Ichor

Cadet (Part II)

Year 1 - Cadet
Planet Primae

° ° ° °

Percy sat at an open desk in the library.

The library in Chaos's palace was open to all, even the citizens. Not many citizens wanted to venture into his palace just to use his library, but it meant initiates could enter too.

He had a small stack of paper with two envelopes set in front of him and a nice pen in his hand. The first year of training before he could be inducted into the army was going well, but Percy was finding it hard to handle the sudden change. A new life. A new planet. A new identity.

They had just named him Ichor, so he was getting used to answering to that name. It was all so strange. He liked the name, yet it hurt every time someone used it. As if his old identity as Percy Jackson was slipping away bit by bit. And maybe that part of him would disappear altogether.

What scared him the most was forgetting the people of his past. His family, specifically. So, Percy decided to write letters to them. Not that he imagined he'd get the chance to send them, but it would be something to hold on to. Something written before he changed too much.

Thanks to his dyslexia, it took him several tries to spell everything correctly once he knew what he wanted to write—hence the small stack of paper.

In the end, Percy had two letters: one for his mom and Paul and one for his sister Estelle. Both were relatively short, but he was satisfied.

° ° ° °

The first letter was tucked into a light green envelope. The outside read: To Estelle for when you know the true story about the Hunter amongst the stars.

The actual letter said:

Dear Estelle,

You won't remember me, but I will always remember you. I remember the small smile you'd give me every time I looked down at your adorable babyface. And the giggle that would've warmed any villain's heart when I waved a toy in front of you.

In time, Mom will tell you stories full of adventures and friendships and impossible things. She will tell you a story of a brave Hunter whose essence is preserved in the stars above. And one day, probably the day you read this letter, you will believe that story to be true. You will know that the stories you grew up on were of my life and that the impossible things were not just imaginary tales to entertain you.

It will be sometime after that when you hopefully realize I did not simply abandon you. You are my sister and I your brother always. But that means I would always endanger you by being around. For your safety and for Mom and Paul's safety, I had to leave. You may hate me for that decision, but it was done out of love for our family.

I don't know what the future will be. I don't know if I'll ever get to see your smile or hear your laughter again. What I do know is that I'll always love you.

Be safe, be strong, be you.

Your loving brother,
Percy

The next letter was sealed in a light blue envelope addressed to: Mom and Paul. From: The one who's gone, but who you haven't lost.

The letter read:

Dear Mom & Paul,

Hey, Mom. You were probably worried sick about me. And I'm sorry for that. But I assure you I'm fine. I know you could never stay mad for long, but still, I hope you can forgive me for leaving without a goodbye. Even though I'm gone, you haven't lost me.

I had to go and I think you knew this time would come eventually. My only wish is that it was under better circumstances. I also think you know it's for the best. Our family is safer this way.

Do me a favor though, will you? Tell Estelle my stories. Tell her about a young boy who learned to trust and learned to love, who did impossible things for his friends. And when she's older, tell her the story about Zoë, the Hunter of Artemis in the stars. If she ever comes to know that those stories are true, give her the letter I wrote. And tell her I love her. And bake her blue chocolate chip cookies.

Paul, we didn't know each other for too long, but I know you're a good man. You love my mom, and now you both have Estelle to love too. Take care of Mom for me. And thank you for being there for her when I can't.

I also wanted to thank you for believing in me. That couldn't have been easy, yet you did it anyway. The only thing I ask of you is to let Estelle know me as her brother. Just tell her about me, ok? Tell her I love her too.

I hope you live long, happy, normal lives together.

Your loving son,
Percy

Percy neatly stored the envelopes safely in his trunk at the foot of his bed. He promised himself that each time he moved bunks or barracks, he would double, perhaps triple check that he had the letters with him. And if he ever got the chance, he swore to himself that he'd find a way to deliver them to his family. Until then, they remained as locked up memories, another part of his past he had to hide.