You ever get that feeling that the universe just won't let you catch a break? Like, no matter what you do, no matter how many times you save the world, fate—or in my case, the gods—just have to throw one more thing at you?
Yeah, welcome to my life.
Let's rewind a bit. Picture this:
you're sixteen years old, barely surviving a war against the Titans. You fight your heart out, Like I literally bleed for Olympus, and when it's all said and done, do they give you a 'thank you' card? Maybe a 'congrats, here's a lifetime of peace and quiet' certificate?
No. Instead, before you could get a proper rest you get snatched up by a goddess, brainwiped, then dumped into a Roman camp you didn't even know existed, and forced to fight again—this time against Gaia and her lovely family of oversized dirtbags. And when that's over, when you think maybe, just maybe, the gods will finally let you rest, they do what they do best.
Disappear.
No 'good job, Percy.' No 'is there anything you want in return, Percy?' Just a collective vanishing act, like my existence was a minor inconvenience they were finally rid of.
And you know what the real kicker is? Even after saving the world twice—twice!—I still had to do extra credit quests just to graduate high school. Yeah. Turns out, slaying monsters and stopping doomsday scenarios doesn't count toward a diploma. Who knew?
Then came college, which should have been my ticket to a normal life. Should have been. But the gods? Oh no, they weren't done with me. They kept pulling me back in, calling in favors, sending me on quests. One time, they even loaned me out to another pantheon for some 'exchange program.' Apparently, it's a thing they do once in a while.
Ever heard about that fight between Hercules and Thor? Yeah, that wasn't just some myth. the snob lost, but when he got back to Olympus, he had the audacity to call it a draw. To this day one can still hear the echoes of Thor's outrage in Asgard.
So yeah, in case it wasn't obvious by now—I hate the gods.
Why? Because after fifteen years of this nonsense, they still won't let me rest. I'm basically their go-to hero, their favorite errand boy whenever something goes wrong. And sure, I'd rather go myself than let some newbie from Camp Half-Blood get thrown into the deep end, but things have changed since the last war.
I have a life now.
A family.
Yeah, you heard that right. Percy Jackson, father of two.
My eldest is a girl—Zoe. We named her after the bravest Hunter I ever met.
Athena was not happy about that. She turned me into an owl for a whole day when she found out. And just when I thought that things could be calmer, we went and named our son Luke, after the guy who sacrificed himself to save Olympus. That one really set off my dad—Poseidon sulked so hard that the ocean threw tantrums for weeks. No lives lost, thankfully. Just a lot of monster fatalities.
So yeah, after years of quests, battles, and putting my life on the line, I had one goal: to be there for my family. To give my kids the kind of childhood I never got. That was the dream.
But then the gods happened. Again.
"Percy Jackson," Zeus's voice thundered across the grand hall of Olympus.
I knelt before him, half-listening, already knowing where this was going. My request for retirement had been pending for years. And surprise, surprise, the King of the Gods was not a fan.
"I have heard of your request," Zeus continued, his tone heavy with disapproval. "And I do not like it."
No kidding.
"We have lost many warriors since the last war," he went on. "Why would one of our greatest champions seek to abandon his duty?"
I stood, keeping my voice steady. "Lord Zeus, I want to step away for my family."
Zeus hummed, considering. For a second, I thought—maybe—this time would be different.
Then Athena spoke.
"He is too dangerous to be left unchecked."
Oh, come on.
I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to say something stupid like, Give me a break, mother-in-law. That would not end well. I could already see my future as a permanent owl, and I wasn't about that life.
Zeus finally spoke again. "You will not be granted retirement. You are too important."
I clenched my fists. Of course. Of course, they wouldn't just let me go.
"However," Zeus added, and for once, I heard something different in his tone. Something that almost sounded like… compromise? "We will grant you time away from quests—on one condition."
Oh boy. Here we go.
"You must complete one last mission," he declared, lightning crackling behind him for dramatic effect. (Show-off)
My instincts flared up like a warning siren. The gods never did anything out of generosity. If they were finally letting me go, this 'last mission' had to be bad.
I took a deep breath. "What's the catch?"
Zeus stood, his godly presence crackling in the air. He locked eyes with me, and I knew—whatever he was about to say, it was going to change everything.
"Tell me, Jackson," he said, voice booming. "Have you ever heard of Hogwarts?"
And just like that, my life took another unexpected turn.