Work Text:
The day the rain fell intensely was the day two boys were born, the ocean had blessed the surface world with two of their own for the very first time in years. The boys did not cry, the rain soothed them to sleep yet one boy started making noises of discomfort. The mother had gone through hard labor giving birth and passed out so a nurse took a look at the baby. She looked at the child and swept him away in her arms.
That night two children Menelaus Jackson and Daniel Fenton died, though Daniel Fenton somehow recovered from nearly dying. Sally Jackson mourned the son that she lost while cradling the one that lived. Madeline Fenton's grief was short lived as she cradled her son and she praised whatever god that saved her son. Both families were miles apart having different experiences but there was nothing changing the fate that both boys had.
Raising Danny made things a bit difficult. Living in Amity Park was weird, there was definitely something wrong with the city and the Fentons were scientists. Danny could see things at the edge of the town and could try pointing them out but his parents saw nothing. They chalked it up to children's imagination, Danny grumbled at that because the Fentons were the ones that believed in ghosts.
Though when Danny was in elementary school, teachers made him feel like he was the odd one out. He could hear them even though they were never subtle about it, they called Danny creepy. As if something about him was off and it wasn't like Fenton genetics either. They made it seem like Danny overall was the strangest kid to grace their presence. They treated Jazz as if she was fragile whenever he and Jazz would be dropped off.
It wasn't until the other kids on the playground started asking Danny if he was adopted. It went on for years and once he was in middle school, they kept their distance from Danny as if they shouldn't approach him at all and Danny hated that. They asked him a question and before he could answer they would run away from him as if he had a cold. This was how Danny started to not care what people wanted if he didn't bother acknowledging them they would leave him alone.
He did manage to make one friend, Tucker Foley. Tucker got picked on a lot but when Danny stuck up for him once the bullies left him alone. Tucker gravitated to Danny after that and they became really close, Danny invited him over once to his house. Jazz and his mom started praising the ceiling and babbling crazy nonsense and Tucker thought it was the funniest thing in the world. Danny wasn't exactly impressed with his family antics but he was glad they didn't scare Tucker off.
Then Freshman year starts and Danny spooked a kid named Dash Baxter so hard he freaked out. He rambled about Danny's having an unnatural stare and glowing blue eyes. Danny wasn't sure what he was talking about and when he tried asking Tucker he just shrugged. Danny never could figure out why people were spooked by him but that is when he met someone new. A girl in all black with purple accents leaned against his locker.
"Oh you are perfect. My name is Sam, I am new to town but you are a popular subject. Let's be friends." Danny must be a magnet for the weird, he wasn't exactly complaining about getting a new friend. It was just how he managed to acquire a new friend who seemed to find him fascinating.
Sam was a goth girl that was very admitted to being both Danny's friend and being his "handler", oddly enough for a goth girl she wore a bright purple beanie. She was at least honest about her intentions. It wasn't because Danny was scary to her it was more on the fact that Danny had an uncanny beauty that made no sense. She didn't ask him if he was adopted, in fact she believed that his parents being the crazy scientists that they actually were affected his birth and caused him to be a bit different from his family. Honestly it was refreshing if not for it being a little bit insulting to his parents.
The trio that started off with it just being Danny and everyone else being too scared to approach him made life interesting for Danny. Sam ran off random theories of why Danny could make the perfect goth while Tucker, bless his heart, tried his best to debunk her. Danny laughed so hard that he freaked them both off and somehow had Tucker submitting to Sam's wishes. Something about his vocal range being the equivalent of an underwater pressure chamber. Which had Sam staring at it for a while during one lunch.
"What?"
"You know, where were you like 2 years ago during the summer?" Sam held up her phone to Danny's face, she was squinting back and further which got Tucker curious enough to peek over. He gasped and started squinting at Danny as well.
"I went to visit my aunt Alicia with my sister and mom. Why?" Sam snapped a picture of Danny but the flash was on so he hissed while ducking to rub his eyes.
The paranormal believers didn't want to explain what they were up to so Danny snatched Tucker's PDA that had a side by side picture on it. The recent picture of Danny and an oddly identical photo that looked a bit younger than he does now, the only difference generally being Danny's eyes weren't green. He doesn't recognize that photo at all, it couldn't possibly be him yet something about it felt like he should recognize it. Tucker tried swiping his PDA back but Danny was faster and slightly taller than him too.
"What the hell is this?" Danny didn't mean for that to come out as rude as it did. Tucker looked nervous but Sam was quick to respond while easing the PDA out of Danny's grip and handing it back to Tucker.
"A kid from New York was wanted by the FBI, he caused a country wide manhunt because he and his mother went missing. I was in summer school at the time but it was everywhere. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it." Danny vaguely remembers his mom getting stopped by a cop at a gas station but the cop took one look at Danny and just left them alone. That would be one hell of a coincidence if that meant something to Danny but he had never seen or heard anything after that day at the gas station.
"Kinda freaky that he looks just like you. Do you think he likes fighting like you?" Tucker started rattling off random things Danny liked and listing random theories but Sam completely ignored him and just stared at Danny.
He wasn't sure what to tell them for one Danny never been to New York. On top of the fact that he only had one sibling and that was his older sister Jazz. Though his parents did invest in clone theory along with many other things while looking into their ghost science research. Could it be one of those case scenarios? Eh Danny highly doubts it, his parents keep all their inventions in the basement under lock and key instead of out and about for Danny. Something about them being paranoid about Danny or something.
It was actually the main reason he learned how to fight, his mom was no sneeze but fighting came naturally to him. They thought it would be best for Danny to learn how to defend himself so all the empty space in their house was changed into a makeshift gym. Danny never understood why but Jazz and him spent most of their time there together. They kept him doing that for years and he wasn't exactly sure why it felt like he was training for something.
"Here, catch." Sam tossed her water bottle at him. Danny was more concerned that she tossed her metal bottle at her but barely noticed the bottle stopped before even reaching his hand. He freaked and the bottle dropped on the table, Tucker was startled by the sudden metal bottle hitting the table.
Danny looked at his hand and tried messing with the bottle again but nothing happened. He looked over to Tucker who looked confused then to Sam who stared at him even harder. There was no explanation but he knew that Sam definitely saw what just happened. Though she didn't say anything, just played it off while grabbing her bottle to move on to her next period. The trio separated after lunch but Danny couldn't stop thinking about the weird bottle just doing that.
Well it didn't help that Danny couldn't focus after that, not that he could normally but now he was straight distracted by the weirdness from lunch. It didn't really matter if his English teacher wanted to lecture him on paying attention for the 4th time that week. It never got very far since Mr.Lancer just backed away slowly whenever Danny stared at him, like why ask for Danny to pay attention if he doesn't even like Danny looking at him. The bell rang and Danny was out of there, it was still early in the school year. September, the school stress shouldn't have even set in yet.
When Danny got home he tried moving the water bottles that were around the house but he might as well feel like an idiot. Nothing happened so it must have been his mind playing tricks on him or something. Though the thought of his conversation with his friends didn't leave his mind for a second. He wasn't going to bother his parents about it because every time Danny even mentions his birth they get all mushy and overprotective. The last thing he was feeling up to was a huge cuddle session just because they felt emotional for some reason.
That night for the first time in a long time Danny had a dream. A dream that he was on a beach with a dark gray sky as if there was a storm on the horizon. Danny could see a boy that looked exactly like him kneeling in front of a man that was huge. He felt like a king, older and wiser. The man turned to Danny and his thought process broke a little, the older man looked like an older version of Danny.
Danny fell back while watching the two figures in the distance, green meets blue and Danny was finally looking at his clone. He was just as shocked to see him, was Danny dreaming or did he suddenly learn how to teleport. His clone got off his knee and whipped himself down to look at Danny, Danny wasn't sure what he was thinking but his clone started bee lining straight for him. Danny scurried off the sandy floor and started running the opposite direction of his clone.
Not because he is scared, well yeah he was. Clones are normally made to kill their templates to replace them or show their superiority. Danny wasn't about to die if this wasn't a dream of some kind or a very twisted nightmare but he was playing hooky with his clone. Even if he could run he couldn't outrun this guy, he knows himself and he would definitely get tired eventually. So Danny does the first thing that comes to mind, he turns around and gets into a crouched position. His clone stops running and before he could speak Danny tackles him.
"AYE?! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A DREAM HOW THE FUC-" A heavy new york accent came out of his clone(?). He stuck his hand in Danny's face as they wrestled and Danny took this as the best opportunity to bite him. That just caused him to curse even harder, perhaps this wasn't his clone he swore too much. "Mene! Stop fucking biting me!"
"Who is Mene?!" His not-clone tossed Danny aside like a ragdoll before sitting up. For fighting on the beach they sure as hell aren't dirty, well this guy said it was supposed to be a dream so this isn't supposed to happen.
"Right, my name is Percy and you are?"
"Danny. Who's Mene?" Percy's face contorted like he ate some bad eggs or something.
"Mene was my twin, I'm so used to seeing him in my dreams. Hell you look just like him!" Danny wasn't sure if Percy was crazy but he couldn't exactly judge because he was currently talking to the FBI most wanted terrorist. Just his luck he looks just like this kid's twin, unless.
"When is your birthday?" Sam had Danny thinking about this stupid clone-twin whatever nonsense all day. At least he might as well just figure this nonsense out now while he is delirious.
"August 18th?" Well crap, that's Danny's birthday too. That was far too convenient to just be a coincidence. Percy seems to have noticed Danny's reaction and he got closer.
Was it possible for Danny to be adopted? No it shouldn't have been. His parents would have told him by now they even had his birth certificate and pictures of Danny in the hospital. But Percy looked exactly like him and unless Danny had a secret evil god parent cloning him without his knowledge, this shouldn't be possible. It's not like Danny could be two people at once so either it was one hell of a twisted dream or Danny was experiencing a weird twin telepathy thing while he was sleeping.
Well Danny was also dreaming or at least he should be dreaming. He looks down the beach to see the older man just watching him and Percy unfazed. This felt too real to be a dream but it didn't feel real enough to not be a dream. Like Danny's mind was definitely here but this wasn't his body at all. Percy looks at him before looking at the older man too, he can see a weird spark of inspiration in Percy's eyes. Danny gets yanked up by Percy and dragged to the older man.
"You knew he was still alive, didn't you?" Percy sassed but he also sounded a bit bitter. The older man kneeled in front of Danny and Percy before putting a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Yes, Perseus. Hello Menelaus." Hearing the older man, no, his father saying that name ran so many bells in his mind.
How did Danny end up with the Fentons? Why was he separated from his real family? His bio dad knew he was alive but Percy didn't. Speaking of his apparent twin, Percy held Danny's hand much tighter than before. Feeling pain in his dream was a new one or is that what makes it a nightmare. His dad chuckled while looking at Danny fondly, the expression he knew well from his parents.
"Menelaus, this is a subspace I've taken to talk to you and your brother tonight. Perseus has picked his destiny and since he is the older one of the both of you, I believe it is time to bring you in. I know you both have many questions and I have answers but for now that will have to wait. Menelaus, have your satyr take you to Percy. Your new friend, son. You can trust them." That statement alone had Danny all sort of confused but this whole experience was confusing.
His new friend was Sam, the same Sam was sent by his dad apparently. This whole situation is so vague and now that he knows this much, should he really go with Sam? Percy who still hasn't let go of his hand yanked Danny into a hug and Danny could feel something warm hit his neck. Percy was crying, Danny felt like crying too but he just held on to his twin until Percy moved away. He seems to refuse to let go of his hand and honestly that feeling was mutual.
He could feel his head splitting like a migraine was coming in, Danny could only guess he was about to wake up. Percy must have felt it too because he started swearing while pulling away, though he whispered something in Danny's ear before letting Danny go. It wasn't English but Danny understood him clearly. That they would reunite soon and Danny was sure of that much. A bright light filled his vision before he was met with black.
Danny felt like he was falling but when he opened his eyes he was back in his bed at home. He scanned his surroundings to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, he wasn't even sure his dream was real. That feeling of unsure delirium was interrupted by a knock, not from his door but the fire escape that was connected to his room. A silhouette of a horned figure loomed over the curtain closed window, Danny looked over to his desk to see it was 3 am. Either he is being punked by kids that don't know he lives here right now or someone grew a pair and decided to jump him in his house.
Getting up from his bed he shuffled his way to his window with half the urge to go back to sleep. He would have gone back to sleep if it wasn't the knocking being a little louder. Whoever it was seemed to not want to wake the other people in his house but were desperate enough to knock harder. Danny backed away from the window before he heard a voice on the other side.
"Danny, I know you are up. Let me in please?" Sam didn't exactly sound like Sam who was on the other side of his curtains.
"Why are you here, Sam?" Danny was just guessing, she sounded way too different but the way she spoke definitely sounded like Sam.
"Menelaus, we need to talk and it needs to be now." Danny froze at the mention, hearing in real time his actual name just proved it wasn't just some random dream. It was real and Danny wasn't meant to be his name.
Opening the curtains to see his friend looking a bit different frowning through his window. He opened the window for her(?), for them to climb in. Sam wasn't wearing their usual long dark skirt and beanie. Danny just kept staring at the floor because yes Danny did just wake up but he wasn't exactly insane or delirious enough to be imagining hooves that were attached to his friend.
This was about to be the start of something so weird that Danny wasn't sure he should be impressed or nervous. The first friend in a long time that didn't fear his appearance turns out to be something else. Not human in the slightest but Danny didn't feel scared of his friend. Worse, he felt angry.