A/N: Have I mentioned how awesome you guys are? Really, you are! I mean it! Thank you so, so much for the reviews!

Random thought, if you like techno/house/chill music, do me a favor and listen to Late Night Alumni. They're one of my favorite bands and I've been listening to them a lot lately. Go to youtube, right now!

Just thought I'd share that with you all. Enjoy chapter 10! (I can't believe this has 10 chapters now O.O)

Sunburn

Chapter 10

To say that Percy was nervous would be an understatement. His stomach was in knots and he felt like he was going throw up at a moment's notice. Not a very pretty thought, but Percy could not seem to control his nerves. But who could blame him? He was about to travel to his father's underwater kingdom and tell him about a relationship that he would probably not be terribly thrilled about. He suddenly found himself thinking he would rather take on 50 Empousai than talk to his dad about this sort of thing.

He honestly had no idea what his dad would think. He found himself feeling incredibly guilty because his mom had no idea what was going on with his love life. He always told his mother everything, and he felt bad not telling her. She knew that Percy preferred men and was completely supportive of him (because she was, hands down, the best mom ever). But he didn't know what she would think about his relationship with Apollo either. She would probably worry about him like he always does. Part of him felt like he should have told his mother first…

Percy was at the beach again, standing at the water's edge trying to gather the courage he needed. He always had it before, but it suddenly decided to crawl up and die in stomach. Usually he loved going to visit his dad and was really comfortable around him. Percy may have been biased, but he thought he had the best relationship with his godly parent. Poseidon respected him and welcomed him with open arms whenever Percy was in his kingdom.

Taking a deep breath, even though he didn't need to, Percy submerged himself in the water. Using his sea powers, Percy willed the water around him, propelling himself deeper and deeper into the water. Despite the darkness of the depths, Percy could see just fine. He willed the water faster, diving deeper than any mortal could take. Before long, he found himself in front of his father's imposing palace.

He swam through the courtyard, swimming past his father's wife as he did so. Amphitrite always regarded him coldly, looking at him like he were a piece of week old pizza sitting on the counter. She nodded curtly to him before swimming quickly away, her black hair flowing behind her like squid ink.

Percy found his dad in the throne room, talking with Triton, another person who wasn't too fond of Percy. Wonderful

"Percy, my boy," said Poseidon, looking genuinely surprised, but happy to see him.

"Hello, Perseus," said Triton with the same look he received from Amphitrite just moments before.

"Hi," said Percy simply, feeling a little stupid after he did so. Being around Triton always made him feel a little uncomfortable.

Poseidon went over to Percy and clasped his shoulder warmly, "It's good to see you, son. I wasn't expecting you today."

Percy took comfort in his father's hand on his shoulder, "Sorry if it's a bad time. But, I kind of wanted to talk to you about something. I can...come back another time if you want."

"No need Percy, it's obviously something important. Triton, would you mind giving Percy and I some time alone?" Poseidon said, regarding his merman son.

Percy thought for sure Triton's green skin grew even more green for a moment. Triton nodded, and then used his two fins to propel himself away. "I'm sorry the way he acts around you, Percy. He gets it from his mother."

"It's ok…it'll probably take them awhile to warm up to me," Percy replied.

"Amphitrite can have quite the temper, something Triton inherited," said Poseidon, motioning for Percy to sit down in a chair that had appeared by the sea god's throne. "Now, what is it you wanted to talk about?"

Percy sat down, feeling hot all of the sudden (despite the fact that he was hundreds of feet underwater),"Well…I, um. You know…the past few months...I've sorta-"

Poseidon laughed warmly, "You know you don't have to be afraid of me son."

"I know…it's just this is a little weird, what I'm about to tell you," Percy said. "I don't know how to start."

Percy swore he saw a knowingly look on his father's face, "I suggest from the beginning, son."

The demigod would have normally laughed at a comment like that, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Finally, Percy decided to stop acting like a scared child. He took a breath and began, "I've…I've been seeing someone."

The sea god looked upon his son, his eyebrow arched in amusement, "Percy, I will spare you the pain of admitting it. I already know about you and Apollo."

Percy's face must have looked ridiculous because Poseidon was laughing rather heartily, "What…how did you know?"

"It wasn't very hard for me to find out. I have all kinds of creatures watching the kingdom, my boy, even in the shallowest of waters. All of the times you and Apollo were on the camp beach, my messengers could see you, and they reported what they saw back to me."

Percy couldn't believe that he and Apollo had been ousted by a fish. His face paled then, remembering a time when Apollo had taken them to California, where they did a lot more than just kiss on the beach. "How long have you known?"

"A couple of months, but I figured it had been going on for some time. I assume that I'm right, judging by your face."

Percy felt the blood drain from his face, "Six months. That's how long we've been together."

Poseidon sat back in his throne, running a hand through his dark hair, "I must admit I'm surprised by that. Apollo isn't the type to 'stick around' as they say."

"Are you…mad?" Percy asked, again feeling childish.

Poseidon looked surprised, "Percy, I'm not angered at all. You can have relations with whomever you choose. However, I am…concerned."

"What do you mean?" asked Percy, feeling his stomach sink a little lower.

Poseidon's facial expression changed to one Percy couldn't exactly read, "You may not like me saying this, but Apollo is selfish, more so than any other god. Well, only second to my brother, Zeus. He is used to having mortals and immortals alike throwing themselves at him, and he let it get to his head. He has cycled through so many lovers it is hard to keep track; and he has so many children. He gets tired of one lover and moves to the next rather quickly."

Percy felt slightly angry, but managed to keep it hidden, "So, you think Apollo is just staying until he gets tired of me?"

"That is exactly what I'm worried about. And I won't lie to you, I think it would be wise if you didn't get too attached to him because it will end painfully for you. Apollo should know better than to play these games with you."

"It's not a game!" Percy said louder than he meant to. "And it's too late to not get attached because I already am. I…I love him, dad."

Poseidon looked dazed for a moment by Percy's confession, but quickly regained his composure, "I was afraid you were going to say that. But, son, you have to realize…that is how Apollo gets what he wants. He can charm the scales off a dragon if he needed to."

"That's not how it is with us," Percy said trying to control the tone of his voice. "He loves me too."

The sea god rubbed his right temple with his fingers, "Percy, I know you're going to get angry at what I'm about to say, but I doubt that is true."

Percy couldn't believe he was hearing. Of course Apollo loved him! Percy could see it in the sun god's whenever he spoke the words. "I know it's true, believe me."

Poseidon reached over and put his hand on Percy's shoulder again, "Percy, I've seen the way he acts to get his lovers into bed with him. He will do or say whatever he can to make that happen."

Percy really didn't want to talk about his bedroom activities with Apollo, but he had to defend the god however he could, "It's not about the sex. It's more meaningful than that. He's told me over and over that he's never felt like this with anyone else."

Poseidon was looking at Percy directly in the eyes now, "Again, he will say anything if that means he can get someone into bed. I'm sorry Percy, but I have known him much longer than you have. He has been the same way for thousands of years, and I doubt he is going to change."

Percy felt the anger slowly boiling over. His emotions were struggling in his head, and finally the dam broke, "If he doesn't love me, then why does he want the gods to grant me immortality? He wants to ask Zeus because he said he wanted me by his side. Why would he want me for an eternity if he didn't love me?"

Now Poseidon's eyes were widened, "Percy…have you two seriously talked about this?"

"Yeah and I said that I want to. I've never wanted something so badly in my life. I know we haven't been together long, but this feels so right, dad."

The sea god stood up and began pacing back and forth, "My brother will not be pleased by this. You've already insulted him by turning down immortality once, and you know how he is when he feels insulted. He's liable to lash out because of this. When does Apollo plan on telling him?"

"I'm not sure…but I wanted to tell you first," said Percy, feeling upset because he could tell his father was angry with him.

"He's going to call a council with the rest of the gods," Poseidon continued. "Which will be interesting in of itself."

"Aphrodite is on our side," Percy added, hoping it would help. "And maybe Artemis will be too."

"They may help calm Zeus some, seeing as he's very fond of them. But, Percy, I don't think you realize how serious this could be."

Percy looked down at the floor, unable to meet his father's gaze. He and Apollo would most likely cause a huge mess on Olympus, all because they wanted to be together. But his own father wasn't even taking their relationship seriously. To say that Apollo didn't love him made Percy's blood run cold.

"Percy, it's not my intention to upset you. I'm trying to take a note from Athena and be rational for once. You're my son and I'm just looking out for you."

"I know," Percy replied, slightly crestfallen.

"Listen, if you and Apollo really do love each other, than I am happy for you. If you are seriously considering immortality it's going to be messy business."

Percy was thoughtful for a moment, "I should have taken it when you all first offered it to me…but things were different. I had Annabeth and I thought that was going to last."

"I must admit, I was a little saddened you didn't accept. If you were immortal, I would be able to keep an eye on you for awhile," Poseidon said with a smile.

That statement made Percy feel a little better, but it still felt like his insides were being twisted around. "Would you want me to be immortal?"

"Of course I would," said Poseidon, his face looking rather grim. "Before the pact was made between my brothers and myself, I sired many children. It was always painful to watch them grow old and die. In the old days, so many of my sons and daughters would die…many around the same time...it would consume me. Many of the storms you hear about in mythology were the result of my grief. If you were to be made immortal, I wouldn't have to experience that again."

Percy was grateful that his father had opened up to him, and was overjoyed that the sea god actually wanted him to be immortal.

"Know that whatever choice you make, I will support it. But, you of all people know what my brother is like. If he is angered by this, which he most likely will be, he will not make this easy for you."

In his cabin that night, Percy sat upright in bed, his mind still buzzing with the conversation with his father. Percy had expected a lot worse, but he was still left feeling uneasy. The demigod was not thrilled by what his father had said about Apollo…the god wasn't like that around him. Percy tried not to think about Apollo getting tired of him, but the distressing notion would not leave his mind. Everything his father had said had been weighing heavily on him for the entire day.

"How did it go?" said Apollo when appeared in the cabin at his usual time.

Percy proceeded to tell the god everything, not leaving any of the details out. He didn't want to hide anything from Apollo. "But, the important thing is that my dad will support us."

Apollo, who was sitting Indian style on Percy's bed, looked a little miffed, "I should have gone with you…I don't know why I chose not to. It would have been better."

"Don't worry…I think it was better I went alone. I don't know how he would have acted if you would have shown up with me."

The sun god gazed at Percy, sensing that there was something still troubling the boy. He hated the fact that Poseidon has said all of those things about him, and he was afraid Percy would start to believe them. "You're not telling me everything. There's something bothering you still."

Percy shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want Apollo to know how was feeling, but he couldn't hold back. "…Are you sure that you're never going to get bored with me?"

"Of course I won't!" Apollo replied. "Percy, please don't let what your father said get to your head. You know how I feel about you."

"I know you love me, I don't doubt that at all. But my dad is right; you're used to getting anyone you want when you want. You've even said that yourself. I don't think I could deal with you going off and-"

"Don't even finish that sentence," said the now exasperated sun god. "Do you really believe I would see other people behind your back?"

Percy looked away from Apollo, unable to look him in the eye, "I mean…maybe not at first. But…do you really think that after thousands of years of getting who you want…you'll want to be stuck with just me? For eternity?"

Percy immediately regretted what he had just said. Apollo looked mad, and that was something Percy was not used to seeing. Apollo was always carefree and happy, but the look across the god's face was almost terrifying.

"Even after everything I've said to you, you still don't believe me," said Apollo darkly. "I've opened myself up to you and it's still not enough."

"I'm sorry…but you can't blame me for being a little worried. This is forever we're talking about here."

Apollo sneered at the comment, "Maybe it's you who doesn't want this. That's certainly what this is starting to sound like."

Percy was stunned, "Are you kidding me? Of course I want to be with you! Why would you even question it?"

Apollo was standing now, looking down at Percy angrily, "Because even after everything I said to you, you think that I would stoop that low. I'm used to my sister saying things like that to me, but coming from you it's hurtful."

"Look...I'm not trying to be hurtful but you know I'm telling the truth." Again, Percy regretted his words and wished he could develop a brake system for his brain.

"So you think I'm selfish?" said Apollo, facing Percy who was now standing as well.

Percy was mad that Apollo was getting angry over nothing, and found himself unable to hold his tongue. "Yeah, you are, because you go through so many lovers and don't care about their feelings! I don't want that to happen to me!"

"How dare you insult me like that?" Apollo yelled.

"Because it's true! You're so incredibly selfish…and I don't give a damn if you threaten to turn me into something. I'd like to see you try something on me."

"I just might," Apollo warned. "Maybe that would teach you some respect!"

"You're one to talk about respect," Percy was really angry now, completely unable to hold anything back. "From what I've just heard, you don't respect anyone."

The sun god's eye brilliant eyes looked even more dangerous then, "Your father has no room to talk either. Do you have any idea how many lovers he went through back in the day? Probably way more than I ever had, or did he fail to mention that? If anyone is disrespectful, it's him."

"Don't you dare talk about my dad that way," Percy warned.

The air between them was thick with tension. Percy could almost feel it running around him body like a heavy, black smoke. He and Apollo continued to argue, shouting and saying hurtful things that should not have been said. Apollo called Percy a childish brat, Percy said Apollo was a self-centered prick...and many other colorful words were shared between them. Insults were hurled like javelins before the breaking point was finally reached.

"I can end this now, you know," Apollo said, his voice taking on an icy quality. "I can disappear right now and you would never have see me again."

Percy was taken aback, but he was so angry the wheels in his head just kept turning, "Go ahead! You must really don't care if you're that eager to leave. My dad was right, you just stayed for the sex and you said whatever you could to get in my pants! Am I right?"

"Fine, if that's how you want it," Apollo said, an incensed glare in his eyes. "I can easily replace you."

The look on Percy's face was absolutely heart breaking. Even after everything that had been said, that single phrase hurt Percy more than he thought possible.

Apollo had not meant what he said and wished he could have taken it back, "Percy, I'm-"

"Get out," said Percy coldly.

Apollo reached for Percy but the boy stepped away, "Please, Percy-"

"I said get out!" Percy yelled. "If I'm so easy to replace then go fucking replace me!"

Apollo knew he should have stayed, but he let his anger and guilt get the better of him. In flash of light, he was gone, and Percy was left standing alone in his cabin. He couldn't remember feeling so hurt in his entire life. Their fight had been so stupid and pointless that it shouldn't have been a fight at all. Percy felt frustrated tears building up behind his eyes, threatening to spill at a moment's notice.

He couldn't help but think that Apollo was probably in the city right now, cruising around in the maserati looking for someone to "replace" him with. His blood ran cold at the thought, and the thought alone brought a tear trickling down his face. He felt stupid and weak, sitting in his cabin starting to cry over something like this. The fight had been completely stupid and he knew it. He was tired and frustrated beyond belief, which was never a good combination. Finally, as he laid down in his bed, he let the tears go. It was hard at first, because he was always told men weren't supposed to cry. But his emotions were wreaking havoc on his mind, practically coaxing the tears out of him.

All Percy wanted was to go to sleep, but sleep eluded him for the rest of the night.

A/N: Please don't be mad at me! This wasn't where I was planning on having this chapter go. But, once I started writing my brain just went with this scenario. I hope, despite the content, that you guys liked it. I hope Poseidon came off as protective, not as a jerk. I didn't think Poseidon would treat his favorite son badly. And, I know their fight might sound a little stupid, but that was sort of the point. Most of the time when you fight with someone you love, it's so incredibly stupid (trust me, I know lol).

Please review!