AN: ...JUSTICE FOR ORNITHOPODA!
Time: A day later
Percy seemed to be in that position a lot.
His chest was again covered in tight bandages to keep the wound on his chest from opening any further. He was dressed in loose shorts that hung limp around his waist. His upper body was bare, revealing how much his toned muscles had degraded. He looked like shit, though still muscular, he had thinned considerably over the week. His feet were wrapped in bandages, and there were more strapped around his head.
"You're lucky Hestia could heal that much. It seemed that the chest wound was blocking your immortality." Calypso observed, "I haven't seen anything like that in my entire medical career." She admitted, playing with a lock of her caramel hair.
Calypso looked heavenly, as always. Her curvy, busty body was clothed in a thin white dress with golden trimmings, lace covering her back and waist. She seemed to have an unlimited supply of those dresses, and Percy assumed that it was to occur, solitary confinement on a tropical island for millennia and all that. Today, her beautiful caramel hair was braided with a moonlace blossom, the soft green leaves intact, attached to the soft stem that she used to braid her hair. Its beautiful white petals glowed softly due to her close proximity to Artemis.
Her face was the literal definition of bored. Her soft, pink lips were puckered in dissatisfaction, and she rolled her gorgeous amber eyes at every other thing that was said. Her left hand impatiently drummed on the wooden desk she was leaning against, her bare feet tapping impatiently.
"Will you stop doing that?" Ruby snapped at her.
The gorgeous daughter of Aphrodite was wearing her Hunter parka with a pair of khaki shorts. Her cherry blonde hair was let down, the silver of her parka going perfectly with the colour of her silky tresses. Her clear azure eyes, so like her mother, shined with worry for the man sitting up on the infirmary bed. Her cute button nose matched her cute, soft features and short stature.
"Artemis is waiting for you, Jackson. So is everyone else." Ruby warned.
Percy faintly noted with amusement how every Hunter, except Artemis, seemed to insist on calling him Jackson.
"Not Athena or Drew." He turned slightly glum at Atalanta's quiet observation, reminding him of his harem problem. Piper elbowed the Huntress, making her wince as she caught her slip up.
"Stop opening your mouth without thinking, Atalanta." The second daughter of Aphrodite in the room, reprimanded.
Percy ruffled his hair, a habit he had picked up as a child. It usually had the effect of making his messy raven hair even messier, but at the moment, his black hair was cut in a sharp military cut. He missed the feeling of running his fingers through his long, soft and silky hair. His skin had regained a bit of his original, tanned copper colour, though.
Percy winced at the bandages that covered his forearms, well aware of the scars that they hid.
It was only thanks to the miracles the gentle hearth goddess worked on his body, that Percy could even sit up right then, only a day later after his attempted suicide.
He was even allowed to walk, though the magical bindings would not be coming off anytime soon.
Nor was he eager to rip it off anytime soon. Calypso got... quite angry when he disobeyed her medical orders. As he found out the hard way, unfortunately.
Percy stood up shakily. Immediately, Ruby was at his side, supporting him. Her slim hands snaked around his chest, her head barely reaching his chest, making the sight quite comical. The Huntress made an attempt to steady him as he tottered on his feet for a moment, her face contorted as she attempted to hold up his heavy form, having to fall back on her godly -demigodly- strength.
"Help me here!" She cried out, referring to the three others in the room, who made no effort.
Atalanta snorted. "Jackson can walk on his own very fine right now. Or he is a wimp."
Piper reframed her sentence more elegantly. "What she means to say is, that Percy is healed enough to walk on his own, and he needs to do it on his own, or he might become dependent."
Calypso stayed silent through the exchange, opting instead to leaf through her medical notes on the god.
Her god.
PTSD, signs of abuse as a child, depression, and partial insanity. His mind was shattered and fractured, how he managed to hide everything behind his bright smile, she would never know.
Or she did.
They saw his mind, as it was behind the smile, yesterday. An experience the Titaness -none on Ogygia- did not want to repeat.
Percy waved off her concerns, standing tall and proud after a second of disorientation. His bandaged, bare feet stung a little against the cool marble floor, but otherwise, he was okay.
The god waved his hand towards the door. "Lead the way, Ruby. Time to see the rest of the building."
The daughter of Aphrodite nodded, taking his hand, and eagerly, but carefully led him to his first destination.
Percy stared in wonder as he walked down the long marble hallways on the second floor, which had numerous doors that led to large suites of rooms on one side, and large French windows on the other. The sunlight flooded into the corridor, lightning up all the corners, bright and thankful. Most of the floors were bare, save for the occasional welcome rug outside an occupied room, or a carpet every hundred yards.
How long was the building?
Percy guessed it had to do with some godly shit, because there was no way the building was so large on the outside.
He could only stare at the beautiful portraits that lined all the walls on the second floor, which was also the living quarters for all the girls. He knew the style.
"Rachel has been at it again, hasn't she?" He chuckled, wistfully staring at a portrait that showed him and Annabeth walking through the curtained mouth of the Oracle's Cave.
She had depicted Annabeth so clearly... her blonde hair seemed to shine, making anybody think that it had been made with gold paint, her stormy grey eyes dark, dangerous yet happy, her pink lips beckoning. How she had managed to capture her softness, her smooth, creamy skin, was beyond Percy's mind. In the picture, Percy was a few years younger, and in a much better condition than he was now, with his arm thrown possessively over the shorter daughter of Athena.
He peeked into an open door, outside which another portrait was kept to dry. The portrait depicted Sydney sitting on the kitchen counter, with a red bowl in her hands. Her silky black hair was flowing in the wind breezing in through the open glass door, her dark grey eyes, slightly darker than Annabeth, shining with mirth. Despite being a daughter of Thanatos, she was full of life, wearing a black Powerwolf t-shirt, and tight black yoga pants that hugged the curves of her long legs. Her pale skin glistened in the portrait.
"Ogling Sydney's portrait, aren't you, horn dog?" Rachel interjected, leaning against her door frame and sending a flirtatious smile his way.
Percy's cheeks tinged gold as he stared at the Oracle.
Rachel was wearing absolutely nothing.
An extra short pair of shorts covered her waist, ending mid-thigh. Her upper body was completely bare, covered only with an apron, smeared with paint. Percy could see her hard nipples poking through the thin material, revealing her lack of a bra. The apron was stretched taught on her large tits, her slim arms, her pale creamy skin glowing in the light. Her lush red hair cascaded down her back, matching the cute red paint smeared on her cheek. Her hands were clasped behind her back, subtly thrusting her chest forward.
Her green eyes shined with satisfaction as she watched his dark sea-green eyes rove over her body. Plan successful.
"Now he's ogling me." She said dejectedly, suppressing her inner glee.
Percy's face drowned in gold and he started spluttering.
If he did not know any better, he would say she was doing that, teasing him on purpose. As it was, his good nature won out his internal debate as he berated himself for shamelessly ogling his innocent friend, who was merely caught off guard by their sudden arrival.
Ruby glared at her, tightening her hold on his arm. "No, he isn't."
She turned towards Percy, glaring harshly at him, her beautiful azure eyes taking a dangerous glint.
"Are you, Percy?" She spoke in a sickly sweet tone.
Percy's eyes widened at the two conniving girls, and he shook his head rapidly. He could swear his neck cracked at that moment.
Ruby turned to Rachel, throwing her another dangerous glare. "Stay away from him, Dare." She hissed.
"Oooh, I'm afraid I can't take that dare." Rachel considered twisting her own name to have a good comeback against the girl, to be worth it. She ignored that Percy could hear them bantering over him.
Ruby just glared at her, flipping her cherry blonde hair in the cute way that she had. Not answering, she dragged Percy away from the grinning vixen, her eyes never receding her glare.
Her speed increased, literally dragging Percy by his arm, unmindful of his injuries, when Rachel sent a seductive wink his way. The red-haired Oracle then retreated to her room, an extra sway in her hips, revealing her completely bare back save for the strings holding her apron together.
Ruby dragged Percy down several hundred feet, to the east wing of the girls' living quarters. He did not know why Phoebe and Atalanta, or Rose, Violet and Neo, insisted on sharing rooms when so many were lying vacant.
He absentmindedly observed the weather through the endless large French windows, his legs moving on autopilot as he mindlessly followed Ruby as she dragged him through the long hallways.
The day was bright and sunny, only a few wisps of white clouds visible in the clear, blue sky, so like the azure eyes of Aphrodite and Ruby. The clear sea was calm, only gentle waves reaching the golden, sandy beach. A gentle sea breeze was blowing, bringing with it the soothing scent of the briny sea, and swaying the long leaves of the tall palm trees that dotted the beach, providing necessary shade in the bright sun. A few albatrosses and other seabirds flew about in the sky, calling to each other in shrill voices, their cries filling the calm silence that stretched on in the beautiful scene that looked right out of a picture.
Percy saw Hestia, Neo, the twins and Artemis waiting outside a door long before he reached them.
He greeted the Little Big Three with hugs and gentle pats on the head. He hugged Hestia next, smiling softly when she asked worriedly, "Are you sure you should be walking around with all these injuries?"
Percy waved off her concerns, as Artemis burrowed into his chest. "Don't try that ever again, Jackson." He faintly noted that she had started calling him Jackson too, taking after her Hunters.
"Okay. No more suicide attempts. Got that." He childishly showed her two thumbs up. "...Okay, so why are we here?"
"You heard the 'Ares' incident, right?" Artemis started, referring to the Phoebe and Thalia incident.
"And now, big sister is-, Rose started.
"-not coming out of her room." Violet finished for her, in the weird, slightly disorienting way that twins had.
"Percy..." Hestia spoke softly, her eyes shining with worry. "She has been in there for almost twenty-two hours." The unsaid part was clear to everyone but the three innocent little ones.
He stared at them. "I'll go in alone. You all go have lunch, Thalia and I will join you for dinner." He said, letting a confident smirk grace his face. "Now, run along."
After several parting hugs, worried glances, and whispered luck, Percy noticed that Neo was lingering behind.
"What happened, Neo?" He asked gently, not wanting to spook the fifteen-year-old, whom he thought of, and cared for as an eight-year-old sister.
"Will..." the daughter of Zeus bit her lip, "Will she be alright?"
Percy stooped low, pressing his forehead to the shorter girl's, his sea-green eyes burning with a ferocious protectiveness. "Neo, have I ever broken a promise?"
Neo looked up at him, meeting his sea green with her bright electric blue. "No." Her cheeks tinged red at the proximity of their faces.
"Then, I promise your big sister will be back by dinner." He smiled, pushing her gently towards her room, shared with the twins.
Neo gave a slightly worried glance his way, before scurrying down the corridor.
Percy took a deep, shaky breath, before standing up. He knocked on the door, standing back to wait.
There was no response.
Slightly ticked off at being ignored so callously, the son of Poseidon knocked again. "Thalia, open up, it's me."
He waited again, and this time, there was a slight click, showing that the door had indeed been opened.
Percy waited for her to welcome him inside, but when she didn't, he put his hand on the cool, brass doorknob, and with only a moment's hesitation, entered Thalia's room.
The room he was in, just screamed that it was owned by Thalia.
A jet black carpet covered the floor, soft and sinking a few inches under Percy's bandaged feet. There were two windows, but the curtains were drawn, letting in only small streams of sunlight that peeked through the thick blinds. The air was chilly, due to the central air conditioning that the building had, stinging Percy's skin slightly. A pleasant smell of perfume and Thalia's floral shampoo floated wafted the closed room. The walls were black and dark, with silver designs.
There were several posters of Percy's favourite metal bands- Sabaton, Powerwolf, Amon Amarth, Alestorm, the like- that decorated one wall, which was coincidentally also Thalia's favourite bands. Spanning another wall, was a large walk-in closet, and a full-body mirror.
Sprawled on the soft queen-sized bed, tangled in the black sheets like a beautiful, fallen angel, was the daughter of Zeus he sought. She was wearing a black off shoulders tank top, and crumpled white shorts which told him that she had not changed since the previous day. Her silky black hair was spread out on the bed, her face buried in the numerous, soft pillows, her seemingly delicate, frail body wracked with sobs.
Percy sat on the edge of the bed, and the soft mattress sank a few inches under his weight. He laid a hand gently on her bare shoulder, revealing how smooth and soft her skin was against his calloused hand.
His heart broke when she shied away from the contact. "Thalia, can you tell me why you are crying?"
She turned away, facing Percy's opposite side, so that he could not see her face. "If you had... had died, it would have been my fault."
Percy clenched his fist, his eyes swimming with tears. "I'm sorry, Thalia. I didn't know what I was doing. I... I didn't mean to do any of that." He turned towards her, speaking harshly, though his throat threatened to close up, his emotions were running rampant. "And it wouldn't have been your fault. It would have been my fault, alright?!"
When she did not say anything, Percy took the initiative as he picked her up bridal style, carrying her to the bathroom. He was conscious of her head injury.
He sat the quiet girl down on the counter, his sole concentration on her injury. Taking out the first aid kit from the cabinet, he laid out the sterilized equipment in the basin, gently dabbing her wound with a piece of nectar soaked gauze. He cleaned away the dry blood clotted in the area, feeling her broken skin under the gauze. He pulled away from the area, watching fascinated as the wound closed on its own.
He did not know what, but his being was gripped with an uncontrollable urge. He raised her hair, leaning in to gently kiss the now healed skin. He was aware of the proximity of their bodies, Thalia's long legs had unconsciously wrapped around his waist, pulling him closer, until he was pressing slightly against her body.
Thalia's cheeks had tinged red at the gentle gesture of affection, but she still refused to talk.
Ignoring her silence, Percy carried back the blushing Thalia, bridal style to the bedroom, gently setting her down on the bed. The daughter of Zeus immediately resumed her previous position, burying her face in the pillows to hide her blush, taking deep breaths to calm herself, and acting as if nothing had happened.
Percy resumed his earlier seat at the edge of the bed, too. "So, now can you tell me what's wrong?"
When Thalia still ignored him, Percy finally seemed to lose it. Harshly grabbing her shoulder, he forced her to face him, his dominating side surfacing as he straddled her slim body.
Thalia still looked away, her eyes darting anywhere but him. Her silky black hair spread like a dark halo around her divine face, her pale skin paler than usual. Her electric blue eyes, so similar to Neo's, were bloodshot and puffy, dried tear tracks on her face. There were dark bags under her eyes, her cute nose red and puffy. Her soft, pink lips were wet as she sobbed quietly, gasping for breath.
She looked up at Percy when water hit her cheek.
It was one of the few times she saw Percy crying. Usually, only Annabeth ever saw him cry. Even when she died, he had not cried, he had gone insane angry, sure, but he did not cry in front of anybody.
It made Thalia wonder what else Percy was hiding. What else emotion he was bottling up.
She would have touched his cheek tenderly at that moment, if Percy was not pinning her hands to the bed to prevent her struggling. He looked almost... human, something with a heart.
"You are not at fault here, Thalia!" He shouted, "Accept that! It was my stupidity- it was always my stupidity! Never say that again!"
Thalia felt bitter resentment rising up against the man she loved. "And you would keep up your suicide attempts?" She spoke back harshly.
"N-no. I won't, I promise." He gasped for breath, to compose himself, but couldn't. His entire facade came crashing down when Thalia hugged him tenderly, her hands set free when he was ranting.
Percy broke down for the first time in almost a year, sobbing uncontrollably, and screaming incoherently, lamenting everything, as he buried his face in Thalia's neck, seeking her warmth and comfort.
Thalia just held him gently in her slender arms, accepting everything that he let loose to her.
After several minutes, when Percy's uncontrollable sobs had descended to soft whimpers, Thalia held his face tenderly in her hands, wiping away his tears gently with her thumb, ignoring her own tears at his anguish. His face was so close to hers, she could smell his pleasant smell, his warm breath in her face.
Thalia took a leap of faith.
She kissed him, for comfort, she argued.
Their lips moulded together, the tears forgotten, the kiss wet, yet pleasant. After recovering from his shock, Percy returned the kiss eagerly, pressing his lips to her, moving in sync with her.
Thalia was clearly inexperienced, it being her first kiss, but still, Percy did his best to guide her, letting her go at whatever pace she was comfortable with. Despite the awkwardness and tears, the raw emotions and passion that flowed in the single kiss, prompted Percy to put it on his best kisses list, which was admittedly a long one.
Thalia broke the kiss a few minutes later, panting and gasping for breath, her face drowned in red. "Nothing happened. Don't get any ideas, Jackson." She hissed in warning, despite the blush that crept down to her neck.
"Now that's the Pinecone Face I know." Percy chuckled softly, all his strife momentarily forgotten due to the mind-blowing kiss he had just received. He hugged her back, spooning Thalia, "Wouldn't dream of it."
Thalia smiled, pressing back into Percy. Her plan had worked.
"Umm..." Percy began awkwardly, his angst, and passion-driven actions, replaced by awkwardness as he realised he had kissed the woman he viewed as a sister.
"Shut up, Jackson. I just need..." Thalia's voice choked, "...some comfort."
Percy pushed aside his feelings on the matter, opting instead to hug her tightly, genuinely believing her lame excuse. "Wake me up before dinner."
And just like that, he fell asleep, in the arms of a woman to whom he looked at for everything.
A woman who was more of a lover than a sister to him.
And above all, a woman he loved back unconditionally.
AN: Feel the drama yet? How was the chapter? Feel free to leave constructive criticism. I personally feel that the last bit could have been better. It was written in a bit of a rush to keep up with the schedule. Ideas were added in the middle of a scene.Keep calm and CR7!! Keep calm and LM10!! (Messi)