That Familiar Smile

 

When Percy had gotten back, a week had passed. And he hadn’t been missed. In fact, strangely enough, it was like he had never left. Apparently, Hades somehow managed to make someone look like him and pretend he was there. Funnily enough, fake him had taken the exams and passed them all, averagely so as to not cause suspicion, but apparently it was good enough for Percy to be able to come back next year.

 

Wow. He’d have to thank Hades for that.

 

He tried to go back to playing the old Percy, which wasn’t too hard because he was still mostly him, but…in a way it was hard because many of his traits from his past life had stuck to him like glue. And some of those traits were very noticeable.

 

And did he mention how much he’d grown to really like afternoon naps?

 

There was other stuff Percy had taken to as well. He’d had this hugest craving for ohagi lately and had debated sneaking out of school and desperately finding a Japanese restaurant or store where he could buy some.

 

What was even weirder was his growing intellect. The last minute assignments and tests being thrown around were starting to get easier for him to do. He wasn’t instantly answering questions correctly, but it was getting to that point. Even his dyslexia seemed to be gone overnight. And this was all very weird, considering he cringed away from academics whenever he could.

 

He still did, but at least he was no longer defeated by it (Haha, yes! Take that, School!).

 

With Grover missing, probably talking to Chiron, he was free to walk around unheeded. He’d caught the two talking about him late at night not too long ago, and his curiosity had been peaked. He didn’t reveal himself, or even say anything to Grover after, but the talk was still fresh in his mind.

 

“Captain Jackson.”

 

He paused in his steps, standing still. He stared straight ahead of him, though his senses detected someone leaning against the wall in the hallway he’d just passed. Humming nonchalantly, he leaned on the wall on the other side of the corner connecting Percy’s wall and the other’s shadowed one.

 

“Thanatos,” he hmmed.

 

“Hollows,” Thanatos rasped.

 

Percy nodded. “I know.”

 

“East side, block from the old theater.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Once I take over your body, do you wish for me to continue to walk around the school or do something else?”

 

“Would you mind stealthily trailing Grover for me? I think he’s currently talking to Chiron again.”

 

“Alright then.”

 

They both simultaneously moved off of their walls and turned the corner, running into each other. But instead of a collision, Thanatos hit into him and moved into his body, at the same as Percy’s spiritual body exited out. They then went their different ways, Thanatos whistling an odd but eerie deathly tune that creeped out everyone as he walked by in Percy’s body, his face also somber, and Percy sprinting off and adding shunpo to increase his speed.

 

When he got to his destination, he saw three huge ugly Hollows roaring and stomping around, invisible to the human eye. Huffing exasperatedly at their appearance, he didn’t bother activating shikai and ran at all three, jumping into the air and smoothly doing a huge turn, cutting through all three Hollow masks. With a final roar, they dissipated and left him to float slowly to the ground.

 

Scratching his head in annoyance, he turned around and sped back to school. He grew even more annoyed at the fact that there wasn’t a single Japanese store or restaurant as he passed through. When would he be able to find some ohagi?

                                                                                                                     

He remembered Grover’s possible conversation with Chiron and decided that he should also report back to Hades. Using his zanpakuto to unlock the Seikaimon, shoji paper doors appeared and he passed through them, a single jigokuchou alighting onto his shoulder and leading him through. Instead of appearing in the Soul Society, which was still being reconstructed and was almost completed, he reappeared directly into Hades’ throne room instead, with the black hell butterfly that had led him there immediately disappearing.

 

“I did not expect you right now. Is something the matter?” Hades raised an eyebrow, from where he was sitting on his throne in giant form.

 

Percy stared up at him, clasping his hands behind his back as he rocked on the balls of his feet nonchalantly.

 

“Just an update,” he shrugged.

 

Hades nodded and took a step off his throne, immediately shrinking to regular size. Percy began his report after, tempted to go into a dull drone. Hades would probably hit him for that though.

 

“So…lunch?” he asked the god cheekily.

 

Hades didn’t bother with a reply, waving a hand and a table with food appeared before the demigod shinigami. He sighed when he saw that there was still no ohagi. Glancing at his uncle, he saw the slight, very slight, smirk barely visible on the god’s face –and knew that Hades probably knew about his craving and had done it on purpose.

 

Or maybe he was being paranoid.

 

“Hey, Uncle?” Percy greeted as he sat down at the table. Hades indifferently sat down on the other side and plucked a shrimp from the shrimp cocktail glass, chewing on it thoughtfully. “You told me about the Quincies. How, when they were eradicated, it created an imbalance. Wouldn’t you wiping out Soul Society, Heuco Mundo, and quite a bit of Karakura Town make an imbalance –more so than the Quincy wipeout?”

 

Hades huffed in annoyance. “There was no Soul Society or Hueco Mundo in the first place. They are places I created just to ease the burden on the Underworld, as I originally told you. Therefore, the souls just reverted to going back to the Underworld. If you are talking about the imbalance between the world of the living, say Karakura Town’s near destruction, to the ratio of the souls in Soul Society, Heuco Mundo, then I suppose I can understand your reasoning. However, it is faulty.

 

“When Soul Society and Heuco Mundo were wiped out, the imbalance of the dead souls was counteracted by the Underworld. There was still a normal, well overstuffed of course, number of souls in the Underworld. When Karakura was wiped of most of its spiritually aware citizens, it was actually not enough to cause that much of a problem. You see, when the Quincies were eradicated, they had the numbers to cause an imbalance. A handful of people in Karakura was not problematic enough to cause chaos between the worlds, as opposed to the rest of the population of Karakura that survived.”

 

Percy frowned. “But…I don’t understand. How does the Underworld counteract the entirety of lost souls of Soul Society and Heuco Mundo, even if it holds a ‘normal ratio of souls’?”

 

Hades sighed. “Soul Society and Heuco Mundo, and those Karakura souls that were included, was wiped completely. As in, as if those souls had never existed. If they had just died, all of those souls would have gone to the Underworld and ruined the balance, causing more dead souls than the living souls and numbering the Underworld ratio over that of the living world. I chose, even hastily, to completely wipe them all out, as I said, to prevent the second coming of Aizen –whether in the form of a successor or his reincarnation. It would have been a cycle of repetition, unless the souls involved were out of the equation.”

 

“But you told me the balance had been broken.”

 

“I simplified it and softened it for your sake.”

 

Percy swallowed slowly, digesting the information he’d just found out.

 

“All those souls…to just disappear, if they had never existed at all…that’s so…so…” he swallowed again, clenching his hands as he thought about it.

 

“Cruel but efficient, if overkill,” Hades remarked coldly. He reluctantly softened, seeing his nephew trembling. “It is up to you so that something similar to Aizen doesn’t happen again. There should be no need for a last resort like that to be done once more. I was merely being thorough with the participants involved, giving it all a blank slate.”

 

“But…then the Karakura souls…they would’ve been included too! And yet you spoke as if their souls actually meant something to the balance…” Percy abruptly stood up, staring down at him disbelievingly.

 

“I am trying to be kind and considerate to you,” Hades said coolly.

 

Percy grimaced. “Don’t. Just…if the truth is bad, just tell it to me. You don’t need to soften the blow. The sooner I…get over it, the easier it’ll be for me to move forward and act.”

 

Hades nodded appreciatively, sighing inwardly at his nephew’s stubbornness and shakily tough exterior. Percy reluctantly sat back down and they went back to their impromptu lunch.

 

“So, uh, how did you know I was Kaien? And why Kaien Shiba in the first place?” Percy hesitantly asked, bringing up conversation again.

 

“When people are reincarnated, they tend to bring over something from their last life. A quirk, a particular smile, hair, eyes, etc. You happened to be a near dead ringer for Kaien. The looks don’t exactly have to be the same, but close enough isn’t coincidence. There are differences between you two, of course, but even the differences are too similar. He had aqua green eyes, you have sea-green. Different but similar. And so on, like both of you are fair-skinned, but you are slightly darker than him. Both of you have raven black hair, whereas his is spikier and yours is softly wavier curls that are gravity-defying.

 

“And then there is the affinity for water. You should know by now Nejibana’s particularities. It is a water-based weapon, with its shikai being able to manipulate water and being hit with your zanpakuto is reminiscent of being hit by crashing waves, with water pouring out from either side of it. Part of its shikai form transforms into a trident, which is funnily enough your father’s weapon of choice. With your zanpakuto and your inclination towards water, it would only be fitting for you to be reincarnated as the son of a water god. I find it something of an ironic joke from Fate, that your zanpakuto, a mirror of your soul, is so water inclined and then you ended up being reincarnated as a demigod of Poseidon.”

 

Percy pouted and glared at the amused Lord of the Dead.

 

“As for why you…well, there are a considerable amount of shinigami who’d died before the wipe, however none were as talented or powerful as Kaien, as you. The fact that you are a demigod and also a child of one of the Big Three can only bolster your shinigami powers even more. You being part of the Great Prophesy just makes it more interesting.”

 

He ruffled Percy’s hair, who pouted even more at that action and at the last sentence.

 

“Hurry it up and eat. It is time you go back to the world of the living,” Hades ruffled his hair one more time, before turning and striding out of the throne room.

 

Percy continued to eat, uncomfortable in the sudden silence he was engulfed with. Being left alone, he let himself get dragged into his thoughts to avoid focusing on the silence. It was strange, his new life. He was now close enough to Hades to be snarky and comfortably call him uncle. Thanatos had become a very close friend in the days he’d been training (though he was sure that Thanatos had been in his body the entire time, so he had no idea how the god could be there too…). He’d also eliminated plenty of Hollows, regaining his skills from his past life little by little until he was near the skill level he had been before he died. Hades’ hellish training had ensured that he was at least lieutenant level again, even if he wasn’t Kaien Shiba’s level. His past self had been close to captaincy…

 

He frowned, thinking about it. He still had a long ways to go, and that meant more training.

 

He sighed, finishing up, before he stood up and got ready to leave. Seeing a folded piece of elegant and expensive-looking black paper, he snorted and snatched it up, reading it.

 

Perseus,

 

Remember that task I have set forth for you ahead. Soon you will be heading to Camp Half-Blood, where you will learn of the theft of the Lightning Bolt. They will accuse me immediately, so it is up to you to clear my name and to find my missing Helm. I will act as if we are not acquainted and believe you guilty of the theft of my Helm, kidnapping your mother in the process of your journey to the camp. Do not worry, I will make sure she isn’t left wanting and is comfortable here, where I will also explain the truth and your role. Once you are on your Quest, act as if I am the target and head towards the Underworld. You probably will be able to gather clues of the real thief along the way.

 

Hades

 

P.s. Do not mention my missing Helm to anyone. Keep that information secret.

 

He refolded it and left it behind, ready to return to the living world.

 

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He sensed that Thanatos was back in his room so he entered it and watched as the god was creepily sitting on his bed, in the corner and leaning on the wall, purposely wrapping the shadows around him as he stared with half-lidded eyes at a nervously shaking Grover on the other side of the room.

 

Percy rolled his eyes.

 

“Are you really going to do that to Grover? I mean, I said watch him, but you don’t have to freak him out.”

 

“This is more amusing though,” Thanatos answered in Percy’s body.

 

“What’s more amusing?” Grover squeaked out.

 

“Watching you freak out,” both Percy and Thanatos answered, though he could only hear Thanatos.

 

Grover pouted and glared at Thanatos. “You’re so mean, Percy. I’m gonna go out and find some apples to snack on, and ignore you in the mean time. Later.”

 

Thanatos grinned back cheekily at Grover, earning himself an annoyed ‘blehaha!’

 

“I always thought that was an odd laugh or something, but it’s actually a goat bleat thing,” Percy said and Thanatos just shrugged.

 

“Probably,” he answered as Percy settled his spiritual body onto the bed next to Thanatos.

 

“How come he can’t see me? You would think he would be able to,” Percy commented.

 

The god hmmed. “Demigods and etc. don’t necessarily equate to being spiritually aware. They’re still living creatures. A mortal who can see through the Mist is more likely to be spiritual aware.”

 

“Huh. I see.”

 

“…”

 

“Where can I get some ohagi?”

 

The answering snickering just had Percy huffing in annoyance.

 

A couple hours later, Percy was back in his body and heading home with Grover, idly sitting in the Greyhound in boredom. When it broke down, he didn’t blink an eye, even when Grover panicked and wanted him to get back into the bus.

 

The three old ladies stared at him and he just nonchalantly stared back, even when they snipped the yarn cut. They smiled eerily and he grinned back cheerily.

 

They nodded at him and at last the bus was fixed, cheers loud in the background. He hustled Grover happily back into the bus, with the satyr staring at him incredulously. He was tempted to ditch Grover once they’d reach the station, but he’d shrugged to himself and allowed Grover to go to the bathroom and then escort him to his house. Grover reluctantly left and he didn’t even bother greeting Gabe or his buddies, heading straight to his room and closing the door with a decisive click.

 

To avoid unnecessary confrontations, he locked the door behind him.

 

When his mother finally came home, he straightened himself up and took a deep breath. It was time to start his big act and start to pretend. It was relatively easy to move things along, the trip to Montauk a big help. He straightforwardly told his mother everything that had happened, minus the shinigami and Hades bits, but including Alecto and all the odd things that were telling and his mother would understand.

 

She didn’t give him answers, answers he already knew but was pretending not to, but he understood her reasons anyway.

 

From there, it was all a bit of a blur.

 

They went to Montauk, had a great though short time of it, he had this weird dream of an eagle and a horse he couldn’t make heads or tails about (he’ll just ask Hades about it later), and then Grover was banging on their door. With no pants on.

 

Then they were rushing to camp, with his mother driving no holds barred against that crazy bull thing chasing after them.

 

The Minotaur, of all monsters. Really now.

 

‘Come on, Uncle Hades. Really? The Minotaur? You just had to send the Minotaur?’ Percy grumbled in his head.

 

Near the camp’s borders, he felt a tinge of regret as his mother panicked about his safety and was trying to hurriedly getting him across the border, feeling even worse that he wasn’t even feeling really worried about her and her own safety. He knew that she wouldn’t really get hurt and that his uncle would take care of her. And when she disappeared in a shower of gold, he could only mutter a prayer to Hades as Grover continued to be unconscious. Then, with skills he’d gained from training, he finally dispatched the Minotaur easily.

 

Glancing at Grover, he sighed and started to drag him across the border and to the Big House waiting for him with judgment.

 

The next two days was kind of…redundant and slow. After forcing himself to faint, he’d been force fed ambrosia and nectar by some blonde girl so he’d recover quicker, not that he needed them. Then he woke up to learn things he’d already known about for awhile now, thanks to Hades, and relearned about his demigod heritage and kept a straight face and attitude while talking with ‘Mr. D’, already having been warned of the temperamental wine god from the Lord of the Dead.

 

Chiron had then led him around, shown him where he was staying, and then left him there. He hid his grimace at the cramped space, smiled at Luke Castellan and gave him a friendly and thankful nod (Percy’s eyes lingered on the counselor for some reason, a little confused about it), and tried to think about what he was going to do from there.

 

“Don’t be shy, alright? We’re all family and we try to be there for each other,” Luke had said after having headed over to him.

 

Luke was nice. Percy decided he liked him.

 

“Thanks,” he beamed happily at the older male.

 

But before he could continue, the blonde girl from before appeared and snatched him away, forcibly dragging him from the other blond. He could see the tinge of red on her face as she apologetically said goodbye to Luke and took Percy away, and deduced she probably had a crush on the older male.

 

For some reason though, something about her made him frown. And her blushing made him aggravated. He wasn’t quite sure what it was, but he wasn’t too interested in thinking about it. Still, he didn’t know why he had a problem with her. She seemed an alright girl, bossy and headstrong, but alright…

 

She was still jabbering about the camp, showing him the places, and he was tempted to just tell her that she didn’t have to show him around if she didn’t want to. But instead he just nodded and hmmed at the right places, pretending to be paying attention.

 

“Hey! We got a newbie!” a loud voice yelled and he indifferently looked over to see a brunette stomping over to them, with a couple of other girls that looked similar to her following.

 

“Clarisse,” the blonde next to him frowned.

 

“Princess,” this Clarisse sneered back.

 

Percy watched in amusement. He really had been hanging around Hades too long.

 

“Hey you –newbie!” Clarisse turned her attention to him. “It’s time for an initiation –”

 

“Say, you know where to get something to eat? I’m starvin’. This girl’s been showing me the camp and all, but I’d much rather find something to snack on.”

 

“My name’s Annabeth, not girl!” the blonde hissed indignantly.

 

“Right, Annabeth. You never introduced yourself,” he said flatly, looking at her blandly. “Please do so before dragging me off again with no explanation.”

 

She flushed red in embarrassment and Clarisse smirked in enjoyment, preferring to watch for right then.

 

“So, Clarisse, know anywhere I can actually eat at?” he turned back to the other girl.

 

“The kitchen, but they’re locked,” she said dryly.

 

“Oh, okay. We’ll just break in,” he shrugged.

 

Clarisse barked out a laugh. “I like you, newbie. Alright, I’ll show you the kitchens and then you’re on your own on breaking in.”

 

“Fine, fine,” he waved her off.

 

He ditched Annabeth and followed the rougher girl, leaving Annabeth and the other girls, but it wasn’t really his fault. Annabeth had dragged him off without explanation as to who she was or why she was doing so, and hadn’t considered that he would be famished.

 

Without any hassle, Percy easily picked the lock and then they snuck in. Percy hummed as he picked up a loaf of bread, spread nutella on a bunch of slices, cut off the edges, and rolled them up into rolls. They sat down on the floor, leaning against the cabinets.

 

“So who’s your dad or mom?” he asked curiously, taking a bite out of the nutella roll he’d made.

 

“Ares,” she announced proudly. “Who do you think is going to be your dad? Or mom?” she turned the question around.

 

“Poseidon,” he recklessly revealed to her.

 

Her eyebrows raised. “One of the Big Three, huh. You’re either really gutsy or cocky. Or both.”

 

He grinned cheekily at her. “I’ll go with both.”

 

She laughed uproariously and he hmmed entertainingly.

 

“Let’s just say I’ve always felt at home in water,” he murmured after she’d calmed down, finishing up his second nutella roll and giving her a mysterious smile and an odd look in his eyes.

 

Clarisse looked at him calculatingly, inwardly frowning.

 

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That dinner, Percy idly moved half of his food to one side and the other was piled on the other. He contemplated himself on which god he should be praying to that night, Hades or Poseidon. It was one thing to carelessly joke to Clarisse about his father being Poseidon and another to arrogantly pronounce to all here that he firmly believed the sea god was his father. He was also thinking of giving offerings to them both, hence the splitting of the food.

 

He could just say he was being random.

 

But then he’d have to call the other gods’ names for dinner in the coming days.

 

Glancing up, he watched the others going up to the fire and lining up to give their offerings. Well, he didn’t necessarily have to say their names aloud. After all, Poseidon was one, but he didn’t even want to mention all the kinds of trouble he’d get into for saying Hades’ name.

 

He went up quickly, swiping one side of his plate and silently saying a prayer to Hades, before repeating the process on the other side for Poseidon. Then soon enough, it was time for bed and Percy lay in his sleeping bag, wide awake.

 

Unable to stay, he got out of his sleeping bag and began to sneak out of the Hermes cabin. He spotted Cabin Three, hesitantly watching it, before he crept closer and then snuck in. It was as accepting as it had been earlier, when Chiron had shown him around and he had stood at the entrance, momentarily basking in the welcoming air.

 

His hands danced across the planes of the walls, feeling seashells and pearls as he walked on the smooth wooden floor. He hummed playfully, enjoying himself and feeling at home.

 

He was humming a lot.

 

“You know, it’s admirable to sneak into other cabins, but it’s just plain gutsy and suicidal to sneak into one of the Big Three.”

 

“I heard something similar to that earlier,” Percy easily remarked back, not even turning to look at the speaker.

 

“I’m surprised the wrath of Poseidon hasn’t crashed into you yet, for trespassing,” Luke admitted, and Percy finally faced him, seeing the impish grin on the blond’s face.

 

Percy shrugged. “I’m lovable. Or lucky.”

 

Luke laughed and Percy cracked a smile. When Luke quieted, a soft smile graced his lips.

 

Percy sucked in a breath harshly.

 

‘That smile…’

 

“Miyako,” he breathed out.