Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or pictures used in the production of this piece of literature, unless specifically indicated otherwise. This story is for fan based entertainment and not for financial benefit.
Chapter 1
You could always tell if you were in a hospital. The blinding white walls, the sharp smell of chemicals, and of course, the feeling. It was quiet, but spooky with the knowledge that many people died in the building. So when Percy opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised to see a hospital room.
Wait... What was that?
His eyes tried to focus on the multi-colored blur that sat on a chair that was pulled close to his bed. Rubbing his eyes, Percy squinted at the blur. The blur had a body... and then a face...
"Mom?"
Sure enough, Sally Jackson was sleeping in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. Ignoring the sharp pain in his stomach, Percy reached over to nudge her shoulder. Sally's eyes snapped open and focused on her son. Her eyes were wide and weary. Sally's shoulders were slumped and she seemed to be exhausted.
"You're awake... "
Her large brown eyes filled with tears as she stared at her son. Trembling, Sally hugged Percy close to her chest.
"I promise. I'll find a way to fix all of this. Percy... I'm sorry. You won't ever have to go back to that monster," she whispered.
What was she talking about? Who was the "monster"? Percy buried his face in his mom's shoulder. He closed his eyes when Sally's flowery smell reached his nose. As soon as he shut his eyes, Percy could suddenly see the "monster" very clearly. Gabe throwing a beer bottle at him. Punching him until he couldn't breathe. Telling him that his mom didn't care. Calling him names. Worthless brat... No wonder your father left you...
"It's okay. I'm fine, Mom."
Sally only hugged him tighter. Her arms wrapped around her son as if she could protect her child from the evils of the world. After a long day of working at her new job, Sally had really wanted to see her son. But, she couldn't afford to pay for a cab so the tired woman had walked the long way home. When Sally arrived at the front door of her apartment, she glanced at her watch. It was close to midnight.
~Flashback~
Sighing, Sally held up a bag of blue candies. I'll give them to him tomorrow morning. She thought. Percy, I'm so sorry that I can't give you a good childhood. I'm a terrible mother. But, I'm trying my best so just wait a little more, okay? She grabbed the keys from her shirt pocket and opened the door. She screamed.
Several different kinds of alcoholic drinks were littered all over the modest apartment. Blood stains covered the walls. Percy's blood. Her son was laying on the floor, his back to her. Despite this, Sally could see the blood pouring out of Percy. Her husband was looming over Percy's body, shouting insults as he kicked him. Repeatedly.
"What are you doing?!"
~End of Flashback~
Sally held her son close to her chest as she recalled the memory. His body was thin and she could feel the bandages under the hospital gown. Shaking, Sally held Percy just a little bit closer.
"I called Poseidon. He'll take care of you."
Percy looked at his mom in surprise. She never talked about his birth father. Ever. All Percy knew was his name and that he had abandoned his mom when she had been pregnant with him. "You're not coming with me?"
"No," Sally gave her son a watery smile. "But, I'll see you again after this is all taken care of."
Percy wanted to argue. He wanted to shout that he wasn't going anywhere without her. He wanted her to tell him why she was sending him away. However, one look at his mom and Percy could see that if he argued, he would only be breaking Sally's already broken heart a little more.
~
Percy Jackson was scared. His bony fingers latched themselves to the armrest as soon as the flight attendant announced that they were about to take off. His bright green eyes were wide and unfocused as he tried to calm himself down. "Inhale... exhale. Inhale... exhale," he murmured. "Inhale... Oh my god."
The airplane glided across the ground when suddenly, it pushed itself up to the sky. Percy wanted to slap himself when he looked out of the window. The trees looked like tiny broccoli and the houses were small splotches that resembled different kinds of fruit. Overall, from the airplane, the world looked like a giant garden. Everything was so small. Which did nothing to soothe Percy's nerves. In fact, their tiny size only reminded him that he was far off the ground.
He groaned. Why did Poseidon have to live in California?!
~
Dark eyes quietly observed the passengers as they met up with family and friends. When a bright eyed teenager passed through the doors, Hades immediately focused on him. The boy had wild black hair and impossibly bright green eyes. Poseidon's son, he thought. Hades hesitated as he moved to greet his brother's brat. The boy was too bony and pale as if one tap could knock him over. Weren't his children usually the ones that were pale and thin?
Nonetheless, Hades walked over to who he believed to be Perseus, his tall body towering over the small boy. When Percy turned around to see who was behind him, he was surprised to see a tall man with a very expensive looking suit on. The man tapped his golden watch and grumpily muttered, "Hurry up. You're late."
Percy looked at the man up and down, sizing him up. Did the stranger really think that he was that stupid?
"No way," he exclaimed. "Why should I follow you? You look like you could be a part of the mafia. You're probably going to drag me over to a dark alley..."
Hades sighed. How did he ever doubt that this was Poseidon's son? Grabbing the handle of the boy's backpack, Hades started to drag the brat out of the building before he could make a scene.
"Hey! Stop it! I don't even know your name! Do you even want to know mine? Help! I'm getting kidnapped!"
Ah. He had forgotten to introduce himself. Persephone would be so disappointed. Mentally slapping himself for forgetting common etiquette, Hades loosened his hold on the Perseus' backpack. Unbalanced, Percy fell to the ground with a loud "oomph". When he looked up to glare at the stranger, Percy found himself staring at a hand.
"You're joking, right? Your hand is probably poisonous or something. Actually, I'm not even sure if that's your actual hand. You're so tall and long. You probably have a bunch of fake limbs stuck here and there," he sassed as he helped himself off the ground, ignoring the hand.
"I'm sorry if I made the wrong first impression. I am Hades Apollyon Theós. Your father's brother," Hades introduced himself with an uninterested expression.
Percy had to look up to meet the stranger's eyes. Why was he so tall?
Wait. His father's brother?
"Yes. My name is Hades." Reluctantly, Hades' lips twitched upwards as he watched the boy's inner struggle. "Your name is Perseus. Am I correct?"
"Percy," he replied, impulsively. "Why isn't Poseidon here?"
Hades raised an eyebrow at the rude tone but answered his question. "Due to his inability to take care of himself, Poseidon is currently injured and therefore, ineligible to pick you up from the airport himself. As his 'loving brother', I am helping him out by taking you to the hospital where he is currently residing."
Percy could practically hear the sarcasm oozing out of his words. Glaring at his uncle, he grumbled, "I still don't like you. And you still look like you belong in the mafia."
Returning the glare with an even harsher one, Hades replied, "I didn't expect you to. You are entitled to your own opinions. As for your second statement... Believe it or not, I'm much, much worse."
A/N
Thank you so much for reading this chapter! I really appreciate it. The first chapter of Fighting was dedicated to hj_0206. She has only been on Wattpad for a few weeks so I would really appreciate it if you went over to her profile and clicked on "Conversations" and gave her a warm welcome to the Wattpad community. If you want to, you could also read her new story Demigods and Divergents: A PJO and Divergent Crossover and give her some positive feedback. Thank you! :)
~ JayBlinks