Disclaimer: Percy Jackson belongs to Rick Riordan, and Underworld belongs to Lakeshore Entertainment, as well as any other element of any other work, creation that appears, credits to whomever it may apply.
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"Thoughts"
"Speaking"
"Another language"
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"{Run, Perseus}" exclaimed a beautiful woman, but clearly exhausted and with her voice trembling with despair at the same time that her blue eyes, full of panic, looked constantly around.
Every creak in the woods, every shadow that moved, seemed to alert her more vulnerable, but her concern for her son didn't allow her a second of rest. They both made their way through the trees, fighting against the darkness that was beginning to envelop them.
It was late, the sun had almost completely set, leaving the moon, cold and distant, to rise with a sharp glow over the clear sky. The last vestiges of daylight faded as the divine chariots of Helios and his sister, Selene, slowly painted the landscape in shades of twilight, transforming the day into thick darkness.
But the boy, despite his efforts, could not keep up, Perseus' short legs struggled to keep up, while exhaustion threatened to knock him down at every step.
The woman, his mother, went forward with her senses alert, looking for signs of danger in the growing gloom. She knew that the beast chasing them was close, too close as the air seemed to be charged with a palpable threat.
Each breath each of them took became heavier, as the troubling atmosphere of the forest enveloped them as if the entire world was holding its breath, waiting for the moment when the beast would catch up with them.
"{Don't stop, Perseus}" she murmured in a broken voice, trying to instill a little courage in him as she felt the weight of her own despair.
The boy, fighting against his fear and tiredness, gritted his teeth and forced his legs to move faster, as his mother asked him to, but exhaustion overcame him, his small steps were no longer fast enough.
Fatigue defeated him, his muscles turned to lead, his breathing more and more erratic. The woman, with a precision and decisiveness that only a mother's instinct could grant, lifted him without hesitation. The trees that closed around her seemed to want to hold her back, but she, fueled by fierce desperation, pierced them, barely seeing the branches that scratched and tearing her skin and leaving light cuts, as well as faint traces of blood.
Every wound she suffered from the branches of the trees was just a distant echo in her mind, but she didn't care because she couldn't stop.
The forces of nature itself seemed to have lined up to hold her back, but she thought of nothing but her son, of reaching the sea, the domain of her beloved, that he might hear her pleas. The need for protection for her son, to get him to safety, drove her through the darker forest.
But with each passing second, the sound of the beast getting closer and closer, like a dark heartbeat from the forest. The end was not far off.
She ran, her body already exhausted from the effort, but her feet kept moving at the speed of despair. Meanwhile the cold air crashed against her beautiful face as her breathing became more erratic and every second that passed, she felt as if the ground beneath her feet was crumbling, but she couldn't stop or look back.
As the sound of the sea grew louder, a spark of hope blossomed in her chest. The boy, frightened and exhausted in his mother's arms, began to feel a strange sense of calm, as if the sea could offer them some kind of shelter and comfort.
The closer they got to the beach, the more intensely serenity enveloped them, almost like a promise of salvation.
But that calm faded as quickly as it had come, for a deafening crack tore through the air, a sound that left no doubt that the beast was closer, too close. It was the sound of branches and trees that began to give way under the weight or force of its monstrous presence, torn apart by its violent step.
Each crack was a brutal reminder that the creature was not only chasing them, but was catching up with them.
"{No, please, no...}" the mother murmured, her voice cracking with despair.
The woman's blue eyes were filled with terror as she realized the inevitable, the beast was so close that she could almost feel its hot breath behind her. The hope that had blossomed so fleetingly began to fade... they would not succeed.
But just as she was about to give up, to be consumed by anguish, an opening in the tree line appeared before her eyes. The sea was in sight, the edge of the shore was glimpsed through the night and the trees thanks to the light of the stars and moon, a vision that gave her one last spark of hope, they had arrived... or at least almost.
The woman gritted her teeth and with one last effort, she went through the last group of branches that separated her from the sand.
When her feet touched the sandy shore, the woman's breath almost stopped for an instant in the relief, she had run so far, she had run with all the force inside her until finally the sea was there, within her reach. It was the shelter she had sought for her son, but the cry for help she wanted to let out choked down her throat.
"Help, save us, Pos-!" Her voice broke as her soul prayed to the wind, to the sea, to the world, waiting for the father of her child, her protector, to hear her... but before she could finish pronouncing his name, a brutal blow threw her as if she were a rag doll.
"Ahhhh!/Aarrgghh!" Both the boy and his mother shouted at the same time. But the boy's was driven by fear and surprise when he uttered his cry into the air, while she, tormented by excruciating pain, could barely contain her lament before releasing her son.
Her son, Perseus, was knocked down from his mother's hands... in an instant, he fell to the ground with a dull thud, landing right at the edge of the water where the waves of the sea that advanced and receded endlessly, licking the beach constantly, and barely the distance the size of one of his small arms separated him from the sea foam being able to reach his body
The sound of the water crashing against the shore seemed to deafen them, for their minds were too dazed with pain and fear to process.
A huge paw landed on the woman's back as she tried to get up despite the pain or wound bleeding from her back, and threw her to the ground, trapping her underneath.
"{Perseus, go! Go into the sea, it will protect you!}" the woman pleaded as the pressure on her back increased, knowing that her time was up, but her son's was not yet.
"{Mom...}" the boy's voice came out like a whisper from the fear and helplessness he felt as Perseus looked at his mother and then at the beast that had immobilized her. He looked the creature in the eyes, a deep red, unusual for any normal creature while one of its fangs had some blood... but this boar was anything but a normal creature.
But before Perseus could do anything, the creature crushed the child's mother under its giant paw with a sickening creak.
"{MOM!}"
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"{MOM!}" A man sat up on his bed, cold sweat running down his face and soaking the sheets as he let out a brief exclamation in his native tongue
The dark room was filled only with the Greek's heavy breathing, which brought his hands to his face as he tried to calm his ragged breath. Little by little, he realized that he was not back on that beach, not close to his hometown, nor was he even in the Greece in which he grew up.
He was in his bed, in the safety of his current home, but he had been awakened by that damned memory, the one that every time it tormented his mind, it haunted him with the same intensity and emotions, the memory of the day his life changed forever, the day he lost his biological mother.
"Shit..." he cursed quietly, putting his hands to his face and wiping the sweat that ran down his face. He hated that dream, because he knew that every time it was repeated, something important was about to happen, whether it was in the mortal world or worse, something that might involve the gods "It better not be another world war..." he muttered with some anger, as if the simple act of speaking it out loud could prevent it from becoming a reality.
After a moment and pulling aside the sheets, he stood up, but his body still heavy from the nightmare and headed for the bathroom.
When he turned on the light, the glow of the bulb cut through the darkness, illuminating the small but familiar space, then he approached the sink and poured a handful of water on his face, trying to clear his head, feeling how the sensation of the cold water penetrated his skin and woke him up completely.
Then he looked at himself carefully in the mirror, his black hair falling over his face, soaked by water and sweat, while his eyes of a deep green like the calm sea stared at him. Those eyes, which had seen so much and witnessed so many battles, reflected a wisdom that only the years and the hardest experiences could bestow.
But he stood there for a moment, watching his face as if hoping to find some hidden answer in the features of his face, but his own face only reminded him of what he had been, what he had lived and what was yet to come.
Within a few more minutes he was on her hands, doing push-ups in the center of his apartment. His toned and well-defined muscles unfolded in the solitude of the place, each muscle flexing in unison with each movement
It would take a while for the sweat to begin to soak him, but it wasn't just the exercise he was looking for, it was the need to clear his mind of the nightmare that still tormented him and with each flexion, he felt how his body slowly woke up, as if he wanted to clear from his mind the vestiges of that disturbing dream.
He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, not after that dream, it was better to take advantage of the time and keep busy, but while his body exercised, his mind kept spinning, trying to analyze what might be coming.
There was nothing in the deadly news to indicate a possible catastrophe, no impending war, or anything that stood out from the ordinary. However, that feeling of danger continued to lurk, like an omen in the air and it troubled his mind.
On the other hand, it was more difficult to know what was going on in the divine world, since he had always been discreet about the fact that he is still alive and had learned to stay under the radar without attracting the attention of certain members of the Olympic council. Moreover, in the last twenty years, he had lost touch with many of his acquaintances and the few divine relatives he could trust.
Not to mention, it wasn't easy for him to keep in touch when most of the Greco-Roman pantheon has been across the ocean for more than two centuries and of course the gods like to do things their own way.
So Perseus seriously doubted that the current generation half-bloods and other individuals who were part of the Greek side or the Roman side could keep up with the advances of mankind in the modern world. He didn't think they had managed to find a way to use today's technology without exposing themselves to unnecessary risks, nor was he convinced that they realized how monsters managed to track down demigods and find them, even in such a vast and distracting world.
However, his skepticism was not unfounded, it came from the experiences he had had during the last centuries, especially the last one, when he had the opportunity to meet several demigods of different generations, and most of them did not seem to have any kind of preparation or understanding about the continuous changes in the world.
It was as if they had been trapped in time, unable to keep pace with humanity's progress as they tried to adapt as best they could, only for mortals to bring about another change. And many of those half-bloods trying to adapt to the continuous changes of the new age seemed more prone to making mistakes, not knowing how to remain anonymous or how to protect themselves from threats that never stopped lurking.
But the gods fared even worse, having heard from several demigods and the few divine beings he spoke to that various gods regarded science and other advancements in the mortal world as blasphemy.
In addition, these problems were especially notorious in the Romans, whose obsession with tradition, ancient forms of training, Roman discipline and the isolation of their small people kept them anchored to ways of thinking that, although glorious in their time, today were inadequate. The Romans clung to an idealized version of the past, not realizing that they were but a pale shadow of the great conquerors who once dominated much of Europe, part of Asia, and Africa.
But on the other hand, the Greeks were not exempt from their own problems: the lack of discipline, the chaos that sometimes reigned in their ranks, along with the inability to adapt to certain aspects of modern society, and the fact that many of them were left to their own devices by the gods.
So on more than one occasion, during the last 300 years, Perseus had encountered situations in which his patience was tested, wondering, not without sarcasm, what in the name of Chaos Chiron had been teaching those young demigods. How was it possible that they still couldn't adapt or realize other essential things after so many centuries of existence? (Note 1)
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Hours later, after a quick shower that allowed him to clear his head a little more, the green-eyed man dressed quickly and efficiently, as if each garment had a specific purpose in its mission to go unnoticed, choosing simple and discreet clothes, those that would not attract anyone's attention in the crowded streets of the city.
He opted for comfortable boots, with resistant soles, perfect for walking long distances without causing discomfort, his leather coat, an old and worn dark brown coat that had been his faithful companion for years. Leather that once shone brightly, now showed obvious signs of use: some wrinkles, small scratches and time marks that only an observant person could notice, plus it was still your best bet for unpredictable weather and, above all, to keep out of the prying eyes of others.
Under the coat, there was a simple cotton T-shirt that fitted his torso with the naturalness of an outfit that had already become part of him. The jeans were of a dark tone and without ornaments, so they did not stand out in the least, allowing him to blend into the crowd without attracting attention and to complete his look, he chose a dark blue cap that partially covered his face, hiding his look and part of his identity.
Everything she wore seemed to be part of a carefully chosen costume to go unnoticed in the crowd. In his life it was not uncommon for him to mix with the mortals without a trace and that was the best way to stay under the radar.
He grabbed his wallet and watch from a nearby table, with almost automatic movements he put them on and then approached the window of his spacious and economical apartment to look outside, observing the urban landscape that stretched out before him, it was still dark and the rain was pouring down, hitting the windows hard.
The lights of the city flickered in the distance, but the streets were far from empty; People went about their daily chores as if nothing had changed because the human routine never stopped, even when the night seemed to embrace the city with its dark and damp mantle.
Perseus knew that the life of mortals did not pause, and even less so when the hours seemed to slip through their fingers without them being able to do anything to stop them.
He looked at his watch and a sigh escaped his lips when he saw the time because his watch showed that it was barely two thirty in the morning.
It didn't matter, little sleep was a trifle compared to other things he had dealt with throughout his long life, in fact, many times he had found himself working through the night, facing dangers and making decisions that mortals could not even imagine. Sleep had never been a priority for him, especially at times when the fates were determined to give him little room to rest.
But at that moment, a short and sharp beep interrupted his thoughts.
*BEEP*
The sound of his phone's answering machine was the only thing that broke the heavy silence of the night as Perseus kept his eyes fixed on the movement of the streets below, as if he was waiting for something to arrive or happen right at that moment, his eyes always alert, they were still watching, but his mind was already prepared for what could come.
"You have communicated with Percy Jackson's answering machine. Please leave your message after the ringtone." The calm and serene voice of the green-eyed black-haired man echoed in the room, like a routine he had heard thousands of times.
A brief silence filled the room, followed by a female voice that began to speak: "Hi, Percy, I'm Ivett. Just remind you that the 7th century art shipment will arrive later today, so we need you to be here to sign. We have also received an update on the delivery of ancient Greek weapons, apparently some boxes were delivered yesterday and we need your approval on what we should keep and what should be returned. I'll wait for you later. Goodbye."
The voice of Ivett, a middle-aged woman, died off at the end of the recording, leaving behind the echo of her message. The telephone line was cut with a soft click, but Percy, also known as Perseus, hardly paid attention to the content because the Greek's eyes were fixed on the outside world, watching the flickering lights of the city and the raindrops that slid down the windows, knew perfectly well what that message implied, but at that moment he did not have time for details such as the art or the museum's ancient armaments.
Without thinking twice, Percy turned off the lights in the place and left the apartment without looking back. The message could wait, the city never rested and neither would he, something more urgent was about to happen, something he surely could not ignore.
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Well here we have a semi-immortal version of Percy Jackson, who was born in ancient Greece and has survived for over three thousand years, but has managed to make many gods and council members ignore his existence and survival for thousands of years.
I will show more of his past in every chapter and encounters he has had outside the Greco-Romans during the following chapters
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Note 1 : Well, as far as I know, it's assumed that Lamia did something to the mist to make it easier for the monsters to track down the demigods. I'm not sure if that's what gave them a specific scent or made it more powerful for the monsters' sense of smell.
And I always wondered, why Riordan never wrote even a mention of some demigod trying to find a way for them to hide from monsters and to discover their abilities to track them?
So this Percy, being alive for thousands of years, has noticed and discovered various things, adapts and learns, so he found a way to stay hidden from the monsters, as well as from several of the gods.
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If you are interested in reading more chapters of this fanfic or the other fanfics, before they are published here on fanfiction, AO3 and Wattpad
You can do it on P*t*e*n: Xifos&Gladius
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Thanks to Gerardo Hernández Sánchez, Baba, Dan Isay López Rosas, Paulo Martinez, suonie jones, SG093, Archer FX, Luke Hunter, harjit singh, c_2003, Jesús Ernesto Ortiz Menchaca, OnTheRoof, WithAWolf, Gojo Satoru, Samuel Quintero, Kieran Dunkley, Robert Addy, Tiran Sarukhanyan, theguyver1343, Gabriel Lopez, Traiton Moses, CaptPartyspock, Deathgrips099, Errin Jacob Villar, Yato. God, Yusuf Ahmad, cordell Moore, Mezz015, Adam, Nicholas Heringer, Logan65, Aaron Roberts, Primordial_Will, Jt5342,Kyan Coy, DarkSpider, joe nelso, Attmay33, Arashi Hayabusa, HugoH, Alex Hershon, Tex, Julien, Helios, Justin Goetz, Rich, boby, remivaneldom, ONI1123, Chamar Ellis, Robin, Vegito Blue, c Meier, Michael Davis, Shawn Franks, Junkurrji O'shane Nona, kevon deshazier, Greg Robinson, Adam Doherty, LarsGameS, Peter Johnson, Oi Oi, jorge castillo, Stremms, Sin Hunter, LT Butterfly287, UnknownSkiz, Dean, Wilver Onofre, D-Arius, D-Arius, Aidan Jones, M360, Alan Lasalle, MrE, David Nguyen, Nerd Side, Raphael Rietti Souto, Lachlan Mathison, Dillon, Kyle Schmitz, Guillermo Chuy, Alejandro Ruiz Conejo, Keith Thomas II, Nozibjon, Elaina Friedrich, nitsuJ, Adrian, Justin Roy van Westering, dawid Yisrael, Saint Maximus, kurtis trickett, Joseph Grant, Nathan Grindstaff, Zak_McD, Ryan McCaughan, Rocket The Raccon, Tuxford Rorke, Jeremiah Matthews, Audio Tool, arthur, trey linebrink, Adam Blackmore, Josh, Adam Blackmore, RobinHaren, Zirfala, Jeremy D Peak, Ryan Leyden, Ranmaru Kurosaki, Madelyn, Trent Roe, Wiliam Croston, Brandon Wilson, Kissa454, Yonko Magikarp, willowskeith, Scarlet Fox, dorian wilson, SVTM62vl, doompie, Andrew Steven, Damian syers, Anthony Baca, Dylan, twistedflame899, Zook, k, kolokolo, Soul, Aaron Clay, Kirito, Sbhat Asfaha, Alexander Cullison, Jose Castro, Sergio Avila Jr, Charles, Edavila, Doom 7bz, Robin DiWinter, Yorda, Red, Wesbrook, John Smith, Bear, DuranteEmrys, Kingjames2332, Hollow_d_wrld, Wat3rF0xKail, D3m0nRulerZ, Stephen Odom, Enrique Cristobal Luna, Christophe Dean, Jake, Leo Clark, Shrimp, Nicholas Fritz, Connor, Lachlan, Aiming, Brandon Ossandon, JamesNic20, Forgotten Frost, julio vega, Connor Lloyd, Godaken, Alex Hawthorne, Roger Gaulke, Kitsune, Jose Vazquez, Brad Rieman, Charles Beecham, WhoisMitch, Ken Harris, Ravunz, Stefan Gottlieb, joshua scroggins, Benji, Rocket22, Luis, Chronicle Clock, God of Wind 200, Alchem, Orioles Enjoyer, Raj, James Cavazos , United Federation, Daniel bridges , XVenomX159, Voidful 911, Malignance, luis a. v. r., Henry, Daniel R. and OettamLass for their support on P*t*e*n
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