✩ ━━━ chapter ten, marutsuke. ❝Kindness is like building blocks. It can pile up high but it will become unstable,❞

LORD HYPNOS SCOUTED THE SKY. With his enormous wings, he traveled the length of Long Island Sound and Ellis Island at once. The half-bloods waited for his return anxiously. Using Daedalus's shield, they had seen the dozen speed boats filled demigods and monsters' alike moments from arriving. When the god returned to land, he explained. "All the mortals in the city of Manhattan have fallen asleep. Kronos is slowing down time; with the help of Hecate's magic, those outside a certain perimeter will subconsciously avoid the war."

Annabeth nodded. "We shouldn't expect any help coming in."

Hypnos agreed, thinly-veiled suspension in his radiant eyes. "Yes, or any mortal casualties."

The god of sleep glanced at Percy, not at all discreet. Annabeth narrowed her eyes; she tilted her head questionably, but he waved her away. He looked at the loyal campers, anticipating for his guidance—Forty campers and a minor god versus an army of three hundred, numerous titans and a legion of monsters didn't make an obvious victory. But like the god implied, maybe—hopefully—they have the oversight of Hiroki Matsuoka, an army on his own.

"All right," Percy decided. "We're going to hold Manhattan."

Silena tugged at her armor. "Um, Percy, Manhattan is huge."

"We are going to hold it," Percy repeated. "We have to."

To live long and unfulfilled, or to die in glory and honor, he heard Micah's cruel voice. Then, he thought of Hiroki whispering against Percy's lips, Let's have a night where it's just us and the stars. They are the same person—Percy's only love; because he knows their souls are one and no force, divine and else, can keep them apart.

"All right, enough!" Percy ordered the campers. "The Holland Tunnel. Jake, take the Hephaestus cabin there. Use Greek fire, set traps. Whatever you've got."

Jake Mason grinned, and the whole cabin roared in approval. "Gladly. We've got a score to settle—for Beckendorf!"

That's when Annabeth cried out, "Thalia!"

Percy looked across Fifth Avenue, where a group of thirty Hunters marched towards them; the punk-rock daughter of Zeus, Thalia, led them proudly. Percy smiled at the white timber wolves and the screeches of their hunting falcons felt like a triumph.

"The Hunters of Artemis, reporting for duty," Thalia smirked wickedly.

"Thalia Grace, maidens," Lord Hypnos acknowledge when the Hunters bowed to him. Annabeth and Percy explained the situation to her, as well as the location of each half-blood; she agreed to cover the Lincoln Tunnel and after a promise of cheeseburgers and fries, set out. She grinned one last time. "Those monsters won't know what hit them. Hunters, move out!"

Hypnos watched them with ancient eyes, leaving against a wooden staff that dripped water from the river Lethe. He let out a hum and a gust of golden glitter escaped his mouth. Slowly, a worn smile blossomed across the god's face. Tired yet comforting, the promise of a fulfilling rest in his posture. At that moment, the god of sleep looked like the personification of sunlight and hope.

With a gentle voice, full of warmth and care for each person present, Hypnos declared. "For Olympus, and for those whom we love."

Everyone roared in agreement.

After the campers left, Annabeth faced the god. "Lord Hypnos, Percy and I will initiate plan twenty-three."

"I'll guard Olympus, then." Hypnos nodded. His eyes focused on Percy. Hesitant, he asked. "Percy, I know I've asked too much of you, but if you could, please..."

Percy agreed quickly. It's the least he could do for the god. After the Oneiroi charmed the ten-million or so New Yorkers to sleep, Hypnos gained a melancholic air. He wished it would disappear soon.

The god continued, "I would like you to check on Hisa and Naoki."

Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed. "Lord Hypnos, I don't think we have time to—"

"We'll do it," Percy interrupted her. After getting the address from the god, he disappeared with a flap of his wings.

Annabeth hissed at him; her turbulent eyes thundered with dismayed. "You can't serious, Percy! Are we really going to check on the traitor's family? Did you slip and hit your head when you went to bathe in the Styx?"

Percy asked. "How do you know it is Micah's family?"

"It's obvious—Lord Hypnos doesn't care about anyone outside his family," Annabeth retorted. "And I figured if Micah faked your entire relationship, then he could've easily lied about having a family, too."

Percy scowled. "Uh-huh, how obvious."

The two continued down Broadway in a borrowed Vespa scooter they had picked up from the side of the street. Percy stopped in the front of a building between Broadway and 8th Avenue, a small metal sign sprouting above the front door with the Marutsuke written in gold. Through the large windows, Percy saw dozens of instruments propped on display—acoustic, archtops, electric, used and vintage and custom-built. Even Annabeth fell in awe at the sight of so many instruments in one place.

Percy said, "Lord Hypnos said Micah's brother and his mom live in inside the shop. How do we get in without breaking the windows?"

Annabeth hesitated. "I don't know; it might be unlocked because of the time, but don't go in yet. It might be a trap. But Percy, we should really go wake up the automatons—"

Just as she said that a loud thump came from the inside of the store. Percy weighted his options and handed the scooter to Annabeth. "You're right. Go," he told her. "I'll head off to the East River afterward. We can't waste any more time,"

"You shouldn't go alone," Annabeth said.

"Well, you don't like Micah." Percy reminded her. "And for the East River, unless you can breathe underwater..."

She sighed. "You are so annoying sometimes."

Percy grinned at her and she sped away.

When he swept his eyes over the storefront again in hopes of finding a way in without damaging the property, he noticed it right away; A large printed picture of a grinning kid, deteriorated and colors faded from the sunlight, the words 'HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?' in bold above it.

It was Hiroki. With ink-black hair cut unevenly and parted to the side, eyes were hidden with the force of his smile and the baby fat of his cheeks proudly showing as he displayed off the gap in his teeth to whoever was taking the picture. Percy swallowed as he read.

HIKORI MATSUOKA, EIGHT-YEARS-OLD; Missing since 1999. If seen, please contact us.

Ten years. A decade of a child without his family. Ten years of working for the cruelest people Percy can think of. Ten years of a father watching from the sidelines, unable to do much without getting struck down by the Olympians. He tried to imagine being eight-years-old and separating from his mother. The thought alone made his eyes burn. Then, he thought of doing it willingly because nobody else was willing to fix the world, and it made him want to break something or a preferably, a bunch of godly someones.

"What an idiot," Percy mumbled to himself, thinking of his striking Micah and his naïve Hiroki.

He willed his tears away and forced his gaze away from the missing poster. Then he spotted something else—out of the corner of his eye, he noted one of the guitars near the front door had moved.

Percy figured why not. Why would it be a trap? Even if it is, he'll test his luck with the curse of Achilles.

He placed a hand on the glass door and pulled the door. It opened. He stepped inside the music store, looking around for the sleeping bodies of the Matsuoka family.

The store felt eerie without the presence of other people, but it might just be Percy's nerves due to the war. He ventured further in, strumming the strings of a polar white electric bass out of curiosity. Near the cash register sat a stack of papers. More missing posters with Hiroki's face for customers to pick up, along with several framed childhood pictures and those strange age progression models that are supposed to estimate how the person might look. None of them quite captured Micah's permanent look of superiority, but it did get a sense of the wariness of his smiles.

Percy picked up a frame pictured of eight-year-old Hiroki. "I guess you were never comfortable with your own happiness," he told the picture.

That's when a guitar was smashed on his head.

"Ouch!" Percy said purely out of reflex as the guitar was obliterated to dust. Calmly, he put the picture back down.

Percy turned to see a dude with mid-length curly hair and wide panicked eyes staring at the guitar neck he still grasped. He asked, "Are you—"

The dude screamed, nostrils flaring as he tried to get away.

"Not the Eastman T64!" Cried the slender woman who had hidden behind him, smacking her son's shoulder with a devasted expression.

Undoubtedly, she is the one who softened Hypnos's hard cuts and sharp lines in Hiroki's features: Hisa Matsuoka. From the god of sleep's story, he had expected a quiet and dainty woman, but Hisa seemed anything but—there's a certain ferocity in her delicate features.

Percy, for some reason, suddenly felt very very nervous.

"We're in the middle of an invasion!" Percy blurted out. "Lord Hypnos sent me to check on you!"

"Huh?" Naoki gawked. "Dad sent you—? Wait, back up! An invasion? You mean aliens?"

Naoki didn't resemble Hiroki—his eyes are much bigger, his nose is narrower than his younger brother's, face longer and cheekbones not as prominent—but next to his mother, he could see faint traces of similarity around the mouth. Percy hadn't expected the brothers to look alike. Hiroki took after his godly heritage the same way Percy was the split image of Poseidon.

"At this point," Percy cleared his throat, trying to hide the way his palms were getting sweaty. "I wish it was aliens."

Hisa hushed her son. "Is Hypnos alright? He usually comes himself,"

"Uh, yes—He is alright, I mean. He's defending Mount Olympus."

"The crybaby hasn't run off to his mother yet? It must be important, then." Hisa looked shocked. "Who are you? What is happening? We heard a lot of commotion outside so we hid inside."

"I'm Percy Jackson," He introduced himself. He tried to recall who the god's mother is, and Hiroki's overall family line, but found it extremely difficult to think. Even his mother's name escaped him.

Naoki looked him up and down. "Percy Jackson who?"

The stress must've messed up how the nerve cells in his brain transmit that information or something like that because instead of saying I'm the son of Poseidon like he has done a thousand times before, the words that forced their way out of his mouth were; "I'm Hiroki's boyfriend."

Hisa gasped, covering her mouth.

Percy freaked out, trying to take the words back. "Wait, wait, that's not—We never actually got together. He is—" He didn't finish explaining before Naoki landed a solid punch on his jaw, which probably hurt him more going off the man's shouting.

With a trail of blood rushing down his chin—less so from the punch and more from biting down on his tongue—Percy decided all the horror stories about meeting the in-laws are all true.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 ! ! !

Short chapter because I wanted to introduce Naoki and Hisa as fast as possible lol

Also, curse of Achilles!Percy is sexy and I want to keep it around for a while? i headcanon he can bleed from self-inflicted wounds and overexertion (hint hint) . side note: naoki is played by wong kun-hang aka hendery from wayv and hisa by zhang jing tong. they just have japanese names because they grew up in Japan lol

next chapter should be out Thursday or Wednesday

Please comment and vote! Until next time!