Hello, thank you to everyone who has read. Sorry for the delay in posting. I hope you enjoy.

Warning: N/A

Chapter 3

The ship rocked unsteadily beneath them, throwing the demigods around as the wind blew through the sails. The storm had come out of nowhere, almost ripping one of the masts down as it blew the ship halfway across the ocean.

Percy stood at the stern of the ship, his sword planted in the deck. He was trying to control the ocean and he was so tired it hurt to breath. He could feel the wind whip around his face, the sea spray up around his feet and over the deck, yet the ship wasn't destroyed, so he was counting himself as winning. He shuddered, leaning more heavily on his sword as he redirected another wave away from the ship.

"How much longer!?" Leo shouted, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the pounding of the rain. He was standing at the helm, holding onto the wheel for dear life. It would have been funny if Percy wasn't seeing spots. "The ship can't take much more."

"The ship!" A familiar voice screeched, and Percy let himself be momentarily distracted. Then he wobbled and managed refocused himself. "What about Percy? He's about to pass out in case you hadn't noticed!"

"And just what are we supposed to do about that?" Annabeth yelled back, her voice loud and bitter. "We can't let the ship collapse."

"We need to take off!" Jason's strangled voice said. "Get above the storm." In the back of his mind, Percy knew Jason was struggling too, trying to keep the winds from ripping them apart, but at the moment, he couldn't concentrate on that.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Leo said. "It'll tear the ship—I mean," he said, casting a nervous look at a glaring Octavian. "It'll tear us apart."

"I'll control the winds," Jason said, moving closer to Percy. Octavian was right beside him, fighting against the winds until they were right beside him.

"Percy," Octavian murmured, reaching out to place a hand on the side of his neck. "You have to hold it a little long. Push off the storm until we get above it." He groaned and nodded, way past being able to form coherent words. He felt the ship start to rise out of the water, the storm surging up to grab at it, to destroy it. He pushed it back down. He commanded the water and the waves to leave them alone while Jason commanded the air.

Rain pounded against them, wind lashed around them. Seconds turned to minutes and Percy was so tired that he was wet, the bubble that normally encased his skin having popped. And yet, still he pushed. He pushed until he had nothing left. And then somehow, they were through. He knew the ship was badly damaged though it wasn't destroyed and at the moment, that was all he could care about.

He slumped forward, trying to catch himself on his sword, but missing. Then suddenly there were strong arms around his waist, his first thought was that it was Jason touching and he tried to struggle. He didn't want anyone to touch him when he was so weak. He didn't want….

"Percy," Octavian murmured in his ear. "Percy, it's me." He stopped fighting, but he didn't relax, still clutching his sword like a lifeline though he couldn't bring himself to peel his eyelids back from his eyes. "Percy, let me take you back to your cabin."

"I can make it back myself," he answered, knowing it wasn't true but not being able to accept Octavian's help.

"No, you can't." Octavian snapped, his voice rising in annoyance. "Just let me help you."

"I…" his hand loosened momentarily before tightening again.

"Percy, I'm not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you. Trust me," he said, and Percy shivered. Octavian said it so easily. Didn't he know how impossible it was? Didn't he how much Octavian could already hurt him? Percy couldn't even imagine the pain Octavian could cause if he opened himself up to trusting him.

Unfortunately, the choice was taken away from him as he slipped into unconsciousness still cradled in Octavian's warmth and wishing he didn't need it.

There had been a time he'd trusted Luke. He remembered it clearly. He remembered when Luke would tell him something and Percy would just believe it, because Luke was Luke and why would he lie? He remembered Luke telling him he wouldn't hurt him and maybe he'd even believed it—even after Luke had set the pit scorpion—on him. After all, Luke had promised it was an accident. And Percy had trusted him. Percy had trusted him right up until Luke had shoved him into the wall and pried him apart all while ignoring Percy's screams.

There had also been a time he'd trusted Annabeth. She'd saved his life more than once. There had been a time he would have died for her. Now, she would throw him overboard before she helped him.

Percy had learned the hard way that just because you loved people didn't mean you could trust them. So then why did he like the way Octavian's hands curled around him, shielding him for anything and everything.

Percy woke with a wet towel across his forehead and gentle hands tracing their way down his face. He was immediately put on his guard. He tried to sit up, but the moment he moved, his whole body protested. He groaned and relaxed against the—admittedly soft bed.

"Do you always have to be so foolish?" a voice griped. It took Percy an embarrassingly short time to recognize that voice. He shouldn't have been so attuned to it. He shouldn't have cared that Octavian was sitting at his bedside, looking over him as if they were-

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered, pushing against the hands still tracing against his face. Those hands reminded him a little too much of being cradled as he lost consciousness. He remembered the way Octavian had held him up, his hands on his hips and his voice whispering in his ear. His cheeks flushed, and he felt warm, too warm for everything that had happened.

"You should have just let me help you," Octavian said, casting him a disapproving look as Percy struggled to sit up again. This time his body let him, making him groan in pain. "You know I won't hurt you."

"How would I know that?" Percy answered, turning his head. He couldn't look at the Augur. He couldn't see his face and the hurt and the disappointment that was clear in his voice. Octavian had been patient with him, keeping his distance while still not really leaving Percy alone. It had been…nice but at the same time it had been disconcerting. He was confused. He didn't understand what Octavian wanted from him.

"I don't know how else to show you I'm not going to hurt you," Octavian sighed. It was a heavy sound, deep and full of something Percy understood. He had heard it from Annabeth plenty of times before she had broken up with him. And suddenly Percy was struck by the horribly idea that Octavian might just leave him too, might just leave him like Annabeth had, like Luke had.

"Percy," Octavian murmured, his voice closer now. Percy turned and realized his eyesight was blurry. "Why are you crying?" Octavian asked and it was a question Percy wanted an answer to as well. He shouldn't care whether Octavian left him. He should be pushing for it, but the idea that Octavian could just walk out on him like everyone else hurt.

"If I say I trust you, you won't leave me?" He asked, horrified to hear how small his voice sounded.

"What are you talking about?" Octavian raised one blonde eyebrow, sounding genuinely bewildered. "I'm not leaving."

"But you said…" Percy trailed off, just beginning to understand how irrational he sounded. He looked away, cheeks flushing and hoping Octavian didn't catch on, but of course he wasn't so lucky. Octavian chuckled, leaning forward to grab Percy's chin in hand and turn his face back around.

"I didn't know you cared," He said, still half laughing at Percy.

"I don't," Percy snapped, pulling away. Octavian let him go easily, leaving Percy's chin burningly cold against the heat that encompassed the rest of him. He hated when Octavian touched him, it left him hot and cold and burning up all at once.

"No?" He answered, serious now. "That's too bad." Percy just looked at him, biting his lip and fighting against the warmth that spread through him every time Octavian looked at him like that. "Because you'll be having to deal with me for a very long time considering I'm not going anywhere." He leaned forward, his breath hot against Percy's face. "After all, you're the single most interesting thing I've ever seen."

"Haha."

"Oh, I'm not joking," Octavian said. Percy swallowed, resisting the impulse to lean forward, to touch his lips to Octavian's, to feel the blonde. He had never felt this way before, had never yearned for someone like this.

"You're beautiful when you blush like that," he said. Percy's eyes widened as he felt the heat in his face intensify. He was sure no one had ever called him beautiful, certainly not Luke and though he knew Annabeth had called him good looking, he had never believed her—no the way he believed Octavian. There was just something about the way the Augur was looking at him that made it hard to believe he was lying.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked, and his lips were so close Percy almost groaned. He almost begged for Octavian to do just that, but he didn't. He couldn't.

"I-," Percy pulled away, looking at Octavian with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. "I don't…" Octavian smiled at him, gentle and quiet before he reached out, stroking across Percy's back and settling on his hips. He shivered at the touch, wishing for more but knowing he wasn't ready for it. Then, Octavian yanked him to the side, pressing Percy against his body and laying them down across the bed, tucking Percy firmly against him.

"Hey," Percy protested, but Octavian ignored him, snuggling Percy against his warmth and promptly falling asleep. Percy stared at the wall for awhile, shocked and fighting against feeling comfortable, but he was tired and his body was still horribly sore. Eventually, his eyes fluttered shut and he fell asleep with his back pressed to Octavian's chest.