Chapter 9 - Favours
"Percy," Annabeth said tiredly as she snapped her fingers to get his attention back onto her. "Honestly."
Nico snickered. "It's a good thing he's got the Achilles Curse. He'll be dead otherwise."
Percy's eyes flicked back to his omega, sprawled out over the lowest row of stands in the arena – bare-chested and just dozing in the sun. "I'm sorry," he apologized as Kronos cracked open a brilliant golden eye and his lips quirked up slightly. "You're an asshole," he called over.
"I know," Kronos dismissed easily.
"No," Annabeth said flatly, "you're just an easily distracted, hormonal alpha."
Percy huffed. "S'not that bad."
"It really is," Kronos said.
"You – shush. You're not helping." Percy lifted the point of Riptide. "Right. Come at me."
The demigod still wasn't quite used to fighting with the Curse of Achilles. With Kronos' army having disappeared over the week and the Titan not saying anything regarding their whereabouts, Dionysus had strict orders from Zeus to ensure they didn't stop training.
Percy huffed, nearly collapsing next to Kronos after Annabeth yet again managed to get behind him. "Damn it."
"You suck," Kronos said.
"Yeah? Well you couldn't beat me."
"Heat," Kronos reminded him. "So it doesn't count. Besides, I did get behind you even while in heat. You just didn't tell me where your Heel was."
"Should I have? I mean, I sort of like being alive." Percy smiled, thanking Will when he tossed a water bottle at his head. Everyone was still giving Kronos a wide berth, which was sort of understandable all things considered. He seemed to prefer it like that too. Percy frowned briefly as he scanned the omega over. While he looked at ease, sprawled uncaringly over the stand, Percy wasn't as stupid as the Titan assumed. His hands – still bound – were clenched into fists, so Percy reached over and tried to pry them open.
Kronos sighed heavily, as if the act of moving his fingers pained him – the dramatic little shit – but let the demigod. Percy intertwined their fingers, grinning as he did so, at least until Kronos twitched away, withdrawing his hands closer to his body.
Percy sighed. "Why don't you like it when I touch you?"
The Titan shrugged slightly, grunting as he shifted to sit up. Golden eyes narrowed down at the shackles around his wrists. "Because I don't," he said flatly. "Not when it's not on my own terms."
The demigod tilted his head to the side. "So… if I just ask you first or something-"
Kronos blinked, an odd expression crossing his face. "You're odd," he stated.
Percy frowned. "Good odd or bad odd?" He questioned.
"No alpha before you has asked before touching," Kronos said.
"You can't have met many good alphas then," Percy mused.
"No," Kronos conceded. "I haven't."
Percy shrugged. "My mother raised me to be nice to people. It's… I think that mortals are nicer to others than immortals are."
"It's the mortality," Kronos agreed. "You have something to fear after life. We don't."
"Tartarus?"
"We'll go there no matter what," Kronos said. "It doesn't matter if we've killed or started wars or if we're peaceful. Tartarus swallows us no matter what."
"That's sad," Percy said quietly.
"It's comforting," Kronos corrected. "In the end… there's no hero or villain."
Percy frowned. "Hey… that doesn't matter. Not to me. I mean… it does a little." At Kronos' scathing glare, he quickly backtracked. "But that doesn't mean that I don't love you and that you're amazing and cute and I really want to just kiss you all day or something - but you know, just being with you is brilliant – even if you don't like being touched and don't let me kiss you."
Kronos looked appropriately mollified, sitting back against the stands.
The alpha smiled, though when his gaze found Kronos fingers – fiddling with the shackles over his wrists – his happiness evaporated. "Hey," Percy quietly said. Kronos' eyes flicked up to him, sensing the sudden change in the conversation. "I'm sorry. For doing that to you."
Kronos' jaw tensed.
"Really. I'm sorry."
The omega just hummed, his eyes sharp and calculative as he observed his alpha. "You shouldn't have gotten involved," he finally said to Percy. "Should have let them decide."
"They'd have killed you."
"Exactly," Kronos growled at Percy. For a brief moment, Percy saw through his mask for the first time. Looking his omega in the eyes he saw the black hatred that rolled through Kronos like thunder, yet also tempered somewhat by hope, and then fear and guilt. Guilt for what, Percy didn't know – for what would Kronos ever be guilty about? – but he definitely knew the hope.
"I didn't want to have to watch you die," Percy quietly said. "I know you don't need me to be a knight in shining armour or some other shit, but if I can do something to help you stay alive, then I'm gonna do it. No questions asked. I mean… it's the reason you wanted me to mate with you in the first place, right?"
Kronos' jaw worked as if he wanted to say something, but then decided differently. He merely shook his head. "I was in heat."
"Still." Percy shifted to look straight at him. "Can… can I ask for a favour from you?"
The Crooked One's lips twitched. "Depends. Do I get one to request too?"
Percy shrugged. "Of the same sort, yes."
The omega tilted his head to the side. "Go on."
"Give me a chance. Put aside our past, pretend we weren't on different sides in that war. Pretend we're not demigod and Titan – natural enemies. Just… let me have a chance to prove myself properly." Percy dared to move forward. While Kronos eyed him warily, he didn't make a move to back away or attack Percy, so the alpha figured he was safe. He simply rested his forehead against Kronos'. "Please?"
Kronos muttered a few words under his breath in the Old Tongue. Then he did something that stunned Percy into utter silence. His bound hands grabbed Percy's camp shorts and dragged him closer, until he found Percy's lips with his own. The omega settled back, letting Percy continue what he'd started.
The Titan tasted of fresh air and wild forests and Percy really needed to get those shackles off him before the end of camp in three days.
Percy smiled as he pulled back briefly. "That a yes?"
"I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to get a favour out of you," Kronos murmured, shifting slightly where he was as Percy ducked down slightly to press his lips against Kronos' mate-mark.
"What favour?"
Kronos lifted his wrists, and Percy knew exactly what the favour was going to be. "Get these off me."
"I will," Percy promised.
"Today."
"Okay."
Kronos smiled. "Good," he said, sitting back as Percy traced the curves of his chest.
"Hey! Seaweed Brain," Annabeth called from the arena.
Percy lifted his head, turning slightly to look over at Annabeth. "One more minute," he called.
The other half-blood scowled across at him. "You've had five more already. Come on."
The alpha sighed. "Fine," he grumbled, shifting slightly before retreating from his omega. He noted that the touching had drawn some looks from the other demigods. He blinked when he found himself unable to move away from Kronos. "What – hey!"
His omega had snatched him by the back of his shirt, glowering at Annabeth over the alpha's head.
Percy blinked as Kronos pulled him back, expression hard and emotionless as stone, and then dove for Percy's neck. The demigod grinned as his omega smothered him in his scent, the smell instantly calming Percy.
Kronos sighed against Percy's neck. "This is where the Curse of Achilles is the worst thing you could have done."
"It is?"
"Well, I can't exactly make it clear that you're my alpha, can I?"
Percy smiled. "I think you've just managed it pretty well," he assured him. "I'll be back," he promised. "When Annabeth's finished with me we'll go hunt down Mr. D, yeah?"
It seemed that mentioning the beta was a bad idea. Kronos tensed further, only to relax as Percy finished. "I do like a good god hunt."
"Yeah. I know."
Percy didn't notice that Annabeth's nose twitched in distain, grey eyes narrowing murderously at the omega who'd returned to his natural habitat – lazing about in the sun. If Kronos turned to face her and smiled smugly, then Percy also didn't notice.
So one more chapter in C H-B and then into New York we come. A few there, then back to Camp for the next year and Percy's disappearance via demi-napping. And onto HoO! Word of warning: I will be completely destroying canon in this fanfic - that's my goal. Events of HoO will not happen as you remember.
That Weirdo Writer: Oh good
Colts12broncos18: Yes. It will be interesting. Percy will become a large part of it, if only because I've noticed that people enjoy fanfics with Percy as a main character more. Great! As for Kronos' reluctance to be with Percy, there's a lot more to it than just being mated to him (hint: HoO), but it will eventually become genuine on Kronos' side - not saying when though, I'm gonna keep you guessing.
ShadowsClaw: Whoop! I love getting people excited :). Ahhh that sort of makes sense. Yes, I don't know what it is about Kronos... but I love stories with him in... *shrugs*. Well, looking forward to more is always good.