Origin of a Hero - [A Percy Jackson Fanfic]

[T/N: Guys, chapter 6 is so long that webnovel won't allow me to post it in 1 part, I had to split it into 3 parts. If you want access to over 60000+ words worth of chapters or about 4 chapters ahead of the public release, head over to my patreon and check it out, it's only $5 for all current finished chapters.]

Traditionally, families consist of a father, a mother, and children, although that is not always the case. There are always exceptions, and they are quite common in recent times. Families can consist of a father and his children, or a mother and her children. Children may have a stepfather or a stepmother. In addition, children may have two fathers or two mothers, and there is nothing wrong with that. There is also the possibility that children may be orphans.

Every family is a world unto itself. Within the walls of their own homes, a series of unique events unfold that set families apart from one another. And at that moment, an event was unfolding that would lead a young girl of almost ten years old to make a decision that would change her life forever.

The sound of a slap was heard in the small room where two people were sitting. One of them, a little girl, the one who received the slap, was rubbing her sore cheek as tears welled up in her eyes. The other person, an adult woman, was looking at the little girl with disgust and slight hatred in her eyes. Her right arm was raised in the air, showing that she was the one who slapped the little girl.

"Stop lying to me, young lady," the adult woman said, with obvious venom in her voice. "Now, tell me, what happened at school?"

The little girl choked back a sob that tried to escape from her throat. She focused all her willpower on not to start crying profusely. She made an effort to get rid of the lump that had formed in her throat to answer her "mother."

"I told you," the girl said, her voice choked, "My... classmates started attacking me in gym class and..."

Another slap. This time on the other cheek.

"I told you not to lie to me! Your teacher said that you were the one who attacked the other kids, setting fire to the balls and throwing them at them..."

"It wasn't me! My classmates...

"Don't interrupt me!" the woman shouted while slapping her hard enough to send the girl to the floor.

The girl put her hands on her cheek in pain. At that moment, she could no longer stop the tears that ran down her face bruised by the blows.

"It's always the same with you. You try to lie to make yourself look like a victim. Make others feel sorry for you, while you blame others.

The girl gritted her teeth in frustration. She was telling the truth. It wasn't her who started the conflict that broke out at school. It was those strange classmates of hers who started bullying her and, during physical education classes, took things to another level. Their attempts to hurt her became so obvious that the girl began to fear for her safety. She considered reporting them to the principal, but she didn't expect the situation to become so... monstrous.

His classmates, despite looking like freaks and being stupid as apes, never really considered that they were monsters. Everything happened so fast that it seemed like something out of some kind of fantasy novel. His "classmates" began to deform rapidly. Their arms elongated and filled with muscles. Their height increased until they were over two meters tall while their skin turned a grayish shade, similar to a corpse. It was like watching Bruce Banner transform into a twisted version of the Hulk.

Those monsters caused real chaos in the school gymnasium. Throwing cannonball-sized balls that spit fire. It wasn't long before the whole place started to catch fire. The walls, the bleachers, the locker rooms, everything. At least the smoke detectors did their job and smothered the flames before they started to spread throughout the school, although the damage was already done.

Fire sirens began to wail through the streets and authorities did everything they could to get into the gym, which was strangely closed. The monsters, seeing that they could not accomplish their goal of killing the girl, quickly left, leaving a gym in chaos and a ten-year-old girl who was blamed for everything.

But she couldn't tell that to the school administrators or the firefighters who put out the rest of the blaze. In the end, it resulted in the little girl's expulsion, making it the third time she had been expelled from yet another school.

"You cause nothing but problems to those around you; your father, your younger brothers, and me. Our neighbors don't even want to have contact with us and don't allow their children to play with your brothers" the woman continued reproachfully"And it's all your fault. You are a disgrace to this family.

At that moment, the girl was overwhelmed by everything. By the criticism she received from her "family", by the constant abandonment of her father, and by the fact that she was always blamed for everything bad that happened around her. She felt alone, abandoned, scared, and desperate. She asked herself how she could feel all that without breaking down. But there was something else, she had a feeling that began to fill her body and run through her veins, clouding her judgment and causing her breathing to become more erratic.

It was the first time in her short life that she felt so much anger.

The girl clenched her hands tightly until her knuckles turned white and her nails tore at her flesh, causing her to draw a bit of blood. She let out one last sob before slowly getting up, her small body shaking slightly as she experienced such a raw and overwhelming feeling for the first time.

'Enough' thought the girl ' I'm sick of all this'

She abruptly got up from the floor and ran to her room, ignoring the hysterical woman who began screaming and chasing the girl. She slammed the door shut and locked it with the deadbolt. After a few seconds, the doorknob turned sharply as they tried to open the door on the other side.

"What do you think you're doing, you spoiled brat? Open the door right now!" came the muffled voice of the woman on the other side of the door.

The girl ignored her and quickly began to pack the things she would need into a backpack. A pair of jeans, t-shirts, a coat, some underwear, her savings that she kept under her bed in a wooden box. She looked across her room, determined to leave this place that had haunted her for years until her eyes landed on a photograph that sat in a frame on her nightstand.

In it, a man was seen smiling at the camera while his arm rested on the shoulders of a little girl who had a beaming smile of happiness. That photo brought a pang of pain to the girl's heart. She still remembered the day they had taken that picture. It was when they had first moved into their new house, hoping to start a new life.

She walked over and took the picture in her hands. For a second, she was tempted to just drop everything and wait for her father to come home from work, but that feeling was quickly crushed when she remembered all the days, weeks, months, and years that her father had ignored her. He was never home, whenever she tried to talk to her father he would just excuse her and tell her they would talk another time because he was tired. But he was never tired when he found another woman and remarried, he wasn't tired when he got her pregnant and they had kids, throwing her aside like she was an old, used toy.

"Open the door right now, you brat! "the woman continued to shout in a fury" If you think you can ignore me while I'm talking to you, you're very wrong! Do you think you can just come and lock yourself in your room after all the trouble you've caused?!

Anger took hold of her again and she threw her father's portrait hard against the door that kept banging due to her stepmother's knocking. Immediately the knocking stopped when the portrait crashed against the door. The sound of glass breaking into pieces, the same way this family broke. The same way something broke inside the little girl's heart.

Without wasting any more time, the girl went to her window and opened it. The cold night wind sent a chill down her spine. She looked up at the sky and saw the moon lighting up the streets as if it were guiding her and urging her to leave her broken home.

She looked back for the last time at the room where she had lived for the last few years and at the torn photograph at the foot of the door. A single tear ran down her small face before it jumped out the window.

She didn't know it, but her life would never be the same.

The girl's eyes slowly opened to see a wooden ceiling dimly lit. Her eyelids felt heavy and her body weak. She felt a mattress beneath her body and a blanket protecting her from the cold.

Her mind was still overwhelmed by the memories of her past that haunted her. The day she left home was still fresh in her memory as if it had happened only yesterday, not more than six months ago.

The girl forced her fever-weakened body to sit up. She rubbed the dregs of sleep from her eyes and swallowed, realizing how dry her throat felt.

"You better go back to bed. Your body must still be very weak.

The girl quickly turned to the direction where she heard someone speaking. In the dark, candle-lit room, she could see someone sitting against the wall. It was a boy who looked no older than sixteen. His clothes were dirty and old. Through his very destroyed shirt, she could see some bandages soaked in blood. His black hair was messy as if he had just woken up. His green eyes seemed to shine in the darkness like a traffic light. A shiver ran through her body as she noticed how cold and hard those eyes were.

"Who... who are you?" the girl asked in a hoarse voice.

"I'm the one who helped you," Percy said simply.

He stood up and walked over to the girl, who tensed at the movement of the boy she didn't know. Percy grabbed an aluminum jug and poured its contents into a small glass of the same material.

"Drink it," Percy ordered. "It's important to keep your body hydrated."

The girl eyed the glass warily. Seeing Percy insist, she took it with a shaking hand. The glass felt cold against her fever-heated skin. She looked at the clear liquid in the glass and could see that it was water. Without much thought, she drank it. The cold liquid ran down her throat, sending a feeling of satisfaction through her entire body.

"You better go lie down. I'll call your friends and tell them you're awake. They were worried about you. They're noisy, especially the punk girl.

"Thalia?" Annabeth asked, hoping to see her friend.

Percy simply nodded and headed for the trapdoor.

Annabeth felt much better knowing that her friends were okay. She was a little worried when she didn't see any of them when she woke up in this strange place she had never seen before. She had several questions running through her head right now; Who was that scary boy? He said he helped her, so was she in his house? If he did help her... does that mean he was also a demigod like them? Or was he just a mortal who took pity on her? And what the hell happened to the magical goat, Amalthea? Had they arrived at the place she wanted them to go? If so, she was more certain that the green-eyed boy wasn't just a mere mortal.

Thalia and Luke had told them about the truth of the world. About the monsters that plagued the land. About those same monsters that hunted them down to devour them. About the existence of gods who had children with mortals, giving rise to who they were; demigods. And despite all that, she felt relieved to know that she was not alone in the world. That there were those who were like her and could understand her suffering, the pain of not being a normal person.

Annabeth was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of creaking wood. She looked up to see Thalia and Luke approaching her. Their eyes were filled with concern, but also relief.

"Annabeth, we're glad you're awake! "Thalia said, approaching her friend and wrapping her in a firm hug"We were worried about you."

"How are you feeling?" Luke asked.

"I'm fine," Annabeth said, pulling away from Thalia's embrace. "I'm just a little tired. What happened?"

"You fainted," Thalia said. "Why didn't you tell us you were feeling sick? We could have found something to make you better."

"I didn't want to be a bother," she admitted, embarrassed. "We were following Amalthea and I didn't want to delay us. You said that wherever she was taking us was very important."

"Listen, Annabeth. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important to me than you two being okay.

If Annabeth hadn't been feeling so weak right now, she would have thrown herself into her friend's arms for caring so much about her. Instead, she considered smiling gratefully at her friend.

"Enough, Thalia, I'm going to blush, "Luke said in an amused voice.

"Shut up," Thalia said, slightly embarrassed. Her cheeks were a light shade of pink.

"You should say nice things more often. You could write a poem.

And so, every trace of shame disappeared from her.

"Says the person who keeps a diary where he writes down his thoughts as a hormonal teenager.

They both looked at each other with a frown, neither of them intending to back down. Annabeth sighed. Ever since she had joined them, she remembered that they always fought over the simplest things. Maybe that was their way of dealing with things. To her, it meant that Thalia and Luke were good friends.

"By the way, where are we? "Annabeth asked, looking around the room they were in.

Thalia and Luke stopped teasing each other and looked at their sick friend.

"In a church"Luke answered"We followed Amalthea here when you fainted.

"Is this the place she wanted to bring us?

"She hasn't appeared since we got here over twelve hours ago, "Thalia said"Maybe we're in the right place.

"So... she wanted us to meet that green-eyed boy? Who is he?

"We don't know exactly," Luke replied uncertainly, "He was here when we arrived and apparently he's been living here these past few weeks."

Annabeth looked more closely at the room they were in. She saw the amount of supplies there, enough to feed one person for quite a while. She could imagine that boy living there for weeks.

"Is he like us?" Annabeth asked, a little hopefully. "A demigod?"

"We don't know, he doesn't talk much, "Thalia said" But there is someone else, a girl your age, her name is Sammy. She's such a sweetheart. She told us that they could see monsters. They've been fighting and running away from them since they've been living on the streets.

"We don't know if they're demigods, but they're not mere mortals," Luke said"They can see through the Mist, so they know how dangerous it is out there.

"So maybe Amalthea wanted us to meet them," Annabeth said.

"It's possible..."Thalia said, somewhat doubtful"Amalthea appeared when I asked my father for help when you fainted and she guided us here. Maybe that goat knew that they could help us.

"They helped us more than I expected," Luke said. "They shared their food with us. They gave you medicine to bring down your fever. They even let us use their shower. Man, I can't remember the last time I took a proper bath. It felt great."

"Do they have a shower?" Annabeth asked, excited at the idea of ​​taking a shower in a real bathroom.

She hadn't taken a proper shower since she ran away from home six months ago. They always washed themselves with water from the fountains in the parks, the water from the rivers, and the public showers on the beaches. She didn't mind it, but the idea of ​​using a real bathroom was too tempting to pass up.

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me of what Percy said"Luke mentioned.

" Percy?

"The name of the boy with green eyes. He told me that once you're awake you should go take a bath. That will help you recover faster.

"That sounds great, but... I'd like to change my clothes. The ones I have are covered in sweat and smell really bad.

"In that case, I can give you some of my clothes," said a new voice.

Thalia jumped in fright and Luke let out a not-so-manly scream. Annabeth might have jumped out of her bed if her body didn't feel so weak.

In between the two teenagers stood Sammy with an amused smile. His honey-colored eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Can you please stop doing that?! "Thalia exclaimed.

"What thing?" Sammy asked, tilting his head to the side innocently.

"Appearing out of nowhere like a fucking ghost! You nearly gave me a heart attack the first time you did that.

"Who are you?" Annabeth asked, looking curiously at the girl in front of her.

"Hi! My name is Sammy. You must be Annabeth, right?

"Yes, nice to meet you, Sammy. Thanks for helping me.

"You're welcome. Wow, your hair is so beautiful" She walked over and started stroking Annabeth's hair"You have a nice blonde color and your curls are so elegant, you look like a princess!

Annabeth blushed slightly at the honest compliment from the girl her age. She looked down in embarrassment. She didn't know how to act with a girl as friendly as Sammy. No one her age had ever been so friendly to her.

"Thank you," she replied weakly.

"It will look more beautiful when we wash it. Come, I'll take you to the shower.

Annabeth hesitated for a few seconds and looked at her friends for guidance.

"Don't worry, Annabeth"Thalia said"Sammy can be a little... lively, but he's not a bad person.

"Okay," Annabeth said.

She slowly got up from the mattress with Luke's help. Sammy began rummaging through one of the boxes in the room until she pulled out a few t-shirts and jeans in her size, along with a sweatshirt that looked eerily identical to the one she was wearing.

Staggering and slightly dizzy, Annabeth climbed the stairs. When she emerged through the trapdoor, the first thing she noticed was the chill that ran down her spine, causing her to visibly shiver.

Looking around the abandoned church, she wasn't surprised by how rundown it was. Thalia, Luke, and she had slept in worse places, like trash cans or public bathrooms. She wasn't even bothered by the putrid smell that filled her nostrils, no. She focused her attention on the back of the boy who was sitting on the altar steps, staring at the church doors.

"Oh, Percy," Sammy said, laughing in amusement.

She approached him and hugged him by the neck.

"Careful, Sammy, I'm not fully recovered yet, "Percy said, massaging his shoulder.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," she said.

At that moment Annabeth decided to approach. Her mind was still a little cloudy due to the fever and her body felt weak, but she wanted to talk to the boy who helped her and her friends.

"Your name is Percy, right?" Annabeth asked, somewhat hesitantly.

Percy glanced at her sideways. He didn't say anything, just nodded.

"Thank you so much... You helped us in a time of need, even though we never met. So, thank you.

"Like I told the blonde boy, it's not me you should thank," Percy said absently. "It's Sammy."

"Oh come on! Take the compliment, man! "Thalia said, standing behind Sammy. She walked over to Percy and punched him on the shoulder"Don't be a bitter asshole.

That action surprised Annabeth. Not because of her friend's words, but because of her behavior. Thalia was a very reserved girl. She acted abrupt, rude, and cutting with people she didn't know, but here she was acting normal as if Percy was a friend she met quite a while ago. Maybe that was her way of expressing gratitude, or maybe she just liked him.

Percy gave her a slightly annoyed look. At least Thalia was kind enough not to hit him on the injured shoulder.

"Alright, punk girl, it's your turn to stand guard," Percy said, standing up and walking towards Luke"You and I are going out to get some stuff.

"Hey! I already told you my name is Thalia! "she complained.

"What things?" Luke asked, ignoring his friend's complaint.

"Don't ignore me, dammit!

"Basic personal hygiene things," said Percy"Toothpaste and toothbrush, a couple of towels, bath soaps and... deodorants," he said the last thing, giving Luke a sidelong glance.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Luke asked, slightly uncomfortable.

"It's because you smell really bad.

"Hey! That's not true... is it?" he asked, looking at the girls.

"Uh... well... "Thalia said, avoiding his gaze"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Luke. We've been out on the streets for a long time, and we haven't bathed properly in weeks. It's normal that... our smell is a little unpleasant.

"But you two don't smell bad," Sammy said, looking at Thalia and Annabeth"It's him who smells like a pack of dogs peed on him" she ended by pointing her finger at Luke.

Thalia snorted in amusement under Luke's look of annoyance and discomfort. Annabeth felt like if her body wasn't already so weak, she would burst out laughing right now.

"Okay, okay, let's go," Luke told Percy, impatience in his voice, "Thalia will keep an eye on the place while we're gone."

"Hey, why do I have to stay? "Thalia asked.

"Because you and Percy are the only ones who have weapons to defend themselves from the monsters. You have your spear and Percy has his knife. If you two go together, we won't have any weapons to kill the monsters.

"Okay... I'll go stand guard at the entrance" she reluctantly agreed. Then she approached Percy and whispered in his ear"Make sure you get the most effective deodorant.

Percy looked at her and nodded.

Annabeth didn't know it, but it was the first time Thalia and Percy agreed on something.

"Fire! Something's burning!

"What?! Damn it! Where the hell is the fire extinguisher?!

Screams of disbelief and curses at no one in particular began to be heard throughout the gas station, while the flames advanced along the walls, corroding everything in their path. The gas station attendant did not know that the fire had been "accidentally" started by one of the customers who had just entered a few minutes ago.

Percy didn't know what was going on. Just moments ago he had a bottle of alcohol in his hands. The next thing he knew, the bottle of alcohol had spilled all over the floor as a lit match accidentally fell into the spilled liquid. He was completely baffled, while the shopkeeper put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. One has to be very careful these days. After all, accidents are quite frequent.

"What the hell happened?" the manager asked himself, as he put out the last of the flames.

While the man checked to see if the fire had damaged any merchandise, Percy quietly slipped through the door while grabbing a bag of chips and stuffing it under his t-shirt. A t-shirt that he had changed into one exactly like the previous one, due to it being covered in dirt and dried blood. He walked out calmly so as not to arouse suspicion and entered an alley that was dimly lit by the city lights.

He looked to see if anyone was following him, or if there were people around. Seeing that no one was in sight, he relaxed and sighed.

"Okay, there's no one here, "Percy said"You can go out.

Taking that as a cue, Luke appeared from behind a trash can. A big smile graced his face as he carried two bags full of food, drinks, and other items they had taken while the store manager put out the fire.

"Mission accomplished, boss," Luke said, proudly displaying the grocery bags. "The distraction was perfect, though I wasn't expecting anything so flashy."

"It worked, didn't it?

"I think it worked too well. I wouldn't be surprised if he called the fire department or something.

"Then we'd better get going. I don't want to get into trouble with the authorities again.

"You roared, tiger.

Percy looked at him slightly annoyed by his nicknames, but he decided not to say anything. He had helped him get what he needed from that store and he had done it very well. Normally it was Percy who took care of the things while Sammy acted like a lost child. His methods were more subtle when working with her, but he lacked that subtlety and rewarded her with intensity... maybe too much intensity.

"We'd better hurry up," Luke insisted. "Thalia isn't exactly a very patient person. She tends to get a little grumpy when she's kept waiting."

"More than usual?" Percy asked absentmindedly as he began walking down the sidewalk.

He pulled out the bag of chips he had hidden and opened it. Luke walked up to him and was surprised when Percy held out the bag to him, prompting him to take some. He smiled and grabbed a couple of chips.

"Oh, you have no idea," Luke said, letting out a tired sigh as he bit into some chips. "She's the most impatient person I've ever met. And I've met a lot of people."

"But you still travel with her.

"Yes... we met about six months ago in a dragon's cave. She almost stabbed me with her spear.

Percy stared at him in disbelief. In all his years of living on the streets, he had never seen a dragon. For a second he decided that Luke wasn't talking crazy stuff, like the magical goat that produced Pepsi from its udders that he had mentioned earlier. But he kept his mouth shut. He had never seen a dragon, but he had seen some really weird things, like women who disappeared inside trees, men with only one eye, creatures that were half woman and half bird, and horses with wings that seemed to bow their heads in respect when they saw him. The list went on.

"We've been together ever since," Luke continued. "We've got each other's backs and supported each other. Maybe it's an exaggeration on my part, but she's like a sister to me. It's kind of weird, isn't it? Seeing a stranger as if they were part of your family."

"No, it's not, "Percy said softly, his eyes taking on a faraway look" Forming a strong bond with a person, to the point of considering them your family, isn't strange.

He closed his eyes briefly and for a moment, an image of Sammy appeared in his mind. She was smiling and her eyes reflected happiness as she approached to hug him, as she always did when she was happy to see him.

"Family doesn't end with blood, but it doesn't begin there either." Percy would never forget those words from the man who helped him so much.

"I understand you. You want to protect her, you want nothing bad to happen to her, and you'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe, even if it means putting yourself in danger.

Luke looked at Percy questioningly. His face was clearly surprised by Percy's words. A sympathetic smile spread across his face.

"Yeah, you're absolutely right, Luke said, giving Percy a friendly pat on the back, You know, I took you for a cold and bitter boy, but I realize I was wrong. You're a great guy, though you should smile more.

Luke was surprised when Percy returned the gesture with a gentle push on the shoulder.

"Shut up," Percy said, with a slight smile. "I still consider you an annoying person. And you should also use more deodorant. Seriously, you stink."

"Ouch, that hurt. I think you and Thalia will get along.

Percy just shook his head softly.

"We'd better hurry, it's getting dark. And it looks like a storm is coming.

Both teens hurried to the church. For some reason, the streets were empty of people. There were no people walking on the sidewalk or cars on the streets. Everything was eerily quiet. Percy assumed it was because of the approaching storm, but he had a strange feeling hammering in the back of his head. A strange feeling that something was wrong. And if he had learned anything in all these years of living on the streets and fighting monsters, it was that he never had to ignore his instincts.

As they began to walk through the same park that Percy and Sammy had walked through the night before, both teens couldn't help but look visibly worried. There wasn't a single person in sight. The park looked dark and ominous. The trees swayed in the cold wind that grew stronger and stronger and the streetlights flickered constantly, but that wasn't what worried both teens. It was the image of the trees. Bark marks torn by what looked like some kind of animal.

Percy recognized those marks and saw that they seemed to lead from tree to tree in a specific direction. At that moment, an overwhelming fear settled in his heart as he recognized where those marks were leading.

"Those marks... hellhounds!" Luke said, surprise in his voice. "They're heading for the church!"

"Damn it! They found us"Percy said.

"We have to hurry. Thalia is the only one with a weapon to confront them.

Without another word, they both ran towards the church. Percy's heart started beating faster and faster as he thought that maybe Sammy was hurt. He cursed himself for leaving her defenseless, but she wasn't alone. Thalia and Annabeth were with her and they could have escaped in time. Besides, Thalia had a gun to defend herself and she wasn't going to leave Sammy... right?

Percy shook his head to push those thoughts away. He had to trust her, he had no other choice. Beside him, Luke looked even more scared than he did. He was pale and breathing rapidly from the lack of air due to the strain his body was putting on.

"Damn, damn, damn" Luke wailed as he ran"This is what I was afraid of. With Annabeth sick and unable to move, Thalia will have no choice but to fight.

"She has a weapon to fight the monsters," Percy said, running to her side"They can defend themselves.

"I wouldn't worry if it was one or two monsters, but hellhounds travel in packs. And there are too many markings for it to be just one dog.

That fact worried Percy even more. He gritted his teeth and continued to run.

"We have to believe in her. She's a tough girl.

"Yes, it is," Luke said, with a slight smile.

As they saw the church in the distance, Percy's heart seemed to stop for a few seconds. The wooden doors of the church were destroyed, claw marks adorned the walls, and the tall grass was flattened, proving that a large number of monsters had marched towards the church. On the porch, at the foot of the door, they saw a pair of hellhounds slowly advancing into the building.

In the sky, the swirling clouds began to throw a light rain on the two boys staring at the church doors, but they cared little for that. Their clothes clung to their bodies like a second skin, causing a shiver to run through their body.

"Luke," Percy called softly, bringing the boy out of his stupor, "I can trust you, right?"

At any other time, Luke would have been surprised by the question, even glad that Percy was calling him by his name and not referring to him as "blond boy" or "brat." But now, he recognized the gravity of the situation and what that question implied for someone as reserved and distrustful as Percy.

"Yes, you can trust me," Luke replied, just as seriously.

Percy reached into the back of his jeans, where he kept his trusty knife. He pulled it out and looked at it for a few seconds before handing it to Luke.

"Go over there and help Thalia, Percy said. She'll need all the help she can get.

Luke looked at the knife and then at Percy.

"And you? What will you do?

"I'll go in through the back and grab all the stuff we need. I'll get Sammy and Annabeth out and get them to safety. Then I'll come back and… set the whole place on fire.

- That...!?

"There's no time, we have to go. This place is no longer safe. Now they know where we are.

Luke looked at the knife once more and gritted his teeth before grabbing it.

"Okay, I trust you, Percy.

Without another word, Luke ran into the church to help Thalia.

Percy watched Luke's back walk away, going into an incredibly dangerous situation to help his friend. He had said that Luke was annoying before, but he never told him that he admired his devotion to wanting to protect the people he cared about.

Putting his thoughts aside, Percy headed to the back of the church. Along the way, he was very careful not to encounter any straggling monsters. He didn't have any kind of weapon on hand to defend himself, so he had to be careful.

As he followed the wall of the church, he could watch through the shattered windows at the battle going on within. Thalia, spear in hand, slashed and stabbed any dog ​​brave" or stupid"enough to come within range. Weaving between the wooden pews, Luke would slip beneath the dogs and stab them in the stomach with Percy's knife. Despite that, he did his best to stay as close to Thalia as possible without getting in her way to cover his back. On more than one occasion, a dog tried to lunge from his blind spot, but Luke would quickly dispatch them with a stab or kick that left them disoriented.

Percy would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit amazed by the way the two teens fought together. It was very clear that they trusted each other. And by this strategy of covering each other's backs, the number of dogs was slowly being reduced. But Percy wasn't going to wait for them to take care of all the monsters, he had to finish this before any of them got hurt.

When he looked around and didn't see any monsters, he quickly ran to the back of the church. The undergrowth seemed more abundant at that point in the grounds, but that was only to his advantage. He made his way to the worn-out wall of the church and pushed aside the bushes until he found what he was looking for; a wooden trapdoor.

He quickly opened it and walked down the stairs to the basement of the church. Without stopping, he made his way through the dark room, ignoring the shelves lined with wooden boxes containing useless trinkets. He came to a door in the corner of the basement and quickly opened it. He ran down the dimly lit hallway as he heard the battle cries overhead. If he wasn't mistaken, Thalia and Luke were upon him right now as they fought off the horde of hellhounds.

He had to hurry.

When he reached the end of the hall he paid no attention to the door and kicked it open. Percy was in the cellar where he and Sammy lived. He quickly scanned the room for the girl, but he couldn't find her. Percy feared the worst, had she run away before the dogs found her? No, Thalia was fighting upstairs, Sammy hadn't left him to save himself. What if... had the dogs killed her?

"Sammy?" Percy called, fear rising in his voice.

"Percy, is that you?" a muffled voice came.

Percy turned around and saw a wooden chest open, revealing Sammy emerging from it. Next to her was Annabeth, shivering slightly, whether, from the cold or fear, Percy didn't know.

"Oh, that's good," Percy said, relief in his voice. "Quick, gather up all the things you can carry, and get out the back. We have to get out of here."

"What about Thalia and Luke? "Annabeth asked.

"I'll help you, but I need you both to be safe. We don't have much time.

Sammy nodded and climbed out of the trunk. She began gathering all the things that were important, food, clothes, blankets, and matches. Percy let her gather the things while he went to a corner of the room. He grabbed one of the white sheets that covered a wooden trunk and pulled it aside, revealing several plastic containers that held a dark liquid. I knew we would have to use it someday, but I hoped we wouldn't.

"What's that?" Annabeth asked, standing next to him.

"Gasoline," Percy said"I'll set the whole place on fire. That'll give us a distraction so we can get away. That's why I need you and Sammy to get to safety.

"Don't you think that's a bit exaggerated?

"There are about a dozen hellhounds above us. Thalia and Luke are doing their best to keep them at bay, but they won't hold out for long. Besides, more of them are likely to come at any moment.

Annabeth still looked a little unsure of the idea, but she didn't say anything. Percy watched her out of the corner of his eye. Her hair looked cleaner and she was wearing one of the sweatshirts that Sammy liked so much, although it was still a little big on her. She still had a slight blush on her cheeks from her fever, but she seemed to be better than when she arrived. Percy was glad for that.

"Listen, Annabeth," Percy said, looking at the girl"I know we don't know each other, but I'm going to have to ask you to trust me. The situation we're in is very serious and our chances are low. I'll do everything I can to get us all out alive, but I need you to do what I tell you to do.

Percy thought she would panic and start crying, but he was surprised when Annabeth looked at him with determination in her eyes. There was not a single trace of fear on her face.

"What do you need?" she asked with conviction in her voice.

"I can't burn the whole place down by myself. I can't spread the gasoline everywhere without the monsters noticing me. That's why I need you to do it.

- They?

"I'll distract the monsters so you can spray the whole place, the floor, the walls, the benches, everything. Since the vast majority of the structure is made of wood, it will burn easily.

"Are you sure I can do it?

Percy looked at her and a slight smile spread across his face.

"You want to protect your friends, right? Thalia and Luke.

She nodded.

"Then I trust you can do it. When you're done, I want you to come back here and escape with Sammy.

Annabeth looked at the ground for a few seconds, shook her head, then looked up.

-I will do that.

"Perfect. Now, take this and follow me.

Percy handed her a container containing the gasoline and grabbed two more for himself. He headed for the stairs to go up and face the horde of monsters.

"Percy.

He turned around and there he saw Sammy. She had a backpack on her shoulders and two others in her hands. She was staring at him, ignoring all the noise going on above their heads. Ignoring Annabeth, who was watching them curiously.

"I'm not going to say anything... I'm not going to say anything! "Sammy said.

Percy looked at her and a smile stretched across his lips.

"Yes, I know... If there's something you want to say...

"I'll do it when we're safe.

Percy turned and headed for the stairs where Annabeth was waiting with the gasoline canister clutched to her body. He was the first to climb the stairs, slowly so as not to attract the attention of any monsters. When he emerged from the trapdoor, he was shocked at the sight before him.

The church hall was a mess. Wooden pews were smashed and scattered all over the place. There was a light dusting of gold dust on the floor, the residue left behind by monsters when they were killed. In the middle of a pack of hellhounds, Thalia and Luke stood bravely with their weapons in hand. They were both panting and their clothes were tattered and covered in cuts, but aside from the superficial cuts on their bodies, they were fine.

Things weren't looking good. The monsters seemed to be coming in more and more. For every dog ​​they killed, another one took its place. Thalia and Luke quickly repelled them, but they couldn't last like this forever. Percy knew he had to do something.

"Annabeth, change of plans," Percy said, handing her a container of gasoline while he held the other"I'll help Thalia and Luke while keeping the hellhounds away from you. You have to go around the sides to the door and spread the gasoline as you run.

"But, Percy, you don't have any weapons...

"I don't need it. Now go away!

She looked at her friends for a few seconds and then looked at Percy. She looked worried.

"Please don't die.

Percy smiled at her.

-I won't do it.

He uncapped the gasoline container and ran toward the pack of hellhounds that began to surround the two teenagers. Before they could even realize he was there, he doused the dogs with gasoline and kicked one dog in the neck as it lunged to attack Luke from behind.

"What the hell...!? Percy! "Luke exclaimed

Percy positioned himself behind Luke, back to back.

"I hope you don't mind me joining the party, are there any pretty girls left to dance with? "Percy asked.

"Well, here you have Thalia " he gestured to Thalia who positioned herself next to him, forming a triangle between the three of them " Although she has two left feet for dancing.

"¡Hey!

"Sounds tempting," Percy said, "But I'll choose one of the hellhounds."

"If you two are done gossiping like two little ladies, can we focus on what we have in front of us?" Thalia asked, clearly in a bad mood.

"I have a plan, but we'll have to distract them for a few minutes," Percy said.

"And how do you plan to do it? You don't have any weapons.

"I haven't survived on the streets for so many years without learning a few tricks.

Before any of them could ask what he meant, Percy bolted towards the hellhounds. The monsters didn't expect him to attack them on his own so they were surprised when he charged forward and kicked one of them in the jaw. The dog ended up crashing into the wooden benches, but Percy didn't stop there. He snaked through the monsters like a snake, dodging the hellhounds' attempts to bite and scratch.

"He's a good fighter," Luke commented in amazement as he watched Percy dodge a dog's bite and give it a strong spinning paw that sent it flying several meters.

"Yeah, I'd kick your ass easily, "Thalia said.

"Like he did to you?

Thalia did not deign to respond. Instead, she swung her spear again with renewed ferocity.

Percy pushed aside all thoughts besides dodging and punching. He ignored Luke fighting a dog. He ignored Thalia's curses at anything that attacked her. He ignored Annabeth sneaking between the church pillars while spilling gasoline in her wake. He ignored the stinging pain in his shoulder. As he dodged attacks and threw punches and kicks at any monster that came near, only one thought flooded his head; survival.

Percy would make sure he survived the night, and he would make sure everyone else did. All of them; Sammy, Luke, Annabeth, and Thalia. He would make sure no one died that night. He would make sure he never saw anyone die in front of him again.

He would survive. He always did.

He landed a hard kick on the ribcage of one dog who yelped in pain and dodged the claws of another dog as he rolled on the floor to put space between them. The dogs had stopped coming, but there was still a considerable number of them who were growling at him and baring their teeth menacingly.

Before Percy could attack again, a snort echoed throughout the place, causing everyone to freeze for a few seconds. He recognized that sound. That thing was back. Percy turned around and there, standing where the church doors had previously been, a dark figure towered over him.

Despite the darkness of the night, Percy could clearly make out his attacker. He was about eight feet tall, his muscular body was riddled with swollen veins that bulged beneath his skin. A thick coat of fur covered his legs, and his chest was so bulging with muscle that you could see where one muscle began and another ended. Instead of a human head, he had a bull's head. A long snout with a snotty nose, and cruel black eyes, and his head was topped with one full horn, while another was cut in half. Above his right eye was a rather nasty cut, which covered his eye with blood.

Percy could swear the creature was staring at him with its dark eyes filled with hatred, ignoring the others. He stared back fearlessly. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as he thought and he knew Percy was the one who gave him that cut and the absence of half of his right horn. That would teach that bastard not to attack from behind.

The beast snorted loudly, blowing a few snot out of its disgusting snout, and lunged at Percy.

"Move!" Percy shouted.

Thalia and Luke dodged the beast's charge, smashing through the last remaining hellhounds as they ran, keeping their sights focused on Percy.

He stood there frozen in place. Luke and Thalia's screams for him to move sounded muffled to him as if someone was talking underwater. Time seemed to stop for a few seconds as Percy watched the beast get closer and closer. At the last second, Percy lunged to the side. A sharp pain shot through his body as he landed on his injured shoulder.

The bull-man did not stop his charge and crashed into the walls of the church, his huge horn stuck up to the base in the cement wall. The beast began to struggle to free itself while snorting and growling.

"We have to go now! "Percy shouted urgently.

"No," Thalia said, firmness in her voice as she tightened her grip on her spear.

"Are you crazy!? He wants to kill me. You can save yourselves!

"You go. I won't run away anymore.

That was all he said before lunging at the still-stuck beast.

Luke, who came over to help Percy up, sighed exhaustedly.

"Ah, shit. Here we go again"Luke said.

And he charged at the monster.

Finally, the beast managed to break free and turned sharply, just in time for Thalia to stab her spear into its abdomen. The monster growled in annoyance and struck at Thalia, who rolled at the last second, dodging the powerful blow. She had to be careful, one hit from that thing and it would be a direct path to the underworld.

Luke sneaked up behind the beast and stabbed it in the back of the knee. He quickly pulled the knife back and dodged the blow that was headed straight for his face.

Percy wanted to go and help them, but he didn't have a weapon. He couldn't face this steroid-addicted beast without one. He needed to fight with his wits. He needed to stick to the plan. He looked around for Annabeth, but he couldn't find her.

"Percy, this way," said a voice behind him.

If Percy hadn't recognized the voice, he would have turned around and hit her... or screamed like a little girl.

"Annabeth, did you do it?

She nodded.

"It's done. We just need a spark to set the place on fire.

Percy felt his pocket. He could feel the small box of matches in it that he had picked up at the gas station.

"You guys have to go, "Percy said, not looking at Annabeth"That thing is looking for me, not you.

"Tell them," Annabeth said, pointing at Luke and Thalia.

Percy watched as the two teens were fully focused on the fight. They attacked without any fear. Thalia mostly attacked with wide swings, drawing the beast's attention. When the opportunity presented itself, Luke would stab it in its ribcage, causing it to howl in pain. But Percy knew it wouldn't last long. They both looked tired and covered in sweat, they had been fighting a pack of hellhounds before the bull-man showed up. The massive beast, unlike Thalia and Luke, looked pretty energized, angry as shit, but energetic.

"I'll help them," Percy said.

He had to do it. He considered it to be his fault that they were in that situation.

The monster howled in fury. Luke apparently stabbed it right in the crotch.

Percy couldn't help but involuntarily bring his hands to his crotch. He thanked whatever deity was there that the beast was wearing underwear. If that was some kind of twisted sense of humor on someone's part, Percy didn't know.

The bull-man tried to hit him but missed and Luke took advantage of that, rolled to the side, and continued attacking.

"Annabeth, listen to me. Go to the trapdoor and wait there. When it distracts that thing, tell Thalia and Luke, and get out. I'll catch up with you as soon as I set the whole place on fire.

"Are you sure you can handle it alone?

"I'm never sure of anything in my life, but this time, one thing I know for sure: we'll all get out of this alive.

Annabeth nodded and looked at Percy, smiling gratefully.

"I trust you, Percy," was the last thing she said before running towards the trapdoor.

There was another howl of fury, the beast slapping Thalia away and sending her flying in the direction Percy was heading. He reacted quickly and caught her mid-air, skidding across the ground due to the force she was throwing at her. Percy looked at her and saw a trickle of blood running down the side of her forehead, apparently, she was hit quite hard there.

"Thalia! "Luke shouted.

The monster reacted to the sound and lunged at Luke, head first, intending to impale him. Luke dodged at the last second, lunging to the side, then quickly got up and attacked again, this time furious at the beast for hurting his friend.

Percy examined the girl in his arms. Thalia's chest was still rising and falling. She relaxed a little, meaning she was still alive, but she wasn't completely out of danger yet, no one was until they killed that beast.

Slowly, Thalia opened her eyes and Percy was mesmerized and completely captivated by her eyes. It was the first time he had seen them so close and he was amazed by the intensity and brightness that reflected her blue eyes, it didn't help that blue was Percy's favorite color.

"Percy...?" Thalia asked weakly.

She tried to get up, but her body was too weak. That blow must have affected her quite a bit.

"Relax, you've done enough," Percy said, stopping her from moving"I'll take over now.

"You can't... That thing... is too strong.

"Still, I have to do it. That thing was after me. I'll put an end to this once and for all. Go to the trapdoor, you'll find Annabeth there. When this place is on fire, I want you gone.

-But...!

"There's no time for complaints! You're wounded and can't fight anymore. Right now you're nothing but a burden.

Thalia clenched her fists tightly and bit her lip in frustration. Maybe Percy was too harsh with his words, but he was right. Right now she was just dead weight.

Slowly, she stood up, grabbed her spear, and limped toward the trapdoor where Annabeth was waiting.

Percy quickly ran and pulled out the box of matches from his pants. He lit them and threw them onto the gasoline-soaked floor. Immediately the fire lit up the interior of the church. The flames quickly began to advance across the floor and then up the walls, corroding everything in their path.

"Luke! We have to go! "Percy shouted.

Luke turned around.

Grave error.

The beast hit him and sent him crashing into a wall, luckily, that wall was not on fire.

"Luke!"Annabeth screamed.

The bull-man lumbered towards Luke, who was mumbling incomprehensibly. He approached him, sniffing at him as if he were ready to finish his work or maybe eat him. Percy wasn't going to let that happen.

I wasn't going to allow it.

"Hey, you! Hey! " Percy shouted, waving his arms at the monster as if asking for a pass of the ball " Hey, cow! Lola cow!

"Brrrrr!" the beast turned in their direction, shaking its meaty fists.

¨Great, I have your attention¨

"Hey! Are you a bull-man or a cow-man!? Because I think you're the latter! You fucking dairy cow!

"BRRRRR!" the beast growled loudly once again.

"You want to kill me? Then come closer! " Percy shouted defiantly " I'll kill you the same way I killed all the monsters that were stupid enough to attack me!

The monster growled loudly and charged at Percy with all his coiled rage.

Percy positioned himself in front of a wall as he waited for the milk cow. He couldn't possibly take on the monster on his own, he'd tried and nearly died. He needed to be smarter, and more cunning to defeat that ball of muscle with legs.

The monster charged forward with fury shining in its coal-black eyes, its arms spread out to the sides to cut off any escape route for Percy.

It was then that Percy felt time slow down.

He could see everything clearly in just a few seconds. Annabeth approached Luke and helped him by supporting him on her small shoulder as he made his way to the trapdoor where Thalia was.

The monster charged with outstretched arms and a face of true hatred as if Percy had eaten his cow mother at a barbecue.

At that moment, Percy could see a small flash of light behind the monster; his hellhound fang knife. Luke must have dropped it when he crashed into the wall.

An idea appeared in his head, a very stupid idea, but it was the only one that weighed on him in that fraction of a second.

He ran towards the monster and before it was impaled by its sharp horn, he slipped between its legs and grabbed the knife. Before the monster could stop or turn around, its head slammed into the cement wall again. Percy thought it would knock the church down, but luckily it didn't.

The bull-man thrashed as he tried to break free, huffing in rage and frustration in the process. The monster acted like a rodeo bull. It should have backed up and crushed Percy in the process, but apparently, the thing only knew one gear; forward.

Percy clenched the knife in his hand tightly, turning his knuckles white from the force. He had to kill it. If he ran away now, that thing would find them again and they might not be so lucky to escape it once more. If it could find it once, it could do so again.

Another stupid idea formed in his mind and before he could think about whether it would work or not, he lashed out.

He ran towards the monster that was still stuck in the wall. He used his knife as if it were an ice axe and climbed up the monster's back, causing the beast to growl in pain and shake harder. The smell of rotting flesh penetrated Percy's nostrils, making him want to vomit. In his short life, he had never gone mountaineering, and apparently, his first experience was through the back of a monster that wanted to kill him. He didn't know where he got the strength to do such a feat, maybe adrenaline, maybe rage, maybe the need to protect those boys he had met only a few hours ago, he didn't know. What he did know was that he was sitting on the monster's neck and it had pulled its horn out of the wall.

On top of the beast, Percy could see Thalia helping Luke down through the trapdoor, followed by Annabeth. And then he saw Sammy. She poked her small head through the trapdoor. Fear was in her eyes as she looked at Percy who was holding onto the monster's neck.

"Percy!" Thalia screamed worriedly, covering her eyes from the intensity of the flames that were beginning to fill the entire place.

Percy had to hurry or he would be caught in the flames. His original plan was to escape with everyone while the fire took care of all the monsters, but things quickly, in a proper term of words, went to shit.

Thalia's scream caught the monster's attention and it growled in her direction. Fear filled Percy's heart as the beast charged towards the others, with him riding on its head.

"No!" Percy screamed as he stabbed him repeatedly in the shoulder.

He intended to stab it in the head, but the beast bucked so violently that it was difficult to do so. It was like riding a seven-foot-tall, hairy, smelly rodeo bull. Percy lost his balance and nearly fell off the beast's back, but he reached out and grabbed onto its horn at the last second, causing him to hang over the beast's back.

A howl of pain caught his attention. He looked down and could see a spear embedded in the monster's stomach. It had only gone in a few inches, but it still had to be painful if the blood staining the spear meant anything.

The monster swerved towards Thalia's direction, who had a triumphant smile on her face as she held her arm outstretched.

"That was for hitting me in the head, motherfucker.

The monster grabbed the spear and threw it aside as he walked menacingly towards Thalia.

"No... Enough" Percy thought, gritting his teeth. " You're not going to hurt anyone else... anyone!"

He reaffirmed his grip on his knife and began to climb onto the beast's back once more. He held on tightly to the monster's horn and steadied himself by putting his leg over its shoulders. The monster tensed, trying to grab Percy and pull him off its shoulders, but it was too late.

"You will never hurt anyone again," Percy said, with cold fury.

And he plunged his knife right into the creature's head.

"Just die, for fuck's sake!

The monster didn't even have time to scream before its body began to rapidly disintegrate into golden dust, as if it were made of sand.

The legendary mythological creature had disappeared.

With nothing to hold on to, Percy fell face-first onto the ground. If he wasn't so tired, he would have complained. He felt like his body was made of lead and he couldn't find the strength to stand up. But despite all that, he refused to let go of his knife. He also noticed something else, in his other hand, he held the beast's huge horn firmly in his hand. Maybe in his moment of rage, he ripped the horn off his head, or maybe the horn was left behind when the beast disappeared. He didn't know, and to tell the truth, he didn't care. Now he had both horns as proof that he had killed that beast.

All the anger he felt was slowly diminishing, giving way to pain and exhaustion. He felt as if his head had split in two, his legs were shaking and he felt incredibly weak.

The flames continued to burn brightly, scorching everything in their path, but Percy was cold. He just wanted to lie down and drift off to sleep.

Suddenly, he felt someone lift him up and steady him by grabbing his waist. Percy looked up, squinting against the light from the flames.

"Thalia...?" he asked weakly.

"This is the first time you've called me by my name," she said, with a smile.

Percy smiled back, slightly.

"I only call by name those whom I recognize and respect.

"So I earned your respect, huh?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

"It was hard not to with that last move of yours.

"Well, you were no slouch yourself" She placed Percy's arms on her shoulders"That was, without a doubt, the coolest way to kill a monster. Let's get out of here. The others are waiting for us.

Percy leaned against Thalia's body as he erratically walked towards the trapdoor. His head was still foggy and his body tired, but he could still walk with some help.

"Are... is everyone okay?" Percy's voice was weak, almost a whisper.

"Yeah. Luke's a little hurt, but it's nothing serious. You saved our asses back there, that was very brave of you. Dangerous and stupid, but brave.

Percy smiled slightly.

"I'll take that as a compliment. You were great too. It was a great pitch.

"Not bad for a load, huh?" she said with a smug smile.

Percy found the strength to chuckle.

"Sorry about that.

"No hard feelings, tough guy.

What happened next was too much of a blur for Percy. Thalia helped him out of the church, followed by Sammy and Annabeth who helped Luke who looked a bit beat up, but nothing too serious. In the distance, they heard the sounds of fire sirens approaching. They had to hurry, none of them would want to be there when the authorities arrived.

They moved forward without looking back. They didn't care about the patrol cars that arrived. They didn't care about the firemen who began to put out the burning building. There was only one thing that mattered to them and that was that all of them were safe.

They had done it. They had survived.

...

..

.

[T/N: That's chapter 2! People wonder why the younger generation generally hate the older generations. If you see any mistakes don't hesitate to comment on them, I don't trust this new editing style all that much so if there are too many mistakes I may just switch back to my old style. If you like this chapter then leave a comment, drop some stones, and write a review! If you want to read some advanced chapters then check out my Patreon!]

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