how much of this is implied canon or my own interpretation, but I fully believed that Chiron recognized Percy was a son of Poseidon from the fountain incident with Nancy Bobofit, knew that a child of the Big Three being claimed would be a total shit show, and simply chose not to say a word about it

#percy: *loses it and controls a water fountain* #Chiron: I look away my eyes do not perceive #I just know he was absolutely shitting himself #pjo #percy jackson #chiron #mine

[knuffled]

discipline & punish - chapter four

here it is and it is literally a wall of very explicit smut so please don’t read if that’s not your thing. thank you for reading, and i hope you enjoy it! 

chapter four - virginal delights

Annabeth looked up from her blueprints when she heard the sound of the bell tolling, signalling it was time for dinner. It was dark outside her office window now, even though it had been early in the afternoon when she’d initially sat down to work. With a sigh, she made some final notes on a scrap piece of paper before standing up and leaving her office.

The wound in her abdomen throbbed with pain as she did, just like it had for the past two weeks since she’d been discharged from the hospital. It wasn’t as excruciating as it once was, but she still hissed and gingerly ran her fingers along the top of the gauze pad taped over her stitches in a vain attempt to soothe the pain.

Annabeth had had her fair share of injuries over the years – it came with the territory of being a demigod, after all – but it was still frustrating to live in constant pain from the moment she woke in the morning till she mercifully fell asleep at night. The only moments of reprieve during her day came as she worked when her sheer focus kept the pain at bay.

Her boots clacked against the cobblestone road as she made her towards the dining pavilion. The path took her through the plaza at the heart of New Athens, and she took a moment to stop and appreciate the fountain, now that it was fully functional. It was made from marble, depicting three dryads standing in the center as water poured out of the vases they carried. The rush of falling water was music to her ears, and she felt a swell of pride course through her.

There was a familiar face sitting on a bench, looking at the fountain. Annabeth made her way over with a big grin on her face.

“Dominick!” she called.

The son of Hephaestus looked up and smiled when he saw Annabeth approaching. “Look who’s back from the dead,” he said.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “You’re being awfully dramatic. It was only a flesh wound.”

“A damn foolish thing is what it was,” Dominick said, snorting. “I’m glad you’re recovering.”

“Just because I’m injured doesn’t mean I’m not working on new blue prints to terrorize you with,” Annabeth teased, sitting beside him.

Dominick rubbed his beard, a disgruntled expression on his face, and grumbled, “You should be resting.”

“But that would be boring.”

He huffed a laugh and said, “Well, it’s good to know that near death experiences haven’t changed you.”

Annabeth shrugged. “I’ve been through worse.”

The look in Dominick’s eyes softened. “I know you have.”

Annabeth cleared her throat and shot him a small smile of gratitude. “Thanks for taking over while I was out with the fountain and everything. I appreciate it.”

Dominick waved his hand dismissively.

“It was nothing. If anything, I’m hoping this experience shows you the value of delegating. It’s foolish to try and build Rome on your own,” he said. “You should rely on us more. We all want New Athens to succeed as much as you do.”

Annabeth laughed and said, “You’ve gotten far more eloquent than I remember. What ever happened to being the strong and silent type?”

He shrugged and said, “This isn’t the time to be silent.”

There was a pause before Annabeth said, “Thank you for what you said. I’ll try to make a more conscious effort to not micromanage everything from now on.”

The bench squeaked once Dominick stood up with a grin on his face. “That’s all I ask for,” he said. “I know you have to head to the dining pavilion, so I don’t want to keep you any longer. Keep me posted on how you’re doing and if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Annabeth nodded and waited a few minutes after Dominick’s departure before continuing on her way, but the warm glow in her stomach faded rapidly the closer she got to the pavilion. She found herself clenching and unclenching her fists, dread welling up inside her, and by the time she arrived at the pavilion her heart was almost jack-hammering in her chest. Immediately, her eyes scanned all the tables in search of him without her consent until she spotted Percy sitting alone, like always, at one of the tables at the edges of the pavilion, much to her dismay.

Not for the first time, she cursed herself for taking on the mantle of Camp Director. Her position made her presence at the pavilion necessary during lunch and dinner times. Honestly, Annabeth wanted nothing more than to retreat to the confines of her apartment so she could whip up a salad, maybe pour herself a glass of bourbon, and plop down on her favorite armchair, swaddled in blankets, so she could watch something mindless on Netflix.

Although she would never admit it aloud, Annabeth had done her damndest to stay the fuck away from Percy after her discharge from the hospital. The night he had snuck into her hospital room had only cemented the truth that she could not be around him if she didn’t want to do something stupid, something she would regret.

In fact, since her discharge, Annabeth had only spoken to him once directly to discuss his living arrangements. She briefly toyed with the idea of letting him stay in the Hermes cabin until he was claimed before realizing that was a recipe for disaster, so she had instead instructed him to stay at the Big House until then.

However, because of her position as director she was forced to see Percy twice a day for lunch and dinner, and of course that meant that obscene scent of his would unerringly find a way to waft over to her like the world’s slowest heat seeking missile. Every single day was a battle as her willpower wrestled her growing urges, and each day her willpower grew closer to losing. It had gotten to the point where Annabeth could no longer recall what she had had for lunch, let alone what it tasted like, even earlier that same day because every ounce of her focus was on repressing her growing obsession with Percy.

There was something about him that she found irresistible, something that eroded her self-control. On more than one occasion, she found herself staring out her office window, observing him as he sat at the beach and watched the waves lick the shore for hours at a time. He rarely spent time around other campers, but, once or twice, she had seen Percy coaxing the Naiads in the canoe lake into conversing with him.

Every time she caught herself staring, frustration and shame would bubble in the pit of her stomach, and it just got worse with each passing day. Percy, on the other hand, seemed blissfully unaware of Annabeth’s growing anguish. He would just sit alone and finish his meal quickly before disappearing again while Annabeth was forced to give herself mental pep talks to keep from fucking his brains out in front of everyone in the dining pavilion.

Tonight was no different unfortunately. After Annabeth took her seat, she had to push all thoughts of him out of her mind so she could nod politely when the other campers spoke to her, a terse smile on her face. A son of Ares asked her about organizing a game of capture the flag for that weekend after a daughter of Demeter inquired about the logistics of opening a city garden.

Somehow, in the midst of that bombardment, Annabeth noticed a daughter of Hermes walking towards Percy’s table with a determined expression on her face. Annabeth ground her teeth together and fought the urge to intercept her and turn her away. Recently, she had begun to notice the wayward glances and hushed conversations the female campers had amongst themselves as they stared at Percy, like wolves looking at a piece of meat.

It was the scent, Annabeth assumed. If it was strong enough to threaten her self-control, none of the other girls in camp stood a chance.

Annabeth tuned out whoever was talking to her and watched Percy turn to the girl after she tapped his shoulder, a look of mild bemusement on his face. She couldn’t hear what they said to each other, not this far away, but Annabeth found herself digging her nails into her palm as she watched them.

Percy was hers. No one else was allowed to have him.

Eventually, the girl bowed her head before returning to her table with a somewhat dejected look on her face, much to Annabeth’s satisfaction, but the feeling faded when Annabeth noticed Percy staring at her. When their eyes met, Percy raised his eyebrows, the ghost of a smirk tugging at his lips, which made Annabeth’s skin heat up and prickle, knowing she’d been caught red-handed.

The rest of dinner passed by in a blur. Percy vanished at some indeterminate point in the night, but Annabeth wasn’t sure whether or not to be grateful for that. On her way back to her apartment, Annabeth wracked her brain for solutions to neutralize that ridiculous scent of his – it was what threatened her most of all. Without it, she stood a much better chance of maintaining her self-control.

With a sigh, Annabeth checked her mailbox before taking the elevator up to her floor. Perhaps a child of Hecate could cast a spell on her to make her immune to the scent or maybe a child of Hephaestus could build a contraption that dispelled it. The method was irrelevant as long as it achieved its intended effect.

Once she arrived at her floor, Annabeth was about to make her way down the hallway to her room when she froze at the sight of Percy leaning against her front door. How did he know where she lived? One hand immediately curled around the hilt of her dagger as she stared at him, heart racing in her chest. At the very least, with this much distance between them she would have enough time to react if he chose to attack.

“What’re you doing here, Percy?” she asked carefully.

Percy pushed off the door and stepped towards her. Annabeth had to quell her instinct to step away from him and forced herself to hold her ground instead.

“I think you know exactly why I’m here, Annabeth,” Percy said softly.

Annabeth licked her lips and tried frantically to formulate a response, but nothing was coming to mind. At this proximity, she was exposed to the full brunt of that maddening scent of his, and it was rapidly eroding what little was left of her self-control.

“Do you want to explain why you’re trying so hard to avoid me? You’re doing a very bad job of it though by the way. Don’t think I haven’t noticed all those times you’ve stolen glances at me during dinner,” Percy said.

“You know why. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here.”

Percy smirked and said, “I still want to hear you say it.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “There’s no point – nothing can happen between us.”

Percy raised an eyebrow. “And what exactly is stopping you?”

“Common fucking sense for one thing,” Annabeth snorted. “Also, I don’t fucking trust you. In case you don’t remember, you nearly killed me, for Christ’s sake!”

“I gave you my word-”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?” Annabeth hissed. “All because you gave your word?”

“Yes, that’s the whole point of making a promise,” Percy said slowly, like she had said something incredibly stupid.

Annabeth resisted the urge to scream. “Look, I’m twenty four years old – to me, you’re practically a child, so there’s nothing to discuss here. You need to leave. Now.”

Percy met her gaze for a few seconds before shrugging. “If that’s what you want.”

For a few seconds, Percy stood unmoving and matched her gaze. He wasn’t backing down. The harsh fluorescent light in the hall hummed like a droning bee, adding to the tension between them. Annabeth desperately hoped he wouldn’t continue to argue with her – she wasn’t sure she had the willpower to refuse him again, a realization that only served to inspire more self-disgust.

He’s only 18. He’s the same age as Bobby and Matthew. Send him away. Why the fuck are you still considering this? What the fuck is wrong with you?

It was hard to say how long they both stood there, holding their ground, but eventually Percy shrugged and turned to leave. In the next instant, Annabeth’s body moved faster than her brain could think. There was thud as she pressed Percy against her front door and she surged up to kiss him. His lips were softer than she would have expected, his inexperience showing in the awkward way he kissed her back, but that only served to inflame Annabeth’s lust.

She would be his first and she was going to ruin him.

The thought sent a wave of heat rushing through her. Annabeth pressed her knee in between his legs and tangled her fingers in his hair possessively. She jerked his head to the side, harder than she should have, and sucked bruises along the column of his neck, coaxing a strangled groan out of him.

“Shhh,” Annabeth murmured, voice slurring as she covered his mouth with her hand.

Percy’s hand scrabbled for purchase against the door but found none, making Annabeth grin. Served him right, flaunting that intolerable scent of his at every opportunity, tormenting her for weeks.

Annabeth slid a hand beneath the hem of his jeans and palmed his cock roughly, which was already straining against his boxers, and delighted in the way his legs trembled from the effort of keeping him upright.

Jesus, she was already so wet, and they’d barely even started.

They both stumbled into her dark apartment when she somehow managed to prize the door open, kicking it shut behind her. Her fumbling fingers scrambled to find the light switch just in time for her to crowd Percy against the door and claim his lips again. Annabeth tangled her fingers in his hair and cradled to the back of his head, pulling him down to deepen the kiss.

She was fortunate that Percy was such a quick learner. Within minutes, he found the sensitive spot behind her left ear that always made her go crazy as well as how much her body responded when he softly traced the curve of her spine with his fingers. Annabeth had armed herself with a better idea of Percy’s preferences as well, noting how he liked having his hair pulled and when she clawed at his upper back, between his shoulder blades.

It’s hard to say how long they stayed there, exploring with their lips and tongue, trying to coax reactions out of the other like they were sparring again. Percy was already beginning to resist the control Annabeth had initially claimed, but she’d expected as much. She’d known from the moment they’d traded blows in the hospital that Percy would not be tamed so easily, but that was exactly what Annabeth craved. To her, there was nothing better than forcing a strong will to submit.

They stepped away from each other for a moment in an effort to steady their heavy breathing. A grin split across Annabeth’s face once she saw how debauched Percy looked. He was gorgeous like this: hair mussed, pupils blown wide with desire, lips swollen, neck littered with red bites. His body was so responsive, more so than anyone Annabeth had ever been with.

Annabeth pulled him by the hand towards the living room, knowing they wouldn’t make it to the bedroom, and watched hungrily as Percy desperately shucked his shirt. She got rid of hers as well, leaving her in a bra and jeans, while Percy threw his jeans into some dark corner of her living room. Annabeth pushed him onto the sofa and climbed atop his lap, her hands slowly smoothing down his chest. The hunger in Percy’s gaze as he looked up at her while pressing a kiss to the valley of her breasts, his pupils completely dilated, sent a shiver down her spine.

“This is your last chance,” Annabeth said, breathing heavily. “If you want to stop, now is the time.”

Annabeth could feel the low rumble of Percy’s laughter through his chest. “What in the world makes you think I want to stop?” he asked, lips brushing against her breasts.

Annabeth framed his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. “I have to hear you say it. Tell me you want this.”

Instead of answering, Percy teased one of her breasts out from under her bra and sucked, making Annabeth bite her lip in an effort to keep from crying out.

“Percy,” she groaned, unable to mask her exasperation.

“Fine, I want this,” he said, a challenge glinting in his eyes. “Happy?”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. She would get rid of that arrogant attitude in due time.

She rutted against him and smirked when she felt him harden under her. Percy stared at her, slack-jawed, as she continued mercilessly rolling her hips against him. As desperate as she was to get rid of her pants, she wanted to make Percy suffer more.

His hands reached for her hips in an attempt to stop her, but Annabeth swatted his hands away. If she wasn’t so drunk with lust, she might’ve punished him for even trying to stop her, but tonight she was too far gone to bother with dominance. That could wait for next time.

Annabeth bit and tugged at Percy’s earlobe, eliciting a broken moan that went straight to her cunt. The little noises and whimpers he made stoked her lust for him to a feverish degree.

She stood up and desperately stripped out of her pants, unable to delay it any longer. Her bra and underwear were next to go. Percy discarded his own boxers, and Annabeth took the chance to study him, now that he was fully naked, visually tracing the beautiful lines of his body and the lean muscle he’d formed.

Annabeth pushed him down onto the sofa and climbed over his face, smirking when Percy’s hands instantly went to support her hips.

She tangled her fingers in his hair again. “Lick,” she commanded.

A broken moan escaped her lips as Percy dragged the flat of his tongue along the outside of her cunt. Fuck, that felt good. He repeated the motion a few more times, stoking the fire inside her higher and higher, but it still wasn’t enough.

“Use your tongue inside too,” Annabeth instructed.

When Percy obeyed, Annabeth’s eyelids fluttered shut, and her grip on his hair tightened. It was probably hurting him, but she was too far gone to care. For his first time eating someone out, Percy was doing better than she’d expected. It didn’t take her long to settle on a rhythm and start riding his face. As she grew closer to the edge, Annabeth removed a hand from his hair and rubbed her clit to provide the final boost she needed to cum.

“Fuck, I’m cumming,” Annabeth moaned.

Percy’s hands wrapped around her ass and pulled her closer down onto his mouth as her thighs clamped down on either side of his face. Annabeth jerked hard on Percy’s hair, arching her back, a long moan escaping her as she came. She held onto the sofa’s frame to maintain her balance while her hips spasmed as she rode out the aftershocks of her orgasm.

Once they were done, she moved and sat back atop Percy’s stomach and tried to steady her heavy breathing. Annabeth could feel Percy’s cock straining against the curve of her ass and relished in how dark Percy’s eyes were.

“Not bad for your first time,” Annabeth said, panting.

Percy rolled his eyes and sat up, pressing their chests together. She could feel the outline of his scars against her skin, and she was sure that he could feel her own as well. Neither of them were conscious about – if anything it was a testament to how strong they were as individuals. Percy’s fingers ghosted over the gauze pad taped to her abdomen.

“You sure you’re not hurting yourself?” Percy asked, smirking. “This might be too hard on your elderly body.”

Annabeth narrowed her eyes and shoved him half-heartedly. “I’m not that old, you asshole,” she grumbled.

When Percy laughed, Annabeth could feel it through her skin. “Then does that mean you have enough stamina to keep going?”

Annabeth opened her purse and fished out a condom and tore it with her teeth. “Men shouldn’t talk about stamina.”

She reached behind her and rolled the condom onto his cock before wrapping her hand around it, smirking when Percy’s eyes fluttered shut.

“They never do last very long – most of them are only good for one round.”

Annabeth slowly jerked him off and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “I doubt you’ll even last five minutes inside me.”

Percy glowered at her. “Is that a challenge?”

“Challenge implies you stand a chance of winning, which you clearly don’t.”

A growl rumbled through Percy’s chest, making Annabeth’s smile widen. Good, he was getting worked up. Annabeth found that she often got the best sex out of men once she provoked them.

Percy squeezed her ass hard before he lifted her above his cock and thrust into her. They both groaned in unison and desperately pressed up against each other.

God, it felt so good to be filled.

Annabeth brushed his hair out of his eyes and pressed a messy kiss to his lips. They kissed languidly, their tongues dancing around one another, as she got adjusted to his size. Then, without warning, Annabeth raised herself up and sank back down onto him.

“Fuck,” she muttered.

Percy’s grip on her hips tightened when she circled her hips on her way down. He dropped a kiss to one of her breasts before reaching up to knead the other one, making Annabeth groan. She scratched at his upper back, etching red lines into his skin, and slowly began to ride him.

He managed to work a particularly broken moan out of her when he tugged on a nipple with his teeth. She could feel him smirking against her skin as he sucked it again to soothe the sting.

Annabeth pushed him onto the couch so that she could accelerate her pace, partially to prove he couldn’t last five minutes but mostly because she needed more. Percy tried to sit up again, but she stayed low on him and held him down by the shoulders, sucking a bruise under his chin and making him grunt.

She could feel heat pooling inside her already, the promise of another orgasm on the horizon, and chased after it with reckless abandon, setting a punishing rhythm atop him. The maddening scent of his was stronger now than it had ever been before and seemed to egg her on to go faster and faster. The lewd sounds of them fucking filled her half-dark living room, and the sofa squeaked beneath them, keeping time with her pace.

Percy’s body stiffened a few minutes later, which spurred Annabeth on faster. “Aah, I-I’m gonna,” he stammered.

Annabeth bit his earlobe, pulling with her teeth, before whispering into his ear, “Do it. Show me how you cum.”

Percy wrapped a hand behind Annabeth’s head to anchor himself, his fingers knotting in her hair, as he released a strangled groan.

“Annabeth,” he moaned.

Annabeth felt his cock grow inside her before Percy froze, his eyes screwing shut as his back arched up off the sofa. He was almost completely silent as he came, but Annabeth could feel his entire body quivering beneath her. She’d never seen anything as beautiful as Percy’s face contorted by pleasure, completely slaw-jawed, weaving his fingers into her hair like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to Earth.

The sight itself was enough to send Annabeth over the edge as well. She bit down on his shoulder to keep from crying out, which made his hips jerked upward involuntarily. Her fingernails cut into his upper back, leaving red crescent shaped marks in his skin, while her cunt clenched around his cock desperately.

When she finally came, Annabeth’s entire body felt completely drained, leaving her panting atop Percy’s chest. Annabeth deeply breathed in the smell of sweat, sex, and Percy’s troublesome odor scent that hung in the air. She felt Percy’s hand brush aside the strands of hair that lay matted against her forehead, almost tenderly, and felt her face flush.

Annabeth looked up at him, her head still flat against his chest, and smiled softly when he met her eyes.

“I think that was more than five minutes,” she said coyly. “Well done.”

“Strangely enough, I didn’t really have enough time to check my watch in the middle of all that. Funny, huh?” Percy said.

Annabeth pressed a kiss to his chest and said, “Given how hard I just fucked your brains out, I’m a little insulted that you can still mouth off to me.”

Percy’s ensuing laughter brought a smile to Annabeth’s lips. “Are you always this arrogant?”

“It’s not arrogance if it’s true,” Annabeth said, shrugging. “I fucked you well, and you know it.”

Percy blinked. “That’s fair.”

They lay there in silence for a while. It had been a long time since Annabeth had had such a good fuck. Alyssa and her other partners were fun, sure, but there was just something about Percy. Already her mind raced with all sorts of possibilities.

They hadn’t gotten into any of the good stuff tonight, which fine considering it was Percy’s first time and all, but going forward, Annabeth wasn’t going to be this easy on him. Images flooded into her mind of him bound and blindfolded, sobbing as she edged him for hours, begging her to let him cum. Images of him with his hands tied behind his back, that cute ass of his pointing straight up in the air, red and ready for her, littered with welts from her riding crop, as she fastened her strap-on.

Fuck.

Annabeth bit her lip and rubbed her thighs together discreetly, already feeling heat pool in her stomach. She looked up and noticed Percy’s eyelids were drooping as he resisted the urge to fall asleep. Annabeth traced his scars with her fingers as a small bit of disappointment arose in her – she really would’ve liked to go for a second round, but it was understandable given that it was his first time.

“Not tonight. Next time,” she promised herself. “Next time, I’ll get to have some real fun with him.”

#knuffled fic #discipline & punish tag #percabeth smut #percabeth fic #percabeth

[percabeth4life]

Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter || AO3

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Naturally I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.

I know its rude, but I’m still nowhere near able to trust him. I’m getting really mixed signals from him.

Ugh, I wish I could talk to Triton. He’d know what to do.

I fingered my bracelet and caught a taxi uptown.

“East One-hundred-and-fourth and First,” I told the driver.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

Now, everyone of course knows how amazing my mom is.

Her name is Sally Jackson and she’s had a sucky life, but she deserves the world.

She’s really the best person I know and an amazing mom, even if she’s a little overprotective of me.

Her parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn’t care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she quite school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

The only good break she’s gotten was meeting my dad, probably Oceanus.

She won’t tell me about him, and I don’t have any memories of him except for the dreams I’ve had of being in his palace. My mom doesn’t like to talk about him cause it makes her sad. She has no pictures too.

They obviously weren’t married, Oceanus has Tethys, and Tethys is really nice, so I can see why he wouldn’t want to leave her. But I can’t understand why he would cheat on her with my mom. Unless Tethys was okay with it? Immortals don’t make any sense.

Mom just tells me that he’s rich and important, so their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.

Of course, Oceanus is a sea king. He’s extremely busy. And has a bunch of kids, even if most are fully grown and immortal. Of course, he can’t visit. That doesn’t make it hurt any less.

The myths speak highly of him from what I can find, and he was nice when I was there. I still wish that I had a dad here though, then mom wouldn’t need to marry Smelly Gabe.

She’s raised me all alone, taking odd jobs and taking night classes to get her high school diploma. She never ever complained or got mad, not even once. I know I’m not an easy kid, but she’s amazing.

I did my best to ignore the faint buzzing tugging at me and walking into the apartment.

Unfortunately, mom was not home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, “So, you’re home.”

“Where’s my mom?”

“Working,” he said. “You got any cash?”

His greeting wasn’t a surprise, that was his usual response.

Looking at him I could see he’s gained weight. He has like three hairs on his head instead of the previous five, and all are combed over his bald scalp. As if that could make up for the rest of his ugly.

He manages the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, supposedly. I have no idea how he hasn’t been fired previously, seeing how he’s never gone into work as far as I know.

All he does is collect paychecks, spend money on cigars that made me nauseous, and buy enough beer to drown in. Whenever I’m home I’m expected to fund his gambling. Thankfully the river has lots of money so all I have to do is give him a little and that covers it.

The few times I’ve refused… Well let’s just say it’s a good thing I have healing in water.

“Here,” I grumbled, tossing a five at him, “I hope you lose.”

He sneered as I stalked out, “Your report card came, brain boy!” He shouted, “I wouldn’t act so snooty!”

Jerk.

I slammed the door to my room, which currently smelled like cigars and beer.

Gross.

Gabe was using it as his “study” while I was at boarding school. All the more reason to never go to another ever again.

I pulled Carl, in his newly adapted portable fish tank, from my enchanted back and settled it (and him) on the desk.

He swam in circles happily, until he noticed the mess. Then he grumbled about Gabe.

Honestly the smell was almost worse then the feeling that those old ladies gave me, definitely worse than the nightmares I had about Ms. Dodds. She’s okay now after all.

I shuffled, scratching at my arms, the feeling from the old ladies itching at me, my breathing sped up.

“Percy?” My mom called.

She opened the bedroom door and suddenly everything felt better.

She can make me feel good just by being there, it’s always been like that.

Her and Triton are safe places, I know I’m okay when I’m with them. Nothing could ever go wrong around them.

Her eyes sparkle and change in the light, her smile is as warm as a quilt, she’s got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as any where near old. Whenever she looks at me it’s like she sees all the good, all the things that make her proud, she never sees the bad. I’ve never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even when I was younger or to Gabe.

“Oh, Percy,” She hugged me tight. “I can’t believe it. You’ve grown since Christmas!”

I blinked, had I? My clothes from Triton fit the same. Though, my normal clothes were a little tight…

“And your hair is so long now, we’ll have to cut it later.”

I touched my hair.

“Oh and it’s still so blue, it looks nice.”

I smiled.

Mom looked well though. Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She’d brought me a huge bag of “free samples” it looked like, just like she always did when I finished school, or like she did when I came home for winter break.

“Sit,” she tugged me to sit beside her on the bed now, before starting to question me.

We sat together on the edge of the bed. I attacked a thing of blueberry sour strings and she ran her hand through my hair demanding to know everything that had happened to me while I was away for the last few months that hadn’t made it into my letters.

She didn’t mention me getting expelled, she didn’t seem to care. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing alright?

I leaned into her while laughingly saying she was smothering me. Her presence made everything so much better. I’m… I’m really, really glad to see her.

I blinked back tears, everything has just been so much I don’t know what to do.

From the other room, Gabe interrupted, “Hey Sally—how about some bean dip, huh?”

I gritted my teeth, I really just want to drown him.

My mom is the nicest person in the world. She should’ve been married to a millionaire, not some jerk like Gabe.

For her sake, I kept my last days at Yancy Academy happy. I told her I wasn’t down about the expulsion, I’d lasted longer than usual this time. I’d made a new friend (even if I ditched him now), and I’d done good in Latin and Pre-Calc. Honestly the fights hadn’t been anywhere near as bad as the headmaster said.

I put the best spin on the year that I could, pasting a smile on my face and keeping my voice light.

“Until the trip to the museum…”

“What?” my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. “Did something scare you?”

I couldn’t lie, not to her. But I also can’t tell her about Ms. Dodds.

“No Mom, just… Nancy pushed Grover and I lost control of my waterbending a little. It shoved Nancy into the fountain. But no one seemed to really notice!”

She pursed her lips. “But no one noticed?”

I nodded, “Yeah.” No one that could do anything at least.

She relaxed, “I have a surprise for you,” She said. “We’re going to the beach.”

My eyes widened. “Montauk?”

“Three nights—same cabin.”

“When?”

“As soon as I get changed.”

I was excited, we haven’t been able to go for the last two summers. Gabe said there wasn’t enough money, as if we didn’t get a massive discount because my grandmother had been close friends with the person that owns the land the cabin is on. I doubt we’d be able to afford it if we didn’t have that discount, but we did so there.

Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, “Bean dip, Sally? Didn’t you hear me?”

I wanted to punch him, or better yet, drown him. But I met my mom’s eyes and I understood the deal she was offering me: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.

“I was on my way, honey,” she smiled at Gabe. “We were just talking about the trip.”

His eyes narrowed, “The trip? You mean you were serious about that?”

I bit my tongue to keep from snarling at him. Mom wouldn’t let him stop us, she never broke her promises and she’s probably already paid. If I snap now, then he might try to stop us out of spite.

I just glared.

“Of course, I’m serious,” Mom said evenly, “You won’t have to worry about money. And besides,” she added, “You won’t have to settle for just bean dip. I’m going to make enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works.”

He softened a bit. “So this money for your trip… it comes out of your clothes budget, right?”

“Yes, honey” she said.

I made a mental note to use some of the money I have hidden in my magic bag to buy her something nice to wear.

“And you won’t take my car anywhere but there and back.”

“We’ll be very careful.”

Gabe scratched his double chin. “Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip… And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game.”

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot and see how long you can hold your breath under water, I thought.

But mom’s eyes warned me to not make him mad.

I wanted to scream, I can’t understand why she puts up with this guy.

I put on my princely face just like Triton taught me and turned to him, “I’m sorry. I’m really horribly sorry for interrupting your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now, don’t let us keep you from it.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed, probably trying to use his jellyfish sized brain to look for sarcasm.

“Yeah, whatever.” He decided.

He went back to his game.

“Thank you, Percy,” my mom said. “Once we get to Montauk, we’ll talk more about… everything.”

For a second, I saw a fear in her eyes, the same kind that I saw in Grover’s. A nervousness, as if my mom could feel the buzzing too.

But then she smiled again, and I could almost believe I’d imagined it.

But the image didn’t leave my mind.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

We were all ready to leave, I didn’t bother to unpack my bags, just put Carl’s magic portable fish tank back in my magic bag. I don’t trust Gabe to not mess with my stuff so I’m just bringing it all with me (except my school books). My magic bag holds all of the important things, my books from Triton and my friends, all their gifts, and a few changes of extra clothes (the nice ones from Triton and one pair of normal mortal clothes).

Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom’s bags to the car, griping the whole time about losing her cooking—and more importantly, his ’78 Camaro—for the whole weekend.

“Not a scratch on this car, brain boy,” he warned me as I loaded the last bag. “Not one little scratch.”

I rolled my eyes out of his sight. Obviously, I was planning to drive the whole way, I’m already twelve, might as well get the practice in. I snorted.

I watched him lumber back towards the apartment building. I felt the well of anger in me, just needing a release somehow, and I did the same symbol that Grover did before, only this time I channeled a bit of my power into it, just like I do purification powers.

The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the suitcase as if he’d been shot from a cannon. I hid a smile and got in the Camaro, telling my mom to step on it.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

The rental cabin is on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It’s a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There’s always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, most of the time the sea is too cold to be considered swimmable.

I love the place.

We’ve been going here forever, since before I was born even. My mom met my dad here, even if she never told me I know that’s why it’s so special to her.

It’s special to me because it’s where I waterbended for the first time.

I smiled at the sea and could almost imagine it was welcoming me back.

My mom almost seems to grow younger as we get closer to the sea, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea. They change color a lot, but this spot, here at the beach, is when they look the most like the ocean. I think it’s where they’re prettiest.

Sometimes I wonder if she has immortal blood in her somewhere, it almost seems like it with how she changes based on the place.

We arrived at sunset, opened all the cabin’s windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work. I left Carl’s portable tank in the bag for now, I’d pull him out tomorrow (though I did remember to feed him).

When it finally got dark, we made a fire.

We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash.

She told me about how her dad was so very handsome, she’d inherited his eyes, and how her mom had eyes the color of seafoam and had loved the sea just as much as my mom does.

She told me about all the books she wants to write someday, I really want to read them too. Fantasy books are more fun to me, if there’s audio books of her books I’m definitely reading (listening to) them.

Eventually I pulled together the nerve to ask about my dad, maybe she’ll say something new, something that would help me be sure that Oceanus is my dad. I’m almost positive of it but… but a little more confirmation wouldn’t hurt.

I mean though, who else would be a danger for me, even at the camp, to have as a parent? I would think Poseidon, but the myths are filled with his kids. He wouldn't be a danger as a dad at all. So it has to be Oceanus, he's the only one strong enough that would also be someone the gods might not like.

“He was kind, Percy,” she murmured. “Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle too. You have… had,” she gave a small laugh as she glanced at my blue hair, “His black hair, and his green eyes. Yours is a bit longer than his though.” She ran a hand through my hair.

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. “I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud.”

I wondered if he would. In terms of sea magic, he might, I know Triton is proud. He tells me he is, that he’s very pleased with how far I’ve come. Oceanus might be pleased with me by sea standards, but would he agree with Triton that land lessons are dumb and shouldn’t count? Or would he see me, a dyslexic, hyperactive boy with at D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years and be ashamed.

“How old was I?” I asked. “I mean… when he left?”

Does he just not recognize me?

She watched the flames, “He was only with me for the summer and a little into the fall Percy. Just the one short time. Right here at this beach. This cabin.”

I blinked, I swear I have a memory of a smile, something…

“But… he knew me as a baby?”

He had to… right?

“No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born.”

My heart sank, but also lightened.

If Oceanus had never seen me then I suppose it makes sense that he couldn’t recognize me, even if he could tell that I was something familiar to him based on his comment in my dreams.

“I sense my power on you, you’ve interacted with something of mine.”

Was he recognizing me? Did he not expect me there and assumed I was someone else that had met… me?

I’m not sure but… I was still sad.a

He obviously has his duties as a king, Triton is so busy as a prince being a king must be so much worse, but still. He couldn’t even come to check on mom?

The ancient laws that Zeus made wouldn’t apply to a Titan, would they?

I only know the basics of these laws but…

“Are you going to send me away again?” I asked mom now. “To another boarding school?”

She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.

“I don’t know, honey,” Her voice was heavy. “I think… I think we’ll have to do something.”

Does she not want me around? I just… I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to leave again.

“Are you… are you sending me away because you don’t want me around?” I whispered.

My mom’s eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezing it tight. “Oh, Percy, no. I—I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away.”

But why.

“Because I’m not normal? Because… Because I can waterbend?”

“Oh, oh Percy, you not being normal isn’t a bad thing. And your waterbending is wonderful. I just, I just want you safe. I thought Yancy Academy was far enough away, I thought you’d be finally be safe.”

Safe from what? The monsters? Does… does mom know.

I’ve been assuming she didn’t, but maybe that was dumb.

Does she know? Know who dad is? Know what I am? Does she know about the myths?

“Safe from what mom?”

She stared at me for a long moment…

“I’ve tried to keep you as close to me as I could,” My mom said. “They told me that was a mistake. But there’s only one other option, Percy—the place your father wanted to send you. And I just… I just can’t stand to do it.”

I frowned, Oceanus wanted me to go someplace special?

“He wanted me to go to a special school?”

“Not a school,” She said softly. “A summer camp.”

Camp Half-Blood. Grover had a card for it.

Triton told me about it, though not the name, the camp for Half-Bloods, half immortal, half mortal.

That had to be what mom is talking about.

“I’m sorry, Percy,” She said, her voice breaking. “But I can’t talk about it. I—I couldn’t send you to that place. It might mean saying goodbye to you for good.”

I frowned, Triton didn’t tell me much about the camp, but for good?

“For good?”

She turned towards the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry.

OO OO OO OO OO OO OO OO

I stood on the beach, a storm raging overhead.

I know that I fell asleep, that I was in the bed in the cabin. But now I’m on the beach.

Another one of my dreams? It’s not someplace familiar.

There were two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf.

The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse’s muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagle’s wings.

A low, familiar, chuckle rumbled from beneath the earth. The chuckle from the pit. I could hear whispered goading, urging the two animals to fight harder. The ground rumbled. Sand curled around me. Salt rubbed at my skin, lightning sparked over me.

None of it was there, but the sensations were clear.

I moved toward them, they shouldn’t fight!

“Stop it!” I called, “Stop it Mr. Pit Guy. Stop!”

I was moving so slow, like time was slower for me than for them.

The voice laughed again. “Stand away little Half-Blood,” It crooned. “Let them fight, do not interfere.”

I reached out as the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse’s wide eyes.

I screamed.

I woke up.

For once there was no peaceful sunlight to wake from my dream to, a storm raged outside. Lightning crashed, the wind howled, the waves pounded the dunes.

There was no horse or eagle fighting.

With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, “Hurricane.”

It’s crazy, Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer.

But the ocean was like salt rubbing into my skin, rough and course, like there’s an open wound. The lightning was crackling across my skin. My senses are on fire. This was no ordinary storm. And it’s a very bad one.

Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my already frayed nerves worse.

Then much closer, another noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.

My mom sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.

Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn’t quite the Grover I knew, or… now he was showing the Grover I’d been suspicious of all year.

“Searching all night,” he gasped.

Creepy.

“What were you thinking?”

Obviously that you were out to get me?

My mom looked at me in terror though—she wasn’t scared of Grover, that much was clear. She was scared of why he was here.

“Percy,” she shouted over the storm. “What happened at school? What didn’t you tell me?”

Where should I start!? Why did it seem like I was in trouble? I’ve dealt with everything before! There was nothing really new!

“O Zeu kai alloi theoi!” Grover yelled. “It’s right behind me! Didn’t you tell her?”

Tell her what.  

Grover is standing there, a satyr, mom isn’t surprised at all, there’s a storm raging filled with so much blazing power that I’m shocked it didn’t wake me sooner, and no one seems to want to explain anything.

My mom turned to me though and talked in a tone she’d never used before: “Percy. Tell me now.”

I blurted out that Ms. Dodds had turned into a vampire bat lady and attacked me, my mom listening with a deathly pale face, visible in the flashes of lightning that scorched my skin with their power.

She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, “Get to the car. Both of you. Go!”

I grabbed my magic bag, and hurried to the car, following Grover.

#percy jackson #PJO #perseus jackson #Grover underwood #grover #sally jackson #percy figures out how to control water young #percy calls himself a waterbender #waterbender percy #pjo aus #pjo fanfic #pjo fanfiction #percy jackson fanfiction #Triton #avatar: the legend of percy #Avatar the legend of percy #avatar fan percy

[fireandseaweed]

Ambushitious || Marcus and Percy

Percy and Marcus clash in the streets of New Rome.

Marcus sighed as he began the patrol with a few other Romans. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do the patrol, he actually enjoyed the fact that he was put in charge. It gave him yet another chance to prove his leadership capabilities. No, it was the fact that nothing happened on patrols and that they became boring. He led his team through the forest at the edge of the Roman borders. The patrol consisted of around six demigods, including himself. A few archers walked ahead of them, scouting, whilst the rest stayed in formation just behind. Everything seemed to be going as to plan to Marcus’s dismay when one of the archers signaled out to them. With a grin, Marcus left the formation and walked up to the demigod’s side. There was movement up ahead, and with the only scheduled patrol being them, whoever was in the woods was not Roman. He signaled the group to move forward to investigate, the archers moving as to flank the Greeks or whoever was in the woods. That’s when Marcus heard an explosion from the right. It was a trap, an explosive device that had been set off. With a growl Marcus and the group moved to the left, using their shields to prod the ground in front of them. Whoever they had heard had been setting traps, and who knew how many more there were.

Percy and a small group of engineers had been walking together to make everything a bit safer for them. Trapping was something that they’d been doing more than ever before. Greek fire trip wires, bear traps, hidden spike pits. It was a way of engaging the Romans without risking their own people. They were sorely outnumbered in this and they couldn’t waste their man power. As the explosion rang out through the night, Percy had to admit that he hadn’t expected that particular trap to go off so quickly. The Romans had obviously gotten here ahead of their schedule. “Form up,” he whispered to the Greeks as the Romans began to advance. Riptide flashed gently in the green light as the Greeks raised their shields and formed a line of six. On either side of him Greeks took their positions, the tension in the air was palpable and he could only anticipate the coming battle. “Are you ready to die?” he asked the Romans quietly, “I’ll let you leave, this battle doesn’t have to happen, you can all walk away and we won’t kill you. Last chance.”

Marcus twisted towards the voice he had heard. Marcus made out the figures in the dark, the moonlight tinted green and glinting off their shields and armour. The romans had already moved into position as they heard the voice. “I think you’re mistaken Graecus. We won’t be the ones dying tonight.” Marcus had an advantage, it was night and he could already feel his powers flourish in the moonlight. He unsheathed his knife and with a flick of the wrist, he disappeared from sight. “Forwards!” He called out to his Roman troops before advancing on the greeks himself. He moved through the woods, almost soundless, making his way around the Greek formation and within seconds making a fatal move on the outermost Greeks. As he felt his powers draining, he moved away again and quickly joined the Romans and unveiling himself. His sights now set on the person who was speaking. “Don’t make your dwindling numbers dwindle faster.”

As a daughter of Vulcan fell with a cry of pain to his left, Percy grit his teeth and realised that this was a fight that was going to be taken until the very end. Swallowing gently, he shook his head sadly. “I hoped that we could avoid this,” he replied, springing forward and bashing his shield into a Roman, the young man staggered backwards, and two Romans instantly filled the gap that he’d made in their small defensive line. Exactly as Percy had hoped as he veered left and jabbed his blade into the shoulder of someone who was indistinguishable in the night. Blood spattered his sword as he wrenched it free, before easily lopping off the head of the Roman who had dared come against him. As he evened the proverbial score, he couldn’t help but reach out for water, draining it from the air and blasting it forwards in a volley of icicles that rattle against shields and shattered against armour, driving the Romans back. “Fall back,” he ordered in fluent Greek, “use the traps we’ve lain already.”

Marcus grit his teeth as a Roman cried out in pain. The leader of the Greeks was a good fighter, really good. That’s probably why he was in charge. It wasn’t until the volley of icicles shot through the night air that he put an identity to the leader. It must have been Percy Jackson. A small smile fell across his lips. Marcus Acardi, the man who brought down Percy Jackson. A few greek words were spat out as the Greeks moved backwards into the night. Instinctively, the Romans followed. It was too late by the time Marcus had realized what the Greeks were doing. Another explosion went off as the Roman in front set off a Greek fire trap. Greek fire, a substance that truly set this war into action. A rune on Marcus’s back began to glow through his armour, a rune that allowed him to increase his power control. Thanks to his mother, Trivia, and being a descendant of Vulcan, he manipulated the fire out of the way, stopping other Romans from being burnt alive. Then, with a grunt he throw balls of flames into the night, crashing into the ground and setting off more traps, causing Greeks to jump out the way and lighting up their path forward. “Percy Jackson! Face my blade like a man and perhaps you can join your girlfriend in the underworld!”

Swallowing, Percy wouldn’t allow himself to be baited out by a Roman. Not when he currently held the advantage. Holding his hand up in a fist, the five remaining Greeks dropped their shields and held their position, Percy looked at the Roman who was firing fire balls off at them and couldn’t help but notice the deliberate attempt to seperate them all. “I’ve been to the underworld several times before,” he shouted back, “at this point ese it is my summer home.” As the Romans kept their attack going, Percy intercepted the fireballs with blasts of water, although the air was quickly becoming dry and Percy was forced to give more ground, unwilling to risk more Greek lives if he could help it. As they pulled back across the street, Percy spotted a fountain in a courtyard and drew all of the water around him, gesturing for the Greeks to hold back, he wrapped the water around him in a tight bubble before leaping forward and firing icicles and lances of water off at the Roman. His sword slicing out and the water responding becoming a cold extension around his blade. A Roman charged him and his sword connected with the shield, the water blasting them backwards. The Greeks moved to back him up and Percy knew that they were out of traps. Their advantage up for the moment.

Marcus worked hard to manipulate the water, feeling the energy drain from him. If he wanted to keep this up, he’d need to start using energy that wasn’t his, but that was not an option. That kinda magic always came with a price. He did however, manage to meet the Greeks attacks with the fire before finally waving his arms as if to silence an orchestra and snuffing out the flames. Panting, he wiped the sweat from the brow and ordered the Romans back into a tight formation. “It won’t be long now until we have reinforcements. They would have noticed we did not return on schedule and they would have seen the flames. Keep them here.” He snapped in latin to the soldiers around him. Their numbers were not terrible, one casualty and a few injuries. But the Greeks seemed to be the same, plus one big ball of water. Due to Percy Jackson, the Romans could not advance without being blasted back by a torrent of water. “Drop the powers Jackson, show us how you fought in tartarus. I heard there wasn’t much water down their.” The Romans stood by, ready for any sort of attack that might be thrown at them whilst Marcus bought time. Time that it would take for more Romans to arrive and time it would take for his powers to recharge.

Laughing mirthlessly to cover up his panting, Percy knew that there was only so long that he could do this and he was already preparing to give the signal to retreat. It didn’t take a genius to work out that they were soon going to be out of their depth and he didn’t want to lose anyone else. Too many Greeks had already died without him recklessly adding to that number. Swallowing, he sighed gently and chewed his cheek before shaking his head at Marcus. “And drop my main advantage?” he asked, “Do you think that I managed to survive all of these years by playing to my opponents strengths.” Once upon a time he might have taken the Roman up on his offer, but he was a very different person to the man that he had once been and he wasn’t willing to let the others get hurt. Alas, it seemed as if it weren’t his choice, for as the Greeks pulled back, one of the Romans hefted a spear and hurled it past Percy, he was too slow to block it and it skewered a daughter of Iris through her neck, sending her to the floor with a gurgling noise. But he wouldn’t allow it to get to him. They needed to escape and soon. “Get ready to pull back,” he said to his remaining troops, looking sadly at the two bodies of his own forces.

Watching the spear fly through the air made Marcus miss his favorite weapon. He had chosen the knife as he already had two archers for this patrol and it was something he was also skilled at. “Give me your bow and quiver.” He ordered to the Roman who was the designated Archer but who seemed to not be doing his job properly. He snatched it up and swung the quiver over his shoulder before quickly taking aim and firing a volley of arrows rapidly at the Greeks. A few flew directly towards Percy whilst others headed towards his companions on either side of him. He growled as all but one of his arrows missed their targets. The one flying into a Greek’s shoulder, their cry echoing in the night. “Surrender Percy Jackson or watch your friends die!” Marcus called out before signaling for his team to advance. Marcus let a few more arrows fly as he moved closer. His quiver emptied quickly and soon enough it was empty. He shrugged the leather bag off of his shoulders. He drew back the string of the bow, and with concentration he pushed the mist together to form an explosive-arrow construct, but did not let it fly.“This is your last warning!”

Replenishing his stock of water, Percy bolstered his defenses. His blade flashed as he took up a defensive position, raising his shield over his body he caught the arrows. He heard the cry of pain but couldn’t take the time to look and see what had happened. Swallowing gently, he took a step backwards as he spotted more Romans moving around them. “Started moving back,” he ordered, using his will to shape the water into a thin wall of ice. With more water he could’ve done more work, better work, but currently he didn’t have many other options, the Romans would almost certainly over run their position if they didn’t fall back further. Retreating away from the current alley, Percy charged straight into some Romans who had appeared to be trying to flank them. Clattering into them, he swung his sword and watched it slash through the armour as if it were nothing more than butter. The Greeks followed him, the injured ones bringing up the rear as they exited the streets and headed back towards the forest that they had first been fighting in.

Marcus let the arrow fly without hesitation. He watched as it impacted the ice wall and caused it to shatter, revealing a fleeing Greek force behind it. The disgust on Marcus’s face that they were getting away must have been evident because his Roman patrol raced after them without hesitation, only to be cut down by the mighty demigod. Marcus was not far behind them, running as fast as he could to catch up, leaving other legionnaire behind at the edge of the forest. Marcus ran. Through the trees and into the darkness, the only sound was the sound of his own breath and the forest detritus beneath his feet. Finally he stopped, his breath visible in front of his face. He looked around him, eyes and ears sharp for any movement or noise that was out of place. “Jackson!” He called out, his voice echoing off trees around him. “Face me!” he called out again into the darkness. His right hand twirling in a mist that was identical that that left his mouth, feeling the mist around him, ready to form a mist-construct such as a throwing knife or spear.

As Percy and his troops darted through the woods they past a small brook which had been artificially placed in the park. But the water that ran through it was enough. Turning to his troops he nodded for them to continue. “I’ll cover your escape and follow you back there once we have dealt with these Romans,” he dropped his shield for speed, slipping his sword into a defensive stance and pressing himself against a tree for cover. In the darkness he waited until he heard the Roman shout after him. Darting forward he leapt at the Roman and brought his sword jabbing down towards him, landing he twisted and spun his leg low hoping to catch them off balance. Dashing backwards he headed for the river, raising the water around him and tightly whipping it in a ring around his body, ready for the next inevitable attack that would soon come.

Marcus stepped back quickly out of the way of the demigods sword, but didn’t see the leg in the dim light. The demigod swept him off of his feet and he landed face first into the dirt below. He quickly stood back up, ears ringing, and spat out the blood from his bleeding lip. A bloody smile formed as he ran after the other, only to stop dead in his tracks as the son of Poseidon formed the water into a ring. His eyes narrowed as he realized that he was somewhat outmatched. “Clever.” He simply said, backing up. If he still had some arrows, he’d conceal himself and fire them off at him, but he only had his one knife and there was no way he could get a clean shot. “You may have gotten away this time Perseus Jackson,” He paused momentarily only to spit out more blood, “But next time you won’t be so lucky.”

As the ring floated in front of him momentarily, Percy took the time to listen to whatever shit the Roman had to say. He wasn’t convinced that it was particularly important, or even something that he should be wasting his time with. But he wasn’t about to potentially miss out on something that was potentially going to maybe give them the advantage in a future battle. As the Roman seemed to realise that he was out matched, Percy couldn’t help but let loose a volley of icicles that headed the Roman’s way. They were half a foot long, razor sharp and deadly if they hit that right point. “There was no luck,” he replied, his brow furrowed, “sometimes you just go up against someone who is better at you. Not everyone can be as good as me after all,” it was childish. He should’ve known better than to goad someone when he was still in a dangerous situation. But this war had been so difficult on him and all of his friends and he couldn’t think of a way that they could beat this. So it felt good to succumb to some sort of temptation and to do something that was foolish, just this once.

Marcus quickly reacted to the icicles, raising his arm and summoning his shield. He let out a heavy grunt as an icicle hit his shield hard and sent him backwards onto the forest floor, shattering his magical-construct shield. Marcus knew he wouldn’t survive another volley like that and growled as he stood to his feet. He was weak and drained, not having enough magical energy to make a move that would affect more than just his floating moat of water. Sucking up his pride, and struggling to ignore the other man's goading, he spat at Percy before slowly backing away into the trees behind him, already considering what he’d tell the others. Marcus finally let a smile slip, the patrol hadn’t turned out as bad as he thought it would.

#f&gwriting #f&gbattle #f&gwar #chatzy para #para #p: marcus #death tw #blood tw #sort of? #ambushitious

[breakfastatwonhos]

Gone Bad

➳ Pairing: Lee Minhyuk X OC ➳ Genre(s): Non-Idol AU, Fluff ➳ Word Count: 2317 

Summary: Dog walking is not the easiest thing to do when the dogs are thinking completely different things than you are. 

A/N: I made this for @tokyoblack aka (Christmas Cupcake) for the Secret Santa exchange. A super cute fluffy Minhyukie! Technically I was supposed to start yesterday but I’m ahead in Korea lol. Anyways I hope you enjoy this!

Panic filled you as one of the many leashes you held in your hand slipped from your grasp and fell to the ground. Sensing its new found freedom, the little Yorkie attached to the other end, affectionately known as Bubbles, bolted off in the direction of destination unknown. With its little tail wagging and it’s barks echoing in the distance, the dog refused to stop as you chased after it. “Bubbles, get back here!” You yelled. “Sit! Stop!!” But the dog continued on its journey. With five dogs, ranging in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and breeds, running along side of you as you continued to chase the Yorkie, who was now happily chasing a butterfly, you secretly found yourself hoping the day couldn’t get any worse than what it already was. Somehow you knew it would. You had an inkling in your bones. A funny feeling in the pit of your stomach. “Damn it!” You cursed, as the thought of turning on your heels and letting the dog run off crossed your mind. You inhaled deeply, knowing that you couldn’t and wouldn’t be able to live with that on your conscious. So you continued chasing the dog, screaming at it to stop and sit, it did neither. The sound of snickering, the stares, and the blatant pointing of the park’s other occupants, at you, did nothing to calm you down. To add insult to injury, Bubbles was now looking at you, watching you and the other dogs run towards her with her tongue hanging our of her mouth and what looked like a smile on her precious little face. Just as you reached to grab her leash, Bubbles ran off once again. You threw your hands up in the air in frustration, simultaneously releasing the other leashes you held in your hand. Each of the dogs, except the old Boxer, Min, and the small Pomeranian, Princess, took off running in various directions. Now, instead of one dog being on the loose, you had four. You quickly grabbed the leashes of Princess and Min, and took off in the direction of the Poodle, Missy. Missy grabbed a tennis ball that landed near her feet, put it in her mouth, and ran towards you. You laughed, watching as Missy dropped the ball at your feet. You picked up her leash and the tennis ball. Tossing it back to the owner, you yelled thanks, although from the look of confusion etched on her face, you could tell she had no clue how she just helped you. Looking around the park, you searched for the other three dogs. Your eyes landed on the Great Dane, Percy, who was drinking water from an automatic doggy fountain. Running as quickly as you could, you took control of Percy’s leash without alerting the dog, who was too busy lapping up water with its huge tongue. With four dogs in your control, you felt things were looking up already, that is if you could locate Bubbles and the Dalmatian pup, Bells. Bubbles ran pass you with Bells on her tail. You tried grabbing her leash, but was unsuccessful, however, you stepped on Bells’ leash, stopping the puppy with ease. Bells turned to face you and as you bent to get her leash, she licked your face. You laughed, scratching behind her ears. “That’s a good girl, Bells. Maybe after we get Bubbles, I’ll give you a treat.” Bells kicked her hind legs, wagged her tail happily and barked several times. Standing fully, you looked around the park, hoping to see Bubbles. As your eyes roamed over the plush greenery of the park, your eyes caught Bubbles. She was playing with another dog, a German Shepard. Both dogs chased each other with the German Shepard, running away from Bubbles. As Bubbles leaped onto of the other dog’s back, he ran away. You shook your head at the apparent game of tag the two dogs were engaged in. The owner of the German Shepard laughed and as the infectious sound greeted your ears, you stopped in your tracks. The sound was boisterous and almost jolly. It was not what you expected to come from the frame your eyes were locked on. His blonde hair was cut short, and over those deep brown expressive eyes that were now crinkled into two small slits and held a child like gleam, were two thick eyebrows. His whitened smile was simply breathtaking and in revealed a set of dimples in his lightly tanned cheeks. To sum it up, the man was handsome. Downright, sinfully sexy. Beautiful. You found yourself slipping into a blissful, euphoric world each time his laughter rang out in the air. The chirping of the birds faded. The blaring of car horns, disappeared. Even the constant chattering of couples enjoying the sunny June day was muted. The only sound that filled your ears was the rapid drumming of your heart and his angelic voice as he called out to Bubbles and his dog. Just as fast as you were able to slip into this peaceful revenge, you were pulled back to reality when several of the dogs began barking and pulling away from you. Your eyes traveled in the direction of what caused the commotion. A squirrel. You shook your head and turned back to the man, who was headed towards you, with Bubbles in his hand and his own dog trotting beside him. “I think she belongs to you.” He handed you Bubbles, who licked your face. You nodded, accepting Bubbles from the stranger. “Yes, she does. Thanks!” He smiled, “No problem.” Instantly your heart rate kicked up and the air that you held in your lungs was knocked out of you with such force, you staggered backwards a few steps. Sure you witnessed the beauty of his smile while he played with both dogs, at a distance, but your body was not ready for how it would effect you once you experienced it up close and personal. You felt the painful tightening of your chest against the white cotton shirt that boasted your best friend’s name and contact information for her dog walking business. His eyes traveled from the red hat that covered the unruly mass of hair on top of your head, down to your knockoff designer shades, over the shirt, down to the pack of dogs that sat at your feet, finally back to your eyes. He smiled as he ran the tip of his tongue of his lips, revealing the most perfect set of teeth you’ve ever set eyes on. Damn, you thought, suddenly feeling self-conscious. You ran the tip of your tongue over your own set teeth. “So, you own a dog walking business?” You raised a questioning brow. He motioned towards your shirt. You followed his gaze and found yourself laughing at the momentary brain fart he caused you to have. “No, actually I don’t.” It was his turn to raise one of those thick eyebrows your fingers itched to trace. “Oh really?” You nodded, “My best friend does. She likes to walk dogs on the weekend so she started her own business.” You looked down at the dogs then back at him. “She twisted her ankle a few days ago and I’m filling in for her this weekend.” His smile grew wider. “Aww, that’s nice of you.” He extended his hand. “I’m Minhyuk.” You offered him one of your hands and as soon as the two of you made contact, you felt a surge of electricity flow between the two of you. It was so strong, so overwhelming, you both flinched. You quickly let go of his hand. “And this is Polo.” He said, gently rubbing the top of the German Shepard’s head. “Say hi, Polo.” The dog barked and you chuckled. “I’m El. Allow me to introduce you to my 4 legged friends”, you said with enthusiasm. “This is Percy, Missy, Bells, Min, Princess, and you already know Bubbles.” With each name you said, you raised the leash belonging to the corresponding dog. Minhyuk ran a free hand over each of the dog’s heads. “Do any one of these dogs belong to you?” You shook your head. “No”, you answered sadly, “but Bubbles actually belongs to my best friend.” You saw what looked like disappointment flash in Minhyuk’s eyes before disappearing and you wondered if your lack of furry companion, just caused you to lose the chance in getting to know him better. “With my job, I travel the world and can’t take a pet with me.” You explained, feeling as though an explanation was needed. But his lack of response was not the reaction you were hoping to garner. Recognizing the opportunity of building a friendship, or more, with him came and went, you realized with a soft sigh. “Well thank you so much for getting Bubbles for me. She got off her leash and I chased her all over the park.” You laughed nervously, hoping the tension would somehow dissolve. It didn’t. “It was nice meeting you Minhyuk.” Without waiting for him to respond, you began to speed walk toward the entrance of the park, wanting to forget today’s episode. A deep, red flush crept over your face. Regret settled in. You knew all along that the meeting of someone as handsome as Minhyuk was too good to be true. You reminded yourself of that sinking feeling you had in your stomach, no more than thirty minutes ago, that the day would get worse. And you’d been right. You shook your head, needing to shake the feelings that slowly began washing over you, away. Allowing yourself to wallow in self pity would not make the events of the day change. You knew, as well as anyone else, that things in life happened for a reason. That people are brought into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. And because you were now leaving the park alone, well not totally alone, you still had 6 energetic dogs that you came with, you knew that meeting Minhyuk was suppose to be nothing more than a friendly hi and good-bye. Like a gentle breeze caressing the face on a balmy summer day. It offered temporary relief. Meeting him caused all sorts of wondrous feelings and thoughts. But why? You shrugged, not really knowing the answer. Not truly understanding how one man’s smile, that man’s smile, made butterflies flutter against the lining of your stomach. Why was it that, with him, you felt free. As if the constraints, that once held you back, were suddenly removed. Your mind was working overtime with many questions that you somehow knew would never be answered. The chance to explore those questions in hope of gaining their answers, had been snatched away from you. Maybe it was predestined. You scoffed. You were never one to believe in destiny. Well, not to the extent of how other people did. You were the master of your fate, the captain of your soul. As you turned the corner of the park’s entrance, the barking of a dog, in the distance, caught your attention. You stopped and looked around, suddenly becoming paralyzed as the sight of Polo running towards you with Minhyuk not far off his tail. Once Polo reached you, he began tugging on the bottom of your shirt, pulling you in the direction of Minhyuk. You struggled to free yourself from his grip, but your attempts proved futile, as the dog dragged you like a ragdoll. You stopped fighting just as Minhyuk reached you. “Polo, what has gotten into you?” He asked, his chest heaving. He used the bottom of his gray tank top to wipe tiny beads of sweat that clung to his sun kissed skin. All the while exposing the taunt muscles of his stomach. You inhaled sharply. Polo finally released your shirt. “I am so sorry El.” Minhyuk said, his voice filled with sincerity. “He just broke away from me and ran after you.” Rubbing Polo behind his ear, you shrugged with a smile. “It’s fine. Remember Bubbles did the same thing.” Minhyuk laughed at the memory. “Yeah, but Polo has never done that before.” “Neither has Bubbles, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.” Minhyuk nodded in agreement, his eyes dropped down to where Polo held your shirt hostage. A frown crested his face. “He ripped a hole in your shirt!” You looked down at the material and noticed several small holes in it. Although it was no big deal for you, apparently it was to Minhyuk. The shirt was old and worn anyway. He muttered a curse. “I am beyond sorry.” Gripping Polo’s leash, he stooped down to get face to face with his. “That was a bad choice Polo. No sir.” Polo whimpered, before laying down on his stomach and covering his face with a paw. Minhyuk smiled sadly as he lovingly ran a hand over his. “It’s okay. You just can not do that again.” He stood back up and looked from the holes in your shirt, back to you. “I feel horrible.” You waved it off. “There’s no need for you to feel bad. This shirt is old anyway. Besides, I know he didn’t mean it.” You began rubbing Polo’s side. “Did you, sweetie? No, you didn’t mean it. I know you didn’t.” Polo flipped onto his back, you scratched his stomach, watching as his feet kicked in the air, before he flipped back over and licked your face. “I know this may seem-” he shrugged nonchalantly, “-weird, I guess, but I was wondering if maybe you would like to have dinner with me...” He paused, then added, “Especially since Polo ripped your shirt.” Exhaling a breath you didn’t know you were holding, you smiled. Maybe there was more to this destiny thing, you thought as you said, “I’d like that very much.”

#kpoptrashtag #Lee Minhyuk #holiday haul #monbebe net #monsta x #secret santa #monsta x fluff #non idol AU #idol AU #kpop #minhyuk

[furashuban]

Controlling Metal

Day 1: Water/Magnestism

@lapidot-week

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9689453

This takes places after Too Short to Ride. 

summary: Peridot shows Lapis her new powers

Lapis was on the roof of the barn viewing the sundown while waiting for Peridot to come back from the temple. The entire place was quiet without her however. There wasn’t much to hear or do when she was on her own. And she didn’t want to intrude with the stuff in the barn. As she stops gazing for one moment, she then gapes at the pool Peridot made for her and moves her finger at it, creating a trivial fountain to spring out. But it didn’t certainly help with her tedium.

The ocean gem sighs as she repeatedly controls the water to kill time. Peridot has been away for ages and she was in the barn with no one else. It was both boring and scary to be in the barn unaided, only with a leaf to inanely keep her company. She tries not to worry about her absence since Peridot was only at the temple, and nothing remotely bad can happen to her there. But she hopes she comes back unwounded.

Suddenly, she hears a screech calling her name from a distance. “Lapis! Lapis!” she hears faintly. She perceives Peridot running to the barn, thus she brings her out her water wings and flies down the roof to meet the oddly thrilled green gem

“Lapis, you aren’t going to believe this…” Peridot says the moment Lapis lands in front of her. The ocean gem gets a bit intrigued with what she sought to disclose, as well as why her arm was behind her back. Peridot then brings out her concealed hand, revealing her tablet hovering over her palm. “Isn’t it cool?” she asks her stirringly.

“A floating rectangle?” she guesses. Her expression becomes gawkily straight as she was imagining a more enthralled response to her metalkenesis.

“Do you also want to show me what that is too?” she points at the alien plush wrapped around her arm. The condition gets even more awkward than what was hoped for.

“Um…Wait. Just follow me.” Peridot says.

They both gait inside the barn and stand next to the pickup truck. Peridot rubs her small hands and receipts a deep breath, preparing to use actually use her magnetism in front of Lapis. “Behold!” she calls out her attention. Her eyes shut close as she extends her arms out on the truck. High pitched snarling arises out of her voice, trying to concentrate on levitating the truck. Lapis watches the green gem in confusion with her arms folded. “I don’t get this…” she thinks.

She watches her struggle to present her metal powers for a lot of minutes. Out of all things made of metal in the barn, Peridot chooses to imprudently control a truck with her recently found powers. But it was not like she was going to give up right away.

Almost immediately, the truck soars up summarily half way to the roof, and Peridot screeches at the top of her voice after liberating all her power. Lapis’ eyes enlarges, viewing the sorcery of the green gem. “Okay Peridot, you can do this.” She thinks as she looks at the truck ascended by her mind. “This is just to impress Lapis.”

The weight of the wagon begins affecting her ability to hold it. As Peridot lowers her hand gestures to bring it down, the truck quavers arbitrarily from left to right. Lapis then gets worried that Peridot would get crushed. In consequence, she controls the water from the pool to create a hand and goes inside the barn.

Peridot gets startled when the truck gets grabbed by Lapis’ water hand. Eventually, they both lose control of their powers, and Lapis accidently throws the pickup truck halfway out the façade of the barn.

The green gem writhes and perspires as well as her roommate. Another huge dent was now added to the barn, and was all triggered by slight panic.

“Would you mind explain to me what that was?” Lapis questions.

“Um, that was my new power.” Peridot answers

“Wait, you have powers now?” Lapis asks again.

She answers affirmative. “Metal powers to be exact. Pretty amazing, right?”

“But wait…I thought you said you didn’t have any powers.”

“Yeah, but Steven and Amethyst helped me learn about this just today.”

Lapis definitely thought that Peridot having metal powers was amazing. But she was still pretty disordered with the impression. Peridot spoke to her a lot in the barn, mostly about where they both came from before living on Earth. Era 2 Peridots like her were not made with powers, which explain why she had limb enhancers the first time she saw her. But by some means, she can control metal now, and Lapis was content for her. “Well, it is cool, I guess.” She grins.

As the incident was over, the 2 gems both go to the top floor of the barn after the sun had set. Peridot puts on a season of Camp Pining Hearts for her to binge watch with Lapis over again. They take a seat on their meek couch and pay attention to the TV, watching Percy trying to say sorry to Paulette once again.

Lapis pays attention to Peridot who was commenting on their interactions sardonically. She still wondered about her metal powers, questioning if she could do various uses the same way she uses her waterkenesis. For a gem like her, it could take a while for her to control her ability more enhancive.

“Peridot,” she says.

“Yes Lapis?” Peridot answers.

“You know I’m a little…worried about you.” Lapis admits

“Um, why?”

“It’s because of your powers.”

“Oh. Well if this is about crashing the pickup truck outside the barn, it’s fine.” Peridot presumes. “We both got carried away.”

Lapis glances at half the truck sticking inside the barn and chuckles afterwards. “Yeah I know, but it’s something else.” She says. “Since your powers are new, maybe you should learn how to use them less forcefully.”

“Hmm…I guess.” Peridot answers. “Well I’m pretty sure you had a hard time trying to use your water abilities, too.”

“Peridot, I was made with these powers. I was able to use it in the first try.”

“Oh yeah, right.”

Peridot thinks about what Lapis had said about her powers. The only metal things she is able to control properly are her tablet, paint cans, and metal rings. Levitating the pickup truck not only proved that she was resilient enough to use her powers, but also bared how she couldn’t recognize her asset. She needed to know how use them like how Lapis could use her own powers.

She always saw her waterkenesis as stunning and ingenious, and Lapis knew that well. Peridot wanted the ocean gem to see her metal powers the same way she sees her water powers. But how could she possibly impress her with something that does not involve combat?

The next morning, Lapis wakes up from napping, but finds Peridot missing. “Peridot?” she gets up from the couch.

She rubs her eyes looks around the room. Unexpectedly, she sees Peridot with her paint can stilts on her feet while hovering in front of her. “Look Lapis!” she says. “Just like how you can use your water wings to fly, I can control my paint cans to make me fly too!”

As the ocean gem watches her levitate in midair, she snorts amusingly at her incisive roommate. “That’s what I’m talking about”

#lapidot week #lapidot #fanfiction #my works #magnetism #water #controlling metal #lapis lazuli #peridot #day 1 #steven universe

[storiesbyaya]

Story of a Hero -3

{First} {Previous} {Mobile}  {Next} "You can turn your alarm off without getting up!" "Percy, that's not a good thing… If y'have an alarm, it's because you need it. But you can get your slippers when they're halfway across the room!" "You can change the channel from underneath the blankets!" "Or catch falling babies!" ".…I don't think babies fall… This isn't the 1930s." " Yeah but if they do, hon, he can catch them!" "Guys.…?" said William, but no one heard him. "You can stop basketballs from hitting you in the face. Always hated that." "I use it to actually get the water from water fountains in my mouth without having to touch the gross fountain." "You could clean your room?" "That's such a dad answer that it hurts…" "Guys!" William said, louder this time, causing the entire room -adex included- to suddenly turn and look at him. He finally, finally put his sore arm down. "I.…I need some space, if that's okay?" he added, slowly slipping off the bench. Percy and Lily nodded to him, sympathetic looks in their matching green eyes. "Hey. Maybe we can come back some other day," Percy suggested, a hand on his friend's shoulder. William frowned but nodded, and as he padded to his bedroom, the twins put their shoes back on and thanked everyone. As much as they wanted to go and sit with William, he had said he wanted space, and space was what they would give him… Supper didn't matter.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Katherine said, only to be held back by Kero. "Space, Katie. That means no sisters, no birds, no lions. Just Will." She crossed her arms. "When I learned I was a Metahuman, I would have killed to not be alone," she grumbled stubbornly. "The situation was different. You had an extra Adex surgically forced into you by horrible people… William stopped a thing from hurting your dad, it's not necessarily traumatic by any means. He just needs to thi- Where did your dad go?" Kero asked, noticing that he had managed to slip away during their conversation. They both let out a sigh and shook their heads. Typical.

--- "That's a really heavy sigh. Heavy thoughts, kiddo?"

“I said I wanted space,” William said, hardly moving from his spot.

“This is space,” Bayesh argued as he leaned against the door frame, “I'm all the way on the other side of the room.”

Right. Having an English teacher as a dad meant that he could always find loopholes, and William couldn't ever argue because he was technically right. The young teen let out a groan. Check mate. “It's startling, I know. But you don't think any less of us, so you should treat yourself the same,” his father said, seeing as how William wasn't going to reply further.

“No. That's not what bugs me… it's… I have a hard enough time making friends as is! Doesn't matter if I see myself as a freak or not, because who's going to want to be friends with a Metahuman?”

“Other metahumans, obviously,” Bayesh replied, shrugging. “ You and Percival became friends over a shared interest in a cartoon squirrel. Kero and I met because we are both metahumans who joined Heronet. Sora and Kat met at comic book convention. The people we befriend all start off with that one thing in common, and friendships grow from there.”

William sighed and sat up, staring at the hand that had extended to grab the falling salt earlier. Bayesh walked over to him, grabbed it fondly, and sat next to him, a soft smile on his face. "Have I ever told you the whole story about how I met Kero? I think such a tale would do you some good right about now…."

 ----

 The air was so much colder from up here, it seemed. You could see most of Cassfeld from here; bustling streets even at this hour, a patchwork of lights shining through some windows and darkness in others from the tall buildings surrounding…The water front, the park. Even his school. If he descended from this rooftop and took a left at the intersection, then walked half an hour down towards the water, then he'd get there. Get back there, he supposed. His book bag was laying, discarded, near the edge. There was a short letter to his parents written on his midterm report that read "I understand you tried, but even you can't stop their prejudice. I'm sorry, and I'm sorry for ever existing as a blight to our family." And, looking back,  Bayesh figured that this was where his life began; on that day halfway through his last semester of high school where he'd been entirely intent on ending it for good.

He would have entirely, if a hand hadn't stopped him. Everyone knew about HeroNET. They were a small group of people with powers who fought monsters normal people couldn't handle, as well as other people with powers who thought that meant that they were above the law and could take and hurt people. They struggled to make the world understand that metahumans weren't terrible monsters to be feared and hurt…. But it was human nature to fear things that were different, and it seemed like for every member of heroNET, there were twelve other metahumans causing trouble or hurting others. Those who just wanted to live in peace were treated as less than. There were, of course, laws against this, but when even the law enforcement hated you, it didn't matter.

Bayesh was failing. Not because he wasn't good in school or not paying attention or not studying, but because his teachers all hated him and made damn sure to show it. Even complaining to the school's principal or the school board changed nothing. "The assignment said between 800 and 2000 words, and you wrote 2014 words. You didn't listen to the assignment directives, so you failed it." He could feel his entire future go down the drain with every unfairly marked 0 he was awarded. The prejudice was disgusting and even his family's wealth and status meant nothing. It was complete and utter failure. He'd soon learn however, that Angelina Zeiss did not stand for failure ever. It was her hand on his shoulder, and when he turned, ready to shove at whichever security guard thought to keep him here longer, he noted the feathery wings at her back and went "Well, fuck." You can't escape from a woman who can fly by jumping off a building. It just didn't work. "May I have a word?" she asked. And suddenly he wasn't on a rooftop, but sitting at the edge of a fountain with a hero, explaining everything. "What are your powers?" she asked. Bayesh, who'd been nervously fidgeting with his gloves- Because come on, who wouldn't be when such a powerful, imposing figure such as heroine Echo fucking Angel's complete attention was on you-, removed the one. From it he formed a light, and from that light he made an arrow, and promptly stuck it into the cement next to him, watching it melt before the light vanished entirely. "Light? It explains why you were capable of getting to this point. Did you know that, because of your element, you can not become a Nightmeir?" she asked, gazing at him fondly. "No. I just thought it was because I didn't want to hurt anyone, just be rid of me," Bayesh said, shrugging. He put his glove back on, only to fidget with it some more. It made him more comfortable than looking at her; he almost felt like he wasn't allowed to. "No, it's because you're special. Light is such a rare element." "Wow. Fun. My rare light powers aren't going to get me a diploma and a job." "Actually.…" Angel began, " It may not get you a diploma, but  it could certainly get you a job with us, if you want it. Light elementals make the difference between killing a Nightmeir and saving them… And nightmeirs are just metahumans who have gone through awful things and become corrupted by them. They don't control their actions, so I believe that they deserve to be saved if they can be." Bayesh thought about it. He fidgetted with the leather of his gloves and the cuffs of his hoodie. Schoolyard brawls were one thing. Fighting powerful monsters was another thing entirely. But he remembered how horrible he felt whenever smug faced teachers handed him back his crossed out exams or how his parents would gush about how well his siblings were doing in their classes but had nothing to say about him, so he was cast out like the black sheep of the family even though they assured him that they did not love him any less. He didn't want anyone to feel that. It was what had motivated since that fateful day where his powers had surged, when he'd accidentally burned a friend and been thrown in a quiet, lonely world.

He'd wanted to become a teacher so that, at the very least, he could be there for the metahuman students. They wouldn't feel alone. But being a hero… Well, it felt like giving a big "fuck you" to every single teacher that had told him, directly or not, that he would never amount to anything. And that.… That sounded amazing. Even more satisfying than when he handed in exams that were so perfect teachers had to pretend to lose them just to be able to fail him for it.

Bayesh was 18 years old and didn't need his parents' permission to join HeroNET. He was fully intent on doing it regardless of their say in the matter, but that didn't mean he was going to just let them squint at the news screen wondering if that was their son. Mothers knew. A mother could tell her son apart from a crowd no matter what, and Inara WOULD know. Best he be up front about it instead of letting them find out like that. He owed them that much, even if he wasn't going to respect their wishes because he had to. It surprised him that neither of his parents were the first ones to speak that night. It was Jasmine, his older sister, who spoke up first. "You do you, Baz," she replied with a shrug. Their parents looked at her, incredulous, and she just shrugged again. "What? Everything's dangerous. Walking down the street is dangerous. But at least this is up-front about the danger; it's more than you can say for anything else." "It's the only option I have. We've tried hundreds of times to get my school to stop treating me like this and they don't.  No college will accept me, and most others won't, either." "He could work for me," Bayesh's father suggested. " Others aren't nearly as fortunate. I do that, and people will die," he insisted. There was silence for a long while before Jasmine spoke up again. "He's going to do it anyways." "...Please be careful," Inara said, ignoring the incredulous look her husband gave her.  "I always knew you would never be satisfied with normalcy. You were born to do great things. Much like how Jay was born to do great art." "What about us?" his brothers chimed in. "You were born to drive me mad, I think," Bayesh replied, and ruffled their hair fondly before heading to his room. The front door, the elevator ride…. Everything about entering the HeroNET building was terrifying. Though Bayesh had the best poker face known to man, his fidgeting betrayed his anxiety. Not only was he messing with his gloves, but also  chewing on the inside of his lip piercing. He was almost worried that he'd walked in to the wrong building, looking more like a fancy office tower than- Well, what would HeroNET's office look like? He could understand the lack of signs; concealing identities and keeping anyone else in the building safe from the few extremists who'd harm them solely for being metahumans… But other than that he didn't really know what to expect. Not a big, bright room with mirrored windows and a large, curved couch. Not pretty paintings and lockers and certainly not the conversation he walked into. "I can't believe she hired someone just- Pop! Like that. Dumb hotshot must think they're pretty damn special. They just threaten to jump off a roof and they're hired? No interview, no applications, no nothing? For all we know, they could be the biggest asshole to ever asshole," said a male voice, obviously irritated. "My interview was literally 'hey, you have light magic? Cool, you're hired', so…" said another, much more gentle voice. "Be a little more considerate. Ain't like you've never been standing on an edge before." "Yeah, but I didn't get a job for it. I got arrested."

Well. It was certainly the right place, but now Bayesh felt horrendously awkward as he walked forwards, into view. The three heroes in their circle of chatter around a snack bar turned quickly. A tall, strong looking blond, a curious black-and-white haired person who Bayesh wasn't sure of their gender, and Kerberos. "Wow, hello gorgeous! You lost?" he asked, winking. The other, larger man who had not yet spoken, nudged him. "I think that's the rookie you were just bashing." "Oh." "Good job," said the genderless one, chuckling. "For all we know, he could be an asshole!" they mocked, and descended into an absolute fit of giggles, from which the other had to catch them. "I'm only an asshole when I need to be," Bayesh coldly replied, and he walked right past the three to Angelina's office. ---- "I'm really not surprised Kero flirted with you the first time he met you," William said, chuckling. The story did seem to cheer him up a little, and for that, Bayesh was thankful. "And you did wind up being an English teacher after all." "Yes, but that's not the point of telling you the story," Bayesh shook his head. "I know." "And the point of the story isn't 'become a hero', either." "I know." "But I'm also not going to tell you to not be a hero. There's nothing wrong with that path." "I know." "Okay. So long as you know." Bayesh gave him a fond pat on the head before leaving. He sighed and looked back when he arrived to the doorway, only to find William trying to move his sock on the other end of the bed. He did not know why, but this made Bayesh happy to see, and he turned and left.

Only to walk into Kero and Kat, eavesdropping. "You failed to mention the part where I apologized for all that," Kero told him, looking mock hurt. "He's smart enough to put two and two together and understand that you must have apologized. Otherwise I wouldn't be dating you." ".…Valid point."

#SOAH #SOAH3 #Story of a hero #part 3