Perseus Jackson Monster Shifter

Chapter 3 ~ Flashbacks and a Familiar Face

Third Person's POV

Percy awoke after a few hours of dreamless sleep. Tartarus was still as dark and hostile as ever, but for some reason, it seemed to be a bit...less. The poisonous air wasn't as toxic to his lungs as when he was first down here and the darkness wasn't as black as it usually was. Percy realized that after all the time he spent down here and that he had absorbed the essences from those monsters, he was finally adjusting to the harsh environment that was Tartarus.

Shaking his head to clear it of the lingering sleep, he set out to the front of the cave to where his fire pit was. Walking over to the fire pit, he got a fire going to get some warmth and light going.

After the fire was made, he walked back into his cave and checked around the cracks and crevices for something to eat. He was lucky and found three rat-like creatures trapped under some rocks. Normally, the idea of eating anything living down here would be repulsive to him, but he quickly learned that if he didn't eat what he caught, he didn't eat at all. The energy that he would get from these rat-like creatures would make sure that he would stay alert from any other monster attacks.

After cooking up the creatures, he took a few portions from each rat and threw them into the flames.

"To Hestia, Hades, and Artemis. I know you guys tried your best to save me from down here and I'm sorry this isn't enough. Thanks for trying." Percy whispered to the flames. He may hate almost all the gods with a fiery passion, but those three tried their best to help him and old habits die hard.

After he sacrificed to them, the flames seemed to rise just a little and get a little bit cozier. Any sort of comfort down here was a blessing and he sat there just soaking up the comfort from the flames. He ate in silence, choking down the nasty meat, and remembering that fateful day.

Flashback

Percy was walking to the beach with a lot weighing on his mind. Over the last few weeks, he was slowing becoming an outcast in camp. With the arrival of his half-brother, Eric Summers, the entire camp flocked to him like sheep to a shepherd. Eric began to spread lies and rumors about him, saying that he really didn't kill that many monsters, that he really didn't do all those things that he was famous for, and that he really didn't defeat Kronos or Gaea in the last two wars. All he did was cause the deaths of hundreds of demigods and some of his closest friends.

Percy was furious when he heard those rumors and confronted Eric on them. Eric just stood there smugly and told him he didn't know what he was talking about. Eric then challenged him to a duel to show who was the better son of Poseidon and Percy accepted.

Within 30 seconds, Percy wiped the floor with Eric in his usual Percy fashion, but Eric made it look like he was hurt a lot more than he really was. The duel just added fuel to the fire and the campers started resenting him and cursing him wherever he went.

Only Percy's closest friends stayed with him until Eric got to them too. He stole some of their most valuable possession and destroyed them, all placing the broken items perfectly to when Percy walked in to where it looked like he was guilty. The only people who didn't turn against Percy were Chiron, Thalia, Nico, and Annabeth. Chiron knew something was going on with Eric but could do nothing about it because he covered his tracks to thoroughly. Nico and Thalia spent a majority of their time away from camp, Nico in the Underworld and Thalia with the Hunters of Artemis, so Eric couldn't get his claws into them.

Annabeth stayed with Percy too, but she was distancing herself from him. It was subtle but gradually grew over time. Whenever they spent time together, she seemed distracted and looked off into the distance. When he kissed her goodnight, she would turn her head at the last minute so he would kiss her cheek. The kisses became shorter and shorter until they finally stopped all together.