This can be read separate of another one of my fics, "Skin Off Her Back", but it would not hurt to at least read the last chapter to get an idea of why Percy is so angry. Though that one is M rated, so fair warning.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Percy Jackson & the Olympians".
Things could have gone better.
They really could have gone much better.
As it was, Percy found out. He found out because after everything Annabeth and he went through, they weren't going to keep secrets. Months of separation, monster attacks, and the nightmare that was Tartarus wasn't going to break them. It wasn't going to break either of them, and it wasn't going to break-up them.
Now, here he was, breaking into the Aphrodite cabin. Not in a 'Mission Impossible' way either. He just kicked in the door, splintering it off the hinges, and stalked right in. Well, limped in, the door was a bit more sturdy than the pink would've let him guess.
The rest of the Aphrodite cabin looked suitably baffled, then terrified. The entire cabin smelled like chocolate and stale perfume, like Valentine's Day gone bad. It seemed to fit, it really did. Something powerful and overly sweet that went far too rotten.
"I swear Seaweed-Brain, you're the only one who has to take these lessons."
"You told me already-"
"Well not nearly enough. Are you ashamed yet? Remedial Greek Myth? Really?"
"I'm not proud of it, if that's what you're getting at-"
"Honestly, this is supposed to be in our blood... I just don't get it-"
"Your blood maybe, with facts and stuff. Not like you know how to surf."
"One, I do. Two-"
"Whoa whoa, you surf? Why did I not know this-?"
"Distractions? Stop... now TWO, this is basics. Heroes of the Trojan War."
"ugh... Why?"
"Because our history is tied directly to these stories. We repeat the same patterns. The more we know-"
"Yo Joe-"
"Shut up. The more we know, the less chance we end up dying from the same mistakes."
"... yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"Good. Now, what did you take away from Diomedes' story?"
"...er..."
"Oh please..."
"No no no, I got this... um... er, which Diomedes?"
"You are hopeless. Absolutely hopeless."
"Not when I got you though, right?"
"Oh shut up."
"Where is he?"
Turns out, that was the only thing that he needed to say to get the rest of the Aphrodite cabin to give up that... little toady freak Mitchell.
While Percy knew his fatal flaw was overabundant personal loyalty, and that their gutlessness actually worked in his favor, he couldn't help but feel a small bit of outrage towards the rest of Cabin Nine for turning over one of their own. But that could wait.
It could wait until he beat the ever-loving crap out of the ever-loving goddess' son.
Probably wasn't a smart move on his part. Percy never pretended to be the smartest halfblood, most of the times he won all the fights he had been in through instinct and... 'situational awareness', Annabeth called it.
That was how he knew the little weasel was crawling out of the bathroom window. And that he wasn't making it out fast enough.
Locking the surprisingly thick door, and ignoring the lavender hand-soap smell of the bathroom, Percy tried to rein his temper in just enough so that he would know when to stop.
Even if he wasn't sure he wanted to. Even if he wasn't sure he would mind killing the younger boy.
"Alright, so you're not completely wrong-"
"Wheew, that's a relief-"
"Shut up. There were two Diomedes'-"
"Diomedei?"
"Again, shut up Seaweed-Brain. Two important figures named Diomedes, but vastly different."
"How?"
"Well, starts with how they were born in vastly different times. We're talking about the Diomedes of the Trojan War."
"Oh..."
"But, you are right, there was another Diomedes who appeared much earlier."
"And you can't see how that's confusing?"
"Not if you pay attention."
"Oh come on, it's-"
"Don't you dare-"
"-all Greek to me."
"... are you done?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good. The first Diomedes was a king of Thrace who trained the Thracian Mares. Horses who ate human flesh."
"Oh, right. Those things are gross."
"Quite. He was so vile, depraved, and wicked that Hercules took the time to throw him to his own horses."
"Do we like Hercules?"
"What?"
"I mean... I used to, but... after hearing about what parts of his adventures he left on the cutting room floor-"
"-the good doesn't balance the bad, and the bad doesn't cancel out the good. Hercules is still a hero to admire."
"... I don't know. Still seems like a huge disappointment."
"Percy, don't... don't judge the old heroes too harshly. They had a lot working against them."
"So?"
"SO we shouldn't be so quick to pass judgement. Eventually, all heroes do something they regret."
"You haven't."
"... yet. The point... just don't let the mistakes of heroes be the only thing you use to define them."
"... so, the Diomedei?"
"UGH, I told you-"
"Shut up." Percy found himself growling.
"-but I didn't hurt her!"
"I said, shut up!" The son of Poseidon tightened his grip around the younger boy's throat.
Mitchell, son of Aphrodite, still tried to defend himself. "I didn't hurt her, it wasn't-"
He stopped when he was slammed against the, again, surprisingly thick bathroom door. "That's supposed to make this better?" Percy snarled.
"... doesn't it?"
Though Percy hated it, truly hated it, he had a point. Still didn't mean he let up pressure on Mitchell's throat, digging into his windpipe.
How was it fair? How was it fair for Aphrodite to do this to him? To take the only thing that he remembered and twist it while he was away? To ruin something that helped him get through so much, through Tartarus and beyond? No. It wasn't right. This wasn't making his love-life 'interesting', it was pure cruelty. And he would sleep soundly even if he did crush Mitchell's philandering neck.
"-the Diomedes we're talking about was a warrior in the Trojan War."
"Did he do anything special?"
"Oh, just the usual... wounded Ares, and Aphrodite. He was on good terms with my mother."
"Was he-?"
"No, he was mortal. Highly highly skilled, but mortal. He was actually offered a chance at immortality though."
"He take it?"
"No... he died exploring Italy, North Africa. Some places there worshiped him like he was a god though."
"Not bad, not bad at all."
"I'm not sure he would agree. His reasons for travel were rather tragic."
"What? Why?"
"Well, you remember how Ares had cursed you after you wounded him?"
"... way too well."
"Aphrodite cursed Diomedes."
"Oh... OH, ouch... what happened?"
"His wife got lonely while he was gone. Sources aren't clear on who she ended up with, they give a list of names..."
"Which one is the right one?"
"All of them."
"... dayum."
Damn it... dammit all...
It would've been easier if the spineless little worm was... more spineless.
Percy really would have preferred it if he begged. Just something to convince him that the little... little bastard deserved his beating, that there wasn't anything worthwhile about him. As much as he would've liked though, the son of Aphrodite cowered in silence. Fully prepared to take his beating.
Fully prepared to die at the hands of the 'Hero' of Olympus for trying to steal his girlfriend.
'He got pretty far, didn't he?' a nasty little voice chimed in from the back of Percy's head. He didn't like it. It had the same tone as Minos, or Octavian... but it was him, all him. And that part of him had any similarity with psychopaths and bullies sickened him.
A hero was all he ever wanted to be, and this wasn't even close to heroic.
"... if you ever, ever touch Annabeth again-" Percy warned, teeth grinding like millstones.
Mitchell spat out some bloody saliva. "Believe it or not, I get the idea... though, if she touches me-?"
Yup, Percy slugged him across the face for good measure. Mitchell spat out more blood.
"-oh-okay... just so we're clear on that."
"Yeah," Percy got up, unblocking the bathroom door, "I think we're clear..."
"..."
"... is the bathroom door in this cabin extra thick or something?"
More blood-spit. What a drama-queen. "You really think this is the best time to ask?" Mitchell glared, incredulous.
"Well?"
"Yes."
"Oh... but why-?"
"Aphrodite kids go through a lot of breakups, so we cry in here a lot."
Honestly, at this point? Percy wasn't sure why he had bothered asking. None of the other Aphrodite children tried to stop him on his way out.
"So, what have we learned?"
"There were two Diomed-"
"If you say 'Diomedei' again I will hurt you."
"Two people named Diomedes. One was a villain, the other was a hero."
"Not sure we can seriously call anyone a 'villain' without sounding like we live in a comic book, but sure."
"We could live in a comic book-"
"What else?"
"Hm? Oh, never piss off Aphrodite."
"Not unless you want to end up like Diomedes."
"... I wouldn't let anything happen to us you know."
"That's... I know Percy, but it's not up to us. The gods-"
"-how ungrateful can they be? After everything we've done, can't they let us have this?"
"If they want. But they might not want to, and there's not much we can do about it."
"..."
"... but everything I can do, I will do, to keep us together."
"... your hubris is showing."
"Love you too Seaweed-Brain."
Finally, Piper had arrived, bewildered as he stormed out of her cabin.
He did vaguely hear her comment, loudly, that someone broke the very thick bathroom door. Not like he was going to double back and take credit for that though.
No, he headed straight for his father's cabin.
Sure enough, Annabeth was waiting, pacing rather. She had been biting her nails, a habit she was stubbornly trying to break. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying.
No, he wouldn't let her know that he could notice any of those small details. Maybe she'd call him stupid or if he was lucky 'Seaweed-Brain' all over again, but that was a risk well worth taking in his book.
"Hey Wise-Girl."
She nearly chokes trying to say something, and again he'll pretend not to notice. Instead he waits until she manages a strangled sort of 'hey'. He holds her, maybe a bit too tightly, but she squeezes back harder.
"I think we're going to be alright."
"Of course we are," she murmurs with her face buried in his shoulder, "I told you we would."
"You got it... you're right... and even if you were wrong, I'm too tired to argue."
"... not funny Kelp-Head." But he knows he's okay because she's still gripping too tight, never wanting to let go.
And that's alright too, because he's sure he never wants her to let go. "... I love you too Annabeth."
Fin.
Started as a prompt, grew into a sort of 'love-letter' to all of those inane stories where Annabeth cheats on Percy and he goes crazy/evil/Chaos as a result.
Thank you for reading, and please drop by a review!