I Was Percy Jackson (A Percy Jackson Betrayed Fanfic)

Chapter 44 || Family Is Family

PERCY JACKSON

As I parted from Annabeth and my friends, my eyes still red from crying, I realized my eyes weren't the only ones that were red. All of them had bloodshot eyes, laughing at our ridiculous expressions. I cleared my throat, looking at the sudden beach wave that splatted all over camp, making the campers laugh. I could see the skies clearing up by Zeus, revealing a beautiful sun from Apollo. Artemis sent a shower of arrows into the sky to show her celebration.

Hades was letting us use his skeleton warriors as little waitresses and waiters. Ares... being Ares, didn't do anything. Dionysus? Well, Dionysus drank a lot of wine and passed out. That's a gift! Him being quiet for once! Demeter was making plants grow, Athena was just being nice to Poseidon for a day, Hera was smiling, Aphrodite was singing, and Hephaestus was happily forging random items.

As much as I was happy to see the gods coming down to the ground to see their children, I had to see a certain family of four. So as the mortal families of the demigods poured into camp to check on who survived and who died... I searched for the familiar sea-blue eyes I'd grown to love. The sea-blue eyes that belonged to the person who put up with so much to love me and raise me.

My mom.

And as I saw her walking in slowly behind the crowd, anxiously scanning the battlefield, I walked to her instead. I didn't wear any fancy armor like I normally would. I had bandages all over me. I had crazy medications stuffed in my sweatpants pockets and hoodie pockets. I had a sore throat from all my yelling. But for once, I looked like me.

Me when I was seventeen in blue sweatpants and a blue hoodie. The one Annabeth loved to steal. And on the front of the hoodie was Nemo. A constant reminder of home. I guess not all memories are bad, are they? The moment she saw me, she ran down the hill along with Paul and my two younger siblings, which I hadn't even met yet.

"PERCY!" she screamed, launching herself at me.

I was tackled to the floor, surprisingly, by this woman who was 1080 years old. Obviously, the gods had made my family immortal. So I said thank you in my head. I could feel my mom sobbing in my hoodie, hands shaking as she caressed my face and stroked my hair.

"Percy..." she whispered, kissing my cheek.

"Mom..." I breathed, smelling the blue cookies on her. "Mom... guess what?"

She pulled away slightly so that she was looking at my face and not crushing my wounds.

"I'm back," I chuckled lightly and she sniffled, laughing as well.

I leaned on her as I got up, her fretting over the bandages. Paul clapped a hand on my shoulder.

"It's..." he choked as he teared up. "It's... so good to finally see you again."

Paul began to cry, hugging me in a bear hug.

"Percy we're all so sorry," Mom whispered from where she was clinging to my arm for dear life as if I could vaporize at any minute.

"It's okay," I whispered to both of them, "I forgive everyone."

With that, I was squished by my mom and my stepfather. Great. I could hear Estelle and Max talking in the background quietly.

"That's Percy?" Max hissed to Estelle.

"I remember it the same as the day I was two!" Estelle chirped, "He came to the door one day! He looks exactly like this dude!"

Max shook his head.

"He looks like he's f**king seventeen. There's no way a thousand-year-old man looks like that."

"Then explain why we're more than a thousand years old and we don't look like that!"

"Because Aphrodite blessed every mortal family of demigods," Max answered.

"Well he's a demigod, Max. Of course he's ageless."

As they pulled away, I got a glance at my two siblings for the first time. Max had mom's blue eyes while Estelle had mom's eyes with a tint of sea-green. They both ran a hand through their hair, which was brown, just like Paul's hair.

"Hey," I said, keeping myself from getting too emotional, "Estelle... you're bigger than the last time I saw you..." I took a deep breath as I turned to the side, pulling something out of my pocket. It was a stuffed bunny rag doll Estelle played with that I might've stole that day I traveled off of the Earth. "Do you... Do you still play with rag dolls?"

Idiot. Estelle stared at me for a long time before running to me, throwing her arms around me. Max did the same. They were exactly 1029 years old.

"So..." Estelle pulled away, her blueish sea-green eyes staring into mine, "You're... You're my brother? I'm sorry I didn't know for a long time! I thought it was only Max and me for about three years before mom spilled everything to us when I was five and Max was two so I had absolutely no idea until then and I didn't even know Greek Mythology existed until Mom told us about all your adventures and--"

"She's talkative," Max interrupted.

"Max!" Estelle flushed red and smacked his arm.

"I see you're like me," I chuckled at Estelle, "Rambling. But I sound and am stupider."

Estelle laughed. Max looked into my eyes and curiously stared.

"What happened to your eyes? In the pictures they had no flecks in them."

"Max!" Mom hissed but I laughed, shrugging it off.

"I see you're just like Paul. Observant. Well... What Mom probably didn't tell you because she didn't know... is that I've been just floating around in outer space. Hanging out. Killing people--"

"Wait, killing people?" Estelle and Max took a step back.

"Bad people," I reassured them.

"That's awesome!" Estelle laughed.

"So... how's it like being a demigod?" 

I frowned, not sure how to explain.

"Well... there's something I need to tell you all. Mom, you didn't get me from Poseidon."

"WHAT?!" Mom spluttered.

"You got me from Chaos, creator of the universe."

"THE WHAT?!"

"The thing is, your past life was from my mom, a woman named Yala, who married Chaos but died in battle. Her spirit went to rebirth, where she came out as you. At that time, Chaos was at war, so he preserved my age by locking me in a room similar to the Lotus Casino, and when the war was over, he took me out."

"So... you're old?" Estelle frowned.

"Estelle, let him continue!" Max hissed, looking at me eagerly.

"Well, he couldn't keep me on the original planet, so when he realized Yala was reborn into you, he decided to hide me on Earth by sending me to you, altering the mist to make it look like I was Poseidon's son. So yes, I am your son, but not Poseidon's."

"That's hella confusing," Estelle said.

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Max rolled his eyes.

"I'm just making a statement--"

The fighting of siblings.