Chapter Text
Percy was watching the slightly flickering light of the infirmary. He was in so much pain, but he turned his head to look at Nico. He could only imagine how much pain he was in, having been speared through the stomach with an earth spear, along with overusing his powers again. Percy, on the other hand, had accidentally grabbed his own blood instead of the empusas' blood; he will admit that was an amateur move, but he got a little mixed up in the heat of battle. He looks back at the light, its flickering more now, or at least he thinks it is. The longer he looks at it, the more it starts to flicker. He looks over at Nico, and he looks more pale than he did the last time he looked at him. he wonders how long it's been. He looks back at the ceiling, and his vision starts getting hazy. It's getting darker, he thinks, his thoughts slow, his eyes close, and he feels himself slow, then it all stops.
Percy comes back to himself like a snap. He thought he had died, but he's still alive. He feels out of his skin, like he wasn't supposed to be where he was. Speaking of, where was he? He opens his eyes to see beautiful purple and pink clouds. His senses come back to him one by one. He hears waves crashing against the shore, he smells salt water, and he feels the sand under his palms. He looks around himself and finds himself on a beach. He was so close to the water that he could almost feel the wetness of it. He reaches his hand out and lets the next wave wash over it. He has no control over how the water rushes up his arm and all over him, leaving him feeling energized. He sits up and takes in more of his surroundings. he sees the beach stretch out, the wall at the edge of the sand, the buildings just across the street, the car coming down the road. He looks next to himself and sees Nico just starting to wake up. He sits and waits patiently for Nico to wake on his own, having experienced firsthand what waking from the dead feels like.
It takes a good while, and by the time he has Nico sitting up and talking, the sun has fully set. A few minutes later, he's helping Nico up the steps and out onto the street. Considering they have no money, no jobs, and no plans, they just start walking in a direction that feels right, hoping that it leads to somewhere with help. By the time they find some place with extremely high walls, the moon is halfway up in the sky.
"So, what do you think we should do?" his cousin asks. Percy has no clue, but just standing there waiting to become monster food isn't an option. "Well, we have two viable options. One, we ring the buzzer, or two, we keep walking and hope we find some help. I pick option two, what do you think?" he sees Nico think this over, the little twitch of his brow betrays how hard he's thinking. He finally says, "Option two, I guess." In the flattest, most uninterested voice he's ever heard him say anything in, Percy walked up to the buzzer and pressed it.
"Hello there, what can I do for you?" said a squeaky voice.
"Hey, um, we just woke up on a beach and we have no clue how we got here or where we are. We were wondering if you could help us?"
"Of course, I will have a member of my staff down to help you shortly. Please stay outside of the barrier as it will set off an alarm if you step over the line."
"Sure, thank you so much. We really appreciate it." Percy replies, then turns to Nico and says, "You could have helped you know."
"I know," Nico replies dryly.
They don't have to wait long until a man in a black jumpsuit walks out of the building and to the barrier with two lanyards hanging from his hands. "Look, Nico, it's your cousin." Percy jokes, and he gets a slap on the arm for it. The man reaches them in no time at all and hands them the lanyards and says, "Put those on, make sure they're visible at all times." The man seems disinterested as he turns around and starts walking back to the building. They rush to put the lanyards on and follow.
They make it to an office door, and it opens on its own. Like someone is trying to intimidate them with a door, Percy finds it a little funny, looking over to Nico, he just looks annoyed, but that's also just his resting face, so he's not so sure. He looks at the man who brought them here, and he also looks annoyed. Percy thinks he should be a little perturbed, but stays thinking it's a little funny.
Percy has faced gods, giants, and titans; he didn't think this small creature should scare him so much. But there he sat, sipping from a cup of tea.
Percy has faced gods, giants, and titans; he didn't think this small creature should scare him so much. But there he sat, sipping from a cup of tea.
“So, from what I've gathered, you need my help. What can I help you both with?” the mammal said.
Before Percy answered, he looked over to the man in the corner, the same man who had helped them get to this very office, who was glowering at them. He felt nervous saying something to the vulnerable in front of the man. But after locking eyes with Nico and having a silent conversation, they decided to just go out and say it. “Well, we are in desperate need of housing, just until we can get back on our feet and find a way back home. We would appreciate any help you would be willing to give us.”
The mammal seemed to think his words over carefully for a long while, then said, “I can certainly find you accommodations, but in return, you would need to attend this school and take its courses. If you agree to these terms, you will be in the heroics course, both of you, and will take the classes assigned to you for the duration of your stay. Is this agreeable?”
Percy thought his words over. On one hand, they wouldn't have to sleep on the streets again, but on the other, they didn't know any of these people and would be taking a big leap of faith.
Percy decided that he would take him up on the offer, but if anything off-putting or suspicious happened, then he would make sure they got out of there as quickly as possible. “Alright, I accept your offer, thank you so much. You really didn't have to do all this.”
“It's no problem, now let's discuss where you will be staying.”