Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.

Chapter 70: Snippets, part 3. (Deals, Tears, and Rejections.)

Running. Running as fast as he could through the building. The concrete hallways twisted and turned, with there seemingly to be no end. His breathing picked up as the noises behind him got louder. His companion, the man - no, Satyr, who was running next to him, grimaced.

"Go!" The Satyr yelled, sliding to a stop. "I'll hold the hellhounds off! Get out of the building and to the nearest forest!"

He nodded and continued running, leaving the Satyr behind to fight the monsters. The sounds of fighting began to ring out behind him as he sprinted in terror.

He had been living a nice life. He had a loving mom, an exceptional step-father, a caring boyfriend, and an amazing best friend. And then he had learned about his birth father. His mom had always told him he died in a plane crash, but he didn't believe that. So he had tried to look into his mom's past.

And found a crazy trail of running away, anger issues, attempted murder, and finally, redemption. He had confronted her about her past and his father, and she had him sit down before telling him everything. 

He stumbled and slammed into the ground, knocking him out of his thoughts. He began to push himself up when he heard the noises getting louder behind him. His breathing sped up as he launched himself forward like he did in track, running as fast as he could.

His legs were burning, and his lungs felt like lead, but he had to keep running. Stupid, stupid factory. Why did he and the Satyr have to try and hide here? To try and distract his body, he let his mind wander back into the past.

His mother had explained that she was a demigod. To be specific, a daughter of Nemesis, the goddess of revenge, and that her troubled childhood was a result of her latent abilities. He didn't want to believe her at first, at least until she told him that his real father... was Zeus.

She spun a fantastical tale of him meeting her on the run, promising to help her control her powers and how doting he was. Her voice went bitter as she explained what had happened after the conception.

Zeus had panicked, tried to lure her into a plane during a stormy night, failed, and then left her battered and essentially beaten in her own bed. She told him that know that he knew of his heritage a Satyr would come find him and bring him to a camp for demigods.

She told him that no matter what, he should always stay humble. She knew the hubris children of Zeus could carry and how it often led to their downfall. She didn't want that for him. So he promised. No matter what, he would be humble. He would try to make friends, come visit if he could, and make sure to help those who needed it.

And then the hellhounds came. He had been in the car with his mom as she was explaining what monsters he would likely face when they attacked. His mother held them off, but in the confusion of the crashed cars and luring of the monsters, he was split from her. He ran from the scene and soon met a Satyr, who had taken one look at him and immediately grabbed him.

Since then, they had been running and hiding. Flash forward to last night, they had decided to hide in a factory. Lots of space, right?

Apparently, not.

He finally saw a door as his mind snapped back to the moment. He skidded to a stop and began to attempt to open it. His eyes widened as he began to twist harder and jiggle it. It couldn't be unlocked. No way.

But it was. He twisted harder and harder, trying to wrench it open, when his eyes began to glow a deep blue. He gave the handle a twist...

And accidentally tore it off. He stared down at the broken handle in his hand and then back up to the door. Tears began to leak from his eyes.