Chapter Text
He showed off his makeup to everyone he came across, even the gods, gushing about how Piper had done it so well.
While showing Jason and Nico the lip-gloss Piper had used, he noticed Jason blushing and looking away almost unnoticeably.
“And like; my lips look so kissable,” he teased, causing the blonde’s eyes to snap over to him – as if checking whether or not Percy was teasing him.
Then he decided to gossip about his discovery regarding Annabeth. “When Piper winked at me, Annabeth definitely blushed,” he said. “I don’t even care; they’re an old married lesbian couple to me now.”
Nico looked like he was about to laugh, “Percy… She blushed. It wasn’t a declaration of love.” Percy shrugged in a ‘so?’ gesture. “Even if they were in love, you have to let them figure it out themselves. Not everybody is as oblivious as you.”
“I’m not oblivious!” Percy squawked.
Jason raised an eyebrow, “Okay, and what did it take you and Annabeth to get together again?”
“Well…” Percy thought if he should defend himself or tell the truth. “We’ve known each other since we were twelve, and we got together on my sixteenth birthday.” Jason and Nico nodded, looking like it was all very amusing – which Percy did not appreciate. “But! She kissed me in Mount St. Helens when I was fourteen.” This caused both Nico and Jason’s eyebrows to raise.
“That did not help your point. At all,” Nico told Percy. The boy hmphed and went to look for his next victims.
About an hour later, everybody was ready to read again. Aphrodite had already picked up the book, waiting for everybody to be quiet so she could read.
Percy was, of course, situated in Grover’s lap again. He’d gotten showered with complements by the satyr and Grover was just an amazing cuddler.
“My Dinner Goes Up In Smoke,” the goddess of love read out.
Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately … who was still pretty much dripping wet.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, but I think they were talking about you,” the Latino boy sitting next to Percy said.
Percy huffed, “Thanks Leo, I hadn’t realised that yet.” He lifted an arm to ruffle the boy’s hair, making it stick up in weird angles.
She showed me a few more places … “It wasn’t my fault.”
That got him a few sceptical looks, mostly from the Romans that had been present for the war games Percy had participated in.
She looked at me skeptically … I had become one with the plumbing.
“The toilets had responded to me,” Travis wheezed. “I had become one with the plumbing.”
Connor was laughing too much to form a coherent sentence, “Percy, say, out loud, thoughts, more!”
“You need to talk to the oracle,” … I waved back.
Clarisse jokingly cooed at Percy. He – because he’s twenty-one years old – wrinkled his nose and gave her the middle finger.
“Don’t encourage them,” … “Naiads are terrible flirts.”
Those of the sea looked uncomfortable at that description, but let it go since the girl had been a twelve year old.
“Naiads,” … mentally disturbed kids?”
The Greek kids nodded solemnly.
“I mean not human. … “Half-god.”
Percy mockingly bowed.
Annabeth nodded … How sexist is that?”
“Not at all,” Percy said, only his eyes betraying how he felt.
“Who’s your mom then?” … She didn’t want to burst my bubble.
Poseidon looked at his demigod son. Regret shone in his eyes; he hadn’t done anything wrong yet, but he still felt guilty for his son having to grow up the way he did. Yes, he had a caring mom, but that didn’t make everything right.
“Maybe you’re right. … “You mean sometimes it doesn’t?”
Piper, Jason, Leo, and the Romans looked up at that. “Wait, but Leo got claimed as soon as he got to camp,” Piper said confused.
Annabeth tried to explain without giving too much away, “Things changed after the first war.”
Annabeth ran her palm along the rail … But gods should behave better.
Nico wasn’t surprised that Percy had always been that way. Ready to call out gods, just to ensure that others were treated better than they were before.
“So I’m stuck here,” … “You are a New Yorker, right?”
Annabeth shook her head at her book-self, “That’s an unnecessary question; the answer is obvious.”
Grover nodded, “You’re right. He even had the accent!”
“Oh, sure.” … but I felt too hungry and tired and mentally overloaded to ask any more questions.
“Yeah,” Thalia said. “I understand you.”
“I’ve got to get a quest,” … but his smile was intact.
Percy groaned lowly and hid his face in his elbow, still laying on his back.
“Found you a sleeping bag,” … He looked like he could handle just about anything.
Some people’s eyes widened slightly at the adoration Percy seemed to have thought about Luke with.
“So your dad is Hermes?” … and for a second I thought he was going to gut me,
Luke’s face stayed impassive, while Percy almost invisibly flinched. Neither looked away from the book – or in Percy’s case, their arm.
but he just scraped he mud off the sole of his sandal. … We take care of each other.”
Percy had looked up to Luke. A half-blood of the eldest gods had looked up to a traitor – the hero. He didn’t dare look up from where he had his face hidden in the crook of his elbow, scared of seeing his friends’ disappointed faces. Grover was running his hand through Percy’s hair, keeping him calm.
He seemed to understand how lost I felt, … which was the nicest thing anybody had done for me all day.
Annabeth had a complicated look on her face. “Hey, you probably didn’t mean it too bad, but you weren’t really nice to him,” Piper told her softly.
I decided to ask him my last big question, … “I hate prophecies.”
That caused the demigods to snort.
“What do you mean?” … even though I’d never heard one before.
“Dang it! You have even more cool powers?” Leo whined, lightening the mood slightly.
Luke yelled, … “Blue Cherry co*ke.”
Gwen looked softly at her friend, who was finally taking his face out of the hiding space that was his elbow. He loved his mom so much; it was truly admirable.
The soda turned a violent shade of cobalt. … then someday . . .
Hades started grumbling again, still not over the fact that his nephew had been in the underworld four times in the demigods’ time.
“Here you go, Percy,” … I wondered if they were going for desert or something.
Percy got a few unimpressed looks that he ignored in favour of trying to get closer to Grover so he could scratch just the right place – which sounded like he was a dog and his friend was scratching him behind his ears, which… to be fair, Grover was scratching him behind his ears.
“Come on,” … most buttery roll.
Dakota looked like he was trying to imagine the taste of the food the book was describing.
Luke murmured in my ear,
Only Grover could see the slight blush visible on Percy’s tan skin, hidden behind both the boy’s hands.
“Burnt offerings for the gods … I wished I knew what god’s name to say.
Chris looked at Percy with sympathy.
Finally, … I felt that I was home.
He’d uncovered his face a little while ago, but now he dared to look at Grover; and wrapped his arms around his friend’s waist. And even though the position was uncomfortable, he felt at home – perhaps even more than back then.
Later in the evening … I wish I’d known how briefly I would get to enjoy my new home.
