Chapter Text
For a brief moment, Apollo closed his eyes and let himself feel the sun. Let the heat consume him as the bond was restored. Let the flames tickle at his fingertips as he became aware of his glowing skin. He had to be given his other domains, or take them by force, but the sun had waited for his return and greeted him like an old friend. If it weren’t for Phthisis sniveling before him, Apollo would’ve taken more time to just bask in the warmth of his first domain. He refocused on Phthisis, eyes hard and jaw set.
“Now, there,” Phthisis said, raising his hands placatingly, “why don’t we discuss this like civilized Greeks? No need for violence, right?”
“Wrong,” he said, and released an arrow. Phthisis hissed as the arrow skimmed his cheek, whooshing past his ear. Incredulous eyes zeroed in on Apollo, and the decaying immortal creaked a laugh.
“You missed?” Phthisis wheezed, “you? Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Riddle me this, oh bright one, what was that supposed to do? You’ve already tried shooting me with those little sticks of yours, and they did nothing. Have you really run out of ideas? Pathetic.”
“Nothing?” Apollo asked, feigning confusion, “Are you sure?”
Phthisis paused and slowly raised a hand to his cheek, fingers lightly touching where the arrow had cut into his skin. Where once there was a gash, now the only evidence of injury was the lingering ichor left behind on his cheek. The god’s eyes widened, and his shocked gaze flickered to Apollo, his face shuttering between emotions. Disbelief, anger, arrogance, and finally, fear. The old immortal looked at his ichor-stained fingers and felt fear.
“What did you do?” Phthisis croaked, taking a step back. His eyes were fixed on Apollo.
“I’ve healed you,” Apollo clapped, voice joyous but eyes hard, “it’s a miracle. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“That shouldn’t be possible!” he shrieked, “You shouldn’t have been able to do that! I’m the god of rot and decay,” he said, raising a finger at Apollo, “I don’t heal, I just am.”
“And yet,” Apollo shrugged. Quicker than a blink he notched another arrow and aimed it at Phthisis’s abdomen, the immortal gave a surprised grunt and doubled over, clutching at his stomach, fear seeping out of him in sync with the ichor oozing. He gasped and clung to the arrow, holding it in place, attempting to stop the bleeding but the skin stitched up by itself. Healed in a matter of seconds. Before he had a chance to think, another arrow pierced his clavicle, commanding a scream from his throat.
Desperate eyes scanned the scene. “Calypso!” The god of rot said, swiveling his head in her direction and wincing as the shattered clavicle jostled, “Calypso, baby, how about we just put this whole thing behind us, hm? Let me go, how does that sound?”
“You’re looking a little green there, Phthisis,” Calypso cooed with fake concern, “everything alright?”
The hope slipped off Phthisis’s face and morphed into panic. He noticed Percy on the ground and tried to go over to the hero, petition for leniency, but another of Apollo’s arrows sliced clean through his calf before he could make it.
“Don’t you fucking dare go anywhere near him,” he seethed, eyes going gold, “you don’t deserve his kindness, you don’t even deserve his pity. If he were conscious, he’d probably petition for mercy, but unfortunately, he can’t make that call right now because of you!” Fury like never before overtook Apollo and he threw arrow after arrow at Phthisis. Each cry from the rotting being felt like a hymn to Apollo, and dark pleasure crept into him. He was Phoebus Apollon, just as feared as he was beloved, and it was time to put some respect back on his name.
He grinned down at the mewling mess on the ground and prepared to notch another arrow. Phthisis laid, curled in a fetal position, bleeding out into the sand. His strangled breaths perfectly timed with Apollo’s exhilarated ones.
“Please,” Phthisis whimpered, “please stop. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please.”
“Sorry?” Apollo asked, cocking his head, “What exactly are you sorry for?”
“I shouldn’t have underestimated you, I shouldn’t have had so much hubris, I’m sorry my Lord, please, please show mercy,” he cried.
“Mercy, you say?” Apollo mused. He looked at the arrow in his hand and snapped it in half. The decaying god breathed out in relief, praises on his lips when suddenly Apollo straddled his waist and leaned close into his ear.
“You apologized for the wrong thing.”
Clutched like a knife in his hands, Apollo took the half of the arrow with the arrowhead and stabbed it into Phthisis’s throat. The old god gurgled as he choked on his own ichor and his eyes widened in panic and fear, watching Apollo lean in once more. “You don’t deserve mercy,” Apollo whispered, “you would’ve watched with glee as Perseus died, so I will do the same for you.”
Apollo heard Calypso gasp behind him, a soft “oh!” leaving her lips. Had he disgusted her? Did she fear him now? Would she tell Perseus of how vindictive a god he was? He turned to face her, an apology on his lips when he finally noticed what had surprised her.
Phthisis’s legs were fading.
Apollo stood quickly, watching in fascinated detachment as the god began to fade. His body dissolving, not unlike it had before, but this time with a sense of finality. Apollo looked at his hands, his knuckles were still white from how hard he gripped the makeshift knife, but the rest of his hands were splattered gold. Gold from the ichor of the immortal that he’d just killed.
He glanced at Calypso, finding her already looking at him, an odd expression on her face.
She let out a low whistle. “Damn,” she said.
He watched her cautiously.
She shook her head and snapped out of her reverie. “Alright, fine, you win,” she conceded, sighing, “Percy’s yours.”
**
The first thing Percy did when he woke up again was groan and shut his eyes. After a year of no sunlight, the first rays shining on his face nearly took him out.
“What happened?” he rasped out, wincing a little at how dry his throat felt. Eyes still shut, he mostly heard the telltale rustle of Calypso’s dress as she made her way towards him, Apollo’s normally strong steps were more subdued as they trailed behind her.
She held a cup to his lips and lifted his head. “Here,” she murmured, “drink this. Some water will do you good.” He tried squinting up at her and gave her a grateful smile, letting the cool liquid sooth his throat. She wiped away the small drops that escaped down the side of his lips, never once losing any patience.
“What happened?” he asked again, eyes flickering between the two. A pause. He grew uneasy at their silence. “What? What aren’t you telling me?” Percy noted Apollo shift a little, and bit back a groan of frustration. “You guys aren’t making me feel any better by not telling me,” he said, annoyance lacing his voice, “if anything, I’m much more concerned.”
“Percy…” Calypso began.
“What do you remember?” Apollo interrupted, speaking for the first time.
“What?”
“What do you remember, Perseus? Last thing you can think of.”
“We were sparring, I think,” Percy said slowly, tasting how the words felt. He was remembering warm embers and a warm body pressed against his own, “no,” he said, shaking his head, “you were teaching me archery.” Green eyes glanced up at the blonde, letting out a small breath when he saw Apollo nod.
“Go on,” Apollo prodded.
Percy shut his eyes, willing the memories forwards. “You called me babe,” he smiled, eyes still shut.
“I did,” he heard Apollo whisper.
His body felt tingly with the memory, a pleasant buzz pulsing through him. Babe, he remembered, darling and sweetheart. Sweetheart. He remembered he really liked that one. He liked that Apollo had given him a nickname. But the tender memory had a tinge of sour. He remembered a smell. A man with a stench a mile long. Dust and decay.
“Shit!”
“There it is,” commented Calypso.
“Fuck!”
“Yeah,” she agreed.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope,” she popped.
“Was I really KO’d by bad breath?” At Apollo’s slight grimace, Percy huffed out. “Well, that’s embarrassing.”
“This isn’t a joke, Perseus,” Apollo said, eyes glinting, “you could’ve died. You basically did die, do you understand that? I just,” he swallowed, “I could’ve lost you. And you- you’re the one good thing that’s happened to me. Turning into a statue, being forgotten, losing my domains- all worth it because I got to find you. And then you go and almost die.” Apollo ran his hands over his face, trying to wipe away the exhaustion of the last couple of hours.
“But I didn’t,” Percy reminded him gently, pushing himself off of the ground. With unsteady legs, he made his way over to the god, and lightly took Apollo’s hands in his own. “You saved me, didn’t you? Look at me, please, Apollo,” Percy pleaded. Blue met green. “Thank you,” Percy said earnestly.
“You saved me first,” Apollo mumbled.
Percy leaned up and kissed the corner of Apollo’s mouth, then lightly kissed Apollo’s lips. “It’s not a competition, love.”
“Can I go now?” Calypso asked, “not that I need permission, because this is my island, but, you know. Felt like being polite.”
“Sorry,” Percy said, scratching the back of his neck. “So,” he cleared his throat, “what’s the move?”
“The move?” Apollo asked.
“Yeah, what do we do now? If Phthisis got away then he’ll definitely tell your father where you are,” Percy responded, “which means we really shouldn’t be lingering here.”
Calypso and Apollo locked eyes for a moment, having a silent conversation. Calypso gave Apollo a meaningful look and he shook his head. He glanced at Percy, waving when he caught Percy looking at them.
“You know,” Calypso finally said. Apollo looked at her warily. “Maybe I will just go. The weather is lovely, and a stroll sounds nice. I’ll be,” she waved her hand, “around. Bye!”
“Wait, no! Calypso!”
When Apollo turned around, Percy was looking at him expectantly. The blonde god sighed, his shoulders hunching in a bit. He walked over to a log and sat down, motioning for Percy to sit beside him. When he did, Apollo turned his body slightly, and looked Percy in the eyes.
“I don’t want you to think differently of me,” Apollo said.
“I won’t,” Percy replied.
“You might,” Apollo corrected.
Percy placed his hand on Apollo’s thigh and began rubbing small circles. “Maybe,” Percy conceded, “or maybe not. But we’ll never know if you don’t tell me.”
“I-” Apollo started, “I’m not a nice god, Perseus. Not always. I can be vengeful and proud, and I can hurt a lot of people without remorse.” Apollo spared a glance at Percy, but Percy stayed silent, watching him intensely. “I have hurt people without remorse. Phthisis,” he swallowed, “Phthisis won’t be an issue anymore. I made sure he wouldn’t be.”
“What did you do?”
“I killed him. Permanently.”
“But he’s immortal,” Percy said, confused, “you can’t kill an immortal. He’ll just reform in a couple of years.”
“Not this time,” Apollo said, “I made him fade.”
“Shit,” Percy breathed out, “that’s… wow.”
“I don’t regret it. He hurt you, Perseus. I don’t think I can bring myself to regret it, so don’t ask me to, but I can’t stand the thought of you thinking of me as a monster. Mercy is not always in my nature.”
“I know,” Percy said simply, a soft smile on his face, “I figured you’ve probably done things I wouldn’t like; all gods have.”
“You… knew?”
“A bit, yeah.” Percy said, “Remember when you were telling me about Achilles and Patroclus? It didn’t sound like your first time killing someone.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’m not sure if okay is the right word, but,” he sighed, “I trust you. I wouldn’t have left you with my mom and Paul if I thought you were a bad person.”
Apollo looked at Percy with awe and something else. He gently took Percy’s chin in one hand and placed the other behind Percy’s neck. Tilting his head up, he brought Percy in closer and kissed him slow and sweet. “I think I love you, Perseus Jackson,” Apollo murmured against Percy’s lips. Percy pulled back, shocked, his eyes scanning Apollo’s face, looking for any sign of a lie, but his blue eyes were sincere. Percy’s mouth formed into a crazy grin before he crashed his lips back into Apollo’s, deepening the kiss. He wasn’t sure if he could say it back, not yet, but each kiss felt like a promise, each moan sounded like their future, and despite being absolutely delirious with joy Percy felt clarity through the haze. Apollo was it for him.
**
The day Artemis came to visit was two days before the Solstice. It would be the last time the three would see each other until then. Artemis brought with her a circular table, parchment, charcoal, and figurines. It was very medieval but Percy kind of enjoyed the vibes.
“So will you finally tell us who our allies are?” Apollo asked, arms crossed. He was leaning forward, bent over the table and observing the figurines, trying to decipher who they represented. The lightning bolt was fairly easy to understand, the trident, too, but except for the other Olympians, Percy felt lost gazing at the dozens of pieces she brought.
Artemis shifted from her twelve-year-old self into an older version, matching Apollo’s late teen look. “We’ve got a couple. Mainly nature spirits,” she explained, “nymphs, naiads, dryads, surprisingly a lot of satyrs-”
“Wait, why surprisingly satyrs?” Percy interrupted, wincing a little under Artemis’ glare.
“Shelf that for later, yeah?” Apollo rushed. He motioned for Artemis to continue. She rolled her eyes but conceded.
“Our biggest allies are Poseidon, Demeter, Hades, Persephone, and Dionysus.”
“Wait, what?” Percy gaped, “how did you get them?”
“They’re gods associated with nature, Jackson. There is no spring without a change of seasons, and for that to happen there needs to be sunlight. Without the sun, Demeter has been struggling to support plant life and the harvests have been dwindling. Same with Dionysus. And Hades tagged along because of Persephone,” she continued.
“And because Demeter would never let him live it down if he stayed behind while Persephone fought,” Apollo joked, jabbing Percy’s side with his elbow, making Percy grin.
“Be that as it may,” she said, “what it means for us is that, including myself, we have five Olympians against the thunder bringer. These aren’t bad numbers in the slightest,” Artemis emphasized.
“Now add in the Muses, and Asclepius,” Percy started.
“We don’t know about Asclepius, Perseus,” Apollo interrupted, lowly.
“Actually, we do,” Artemis smiled, “he called upon me a few days ago in distress. Your son was beside himself thinking he led to your death by losing the domains. Give him a little more credit, brother, he still adores you.”
Percy smiled at Apollo, then turned to Artemis. “Can we count on the Hunters to join us?” he asked. He noticed Artemis’s face shutter, switching between emotions faster than he could begin to process.
“I am… hesitant to involve them in this,” she said carefully, words slow and picked out. “I’ve already lost one hunter to this mess, and I’m not entirely sure if I want to bring anyone else into this.”
Percy nodded. “Will Thalia be there? Given that she’s a demigod who's been on a quest? Or is she exempt because she’s a hunter?”
“My lieutenant will be in attendance, yes,” Artemis replied in a clipped tone, the slight twitch of her hands giving her way.
“I know it’s not my place,” he started, “but even if you don’t tell her everything, you should still let her know that something will be going on. She doesn’t deserve to be caught unaware. Give her the option of joining us, Lady Artemis, she probably already knows something’s up anyway. Thalia’s perceptive like that.”
Artemis looked conflicted, switching between being sixteen, twelve, fourteen, and twenty. She settled on eight years old. Apollo went to her and picked her up. She grumbled but didn’t protest beyond that. “It’s just…” she paused, “you were gone, little brother,” she whispered, “you were gone, and they were all I had left. And mortals are so fragile. So prone to dying. I can’t lose them, any of them. They’re my family.” She cleared her throat a bit, “if it comes down to it, if we really need reinforcements, I shall call upon them, but I will fight until the brink of death before making that decision. I can’t be alone again, I just, I-”
Apollo pressed her closer and whispered assurances to her. Her little arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and she buried her face in the junction of his shoulder. He kissed the side of her head and looked imploringly to Percy. “I’m here, Artie, I’m here. I’ll never leave you again.”
“You can’t promise that,” she mumbled.
“I can,” he promised anyway.
Cautiously, Percy approached the celestial pair of twins. “My Lady,” he said in a low tone, “I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety, not even my own, but Thalia adores you and would want to fight by your side. Let it be her choice,” he implored. “Plus, I have it on good authority that she’s got a bone to pick with her dad over all those years he left her as a tree. Leaves you feeling kind of annoyed, or so I’ve heard.” Percy smirked a little. By the entrance of the tent, Percy heard Calypso smack her hand against her forehead.
“Was that supposed to be a joke, Jackson?” Artemis asked eyebrow raised, completely unamused.
Percy coughed. “No, ma’am.”
“That’s what I thought,” she replied, then jumped out of Apollo’s arms, landing as her seventeen-year-old self. Over her shoulder, Apollo threw him two thumbs up mouthing something like ‘good job.’ Artemis walked back over to the planning board with Percy and Apollo lingering behind, Percy a bit sheepish.
“I thought it was funny,” Apollo whispered.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he said, “Artie just needs to branch out more.”
Percy looked up at Apollo’s completely serious face and snorted, causing Apollo to break and laugh, too. Artemis glared at them from the board, “Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Leto help us all.”
“Sorry, sis,” Apollo giggled before straightening up. “Continue please.”
“You sure?” she asked dryly, “I’m sure we have enough time to make jokes and flirt, it’s not like this is happening tomorrow or anything.”
Percy cleared his throat, “you’re right,” he apologized. Then he picked up the winged shoe piece, “what about the others?” he asked her, “is Hermes still staying neutral?”
Artemis sighed. “Last I checked it looked that way. He’s still not against us but continues to maintain neutrality. Aphrodite, too. I haven’t given her too many details, but I’ve hinted at enough that she got the memo. Her issue is Ares. He and Athena are still firmly on father’s side, as is Hera. Hephaestus is neutral until proven otherwise,” she explained, “he’s unwilling to act against his mother out of some misplaced hope that maybe she’ll love him one day. Poor bastard,” she shook her head, “the only one I don’t have a good read on is Aunt Hestia. She’s a true neutral. Not willing to pick any family member over another.”
“So, to recap,” Apollo started, “in terms of Olympians we have you, me -and yes, I’m counting myself-, Uncle P, Dionysus, and Demeter. With them come Hades and Persephone-”
“We love a power couple,” Percy nodded sagely.
“We do.” Apollo nodded before continuing, “Nature spirits, satyrs, my son, and the Muses. Am I missing anyone?”
“Me!” Calypso shouted from outside.
“And Calypso,” Apollo added. “Calypso, why don’t you just come inside?”
“Someone has to keep an eye on things out here,” she said, “and we all know you can’t take care of yourself.”
“True,” Artemis agreed, ignoring Apollo’s affronted squawk.
“So, what’s the actual plan? Walk in ready to fight or is there going to be a signal?” Percy asked.
“I’ve talked with your father about this,” Artemis assured, “he used to be Olympus’s prime strategist before our sister came along, and he said he’d give you a signal for when the best time would be to act. My brother will stay behind, as my father still believes him to be a statue. Your presence should hopefully be enough to throw him off his game long enough for us to take the upper hand. I will be fighting Ares, and Dionysus and Persephone will be taking Athena. Demeter will hold off Hera, and you, my brother, and the rest of the Big Three will take on His Royal Highness himself.”
“Can Mr. D and Persephone hold Athena?” Percy questioned.
Artemis nodded while Apollo responded. “You’d be surprised the things D can do, and Persephone isn’t just some spring goddess. She’s the Queen of the Underworld, she’s got more than a few tricks up her sleeve.”
Just then one of the knives on Artemis’s belt started glowing, and she cursed under her breath. “That’s Thalia,” she remarked, “I’ve got to go.” She packed away the board with all the pieces and lit it on fire, allowing for the paper to crinkle and the figures to melt into each other. The tent folded in on itself as soon as the three were outside. She turned to Apollo and Percy and crossed her arms; her face twitched a little until she relented and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. “Stay safe. If you die before tomorrow, I’ll fetch you from Uncle’s clutches and kill you myself.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Apollo quipped.
“Never mind, you can die.”
“Ha!” Percy laughed at Apollo, before stopping short at her deadpanned look.
“Boys,” she muttered in disgust. “Calypso, you’re my favorite. Keep them alive.”
Calypso saluted. “I aim to please.”
Artemis nodded and disappeared, leaving behind a scent of fresh pine and wild berries. With Artemis gone, the two males rounded on Calypso.
“I aim to please!?” Percy repeated back, incredulous.
“You lying little shit,” Apollo gasped, “worst part is that she believes that now,” he bemoaned, a hand on his hip.
“I aim. To Please.” Percy repeated again, still dumbfounded. “You? Bullshit.”
Calypso curtsied and flicked them off. “Best be getting some rest,” she sniffed, “you both have a busy day tomorrow.”
“The sun’s still out,” Percy objected.
“Not my problem,” she said and then walked off.
They did not go to sleep at midday like Calypso had wanted them to, but they did go to sleep fairly early. Percy tossed and turned most of the night until Apollo got up and placed two fingers on his forehead. “Sleep well, my song,” he whispered, and then Percy knew no more. Deep in slumber until the next day’s first rays woke him up, not a dream or a nightmare all through the night.
When he woke up it was to Calypso making breakfast and Apollo parrying with a sword, beautiful and deadly.
“Morning,” he yawned, sitting down by Calypso.
“Good morning, Percy,” she greeted, handing him a plate of eggs and fruit, “big day today. You ready?”
“I mean, I guess?” he shrugged, “talking with Artemis yesterday really helped, and I do think we’ve trained a lot, but,” he gestured around with his arms, searching for words, “if it was easy it would’ve already been done, you know?” He moved some eggs around with his fork before bringing a bit up to his mouth. “But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. We have just as good of odds as any, and I mean, the man is losing it Calypso. He needs to be removed. Not just for Apollo’s safety, but everyone’s.”
Calypso smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. “You’ll make a good king someday, Percy Jackson,” she whispered kindly. Percy pulled back to gape at her.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she smiled. Then she walked over to take their empty plates away. “You sure you want to stay with him?” She jabbed a finger in Apollo’s direction, “I’m still free. No questions asked,” she offered teasingly.
Seemingly out of nowhere Apollo appeared behind Percy, tilted his head back, and captured his lips. Percy caved immediately and sighed into the kiss, bringing his hands up to grab Apollo’s curls and deepen the kiss. Apollo swiped Percy’s lips with his tongue and as soon as Percy opened his mouth, he pulled back, leaving Percy with his eyes closed and lips parted, then he glared at Calypso. Calypso raised both her hands innocently.
“I thought we established that he’s mine,” Apollo pointed out.
“Can’t blame a girl for trying,” she grinned, “had to make sure he hadn’t changed his mind.”
“Well don’t,” Apollo sniffed. Apollo placed his thumb in Percy’s mouth, holding Percy’s jaw with the rest of his fingers. He smiled down at the handsome demigod, slowly sliding his thumb out and running it down Percy’s throat and lightly gripping his neck. Letting go almost as quick as it happened. “He’s all mine, I’m afraid.”
“What the fuck?” Percy whispered to himself. Apollo shot him a wink.
Calypso harrumphed, “well, there was no need for that,” she admonished. “Anyway, what time do you have to be at Olympus?”
Still a bit flustered, Percy looked up at the sky. “We still have a good couple of hours. His Royal Nuisance wants everyone in attendance and that can’t happen until the sun sets and Artemis comes back from doing that. Of course, people will be packing in earlier, so we should try for a little before dusk.” He looked to Apollo, who nodded in agreement. “I would like to get there kind of early though,” he admitted, “I need to catch up with Annabeth and Grover, and honestly any other camper who might have to go. Thalia and Clarisse will more than likely be there, and they should be the only other ones, but you never know.”
“So, we set out roughly three hours past noon?” Apollo proposed.
“Sounds like a plan,” Percy nods.
When the time rolled around, Calypso rounded on them. “May the Fates look over you both,” she prayed. Percy could tell that she was holding back tears but was grateful for the smile she pasted on instead. She bit her lip for a second and then pounced on Percy, embracing him in a strong hug. Her face pressed against his chest, letting Percy feel the small wet spots she was creating.
“It takes a lot to kill me,” he assured, “don’t worry, okay? We’ll be back here before you know it and taking you with us.”
“You better,” she snuffled. Then she backed up slightly and turned her face up to smile at him. “I matched with a lovely boy from Sacramento on Tinder,” she admitted, “if you die, I’ll never be able to meet him.”
Percy gasped out a laugh. “What?”
Calypso wiped away the tears from her face and gave him a cheeky grin. “That phone that Artemis gave you isn’t just for calls, you know?”
“Apparently!” He laughed. Then, when the laughter died, he bent down and kissed her forehead. “Take care of yourself, okay? We’ll be back before you know it, and then you can meet Sacramento boy.”
“His name’s Aaron.”
“Aaron from Sacramento,” Percy tested out. “Nah, don’t like him.” Percy barked another laugh and ran away when she began swatting at him, ducking back into the trees and towards their campsite.
“What was all that about?” Apollo asked, coming up beside her. Both of them staring at the spot that Percy had disappeared into.
“Percy was making fun of me,” she stated.
“Good,” he said, glaring at her when she hit his arm. Then his eyes softened.
“Take care of yourself, Calypso daughter of Atlas,” he murmured.
She glanced up, her mouth open in surprise before she smiled up at him. She leaned up against his side and rested her head on his bicep. “Stay safe, son of Leto.” He drew her into a one-armed hug and the two stayed like that until Percy came back with his backpack and some supplies. Then, it was time to go.
**
New York was always Percy’s favorite place to be, but when the sun was shining and everyone was out and about taking their kids to Central Park or having picnics around the NYU campus, it really became alive. Percy breathed in the city’s air and took in all the sounds, practically giddy at being back. Apollo watched all of it with fondness. They spent some time amongst the mortals, eating ice cream and sitting by a fountain. Pretending for a moment that this could be a normal date between two boys who were head over heels for each other. But as the sky’s blue began to display hints of orange and pink, the duo stood up and began to leave. The New Yorkers around them were transfixed, staring at the last sunset of the year.
“I have to go now,” Percy said, looking towards the Empire State Building. “I still need to catch up with everyone else and I’m sure they’re waiting for me.” Apollo nodded. Golden hands picked up Percy’s and brought them to his lips. Apollo gently kissed every knuckle, never looking away from Percy’s eyes. Percy’s breath hitched and for a moment, a small second in time, he thought he saw Apollo’s true form shining through those eyes and it was stunning. Percy felt like an ant in the scope of such raw beauty and divine magnificence. Apollo. His Apollo.
“I think I love you, too,” Percy whispered. He hadn’t been planning on saying it, he wasn’t even fully aware of forming the words and projecting his voice, but as soon as it had been said it just felt right. He felt something settle in him and hum pleasantly.
Apollo’s eyes flashed dark gold before he crashed their lips together. A desperate kiss from a desperate god. Percy felt heady from all the sensations but parted his lips and let it happen, his heart stuttering and his head a million miles away.
“You need to go,” Apollo mumbled against his lips. Despite his words, he was still holding Percy tight, unwilling to follow through. Reluctantly, Percy pulled away and turned towards the direction of Olympus.
“Hang back and wait for my signal,” Percy said.
“What’ll be the signal?”
“You’ll know,” Percy assured, “I’m never subtle.”
And with that he left, racing towards the Empire State. Years of dodging monsters and swords made him an excellent crowd surfer. He skidded to a halt right outside the tall building, spotting Annabeth and Grover immediately.
‘Hey!” he yelled, waving his arms.
“Percy!” they responded in sync, running up to him. Annabeth hugged him and then punched his arm.
“Ow!” Percy winced, rubbing his arm, “what was that for?”
“You worried us, Seaweed Brain,” she said. Grover bleated in agreement.
“It really is good to see you, though, Perce,” he said, grinning.
“You, too, G-Man,” Percy said, clapping his hand on Grover’s shoulder. “Now, has Annabeth told you anything?”
Grover shook his head, “not really, just that something will probably go down today,” he responded nervously.
“That’s all I know!” Annabeth defended. “That’s all he told me!” Then she rounded on Percy, “that’s all you told me! You know I hate not working with all the information,” she grumbled.
Percy glanced up at the Empire State, its height suddenly very imposing. The sky was basically black behind them, and it would be dangerous to mention any specifics in front of the building. Never know who is listening. He bit his lip, trying to figure out how to say everything without saying anything at all.
“Alright, long story short,” he decided. He pointed at the direction of Olympus, “That’s Scar and we’re Simba.”
“Huh?” Grover asked, and Annabeth looked at him as if he were stupid before it clicked.
“Percy, no!” she gasped.
“Percy, yes,” he confirmed, before grabbing both their arms and leading them in. He saw Clarisse and Thalia pacing in front of the elevators, agitated. He sped up.
“Hey, what did Artemis tell you?” Percy said in lieu of a greeting. Luckily, Thalia didn’t seem to be in the mood for pleasantries either. She spared a glance for Annabeth before turning back to Percy.
“Enough,” she said. “Are we really doing this?” Clarisse looked between the two of them confused, her eyebrows furrowing.
“We are,” he said seriously. “Clarisse, I’m so sorry I didn’t reach out to give you more of a head’s up, and honestly, I was supposed to get here earlier to have more time to explain everything to you guys, but it slipped from me, I’m sorry. I’ll try to tell you on the way up. Promise.”
Clarisse paused, taking it all in. She had war in her blood and standing idly wasn’t something that came easy to her, neither was depending on others and going into things blind, but she trusted him, and he trusted her. “You better, Prissy.”
He nodded, finally breathing. He leaned against the wall and willed his breathing to even out. Annabeth and Grover had gone to get the security guard so he could let them up the elevator, and he could hear them arguing.
“There’s no 600th floor, kiddos,” the man grunted in a bored tone, “why don’t you try the McDonald’s across the street? I think they have a playground.”
Percy had to physically restrain Thalia from jumping over the desk and punching the mortal senseless. “Aw, come on, man,” Percy complained, “you know us! Let us up, will you?”
“I’ve never met you before in my life,” the security guard said without hesitation.
“How about we do this,” Clarisse said, cracking her knuckles, “you let us up to Olympus and I won’t bash your head in so hard your ancestors feel it? Does that sound okay to you?”
“Sounds more than fair to me,” Thalia muttered darkly. She was still disgruntled over the McDonald’s comment, it seemed.
The security guard looked scared for a moment, looking at Percy, wondering if he’d really let the buff girl with scars bash his head in. Percy shrugged. The man whimpered and went to unlock the elevator with his FOB. “They really don’t pay me enough for this,” he moaned.
“They really don’t,” Annabeth agreed.
They all packed in, and just before the door closed, Percy stuck his hand out to hold it open. “Hey, dude!” he yelled, “someone is going to come up later, can you let him up? He’s with me. Hot and blonde, you can’t miss it!”
The man groaned, and Percy saw him thump his head against his desk. “Whatever, I don’t care,” he grumbled. Percy flashed him a smile and let the elevator doors close. “Thanks, man!”
“Hot and blonde?” Thalia smirked.
“Well, he is,” Percy replied, unashamed. “He’s also the reason this whole quest was called,” Percy explained as best as he could that he had found the statue that Zeus had been looking for, except it wasn’t really a statue. It was a god. Artemis’s brother. He explained how apparently, he had been turned to stone for over two thousand years and that’s the reason they don’t have sunlight.
“I’m helping him,” Percy finished, looking at all of them, “and today might end up messy because of that.”
“How can we help?” Grover questioned. Percy smiled at his oldest friend, thankful to have him by his side once more.
“Play defense,” he said, “we don’t know who supports the King and we need to keep the main players safe so they can do what they need to.”
Clarisse looked conflicted. “My father,” she began, “he…”
“Yeah,” Percy apologized, “you don’t have to participate if you don’t want to, Clarisse, I get it. I just wanted to give you a head’s up. I owe you as much.”
She looked at him consideringly, before making up her mind. She clasped his forearm and he clasped hers’ as well. “I’m with you, Jackson. Just try and get rid of me.” He grinned and the elevator door opened.
What must’ve been a thousand pairs of eyes turned to look at them as they stepped out of the elevator. They shuffled out, sticking together as they waded their way through a crowd of minor gods, nature spirits, satyrs, centaurs, and everything in between. Every creature in Greek mythology that wasn’t considered a monster must’ve been called for this quest. Percy had to marvel at Zeus’s tenacity.
“Of course, the demigods are the last to arrive,” someone muttered.
“Can we start now?” Percy heard someone complain, “wind won’t blow itself.”
“My hooves hurt,” a satyr huffed.
“My flowers, you’re all trampling on my flowers!”
“SILENCE!” Zeus’s sharp yell crackled through the room. Instantly every conversation fell to a hush. Nervous eyes flittered around, and Percy felt the weight of suffocating silence start to surround him. The air felt heavy with tension.
“Now we may begin. Gods, to the center forefront!” he commanded.
Instantly every minor god scuttled to the front, tripping over themselves to not anger Zeus. The thunder bringer looked like he was one second away from smiting someone.
“You,” he pointed at a goddess, “Apate, did you complete the quest?”
The goddess in question flinched. “N-n-no, My Lord,” she stuttered, head bowed and slightly shaking.
“P-p-pathetic,” Zeus hissed. He extended his arm and sent her flying. Her body slammed against the back wall and slid down into a heap. Slowly, her trembling form got up. “Get out of my sight,” he ordered, and she ran out of the room.
“Boreas!” Zeus called forward. A god with dark hair and a beard shuffled forward, head bowed like Apate. He hid his fear better, but Percy could see him shaking. “Hopefully you will not be such a disappointment,” Zeus drawled, “were you able to complete the quest?”
“I apologize, My Lord, I will do better I swear-”
“Yes or no, Boreas.”
“No, My Lord,” he admitted in a small voice.
Zeus swatted him out of his sight and Percy saw him shuffle to the back of the line. This continued for every minor god and goddess. Some of them got lucky like Boreas, and some of them ended up like Apate, swung to the back of the room with no regard for their safety. A couple got blasted with electricity and thrown off the side of Olympus. With each failure, Zeus began getting more and more irritated. Electricity crackled around his head like a crown, and each step he took dented the floor. Percy glanced at his father, and he could see the worry behind the mask of indifference, as Zeus finished with the gods and went through the nature spirits and satyrs.
“I must say,” Zeus hissed, pacing along the queue of immortals and demigods alike, “that out of all the participants I sent out on this quest, I did not expect for all of you to fail me. I suppose that I set my expectations too high, after all, satyrs have been searching for Pan for centuries and never found him, why would you all prove to be helpful now?”
Along the thrones, Percy noticed Hermes stiffen. The satyrs seemed torn between fear from Zeus’s ire, and anger at the disrespect thrown their way. Grover bleated something under his breath but said nothing. Regardless, Zeus paid them all no mind.
“I admit, I had no hope for the nymphs and naiads, but I thought maybe, just maybe, one of you had an ounce of ambition. A sliver of motivation to do something besides frolic. Disgusting. And the minor gods,” he spat, distaste evident, “how is it that between all of you and your supposed ‘powers’ that no one was able to locate a statue? Does no one treat a quest from me with the honor and reverence it deserves?!” Zeus growled and swiped his hand, sending small jolts of lightning to anyone not quick enough to get out of the way.
“Rise, demigods!” Zeus commanded, finally coming to them. The four stood up. He took one look at the four of them and spit at their feet. Annabeth grimaced but didn’t move, and Percy could see Thalia’s hand clench. “So much potential wasted on you four,” he sneered in disgust. “Of course, you failed. Such is the way of mortals, to be continual failures and disappointments! All I asked of you,” he bellowed, “all I asked of all of you was to find one STUPID STATUE! A simple and straightforward task! And because I am a gracious king, I allowed you two weeks to search, but I see my kindness was taken for granted.”
He began circling them, dragging his master bolt behind him leaving a trail of flames in his wake. Heat surrounded the chamber, and the nymphs began to fidget as the fire slowly started to consume more of the room. Hestia attempted to put out as much of it as she could, but she too did not want to attract Zeus’s rage.
The king of the gods finally stopped his pacing in front of Percy. “But you,” he whispered, “against my better judgment I thought that perhaps you would come through. You with your uncanny ability to complete quests. This is what you’re supposed to be good at, is it not?” Percy kept his head down, deferential in everything except thoughts. He heard his father bristle at the insult, trident scratching against the cold marble. Zeus whirled his head towards Poseidon, a nasty smirk present. “What? Did that bother you? Put down that trident before I make you, brother. All this over a demigod who can’t even complete a simple quest. My, my, how you’ve gone soft.”
Poseidon glared at his brother but backed down, he tapped his trident twice on the ground before making it disappear altogether. Percy glanced up and quirked a brow towards his father who shot him an imperceptible nod. Percy cleared his throat.
“Pardon me, my Lord, but who said I didn’t find the statue?”
Zeus paused, spine going ramrod straight and the entire hall of Olympus seemed to stop breathing. “Choose your next words carefully, demigod, for if you are lying-”
“I’m not.”
In a flash, Zeus appeared right in front of Percy, shrinking himself down to Percy’s height. He appeared so close to Percy that their noses almost touched. “Where. Is. It.” Zeus hissed. The great hall seemed to darken with rolling storm clouds, but Percy did not flinch.
“I was running late and it was too heavy,” Percy said carefully, “so I left it behind in the lobby. The security guard at the elevator said he’d load it up and send it, so it should be arriving any second now.” Percy prayed that Apollo’s domain wouldn’t betray him, prayed that it was still loyal to the one who held it first. Sea green eyes stayed true and steady, knowing that if there was the slightest bit of hesitance or fear in them, Zeus would smell it like blood in the water. They held their stare before Zeus sniffed and returned to his giant stature.
“Ares!” he barked. Ares straightened into attention. “Fetch the stone before something else happens to it. Do not disappoint me.”
Just then the elevator dinged, and every head turned as an arrow zipped through the air and lodged itself in the wall right next to Zeus’s head. Apollo stepped out of the elevator, quiver slung over his back and an easy smirk on his face, but Percy could see how taut his shoulders were and the stress lines hidden behind his easy demeanor.
“No need for that,” Apollo said flippantly to Ares, whose eyes flickered to Zeus, asking for instruction. He held his spear in his hand, ready to attack at moment’s notice. Sky blue eyes then turned towards Zeus and the smirk sharpened into a grin that was all teeth.
“Hello, Father. Did you miss me?”