The Fourth Inheritor (A Percy Jackson/Chaos Fanfic) [Complete]

Chapter Two: As Time Goes On

Percy ended up exploring most of the city Haven with Matthew over the next week or so. Apparently, Haven was both the city they were in and the world, which Matthew attempted to explain was a ripple in reality. It overlaid the world they were familiar with yet did not directly interact with it. There were differences because of that. Haven was a world of black and white, yet its technologies were beyond what those of Earth could offer. It was something influenced by yet outside of time, a vast mix of old and new, archaic and futuristic, yet Percy found himself feeling more and more comfortable with this new world.

He never forgot his life, even as he went from interacting with people on Earth to interacting with Specters and Solids in Haven. He came across a few that he'd known previously, but they hadn't remembered him. Bianca was there, although that wasn't her name. Bernadette, as she'd chosen to call herself, ran a small flower shop that Matthew had shown Percy during their exploits, claiming it was because Bernadette was one of the few Solids he knew. Percy had been so happy to see her that he cried, recalling Nico had mentioned she went for rebirth. Of course, she had been rather confused, especially when he hugged her and apologized. A short explanation later, Bernadette had simply smiled and said that it was fine, but she didn't really want to know about her old life.

Other than her, he briefly ran into Ethan, now with both his eyes (a rebirth thing, according to Matthew), working as a waiter at a local restaurant and going by Nathan, and was convinced he knew Matthew as well. Unfortunately, he couldn't be sure until the other part of Matthew finally went for rebirth. If he ever did.

Still, he quickly discovered that coming to Haven was a one-way trip. Despite his wish to return home, to Camp and his friends and family, to Annabeth and his mom, Percy was stuck. After those first weeks of exploring, he searched for any way to at least contact them. There was nothing, not that he could find. After the first few months, he felt like he was going to go crazy. Despite continuing to be around Matthew and getting to know Bernadette and Nathan, as well as a few Specters and Solids he hadn't known previously, Percy was constantly wishing he were back there or at least in the Underworld. Then he would be able to see everyone. Sure, Annabeth would kill him for dying, but she'd be there. He would be able to talk to her.

These thoughts persisted even as years began to pass by (Percy still didn't understand how that worked, given the whole 'time is out of whack' thing, so he simply chose not to question it too much.). No one in Haven ever got older, seeing as they were all more or less dead. Percy wasn't an exception, now perpetually nineteen. It made time seem meaningless when everything was black, white, and ageless. He started trying to ignore his memories just to keep sane. Everyone he knew would be getting older on Earth. They would have found out he was dead and moved on by now. It killed him inside, but he tried to do the same.

And then, ten years later, nearly to the day, Matthew showed up, not as a Specter but as a Solid. He was grinning like crazy, happier than Percy had ever seen him. "Percy! Look! I guess I finally went for rebirth!" He laughed, clearly still excited about finally knowing what he looked like beneath the shadows. "Man, I was starting to wonder if I was gonna be a Specter forever."

Percy was staring at him like he'd grown a second head. His eyes were wide, and his mouth hung open. He shut it with an audible snap. "L-Luke?"

"Nooo." Matthew's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm Matthew. Ya know, the one who you've known since you got here. Are you feeling ok?"

"Fine." Percy waved it off. Standing in front of him was Luke, minus the scar on his face and an angry expression, but the other boy wouldn't know that, of course. It had simply surprised him. "Just wasn't expecting you to be you."

"Wait, wait, wait," Matthew said as he held up his hands. "Let me guess... You knew me just like you knew Bernadette and Nathan."

"Yeah," Percy said, shrugging a little.

"Cool," Matthew grinned, taking Percy by surprise again. Cool? That was his entire response? "That means I got to know you twice."

"You know, you are both entirely the same and entirely different from before," Percy smiled some, shaking his head. Now that he thought of it, Matthew sort of reminded him of how Luke was when they'd first met, just a tad more carefree. This time, though, he wasn't going to be the host of an evil Titan trying to destroy civilization. Probably.

Matthew just grinned again. "Cool."