Son of Chaos: A Percy Jackson Fanfiction

Choices

*PERCY*

I wanted to stay, really, I did.

But staying was impossible with Him here.

Brok Matthias.

The enemy.

AKA son of Poseidon.

Fact: the new kid, my half-brother, no less, wanted to ruin my life.

I put up with his awful sense of humour, his pranks, his name calling, and even his bragging, for quite a while.

But then he crossed the line. 

************

It was sunset at the campfire, and we were sitting in our cabin groups and chatting and singing. Several girls were flirting with Brok, a normal occurrence, unfortunately.

It took me awhile to realize that Annabeth had left my side.

It took me another moment to work out where she was.

She was sitting with Brok.

No, make that sitting on his lap, for god's sake. And she was kissing him.

Yes, My girlfriend was sitting on my half-brother's lap and kissing him.

I wanted to slap him.

I also was hoping Annabeth would come to her senses and slap him.

But when they finally broke apart, she laughed and said, "I love you, Brok."

Now I wanted to slap both of them.

The only reason I hadn't left this gods-damned camp already was because I had Annabeth, along with three other people I could count as friends: Nico Di Angelo, Thalia Grace (though she and her hunters were out at the moment), and, (I can hardly believe it myself), Leo Valdez.

Nico took one look at Brok and burst out laughing.

Thalia thanked me for bringing her a birthday present. Brok looked smug until Thalia said that all her other archery practice targets had been destroyed from her getting to many bulls-eyes.

And Leo, he started by saying he thought he'd never see anyone ten times as ugly as his dad. Annabeth, though, she'd been reluctantly pulled into his human spider-web. And Annabeth hates spiders. Now she liked him, apparently. Annabeth had been the main thing keeping me alive, with her reassuring, "I believe in you, Percy, you're better than him" talks and comforting hugs.

But even I can't be too much of a sea-weed brain to not notice that she'd being growing distant with me lately. I may be naive sometimes, but really... I can tell with my friends.

So I made the choice I'd being playing with ever since Brok came: I was going to leave this place that had been my home for the last several years. 

************

I ran across the wet earth to my cabin cabin 3.

I heard Brok's voice "Where's he running to? Is he gonna cry now 'coz you kissed me and not him? Poor baby", he jeered.

My blood boiled.

But not as much as when I heard the next comment. "Well, he's always been weird. I don't know why I ever liked him." Annabeth.

She was openly betraying me.

Again.

It was bad enough to cheat on me, but along with insults and no regrets? That was too much.

I ran faster until I was in cabin 3, where I leaned against the door panting and blinking back tears. I gathered up my small amount of gear that I owned, debating whether or not I was dependant enough on Riptide to take it with me. I wanted a new life altogether, and the sword was a painful reminder of this life at camp. In the end, though, my rare practicality overcame my pride. I needed a form of defence.

I slung my backpack of stuff over my back, remembering with a weak smile how I was greeted at camp: "I stole some toiletries from the camp store for you." 

I missed Luke. I wished  he were still alive. We could've been real friends, despite what other campers say.  I brushed aside the memory. I couldn't dwell on that. I was leaving. To start a new life. A life of uncertainty... But I would figure something out. Like where I was to go... I couldn't go to Mom and Paul's house. Too... reminiscent. So what would I do? I pondered upon this until I reached the boundaries. 

************

*ZEUS*

I watched the hero make his way uncertainly towards Thalia's pine tree. I knew he would leave. His life would become too hard to bear. He would make this decision I believed he would live to regret. But I let him come. When he reached the trunk of the tree, I teleported down from Olympus...

************

*PERCY*

I watched as, to my complete and utter disbelief, the king of the gods materialized in front of me. "Zeus!" I greeted him warily. "Um... what are you doing here?" I tried not to let the panic surface in my voice.

Zeus looked at me in mock surprise. "Why, Perseus, am I not allowed to visit my children every once in awhile?! And the Hunters are visiting, which is an occasion in itself!" I allowed myself to relax. Too soon. "Ah, but I also like to visit my nephews too", he told me. "Especially when they have a big decision to make." I gulped, trying to think up an excuse.

"Um..."

"Oh, don't bother, Perseus. I saw the whole thing."

I blushed. "The... whole... thing?"

Zeus looked impatient. "I said the whole thing, I mean the whole thing!"

I gulped again. "Yes, Sir."

Zeus' face cleared, then darkened. He furrowed his brow. "If you are determined of leaving this place, there is a... favour, I wish to ask of you."

I looked at him, and gave a 'go on' motion.

"Well, it's not exactly my message, it's a more powerful being's... you see, it goes like this..." he stumbled on with his words.

Finally, I became impatient. "If it involves staying here, or even on Earth, for gods' sake, then the answer is no. I'm leaving." I made to go, but Zeus cleared his throat.

"Funny you should mention that. As a matter of fact, it doesn't involve being on Earth at all. In fact, you can leave until the world is in mortal peril." I looked at him, amazed.

Then I regained my senses.

"What's the catch?" I asked suspiciously.

"You would just have to join Chaos' army. That is all."

I looked at him again, and he nodded, confirming my thoughts.

I could be free from this life.

I thought over it for a minute.

"I accept", I declared.