1. Prologue (1/2)

protector of the youth

summary: in japan, the gods are still around, even if they aren't my own. but i was adopted into their ways, at an early age and trained as an elite samurai warrior. for twelve years i was known simply as purotekutāyusu. my adventures have taken me across the world, but all it takes is one prayer to be

ought back to where i was born. to the life of a greek demigod, however short it may be.

pairing: [percy j, annabeth c]

prologue

hebe pov

i didn't intend for this to happen. and i certainly didn't intend to wind up pregnant with the lovely man that drew me in. the mortal i fell in love with was a child daycare owner. he always wanted children of his own, but his former wife had passed away during childbirth leaving him alone; without another chance at having one of his own. so when i had run into him, i firmly believed that i was going to do my best to ease his worries and fears.

almost two months later, i ended up pregnant with his child. at first, i was worried that my husband would find out, but knew that this child would be worth it. all through the time when i was pregnant, the child only kicked once, and never gave me a hard time. it was almost as if the baby was trying to make this as easy as possible for me.

when the baby was born, it was a beautiful baby boy.

one thing that instantly let me know that he was a demigod was that his eyes were open, only a few minutes after being born. that usually doesn't happen with normal mortal babies. not that my lover didn't know that he was going to have a demigod child. i confided in him, when i found out that i was pregnant, that his child wouldn't be normal.

but just as the other immortals had to, i had to leave as well. the ancient laws were strict, and they commanded that the godly parent cannot raise his or her own child. i could visit, but i could not interfere directly with the up

inging of my child. my son's father knew that i could not be around that much, so he decided to make a decision without telling me beforehand.

he decided to take up an offer that his family gave him. one that gave him an option to go back home…to japan. a place where i could not follow, even if i wanted to. the gods over there are still alive, and would not take kindly to another pantheon immortal showing up in their territory. now, i didn't know if i ever would see my son, perseus, again.

i could only hope that my son wasn't killed just for being a demigod from another pantheon. i prayed every night since that day when his father took him there, that he was alright. i knew that he would be strong, but i didn't know what he would go through. and that terrified me to no end.

one thing i didn't anticipate was seeing him for the first time in fifteen years on the day of his eighteenth birthday. i didn't even know who was under that mask, but i knew that that person was from the place where my son has been for the past decade and a half. i never thought that less than an hour after meeting him, i would find out who that warrior was.

3rd pov

thousands of miles away, across forests, mountains, deserts, and oceans was a large landmass known as japan. in it was a secluded monastery that was known to only a few in the island. the monastery had no mortal leader in charge of the building. it was the training place and home to one living soul.

walking through the halls of his palace was a young man. his name was purotekutā. but that was not his true name. the name the people of his land referred to him as had been a gift from the gods themselves. they had given him his new name in commemoration of the new life the young man started in his land almost eight years ago. when people saw him they could instantly see he was not from japan. no, he was greek.

he had arrived as a small, thin and shy boy but he had grown into quite the young man. the boy had hit a growth spurt around his fourteenth birthday and had gotten taller. standing at 6'4, he towered over almost everyone he came across and was an imposing presence.

with the guidance of the gods, the boy had been allowed to train in the combat arts of the ancient warriors, known as the samurai. years of strict and rigid training had filled the thin boy out into a toned and lean physique. his once chubby, boyish face was now the defined jawline of a man. his jet-black hair had grown over the years and he now wore them in several small

aids. he had also changed in more ways than just physical. the young man was now confident, strong, outgoing, and fearless. his forest green eyes shined with internal strength. he walked tall and with pride at all he had accomplished in his time in japan.

purotekutā had grown into a fine samurai. dressed in black and red armor and carrying his swords at his hip, purotekutā was well on his way to fulfilling his father's desire. his father was killed by a home invader only two years after residing in japan. on that night was when he first met some of the gods of the land.

flashback

13 years ago

(purotekutā pov)

for two days, i had been living on the streets. my father had been killed by someone who

oke in to our home, looking for money or something. i had barely managed to get out before the robber saw my face. on my way out, i had only grabbed what i could carry in a small backpack. i grabbed the money from my room, some clothes to change into, and a plush toy that my mother had given to me before we left.