A Dishonored Demigod

The Marking

"There's a monster inside all of us, some are just more prominent than the others"~Krios530
Bold- Power/Voice change
Italics- Thoughts

When we reach Illinois I get off Blackjack while slipping on the Nemean lion skin before patting his side,"Thanks buddy. I'll get June and come back, so rest up."
He whinnies and I take off with my enhanced speed and after a hour I'm out of Illinois and in Indiana, and I pick up the pace. After three hours of solid running I get into Pennsylvania and go faster until I arrive at the edge of the state of New York and take a quick breather while getting some water from a fountain in a public park. Ten minutes after I stopped running I start again and enter into New York while running at 60 miles per hour so nobody can get a good look at me. I reach Manhattan in the afternoon and stop running because it would draw too much unwanted attention to me and since the lion skin has taken the appearance of a hoodie, I throw the hood up. I walk until I'm standing in front of my old home and circle around to the side of the building that faces an alley and look up at the fire escape connected to my room. I use my claws to quickly climb up until I enter my room from the fire escape and grab some money and extra ambrosia. As I go to the edge of the fire escape I smell the moonlace my mom has been growing and I hesitate for a second before grabbing a sprout and put it in my pocket, wrapped in a tissue. I descend using my claws and walk out of the alley and run into someone and fall on my ass. I swear a little in greek and I hear a voice ,"You speak greek?"
I look up with my hooded face to see my ex girlfriend, Annabeth. I try not to sound too angry when I say,"Of course I do, it comes with being a demigod. Nice meeting you but I have to go, I have to meet up with someone."
She grabs my arm as I turn to leave and asks,"How are you able to survive? Why don't the monsters come after you?"
I laugh a little,"Because they're smart enough not to that's why. I've killed enough so that they stay away from me."
I yank my arm out of her grip and walk away before running off at a normal jog towards camp. When I'm outside the city I run again and reach camp in a half hour but I hesitate to enter for a while before pushing against the barrier. I meet some resistance because of my curse but I get in and stick to the shadows around camp until I spot June practicing her archery. I throw a pebble at her and she doesn't notice so I have to throw another with more force. She turns around and looks around in confusion until I whistle a little and throw another pebble at her. She walks forward cautiously until she's inside the shade of the trees and I step out of my hiding place. I'm instantly hugged to death by her and when she lets go I joke,"Wow I don't have to worry about the gods killing me, I just need to watch out for your hugs."
She pouts a little but drops the charade to ask,"Where's Blackjack? I thought he was gonna pick me up?"
I nod my head,"He was supposed to but he only had enough energy for a one way trip, so I had him drop me off in Illinois and I ran here."
She stares at me but I just shrug,"What can I say, the monster has a lot of abilities most don't."
She looks like she wants to say something but snaps her mouth shut and I lift her onto my back and say,"Hold on tight princess, we're gonna be going pretty fast."
She follows my directions and I take off through camp and over the hill towards the city. When we get into the city I veer towards a storage facility and race over the gates with my claws. When we get over I stop and put June down as she asks,"Why are we stopping?"
I check the list in the office window and answer,"My mom got me a motorcycle a year ago but I haven't really used it. In all honesty I'm too tired to run all the way back to Illinois so it's finally time for it to be used. Don't worry I know how to drive it."
She doesn't look reassured as she follows me to the unit but doesn't say anything since she can see I'm stumbling a bit and I'm still breathing hard. When we reach the unit I rattle the lock and just pulverize it with my claws before lifting the door up and walking in. I rip the tarp off the Harley Davidson FLSTSE CVO Softail Convertible to show the painted red two seater and the full face motorcycle helmet sitting on the driver seat. I give the helmet to June as I rummage through some boxes next to it that have spare parts, tools, etc., until I find the keys and start the beast up. When it's roaring I release the kickstand and push it out of the unit before getting on and steadying it. When I'm ready June hops on and I wheel around to the gate and use the water in the air to cut the chains around the exit gate and push the doors open so we don't have to stop.
We ride out of the facility and out of Manhattan without trouble until I hear a thunderbolt and the pavement in the next lane is blasted to bits, forcing me to create a water shield to protect us. I gun it and I'm awarded a burst of speed from my motorcycle just as another bolt hits where we were a second ago. I'm sweating now but when the next bolt streaks down I quickly use one hand to uncap Riptide and swing it to deflect the bolt right back at the caster. I see a blonde blur race to avoid the package I returned and is still keeping pace with me. I don't want to but I call upon my powers in the most negative way they can be used, like in Tartarus. I control the blood in Jason's body and make him crash through the treetops of a few pines and fall into the midst of a forest just by the city limits. The clouds above me are roiling and thunder booms but I just keep driving until we get into Ohio and stop for the night. I pull up behind a motel and run my sword across the window of a unoccupied room to cut the screen and grab it just before it would hit the ground. I help June in and climb through after I freeze water around the wheels of my bike and to the ground so no one can steal it while I sleep. We talk for a bit and I bring out my bone charm since June always was curious about it and wanted to find out more about it, but this time she pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket and places it next to my charm. It's the torn page from a book and on it is a exact replica of the marking of the one on the bone fragment with some writing on it. I gape at her as I examine the page and read the words. My voice is deadly calm when I finally speak,"Where did you find this?"
She quietly says,"I paid the Stolls to take it after I heard my mother mention a book of symbols, and this was on the last page. It was covered in spells to lock the text away but I had one of the Hecate girls dispel the enchantments, but it's impossible to read still."
I skim my eyes down the page and to me the text is perfectly fine,"What do you mean? To me this is like reading regular words without dealing with my dyslexia."
June's head shoots up to look at me while I run a finger across a line and read out loud,"This is the symbol of The Outsider, a faded deity. He is known as a god of chosen figures for good or evil, and he has not been heard from since the beginning of time".
I stop reading because intense pain shoots through my right hand and the smell of burning flesh fills the room as a line is traced across the back of my right hand to form a half circle with a unique patterns in the middle and along the crest. My teeth are gritted in pain as the symbol finishes being branded on my hand and I clench my fist to try and shake off the pain my muscles feel and it glows slightly. I put my hand down and say to myself,"Well that was.... interesting. So I'm a chosen hero huh?"
June traces the symbol as she quietly says,"I guess? I need to get some more info on The Outsider, but the problem is the gods have the info locked away on Olympus, in my mom's home."
I feel a rush of power from my hand that spreads through my whole body and confidently say,"I'll be right back."
I jump out the window before running towards the Empire State Building while the mark on my hand keeps feeding me enough energy to go at max speed. I don't ask for the key card for the elevator, instead I climb up the side of the building with inhuman speed along with the chain connecting Olympus to the mortal world before I have to rest as exhaustion crashes down on me. When a half hour passes I get up and now the strange energy is gone as the mark has stopped glowing on my hand. I run at a medium speed and avoid the minor gods as I make my way towards Athena's palace and slip inside through a window and something inside me goes haywire. I feel a change in my eyes and suddenly I see lasers even though I'm not supposed to and vision fields for hidden cameras. I don't question this but use the water from a nearby lake to coat the lenses in ice to keep me from being seen while creating a bridge to the bookshelves across the room so that I don't trigger anything. When I reach the books I look along the entire length to check for cameras before I do a more thorough search of the titles and search and see a book marked,"Secrets of Deities".
I grab it up and before I turn away another title catches my attention and I quickly grab it as my ice bridge melts and triggers a laser. I run out of the palace as the alarm sounds and I don't stop as I race towards the chain while dodging minor, and major, gods. I'm about to make it when I feel a arrow pierce my leg and I fall on the ground, still holding onto the books. I get to my feet as I yank the arrow out and look behind me to see the Hunters of Artemis with their bows pointed at me. Thalia is in front and I grin,"Hey Grace. All healed up from our, ah, encounter?"
She flinches a little when I grin but puts on a brave face,"Percy you're coming with us. The gods want to talk to you."
I growl at that and say,"Not happening Grace. After I knocked your brother out of the sky I thought that you'd be smart enough to not try to stop me, especially after I played surgeon with you."
She grits her teeth and a new voice filled with venom says,"Boy you will come with us to the gods." and Artemis steps forward with hunting knives in hand.
I spit on the ground,"No goddess. I told you all what would happen if you fought me, and I keep my promises. Back off now and I won't kill you all. I know you're still a little weak."
She scowls and hisses,"Who are you to threaten us?!"
I grin as the mark on the back of my hand glows green and my leg wound heals as they all watch in horror. I  snarl,"I am Perseus Jackson, a monster, and chosen one of The Outsider. If you want me, come and get me little girls."
That's all it takes for them to fire their bows and watch in horror as the arrows bounce off my hoodie and I smirk,"Like it? Nemean lion skin makes the best armor don't you think?"
They all don't respond but Artemis grows until she's ten feet tall and I gasp in fake horror,"Do you really think that'll work Artemis? Time for you all to see the true monster!"
I transform then and my tan skin becomes nearly translucent while thick black lines cover my exposed arms, neck, and the curl around the sides of my face. My pupils become slits, and my claws extend to their full length along with my fangs. I crack my knuckles before I see the rest of the gods charge up to me and all launch their weapons at me. I don't think but my mark glows and suddenly I'm behind them and say,"Too slow Olympians."
They all whirl around but I jump over them and use my claws to slide down the chain and the Empire State to ground level and take off as a black blur.
****
Artemis
I'm sitting with the rest of the Olympians as we discuss the power surges we've been feeling recently when suddenly Athena's throne starts beeping. She checks it before turning pale as a sheet of paper and father asks,"What's wrong daughter?"
Athena looks up and quietly says,"Someone's managed to break into my library. My library has many books containing powerful secrets about us and old powers that could be catastrophic. It's amazing they've gotten this far actually."
Annabeth speaks up,"Mother I saw a man earlier and he said he had to meet up with someone. He was a demigod but he was different, he was more.... dark. He's managed to stay alive outside camp because monsters know not to mess with him so he must be pretty powerful. There was something else though, he seemed more like a monster than a human, the way he talked and the way he moved both emphasized aggression and power. He might be the one who broke into my mother's home but I'm not sure."
Hepheastus presses a button on his throne and a monitor flies out and in front of everyone before turning on to show a figure barreling through minor gods with two books clutched to his chest. Annabeth yells,"Yes that's him! What books are those mother?"
Athena quietly says,"Secrets of Deities, and Secrets of the Dead."
Father asks,"Daughter why are those books so important?"
Athena looks at him with a serious expression on his face,"The first explains how a being could inherit a faded immortal's powers, and the second explains all the loopholes in death and how to use them to possibly never really die, like with Daedulus."
Hades roars,"There was such a book in existence and you never gave it to me?! Why on earth would you keep something like that?!"
Athena quietly says,"I was studying it and I was going to give it to you in a year."
Father looks at her,"Daughter we discussed this, you are not to be in possession of books directly associated with a major god's domains."
She bows her head,"Yes father."
Our attention is diverted away when we hear,"Hey Grace. All healed up from our, ah, encounter?"
I see my lieutenant flinch when the hooded figure grins but she puts on a confident expression and says,"Percy you're coming with us. The gods want to talk to you."
We're all shocked when she says his name but even more shocked when he growls,"Not happening Grace. After I knocked your brother out of the sky I thought that you'd be smart enough to not try to stop me, especially after I played surgeon with you."
I'm furious that he brings that up as a compliment and so is my father because lightning is crackling around him. We both get up but it takes everybody to restrain my father so I'm able to flash to the site and step forward with my hunting knives ready and my voice has enough venom to kill a hydra,"Boy you will come with us to the gods."
He spits on the ground in front of my feet and cooly says,"No goddess. I told you all what would happen if you fought me, and I keep my promises. Back off now and I won't kill you all."
I'm. seeing red now and I'm actually shaking at the idea of killing him but manage to say,"Who are you to threaten us?!"
He grins as a mark glows green on the back of his right hand and says,"I am Perseus Jackson, a monster, and chosen one of The Outsider. If you want me, come and get me little girls."
That's it! I fire my bow and so do the girls, causing no damage to him whatsoever. He smirks as he pulls on his hoodie,"Like it? Nemean lion skin makes the best armor don't you think?"
I heard he had killed one with his claws, but I thought that was just a rumor! I make myself grow to a comfortable size of ten feet and look down thinking I'll see him pale with fear but he just scoffs,"Do you really think that'll work Artemis? Time for you all to see the true monster!" and shifts into a form that radiates power and fear.
I don't back down even though I really want to and hold my ground as the rest of the council runs up behind me and launches their weapons at him. The mark on his hand glows just before our attack pulverizes the spot he was standing and leaves nothing. I hear his voice,"Too slow Olympians." and see him jump over our heads before we can stop him.
He uses his claws to slide down the chain and the building until he lands on the ground and takes off as a black blur as his mark glows green, running faster than I ever thought possible. I hear Athena whisper,"So he has been chosen by him."
I ask,"Who has chosen him Athena?"
She looks at me with worried eyes,"The Outsider. That was his mark on Percy's hand, and his power being used by Percy. We must not hunt Perseus any more, it could prove deadly to us."
Ares guffaws,"Hah! That punk could kill me? Nice joke Athena!"
She looks at him with the most serious expression I've ever seen,"He could Ares. Not now since he doesn't understand his powers, but that book will explain and teach him to use his powers to kill gods, mortals, and Titans. When he does, well, you don't want to be his prey."