Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rick Riordan, I'm just playing with them.

Summary: The war against Kronos ended and now it's Christmas Eve. The heroine of Olympus and her godly best friend spend all day in the company of one another. In the end, it turns out to be the best Christmas Eve Apollo ever had, even when things didn't exactly go as planned. (Set in the same universe as The darkness within the sea. It is actually a small "prequel" of Apollo and Percy's first Christmas together.)

Happy Holidays!

...

A magical Christmas (One-Shot)

For once in her life, Persephone Jackson was happy to be alone in her house on Christmas Eve. She adored her parents and loved to be around them, but for her special mission that day, she needed to be completely alone. How else was she supposed to sing along to "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" in her pajamas while mixing ingredients for several batches of cookies?

She was happy.

Happy enough to be singing "All I want for Christmas" at the top of her lungs with Apollo, who changed the lyrics so instead of being a love song, it was now a song about food and how much he wanted to have homemade cookies.

She did say that she was alone, but it was because, technically, no one knew that Apollo was there; he wasn't supposed to visit Percy when she was home alone. Poseidon's rules.

But who cared? Percy certainly didn't.

And neither did Apollo.

She had woken up to find him knocking restlessly at her door, wanting to show her that the streets were covered in a thick cape of snow. A white Christmas, the thing she loved the most in the whole world. So, after her parents left to buy some last-minute presents, Percy headed with Apollo towards the kitchen to prepare the most delicious cookies the whole world would ever taste.

Now, truth be told, she had never baked before. And neither had Apollo, who Percy was sure had never done as much as boiling water.

But how hard could it be?

...

As time passed, she realized that it was actually very hard.

"All I wanted for Christmas were good, homemade cookies," Apollo lamented, looking down at the blackened thing his favorite demigoddess dared to call a chocolate chip cookie. He arched an eyebrow and Percy grimaced, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

Apollo's cookie wasn't the only burnt one, the other eleven cookies close to them in the counter were also startlingly alike rocks and not very easy to swallow.

"I think that, as talented as I am," Percy cleared her throat. "Maybe, just maybe, cooking isn't for me. Think your godly powers might've helped with the others?"

Both looked over at the oven, hoping that the other handful of cookies they made weren't as awful as the first ones.

"Well," Apollo said as he peeked at them through the glass. "So far they look good."

"Baking cookies from scratch was harder than I expected," Percy grumbled, pouting a little. "I should've just brought them from the store."

Apollo smiled and straightened, his eyes locking on something close to the oven. He beckoned Percy to come forwards, and she obliged. "Perhaps..." He started to say. "But then I would've missed the chance to do this-" And then he blew the remaining flour on the cabinet over Percy.

"You're in for it, Apollo." But, surprised as she was, Percy couldn't help but laugh.

"You're all bark and no bite," He mocked her as she blinked furiously, clearing her eyes from the white powder there.

She lunged for him, he moved away.

"Oh, yeah? We'll see about that, Phoebus."

They started to dance around the kitchen, she moving towards him and he evading her attempts at attacking him. He laughed joyfully, feeling like a human rather than a god as he then made a run towards the kitchen island, making that a barrier between them both.

"Coward," Percy laughed, then moved to the left, watching as he moved towards the right.

"Ouch," Apollo said sarcastically, though his eyes scanned her face for any sign of her attempting to jump over the island and into him. He looked briefly to the counter in the middle of them, and saw a bag of flour, one he planned to throw at her. "Are we comfortable enough to be calling names at each other, Persephone?"

Percy took advantage of his distraction, and, having the same idea as him but being quicker, grabbed the bag of flour and threw it at the god, who was too slow to duck. When he blinked down at her, his eyelashes were dusted with white, same as his hair, face and shirt.

He looked like a walking bag of flour, one that would probably taste sour and bitter.

"You tell me," Percy laughed. "Mr. I'm-better-than-everyone-but-apparently-cannot-duck."

He moved his fingers through his eyes, blinking furiously in an attempt at cleaning them. Then he coughed, causing a cloud of flour to hit her friend on the face.

Percy giggled despite herself. She thought she was lucky, not everyone was blessed enough to see a powerful Greek god bathed in cooking dust and looking shaken because of that. How silly they both must look; the savior of Olympus and one of the most powerful Olympian gods, laughing like silly humans because they dusted each other with flour.

"Oh," Apollo sighed once he stopped laughing. "You asked for it, Ms. I-can-save-everyone-but-not-my-cookies."

He jumped at her, making her squeal and start running. They chased each other as Christmas songs blasted through the whole house. No matter how far they moved from the small radio, the whole house seemed to sing along and help them listen.

"For starters, it is not my fault the cookies we baked burned!" Percy giggled, dodging the paper towel he threw at her. "You were the one that wanted to dance and sing along to Christmas songs instead of making sure they would not burn!"

"But they do taste horrible," Apollo called from behind her. "And if I recall correctly, it was you who prepared them."

They were now on the living room, where it was harder to hide from each other. The Jackson's apartment was very small, and their living room barely had enough space for the three of them on a familiar night; it was quite amusing when they had another visitor and didn't know where to sit them. Usually, when that happened, Percy just excused herself and went to her own room, politely letting their visitor sit with her parents.

"Stop!" Percy laughed when he backed her into a corner, close to a small love-seat. "Stop, stop..."

Apollo smirked. He meant to look threatening and smug, but it was hard to when he could barely see through the flour on his eyes and face. Besides, he knew Percy would never find him threatening. If anything, she would probably find him pathetic.

A pathetic excuse of a god, of a friend, of a lover. So pathetic that he wouldn't even bring himself to tell her he loved her. So pathetic that he could not stop himself from fearing her rejection. Gods were self-absorbed, self-assured and arrogant, conceited even.

But when it came to her, he couldn't bring himself to put that facade on.

He had supposed at first that his feelings for her were just the typical case of desiring something he could never have. But as time passed and they grew closer, he came to realize that it was impossible for anyone to know Percy- truly know her- and not love her.

"Do you surrender?" Apollo shook himself off his thoughts and forced another smirk to his face.

"Never-" Percy started, then was forced to close her mouth as Apollo shook himself like a dog, making all the flour on his hair fall into the shorter girl, who yelped. "Apollo!"

"What about now, do you surrender and swear loyalty to the handsomest god in all the worlds?"

Percy tilted her head to the side. "Who? Hermes? But he's not here-" Then she laughed when he lunged at her, offended by her words. Acting on an impulsive decision, she jumped on the couch and then at Apollo, landing on his back.

"Holy gods, Percy!" Apollo gasped, stumbling a little at her unexpected move.

Percy laughed and leaned her mouth close to his ear, "Do you surrender, Lord Apollo?"

Apollo shuddered, as he always did when she dared to call him Lord with that rebellious little tone of voice, like she didn't care at all about his title as a god. Unknown to her, when she called him that in that way, he hoped that it meant that she didn't see him as a god. He knew her enough to know that she had the belief that most of the gods only thought about mortal girls as sexual toys.

And Apollo never wanted Percy to believe that of him.

She was his sun, his inspiration, his heart. She was not, and would never be, just a piece of meat to feast upon.

"Do you surrender?" Percy repeated, shaking him off his thoughts. His long hair was pulled up in a man-bun, and Percy rested her right cheek against it, patiently waiting for him to answer.

"Depends," Apollo mused, moving his hands to rest atop Percy's legs -which were wrapped around his waist- securing her so she would not fall. It was stupid, because Percy was agile enough not to fall off his back, but the thought of her harming herself in any way made his protective side emerge.

"On what?"

"On what you could offer me to consider surrendering. But be smart, my girl. Gods like me don't surrender that easily."

"You want me to tempt you?"

Apollo was extremely tempted to tell her that her whole existence was one big temptation to him, that he wanted to be around her all the time, that she was the only person in the whole world that never left his mind. That her smile tempted him to write the prettiest verses, and that her laugh made him want to sing and paint and play music.

But he couldn't.

He shook his head.

Percy flushed in shame and disappointment. She didn't know why the disappointment, because she had gotten over the fact that someone like Apollo could never see in her anything more than a friend. It still hurt, however, to receive an answer like that.

And still frozen and full of shame, she jumped off his back.

"Percy?" Apollo started, surprise filing him at the way she had reacted. A small speck of hope made its way through his body, but he dared not think much of it. "Sweetheart-"

But Percy had her back to him, staring straight ahead as she slowly moved towards the kitchen. "I better start cleaning the mess we made, or I'd be grounded until New Year's Eve."

Clearing his throat a little, Apollo followed her to the kitchen. "That would be a shame."

"Most certainly."

Apollo smiled a little, hoping that her coldness towards him after that was for the reason he thought it was, and not because he had offended her somehow. "Do you know why that would be a shame?"

Percy breathed deeply, trying not to snap at him. It was her defense mechanism, and he knew it. She tended to snap when overwhelmed with an emotion; this time, it was embarrassment which made her snap.

"Because I'd be grounded?"

He shook his head, "Because tomorrow I wanted to take you to Olympus with me, and I can't do so if you're grounded. Sally might hurt me if I do."

Percy perked up, her curiosity overcoming her shame. She turned to face him and he smiled a little, knowing he had caught her interest.

"What for?" The daughter of Poseidon raised her eyebrows. "Tomorrow's Christmas. Family day, and as much as I adore you, and even your muses, I doubt that Hera would welcome me very easily into her celebrations."

"She's a grumpy bitch, don't mind her," Apollo scoffed, then brightened. "Don't worry about it, though, we won't be there long. Just a small trip to my house to get your gift, and then we'd be off."

"We?" Percy sounded interested. "Where do you want to take me?"

"Wherever you wish to go. I have to ride around the world, because unlike Santa Clause, I'm real and my duties cannot be ignored."

A trip around the world, just the two of them. That enough sounded like the best Christmas present Percy could ever ask for.

"Not even on Christmas?"

Apollo shrugged a little. "Not even on Christmas. And truth be told, I've never been fond of this particular celebration."

Percy adored Christmas with her whole being. For her, it was the best time of the year. She lived for that holiday, for the way her mother always decorated everything so prettily and cooked her food with extra caution, how the candy tasted better and the sweaters looked cuter; everything felt good at Christmas.

"Are you the Grinch?" Percy grabbed his face on her hands, pinching his perfect cheeks as though she could take his skin off and reveal a grumpy, green creature underneath.

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Yes. I'm not a god, I'm a grumpy, green creature that hates Christmas."

Percy sighed a little, taking her hands off his face. "Why?"

They were so close she could feel his body heat. He was warmest than the sun.

"I am the sun," He reminded her.

"Don't read my mind," She glared at him, punching his shoulder.

"I'm not. You said it out-loud."

"Why do you hate Christmas?" Percy asked again, brows furrowed. "Is it because I make horrible cookies?"

Apollo looked at her fondly. "No, love, though your baking skills could improve." He decided against lying, if there was someone that could understand, it was her. "Christmas is a time to be with those that you love and that love you back."

Percy tilted her head. "That's what I love the most about it, though. We come home to the people we want to spend Christmas with, we come home to be with our loved ones. And for one night, just one night, a family can be whole again."

"That's a pretty way to describe it," Apollo's smile was tired and wouldn't reach his eyes. "But in Olympus, no one truly loves one another. We stand each other because we have to. There's nothing worse than being forced to dine together when we cannot stand it. It always ends in petty fights that eventually turn to more."

Of course, Percy thought. The gods were a dysfunctional, messy family. Their reunions were probably the stuff of nightmare, full of quarrels and tension.

"But to say there's no love-" Percy frowned. "What about the couples there? What about the love between a parent and a child? There must be some kind of love there."

His best friend sounded so startled that he felt the obligation to explain. "Well, there's Eros and Philautia. But there is no Agape, no Pragma."

"No unconditional love," Percy recognized most of those names, but couldn't be sure. "No longstanding love."

Apollo nodded, looking down. "To be there in Olympus, behaving like a puppet...I can't stand it. I despise Christmas because it's the one day I cannot feign to be alright. It's the one day that I don't fit anywhere, that I can't make myself agreeable for anyone."

"Christmas makes it hard for you to hide who you really are?" Percy frowned. "You hate it because you're forced to drop your façade?"

"I'm invisible on Olympus. Everyone is with their favorite lover, their favorite child, their favorite friend."

"And you're never anyone's favorite?" Percy looked at him with concern. She wanted to tell him that he was her favorite person in the whole world, but couldn't. "What about here, in the mortal world? Your children-" She stopped, knowing that most demigods wouldn't receive him that happily after never knowing him. "Any old flame?"

"They only offer one kind of comfort, the one I'm not looking for." Sex. "Christmas is not for the lonely ones," His voice was soft, barely a whisper. "For them- for me, it's just a reminder of how truly alone I am." He closed his eyes, overcome with emotions like never before. "Because I am so, so lonely. Void of emotion, drowning in self-guilt and pity."

It all made sense like never before. Apollo had told her about his past, about his feelings regarding his family and his lost lovers. It was so tragic, so horrible...

Tragic enough to make a god suffer and be marked for life.

"Is that why you're here with me?" Percy asked in a whisper, feeling sympathy towards that god, and towards herself, because she had fallen for someone that couldn't even love himself. "Because you're lonely?"

"No," Apollo breathed out. To say that he was lonely out-loud had been one of the hardest things he had ever done, apart from watching his beloved Hyacinth die before his eyes.

"Then why are you here?"

The question was not meant to sound mean. Both of them knew each other enough to know that it was not a mean question nor a reclamation. It was her, Percy, worrying about one of her closest friends. To her, it made no sense that he would go to her. They were friends, alright. Best friends, she being her only mortal companion. But if he truly wanted to feel alive, to feel something, he should go to flirt away with some mortal and to fuck with them.

Instead he was there, in a small apartment on Christmas Eve- a holiday he hated with a burning passion-, eating cookies that reassembled rocks, and listening to bad songs about that festivity he hated the most.

"Because with you, I feel a little less lonely."

Percy swallowed, watching him closely. "You are the most handsome god in all of Olympus, for gods sake, why are you here with a sixteen years old demigoddess instead of being on a motel room fucking the brains out of some equally handsome person?"

Apollo breathed out a laugh.

She blushed, hating her ADHD for her bluntness.

Percy's sincerity, the way she could never hold her tongue, was what had drawn Apollo to her at first. She was so rebellious, so interesting, so alive. He knew what Percy meant, he knew that she thought that for him- for a god- sexual intercourse was what made them feel the most emotions. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that sexual intercourse never felt so dull when it was not with the person that made them feel the most.

She was what made him feel the most, who made him feel alive.

"There nowhere else I'd rather be than at your side," Apollo finally answered, gathering his courage. "There's no one else I'd rather be with."

Percy's brain seemed to slow down. Her heart was racing widely, hope soaring through her veins at the way that had sounded.

"Christmas is a time to be with your loved ones," Percy found herself muttering.

He nodded. "And I'm here with you." You're my loved one.

The way he had said it left room for any possibility. He was letting her know that his words could mean whatever she wanted them to mean. The choice was hers, he respected her. He was letting her reject or accept him, the choice was, for once, only hers.

Percy flushed, searching his eyes for any sign of insincerity there. She found none, and her heart leaped faster and harder on her chest. Her hands found themselves at his cheeks, desperate to know if her heart would be joyful or broken. "And I'm glad you're here with me."

They shared a smile, one that was different from the rest, one that meant everything at once.

His eyes brightened. "Gods above," He laughed. "That is so, so good."

Then she laughed a little, relieved when she saw all the adoration on his eyes. She felt as thought she had been blind all this time, too scared of messing their friendship to notice that it had long ago stopped being just a friendship for both of them. And while there was so much more to discuss, so much more to consider and think about- because, holy gods, he was a god and she was a mortal and they were best friends- she decided to enjoy the moment and focus on the present.

It was Christmas. It was a time to celebrate, to feel alive, to be joyful.

So when he leaned down towards her, whispering a soft, "Can I kiss you?" Percy found herself melting and being unable to do anything but accept him. And the kiss- oh, the kiss- how they had both yearned to kiss each other for the longest of times.

It was soft and warm and everything that Percy had ever wanted for a first kiss. She could never be sure of how long she had been in love with him, she wasn't even sure when it had started, but when they broke apart and he gazed at her with a look of pure adoration on his face, she felt as if her soul had loved him for far longer than she had.

He felt like home. He felt warm, familiar, hers.

She closed her eyes again, leaning her forehead against his.

"I'm yours," Apollo breathed into her hair. "I have been for the longest of times. My heart belongs to you alone."

Hesitantly, Percy joined their lips one more time.

"My heart has been yours for a long time," She breathed against his lips, not knowing how delighted and whole Apollo felt upon hearing that. "Please treat it with care."

"I promise," Apollo caressed her face. "Your heart is safe on my hands."

They were locked in each other's embrace for a couple of seconds, both of them too scared to break the moment and return to the reality that made their feelings more complicated.

An intoxicating smell filled the room, and made them both frown and step away from each other.

Apollo scowled. "What is that-"

Percy was the first to remember the second batch of cookies they left on the oven. Now, instead of smelling like burnt chocolate, for her it smelt more like broken dreams and a tasteless Christmas.

"Fuck. The cookies."

By the time they reached the kitchen, it was too late to save the cookies from becoming too solid to bite. Apollo was quick to approach her as Percy carefully, yet swiftly, pulled them from the oven.

"That's it," Percy lamented, looking down at them. "I just wanted a fucking cookie, is that so hard to ask for?"

"Wow," Apollo whistled as saw them from up close. The proximity made them look and smell even worse. "I haven't seen a disaster like this since Hera forced Zeus to bake pastries." He tried to eat one, then grimaced when his teeth protested against it. Slowly, he put it down.

"I cannot make anything right," Percy breathed angrily.

"Now, come on, they're not so bad."

She gave him an exasperated look, and he relented.

"Okay, they're actually pretty horrible."

The young demigoddess stared at the floor, a small pout on her lips. She looked downright miserable with her hair pulled up in a messy bun, and her blue pajamas under a Christmas-themed apron that wasn't useful when they had their little fight with the flour.

"I better just-" Percy sighed, heart crushed. "I'm just going to clean the house before mom gets home."

After another sigh, she decided to throw all those rocks she baked into the trash.

But she blinked and the whole kitchen was clean, along with her own clothes. For a moment, she stayed frozen on her spot, wondering if she was losing her mind.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need-" Apollo hummed quietly, behind her. "To have my perfect teeth, biting down on a good cookie."

She turned, only to find him devoid of all flour and looking as perfectly clean as always, but what really startled her was the cookie he was guiding to his mouth; it looked perfect.

"Apollo?" She tilted her head at him, confused and unable to speak more. One of her hands pointed at the now clean kitchen, and the other one at the cookie he ate.

"We both made this mess, we both get to clean it." Apollo explained. "Also, I took the liberty of buying cookies from your favorite pastry shop. Look, they're decorated with Christmas stuff!" He grimaced a little, not really excited with their decorations. "Um, this one looks like an evil snowman, and here's a Santa Clause that looks startlingly alike Hephaestus."

Percy looked down at the box of cookies he was showing her, and had to agree with his statement about Santa Clause and Hephaestus. She felt warm at the thought of Apollo fulfilling her wish of having proper Christmas cookies.

She grinned at him. "Gods, I adore you."

Apollo was not sure if she meant the cookies or him. He hoped she meant him.

"I'm glad you're satisfied with my talented skill of snapping fingers and getting what I want."

Percy stuffed her mouth with cookies, moaning at their taste and truly enjoying them. Apollo watched her fondly, then allowed himself to guide another one to his own mouth.

"These are really good," Apollo observed, raising his eyebrows. "Finally. It's a nightmare to have your stepmother make awful ones, then to have your best friend burn hers and destroy your illusions of eating a good, mortal cookie."

"You're an ass," Percy swallowed, then stole the cookie he'd been eating as a punishment for his words. "You're lucky I'm too busy getting an orgasm out of these delicious cookies, or else I would've kicked your ass."

Apollo smiled at her, amusement dancing on his eyes. "Lucky indeed."

There was nothing else he could ask for; he was with the person he cared the most in the world, they were eating heavenly made cookies and listening to old Christmas hits. Nothing else in the world mattered in that moment. Maybe he disliked Christmas and all the pain that came with that celebration, but he loved Persephone Jackson to the depths of his immortal soul, and every single moment with her was worth cherishing.

"I wish things could be like this everyday."

Her voice was quiet, wishful.

It broke his heart.

"So do I, sweetheart."

Apollo could still not believe how happy he was to know that she had feelings for him, too. But how saddened he was to know that it was not going to be easy.

Santa Clause is coming to town sounded from the radio again, and they shared a secretive smile. Percy took his hand on hers, almost shyly, and pulled him to another dance. His face brightened with a smile, and he obliged, thinking that, hard as it was going to be, Percy was worth it.

"Do you want to know why I told you I didn't want you to tempt me?" Apollo tilted his head at her, knowing that it had bothered her.

She pursed her lips. "Yes."

He smiled. "You're already my inspiration, my happiness and my light. I fear that if you tempt me, I might not be able to deny anything to you, and so the world would burn and destroy itself."

Percy smiled and moved in for a kiss, surprising him by her boldness. "I would never let you destroy the world for me." She tasted like chocolate and looked like art. For Apollo, there was not another soul more beautiful than her in that moment. And he was happy to have fallen in love with someone like her after centuries of not falling for anyone.

"Good."

They danced again, and again, and again, the cookies long forgotten and now unimportant; the songs blasting through the radio unheard by them, both dancing to the rhythmic sound of their own beating hearts.

"Merry Christmas, Apollo," Percy whispered once the song was over.

She was more than worth it.

Apollo smiled, a real smile that made him shine like the sun. "Merry Christmas Eve, Percy."