Chapter 4: Revelations

As we reached the hospital, it was evident that Lex was curious about me. I told him about my budding music career and his face froze for a second. "I was wondering where I'd seen you," he said as we strolled into the hospital.

"Yeah, my parents don't really like media attention, so I've been a bit camera-shy," I said as we stood in the hospital lobby. It was fascinating to see the hospital staff scramble to take care of him as soon as he said his name.

We kept an easy conversation going as the doctor bandaged up the cut on his head. He was a genuinely interesting character from the show, and he was an even more interesting person in real life.

"So, where to?" I said after we left the hospital.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" He asked.

"Got nothing better to do, and honestly, I don't want to go home and listen to my brother mope about his crush dating someone else because he plays football," I responded, and he looked amused.

He directed me to a building that looked very out of place in Smallville. "Scottish castle? Was it built here?" I asked. "No, my father had it shipped here."

"Oh, a show of wealth and power, Your father must be... quite the character," I stated and he chuckled.

"You have no idea. Want to come in? If you're free, of course."

"Lead the way," I responded, and he did.

The interior was just as grandiose and opulent as the exterior. The Luthor ancestral home boasts a library, an armory with medieval weaponry, an exercise room, several servants' quarters, a wine cellar, a grand ballroom, a formal dining room, and a few other spaces that were still undergoing renovations. The interior of the mansion is adorned with priceless art pieces, paintings, and artifacts collected from different places around the world.

We made our way into his study after the tour. There was a collection of books, decorations of armor and weapons, and a large mahogany desk, as well as a pool table. My attention was drawn to one sword, a centerpiece propped on the wall.

"A Fourth Century Germanic Spatha Saburo, handcrafted. Not many of these around," I said with a whistle.

"You know your swords," he said, looking a bit of pride leaking out.

"Not too much, but I have a soft spot for this particular style, as well as the Qing dynasty Taijijian. Both so elegant," I replied.

"Thank you for the tour, Lex, but it is getting late and I should go. Give me a call if you need a friend to show you around."

He smiled, "Come back whenever you have time," he said as I was leaving.

I got home and went into the barn where Clark goes to do homework, hang out alone, or... spy on Lana with a telescope like he's doing right now.

"You know that's really creepy, right?" I asked, startling him.

"Percy, I didn't realize you were back," he said, completely dodging the question.

I let out a sigh, "You still sulking about football?"

"I'm not sulking; it just pisses me off that Dad doesn't trust me," looking like he was definitely sulking.

"Clark, you know it's not about trust. He just wants to make sure we don't hurt anyone in the heat of the moment. Besides, I don't think he'd disagree if you joined a limited or non-contact sport. Have you thought about trying out for basketball? Soccer? Gymnastics? How about picking up an instrument? Or photography? It doesn't have to be one way or another." I left him to think and started helping Mom prepare dinner.

"You should tell him, you know," I said nonchalantly to Mom.

"Tell what to who?" Mom asked, confused.

"Tell Clark about what's in the storm cellar," I said, and she froze.

"It's okay, Mom. I just don't want him to find out accidentally like I did," I continued, searing the steaks as I spoke. "Hand me the thyme, garlic, and pepper please," I said as I crushed some salt over the meat. She broke out of her stupor as she did what I asked.

"Honey, I'm sorry your father and I hid this from you," she said a bit emotionally and in a worried tone.

I chuckled before answering, "I understand, Mom. Normal kids shouldn't be told these things, but we are no longer kids, and let's face it, we were never normal." I cracked the pepper over the meat placing the garlic and thyme into the pan and began basting. Soon dinner was served.

"How's the new equipment working, Dad?" I asked.

"All good, son. We started to break even three months ago, and now we are making more than we are losing," he answered.

"I met Lex Luthor today," I said casually as both Mom and Dad stopped eating and looked at me to elaborate.

"I was driving home when I saw his car take a nose dive off the bridge leading into town," I said, still eating.

"Oh my, well, is he okay?" Mom asked, her tone genuine and worried.

"He's fine, a bit banged up, but he'll live. Even showed me around the Luthor ancestral home, lovely place," I answered.

"I don't want you getting close to Lex, son," Dad asked because, unlike Clark, he knows when I make a decision, it's decided.

"That's going to be tough, Dad. We're meeting up for coffee later this week. He's a good guy; he just gets a bad rep because of his dad. A casual friendship never hurt anyone."

We ate in silence, and I hit the sack after a shower.

After waking up I went downstairs after doing my morning routine to find my parents looking at a mysterious package on the kitchen table. "What's that?" I asked. It was unopened, and Dad didn't look too happy staring at it.

"It's addressed to you, son. From Luthor."

"Ahh," I said as I began to open it. Inside the large box was a sword, and a note. The sword was intricately designed with metals and gems, black and gold intertwined and studded with emeralds. I opened the note.

"Dear Percy, This Spatha is the crowning jewel of the best craftsman my father knows, a perfect blend of Tungsten and Damascus, Figured it would be better for it to gather dust at your place than at mine. Love to show you some moves sometime. -Maniac in the Porsche"

I chuckled at Lex's antics and drew the handsome blade. To any ordinary person, the sword would be a bit hefty, but to me, it was light as a feather.

Clark came downstairs, and soon Dad put the gift matter behind him. "Percy, Clark, it's time," He said in a somber tone.

"Time for what?" Clark asked.

"The truth, you two should look at this," he said, bringing out a piece of metal engraved with odd symbols.

"This was from your parents, your real parents," I cut him off, "Dad, real parents raise their kids, care for them, and teach them right from wrong. At best, you can call them birth parents, and at worst genetic donors. You and Mom are our real parents, but please continue," Clark nodded in agreement, and it felt right to say what I did as I looked at Mom's teary eyes.

"What does it say?" Clark asked.

"I tried to decipher it for years, and I can safely say it's not any language known to man," Dad said I put aside the funny thought of Jonathan Kent being a world-renowned linguist capable of deciphering dead languages and listened to the rest of the conversation silently.

An awkward revelation that we were aliens later, and soon we were in the storm cellar looking down at the ship that brought Clark to Earth. Clark didn't take the revelation well, and he stormed off, throwing one of his tantrums. Mom and Dad both looked at me for a reaction.

"Don't look at me; I already accidentally found it and put the pieces together. Let Clark work out his feelings about this," they looked relieved that I didn't react as poorly.

The next day, I was leaving school and saw Whitney and his gang of goons surrounding Clark. He could've fought them off, but Whitney was holding Lana's Kryptonite necklace, causing Clark to lose his power as long as he was feet away.

"Fellas, What's going on here?" I said loudly as I strode towards them. From what I remembered from the show, Whitney targeted Clark because he was being an insecure little bitch about Lana drawing closer to Clark. The goons stepped back a bit after hearing me but only for a moment.

"You want this too, pretty boy?" one of the juiced-up retards said.

"Yeah, yeah, I do," I said calmly fighting and losing to the smirk growing on my face. I gained on Whitney and bitch-slapped him to the floor because he was still holding Clark down. I had to control my strength not to pop his empty head like a balloon, not out of concern if he lived or died, but because we were drawing quite the crowd.

He got up and charged me, but the only thing that greeted him was another backhand that sent him sprawling to the floor again. The aforementioned goons tried to help, thinking their numbers meant anything, and I let loose punches to the ribs and kicks to their stomachs, sending them crashing on top of Whitney.

"Come after Clark again, and I'll break your fucking legs," I said calmly to the meat pile before lifting Clark to his feet. As I walked away, I saw Lana had been drawn to the sound, as well as Pete and Chloe.

Walking past Lana, I dangled her necklace after taking it off of Clark before saying, "You should probably leash your boyfriend, not everyone is going to leave after giving him some bruises," before plopping the necklace into her hand and leaving alone in a random direction.

I wasn't walking in a random direction for dramatic effect; I knew from the show there would be a kid named Jeremy with electricity powers given to him by the meteors, watching and waiting to electrocute everyone at school during the Homecoming dance. His reason was pathetic, 'I'm doing it for all the kids like me who get bullied.' Attacking the entire school with uncontrollable electricity because there would be bullies among the attendants sounded nuts, and since I had derailed the story so much, I wasn't sure if Clark would stop him.

So I made my way behind the school, and there he was, watching the whole thing. I superspeed behind him and slapped the back of his head with more force than I used on Whitney, knocking him out.

I threw him into the truck he drove here and headed to his hideout, a dingy motel room. I was only able to know where he was staying because he had a room key in the truck, and the room key came with the motel logo and room number.

I carried him in like a sack of potatoes into the rented room. I was cautious about cameras and used my enhanced sight to check every corner and make sure there weren't any before leaving the truck.

Clark had caused him to accidentally electrocute himself, causing him to lose his power and memories, and I was going to replicate that. Once the water in the tub was sufficient, I threw him into the bathtub and tossed in a plugged-in hair dryer. A few seconds later, I unplugged the hairdryer and lifted him from the bathtub.

He woke up due to the jostling, "Who are you? Where am I?" He asked.

I calmed him down, "I heard you screaming and your room door was unlocked. Do you remember anything?" I asked.

"I, I was strung up as the scarecrow by the football team."

With that, I knew my job was complete and headed home after telling him to take a rest and that he'd probably had a nightmare not really caring if he believed me or not.

"You coming to the dance?" Clark asked as he walked into my room.

"What do you think?" I replied as I was knotting my tie.

"Can you help me with this," He asked, presenting his own tie. I sighed and helped him with it, talking him through the steps.

"Thanks for your help with Whitney," He said after I was done.

"You would do the same for me," I responded as I fixed my watch to my wrist.

"Did you ask anyone to the dance?" He asked.

"Do I need to?" I said matter of factly as we started making our way downstairs. "Let me, your magnanimous older brother, teach you a very important lesson, Clark. If you ask a girl to a dance, you will only dance with that one girl all night. If you don't ask anyone and show that you are available, you can dance with as many different girls as you want and go home with whichever you like most and play your cards best with." I finished as we reached downstairs to see an unamused Mom who had heard me and a proud dad who was holding back laughter. Clark snorted a laugh and made way for Mom to tear into me.

"Perseus, Hydrus, Kent, is this how I raised you to treat women? How dare you infect your brother with these thoughts? You, young man, are grounded after you get back. And you better not bring 'the one you play your cards right with' home, do you hear me?"

I started speaking slowly, making my way to the door, "Mom, Mom, you misunderstood me."

Dad and Clark looked interested in how I was going to weasel my way out of this one then I spoke hurriedly as I made my way out quickly, "If I played my cards right, she'll take me to her place." Hahaha, I laughed as I drove off.

I took the scenic route to school and arrived at the Smallville High Homecoming dance fashionably late. The gymnasium was transformed into a sea of colors, flashing lights, and thumping music. Couples and groups of friends swayed to the rhythm on the dance floor while others huddled around the snack table.

I spotted Clark talking to Chloe and Pete near the punch bowl. He seemed to be enjoying himself, which was a relief. As I scanned the room for potential dance partners, I couldn't help but notice the curious glances and whispers that followed me.

A few girls approached me, offering coy smiles and batting their eyelashes. I exchanged pleasantries and danced with them, but nothing truly piqued my interest. Lana Lang, the object of Clark's affection, was also in attendance, in the middle of another argument with her boyfriend, Whitney. He still sported bruised and swollen cheeks from our earlier confrontation, and I hoped for a second that he would try something again.

I decided to take a break from dancing and headed toward the snack table. As I sipped a cup of punch, I was pleasantly surprised, 'At least the punch is good.' The dance can be described and summed up in one word 'average.' The best thing about it is the music. I internally chuckled as the DJ was playing my album.

I got a message ringtone on my buttoned monstrosity that only served two functions. Oh, how I long for the touchscreen phones from my past life. I checked it, and it was Lex, "Enjoying the dance?" he had sent in a message. I decided to give him a call outside as I needed some fresh air anyway.

He responded quickly, and I answered his question, "Of course, nothing better than huddling in the gym at a school with a bunch of threes and fours making fools of themselves coming onto me." Sarcasm dripped from my voice with each word, "Good punch though and great music, you should come by." The music from the gym was loud, so I could tell he knew the 'good music' was naturally mine.

"That sounds... nightmarish, but thanks for the offer," he laughed.

"Why'd you call, Mr. Luthor? Surely you have some posh way to entertain yourself tonight, so I must ask what it is you are interrupting me from getting creeped out by a bunch of hormonal teenage girls for," I asked in a faux professional tone.

Lex's voice held a hint of amusement as he replied, "Just thought I'd check in, see if you wanted to grab a coffee?"

I chuckled, knowing that Lex was probably as bored of this town as I was. "Alright, you've got my curiosity piqued. Where should we meet?" I asked.

He gave me directions to a nearby cafe one of three in the entirety of Smallville, and I told him I'd be there in a few minutes. As I hung up and made my way to my car, Smallville was a quiet town, and the stars shone brightly above, casting a peaceful glow over everything. I couldn't help but appreciate the simplicity of this place, but it felt as if there was more to be done. This town, even with all its strangeness, had become quite boring.

When I arrived at the cafe, I spotted Lex sitting by the window, sipping on a cappuccino. "Hey there," I greeted him as I took the seat opposite him.

Lex grinned, setting down his cup. "Percy, I almost didn't recognize you without the adoring crowd."

I chuckled, "You haven't even seen me in the middle of an adoring crowd." Turning to the waitress who was a decade older than me but still giving me googly eyes, I smiled and said, "Iced matcha latte, please." She stared uncomprehendingly for a second, and I was again reminded that, unlike Metropolis, Smallville had limited options. "Sorry, how about an iced black coffee, make it sweet," I amended with a sigh. She nodded and went to start my order.

"You must've developed a taste for the finer things during your time in Metropolis," he said, taking delight in my brief regretful look.

"You're one to talk, you were practically raised there. How are you settling in?"

'As well as I could, still having things shipped over from the city. You really didn't enjoy the dance? You must have a few friends." He asked, looking curious.

"I never came into town before High school a few days ago. People here knew me only by ear and often just referred to me as 'the other Kent boy' or 'Clark's brother.' I was homeschooled, unlike my brother. My maturity and the way I look weren't something this town was ready for," I said in response.

"I know how that feels. I've been bald since I was a kid, so I know what it's like for people to judge me before they get to know me." The waitress came back with my coffee and some napkins. I looked at the top napkin after she left and showed it to Lex with a wry grin. She had written her number and the time she got off of work. He rolled his eyes as I made a show of using it as a coaster for my drink, wholly uninterested.

He raised an eyebrow, "Not gonna take her up on the offer?"

"What can I say? I hate the awkward atmosphere after the deed is done," I replied, taking a sip of coffee.

"Heard you got into a fight? Figured you'd want to talk about it," He said. As much as his poker face showed nothing but mild interest, my empathic abilities told me that he was genuinely concerned.

I smirked, shaking my head. "Oh, where did you hear that? You wouldn't happen to be spying on me, would you?"

He scoffed at my attempt to change the subject, and I continued. "Four assholes ganging up on my brother, what was I supposed to do? My family didn't offer me much in the material gains department, Lex, but they did instill in me the desire to protect those I care about," I said.

As the evening wore on, I realized we had lost track of time. Lex glanced at his watch at the same time I did. "I should probably head back. I appreciate the diversion tonight, Lex. Let's do this again sometime."

He nodded, standing up. "Absolutely, Percy. Until next time."

We parted ways, and I headed back to the dance, where the music and dancing were still ongoing. I saw Clark eyeing Lana creepily as she was slow dancing with her boyfriend and cringed, deciding that I should probably end the night here. Going back home, I went to bed.