Child of The Road - PJO Fanfic

Chapter 2

Percy follows the sidewalk along the East River. He walks along here each day, the water filling him with a sense of calm. The sun shines down and the birds sing in the trees. With a week and a half left before he starts school and nothing else to do, the days are starting to drag no matter what he does to try to keep himself occupied. So he does a lot of walking and "people watching" as he likes to call it. He finds a park bench under a shady tree and does exactly that. A woman jogs along the water front, a little boy calls out for his Aunt, dogs are being walked by their owners, happy to be let outside. Across from him sits a boy, probably around his age. Percy hadn't noticed him when he sat down. If he had, he would've sat somewhere different. He doesn't like to people watch where other people can people watch... him. Make sense?

The boy seems familiar, as if Percy has dreamt of him. He certainly doesn't look like anyone noteworthy. He has a good build and is of just above average height. He wears a blue t-shirt and cream pants that go down to his shoes, which are just normal trainers. Long pants in summer, a bit strange maybe. His long curly blonde hair reaches his shoulders and he has two earrings in his left ear. The earrings are both a deep green, which matches his eyes. Another maybe strange thing. Percy takes this information in in a few short seconds. Is this boy a monster? Maybe he's fought one of his kind before which is why he seems familiar.

Percy shrugs and continues to watch everything else around him. Suddenly it seems, the boy is sitting next to him. Percy jumps out of his skin, almost uncapping Riptide and running the boy through. He can't be a mortal. No mortal could move that fast. The boy holds his hands out to calm him, "Calm down, dude. I just wanna talk. I'd prefer to live another day." He gives Percy a cross between a grin and a grimace and taps the seat next to him. "Sit back down." Percy sits slowly, still very wary but also curious. He doesn't sense danger from this boy, and his years of fighting monsters have made him quite good at doing just that.

"Who are you?" Percy asks expectantly. "If you're a god, is there anyone else you can ask to do your dirty work?" The boy didn't feel powerful enough to be a god, but Percy could still tell he was quite formidable. A major nature spirit maybe, wanting his assistance to restore a lake or remove pollution from his river?

"No, I'm not a god. My name is Tarin Aittenus, legacy of Enodia. I don't know why I am here, or who you are, only that I followed the road and it stopped here. And then you came along."

He feels too powerful to Percy to be just a legacy, but he runs with it anyway. He can handle himself if need be. "What do you mean, you followed the road?"

"Enodia is the goddess of roads, cities, ghost, among other things and as her legacy, I can create paths to where I need to be. But sometimes, a path will appear and I must follow it."

"And the path lead you to me?"

"Yep, it appears so. So, who are you?" Percy is slightly surprised he wasn't recognised, especially as this boy knows about the Greek world, even to the point of knowing his own heritage.

"My name is Percy Jackson. I'm a demigod and go a summer camp where all demigods are safe. I still have a few weeks before I go back to school, so I can take you there tomorrow if you want? That's the only real reason I could think of you being lead to me. And even if it's not the case, there are plenty of people there who will be able to help you, whatever you need." Percy answers.

He decides to take Tarin to camp. Not many demigods live to this age by themselves, even with the new found rule put it place. Some deities just haven't heard yet. Or don't care. This makes Percy a little suspicious of the boy. He doesn't tell Tarin of his own parentage either for the same reason. He knows Tarin will not be able to enter camp without his permission if he is not a legacy, so that's a plus. He's just gotta hope Tarin doesn't kill him before they get there. Or after for that matter.