"Percy? Can you take him to get cleaned up before bed?"

Percy guessed she had zoned out her mother's voice in her confusion, staring at the additional figures in her living room. The bright, yet dirty, girl wasn't too unusual - they were pretty much in the state of an average demigod, and didn't seem too upset. The teenaged boy was another matter.

Apollo? How?

This was very much not what she thought of when she thought of Apollo. She thought of blond hair, unshakable confidence, and a tall, powerful physique. He didn't look like that now. He was slumped down slightly, though probably about her own height stood upright. It didn't help that he was also covered in dirt and smelt terrible.

But he still had those blue eyes.

He had caught her staring though, and she quickly broke his gaze to turn her head towards her room and called for him to follow, not looking back. It felt weird. They'd hung out together before, not often, but enough to be familiar with him, to chill out and laugh together. Not quite familiar enough to have him follow her to her bedroom though.

Not that you didn't think about it. Some of those conversations were definitely flirting on your end as well as his.

Silently, she found some old clothes she thought would fit him, dropping him next to him on the bed. He picked up the shirt.

"Seriously, Percy?" He wrinkled his nose.

Cute.

She smirked. It was the perfect shirt. "Yeah, seriously. But seriously…what are you doing here?"

He sighed, looking somewhere over her left shoulder. "Well, you're the best. If I have to hang out with a mortal for however long this lasts, I'd have at least liked to suffer with you."

Percy sat up a little taller. He wanted to choose her? Out of all the options? Including his own children?

…now that was a weird thought.

Okay so, maybe it had been better when Apollo was not sat with her alone, where no one could see them. He was an ancient entity, lord of the plagues, master of the bow. Then again, was he that currently? He just looked…average. He could have been in her class at school.

This was very confusing.

He spoke again. "I was worried about you… when you and that girl were in Tartarus. It would have been awful to lose you there. I enjoy our chats far too much."

She shifted uncomfortably. And there it was. He may seem to care about her, to laugh and flirt with her, but he also wasn't human. Didn't instinctively care that she hadn't been alone in Tartarus.

But did seem to care about her.

Okay, this was too confusing. Nope. Gunna shut that fully down. She did not need this in her life. Just got to get this…person…washed, and not bleeding. Shower then bed. His own bed. Not with her. Even if he still did look good to her, despite his insistence to the contrary. "Okay well…shower's right through there. Water should be hot, use whatever you like. Med kit is above the sink. I'll, uh…be waiting out here."

He nodded, standing and heading through the open door to the bathroom. Percy relaxed. Hopefully this would be easier once he was out of her sight and she could clear her head. The sound of the water hit her ears as she flopped backwards onto the bed. This day was interesting to say the least. Her childhood crush rocking up to her door after he'd been missing for six months? She was glad he was alright at least, but this was possibly a little too close for comfort.

She'd thought he was gorgeous the first time she'd seen him all those years ago, and it was fun to flirt with him and catch his eye when they had ended up together at parties or quests. It had all been in good fun though. It was never serious, they would not work as a couple. She was far too busy, as she assumed he was too. But it was nice to chat with someone who made her feel a bit more normal - he wasn't afraid of her, or in awe, he just was. She'd seen what happened to those in relationships with the gods, and it didn't look pretty from where she was standing. Heartbreak being the least of the potential worries. Best just to keep things as a fantasy she could play out in her head, with all the fun and none of the consequences.

The sound of water turned to the shuffling of someone getting ready, most likely into the loose pyjamas she'd provided for the evening rather than the clothes for the drive to Camp tomorrow. Her mum had set up a couple of places to sleep in the living room before she and Paul had retired to bed, where Meg was already out for the count.

The door opened, and a much cleaner looking Apollo stepped out. She held her breath, then slowly puffed it out. Luckily he didn't seem to notice. He walked over and sat down on her bed.

"Um, excuse me what now?"

"Well, where else am I going to sleep?"

"How about anywhere else? This is my bed." Percy didn't really believe that a) this was happening, or b) that he could have drawn the conclusion that she would give up her bed.

"I mean," was it her imagination or did he seem to blush a little, "you're welcome to stay if you'd like."

"Where do you keep the audacity, honestly?!"

He tilted his head. "You wouldn't give a guest an actual bed? Surely you wouldn't have me sleep on the floor?"

"Dude, there's blankets, and pillows from the sofa. It's hardly a jail cell."

"For you, maybe! I have standards."

"Standards?" She scoffed. "Well, unluckily for you you're now stuck down here with the rest of us."

He held her gaze and she stared right back at him, using the skills she's leant to try to add an extra factor of intimidation. It really didn't seem to work, as he ignored her and started to lean backwards. Her hand shot out and gripped his bicep. Percy felt the muscle flex under her hand, and tightened her grip to make sure he listened, despite the fact he was now staring at her and making no attempts to loosen her hold.

"What is wrong with you?" She shook him. "You can't just be coming into my house and climbing into my bed? Who does that? Oh that's right, gods. Do you not stop to think? To consider what other people might think about what you do? If that hasn't occurred to you before, it's about to. Mortality is about to come crashing in for you, and I don't think you're going to find it pretty. Sometimes, you don't get everything you want."

She had pulled him closer now, so they were basically nose to nose, still gripping his arm. Apollo didn't seem to have reacted to her rant much at all. He continued to stare at her, so closely now. She could feel his breath on her face.

He's looking at your lips.

Percy guessed what happened next was a combination of too much fantasy, and an ADHD-based lack of impulse control. She pulled him into her by the arm, and mashed her face into his. Mashed was the operative word, she thought as their teeth clashed together. She held the two of them together for a few seconds before letting go.

Apollo was looking ecstatic, lips slightly parted and eyes shining.

Oh gods, he's into this. Did I want him to be quite this enthusiastic? Oh well, it's out there now I guess.

Percy was anything by a quitter. She released her grip on his arm and moved both hands to his shoulders as he grinned like an idiot. So she called him one, then kissed him again. This was reciprocated with enthusiasm.

Percy wasn't sure how to feel about this still, but apparently it was the way her lower brain had decided the night was to go down. His lips were as soft as they'd been when she had imagined them countless times. He mostly smelt of her shampoo, but a little of sunshine underneath. He had his hands on her too now, one on her side and one on her waist, and her lower lip between his teeth.

Eventually, breathlessly, they broke apart.

"I-", Apollo started.

Percy cut him off. "No. Don't talk. I don't want to hear anything, except if you're unhappy. I was scared you were missing, and I'm glad you're back. I don't care if you're mortal, 'cause frankly I still find you hot, and I need you not to speak in case you ruin this. Just tell me if you want to leave, m'kay?"

Damn, there was that winning smile. Even on a mortal face, it felt the same to her. "As you wish, gorgeous. But trust me…I don't want to leave."

Oh gods this was straight out of one of her fantasies.

It remained that way as his warm hand slid up and under her shirt. Was she letting a god put his hands up her shirt? No, she reminded herself, this is Lester, not Apollo. That's different. It's fine, it's fine.

Denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

His fingers deftly strokes her abs, traced the line of her hip and waist. She let him keep his hand there as she pushed him down onto his back, before pulling his borrowed shirt over his head. Percy straddled him, resuming their kiss. She traced every bit of skin she could with her hands, and moved to suck on his neck. He was attempting to pull her clothes off too now. Then he rolled his hips up into her and any remaining doubts were pushed away in the flood of lust telling her that nothing else mattered right now. She'd thought about this exact scenario so much, and it had been fine, right? Right?

Would it matter if it was wrong? (Would it even be better?)

Apollo was by far the more experienced of the pair, but clearly happy to let Percy tell him what she wanted to happen. So when he had stripped her to the waist, he was happy to take her breasts into his mouth, teasing with his tongue. He was happy to roll his hips up into her and hear the pleasurable noise that emanated from her. He was happy to take her wrist and guide her when she tentatively hooked her fingers into his waistband.

This feels like something she's going to have to have a proper talk about with him later, but that's later's problem.

Right now, she's happy to see him gasp as he has newly mortal parts touched for the first time. Right now, she's happy to have him deftly touch her skin. Right now, she's happy to have him sit up and pull off her remaining clothes while kissing her shoulders.

And now they're both naked. They are both naked. In her bed. Kissing hot and heavy.

She wasn't a virgin, but there were still the nerves there with a new partner. One that she'd thought about for so long, but had never really thought would come to anything if she was honest. But this isn't Apollo sliding his fingers into her is it, right? It's Lester that she's climbing on top of, and gasping gently as she slides down onto. That's different.

The blue eyes looking up at her say otherwise.

Percy lets herself go into the pleasure. At first she controls the movement, but is happy to hold herself up and let him take over while he pulls her shoulders down to hold her close. He finishes quicker than she expected. He also seems a bit surprised, but doesn't seem particularly deterred, slipping down between her legs until she can barely keep herself quiet.

He does end up sharing her bed that night. He's warm beside her as they curl up to sleep. Soft, but still somewhat sticky from their previous activities. She could feel his heart beating as she laid her head on his chest, his breath softly ghosting over her body. It sounded so human. It was so nice to just curl up with someone, perfectly relaxed, to just be held for a while. Percy drifted off to sleep in Apollo's arms.

Oh no, consequences.

Thoughts of consequences didn't stop her from having him again in the morning.