"I used to despise you."
Those were the first words of Percy's real interaction with his soon-to-be step-sister. It was a good thing the sky bearer's reflexes had been heightened to the extreme, otherwise he might have lost his glass over the edge of the marble guardrail. Percy's fingers were lagging a quarter-second behind his eyes - when the young god finally secured his grip, Athena had already begun her second sentence.
"You were holding back my daughter's growth. I found it both obvious and grating that you refused to think through the consequences of your actions."
The goddess of wisdom hadn't snuck up on Percy, not really. No amount of alcohol induced haze could mask an Olympian's presence, short of a blackout at least. The smell of paperbacks and the distant feeling of running his fingers over carved marble gave her away.
That didn't mean this wasn't an ambush, however. The blond goddess had chosen to pounce the instant Aphrodite had left her fiancé's side to go speak with her immortal children. She hadn't gone without another kiss, though it was more of a very brief peck. No matter how glowy the contact made his stomach, that was one meeting Percy could do without. Several of those minor gods were now somehow both his step-children and also his nieces/nephews. They were also each several thousand years his senior.
Don't think about it. Percy reminded himself. It was easier said than done.
"Annabeth is destined for great things. It was a shame she couldn't see it like I could." Athena was staring out over the courtyard's cliffs-edge a few feet away, pointedly not looking in Percy's direction. "All of your gallivanting was pointless and reckless." Under Artemis' moonlight, most people appeared softer. The blond Olympian only looked stiff and stern. "Nothing more." Every one of her edges was folded, aura meticulous like living origami.
"I'd say that I'm sorry, but I'm not." Percy was leaning with his elbows on the marble half-wall, glass held in the tips of all ten fingers. This was only his second drink, but the stuff hit like a truck. At least, he guessed that it did based on how warm his hands currently felt. "I don't remember any of it." The young god couldn't help the sharp undercurrent to his words.
Beneath his half-addled senses, the rolling clouds miles below were a ghostly blanket over the exposed skin of Percy's wrists. The swathes of cumulus were all silver and dark in the night's shadow. Streams of the stuff dripped from the edges of his sleeves, drizzling down into the empty air before vanishing into the wind. The chattering party in the background sounded muffled, like the wine in his stomach had placed a giant fishbowl over everything outside a ten-foot radius. When his swirling breeze wafted across his throat, Percy realized the top button of his undershirt had come undone.
When did that happen? Sometime after Poseidon had started spouting plans about a visit to Atlantis next week and Amphitrite had basically brought up his domains to blackmail her own husband, probably.
"Oaths and promises, no?" She had said, once the Queen of Atlantis had finished her strange staring contest with Aphrodite. "Why, to think such a domain would be borne from Sally's child." Poseidon had cast his wife a warning glance, one that bounced right off of the Nereid's perfect smile. Her crown of crab claws seemed to chitter for a moment. "Would you be open for consultations, perhaps? If my senses are correct, you've already made a vow or two." Percy felt like he was looking right down a shark's open maw. "Your betrothed also dabbles in a bit of marriage counseling, I've been told."
Poseidon hadn't let the conversation continue for much longer after that. He had been decidedly displeased, and Percy hadn't wanted to chat much anyway. Whatever maybe-camaraderie they had been building died a pitiful death at the Nereid's hands. The fact that Amphitrite very obviously slipped from Poseidon's arm without a word and joined Percy's mother in her conversation with Hestia was one of the more shocking things the sky bearer had seen that night. The fact that Sally smiled as she joined was even worse.
When Amphitrite had smiled back, it hadn't felt directed at the other women but instead somehow over her shoulder at the god whose side she had just left. Poseidon had merely observed, something stormy behind his eyes. The gravity surrounding the sea god had increased several times with his irritation. At that moment it was clear that there was a game being played, and that Poseidon had lost and his son was the reason why.
Percy didn't like being used.
Hence, the second glass of wine. Plus, the fact that his blood mother and his step-mother were somehow friends borne of spite had required Percy to not be sober to process. He could only be thankful his father hadn't brought Triton along. Percy didn't even want to guess how his half-brother would react to Poseidon dropping the 'second prince' title so casually. The fact that the sky bearer didn't even want it probably wouldn't have mattered.
Percy's troubles didn't end there, though. The Fates were not so kind. Unfortunately, that interaction had also made the reason why Hera had been eyeing him up all night crystal clear. No wonder Zeus disliked him so much. It seemed that every scorned wife on Olympus would be knocking at Aphrodite's door soon enough.
Maybe a third drink was in order?
Percy smacked his lips, mulling over the thin film that his last swallow had left on the back of his teeth. His mother wouldn't be pleased. Aphrodite too, probably. That was a problem for future Percy though. Man, he really pitied that guy.
"I know you do not." Athena's next words shocked the sky bearer back into the present. The blond goddess had been silent for so long that Percy had almost forgotten she was there. "That is the only reason I am here, speaking to you of my own volition."
Athena stood with her hands crossed behind her back, wearing a sleek slate shift that exposed the entirety of her arms and shoulders save for a pair of thin straps. The fabric seemed to fall in a way that reduced rather than accentuated the goddess' figure, giving Athena detached and alien air. Percy eyed her without turning his head. Their respective teal and gray auras left a gap of space in between, unwilling to touch without being coerced.
"You said you used to hate me." He was tempted to stand up and leave. Percy wasn't sure why he didn't. "What changed?"
Instead of taking another sip, the sky bearer swirled the crystal glass around and watched the dark liquid inside run up the thing's walls. The wine was the same color as the grass below his shoes. It smelled like touching Dionysus would probably feel, though it tasted okay.
"You did the best thing you possibly could have." Athena turned on her heels to look at him. Her gaze was hard. "You forgot her, and then fell in love with another woman."
The words were so detached, delivered with such unsympathetic sharpness that Percy almost snapped. Athena was pleased. Pleased at his suffering and at her daughter's broken heart. That fact made the sky bearer's blood boil. Had she not seen Annabeth's tears, felt the way she had fallen to pieces in Percy's arms?
Apparently not. If she had and didn't care, then that was even worse.
The air rushing across the courtyard howled in Percy's ears. Instead of responding, the sky bearer bit his tongue and counted to ten in his head. He had already threatened one god tonight, no need for another. But Hades, his new family made it so tempting.
It was a miracle that he loved them at all.
That familial affection didn't stop the glass of wine from shattering in Percy's hand. Uncaring of the shards attempting to dig into his nigh-impenetrable skin, the sky bearer merely dropped the glittering remains over the cliff's edge. Percy rotated his shoulders to meet the goddess' eyes, keeping his left elbow braced on the top of the bannister. The last vestiges of his drink were willed away from his skin and clothes with a single thought.
"What do you want?"
It took great effort to keep his mouth from saying more. Percy could already feel the grass around their feet tearing up from the roots, the soil churning with wind and dripping fog. Tamping down the teal fire in his core was harder when the thing was fueled by both exhaustion and alcohol.
Athena was unaffected by his aura's growing displeasure. "Aphrodite asked me for a favor." The words stilled Percy's bubbling anger. "It was a surprise to me as well, I assure you." The wisdom deity sniffed, wrinkling her nose. "We don't often get along. She deals with the heart. I am concerned with the brain." The son of Poseidon watched as Athena smoothed her face back over, almost as if simply expressing emotion through her facial features was some foreign activity.
Percy knew that Athena would keep talking as long as he stayed silent. Aphrodite's whispered memories told him that much, though they sounded a bit slurred just like the rest of his thoughts. The sky bearer didn't quite trust his own tongue at the moment, either. Percy was proven right not a second later.
"Normally I would have refused, but the situation was of importance to us both." Athena's steel eyes broke his gaze to turn back towards the bannister. "She tasked me with seeking out a way to restore your memories. I decided that the risk of finding a potential solution was outweighed by the possible benefit of none existing." The only thing stiffer than the goddess' tone was her posture.
Percy knew that for Aphrodite to go to Athena and ask such a thing must have taken guts and more than a bit of humility. He was touched, though he hated the idea of the wisdom goddess knowing about his 'affliction'. First Hestia, then Peitho, now Athena. The secret was out, then. Just what he needed.
"You would have just lied anyway." Percy knew it was the truth. Athena didn't even try to deny it.
"Fortunately, my integrity shall remain intact." The goddess stood still as a statue, only the muscles needed for speech making any motion at all. "It was not an easy search, but knowledge of value is never simple to obtain." That sentence almost sounded happy. "As is typical, the Morai were correct in stating that you are something unique, Perseus." Her use of his given name felt cold. "However, mortals and even demigods losing memories due to interaction with divine power is a bit more mundane of a situation."
"What did you find?" Percy had grown impatient much quicker than normal. He couldn't really find the will to care. The young god's thoughts all sounded bitter, distorted even in his own head. He blinked a couple times when he noticed the cloud layer below looked fuzzier than normal.
"Without an invasive examination, I cannot be fully certain." Athena seemed a bit miffed that he had cut her off. Percy waved for her to continue, regardless. "Your symptoms indicate that your mind was nigh-irrevocably damaged by the removal of your memories. Logically, this follows with my hypothesis about the nature of Atlas' Burden. To return them would require a shock of equal, if not greater, mental stress." The goddess spoke like she was reading from a textbook. "You would not survive. Not even as a Titan."
Percy expected her to sound more enticed by the prospect. For a moment, the little bubble around the two immortals was still and quiet.
"So that's it?" It was the only thing Percy could think to say. "Just like that?" His voice came out flat, whispy.
The sky bearer wasn't speaking about their conversation, not really. It was the only way to sum up the resigned emotions settling in his gut. He thought of the ghosts around Annabeth's face, of the history behind Grover's eyes. All of those hints of memory and camaraderie and emotion would remain just out of reach. A whole lifetime lived and left behind. Forever.
It wasn't as if Percy had expected a different answer, but hearing it out loud was like a punch to the face.
"That is it." Athena confirmed. "Have a good evening." The words were delivered in monotone as the goddess smoothly turned. Percy watched her blond hair bounce in its tight bun as the wisdom deity strode away. The ashen-haired man felt like a fool for hoping for any sort of empathy.
"If you don't hate me anymore-" Athena paused as the words snuck from Percy's numb lips. "-then what do you think?"
There was a moment of silence, broken only by the wind whispering over the courtyard and the distant sounds of the party. The feeling of the moon on Percy's skin felt like a wintry, impassionate touch. The young god didn't even know why he had asked.
"Tolerable." Athena didn't turn around. "Keep out of my business, and I will keep out of yours." The goddess resumed her gait, delicate hands still clasped behind her back. "I will be in touch, Perseus. Your palace requires construction and I am Olympus' architect." Percy watched as the crowd parted for the female Olympian, even when she was still a stone's throw away. "Goodbye." And with that, she disappeared beneath the hanging candles.
Percy stood, immobile for a few long breaths. When he turned to gaze again over the edge of the balcony, the young god wasn't sure whether his face was trying to smile or cry. His fingers' grip on the marble was shaky. Percy forced his fingers to relax, not quite confident that they wouldn't take fistfuls of the stone along for the ride. The warmth of the alcohol in his blood couldn't make up for how frigid Athena's words had left him.
Percy missed Aphrodite. He missed his mother. He had been doing so good, too.
"Is now a bad time?"
The only warning the sky bearer received of his next visitor was the change in air pressure before a new aura was blasting against his side. It was the strongest Percy had ever tasted of this particular flavor, some combination of the sensations of speed and flight that had the hair on his arms standing straight up. There was only one god it could belong to.
Hermes was quick, which made sense. What didn't make sense was what he was doing when Percy turned his head. The god of messengers had appeared only a foot or two away, and even standing straight he was still a few inches shorter than the son of Poseidon. That didn't seem to bother Hermes, who was standing still and holding out another drink in Percy's direction.
Percy blinked at him. Hermes blinked back, his sharp features framed nicely by his salt-pepper curls. The tips of two pointed ears slipped from the silky mass on either side, a strangely non-human feature for an Olympian. Hermes wore a sort of nervous half-smile, one that looked completely out of place on his handsome face. The messenger god pushed the glass forward a bit, clearly not intending to pull it back.
"It's fine." A lie, but an easy one. Percy couldn't bother to mask his confusion. "Thanks."
The sky bearer reached out and took the drink so as to not be rude. The spring of Hermes' spine seemed to unwind a bit at his acceptance, the release of tension almost invisible. Percy told himself firmly that he wouldn't consume any of it, that he had had enough for the night. It mostly worked. Despite the smell, the prospect of numbing the shards of ice in his chest was worryingly tempting.
"Cool." Where Athena was detached, Hermes came across remarkably sincere. The god had his own drink in his other hand, which he propped on the top of the marble bannister to look out over the edge. There was a certain heaviness to the set of the Olympian's shoulders.
The ensuing quiet was off-putting. Percy resisted the urge to lift the glass just so his hands would be occupied by something. The sky bearer's brain provided plenty of ways to restart the conversation, but none of them sounded appealing given the way Hermes was so obviously mulling over his own thoughts. That didn't make the tense atmosphere any less oppressive.
"I wanted to apologize, and not for Athena." The messenger god began. It came across sort of like a joke but it was delivered so unconvincingly that Percy couldn't be sure. Hermes' cream suit and white undershirt gave him a sort of light, neutral color palette that didn't match the darkness of his tone. There was a fluttering sound from beneath the bottom of the god's pant legs, one Aphrodite's memory knew was his sandals acting up.
Percy didn't reply, not sure exactly what he was supposed to say.
Hermes coughed a bit and tried again. "Yeah, apologize. Then I'll get out of your hair." The Olympian's smile still hadn't reached the other half of his lips. It made his handsome features waxy and stiff.
"Apologize for what?" Percy's mouth moved before he could think the words through. His fingers nervously tapped against the crystal in a drumming, repeating pattern. The mass of black cumulous far below seemed to swirl in time with the beat.
"For what happened to you." Hermes looked at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Percy resisted the urge to groan. "I've heard that a lot tonight." He hadn't meant to say that out loud. In lieu of meeting the other god's gaze, the son of Poseidon decided to glare at the shadowed edge of the horizon. "It wasn't your fault." There was no teal flame required to push those words out. Just a tired, bitter acceptance.
"Luke was my son."
Percy wasn't a father, but he got a glimpse of what that might entail with how Hermes spoke that single sentence. The god's voice was so chock full of meaning and heart-shattering love that the sky bearer was almost shoved off balance. Only four words, delivered as if there was nothing else that could be said. It was shocking, how an immortal with the features of a twenty year old and the body of a jogger could look so ancient for a moment. It was in the spark of Hermes' eyes, in the sagging skin on either side of his lips.
"Kronos used him." Percy found that staying silent in the face of such obvious grief was impossible. "He was good at that."
The son of Poseidon had only faced the Titan once - once, and yet he knew it was the truth. Percy used his grip on his glass to hide how the fingers of his left hand were trembling. He buried the spikes of sharp pain in his shoulder and neck down with the image of Kronos' distended jaw and screaming face. The wine made it harder and yet also blissfully easy.
"That doesn't make it not my fault." Hermes sounded resigned, like a man who wanted to be convinced otherwise but knew it wouldn't happen. "Luke was his own person, but he was also my son. I failed him long before the war even began." The god's cheerful aura had lost its color, sickly and sparse under the moonlight. "Us Olympians aren't good parents, Perseus. We never have been." The god's blue eyes pierced into Percy's own. "You and Aphrodite give me hope, though." One side of his mouth raised a hair. "Do us proud, yeah?" The air between them swirled, the breeze agitated.
"No pressure." Percy decided to blame the alcohol for the joke spilling from his mouth instead of his own burgeoning sass. Whatever the reason, the gamble paid off when Hermes snorted.
"Hah." The god shook his head, looking like he had returned a bit back to his normal self. "No pressure. Cheers to that." Hermes leaned over to tap his drink against Percy's before throwing back a large mouthful. The sky bearer automatically went to follow suit, his arm moving of its own accord.
Several seconds later, Percy realized that he probably shouldn't have done that.
"You good?" Hermes' face swam into focus as the sky bearer's head re-entered reality. He looked concerned through all the blur. "How many of those have you had?" Percy was still trying to get the taste of fermented grapes off his tongue when the messenger deity reached over to take back his drink. The coughing young god didn't resist the motion.
"Three?" Whatever Dionysus used in his wine felt like lava in Percy's veins. The stuff hit quicker than he had even believed possible, like he had an IV stuck right into his arm. It was dastardly. "I think." Yep, drinking was definitely a mistake. He should have listened to his mother.
"Jeez." Hermes gave his own glass a suspicious glance. "In what, like twenty minutes?" At least the tense energy between the two immortals abated as Percy fought to get the breath back in his lungs. The messenger god laughed, casually dumping the contents of both drinks off the edge of the balcony. "If you were still mortal you would not be having a good time tomorrow morning, let me tell you." He chuffed humorously. "That much is enough to even put a minor god on his ass."
"I'm not having a good time now." Percy's rebuttal was an unfortunate truth wrapped in jest. Even his aura felt off-balance, layers of teal falling from side to side like the waves of his father's domain. The young god was glad he had both hands on the marble bannister, the sensation of smooth stone providing an anchor as the drink worked its tipsy magic.
"Yeah, I can tell." Hermes raised a hand, paused, and then briefly pat Percy on one shoulder. "Good luck, Perseus." It was clear he meant it for much more than just the drink.
For a few seconds the two immortals just stood in place. It eventually became clear that the messenger god didn't have much else to say. Percy didn't imagine that watching him blink rapidly and swallow heavily on repeat was especially exciting, either.
"Congratulations, by the way!" Hermes seemed to come to the same conclusion, as he sounded like he was preparing to leave. "I can tell you and Aphrodite will be happy together. That's good, yeah? Unique around here, too." Percy just nodded his thanks, still mute and struggling. "I'll let you be, like I promised. I know we aren't friends or anything but I'm no Ares." Hermes shrugged a bit with his strange half-smile, transferring both glasses to one hand and letting them dangle from his fingers. "If you need a message delivered or even just a favor or two, let me know."
Okay, that was big. Almost too big for Percy to fully grasp while still battling with his own rebelling body. Favors were more than just words on Olympus - they were the currency around which immortals moved. Favors and threats, carrot and stick, gift and dagger.
"Okay." The sky bearer worked to get the reply out once he finally felt like he could speak without the alcohol burning the back of his throat. "Thanks."
"Have a good one. Drink some water, yeah?" With that final parting advice, Hermes vanished. There wasn't even a flash of light, like with most Olympians. He was simply there one moment and then not the next. The displaced air from the messenger deity's exit blew coolly across Percy's face as he was left staring at the newly empty space.
Once again, the son of Poseidon was left alone on the edge of the courtyard lawn. Percy fought down the swimming of his head to peer into the crowd, which seemed a bit smaller than it had at the height of the evening. The band had transitioned into something slower and soothing, trying to match the winding down energy of the swirling mass of bodies.
Percy couldn't see Aphrodite from his position, not exactly, but there was a misty section of pink air somewhere on the left side that gave her away. The sky bearer knew he could have focused, parsing through the visual clutter with his divine senses but that sounded like a great one-way trip to migraine city. Even without his sight, though, the newest Olympian could have located his betrothed by the pulling touch of her vow in his chest. It was like a little comforting compass.
That same warmth was nearly snuffed out as Percy received his next visitor.
"I did not expect to find another Olympian alone this evening." The voice was deep, velvet wrapped around gravel. "Especially not the god of the hour." The sensation slowly crawling over Percy's skin was like walking into a graveyard, the feeling of being watched and judged by eyes you couldn't see. "I suppose that makes us alike then, nephew." The god of the dead chuckled darkly as he approached. "Unless that is a title you would not prefer."
Hades didn't bother flashing in like Hermes, or walking stiffly like Athena. He almost glided across the lawn, the shadows of the night somehow making his aura even blacker than usual. Percy watched the god of the dead warily, that burning fire in his core re-igniting.
Where Hermes could hide his age, Hades could not. He felt, looked, sounded old in a way that tripped warnings in the sky bearer's head. He couldn't help but feel that it was on purpose. The distant whispers agreed.
"I'm not your nephew." Percy took a moment to organize his thoughts. Half of them were cursing his own stupidity. "Not through marriage, anyway." Hades' glittering black eyes were pits of tar. The clouds around the young god's legs rose several inches until his shoes were hidden from view, like a cobra puffing up its hood.
"Semantics." The death god dismissed as he stepped close, stopping just at the edge of Percy's teal mist. He raised one bushy, questioning eyebrow. "Are you implying there is a chance for the wedding to be called off?" Percy shook his head resolutely. Hades' lips quirked in a casual smile. "Good. Call it egotistical, but I'd rather not have my advice from your proclamation so easily discarded."
That reminder soured Percy's already grim mood. Riptide was heavy in his pocket, the weight echoed by the memory of the god's threat to his mother just a few days ago. A rush of anger had the sky bearer opening his mouth before Hades raised a hand.
"Let us avoid another spat, Perseus." Percy grit his teeth at how casual the Lord of the Underworld dismissed the matter, air swirling around his tense form. "It was nothing personal. You needed a kick, and I could provide." Hades used his raised hand to nonchalantly adjust his tie. The god was wearing black on black on black, the charcoal of his suit contrasted against his stark albino-white skin. Hades' crown was nearly the same colors as his hair.
"It felt personal." Percy rebutted, hands tight enough on the marble bannister to send spider-webbing cracks along its surface. The young god felt none of it. "You threatened my mom." That was all there was to it, as far as he was concerned.
"It was not." Hades shrugged. "I meant her no real harm. Believe me if you wish, I do not care." That much was painfully clear. "If you must, ask your betrothed." The subtle shift in topic threw Percy off balance just enough for the god of the dead to step a bit closer, his gaze boring into the sky bearer's own. The cold on Percy's skin strengthened as Hades effortlessly parted his fog. "While the method was unorthodox, I did what I did because my niece called in a favor." Hades' smile turned a bit sardonic. "Only the first of several, unfortunately."
Percy held his silence for a few seconds, measuring up the other Olympian as best he could with his vision still fuzzy around the edges. The slightly taller immortal carried himself with ease, completely unthreatened. Why was he suddenly so talkative? It seemed like bait, which meant that it probably was. Percy decided to bite.
"Marriage counseling, right?" It wasn't a guess. "You and Persephone?"
The conversation with Amphitrite had at least given the young god that small nugget of knowledge. Even still, the mental image of the love goddess sitting down with her uncle and his wife in a big office somewhere with cheery wallpaper and a few comfy couches was borderline comical.
Hades huffed. "If that is what you want to call it, then yes. Counseling." He sounded amused, like the word was some inside joke. "No matter what you think of her, Aphrodite is the master of the heart and all its relationships. A master that Persephone and I sorely needed." Percy didn't think he was hallucinating the way that the death god seemed to soften when he spoke his wife's name. Not even the wine could explain the change in Hades' tone, either.
Huh. Imagine that.
"What'd she do?" Percy couldn't help but relax a bit as curiosity overrode his animosity. Talking about marriage was a common ground he could get behind, at least for the moment. "I didn't think her powers worked that well on other Olympians." That statement was partially true, at least. The sky bearer knew that no one, not really, was immune.
Percy certainly wasn't. Maybe he didn't want to be.
"Listen." Hades' answer was curt. "As did I. Another lesson, Perseus?" The Lord of the Underworld folded his arms over his broad chest, breaking Percy's gaze to look over the cliff's edge towards the dark horizon. "We Olympians love to talk. You will solve more problems than you know by closing your mouth."
Percy could only nod. It seemed so . . . so mundane. So human. A relationship borne thousands of years ago off the back of a literal kidnapping and fraught with infidelity and tension could be chalked down to a simple communication problem? A husband and wife that didn't talk with each other? The sky bearer almost couldn't believe it. Perhaps Aphrodite was just a miracle worker.
"How long did that take?" Percy couldn't help himself from asking.
Hades shot him a quick glance. "Three years." When the younger god didn't reply, he shook his head. "Do not do your fiancé a disservice by assuming she proposed on a whim." Hades' tone was deathly serious. "She has been preparing for this for longer than many would suspect. Since the day of your imprisonment, I would wager." There was a sort of grudging, proud respect to his tone.
The older god's pitch gaze was heavy, as if trying to physically print the message into Percy's brain. Hades only looked away when he was satisfied that it was received. The sky bearer could only watch as his uncle raised his left hand, a band of perfect black obsidian sparkling on the death deity's ring finger.
It looked familiar.
"Where do you think she got her vows, young one?" Hades' lips lifted into a sharp smirk at Percy's unasked question. "I believe my wife and I were nothing but guinea pigs. Willing ones, but the point remains." The son of Poseidon was still gaping as his hand lowered.
"Every Olympian has desires, Perseus. They fuel us, drive us." Hades' eyes flashed. "Our paths align, you and I." The Lord of the Underworld took the chance to step even closer. The whispers in Percy's ears were crying, haunted. "I desire retribution against my brother. You desire the death of Atlas and the downfall of who you see as your betrayer." The sky bearer tried to shake off his addled senses, only noticing that his eyes were glowing teal when Hades' chiseled features tinted green. "Hera desires the same, but for all my brother's bastard children. Ares desires power. Hestia desires peace."
Despite only being an inch or two taller, Percy felt like Hades was looming over him. The creeping blackness of the elder god's aura was almost choking. It became clear in that moment just how far outclassed Ares was, even at his strongest, by the eldest child of The Big Three. Percy's hand had found Riptide unconsciously, and only a last minute burst of effort kept the capped pen in his pocket.
"Your father desires stability. Aphrodite desires you." Hades' didn't lift a finger, yet the sky bearer felt like he had been poked in the center of his chest. The death god's smile was no longer amused. Now it was dangerous. "You are in our world now, Perseus Jackson. Put aside this childish grudge. I offered my hand as an ally, and that was no lie." The god took a step back, taking with him the suffocating pressure on Percy's chest. "It would be wise of you to take it."
Hades turned away then, apparently content with his final words. The grass around the god's polished shoes was pale in the moonlight, a color one of ash not so dissimilar from Percy's hair. It was only when the blades snapped free from their roots that the young god realized that the life had been sucked out of them completely. Like black tentacles, the dark mist of Hades' aura retreated underneath his suit.
What was the correct response to such a blatant show of power? Fight, flee? Percy's muddled brain couldn't decide. The young god couldn't believe for a single moment that the confrontation had gone unnoticed, and yet none of the other Olympians had appeared. Not even his father. Not even Aphrodite. Percy was so torn on what to do that his uncle had already taken several steps away before he could open his mouth.
"Hades." The death god paused, turning his head a single degree. "You have a son. Nico." The teal flame in the sky bearer's chest flickered back to life. "Where is he?" The world seemed to pause for a moment. The lock in Percy's core burst open, energy cascading down his limbs. The surrounding air responded, circling the lawn with increased fervor.
"I'm surprised by your question, Perseus." Hades began walking again, yet his voice still effortlessly carried. "I thought that your friends would remember, even if you had forgotten." Percy could somehow see the smile on the death god's face even with his back turned. "Try to jog your satyr's memory, young one. Athena's daughter, too. I trust you will come to the correct answer."
Before Percy could say anything more, he was gone. Unlike Athena, Hades didn't bother immersing himself back into the party. Instead he merely flashed away with a burst of not-light that left a split-second afterimage in the air. The eyes of the crowd peered across at Percy, who had returned to solitude out on the lawn. Even the band had stopped playing.
The young god was frozen, not unlike a deer caught in headlights. Percy hoped that if he stood still enough, their gazes would pass right over him. It mostly worked, though it took a few seconds for the novelty to fade and the socializing to pick back up again.
The son of Poseidon couldn't help but feel a bit sick, even after the scrutiny had diminished. Percy could sense his fingernails biting into his palms and a deep crease between his eyebrows. First, Athena tells him to forget about ever regaining his memories. It would kill him, she had said. Then, Hades more than implies that his past connects with finding Nico. Which is it? He hated having to think this much, parse through words like riddles and conversations like fencing matches. The rumbling growl that ripped from Percy's throat echoed in the soil, vibrating the lawn beneath his shoes.
"Percy?" A set of ten ghostly fingers manifested on his forearms, gently trying to pry apart his clenched fists. When the young god turned, he was met by eyes of swirling rose-chocolate. "Love?"
"Aphrodite?" Percy acutely felt the wine in his system as the goddess stepped forward, her real hands reaching out for his shoulders. The love deity's dress seemed to blur at the edges. "Where were you?" The next statement went unsaid, but not unheard. I needed you here.
"I'm sorry, mon coeur. So sorry." Aphrodite's touch was warm against his arms as she moved close. "I knew the others were looking for you." Percy had to blink a couple of times - the color of the goddess' hair and proportions of her face seemed to be shifting with his liquid thoughts. "It was naïve of me to expect them to wait until we were together again. Mon erreur." She was frowning deeply, aura thick and comforting against the flushed skin of the sky bearer's cheeks.
"It's okay." The young god couldn't muster the necessary will not to forgive her. The rushing of his blood seemed to abate with her presence, as if the goddess had some way of lessening the effect of alcohol from his veins. "I'm okay, Aphy." He wasn't sure why he repeated himself. When the man next blinked, the face he knew and loved was back again. Aphrodite's normal regal cheekbones, her flawless tan skin, those same full lips.
"Percy . . ." The goddess' eyes flicked between his own, searching for something. The more she solidified, the more the concern under her face was laid bare. "How much have you had to drink?"
"Three. Three glasses." Percy couldn't help but wince. It sounded worse when said out loud. He felt guilty, juvenile. Hades had rattled him back into a teenager, the strong front he had built shattered to dust. The urge to duck his head and hide away beat like a drum against the back of his brain.
"Vraiment, my love? Trois?" It wasn't helped by the fact that Aphrodite was most definitely scolding him, now. It seemed the goddess had learned the correct tone from Percy's mother. "Why?" Her face softened in a sympathetic way that only made the churning in his gut worse.
"Hermes gave me one." Percy's mouth blurted out the excuse. The sky bearer bit his lip, but even after cursing his own inability to keep quiet the words still came. "I was stressed, okay? Stressed and tired and lonely . . ." Percy took a deep breath. There was a stinging in the corners of his eyes. What was the wine doing to him?
"Oh, my dear." Aphrodite captured his torso then in a fierce side hug. The clouds beneath them wrapped around her legs, pulling her even closer. "I've been a fool." The love deity rested her forehead against Percy's collarbone, the silk of her hair cascading down so far he could run his fingers through the dark-colored ends.
"It's not your fault." Percy let his head droop, taking solace in the feeling of her locks against his face and the scent of roses in his nose. The sky bearer didn't like the goddess beating up on herself even more than usual, but neither did he enjoy the idea of needing a constant babysitter. "Is mom okay?" No amount of alcohol would make the man stop worrying about her when she was out of his line of sight.
"I sent her back to the manor just a few minutes ago." Aphrodite murmured the confirmation into his suit jacket. "She grew tired of this. So have I." When the goddess raised her head, she turned her shoulders to shoot a look towards the crowd. Percy followed the line of her gaze to the bright splotch of gold in the center. Not a moment later, the candles hanging from the beams began to dim and the servants started ushering groups of party-goers back towards the palace stairs.
"You spoke to Zeus?" Percy blinked. That was the only explanation that made sense, especially after what had happened with his father earlier in the evening. "How did you do that?" In hindsight, the other gods had been doing it all night. The sky bearer suddenly felt left completely out of a loop he hadn't even known to exist.
"C'est simple." Aphrodite pulled away, turning her head back to meet his gaze. "I shall teach you." She was still holding onto his arms. Percy caught her attention flicking down to his feet, so he stopped swaying. He didn't remember starting. "But not tonight."
"Why not?" Percy frowned at her.
"Because, my love." The goddess reached up to pat his cheek gently. Her eyes flashed with mirth. "You're drunk." Aphrodite's voice was gentle, but there was more than a hint of tease inside.
"Oh." Well, she was right. "You're right." Yep. "What about the Olympians?"
"What about them?" Aphrodite tilted her head to one side, watching him. It was cute, like a confused kitten. At least Percy thought so. Maybe a confused fox instead, with the way the deep evening painted her features.
"I didn't get to talk to all of them." Percy found it hard to not shuffle in place, a sort of nervous energy having his fingers tapping against either thigh.
Although, on second thought, the son of Poseidon didn't particularly want to have any more conversations tonight. Still, Hades had been right. No matter how much he despised it, Percy now lived in a world of politics. Building rapport with the other gods and goddesses seemed like it would be the smart thing to do.
"They will survive." Aphrodite looked equally exasperated and amused. She really was very pretty, especially with the moon reflecting in her swirling irises. Like, very, very pretty. "Thank you, love." She was blushing now, too. The goddess' cheeks were pink with those neon sparkles again.
Wait, what? Had he said that out loud?
"Yes, Percy. You did." Aphrodite laughed, which made her even more pretty but this time the sky bearer made absolutely sure that his mouth stayed shut. Somehow, the twinkle in the goddess' eye made it seemed like she knew what he was thinking anyway. "Let us away, you silly man." The love deity spoke the last words like one might talk to a small child, and Percy felt himself flushing red.
"Good idea." The sky bearer was starting to realize that the bubbling in his stomach was not in fact purely emotional. "Let's go."
Percy allowed himself one last look at the quickly emptying dance-floor. Already several of the remaining Olympian auras were gone, with both Hades and Ares already missing. It seemed peaceful, but some buried instinct in the back of Percy's mind had shivers running down his spine. Through bodies and fabric and shadow, one of the distant figures resolved into high definition for a single moment as Aphrodite raised her fingers to snap.
It was Hera.
There was a small smile on her face, the epitome of patience. Her elegant dress was impeccably pressed, as were the curls of gold inside her flowing dark ringlets. The view reminded him of a predator waiting in the bush, a lioness simply content with stalking her pretty until the time was right. The ex-queen of gods lifted a hand. Even blocked from mortal sight in the center of the crowd, there could be no doubt she was meeting Percy's eyes.
Until next time. Hera's queenly tone rang like a bell in his head. Her expression was a frightful serenity, a goddess who had waited for thousands of years for something and knew that a few more days would do no more harm. Congratulations, son.
And then she vanished. Or, rather, Percy did.
With a sigh from his betrothed and a sense of not-quite vertigo, the courtyard disappeared. The sensation of the moon on his skin vanished, but the unease lingered. When the sky bearer blinked again, his eyes were greeted by a set of manor walls both completely alien and also wholly familiar.
They were in Aphrodite's bedroom.
If Percy thought his guest suite was impressive, it didn't hold a candle to the master suite of the goddess' manor. The space was massive, easily three times the size of the one he had been sleeping in. Apparently, having a golden-plated conch-shell for a ceiling was too pedestrian - instead, the tiles overhead were a living, moving mural of white beaches and towering marble cliffs. Even the painted waves sounded correct as the white foam crested over sand made from nothing but delicate brush strokes.
A large wardrobe? No, an open double-door on one side led to a walk-in closet expansive enough to host an Olympic family reunion. A single standing mirror cast in silver? How about an entire wall of mirrors, that with but at thought transformed into floor-to ceiling windows facing over the most beautiful section of the courtyard four stories below. Oh, and the others didn't need to feel left out because they had their own fair share of massive pieces of artwork framed upon them, including several masterworks that would have put the Louvre to shame.
Aphrodite had landed them in the center of the space, which for most rooms wouldn't have made much of a difference. However, that distinction was particularly important now because a dozen steps to Percy's right was a large sunken jacuzzi inlaid straight into the floor. The bubbling water was clean and steaming, the middle point hiding enough depth for Percy to be completely submerged even when standing up. That seemed a bit redundant, because through the door next to the closet led to a magnificently expensive master bathroom with a tub big enough to be a pool anyway.
The most impressive feature, obviously, was the bed. It was larger than any Percy had laid eyes on in person, but still somehow small enough to feel intimate and comfortable rather than expansive and intimidating. Shaped into a massive heart, the pointed end was over a dozen feet from the two curved top portions where a veritable army of decorative pillows leaned against the far wall. Most were lacy and frilly, but the sky bearer spied a few relatively pedestrian pink silk pillowcases adorning the edges of the pile. Those were the ones for actually sleeping, if the goddess' whispered tone in his head was correct.
It was somehow both lavish to the extreme and also incredibly homey. This was a space Percy had known, had lived in, even if it was all in his head.
"Um, Aphy?" The sight of the bedroom had heat rising to the sky bearer's face that wasn't just caused by the warmth of the nearby hot tub. Percy habitually licked his lips, the memory of the goddess' taste heavy on his tongue. "Why are we here?" The feeling of Aphrodite's soft body in his arms was almost too much to handle.
"Is it not to your liking?" She met his questioning gaze, hiding a displeased frown behind her flawless veil. "I had been determined to place you here upon your arrival. Only the best for mon cher." Aphrodite's eyes flashed in a way that had Percy swallowing thickly, before slowly dimming. "Your mother assured me, however, that you would be upset if I gave up the master suite on your behalf."
"I . . . yeah." Percy coughed. "Mom was right." He stood stiff as a plank, not even willing to cross his arms to habitually turn the engagement ring on his hand. Percy did it with his left thumb instead. "But that's not what I mean."
There were a million memories associated with this specific room, all of them a complete jumble in the young god's head. Percy's brain couldn't decide whether to be comforted or agitated. Certain other parts of his anatomy had already made their decision, though he was staunchly ignoring their cries.
"Ah. I-" Aphrodite paused, looking away. She seemed suddenly bashful, like a schoolgirl talking with her crush and not a goddess in a cocktail dress. "I thought that we might share, darling. After, well." The love deity cleared her throat. "Le baiser. The kiss." She almost whispered the last words. She stepped back, finally letting her grip drop from Percy's elbows to cross her arms over her stomach. "I hope I am not overstepping-"
"Just for sleeping?" Percy's voice came out higher pitched than normal. The wine in the man's body was making him think all sorts of things that he normally wouldn't have considered. "Right?" That's what Percy was telling himself, anyway. His suit felt too small for his shoulders, the rest of his clothes restrictive. He couldn't look away from Aphrodite.
The love deity's face went through that familiar hidden summersault beneath her mask before she spoke again. "Would you like it to be?" The goddess' gaze was assessing. There was a war inside Aphrodite's eyes, one between her gentle half and something deep and primal and enticing.
"I don't think I'm ready for more than that." Percy admitted in a rush, ignoring the way his blood was quickly moving south from his head. The sky bearer bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough to actually feel a bit of almost-pain. "I mean, the kiss was good. Yeah." That was the understatement of the century. Just calling it 'good' was an insult. "We can do more of that!" Gods help him, he sounded so impatient. Percy's body still felt half out of his control, his fingers and tongue moving just slightly off-beat from the rest of him.
"Hmm." Aphrodite narrowed her eyes, the motion promising a whole world of danger that was the most tempting thing Percy had ever seen. She let him sweat for several long, excruciating beats. "Very well."
"Thanks, Aphy." The sky bearer sagged. Still, he couldn't help but be eager at the prospect of feeling her lips on his own again. Percy couldn't help the way his eyes kept dipping down from her eyes. To his credit, Aphrodite had been doing the same.
Deciding he was finally done with his suit, the young god reached a hand up to tug at his tie. Percy only got the knot half-way loose before he attempted to walk forward, with what he hoped wasn't a completely nerve-wracked expression. Barely one step towards the goddess had the walls swimming around him and the man was forced to halt again.
"Percy?" Aphrodite lost her seductive smile for one a bit more worried.
"One second." The young god coughed a bit. "I'm okay." The words came out a bit strangled, due to the current revolt happening inside Percy's gut. The sensation of the steam on his skin inspired goosebumps crawling across his arms. He no longer liked the feeling.
"I am not so sure." Aphrodite moved forward again, her heels clicking against the polished floor. The moonlight streaming in from the windows made the tiles glitter like dark silver. It had the same effect on the goddess' tan, smooth skin. "If you need me, mon coeur, I am here." She held her hands out in the sky bearer's direction with both palms facing the ceiling, an open and obvious invitation.
For a few seconds, all Percy could do was stand and stare. There was more to this interaction than what his eyes were telling him. Forget kissing - this was a moment, like the one they had had on the beach and another when she proposed in the god's throne room. There was a deep symbolism that wasn't lost on the son of Poseidon, even if the meaning behind it was obscured. The action of offering assistance, here and now, had a weight to it that Percy had not expected.
Aphrodite was otherworldly, bathed in the half-shadow of the night. The space beneath the waist-line of her dress was black as pitch, a void that gave the impression that the love deity was floating several inches over the floor. Her hair was openly defying gravity, ringed out in a glowing russet halo around that perfect face. The deep magenta lipstick he had tasted earlier that day had deepened, darkened like the colors of Aphrodite's swirling, divine eyes. Her body and aura betrayed no movement - the sky bearer was pretty sure neither of them were breathing.
Before him, she merely waited. In the end, the answer was simple.
Percy stumbled forward to take Aphrodite's outstretched hand. Invisible lightning crackled between their skin as her fingers wrapped around his wrist, each point of contact sending a spike of energy through his body. No matter how his surroundings wavered and blended to his intoxicated eyes, the goddess never moved as she drew Percy close.
With featherlight steps, Aphrodite led him towards the bed. She moved backwards, never letting their gazes break contact. With each footfall, a piece of Percy's outfit was gone. First the jacket, then his tie, then his shoes. The tile was warm, heated from below the pads of his newly bare feet. The rose the love deity had pinned to his chest remained behind, floating leisurely through the air towards one end-table. The gold locket followed suit, pulled from Percy's neck just as his button-up changed to his familiar pajama tank-top.
Riptide took a little more effort. It seemed Aphrodite's aura struggled to lift it until Percy's free hand pulled it from his pocket, just in time for his pants to disappear. As if suddenly given permission, pink tendrils and ghostly fingers plucked the plastic pen from the young god's grip, the subtle touch an assurance of his blade's safety.
Percy barely felt it when Aphrodite sat him down on the top cover of her bed. The son of Poseidon was moving through a dream, one fueled by both the goddess' sheer presence and the lingering wine in his veins. His betrothed shot one look at the pillows before vanishing them with a wave of her fingers. The look on her face made it clear she found them all lacking.
Percy was spellbound as the goddess almost danced to a perch in the middle of the mattress, sitting with her feet off to one side and suddenly dressed in a flowing sleeping gown. Once she was situated, a hundred gentle hands pulled the young god's head down into Aphrodite's lap. His goddess' real fingernails started running in soothing, scratching lines through the man's ashen curls.
Huh. His goddess. Percy liked that.
When Aphrodite leaned down, Percy thought she was going to kiss him. She did, but his goddess' lips only landed on Percy's forehead. Aphrodite lingered for a moment, her touch a soft caress. The motion was so loving, so purely affectionate that he physically felt himself falling deeper for her.
Someone was humming a lullaby. Percy couldn't decide whether it was her voice or his own. Suffice to say, it was the most comfortable he had ever felt.
"Sleep, my love."
Percy did.