Detroit: Meet Percy Jackson *Complete*

Chapter 1: Elijah Kamski

December 1, 2037

Being dragged to one of the high society meetings between those whose names were known around the world was not how Percy was expecting his evening to go.

He barely even remembered to pick up his suit in time that his mother had dragged him into getting for this few meeting because Paul was busy working at a high school English class (that so far hasn't been buying too many androids to take over the peoples job).

Percy was stressed enough at work to get the aquarium started and off the ground as smoothly as he wants it to go. With the mix of both android aquatic animals and regular aquatic animals, there was stress involved.

Especially as Mike, his current second-in-hand will be leaving Detroit in the next few weeks and heading to Canada, mostly to get away from all the android business that is taking place in the United States, but mostly Detroit.

Percy couldn't really blame him for wanting to get out, probably in fear that he would lose his job to androids, but Percy didn't see androids as the machines that people claim.

They had a personality under all the coding, he remembers seeing it. When watching an android waitress drop off his food and he thanked them, the small surprised look on their face before it went back behind the facade of uncaring kept reminded him of that.

He wouldn't hesitate to have an android as an employee, but he would pay them. Give them time off they probably don't need, but in the end, would probably enjoy the small break.

Hell, he knows his mother's android nanny, a PL600 under the name Daniel had a personality. The blond had a habit of smiling whenever he watches Percy's sister, Estelle, race ahead to tackle Percy. Like he was enjoying watching the small scene between siblings and the love and devotion they had toward each other.

He saw the devotion the PL600 had for his little sister, like a best friend turned brother. The two were connected, and Percy hoped nothing would break them apart.

Percy was thrown from his thoughts when another person entered the corner that he had been hiding in the ballroom where the meeting was taking place.

"You seem out of place," the young man said, his dark brown hair was tied behind his head as his blue eyes shined with curiosity.

"Well, when you get dragged here by your mother, you generally don't want to actually be at that event," Percy replied feeling out-of-place with the money hoggers that were around him.

"Hmm, I suppose that would make one feel out of place," the man commented.

"Percy Jackson," Percy supplied and waited for his hand to be shaked.

"Elijah," the man supplied as he shook Percy's hand.

Percy didn't feel like asking the man what his last name was, he seemed to not want to be at the event either, so Percy wouldn't make the man even more uncomfortable.

"So, who dragged you out here?" Well, at least more uncomfortable by supplying his name. That didn't mean he wasn't curious about him.

"The company I keep at home seemed unimpressed with how much time I've been spending lately with machines rather than people. After my latest project, they made me go to this get-together," the man replied hesitantly.

"I can understand that. Part of the reason my mother dragged me here is because to her I've been working too much getting my aquarium off the ground rather than with real people. Apparently, machine and real aquatic animals don't count as company," Percy replied dryly.

"Ah, so you're that Percy Jackson. I was curious. What is your take on androids, some say they are alive. What about you?" Elijah asked with a spark in his eyes, and a hint of an ego leaking through.

"I know they're alive, "Percy replied honestly, "the animals I'm making caring for are just as alive as the real things. They have favorites: favorite food, favorite climate, favorite company and so on. I haven't seen them not have a like or a dislike. I even know that my little sister's caretaker has feelings. The way he seems to light up whenever he and my sister play, talk, or even just hang out in silence. He never seems more alive then in the times that he is with my sister."

"Fascinating," the man replied with a curious, intelligent look in his eyes, "if you wouldn't mind, I would love to get a behind-the-scene look at these android animals that you claim to have a personality."

Percy shifted uncomfortable. "I don't know, while I usually wouldn't mind given a tour, we're still trying to get things undergo. It doesn't help that my right-hand will be leaving Detroit in a few weeks. There's also the new employees that still need training, especially as most of them come from the streets and don't know much about the job."

There was silence for a bit, but as Percy looked toward Elijah, he could tell that the man was thinking of something, there was a brief conflicting look in his eyes before it set into one of determination. "I'll tell you what, if I can get you an android to be your right-hand man, for whatever task you need help with, will you give be that behind the scene look in, say three weeks."

"Dude, if you could do that, you could have an all-access pass to my aquarium that wouldn't have a year limit on it. I will say though, if you're going to do that, you're going to need to input this specific coding that my friend made for me," Percy said with sincerity.

"Oh? And what code might that be?"

"He designed this coding based off the communication that human android use when talking to humans, and tweaked it a bit so that a pair of headphones are tasked purely for translating what the android animals say. Basically, it allows my team and I to actually know what the animals are saying," Percy explained as he grabbed his wallet and took out the small, white earbuds that were placed in a specialized pouch of the wallet for protection.

Handing them to Elijah, Percy faltered internally, not know why he was trusting a stranger with such a design. While he wouldn't mind giving them away so other know what the animals are saying, he knew some people hated androids and would destroy them purely so no one could even hear them speak such 'false emotion'.

Percy realized Elijah never even said if he was pro-android or against-android. But, seeing him look at the earbuds with such curiosity and happiness, Percy felt a part of himself relax. Maybe Elijah wasn't as bad as he might've assumed. The man just seemed curious about the creations of androids and if people think they had human emotions or not.

After gazing at the earbuds for a few minutes, Elijah looked gleeful, actually, he looked excited. "Three weeks, and you will have an android partner with this technology so he can also hear the android animals."

"I'll look forward to seeing you then, just tell the Reception at the Detroit Aquarium that PJ sent you and ask them to take you to me. What name should I leave them?" Percy asked.

With amusement dancing in his eyes, the man replied, "You should probably put Elijah Kamski."

With a smirk, the man left the gaping Percy staring at his back. As his shock left him, Percy felt amusement dancing in him, "Well, I suppose I will be seeing Elijah in three weeks then." Percy said to himself then ducked around the corner trying to find the back-exit to finally leave the party he didn't want to go to in the first place.

Though, if he had to say to himself, it wasn't all that bad. Especially as Elijah had a nice arse on him.