Chapter 2: Desired Answers & Painful Truths
At the edge of a forest in Queens, an abandoned factory loomed, its once-industrial facade now a testament to neglect and decay. Morning light filtered through the broken windows and cracks, revealing the extent of the building's poor conditions. Rusty pipes snaked along corroded walls, machinery lay functionless and useless, and shattered glass littered the floor amidst other debris, painting a picture of abandonment and disregard—it was anybody's guess why this place was never demolished or at the very least repaired back into working conditions.
Despite its sorry state, the building remained standing, sold by the previous owner to someone who had other plans for it.
Amidst the ruins, however, the morning light revealed something far more interesting. In the middle of the concrete floor stood a child with silver hair, dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, lying motionless on the floor.
Eyes opening, Percy groggily got up with the headache of the century. 'Argh, my head.' He groaned, clutching his throbbing head.
But a headache was the least of his concerns. Getting over the pain, he took in the unfamiliar surroundings.
"How'd I end up here?" He murmured, pushing himself up from the floor. Like the skeptic he is, his eyes darted around the run-down factory, searching for any clue as to his location or how he wound up here.
"Mom!" He called out his voice, echoing through the empty space, but there was no response. It seems he was alone here.
'What's going on? Did we crash somewhere?' He questioned himself as he tried his best to remember, but every time he tried, a sharp throb of pain would happen.
"Ugh!" He stumbled a little, but he quickly got on his feet before hitting the concrete floor.
His attention was then drawn to a door in front of him, thinking it was the way out thanks to the sunlight peeking through the edges. "Gotta find mom!" He then sprinted towards it.
Just as he reached out to grasp the handle, a very deep and guttural voice as he'd never heard before spoke in his mind, halting him in his tracks.
'Percy, Percy, can you hear me?' Its voice echoed in Percy's mind, sending a shiver of familiarity down his spine.
He couldn't understand why, but that voice felt familiar to him somehow, as if he'd heard it a long time ago. The weirdest part about it was that it sounded worried, or as worried as a voice as deep as it could be.
"Who is that?!" Percy spun around, startled, in the direction of where he thought he heard it, but the dimly lit hall was still empty. "What?"
His silver eyes widened in confusion, and for a second, Percy almost thought it was all in his head. 'Ugh, now I'm hearing voices. Am I going crazy?' He shook his head.
'No, you're not going crazy.' The same voice responded once again, startling the silver-eyed boy again.
"Who is that?!" He shouted, his voice echoing through the halls, silver eyes shifting left and right to see where this person was. "Where are you? show yourself!" He demanded, raising his guard.
'Can't do that, kiddo, not in the way I'd like, but I digress. I'm still working out the kinks here.' It explained, but Perseus confused silence told him that he didn't understand where he was going with this. 'You can't see me, but you can hear me.'
Eyes wide with mixtures of suspicion, fear, and slight irritation at the thought of someone inside your mind. "You're talking to me in my mind!" He clutched his head as he reflexively tightened his guard.
'That's right, I'm inside your head, and no, Percy, you're not going crazy. You really have to stop thinking that.' It told him, but its words only made Percy more mistrustful.
"You're inside my head, no, never mind that. How do you know my name? Do you know what happened in the car, and what about my mom? Where is she?" He asked desperately, wanting answers.
'I'll answer all your questions in a moment, but first things first, walk to the end of the hallway to your right until you find a room full of mirrors.' It instructed, prompting Percy to narrow his eyes in suspicion.
"How am I supposed to believe you?" His fists clenched tightly. "If you did something to my mom, I swear—
'NEVER!' Its monstrous voice denied firmly, and the silver-haired child winced at the ringing in his head, but his eyes widened with great surprise at the stranger's reaction to his mother. 'I didn't hurt your mother, and I'm never going to hurt you. I mean no harm.' The deep voice assured him before falling silent.
"I don't trust you. Tell me who you are!" He retorted, but he was only met with eerie silence, leaving him.
Alone, Percy weighed his options. He could leave the building and search out for his mother's whereabouts, with no clue as to where to even begin or go where that monster's voice wanted him to go and get the answers it was offering to give, but for all he knew, this could be a trap of some sort. The former sounded like the much safer option, and normally he would've chosen that, but something in him didn't want to do that, and it had to do with whoever was in his head. 'Why, why does it feel like I've heard—nngh!' He grabbed his head, which began throbbing again.
Walking to the destination it told him to go to, Percy soon found himself in an empty room filled with mirrors. In the center stood twelve rectangular mirrors the size of doors in a circle. He would've had a hard time seeing anything if it weren't for the flicking blue lights on the ceiling.
With a dry look on his face, he thought. 'That's not suspicious at all.' With a click of his tongue, he went forward until he stopped where the largest mirror stood.
"Alright, I'm here. Now what?" He called out, but he didn't receive a response. Angry at having wasted his time, he went up to the mirror and struck it.
*SHATTER.*
Pieces of glass flew off, resulting in the mirror now having spiderweb-like cracks. Turning around, he shouted, "Show yourself, you coward!"
'It sort of takes a second, my bad.' The voice returned with an apology. How polite.
"Whatever, are you going to answer my questions or not?" Percy impatiently asked with crossed arms.
He didn't understand why he needed to walk all the way here just to continue their talk.
'And I intend to do just that. But I'd rather we talk face-to-face.' He told him, and before the silver-haired child was going to ask how, he said, 'Look behind you.'
Turning around, Percy tilted his head upwards toward the cracked mirror, and his eyes became the size of saucers at the reflection of a horrifying black creature looming over him.
His jaw slumped down at its incredibly muscular physique. Its biceps bulged like the greatest wrestler, and its size, looking about seven or so feet, towered over him. Its skin was deep black and liquid-like, kind of like oil. In the middle of its chest was also a horrifying image of a white spider. Its teeth were sharp, as if they could bite through flesh and bone. Its abnormally long tongue looks like it can strangle a person to death, and its eyes... they had no pupils in them, only milky white that slightly moved around like water. Percy became speechless. Whatever this thing possibly was, it was nowhere near human, and the oddest thing was that he wasn't afraid. In fact, call him crazy, but he felt... a sort of kinship with this creature.
The entire time Percy was staring at the monster, it stared back at him with a huge smile, showing off its teeth like it was happy to see him.
A few minutes passed, and it seemed like it was waiting for him to initiate the conversation.
"Who... what are you?" The boy asked as he placed a hand on the broken mirror.
The black monster's smile then thinned, which didn't fit its appearance at all. 'Sigh, just how should I go about this, hmm?' Venom thought to himself.
Deep down, he was happy he finally got to meet Sally's son officially, but it hurt him greatly that this is how they would meet. He felt like crying once more, but he had done enough of that in his new host's mindscape. Right now, he needed to break the ice with his and Sally's pride and joy.
With a forced, closed smile, he introduced himself. 'My name is Venom, and I am what is known as a symbiote, tada.' He introduced himself, shaking his hands with dazzle.
If Perseus didn't know any better, he figured the symbiote had rehearsed that line. But instead of dawdling on that, his mind focused on the more important topic.
"A symbiote?!" Percy whispered in astonishment. "You mean, like, an organism that works in tandem with another, benefiting them both?" He asked, and Venom's real smile returned, teeth and all.
'The very same.' He nodded. 'You see, Percy, before I attached myself to you, I had another host. She's your mother.' He dropped the second bomb, and he swears he could see Percy's mind explode.
"A host! Mom! It—it all makes sense now." He held his head in realization. "You're the best friend she always mentions. I can't believe it. You're actually real."
'Believe it.' He grinned, happy that their first interaction was going so well.
"But how come she never introduced me to you before?" He asked.
He once asked the same question to his mother, who simply told him it wasn't the time yet.
'It's because I have been looking after you from within your mother all along. In other words, I've been with you since the day you popped out your mama. Hahaha.' He laughed out loud, but seeing that the boy wasn't joining in, he stopped.
'Sorry, my bad, wrong answer.' He coughed into his hand. 'She wanted to wait till you turned twelve so we'd get to know each other and spend time together at this boarding school called Yankee Academy or something.'
"Yancy Academy." Percy corrected, having remembered seeing a flyer that his mother left on the kitchen table one morning.
'Yeah, that's one. Anyhow, she did it because she wanted to keep you safe until it was time you knew about your heritage.' He answered, leaving off the fact that his mother was going to keep him as far away from his father's side as she could muster.
"Safe. Safe from what? And what do you mean by my heritage? Better yet, where is mom?" He asked more questions, but seeing that the Venom wasn't answering a single one of them, he stopped.
'You done?' Venom asked, to which the boy nodded sheepishly, but the tapping of his foot said otherwise. 'Good, this is hard for me to explain, so bear with me, okay?' He stared at the boy, getting a nod.
'Good, now take a deep breath.' He told him, and he did. He then crouched down to Percy's height.
'Perseus, the lightning—it struck the car.' His deep voice wallowed with pain, but he nevertheless forged through. 'And, she didn't survive.'
"Wha... what?" Percy's silver eyes widened in horror at the terrible information. "No, no, that's not possible. No!" He shouted and punched the mirror, destroying it. "You're lying!"
*SHATTER.*
'I wish I was.' Venom appeared in the next mirror. 'Everything that happened in the car happened.'
"LIAR!!!" Percy smash his fis on the second mirror.
*SHATTER.*
'I'm not lying, Perseus.' He shouted from another mirror. 'I couldn't save her.' He looked down with shame and regret.
"What do you mean you couldn't save her? You were right there, weren't you? You son of a b*tch, you're supposed to be her best friend, how could you let this happen?!" He pointed at him, and Venom felt like a knife had been stabbed through his chest.
'Because I had to save you!' He fell on his knees. 'I told her I was against it. I tried to tell her we should think of something else, but there was no other choice. I'm so, so sorry.' He apologized to Percy, but he knew it wasn't good enough.
"No, no, no!" Percy clutched his hair. "This isn't happening!" He denied the cruel reality, tears splitting his face.
'She told me to save you and leave her behind before his lightning hit.' He explained, but it didn't make the child feel any better.
Percy wanted nothing more than to blame Venom for the death of his mother. He wanted to pummel Venom's face till it caved in on itself and made him feel pain unlike anything the symbiote had ever felt, but he couldn't bring himself to, and even if he could, Venom was already suffering as much as he was. He could feel it.
"AAAHH!!!" He cried at the top of his lungs before slamming his fists down with all his might.
*CRACK.*
The concrete floor split from the force.
The symbiote wanted to say something, to console his host, but stopped himself from doing so, figuring the child would lash out at him. It was best that he let him rage himself out first before going more in depth about the actual cause of his mother's fate and the dangers that awaited them.
*BAM!*
*SMASH!*
*CRASH!*
"RAAAAAAAGGHHH!!!" His deafening roar reverberated through out abandoned factory.
From there, Perseus spent the entire day rampaging and smashing the area with rage and grief. It was unbearable for Venom to see this child go through such heartache, but he didn't dare turn his eyes away.
It wasn't until nightfall that Percy was so exhausted that he cradled himself to sleep in the almost truck-sized hole he made on the ground.
...
A new morning arose as the god of the sun drove his chariot across the sky, but the pain from yesterday's turmoil still lingered, as when Perseus awoke to find himself in the same abandoned building, he heard the awful truth concerning his mother.
Now this his rage cooled down, all he could do was sit on the floor with a look of sadness that would deeply break his mother's heart if she were to see him now.
Venom, of course, tried to speak to him, but Percy refused to even look the symbiote in the eye, telling him he wanted to be left alone. The symbiote complied with his wishes, not minding how long it took until his precious host was good and ready to talk.
...
Percy glanced at the remaining mirror before staring back down. He wanted to hate Venom for leaving his mother behind, but that wouldn't be fair to him, who saved his life. His mom always told him stories of the two of them and how the guy was practically family. She wouldn't want him to stay angry at her best friend. Now more than ever he needed the symbiote's help.
Sighing, Percy stood up and went to the mirror. "Venom." He called out to the symbiote and waited for him to appear.
'What is it, Percy?' He immediately appeared.
"Yesterday, you told me you escaped with me before his lightning hit. I don't know what you meant. Can you clarify?" He asked, and the symbiote gulped, not knowing how to explain that a literal God murdered his mother in cold blood.
'Hmm, I don't know. You sure, I don't want you to get discouraged.' Venom warned.
"Venom, just tell me." Was all Percy said, and seeing how dead serious he was, the symbiote nodded.
'Where do you want me to start?' Venom asked.
"The beginning." He replied, and Venom nodded once more.
'Well, for starters, the Greek gods are real. I know what you must be thinking—how is that possible? Well, before I start, be sure not to say these names out loud. Names have power, and I don't want you to attract the attention of those immortals.' The symbiote cautioned gravely, receiving a serious nod.
'Also, just so you know, I'm a special exception to that rule because I'm not a Greek entity.' Venom said, and then clapped his hands. 'Alright, Percy, the gods from Greek mythology that your mother read to you, they exist for real, and you know what the gods did all the time back then, right?'
"Oh, I don't know, have tons of kids with humans." Was the boy's response. Percy was getting an idea of what Venom was telling him, but decided to let him finish. He could be wrong.
'Bingo, the gods of the past are alive and breathing. From the ever horny bastard king of Olympus, Zeus, to the sexist goddess, Artemis, and just about everything else. They exist, and they make demigod kids, and Percy, you're one of them.' He pointed at him.
"I'm a demigod—my father is a deity." He whispered as he took in the mind-blowing information.
Venom himself was more than a bit surprised by just how well he did.
'Yes, a demigod, a half-mortal, half-god hybrid child with special powers or talents derived from their godly parent.' Perseus then raised his hand to ask a question.
"So my father is a god. Since you were inside my mother all these years, do you know who he is?" He looked Venom straight in the eyes.
This was very crucial information for Perseus, and as much as he loathed the boy's father for leaving Sally to raise him by herself and most likely being the cause of her death, her son was more important than his distaste for the Olympian, and since his mother wasn't here to tell him, the symbiote had to step in and fill in the blanks so his host won't go out unprepared and uneducated about who he is.
'It's Poseidon, God of the Seas.' He revealed, with am underlying growl, a clear loathing for the Olympian.
Percy merely blinked in surprise. "Mom always said he was lost at sea. It's hard to believe someone like him could ever be my father." He thought before turning to Venom. "You don't seem to like him, do you?"
'That's an understatement, kiddo. I'll be very frank with you here. I hate that fish-fucking scumbag to the bone for ever involving himself with your mother.' He bared his fangs and claws before composing himself.
'That said, the same doesn't go for you. The only good thing he's ever done was father you.' Venom chortled, getting a fraction of a smile from his host.
If Percy had to be honest, he always wanted to know who his father was, but only out of curiosity. Truth be told, he has no love for someone he's never met, unlike Venom, whom he knew he could trust and has been there since before he was born, even though he never knew he was there. Poseidon meant nothing to him. As far as he knew, his only family was his mom, and whatever Venom apparently was in all this.
"Alright, continue." He told him, and the symbiote did just that.
'You already know everything there is to know about Greek mythos from your mother, but it's not that simple. Not only do deity and demigods exist, but also their enemies too.' He added.
"You mean monster?"
'Correct. The Minotaur, the Nemean lion, the Hydra, all of them exist out there in the wild. When they die, they just come back over and over again, and trust me, they're not friendly to demigods like you.' Venom then went closer to Percy and bared his teeth.
'They're out there, waiting to kill or eat you. This is the life your mother tried so hard to shelter you from. It's kill or be killed.' He glared, staring straight at the demigod's soul. 'What will you do against all that?'
Percy then stood up to Venom, staring right back at him. "I'll just kill them before they do." He spoke with conviction and just as much vehemence, showing that he wasn't backing down. "I am no one's food or prey.
Venom breathed a sigh of relief. 'I'm glad you understand. Sorry about that. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting into.' He apologized.
Percy rolled his eyes but smirked a bit at the symbiote's care for his safety before sitting back down. "It's fine. Those monsters are out for my blood. I get it."
'Thanks, now before I get into more explanation, let's get you something to eat. It's been a day and a half since you got any grub, and I'm pretty famished myself.' The symbiote patted his stomach.
"But I want to know more, and I'm not hungry." Percy said with a shake of his head, but his stomach didn't seem to agree.
*GROWLING.*
'Hmph, sure you are.' Venom snickered before saying, 'Let's go get ourselves a snack.'
The silver-haired child stared at Venom as if he had two heads. "You know we're in a dump, right? Where are we supposed to get anything to eat here?" He told it like it was, but Venom merely smirked.
'This dump was secretly bought by your mother, and trust me when I say it wasn't for its unique decor. Follow my voice.' He disappeared from the mirror, and Percy followed suit.
...
Venom led Percy to another dark and dingy hallway. By the time he reached the end, the demigod was met with a huge metal door blocking his path.
"A dead end." Percy raised his eyebrow. "Don't tell me there's a secret elevator leading down or something." He snorted. This wasn't Spy Kids.
'You said it, not me.' Venom smiled smugly.
"You've got to be kidding." His host mouth hung low, and he looked to the left to see a keypad stuck on the wall.
'The pin is 8181993.' He told him, and Percy pressed the seven numbers. The metal doors slid to either side.
'8181993.' Percy murmured to himself as he went into the elevator door. 'But that's the date I was born... mom.' He spoke her name and felt tears welling up, but he forced them down.
Pressing the button that pointed down, the doors slid closed. The elevator was dark, but the white light fixture illuminated the space.
*DING.*
The sign above the doors started counting down.
10.
9.
8.
7.
"Now what?" Percy asked.
5.
4.
3.
'Now, you brace yourself and hold on for dear life.' Venom replied.
2.
1.
"Wait what—aaaaaaah!!!" Percy screamed as the elevator went down at rapid speed. "VENOM!!!" His host screamed as he held onto the railing for dear life.
'Your mother created this to prevent people from breaking in without issues. It's approximately 121 stories tall. In other words, this elevator ride will purposely mess people up before entering inside.' He explained
*DING.*
The elevator came to an abrupt stop, getting to crash on the ceiling. "Oof!" He winced slightly, and he fell to the floor.
*THUMP.*
Landing safely on his feet, Percy grasped the handlebar hard enough to bend it. "Why!!!" He breathed heavily, staring at the reflecting mirror on the handle.
'I told you to hold on.' Venom shrugged, notinding his host's dirty glare.
'Your mother is an ice cold dick killer, the kindest and baddest b*tch in the world.' He said with a proud smile on his face.
"Good to know." Percy retorted, eye-twitching angrily, saying 'I blame you.'
The symbiote scratched his cheek nervously.
The elevator doors slide open, revealing a fancy living room area with smooth white flooring, white couches, and a TV on the wall.
"Woh!" Percy breathed out as he took a step forward.
"Welcome, madam Jackson." A robotic voice welcomed, startling the demigod. "It's been quite a while since I've last seen you. You look younger and... male?"
Before Percy could reply, he felt a pull to his mouth as his eyes and lips morphed into Venom's. They moved by itself, but with great difficulty.
'Nnnnot—Sally, Rich, she's gone—ugh—it's her son!' Venom sais to the robotic voice with great difficulty before reverting back.
"I see, so the madam has been lost. My deepest apologies, young sir. Please take a seat on the couch and rest." Richard offered a glowing pathway to the coach.
Percy ignored that and felt up his mouth. "Venom, did you just take control of my mouth to talk to that guy?!" He asked with a glare.
'Sorry. I had to think fast before Richard went into defense mode. I forgot we had that in place. I should've told you. My mistake.' The symbiote apologized, and sensing that Venom was sincere, he accepted it.
"Ok, but that doesn't explain how you took control of my mouth. Is that what your species can do?" Percy asked with curiosity.
'Long story short, a symbiote can control their host's body, but with you, it's really difficult. Anyway, I'll answer more after you're done eating. You an also ask Richard.' Venom then went silent.
Now alone, Percy sat on the couch, reflecting on everything that went down during his short amount of time. First, he finds out his mother died, and then he learns that he is demigod, and then he's told his mother not only bought a building in the middle of nowhere, but also made a secret hideout under it.
"...So, Richard, right, what are you, if you don't mind me asking?" He awkwardly asked.
"Of course, I am the hideouts artificial intelligence, or AI. My name is the Responsive, Intelligent, Collaborative, Helpful, Autonomous, Reliable, Dynamic, or Richard for short." He introduced himself.
"I was created by your mother with Master Venom's assistance. It is a pleasure to finally be meeting you, Master Perseus." Richard greeted.
"Wait, you know my name?" Percy inquired.
"I'd be a very lousy butler if I didn't." The AI mused before saying, "Your mother brought you here once upon a time. You've truly grown since I last saw you."
"When was the last time you saw me?" He asked, having a vague recollection of the place, mostly bright colorful lights.
"Three months after you were born, that's the last time I've seen you and her. Since then, I've been taking proper care of the residence and keeping it running properly."
"Got it, but why did Mom and Venom make this place?" His stomach then made a growl.
"You sound hungry, sir. Please go and help yourself to the fridge. We have an abundant amount of chocolate to satisfy your stomachs with."
"Chocolate?" The silver-haired boy asked, confused.
Now that he thought about it, he's never had chocolate in his life. was fine with chocolate, but why eat only that?
"As a symbiote host, chocolate is best used to feed and nourish both of you as it contains phenethylamine, the same substance found in brains." Richard replied.
"Wait, what was that last part?" Percy asked, a look of disgust on his face.
"Phenethylamine is naturally found in brains. But do not fear, Master Perseus. Master Venom has long lost his craving for it. Now his diets usually consist of chocolate and tater tots, along with anything else he can get his hands on. Now off you go." The AI dutifully explained, to which Percy Symby nodded and went on his way to the refrigerator.
Opening the door, he looked inside. 'That is a lot more than I was expecting.' He stared in surprise at piles of sugary, rectangular bars.
He proceeded to take out a handful many, unwrapping them all and placing them all in a bowl.
Bringing it back with him to the couch, he sat back down and took a bite of one. His eyes narrowed in joy at the taste. It was delicious—even more so than when he had it before all this mess started.
He could feel his mood getting better. "Thank you, Richard. This really helps." He thanked the AI butler.
"You're very welcome, Master Perseus." Richard replied cordially, though his tone carried a light gaiety
...
For the rest of the day, Richard showed his madam's child around the hideout. There were currently over thirteen rooms, some of which were used for either storage or testing grounds, the rest, commodities. He'd already been introduced to the living room with its flat screen TV, Italian couch, ebony dinning table and it's close proximity to the kitchen. The next stop on the tour was the gym, an area nearly as large as a local YMCA, stacked with barbells, weights, dumbbells, treadmills, punching bags, and many other exercise equipment. A large blue mat was in the middle to do either yoga or hand-to-hand combat practice.
As Percy ventured more into the hideout, he marveled at the technological wonders, especially when he was ahownt the energy chamber. It had glowing white lines on the walls and many large cables across the floor. In the center stood a pedestal where the pulsating energy source, the same thing that powered the hideout, humming strongly. Richard said it was called the Arc-Reactor, a jewel of engineering that fueled the entire hideout with its infinite energy.
Later on, he was shown the workshop, where technological gadgets, weaponry, armors, and more were built. It was also where the three robot armors were kept, which Richard called suits. The first was a red and yellow-colored robot in the shape of a man with a triangle on the chest. The second was the same except it was colored black, white, and grey and was noticeably bulkier than the previous with visible fire arms. The final one was red and yellow, but unlike the others, it was slimmer, looking like it was meant to be piloted specifically for females. The AI told him they were called Iron Man, Iron Patriot, and Iron Heart, respectively.
Next was the open kitchen. It hadn't been touched in years but was spotless, all thanks the AI. After that was the storage space. A large room filled with materials to use in the workshop, along with finished/unfinished projects, broken parts. Then there was the medic room with it's high tech analysis equipment to check vitals, very standard stuff.
The remaining room were empty, normally used to test experimental equipment.
Finally, the last room was where Percy would be staying. As he wasn't an idiot, he knew this was his mom's bedroom. It had a dark blue bed, a mirror, a nice bathroom, a table with a work computer right on it, a walk in closet.
Tired, he walked to the bed where he then promptly plopped down. He's never felt so exhausted before in his life. With the divine existing amongst him, ancient monster on the prowl to kill and eat his flesh, and his mom now gone from the face of the earth, if Venom or Richard weren't there to explain things to him, he would have sent himself to the big house with padded walls and a straight jacket on.
"I'm so tired." He mumbled through the pillow, wanting nothing more than to go home to his apartment and just sleep, but he knew he didn't have that luxury.
Getting up, he went to the mirror. "Venom, you there?" He called and patiently waited for the symbiote to appear.
'Yes?' Venom answered.
"Earlier, you left me with Richard for a while. Was there a reason why?"
'Yeah, I had to tell Richard not to activate the robots he showed you before they started their secondary job to eliminate any intruders that trespassed, so I kind of had to control you, my bad.' He explained, and the demigod understood.
"That doesn't explain why you have to ghost me. Was it because you controlled me?" He finished, to which Venom nodded.
'Sorry about that, too. I had to immediately go back to my job to keep you hidden. The reason why you can only see me through a mirror is because I'm doing everything I can from within to hide you from the gods. Because I have to constantly be on duty, I can't communicate how I'd normally like to, so to work around that and keep you safe I got a little crafty.' Now that he explained why he did what he did, it all made sense.
Percy then recalled how the symbiote had difficulty talking through his mouth.
Wanting to clear his suspicions, Perseus asked, "Venom, am I part symbiote?"
The milky white eyes on symbiote widened in shock. This kid was very smart for his age.
'Eh, yeah, you want me to explain that for you too.' Percy nodded
'Your mom figured that if the gods existed, then so did monsters, plus the sea dick told her, so with that in mind, she asked me to give you some upgrades.' He scratched the back of his head.
The demigod looked at the symbiote as if it were an unknown animal. "Upgrades, seriously?" He crossed his arms.
'Yes, upgrades, or more accurately, slight alterations. You were going to be part symbiote long before I had anything to do with you. But because you were so unpredictable as a fetus, we didn't know how you'd come out. You could've been a full-fledged god or a full-blown symbiote like yours truly, and both of those could've been a less than ideal outcome for everyone.'
"Don't tell me other symbiotes aren't sweet like you." Venom gave a chuckle at the remark.
'Yeah, let's go with that. Back on topic, if you were a god, you'd have to be taken away from your mother, and be taken in by your father, don't asked me why, I don't know.' He interjected to Percy who slowly rose his hand down.
Finding it adorable, Venom said, 'Ok, fine, I'll explain. I'm not an expert on these dumb rules, but if I'm right, it sort of goes like this: Gods can't intervene in the mortal world, which is bullshit because here you are.' He pointed to Percy, who shrugged. 'I'm pretty sure it stems from ancient laws that are very firm in the case of major circumstances like destroying humanity.'
"Then by that logic it stands to prove these ancient laws must also be flexible in minor cases like...' He clicked his tongue. 'Me.'
'Care to guess which asshole is over the moon because of it?' Venom narrowed his eyes.
...
"Achoo!" Sneezed the King of Olympus from his desk. "That's odd?" Zeus furrowed his brow before going back to work.
...
Percy nodded before saying, "So what would've happened if I was born a full symbiote?"
'If you turned out to be a symbiote, then you would've ended up wild like a beast, not knowing what love is.' He answered, thinking to himself how thankful he was to have been able to avoid creating another Carnage.
"So you balanced my demigod, symbiote, and human parts of me?"
Venom's smile grew larger. 'Exacto mundo, I made you the best of the three worlds. If you were to look at your biology as four quarters making up a dollar, you'd be two quarters god, one quarter symbiote, and another quarter mortal.'
"And that's how you made sure I not only got to be raised by mom but also kept my humanity. Venom, thank you." He thanked him from the bottom of his heart.
'Aww, stop, you're going to give me a big head.' The symbiote waved off, grinning happily.
Percy then raised his hand. "So, does my strength come from my symbiote side or my god side?"
'Yes, and no, you recall those upgrades I mentioned.' Percy nodded. 'Well, that wasn't your full-blown symbiote strength. That's what I gave you as a basis from your human side.' He explained, and the look on the demigod's face would be something he'd never forget.
"That is my human side, what the fuck Venom! I sent a guy to the hospital because of these, and you're telling me it's just human?!" He shouted as he pointed at his flexed arms.
'It was just in case you would need it. If you had that coupled with your symbiote strength, well, hehe.' He chuckled evilly at the implications.
Percy sighed, pinching his nose. "You're insane."
'Yeah, and your mother was a sweetheart who saw the good in others, even a brain eating monster like me.' He replied, making Percy smile just a bit.
"I think it's time I head to bed." He said as he to turn off the lights.
Covering himself with the drapes, Perseus looks over and sees a picture on the nightstand. It was his mother at a beach being held from behind by a black, shaggy-haired man with a tan and a tomy bahama shirt. He could make out the unusual sea-green eyes the man had. His mother looked so happy next to him.
"That's him, isn't it?"
'Yes.' Venom confirmed. 'It was their first date.' The symbiote looked at the picture with sadness.
Putting the picture face down, Percy asked, "Do you know who killed my mother?"
'I do. It was Zeus, but judging by your expression, you've figured it out.' Venom looked down at Perseus's silver orbs.
Those eyes were glaring something fierce with not a lick of mercy in them. His host wanted blood.
Gripping the blanket so hard that the symbiote swore he heard it tear a little, Percy replied, "I see. Thanks for confirming it." He closed his wrath-filled eyes. "Night."
'You too, kiddo.' The symbiote bid him goodnight and went quiet.
The lights inside the hideout were all turned off as Richard went into night mode, the three suits online to keep guard. Heat sensors online, infrared security cameras watching diligently for any sign of suspicious movement.
...
..
.
(A/N: Zeus will get his. It's only a matter of time.)