Everything was so different in the city. From the way the people walked to how they spoke, it was far too intimidating and fascinating to the little boy. He'd only heard wild descriptions from the hunters which were sometimes out of date, but seeing the culture and hustling of society in person hit him differently.

One moment there was a baby crying and then there was a old man smoking a cigar. The heavy scent of the smoke overlapped with the thick smell of milk which made his dizzy. A sock was randomly lying on the street and a little wildflower was somehow growing through a crack in the cement. It was absolutely mind boggling.

As agile as he was, he managed to bump into at least 3 people, receiving mumbled curses as well as apologies. He was sure that even if he stood still, he would still dash into the city folk. 

His uncertain gaze followed several people and objects but little did he know that even more eyes were trailing behind him.

Even with the mist shrouding the bulge of his knives, he looked like an oddity. The baggy clothes and wavy hair made him look as androgynous as he could be, and his pretty face left nosy people questioning his gender. He walked as if there was no ground, a graceful action which seemed clumsy when he tripped and stumbled often. He hands were constantly moving, twisting a glittering ring on his tiny finger. 

He jittered about, watching commonplace things as if they were new inventions and when an accidental eye-contact would be made, his unnaturally bright eyes would make people gasp a little. He seemed just as innocence as he looked intense, making children older than him look younger and yet making elder citizens want to pamper him.  

For some reason, he was revolving around a fountain, looking at the sun, squinting and shifting again. He worried people, but something about him prevented people from drawing near and asking. The dignity he emitted also prevented angry old ladies demanding he be removed. 

Within minutes, the area was cleared, leaving just the fountain and child. He looked homeless and yet had a piece of expensive-looking jewelry which he was continuously touching. Such observations allowed everyone to reach a very logical conclusion.

Branded as a thief, people scattered, fearing the weird child and the loud croaking of the unnaturally big crow hovering above them. It's beady blue eyes seemed to pierce them physically. 

Meanwhile, Percy was blissfully unaware of the misconceptions labeled to him. All he was thinking about was finding a temporary shelter close to water and plants. 

The fountain was as tall as a cyclops and had sharp edges and design, a stark contrast to the constructions of nature. Fortunately, it sprouted clear, clean water while pretty plants with delicate stems were planted around it. There was also large advertisements which blocked the sun, effectively shielding him from the scorching heat and keeping him away from Apollo's watchful eyes. He was aware that in reality it would do barely anything, but he convinced himself otherwise for his peace of mind. 

After he secured a little 'base' he took care of his next priority, Iris- messaging the hunters. He made sure to toss in an extra coin for Iris's silence and once he was done politely refusing her offers for 'special' cupcakes, he assured the hunters of his safety and delay. After some lovely threats of concerns, he was free. He waved his hand, ending the call. 

Even though his decision was completely unplanned, his mind pieced together his next steps promptly. He crouched down low, hiding in the shadows of the fountain while he sorted his thoughts. He'd eaten more sun than he would in weeks and now the heat was making it hard for him to think.
He was going to try a thing called 'busking'.

He'd learnt about it when he'd expressed his liking to singing before and a hunter had make a offhand comment saying that he could easily earn a living busking. His curiosity was answered later. It was the art of performing live on the streets, whether it be singing or playing instruments for entertainment where people gave voluntary donations.

He needed money for the duration of his stay in the city and this was the idea which seemed the most logical and possible for him. It would also give him a chance to sing to his hearts content as well as see the results. For a performer, having an audience was very valuable. 

Just thinking about got his blood boiling. His leg started shaking and his eyes gleamed. He was so damn excited. He got up and called Keria down, allowing her to land on his arm. He snapped his fingers, twisting the mist around her. Since a raven wasn't from the mythical world, the mist refused to hide her, only camouflaging her bronze talons. Percy then made it so that she would appear as a smaller, prettier bird. 

And in an instant, the fierce hunter turned into a pet. Her size shrunk until she was no larger than his hands, and her sleek feathers tailored for speed turned to fluffy cotton candy. Her beak could no longer gouge out eyes and even when she was angry, all that came out were gentle chirps.

Thankfully, she stopped fussing after a while but it was long enough for Percy to feel grateful for the leather covering around his arm. Even though the mist changed her appearance, it was only for foreign eyes. She was still the same to him, and so were her sharp nails digging into his arm.

She hated the visual degradation but at the same time, she didn't want to leave Percy alone like she usually would. It was a new world for  him and his instilled defense mechanism played no role here. If things got bad, at least she would be close to use her gleaming talons, or so her pride spoke.

As for Percy, he just thought that having a pretty bird would attract more attention and hence, more money.

*A/N*

I'm so sorry for the delay... I promise I'll try to update as soon as I can moving forward!