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.

Note***- Will be boy x boy. (I promise, it is coming) Don't like? You don't have to read.

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March 21st

Percy POV

I didn't stop running until I was at the edge of town. I couldn't even believe I had just done that. Having a crush was one thing, taking it any further than that was another. I couldn't help my feelings towards the sun god, but that didn't mean I had to act on them. I wasn't sure what I should do. I needed to help...

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Apollo POV

I yelled after him, but he didn't stop. I was tempted to follow, but I figured that would be the opposite of helpful. He clearly needed to figure some things out and chasing him down would only make it harder.

I touched my lips. I couldn't help but smile. He may have run, but it didn't change the fact that he had kissed me. You don't unconsciously kiss someone like that unless you had feelings for them. If I took that into account, his actions over the last few weeks took on a whole new meaning.

My heart was still beating far too fast as I made my way back to the apartment. He may have panicked, but now I knew he had a crush on me. The son of Poseidon would come home once he had calmed down and while I waited, I had something I needed to do.

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Percy POV

I didn't know where else to go. There were only 3 people that knew I had a crush on Apollo, so it made the most sense to go where I could talk to two of them.

I looked up at the house and was struck by a sense of déjà vu. All of the lights were off except the one in the upstairs office. I couldn't help but think of the first time I had seen the house, back when I came to New Rome. It seemed like years ago. I had been so excited to see Annabeth and now here I was, about to get romantic advice about Apollo. The feeling was so overwhelming that I nearly turned around and left but, before I could, the upstairs window opened.

"Percy, is that you?"

I contemplated not answering but then they'd think I was some creepy stranger. "Ya Jason, it's me."

"Well then what in Pluto's name are you doing outside? Come in, it's pouring out."

I was already so wet that I had almost forgotten about the rain, but I walked towards the door anyway. I barely made it there when Piper opened it.

"Holy Hera Percy, you're soaked."

I shrugged. "I was out for a walk."

The daughter of Aphrodite gave me a look and shook her head. "Only you would go out for a walk in a thunderstorm. Come on in, I'm sure Jason has a change of clothes you can borrow."

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The son of Jupiter lent me a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt while Piper went to throw my wet clothes in the drier. Annabeth made me a cup of hot chocolate and brought it to the living room. I knew that I was a god and stood no chance of catching a cold, but I still appreciated the thought.

"Thanks Wise-Girl."

The daughter of Athena smiled. "No problem, Sea-Weed Brain. Though, you might want to think those rainy walks through in the future. I don't want to see you getting sick."

It reminded me again of just how much we cared for each other. I wished that things could have worked out between us. It would be so much simpler if I didn't have to worry about falling for a god. Rather than say any of that though, I just gave her a smile and took a sip of my hot chocolate.

The daughter of Aphrodite finally returned. Jason smiled and clapped his hands, "So. Do you want to tell us what brought you over in the middle of a thunderstorm?"

I hesitated and glanced at Annabeth. There was no way that I could talk about Apollo with her there. Fortunately Piper seemed to understand my dilemma.

"Hey Annabeth, don't you have to work on the new designs for the temple of Aequitas? Jason said she wanted to see them the day after tomorrow, didn't he?"

"Yes, but..." Wisdoms daughter looked torn. I could tell she was worried about me, so I decided to intervene.

"I'll be okay. I know you have responsibilities."

She frowned. "You're my friend Percy. I want to be here when you need me."

"I know, but I'll be okay."

Judging by her face, I wasn't as convincing as I'd hoped. She hesitated but when I gave her a smile she gave in. "Okay, but I'll be upstairs if you want to talk."

She gave me one last look before she turned around and headed back up. We waited until we heard the door to the office close before Jason spoke.

"Di Immortals Percy, what happened? You look like you've just been told you have two weeks to live."

I rolled my eyes. "Quit exaggerating."

The daughter of Aphrodite came to stand in front of me. "He's not. Have you seen yourself?"

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. I looked away and sighed. "It's just... I did something really stupid."

The golden boy took a seat on the couch beside me, worry etched on his face. "What happened?"

"I... I kissed Fred."

Piper gasped in surprise but she smiled. "That's fantastic! You two will be so cute together!"

"No. It's not great. It's terrible."

Jason winced. "Did he... reject you?"

I shook my head, thinking about the kiss. I hadn't expected him to return it, but he definitely had. I could still feel my lips tingling. It may have just been a light peck, but I could tell he was a good kisser.

"No, no, nothing like that."

They both looked completely lost. "Then why is it a bad thing?"

"Because..." I didn't know how to answer them. If Apollo was any normal person, then it wouldn't be a problem. How could I explain why it was such a big deal when I couldn't tell them who he really was? "I'm not sure that I can date him."

Piper looked bewildered. "Why not? I thought you liked him."

"I do, it's just... he's had a lot of relationships."

Jason frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

I bit my lip. How to explain the idea of dating a god? "What I mean to say is, he doesn't do long term relationships. He told me he's never once had a relationship that's lasted more than a few months."

"So? Everyone has to settle down eventually. Who cares how many people he's dated, it's in the past."

"Who says that he wants to have one with me though? What if I'm just another throw away to him?" Piper smacked me across the back of the head. "Ouch! What was that for?"

She rolled her eyes, "For being an idiot. Anyone could see that you mean a lot to him."

Jason nodded, "Piper's right Percy. I may not know Fred as well as you do, but from what I have seen, he really likes you. There's no way that he'd throw away your friendship for a fling."

In my heart I knew they were right, but that didn't mean that my mind accepted it so easily. As painful as it was to think, gods weren't exactly known for their faithfulness.

I bit my lip. "That's not the only problem though."

"What else then?"

I sighed; the next part was even more difficult to put into words.

"Soon, I'm going to have to choose if I'm going to be an immortal or not. All three of us are living proof that relationships between gods and mortals are doomed. How can I start dating someone when I knew that decision could force our relationship to fail?"

They looked at each other. They seemed to be having some sort of silent conversation. I wondered if I'd ever reach that point in a relationship. Where I could know what they wanted to say by just a look.

The son of Jupiter shook his head and frowned. "I know it's hard Percy, but you can't live in fear of what might happen. This could be your second chance to find love, are you really going to throw it away just because of something that might happen? I can't promise you that it'll work out, but Piper and I aren't the ones you need to be talking to about this. There's only one person that can tell you if he thinks you're worth the risk and he's probably back at your apartment, waiting for you to come home."

I winced at the reminder. "What am I even supposed to say to him?"

Piper shrugged, "If I was you, I'd tell him what you just told us. It's up to the two of you if you want to have a relationship."

I frowned and buried my head in my hands. I didn't know what to do. I would have thought it would be hard to imagine myself in a relationship with a Greek god, but I could easily see us together. The thought felt natural, but that didn't mean I wasn't concerned. A relationship with a god was infinitely more complicated than one with a human. I knew they were right though. I needed to talk with Apollo.

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Apollo POV

I had faced down immortal creatures, fought in a dozen wars, faced my father's wrath, been turned into a human in punishment, but in all my eons, I had never been this nervous. In all fairness though, very little I had done had been this important to me. I tried very hard not to think to hard about just why that might have been.

I took a deep breath and threw the coin into the water.

"Sally Jackson, New York."

It took a moment, but then the mist rearranged to show me a small living room. There was a middle aged woman with brown hair and blue eyes, sitting on the couch reading a book. She didn't seem to realize that she had a call, so I gave a polite cough.

Her head snapped towards me, a smile instantly springing to her face. I couldn't help but smile softly in return. Even if I hadn't known before, that familiar smile would have told me exactly whose mother she was.

However once she got a better look at me, her smile instantly faded. "You're not Percy."

I shook my head, "No. I am not."

She immediately looked worried. "Is there something wrong? Is he okay?"

I held up a hand, trying to still her fears. "He is fine, I promise you."

Her entire body sagged with relief. "Thank goodness."

My smile fell a little. Just how often did we use demigods that her very first thought upon receiving an Iris message from someone other than Percy would be that something bad must have happened to her son? I shook my head to dispel my thoughts. Now was not the time to think about that.

Now that she knew he was safe, she mostly seemed curious. "You look very familiar..."

I cleared my throat. The son of Poseidon had told me that his mother could see through the mist. It made me wonder if she saw my human form, or if perhaps she could see me as I was supposed to be. "You may call me Fred."

The way she looked at me made me think that she could tell that I was hiding something. It made me even more nervous. I couldn't help but imagine a little Percy trying to hide his guilt from this woman.

"So you're the friend that Percy is living with. He's told me a lot about you."

I gave her one of my most charming smiles. "All good things I hope?"

She raised one unimpressed eyebrow. I couldn't help but fidget. Note to self, don't try that again.

"Is there something that you needed?"

I ran a hand through my hair, "Um, yes. I... was hoping to talk to you about Percy."

She frowned. "What about him?"

It was the moment of truth. I took a deep breath. "Well, I wanted to tell you, that I care very deeply for your son. More deeply than I have probably ever cared for anyone and if you would give me your blessing, I would very much like permission to court him."

She looked more than a little surprised. "Court him?"

I nodded. "Yes. I know that it is quite old fashioned to ask a parents' permission before dating someone, but..."

She interrupted me with a raised hand. "One moment please. You said courting, did you not?"

I nodded again. "Yes."

She gave me a look that I couldn't understand. "You must be very serious about him."

I could feel myself blushing. "I care about him a lot. I don't love him, and I really don't want to love him, but I think I might be starting to anyway."

She looked confused. "If you don't want to love him though, then why are you asking for permission to see him?"

I looked away from her, a heavy feeling in my stomach. "I want the best for your son. Percy deserves it, but those I have loved in the past... they don't get a happy ending. I don't want that fate for your son."

"And yet you want to have a relationship with him."

I felt guilty, but I wouldn't try to hide the truth from her. I met her gaze and nodded, "Very much so."

She fixed me with a searching look. "This isn't just a fling, is it? You want more with him?"

"I do."

"And how does Percy feel about you?"

I couldn't help but smile when I thought of his kiss. "I know for a fact that he likes me."

She was silent for almost a minute before she spoke. "If you are telling the truth, if you really care for him the way you say you do, and if he likes you in return, then you have my permission."

I felt a breath of relief rush out of me. I had to close my eyes for a moment just to get my heart beat under control. When I opened them, I met her gaze and nodded. "Thank you."

"Just be sure to take care of my son. If you hurt him, you will have to deal with me and his father."

I shivered at the thought. I wasn't sure which of them scared me more.

I couldn't help but smile though, "Percy is lucky to have a mother like you."

"And I am very lucky to have him for a son."

I decided that I liked this woman. I could tell where Percy got his bravery and loyalty from. She may have made me nervous, but she really loved him. I pitied anyone foolish enough to hurt the son of Sally Jackson.

I gave her a slight bow. "Good night Sally Jackson."

She smiled. "Good night, Apollo."

It wasn't until the connection dissolved that I realized she had just called me by my real name.

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Percy POV

When I got back to the apartment, Apollo was already waiting for me. I hesitated in the entryway for a few seconds, but there was no putting this off.

"I think we need to talk."

The sun god nodded. "I agree."

I went over and took my seat on the couch across from him. I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts.

"I'm guessing from my kiss, that you know I have a crush on you." He nodded his agreement, but didn't interrupt. "And from the fact that you returned it, I'm guessing that you like me too."

He looked just about as nervous as I was. "I do. I've had a crush on you for a while now."

Even though I had already figured that he did, hearing him say that he liked me still made my heart beat faster. I bit my lip and tried to slow it down. I didn't want to get off topic.

"I... I just have some questions I want to ask you though." I waited a few seconds for him to say anything but when he didn't, I assumed he had no arguments. "What exactly do you want? Did you just kiss me because you think I'm attractive, or did you want more?"

"I won't deny that I think you're incredibly good looking, but I wouldn't throw away our friendship on a fling. It means way more to me than that."

I nodded and slumped in relief. I couldn't help the smile that appeared on my face. "Okay."

He raised one eyebrow. "That can't have been your only concern."

I shrugged, "It was one of the biggest."

He frowned before he stood up and walked over to sit beside me. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and looked me directly in the eye. "Percy, I care for you a lot. You know that, right?"

I nodded. "Ya, but so did Annabeth."

His eyes widened in realization and he gave me a soft smile.

"Not every relationship works out, but sometimes that just means Aphrodite has another plan for you. I can tell you this though; I am very serious about us. I even went to your mother to ask permission."

"You did what?"

"Asked permission. It's the chivalrous thing to do."

I shook my head in disbelief. "People haven't done that since like the middle ages." He raised one eyebrow at me and I suddenly remembered just how old he really was. "Oh..." I coughed but it didn't stop the blush from going to my face. "So... she said yes?"

He nodded. "Yes, though she did warn me that I had better never hurt you."

I laughed; I could easily see her doing that. "I bet she did."

"There's one other thing..."

I frowned at the seriousness of his voice. "What?"

"She knows who I am."

I felt my shoulders stiffen and I pulled back slightly. "You told her?"

He shook his head, "No. But she knows anyway. I think she might have recognized me."

I winced. I was not looking forward to the next conversation with my mom. I just knew she was going to ask why I had never told her about Fred being Apollo.

"I'm not looking forward to that conversation."

I hadn't even realized that I had spoken aloud until the sun god nodded. "I don't blame you. She is an intimidating woman."

I smiled, "That she is."

There were lots of other things that the two of us needed to talk about, but it didn't have to be tonight. If the god of music cared about me, then that was all that I really needed to know. With my decision made, I nodded to myself.

I took a deep breath and raised one hand to brush across Apollo's cheek. "Are you sure about this?"

He pressed a hand over mine, holding it to his face. "I can't promise that I will never screw up. Eternity is a very long time, but I can promise you this. No matter what, I will always care about you. Nothing could possibly change that."

I bit my lip and thought. I knew he was right. Our relationship would have its ups and downs just like any other, but I knew with absolute certainty that I wanted this. I looked him in the eye and smiled.

He immediately returned my grin. "So what do you say, Percy son of Poseidon, will you go out with me?"

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him in for a kiss. I was so happy, I decided not even to mention that the last line had 6 syllables.

When I pulled back, he gave me a smile truly worthy of the sun god. "I guess I'll take that as a yes."

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Authors Note

So there is a problem with the reviews. I can read them when they are emailed to me, but it won't let me access them on the site so I can't reply to any of them. I am not ignoring your reviews and I do appreciate them, but I'm unable to respond. If you want to discuss anything about my story though, you can feel free to PM me. That still seems to be working.

P.S. For those who had been wondering, I made Percy run just because I really wanted Apollo to be all old-timey chivalrous and ask Sally for permission. :-)

Next update will be January 10th

Next Chapter:

I felt my heart starting to beat faster. It hadn't been a dream. I walked over the son of Poseidon and finally gave in to the urge to wrap my arms around him. I nuzzled my face into his neck and smiled. "Good morning beautiful..."