I'm aliiiive! Yay! And I'm writing! And updating! Double yay!

God I have so many ideas about this story but I'm having so much trouble coming up with a timeline or something so the chapter would flow chronologically instead of just you know, getting all jumbled up. But I'm working on it, I promise.

Anyway, this should be somewhere after the end of The Sea of Monsters but before The Titan's Curse.

Iris
Chapter 3
Someone Who Cares

Percy Jackson was having a really, really bad day. First she had woken up tired after a night of non-stopping nightmares, varying from drowning to being chased by chickens. Her whole body was stiff and sore after tossing and turning the whole night, her eyes were red and on top of all that it seemed like she was getting sick, judging by her runny nose and painful throat.

Kind of desperately, she thought about calling her mom, but she didn't, unwilling to worry Sally while she was at work. So, left to her own devices, Percy curled up onto the surprisingly comfortable coach, wrapping herself in a blanket after popping the Disney version of Hercules in the DVD player. She had just started getting comfortable when the bell rang, interrupting her thoughts.

Cursing whoever dared interrupt her free time, Percy pulled herself upright, forcing her aching body to move in the direction of the door. She gasped when she saw who was waiting outside, leaning casually against the doorway, smirking at her shocked face.

"Hermes, what are you-sneeze-doing here?"

His smirk faltered at the sight of her red nose and blotchy eyes, flattering concern shadowing his brow. "Hello Percy. Are you alright?"

Instead of answering, the girl tried to give him a smile, but it quickly turned into a grimace when another cough escaped her. Taking a deep breath to calm her starved for air lungs, she tried to imagine what she looked like. Her hair was probably a tangled mess, her face was blotchy and red and she was sweating with the beginning of fever. Not a welcoming sight, she was sure.

But Hermes, thankfully, didn't seem to pay attention to her looks, his face shadowed with worry as he gently caught her upper arm and led her inside the apartment, kicking the door closed. He threw a quick glance around, before nudging her to sit on the couch.

"Your mom's not home?" He asked in obvious surprise.

Sniffing, Percy burrowed herself in the blanket. "She's at work. I didn't want to worry her." She watched as the Olympian sighed, running his fingers through his already-messed up hair, murmuring under his breath. All Percy managed to catch were the words 'mortal', 'sick' and 'soup' which didn't make any sense to her feverish mind.

Suddenly, a few minutes later, Hermes stopped pacing, a smile gracing his lips. "I'll be right back!" Tiredly, Percy closed her eyes when bright golden light filled the room, letting her head fall back against the back of the couch. Her eyelids burned and she started reconsidering her decision not to call her mom, when Hermes reappeared, holding a shopping bag in his hands. Through half-closed eyes, Percy watched as he started taking out the items he had brought. A smile tugged at her lips when she saw the pile of mortal medicine (he obviously hadn't been sure which one to take), growing into a full blown grin when he produced a bowl of steaming chicken soup.

Her heart warmed at the sight of his sheepish smile. It had been a while since anyone except her mom had cared enough for her to do this kind of thing and it both shocked and elated her. She had been so careful around him, so guarded. Part of her, some self-preservation instinct, had recognized him as a being much more powerful than her. As a danger. Unconsciously she had gone out of her way not to make him angry and now, looking at the soft look in his eyes she realized that he wouldn't hurt her. He really wanted to be her friend. He cared.

Her silence had obviously made Hermes nervous though, because he started fidgeting, his hand rising to rub the back of his head by reflex. "I-I wasn't sure- I brought chocolate as well. The shopping lady said that chocolate always cheers women up. Um-" She had never seen him splutter over his words before and she found it surprisingly endearing. He seemed to be unable to stop talking when he was nervous, which was a strange sight for Percy. All the times they had interacted he had seemed so smooth. Unmovable.

It was nice to see that he wasn't so different from her. He seemed more human somehow, less like the alien, super powerful creature she had perceived his as.

"Thank you, Hermes." She told him gently, interrupting his ramble, staring deep into his eyes and trying to convey her gratitude with just a look. "It's perfect."

He stopped fidgeting and a relieved, full-blown grin appeared on his face, almost blinding her with its intensity. "Oh, good. I've never had to look after a sick human before. I wasn't sure what was right."

Look after her? Was this what he was doing?

Yes. Percy thought. That was exactly it. He had gone out of his way to get her medicine and he had even brought her soup. He hadn't had to do that but he still had done it.

"Do you want water?" His question interrupted her musings and she looked up at him in confusion. "For the pills?" He motioned towards the pile of medicine on the coffee table. He rushed to the kitchen after she gave him a confirming nod and came back with a glass of water and a spoon for the soup. She didn't ask how he had found where they kept their cutlery as she swallowed two pills of Tylenol. He was a god, surely he could find his way through her kitchen.

With a sigh, she took the bowl from the table and leaned back against the arm of the couch, contently eating her chicken soup. Hermes perched next to her, awkwardly looking around.

The demigod had to bite back a smile. "I was about to watch a movie before you came." She said as casually as she could. "Want to join me?"

"What are we watching?" He asked, settling into a more comfortable position now that he was there to stay.

"Diney's version of Hercules." Percy announced while pressing the play button on the remote, watching his horrified expression when the Nine Muses started to sing. Oh this was going to be so entertaining.

The next hour or so passed in relative silence. The soup was long gone and Percy found herself paying more attention to Hermes that to the movie. She had seen the animation a hundred times and this was the first time she was watching it with someone who had been alive at the time it had happened.

She found his reactions extremely amusing. He rarely said anything but his expressions changed rapidly, from amusement to disgust. Though her favorite one was when the Disney version of Hermes had appeared on screen. The Olympian's face had twisted in horror and he had thrown her a wide eyed look that had her rolling with laughter.

"I-I'm not blue!" He had exclaimed, making her almost fall off the coach. It had been so funny, especially when he had spent the next few minutes murmuring about stupid animations messing up facts. But despite all she could see a smile tugging at his lips.

By the end of the movie Percy found herself dosing off now that her headache had passed. Sometime during the move her feet had found themselves in Hermes' lap and his hand had started rubbing small circles across her calf, lulling her to sleep.

She hadn't even realized her eyes had slipped closed until she felt the coach disappear from underneath her. Startled, she tried to sit up but Hermes' firm grip kept her in place. "Shhhh…" He murmured and it took her a moment to realize that he was carrying her towards her bedroom. "Go back to sleep. You need rest to get better." Unwilling and unable to fight against her exhaustion, Percy laid her head against his chest, her eyes closing again. In the daze between slumber and conscious, she absently felt him tuck her in her bed. "Sweet dreams, Percy." She heard him whisper and then his lips ghosted across her forehead. The touch was so light that when she woke up she would wonder if she had dreamt it or not.

But for now she slept, a content smile gracing her face.

AN: I hope you loved this chapter as much I loved writing it! Please leave a review before you go!