Chapter Text
I blamed my name on my father. He had told my mom that I would be a guy. He was so certain of it too so Mom never bothered asking for the gender, and so she named me after the only hero who survived the hell that is a demigod’s life. Well, I can’t really blame him for thinking I was gonna be a guy. He’s never had a daughter. Never. Until me. Perseus Jackson, breaking tradition since I was first conceived. Again, I blame Dad. He’s the one who donated the X chromosome. If he wanted another boy, then he should have forked over a Y. Whatever. I like being a girl. I’m happy being a girl. I was happy all the way through the Titan War, I was happy all the way through having my memory wiped. I was even happy about it when I was struggling on the streets being run down by Gorgons who would not give up ! I am still happy about it even as I stand here over the grave of yet another blond haired boy who had stolen my heart. Not that Piper knew. Not that anyone knew.
I hated Jason, and I hated to love him, and I miss him- hell, do I miss him… Swallowing, I shoved my hands into my pockets and looked around. I suddenly felt like I was suffocating. “Annabeth.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve already applied and been accepted.” I wouldn’t look at her even as she looked at me.
“What? Applied where?” She wiped the tears from her eyes and pulled me away from the others.
“University of Anchorage. I’m moving to Alaska.”
Annabeth sweatdropped. She genuinely, seriously dropped sweat. “Are you kidding?”
“No.” I dragged my gaze up to meet hers. “Mom and Paul are busy with their own kid now. Estelle doesn’t need me in her life. I’m powerful, Annabeth. Incredibly powerful. I attract monsters every second of the day. I’m getting older.”
“Older? Percy, you’ve just turned eighteen.”
“Exactly. Look at those kids.” I jerked my chin towards the ten and twelve-year-olds. “I feel like I’m fifty. Those other kids haven’t stopped oohing and aahing over me. I feel like an old and venerated celebrity. I want to be young again. I want to make mistakes that end in hangovers, not near end-of-the-world events. I want to be in a lifestyle where a nosebleed doesn’t cause the apocalypse. The Greek World has been my life since I was twelve. Every year has been filled with a near-death situation for me. For us. Alaska is the only spot on the planet that I can escape the gods and their stupid quests and even stupider prophecies. I intend to do so. Come and visit me.”
Annabeth pulled me into a tight hug. “Alright.”
Smiling, I kissed both of her cheeks and then used my Sea Magic (apparently daughters of Poseidon had Sea Magick, which I will get into later) to travel away to New York. It was similar to Nico’s shadow traveling, except I wasn’t using shadows. I was using sea mist, conjured up by yours truly. The Sea was inside me. Thus, I always had access to the sea. Exhaling, I looked around my home in New York City. Mom’s apartment.
It had been my home when camp wasn’t. I was tired. I was waking up in a cold sweat of a nightmare every single night. I was screaming myself hoarse and…and I stabbed Paul with Riptide when he tried to wake me up. Never mind that the sword went right through him. The fact of the matter was, I wasn’t safe around an infant girl. I had to get out before I hurt someone. I had to get out before the gods had another prophecy that included me. I had to get out before my memory was wiped again. I had to… I had to just go.
Rushing through my room, I scrambled and packed everything I could, faltering over the little gifts and jewelry pieces that Dad had gotten made for me. Crafted by the Cyclopes of Atlantis. He even got me a beautiful diadem made of silver and studded with pearls, emeralds, and diamonds. It was a gorgeous and delicate tangle of silver vines dotted with treasure from the sea. Resting on my head, it was about three inches tall, with a single, gentle, center peak. Swallowing, I left it in its case. I left all of it. I grabbed only my clothes and- I stared at the acoustic guitar that Apollo had given me when he first heard my voice during the train ride to Mr. Orthrys, during the quest of the Titan’s curse. I had inherited the Sea Magick’s signature gift for women. Siren’s voice. That’s why I hated singing. I stupefied mortals. I only ever sang when I was asked to at parties on Olympus. Apollo gave me that guitar after I helped save his sister. It was never out of tune and had my name inscribed in its neck with gold filigree. I left it too.
Pulling out my phone, I booked a flight to Anchorage and then tried to steady my shaking hands. Canceling that, I called Rachel. “Hey, you own a speedboat, yeah?” I smiled softly at her confirmation. “Mind if I borrow it? I can teleport it back to you when I’m done.” I grinned in relief. “Thanks! I just want to get away. I just want a new life.” Pausing, I listened to what else she had to say after she confirmed that I could take the boat. Clenching my jaw, I hung up after the prophecy was done. She wouldn’t remember it, and I would never tell it. I was done with prophecies. I didn’t care what the Oracle said. I was done with the gods and goddesses. Grabbing my things and buying a ticket for a train ride to California, I looked around and then hailed a taxi and climbed in with three suitcases and a backpack and a purse. Mom would understand.
I hoped.
Arriving at Rachel’s place, I entered the keycode to the boathouse, lowered the right boat into the water, loaded up the boat with my things, and then I pulled the boat from the fancy floating boathouse that was probably worth more than I could imagine. When I was beyond the no-wake zone, I opened up and was gone. My things were down below, strapped down. I turned off my phone and used my internal knowledge. No need for a GPS. I looked up at the cloudy sky and grinned darkly. Helios wouldn’t see me. I had chosen my time very well. I used my magic and warped time. Like the centaurs, like the hippocampi, Sea Magic was a beast to learn and master, but it was oh so very wonderfully handy. Grinning, I traveled to Anchorage in very good time. I looked around the beautiful state and smiled. Nature, water, mountains, parks, oh yes. I was going to love it here. Even if it could get really cold, I would prefer sub-zero to the gods and goddesses. Especially the goddesses. I looked at myself via the reflection of a glass window. I knew I was beautiful.
My first warning of that being the case had been Aphrodite’s less than warm smile when she last had seen me only two months ago. She had said something like, “Well, you certainly are growing into a beautiful young woman. You even rival the beauty of Psyche…”
It rang some alarm bells in my head, but what the real klaxon alarm was when Hermes and Apollo laughingly fought over who would sit beside me. It all appeared to be fun and games, but it had unnerved me. The pinched look on Aphrodite’s face was also worrying. Eventually, Artemis had taken the seat- while Apollo and Hermes had been busy trading ‘joking’ insults- and killed the argument, but still, it had scared me. Then, just two days before Jason’s funeral, Dad invited me to visit Atlantis. That’s why he had given me the diadem. He wanted to show off the Princess of Atlantis. Even Amphitrite didn’t mind me half as much since I was a girl. Triton even had protective moments, at least that’s what I gleaned when I first met him. He seemed pissed that I was even in a war zone, that I had floated unconscious and vulnerable in the seas. He had said something about Oceanus taking me hostage, which was a valid and terrifying point, but still. My point stands. I was happy being a girl, but being a girl made things hella different than it all would have been being a boy. Annabeth thinks I’m loony. A single gender could not have caused a drastic difference, is what she says. I beg to differ, but whatever. All the signs showed that there was not going to be clear sailing ahead, so I abandoned the Greek ship and swam for the shores of sanity. I did not want to be the face that launched a thousand ships, part two.
Besides, I identified much more with Achilles than Helen. But that was beside the point. Looking around at my dorm room, I smiled and nodded. “This is going to be nice. The land beyond the gods. I don’t know why. I don’t really care either. As long as they can’t touch me, then I am never going to leave.”
~Summer Solstice~
Zeus looked up as the other gods came in. His eyes narrowed when he didn’t see Jackson enter with the demigods. He looked at Poseidon, but his brother looked tense and worried over something. Turning to Hera, he spoke softly, “Where’s Jackson? With the rise in popularity with the younger gods, we can’t leave her alone. There will be fighting”
Hera grimaced. “We’ll ask the demigods then where their leader is.” She raised her voice once everyone was settled. “It seems that Percy Jackson isn’t going to grace us with her presence?”
Chase blanched slightly and then flushed angrily, but she calmed when her mother cleared her throat. “Percy’s gone. She left the same day Jason…the same day of the funeral.” Zeus looked away and closed his eyes before rousing himself.
“Where has she gone?”
Annabeth straightened and ignored her mother’s hiss of warning. “I won’t tell you. Because the reason she left was because of the gods.” That caused a stir. Annabeth stared at them angrily. “Fighting over her.” Her eyes cut to Hermes. “Finding her beauty- something she has never bragged about or asked for- threatening.” She shot a dark look at Aphrodite, who frowned back. “She knew that it was only a matter of time before you gods do what you do best.” The daughter of Athena scowled. “Royally screw mortals over. She’s been screwed over enough. She wanted out, and she took the first chance she could get. A cloudy day where Helios couldn’t see anything.”
Zeus stood up angrily. “So she left?”
“Yes.” Poseidon’s voice was filled with exhaustion. “She left. She informed her mother, who informed me. This was two weeks ago. Percy has no intention of returning until we all vow on the River Styx to leave her alone.”
“Of all the audacious-” Hera cut herself off when Poseidon snarled and stood up.
“You have no right to speak against my daughter, Hera. No rights whatsoever! You erased her memories! You cursed her! You transplanted her across the nation! You sent on a quest when she had no memory, no knowledge of spells or skills or experience! You BITCH!” Poseidon shook all of Olympus as he glowered at the pale queen. He advanced on her, trident in hand. “I have stood aside and watched because my daughter asked me to stay my hand for the sake of preventing a war, but if any of you attempt to infringe on her long-awaited peace, then I will have your heads! Family or no! I so swear on the Styx!”
Hermes swallowed and then melted into his throne. “As you desire, Uncle.”
Hera was silenced ruthlessly by this, and though she scowled furiously, she could say nothing. Zeus waved an acknowledgment to his brother. “Peace. We hear you and understand and will heed you as well. Sit, Brother. The meetings should continue.” He motioned to Chiron, who bowed and began the meetings. Essentially they were all about expansion on demigod camp lands. They wanted to make more camps for demigods. All cardinal points.
The meeting was slow going.
~eight days later~
Zeus knew he was never going to live this down. Weakly, he tried to move, but his entire body flared up with agony. Gasping softly, he cursed once again the deal that was struck. He couldn’t use any type of magic here. No immortal could. Nausea rippled through him as he moved his arm. Mentally, he cataloged what had happened. In human terms, the left ulna and radius both broken. Four ribs on his left side, pretty much obliterated. Left femur is broken in two- nope make that three- places. A good bet was that he also had a concussion, and if he didn’t climb over the boundary line soon, he was going to pass out and suffer permanent crippling damage. Just ask Hephaestus. It was quite possible for a deity to be crippled.
The sound of someone coming came from his right. Looking up, he watched intently, internally begging for it not to be a monster, because that would be just fucking perfect. The sound of something walking through the brush got louder and then he saw a girl in a warm hiking suit with a walking stick. He gasped out when he recognized her. “Jackson.”
Jerking, she turned fast and then gaped. “Uncle Zeus?!” She rushed over to him. “What in Tartarus-”
“Flying. I was swept off course. An accident sent me towards the ground.”
“Why haven’t you healed yourself?!” She ripped open her bag and grabbed her emergency ambrosia and nectar. He greedily drank and ate it, feeling his body slowly knit together. Slower than he would have liked but at least his ribs were reforming.
“Alaska.” It was hard for him to breathe. “I was planning only on staying within Canada…the storm…I lost all sense of direction and found myself in Alaska. Before I could correct my course, I got caught in a downdraft and couldn’t shift back without using my magic, which is forbidden.”
“Why is that by the way?”
He gave her a look. “The reasons are the gods’ own business.” He hissed when she started helping him up. “Just…get me over the boundary, and I can finish healing myself.”
“So there’s no using magic for you?”
“None.”
“And that means you can’t control that?” She pointed up. He looked up and cursed steadily for fifty seconds. A massive storm front was closing in around them. Percy exhaled. “I’ll take that as a no.”
~five minutes later~
I really had no idea what I was doing. The border wasn’t anywhere nearby, and I couldn’t leave Zeus just lying there. So, I half carried him to my car at that park and packed him in and took him to my place. He was laying on the couch drinking the last of my nectar, slowly healing his body up. I sighed and then went into the kitchen and started making more ambrosia with the ingredient that I had slowly but surely collected. Then, when the food was cooking, I went to the back of my pantry and grabbed a super potent (near dangerous for demigods) healing potion that I had made. Sea Magicks allowed for potion making, but all the ingredients had to be from the sea in order to qualify as sea potions.
Sitting on the coffee table, I handed it to him. “Super strength healing potion. Should help.”
He took it and then nodded at me. “Thank you.” I grinned.
“So…the god of the sky and weather-”
“Oh Tartarus.”
“-gets trapped by a storm and blown off course?” I snickered at his disgruntled face. “That’s even funnier than Thalia being afraid of heights.” His eyes snapped over to mine.
“She’s what?!”
Clapping my hands over my mouth, I cursed. “Oh no…I kept that secret since 2006!”
He looked worried and slightly perturbed about learning his daughter was afraid of his own domain. Waving his right hand slightly, he drank the rest of the potion and grunted in discomfort when the effects became immediate and his bones began to regrow. “I shall say nothing if you say nothing about this…unfortunate accident.” He gave me a look. I smiled and nodded.
“Deal.” He took my hand and shook it before letting go and reclining slowly back on the couch. “How are you feeling?”
“A little less pulverized.”
“Great Lord Zeus, beaten by trees. Score one for Pan.”
“Ha. Ha.” He shot me a look. “You’re taking a little too much vindictive pleasure out of this situation.”
“Well, what can I say? I’m not exactly the greatest fan of Olympus.” I turned away. “Not after everything.” I stood up and started tidying things. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d still lay down my life and give everything I’ve got for the defense of Olympus, but that doesn’t immediately equate us being on the best of terms.”
He grimaced and then nodded. “Poseidon is right. We have screwed you over.”
I nearly dropped the now empty potion bottle. “Woah.”
He scoffed at my expression. “I’m too tired and in too much pain to bother keeping up appearances. The gods and goddesses can be catty, petty, vindictive, and cruel. Our fights and squabbles bleed out onto the mortals and heroes who can’t hope to defend themselves against us. If they succeed, then we’re insulted and slighted and the worst comes. If they fail, then they’re dead.” He laid his head back, feeling exhausted. I sighed and shook my head.
“Can immortals sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Then you better get some. Here.” I set a celestial bronze dagger on the coffee table. “I sleep light. If you need anything, just call out.”
“I thank you.” I grabbed the blanket and adjusted it for him, checked his leg and then dimmed the lights and went to bed. Instead of my usual blue chiffon nightgown that Piper had insisted on buying for me after seeing how good it looked on me, I went with my Little Mermaid PJs. Not sexy. Cute and definitely not sexy. Which was what I was gunning for with the Playboy of Olympus in my living room. I was glad that I had switched out from a dormitory to my own apartment now. Couldn’t imagine explaining this to a roommate! Grunting, I climbed into bed and passed out.