-Chapter One-
A small boy at around the age of seven was smiling goofily at a middle-aged woman. The woman herself was stirring a bowl of what seemed to be a blue pancake batter. The boy seemed to bounce up and down as if he was about to burst from excitement. The woman smiled, she looked like she was in her early thirties. The woman, who was the mother of the boy set the bowl down in a countertop and turning towards her son. The boy had Raven black hair and starling sea-green eyes. He had some traits of his mother, the way he smiles brightly and seemed to radiate an air of confidence around him.
"Now now Percy, if you want to eat blue pancakes then you better learn to behave." The woman started turning towards the boy whose name was Percy. His shoulders slumped, a look of disappointment crossing his face. The woman laughed and flicked Percy's nose.
"I'm kidding." She said chuckling at her son's dejected look. Percy immediately brightened up and smiled. Two of his front teeth were missing, which wasn't surprising since most of the kids in his age had started to grow their adult teeth.
"Go sit on the couch whilst I prepare the blueberry pancakes." She ordered softly. Percy hooded and instantly scurried off to the couch. He sat on it impatiently, watching his mother make the pancakes he so desperately wanted. The mother's name was Sally Jackson, the mother of the demigod Percy Jackson. A few minutes passed by whilst Sally prepared the pancakes, but for Percy, it felt like it was a few years.
"Percy come here, the pancakes are ready!" Sally beckoned, Percy instantly brightened up and turned towards her with a beaming smile.
The door busted open as a man walked through, a hood covering his face in shadows. Percy stepped back in shock, not knowing what exactly was happening. Sally seemed to widen her eyes in surprise and turned towards the man with a look of both shock and fear. She stepped out of the kitchen and turned to the man, her maternal instincts kicking in. She shielded Percy from the man as said demigod cowered behind the couch in fear, watching all of it unfold.
"Go away woman, I have no quarrel with you." The man said in a deep voice, staring at Percy. Sally clenched her fists.
"You have no business here before you get to him, you have to get through me!" Sally stated bravely, her eyes were a different story though. They showed fear and worry. Her heart was pounding. It seemed like any moment her beating heart would burst out of her chest. The man growled.
"So be it."
A single scream. That was what Percy heard, what he saw was something no child should ever see. On the floor stood his mother, a single cut on her chest. A pool of blood forming around her lifeless body. Percy widened his eyes, he couldn't process what he was seeing. Percy seemed rooted to the spot, he couldn't speak, he couldn't move. The man turned to Percy, a scythe in his hand.
The man slowly approached Percy with a menacing aura, filling Percy with dread. The man grabbed Percy by the arm and yanked him toward him. Percy whimpered in fear as the man examined him with a look of glee.
The man held out his free hand and touched Percy in the neck.
"You will pay for what you have done. You will suffer as I did. Live out the rest of your life in agony." The man said in a harsh tone.
"Σας καταρατώ τη χρονική πίεση."
Almosy instantly Percy screamed in pain as energy suddenly flooded the apartment room.
The man was blasted off his feet as a green energy blast sent him flying. The blast was so strong that it sent the man flying out of the apartment, creating a huge hole on the wall. Out of the doorway stood another person Percy couldn't recognize. The man was also hooded. Percy instantly reeled back, clutching his neck in pain, he didn't want to see another hooded person in his life.
The hooded man walked towards Percy, his shoulders slumped as the five-year-old demigod reeled back in fright.
"Please don't hurt me." Percy whimpered out, shielding his face. The man shook his head and looked at the place where Kronos hurt him. The man saw a mark, an hourglass. The man cursed, his face still hooded. Percy had tears in his eyes, he just witnessed his mother die in front of him. His neck seemed to flare up in pain as if an actual fire was on his neck.
The man touched Percy's neck and chanted something. Immediately Percy felt better, he could feel the pain slowly start to dull. Percy started to relax, he was however still shaken up, no, shaken up was an understatement. He was in full blow shock, he couldn't process what happened, it all happened to fast. Percy turned to the man, a look of distrust in his face.
"Who are you?" Percy asked slowly.
"I'm the person who's going to save your life kid." The hooded man said. The man slowly glowed a faint green, lighting up the apartment in a faint green light. The light slowly faded as Percy looked at the man with wide eyes.
"Stay here kid, I've got some business to attend to." The man said and disappeared. Percy widened his eyes, looking around in pure confusion. Slowly the reality started to hit him. He rushed over to his mother, tears flowing freely from his eyes.
"Mom?" Percy asked, trying to shake his mother awake. Alas, Sally was unmoving, her eyes showing no life. Her heartbeat was dead silent, her breathing was nonexistent. Her skin was deathly pale as blood kept leaking from her wounds. Out of nowhere, a man in his late twenties seemed to materialize out of thin air, looking around in pure confusion.
Percy turned to him, glaring at the newcomer. The man was looking around the room as if inspecting it. The man himself was wearing normal modern clothes. His eyes were bright green, it seemed to show power than any other. The man turned towards Percy, his powerful bright green eyes staring at the child. Percy however was still sending death glares at the man even though tears were brimming his eyes. To the normal person, he looked like he was just about to sneeze.
"What happened here?" He asked, Percy, ignored him and turned to his mother's side, shaking her violently. He couldn't accept the fact that she was gone. The man finally clicked the puzzle pieces together, the destroyed apartment, the tattered furniture, and the dead body. The man walked up to the boy with a face of pity.
"I am sorry." The man said, Percy tried to rub the tears from his eyes but failed miserably. He turned towards the man with a look of pure misery.
"Who are you?" He asked, the man sighed and kneeled beside him. In that single moment, the man made a single decision, one that would affect Percy's entire life. The man gave a slight sigh.
"My name is Chronos, I'm the primordial of Time, even though you do not know what it means yet." He introduced.
"What are you doing here?" Percy asked. Chronos smiled.
"I'm here to save you." Chronos said and kissed Percy's forehead. Unbeknownst to Percy, the kiss was actually magic. Percy immediately forgot about everything that happened, all of the events that occurred Percy forgot. His memories before the events were altered. It was the best option, no kid would grow up properly if something like that happened to their lives. Chronos planned on giving him his memories back, but only when he was ready. Chronos turned to the child who was looking around clueless.
"Where am I?" He asked, Chronos held Percy's hands.
"That's a question you do not need to ask right now." Chronos said with a small chuckle. The kid turned towards Chronos with a confused look.
"Who am I?" Percy asked. Chronos smiled sadly.
"You are who you want to be." Chronos replied. "For now, I'm going to take you home."
----
On a distant faraway land, a magnificent city was bustling with activity. Cars that seemed to float magically seemed to be extremely common. Bullet trains that raced at incredibly fast speeds were normal. Buildings that were as tall as skyscrapers were seen as far as the eye could see. Along with that, there seemed to be a giant spire in the middle of the city that had a giant glowing green crystal that seemed to radiate energy. The crystal itself powered all of the lights on the city, it gave the city unlimited power. The magnificent city that seemed to be from some futuristic fantasy was the Chronoscape, the everlasting city of Chronos.
A bright flash erupted from an alleyway. From the bright flash came Chronos, the king of the city. Percy looked around with a look of confusion, his face looking at Chronos for answers. He grabbed Percy's hands and led him out of the alleyway, almost instantly he gasped in pure surprise and shock. The five-year-old boy was shocked at the beauty of the city. It seemed like something from a dream. But this city, it was absolutely real. Chronos chuckled at his response.
"Follow me, we're going home." Chronos said with a smile, holding Percy by the hand and leading him through the busy streets of the Chronoscape.
"Where are we going?" Percy asked with a bright smile. His eyes glinting with excitement.
"See that building over there?" Chronos asked pointing at a particular building in the distance. Percy turned and strained his eyes, trying to find what he was pointing at. Percy widened his eyes and turned to Chronos who was beaming.
The building was a magnificent castle the size of a football stadium. It glowed a vibrant green that seemed to provide everyone around it with a sense of security. Chronos smiled and walked to the castle with Percy holding Chronos' hand and admiring everything. The whole city was a lot to take in, a regular adult man would have trouble comprehending the city. Percy's mind was simply short circuiting.
"This place is awesome!" Percy said with wide eyes, Chronos chuckled. The two of them stopped, standing in front of the castle, Percy still marveling at the castle and Chronos deep in thought.
"I want you to meet someone." Chronos said, kneeling besides Percy with a small smile.
"Who is this someone?" Percy asked curiously.
"He's my son, your brother." Chronos said with a smile. Percy's eyes seemed to glow brightly.
"Really! What's his name?" Percy asked, jumping up and down.
"How will I introduce myself if I don't even know my name." Percy said with a pout. Chronos chuckled.
"Your unbridled joy is a pure paradox do you know that?" Chronos said with a hearty laugh. Percy's eyes glinted with excitement.
"That would be my name!" Percy said with happiness. "Pareadix."
Chronos widened his eyes, a small smile tugging in the corner of his lip. "It's paradox, not pareadix, that sounds inappropriate."
"When do I get to meet him?" Percy asked, Chronos turned to the castle door. A child around the age of four was stood there, looking at the two with a confused look. Chronos beckoned the child over, the child nodded and walked towards him with a look of confusion.
"Father, who is this?" The boy asked. Chronos stood up and looked at the two.
"Yorath, this is Paradox. Your brother."
7 Years Later
"Yorath, Paradox, come here, I want to show you something." Chronos called out. The two brothers peeked their heads from their respective room, a look of confusion laced in their faces.
"Follow me, I'm going to show you something." Chronos ordered, the two brothers nodded and stepped out of their rooms.
Chronos lead the two brothers across the hallway, stopping at a certain door on the castle. The door itself had intricate carvings etched onto the wood. Percy didn't know what it meant, nor did he care. The two brothers shared a look of confusion. They turned towards Chronos with an eyebrow raised.
"What is this father?" Yorath asked with a raised eyebrow. Chronos didn't reply. Instead, he chanted something under his breath. Percy couldn't hear what he said, Percy, however, was slowly getting curious as to what the room held. The carvings glowed a faint green as magic slowly started to pour into the area. Percy stepped back a bit in pure instinct. The door opened slowly as if it was in a horror movie and some freakish monster would step out. Instead, Percy felt a wave of pure energy engulf him.
It almost made Percy bend to a knee at the sudden spike of energy. The brothers shared a look, confusion evident in their features. Chronos turned to the two and beckoned them inside, the two brothers were skeptical. They haven't sensed this type of power before, it seemed as if a weight was pushed onto their shoulders. Chronos walked inside the room, leaving the two brothers to their musings. They gave each other a slight nod and walked inside.
To their surprise, there was a large floating green crystal in the middle of the room. Like any room in the castle, it was bigger on the inside. The walls were decorated with paintings and murals that seem to depict different points in time. Four grand marble columns were perfectly symmetrical with each other, giving a sort of ancient vibe to it. Percy turned his attention to the elephant in the room. He didn't know what the crystal was, he was extremely confused as to why it was there in the first place. Yorath beat him to it and asked the hard-hitting questions.
"What is that?" Yorath asked with a raised eyebrow.
"That," Chronos explained whilst pointing at the crystal. "Is a Time Crystal."
"It powers the city and all of its technology, it's an extremely powerful artifact that harnesses the power of time." He added. Percy raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in confusion.
"What does this have to do with us?" Percy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"As the princes of the Chronoscape, it is your duty to protect this at all cost, if someone manages to get inside without connections with time, the crystal will explode and kill everyone within the city." Chronos deadpanned. The two stepped back in shock, a hint of nervousness in their faces. Chronos chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
"But that's not what I was going to show you," Chronos said, walking to the bookshelf on the corner of the room. Even though it was a bookshelf, it contained no books. It only had cardboard boxes. Chronos grabbed two cardboard boxes that both had a tint of green. The box itself had a golden ribbon that wrapped around it as if it was a Christmas present.
Chronos turned to the two brothers, the boxes in hand.
"This is my gift to you." Chronos said holding out the two boxes. Percy had a good look and saw his name written in cursive on one of the boxes. He stared at the other box and saw Yorath's name written neatly on the box.
"Monsters are prevalent. I want to give you something to defend yourselves with."
"Go on, don't be shy." Chronos beckoned.
"Open it." He said excitedly.
The two nodded and dabbed their respective boxes and stared at it for a good couple of minutes. Percy unwrapped the ribbon and opened it. Percy widened his eyes in shock, he saw a sword in perfect condition sitting at the box he opened. Percy turned to his brother and watched him open his. Yorath had a look of confusion and turned towards Chronos with a confused glance.
"It's a yoyo?" Yorath asked with a confused look. Percy peeked and looked at what was inside the box. Indeed there was a yoyo inside the box. Yorath grabbed the yoyo and stared at it with confusion. Percy couldn't help but give a chuckle. Yorath turned to him and gave him a death glare.
"It's not a normal yoyo. If you don't know, the yoyo was actually a weapon before it became a toy." Chronos stated.
"That yoyo right there is extremely powerful, you may not see it now, but you'll learn how to use it as time goes by." Chronos said, giving a small wink to Yorath. He nodded begrudgingly, not really knowing how a yoyo could be a weapon.
Percy turned to his own gift and clutched the sword in his hand. It was perfectly balanced. The grip was perfect for him, it seemed as if the sword was made specifically for him which it probably was.
"That right there." Chronos pointed at the sword.
"Is a magic blade." Chronos explained.
"What does it do?" Percy asked.
"Well, if I tell you then it would change the future now would it?" Chronos said with a slight chuckle. In truth, Chronos couldn't see what the future held for his sons. He knew the future of everyone aside from other primordials. He knew what the outcome would be. But with Percy and Yorath, he didn't know what their future held.
Chronos sighed and turned to the two.
"Let me teach both of you how to wield your weapons."
3 Years Later
Percy was now seventeen, he knew how to fight incredibly well. His skill with a sword was unparalleled. As he grew older, he slowly started to gain more power. He slowly started to take control over time. He wasn't an expert at it since doing something like that would take a lifetime to master. He could however use it efficiently. He could slow down time to a certain degree. He could zip past it and appear at a different place. He could go back to the place where he was a few seconds ago. It was exhausting to use it, it was his trump card.
Percy clutched the sword in his hand, circling his duel partner, Yorath. Over time, the two mastered their respective weapons. They both wielded it with grace and perfection. However, their trash talking wasn't.
"You suck!" Percy called out with a laugh and dodged the yoyo that was about to smash his face. Yorath stuck his tongue out and stared at his brother with a playful smirk. Yorath played with his yoyo like how it was made for. Even though it was a dangerous weapon didn't mean he couldn't play with it normally. The two were surveying each other looking for a weak spot
"If this ends in another stalemate, I'm going to fucking lose it." Yorath said playfully. Percy chuckled.
"We both know that won't happen, I'll win this time." Percy said with a mischievous grin.
"Is that so?" Yorath said with a grin, readying his yoyo.
"Well then, let's find out."
Yorath flung his yoyo like a whip, almost hitting Percy straight in the chest. Percy rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the attack. He clutched his sword and charged his brother, ready to play offensive. Yorath smirked, his yoyo returning to his hand almost instantly. Yorath threw the yoyo at Percy, the weapon wrapping around Percy's sword. He smirked and yanked at the yoyo string, the sword flying from Percy's hand and onto the floor.
Yorath sent the yoyo to Percy, leaving him no time to recover. Percy concentrated and rolled out of the way, the yoyo hitting the ground beside him, making a sizable dent on the arena floor. Percy grabbed the other end of the yoyo string and yanked it towards him. Yorath gulped and was pulled towards Percy.
He smirked and tripped Yorath right off his feet, sending him to the floor. Percy placed a foot on his chest, a sizable grin on his face.
"I win." Percy stated proudly. Yorath groaned. Percy chuckled and lifted his foot up. He extended his hand at the now defeated Yorath. He gladly accepted it and dusted the dirt from his shirt.
"What's the score?" Yorath asked. Percy turned to the chalkboard at the arena and changed the scores.
"Fifty-one for me, fifty for you." Percy said with a slight grin. Yorath sighed.
"Motherfucker." He said under his breath. Percy chuckled and turned towards Yorath who was playing with his yoyo. Even though the two were demiprimordials. They still had ADHD which in turn resulted in Yorath constantly fidgeting with the yoyo.
"Don't worry, you'll get it next time." Percy said with a chuckle. Yorath rolled his eyes, a small chuckle escaping his lips.
"Anyways, I'm craving for some ice cream, let's go and gra-" Percy couldn't finish his sentence as he dropped down his a thud. Percy gasped in pain, his form flickering like a light bulb. Yorath widened his eyes and dropped beside him, his eyes showing confusion and shock.
"What the-" Yorath couldn't muster up any words as his brother kept flickering as if he a was fading. Yorath looked around trying to find anything that could help.
"Father!" Yorath screamed at the top of his lungs. Immediately, Chronos appeared, looking around with confusion.
"Why did you call me?" Chronos asked, immediately his face turned into one of shock and dread. Chronos cursed silently.
"I should've known this was coming." Chronos kneeled beside Percy who was screaming out in pain. Percy had a glazed look in his eyes as if he was in some faraway place. Chronos looked at Percy's neck, the hourglass mark glowing a bright green. Chronos cursed again, pulling a small box from his pocket.
"I should've given this to him sooner." Chronos regretted. He opened the box hurriedly and grabbed a small watch from it. He attached the watch on Percy's wrist and pressed one of the buttons. Instantly the flickering stopped. Percy stopped screaming. Percy passed out then and there, his eyes closed shut. Yorath turned to the primordial of time with wide eyes.
"What the hell was that?" Yorath asked. Chronos looked at Percy's form with a sad face, anguish clear in his eyes.
"The Time Strain."
Word Count
4019
Words