Chapter 1 - Fractured

"How is he?"

Percy glanced towards the door, jerking upright. "What?" He blinked at his father. "Oh, it's you." He relaxed back down and returned his gaze to Kronos. The still blind wolf cubs were once again piled atop Kronos' stomach. It seemed a favourite perch of theirs.

The young Titan hoped it was Kronos' smell that fascinated them so much. They were used to Percy's voice and adored him, but Kronos hadn't so much as stirred in the day since Percy had returned his soul. Soon the pups may no longer be blind, and Percy wanted them to know Kronos before they set their eyes on him.

"Yeah," Poseidon said. "Me. Who were you expecting?"

"I don't know," Percy sighed, rubbing at his eyes – he was an immortal and didn't really need sleep, but being a single father to three needy immortal wolf pups was tiring. "Zeus? He seems to be bothering me a lot."

Poseidon stepped into the reasonably large room, eyes flicking briefly to Kronos before skittering back to Percy as he quietly closed the door behind him. "He wants to see progress."

"Yeah, so do I," Percy huffed. "But he is getting less pale. Apollo says his ichor's replenishing. The only problem is-"

"He's still not healing," Poseidon finished.

"Yeah."

Poseidon nodded slowly. "Zeus is starting to think that maybe he's more trouble than he's worth."

"Kronos is always more trouble than he's worth," Percy pointed out longingly. "There's been a change in him though, promise."

Poseidon's expression didn't change. "You should go and eat something, Percy."

"Not hungry."

"Percy, nothing is going to change in the ten minutes that it takes you to eat something." Poseidon guided Percy out of the room. "And you fed your kids an hour ago, they'll be fine for another three."

Percy sighed, but he knew he had to eat something. While immortals didn't need the food, it would be helpful to keep his energy up.

It was when Percy entered Olympus' mess that he remembered why he hadn't eaten there before.

In Kronos' room it was secluded, no one visited other than Poseidon, Zeus, Apollo and the occasional other god. Percy wasn't stared at, he couldn't hear the whispered insults about him and he couldn't hear the hatred directed towards both him and Kronos.

But in the mess it was all too obvious. While Poseidon was next to him, that didn't stop people from trying to subtly point him out, didn't stop other beings from scattering away from him. The terrified nymph all but threw his food at him, unable to meet his eyes, before turning to the next being (whom was standing several yards back from Percy).

Poseidon guided Percy over to a marble table in the corner. "Just ignore them," he advised, squeezing Percy's shoulder in a gesture that was supposed to be comforting, but only made Percy tense up even more. It was easy for Poseidon, he wasn't the subject of their discussions.

When Percy heard a particularly crude comment about Kronos, he snapped his metal fork in half. The sound made everything and everyone else fall silent, and there were hundreds of eyes on him in a split second.

"You know what, Poseidon?" Percy asked flatly in the silence. "I think I'll finish in my room, thanks."

He took his food with him as he left the mess, pointedly ignoring the glares at his back. It wasn't like he cared, everyone moved aside for him despite what they were whispering.

It was on the way back to Kronos that everything escalated. He'd been dealing with the whispers for four days now, but until then no-one tried to harm him.

The back of Percy's neck prickled a warning to him, so Percy was able to turn and tip his still-hot lunch towards the god even as he raised the tray and used it as a shield, tensing his body behind it. A large sword bit into the metal, the tip even emerging from the other side.

Percy ground his teeth, using the tray to force the sword to the side. He twisted to punch the god in the jaw, knocking out a few of his perfect teeth. The god – Hercules – reared back, spluttering.

"You want to try again, little godling?" Percy taunted.

Hercules growled and threw himself at Percy. It wasn't like Percy was concerned, Hercules was the god of bravery. A minor immortal. Percy had trained with Kronos both as a demigod and a Titan. With both of them without weapons – Hercules' sword was stuck in the tray, and Percy didn't want to cause too much of a scene – their fight was a lot less fatal.

Percy's ichor sang in his veins as he ducked a vicious punch then launched his own attack.

The Titan finally slammed the god's head into a marble pillar. Hercules groaned as Percy let him fall. Percy smiled as he noted the god's eyes, one more dilated than the other, and crouched next to him. "Maybe you should try taking on someone more suitable before you attack a Titan," Percy whispered to him. "You might make a better performance then."

He grinned widely as he rose, shoving his hands into his pockets.

On the way back to Kronos' room, Percy's ichor was still boiling. It was great to finally be able to take out his frustrations, and even better that it was against Hercules.

Entering the room, Percy grinned and stretched before shutting the door firmly behind him, and it was then that he cast his eyes towards the bed which Kronos was on.

Three wolf pups squirmed on white sheets, crawling over each other, but there was no other body on the bed. No Kronos.

Percy stilled. His gut was churning, a warning. Percy twisted abruptly, turning around even as something – someone – hit him from behind and he went down. Unlike with Hercules, the force was more than enough to expel all the air from his lungs. He toppled back, slamming his head onto a tray of medical stuff that he couldn't name, and landed heavily on his back, a weight on top of him.

Percy gasped for breath even as he felt familiar hands close around his throat. "Kronos," he choked out as he opened his eyes.

Kronos' eyes were wild and glazed with pain as he stared down at Percy. His golden orbs looked fractured in the light, fractured and unfocused.

"Kronos," Percy repeated fiercely despite the waning oxygen in his lungs, "it's fine, you're alright." His hands were able to scrabble against Kronos' bare chest, pressing against his jackhammering heart. "You're alright," he repeated as black spots appeared in his vision. "Kronos-"

The door burst open and bodies poured in. There were hands pulling at Kronos, dragging him back from Percy and back over to the bed. Poseidon surged straight for the three pups on the bed, gathering them in his arms even as a thrashing Titan was pinned down, smooth cuffs snapping shut around his wrists.

Percy shakily forced himself to his feet as he watched. Apollo worked quickly to connect Kronos to a drip that he'd pulled out and Percy knew what he was going to do.

The young Titan shoved past a few bodies and was soon at Kronos' side. Heart still hammering, Percy made a decision.

In a room full of gods, he cradled Kronos' head and pressed his lips to Kronos' chapped ones. Apollo still fiddled with the drip even as Kronos' struggles stilled.

Percy opened his eyes to see Kronos staring at him, not through him. Golden eyes flicked over Percy's face, taking him in, and Kronos' lips twitched slightly into a broken little smile. Percy pressed their foreheads together.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

Kronos' eyes drooped and he fought to keep them open. "Percy," he whispered, his voice full of wonder and disbelief.

"It's alright," Percy promised, pressing his lips to Kronos' again. It didn't matter that the Titan's lips tasted of ichor. "You're alright," Percy breathed.

Apollo's sedative kicked in, and Kronos' fractured golden eyes finally slid shut.

Welcome, welcome! Percy's plan has sort of worked, Kronos is back. Is he back completely? Not really.

If anyone hasn't read the previous two books yet, I'm sorry for the Kronercy. Go back and read the first two, and then follow this one once you like the ship.