Iris
Chapter 7
The softest touch

Percy stumbled through the door of her mom's apartment, cursing under her breath as the keys slipped through her clumsy fingers and cluttered to the floor, loudly. Head spinning, she held her breath, listening for any sound that could indicate her mother was awake. The apartment was dark and silent thankfully, devoid of Sally Jackson's disappointed face at her daughter's inebriation.

Swaying, Percy made her way towards the kitchen, absently remembering hearing something about drinking water before going to sleep would help with hangover. It took her a few moments longer than usual to find the light switch, and she would have almost missed the figure sitting on the kitchen table if he hadn't called her name.

"Hermes!" The girl exclaimed going for whisper, but it came out much louder than she'd expected. She caught a glimpse of bewildered blue-grey gaze before she almost bowled him over, falling into his unexpecting arms and hugging him tightly, suddenly overwhelmed with affection for her friend. "I missed you!" She'd hardly seen him since dinner with her mom, with Zeus sending him away on numerous tasks.

There was a moment of hesitation before familiar strong arms wrapped around her, holding her even as she swayed slightly in place. The world wasn't spinning so much with her eyes closed and face pressed against his clothed shoulder.

"Percy, are you drunk?" He demanded, pushing her away slightly – much to her disappointment- so he could look at her properly.

"Yes!" The girl grinned back at him, all pearly-white teeth and dimples, eyes slightly hazy with alcohol but sparkling none the less, watching as his expression twisted in a weird mix between reproach and amusement. "I was at a party and there was vodka," She made a face at that, lips pinching slightly. "I can't say I liked the taste all that much but it made feel all warn and fizzy inside so I drank more." And the smile was back, all sunshine and rainbows and careless abandon.

Even Hermes was unable to resist grinning back, despite his obvious disapproval. "I'm not sure you are supposed to like the taste, sweetheart." He told her, brushing the sweat-plastered dark hair away from her forehead. "Come on, sit here and I'll bring you a glass of water." Gently he pushed her towards one of the kitchen chairs, steading her when she swayed dangerously and almost missed it.

Swaying her legs, Percy watched him as he took a tall glass from the cupboard above the sink and filled it, putting it on the table in front of her.

"Jack kissed me, you know." She confessed as she slowly sipped the cool liquid, feeling slightly better. Hopefully her demigod healing would spare her from the worst of her hangover. She missed the way he stiffened, freezing for a moment, in the process of putting together a plate of cheese and crackers for her.

"Yeah?" His voice was strange and his back was towards her and her mind was too blurry to make out what was wrong, too busy remembering what had happened that night.

"Yeah," Percy confirmed, brows furrowing slightly. "Can't say I liked it much." She told him, nose wrinkling at the vague memory of lips and foreign tongue in her mouth. "Too wet." Which was a surprise considering she generally liked wet things. Her father was god of the Sea after all!

She almost missed Hermes' snort as he turned to present her with the quickly put together snack. "That's what you get, kissing teenage boys, who probably don't know what to do with you." There was a darkness in his voice she hadn't heard before and for some reason it made her feel guilty, taking the smile from her face.

"I just wanted to know what it feels like." She admitted quietly, looking down towards the table, absently playing with a cracker to keep her hands busy. "I wanted to be a normal girl, who goes to parties and makes out with the hottest boy there just for the fun of it." She snorted self-deprecatingly. "Figures, I couldn't do even that right."

She glanced up briefly to see Hermes watching her through narrowed, unreadable eyes. The unhappiness on her face must have prompted him into action though, because he walked around the table, coming to a stop next to her chair as she turned to face him.

"You won't remember anything from this tomorrow, will you?" He asked quietly, running his fingers through her hair in a gesture he knew never failed to calm her. She didn't answer, not that an answer was required, looking up at him through wet eyelashes and tear-sheened eyes. He seemed to be struggling with something, the expressions across his face shifting quicker than Percy could catch, until it seemed to settle into a determined look she'd rarely seen him wear. "Close your eyes," He commanded gently and she was helpless against it, with his nails still soothingly scratching against her scalp, like her mother's had when she had been unable to sleep.

Her eyes slipped closed and she waited, body tensed in anticipation of something, even though she knew not what. The first think she felt was touch in the side of her face, his other hand raising to cup her flushed cheek, thumb caressing the sensitive skin underneath her eye. The fingers in her hair tightened slightly, titling her head up, breath washing warm and wet across her lips.

She almost startled at the first tentative brush of his mouth against hers, but forced herself to sit still, despite the tingles that ran under her skin where he touched her. It was soft as butterfly wings that first kiss, nothing more than a simple press of his mouth against hers but she found herself disappointed when he retreated.

She could feel his gaze on her face despite her closed lids. She couldn't know what he saw there but his lips were back, more insistent than before, pressing firmly against her own as if trying to meld themselves together. Percy found herself pressing back against them, copying their movement with her own, allowing her mouth to slip open at the first gentle lick along the seam of her lips.

And oh, there was nothing unpleasant about this!

There was foreign heat beneath her skin, a phantom tightening in her stomach and suddenly he wasn't close enough. Without a conscious decision her arms rose from her sides, fingers tangling with his hair, pulling him impossibly closer. He seemed to mirror her thoughts, as the hand cupping her cheek fell from her face to wrap around her waist and pull her forward, her front pressed against him. The action was sudden enough to surprise her and she accidentally bit his lower lip, freezing at the moan which escaped him at the action.

The sound seemed to shake him out from whatever daze he'd fallen into because he was suddenly gone, lips torn away from hers and arms falling away as he stepped back hurriedly. It was enough to prompt Percy to open her eyes.

His eyes were dark when she met them, pupils blown wide, as surprised and bewildered as she felt. He was panting, hair mussed from where her fingers had run across it, lips swollen and wet with saliva. Despite unable to see herself, Percy could guess she looked not so different in that moment.

The minutes of silence stretched between them as they fought to calm their breathing, until Hermes sighed heavily, shaking his head with some emotion Percy could hope to decipher currently. Then his face cleared leaving no memory of the struggle. "How was-" His voice was low and hoarse in a way she'd never heard before and it made something inside her burn and tingle. "How was that?"

"It was-" The kiss seemed to have stolen her ability to speak or indeed think. "Better. Definitely better." A small, pleased smile curved his mouth.

"Good." He told her, before looking away and sighing, the hand running through his curls betraying his nerves. "You should go to bed."

She didn't argue, too tired, too shocked by everything which had happened that night, allowing him to lead her towards her bedroom, one hand gripping her elbow so she wouldn't crash into a wall as she swayed. The giddiness of the drunkenness had faded, leaving behind a strange sort of artificial numbness.

He waited as she finished her night toilette, brushing her teeth and changing into a pair of soft flannel pajamas, waiting until she got into bed so he could pull the covers up to her chin, tucking her in with such gentleness that it made her want to cry.

"Thank you, Hermes." She mumbled when he made to pull away, freeing on hand from underneath the covers to grip his. An unnamed emotion passed through his face as he gazed down at her, before he smiled slightly, bending to press his lips against her hairline.

"You are welcome sweetheart,"

Hermes stalked through the streets of Olympus, dodging curious nymphs and minor gods, with one destination clear in his mind.

Demeter's garden was exactly as he remembered it, full of life and greenery, yet empty of human – or godly- presence. He found the stone bench whose existence Percy had ignored the time he'd brought her here, and allowed himself to collapse on it, head in his hands.

"Damn it!" He cursed under his breath, eyes squeezed shut and fingers fisting in dark brown locks with enough strength to be painful. "You fool, you utter ridiculous old fool! What are you doing?"

He'd known for a long time that there was something more than friendship brewing between him and Poseidon's sole mortal daughter. He was old enough, experienced enough to recognize the faint stirrings of desire and something deeper, softer, among the innocent affection between them. He'd recognized it and pulled away from it with the swiftness of one pulling away from a fire.

He was not stupid. He knew very well he was not a good person, none of them were, maybe with the sole exception of Hestia, though even the goddess of the hearth could be a force to be reckoned with if insulted. They were too old, too jaded, too arrogant to be classified as such. And a god's affection was a terrible thing, he knew. He'd seen enough of it, felt enough of it through the millennia, to know he would never wish Percy, beautiful, kind, lovely Percy, to come in contact with such a force. Even Hades and Persephone, whom Hermes had once pointed out as an example of love hadn't started that way. No, it had started with the selfish love of a god who'd seen the beautiful maiden and snatched her, like one would pick a flower from a garden. It had started with Persephone's tears and Demeter's grief. The spring goddess might have learned to love her captor, but she'd hated him in the beginning, hated him in a way Hermes could not bear being hated by another Persephone.

It was a jealous thing, a god's love, a selfish, capricious, obsessive thing, too dark for a pure soul like Percy. They'd changed through the centuries perhaps, tempered most of their violent urges, smothered the darkest of desires but not all, not all and that was the issue. And Percy was so, so young, not yet seventeen and already with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She hardly needed a lustful, enamored Olympian panting after her.

Hermes was smart enough, self-aware enough, to know that and yet-

And yet.

And yet tonight her eyes had been dark as a stormy ocean, bright with unshed tears as she confessed the utter disappointment of her first kiss and he'd wanted to find that idiot adolescent boy who'd slobbered all over her and ruined what should have been a lovely experience for her.

Groaning, he collapsed on one of the stone benches, burying his face in his hands.

Foolish, foolish old man.

AN: One of my favorite chapters so far! Drunk Percy is affectionate and Hermes is so soft about her. I had a great time writting this and I hope you like it as well!

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated!