" tell me i'm still innocent
even with the blood on my hands
of those who died before me
of those who died for me
and of the monsters that
thought they'd get the best of me "

SHADOWS CREEP UP THE WALLS, the pitch-black bedroom would have been completely silent if not for the bustling city of New York below, and their hurried breaths filling the tense air. Darkness surrounds two people in an excruciatingly tight embrace that is neither comforting nor terrifying. Sally Jackson sits on the floor with eight-year-old Myrlande Grayson Jackson shaking in her arms. Tears brim at the edges of her eyes, but Sally refuses to let them fall. Bruises began to flare with violent colors on her cheekbone, he had hit her again, and in front of Grayson this time. She could only sigh in relief that Percy was far from the carnage his stepfather brought. That was the only relief Sally Jackson had though, her daughter had been caught in the same wrath her husband had, before that night, only brought upon her.

Grayson huddled closer to her mom's chest, fear in her every breath. Pain and panic had forced her eyes shut, but she wanted them wide open because all she could see was it happening over and over again. The stench of alcohol lingers over her. His handprint blooms in varying shades of red and pink across her cheek and her eye begins to swell, raging at the strike. Stuck in the moment...

        
CRIMSON HAS DRIED ON TO GRAYSON'S FOREHEAD, but that is no different from the rest of the kids around her. Kids, that's all they should've been, not soldiers. Not go-betweens for monsters and gods. Not the only thing separating their parents from the fates.

So many dead, again. The second war of her life and she hasn't even turned seventeen yet. Every damn star lining up in that frustrating order that screams over and over and over again that she hasn't fought her last fight yet, oh and her heart aches in a wish left unspoken. Sharp pains burst in her chest again, wounds left untreated from the war raging against her decision to wait for everyone else to be cared for first.

He could see her, eyes glazing over as though she was lost.

"Percy is alive, Grayson. He and Annabeth and everyone else are fine."

"He can't say that!" the voices in her head shout, making her flinch at the sounds and jumping tenser than before. Looking up at the amber eyes of the son of the war god, Grayson challenges him. "Not everyone's alive, Damian," but the way her voice breaks as she says it makes his heart twist.

"I know," he whispers sitting beside her, he presses the canteen of ambrosia into her hands. (Will had found him while he was getting one of his worse wounds wrapped and ordered him to get her to drink or eat anything. The whole camp knows that Grayson and her brother are two of the best, but that means they act like they have to put themselves in harm's way more often than not and that leads to more injuries.) Damian places his arm around her and he pulls her closer, blushing as her head falls against him because she's just that exhausted.

Blue chocolate chip cookies, the sweet drink of the gods has never tasted like anything else for Grayson, but right now she doesn't want to be reminded of home and how she can't run straight to her mom. Clouded ocean-blue eyes flutter from exhaustion, looking as though a hurricane is on the horizon of her mind. Grayson has faced death too many times too recently to care that she's lying on her best friend's chest. All she wants to do is go home, back to her mom's open arms that'll hold her tight like after every battle. She knows Sally will fuss about the tattoo on her bicep, but she also knows her mom will sleep with her to make sure the nightmares aren't as bad as always; and that Paul will sleep nearby Percy so neither have to worry about her barely older big brother.
       
Grayson is absolutely terrified of thinking about anything outside of this moment. Of moving away from laying on her best friend, who still isn't used to her hugging him. Or moving ahead with the funerals. Yet Grayson is also terrified of thinking about what is to come, and it's coming sooner than she wants as light embraces her as she fades up to Mount Olympus...

༄ MYRLANDE GRAYSON JACKSON ༄
water girl — daughter of sea

portrayed by — india eisley
༄ WAY-WARD WARRIOR ༄

❍ PERSEUS PERCY JACKSON ❍
son of sea — seaweed brain

portrayed by — logan lerman
❍ SARCASTIC VETERAN ❍

➪ DAMIAN COLLINS ➪
hot head — son of war

portrayed by — collin ford
➪ BRAZEN FIGHTER ➪

༄ ANNABETH CHASE ༄
wise girl — daughter of wisdom

portrayed by — china anne mcclain
༄ STRATEGIC SOLDIER ༄

featuring

❍ THE FAMILY ❍

sally jackson:: virginia kull
poseidon:: richard madden
paul 'blowfish' blofis:: rami malik
tyson:: noah munck
grover underwood:: suraj sharma

➪ THE SEVEN ➪

jason grace:: froy gutierrez
piper mclean:: devery jacobs
frank zhang:: ki hong lee
hazel levesque:: lovie simone
leo valdez:: inaki godoy

༄ THE FRIENDS ༄

nico di angelo:: david mazouz
thalia grace:: kaya scodelario
will solace:: william moseley
clarisse la rue:: dior goodjohn
reyna ramírez-arellano:: lindsey morgan

❍ THE AVENGERS ❍

tony stark — iron man
steve rogers — captain america
natasha romanoff — black widow
clint barton — hawkeye
bruce banner — hulk
thor — thor
loki — loki
peter parker — spiderman
bucky barnes — white wolf
sam wilson — falcon

and many more: all as whomever you prefer

AUTHOR'S NOTE

NOTES — I have so many issues and having too many plots is one of them. Avenging Souls just happens to be another one of my happy-but not happy ideas that lives free rent in my head!!

Grayson has had many first names, but Myrlande has to be one of my favorites!! She's definitely not a female copy of Percy, she has her own tragic experiences and life as a halfblood (although the two are extremely sarcastic and traumatized). I'm so excited for y'all to not only truly meet Grayson, but for us to get into the story and the alternative universe I've designed!!

Important note that Grayson and Damian are currently best friends. Their relationship will seem odd bc we know that Ares and Poseidon's kids have never gotten along (almost like Poseidon and Athena, lmao does my godly father have issues or what?). However daydreaming about them makes my heart flutter

Percy and Grayson have a SUPER SUPER tight bond, and so do Grayson and Sally!! Grayson spent more time at camp than on quests so Grayson is closer, in an intimate/family way, with everyone at camp more so than Percy.  ALSO Grayson and Poseidon's relationship is so cute y'all he really does things right with her, but I'm trying not to spoil this lmao. (I'm also not talking about the Avengers part in this fic in fear of spoiling anything!!)

The most important thing I can say about this fic is that Percy and Grayson are not one and the same. They go on different journeys, experience different things, see things differently, and have different relationships with different people.

CAST — the cast is based off of the show, the movies, and the books in a mix that I decided upon. it is also fancasted to be older and keeping most characters at about the ages of 16-19. and tbh they're all as sexc as the characters their portraying<33 the entire featured cast was a big-brain fever dream from my brain and Nola's genius (hecatespells)
I, obviously, have not specifically put out a cast for the entirety of the Avengers bc I don't even want to struggle with that, feel free to picture them as whoever you like!!

GRAPHICS — all gifs and mood boards in this chapter were made by me and ARE THEREFORE MINE SO NO NO NO NO STEALING!! Except for that beautiful sign off by girlofstarlight

DISCLAIMER — The Percy Jackson and The Heroes of Olympus series are owned by Rick Riordan and the Avengers are owned by Marvel-Disney. However all unfamiliar dialogue, plots, and characters are mine. Grayson and Damian are strictly my ocs and I will hurt anyone who tries to take my children.

ALSO — this book is an AU, meaning alternate universe. Not only is it an AU, but Avenging Souls is a crossover meaning that most if not all of the plot and dialogue in this book belongs to me  (I MADE ALL THIS UP on the basis of merging two fandoms and making them what I WANT and so it is all mine.)

WARNINGS — this book will contain foul language, child abuse, mental illnesses, anxiety, depression, fighting/war, blood, dead bodies, character death, abuse, and possibly more. this book has been titled Avenging Souls for a multitude of reasons. please be wary of your mental health / if any of this could badly effect you. please also be warned that sadness, fluff, and cringe may occur.

HOPE Y'ALL ARE EXCITED!! ILY ALL SM!!

started: May 22, 2021
revised: January 26, 2024
ended: tbd

DEDICATIONS

to all my besties — thank y'all for the never ending support, excitement, and love!! I love all of y'all so much❤️!!
girlofstarlight  hecatespells

— and to everyone else so excited to support this book!! thank y'all for keeping me going and sending love, ily all so much❤️!!
Loki-the-Trickster 1-800-WINTERSXLDIER
-chxos-magic -NIKIZONE