Chương 21: What Makes A Hero by lildrummerboi (Percy Jackson x My Hero Academia)
Summary: What would you give for a chance at a new life? A clean slate? To set the tone for a new world, a new life, and change the way the world looks at you? Percy Jackson had never really considered reincarnation before...but there was something about this Izuku kid that hit home with him. Gods...his wife was gonna kill him.
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13949634/1/
Word Count:79k
Chapters:14
Chapter 1: Choices Made
Percy had never given much thought to reincarnation. The idea had always been somewhat interesting, coming back as someone else and having a second chance at life was an intriguing prospect. But, he'd had a good life all things considered. He'd lived longer than expected, had settled down with Annabeth, had even had a few kids, and had lived to a decent old age before that damn tumor decided to make itself known.
The Hero of Olympus, bane of Gods, Titans, and more, had been struck down by something as simple as cancer.
Still, at least he hadn't had to wait terribly long before his wife had joined him in Elysium. A matter of moments in the afterlife could prove to be years, even decades in the mortal realm. And for a time, Percy had been well and truly happy. The afterlife was everything it had been advertised to be.
And it had been nice, and Percy hadn't given a second thought to reincarnation.
All until he'd suddenly been dragged away from the home he'd shared with Annabeth, and found himself standing in front of three of his least favorite individuals on the planet.
The damned Fates. The old crones who controlled the lives and destinies of mortal and demigod alike. They were as shriveled, wrinkled, and decrepit as he remembered them to be. The hollow sockets of where their eyes should have been were in equal parts unnerving, and somewhat comical, though that may have simply been because he had watched too much Disney as a kid.
He was in what he could only describe as an office. It looked like every stereotypical office building that he'd ever seen on television or in the movies, and the Fates were sat in three identical high-backed chairs behind a large oak desk. He knew what this room was, he'd seen it before, it was where mortals filed for rebirth into the human world.
However the Fates were not alone, there was another woman in the room. If Percy were to guess, he would say that she was Japanese, if her state of dress was anything to go by.
She was tall, maybe just a bit shorter than six-foot, though perhaps the strange sandals on her feet gave her a few extra inches. She had exceedingly pale skin, which contrasted sharply with her flowing raven hair, that swooped down her back in a waterfall of inky blackness. She was wearing a beautiful kimono, elegantly crafted of what Percy was certain were the finest silks imaginable. The sharp whites of the kimono seemed to blend in with her skin, and allowed for the dashes and splashes of reds and blues to pop all the more vibrantly.
The woman almost seemed to glow with an unnatural and ethereal light, which reflected from the strange crown-like object perched delicately on top of her head. She had her back turned towards him, and was staring out the small window onto the lands of the dead far below them.
Seemingly sensing Percy's sudden arrival, she turned around. Any questions as to the woman's divinity were resolved the moment Percy saw her face. She was a creature of unparalleled beauty and grace. Soft and angular features on a sweet and caring face. Her golden eyes seemed to glow with the rest of her, and Percy could all but taste the power coming from her.
Whoever this woman was, she was powerful.
The serene look on the goddess' face vanished the moment she laid eyes on him. Her expression morphed into one disgust, as though someone had shoved a particularly foul odor under her nose.
"This is what you bring me?" She snarled, "I ask for a champion, and you bring me the child of a storm bringer?"
"You asked for our most powerful and most courageous champion." Clotho said simply,
"Your personal vendetta against your kin blinds you to reality," Lachesis nodded,
"He is who we are willing to give you, and with it, we uphold our end of the bargain. Should you choose not to accept him, then you can find a champion on your own." Atropos chastised,
"Hey!" Percy barked out, very much not liking the direction that the conversation was going, or the implications of what was being said,
"What the hell is going on here!" He demanded, pointing at the strange goddess, "Who the hell is that, and why the hell am I here?"
"Silence child, your betters-" The goddess began to say, only to be cut off by Atropos,
"You are here to be reincarnated,"
Percy felt a wash of anger flash over him. Not again. He was not about to become an errand boy again, not after a lifetime of being the gods personal chew toy. Not after everything he'd given, everything he'd sacrificed. He was not going back to that.
"Calm yourself Perseus," Clotho chided easily, "This will ultimately be your choice,"
That had the intended effect, as he felt his anger stall and his curiosity take over.
"That was not the arrangement!" The unknown goddess seethed,
"We are altering the arrangement," Clotho shrugged,
"Speak," He ordered, before the belligerent goddess could interrupt them again. . Most couldn't get away with speaking to the Fates like he did, but most hadn't done what he had, or could do what he could. Percy's word, even in the afterlife, carried significant weight.
"First, introductions, and we must provide some context," Lachesis explained, and Percy bit back a groan.
"Shit's never easy with you three," He grumbled, which the Fates ignored,
"This is the Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and heavens" Atropos introduced, as the three Fates hands pointed as one at the goddess. She did not seem to be listening, as she had turned her backs on them once more.
"At the end of the Second World War," Clotho began, "A necessary arrangement was made with the Gods of the Shinto pantheon,"
"There were those inside the Shinto that did not wish to concede the war, but there were others who were…more sensible."
The three women giggled as one, and Amaterasu's back stiffened in annoyance, but she did not speak up.
"The Shinto agreed to a surrender, and would make the necessary arrangements to see to it that no more unnecessary blood was shed. However, their surrender came with certain…terms."
Of course it did," Percy grunted, he could already see where this was going, "Let me guess, they wanted a favor that they could cash in when it was convenient?"
"Indeed," Lachesis nodded, before the three women turned their attention towards Amaterasu, "We turn it over to you," They announced as one.
The Goddess didn't seem as though she were going to speak for a minute, whatever issues she had with Percy's parentage seemed to be weighing heavily on her.
"Are you certain that there is no one else?" She asked, her voice soft, and Percy felt what little patience he had left, broke.
"Look lady!" He snapped, "I don't know what problem you have with my dad, but I've never even met you before, so why don't you can it with the attitude!"
It was never wise to speak belligerently to a divine being, but Percy had made an entire life out of pissing off beings that were more powerful than him, and he highly doubted that there was much that a foreign deity could do on Greek turf.
"It is not you personally, that I have grievances with child." Amaterasu said, her tone soft, "My past with storm born…is not pleasant. Your kind are volatile and powerful. Your powers can shake the earth, and storm the heavens." She sighed, "But I truly am desperate, and if you are who is recommended, then it appears that I do not have a choice."
She turned towards him, and bent her neck in a short, yet graceful bow.
"Please accept my apologies for my preconceived notions. I allowed my own internal biases to rule over my emotions."
Thrown off by the sudden turn, Percy scratched at the back of his head, and glanced over at the Fates, who were sitting stoically and not meeting his eyes.
Not that it mattered,
"Uh," Percy grunted eloquently, "Apology accepted? So…what is this about exactly?"
Amaterasu sighed once again, a sorrowful expression dancing across her fine features.
"I have been…derelict in my duties." She admitted, "There is…trouble, grave trouble, that threatens my homeland. I had chosen a champion to fight this coming evil, but I…failed in my surveillance and guidance of my chosen. He…has not lived an easy life." Tears were dancing in the corners of her eyes, and Percy unwittingly felt his heart stir at the sorrowful sight. It wasn't often that he'd seen a deity act so…broken.
"My champion has been ostracized and discriminated against, all for matters that are beyond his control or understanding. He did not know of his greater role to play in the future of my home, and indeed the world. It…it was my duty to guide him and protect him until such time that he was able to fend for himself." The tears began to spill from the corners of her eyes, and Percy was suddenly struck by the realization of how strangely different life in the different pantheons must have been.
Never in his wildest dreams would he have considered that his father was looking out for him and trying to protect. Sure he had given Percy gifts over the years, but there were ancient laws that supposedly barred him from interacting with Percy whatsoever.
Apparently the Shinto didn't have those same restrictions.
"My champion was the target of humiliating ridicule, and often physical and emotional abuses." Amaterasu continued, "He had a strong heart, and a stronger will, and I had thought that he would be able to overcome these obstacles, and so I stopped looking in on him as often as I should have…I see now that I have been gravely mistaken."
A knot formed in the pit of Percy's stomach. He had a very bad feeling that he knew where this was leading.
"He's dead…isn't he?" He asked, his voice soft,
"Not yet," Amaterasu said with a shake of her head.
"Some time ago, he was subject to ridicule from someone he once viewed as a friend. The ridicule was…crude and vile to say the least. And my champion couldn't handle the weight of his burdens…and he threw himself off of the roof of his school-house. He has been in a medically-induced coma ever since. He would have been dead had it not been for my interference."
"Gods be damned," Percy swore,
"Indeed," Amaterasu sighed wearily, "I have attempted to find others who would be able to fit the role young Izuku was meant to play, but I have yet to find a suitable candidate…which has led me here today."
Percy put the pieces together himself,
"No, no way." He shook his head, "I did my bit. I fought, I bled, I already did everything asked of me and I finally got my happy ending. You're not ripping that away from me. You're not taking me from my family."
"You will not be stripped of your family, Perseus," Atropos soothed, "We have our ways of ensuring that a part of you will still be here with your family, while another part of you would be reincarnated into the boy."
"I'm not taking over the body of some kid!" Percy seethed, "That's-that's…I don't even know what that is!"
"Perseus…please," Amaterasu pleaded, "I-I would not be here were it not important. The fate of my home, of millions if not more could be at at stake. There…there is an evil coming. My kin and I have felt it for some time. This evil could threaten to destroy the very country I have loved since my birth. Please…I beg of you…see it in your heart to be the hero that you have been described to be."
"This is some dirty fucking pool," He ground out through gritted teeth.
He knew that they were playing him. They were manipulating him. Pulling at all the right strings to make him feel like he had no other choice than to accept their offer. He had only a limited understanding of reincarnation, but from the little he understood, he knew that in order for the process to work, the person being reincarnated had to want the reincarnation. The gods couldn't force the soul into the body. Percy thought he remembered Nico mentioning once about how the soul would naturally resist the rebirth, and would unintentionally destroy the body they were being implanted into.
He didn't know what upset him more, the fact that even after his death the gods were still playing with his life, or the fact that he was actually considering what these people were suggesting.
His biggest hangup was obviously his family. He wasn't about to abandon his wife and his daughters here in Elysium, not when he'd earned his place. Not when he'd finally managed to find peace. But if the Fates were serious, that there was a way for at least part of him to remain here with his family, and another to be put into the body of this kid…He didn't even know if what they were suggesting was possible. Certainly it could have been, the powers of the gods was something that no mortal, even one with ichor in their veins, was capable of truly comprehending.
But there was more to it than just his family. There was the matter of this kid, Izuku. Percy was not at all comfortable with the idea of taking over the body of someone, when they were still technically alive. it was the kid's body, his life, and it would be…frankly disgusting for Percy to take his place. To literally and figuratively replace him. It was something that he didn't want on his conscience.
Even then, would the kid really even be opposed to the suggestion? If it was true that he had tried to kill himself…well that spoke volumes about the kids own desire to keep his soul tied to the mortal plane. But even still, did that make it right? He sure as hell didn't think so. It was wrong to take over someone else's life, to control them without their desire or willingness. That was the kind of shit that the gods pulled, and Percy had not spent an entire life challenging that norm of divine society to begin following in their footsteps in the after-life.
But even still, how could he ignore what Amaterasu was telling him? He hated himself for considering it, for even entertaining the notion of taking up her plea for help. But still, here he was. Thinking that the goddess had a point. What little he knew about the Shinto pantheon was that Amaterasu was similar in a lot of ways to Hestia. Her own hostility towards him and his father for whatever reason aside, he didn't think she was the type of goddess to lie or to try and trick him into doing some…terrible. Plus the Fates seemed to think it important. If they hadn't, they likely wouldn't have offered him of all people up as the lamb to the slaughter.
But did he really want to go back to the life? Did he really want to throw himself back into the shit like that? No, no he did not. He had fought for decades, had spent nearly his entire life fighting, and running, and he only just now had his peace. He didn't think he was ready to give that all up for another lifetime of fighting and surviving. Of war and bloodshed. He'd seen enough dead bodies already, and had been forced to bury too many friends.
Except there was that obnoxious burning in the pit of his stomach that said otherwise. The irresistible churning of his gut, and the slight thrill of adrenaline that flooded his body at the mere thought of seeing some action again. As nice as it was to live happily and peacefully…it could be awfully boring at times. There was a certain…thrill…an enjoyment that he derived from a good fight. He blamed it on his divine heritage, but Percy reveled in combat. He wasn't nearly on the same level as a child of Ares, who actively sought confrontation and conflict, but Percy loved a good fight as much as anyone. Loved the thrill that action gave him, loved the swopping sensation in his heart at the prospect of a new adventure, of a new quest.
And that spoke nothing to his knowledge that likely Amaterasu was being completely honest, and people were at risk of dying. Annabeth had always told him that he had a complex, but Percy just liked to think that he didn't like bullies. Someone wasn't born with tremendous power and didn't use it to try and protect those who couldn't protect themselves. That wasn't something that a good person did.
That's what his mother had always raised him to believe at any rate, and it was a principal that had guided him well into his late adult life.
And he most certainly would have power. Whether he was born his father's blessings or not, being the champion of a goddess meant power, and if there was a looming evil that threatened to end all life of an entire nation? That was something that Percy didn't think he could ignore.
That was nothing to say of the idea niggling at the back of his head telling him that something that powerful wouldn't be content to stop once it had conquered Japan. How many people would die then? And what would his conscience say to him then? What would he do if the worst were to happen, and he'd had the opportunity to stop the evil and had chosen not to intervene.
He'd never forgive himself.
He came to a decision.
"I want to meet him," Percy said, meeting Amaterasu's golden gaze,
"Pardon?" She asked, confused by the sudden question.
"The kid, Izuku," Percy clarified, "I want to meet him. before I make any kind of decision, I want to have a word with him."
Amaterasu's eyes narrowed, and they darted across the room to loo at the Fates, who were giggling to themselves,
"We suppose we should have warned you," Clotho chuckled,
"He is every bit as stubborn as the sea," Atropos snickered.
Amaterasu scowled, and muttered something under her breath in Japanese, though Percy figured he could decipher the meaning of the words for himself.
"Very well," She conceded after a moment, "I will allow this request."
Percy didn't have any time to prepare himself, as Amaterasu waved a finely manicured hand, and his world burst into white light. Shutting his eyes out of reflex, he blearily opened them a moment later, blinking in a vain attempt to clear the spots from his eyes.
"W-who are y-you?" A shaky, high-pitched voice asked. Rubbing at his eyes once more, Percy's surroundings finally came back into focus. He found himself standing on what he believed to be a train-station platform, somewhere in Japan if the foreign skyline was any indication. Though the sky itself was an odd shade of violet and red.
Percy was not alone on the platform, there was a small boy standing a few feet away from him. He couldn't have been more than fourteen or fifteen, and was a scrawny and skinny kid. Curly green hair, and matching green eyes on a freckled and boyish looking face. All in all he was a rather unassuming and average looking kid, and he was shuffling uncomfortably in place.
Percy felt his eyes narrow as he took in the kids mannerisms. He was anxious, fidgeting, and looked like he wanted nothing more than to flee.
"Hey there," Percy said, hoping that he would be understood in spite of the fact that he didn't speak a word of Japanese. Thankfully, and much to his surprise, whatever magics controlled the underworlds of the gods seemed to ignore language barriers,
"My name is Percy Jackson, you must be Izuku, right?"
The boy nodded his head, "I-Izuku M-Midoriya," he stuttered, before bowing his head lightly in recognition, "I-it's nice to m-meet you."
Biting back a sigh, Percy propped himself against a nearby pillar, and slid down the frame until he was sitting on the floor.
"W-what's going o-on?" Izuku asked, looking around him, "W-where are w-w, and-and w-what are you d-doing here?"
"Well," Percy said, deciding that blunt honesty was probably his best bet, "This is the underworld," He looked around him, "I don't know much about Shintoism, but my guess is that this is some kind of form of purgatory or something. Probably because you're not technically dead yet."
"D-d-dead?!" Izuku exclaimed, taking a step back and looking ever more like he was prepared to run away as far as possible.
"Well," Percy said casually, lounging against the pillar, "From what I understand, you took quite the swan dive off your school's roof."
Izuku flinched, and Percy watched in interest as the boy's eyes seemed to glaze over as his memory came back to him.
"Why don't you sit down Izuku, we need to have a talk." Percy suggested calmly, gesturing to the pillar across from him. He'd had plenty of experience speaking with kids over the years, both his own and other young demigods who were shell-shocked by the evils and horrors of their world. Shaking so badly that Percy thought the boy might vibrate through the ground, Izuku clambered down onto the floor.
"I…I'm dead?" He asked, looking at his hands,
"Well…not exactly," Percy said, "You should be, by all accounts, but those with the power to do so have kept you alive."
"W-what are you saying?" Izuku stammered out, "People with…w-what is this? W-who are you?"
"Someone who's also been fucked by the powers that be." Percy said bitterly,
"Y-you're not m-making any sense!" Izuku got back up, and looked like he was about to run,
"Sit, down." Percy ordered.
In spite of the fact that they had never met before, Percy knew that he could be intimidating when he needed to be, and Izuku was all but compelled to sit back down. Though he was looking at Percy even more warily than he had before-hand.
"Look kid," Percy sighed, "There ain't a good way to say this, so we're just gonna jump into it. You familiar with Shintoism?"
Izuku hesitated for a moment, before nodding,
"Well it's real. The gods, the myths, everything. It's all real. Don't believe me, look around you?" He gestured at the train-station, "This seem like a normal train station to you?"
Izuku shook his head, "That…I…what?"
"Not religious?" Percy asked, and Izuku hesitated, before he shook his head,
"M-mom used to practice a-a little after d-dad left…I never really knew w-what to believe though…" He looked down, then looked back around the station, "So-so it's true then…everything is real?"
"In a manner of speaking," Percy shrugged, "I don't really understand how it works, but from my understanding every pantheon is real in some capacity. Me? I'm Greek."
"Greek?" Izuku asked, "Like-like Zeus and-and Achilles and stuff?"
"Yup," Percy nodded, "Me? My dad is actually Poseidon."
"What?!" Izuku gasped, "You're-you….you can't be serious…you're…you're a god?"
"Half-god, actually." Percy clarified, "My mom was mortal."
"So…so the gods are-they're real then…and-and I'm dead…" His eyes slightly glazed over, it was a look that Percy was very familiar with. He'd seen it on those who had newly arrived in the underworld. It was the look of someone trying to come to terms with the earth-shattering revelations that came with finding out that the Gods of old really were alive and well.
"I'm really dead…" Izuku muttered,
"Technically not," Percy reiterated, "Like I said, someone's looking out for you." But Izuku didn't seem to hear him, as he looked up at him,
"Then t-that means…y-you…"
"Don't worry about it son," Percy said calmly, "I've been dead for some time." He tapped his knuckles against his temple and chuckled, "Fought my way through the underworld and literal hell, but was done in by fucking cancer." He laughed ruefully and ran a hand through his hair, "Can't stab cancer with a sword I guess, who knew?"
He shook his head, "We're getting off-track though."
"O-oh…yeah," Izuku nodded emphatically, "Y-you said that someone was l-looking out for me?"
"Yup," Percy nodded, "A goddess, a powerful one too. You were supposed to be her champion. Apparently there's some great evil that's coming to Japan she had these grand plans for you to be the one to stop it."
"M-me?" Izuku spluttered, incredibly startled, "B-but…I'm nobody…I-I don't even have a quirk!"
"I don't know what that is," Percy shrugged, "But it doesn't matter, she chose you. For one reason or another you were the one she wanted. She was supposed to look after you, but she fucked it up and stopped looking after you, and well…long story short you weren't supposed to die when you did."
A very worrying expression passed over Izuku's face, a look that Percy recognized entirely too well. He'd seen it not only in his own face, but on the faces of his wife, his daughters, and all too many of his friends. Izuku was blaming himself. Was blaming himself for something that was the fault of beings far too powerful for Izuku to even begin comprehending.
"Don't do that," Percy ordered, shaking Izuku out of his revery,
"W-what?" Izuku stammered, tears creeping into the corners of his eyes,
"Don't blame yourself, don't try and deny it I'm too old to fall for it kid."
"But-but…" Izuku spluttered, "But the gods…you said they had a plan for me…that I-I-I wasn't supposed to-I wasn't supposed to…and then I…I just-" The poor kid was working himself into a frenzy.
Standing up, Percy strode over to the now sobbing young man, and placed both of his hands on his shoulders.
"Izuku," Percy said gently, using the same tone he'd often used when one of his own children was having a breakdown, "Izuku I need you to look at me son."
Izuku, in spite of his heaving sobs, managed to raise his eyes high enough to meet Percy's gaze.
"Listen to me Izuku. I'm not going to say that trowing yourself off that building was the right answer, because it sure as hell wasn't. But I will say that your feelings, your emotions, your vulnerabilities, they were valid. That you were probably feeling a certain way, because of things beyond your control and your understanding. Should you have done what you did? Absolutely not, but you are not to blame here. The only person in the wrong, is the goddess that put you in a position where you felt that was your only option. I don't know everything about you, and I don't know why you were ostracized or discriminated against, all I know is that you were, and the one to blame isn't sitting in this room with us."
Gently, Percy ran his thumb along the corners of the young man's eyes, and stemmed the flood of tears that were streaming down his cheeks.
"You didn't know that you were being used by the gods. You didn't know that you were supposed to become a champion. You. Didn't. Know. And that is the fault of the goddess who did this to you, and not because of anything you did. Do you understand me?"
Izuku took a shaky breath, but nodded his head.
Percy backed away, but not far enough where he couldn't offer support if the boy needed it again. He hadn't even gotten to the reason why he was there in the first place.
He allowed Izuku a few moments to compose himself, and when Izuku had finished frantically wiping away the tears, Percy got down to the reason he demanded to have his visit.
"Izuku, there's a reason why I'm here, and a reason why the goddess interfered and kept you alive. Unfortunately, they can't put your soul back in your body." He sighed, it was an unfortunate reality of the afterlife. Nico had explained it to Percy once before, once the soul had exited the body, the soul couldn't re-enter. Percy didn't fully understand the reason why, but from the way Nico had described it, it had something to do with the soul being too damaged to re-enter it's original host.
Izuku looked up at him, understanding in his eyes,
"They want you to take my place…don't they?" He asked, his voice soft, yet steady.
"Yeah," Percy said seriously, "They do…but the choice was up to me, and I won't lie…I'm thinking about it, but I wasn't going to agree to anything until I cleared a few things up for myself."
"You want to know why I did it…" Izuku muttered softly,
"I do," Percy nodded,
"You…you said you didn't know what a quirk was…right?" He asked, and Percy nodded, "Then…then that m-means you're from before quirks existed,"
"I would suppose so," Percy nodded, "I've been dead for a while,"
"O-okay," Izuku said, "Q-quirks are-are genetic mutations in p-people. I think you'd call them s-superpowers, i-if I r-remember my history right."
Percy unwittingly let out a low whistle, "You're shitting me,"
"I-I'm serious, over e-eighty percent of the population h-has them…"
"But not you…" Percy said gruffly, "And I'm guessing that people without quirks aren't exactly treated right,"
"Y-you'd be right." Izuku nodded, looking strangely bitter. A foreign expression on his otherwise youthful face. "W-well with the rise of q-quirks c-came a rise in people who used their powers to-to do b-bad things."
Percy looked at the boy skeptically, "You aren't about to tell me that superheroes are a real thing are you?"
Izuku nodded, and Percy was having a hard time believing that this was the reality of the world.
"T-there are p-professional heroes w-who are regulated by the g-government and are l-licensed and everything…" He trailed off, a terrible expression of loss crossing across his face, "All I ever wanted to be was a hero. To h-help people…to be just like A-All Might."
"All Might?" Percy said, doing his best not to laugh at the ludicrous sounding name. Immediately Izuku's face lit up, as though he'd just been given the greatest gift,
"All Might is the best hero in the world!" He exclaimed, his stutter seemingly vanishing in thin air, "He saved more people than anyone in the world! And he does it all with a smile on his face! He's so strong, and so capable, and-and-and I just wanted to be a hero like him…a hero who could save people with a smile on his face…"
"But they wouldn't let people with quirks be heroes, could they?" Percy asked softly, and Izuku shook his head,
"I wanted to t-try and get into U.A. University…it's a-a hero school…but nobody believed me t-that I could…my t-teachers a-always laughed at me w-when I said I w-wanted to do it…my b-best friend…he-he told me t-that a quirkless deku like me could never be a hero…" Tears appeared in the corners of his eyes again, and Percy slid across the floor, so that he could wrap a comforting arm around the boy.
"I-I just wanted to-to be a h-hero…" He whispered, "B-but it j-just got so…hard. I-I couldn't d-do it anymore…"
Percy didn't say anything for a time, opting instead to rub comforting circles on the boy's back. It was what he needed most at the moment.
When he'd calmed down again, Percy asked his next question, making sure to maintain his soothing circles on his back,
"if you could go back…if you could have a second chance…would you take it?"
It wasn't a question that he wanted to ask, it was a gross invasion into the boys mind, but he needed an answer to the question. He needed to know whether or not the boy wanted to live his life, or if Percy's invasion into his body and his life wouldn't haunt the boy.
Izuku looked up at him for a minute, closely regarding Percy for a long moment. There was an intelligence behind those eyes, an intellect that Percy recognized in his own wife even after all these years.
"Is…is this a test or something?" He asked warily, and Percy retracted his hand,
"It's not, I promise." He shook his head, and sighed, "Look, Izuku, I won't lie to you, the beings behind all of this, they're masters of manipulation. They knew exactly which of my buttons to push for me to really consider this. But I'm not comfortable with reincarnating into you if you weren't fully ready to move on…if you weren't comfortable with it…" He trailed off, and leaned back against the pillar behind them,
"What about your family?" Izuku asked softly, "You said you were-were dead for a while…Surely you have people here you wouldn't want to leave behind?"
"You're right," Percy nodded, "I have a wife, kids, even some grandkids. But I was promised that…that a piece of me would stay behind to be with them…wouldn't have even come this far if I didn't know that at least I wouldn't be completely abandoning them."
"And-and you believe them? Y-you believe what they have to say about your family?"
Percy snorted, "I have no idea," He admitted, "But I have ways of making sure that they uphold their end of the bargain, and I have some pull on my side of the world." In spite of no longer having a corporeal body, his eyes still glowed an incandescent green with power. And Izuku unconsciously seemed to shiver from the sight,
"I need an answer Izuku, if you're not comfortable with me taking over…if you have any reservations whatsoever…then say the word, and I'll put an end to all of this right here, right now. You'll move on, and the gods will figure their own way out of the mess they created."
"But…what about this-this threat you talked about?" Izuku stammered, "W-what will happen then?"
Percy shrugged, "Not for you or me to figure out,"
Izuku frowned, worrying at his lower lip, and Percy could all but see the thoughts racing through his head. Several long, tense moments seemed to pass as Izuku considered what Percy had told him, before he stoically met Percy's eyes.
"I-I'm…I'm okay with it…I-I think I'm okay to…you know…move on…"
"You're certain, Izuku?" Percy asked, he was insistent that Izuku was absolutely certain that he was okay with it. True, the boy would be moving on regardless of his decision, but this was ultimately his body, his life, that was at stake. Percy was not comfortable with taking over his life unless the boy was completely, undoubtably certain that he was okay with it.
"I'm certain," Izuku repeated, a strange fire flashing behind his emerald eyes. "If…if there's something coming…something bad, and-and we have the ability to do something about it…we have the opportunity to stop it…we have to do it don't we? Thats-that's what heroes do…that's what All Might would do…So-so yes…I-I'm not just okay with you taking over my body…I want you to do it."
A strange relief flooded through Percy, he hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to take on this quest until that very moment. But hearing Izuku confirm that he was okay with Percy reincarnating as him, filled Percy with a palpable sense of relief.
"Thank you…Izuku. I'll make sure you don't regret this decision."
"I-I have some conditions!" Izuku suddenly blurted out, and he seemed to startle himself with the outburst. Percy nodded at him to go forth,
"L-look out for my-for my mom. She's-she's been through enough and-and I can't imagine what this was like for her…but I need you to promise me that you'll look after her and take care of her."
"Done," Percy agreed without a second of hesitation. That was a term he would have complied with even if Izuku hadn't insisted on it.
"S-second…" He started to say, blushing furiously and trailing off.
"Go ahead son," Percy encouraged,
"I-I want you to be a hero…t-to be the h-hero I couldn't be….to be a hero like A-All Might…to be a hero w-who saves people with a smile…"
Percy didn't know how bad this kids life had to have been for someone with such a kind and genuinely loving heart was driven to end his own life. But Percy made a promise to himself then and there that he would do anything and everything in his power to be the kind of man that Izuku had always dreamed of being.
To be the hero.
"I promise." Percy said, "I swear on the Styx that I will do everything to be a hero like All Might."
There was a crack of thunder overhead, and Izuku jumped at the sound, and looked at Percy fearfully,
"Easy son," Percy soothed, patting the boy on the back, "It's natural. What that was, was kind of like a magically powered oath. A promise backed up by divine magics. It means that I'll uphold my end of the bargain at the risk of very, very serious consequences."
"Oh…" Izuku said, then glanced around the small platform, "What…what happens now?"
"Now…" Percy said, looking up as a horn sounded from somewhere in the distance, "Now you board that train I'm guessing." There was a small screeching sound as a large, technical train came to a speedy halt at the edge of the platform. The doors on the train opened with a small "hiss."
"Is-is it safe?" Izuku asked, and Percy nodded. He seemed to know instinctually that the train acted similarly to Charon's ferry service, and would carry Izuku onto his final destination.
He stood up, and extended a hand to Izuku, who hesitantly gripped Percy's much larger hand in his own, and allowed himself to be hoisted to their feet. They didn't speak as the approached the doors to the train, and as they got closer, Percy got a better look at the inside. There appeared to many other people inside, all of them glowing with a strange, purplish hue.
Izuku hesitated on the platform, and did not get onto the train.
"It's okay," Percy encouraged gently, gripping the small boy on the shoulder and squeezing reassuringly. Izuku gulped, but nodded. He looked up at Izuku one last time,
"Take care of mom for me,"
"I will," He promised again. Turning away from him, Izuku stepped over the platform and onto the train. Percy watched as the doors to the train closed, and in the blink of an eye, the train had departed from the station, flying down the tracks into the odd distance of the cities skyline.
As soon as the train was out of sight, Percy's vision filled with the same white light that had brought him to the station in the first place, and he found himself once again standing in the small office room in the underworld.
"I take it you got what you wished for?" Amaterasu asked softly. She hadn't moved from where she had been standing when Percy had left the room.
"I did," Percy confirmed,
"And your answer?" She asked,
"I'll do it," Percy agreed, "On two conditions."
Amaterasu seemed to be expecting as much, but she sighed all the same.
"Name your terms," She said,
"Izuku and his mother when she eventually dies goes to join him in the afterlife, in whatever version of heaven or Elysium exists."
"That was always my intention," Amaterasu said, "But I agree. Your other term?"
This time, Percy turned towards the Fates, who had been sitting silently and observing the exchange with interest.
"You said that you could make it so part of me stayed behind with my family?" As one, the old crones nodded their heads, "Then you do it before I go, and I want an oath that you will uphold your end of the bargain."
"Agreed." The three crones said in unison. As one, the three women raised their hands, and Percy felt something burn from deep within his chest. It started small, like mild heartburn, but it quickly evolved into something far worse, and far more painful. It was the most intense, painful burning that he'd ever experienced in his entire life. Even worse than the swan-dive he'd taken into actual molten lava as a kid.
He collapsed onto his knees, and he was vaguely aware of the fact that he was screaming, but his voice sounded as though it were coming from miles away, echoing through a tunnel. It felt like something was trying to break through, to burst forth from his chest. He let out another howling scream of agony, his vision going dark, as something seemed to erupt from his heart.
All at once, the burning and the pain disappeared, and he was left panting, and heaving on the floor. If he had the ability to sweat in the underworld, he had no doubts that he would have been dripping in perspiration. Glancing up, his vision blurred and swimming, he caught a glimpse of someone standing in front of him. With a start, he realized that it was him. A carbon copy of him to be exact, looking down at him in concern.
"You good?" He asked, and Percy couldn't but feel rather bitter that this new version of him hadn't seemed to suffer from any of the side-effects of whatever the hell it was that just happened.
"Peachy," He gasped out, pushing himself off the floor and getting unsteadily to his feet.
"A little warning would have been nice," He groused, looking over at the Fates, who simply smirked at him.
"If we are quite done," Amaterasu said impatiently, "We are working against the clock, and you will have much to do."
"Right," Percy sighed, steeling his emotions. Looking over at the other version of him, he met his copy's eyes with a steely glare, one that was matched by his other self.
"Look after my girls," He ordered,
"I'm you dip-shit," The other Percy snarked, "Of course I will."
"Asshole," Percy muttered, and looked over at Amaterasu, "Anything I need to know before going under?"
"You will retain your memories from your past life." The goddess explained, "Normally that is not the way this works, but given the circumstances of the arrangement, I do not feel as though I have much of a choice in the matter."
"I assume I won't have my powers anymore?" He asked,
"You will not," She confirmed, and Percy had expected as much. His powers were tied to his blood. They were his tie to his father, and were what allowed him his control of water, and his strength. Since he would be in a new body, it made sense that he wouldn't have the same abilities that he'd had in his old life.
Looks like he's be getting through the old-fashioned way, but Percy had never been one to shy away from hard work.
"Well then…" he said uncomfortably, "I guess this is it." He looked over at Amaterasu, "Do it,"
The goddess nodded, and raised a hand, "I look forward to seeing you again, Perseus. The next time we meet, I pray that it's under better circumstances."
There was another flash of white-light, and Percy Jackson knew no more.
In a hospital room in Musutafu, Japan, for the first time in two months, Izuku Midoriya opened his eyes.
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