Dang, was this chapter ever hard to write. I re-wrote it like 5 times.

Starts as Percabeth, will eventually be Percy x Apollo.

Important thing to note... This will be yaoi (boy-boy). Don't like? You do not have to read.

Disclaimer- I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus series. (One can dream though) All rights go to the proper parties.

ΩΩΩ

November 4th

Apollo POV

I felt stabbing pains all over my body. I tried to roll over in order to find a more comfortable way to sleep. A piercing pain shot through my body at the movement. I yelped in agony as I shot up. I dropped a hand to my side and groaned. I could feel bandages. I looked down. My entire torso was wrapped in gauze.

I really hated being a mortal. Two days in a row I woke up in pain. At least yesterday all I needed to do was stretch in order to feel better. Judging by the agony all over my body, it wasn't going to be that easy today.

I winced as I tried to stand up. The throbbing pain in my leg told me that I had injured it when I hit the ground. I wasn't overly surprised by that though. At least I hadn't broken it. I went to run my fingers through my hair and felt a sharp stab of pain. I instantly dropped my hand.

I looked over the rest of my body but other than those three injuries, it all looked like minor cuts and bruises. Not that those three weren't enough...

I sighed as I rubbed the back of my neck. All things considered, I knew I was lucky. If it hadn't been for Percy, I would not have survived that encounter. Speaking of the son of Poseidon...

I couldn't see the son of the sea god anywhere. I looked around. I seemed to be in some kind of abandoned house. I was lying on the floor right next to the old wood burning stove. All I could see through the windows was a blanket of white. I could hear the wind whipping through the crack in the walls and instinctively moved closer to the source of heat. I had never been a fan of the cold. I was the god of the sun after all.

I could see our packs and Percy's empty sleeping bag beside me. I tried to listen to see if he was somewhere else in the house but I couldn't hear anything over the wind. I wondered what had happened after I passed out.

Obviously Percy had killed whatever it was as I was still alive, but I wondered if he was injured. I didn't want him to be hurt because he had to save me. I was very embarrassed about needing his help in the first place. I wished that I had my immortal abilities so that I would have been able to help him. I didn't like that he had to put himself in harm's way for me. He had been rather amazing though. I had seen people who were born gods be overwhelmed by fewer monsters. Percy wasn't even in full control of his abilities and he was still able to take out ten monsters single-handedly. Even so, I didn't like that he had to fight off almost the entire pack while I hid in a tree. I knew that he had been injured thanks to my, newly discovered, amazing ability to screw up. I wondered as to whether he had been hurt because of my arrow.

I shook my head to rid myself of the thought. That`s stupid. He is an immortal now, not a demigod. He clearly showed me that he didn't need help. He fought off that pack while injured. I'm sure he could take care of whatever attacked me. So why am I still so worried about him...?

ΩΩΩ

Percy POV

I opened the door and the wind blew it out of my hand, making it slam open. I practically fell through the door in my haste to get out of the storm. The storm clouds from the night before had brought blistering winds and a huge dump of snow. Almost half a foot had fallen overnight. I dropped the pile of wood I was carrying and turned back to fight with the door.

If we hadn't been running out of firewood, nothing would have convinced me to go back outside. I had been to Alaska but that was in summer. If this is what a major snow storm felt like, I pitied Canada. The wind that blew through the opening made me shiver, even in my coat. I'd been especially thankful to Artemis when I discovered that she had packed my jacket. I finally managed to close the door again.

I brushed my hands though my hair to get the snow out. I stomped my shoes to get rid of some of the excess snow. I looked up and saw Apollo watching me. I smiled at the god, "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

I saw him shrug as I picked up the wood and brought it over to the stove to dry. I owed Blackjack big time for finding us this place. I could only imagine staying outdoors in this weather.

"My chest is itchy, my leg throbbing, and I have a record breaking headache. I could be worse all things considered."

I let out a bark of laughter and shook my head. "Ya, could have been worse is about all we can say."

I turned to him with a smile only to see him frowning and looking down. I felt my eyebrows scrunch together in bewilderment.

"What's wrong?"

He glanced at me and gave me the fakest look of confusion I'd ever seen. "What do you mean?"

I sighed and tried to keep myself from laughing. He may have been the god of the arts but he was a terrible actor. "I may not be the smartest person alive but I can still see that something is upsetting you."

He grimaced and looked away. "I will be fine."

It was my turn to frown. I couldn't understand what was wrong with him. As far as I could tell, he had only just woken up. "You don't have to do that you know."

He raised any eyebrow at me. "What are you talking about?"

I looked down and shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze. I wasn't even entirely certain as to what I was talking about. All I knew was that he wasn't okay. I knew that I wanted to help him in the same way that he would be helping me but I couldn't do that unless he let me. I knew that something was wrong with him. I just needed to figure out a way to get him to open up to me.

I glanced at him and found myself blurting out exactly what I was thinking. "You don't need to lie to me."

"I am the god of truth. I can't lie." I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Apollo blushed and looked away. "Misdirect perhaps, but not outright lie."

I rolled my eyes, "Same thing. If you don't want to talk about it then say that you don't want to talk about it. I'm not an idiot. I can tell you're not alright. I won't force my company on you but I think it would help. I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

He looked at me in shock. I tried to put as much of what I was feeling into my expression as I could. I wanted him to know that I really did want to help him. He cleared his throat and nodded in acknowledgement before he turned to look out the window.

I had a feeling that it wasn't often that someone offered him a sympathetic ear. After all, he was a god. Most people probably only wanted to use his company for their own gain. That thought made me sad...

ΩΩΩ

Apollo POV

I scrubbed a hand over my face. We had been sitting around chatting about nothing of consequence for the last few hours. The snow storm didn't show any signs of ending. I had no desire to venture into the cold so I was quite alright with the idea of staying still until the snow let up.

Percy's declaration still echoed through my head. His eyes showed nothing but sincerity. I hadn't really had anyone offer to just chat before. I wasn't even certain if I wanted the kind of friendship he was offering. I had always been happy in the past...

I had countless lovers, and many friends, but they were fair-weather kind. I had always been okay with that as I knew I couldn't truly form lasting relationships with mortals. I had a good relationship with many gods as well but any of them would turn on me if we disagreed. It had happened before and it would happen again. I was not blameless of that either. I had turned on friends just as often as they had on me. Hermes and I always got along the best, but neither of us had ever just offered to chat with the other about our feelings or insecurities.

We were gods; such things were for lesser beings. It made me question as to whether or not godhood would be a good thing for Percy. He was a surprisingly innocent soul. I couldn't help but worry that godhood would strip him of his morals.

I bit my lip and looked at the son of the sea god. He was adding more wood to the fire. I sighed and looked back down. I had always thought that godhood was the greatest gift. I couldn't understand as to why he had refused it in the past. It had confused me as to why anyone would have declined immortality in order to ensure that all demigods had a place. I felt as though I knew him slightly better now. I had known that loyalty was his fatal flaw and so I assumed that was the reason he asked for that. After all, a few of his friends were unclaimed. Now that I had spent some time with the son of Poseidon I began to see that the reason had nothing to do with his fatal flaw.

He was simply selfless. I hardly knew him and yet he didn't hesitate in order to protect me while I got to the safety of the tree. He might have been immortal but I believed he would have done the exact same thing even if he hadn't been granted godhood. I had a feeling that was why I had been so worried for him. If he hadn't been immortal, he would have died. Yet he still decided to protect me, risking himself in the process.

Which reminds me...

I cleared my throat. "Thank you by the way."

Percy looked at me in confusion, "For what?"

"For last night, you saved me. I would not have been able to defeat those beasts alone. I owe you my life."

The son of Poseidon smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It was no big deal."

I caught his gaze, "No. It was a big deal. I would have been dead if it was not for you. I owe you a favor."

Percy shrugged. He looked uncomfortable at my thanks. "Like I said, don't worry. I did what I would have done for anyone."

I sighed, "It's not as simple as that Percy. I am a god. I owe you a debt. I cannot allow said debt to go unpaid. I will grant you one favor. Ask it and, if it is within my power, it is yours."

Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Okay. Can I think about it and get back to you?"

I nodded, "Of course. A favor from a god should not be spent lightly. Take your time and inform me when you know what you want."