Who's the psychopath?
A couple of years ago…
That day, Sally had work to do, so Mor, who had recently come back from one of her cleaning jobs, was left in charge of watching Harry and Percy. And thanks to the torrential rain outside, they were stuck indoors spending the day doing the homework Gema had sent them.
Or at least they were supposed to, since Percy was always trying to find some way to distract himself from his assignments. Harry, meanwhile, even if he also seemed to hate homework, at least had more focus on trying to finish it… while Aunt Mor sat not too far away, reading a book with a look of complete disgust on her face.
That instantly caught Percy's attention, since he was looking for literally anything to distract himself with.
"What are you reading, Aunt Mor?" he asked immediately, trying to read the cover. "Le Morte Darthur… who's Darthur and why did he die?" Percy asked, confused.
Harry couldn't help getting distracted too, turning slightly toward them.
"It says The Death of Arthur," Harry corrected.
"Oh…," Percy said simply. "So… is it interesting?" he asked, looking toward Aunt Mor, who wore an annoyed grimace as she slammed the book shut.
"Not at all. Just a bunch of nonsense," she said, tossing the book aside like it was trash. "Listen carefully, both of you. Don't even think about tricking women with stupid smiles in the future. Because I swear before your mother catches you… I'll castrate you myself, okay?" she said, staring directly at them.
Harry and Percy, who had only been quietly studying until now and had merely asked a question, widened their eyes and nodded quickly.
"Mmm, good… I'm sure Harry will be fine. You're the worrying one," Mor added, looking toward Percy for a moment.
"Why me? I'm learning manners from Luthor and Arthur like a proper knight," Percy said immediately in his defense.
"That's exactly why," Mor said with a small sigh. "Aaah… only I could end up falling in love with a psychopath," she added irritably, glancing briefly at the book before snapping her fingers, black flames instantly consuming it… while she smiled faintly, almost like she was imagining a very specific person burning alive.
Percy really wanted to tell her that right now she looked like the psychopath… but obviously he wasn't stupid enough to say it, so he sat back down.
"Do you think Aunt Mor got tricked in the past?" Percy whispered to his brother.
Harry just shrugged before going back to his homework, because if he didn't finish it, he would probably end up sharing Percy's punishment… which at this point was obviously coming, considering Percy hadn't even written his name on the paper in front of him yet.
…
Realizing his confusion, Percy stared at the man, while Harry frowned deeply… and even Annabeth looked at the man standing in front of them with slight surprise.
Only Grover looked completely confused, not recognizing him at all.
"Ah, well… sorry. I mistook you for someone familiar," Percy said quickly. "We don't want to interfere with your work, so we'll just be on our way," he added, gesturing for the others to move.
"Yeah… you do realize I can't let you run around freely while I'm the head of security, right?" the man said again with an unsettling calmness, still standing there with his arms crossed, his fingers lightly tapping against his arm… before taking a step forward.
The moment he did, Harry and Percy instantly drew their wand and sword respectively.
That made the man pause briefly without losing his smile. Though for almost a split second, it seemed to shift ever so slightly… almost impossible to notice.
But not for Percy and Harry, who were staring at the man with full alertness.
Grover, meanwhile, saw Percy and Harry react like that in confusion, but quickly started carefully observing the man as well… while Annabeth looked conflicted on how she should even react, because from the moment he appeared, she already knew who he was.
Not just her.
Harry and Percy realized it instantly too.
They would've been idiots not to.
After all, they had technically grown up with stories about him. Besides, the two of them lived with two people who knew him quite well.
And even if those two didn't seem to enjoy talking about him much… Percy and Harry could guess why they really didn't like him.
Yes… the person standing there with the Head of Security badge was none other than the legendary King Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot.
Arthur didn't seem bothered that both of them were on guard. He only glanced for a moment at Harry's wand… then shifted his gaze toward Percy's sword, who held Riptide in a standard knight's defensive stance.
"Yes…," Arthur said with a faint nod. "I understand. You know? Sometimes people inherit little things from their teachers through their posture. The way you hold your wand… the pinky too far back, putting all the weight on only four fingers, which creates a smoother movement. Or at least, that's what she used to say," he said while looking at Harry. "And the foot positioning… one centimeter too far forward, the sword held slightly higher… and the grip is fairly weak. It's really familiar," Arthur added calmly. "So then… how are Morgana and Mordred? My dear wife… and my dear son," he asked suddenly with that same smile… but the coldness in his eyes sent a chill straight down all four of their spines.
There wasn't even the slightest trace of affection in his voice.
It was like he was talking about pets… not his family.
"Ah… I'm sure you know who I am, though it seems the half-beast doesn't. I am—"
"King Arthur Pendragon. Athena's first child… and her favorite," Annabeth answered, cutting him off.
Hearing those words, even Percy and Harry couldn't help looking surprised. They knew Arthur had been Athena's favorite child… but they hadn't known he was the first.
That seemed to amuse Arthur slightly, his golden eyes locking onto Annabeth's gray ones for a moment.
"Yes… mother's eyes. It's been so long since I've seen them," he said calmly, seeming strangely drawn to Annabeth's eyes. For a moment, he lifted a hand to his own eyes, glowing with an unnatural golden color, before quickly looking away and turning back toward Harry and Percy.
"I was waiting for you… or rather…," he glanced toward Percy's backpack. "Hades's helm. I need you to hand it over," he said seriously.
Percy instantly shifted his shoulder, hiding the backpack behind him without lowering his guard… while Harry narrowed his eyes immediately.
"What for?" he asked.
"To finish my work… the one forced upon me long ago, the one I failed and that left me trapped here," Arthur said with an incredibly soft smile… one so friendly for a moment that it almost made them question why they were even wary of him.
"And that work is…?" Percy asked.
"Of course… eliminating those who threaten the balance of the world. Wizards, witches, and magical beings whose very existence breaks the natural order," he said as casually as if he were talking about a plague that needed extermination… never losing that gentle smile.
Only making the cold feeling in the four of their spines grow even worse.