Percy Jackson: The Forgotten Son of the Sky

Two years had passed quickly, and Leander had turned 12. He had grown even taller and more muscular, like a miniature barbarian. With his silky yet messy brown hair, strong and tanned body, and eyes as blue as the daytime sky, he drew attention for his childlike beauty on the verge of puberty.

His online business selling sweets and cakes had gained a loyal customer base, and he had already announced that the ordering schedule would change to be outside of the summer period, since with camp approaching, he would only return home when other students went back to school. As Leander had always studied online from home, he took his tests more calmly and comfortably over the internet, using his computer which was fully modified to operate only in Greek, and he translated his answers into English using a translator.

The day finally arrived when he packed his backpack, checked his weapon in the form of an earring, his celestial bronze war hammer, and his transmutation magic which, after much training, no longer required him to bring his hands together. He could now direct his magic at any target he wanted, improving his flow in battle, which he had already tested in real fights against monsters.

His mother and stepfather knew about his departure and were hesitant, but he felt in his heart that it was time for him to go out into the world. His adoptive father Franklin picked him up in his arms like a baby and hugged him tightly.

"Der, no matter how many trials you face, no matter how many dangers you encounter on your journey, remember that we are with you. We love you, son," Franklin said in a deep, masculine voice. But his always-narrow eyes now showed love and comfort to the boy he had come to love as a son, who hugged him around the neck and called him "dad."

"That's right, sweetheart. We'll always love you, my baby. Send rainbow messages to us, okay?" Jessica said with a smile and teary eyes, hugging both her husband and son together, feeling the strong arms of her husband embrace them both in a warm family hug.

"I love you too, Dad, Mom," Leander replied with a wide smile.

After saying goodbye to the two, Leander took a deep breath, his expression turned serious, and pulling the earring from his ear, his war hammer grew and rested in his hand like an extension of his body. His hammer was navy blue, with white runes that resembled clouds, with the large blunt end covered in spikes to smash and tear enemies, and on the back, a sharp deadly point. Leander had learned to use his alchemy to modify his weapon into any other weapon he had learned to use from his adoptive father.

He left home, watching his body pass through the barrier his aunt Hestia had placed to keep him safe, took a deep breath, and walked down the road with his senses and battle instincts on high alert. He had to reach Long Island, and since he had already studied the maps before leaving home, he knew the way.

As his scent as a demigod of the Big Three spread, hellhounds emerged like beetles from their nests, and with alchemy, Leander transmuted his hammer into a whip similar to his mother's. He quickly spun it skillfully, eliminating the few monsters that found him, and began running fast.

His whip spun through the air and the road like a blender blade, eliminating a horde of monsters that chased and attacked him relentlessly. During his journey, Leander prayed only to his adoptive grandfather Ares, and felt a comforting presence on the back of his neck, which made him smile.

As he ran without delay, his weapon changed shape constantly. War hammer, whip, bow and arrow, sword, spear, boomerangs, fans, tonfas, staffs, nunchucks, trident, shield — no matter the weapon, Leander had learned directly from a son of Ares, a complete master of weapons.

The golden dust of monsters painted the road in a deadly and relentless journey. At nightfall, Leander camped near a forest and stayed high in a tree, where he discovered another strange power. He could understand and talk to birds. He asked a little bird to wake him if there was danger or when the sun rose.

The next day, his journey continued. Besides the usual hellhounds, what Leander came to hate the most were cyclopes and dracaenae — especially the damned snake women. It felt like they hated him specifically, and he sighed, wondering what his sperm donor had done to make those cowards hunt him with such fury.

Besides being fast, those cursed things were poisonous, costing him precious time. So Leander turned his weapon into a giant axe and spun with his divine strength, cutting the band of disgusting snakes in half quickly and running off again.

It took him a week fighting everything and every monster within a 10-kilometer radius, but he finally reached Long Island and saw a large tree emanating power. Using the Mist to hide, he made the monsters go away. Leander hadn't used the Mist before because deceiving the horde that way was extremely exhausting. Finally, he climbed the hill, and to his surprise, the great tree of power seemed to be dying and withering.

He saw the hill was being attacked by two bronze bulls and sighed, pulling out his original war hammer. He bent his powerful legs and leapt into the air, feeling lighter than he should with such a heavy body. He spun quickly in the air and landed like a meteor with his hammer, using his full divine strength and the momentum of the movement. With a shout, one bronze bull was completely blown to pieces, making all the demigods around look on in shock.

Without wasting time, he transformed his hammer into a pair of boomerangs and threw them at the last bronze bull, cutting off its head and body before they returned to his hands and turned back into a hammer.

"Damn, that was amazing, newbie," said a tall, muscular, and strong girl with reddish-brown hair.

"Thanks. After a long journey, I finally made it here," Leander said with a tired sigh.

"Clarisse La Rue, daughter of Ares," Clarisse said, impressed by the strength and masterful skill of the newcomer.

"Leander Walker Richards," Leander replied with a smile and shook her hand firmly before letting go. "What happened here? Looks like you're in trouble."

"Oh, someone poisoned the tree that sustained the camp's protective barrier. Come with me. Prissy, smarty-pants, come meet the newbie," Clarisse shouted irritably into the distance, and Leander saw a beautiful and grumpy blonde girl with gray eyes, next to a tanned boy with black hair and beautiful sea-green eyes. For a moment, Leander felt his heart beat faster but didn't understand why — he figured it was just the adrenaline.

"Leander, this is Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, and an annoying pest. And this is Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena," Clarisse introduced him to the two, who shook Leander's hand, and together they entered the camp, which seemed more tense and somber than expected.

Many children and teenagers were gathered in what seemed to be a dining pavilion, with the main table hosting a centaur and a chubby man with dark purple hair who radiated power beyond the norm.

"The one with the purple hair is Mr. D, the camp director and god of wine, Dionysus. Next to him, the centaur is Chiron, the legendary hero trainer who trained Hercules, Theseus, and others," Annabeth explained to the strong-looking boy who curiously looked around, reminding her of Percy when he first arrived last year.

"But who's that?" Percy asked, pointing to a miserable-looking man in prison clothes who seemed obsessed with trying to catch food that always escaped him.

"Oh, that's Tantalus, our new activities director. Things changed around here over the summer," Clarisse answered tensely and led them inside to inform Dionysus about the new camper. From a distance, the god of wine looked directly at Leander, and Leander saw the god's eyes widen in shock as he sighed. Leander knew the wine god had guessed who his father was — since, technically, the two were half-brothers.

Leander only hoped he could survive without offending too many people.