Chapter Text
Percy ate, Percy slept, Percy drank, Percy exercised, Percy watched Sappy movies, Percy celebrated!
Yes, Percy was a regular teenager.
Well, aside from the eating disorder, his touched starved nature.
The depression.
The PTSD.
A fear of the dark.
A fear of deep waters.
But really! He was a normal teen!
Aside from being a demigod.
Aside from being cursed.
Aside from being sent on death quests.
....
Who was he kidding?
The only normal thing about him was that he had self-preservation skills.
....
Well, he had enough to jump the sinking ship that was Olympus when he was supposed to be 'rewarded'.
~~~~~
"Thank you, Uncle." A boy with green eyes murmured as he sat opposite an onyx haired man, a blueberry milkshake in front of him.
"Don't thank me yet." Hades muttered, typing into a laptop which balanced precariously on one knee.
Percy eyed it warily as he brought the milkshake straw to his lips, first of all, this thing could lure very monster in a ten-mile radius to him, and secondly, that single electronic currently held his perceived future in its databanks. Funny, how everything could fall apart so quickly and without build up.
Hades sighed, tearing his annoyed, sad eyes away from the glowing screen as he inwardly cursed his stupid little brothers. "Nephew." He called softly, a trait which didn't really suit him.
Percy looked up to meet his eyes. "Uncle." He spoke flatly, concealing everything that he had wanted to spew forth in those few seconds. Hades had that kind of aura about him, one that made you want to spill all of your darkest sins.
"You can't keep it in forever." The lord of the Underworld murmured empathetically his eyes saddened and deeply toned.
"..." Percy was silent for a few seconds before he mentally said, screw it, and extended his olive branch, "I don't understand why." He whispered, avoiding the other's far too knowing eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve this? Why didn't Dad stand up for me? Why? Just, why me?" He choked, traitorous tears welling up and threatening to break his dam of emotions.
"Nephew," Hades murmured, "You did nothing wrong."
Until a cold hand reached out and gently tugged his chin up, Percy eyes were glued to the table like it was anything but a dull uninteresting piece of white painted wood; now, his eyes met gentle ones and tore up more much to his humiliation.
"Listen to me." Hades spoke firmly, "You have done nothing wrong, and if my brother can't see that then he is a fool. Your only crime, Perseus was being strong, and if that's a crime then there are others far more deserving of such a punishment."
"Is that why you're helping me? You, Aunt Hestia, Apollo, Artemis and Hermes?" Percy questioned weakly, despite his own will to stay strong leaning into that affectionate touch.
"We won't see you die for something as stupid as this." Hades growled, running a gentle thumb over the younger's cheek.
The 5 had been the only Olympians to pick Perseus' side (not even Poseidon) and they were the only ones who weren't blinded enough by their arrogance that they could see the fury of the minor gods when Perseus' fate had been decided; yes, he knew that if it ever came to it, the minor gods would sooner choose to hide Perseus away than to hand him over. Once the trial had ended and the plans had been made to lure Perseus to his death on false pretends he had personally grabbed Perseus from his friends forcing oaths from their lips not to speak of this and explaining the situation with near frantic words. The trial had been called, argued, and closed all without Perseus being able to defend himself, a democracy at its finest. Truly.
Percy looked up into his eyes, wanting nothing more than to believe him and his kind words, but unable to after the revelations of today after the betrayal of the one person he had thought incapable of betraying him. Hades looked at him with soft empathy, he too hadn't thought Poseidon cold and corrupted enough to kill his own son off without batting an eye.
"Can you promise me something uncle?" The Green Eyed Child requested softly, thinking of an idea he had toyed with in the past so far gone. An idea that had come to him n the first war and remained evn now influenced by Luke Castellan's final words to him. ~"This may have started unwillingly, but the Titans make far better rulers" Luke rasped harshly.~
"What is it?" Hades asked simply, not quite willing or trusting enough to dive headfirst into an oath without reasoning. Even if he did know in his subconscious what Perseus' next words were going to be, and oh what words.
"I remember Chiron's lessons about the true reign of the titans, I remember Luke describing them, it sounded better than this." He spoke watching Hades' eyes, and like he expected some understanding and acceptance seeped in.
"Promise me that when they rise again, because they will rise again, you'll tell them what happened to me, and promised me that when that time comes, you'll ask them what they would have done. Promise me, that if you like their answer, you'll give them your support, because a hostile takeover of a dictatorship has got to be better than the hellhole we have currently."
Hades looked at his nephew silently, "I still wonder how someone so intelligent came from my brother." He murmured, "I swear it." He spoke louder, meeting those pained green eyes, "As long as you let me do one thing."
"What is it?" Percy asked throwing Hades' words back at him.
"Let me adopt you, its only a matter of time before they realise you escaped and Poseidon disowns you. You can't survive with only half of your DNA, Seas blessings aside." Hades pleaded, not quite wanting his irksome nephew to bother him in death so soon.
Percy started a him in shock before a soft smile crept across his face. "Okay." He agreed quietly, silent joy In his eyes as he noted that Hades still hadn't let go of him.
Hades smiled himself, before he leant across the table and whispered into his ear, "I swear upon Chaos that I will not reveal the location of one Perseus Jackson no matter the identity he goes under."
Percy jerked slightly, that. Had not been expected.
"Come with me." Hades murmured softer, "We need somewhere more isolated for this, more coated in power, power recent but aged as well."
A grimace came across Percy's face, "Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be dragged up a Glacier again?"
Hades grinned and pulled away, "Family bonding time." He said simply, snapping his laptop up into his arms, "It'll be fun."
☆☆
Spoiler alert, it was not fun in the slightest.
☆☆
"If you're looking for me to apologise, you're going to be very disappointed." The deity remarked, as he swept the younger up into his arms they approached a very familiar location, the crest of the glacier, Thanatos' former prison.
"We're doing it here?" The former sea demigod asked warily, half of his nerves coming from the realisation of what he was about to do rather than the comprehension of where they were standing.
"As good a place as any." Hades muttered, looking distastefully at the chains which remained there from Thanatos' imprisonment.
Hades jumped quickly across a deep chasm which had been split into the ground as a likely result of the fight that had been held there. Carefully, he dumped the demigod onto his feet.
"I'm never doing this again." Hades spoke abruptly, "Never."
Percy grimaced, sharing the sentiment before he shook his head to clear it.
"How exactly are we doing this?" He questioned, glancing at his to be father from the corner of his eye.
Hades sighed, and turned the demigod to face him both startling very briefly at the chains which knocked against their boots and in Percy's case, sneakers.
"You need to revoke Poseidon." He murmured, "If he does it first, the strain of it will immediately kill you and that was how they were planning on executing you, Striking you with Zeus' bolt came second of course, but the majority wanted to see you withering in agony as your DNA tore itself to shreds."
Percy shuddered, "How do I do that?" He asked, resigned to his fate and not having the energy to fight.
"Repeat after me," Hades sounded just as resigned, "In the name of Chaos, I revoke my Lord Father Poseidon, God of the Seas from my bloodline on terms of negligence. In his place, My Lord Uncle Hades, God of the Underworld stands resolute with preparation for the trials of parenthood."
"In the name of Chaos, I revoke my Lord Father Poseidon, God of the Seas from my bloodline on terms of negligence. In his place, My Lord Uncle Hades, God of the Underworld stands resolute with preparation for the trials of parenthood." Percy echoed him and the ice around them shook a golden pattern appearing on it connecting Percy to Hades.
Hades stepped forward and took Percy's hand, unhooking a dagger from his waist much to the demigod's alarm. Heedless of any near verbal protests he cut a line of blood from Percy's palm and quickly did the same to his before intertwining their hands. (DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME KIDS.)
"In the name of Chaos, I take my nephew as my son, prepared for the trials ahead. I take his bloodline to be my own and I take my blood to be his blood." Hades spoke clearly and their hands lit up a brilliant silver.
Immediately after doing so, Hades could've swore, How the hell could he have forgotten something so important! They needed-
"In the name of Lord Chaos the adoption of my chosen champion is witnessed." A voice echoed from the side and their attentions snapped to the man who landed before them on black feathery wings. Thanatos.
"In the name of Lord Chaos I witness this adoption, the adoption of my chosen Champion and I permit it, blood to blood, life to life, love to love." Thanatos spoke, untangling a ribbon from his hair and quickly stepping forward into the ring.
It wasn't any golden thread but this wasn't exactly a conventional adoption ceremony.
Fluidly with practised movements, Thanatos wrapped the ribbon around their hands, mentally chastising his Lord for forgetting one of the most vital ingredients.
"Do you Hades, God of the Underworld and Riches swear to uphold the laws of immortal parenthood?" He asked calmly.
"I do." Hades confirmed, looking into Perseus' eyes deciding to be thankful for Thanatos' timing now and then interrogate them both later.
"Do you Perseus, well knowing that you will lose all affiliation with Poseidon take Hades to be your father in soul, spirit, blood and ties?"
"I do." Percy murmured, feeling the silver glow begin to burn an itch riding to every part of his skin.
"Witnessed and Sealed." Thanatos murmured, the silver burning a brilliant array of colours.
Immediately as the glow left, Percy screamed in agony as the simple itch turned to lava in his veins and Hades lunged forward to catch him as he collapsed.
"Easy son." Hades murmured, "Easy."
Percy continued to scream, thrash and buck like a feral animal, his hands snapping up to claw at his skin violently, each pull of his nails leaving long bloody lines. Thanatos fell to a knee and quickly restrained his hands, a thought later grasping the long since useless chains that had been left in his departure to bind them so the child couldn't cause himself any further injury.
"You should've had more forethought." Thanatos muttered, directing his annoyance towards his Lord as he grasped some of his limited control over his twin's domain and used It to put Perseus into a fitful sleep.
"If i hadn't been coming here on impulse, you would have had no witness and your ritual wouldn't have worked. I'll excuse this however, on the terms of the Olympians being utter pieces of garbage and leaving the two of you no other choice."
Hades tensed, "How much do you know?" He questioned sharply, "And what with the whole chosen champion part?"
"Your siblings can be quite loud when things don't go their way. I heard about their plans to kill Perseus, I went to warn him only to discover you already there. I heard your conversation in the Cafe, got called away briefly to collect a soul, then booked it over here on impulse, and I'm glad I did. Perseus was named my champion when he freed me and was the only one to look at me with not fear, but empathy."
"Personally," Thanatos remarked, "I would've liked to adopt him as well."
"You can." Hades said, eyeing his subordinate warily, "The only reason I had to do this whole ritual was because he was disowning Poseidon and replacing him with me. You on the other hand just need mine and Perseus' consent to adopt him as well."
"My genes would take provenance over your own." He spoke distractedly, brushing a piece of blackening hair out of Perseus' face, "He's already a distant legacy of mine."
Hades sighed, "I know. Why do you think I didn't end him the second he stepped foot in the underworld for the first time."
The two Underworld deities knelt there in tandem, united by their shared care for the demigod who shared their bloodlines.
"They're rising." Thanatos said flatly.
"I know." Hades murmured, brushing a hair out of his new son's face.
"You'll keep your promise to our son?" He question needlessly.
"I will."
“Ten years." Thanatos said flatly. "Maximum. Eleven."
"Long enough."
"You think?"
"No."
"..."
"..."
"There has to be change."
"One way or another."
"But Percy comes first."
"He's our son. Of course he does."
"We will protect him."