Percy and Peter met when they were 8 years old. They were at the same elementary school… for a few months. But then of course Percy accidentally made the pipes explode and he got expelled. But that didn't keep them from staying friends. They were best friends for years.
When they were twelve after Percy was on the news first as a fugitive but then as a kidnapping victim Peter had been so worried for his friend. And when Percy came back he told Peter the truth. He was a demigod, son of Poseidon. Peter had believed him, they lived in a world where men flew around in metal suits and aliens existed, why not the Greek Gods?
"I'll always come home Peter." he'd promised, "I'll always come back to you."
When they were fourteen and Peter got accepted to Midtown Tech with a full scholarship, a school for the sciences that only accepted the smartest students and was not cheap, Percy had been ecstatic for his best friend. He'd always known Peter could do anything, even without powers. Peter met Ned at this school and they became good friends. Percy met Ned and liked him instantly, he was kind and nerdy and they all loved the same movies.
And when they were fifteen, they kissed for the first time. Aunt May cursed because she owed Sally 20 bucks. She thought they wouldn't pull their heads out of their asses and get together for another year. Sally had said they'd be together before 16. Percy and Peter had been blushing the whole time. And yes, Percy calls her Aunt May. She insisted on it when the two first became friends, knowing even then that one day they'd be family.
When Peter had gotten powers Percy was the only person he told. Now he had powers too. And Percy made him promise to be careful when he learnt Peter was fighting crime. He'd watched on the news when Peter saved his friends at the Washington Monument, and when Peter had told him that he was going to stop this dude in a Bird suit from stealing from Mr. Stark Percy hadn't stopped him, that would have made him a hypocrite considering he was getting ready to fight a war against a Titan, instead he'd kissed the boy he loved and made him promise to come back to him in one piece.
"I promise." Peter had said, "I'll always come back to you."
When Percy had gone to fight Kronos in the Battle of Manhattan, Peter had kissed him. It was the first time either of them had said "I love you." Both of them thought it'd be the last time they saw each other, the prophecy stating Percy would die when he turned sixteen. They had spent every moment of the last three days together. Percy had held him and Peter had cried into his neck.
"I love you, Peter." Percy had said into his hair before leaving with Nico, "I love you so much, and if somehow I survive this I'll never leave you again. We'll go to prom and everything." Peter had chuckled,
"I love you too." the little superhero had said, and with that they pulled apart, neither of them had said goodbye, neither of them wanting it to be so, and they parted ways. Peter to get home for dinner, Percy to get the final preparations for the battle in order.
When they were sixteen, Percy walked into Peter's apartment after the final battle. Peter had dropped the plate he'd been drying and rushed into Percy's arms. Neither of them had wanted to let go.
"You promised you'd go to prom with me, Water-Boy. I'm holding you to that." Peter had said into Percy's chest. Percy had laughed.
"I look forward to it."
Percy had had nightmares, watching his friends die, seeing Luke kill himself to save all of them, it wore on him. Peter was there for him through it all. He'd show up at Percy's in the middle of the night when Percy texted him, and he'd let Percy hold him, his godly boyfriend reassuring himself that Peter was there. In the morning Sally would find them curled up together in Percy's bed, and she'd smile fondly and let them sleep. The boys would have breakfast with Sally and Paul, and Peter would hurry home to get ready for school after kissing his Water-Boy goodbye.
Meeting MJ had been interesting. It was clear she had a crush on Peter, if the frown when Peter introduced him as his boyfriend meant anything. Why wouldn't she have a crush on him? He's perfect. Percy had thought. But the revelation Peter liked guys helped to wash it away. She was cool. Blunt, to the point, if rather pessimistic. But Percy liked her.
When Ned and MJ met Annabeth and Grover, it was hilarious. Of course Annabeth and MJ had teamed up to tease Seaweed Brain and Spider-Boy, Annabeth had been a bit tense when she learnt that Peter had the powers of a spider, but things had been chill, and they all got along extremely well. Ned being fascinated over Grover's ability to eat anything, and MJ asking Annabeth to teach her to wield a knife.
When Percy woke up, no idea who he was in a clearing surrounded by wolves he'd been confused. He knew he wasn't supposed to be there. The lead wolf, she could talk. For some reason Percy wasn't surprised. She's said her name was Lupa, and she was going to train Percy. She'd found it strange that he had no idea who he was. He knew his name was Percy Jackson. He was 17. He was the son of Neptune. Nothing about his life, not even his parents. And Percy never told her about what he could remember. Or rather who.
Peter.
He remembered someone named Peter. Nothing that could tell him where he knew him from, or how to find him, but he remembered Peter. He could remember his smile, how he laughed, what his hand felt like in his, the comfortable weight of holding him, how Peter made him feel safe and loved. The sparkle in his brown eyes when he was happy or excited. The way his cheeks turned pink when he was flustered or embarrassed. What it felt like to kiss him, the sparks and passion and love. How he'd call Percy "Water-Boy" first as a joke, but then as a term of endearment.
He remembered how much he loved Peter. Actually love wasn't the right word. It was too weak. Percy didn't think there was a word to describe what he felt for the brown haired boy. That whenever he was with Peter, it felt as though he could truly breathe. Like he'd been unaware he was drowning until Peter was in his arms. That when Peter was with him he felt like he could do anything, even take over the world. That he would do anything for him, just to see him smile. Peter felt like home.
He needed Peter. Lupa had promised him that if he trained with her that eventually he would remember who he was. So Percy had trained. And he was good. Lupa remarked that it was as if he had trained before. When the training was over she sent him on his way, assuring him he'd find his way.
At one point he was in town and he passed a store with tvs in the window. Some guy called J. Jonah Jameson was doing some kind of news report. The image changed. Peter. It was Peter. He was standing next to a building that was half destroyed. He was wearing a skin tight red and black suit. A woman with long brown hair was on one side, and a heavier man with graying black hair and a goatee on the other. Peter looked injured, as did the woman. They were both covered and soot, and rubble dust. The Jameson guy called Peter Spider-Man and stated he had destroyed the building, and should be locked up. Percy knew that wasn't true. In his heart he knew Peter wouldn't do this, wouldn't put people in danger. He was angry at Jameson for saying such things. Unfortunately the annoying news anchor never said where this was taking place. For whatever reason he needed to be there. Peter needed him. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. But he had no way of getting to him. He had no way home.
When Percy had met Nico at the temple of Pluto, he had seen how Nico reacted to seeing him. Nico knew who he was. But Percy hadn't gotten the chance to ask him about it. He'd left before Percy could ask his questions. When Mars had given him, Hazel and Frank the quest he hoped to get his memories back.
The trio had fought some monsters on their quest, but the most significant event was Percy's bet with Phineas. When he made that bet he was prepared to never see Peter again. For some reason the feeling felt familiar. One vial would heal the drinker, the other kill. If Phineas won he'd regain his sight, if he lost he'd tell them where Thanatos was being held by writing it on a piece of paper. They drank, soon Phineas was crumbling to dust.
Percy was starting to remember. Peter… They managed to free Thanatos, but they needed to get back to Camp Jupiter. They managed to buy train tickets but Percy quickly ran inside. He got some change from the gift shop and used the payphone. He dialed his mom's number, he couldn't remember Peter's so he'd have to ask his mom to get him a message. Voicemail. Of course it was. She was probably sleeping and even if she wasn't she never picked up for unrecognized numbers.
"Please leave your message after the tone." the robotic female voice said, the beep,
"Hi mom. It's me. It's Percy. I don't have long, I have to go save some people but I need you to know I'm alright. I don't know when I'll be home but I promise I will come home. I love you so much mom, I miss you. Will you tell Peter I love him? That I miss him so much and I think about him everyday, and I know I missed Prom last year but I promise I'll do my best to make it this year." Percy felt the tears gathering in his eyes, "I love you all, I'll be home as soon as I can. I gotta go now, bye." and he hung up. He got on the train and sat down across from Hazel and Frank. Tears fell down his cheeks.
More and more memories came back to him during the train ride. By the time they got back he remembered everything. And every fiber of his being wanted to get on a plane, Screw Zeus! Peter needs me more. Peter being Spider-Man had been a secret when he was taken, but now it was out. And for some reason people couldn't decide if he was a hero or a villain. Peter is a hero. Whatever they think he did, he didn't do it. Percy so desperately wanted to go to Peter, go home. But he couldn't. Camp Jupiter needed him, the world needed him. If the world was destroyed there would be no Home to go to. Not to mention Peter would kill Percy himself if he found out Percy chose coming home to him over saving the world. Hazel and Frank had observed him throughout the ride. He could tell they wanted to ask why he was crying but they never did. Percy was thankful, he had needed the quiet to organize his memories as they returned. Each one made him miss Peter more.
Percy had saved Camp Jupiter. His duel against Polyboltes plus him having retrieved their Golden Eagle led to them naming him Praetor. But Percy knew Jason, Annabeth, Piper and Leo were on their way. He told them all this. Octavian, the asshole that he is, tried to convince everyone to shoot the ship down, that they were dangerous. But Reyna and Percy put him in his place. And by that evening the Argo II had touched down.
Annabeth had judo-flipped Percy onto his face when she saw him. Percy had laughed and hugged her when he got back up. They invited the crew to join the feast. And later Percy asked Annabeth about his mom and Peter. His mom was fine, worried about him but the voicemail he left had made her feel better.
Peter had been a wreck. First he comes back from his class trip to Europe to learn his boyfriend was missing, but then a week later he is outed as spiderman and accused of killing some dude named Mysterio who was actually a disgruntled Tony Stark employee. He'd almost been arrested and sent to prison. But now the world is divided between thinking he's a hero and thinking he's a villain. He's gotten attacked and harassed while doing his Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman thing, and he'd been rejected by every college he'd applied to because of the controversy, and Ned and MJ as well due to them standing by Peter. Also that Jameson dick found out about Percy being missing, he knew they were childhood friends but not their actual relationship, and had practically accused Peter of killing him and getting rid of his body. That part had made Percy furious. When he got back he was gonna kill that asshole.
Peter had not been handling it very well. He'd tried getting through it, but the stress of not knowing whether or not the love of his life was even alive, on top of all of that, he'd had a couple of breakdowns. Apparently he tried to make everyone forget he was spiderman, which led to a botched spell and accidentally bring villains and alternate spidermans from different universes to this one, but with the help of the other Peters', Doctor Strange and Lou Ellen Daughter of Hecate, they managed to undo the spell and send them all home, the villains's minds restored even, without any other consequences. Also he and Ned and MJ got into MIT in the end, after Peter saved the life of the recruitment officer after she almost died when one of those villains attacked. So basically things were starting to look up, but he was still hated by half the human population and his boyfriend was still missing the voicemail he left, not doing much to help his worrying about his boyfriend. Annabeth assured him that Aunt May, MJ and Ned were
Percy so badly wanted to talk to him, reassure him, make sure he knew Percy was going to come home. But he couldn't. Iris Messaging Peter wasn't going to happen, seeing as there was no way Peter would be around enough mist unless he was in the shower. And there wouldn't be a rainbow in the mist since it was, you know, a shower. Percy felt helpless. His boyfriend needed him and there was nothing Percy could do about it.
Percy now hated Octavian. He hadn't liked him before but now he really hated the augur. If it hadn't been for him, or the Eidolon possessing Leo as he would later learn, he and the rest of the Argo crew could have left peacefully without any drama. But of course they end up accidentally declaring war against the Romans. He decided he liked Jason, Leo and Piper. Jason was awkward, but he was chill. He was not angry at Percy being named Praetor, nor did he think he was in charge because his father was the king of the gods. After all, everyone knew who was in charge. And that was Annabeth. Piper was also pretty awesome. Nor what he expected after hearing she was a daughter of Aphrodite. She wasn't obsessed with her looks, and was a total badass with that knife. Leo was hilarious. Not because of his jokes, his jokes varied in their level of funny, but because Percy had had to put him out when he accidentally lit himself on fire when he got over excited. But he was also really nice, and super smart. He was sure that if he and Peter met, they'd have a ball making inventions together. He decided there and then that when they got home he'd introduce them.
The crew had needed to go rescue Nico from the giants. Percy had still been kinda mad at him for pretending he never met him, but he also sort of understood. After all, the Romans were not too fond of the Greeks.
Percy and Jason getting possessed had not been fun. The two had been equally matched, and the Eidolons had forced them to fight each other. Leo had also been possessed and the entire event had sucked. They managed to get unpossessed, but Piper had used her Charmspeak to make them leave for good.
They go through a few confrontations and fights, including one against a few Romans led by Percy's favorite asshole Octavian. Percy defeated them with a whirlpool. Simple really.
Annabeth had gone on some mission of her own that she was sure could heal the rift between the camps. Percy and the crew go and rescue Nico. When they found him Percy had gotten mad and had yelled at him for not telling Percy who he was when he got there. But Nico deflects by telling them about the Doors of Death and their locations. But first they had to find Annabeth.
They manage to load the Athena Parthenos onto the ship, but Arachne, who had fallen into a hole leading directly to Tartarus, stuck a web to Annabeth's leg. Percy lunged to grab her as she fell, and managed to grab a ledge keeping the two from falling in.
When Percy had let go of that ledge, after making Nico promise to close the doors on the mortal side, all he could think was I'm sorry Peter, I might not make it to Prom after all. He and Annabeth would close the doors on the Tartarus side, they had to.
Tartarus had been hell. With each step they courted danger. And with each danger the only reason Percy made it through was his determination to see Peter again. Though Percy did learn he could write with Riptide when they found Hermes's shrine. They had sent a note to Rachel via Connor Stoll. They also found Bob, or Iapetus as he used to be known, and he had helped them reach the doors. Percy had felt like a monster when he killed Akhlys via her own poison mist. Annabeth had even been a bit scared of him. And he was so grateful to Bob, for staying behind in Tartarus to cut the chains holding the Doors of Death, while he and Annabeth returned to the surface world.
They had suddenly reappeared on a hill, the Argo II just ahead of them. When night fell, Percy remembered that he had promised Bob he'd say hello to the stars for him. So that night, he had looked up at the sky and he'd said "Bob says hello."
Percy screwed up. He and Annabeth got injured while battling the Thoon. His bloody nose woke Gaia. This was bad. They defeated the Giants but Gaia was awake. The Olympians, Minus Apollo who Zeus said needed to be punished, Nike and the Seven conferred on what to do next. In the end Zeus literally slapped their ship back to Camp Half-Blood. The Romans were there. Thankfully Reyna, Nico and Hedge managed to bring the athena Parthenos to the camp and unite the Greeks and Romans. So at least Percy didn't need to worry about that. But now they had a battle. They had to save the world. Percy had to save the world. Peter needed him to. Also the ship was gone. It disintegrated as it fell, revealing a rebuilt Festus with Leo riding him. Percy had fought alongside the campers, but ultimately it had been Jason, Leo and Piper who stopped her. And Leo had died doing so. So had Octavian. He had launched a flaming catapult and had gotten snagged on the fireball. He was dead. The demigods fought off the rest of the monsters and then made peace. Also apparently Nico had a crush on Percy. Whatever… Thankfully Nico knew Percy only had eyes for Peter. Oh shit. Peter. Percy had to see Peter.
Percy in the end decides to go home and change first. See his mom and Paul for a bit before finding Peter. Cause he knows, once he has Peter in his arms, he wasn't letting go for a long time. He arrives at the apartment a little after 8 pm. He knocks on the door but there is no answer. He tries opening it and no answer. Finally he grabs the spare key above the door frame and unlocks it. The lights are off, the place is empty. Percy begins to panic for a minute thinking something happened, until he spots the kitchen table. There's a tux wrapped in dry cleaner plastic, and a note.
Percy, if you are reading this it means you've finally come home. Paul and I went to Montauk for the weekend, so if you're home we'll see you then. I left some money for takeout but there are also left overs in the fridge, so eat up. I swear to the gods Perseus Jackson if you are not in one piece when I get home you will be grounded. And you will be telling me what happened.
As for the tux, this weekend on Saturday is Prom at Peter's high school. He didn't want to go but May and his friends convinced him since it's his last chance to go. It's this Saturday at 8pm, and I believe you have a promise to keep. Go and have fun. I'll see you Monday afternoon.
Love,
Mom
Saturday 8pm. Percy looks at the digital clock's time stamp. Holy crap that's today. Percy's late. Quickly he showers, brushes his hair, and puts on the tux. Thankfully it fit, mostly, it was a bit small, but only so that it emphasized his fit body. He found the most formal shoes he could, which ended up being a pair of blue converse high tops. He for the life of him, can not tie the bow tie so he decides Screw it. Who cares if I'm wearing a stupid tie. And so leaves the tie on the table and unbuttons the top two buttons on the button down. Percy does a quick check to make sure he was good, and didn't look like an idiot. He has to say, he cleans up nice. He looks at the time. It's almost 9. Peter's school was 15 minutes away by subway so Percy grabs a metrocard and his wallet, and literally runs to the station. He stops to make sure he has enough money for the train ride, he does, and gets on the train. People were definitely staring at him, one girl even waved and smiled which Percy found a bit odd. He arrives at his stop, and runs to two blocks from the station to the school.
He arrives and follows the crowd to the entrance. There is a table set up in front with two staff members collecting tickets. He recognizes one of them as Peter's decathlon coach. He gets in line. A few of the girls keep glancing at him, smiling and giggling before looking away. Finally it's his turn. He tries to explain that he doesn't have a ticket but it is super important that he go in there. He made a promise and he was going to keep it. The staff members try to tell him he can't go in without a ticket, but Percy isn't having that. He quickly gets fed up, and the cooler beneath the table as well as the water bottles on the table start shaking. Before they can explode however a familiar voice sounds.
"Here I have a spare." it's MJ. She takes a ticket out of the purse on her arm and gives it to the teachers. Percy looks at her with confusion. "May told me to get a ticket for you in case it was too late to get one when you got back."
"What about-"
"He wouldn't. I think he was starting to think you'd never come back, and he figured, you know, why waste the money on a ticket and false hope." Percy's heart felt tight. He knew he should have called again in Europe. The teachers let him in, finally, and MJ tells Percy that Peter is in the corner in the back sulking. She and Ned had been trying to get him to dance and have fun but he just sat in the corner. Eventually she has to leave him to find Peter himself because she also has a date she needs to get back to.
The place is packed. Percy wanders around for what felt like an eternity. Finally he hears it.
"Wow, Spiderman doesn't have a date. Serves him right. The murderer." Percy's blood boils. He finds the source of the sound. It's some dude, clearly a jock. The stereotypical jock. Blonde, square jaw, broad shoulders, wearing a blue tux. Percy notices he has punch in his hand. And is wearing a white button down. And there's a group of people behind him also carrying punch. He smirks. A small twitch and suddenly the jock is spilling his drink on himself. On instinct he walks backwards right into the other punch carriers, causing them to spill all over his back. People around them notice, some laugh, others just stand there open mouthed but clearly trying not to smile. His stereotypical white girl date also can't help but laugh. That dick now is covered in the sugary red substance, his shirt looks like he had gotten blood on it and couldn't get the stain out, and his jacket had gone from blue to purple on the back. Percy smirks in victory.
A hand taps his shoulder. It's Ned. He's holding hands with a girl. Betty if he remembers correctly. He points to the corner and he finally sees Peter. When MJ had said he was sulking in the corner, she really meant he was sulking in the corner. Percy's heart aches. His love looks exhausted. While his hair and clothes looked pristine, he was a mess. He was thinner than Percy remembered. Not unhealthy thin but enough to be noticeable. And despite trying to face the wall, while also keeping his back to it, Percy saw the heavy bags under his eyes. His hands were shaking. Percy thanks Ned for helping him.
When Peter had gotten up he had not wanted to go to prom. He felt so tired. He never had the energy to go anything besides school, decathlon and his patrols. He only ever felt better when he was helping people. But he had promised May that he would. He didn't want to go if Percy wasn't with him. Gods… he missed Percy so much.
When Sally had called and told him Percy had left a voicemail Peter had ditched his last class and rushed over to hear it. She had not been impressed that he'd skipped school, but she knew he needed to hear it.
"Hi mom. It's me. It's Percy." That voice, Percy's voice. He was alive. "I don't have long, I have to go save some people but I need you to know I'm alright. I don't know when I'll be home but I promise I will come home. I love you so much mom, I miss you. Will you tell Peter I love him? That I miss him so much and I think about him everyday, and I know I missed Prom last year but I promise I'll do my best to make it this year. I love you all, I'll be home as soon as I can. I gotta go now, bye." Percy promised. He promised he'd make it to Prom. For the first, Peter was certain Percy would come home to him. Sally let him record the message with the voice memo app on his phone. He'd listen to that recording over and over again.
When Peter had gone to Lou Ellen for help after the incident with the spell, she had told him that they had news on Percy. Apparently Hera had decided that the only way to win a war that was coming was for Camp Half-Blood and a Roman Demigod camp called Camp Jupiter to unite. So she did a sort of exchange thing. She took Percy and a Roman demigod named Jason wiped their memories and made them switch places. Percy was at the Roman Camp in California. And the war? Not a Titan this time, they had to fight the earth itself. Peter suddenly felt as if he was going to drown. How is Percy gonna fight the Earth?
And when prom tickets went on sale. He couldn't bring himself to get one for him. Peter went and bought himself a ticket, he'd promised to go after all, but he couldn't bring himself to get a second one. Why should he entertain the idea that Percy would come home. He hadn't heard anything for months. What if he's dead? Why waste a hundred dollars on false hope?
Other students started doing promposals. Peter watched them with envy and despair. Percy probably would have done something like that, just 'cause.
When he, MJ and Ned got letters from MIT saying that they'd reconsidered and would love to have them attend school there, and as an apology they each got partial scholarships, covering half their tuition each semester that they attended, MJ and Ned had cheered. But all Peter could think was I wish Percy was here to see this. He'd be so proud of me.
When Peter had gotten up that morning he hadn't wanted to go to Prom. He wanted to stay in bed and not do anything. But May got him up when it was time for him to get ready.
"You promised you'd go," she'd reminded him, so Peter grudgingly got up, took a shower, brushed his hair and got dressed. It was an ordinary black tux. May did the bow-tie for him. She had hugged him and told him to at least try to have fun. There was a knock at the door. Ned appeared, he was dressed really nice, and he had a corsage in his hand. He and Betty were gonna meet there, they agreed it made no sense for him to pick her up as he didn't have a car and she lived in the opposite direction from the school as Ned. Ned tried to cheer him up as they headed to the school.
When they got there Peter immediately saw the press. They wanted to see who Peter's date was. And honestly a part of Peter had hoped to spot Percy standing in front of the school, waiting for him, with that dopey smile of his and that mischievous twinkle in his eyes. But he wasn't. And suddenly he felt worse than he did this morning. Ned greeted Betty who had waited outside the school for him, and all three of them greeted MJ and her date, Brad Davis, though Peter simply shrugged and nodded in greeting. MJ was beautiful. She looked like something out of a modern princess movie. And she had a corsage on her wrist. Ned had given Betty hers already.
"No date?" Brad had asked him, MJ had elbowed him in the side at that. Peter had simply shrugged. He didn't say anything as they handed in their tickets, the press taking pictures of a dateless Peter. He didn't have the energy to speak.
Now Peter was sitting in the corner. His back pressed against the fall, head turned to face the other wall, trying to avoid seeing all the happy couples. Trying to keep himself from crying in grief over his boyfriend's absence. And of course he could hear to digs from the students who still believed he was a murderer. Pointing out his lonesome, saying it serves him right to be alone, he doesn't deserve to have someone who loves him. Who could love a murderer?
At one point he hears some sort of commotion, out of the corner of his eye he sees one of the football players who hates him covered in punch. People are trying not to laugh. Peter doesn't care. He stares at the wall. He's frozen.
"Dance with me?" a voice asks, and Peter knows that voice. He listens to that voice on repeat on his phone, listens to that voice promise to come home, and says that he loves him. But Peter doesn't want to look. Doesn't want to look and find out he imagined it. He can't.
"Hello?" the voice says again, "Earth to spiderboy, anyone home?" and finally Peter raises his head and looks at the speaker. Percy is standing there. His hair is longer, but other than that he looks just like he did when Peter saw him last. He says his name. It's the first time he's spoken in a week. Percy grabs his hand and hauls him to his feet and wraps his arms around Peter. Peter's head is resting on Percy's chest and he can hear Percy's heart beating.
"I promised I'd be here." Percy whispered, he's pressing his cheek to the top of Peter's head. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to come home. I-" Peter cuts him off by kissing him. The kiss says everything they felt. "I love you, I missed you, I thought about you every single day." It says all that and more. Peter can hear people around them whispering, and the sound of people taking pictures on their cellphones. But he doesn't care. Then finally separate and suddenly Peter can breathe. The weight in his chest is gone, he feels lighter than he has in forever. He stares at Percy, who wipes away his tears.
"You came back to me." Peter half exclaims, half sobs, Percy looks him dead in the eyes, face so serious Peter thought he might tell him he's dying.
" I will always come home to you." He says, there's so much conviction in his voice Peter knows he'll always believe it "No matter how long it takes, no matter what I have to do, I will always come home to you." Peter smiles, he smiles for the first time in months, and he nods. He's going to spend the rest of his life with this man. Peter is certain of it. He thinks he should say I love you, but he knows that love is too weak a word. Peter doesn't think that there is a word to properly describe what he feels for this demigod.
"Now I believe I asked you to dance." Percy says, Peter smiles wider,
"Of course I'll dance with you dummy," he says, "Just don't step on my toes Water-Boy." Percy laughs, and leads him to the dance floor. Peter knows they need to talk about stuff, where Percy's been, Peter's identity being public, all of it. But right now none of that matters. They can figure that out later.
"I'll do my best."