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Percy was in his just walking into his apartment when his phone started ringing, it was the ringtone Rachel helped him set for Piper. He didn’t answer, just let it go to voicemail. He knew if it was important she’d call again.
He dropped his groceries on the counter, taking off Mrs. O’Leary’s service dog vest as she sits serenely in front of him. After the giant war, when he had started to immigrate himself back into society, the hecate cabin used a bit of magic to make her small. She was still very large for a dog, going up to just below his ribs, but she fit in his apartment now. She looked like a Newfoundland, just larger.
Percy’s phone rings again, this time it’s Nico’s ringtone, he answers it quickly.
“What’s up, are you okay?” Percy rushes out, holding the phone to his ear.
Over the line he can faintly hear Will say, “told you he would pick up if you called.”
Nico ignore him.
“Percy, where are you?” he demands, voice sharp, though Percy could hear the worry in his tone.
“My apartment,” Percy says putting his milk and eggs in the fridge. “Why?”
“Yesterday Captain America leaked every SHIELD file onto the internet.”
Percy freezes, heart dropping to his stomach. He can hardly breathe, nearly dropping his phone as he calls out for Lea telling her to go to his family’s house.
“Fuck,” Percy mutters. “Nico, my—“
“I know,” Nico interrupts. “Leo saw the news first, told Haze and Frank. Frank, Hazel, and Leo are at your house right now. Haze told me just a few minutes ago.”
“Was Piper calling to—“
“Yes,” Piper says.”
“Fucking—I’m so sorry,” Percy breaths speed walking to his room.
He shoves open his closet door, pulling out a black duffel bag as Piper speaks again.
“It’s fine dude,” Piper brushes him off. “We all know the rule, call twice if it’s super important. Plus we know you’re okay now.”
“My parents and Stella?”
Percy pulls out his knives and guns, strapping them underneath his clothes where they wouldn’t be seen.
“They’re okay too,” Nico answers. “You know we’d be having a completely different conversation if they weren’t.”
“Right,” Percy mumbles.
He considers taking the leftover knives and hiding them around his house, but he already has so many strewn about that he did know where he’d put anymore. A cereal box? He jokes lightly to himself. Percy pulls on a chunky cardigan over his shirts, sliding two guns and a few more knives into the hidden pockets he had sewn threw out.
There’s a knock on his door. Percy stops cold in his tracks. He recognized the heart beat faintly, but it didn’t immediately strike him who it could be. And he knew dam well if any of his friends decided to pop over to check on him, they would skip the door and knocking all together.
“Percy?” Nico says worriedly.
“I’ve got to go,” Percy says standing quickly. “Someone’s at my door.”
“What?” Nico says breath hitching.
“I’ll call you back, Neeks, promise.”
Nico huffs. “You better.”
Percy drops his phone onto his as Nico hangs up. He grabs a knife walks silently to his door. Hiding his gun behind his door his opens it. Before he even gets the chance to act normal and greet the person, there’s a gun going off in his face.
He ducks down dive forward as he does, shoving his knife into the person’s chest. He ignores the feel of the knife as it scrapes against bones and the blood that sprays as he yanks it out. There’s another person down the hall, a gun in hand. Percy throws his knife into their chest before they even have time to react.
Percy sighs, using his powers to removed the blood from his hand. He slides back into his apartment, shutting his door softly behind him. He goes to his room telling his phone to call Nico. Nico picks up quickly.
“I’m gonna have to move,” Percy says in place of a greeting.
“I figured as much,” Nico says plainly.
_______
Percy ended up having to move four times. It was far from ideal, he was barely getting any sleep and he had lost contact with Sam, he had to destroy his phone and get a new one after HYDRA hacked it. This is what he gets for sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong and speaking out about HYDRA. It was also probably the fact that he had been systematically seeding out HYDRA agents and taking down base with the help of Wade since he quit. But that didn’t matter.
After the first move Percy had called the only person he had kept in contact with after SHIELD. They were a tech person, rarely sent out into the field, they had been in a severe accident when they were young forcing them to use mobility aides. Mika Estensen was a tall Scandinavian person. They were smart and one of the few genuine people that Percy had met at SHIELD.
Percy had practically begged him to get rid of anything that showed a connection between Percy and his family. He couldn’t bare the though of them getting hurt because of their connection. It hurt, more than Percy thought it would, to do this. They were still family, there was no denying that, as soon as the hunts for Percy’s head were over he would start visiting them once a week like he had been doing. But still, on paper he had no family, he was alone.
After the second move, Percy decided to try a new state, Texas. Percy chose it purely because he had never been before, and because he just wanted an excuse to use his southern accent. He was only there a month before the apartment he had been living was broken into more than Percy thought was possible. Turns out, HYDRA thrived in Texas.
The third move had less to do with Percy himself getting attacked, and more HYDRA attacking Percy’s neighbors. A small family of four, two dads, their daughter, and their dog. They were all very sweet and welcomed Percy with open arms. Inviting him over occasionally. Honestly, it was Percy fault that they were attacked. He should have known better than to get close to anyone, of course HYDRA would use that against him.
After the fourth move Percy gave up on trying to live a normal life, he gave up on running. Everywhere he went HYDRA followed, they were a parasite that wouldn’t leave him be. So, he resigned himself to the fact that he was just going to have to deal with the occasional attempt on his life. And the many sleepless nights, constant paranoia, and the rapid decline of his mental health. But he would learn to live with it.
It was after the seventh attack in a couple of months that Percy’s father learned what had been happening. Percy had tried to keep it from him, but Poseidon was in Percy’s life more than Percy ever expected him to be. He was actually a father, came over whenever he could, which was typically determined on whether or not Percy wanted him there.
After the Giant War, Poseidon had become much more present in his life. With no more life-threatening prophecies centered around Percy hanging over their head the ancient laws had eased. Percy’s wishes also helped. The gods interacted with their children more, almost became parents. It wasn’t what Percy wanted it to be, but he was still much better.
Poseidon had decided to say ‘fuck you’ to Zues and came to see Percy whenever he wish. Unfortunately, one of those visits happened to land right when Percy was dealing with the aftermath of yet another murder attempt. Percy had been expecting one, his father hadn’t been to his house in a couple of months. Percy had decided to just go visit him instead to prolong the inevitability of his father finding out.
“Dad!” Percy yelped, jumping as Poseidon suddenly appeared in his living room.
“Percy,” Poseidon greet plainly. “There is a dead man in your living room.”
“Uh, yeah,” Percy says awkwardly. “There is.”
“Why is there a dead man in your living room?” Poseidon questions his shoulders tense. “Which, by the way, I do not recognize this living room, or area. Did you move recently?”
Percy whistles for Mrs. O’Leary to take away the dead body as he walks over to the kitchen sink to wash his hands.
“Oh, you know, I’m not very liked by some people. A little snarky, sassy, sarcastic, and basically a bitch. Sometimes people decide I’m not one for this world. It happens to the best of us. Hasn’t affected me much, just had to move four times now.” Percy was rambling he knew he was. He was also trying to make his dad less worried by joking, very poorly, about his situation. It was not working, Percy could feel his dad’s tension grow with each word out of his mouth.
“Four times?” Poseidon demanded. “Have people tried to kill you each time.”
Percy sighs turning off the sink and drying his hands without any real thought. He stuffs them in his pockets a few seconds after.
“Many have, yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Poseidon demands. “I would have done something!”
“I didn’t want to bother you!” Percy exclaims. “Plus, I could handle it.”
“Just because you can handle it doesn’t mean you should,” Poseidon sighs.
Percy could feel what he really wanted to say, he could hear it in his tone, ‘you’re still so young’. He knew better than to mention Percy’s age. He had a part to play in Percy’s statis as a child soldier, after all.
“Are you going to move again? Do you need help?” Poseidon questions.
“No, I’ve decided I’m just going to stick it out,” Percy shrugs helplessly. “I mean, by some miracle they’ve managed to find me every other time.”
Percy could almost hear his father’s frown. He huffs loudly. “I can tell you’re giving me a look.”
“Nobody should have to live with the fact that someone is going to make an attempt at their life at any moment of any day,” Poseidon argues. “Why are they suddenly coming after you with so much force. No mortal had any issue with what you had done before.”
“That’s because they didn’t know it was me,” Percy explains. “Remember how I had warned SHIELD that HYDRA had infiltrated them. Well Steve and Romanoff found out as well. They were on a time crunch, so they decided the best way to show the world this corruption was to dump all of SHIELDS files. And I mean all of them.”
“So not only does the public now have your file, HYDRA does as well,” Poseidon finishes.
“I had as much of it as I could deleted, but I was more focused on severing any digital ties I had to my family.”
Percy sits down on his couch pulling a throw pillow to his chest. Piper had bought them for him, from what he had heard, they were a deep blue. He had been surprised that she hadn’t picked neon pink or something to that effect. Percy wouldn’t have cared, it’s not like he could see them, and he had very little shame.
“I will not stand for a prince of Atlantes being hunted and attacked every week,” Poseidon states firmly. “Your mother would be horrified if she found out. Triton and Amphitrite would be outraged, your people as well.”
It was still unusual for the people of Atlantes to be called his people. He was technically their prince, but he didn’t exactly feel very princely. Though there are more important matters at hand.
“Do not tell mom!” Percy exclaims spine straightening.
“I won’t,” Poseidon says.
Percy could see the ‘but’ coming from a mile away, and he was blind.
“But you have to let me help you,” Poseidon finishes.
Percy relaxes. “That’s it?”
“Yes,” Poseidon says simply. “I’m going to get you a house—”
“Wait, what?”
“—I will call in a favor from Hecate to have it hidden from those you don’t wish to see it—”
“Dad, no—”
“—I will have it furnished as well of course—”
“Dad, you can’t just—”
“Oh, but I can,” Poseidon says smugly. “A prince of Atlantes will not be living like this.”
“It’s not that bad!” Percy protests.
“I will tell your mother,” Poseidon counters.
“You are the absolute worst.”
/\/\/\/\/\
While Percy’s fifth house was forced onto him, he didn’t hate it. It was modestly sized, perfect for Percy, Lea, and the occasional drop ins from his friends. And it was right on the water, nestled on a secluded beach on the Philadelphia and New York borders. Amphitrite had decorated it, and when her and Poseidon had led Percy threw the house, she had described it in great detail. The main color throughout the house had been blue, but that was basically a given considering who had decorated and designed it.
The kitchen was big, each drawer labeled with brail and printed letters, Percy had to hold back tears when she had first said it. Percy’s living room led straight to the beach; he could almost jump straight into the water if he stood on the railing of his balcony.
Percy had thanked them profusely before they left, telling them to pop in whenever they wished as long as they gave a ten-minute notice. And while he still wasn’t perfectly relaxed, he never would be, he felt more relaxed than he had since the file dump.