Chapter Text
After patching up their wounds and collecting the sap, they only had two more days until Percy was supposed to get to camp. Jason winced as he handed over his card to the nice lady at the American Airlines desk, but there was nothing else to be done for it. They had to get back to camp in time or else Percy would catch wind of what they were doing. The flight was direct, thank the gods, and Jason passed out on Piper’s shoulder the second they boarded the plane.
Apollo was waiting for them when they finally got back to camp. (The assholes had made Jason pay for the taxi from the airport too. He would actually never know peace.) He grinned at the sight of the three of them, and set down the child of his he was currently holding.
“My favorite demigods return!” Apollo said happily, sliding his sunglasses onto his forehead. “Just in time, too. I was starting to get worried.”
Jason rolled his eyes, tossing the sack of ingredients to Apollo who caught it effortlessly. Apollo checked inside, then nodded. “Everything appears to be in order. Wicked love magic radiating off that rose, by the way. Did you get it from Aphrodite herself?”
“Can you make the antidote or not?” Jason said, feeling very tired and very, very done. He missed Percy. He wanted to lay down in the Poseidon cabin where it smelled like the sea and everything wonderful and never get up. But his job here wasn’t finished.
“Course I can,” Apollo grinned. “Now leave me alone to work. I’ll have it done tomorrow.”
Jason sighed, slumping. He turned to Piper and Annabeth, who looked just as exhausted as he felt. “Thank you guys,” he said softly. “For everything.”
Piper was the first to wrap him up in a hug. “You’re so welcome. Besides, this was kind of fun, right? Just like old times.”
“Just like old times,” Jason echoed, allowing Annabeth to wrap him up in a hug next. He buried his face into her hair with a sigh. “I’m going to miss you guys.”
“Hey,” Annabeth said as she pulled away. “None of that. We’re not going anywhere yet—who will be around to tease the both of you after you’re engaged?”
“He has to say yes first,” Jason said sheepishly, but gave Annabeth a soft smile. That hadn’t been what he meant and they both knew it–Annabeth was just trying to make him feel better. She had succeeded.
“Jason Grace,” Piper sounded exasperated. “If you think he will say no you are far stupider than anyone gives you credit for.”
“It’s always a possibility,” Jason protested halfheartedly, but after his breakthrough while fighting Ladon he didn’t truly think Percy would say no. They loved each other. Wasn’t that enough?
“Let’s go take a nap,” Annabeth said, cutting the tension. “Can we all go to Cabin 3, or will Percy’s father get upset by that?”
Jason shrugged. “Better than the Big House, that’s for sure. He doesn’t mind when I sleep there, and besides, he probably won’t even find out.”
That was good enough for Piper. She led the way over to the low lying blue cabin, tossing her bag into the corner and flopping onto the bed. Annabeth crawled in after her, and Jason brought up the rear. The three of them fell asleep in a tangle of limbs, not waking up when Chiron called them to dinner, or anytime after.
***
Jason woke up in the late morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. He slipped off the bed, brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower. Then he made his way down to the sword fighting arena. He was supposed to be teaching a class this week, after all. He might as well pretend like he had been. It was better to do this in the morning, before the arena became swamped with people trying to get a glimpse of Jason.
“Jason, you’re back!” Aimura called out, pulling away from where she had been talking to one of her siblings. Jason ruffled her hair affectionately. “Do you have time to spar?”
“That’s why I came down!”
She grinned, immediately assuming a fighting stance. They exchanged blows for a few minutes in a friendly manner, Jason quietly pointing out tips to her, before she spoke up.
“What were you doing this week?” Aimura asked. In the time that they had begun to spar, they had a small crowd of about five people—which was five too many in Jason’s opinion. Aimura’s tone was quiet, keeping the conversation private which he was grateful for.
“Promise not to tell?” He figured she could keep the secret for at least 12 hours until the news was out anyway. At her nod, he smiled. “I was running errands for Percy’s father. I’m proposing to Percy today, when he gets to camp.”
She almost dropped her sword. “Oh my gods!” She squealed, drawing the attention of everyone around them. Jason flushed, but luckily she dropped back down to her original hushed tone. “You’re serious? You’re getting married?”
Jason tapped her leg gently with the flat of his sword. She rolled her eyes, but dutifully widened her stance. “If he says yes, then yes,” Jason said. He raised his sword, ready to go again with her, but she looked far too delighted to spar. Jason sighed. They would have to continue this later.
“You’re going to be like our camp mom and dad for real now!” Aimura was grinning. Jason let himself feel warm and fuzzy about that for a second before he frowned.
“Wait. Do people really call us camp mom and dad?”
“Um, yeah,” Aimura said, her voice saying duh.
“Who is the mom and who is the dad?”
Aimura just smirked.
“Ames. Am I the dad? Please tell me I’m the dad.”
She mimed zipping her lips, then sheathed her sword. “Bye, Jason, good luck tonight!” She said, then broke out into a run.
“Aimura!” he called after her. “Get back here and tell me that I’m the damn dad!” Her laughter echoed through the area as she ran back towards the cabin. Everyone was giving him weird stares now, and he groaned, throwing his sword onto the ground.
“That was embarrassing,” Apollo drawled from where he had appeared next to the fighting rink. “Hard to watch, even.”
Jason sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Did you finish?”
“‘Wow, Apollo, thank you so much for making the magical antidote for my boyfriend’s father, I really appreciate it,’” Apollo said in a terrible imitation of Jason’s voice, then he rolled his eyes. “Here.” He threw Jason a small vial that was glowing a strange blue color. “Now, go get him.”
“Thank you Lord Apollo,” Jason said, meeting the gods golden eyes, hoping that his sincerity came through. “I truly, genuinely appreciate everything you have done for me.”
Apollo waved his hand dismissively. “It was nothing, truly. I just expect a front row seat at your wedding. And let me DJ your reception, and we are even.”
Jason’s draw dropped in horror at the prospect, but quickly summoned every bit of his Roman training to school his expression back to something he hoped was pleasant. “Of course. That would be awesome.”
Apollo narrowed his eyes for a moment—he was the god of truth, after all—but eventually relented. “Do you have a way to get this to Poseidon?”
Jason nodded, but didn’t elaborate further. “Good. I’ll see you around, kid.” Jason just had time to close his eyes before Apollo disappeared into a shower of light all around him. The crowd that had gathered around all stared.
“Um,” Jason said extremely intelligently. “Class dismissed.” He picked up his sword, threw it, and pocketed the coin. Everyone scattered.
“Did Apollo give it to you?” Piper’s voice startled him, but he nodded. Jason hadn’t realized that she and Annabeth had woken up and made their way down to the area too. He held out the small vial for her to admire. She whistled low in her throat. “All of that just for something this small?”
He nodded. Although the past two weeks had been child’s play compared to anything they got up to while they were teenagers, they weren’t who they used to be. The quest had taken a lot out of him—physically and emotionally.
“I’m going down to the beach to talk to Percy’s father. If he gets to camp before I get back, don’t tell him where I went.”
She rolled her eyes. “Duh. Now go get ‘em tiger.” She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before playfully ruffling his hair. He didn’t even protest.
After giving Piper one last hug, he made his way to the beach. He stared at the waves, pulling out the small blue pearl Poseidon had given him the week before in Sally’s apartment. His only instruction had been to crush it when he finished with the antidote. He remembered Percy and Annabeth telling him about pearls similar to this one that they had used when they were 12 and he wondered if they were the same.
Summoning a bit of air at his fingertips in case he needed to make an air bubble in a flash, he crushed the small stone between his finger tips. He was pulled forward, then he coughed. Taking in the sights around him, he realized that he had been transported to the throne room of Atlantis. Underwater. He touched his throat in surprise, but he seemed to be breathing normally.
“Did you really think I would bring you underwater without an enchantment?” Poseidon said, his voice booming. He was lounging on his throne, dressed in a traditional Greek chiton. It was way more intimidating than the Hawaiian shirt he had been wearing last time. Jason immediately took a knee, bowing his head. He wondered how many sons of Zeus had been in this throne room and lived to tell the tale.
“No, Lord Poseidon. I was just surprised,” Jason rose to hand the small vial to the god. “Here. The antidote, as requested.”
Poseidon inspected the vial for a while in silence. Jason started sweating. What if, after all of this, there was a problem with it?
“I like you, Jason Grace,” Poseidon finally said, sitting back on this throne. “But don’t go getting a big head about that.”
Jason lowered his head again in relief, trying to hide his smile. “Thank you, Lord Poseidon.”
“But you have to know that I love my son more,” Poseidon warned, and great, Jason was going to get the godly shovel talk from Poseidon again. Poor 18 year old Jason had already gotten threatened within an inch of his life by the sea god–rightfully so, he supposed, when your favorite son was dating the son of someone you hated–and he would rather avoid hearing all of that again. But he was so close now, so he bit his tongue.
“I know, sir,” he said as respectfully and as I-would-like-to-keep-all-my-limbs-like as possible.
“It has been a very long time since I have cared for a mortal like I care for Perseus,” Poseidon said slowly, his eyes darkening. “I wish he would agree to become immortal, but I know that is not what would make him happy, especially not now that he has you. You make him happy. And for this reason, you have my blessing to ask for his hand in marriage.”
Jason whipped his head up, eyes widening. “Oh my gods, really?”
That made Poseidon laugh. “Really. Just know this doesn’t exempt you from my wrath should you break his heart at any point.”
Jason felt giddy. His cheeks hurt from smiling. “Yes, sir, of course, sir. If I ever hurt him I would throw myself at your feet for whatever punishment you think I deserve.”
Poseidon’s eyes twinkled, as if he was almost looking forward to the day. (Not for the prospect of his favorite son’s heart potentially getting broken–Jason knew Poseidon genuinely wanted a go at him so badly that the circumstances wouldn’t matter as much.)
“For some reason I believe you, Jason.” Poseidon smiled, and it made him look a lot like Percy. It made Jason unsteady on his feet (so to speak). “I also wanted to say thank you for what you did for my temple in New Rome when you redesigned Temple Hill. The Romans have never given me much respect, and even a god as powerful as I am can suffer from that. I knew it was a long time ago, but a proper thank you is still in order.”
“You’re welcome, my Lord,” Jason said, his cheeks burning. “Percy helped me with the design of it. Before we were even together.”
Poseidon dipped his head in acknowledgment, which made Jason’s blush deepen. It was rare to hear a god thank a mortal, and Jason did not take it for granted. He would cherish this moment, and hold it close to his heart.
“Now, I believe my son has just arrived at camp, and is calling after you.” He waved his hand once, and the last thing Jason saw before getting forcefully transported to the beach of Camp Half-Blood was Poseidon’s smiling eyes.
Suddenly, Jason pitched forward, nearly landing face first in the sand. He gasped, catching his breath, trying to gather his bearings. He stood up awkwardly, brushed off his pants, and set off to find Percy.
He didn’t have to go very far. Percy was sitting on the edge of the dock, his feet dangling from the edge and grazing the water. It was cold out, but that didn’t seem to deter him. He made quite the sight, wearing Jason’s old SPQR hoodie and his jeans rolled up to his knees, the sunset framing him in the background. Jason was so in love with him that he felt as though there was no room for air in his lungs. He reached into his pocket, making sure the small box was still there, and took a deep breath. Now or never.
“Percy,” he said softly, and Percy turned around. Jason watched Percy’s face as he realized who it was, the pure adoration spread over his features. In a split second he was standing, flinging himself into Jason’s arms. Jason caught him with an oomf, lifting Percy up by the waist to spin him around.
“You asshole,” Percy breathed, then yanked the front of Jason’s shirt so they were finally, finally kissing. Gods, Jason had missed him so much. He tasted so familiar, and the feeling of his hair under Jason’s hands felt like coming home. When he tried to pull away to breathe Percy gripped him tighter, and they stayed connected for as long as they could manage.
“I missed you, baby,” Jason whispered into Percy’s mouth when they finally separated. They still had their foreheads touching, unwilling to part any farther than that. Jason just wanted to bury his face into Percy’s neck, breathe in, and never come out.
“I got to camp and no one knew where you were,” Percy pouted. “Piper and Annabeth were being particularly shifty about it. But I figured I would come down here and you would find me eventually. You always do.”
Jason laced their fingers together. “Sorry, I had to dip out to take care of something. But I wanted to talk to you about something first if that’s okay with you?”
Percy looked a little skeptical, but nodded. “Just give me a second. I missed you, wanna just feel you.”
Jason blushed despite himself, and Percy turned around in his arms so his back was to Jason’s front. Jason wrapped both arms around his waist, hooking his chin over Percy’s shoulder. It was silent for a few moments before Percy said, “This was where I kissed you for the first time.”
Jason snorted. “If I recall correctly, I kissed you.”
“We can agree to disagree,” Percy said playfully, turning once again to face Jason. His eyes were shining, his cheeks were a little flushed from the cold, and Jason wanted to keep him forever. Without thinking, he kissed Percy once, then sunk down onto one knee.
“Oh my gods, Jason,” Percy gasped, covering his mouth with one hand. “What the fuck are you doing.”
Jason laughed. “Just let me finish talking before you say anything, okay?” At Percy’s nod, he took both of Percy’s hands in his. He looked up at the love of his life, and took a deep breath.
“From the moment I met you, I was captivated by you. At first, we were just teenagers caught in the middle of a war, but you were fascinating to me. You were–and still are–so powerful, and you had managed to become a praetor in, like, a week. I’ll admit that I was jealous of you at first, but as time wore on I just grew to admire you. Even after everything you had been through, you were still the physical embodiment of sunshine, and you were so strong. After the Giant War, I wanted to wrap you in my arms and never let go. I wanted to be your best friend. I wanted you all to myself.
“It wasn’t until Piper broke up with me that I realized what it meant. That I was in love with you, Percy, and I think I always had been. But slowly after the war, we became friends. I fell more and more head over heels with you every single day because you are so magnetic and so wonderful. The day I finally grew a pair and told you how gone I was for you on this beach and you told me you felt the same way, I was floored. I genuinely was the happiest man alive.”
Jason paused for a second. Percy had tears in his eyes, and looking at that made Jason tear up too. “These past years with you have been the happiest of my life. I know that I want to spend every single day for the rest of my life with you–laughing with you, sparring with you, even fighting with you. I want the ups and the downs and all of the in betweens. You are my motivation, my inspiration, you are my every waking thought and even my sleeping ones. My whole life I have always felt like I had to prove myself, but not with you. You have always just loved me exactly as I am, and you only make me better. You pulled me out of my rigid shell, and taught me to feel things I didn’t know how to feel. I love you, I adore you, and there is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for you.
“So,” Jason said, a little embarrassed by his long speech, his cheeks flushed. “Percy Jackson. Will you marry me?”
“You bastard,” Percy laughed without any real heat behind it. He didn’t ever bother to wipe the tears before berating Jason–typical. “You are a fucking asshole, you know that?”
Jason blinked. He had jumped through so many hoops for this. He knew Percy loved him. They had talked about marriage. How had he managed to fuck this up?
“What’s wrong? Is this about our fathers? Because I talked to Poseidon already, and he gave me his blessing to propose to you.”
“You asked my father,” Percy pinched his nose, clearly exasperated about something. “I had my suspicions about a proposal when random monsters kept moaning to me about how I was ‘getting hitched,’” Percy continued slowly. “But I figured they had just heard about what I was doing. But here you are, going to ask my father for permission, and proposing!”
“Perce,” Jason said slowly. “Do you not want to marry me?”
“Shut up, of course I want to marry you.” He looked genuinely puzzled by the question. “Why the hell would I not?”
“Well, I’m still on one knee right now and you called me a bastard. Really giving a guy mixed signals here, baby.”
“Oh,” Percy breathed, and he grabbed both Jason’s hands in his, pulling him to his feet. He pulled Jason down for a soft, sweet kiss. Jason melted into it. “Yes. Sorry, I should have led with that. Yes, I will marry you. Idiot. I’m just mad you beat me to proposing.”
“You were planning on proposing?” Jason asked dumbly. Percy laughed.
“You’re not the only one who thought of asking for a father’s blessing. Let’s just say it's been a very interesting week for me.”
Jason let that sink in for a moment before his jaw dropped. “You asked Jupiter for his blessing? Are you insane? He hates you.”
“Thanks for that, by the way. But yeah. I don’t know, it’s silly, but I really love you. I wanted to do everything right.” He shrugged. “Besides, unlike my dad he did not give the blessing freely. He sent me on this damn wild goose chase of a quest. I’m lucky to still be alive, if I’m honest.”
“Unlike… baby. Oh my gods,” Jason laughed, pulling away from Percy to run a hand through his hair. “Your father did not give me his blessing outright. He sent me on a quest.”
“So,” Percy was speaking very slowly, starting to piece the last two weeks together. “So you were on a quest for my father this week, so he would give you his blessing to propose to me. At the same time, I was on a quest for your father so he would give me his blessing to propose to you. That fucking bastard.”
The sky rumbled, in warning, and Percy flipped it off without a second thought.
“Percy,” Jason said. “Don’t piss him off.”
“He can’t take back his blessing. Besides, you already proposed. Nothing he can do about it now.”
“Percy,” Jason hissed. He didn’t know much about his father, but he knew that Zeus tended to not like being challenged like that. He happened to like his boyfriend–his fiance– alive, thank you very much.
Percy finally relented, squeezing Jason’s hand in apology. He squeezed back. “Can I have my ring now?”
Jason laughed and nodded, taking the ring from the box he had nearly forgotten about and slipped it onto Percy’s ring finger. He admired it for a moment, and then looked up at Jason with tears in his eyes.
“It’s perfect, Jay. It’s beautiful.”
Jason let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. Tyson had custom made the ring for him to fit Percy’s exact measurements, and to be exactly how Jason described it. To know Percy liked it was a relief. “I’m glad you like it, baby.”
“I have one for you too,” Percy said softly, grabbing Jason’s hand to inspect his finger. “In my cabin. You’ll get it later if you make me feel really, really good.”
“Gods,” Jason said in quiet admiration. “You’re terrible.”
Percy, obnoxious and hot as ever, grabbed Jason by the back on the neck, pulling him down to press their lips together. Percy seemed determined to shove his tongue as far down Jason’s throat as it would go, and Jason certainly wasn’t complaining. He moved one hand to tangle in Percy’s hair–pulling just slightly to take control of the kiss–and the other hand tightened around Percy’s waist.
“Well, isn’t this just charming,” a voice behind them said. They both jumped, and Jason was greeted by the sight of Poseidon standing on the beach. Jason pulled away from Percy as fast as he could–as cool as Poseidon was, he probably didn’t want to see Jason’s hand on his son’s ass.
“Dad,” Percy answered, his voice perfectly level. “What a surprise.”
He came over to the two of them, and he shook Jason’s hand before embracing Percy. “He loves you very much, Perseus,” Poseidon said quietly, and Percy’s smile softened into something that made Jason want to cry.
“I know that,” Percy answered just as softly. “I cannot believe you made him go on a quest for your blessing.”
“Hey, I needed something done so I seized the opportunity. I would have told him he could marry you even if he had butchered the quest.”
“I wouldn’t have butchered anything.”
“I know–that’s why I gave you the quest.”
Percy looked between the two of them, finally sighing. “Whatever. Why are you here, dad? I was just about to go have hot, engagement sex with my fi-”
With a yelp, Jason slapped his hand over Percy’s mouth. He did not want Percy’s father to know they had sex at all. He looked at Poseidon in horror, but he just looked amused.
“Can I talk to you for a moment, Perseus? Alone?”
Percy sighed dramatically, but nodded, placing a parting kiss to Jason’s cheek. “I’ll be right back,” he said. Poseidon wrapped an arm around his shoulders, then the two of them walked a ways down the beach, speaking in voices too low for Jason to hear.
The two of them together made Jason smile. He was grateful that Zeus had finally let up on his restrictions a little now that there were no impending wars and Percy was an adult. Percy was able to visit his father in Atlantis frequently, often spending whole weekends down there at a time. Although Jason had never met her himself, he knew that Percy had a tentative friendship with Amphitrite as well. Percy was just magnetic like that–only he could make friends with his dad’s wife as the child of an affair.
Jason took his moment alone to take a deep breath. He and Percy were now engaged. Due to the involvement of the gods in their lives, Jason guessed it would most likely be the ceremony of the century. None of that mattered to him though–all he cared about was Percy. Who would now be his forever. Gods, his cheeks hurt from smiling.
And apparently, Percy had been busy this past week as well. He thought back to the dream he had at the hotel and was hit with the realization that Percy probably had been in grave danger–then lied about it immediately after. He knew that Percy had been trying to keep the secret of the proposal from him, just as he had from Percy, but the realization made him ache a little. Percy had been hurt, in danger, and he hadn’t been there. Percy was one of the most powerful demigods to ever have existed, but that didn’t stop Jason from worrying about him. The most powerful, yes, but also the most reckless. It was a miracle that he had lasted this long.
He wondered what his father could have possibly asked Percy to do for him, but he supposed that was a story for another day.
“Hey,” Percy’s voice startled him out of his musings. “I’m cold. C’mon, let’s go inside.”
“What did your dad want?” Jason studied Percy, who seemed a little bit off-kilter. Percy just shook his head.
“He just gave me a lot to think about. I promise we’ll talk about it later, okay?”
Jason wasn’t convinced, but he nodded, pulling Percy in for a quick kiss. He should have known better–Percy immediately darted his cold hands under Jason’s shirt, pressing them near his armpits. Jason yelped and Percy laughed–pulling away with a grin.
“Do you want to go have ‘we’re engaged’ celebrations in my cabin or not?”
“You’re wonderful,” Jason said by accident. He had meant to say you’re terrible. The way Percy looked at him when he said it though–with eyes shiny and bright, like Jason was the center of his universe and more–made his chest tighten. He would tell him that over and over again, for the rest of their lives.
“Jason,” Percy said.
“You’re so, so wonderful,” Jason said. “My Percy. Gods, you asked my father for my hand in marriage. I cannot believe you are real. Thank the gods that you are mine.”
Percy went on his tip-toes to kiss him, overwhelmed. Jason’s heart always fluttered when he did that–their height difference was small, but usually, Percy pulled Jason down to close the gap.
“And you’re mine,” Percy said, giddy. “Forever and ever and ever. As long as you don’t get fed up with me.”
“Brat,” Jason said affectionately. “I could never.”
Percy stuck his tongue out, then grabbed his hand. Jason linked their fingers together, lifting their joined hands to his lips to press a kiss to Percy’s hand. Any other time, Jason was sure Percy would have made fun of him for being a sap, but he allowed it, which indicated to Jason just how soft he was feeling.
“Thank you,” Percy said softly as they made their way up the beach towards Cabin 3. “For asking my father for his blessing. It means a lot to me, truly.”
“I asked your mother first, by the way. Both she and Paul gave it to me much more willingly than your dad did.”
Percy’s eyes sparkled, and Jason wanted to drown in them. “You’ve had a busy week, hm? Asking everyone in my life if you can marry me before asking me.” He was teasing–the words didn’t have any real heat behind them.
“Well forgive me for not wanting to get smited if any of your parents found out that I had proposed to you without their approval. Not sure if I would be more terrified of Sally or your father.”
“Paul has a wicked left hook. I wouldn’t count him out,” Percy added sagely, and Jason jabbed at his side in retaliation. Percy grinned, darting just out of reach, looking back over his shoulder to stick his tongue out at Jason again.
“I’m getting married to a five year old,” Jason whispered in awe. “Maybe I should take it back.”
Percy’s eyes narrowed, and before Jason could blink he was drenched in sea water. His jaw dropped, and Percy’s grin spread.
“Baby,” Jason said slowly, dripping wet and so in love. “You are going to regret that.”
“What, like you regret asking me to marry you?”
“You’re in for it,” Jason growled in the back of his throat, settling into a stance to run. Percy just laughed, blowing a kiss over his shoulder as he took off towards his cabin.
Jason was in so much trouble.
And he wouldn’t have it any other way.