PJatO || Luctavercy || PJatO || Two Kings and their Ace || PJatO || Luctavercy || PJatO
Title: Two Kings and their Ace – If the Augur Joined the Rebels...
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; twist of PJatO
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: shounen-ai, threesome, fluff, adoption, alternate families, explicit intercourse, anal, double penetration, magic, cat/catboy (brief), shoujo-ai, hetero
Main Pairing: Octavian/Luke/Percy
Side Pairings: Ethan/Alabaster, Nico/Jason, Jake/Will, Reyna/Annabeth, Chris/Clarisse, Charles/Silena, Dakota/Leila
Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Luke Castellan, Octavian Simmons, Nico di Angelo, Thalia Grace, Jason Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Chris Rodriguez, Clarisse la Rue, Ethan Nakamura, Alabaster C. Torrington, Will Solace, Jake Mason, Nyssa Black, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Dakota Elle, Leila Fischer, Tyson, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis, Mrs. O'Leary, Argentum, Aurum
Own Character: Sedanur Aykan
Summary: What if Luke and Octavian met and joined forced during the Titan War? Together, they trick the titans and take over. They become not just a power couple but the new kings of Olympus. All that's left is getting their affairs straight, collecting the straggling demigods around and building a united front of now former demigods. Luke is particularly interested in collecting Percy Jackson.
Two Kings and their Ace
If the Augur Joined the Rebels...
"Good morning, my king. You look truly glorious today."
Luke grinned, a very dopey and happy grin that he tried to hide in his pillow as he arched his back into the soft kisses being placed along his spine. King. He still liked the ring of that, especially coming from that voice. Twisting some, he reached out to grasp his consort's neck and pull him into a deep kiss. The other grunted pleased by that, twisting his own body to deepen the kiss.
"Likewise, my king", whispered Luke against the lips of his lover.
His lover being one Octavian Simmons, former augur of New Rome, new king of Olympus. Luke turned to properly look at Octavian, taking in his lean figure, long limbs, light blonde hair and sparkling sky-blue eyes. He was half-naked, apparently in the middle of getting dressed for the day.
Luke and Octavian had met about a year before the climax of the war, when Luke had gone to recruit Romans for his cause. After all, attacking the gods from two fronts was far more effective, especially considering that Romans and Greeks didn't know of each other and thus didn't stand as a united front against their shared enemy. They were divided and therein laid Luke's advantage. Working with titans and monsters, Luke had learned about the existence of the Romans. Luke had gone to the augur – a power-hungry young man who craved leadership. They had fallen into bed during their negotiations and that became a repeated thing, until it became hard to deny that they were boyfriends. Luke's best friend Ethan had been the first one to point out the obvious to them.
With the united brain-power of Luke and Octavian, winning the war was an easy feat. They had Greeks and Romans and monsters and titans. Roman gods had kids they sent into war, Greek gods had kids they sent into war; not even as one strong team, but separated.
The most important point however was that thanks to Octavian, Luke was still in control of his own body. He had argued, quite convincingly so, that helping Kronos rise to power would be to swap one oppressive force against the other. They had to cut out all of them and take over themselves. It was time the next generation took over, as history had shown so often – Gaia and Uranus being overthrown by the titans, the gods taking over after the titans and now it was time for the demigods to seize power for themselves. Together, they had tricked someone nearly as power-hungry as Octavian. A Bryce Lawrence; scum, according to Octavian. They tricked Bryce, telling him he would gain incredible power by becoming Kronos' vessel and as the leader of the demigods, they needed to know the mortal spot Bryce chose. With that, it was easy.
Taking out the camps' forces by using the titans and then taking out the titans.
"What's on the agenda today?", asked Luke and stretched out like a lazy lion.
"Meeting with the Olympian council; Thalia returned with her hunt with the latest batch of stragglers", drawled Octavian while fastening his robes.
Nodding slowly, Luke sat up and made grabby-motions for his robes. Octavian sighed dramatically and reached out to grab the robes to toss them over to his lover. Luke grinned broadly, enjoying how easy it was manipulate Octavian into doing whatever Luke wanted. It was even better because Octavian was a master manipulator himself, so that gave him a special kick.
"Luke! Luke, are you here? Luke!"
Octavian heaved a very tired sigh and stepped out of the way between door and bed as the door flew open and an antsy and excited blonde girl entered. Most of the time, Octavian was rather fond of Annabeth, like a little sister with whom he could play chess all day long (though Luke knew the main reason why Octavian was even willing to grow fond of Annabeth was because Luke loved Annabeth like a little sister and Octavian, well, he loved Luke).
"What's going on, Annie?", asked Luke as he threw his robes on hastily.
"Thalia, she—she found Percy", exclaimed Annabeth, eyes wide in excitement.
Octavian frowned confused by the shift in his lover at those words. Luke stiffened and seemed more on guard but at the same time he also looked happy and relieved. Curious combination.
"You, Reyna and Clarisse take over the others Thalia brought, inform Ethan that we're going to have a judging today. I will take care of Percy myself", stated Luke firmly.
Annabeth's deep calculating eyes looked over Luke for a moment before moving over to Octavian. "And when you say 'take care', what does that... mean specifically?"
Sighing, Luke grasped Annabeth's face and looked her deep in the eyes. "It means I'll take care of him. I promised you, no harm will come to Percy. I stand to that promise, Annie."
He leaned over to kiss her forehead and she sighed in defeat, nodding slowly. "Okay."
"Good", grinned Luke before ruffling her curls. "Tell Thals to bring him here, Tav and I are going to do some 'kingly stuff', maybe it'll be good for Percy to stay on his own for a moment."
"Thals says he's pretty... beat", added Annabeth concerned.
"Okay. Slightest change of plans then. Go and send Will to check on Percy, yeah?", asked Luke.
Annabeth smiled and nodded before she ran off to do everything Luke just asked of her. Octavian frowned as he watched his lover. There was something light to Luke's step.
"This Percy, he is the one you talk about so often?", asked Octavian inquisitive.
/break\
Annabeth's pulse was racing as she led Thalia toward Luke's room. Thalia was carrying the currently unconscious son of Poseidon. He had been attacked by a bunch of vengeful monsters when Thalia and her hunt had found him. On their way to the room, they ran into the Stolls.
"Ah, messenger gods. Just what I need right now!", grinned Annabeth.
"That sounds ominous", countered Travis, raising one eyebrow.
"Is... Is that Percy?", asked Connor worried, looking at Thalia.
"Yes. That's why I'm busy at the moment. Can one of you go and fetch Will? And Ethan, Clarisse and Reyna need to be informed of Thalia's arrival too", requested Annabeth.
"Can't even tell your girlfriend yourself?", teased Travis. "Watch out, or she'll get jealous."
Annabeth huffed and rolled her eyes, the faintest blush on her cheeks as she turned her attention back toward Thalia and Percy, continuing on the way to the kings' bedroom.
"I was summoned", sighed Will dramatically as he entered moments later.
"Is it true? Is it really Percy?", asked Nico as he pushed past Will.
The son of Apollo huffed annoyed and rolled his eyes as after Nico, Nico's consort pushed past Will from the other side. Annabeth glared pointedly at the son of Hades as he sat down next to Percy, cautiously brushing Percy's hair out of his pale face. There were dark bags beneath Percy's eyes, cheeks hollow and a nasty gash on his forehead. Everyone and their siblings knew that Nico has had a crush on Percy ever since the son of Poseidon had first collected Nico and Bianca.
"He looks awful", pointed Nico's consort out, just to be elbowed in the ribs. "Ouch."
"Shut up, Jason. He's in pain", hissed Nico with a glare. "You'd look like shit too."
Jason snickered and rolled his eyes, just to be pushed out of the way by Will. "Enough with the staring. He's not an animal in the zoo. Get out of the room, all of you. Yes, you too, Annabeth."
"Come on, Annie", whispered Thalia, stopping any bubbling protest from Annabeth.
/break\
Percy was the one. Octavian wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. He had always known that there had been 'the one'; the one Luke had chosen as his consort when he had turned his back on camp. The one he had planned on slowly turning onto his side before claiming him as his consort once the time was right. The one who had stayed strong for camp and never budged. Octavian had never really cared that much because Luke had chosen him, had chosen Octavian. Because Octavian had never expected to meet that one. Now he didn't know what to think.
"Stop making that face, Tav", huffed Luke and hit Octavian on the chest as they were heading to their bedroom hours later. "You're my one, idiot. It's not like I'm gonna go all 'new, shiny toy, let's put the old one on a shelf' on you. I love you, Octavian Simmons."
Octavian grunted, not commenting otherwise. When the door swung open, what greeted them was good looking. He wasn't blind. The boy in their bed had the sheets pooling around his waist, upper body bare. There were scars, yes – but there were also muscles. He was well-trained; as those heroes tended to be. Sun-kissed skin and pink perky nipples, full-blown rosy lips and the messiest night-black hair possible. Octavian was a man of taste; he could appreciate a good looking guy when he saw one. He understood why Luke was attracted to the boy. When his eyes fluttered open, Octavian felt himself stunned for a long moment. He had never seen a color quite like it. Like the ocean had been captured within those two orbs. They were simply stunning.
"Percy", whispered Luke, the name dripping with longing and relief.
"Hngh...", grunted the boy, frowning and closing his eyes again. "S too bright..."
With a swift movement of his hand did Luke cause the curtains to draw before approaching. He had a silly smile on his lips as he knelt down next to the bed, reaching a hand out to pat Percy's cheek.
"He's better", stated Will casually, not feeling like the other two blondes had noticed him yet. "He was highly dehydrated and malnourished. A couple broken ribs and a broken arm. The broken bones are nearly healed by now. I also fed him enough nectar to take care of most his malnourishment. He's still a bit underweight, but with a couple weeks of Silena's cooking, he'll be good to go."
"Thank you, Will", said Luke sincerely and looked up at the healer. "Really. Thank you."
Will smiled amused and shook his head. "No worries. But, between you and me, you should make a move soon if you still want Percy, because the way it looks, Nico is in the middle of buttering Jason up for a threeway. It's hilarious to watch between the two of them, but I don't want to watch a game of tug-o'-war between the king of Olympus and the king of the underworld. History showed that this never ended well, Lucas. Never. So don't let it come to that."
Luke snorted and stared at the son of Apollo until he finally left the room. Octavian heaved a sigh and sat down on the bed, observing how Luke wet the cloth and tenderly put it back onto Percy's forehead. The way Luke acted, it was far more than simple attraction.
"W—Where... 'm I...?", mumbled a soft voice confused.
"Sh, Percy. You're safe", assured Luke, voice equally soft. "You're on Olympus."
Percy frowned, eyes slowly coming into focus, looking at Luke. Realization set in and his eyes widened. He flinched away, trying to scramble off the bed, just to be held in place by Octavian. That did nothing to calm Percy down, seeing as he had no idea who Octavian was. Luke considered them lucky that Percy was still weak and out of it; otherwise they'd both be in trouble.
"W—What do you want?", asked Percy with guarded eyes.
Octavian was holding him by the shoulders, Luke was sitting on his legs and holding his wrists. "Nothing. Well, actually, for you to finally join my side. But first of all, we want you to heal. You were badly injured, Percy. Will patched you up."
"Will?", whispered Percy with a look of betrayal on his face. "He... joined you...?"
"Percy", laughed Luke and shook his head. "Nearly everyone joined us at this point. Percy, we're not the bad guys. We were a rebellion, rising against the oppressing force. Don't you see it? Still not? So many joined us even before the final battle, it's why we won."
"Luke, you betrayed us", murmured Percy, a look of utter hurt on his face.
"Percy, you betrayed yourself", sighed Luke and took a deep breath. "I ran away from home when I was nine, because my mother – even though I love her – she couldn't control herself anymore. She had gone insane because of the gods. And instead of taking responsibility, instead of helping her, my father and the other gods ignored her. She was supposed to be their oracle, but since she proved to be useless, they didn't care anymore. Didn't care about her son either. And what about you, Percy? You and your mother were stuck with an abusive son of a bitch for six years – six years – because Poseidon didn't have the balls to take care of you. We only became interesting to them when we were old enough to fight their battles for them. You have to see that."
"What I see is that you tried to kill me multiple times", hissed Percy, eyes dark with anger.
Luke physically flinched and averted his eyes in guilt, making Octavian sigh. "He did not do that. Kronos had taken influence on Luke, had... corrupted and fogged his minds."
"Who the hell are you?", exclaimed Percy annoyed.
"That's Octavian. He's my consort", replied Luke instead. "He's the augur – the seer – of the Romans. Another thing the gods kept from you. There are Roman demigods – there was an entire other camp full of heroes. Heroes who could have helped you during the war. But the gods kept you divided, making it easy for me and my forces to take over."
Percy wavered, just a little bit. "But... Wait. If Kronos had taken influence back then, what about now? You don't look very titan-y to me, Luke."
Luke grinned lightly. "That's thanks to Octavian. He noticed how much Kronos corrupted me and pointed out to me that... it's not what I wanted. What I wanted was for us demigods to be autonomous, not to be oppressed by yet another mighty force. So, with a little trickery – you know that I excel at that – we managed to deceive Kronos and overthrow the titans after they helped us overthrow the gods. Olympus is ours now, Percy. It belongs to us demigods."
"I don't... I...", whispered Percy and shook his head, upset frown in place.
"Thalia joined us before the end, because for twenty years, she had believed her baby brother Jason to be dead", started Luke in a serious voice. "He wasn't dead, was never dead. He was Roman and the gods separated them, leaving them to believe the other was dead. After they had left both of them with a drunk, neglectful mother without caring about that. Not to mention the whole turning-my-daughter-into-a-tree-and-leaving-it-at-that thing Zeus did."
Percy averted his eyes, gritting his teeth. "That's..."
"Annabeth joined us", added Luke firmly. "When I was clear-minded again, when I talked to her. When me and Thalia talked to her. We're her family, her real family. She's a clever girl, she understood that history dictates that the next generation takes over when the last generation fails."
"Annabeth...", whispered Percy appalled.
"Silena had been my spy all along. She managed to convince Beckendorf. Together with Chris, she managed to make Clarisse see the truth too", continued Luke stubbornly.
"Luke, it's enough", whispered Octavian firmly, looking at the upset demigod between them. "Give him some time to calm down. It's a lot to digest and he's still weak."
"Yeah, you're right", nodded Luke slowly and sighed, snapping his fingers once. "Okay, Percy. This... may not seem good to you, but I hope you understand that I can't trust you just yet. You're powerful, I can't let you roam wild. The shackles on your wrists prevent you from using your powers, the ones on your ankles stop you from leaving the palace. I'm sorry, Percy, but until you prove that I can trust you, this is a necessary evil, I hope you understand."
Percy gave him a look. "I understand that you're afraid that I'll kick your butt."
Luke laughed, happy to hear the sass dripping from Percy's words. "Yeah, exactly. Now... rest some, okay? You need to sleep and to get better, Perce. We'll talk later."
"Let's just not, mh?", grunted Percy pointedly.
/break\
"Good morning! The sun is up high, so it's time to leave the bed!"
Percy blinked blearily, his head still buzzing. The nectar Will had given him yesterday had worked well, but Percy had been worse off than he thought. When he opened his eyes, he found himself still in that ridiculously large bed in that ridiculously large room. There were two others in the room, a native American girl and a Latino. While the Latino was opening the curtains, the girl was putting down a tray of breakfast next to Percy on the bed, smiling at him softly.
"Hello, I'm Piper, I'm a daughter of Aphrodite. That's Leo, son of Hephaestus", said the girl. "Lord Luke sent us to bring you breakfast and see if you need something. If you want, we can get Will?"
"I'm good", grunted Percy, looking at her wearily as he sat up some.
"Doesn't look that way", chimed Leo, just to be elbowed by Piper. "Ouch. What?"
"You know Silena said not to bother him", hissed Piper with a glare.
"Silena?", repeated Percy with large, hopeful eyes. "H—How is she?"
"She's great", smiled Piper reassuringly. "She's been taking good care of me and all other... former children of Aphrodite. Have they told you yet that she's the new Aphrodite? And we, well, we're sort of her helpers. Love is such a big realm, one person alone can't take care of it all."
"What do you mean she's the new Aphrodite?", asked Percy very confused.
"She represents us in the Olympian council. Since, well, with the death of the gods, we demigods automatically got promoted to gods. Or at least that's how Silena explained it to me", said Piper.
"Okay. Slow down. From the top, please", requested Percy with a frown. "Who are you two? I've never seen you at camp before. Are you part of the rebel army?"
"No, we weren't", replied the Latino and sat down on the bed, opposite Percy. "We were attending boarding school together when Lady Thalia came and tracked us down. She's the new goddess of the hunt, she's on a constant search for demigods to bring them to Olympus. All those the gods never... never cared enough to claim, to send to either camp. Lord Luke makes sure all demigods find their place in this new world and our older siblings help us settling with our powers and all. I'm helping Beckendorf in the Olympian forges, together with our other siblings."
Percy nodded numbly, pulling the tray of food closer. "Who is this... new Olympian council...?"
"King Luke, King Octavian and their eleven high council members. Though they also regularly have meetings with us minor gods. Still getting used to the whole being-a-god-thing", replied Piper.
Percy frowned, running his fingers over the light, silver shackles on his wrists. They barely weighed a thing and were thin to not hinder him a lot. They were even engraved, with patterns of waves.
"I changed my mind", stated Percy. "I do need something. I need to talk to Luke."
"Sure, we'll send him to you", grinned Leo. "But first you gotta eat up. He said we have to make sure you eat something because you're underweight. And that's not good."
/break\
Octavian's neck hurt. Sure, all the beds and rooms on Olympus were pristine and beautiful, but the master bedroom was just a notch better. And their beautiful, amazing bed was currently occupied by that son of Poseidon. He had been too out of it yesterday to transport him to another room after Luke's genius idea of 'bring him to my room'. Though Octavian suspected it was to get Percy used to their bed and room. Octavian had observed Luke all day yesterday after Percy had been brought to them. His Luke had been so much brighter and happier yesterday.
Yes, ever since they had gotten rid of Kronos and Octavian was working on restoring Luke's mind and sanity, the son of Hermes had gradually gotten better and also happier. It had brought Octavian the teasing of Thalia and Annabeth, that he was the source of Luke's happiness.
Percy's mere presence in the palace however made Luke smile in a nearly blinding way. The Greek had even been humming when they were getting ready for bed. Octavian had never seen him like that before and he somehow really liked it. Luke had been very strained, trying to juggle too many responsibilities at once ever since they were kings. Right now, Luke was more carefree than ever before, like all he was thinking about was – for once – not the work awaiting him but the fact that Percy was safe, Percy was here, Percy was not in danger.
Octavian knew what was going to happen. Luke had made it abundantly clear that he was not going to dump Octavian and the augur was secure enough to know that to be true; he was secure in their relationship and in the feelings that had grown between them. So the only logical conclusion was, as Will Solace had suggested yesterday, for Luke and Octavian to keep the pretty boy.
Octavian hadn't really slept last night, he had spent the whole night mulling things over. He didn't know this boy, he had never met him and had no emotional attachment to him. He could however already see that Percy was a pretty boy, so he would surely be... pleasant. And, the most important thing, Percy would make Luke happy. So surely Octavian could adjust.
"Hey, boss men, your special guest of honor wants to talk to you."
Octavian frowned as he turned to look at the Latino peeking into the room. "Very well. You may go now, Valdez. But remind Beckendorf of the council meeting. I know he tends to forget them."
"He's distracted by the tinkering", grinned Leo and nodded. "Will do, my lord."
"Are you going ahead to the meeting, or...", drawled Luke slowly, looking at Octavian.
"I'm coming with you", sighed Octavian in defeat. "It'd do good if I got to know our pet."
"Pet?", echoed Luke dubiously.
"It's clear you want this Percy around for more than just his unique powers of the sea to join the council, Lucas. You want him for yourself. To... be tender with him", started Octavian, watching the guilty expression on his consort's face. "There's no need for guilt, love. I suppose we can find an arrangement that will benefit both of us. We can keep him as our pet, if you want him."
Luke had a crooked smile on his face as he looked at Octavian and shook his head. "You're amazing, Tav. But before we can make him 'our pet', we need to convince him to stay here."
"Believe me, you can be... very convincing", smirked Octavian and pulled Luke into a kiss.
Luke hummed pleased, resting his hands on Octavian's chest for a moment before taking the other by the hand and leading him to their bedroom. He knew how his boyfriend worked. It had taken Octavian nearly a year to say 'I love you' to Luke, even though Luke had known that Octavian loved him for over half a year at that point. Octavian wasn't a feelings-kind of person. So if he wanted to keep Percy as their 'pet', for sexual purposes only, then Luke could accept that for as long as Octavian needed to tell himself that. Luke knew Percy would worm his way into Octavian's heart.
"Good morning, Perce", whispered Luke softly as they entered the room.
"Well, it's a morning. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a good one", countered Percy pointedly. "In my experience, waking up in shackles never leads to a good day."
"That is too bad. The best kind of days can start in shackles", hummed Octavian with a dark look as he stared intensely at the son of Poseidon. "And they do look so good on you, Perseus."
Percy made a face and decidedly inched away from Octavian. "Okay, creep."
Luke snorted as he sat down next to Percy. "You wanted to talk to us. What about?"
"I wanted to talk to you. I still don't know what that guy over there even is", huffed Percy with a frown. "Roman? Ogre? I always thought ogres were green..."
"Augur, not ogre", laughed Luke and shook his head. "And like I said, the augur is a seer."
"Whatever", sighed Percy. "The two demigods who brought me breakfast, they said something about a new Olympian council. I want to know who they are. I want to meet them."
"For someone in shackles, you're quite demanding", pointed Octavian out.
"You want me to believe you and to stay here willingly. For that, you would have to convince me that whatever it is you're doing is actually good", countered Percy pointedly.
"Octavian and I are the kings of Olympus. He's the new god of oracles – because Apollo had a couple too many things on his plate, if you ask me. And I'm... I'm not so sure about my powers yet, to be honest. It's the average power array all gods have, but... Annie says I took over a mix of Hermes' and Hestia's realm, most likely. Home. Because I fought to give all of us a new home and a place for weary travelers. Also, trickster god", started Luke slowly. "I'm also the chief of the other children of Hermes, who are now a larger and well-organized team of messengers. Clarisse la Rue became the new Ares, head of our military forces. Charles Beckendorf is the new Hephaestus and leader of the godly forges, taking care of his younger siblings. Silena Beauregard is the new Aphrodite, also leader of her younger siblings who took over the wide array of powers that love covers. Annabeth took over for her mother Athena. Thalia took over for Artemis and is the new leader of the hunt. Nico di Angelo, he's the new king of the underworld, but unlike his father, he is part of our high council. Thalia's younger brother Jason has the powers of Zeus, though quite obviously he's not king – I have always wondered how a god with as lame and limited a power as thunder and lightning ended up being king, really. Technically I guess you could say he's the king of the underworld since he's Nico's consort though. Ethan is also on the council, what with his realm being vengeance and balance, he is also the new judge of the underworld, where he's living with his consort Alabaster – our new Hecate, but he declined when I offered him a seat on the council. Too much politics. Will Solace is the healer of Olympus, took over that aspect of Apollo and is the chief of the minor gods of Apollo – Kayla with archery, Austin driving the sun chariot and so on. Then there are two other Roman council members you don't know – Dakota Elle, a son of Bacchus who also took over for his father, and his consort Leila Fischer, a daughter of Ceres."
"Why eleven?", asked Percy with a frown. "There were twelve titans, twelve gods. Why eleven?"
"Twelve with you", replied Luke softly, looking deep into Percy's eyes.
"Right. I'm the only child of Poseidon, well, unless I got some Roman half-siblings I don't know about", snorted Percy and shook his head slowly.
"That is part of it, yes", nodded Luke slowly. "But by far not the main reason. Percy, I... I always wanted to have you on my side. I tried to make you join me from the start, but... you got more attached to Grover and Annabeth and suddenly had that self-proclaimed duty to protect a camp full of strangers. You started fighting for a father who had abandoned you for years."
Percy sighed and averted his eyes. "I want to meet them. I want to meet that council of yours."
/break\
"Seaweed Brain! I'm so glad you're here", exclaimed Annabeth as she hugged Percy tightly.
He grunted amused and tried to breath and not suffocate. She just smiled at him and pulled him along toward two girls talking to each other. One of them was Thalia, in a beautiful silver gown.
"Percy", grinned Thalia as she reached out and ruffled his hair. "It's good to see you up again."
"Thanks for saving my butt", whispered Percy as he dodged her hand.
"And this is my consort, Reyna. She was a Roman demigoddess, daughter of Bellona – the twin-sister of Ares", elaborated Annabeth with the faintest blush as she pointed at the gorgeous Latina next to Thalia. "We met after I... joined Luke. Luke recruited her and her big sister after the Sea of Monsters. I don't think you remember her because you were a guinea pig, but... she was one of Circe's handmaidens who took care of my hair when we were there."
"I couldn't help it, I was instantly... fascinated by her", said Reyna with a smile, linking fingers with Annabeth. "Apparently, I greatly helped Luke's cause when convincing Annabeth to join us."
"Nice to... meet you, I suppose", nodded Percy slowly and offered a hand. "Percy Jackson."
"I know who you are. We all do", chuckled Reyna amused, shaking the offered hand.
"I don't remember Luke mentioning you as a... member of the council?", frowned Percy.
"Oh, I'm not a council member", dismissed Reyna with a smile, rubbing circles on the back of Annabeth's hand with her thumb. "I'm on the war council though, together with Annabeth and Clarisse. I'm Clarisse's second in command, by the way."
"And as that, you do have some other duties", grunted Clarisse annoyed as she stepped up to them.
"You're such a hard-ass", grinned Reyna amused, pulling Annabeth over to kiss her cheek. "See you later, love. I suppose I have 'other duties' and so do you. We're still on for dinner today, right?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world", smiled Annabeth a bit dazed, stealing a real kiss.
Percy sighed as he got a bit dizzy. He still wasn't as good as he wished he was.
"What in the world is my patient doing out of bed?!", exclaimed Will annoyed.
He grabbed Percy by the upper arm and pulled him toward the thrones to sit him down. Percy's knees were grateful for that, because they were short of buckling. Not even a second later and he was surrounded by people. Silena was frowning concerned as she checked his temperature with her palm on his forehead. Beckendorf stood slightly behind her, looking over her shoulder.
"Honey, are you alright? Thalia told us how she found you", said Silena softly. "You had us all worried quite a bit. Thank the... us, I suppose, that Will is such a good healer."
"Yes, and Will being such a good healer will be for naught if my patient just keeps walking around and defying my orders", grunted Will with a pinched look. "Do I have to tie you to the bed?"
"That is not a rhetorical question", drawled Ethan out and made a face. "He once tied Alabaster to the bed when my dear little warlock got badly hurt during a mission."
"He once locked me into my room after a long quest to Europe", huffed Thalia annoyed.
"What can I say? No one ever listens to me", gritted Will out.
"There, there, Solace. Calm down", snorted Nico and patted Will's head before he turned concerned eyes on Percy. "How are you feeling, Perce? You look... well, gorgeous, but that's beside the point."
"Yes, it is", drawled Jason out and rolled his eyes.
"You're so cute when you're jealous", smirked Nico wickedly, finger hooked into Jason's shirt.
Percy could just stare with wide, stunned eyes. The Nico he remembered had been a bitter boy, eaten away by hatred and loss. This Nico seemed... happy. Sure in himself. Grown-up.
"What happened to you?", blurted Percy out, still staring at Nico.
The Italian ruffled his hair and sighed before looking out at the balcony. "Let's... go outside and talk there? Fresh air will be good for you, I guess."
"You should hurry though, before the meeting starts", pointed Thalia out.
Nico rolled his eyes as he grasped Percy by the arm and helped him outside, where the two of them came to lean against the balustrade, overlooking all of Olympus. "Beautiful view, isn't it?"
"...Yeah", admitted Percy softly. "So... You have a boyfriend now?"
"Uhu", nodded Nico with a faint blush. "He's Roman. Baby brother of Thalia. Met him when I joined Luke's side. He was... kind of... awkward. An outsider around here. I could relate, I guess."
"Why... did you join Luke's side?", asked Percy, staring straight ahead.
"Because Zeus killed my mother. He killed her without any reason. We – Bianca and I – were conceived before that pact. You, Thalia and Jason? All of you were born after. The gods broke oaths to conceive you, but hey, who cares? For us however, yes, let's kill my innocent mother and let's try to kill my sister and me. And father? He... He basically put us on ice until we would become useful to him. Then my sister got killed because of the gods. What... What good have the gods done for me, Percy? Tell me", inquired Nico with a dark look. "Luke offered me a chance to form my own path. To avenge my sister and... make things better for myself. What camp did was to fight for the gods. To be send into war like pawns on a chessboard to protect their lazy king, who just sat on his fat ass without doing anything himself. This? This is for us, Percy. For our future and safety."
Percy sighed and hung his head. After a long stretch of silence, Nico also sighed and left again. For a little while, Percy stayed on the balcony and watched Olympus. It was beautiful and serene. There were nymphs dancing at a spring. Like no war had happened a year ago.
/break\
His little trip to the throne room hadn't been too good for his health, so he was stuck on bed rest for the next two days. Leo and Piper kept bringing him food and drinks, while the others seemed to take turns visiting him – Clarisse and Chris, Travis and Connor, Thalia and Annabeth, Beckendorf and Silena, Nico and Jason, Luke and this Octavian guy. Percy wasn't so sure what he thought about Octavian yet, he was a bit of a weirdo and creep, but he made Luke laugh in a way Percy had never seen before. Jason, he liked though. The son of Jupiter was entertaining and funny.
"Will says that, if you feel like it, you could attend dinner with us others tonight", offered Luke.
Percy sighed and shrugged. "Fine by me. Food's good up here."
"It is", chuckled Luke. "Dakota and Leila are brilliant when it comes to that."
The daughter of Roman Demeter and the son of Roman Dionysus. Percy had met them, briefly. Apparently, they had been close friends with Jason even before the three joined the rebels. Percy slowly got up from the bed, rubbing his wrists subconsciously. He was aware of the shackles still on his wrists. They all knew that Percy didn't trust them and they didn't trust Percy.
"Percy! It's very nice to see you out of bed again", noted Reyna with a friendly smile.
"It's very nice to be out of bed", sighed Percy as he sat down at the long table.
He sat to Luke's right and Annabeth was on his other side. Dakota and Leila entered last, the food floating behind them as the couple smiled in a way that showed how much they knew their food was the best. The two nature gods were brilliant with the vegetables, Percy had to hand it to them. And today's game had been shot and brought to you by Thalia.
"How are you feeling?", asked Leila kindly as she gave him a special serving of vegetables. "Don't make such a face, Percy. They're good for you, will help you heal faster."
"I'm feeling fine", whined Percy with the slightest pout.
"You're so adorable", cooed Silena with a bright smile.
"Yeah, like a baby kitten", snorted Alabaster with a wicked grin and snapped his fingers.
"Alabaster, what have I told you about cursing others?", sighed Ethan annoyed.
"Not to", retorted Alabaster in a rehearsed way. "But I'm just so tired of everyone saying how cute and adorable and sweet and cuddly he is. He's not a baby animal, you know."
Percy stared up at them from his giant kitten eyes and meowed before stretching up to even properly see them, resting his front-paws on the table-top for support. Luke stared right back, eyes nearly equally large as he blinked and reached out to pat the little kitten on the head. Percy started purring and pushed his head against the hand caressing him. The black little ball of fur really did look like Percy. It was adorable and Luke had to grin.
"Turn him back", sighed Octavian exhausted. "We will never hear the end of it."
Alabaster huffed and snapped his fingers again, earning him a praising kiss from Ethan. Percy blinked again, tilting his head and looking down at his hands. He looked up when everyone started giggling. A frown was etched into his face as Luke just kept patting his head.
"Turn him back fully", clarified Octavian with an agitated look.
Percy's cat-ear twitched and the tail was swinging violently behind his seat as he realized he basically looked like a catboy now. His cheeks lit up in a bright blush, while Alabaster cackled.
"What? Since you keep him like a bloody pet, it only suits to put some cat-features to go along with that collar", snickered Alabaster wickedly.
"Not a collar and the shackles are a precaution", huffed Luke angrily.
"I think that's enough of that", sighed Annabeth, glaring very pointedly at Alabaster.
"Aw, come on, it looks cute on him", argued Alabaster with a glare.
"Yeah, it does", agreed Nico, his glance making Percy blush even more somehow.
"Turn him back, Alabaster", growled Luke with a dark look, disliking how Nico looked at Percy.
"You're all no fun", sighed Alabaster as he obeyed his king.
/break\
Percy took to following Luke and Octavian around. Observing how they ruled, how Olympus worked, what the new gods did. It became a routine, one for Percy to learn more about this new world and its rulers. It was maybe five days after Percy started trailing after the couple that Thalia returned from one of her scouting missions, looking very... disturbed.
"Did you find others?", asked Luke curiously.
The demigods Thalia's hunt collected became fewer and fewer – over the past year since they had taken over Olympus, they had already gathered and collected most demigods there were.
"A few. Will is currently tending to most. But we also found... this one", stated Thalia slowly.
She unwrapped the little bundle she held to reveal it was a baby. Everyone looked a bit stunned at that. They occasionally found children and had, so far, brought them to their older half-siblings to take care of them and raise them, if they were willing to do so. But never before a baby.
"Who does it belong to?", asked Octavian, looking like the baby was a full-grown dragon.
"No one", sighed Thalia. "Her mother is dead, but she is... a daughter of Apollo."
"How do you know that?", asked Luke confused. "She can hardly talk, can she?"
"According to her birth-certificate, she's about a year old. She must have been one of the last demigods to be conceived before the gods faded. When we tracked her down, we didn't know whose child she could be, but... she can read the augury. She can... tell the future, did so with her toy blocks and stuffed animals", replied Thalia softly.
They used hellhounds in their hunt these days, gifts from Nico to his consort's big sister. They could smell a demigod's blood even better than most monsters and thanks to that, they easily found the left-over demigods to bring them to safety. Octavian blinked surprised.
"Augury?", asked Octavian intrigued. "So she is the last born augur...?"
"What's her name?", asked Percy, startling Luke and Octavian a bit. "You said birth-certificate. So you gotta know her name. I find her name more important than her godly parent or her power."
Thalia smiled wryly at that. "Sedanur Aykan, we found her in Germany."
"Sedanur?", repeated Luke curiously as he got out of his throne to take the little girl from Thalia. "Hello, Sedanur. It's always nice to meet a legacy of Apollo, they're always bright and cheerful."
"Yes, bright and cheerful", drawled Octavian with a pointed look.
Luke grinned cheekily as he brushed the blonde strands out of the baby's face. She blinked her large blue eyes open and stared at him in awe. A real little angel. Luke was twenty-four, Octavian was twenty-two. They have led a stable and borderline boring life for a year now. They were married by their laws, shared their chambers. They lived in peace, with an army they could rely on in case something may happen. They were happy and good, powerful and rich.
"We'll keep her", declared Luke without another second's hesitation.
"Lucas-", started Octavian with a pointed glare.
"What?", asked Luke with a challenge in his voice. "Will is barely sixteen. He takes his younger siblings under his wing, yes, but he is not ready to raise a toddler yet. We could go to one of the Romans – Bobby or Larry or someone else – or ask another of the other older council members, but she's your blood. More than any other child of Apollo ever was. She has the same gift as you and who would be a better father and mentor and someone who understands that gift and can teach her? Besides, look at the angel. She is... perfect. You and me, we fought for power and control, yes, but also for peace and so our kind could live normal and good lives. I want a normal and good life."
"You want a family", summed Octavian up and frowned down at the toddler.
The little one started giggling and reaching out for the funny-looking grump-face in front of her. Octavian huffed, trying to swat the little hands away that then grabbed his hands and pulled them closer. The next moment, he had a toddler suckling on his finger. Octavian sighed defeated.
"Very well. We will keep her, but you change the diapers", grunted Octavian pointedly.
Percy grinned amused as he approached the three blondes and came to look at the little one.
/break\
Somehow, over the first week of Sedanur staying on Olympus, Percy had become the girl's default babysitter. Her fathers were the kings of Olympus, after all. And after two weeks of trailing after Luke and Octavian, Percy had grown admittedly bored out of his mind with their duties and just watching them. But sitting in his assigned room and staring at the wall was just as boring.
So when he had seen Luke trying to multitask – working on a map of some kind while holding Sedanur, who of course took that opportunity to puke all over the map – Percy had offered to take her and watch her for a little while. The action was repeated and the 'little while' became longer, until after about a week, it became a nearly natural thing that when Luke and Octavian had kingly duties, they would leave Sedanur in Percy's care. He was really good with the kid, after all. Well, he had been good at camp too, leading the younger ones. He just had that aura that made others like him and follow his lead. Even toddlers, apparently.
"How is my princess?", asked Luke eagerly as he pushed the door open and made a beeline for her.
Percy grinned amused as he looked up from the wooden block castle that he and the little one had been building for the last hour. "Danny is great, right, Danny?"
"Her name is Sedanur. Not Danny, Perseus", corrected Octavian with distaste.
"Naw, your name is Danny, right?", cooed Percy, tickling Danny's stomach so the little blonde angel yelped delighted and started clapping loudly. "See? She likes the nickname."
Luke chuckled fondly as he gathered Sedanur up in his arms and kissed her softly. "Were you a good girl, princess? Papa and I missed you horribly, you know?"
"Speak for yourself", muttered Octavian, yet the way he caressed her hair in passing betrayed him.
Percy grinned amused. Octavian was fast growing fond of the child himself, but he was in horrible denial about it. It was rather amusing and curious to watch, at least for Percy. Stretching out his legs, both having fallen asleep during his time on the ground, Percy gathered some of the wayward toys to put them back into the treasure box that Leo, Beckendorf, Jake and Nyssa had crafted. Within her one week of living on Olympus, Danny had acquired a ton of toys and clothes and beautiful furniture for her room. Her room being the one on the other side of the kings' master bedroom, so only two rooms over from where Percy was staying at. Percy had stayed in the master bedroom his first day here, he had realized that the first day he took care of Danny. He hadn't thought too much when they had moved him from one oversized pompous bedroom to another, but now he realized they had moved him from Luke and Octavian's bedroom to another.
"Was she behaving herself, Perseus?", inquired Octavian as he helped Percy clean up the mess.
"She was an angel", grinned Percy. "Ate her lunch obediently, took her nap, played with me."
"Of course you were an angel, you're my princess, after all", cooed Luke lovingly.
Both Percy and Octavian turned to look at Luke with soft eyes. Seeing him with the little one was plain adorable. He had always been a protector and provider – for Thalia and Annabeth, for his cabin, for the rebels. He proved to be a wonderful and caring father to Sedanur.
/break\
Somehow, Percy lost his original goal out of sight. Somehow, living here had become a thing. He had grown accustomed to eating with the other gods, to watching over Danny while Luke and Octavian were busy, to live in his pretty pompous chambers. It had, somehow, become his life.
"She really adores you", observed Silena with a tender smile.
"I guess", shrugged Percy, yet with a proud look on his face.
Silena had come to visit them and bring some of the cookies she had baked, something much appreciated by both Percy and Danny. Now Silena and Percy were sitting together on the couch, drinking tea, while Danny was asleep against Percy's chest. So the short visit was turned into an impromptu tea party, with Piper, Reyna and Annabeth joining in after a couple of minutes, most likely lured in by the scent of freshly baked cookies. Silena had a knowing smile on her lips.
"You really adore her", added the daughter of Aphrodite after a moment.
"Hard not to. She's adorable", grinned Percy, caressing Danny's cheek.
"But you still haven't decided to stay", pointed Reyna out, looking at the shackles still in place.
"We have fought against the rebels for years. I still don't... I can't just... There was a reason. Turning now, it would feel like... all those deaths and fights and heartaches would have been in vain", whispered Percy, decidedly focusing on Danny in his arms. "I am a prisoner here, Rey. I was from day one and I will continue to be one. There was never really an option for me. Join willingly, or just stay here in shackles. Why should I cave?"
Annabeth heaved a disappointed sigh, but she remained silent. She understood it. If circumstances would have been different, she would have continued to oppose Luke too. But he had regained his sanity, had turned his back on the titans – the true enemy they had been facing – and he already had Thalia on his side due to the whole Jason and the Romans debacle that he had uncovered. The gods just... they hadn't deserved the demigods anymore. Why should Annabeth and her kin be the ones to sacrifice everything, including their lives and family, for the sake of gods who abandoned them every turn they got, only fed them the information they deemed necessary and used them? Thalia and Luke were her family, above all else, her loyalty laid with them. Reyna sighed softly, noticing the mood-shift in her girlfriend and laying a comforting arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Annabeth sighed softly, resting her cheek against Reyna's shoulder. The daughter of Bellona was amazing. She was strong, intelligent, beautiful and a born leader. Annabeth couldn't help but admire her when she had met Reyna again on the Princess Andromeda. She had met Reyna before and apparently that brief meeting in the sea of monsters and the friendly conversation they have had there had been enough to form a basic attachment. Among all the strangers, Reyna was grateful for a face she at least recognized. So they spent more time together. And more time. Until one thing led to another and Annabeth finally got to learn what happiness shared with another person felt like.
/break\
It had been a month now that Danny was living on Olympus and Percy had to admit, he had grown very attached to the energetic, bright little toddler. He was currently playing with her and Reyna's metal dogs. The two artificial beasts were beautiful, mighty and impressive. One was golden and the other was silver, both with ruby eyes that watched Danny carefully. Danny watched them in return with a happy smile, patting the snout of Argentum – the silver one. Percy grinned softly and kissed her forehead while Argentum and his brother Aurum curled around her.
"You know to be careful around them, mh?", whispered Percy amused as he saw how careful Danny was patting the dogs. "You're such a clever girl, aren't you?"
"Quite obviously, she is my daughter after all", drawled Octavian as he entered the room.
Percy snorted and Aurum and Argentum sat up attentively, watching Octavian wearily. The blonde king raised one eyebrow at the metal-beasts before side-stepping them and walking toward Percy and Danny, Luke hot on his heels. Over the past two weeks, Octavian came to settle with Danny as his daughter – as his heir. A child he could form, could raise to be clever, above average and well-mannered. Luke had pointed that out to him; since Octavian's main complaint about the child had been that children were annoying, loud and never listened. Luke had pointed out that those things were a thing of education and how the parents raised them. As Danny's parent, Octavian could ensure that Danny would grow to be a well-mannered child, not one to throw a screeching temper tantrum whenever she didn't get what she wished for. Octavian found a certain appeal in the notion and Luke sealed the deal by pointing out that she would be their heir.
"Dad and papa missed you, my little princess", said Octavian fondly, ruffling her curls.
"Hello, sweetie", grinned Luke pleased as he pushed past Octavian to lift Danny up onto his arms, making Danny giggle and coo. "Were you being a good girl for mommy?"
"...Mommy?", echoed Percy doubtfully, both eyebrows raised.
"Well, if Tav is her papa and I'm her daddy, then you must obviously be her mommy, because you care for her and coddle her all day long", replied Luke with a mischievous smirk.
Percy sighed at the teasing and rolled his eyes a bit annoyed.
/break\
"Look at you, like a little dolphin", cooed Percy happily.
Luke snorted amused as he watched them fondly. He stood on the balcony, directly above the lake, watching how Percy was making Danny float in the water. The toddler giggled delighted as Percy held her in the middle and securely with her head above the water. They were so cute together.
"At least Perseus won't let our daughter drown", sighed Octavian pointedly.
"He never would", huffed Luke as he leaned against his husband. "He's so sweet with her."
"I admit he is quite the good mom", agreed Octavian, laying his arms around Luke's waist.
"Can we keep him?", asked Luke hopefully, tilting his head to look up at him. "I mean, we haven't really talked this out, but... He's taking care of our kid, he's so cute, he's..."
"I thought we were already keeping him?", inquired Octavian curiously. "I do consider him our pet. He's rather useful, now that he's not constantly staying in bed and being taken care of."
"...He was pretty close to death. He earned his stay in bed and being taken care of", pointed Luke out with a slight glare. "And he's not a pet. He's going to be our queen, Tav."
Octavian snorted amused. "You do seem rather hung up on teasing him about being a girl."
"It's not like that", frowned Luke. "He takes the mommy-thing with humor. And we can't go about having three kings now, can we? You also can't deny how gorgeous he'd look in a dress."
"Naughty", hummed Octavian intrigued, raising one eyebrow.
"Look, there's your daddies", called Percy out, interrupting them by spotting them.
Percy looked up at them with a bright smile, waving at them with Danny on his shoulders. Danny giggled delighted and waved with both hands. Even Octavian found them cute together.
/break\
"...This is different", pointed Percy out doubtfully.
"Consider it a thank you for helping us out with Danny in the past one and a half months."
Luke smiled pleasantly as he pulled the chair back for Percy. Percy's look only became even more doubtful. They did sometimes eat separate from the others; team dinner was obligatory once a month but other than that, Percy often ended up eating just with Luke, Octavian and Danny. But tonight, Luke had cooked something especially nice. Percy enjoyed dinner and conversation, they were eating outside on the balcony tonight, with the moon illuminating their food. The balcony was long, it stretched out from the master-bedroom over to Danny's bedroom.
"Why does your room have a connecting balcony to another room anyway?", asked Percy curiously.
"Danny's bedroom used to be Ganymedes' room", replied Luke amused. "The boy that Zeus turned immortal and made him cup bearer just so Zeus could have his cute, little gay lover close. I guess this was just another sign of how much Zeus mocked his wife."
"I do hope you two won't let being king get to your heads", warned Percy with a frown.
"All those affairs? No", huffed Octavian with a glare. "Luke and I, we share everything."
Luke smirked slyly as he scooted closer to Percy. "Yes, we do share everything."
Percy blinked doe-eyed as Luke lifted his hand to caress Percy's cheek and lean in. Frowning, Percy lifted both his hands and pushed against Luke's chest. Sometimes, Luke forgot how strong Percy was. The son of Hermes grunted surprised, nearly falling off his chair.
"Uhm...", drawled Luke out, frowning confused.
"I'm not going to let you kiss me", pointed Percy out, frowning a bit annoyed.
"But I thought... Was I misreading something?", asked Luke, now a bit concerned.
Percy tilted his head, both eyebrows raised. "I like you. But that doesn't mean I'll let you kiss me. It's not like I have a lot of choices left, but who I kiss and who I don't kiss, that is one of the few I have left. You don't even trust me, why should I let you kiss me?"
To prove his point, he lifted both his shackled wrists up and gave Luke a pointed look. The son of Hermes made a face. Okay, so maybe seducing someone while holding them captive send kind of mixed signals. Sighing, Luke waved his hands once and made the shackles dissolve. Percy stared at him, honestly surprised and ouch, that look hurt a lot.
"You're right", admitted Luke softly. "We're not going to win you over by not giving you a choice."
"I can leave now", pointed Percy out, arching one eyebrow.
"You can. And you have every right to", agreed Luke before reaching out to caress Percy's cheek once more. "But... I hope that you have enough reason not to leave."
"...It's getting late. I'll go to bed", whispered Percy before sneaking out.
Octavian and Luke were left to stare after him before Octavian pulled Luke close. "Well, that didn't go as planned. And do you truly think that it was a good idea to unshackle him?"
"He's right. We will never make him ours if we don't show him that we trust him", whispered Luke, looking worried as he snuggled up to Octavian. "We need to give him a choice, it's his decision. And we need to accept whatever it is he chooses."
/break\
"Where is Percy?", asked Leila confused the next day during lunch.
They were preparing a big barbeque together. All, aside from Percy. Luke heaved a sigh.
"He's... gone", replied Octavian matter-of-factly.
"Gone?", echoed Annabeth displeased as she overheard. "What does 'gone' mean?"
"That he left Olympus. And I doubt he'll... come back", whispered Luke slightly upset.
"But you shackled him", pointed Reyna out with a glare for upsetting Annabeth.
"We took the shackles off-", started Luke.
"He took the shackles off", corrected Octavian. "What? It was your decision. I suggested shackling him to our bed to make it more permanent. But you decided to let him make his own decisions."
"It's awful when you end up siding with Octavian", muttered Thalia beneath her breath.
"Agreed", whispered Dakota next to her and toasted her.
"Mh?", mumbled Danny where she was nestled against Luke's chest.
"And we woke the little one", sighed Luke with a pointed glare at the others before he started rocking the toddler on his arms. "Hey, Danny my princess, no need to wake up."
"Mh!", huffed Danny as she looked intensely around, seemingly searching for something.
"What is it, girl? Did you see something, did you?", asked Leo excited.
"She's a princess, not a dog, Valdez", chided Octavian pointedly.
But the little toddler just frowned, very upset, looking around once more. Luke mirrored her frown, confused about what was going on with his daughter. He shifted her onto his other arm and kissed her cheek, trying to distract her from whatever was upsetting her.
"What's wrong, princess? No need to be upset", cooed Luke softly, nuzzling her cheek.
"Nu—uh", huffed Danny, even more upset. "Ma."
"What's she complaining about?", inquired Piper curiously.
"Ma!", exclaimed Danny, lower lip quivering. "Mama."
"Okay, now I'm confused", admitted Leo with a frown.
"Mama!", demanded Danny, making grabby-motions into thin air.
"...Her first word is mama", whispered Luke, feeling like he got punched in the gut.
He was upset that Percy had left, but Danny... He had made her love Percy, he had actively encouraged her to think of Percy as her mommy, he had initiated for Percy and Danny to spend practically the whole day together. And now he had allowed Percy to leave. Danny had just lost her mommy. Sure, Percy had seen it as Luke playing an annoying game by suggesting to Danny that Percy was her mommy, but Danny was too young to perceive the world in blacks and whites like adults where mothers were female. To Danny, Percy was the one who was raising her and loving her and cooing at her. And because of Luke, she had lost exactly that.
/break\
Not even playing with Argentum and Aurum could lift Danny's spirits. Over the next two days, she kept complaining and whining about her mommy. She would cry a lot and Luke would feel more and more like shit every single time. Right now, he was sitting in the garden with Danny, Argentum and Aurum, as well as Travis, Connor, Leo, Nyssa, Jake, Charles and Silena. Leo, Jake, Nyssa and Charles were putting together a swing-set with a slide for Danny, thinking that maybe a playground could distract her a little. Travis, Connor, Silena and Luke were playing with her. Or at least they were trying to. She just kept clinging onto the black pegasus plushie that Percy had favored when playing with her. Silena sighed in defeat and settled to lean back on her hands, body turning so she could instead watch her Charlie at work, one of her favorite sights.
"Are we going to address the elephant in the room?", asked Travis after a long moment of silence.
"We're not in a room and there's no elephant", pointed Nyssa out dryly.
"Percy. He means Percy", supplied Connor and rolled his eyes. "Or rather, the lack of Percy."
"Mama?", asked Danny and perked up at the sound of her mommy's name.
Luke glared fiercely at his brothers as he smoothed his daughter's hair down. Silena sighed again.
"We can't force him to stay where he doesn't want to be", pointed Silena out. "I'm proud of Luke for the decision he made. Percy has to make his own choices."
"Ye—eah", drawled Travis out. "But we can also just... track him down and convince him that this is what he really-really wants, you know? Maybe you could give Octavian and Luke a special lesson on Seduction 101 so they won't fail so miserably this time around?"
"And once he realizes all he wants and needs is here, he'll decide on himself to come back", agreed Connor with a broad grin. "It's a fool-proof plan! And by 'fool-proof' we mean 'Percy-proof'."
"It's not nice calling other people names behind their back."
"Mama! Mama, mama, mama!", gasped Danny high-pitched, giggling happily.
Luke froze up. That was Percy's voice alright and that was the first time Danny had laughed in two days. Gulping hard, Luke slowly turned around, watching how Danny crawled eagerly over to where Percy was standing. The son of Poseidon laughed as he bend down to pick her up.
"You don't get to do that", was coldly barked at Percy. Percy frowned, a bit surprised by the cold greeting. Octavian approached them with long strides, glare on his face. "You don't get to leave like that without a word. You don't get to upset them and leave and then just come back."
Percy hid a smile in Danny's hair as he kissed the top of her head. "Papa is grumpy but won't admit that he missed me too, mh princess? But mommy didn't mean to upset you guys. Mommy just had a couple things to do, people to see, thoughts to think and all that."
He lifted her up and whirled her around once, making her laugh loudly, before he handed her over to... Luke paused and blinked a couple times as he took in the people Percy had brought along with him. Sally Jackson smiled kindly as she accepted the toddler and cuddled her a little, Paul Blofis standing next to her, staring around wide-eyed and taking in Olympus while Tyson grinned at the toddler and waved at her excitedly. Percy smiled as he caressed Danny's hair.
"Guys, this is Danny. Danny, look that's grandma and that's grandpa and that is your uncle Tyson", introduced Percy. "Grandmas make awesome cookies and grandpas tell great bedtime stories."
"Hello, little niece!", exclaimed Tyson very excited.
"Aren't you a sweet little angel?", cooed Sally fondly, booping Danny's nose.
"...This place is amazing", whispered Paul in awe.
"New granddaughter, Paul", chided Sally amused. "But yes, the place is lovely."
"Right. Baby", nodded Paul and turned toward the little blonde that was staring at them with large, curious eyes. "She's adorable. Hello there, little one."
"Isn't she?", grinned Percy as he took her again because she made grabby-motions for him again, having enough of the new people. "Silena, Trav, Con, would mind showing them around?"
Silena frowned, very confused, before nodding slowly. "Sure... Please, if you want to follow me."
The Stolls complained at first, but a stern look from Silena and they obediently followed. Charles exchanged a look with his girlfriend before grabbing his little siblings.
"Come on, it's time for lunch break", declared Charles gruffly.
"But I'm not hungry", complained Leo.
"Yeah. We barely even got started", pointed Jake out.
"You can spend lunch with Will, Jake. And you could sneak a couple of Piper's cookies", pointed Nyssa out as she grabbed her brothers by the necks and pulling them along.
Charles chuckled as he followed the three, effectively leaving Percy, Luke and Octavian alone. Luke slowly stood up and came to stand next to Octavian, both facing Percy, who was still fussing over the toddler clinging onto him for dear life. He tickled her stomach and grinned.
"Explain", ordered Octavian, patience stretching thin.
Percy looked up from Danny, both eyebrows raised. "I spent two solid months observing you and the others. What... you're doing and how you're doing it, it's good. You're doing a good job as gods. I still don't agree with the way you took power. I don't agree with what happened to the gods. But I can't change the past. All I can do... is help shaping the future. I came to the decision to stay here, on Olympus, about a month ago. But... having Danny in my life, feeling like... part of a family, reminded me that I have a family. And if I'm staying here, so are they. That's my condition. If you want me to join your council, my parents are going to stay on Olympus too and they will receive godhood. I'm sure we can use a minor god of... of teachers, or something. And a minor goddess of awesome cookies, I don't know. I don't care. They don't even need powers. I just need them. And there's no negotiating there; they stay, or I go."
"Understood", nodded Luke slowly. "We've... never granted anyone godhood before, we only got it by default after overthrowing the gods. But I'm sure we can work something out."
"You're just going to grant two strangers godhood?", hissed Octavian surprised.
"All of this came out of that woman. She has to be good", argued Luke, motioning at all of Percy. "If he trusts them, I'm sure they are okay. And... we could at first get to know them. Take it slow. We don't have to grant them godhood right now, right Percy?"
"A month", offered Percy and tilted his head. "So they can settle in and you can get to know them and see if they're trustworthy. I understand you won't give anything to anyone without knowing them first. But if you come to decide you don't trust them, then I'll pack up and leave with them."
"Understood", confirmed Luke firmly.
"And I have another condition", continued Percy, voice very even and serious.
"Very demanding", muttered Octavian beneath his breath before being elbowed by Luke. "Ouch."
Percy looked at them pointedly. "Dates. Real dates. Not just dinner in your room."
"...What?", asked Luke surprised.
Percy raised one very unimpressed eyebrow. "You've been flirting with me ever since I came here. You tried to get one on one on one time for over a month now, trying to be sneaky and all. You tried to kiss me. But you also taught Danny to call me 'mommy' and including me in your daughter's family like that is... far beyond flirting and trying to get laid. So I'm assuming you're serious. And that means we have to take this serious. So I expect to be taken out. Dinner, movies, walks along the freaking beach, visiting the zoo, I don't even care, just... anywhere but this dining hall and this castle. Real, actual dates to see... if this can lead anywhere, because... let's face it, I've had the biggest crush on you ever since I met you, Luke. And I may have developed a slightly unhealthy crush on Octavian during my unwilling stay in New Rome. But in the past two months of staying here and... having you take care of me and seeing you with Danny, I... think those feelings deepened. And I would like to see where they can lead."
"I think we can work with that", hummed Octavian, looking very pleased with himself.
"I'm glad you came back", whispered Luke as he pulled Percy into a tight hug.
"Mama home", agreed Danny happily.
"Oh my gosh, sweetheart, you can talk", cooed Percy delighted.
"She started literally the day you left. It's only a few things and really mainly 'mama', but also a couple of 'papa's and 'dada's and small things", replied Luke amused.
"Clever girl, mh? My clever girl", whispered Percy praisingly.
"Of course she's clever. She is my daughter", huffed Octavian and puffed out his chest a bit.
"Of course", chuckled Luke fondly.
/break\
"Do you like work at the forges?", asked Percy while preparing dinner.
"It's awesome. And Beckendorf is really nice. He's guiding me and showing me everything and Nyssa and Leo and Jake and the others are really nice too", replied Tyson with a grin.
He was setting the table, together with Paul, while Sally helped Percy out with dinner. The four of them were having a family dinner in Sally's and Paul's chamber that had a kitchenette so they could have a bit privacy and didn't have to be with everyone always. They had been on Olympus for about a week now. They had settled in nicely, as far as Percy could judge.
"That's nice, bro", smiled Percy pleased as they all sat down together to eat. "And you?"
"I'm still trying to digest the whole living on Olympus thing, or that my stepson is now a god, or that he wants me to become immortal", muttered Paul beneath his breath.
"Understandable", grinned Percy amused.
"I for my part love this", declared Sally. "Your friends are lovely. The garden is beautiful. The kitchen is... wonderful. And you are clearly happy here, so that's what I need to be happy here. Percy, you have been through so lot and... for... for so many months, I thought you were dead. That your friends took you in and healed you and that they're now offering all of us a home... I'm just grateful to have you back, my boy."
There were tears shining in her eyes as she pulled Percy into a tight hug, one that he eagerly returned. "I know, mom. I'm glad we're here too."
"But are we ever going to talk about that granddaughter?", inquired Paul after a moment. "I mean, she's adorable. A very sweet child. But... she calls you mom, step-son of mine. And she seems to be the adopted daughter of those two... kings of Olympus."
"Luke and Octavian are trying to make me become part of this new Big Three kind of thing. Become their third king and all", replied Percy easily. "The mom-thing, I think it started out as a joke, but since Danny took to it so heartedly, I... can't possibly forbid her from calling me that, can I? And it's not like it hurts or anything. She looks at me with so much... love and adoration."
"That's the look I've been getting for the past seventeen years now", agreed Sally with a teasing smile. "Get used to it. Though, you are doing a great job. She truly does adore you already."
"Yeah", nodded Percy with a broad, dopey smile.
"And the matter of the two kings?", pressed Paul on, looking concerned. "I mean, are they... pressuring you, Percy? Or bribing you with Danny?"
"There is a bit of bribing, but I don't mind", smiled Percy. "I like them, both. I'm trying to give them a chance. I mean, we had our first date on Wednesday and it was actually... very nice."
"It was?", asked Tyson teasingly. "Silena has been fawning about it."
"Yeah", laughed Percy and settled in a bit more comfortable. "It was nice. Dinner in New York, just... just dinner. Sitting together, eating, really talking. It's good."
/break\
"This is very beautiful", commented Percy softly as he snuggled up to Luke.
It was their twenty-fifth date. Paul and Sally have been immortal for half a year now. And Percy, Percy was now officially the king of the sea. Things had worked out a bit different than planned. Sally and Paul had turned out to be minor sea gods, considering they were Percy's family. Since Percy was now officially in a relationship with Luke and Octavian, he wasn't too fond of living in a different castle. He also wasn't too fond of his parents living so far away from him. It was however time for them to slowly move on and have separate lives. Sally and Paul became Percy's step-ins under the sea, taking care of the palace and business down there. Percy came and visited them at least once a week, not just to see them but also to take care of his new kingly duties.
"Yes, it is", agreed Luke as he reached out to caress Percy's hair.
"Am I in the way?", drawled Octavian with an unimpressed look.
Luke on one of his shoulders and Percy on the other both turned toward him with matching innocent grins. Really, half the time Octavian wondered why he had gotten himself into this mess of a relationship. And then both his lovers leaned up to kiss his cheeks and he remembered. They were gorgeous, tender and precious. Reaching out, he laid one hand in each their necks.
"Mommy, mommy, look! Fur-horsey!"
Octavian groaned a little bit as their daughter marched in. Danny smiled proudly as she rode on top of her 'fur-horsey', aka the giant hellhound of her mommy. Danny instantly fell in love with Mrs. O'Leary when meeting the giant beast and since Percy loved his 'puppy' too, there was no way around accepting the fluffy monster into the family too. Mrs. O'Leary barked as she approached them and laid down between Octavian's legs, resting her head on his stomach and looking up at him endearingly. Seeing as she was now between Luke and Percy, the two started instantly patting her and cuddling her as well as their daughter. Luke had grown fast attached to Mrs. O'Leary and as long as the beast made Octavian's three important people happy, she could stay.
"You had fun with uncle Tyson today?", asked Percy with a smile.
"Yay!", exclaimed Danny, nodding wildly before throwing herself at Luke. "Nighty-night?"
"Nighty-night it is", agreed Luke fondly and gathered her in his arms.
"Take the monster with you", demanded Octavian.
After Danny gave both Octavian and Percy sloppy kisses, Luke whistled and Mrs. O'Leary obediently followed him. Percy smiled to himself as he watched the trio head back inside while he snuggled up against Octavian some more. The arrogant, cold augur was not as arrogant and cold once one got to know him. He didn't give a damn if he didn't care about someone, but when he cared about someone, then he really cared. And Percy loved being cared for by him, and by Luke.
"You cold, my queen?", hummed Octavian softly, tightening his grip on Percy and shifting him.
"King. Idiot", muttered Percy annoyed. "And yes. Bed sounds nice about now. Carry me?"
Octavian snorted, but he obeyed. Godhood had, thankfully enough, given him godly strength, because there was no way he would have been able to carry the hero. The way things were, Octavian could easily lift Percy bridal-style and carry him back inside from their star-gazing-picnic-nest on the balcony. As soon as Percy was on the bed, he sneakily tugged Octavian's shirt off before lifting his own arms demandingly. There was a giant teasing grin on his lips, lasting for as long as it took Octavian to strip the son of Poseidon down. As soon as Percy was naked, the Sea King spread out on the bed, stretching lasciviously. Octavian's eyes darkened as he drank in the sight.
"Shall we get a head-start before Lucas returns, Perseus?", inquired Octavian amused.
"That was the plan, Tavy", grinned Percy and wiggled his eyebrows.
Snorting, Octavian went to fetch the lube. Octavian smirked as he saw how Percy spread his legs in invitation. The son of Poseidon had grown onto him too fast and too hard. Luke was supposed to be his one and only. The only person for him to care about. And somehow, Luke had burdened him with all of those people. Ethan and Alabaster were... enjoyable company, so was Annabeth actually. Percy was endearing and lovely. Sedanur was worth worshiping.
"Well, darling, what is it you want tonight?", inquired Octavian, sitting down next to Percy and running his fingers over Percy's thighs. "You've had a very hard day today, didn't you? Want me and Lucas to take proper care of you? Just tell me what we can do for you tonight."
Percy smiled pleased by that. His day had been long, he had spent most of it negotiating treaties in the underwater palace, trying to end a gang war between dolphins and beluga whales. Because that was his life now. It sounded amusing, but it had been hard and exhausting and long-lasting. Spreading his legs some more, Percy pulled Octavian down into a kiss.
"I want you to fuck me a bit. Until Luke comes. And then I want him to joining you", said Percy.
Octavian's eyes darkened in hunger. He hastily lubed his cock up and slipped his hands around Percy's waist to reach his ass, kneading it a couple of times before his fingers found Percy's waiting hole. At first Octavian only teased, the touch light and rhythmic, but since Percy promised them a big night just now, Octavian wanted more and he wanted it fast. Grasping Percy's ass-cheeks, he pulled them apart as he lined up with the tight hole. Percy liked the stretch and burn of not being so well-prepared. Octavian grunted as he thrust hard and sharp and deep. Percy moaned and threw his head back as Octavian assumed a fast and punctured pace, aiming for Percy's prostate.
"Ah. So you started the fun without me", noted Luke amused as he entered.
"I'm just getting him warmed up for you, darling", countered Octavian. "Why don't you join me?"
"Oh? Is that an actual offer?", asked Luke intrigued as he started stripping down.
Once naked, he crawled onto the bed to his lovers, watching in fascination how beautiful Octavian and Percy looked together, the pale augur fucking the tanned hero hard, both looking blissed-out. Octavian gripped Percy's butt harder and lifted him up, practically offering Percy's ass to Luke. Luke smirked, looking like a hungry lion as he lubed his cock up and leaned against Percy's back.
"So good for us, babe", purred Luke pleased, kissing Percy's shoulder. "Gonna take care of you."
"That's what I already promised him", pointed Octavian out. "So please, go ahead and join me."
Percy craned his neck enough to look at Luke seductively. How could Luke possibly deny that? He lined up with Octavian's cock and eased in slowly, knowing that two dicks were quite the stretch on Percy. Percy whimpered softly and Octavian and Luke kissed him all over to sooth him. Percy closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of being pampered and kissed and taken care for tonight. After a short pause, Octavian continued thrusting and Luke finally started. They were a well-oiled machine, one thrust in just as the other pulled out. Percy loved how well his blondes worked together and especially when they worked together to wreck him. With the stimulation – intensified by Luke's cunning fingers around his cock, choking it and stroking it – Percy didn't last long.
"L—Luktavian", moaned Percy as he spilled his seed.
"Lazy bastard", snorted Luke amused and bit Percy's neck. "Can't even properly moan two names."
"Shaddap", complained Percy as he went lax between them.
He closed his eyes and just enjoyed how both his lovers continued fucking him hard until they came, nearly at the same time, filling him up with their warm, sticky cum. He knew it was a mess, the bed would be a mess in the morning, but he didn't quite care at the moment. He just enjoyed the sensation and the caresses. Both his blondes stayed inside of him as they laid down on the bed together. Luke tenderly trailed kisses along Percy's shoulders and neck, while Octavian traced Percy's face with his hands. Percy smiled softly at the Roman before he leaned in for a kiss.
"I'm glad I decided to stay", whispered Percy, voice tired as he snuggled up to his lovers.
"Believe me, so are we, darling", countered Octavian with a frown. "Even though I still can not believe it myself. How did not just one but two annoying, stubborn, heroic, mischievous Greeks manage to worm their way into my heart? Impossible."
"Yeah, we really are", agreed Luke cheekily, leaning over Percy to kiss Octavian's cheek.
Percy smiled sleepily, closing his eyes. "Tomorrow, we go to the zoo with Danny..."
"Yes, we will", confirmed Luke, also kissing Percy. "But for now, sleep some, Perce."
~*~ The End ~*~