File: Liar

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"Stand up." Percy ordered and the kids, helpless to do anything else, did as they were told. "What are your names?"

"C-Caleb..." A skinny boy with wild curly hair said in shocked awe while facing the last living hero of Camp Half Blood. "This is Sophia and R-Ryan." He gestured to two females, one with fiery red hair and the other with long black hair pulled into a tangled bun. "C-Can you help us, sir?"

"Don't call me sir." Percy said as he eyed the rest of the room even as he gestured for the three to come closer. "I don't know what stories you were told at the camp," He began, looking over at Caleb, Sophia, and Ryan. "But demigods don't call me by my name anymore. They call me Jack. Caleb, you and Sophia grab as many boxes as you can and fill them with as much papers as you can find. Use as many of these minions as you want." He gestured carelessly to the other children in the room. "Ryan, you and I are going to see what supplies we can use around here." He eyed her and the mischievous yet weighed look on her face. "Hermes, right?"

The black-haired girl gave a nod, crossing her arms. "What, you want my help for this just because my parentage makes me steal some shit?"

Percy- Jack- raised an eyebrow at her. "Hermes doesn't make you steal shit; he makes you good at it." He tilted his head. "I chose you because you didn't look afraid when I called you three out. You looked hopeful. People have told you that you couldn't be any good, right? All because your dad is Hermes."

Ryan nodded again, her eyes widening slightly. "And what of it?"

Jack gave her a small smile and held out his fist. "Want to prove them wrong?"

A grin spread across her face and bumped her knuckles against his. "Hell yeah!" She and Jack shared a smirk before parting ways, immediately scouring the area for supplies. She didn't bother with the other kids, seeing as Caleb and Sophia were doing a good job at keeping them occupied and calm. Ryan cracked her knuckles and set her eyes on one of the doors near her that were locked. Now wasn't the time to think about how people viewed her and her siblings. She needed to help the people around here. She was one of the only ones that could.

"Jackson!" Cable called after a few minutes. "I got news!"

Jack swept into the room, his eyes stormy, and Ryan couldn't help but grin as she imagined him kicking ass. He was her favorite, always had been, because he always tried to stand strong when everyone doubted him and hid his shaking shoulders behind a lopsided grin.

"What is it?" The older demigod demanded to know, disregarding the kids who were beginning to whisper about him. "Is it about Double D?"

The future man nodded; expression grim. "We've been informed that Murdock's attempting to meet us halfway. Deadpool and Venom are going to try and pick him up and drive him the rest of the way."

"Right." Percy nodded. "We have to get the kids to a safe place. Caleb, Sophia!"

The two children quickly set down the two boxes they were carrying and went over to the demigod, waiting for what he had to say.

"Godly parents." He snapped his fingers at them. "Now."

"Demeter." Caleb chirped obediently.

"Hecate." Sophia smiled nervously with a shrug.

The trio were surprised when the man's mood seemed to brighten as he said "this is perfect!" They looked at each other, eyebrows raised high, because that was not the reaction they got when they informed people of who their parents were. Caleb was mocked for having a "weak" parent while Ryan was constantly called untrustworthy and a thief. Sophia was pushed around like her siblings by some of the campers for being a witch, likely to cast a curse on them because of her parent.

"P-Perfect?" Caleb questioned hesitantly.

"Yes," Percy- or known as Jack to the children- gave a firm nod. "Everyone, follow me quickly."

It was amusing to Cable to see the man that claimed to despise children lead a gaggle of kids that looked at him like he hung the stars. At one point, a small child grabbed onto the demigod's hand, and he thought Jackson would start bristling like a cat with the way he tensed. Instead, he focused on scoping out the different rooms in the warehouse, attempting to see which would be the best place to put the children to keep them safe.

Cable's musings were interrupted by an incoming call through the coms. When he patched it through, he was met with the sharp sound of wind before Deadpool's voice filtered through. 

"We're ten minutes out!" Deadpool had to shout to be heard above the roaring wind and it made Cable wonder what the hell they were doing. "We have eyes on DD and Domino now! Venom is going in for the grab! Is Percy ready?"

The future man eyed Jackson from where he was knelt in front of a young girl, comforting her, and took in the way his eyes were soft and kind, but his frame was stiff with the quiet anger of a righteous man. The slow burning rage that coiled in your bones and sank its teeth into your heart until you felt like you could hear the blood rushing in your veins. It was an overwhelming feeling, an all-encompassing moment that one could suppress but never quite shake and one that Cable had felt before. Jackson was doing an admirable job at stamping it down as he smiled kindly at the small six-year-old as held her hand and told her that he would protect her because that's what he did. In all the stories Camp Half-Blood had ever told, there was one undeniable truth; Percy Jackson would always help you no matter what because, despite the way he acted, deep down he was always just kind.

"Yeah." Cable said, his voice gruff but firm. "He's ready."

"Good." Deadpool was grim and the future man could hear the echoes of the fights outside. "Cause we're here."

--

Percy Jackson was a liar.

He lied all the time. He said that he was never scared even when fear made his hands tremble. He said he wasn't in love when smiles alone made his knees weak. He said he hated the fighting even when he held his sword higher.

And he said he disliked children with a burning passion when he really didn't. He didn't dislike children, didn't push them away because he was revolted with them. He just couldn't stand the look in their eyes, the one that said that he was their hero, that he could do no wrong, that relied on him to fix their hurt because reality was just too harsh. Their expectations burned his soul and hallowed his heart, but he couldn't say no, he couldn't push them away because they were so young and- They were so young, and they didn't need to know heartbreak like he did. They just needed to look at him and smile because that's what children were supposed to do. They were supposed to laugh and smile and never wonder if the future was theirs to hold because Percy would be there to make sure it's in their grasp.

Percy Jackson was a liar, but he couldn't tell the children in front of him anything less than the truth because one gaze was enough but multiple had him crashing to his knees in agony. He could only grip their hands and tell them when they asked if they would be okay, if he would protect them "I'll try my best" because that was all he could give out. It was all he had left. He didn't have any else to offer, nothing of value. There was only him, all of him. The stories told in Camp were washed away after so many years, leaving him bruised, broken, and still wanting to help because he was kind. 

"You have us." Ryan said as she appeared at his side, her face determined. "We'll watch them." Caleb and Sophia joined her, and they looked at the demigod with a new type of expression and Percy knew what they looked like. 

They looked a lot like hope.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

words: 1,404

song: Kingdom Hearts II - Dearly Beloved Piano

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