Life of A Young Demigod: Book 1 (Percy Jackson reader insert)

A Late Night Chat, Pt 1.

When we finally left the worlds creepiest garden supply store, the sun was beginning to set. Instead of wandering around, we decided to stay put for the night. The woods of Jersey were creepy enough before I found out there may be ancient monsters roaming around, let alone now. I did NOT want to find out if the Jersey Devil was based on anything real.

Fortunately, we had been able to find some food and blankets back at Aunty Em's, but things were still far from comfortable. The ground was rather damp, and it was unusually chilly for an early summer night. We briefly considered lighting a fire, but ultimately decided a slight improvement in comfort was not worth the risk of attracting any more attention. We'd had enough of that for one day. Once we set up camp, we decided to sleep in shifts, and I offered to go first. As most of the others got settled in, I noticed Andromeda sitting over by her crudely constructed sleeping bag, fiddling with some grass. She seemed... bothered.

I went over to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey 'Meda. You ok?"

She looked up at me and sighed. "Mostly, (Y/N). Just a long day, and not a particularly enjoyable one."

I nodded in agreement. Not only had we been attacked twice and barely escaped with our lives, we had lost most of our supplies in the bus explosion and were likely now wanted by the police in connection with it. Andromeda was luckier than some of us, since her flute and personal items had been in the small bag she kept around her waist, rather than in her bag, but today had been a hell of a way to start our quest.

She looked at me with a clear sense of concern. "How about you, (Y/N)? How are you feeling?"

I gave her a slight smile. "Well, considering the circumstances, fairly well actually. We dealt with the Furies and Medusa, so I'm feeling a bit better about our chances of success, that's for sure."

She chuckled a little. "Yeah, that makes sense I suppose. I definitely feel more capable now." She seemed to take a moment to think. "Hey, (Y/N), can I ask you something?"

I looked at her, slightly confused. "Of course, what is it?"

"What's it like? Growing up with a normal family I mean, with both parents around? I only ever had my mom, and she was always so busy with work that I feel like I raised myself half the time."

I'd realized by now that I had a pretty good childhood by demigod standards, but never really thought about it too much. "Well... normal I guess, at least for the most part. I never knew my birth mother, so it was still different from a lot of people I knew, but I did things normal kids did. I played sports, my dad coached my soccer team the other year, I went to movies with them and went on vacations. It was... nice. It feels weird now though. Since I can't really go back to it, I mean, at least in the same way it was before."

She looked deep in thought for a moment. "So, you had a good childhood, but in a way that makes right now harder, because there's more you will miss?"

"Sort of? I can't really compare it, and it feels weird complaining that my childhood has been too good, but there sure is a ton that I'm going to miss. Hell, it feels weird acting as if my childhood is over, I'm 12 for Hera's sake, but in a way it has changed so much that it might as well be a new stage in my life."

She looked at me sympathetically. "Don't feel guilty for being sad, (Y/N). It's not your fault most demigods have sucky family lives." She sighed. "Thanks for telling me. I won't lie and say I'm not a bit jealous, I am, but I promise you I won't look at you any differently."

I smiled. "Thanks 'Meda, that means a lot. Now go get some rest, you're up next for watch."

She smiled back and got up to go into her sleeping bag, as I turned to find a spot to take watch from.

I eventually decided on a nearby hill, and sat down. About twenty minutes in, I saw someone approach. About a hundred feet or so away, from near the tree line, I saw a tall man with bright blonde hair begin to walk towards me slowly, lit by a nearby streetlamp. He was wearing a yellow sweater, jeans, and very reflective sunglasses. He reminded me a bit of Elton John for some reason.

I quickly summoned Moonlight, and shouted towards him. "Who are you?" For some reason, I could tell this was no mere mortal, he was something more.

When he got about twenty feet from me, he called out calmly. "Put your sword down, (Y/N). I am not your enemy."

I felt as if he was being truthful, but I still wanted to be cautious. "Tell me your name and I'll consider it."

He sighed and removed his glasses. His eyes were a bright yellow, but not like Medusa's. Hers were unsettling, whereas this man's eyes were warm and welcoming.

He winked at me and smiled. "I am Apollo. I reckon you've heard of me?"