My CO Stash #60 - Not So Ancient History by MachineExDeo (PercyJacksonXFate/staynight)

-Old and cynic Shirou is easily best Shirou/ It's honestly pretty cool how Nasuverse is so compatible with Riordanverse!

Synopsis: After a life mixed with chaos and contentment, Shirou woke up in a new world, very similar and yet so different from his own. Now he must contend with powers far beyond his level, protecting his friends and countless innocent people from being caught up in a war beyond their wildest imaginations... Alright, maybe it wasn't so different after all...(Cover image doesn't belong to me)

Rated: T

Words: 26K

Posted on: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12902064/1/Not-So-Ancient-History (MachinaExDeo)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics/originals mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-3 (exceptional)

In whatever life he lived, Shirou Emiya always seemed to attract the strangest people. Then again, perhaps his unorthodox mindset was to blame. Rin always did say he was distorted.

He didn't think it was just superstition. His foster father was a notorious assassin, his guardian was a hyperactive yakuza princess, and as a child his roster of friends included a monk, a prodigy mage, a rapist and… Sakura. Granted, some of those details were unknown to him at the time, but still.

Despite knowing this tendency, he couldn't help but think his two new friends were a just a bit stranger that what was warranted.

Perseus, Percy Jackson smelled like saltwater. All the time. He could be covered in chili or wet paint, both instances that he had observed, and he would still smell like a fresh ocean breeze. Grover Underwood, his crippled companion, was harder to place. His scent mingled together the forests and what seemed like… goat hair.

The strangers didn't end there. Two of their teachers in particular made him weary. Mr. Brunner was middle-aged man in a wheelchair, who smelled like coffee and horses. But behind his gentle countenance, Shirou recognized the hardened instincts of a warrior. He had no doubt that Mr. Brunner was much older than he seemed. Ms. Dodds was just smelled… bad. Sulphur and aged leather was a surprisingly bad cocktail. But more alarmingly was the killing intent that she emitted sporadically towards, well everyone. But mostly Percy.

Now, he may be dense, but stupidity was something that Rin had beaten out of him a long time ago.

It only took one accidental meeting with a dryad for him to learn of the supernatural of this world. What he found did not impress him. Gods. Demigods. Monsters. The Underworld. Olympus. The Mist. Camp Half-Blood. Camp Jupiter. It took him four years to gather that much information as discreetly as he could. It could have taken a fraction of that time, but his adopted family was rather… overbearing. His excursions were difficult enough to manage.

"Mr. Emiya. May I trouble you for your opinion?"

Shirou finally acknowledged the elbow jabbing into his side and turned his attention to the painting that Mr. Brunner was gesturing to. "That is the Titan, Kronos, eating the gods."

"Correct. Kronos, the Titan King was afraid of being overthrown. As his children were being born, he swallowed them whole, except for the youngest. Mr. Jackson, what happened to Zeus?"

Percy adopted the look of a goldfish before the answer came to him. "Ahh… Kronos' wife, she fed him a rock instead of Zeus, then she hid him away."

That part of the myth always confused Shirou. He knew that divinity did not always equate to intelligence, but he also knew they were all pretty ruthless. One would think that killing a baby would not be as reviled as eating it alive. But he supposed legends were legends for a reason.

Of course, he could admit that he was a bit biased. He could vividly remember a past conversation with Rider, one of the rare moments where she was comfortable enough to totally open up to him. She talked of the selfish, cruel and meddlesome gods. It would seem the gods here were no different, even after thousands of years.

"Ugh, all due respect to Mr. Brunner, when are we going to use this in the real world? Am I gonna apply for a job and say, 'No, I don't have any special skills, but I can tell you about the legend of Kronos and the gods!'" Percy griped as he ate his sandwich.

Grover and Shirou exchanged an amused glance. This was a common complaint from Percy, but he didn't fool either of them. They knew that Mr. Brunner's class was his favorite since it was the only one where he could enjoy class and even excel. What Shirou didn't say was that there would probably be a need for that knowledge very, very soon.

Their friendly banter was unfortunately interrupted by the charming Nancy Bobofit. The redhead had been a constant thorn in their sides. Shirou preferred to see the good points in people, but this girl was just unbearable. She constantly made fun of Percy's dyslexia, Grover's disability, and Shirou's Japanese heritage. Her most recent annoyance was dumping her culinary disaster of a lunch into Grover's lap.

Shirou immediately grabbed a hold of Percy's arm, to stop him from doing something incredibly stupid that would land him in detention. Again. But it seems his efforts were for naught.

In plain view of everyone, a tentacle of water wrapped around Bobofit's waist, and yanked her into the fountain.

Before any of them could protest, their Math teacher had swooped in and had taken Percy away for a talk. Shirou did not miss the panicked look on Grover's face and the anxiety over Mr. Brunner's. "Grover, think fast!" Grover yelped and nearly dropped the apple that he had thrown his way. "Hold on to that for me please! I need to use the restroom."

Trace on. Two words that he had relied on his entire life. Completely unnecessary at this point, but even running them through his head was its own little ritual that set him at ease. Once the rest of the class were out of sight, the faint glow of Reinforcement filling his legs. Following the scent of ocean and brimstone, he bounded across the museum, taking the stairs five at a time. A horrifying screech reached his ears and entered the grand hall just in time to see a bat-like creature leap off the side of the wall and swoop down with claws like kitchen knives.

Percy ducked down on to the marble floor, Mrs. Dodds missing him by mere inches.

"Give it to me!" The creature hissed, her veiny skin pulsing in rage. She tucked her wings in, diving forwards, but an abnormally long sword slammed into one of her wings, pinning her to the walls. Growling, she attempted to grasp the short red hilt, but found her body sluggish and numb, her energy sapped by the blade in her flesh.

"I've never your seen your kind before, but I'm glad that these work on you." The Black Keys have been his go-to weapons when fighting these monsters. While their original purpose was to fight against demons and vampires, they were also highly spiritually effective against those who are deemed 'evil'. It would seem that most, if not all monsters qualify. For example, right now the Internment Rite has fully petrified Mrs. Dodds.

"Release me, morta- "

Shirou didn't let her say another word. With a snap of his fingers, Mrs. Dodds burst into flame, until she was reduced to scattered golden dust. "It seems a normal school life is beyond my capabilities." He muttered.

He dismissed the Key and faced his shocked and awe-stricken friend. "You have questions."

"As do I."

They both turned to see Mr. Brunner and Grover at the hall's entrance, the former looking grave, and the latter incredulous. Shirou noted the bronze pen in Mr. Brunner's clenched fist. Anaklusmos. Xiphos. 0.914 meters in length. 2.27 kilograms in weight. Celestial Bronze. Wielded by Zoe Nightshade. Wielded by Heracles. Wielded by-

He tore his gaze away from the magic item as Mr. Brunner resumed talking. "This is not what I had hoped to happen when I said this trip would be educational."

"I don't know, Mr. Brunner. I feel like Percy will learn quite a lot today."

"No. It is far too earl- "

"Ok, all of you. What in the hell just happened? And will you please not talk like I'm not here? Somebody start explaining or I'm gonna start having a psychotic break!" Shirou could hear the growing distress in his voice. It was a stark reminder to everyone in the room that Percy was not a warrior. He was an twelve-year-old boy. This needed to be handled gently but firmly.

"You heard him. I don't know about either of you, but I'm not going to lie to a friend. Especially not about something this important. This life-changing." He turned to Percy, whose confusion was only growing. "Alright Percy. As of now, you have entered a new world. This world is dangerous, confusing, which is why Mr. Brunner wants to tell you nothing about it."

"That makes zero sense. If it's dangerous, shouldn't I know everything I can?"

"Knowledge is power Perseus." Mr. Brunner cut in. "And the more you possess, the more of these monsters that you will attract. If you truly wish to know, then I promise I can tell you everything and answer any question you might have, but only after summer vacation begins. That's when we can get you to safety."

Percy looked at both of them. "Those monsters. You can kill them?"

"I've been killing them for years." Shirou assured him, getting narrowed eyes from Mr. Brunner. "And Percy? 'Safety' is a relative term. No matter where you're told, if you are what I think you are, these monsters will be the least of your problems. But I will protect you."

One might call that hubristic, but Shirou meant every word of it. Even if he wasn't a friend, Percy was innocent. He wasn't a fighter, just a confused youngster who was in way over his head and needed reassurance that he was going to be alright. No, that wasn't giving him enough credit. He was more than that, Percy was as bullheaded and as strong-willed as they came. He didn't trust people easily, and he needed to know that he could do something on his own.

He needed a sword.

He looked once again to the scattering golden dust on the floor, the spiderwebbed marble walls, and looked back at him in resolution. "Tell me everything."

Chapter 2

Having to relive one's childhood years wasn't as advantageous people would think. An old soul in a new body would seemingly have many head starts, but also many difficulties. Learning to walk and speak and eat and most importantly, fight in a body with a mind that registered the actions as second nature was difficult, like learning to ride a bike, but the direction of the handle bars was reversed. You had a theoretical understanding of how it would work, but implementing it is another story.

But Shirou was nothing if not diligent, and he was considered a prodigy by the age of one, fluent in English and well-versed in mathematics and sciences. Despite this, he chose not to advance his academics. He already had a college degree anyway, as well as several qualifications which probably wouldn't do much good here. But he couldn't leave his new family behind.

The foster home in which he lived housed nearly a dozen children, all of them left on church doorsteps or hospital emergency rooms, and taken in as wards of the State, according to the Safe Haven laws. The matriarch of the house, an old widow named Linda Strauss, wasn't the most caring guardian, but she kept them fed and clothed, and even aided the other children with their homework, comforted them in times of distress. She was quite tight-lipped about herself, but she provided a home for many children, even before Shirou was born, so he considered her someone to respect and not just someone doing it for the government checks.

In the absence of a warm parental figure, Shirou stepped in as much as he could. After regaining his higher motor skills, he tried to make the house a home. Home-cooked meals that kept within their grocery budget, nutritious packed lunches, picnics in Central Park, tutoring them when needed, repairing the house. He didn't know much about 'traditional' families, but he did whatever he could do to make these children feel wanted.

…Considering the streaks of white in his hair, he shouldn't be surprised they started calling him Gramps.

Rider once called him the world's deadliest mother-hen. He supposed he should be flattered.

When it was time to enter middle-school, at the behest of Mrs. Strauss (as well as the nagging of several younglings), Shirou accepted a place in Yancy Academy as part of a government-funded youth-outreach program. Apparently, the social workers that regularly visited their home had pegged onto Shirou's supposed genius, as well as his reluctance to advance. Some of them had pushed him, claiming that he was wasting his potential, some had found it endearing. Mrs. Strauss' brand of encouragement really stuck to him

"Go get a college degree and then you can pay me back for all the food you've used up. If I'm lucky you can take a few of these brats off my hands." Were her exact words.

After several debates, a compromise was reached, and Shirou got a full ride to Yancy, a private boarding school for the rich and influential, with the conditions that he would keep his prodigious grades up and he would continue onto third-level education, and in exchange he could leave the campus to visit the Strauss home on the weekends, a privilege that made many classmates, including Percy, envious. It was these weekend privileges that allowed Shirou to continue his exploring and investigating, not that there were many places he could go with such limited time.

If there was one thing that Shirou had learned in his life, was that information was invaluable.

So much of the pain and suffering of the Holy Grail War could have been avoided if he had more information. If he knew about Sakura's circumstances, he could have done more to get her away from the influences Shinji and Zouken, and plan against them, or done something more to stop her from feeding on people of Fuyuki. If he knew about Avalon, the holy scabbard that Kiritsugu had placed within him, he could have used it to improve her health. If he knew more about his own magecraft, he could have awakened Unlimited Blade Works much earlier. Even a small fraction of it would have been useful in the War.

Even later in life, this adage proved true. That wasn't to say that a lack of information would ever deter him, but he had learned how useful it could be, and to take whatever opportunities he could to increase or improve what he had. What brand of thaumaturgy does the target possess? What about Mystic Codes? Known allies? Frequented locations? And so on.

That was why he spent four years exploring his environment as much as he was able. Why he took online courses to learn Ancient Greek and Latin. Why he had managed to build an information network spanning the entire North American continent. Though granted, that network was far too whimsical to really be under his control.

When he was eleven, Yancy organized a weekend camping trip. He took this opportunity to slip away, fooling the household into thinking he was unreachable at the camp-grounds, and fooling Yancy into thinking he was ill, long enough to take a taxi and track down Camp Half-Blood. It honestly was not that difficult. The overpowering scent of divine blood could be smelled for miles. He wondered why the place was not constantly attacked, and upon arrival he found the answer.

He didn't dare enter the place, not because he couldn't overcome the wards, Rule Breaker or Gae Dearg would make good work of every single protection here. But not only did he not want to strip these people of their protections, but he was sure that would draw too much attention.

Instead, he contented himself with reinforcing his eyes and ears and nose at night and walking around the valley to peer inside. Curiously, it seemed that without Reinforcement, the Mist could still affect him. Perhaps since the Mist obscured the concept of sight, Reinforcing the eyes' ability to 'see' overcame that.

He could have gone in the day, but the dryads sleep at night, so no-one would be there to watch him. Even without anyone to eavesdrop on, nor anyone to observe, he learned a lot. He learned of the 12 cabins, each one coated in the smell of a different divinity. Wine, ozone, a sea breeze, forestry, he could guess that they represented the Olympians. The strange barrier centered on a stranger pine tree. The god within the large camp-house who reeked of wine and the goddess who exuded warmth.

He also knew that what Mr. Brunner said was true, the more a demigod knew, the stronger their 'scent' became. Once the demigod confirms his/her own heritage, their identity is cemented in the world. And honestly, if Percy was any younger, or if he attended a different school, he would be tempted. But he believed in protecting the youth, not coddling them. If Percy knew what was out there, he could decide for himself whether or not he wanted to learn to protect himself, and chances are he would. Demigods were a resilient breed.

With every question asked, he gave the most comprehensive answer he had available, with no omissions. He idly remembered his incessant questions to Kiritsugu about magecraft. About his past. His foster father was a man who was haunted by his past and wanted nothing more than to protect his son from the horrors he himself had faced. Shirou loved the man dearly, but he couldn't help but wonder how differently he would have seen him if he knew of his past as the Magus Killer from the beginning. Maybe it wouldn't have changed much, but he would never know.

"So, any more questions?"

The four of them were sitting at the fountain again. Shirou had bought Percy a blueberry slushie, in the hopes that it would help to calm him down and make the explanations easier. It proved to be an unwise idea, as the cup was empty, and Percy looked like he was about to throw it all up.

"Dude… so… you're not a demigod?" Percy breathed out. "Just… you're like a wizard?"

And if that didn't trigger some déjà vu. "Well, yes. I call myself a magus, but it's essentially the same thing."

"Right… oh, man, what am I gonna tell Mom?"

"Your mother most likely knows." Mr. Brunner said. "If your father was a powerful god, it's likely that he told her so that she would prepared for the incoming threats."

"Threats?!" Percy said alarmed. "Is my mom in danger? I thought you said normal people were off the monster radar?!"

"They are." Shirou assured him. "The threats are against you. Percy, I could sense the power coming off of you from a mile away. What do you think would happen if monsters attacked you and your mother just happened to be nearby? They don't care about collateral damage. Why do you think Ms. Jackson married Ugliano? His stench of cigarettes and alcohol mask yours."

"She married that disgusting creep because of me?"

"I believe so."

"Oh, hell…"

Shirou sympathized. He had only had the displeasure of meeting the vile man once, and he truly had to admire Sally Jackson. Her strength of character was truly astounding if she was willing to put up with that beast with a smile on her face for the sake of her son. Which is why he saw this as the perfect way to get rid of the man, once and for all.

"Do… do you know who my real father is?"

"We can't know for sure until he claims you. "

"But we can make a few educated guesses." He cut in. He normally wasn't this rude, but this censorship was irritating him. Besides, Percy might not have been the brightest mind out there, but he would probably figure it out now that he was thinking about it. "Percy, you love the ocean, you always smell like saltwater and you can hold your breath underwater for ten minutes. Ms. Jackson said that your father was lost at sea. Not dead, lost at sea. Twenty minutes ago, a water fountain grabbed a bully who was angering you. So, who is your father?"

A moment of silence. Percy's eyebrows knitted together as he worked through the clues and his knowledge of the gods. Realization came across Grover and Mr. Brunner's faces as the answer came to them. "Holy shit." Percy breathed out. Normally Shirou would admonish him, but he supposed that Percy needed the catharsis. "Holy mother of- My dad… My father is…"

"Perseus, don't!" Mr. Brunner nearly roared.

Percy slapped his hands over his mouth, getting a smile from Shirou. And the boy claimed he was a slow learner. "Yes. Poseidon, god of the seas." Grover bleated in alarm, he and Mr. Brunner looking up at the sky, but there was nothing. Shirou's smile only grew.

"Wait a sec, why can you say it, but I can't?"

Shirou gave a self-deprecating smile. "I'm mortal. The gods couldn't care less about me, and a few magic tricks won't change that. Until they directly point their eyes at me, I'll be off their radar. Otherwise every mortal studying Greek myths will set them off. If you want to talk about him, just call him You-Know-Who. It's worked for me this far." Not to mention the levity that came from the ridiculous pseudonym of a fictional character tended to undo some of the awe and revelry for the gods.

"So that is how you managed to get so much information without anyone learning of your existence?" The teacher mused.

"In part. I did receive some… alright a lot of help. And no. I won't say who."

"Let me just check something." Percy waved his hands. "Since I know all this stuff now, that means this 'scent' on me is stronger now? Which means more monsters?"

"More monsters." Shirou admitted bluntly. "You're still a child, and untrained, so they won't be much of a threat. But as you grow older, your godly blood will become more pronounced, even if you hadn't been told of the truth about your heritage."

"And those monsters… they think I stole this weapon? That's what Ms. Dodds said, right? Where is it? Where is the weapon?"

"Yes. Zeus' master bolt went missing several weeks ago, and he has been blaming your father for the theft. I'm sure you've noticed all the bad weather recently? If your father claims you, in Zeus' eyes that would be the same as saying 'I'm guilty.'"

"But I've got nothing to do with it!"

"That won't matter to him, Perseus." Mr. Brunner said softly. "Gods cannot interfere with each other's power directly. They must use intermediates, like their children. As things stand, the only basis for Zeus' accusations is his paranoia. That will change if he learns of your existence. The instant that happens, it might as well be a declaration of war."

"…War." Shirou could hear the feeling of being lost in his friend's voice. It was understandable. To a boy who had grown in a time of peace, even in a tumultuous household, war was such a foreign concept, its true horrors was far beyond his ability to comprehend. "Is that why you two are here? You were sent to watch me, so you could arrest me or something?"

"What? Perce, no!" Grover stammered out. "We didn't even know about your father. I mean, we had suspicions, but all we know is that you were powerful for your age. We came here to protect you!"

"Protect me? Dude, no offense, but unless either of you can grow claws or bat wings like Ms. Dodds, or can shoot swords out of midair, how exactly would you have planned to protect m- "

A ring of metal stopped his words. A meter of Celestial Bronze erupted from Mr. Brunner's hand. The blade, shining like a mirror, reflected Percy's sudden awe. "Perseus, just because you cannot see something, doesn't mean it isn't there. That's a mindset you should adopt very quickly. If you want proof, look around you."

Not a single person reacted to the deadly weapon that sprang up in the middle of the park. Their eyes briefly noted the pack of children having lunch, sometimes flicking over to the man in the wheelchair, but their attention was snatched away just as quickly. Percy looked back at the sword held high, and his eyes nearly popped out when he saw it flicker from a sword to a bat to a walking stick.

"This is… a lot to take in."

"Which is why I wanted to wait until the summer when you can have time to process." The teacher glared at Shirou, which he ignored. "At the camp, you would have been near people who have had similar experiences, and you would be under heavy protections."

Shirou suppressed a snort at the so-called heavy protections. "Maybe from monsters. What about the gods?"

Grover choked on his apple. "Shirou, you can't just stay stuff like that! People have gotten blasted for far less!"

"Eh." Shirou waved him off. "Percy, under normal circumstances I would probably agree with Mr. Brunner. But the differences between you and the other demigods is that you have the power of one of the eldest gods. You will always be in the spotlight. And, from what Ms. Dodds said, someone is actively hunting you, and are determined enough to send a monster despite your protectors. What was she, by the way? She seemed different from the rank and file. More intelligent."

"… She was one of the Kindly Ones. The Angry One."

"…You should have said that from the start. Do you genuinely Percy will be safe from him if he truly decided to pursue him?"

"Whoa, whoa." Percy sensed the change in tone. "Hang on, enough with the pronoun game, what's a Kindly One and why is this bad news?"

"Percy," Shirou held his attention. "Percy, the Kindly Ones are not ordinary monsters. They are old and strong and only serve one master. Hades, the god of the underworld.

"Why? If it's…the king who's missing the weapon, why is… this other guy coming after me?"

"Why else? To take possession of the master bolt. At least, that's what everybody thinks. Hades has always been an isolationist, so it is almost impossible to question his real motives." Mr. Brunner explained. "A few months from new, during the summer solstice, the king has declared that should the master bolt remain missing and the perpetrator unidentified until then, there will be war."

"…This is so above my paygrade."

"Just a bit." Shirou agreed.

"What do I do now? Is there gonna be like, a trial or something? I don't even know how this is gonna work?"

"Trial?" Shirou scoffed. "Percy, these are gods. As far as they're concerned, their word is law, period. If Poseidon claims you, that's it. Zeus won't hear another word of it.

"As for what you should do, step number one would be to inform your mother about recent developments. She'll understand the circumstances. She won't like it, but she'll understand."

"Okay, there is no freakin' way I'm explaining all this to her alone."

"You won't have to, right?" Shirou looked pointedly at Mr. Brunner and Grover. It wasn't meant to be threatening, but they had a responsibility to Percy.

"Don't worry." Grover assured. "I'm sure Ms. Jackson was expecting this. She'll adapt quickly enough."

"Second thing to do, well, that's your choice." Shirou said. "While you are at Yancy, I can handle any of the monsters that come after you. My dorm is quite close to yours too, so night attacks won't be a problem. The question is, what would you do during that time."

One would question why Percy needed to do anything. If he was safe in school and Camp Half-Blood meant he would be safe during the summer, then he really didn't need to do anything, did he? But Shirou knew better, and he suspected that Mr. Brunner and Grover knew too, considering the knowing looks they gave him.

Percy was restless by nature. He wasn't made to sit around doing nothing. He got bored quickly and his attention span was just as abysmal. He was used to action. If there was something he could do, he would do it, if only for the reason that there was nothing else he could do.

"Could you…could you teach me some of that magic stuff?"

"I could try. Keep in mind, that I'm only a third-rate magus. It's highly probable that my brand of magecraft wouldn't suit you at all. But there are other things I can teach you if you are willing to go through with it."

"Like what?"

"Like how to use one of those." Shirou nodded towards the sword in Mr. Brunner's hand.

"Dude, are you serious? You'll teach me sword fighting?"

"As soon, as I can find a place to do it. I doubt I could rent out the gym for a few hours, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find somewhere else." Shirou mused.

"That will be awesome." Percy admitted.

"It will be tough. I've been told that I'm a very harsh teacher."

"Heh, I can take a beating."

Percy was taking this lightly. Shirou couldn't really change that with words. Once the training begins, Percy would probably want to quit, and Shirou was going to let him. He wouldn't force anything onto Percy, even if he thought he needed it. You can't educate someone who isn't receptive. But he had high hopes in that regard.

"I certainly hope that you know what you are doing." Mr. Brunner spoke in a hushed voice so as to not draw the attention of Percy who was asking Grover more questions about Camp Half-Blood. "I must warn you, I have no idea how the Olympians will react when they learn of your existence and your intervention. This is a delicate enough situation as it is without a wild card coming into play. They will want to learn your motives. Why are you doing this?"

Motives. It wasn't the first time someone had questioned his, and it certainly won't be the last. His motive was simple enough, but very few people seemed to really understand it. Of course, its meaning has changed over the years, how could it not, with what he went through, what he had to do? He had questioned it, redefined it, even abandoned it at times. And yet time and time again, he gave his answer, unwavering.

"I just want to be a hero."

Sitting on a bench in the park were three withered old ladies. They looked so fragile, it seemed the breeze would blow them into dust. All three were staring at them, though it was unclear who it was specifically that they were looking at. All of them were completely still, their faces set in confusion.

The one on the left was holding a peculiar set of items, a ball of blue twine in one hand, and on the other, a coil of barbed wire. The woman in the middle was gripping a pair of massive, tattered socks. They were in truly terrible condition, the stitching was uneven, there were holes in the product, and there were loose and frayed strings everywhere. The final woman was holding a string of barbed wire in her hand, not mindful of the sharp spikes digging into her skin.

Why are you here?

Chapter 3

"Where did you even find this thing?!" Percy screamed.

The thing in question, was a large, shaggy black dog. It would take anyone just one look to realize the dog was abnormal. At least, anyone who could see through the Mist. The most obvious example would be its size, the dog was as large as rhinoceros, and much more intimidating. They would see fur that seemed to writhe and sway in an unseen wind, darker than shadow. They would observe eyes dyed a deep red, the color of blood, and its dark face, and the contrast made them seem like shining beacons. Its teeth reflected its monstrous appearance, long and wicked canines like butcher knives.

Hellhounds, the hunting dogs of the Underworld.

"I didn't have to find it. It was looking for you. I captured it while it was sniffing around in the tennis courts last week."

Hellhounds were some of the most common monsters that Shirou had come across, and he learned much from them. They were not to be underestimated, for one thing. Not only were they powerful, but they were much faster than their bulky stature suggested. They were stronger at night, or in areas with little light, and were highly susceptible to weapons designed against dark creatures, even more than most monsters.

Obviously, if one wanted to capture them, Black Keys would be the go-to weapon, but they had this annoying habit of melting into the shadows, before he could pin them. Shirou surmised that it was some kind of teleportation unique to them because he had never seen any other kind of monster do it.

More to the point, due to their commonality, Shirou decided that Percy would benefit from some live combat.

Thinking back on his own experiences, Shirou never really had a combat instructor. Whether it was against Saber, Rider, or a dozen other people he had fought in his previous life, he learned by experience, through pain and injury. A theoretical blade will never kill anyone, only one that has been beaten and tempered repeatedly. Of course, he wasn't planning to put a child through the same hardships, but a reasonable simulation seemed to work.

The hellhound lunged, its claws facing forward. Anticipating the threat, Percy swiveled to the side, the claws missing him by inches. He dug his heel into the ground, kicking himself forwards to thrust the consecrated blade into its side. He managed to drive the blade through its flesh, but the cut was too shallow to kill.

Shirou frowned. He was trying to find a good sword for Percy to use. The sword he was using now was a simple one-handed xiphos that he had altered to have properties strong against creatures of shadow. He wanted to see what kind of sword suited Percy's personality best, and as expected, he seemed to have an affinity for Greek blades. He had contemplated Tracing Anaklusmos, but he was a little leery giving sword with such a long history to him.

The hound landed on its front feet and raised its hind legs. Percy caught its kick to the chest, its claws tearing at the leather armor. Percy leapt back, gasping in shock, but to his credit he recovered quickly and neatly lopped off the hound's legs. From there, it was child's play to keep out of the reach of its claws and stick the sword in its throat.

Percy let out a breath, dusting off the monster dust that had gotten on his clothes. "That would have gone easier if I could just get some water." Another thing they were experimenting with were Percy's inherited abilities. It was easy enough to find out that water made him stronger, and a little experimentation told them that seawater had the most effect, and tap water had the least.

"And if you can figure out a way to souse yourself in seawater during combat, then I highly encourage you to use it." He replied dryly, tossing him a bottle of water. Honestly, Shirou wouldn't put it past Percy to find a way to do that. As diligent as he could be, he would often find the most roundabout ways to be lazy. Just the other day, he was attempting to use his water powers to summon an opened can of coke. Suffice it to say, he ended up being very sticky, with a bump on his head.

"Ahh man, can you get this stuff off of me? I'm boiling." Percy was tugging at the padding on him. Shirou acquiesced and tugged open the straps to free him. "Oh, much better." He then upended the water bottle over his head, soaking his shirt. "So how did I do?"

"Not bad." Shirou admitted. "I saw a few openings during your attacks, but monsters wouldn't be able to take advantage of them. Even so, make sure to be doubly alert when you're facing multiple enemies. A smarter monster might spot it before you can."

"Right." He settled down on the ground, catching his breath, the sword resting cross his lap. "One week, huh?"

Shirou took a second to look at Percy. Really look at him. The past month has changed him only slightly, but surely. His arms had faint lines from scars that had yet to fade. Several bruises dotted his body from the most recent training session, which hadn't had time to heal. The sword he held, was another tell. At first glance, his grip may seem lax and unrefined, but Shirou could see the firmness and confidence where discomfort used to be. "Yes, only one week until summer."

"Are you coming to camp with us?"

"I'll do my best. They might try to bar me from the camp, but they won't be successful."

"You know, you're kinda scary when you just say stuff like that. You're gonna give Grover an aneurysm."

"He'll get used to it." At the least, he better. He had no ill intentions against the satyr. He was hardworking and only wished for his friend's safety. He was a far cry from what the legends depicted his kind to be. But he had a cowardly side that made Percy wary, and a blind loyalty to the gods, neither of which he could fault him for. "Speaking of summer, are you ready for the exams?" he asked, getting a groan from his friend. "Don't be like that. Grover and I have helped you a lot."

"I know, and I appreciate it, but jeez…" Percy slumped down. "Hopefully I'll pass most of them, but there are some that I'm still pretty iffy. At the very least, I'm sure I'll be in Yancy for another year. Which come to think of it is a barrel of mixed feeling right there."

Shirou smiled. Percy didn't like Yancy. He never did, and he never will. But his mother fought tooth and nail to get him here, an expensive school that showed success with the so-called 'problem children', and Percy wasn't the type to squander someone else's efforts, much less his own mother's.

"How is Ms. Jackson?"

Immediately, Percy's grimace was wiped away to be replaced by a massive grin. "Fantastic. The divorce will be finalized by next month, and the cheapskate's not wringing a single penny from her. And she's getting the apartment!"

"I'm glad to hear it." As expected, it was easy enough for Sally Jackson to accept that her son was now fully aware of his heritage, and that one of his friends was a magus, and another was a satyr. What was not expected was her reluctance to divorce Gabe Ugliano. Admittedly, Shirou should have accepted that, but he didn't because of a bad habit he had developed in the past years.

He forgot that in the eyes of everyone else, he was still very much a child. Sally Jackson had absolutely no reason to entrust the safety of her only son to a twelve-year-old, no matter how competent he may be. It took a demonstration of Tracing and a few simple Bounded Fields to convince her of his ability to protect Percy on and off campus, even though Percy was rather miffed at being presented as so helpless.

Shirou deactivated the Bounded Field around the football field, removing the compulsion for incomers to avoid the field. The Field was rather shoddy, detectable by anyone with a hint of magecraft, but that didn't matter to Shirou, since those weren't the type of people who he was trying to drive away. "Let's hit the showers, class starts in 45 minutes."

"Remind me again, why should we allow you to do this?"

Shirou knew that Chiron's question was very much rhetorical, but he answered for Grover's benefit, who was chewing an aluminum can like a chipmunk. He always wondered how on earth his innards could withstand that. They were all in the Jackson's living room, watching Percy

"For one thing, I'm not the one doing anything you're arguing against. Second, school is over, and neither of us have been to Camp Half-Blood yet. You have no authority over either of us. Besides, Ms. Jackson has already given Percy permission. That should be enough, don't you think."

"I did." Sally nodded, wringing her hands. "But I'd be lying if I said I didn't have second thoughts."

"Relax, Mom." Percy tried to take a reassuring tone. "I've learned a lot this past month, and Shirou will be around. I'll be fine!" With that, Percy snapped his backpack closed and hefted over his shoulder. "Besides, it's like a day's walk from here? It's not like I'm going to the West Coast."

Shirou glanced at his watch. "Alright, Percy. You go on ahead, and I'll be right behind you. Out of sight, of course. Remember what you're looking for?"

"Delphi Strawberry Service." Percy recited. "I got it. See you guys at camp." With one last cocky smirk, and a kiss on the cheek to his mother, Percy was gone.

Nobody said anything for quite a while, not that there was anything that needed to be said. All of them were watching the hands of the clock on the wall, or the watches on their wrist. Once the hands hit the noon, Shirou made his move, taking out an old, battered flip phone.

Ring-ring. Ring-ring! Rin-

"Start running, Percy."

"Hearing ya loud and clear."

If he were to be honest, Percy was in two minds about this. Having seen Shirou pepper an ogre with arrows in a couple of seconds, he knew that he wasn't in any real danger. But the minute he hung up the phone, the anxiety kicked back in. He did his best to push that down, and continue through the city, another face in the crowd.

He fingered the bronze pen in his hand. Riptide, the current that takes one by surprise. Despite Shirou's efforts and apparently endless supply of swords (seriously, how many does the guy have?), this was the one sword that he truly felt comfortable with, the one that felt like it belonged in his hand. But both Mr. Brunn- Chiron, and Shirou had warned him about its history.

Honestly, Percy didn't really worry about it. According to them, the sword wasn't cursed, its previous wielders just had really bad luck. And once he thought about that for a few minutes, Percy concluded that he probably wouldn't even notice the difference.

Shirou told him that he could choose whatever route he chose, and take as much time as he needed, so long as he travelled completely by foot. Manhattan to Long Island Sound wasn't too far, if he walked straight there, he'd probably reach it by nightfall. But he really doubted that he'd be so lucky.

He started having troubles halfway across the Williamsburg Bridge.

He made it about, he would say a quarter of the way across when the East River started boiling. He didn't hear anything at first, the constant honking of commuters and cursing of hot-headed drivers overwhelmed the ears. It was only when the bridge started shaking that Percy realized something was wrong.

He leapt over the multitude of iron railings, ignoring the panicked shouts of other people. He barely managed to look over the edge when a geyser erupted in his face. Something in the pillar of water lunged towards him, and only the glinting, metallic light clued him in to the fact that he should not be standing so close to the edge. He leapt backwards but ended tripping over the railings behind him.

He quickly shook off the embarrassing fall and sprang back up in what he hoped was a smooth motion. Percy looked around, seeing similar geysers on all sides, creatures leaping out of the water onto the Williamsburg Bridge. Traffic on the bridge stopped almost immediately as the monsters invaded the roadways, people fleeing without hesitation. As to be expected, people were panicking. He had no clue what they were seeing through the Mist, but it must have been pretty darn terrifying.

Then again, Percy really didn't have a great view either. The creatures that came were like twisted mermen. Their skin was mottled grey-green, like fish that had been left out in the sun too long and covered in barnacles and seaweed. They were bipedal, slogging along on long flippers, dragging their fat bodies across the tarmac. Their upper limbs were disproportionally short and ended in a lizard-like claw. In short, they looked like a mix of the ugliest parts of fish and lizard, two animals that weren't that good-looking in the first place.

He counted six in total, each one slowly but surely making its way towards them. It seems they only had eyes for him, mostly ignoring the screaming mortals. Percy was perfectly happy to wait until the bridge, or at least the immediate area was completely clear before making his move. But things don't often go according to plan.

It seems one silver Audi didn't quite see the monsters in time. Brakes screeched, and rubber burned, but the sealizard in its path barely flinched, extending one arm and stopping the car in its tracks detonating the airbags within. The metal crunched within its claws and continued to be deformed when the creature tore it out, along with a chunk of steaming engine. It roared at the driver, who started screaming.

The sealizard walked towards the driver, a woman who was struggling with her seatbelt. It reached out with one claw, but before it could extend its arm even more, a metal spike instantly embedded itself in its hand.

Crap, crap, crap! Percy was on the move, uncapping Riptide in one smooth motion. Before the sealizard could react, Percy had swung the Celestial Bronze blade in a deadly arc towards its neck. He struck true, but the monster's thick hide clasped the blade like armor. Thinking fast, he kicked it hard in the chest to wrench his sword free, which wasn't easy because their heavy-set bodies made it feel like kicking a fleshy dumpster. It responded with a shriek of pain and a swipe to his face, which he easily avoided. Strong, but stupid.

A slightly higher pitched shriek drew his attention, and he dove to the side. Still on the ground, he barely managed to raise his blade to intercept another claw that was thrust to his heart. With less coordination than he would have liked, he scrambled away to get himself from breathing room. Alright, this was going to be tougher than he thought. Riptide was sharp as hell, but a month of haphazard beatdowns didn't give him the muscle needed to just cut straight through the hide and fat. And their numbers made it hard to focus on just one.

He eyed the ground, soaked from their appearance of the sealizards. Then again, maybe not. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough. That's one of the first things Shiro drummed into him. In battle, with everything from time to resources, that's all you ever need. Just enough.

With a simple command to push, the river water rose out of the cracks in the road and shot into the monsters faces with the force of a fire hose. Too slow to dodge, most of the sealizards were knocked on their asses, the rest were pushed into the road dividers. Percy went after them first.

He managed to kill two of them while they were still dazed, shoving Riptide into their throats where their hide was thinner. It was easy enough to stay out of their reach, they were big and slow, and he could easily keep them at bay with jets of water. The problem was whenever he got close. One of the sealizards clipped him on the shoulder, and its scaly fist felt like a bowling ball.

He drew on the water, but rather than aim it at the lizards, he had it wash over his body. Instantly he felt stronger, faster and lighter. His senses sharpened, and the already-slow sealizards might as well have been moving in slow motion. He punched the nearest one in the eye causing it to rupture. With a crunch, he drove his sword into the side of its head, which would have been unwise if it had been a kind of animal because he could get himself stuck in its thick skull. But this was a monster, its entire body dissolved upon death. Once it was dead, he could move on immediately.

The final three were simple to take care of after that. He tried to keep the collateral damage to a minimum, but he couldn't help but use the cars and road dividers as cover. The monsters had absolutely zero restraint and buried their limbs in the concrete and metals. It was laughably easy to just pivot to the side as they punched and chop them up while they were trying to free themselves. He could only apologize in his head for the people who wouldn't be able to go to work for a while.

Within a minute, the rest of them were dead.

Adrenalin left his system, the water dried off. The fatigue from the burst of action quickly set in. He spent less than five minutes fighting, and his arms already started to ache, and his breathing was heavy. Shirou's ass kickings were brutal, but they were long and sustained, it was meant to sharpen his instincts and raise his experience. Short bursts of combat took more of a toll on him, especially if he used his water powers, but in a built-up area like this he wanted to finish things quickly.

BZZT

Not bad. Remember, you don't have to concern yourself with mortals, I'll take care of them. Focus on protecting yourself for now and getting to camp. Also, it seems that the monsters have noticed you're no longer protected and are coming more vigorously. This text is probably not helping. Remember, if you want to quit, just get in a taxi, or call me. I'll kill all of the monsters once you get in.

BZZT

By the way, according to Grover, those monsters were called Cetae, Cetus singular. Their kind shouldn't bother you again once you're on land.

BZZT

Police are coming. Run.

As if on cue, sirens were faintly heard in the distance. Percy huffed, looking out into the sprawling metropolis ahead, the dozens of miles he had to travel. "And yet somehow, my math exam went worse than this."