Full Summary:
"Did you know about this?" Percy demanded to know, his voice breaking.
"Percy, no!" Apollo exclaimed, a look of horror on his face. He looked pale, which was unusual for him.
"I don't believe you!" He insisted. "All my life, gods have been interfering. And now this! It was too good to be true, you being interested in me. It was all a lie!"
"I love you!" The god nearly shouted, tears in his eyes. "I didn't even know Aphrodite was talking to Annabeth. Percy, you have to believe me -"
"You're just as bad as all the others! I can't believe I ever thought otherwise."
"What are you saying?" Suddenly, Apollo's voice was quiet. He sounded defeated, as if he already knew what was coming.
"I don't want to see you again, Apollo. You should leave." Percy turned around then, knowing that if he would look at the other man much longer, he'd never let him go.
"I love you. Always have, always will." Apollo repeated quietly.
When he looked over his shoulder a few moments later, Apollo was gone.
This is the story of how Percy and Apollo got together, lost one another and found their way back to each other in the end. With lots of support from their friends and even one or two gods.
Hi everyone and welcome to my new story! Actually, I wanted to write a oneshot about Apollo and Percy, but while I was writing the story, I realized that it would be far too long for a oneshot. So here I am, writing a story with about four chapters in the end :) This is set directly after The Tower of Nero, so there'll be lots of spoilers for all the books. The title was inspired by the song "Listen To Your Heart" by Roxette.
I hope you enjoy the first chapter, please let me know what you think! The first part will focus a little more on Percy, but we'll also get to meet Apollo again in this! The song to the first chapter is 'Wide Awake' by Katy Perry.
I don't own the characters or places!
Percy wasn't sure how it happened. For months after their quest with the Argo II, everything was perfect between Annabeth and him. They were a truly happy couple and enjoyed their time together very much. Yes, the same demons, meaning Tartarus, were hunting them both, but instead of driving them apart, it only made them stronger. They would stay together, no matter what happened. There would be no more dangerous quests. They would have a future in New Rome. Everything would stay perfect.
Then Apollo, in the form of the mortal Lester, showed up with Meg McCaffrey and for a few hours, Percy feared that his dreams might not come true, after all. Because everything about the situation screamed DANGER to him. Luckily, he only played a small role in Apollo's trials and soon, he could continue his plans with Annabeth.
The road trip with Grover to Camp Jupiter was a dangerous one, but it also felt nostalgic. Like back in the good old days, when all Percy had to fear was a big prophecy. They arrived in San Francisco nearly unharmed, and just when they thought that they could relax, bad news hit them.
Jason Grace was dead. Killed by one of the emperors while he was helping Apollo and Meg on yet another dangerous quest. Camp Jupiter had also been attacked, both by the army of not one but two emperors and the undead. Frank nearly died, choosing to burn the stick of wood that was connected to his life to save everyone else. And Apollo had been poisoned, nearly becoming one of the undead too. He was saved in the last moment by his sister Diana. The news hit them hard, especially Jason's death. They learned that Apollo and Meg were already on their way back to New York, having to deal with Nero, the third emperor. And of course Apollo would have to face Python in the end.
After receiving the news, Percy felt uneasy. Not just because he missed Jason terribly, but also because of the stories about New York. Apparently, Apollo, Meg and Reyna made communication possible again, but it was a slow process and so far, they couldn't reach Camp Half-Blood to see what was going on. He felt sick when he thought of the danger his family was in. And Apollo, though he wondered why he felt afraid for him. They didn't even know each other that well, after all.
It took many days until the news that the battle in New York was won and Apollo defeated Python reached Camp Jupiter. Days in which Percy was in a bad mood, lashing out at everyone who tried to talk to him too much. He even had huge arguments with Annabeth, something that never happened before. Yes, they had disagreements, but never in such an extent that they didn't talk to each other for days.
So when Artemis – no, Diana – finally delivered the message that everything was going to be alright again, Percy felt relieved. Slowly, things started to get back to normal. He apologized to Annabeth dozens of times, but she understood that he'd just been worried about his family.
Two weeks after they got the news about the victory, both in New York and at Delphi, Apollo showed up again in the form of Lester. Even if he was a god again, he chose to appear in his former mortal form, saying that he felt at ease then. To Percy, however, it was strange. When he thought of Apollo, he always saw blond hair, golden eyes, bronze skin and a brilliant smile in his mind.
Apollo told them everything about the events in New York and Percy felt relief wash over him to hear that his mum, sister and Paul were alright. When the god then also summoned his mother's blue cookies for him, Percy felt completely at peace.
The next weeks, everything returned to normal again. Well, with the exception that Apollo showed up from time to time, full of news and stories. Percy had to admit that spending time with him was fun. Ever since being mortal, Apollo had changed. For a god, he was nearly humble (well, as humble as Apollo could ever be). And it really seemed like he cared. For his children and friends. For Jason's legacy. For what happened at both camps. He was a completely different person and Percy really liked him. Something he would have thought impossible half a year ago.
Then things started to get weird with Annabeth. She began to spend endless hours in New Rome without him, claiming she had to learn. She often woke up in the middle of the night, sometimes even crying, and refused to tell him about her dreams. When he got out of bed in the mornings, she was gone, having already left early. Every time Percy tried to ask her what was wrong, it ended in a fight. It felt like he was losing control over the most important part of his life.
His own nightmares also returned. He saw all his battles again. All the deaths he had to witness. Worst of all, however, was that he saw Tartarus again. But his nightmares didn't end there. He saw New York burning from Greek Fire. Rachel being controlled by Python, a marionette who had to deliver his terrible messages to the world. And he also saw Apollo, lying on the ground with broken bones and blood on his face. His skin pale, his eyes lifeless.
Talking to Annabeth offered no comfort. When they lay in bed together at night, her presence didn't do anything to calm Percy down. When he told her about some of the nightmares, she was silent rather than telling him that everything was fine now.
One day, he couldn't stand all of it anymore and confronted her with everything. He could still picture that moment very well. They were sitting in a café on a cloudy but still warm day in late autumn. Annabeth looked down onto her hands on the table and sighed. "After everything that happened... I thought it would get easier. To forget. To go on with life. But look at what happened this year. Jason... it will never end, Percy." When she finally met his eyes, hers were filled with tears. "All the pain and sorrow. It will always haunt us."
Percy wanted to reach out and take her hands, to comfort her in some way. But he remained frozen on his hard plastic chair. "But we will get over it like we always did. Together."
"Maybe that's the problem." Annabeth whispered, the words making Percy feel like someone had punched him. "The two of us together... maybe that's why we both can't forget. Don't tell me you don't feel it too, Percy. Things have changed."
"But Annabeth..." He began, but realized that he didn't even know what he wanted to say. "Are you saying that we're not good for each other anymore?" He hated how weak his voice sounded.
"You're still my best friend." She said, wiping her eyes quickly. "But I don't think it works with us anymore."
"You... you don't..." It felt like his brain had difficulties to understand the words. His heart was beating frantically in his chest and all he could do was to stare at Annabeth. "You're breaking up with me?"
When she only nodded, tears in her eyes, Percy couldn't stand it any longer. He stumbled to his feet and clenched his fists, afraid that he might make something explode. Then he walked away from her as fast as possible.
Inside the small apartment they'd shared, the urge to smash something got even stronger. He felt like he was drowning, like the life he knew had ended forever. Never before had Percy felt so alone. But you're not alone, a voice inside his head said. You still have your friends. And your family. Without further hesitation, Percy packed his bag and left the flat. He'd considered leaving Annabeth a note, but he stopped himself in the last moment. She would know where he'd go.
Outside, he called Mrs. O'Leary. "To Camp Half-Blood." He whispered and the hellhound jumped into the shadows.
Percy arrived at Camp Half-Blood in the middle of a normal day. He could hear the sound of fighting from the training grounds. There were campers paddling on the lake and a few children of Demeter just came from the direction of the forest, chatting with each other happily. He noticed that one of them was also carrying a small bag with strawberries.
What he didn't expect was to see Nico di Angelo storming out of the infirmary, being followed by a concerned looking Will Solace. Apparently, Nico had sensed Percy's arrival.
"Percy, what are you doing here?" Nico wanted to know as soon as they'd reached him. "Did something happen?" The expression on Nico's face darkened when he had a closer look at Percy, but he just shook his head.
"Everything's fine at Camp Jupiter." He said quickly, cursing inwardly. He should have expected how his sudden arrival, especially in his current state, would look to others. "I just thought I'd stop by to say hello. I didn't see all of you in ages."
"Maybe we should go somewhere more private?" Will, who'd scanned their surroundings, now asked, still looking worried. When Percy followed his gaze, he noticed that some of the campers were looking at them curiously. Of course they all knew Percy, he was a hero here.
He nodded shortly and placed a hand on Mrs. O'Leary's side. "You should get back to Camp Jupiter. Spend some time with Tyson. I'll call you when I want to get back."
Mrs. O'Leary barked once, nuzzled her head on Nico's chest and vanished again. Will led their small group towards the Big House. To Percy's surprise, it was empty. "Chiron is at the training grounds." Will explained. "Apparently, there was some kind of incident with a child of Aphrodite and Sherman Yang." Sherman was the head counselor of the Ares cabin.
Percy nodded at this. "And Mr. D...?" He had no desire to run into Dionysus now.
"Left a few days ago, no one knows where he is. But dad said he'd be back soon." Will shrugged. It took Percy a few moments to realize that with dad, he meant Apollo.
"Does Apollo come here often?" He asked, mostly out of curiosity.
Both Will and Nico nodded. "At least once a week, sometimes more often." The son of Apollo explained with a smile. But then he frowned at Percy. "So what's going on? You look terrible, if you don't mind me saying that."
"Being a doctor gives him the liberty to say many things." Nico added, but he also looked troubled.
"It's Annabeth." Percy said after a few moments of hesitation, not sure if he could put it into words just yet. "We..." He didn't continue then, having to hold back the tears that threatened to fall for hours now. When Will and Nico exchanged a look, Percy knew that they'd already figured out what happened.
Nico placed a hand on his arm. "We don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to."
"We could spend some time at the beach." Will suggested, surely knowing how much Percy liked that place. "And tomorrow, we could make a trip into the city. I wanted to get some things at the pharmacy anyway. We could drop you at your parents' flat."
Percy nodded at this, grateful to have such good friends. "Sounds great. Let me just bring my bag to my cabin." He forced a smile on his lips and left, feeling Nico's and Will's eyes on him the entire time.
He couldn't sleep that night. It wasn't a surprise after everything that happened, in fact, he'd already expected it. When he finally fell asleep after staring at the ceiling for hours, nightmares were haunting him.
First, they resembled the things he saw every night. Lots of death and destruction. Camp Jupiter being destroyed by Greek Fire, just like New York. Jason's death. Their quest on the Argo II and all the terrible things he'd witnessed there. And there was also an imagine he saw more often each time he fell asleep. Apollo, still in his human form as Lester, fighting many battles. Getting hurt. Nearly dying over and over again. Having to face Python in the end.
Then suddenly, the images changed and he found himself in the flat at New Rome he shared with Annabeth. It was in the middle of the night and two figures were lying in bed. Annabeth and himself. Suddenly, she woke up with a gasp and stumbled out of bed, away from him. One of his arms was still outstretched in her direction.
Annabeth was pale and her eyes were full of tears. She looked at the sleeping Percy for a few moments before turning around and leaving the bedroom. To his surprise, she put on some clothes and left the flat, not looking back once. "I'm so sorry, Percy." She whispered before the door closed behind her and Percy woke up with a gasp.
It took him a few moments to realize that he was in the Poseidon cabin at Camp Half-Blood and not in their flat in New Rome. His heart was beating furiously and his body was covered in sweat. Percy tried to control his breathing, but when it wouldn't work, he stumbled out of bed and into the shower.
But when water normally helped to calm his nerves, it did nothing for him now. He still saw Annabeth, leaving him in the middle of the night instead of waking him after a nightmare, like she usually did. The images of war and chaos were also still fresh on his mind, just like the face of Lester Papadopoulos, grimacing in pain. Even if he wasn't with Apollo during his quests, Percy knew that he'd seen some of the worst moments in his dreams. One image bothered him the most. Apollo, trying to kill himself with an arrow. He wasn't sure why.
He knew that it was probably a bad idea to leave his cabin in the middle of the night, but he couldn't help it. When he sat down on the beach, just like he did with Will and Nico mere hours ago, Percy was finally able to breathe again.
"You shouldn't be out here." A voice behind him said and moments later, Nico sat down next to him.
"What are you doing here, Nico?" Percy asked, glancing at the boy next to him. Nico's dark hair had gotten longer in the time they didn't see each other and it fell into his eyes. The son of Hades wiped away the strands impatiently.
"I don't think you should be alone right now." Nico said simply.
Percy wanted to argue, to say that it wasn't necessary. That he didn't need a babysitter. But no words would leave his mouth. So he just nodded slowly, showing Nico that he appreciated it. He wasn't sure how long they just sat there in silence, watching the water in front of them. But at some point, Percy couldn't stand it anymore.
"Annabeth broke up with me." His voice was barely a whisper. "Things haven't been good for some time now and yesterday..." He shook his head slowly. "I'm not sure how it happened. Things were so good, even after all those terrible quests together, until they weren't." He'd always been sure that Annabeth would catch him when the world became too overwhelming for Percy. But maybe that was his mistake. Depending on her too much. But wasn't it the same the other way around? He'd always been there for her when their past troubled her.
"People change." Nico said quietly, his voice holding no judgement. "All the things you've been through surely changed the two of you. You aren't the same boy anymore than back when we'd met for the first time. And Annabeth also isn't the same."
"Neither are you." Percy always felt a sense of pride when he thought of how far Nico had come in his life. He also had his demons, but Will was always there for him when everything became too much. He tried not to feel jealous at that thought.
"But this isn't about me." Nico argued softly. "You and Annabeth have been through so much together. I get it." Of course he did. Nico had also been in Tartarus, and that all alone. And from what Apollo told him once, another prophecy was hanging over him, saying that he'd have to go back one day. The thought made him shiver. "It can be difficult to deal with those things."
"We were doing fine at first." He muttered. "We thought we'd make it. Together, everything seemed so easy. But then she just... stopped talking to me about the things that bothered her." But didn't you do the same?, a voice inside his head asked. You never told her that you also see Apollo in your nightmares.
"Maybe she just needs time." Nico suggested, but Percy shook his head.
"She thought it through for a long time. Annabeth never makes decisions without thinking about it from all perspectives first. She won't change her mind." Would you want that?, the voice inside his head asked. Getting back together with her? Or were you suffocating just as much in this relationship as she was? He ignored the voice.
"I'm sorry, Percy." Nico said quietly.
"So am I." He muttered. They didn't talk anymore that night. They just sat there, keeping each other company.
When the sun finally rose, Percy felt like like maybe, everything could be alright again one day.
The next days, it felt like most of the others at camp were dancing around him. Except for Nico and Will, who knew the truth (because of course Nico would have told Will). But all the others either treated him like he was made of glass or would lash out any moment. Of course there were also a few who treated Percy like everything was normal, those who didn't care about the rumours that something happened in New Rome. Sherman Yang, for example. And Harley from the Hephaestus cabin. Percy was sad that Grover wasn't there, having to run some errands as Lord of the Wild somewhere in Florida. Juniper said that he'd be back within the next days, but she wasn't completely sure about it, with him getting distracted quite easily.
Worst of all were the children of Aphrodite, looking at him like someone had died. They once even tried to ask him about Annabeth, something Percy wanted to avoid under every circumstances. He knew that the question would lead to relationship advice he didn't want. Luckily, Will stepped in between, distracting the group from cabin 10 long enough so Percy could slip away unnoticed.
Another person at camp who treated Percy as if everything was normal was Chiron. He asked him if he would like to teach the younger children at sword fighting. Since he didn't have much to do anyway, Percy accepted.
The day after his arrival, he visited his family. Since Paul and Estelle were somewhere in the city, Sally was alone in the apartment when he arrived. His mother was beyond happy to see him, but once she had a closer look at her son, the happiness on her face was replaced by concern. "Percy, what happened?" Sally wanted to know as soon as he sat down at the kitchen table, a plate of her famous blue cookies in front of him. "Didn't Annabeth accompany you?"
Suddenly, the cookie in his mouth tasted like ash. Percy forced himself to swallow slowly. "She stayed in New Rome." He said vaguely and from the look his mother gave him, it was obvious that she knew.
"Oh Percy..." She wrapped her arms around him and he closed his eyes, breathing in her familiar scent. "I'm so sorry." For the first time since he left California, he felt tears run down his cheeks.
His mother didn't force him to tell the whole story. He wasn't even sure if he'd been able to do that. Telling Nico about it had been hard enough. He didn't want to say the words again, not feeling ready yet.
Luckily, Paul and Estelle arrived soon and then, Percy was distracted by his little sister. She meant the world to him and for the first time in days (or even weeks?), he was able to smile. Spending a few hours with his family was just what he needed.
When he returned to Camp Half-Blood with Will later that day, he felt a little better. He didn't hear anything from Camp Jupiter ever since he left, but he also didn't mind. They would know he was in New York, after all, he didn't have another place to go.
Nearly a week after his arrival at Camp Half-Blood, Percy came back from sitting at the beach for hours (he did that every day and so far, no one had dared to bother him), only to hear a familiar voice coming from the direction of the training grounds, making him freeze. He knew that voice all too well. For weeks now, he heard it shouting or screaming in pain in his dreams. Or he didn't hear it at all, which was even worse. And he missed it every time he was awake, much more than he would have ever expected.
Only moments later, Apollo came in sight, followed by a group of his children from cabin seven. To Percy's surprise, the god didn't appear in the form of Lester. Instead, he was his usual self. Tall, muscular, bronze skin, blond hair, golden eyes. Despite the weather getting colder, he was wearing only faded jeans, a simple white t-shirt and trainers. Percy wasn't surprised, after all, gods weren't affected by the weather. Right now, Apollo was talking to Yan, the youngest of his children. Apparently, they just came back from archery lessons, both Apollo and Kayla, who joined their conversation, were carrying bows and quivers filled with arrows. Only Will was nowhere to be seen, but Percy wasn't surprised. His was skilled at healing, not fighting.
Percy wasn't sure why he could only stare at the god, feeling like his legs would give in if he made another step. Maybe it was the surprise to see Apollo in his real form of about 18 years old and not as Lester. Or it was just happiness to see him again. In the past months, they'd become friends, after all.
In this moment, Apollo said something to his children, making them laugh. He joined them, throwing his head back in delight. Percy noticed that his curly blond hair was a little longer than the last time he'd seen him in this appearance and for a brief moment, he wondered if it felt just as soft as it looked.
But then Kayla said something and suddenly, Apollo's eyes were on Percy, making him forget everything he'd been thinking about. Apollo said something else to his children and made his way over to where Percy was standing then.
"Percy, what a delight to see you here!" Apollo greeted him with one of his brilliant smiles.
"Apollo." It was surprisingly easy to smile back at him. "You look like yourself."
For half a second, Apollo looked surprised, clearly not having expected this start of a conversation. Then he chuckled. "Well, yeah." He ran a hand through his hair, a completely human gesture. "You can blame my children for that."
"Your children?" Percy raised his eyebrows curiously.
"I think Jerry's words were that it's 'weird to have your dad running around, looking not much older than most of his children'." He shrugged with a slight smile. "I did them the favour and for a few weeks now, I'm appearing like this. No one seems to mind." Percy thought he could see relief on his face while he said that.
"I certainly don't mind." The words were out before Percy could stop them. When Apollo looked at him in surprise, he felt his cheeks heat up.
Luckily, Apollo decided to change the subject. "I was in California yesterday."
Percy's good mood vanished immediately. "So you know..." He made a vague gesture with his hand.
"I ran into Annabeth." The sun god nodded. "And I might have forced her to tell me the reason for your absence."
Percy raised his eyebrows at this. Normally, it was impossible to force Annabeth to do anything. "How did you do that?"
"I might have been a little annoying." He sounded nearly apologetic. "I'm sorry, Percy."
"It's fine." He said with a shrug, trying to let it sound casual.
"If you ever need someone to talk -" Apollo started, but Percy interrupted him with a nod.
"I appreciate it. But I'd rather not... you know... talk about it." He grimaced at this and for a few moments, they both stood there in silence, not knowing what to say.
In the end, it was Apollo who spoke first. "There's this new action movie that came out a few weeks ago. I'm sure you'll like it. Maybe we could watch it later?"
Back in New Rome, they did things like that regularly. Watching movies together, sometimes also having dinner. Just spending some time with each other.
Percy smiled. "That would be awesome."
It turned out that spending time with Apollo was just what Percy needed. The sun god didn't ask any questions about how he was feeling. He also didn't mention Annabeth again, or Percy's other friends in New Rome, who were surely also worried about him.
Instead, Apollo told him about Meg. He was giving her piano lessons, something Percy found kind of cute. Apparently, Meg was terrible with the piano, but they kept going anyway. If the other inhabitants of Aeithales felt bothered by it, they didn't let it show. It was obvious how much Meg meant to Apollo. Secretly, Percy suspected that he loved her just as much as his own children.
Apollo also kept visiting the Waystation regularly, meaning that he always had news of how Leo was doing. It was good to hear that he was building a life with Calypso there, but right now, the thought also sent a stab of pain through Percy's heart.
They decided to watch the movie after dinner, where Percy and Nico sat at the Apollo table as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Maybe it was. Mr. D tried to talk them out of it (somehow, he tolerated Nico sitting there, but Percy as well was too much), but Apollo stepped in, saying that it was his table and he could decide who'd sit there. If Percy thought Apollo's behaviour towards Dionysus was kind of hot, no one ever needed to know.
He wasn't sure where the thoughts came from. First, admiring Apollo's appearance. Now this. It was confusing. Apollo was one of his friends, nothing else. Percy shouldn't think in such a way about a god. Because dealing with gods never led to anything good.
When they were sitting on a small couch in the Poseidon cabin later (Apollo had summoned it, together with a TV), watching a movie, Percy felt completely at ease. Apollo's presence always had this effect on him, especially the warmth he always radiated. It made the cold he felt deep in his bones ever since returning from Tartarus disappear.
Apollo had been right, Percy enjoyed the movie. From time to time, he glanced at the other man next to him, but Apollo's eyes always seemed to be fixed on the screen. Only then did Percy notice that outside, the sun was setting.
"Do you need to leave soon?" He whispered, his voice sounding insecure. Apollo always left at sunset. Inwardly, he cursed.
"No." Apollo replied simply, his eyes meeting Percy's for the first time since the movie started.
"But the sun -"
"Will be fine when another part of my consciousness does the job." The god finished his sentence quickly. "I'll stay, Percy." The unsaid meaning behind those words was clear. I won't leave you alone this evening. You may fool all the others, but I know that you're not okay. Percy decided not to argue.
When the movie was finished, they decided to watch another series of which they'd already seen a few parts in the previous months. Percy enjoyed it immensely, but after about thirty minutes, he felt himself getting tired. With Apollo around and the constant feeling of warmth, it was so easy just to relax that he fell asleep on the couch, shoulder to shoulder with the god.
Of course he couldn't even sleep peacefully while falling asleep next to the sun god. This time, Percy's dreams were a mess of different scenes. He saw himself arriving at Camp Half-Blood for the very first time. He also saw imagines of his very first quest and Luke's betrayal. Suddenly, he found himself back at Camp Jupiter, with most of his memories erased. Only a few things were clear to him, one of them that he loved Annabeth. Then he was on the Argo II again, right before the scene shifted to the battle at Camp Half-Blood, where Gaia nearly woke. All the losses he felt during that time came back to him, making him want to cry out in pain.
But those images weren't the worst of all. He saw himself back at the apartment in New York he shared with his mother and Paul. A boy of about 16 was standing in front of his door, looking bloody and bruised. He had blue eyes and dark, curly hair. A girl was with him, looking grim and also a little annoyed. More images of those two followed, some of which he'd already seen before.
Apollo, sitting on an elephant in some kind of big stadium. Him inside a dark cave, kneeling in front of an unconscious Meg. Him falling into a pit of fire, seemingly to his death. Then he was chained somewhere inside a cave. A voice was chanting ancient words and Apollo cried out in pain. Then the scene where he tried to kill himself appeared, right before Jason died. He was at Camp Jupiter afterwards, dark blue lines across his whole body, his skin grey like ash. Then he was -
"Percy, you need to wake up!" A voice that didn't belong to his dream said suddenly. His voice. "You're having a nightmare. Listen to the sound of my voice, Percy!"
It was hard to pull away from the horrible images he saw. It took nearly all of his willpower to force his eyes open and come back to reality. When he did, he had to blink against the darkness in his cabin. A face was hovering over him, looking concerned. "Percy?" Apollo's voice was quiet, filled with something he couldn't quite grasp. "Are you alright?"
"'M fine." He muttered and sat up slowly. His heart was beating furiously in his chest and he hoped that Apollo couldn't hear it.
"You're crying." Apollo's hand moved towards him, nearly as if he wanted to brush away the tears. However, he stopped within the movement, letting his hand fall back onto his lap slowly.
With horror, Percy realized that it was true. He was crying. Right in front of Apollo! He wiped his eyes impatiently, moving away from the god. Why were they even so close? Percy had nearly been lying in his arms! He was sure that he didn't fall asleep in a position like this. Or maybe Apollo just moved closer to wake him up?
"It's nothing." He said quickly, not wanting to talk about his dreams. Especially not with the central figure of them!
"If this is about Annabeth..." Apollo began hesitantly. It was the first time one of them said her name since that afternoon.
"It isn't." Percy snapped, standing up quickly. "I'm fine!" He emphasized again, wishing that Apollo would just leave.
"You're most certainly not." Very slowly, Apollo stood up. He didn't make any move to get closer to Percy, though. He just stood there, watching him through wide, golden eyes.
"What do you even know about all of this? Gods like you don't even know what heartbreak is!" He wasn't thinking when he said those words, didn't realize to whom he'd said them. When he did, he froze and stared at Apollo in horror. The god stood there motionless, a strange thing, considering that he was always so energetic. His face showed a mixture of pain and... disappointment? "Oh shit, Apollo, I'm sorry!" Percy said quickly, but the god still didn't move. "I didn't mean... you're different from the others!"
After a few moments, Apollo sighed deeply. "It's fine. You're hurt and angry. I understand." He sounded so defeated, it made Percy's heart ache.
"All I can do at the moment is hurt those around me." He muttered and ran a hand through his hair. Most probably, it was already a mess anyway.
"You're hurting." Apollo repeated, walking towards Percy with slow steps. "It's alright, Percy. You don't have to apologize."
"But I said -"
"It doesn't matter." He said again. "Yes, I've had my fair share of heartbreak and sorrow, but this isn't about me. It's about you." He took Percy in his arms then, the feeling familiar and warm, and it was all it took for him to start sobbing quietly.
He cried then, in Apollo's arms. Something he didn't even dare to do with his mother. Not even to think about his friends.
"You don't always have to be strong, Percy." Apollo whispered, his hand stroking Percy's back in a comforting gesture. "I'm here. Just let it all out. I won't leave."
That night, he didn't. Apollo stayed with Percy until the sun rose.