The Triple Threat

Prologue

Prologue

"Are you sure you want to come with me, Percy?" Aurelia asked, her eyes locking onto her best friend's. They had been best friends since Percy arrived at camp at age 12 and he was in the Hermes cabin. Then when he was claimed by Poseidon, they became even closer as they both were considered 'freaks' of the camp.

Percy for being a forbidden child of one of the Big Three, breaking the oath between the three brothers.

Aurelia for being a child of two gods and a mortal, something that happened very rarely and hadn't happened since ancient times.

Percy found his footing, however, after his quest to retrieve the lightning bolt for Zeus while Aurelia was still seen as somewhat of an outcast. Her siblings in her parents' cabins tried as much as they could but even, she could tell they thought of her as a freak.

It wasn't until she came back from her own quest that she went on with Lee Fletcher and Katie Gardner where they had to find and rescue Ariadne from a Titan named Crius while Percy, Thalia, and Grover were rescuing Artemis and Annabeth from Atlas and Luke. From that day forth, others looked at her with almost the same respect that they gave Percy.

"I'm sure I want to get the hell out of this place and disappear just like my best friend always planned to do." Percy said, his sea green eyes flashing with barely contained turmoil when meeting her own hazel green with golden flecks.

She quirked her lips. "And meet Jay?"

He returned her slight smile. "And meet Jay."

It was true. She always planned on disappearing after the Titan War but then, her best friend got himself kidnapped.

Then, while Percy had been kidnapped post Titan War, Aurelia found herself in Gotham.

Not a place for the faint of heart or untrained. And just her luck, while she was wandering through an area called Crime Alley, a guy tried to mug her.

Now, Gotham – just like Alaska – was almost a godless place. Gotham was pretty much Chaos Incarnate and so, demigods could hide there and not be sensed by gods or monsters alike. But monsters could still spawn into the city. It was rare, but it happened. And the demigods could still have demigod dreams.

During these series of unfortunate events, Aurelia had the misfortune of kicking the guy's ass and knocking him out by Red Hood.

Flashback
A whistle drew her attention up to the rooftop as a broad, tall figure balanced easily on his feet, a red helmet on his head.

"You sure showed 'im, didn't ya, doll?" he scaled down the walls and into the alley to where he quickly cuffed the groaning criminal. Then he turned his attention onto Aurelia who was glaring at him.

"I sure did. Now, who the hell are you, Bucket Head?"

He titled his head in curiosity. "You know, I feel like I've seen you before. And the name is Red Hood."

"This is literally my first time in Gotham. 0/10 would not return again."

He huffed as if in laughter, the helmet modulator making it come out kind of staticky.

"No, no. I swear I've seen you before... but putting a pin in that, what brings you to our sunny city?"

"I'm looking for my best friend. I figured a place literally called Crime Alley would be a perfect place to start."

"You gotta picture of him?"

"Yeah." She reached into her bag and pulled out a photo they had taken together before the Titan War. Aurelia immediately noticed Red Hood tense as he got a good look at the photo.

"What's this guy's name? I'll ask around."

Aurelia took the photo back, the guy almost reluctant to give it back to her.

"His name is Percy, Percy Jackson. He went missing about a month ago and no one has heard or seen a trace of him. Lucky me, I got assigned to search all of New Jersey and down the east coast."

Aurelia saw how Hood's frame didn't relax and how his glowing eyes still seemed locked on the photo.

"You okay, dude?"

"Yeah, yeah. You have a place to go for the night? Gotham, especially Crime Alley, is not safe at night."

Aurelia shrugged. "Trust me, I can handle myself. I'll find somewhere to crash when I get tired. I'm not leaving until I search every inch of this place." She began walking away leaving him behind.

"Wait!" Hood turned but Aurelia was gone.

End Flashback

And that was the first time she met her other best friend Jason Todd, or rather, Red Hood. She had talked to Percy about him, and to Hood about Percy so both were excited to meet each other.

"Okay, fine. Grab your shit and get in the car." Percy did so eagerly.

His own thoughts drifted as they pulled away from camp, and more specifically, the memories he had with Annabeth. Fortunately, she hadn't died during the Giant War, but she had been treating him differently since the Pit. The two did break up – to the sorrow of the Aphrodite cabin – and were just trying to heal from everything and go back to being friends. And for Percy, the easiest way to process everything was to go with his best friend when she told him she was leaving camp. So, they were going to Gotham to pick up Jay and then onto where Aurelia wanted to be next.

The way Aurelia had made it seem, Jason needed a break from Gotham too.

"So, tell me again how you and the violent crime lord slash vigilante became friends?" Percy asked, turning his head just in time to see the wide smile appear on her face. He couldn't help his own smile as he listened to her chatter.

Three hours later they were pulling up to Jason's apartment building.

Aurelia pulled out her cell phone, causing Percy to stiffen slightly.

"Chill, dude. Gotham doesn't have monsters, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, reflex."

"Tell me about it." She hit send on her text and almost immediately got a response. "He's coming out now."

Percy sat up and did a double take as a tall heavily muscled man came out of the apartment building, sporting black hair with a white streak of hair almost mirroring Percy's own gray streak, and a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder.

Percy and Aurelia got out to greet him and meet him in Percy's case.

Aurelia hugged him and then turned to face Percy.

"Jason, this is Percy, my best friend. Percy, this is Jason, my other best friend. I'm glad to finally have you two meet in person and stop stealing my phone to talk to each other to bitch about something stupid I did." The two smirked at each other and did a bro handshake.

"She can be pretty stupid at time, can't she?" Jason asked.

"Oh, absolutely. Now, let's get going before she tries to solve a murder or two." Percy said, turning a smirk onto Aurelia only for her to roll her eyes and shove him lightly towards the car. He didn't even have the decency to pretend to move from it.

"Let's go, assholes. We have a bit of a drive ahead of us."

"You sure I can't drive," Jason asked as he threw his bag into the trunk.

"Jason, get in the car."

"Yes, ma'am." The three got in the car and Aurelia drove away. The two boys continued talking to each other as she drove. "You never said where we were going, anyway."

"Oh, she didn't tell you either?" Percy asked.

Aurelia was beginning to feel immense regret of physically introducing them and having the two in the same vicinity.

She took a deep breath as they made it out of Gotham without incident and some decent amount of road rage from her that her two best friends found amusing. They were also over halfway to their destination.

"Well, as you two know, I became seventeen six months ago, managed to get approved for emancipation – thank you Jason – and inherited the bulk of my mother's estate – finally."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me about that." Jason said. Percy, of course, wasn't aware of this as he was literally on a quest to save the world and defeat the giants, so Aurelia didn't blame him for not knowing.

"Anyway, I was able to liquidate majority of the physical assets in a short amount of time and invest it all into various stocks and bonds. Two of my brothers – Travis and Connor, for your information Jason – are abnormally good at all that nonsense so I've followed their advice. Now, I wouldn't say I'm a master at it by any means. However, I have made myself a very pretty penny."

"How much of a pretty penny?" Percy asked. She didn't speak for a moment as she drove along a dirt road and then parked.

"Come on, I have something to show you."

"This is where we get murdered." Percy muttered to Jason as they followed behind her through the trees and tall grass.

"There is no 'we'. There is a you that I push forward as a sacrifice and there is a me booking it back to the car and leaving you here to die." Jason muttered back to which Percy immediately shoved him. This started a small shove match between them as they continued walking. Finally, the trees thinned to where the ocean could be seen and a small beach.

Percy smiled at the sight of the water in reflex but didn't notice Jason also doing so as well.

"Where are we?" Jason asked Aurelia as the two boys joined her on the sand.

"You asked how much of a pretty penny I made, right?"

"Yes..." Percy said hesitantly.

"Enough to buy 50 acres of land here in Montauk... I plan to turn this into my home, and maybe, a getaway or home for the two of you as well." She said turning so that her back was facing the water and facing the two most important people in her life.

"You want us to live with you?" Jason asked, puzzled.

"Not like how you are thinking, Jay." She took a deep breath. "The two of you are who I am closest to, and my mother's family have a hard time with connecting with others. We can be brash, insulting without meaning to, too observant, sometimes we are called psychopaths, and more... all of which can turn people off or regard us as freaks. I haven't talked to my uncles since the day after my mother's death before I went into hiding to avoid having to go live with them. The two of them understand how my brain works, and how much I subpress to appear 'normal' to others. The two of you, however, see the freakishness I have, and are not put off by it. We Holmes always guard those that treat us kindly fiercely. So, I would like to invite you to live here with me." She was cut off by the two hugging her and being squished in between the two tall boys.

Jason stood at 6'5", blue/green eyes, olive skin, black hair, white streak standing out, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. Percy stood at 6'3", sea green eyes, tan skin, black hair, gray streak standing out, with an athletic swimmer's build. Aurelia stood at 5'10", hazel eyes with specks of gold, spattering of freckles on her nose, sun kissed pale skin, chocolate brown hair, and with a runner's build.

And the two were crushing her.

"So, is that a yes?" she squeaked out. Jason huffed out a laugh as he pulled back first and then Percy pulled back.

"One, I never want to hear you call yourself a freak ever again, ya hear me?" Jason rumbled out, Percy nodding his head in agreement with Jason's words.

"Agreed. Two, and I'm sure Jason agrees, we would be honored to be a part of your sanctuary here, your home... but are you sure? You know I attract trouble," he teased. Aurelia rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure, you goofball. And I make no promises on that, Jay, but I'll try. There are a lot of issues up here," she gestured to her brain.

"Same," Jason and Percy said at the same time causing all three to laugh. Then with a slight smirk, Aurelia grabbed Jason and pulled him with surprising strength into the water of the ocean.

"Shit!" he yelled as he came up from the cold water he had been submerged in. "Get her, Percy!"

The trio laughed and played in the surf, Percy being careful of using his demigod water powers. Although he had found out about Jason being Red Hood, when Jason accidentally outed himself during a phone call, the two had yet to tell Jason about being demigods. Not that they didn't want to, obviously, but simply that the two were fresh out of the war and were honestly trying to ignore that whole thing for a minute. They were going to tell him, soon, but they just wanted to hang out with their friend and live in the moment for now.

But luck was not on their side.

Jason was facing Percy and Aurelia as he stood with only his ankles in the water and the other two panting in water to their knees.

"Come on, Aurelia got a lucky shot in that first time but neither of you are strong enough to knock me over." Jason crowed. Then he stiffened as he saw a figure appear out of the water. "Guys, move!"

The two moved without hesitation and joined Jason on the beach as the three stared at the figure stepping out of the water. Aurelia and Percy immediately knew who it was, but they were still tense. The two exchanged tense looks.

Why was Poseidon here and appearing before a mortal?

"Percy, Aurelia." Poseidon greeted. Jason looked at his two friends after the man spoke. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, fisher's hat, and had a salt and pepper beard and hair. He also had the brightest sea green/blue eyes Jason had ever seen.

Aurelia nodded at Percy once when he looked at her again, not something that Jason missed. "Dad." Percy greeted back.

Jason stiffened even more. What the hell is going on?!

"I'm sorry to barge in on your beach time... but something caught my attention and I had to come up and confirm it."

Aurelia took a slight step forward almost in front of Jason as if to block him when Poseidon turned his eyes onto her friend. Jason felt a rush of fondness fill him at the obvious protectiveness she was displaying and the slight bit of betrayal and rage that had begun to fill him cooled.

"And what is that, may I ask?" Aurelia asked, voice filled with caution. Don't get her wrong, she got along great with Percy's dad, but she felt dread start to build in her stomach at the implications of him appearing when there was a mortal with Percy and her.

"I felt the presence of my offspring." Poseidon said simply.

"Uh, yeah, Dad, you felt me." Percy said.

"Beside you. And I could never mistake Aurelia for anyone else besides her with her unique parentage. It would seem that your friend here, is my son."

"What the fuck are you talking about, old man?" Jason snarled, the rage from the pits causing his eyes to almost glow a green sheen.

Poseidon was calm as he responded. "I am assuming you are from Gotham or Alaska, two places that I and others like me cannot access or sense things. Alaska is like no man's land, land without gods. Gotham however has been cursed by many and so much that has become a place of Chaos. You can fight it and help those there, and it will get better for a time before being sucked right back into the Chaos. It is only by luck that I sensed you when i checked on Percy. I would not have noticed if you had been alone. But underneath the chaotic aura that is Gotham, there is a faint trace of the sea, of me."

"And who are you?" Jason asked, ignoring the wide eyes from Percy and Aurelia. Percy was in complete shock and Aurelia seemed to be working her brain in overtime as her eyes darted between the three men.

"I am Poseidon, god of the sea, earth-shaker, father of monsters, King of Atlantis."

"I thought Aquaman was King of Atlantis." Jason said, mind racing. There is no way, this guy is just crazy. "I also know my dad is Willis Todd."

"That is incorrect. You are a demigod, just like Percy is." Poseidon turned his eyes onto Percy at seeing the rage building in his eyes. "Tell him, Percy. I will return. Aurelia." Poseidon said with a nod of his head before not stepping into the water but simply turning into liquid itself and dissolving into sea mist.

"This can't be happening," Percy whispered to himself, almost working himself into a panic attack. Aurelia looked between the two trying to figure out which one to help first: Jason with his rage or Percy with his panic.

"Percy, Jason, he is gone. It's just us three. Come on, sit down. Easy does it, there ya go." Percy easily complied as he crumbled down beside her leaning heavily against her. Jason clutched her hand like a lifeline as he took deep breaths to come back from the pit rage.

"What the fuck is going on?" He hissed as he didn't sit and didn't pull away from Aurelia's hand. If nothing else, he clutched it tighter.

Aurelia took a deep breath knowing that with Percy coming down from his panic attack, it was on her now.

"What do you know about Greek mythology?"

- end of prologue -