Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it belongs to Rick Riordan. Any advice or criticisms are welcomed. This disclaimer will stay here.
a/n: While the updates of Undead Daughter of Sin are already erratic enough, this story's updates will be even more so, the idea for this story just wouldn't stop pestering me, but I'll update as I can just don't expect much.
additionally: I am completely aware of how the story of the apples of immortality work, and I know that "technically" they wouldn't exist during the time that this chapter is set up, the only thing I have to say is don't worry about it to much, there are other fanfictions that break the rules far more than mine is going to, that's kind of why they exist after all.
Zoë was bored, a rather terrible of feeling in her opinion, as peaceful as tending to the garden of Hesperides was, it was uneventful thankless work, at least it was until she met Machaíri.
Walking along the well worn path as she had done hundreds of times before, Zoë was making her way towards Ladon in order to feed him, as she got closer she began to hear a voice speaking, expecting the voice to stop abruptly at any moment as Ladon tore the intruder apart Zoë continued walking, only the voice didn't cease talking, there were no screams of pain or roars of outrage as Ladon attacked the person.
No what Zoë found at the foot of the tree was Ladon purring as a brown haired boy stroked his hand down one of the dragon's many necks speaking in a soothing voice comforting the normally vicious dragon.
"Who art thou stranger, why art thou here?" Zoë's surprise was openly showing on her face, no one whenever there was an intruder in the garden had survived Ladon much less calmed the dragon as much as this boy had.
Turning the boy ceased his stroking of the dragon leaving it to whimper in disappointment, and looked straight into Zoë's black eyes with his own shiny golden ones before smiling.
"I am Machaíri, and if I am correct in my assumption of where I am thou art a Hesperid, I was simply wandering and it seems I had gone further than I originally thought, a lot further." The now named Machaíri said with a grin.
"I can imagine if thee managed to wander all the way to the western corner of the world, however wandering is not a good enough excuse."
"Yes, I suspected not, I am avoiding my father, he is rather enraged for some unknown reason."
"Who is thou father?" Zoë was already curious about this golden eyed boy but she wanted to know more.
"Kronos." The answer was swift and filled with mirth and venom, it was obvious this child of Kronos held no love for his father. Although she wouldn't criticize him she held no love for her own father either.
With that single word though sparked a friendship Zoë never imagined she would find, and over the course of the next few weeks with Machaíri visiting as often as he could after he was sent back and forth across the lands doing jobs for his father, this next visit however revealed just how horrible Kronos could be, sure he had swallowed his godly children but it was when Zoë had to offer to clean up Machaíri's bloody stomach after his father had attacked him angered with the lack of perfection Machaíri usually displayed when ordered to kill someone.
The tall boy was lying on the soft ground of the garden silent as possible waiting for Zoë to finish sewing him back up.
"Why do I have to fix thy wounds, would thou not heal due to thy immortality?" The response she received horrified her.
"I'm not immortal, my father had an affair with a mortal woman hoping to use me as a weapon if he failed to stop his actually immortal children from usurping him it is why he named me what he did, it's why he is so hard on me, and why he had my weapon crafted for me." He paused before sighing. "Thou do not have to clean my wounds, you offered to despite knowing I am more than capable of sewing myself back up I have had to do so multiple times before."
"I'm sorry, thou struggle so much with thy father." Zoë wished there was something she could do for the only true friend she had, his response only succeeded in making her feel worse.
"Don't be sorry, thou being the only friend I have is more than enough of a reason to deal with my father, thou do so much just by that alone."
With that it was decided Zoë would maintain this friendship no matter the cost.
Machaíri couldn't be more thankful for the only friend he had ever been able to make it had been a few months since his confession to Zoë and in that time their relationship had continued to grow, while he was glad to have a friend at all, he was infinitely more grateful that the friend he had understood just what it was like to be abandoned and used, Zoë may not be a bastard child like he was but she understood.
This visit to the garden felt different however like a storm was coming and he had no control over it, although he supposed he didn't his father had taken his string of fate for himself after the fates gifted him with it along with his sword.
He was right to feel different however when he found Zoë crying under a tree, rushing over and hugging her close Machaíri asked her what was wrong.
"Zoë why art thou crying, what has happened to make thee upset?"
"My sisters and I had an argument, they yelled at me they threatened me." At this point she was well beyond crying, she was wailing into Machaíri's chest as he wrapped his arms around her smaller form.
"Why would they do that?" He asked in the calmest voice he could muster even as some of his rage leaked through his voice.
It was then that Zoë pulled herself together enough to reach into her pocket and pull out a small golden apple.
"I pulled this apple from the tree for thee. I was selfish and couldn't stand the thought of losing you my only friend." To say Machaíri was stunned would've been like saying Atlas was strong while it was true it was nowhere near as accurate as you might think, in fact he was so stunned he couldn't form cohesive thought for several breath-less moments.
As he took into his hands he felt like he was holding the world in his hands, and with that thought he threw it to the side grabbed Zoë's face and pulled her into a kiss not caring that it was both their first time, no one had ever done something so selfless for him, no one had ever truly cared enough about him as a person to actually give him a gift let alone one as significant as this one.
They kissed until neither could breath and when they pulled themselves apart to breath Machaíri waited until he could speak even though he was struggling to comprehend just what he had done.
"I don't care if the world betrays us, I will not leave thee I promise." Zoë's only response was to gesture towards the fallen apple, which Machaíri then picked up with numb fingers and bit into it, it may have tasted spectacular as freezing fire seemed to flood through his veins filling him with joy, but the feeling of euphoria he felt was nothing compared to the kiss he just shared with Zoë.
After their shared moment of unmatchable joy, they remained inseparable for the rest of the day Machaíri uncaring for the world around him, it was only when he received a urgent message from Arke who forced him to leave Zoë as she grabbed his shoulder and suddenly they were gone. He only wished he would've been able to keep his promise to his friend.
Having reached Mount Othrys he found himself the center of his father's attention.
"Machaíri my weapon where have you been?" Kronos' question was filled with barely concealed anger. "Nevermind is of no more concern, I have been fooled by my youngest immortal son, and my children have escaped and they are regrouping for war, fate has betrayed me and we Titans will not win this war, I cannot allow them to learn of your existence however."
Machaíri stumbled back suddenly filled with fear, newfound immortality or not he didn't know exactly what his father meant and he didn't really want to find out.
"My weapon, we will rise again and you with us, with your string of fate in my grasp I send you into dormancy until we begin our rise to war once more." Kronos stated uncaring of his child's fear.
With that Machaíri knew no more of the first Titan War as he fell unconscious his final thoughts of the girl he never got to say goodbye to.
Zoë didn't really know what to think of the situation, it all happened far to fast, and confused, distressed, and saddened her mind began to wander, thinking of everything that could've gone wrong, Arke hadn't said anything to her, she had picked up Machaíri and left.
It wasn't until Machaíri had been gone for over two weeks that her sadness began to be replaced by bitterness as she started to think he hadn't loved her and he had just used her to get ahold of a golden apple and as soon as he had it left her behind.
Despite knowing in her heart that wasn't true her mind was overwhelmed by anger until her heart began to harden, one of the only things that brought her happiness was when she learned the Titans had been defeated and her father was now trapped beneath the sky so he could no longer torment her and her sisters.
