PERCY

Percy Jackson, savior of Olympus (twice over, but who's counting?), groaned in protest as the piercing shriek of his alarm clock penetrated what had been a lovely, dreamless sleep. Lifting his head was, as usual, a challenge, but after a few half-hearted attempts he managed to crane his neck out from underneath the fluffy comforter he had cocooned himself in. Bleary green eyes squinted at the angry red numbers blinking on the devil machine.

Was it really 8 already?

His thoughts were confirmed as a second round of screeching began. Scrunching his face in pain, he quickly slammed the snooze button before rolling over onto his back. The colorless walls and ceiling were less than inspiring. He blamed that for his body's unwillingness to rise from the bed. That, and the fact that the gray bleakness of the skyline left the inside of the room dim enough to oh so easily return to his slumber. Yes, it was New York. Yes, there were cloudy days where sunlight didn't stream through the windows and gently illuminate his face like in a Hallmark movie. But really, it was dark when he went to sleep, why must it be dark when he woke up?

He blamed the stupid research paper. Though the subject matter wasn't difficult, the finer aspects of essay writing had always eluded him. He'd been up past 4 glaring at the word document, trying to overpower his dyslexia through sheer force of will. Not for the first time, the son of Poseidon wondered why he was even attending college. Nevertheless, fragments of his girlfriend's lecture on "the future" and "the importance of moving forward" had pushed him to finish the paper with the grim mindset of a man determined to do his duty, even if it meant sacrificing his eight hours.

Briefly, Percy entertained the notion of sleeping in, but when Annabeth's furious face floated through his mind, he quickly nixed the idea.

She'd skin him alive if he skipped a class.

He rolled his eyes good-naturedly at the thought of the earful she'd give him on the irresponsibility of playing hooky before finally getting up. Noting with amusement that his side of the bed was much less immaculate than hers, as always perfectly made up to military standards, he shrugged and walked towards the bathroom to begin his morning routine.

The warm rush of the shower's water rejuvenated him, and as he stepped out and dried off, he felt ready to take on the day. As Percy got dressed, he heard the front door shut and smiled. Annabeth's first class of the day at NYU wasn't until 10, but she always left early to study at the library or speak with her professors. Unlike him, she'd taken well to college life and was eagerly conquering it.

The two demigods had moved in together after Percy had turned eighteen; they didn't have anything extravagant, but it was theirs, and he loved always having her to come home to.

Pulling his shirt over his head and walking back into the bedroom, Percy saw his phone light up on the nightstand and its distinctive chime go off, alerting him to an incoming message. Frowning slightly, he plucked it off the charger and glanced at the text.

Jackson, be at Olympus by 9. Need you to monitor the Ophiotaurus while I work on its cage. – H

The son of Poseidon grinned wryly.

Guess I have an excuse to miss class, Annabeth.

Percy often helped the gods out with favors, usually with little notice on their part. He may have been their "champion," but he knew that was just a glorified way of saying "tool." Not that he particularly minded; the quests were cake walks compared to what he'd grown up doing, and he enjoyed them for the adventure now as he couldn't then. Besides, if he could help people and miss out on a boring lecture, he'd consider that a win. His girlfriend would understand if he ditched because the gods made him.

And they were making him. There was no such thing as a god asking for something. You either did it, or you were vaporized. Even if you had the clout that Percy admittedly had, the gods were still the gods. It was pretty simple. He'd gone almost twenty years avoiding molecular combustion and had no intention of letting that streak die, so he text Annabeth and told her he was going to Olympus and wasn't sure when he'd be back. Her reply was short, a simple Alright, love you, let me know when you're heading back, and he left it at that with a short yawn.

Noticing that he still had maybe ten minutes before he had to leave, he casually slipped over to the kitchen with the intent of eating a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast. The colorful 'pebbles' might not have been exactly what Demeter had in mind when she went on one of her famous 'cereal' tangents, but hey, points for effort, right?

Rinsing out his bowl in the sink, he picked up his keys and wallet from the counter and walked out the door. Locking the door behind him, he rushed to his beloved Jeep, and flew through the streets as if he were on a mission from God.

Which he sort of was.

After he parked, he walked straight into the Empire State building. As he'd become such a frequent visitor lately for various quests and godly favors, the doorman didn't even try and stop him, only acknowledged him with a nod. The elevator, as always, resounded in the ear-torture that was Apollo's gag playlist. By the time he reached the 600th floor, he'd had to suffer through an awful 80's disco jam, a tacky country song about pick up trucks, and halfway through the same song that had been playing in the Tartarus elevator. He shook his head, marveling at how now, he could afford to worry about bad music and other tiny, mundane, issues that don't matter.

Back then, it was all about saving the world, keeping everyone alive, trying to stop a stupid, opportunist's war between the camps. But it seemed that that was in the past now. The world was safe, the camps had negotiated a peace, and everyone seemed to be speeding into new chapters in their lives. Sometimes he worried people were so determined to move forward that they would eventually forget all the prices that had been paid to buy the peace.

As he walked throughout the godly city, he couldn't help but admire his surroundings. Maybe all this time listening to his girlfriend as she designed it had given him a broader appreciation for architecture. Olympus was such a beautiful place, especially since Annabeth had begun her remodeling. Whereas the Olympus before Annabeth stepped in had been large, looming, and threatening, the new Olympus was sleek, elegant, and graceful. She had kept the Grecian style, marble and all, but had opted for a slimmer, more inviting design, meant to showcase the gods' power rather than force it upon the passerby.

While he didn't always like the 15 foot tall beings within the throne room (those, apparently, could not undergo renovation, no matter how much he bugged his girlfriend), after years of putting out their fires, the gods had grown to respect Percy, an honor which typically made their interactions pleasant, depending on the circumstances and which being he dealt with. Zeus and Hera were always stiffly polite, but the other gods, specifically the goddesses, were genuinely amicable. Even Ares was begrudgingly civil, which amused the demigod to no end. The smith god he'd be dealing with today was far from urbane, but held him in good regard, so he assumed today wouldn't be too much of a pain.

Percy as ripped from his musings when he saw the (thankfully human sized) Hephaestus waiting for him by the bubble tank. He felt what little energy he had drain out of him as he walked towards the god. In the tank was not one, but two Ophiotaurus'. Ah, problem indeed. He didn't even know that Bessie was pregnant, but then again, he hadn't visited her in a while, always preoccupied with some divine or camp task, or - much less pleasant - college work.

"Hey there, Jackson. It looks like we get to play with a world destroyer and her babe. Well, at least they're cute, right?" Hephaestus asked with a small smile and a shrug, patting Percy on the back.

The demigod smirked, "Oh, stunning, really."

"Alright, well, I got this temporary cage set up to hold them while I work on making this original tank larger and sturdier. I'm gonna need you to take care of them while I fix it up. We don't want them getting nervous, kid. Nervous equals gassy."

He let out a weak laugh, "Right."

"Let's go ahead and get started."

It took a lot less time than either of them expected, as Bessie and her calf, which Percy had already taken to calling Geno (he knew Annabeth would slap him upside the head for that one, which was precisely why he chose it), understood that they needed to remain patient for their new home. He told them little stories to keep them occupied and calm, finding that they especially enjoyed 'Jack and Jill'. When Hephaestus had finished with the tank, it looked like a futuristic palace for aquatic life. The clear steel was now plenty large enough for the two World Destroyers.

Percy moved them into the structure, spent. He was absolutely exhausted. His brain was fried from having to listen to a well meaning Hephaestus turn a small question into a lengthy explanation. Percy had just wanted to know what made the steel clear, expecting the answer to be something short like 'magic'. But no. There was no rest for the weary as he had to listen to a lecture rivaling one of Annabeth's on architecture.

Now that he thought about it, the smith god still hadn't answered the question, but there was no way he was going to ask again.

After Hephaestus had said his thanks and pat him on the back, the son of Poseidon had decided that he would grab some 'coffee' in the lobby to give him enough energy to drive home. It tasted awful, smelled awful, and looked awful, and he mournfully looked at it with tired eyes. However, he drank it nonetheless. Almost immediately he felt refreshed, the coffee doing its intended job wonderfully. Percy disregarded his charred taste buds and poured himself a small to-go cup, wanting something to hold him over until he got home. He waved at the elevator man and walked to his car.

Percy cranked the engine and put the brown liquid into the cup holder. Hephaestus had said that he'd need Percy back in two hours so that he could check the health of the creatures in response to their new home. Percy was fine with that, he thought he'd take a power nap and eat lunch with Annabeth before heading back. The radio was blaring as he sang along to the chorus as loud as he could and faked his way through the rest. The raven-haired teen grabbed his atomic pick-me-up and took a long gulp. He was driving along normally when suddenly, the minivan in front of him braked for no apparent reason. He thankfully didn't rear-end the idiot, but he did feel a searing pain as his coffee sloshed onto his shirt.

Percy hissed out a muted curse and slammed the now empty cup down. The coffee wasn't supposed to wake him up that way. He couldn't do anything about his shirt just yet, so he settled for grumbling incoherently and giving the mini-van driver the evil eye.

A look at the dash clock told him it was 11:38; his girlfriend should be out of class by now. While he was at a red light, he texted Annabeth On break til 1, heading home to change my shirt cause some JERK brake checked me. Got wayyy too intimate with my coffee. Afterwards, do you want to grab some lunch?

She didn't respond, so he figured she might still be on campus. He put his phone away and continued driving. When he pulled into his parking spot, he saw her car and wondered if she was taking a shower or if her phone had died, since she usually responded to texts quickly. Percy climbed the steps to the door and unlocked it, before closing it behind him. He pulled at the shirt so that it wasn't plastered to his body and walked to the bedroom door. As he approached, however, he heard what almost sounded like moaning coming from within.

The raven haired teenager stopped in his tracks. Was she...taking care of business? He bit his lip at the thought. It could just be the TV, but Annabeth wasn't typically one to watch that kind of stuff. Torn between letting her…finish and walking inside to get a new shirt, Percy frowned. He really needed to get in there and change. Just to be safe, and not wanting to startle her, he knocked softly at the door. There was no answer.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked gently as he turned the knob and opened the door. His eyes could barely register the sight they met.

There are too many legs. Too many arms. Too many fingers and toes, and not enough space between them.

Instead of one blonde demigod, there were two. He watched in slow motion as the one on top jumped off the one that was pinned down, confirming that it was in fact Percy's girlfriend lying there, skin flushed and lips swollen. Already an angry purple mark was blossoming on her neck, exposed by her lack of shirt, which he could see had been discarded on the floor. Percy noted numbly that the blonde man with her was hurriedly buckling his pants up.

"Percy!" Annabeth frantically called out, readjusting herself to look at him, her stormy grey eyes panicked. For a nanosecond, her brow furrowed at the stained shirt he was wearing before she immediately refocused on the stone-still son of Poseidon in the doorway.

Percy felt like he couldn't breathe, the old nightmare of suffocation hitting him full force. The demigod went completely rigid, as still as one of Medusa's statues. There was lava coursing through his veins, a heady silence that oxymoronically rang in his ears. He started to take in large breaths, trying desperately to get air into his system. He was in Gaea's mud hole all over again. Annabeth must've seen the signs of the panic attack, as she gasped and jumped up quickly to try and help him, concern etched in her features. Bringing him back to reality was her only thought and priority. What was unfortunate was that this reality was something equally horrid.

The second she reached out to steady his broad shoulders, he flinched away as if she burned him, "Don't touch me!"

The daughter of Athena shrank away as if he'd slapped her, backing from him until her knees hit the bed and she fell on with a thud. Her eyes were impossibly wide; he'd have found it almost comical if it were any other circumstance.

"I can explain," she ventured slowly. The words rang hollow in his ears.

"…no." The son of Poseidon's voice was quiet, soft. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her. There was a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth and he vaguely realized that at some point he'd bitten his cheek hard enough to draw blood.

"Please just let me explain-"

The sea was volatile. One instant it could be calm, and the next it could rage. With water, there was power and fluidity, turbulence underneath gentleness. He was son of the sea god, and in that moment, his still waters churned into the storm.

"No! What is there to explain?! Whatever words that come out of your mouth are bullshit, because the bottom line is that you CHEATED on me!" Percy quickly snapped at her. His breathing was ragged and his stance was like that of a cornered animal. She flinched at the word 'cheated', bending her head like a scolded child.

Meanwhile, the other man in the room tried to slip by him while he was preoccupied with the blonde woman. He was unsuccessful.

Jason groaned in pain as he was slammed against the wall, Percy's forearm against his throat. He gasped at the ever increasing pressure on his airway. The force in which he hit the wall was so great that it made the entire room seem to rattle. A framed photo fell on top of the son of Jupiter's head, making the glass shatter. He whimpered and shut his eyes. There was a wildness in Percy's expression that was shockingly frightening.

All tiredness in Percy's bones were gone now as he pinned Jason down and spat venomously, "Where the hell do you think you're going? You're not getting out of this yet. Sit. Down."

Jason was now struggling to breathe, but he nodded. As soon as Percy released him, he ran back to the bed, sitting as far away from Annabeth as he possibly could. Percy ignored him for the time being. 'Jason Grace' would not be the most challenging or impressive enemy to add to his list of defeated foes.

"Percy-" Annabeth started only to be cut off again.

"No! You don't get to control where this is going, Annabeth! I don't want to hear whatever speech you have to say. I just want answers, got it?"

Annabeth nodded mutely and he huffed in disbelief. Taking a few long strides to their closet, he quickly changed from the damnable coffee stained shirt into a clean one.

He made his way back between the two of them and the door. The demigod could hear the water in the bathroom faucets straining to reach out to him and took a deep, eyes-closed breath to calm himself down. He drew his hands into tight fists at his sides and after a moment, the water quietened.

Just like that, the storm blew over.

"How long?" Percy asked, his fierce voice from before was softened, but strained. He looked her in the eyes, (he had never been a coward) but she couldn't meet him. Her blonde curls hid her face as she turned away.

"A year," she choked out, on the brink of tears.

He sucked in a wheezy breath, feeling every bit as if he'd just been punched in the gut. After a couple of silent seconds, he summoned up the courage to ask the question he most feared and needed the answer to.

"Why?" He demanded, trying to keep his tone even. It didn't work so well as he'd planned, his voice cracking like it did years ago during puberty.

She wouldn't respond, trying to keep her sobs quiet, her hand over her mouth.

"Answer me!"

He strode over when she still remained silent and though his pounding steps alluded to roughness, he cupped her jaw tenderly, lightly turning her head, forcing her to look at him.

She looked down, smaller and more frightened than he'd ever seen her, "I don't want to hurt you. Please."

Percy exhaled quietly, "You already have. Now tell me."

Her blazing gaze met his own and briefly he was reminded of the fire they once had together. Intellect meeting instinct. Immovable object versus an unstoppable force. When they would clash and unite, the results had always been other-worldly.

"You really want to know? Fine," she spat as she rose from the bed to her full height so that they were toe to toe.

"I needed someone who was there, Percy! I needed a boyfriend, not a roommate! Gods, sometimes it was like we weren't even that. You were always going on a quest, or helping at Camp, or taking on some mission that would have you away for days at a time. It was like you weren't interested in living this new life I thought we both wanted, like you weren't even interested in me anymore! Think about it, have you even noticed that the last time we slept together was over a month ago? Do you even care?"

"Let me get this straight," he began incredulously, leaning backwards on his leg and crossing his arms to put more distance between them, "You cheated because I wasn't giving you enough attention? Because I wasn't putting you to bed enough?"

"No, I cheated because you didn't love me enough to stay."

Percy was getting fired up again, but instead of a startled rage, this was a thoughtful, disbelieving fury. This was logic meets anger, the tone of anyone who was arguing a debate, and knew they would win. Ironically, he had learned this from the very woman in front of him. He verbally advanced on her quickly.

"You had me in the palm of your hand! If you wanted me home more, you should've told me, I would've made it happen! I've fallen into hell for you, held the sky for you, I think I would've found a way to shift my schedule, had you asked!"

He was looking at them in disgust, "Out of all the people that I thought would cheat, you two were never on my list. Jason, I can't believe you would do this, to anyone, much less one of your friends! Hades, you have a girlfriend, you fucking prick! How did this even happen, anyway? You two just decide you'd screw each other since Piper and I weren't here to do it for you? Unfucking believable."

It was true, the guilty, shifty faces on the blondes told him all he needed to know.

"You two aren't worth my time. I'm done with you," Percy growled, blinking back the tears in his eyes, "Annabeth, I'm moving out. You can keep the apartment, you can keep everything. I just want my clothes. In case it hasn't been made clear, we're through. Jason, the only reason I'm not beating the shit out of you right now is because I have to go tell Piper about what a douchebag she's been dating."

At this, Jason jumped up quickly, his hands flailing about in a halting/pacifying motion.

"No! Don't tell Piper!" the blond boy frantically pleaded but was interrupted by Percy's powerful right hook to his jaw. Annabeth gasped at the loud crack that resounded throughout the room. Percy was sure it meant he'd broken bone, and when he growled "out," Jason sprinted out of the bedroom, fumbling with the doorknob with one hand while the other cradled his face. A second later the loud slam of the front door resounded through the small apartment.

Percy sighed deeply before beginning to grab his clothes and pack them. Idly he heard Annabeth start to sob, and paused in his motions, looking up at her with glassy green eyes.

"Stop. You don't get to cry. You weren't cheated on. You get to keep the house and everything in it. I'm the one who was screwed over," he told her matter-of-factly, detached and firm, "No." he shook his head, "You don't get to cry."

It only made her cry harder, but he didn't care. Not anymore. When he had all of his clothes magically packed up into his bag, he turned to her pitiful form on the bed.

"Goodbye, Annabeth. I hope…I hope your life goes the way you've planned it. I hope you'll be happier now. I'm just not going to be around for it. This is it," Percy sucked in a breath, barely holding himself together as his voice cracked, "Wise Girl."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. Slamming the front door shut, the demigod ran down to his Jeep, letting the tears go as he was now out of her sight. They blurred his vision and stung his eyes, but he couldn't contain them. As soon as he was in the sheltered safety of his car, he broke down. He wept and sobbed, exhaustion again hitting him. But no. There wasn't time for that. Not when somewhere there was an innocent daughter of Aphrodite that had no clue she was in the dark. Percy grimaced at the thought; he had work to do.