Getting arrested while being in the public eye was not helping Percy's skating career in the least bit. It was only a matter of time, he supposed, before this kind of shit caught up with him.

"St. Louis?" Thalia laughed over the phone. "Did you not blow up the Arc the last time you were there?"

He prayed she could feel is glare across continents. "I did not blow it up, the freaky monster did, then threw me out of the monument into the unforgiving river below. If it were for the dick of a father that I have, I would have died."

Thalia snorted. "Ha, one thing you can be grateful to him for. Your life!"

"It's not my fault he is my father, just like it isn't your fault yours is your father. It's all about the luck of the draw, and we just happened to hit the jackpot with godly blood, Thals." He sat up on his couch and pulled on his shoes. "What if something happens?"

"You were twelve, the government said you and Annabeth were cleared of all charges after it was made clear you were kidnapped."

"In California, Thalia. This is the Midwest we are talking about. Who know what they get up to there?"

"Chill out, twinkle toes. Even if they wanted to, there is a low chance that anyone will try anything. It's been almost five years since it happened, you'll be fine." Percy stood up and balance his phone on his shoulder as he headed to his kitchen.

"The more you tell me I'll be fine, the more worried I get," he said as he munched on a blue cookie Sally sent him earlier in the week.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's disgusting."

"Not like you can stop me. I'm in Russia, you are in New York."

"I have a brother who would be happy to drive me to Russia."

Because that worked out so well for her last time. Thalia hated driving. Apollo usually made her drive when she asked for a ride. It was an empty threat, and Apollo usually took Percy's side when push came to shove, especially for something as trivial as talking with his mouth full.

"Yeah, right."

"Stop it! Is it too much to ask?" Thalia yelled.

"Yes."

"Are you getting ready for practice?"

"Of course."

"Ugh, why can't you be normal ever?"

"Because I would be failing in my duty as a younger brother," he snarked with a smile on his face. "Hey, I love you, and give my love to mom, but I got practice and I need to pack."

"Cool, I need to go back to sleep before my alarm goes off. Good luck!" She disconnected the call. He then raced out the door, locking it behind him. Yuri was still in bed, but he was not the blonde's keeper. Yakov could chew the kid out later.

Alarms began blaring the second customs scanned his New York state ID in St. Louis. Percy had been back and forth to the United States and other countries numerous times since he was last in Missouri. This was absolutely ridiculous. It had been a year since his record had been wiped clean, so why did it have to be St. Louis. It was the airport security that came out of the woodwork towards him.

All he wanted was to compete. He didn't want to deal with this shit from his past. He told Thalia, but no, he had to listen to his sister. Bitch.

"Jackson! What is going on!" Yakov yelled. Percy was like a deer in the head lights. He should have told Yakov everything when he became his full-time student. From every quest, to his parents, to every near-death experience. His bag fell out of his hands and he was silent as they tackled him to the ground, cuffing him and dragging him off.

"Um, Yakov?" Victor asked.

"Don't leave the airport until I tell you to," Yakov said, "I am dead serious about this." It was pointed at two of his students. Katsuki could keep the two of them under control, he hoped, before walking after the men who had dragged off his student who was the least likely to cause trouble.

He had been concerned when the boy called him saying he may be dead in the next few days the previous summer, but he thought that was an exaggeration. The kid worked his ass off during camp every summer as if his life depended on it. Now that he thought about it, Percy talked as little as he could about his summers before coming to Russia. It was as if he wanted to avoid the conversation as much as possible.

Yakov went in the direction the officers were going. He had a feeling that he was getting himself into much more than he was planning on. Whatever was going on here, he didn't know if he wanted to know, but he knew he needed to keep Percy safe. It was his job as his guardian and his coach.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Percy groaned into his hands as well as he could with them cuffed to the table. His hair kept falling in his eyes.

"I'm here to bail you out, and to set the record straight. As long as you do what I ask, Perseus." Poseidon was in a business suit and had a hefty background on his side. The gods had their hands in everything, Percy couldn't afford to owe anything to his father. Especially when it came to get bailed out of jail.

"But at what cost? I'm not quitting my passion. I'd rather miss the international circuit this year than to accept your help."

The state officer looked between the two. "There is clear animosity between the two of you."

"I'm taking my son and leaving, Officer."

"No, he is not. I'm sure you called the feds, and they will straighten things out," Percy snapped. "I would rather go to jail than to allow him to take me! I don't care if you charge me as a terrorist. I will not be taking whatever deal my father cut with you."

"Perseus, be reasonable, you know what you are destined for."

"Yeah, a gold medal at the Olympics. Nationals in two days. I'm a skater, not a soldier. I did what you needed me to, now let me live my fucking life!"

Poseidon left the room in a huff, nearly knocking over Yakov as he did so. Yakov managed to catch a murmur from the man who looked shockingly like his student.

"If only my son would see what he's truly meant for. Skating, why figure skating?"

FBI agents entered the room the man left not long after. There was a bit of shouting between the state police and the FBI agents. He could see Percy with his head in his hands through the glass. He looked tired, so much older than his seventeen years, however he didn't seem scared, more annoyed. Yakov hoped he was wrong, but he had a feeling that this was not the first time Percy had been in this kind of position with law enforcement.

There was a bit more arguing before one of the FBI agents leaned over and uncuffed him from the table. The agent gave him a quick hug. They seemed familiar but not friends. Yakov would later find out they were distant cousins.

"Can we leave now?" Percy asked. Yakov could do little more than nod. This day had been too exhausting already.

"I'm going to kill your father." Yakov directed at him when he picked Percy up from the State Police holding facility in the center of the city. Percy had his hair down past his shoulder, the police clearly taken his hair tie from him for some reason. His ornate hairclip was clutched in his hand like a lifeline. The boy was the tensest he had ever seen him. They were speaking in Russian, it seemed easier at the moment. "I cannot believe he wanted to you to quit just for him to bail you out of jail."

"Let's just go. I have a competition to slaughter. I don't want to talk about my bastard of a father right now."

Yakov met Percy's father, and he understood much more about the boy in a few minutes than he had in years. This was a conversation they were having regardless of what Percy wanted.

"He was really going to make you miss nationals to clear your name?" Yakov asked. "What kind of-."

"My father, Yakov. He's been trying to get me to quit since I was twelve. Thank the gods that the FBI came in when they did to explain the whole kidnapped and dragged across country thing when I was twelve, and that I wasn't responsible for blowing up a US national monument. I was cleared of that charge a long time ago."

"Percy, what is going on?"

"I'm a demigod. The son of a Greek god. Which meant I had a fucking prophecy hanging over my head for the last few years. I was supposed to die, but I didn't. I am supposed to be fighting in another stupid war between my relatives, but I refused and now my father is doing anything possible to make me come back. I wouldn't be surprised if he had hand in this shit show."

That was a lie. St. Louis was the issue. Fucking St. Louis was the issue with this.

"What are you talking about? Percy this is madness!"

He gave a sigh and opened the hairclip. It extended into a bronze sword with Greek letters etched into the side. It almost glowed.

"If it was madness, then how do you explain this?"

"I don't. I don't know what to make of all of this."

"I never wanted to tell you. It's so much easier to keep my lives separate. I just want to skate and kick the asses of my competitors."

"It's hard to believe all of this, especially when you just got arrested for terrorism."

"Are you mad?"

"A bit. You should have told me, I might've gone a bit easier on you when you came back after that terrifying phone call last summer." Yakov drove in silence for a few moments as Percy finally slid his hairclip back into his hair. "This conversation is not over, but I will let up for now. I need to deal with the press over all this, and you need to skate until your feet fall off."

Percy gave as much of a smile as he could manage. Fucking St. Louis.

Hi! I love St. Louis but this seemed like a decent idea for a shitty chapter. Hope you enjoyed!