Chapter Text
Percy woke up not because he needed to but because something called to him. He blinked slowly, the blue ceiling of his cabin shifting like waves over his head, the illusion of movement too smooth, too perfect. The sea above didn't ripple like water.
It breathed.
His body felt... wrong. He wasn't not sore or tired, just aware . He didn't breathe for a few minutes. He didn't need to. But when he remembered, he took a breath anyway, the action more habit than necessity. He could see how his dad forgot, but the silence would bother him too much. He was sure the same would be for Annabeth.
And then came the voices.
Whispers. Prayers. Soft, desperate things — barely-formed thoughts carried on the wind.
Please let me pass this trial.
Please don't let the Harpies find my stash.
Please, Percy, if you're listening, help me not screw up this sword drill.
He clenched his eyes shut.
They weren't loud , but they were everywhere . From every cabin, every camper is still half-asleep. Some were silly, and some serious. One from the Ares cabin prayed to "whoever would listen" for someone to "finally shut Sherman up." That one made Percy smile — a brief flicker of normal.
And then came the taste. His mouth watered instantly. He hadn't eaten anything yet, but the back of his throat was coated with the thick taste of syrup-drenched pancakes, charred bacon, and strawberries soaked in cream. He could almost tell who offered what. There was a faint bitterness in the sweetness — grapefruit . Someone from the Demeter cabin, probably.
They were offerings directed at him, prayers addressed to him.
Percy groaned and pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. The feeling was like being trapped in a fog of sugar, salt, citrus, and the ever-present tang of sea brine. He could feel his gut gurgle quietly, not from hunger but from something else.
A soft shift. A warmth.
Annabeth.
He placed a hand gently over his middle. The distension was subtle but there. Not uncomfortable. It's just... real , like a pressure beneath the surface. She stirred at the touch. He had no idea how to get her out. Brief panic rested in his chest before his body reacted, almost like it knew he had no idea how to get his girlfriend out.
There was a faint shift, a gentle stretching against him from inside. Percy focused not with his eyes but with something deeper and felt her moving slowly upward. Responding to the quiet call he hadn't realized he'd made.
The sensation wasn't painful. Just strange. Warmth slid up through his chest, like drawing up light through his ribs. He could feel her moving up.
Annabeth emerged slowly, carefully. His hands automatically came up to help guide her out of his mouth, free from him. Percy coughed once as she slid free, landing in his lap with a wet sound and a sharp breath. Her skin was flushed from the heat, her curls sticking to her cheeks. She blinked, squinting against the light, and groaned quietly.
"Well," she said, voice gravelly. "That was... a thing."
Percy flushed.
"You okay?" he asked, wiping at his mouth with his sleeve, trying not to dwell on how he could still taste her . He hated how his mouth watered at the taste, at the memory of having her so close.
She nodded slowly, sitting upright. "Yeah. Weird, but... not bad." Her eyes flicked to him. "You okay?"
He hesitated.
"I feel like I swallowed Olympus," he muttered. "I can taste half the offerings from breakfast and hear prayers about who stole someone's sandals."
Annabeth blinked. "You're hearing prayers now?"
Percy shrugged. "It's like background noise. I didn't even notice at first." He swallowed. "The worst part is... I like it. The prayers, I... I know who they are, where they are because of it."
Annabeth gave him a long, unreadable look. Then she reached out and touched his cheek, which was grounding and steady.
"You're still you."
"Am I?" he asked quietly.
She didn't answer. It was almost like she knew it would be a back-and-forth. She could not win this time. "I'm gonna take a shower," she said, her tone intentionally casual, "because sleeping inside was great, and I have never slept better, but I need to clean up."
That got a faint smile out of him. She padded toward the bathroom without another word, and Percy let her go. The silence was welcome, grounding in its own right. He leaned back on the bed, listening to the sound of the shower running.
His body still felt too big. Too powerful. Like it was humming with energy he didn't ask for. The breakfast taste still lingered on his tongue: toast now, peanut butter, something bitter from Cabin Nine. The prayers were softer now, tapering off as the morning fully settled.
He dragged himself out of bed. He was surprised to find his body had gone back to its regular height now . He felt.. normal again. He smooths down his camp shirt, letting out a breath.
By the time Annabeth reemerged, hair towel-dried and expression clear, Percy had pulled on a clean Camp Half-Blood shirt and jeans. He fiddles with his beads, unsure if he should wear them. He wasn't a demigod anymore..was he?
"You good to go?" she asked, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Chiron had to have brought it over...unless she had been stashing things in his cabin again.
"I guess." He rubbed at his temples. "But if I accidentally start glowing or someone starts praying at me , I'm running into the lake and not coming out."
Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You're not going to melt, Percy."
He didn't respond. He just followed her out of the cabin.
The sun was dimmed , which was blissful. It was suspicious, however, like Apollo knew not to ..well, bother him too much. It made his chest ache. He could feel the camp under his feet like it knew him now. Or worse, It needed him. It was terrifying at first, but..if the camp was his, then he could keep it safe. A sense of satisfaction curled within him at that.
Demigods greeted them on the way to breakfast. Percy heard their voices, sure, but he also felt them little flickers of connection, threads stretching between them like spiderwebs. A little girl from the Aphrodite cabin bowed her head as they passed. He didn't know her name. Someone had started a rumor that much was obvious.
Percy stumbled slightly.
"Whoa." Annabeth caught his arm. "You okay?"
"I think..someone started a rumor." He mumbles after a second. "The prayers they started suddenly, and the offering of food, why would they sacrifice to me? I'm a demigod."
They stepped into the dining pavilion, and Percy's mouth flooded with flavor, actual and ethereal. Bacon, eggs, syrup, grapes, coffee, burnt toast, chocolate milk. It was a flood of taste he couldn't turn off. He could feel the heat of offerings drifting toward Olympus and some of it disturbingly pulling toward him .
He didn't sit at his table. He hovered near the Poseidon table, eyes wide. The plate in front of him automatically filled blue pancakes with bacon, His favorite. But he hadn't touched it. He wasn't sure if he needed to anymore.
Across from him, Annabeth sat like nothing had changed, scooping eggs onto her plate. She glanced up, fork paused.
"You're doing okay."
"Define 'okay.'"
"You're not glowing. You're not swallowing campers. You're upright." She smiled softly. "That's a win."
He exhaled slowly, nodding. It wasn't much, but it was something.
He was still here. He was still Percy.
For now.
He sat next to his girlfriend, hesitantly eating his pancakes, not even bothering to offer anything. He could see Chiron and Mr. D watching them; he felt self-conscious. He had Annabeth within his stomach, not literally 10 minutes ago.
He couldn't keep eating, leaving his plate mostly untouched in front of him , hands folded like he didn't trust them. He could hear everything.
Not just the chatter, and soon , he heard Leo's laugh cracking across the pavilion like a spark or the gentle clang of forks. He shouldn't be able to; Annabeth hadn't even noticed, so he pretended he hadn't heard it either.
The food smelled like memories. Like longing. Every offering contained a heartbeat . A wish, all of it directed at Percy.
He picked up a piece of toast, only to almost immediately set it back down.
Across the pavilion, he could see Mr. D leaning against a grapevine column, arms crossed, sipping from a Diet Coke can as usual, as if Percy wasn't literally struggling right now. Chiron stood beside him, unmoving.
"They're pretending well," Mr. D muttered. Percy tensed as he heard Mr. D's voice clear as ever.
Chiron's gaze remained fixed on Percy, the boy shivering at the attention. "They aren't pretending. There's nothing to pretend."
"You'd think the glowing eyes would give it away."
"He's suppressing it."
"that won't last," Dionysus said. "It never does. Not once they realize what they are."
Chiron didn't reply. Percy wishes he had that Chiron would fight and say he could just be completely normal. He was jolted from his thoughts by Leo's voice, louder this time.
"Percy Fricken Jackson!"
Leo sprinted over, hair windblown and shirt half-buttoned, grinning like he'd won the lottery. He clapped Percy on the shoulder hard; it should have hurt, but it didn't. He half wished that his friend had done it harder just so he could feel the pain. Jason and Piper joined in, both sitting at the table like they were Poseidon kids themselves. It was still frowned upon to sit at other gods' tables, but at this point, the seven didn't care, and Percy was sure Poseidon didn't mind the extra company or offerings.
"Give him some space, Leo." Piper sighs exasperatedly, taking a seat next to Annabeth and nudging the girl's shoulder with a smile.
"Come on, though; he smells different; is he in a new cologne, man? You smell like- I don't know, more salty and firey than usual." Leo says, waggling his eyebrows at the newly turned demigod. Jason sighed and tugged Leo to sit down at the bench, their plates showing their favorite foods. They left briefly to shovel some food to their chosen deities; thankfully, Percy found he didn't get the prayers.
The group fell into easy conversation, all of them laughing and eating and jostling as if nothing had changed. Because for them, nothing had.
Percy tried. He tried to keep up. Tried to smile, to lean into the rhythm.
But he could still hear them. Their wishes . Their fears. Their love for him.
From Piper, I hope he stays. We need him. to Jason: Let me carry the weight if he can't," and even Leo, "He looks so tired, maybe I can make him laugh."
Annabeth's hand brushed his under the table. She didn't look at him, but her fingers wrapped around his, grounding him.
She knew.
She was the only one here who could feel how cold his skin had become. How he forgot to breathe now, how his heart wasn't even beating right now. He squeezes his eyes shut, taking a deep breath in. And still, she stayed. Still, she held on.
From across the pavilion, Dionysus raised his goblet slightly toward Percy as if in a toast.
Percy didn't return it.
He just sat there, smiling for his friends . Trying to pretend like he was like them and not more like the immortal being across the pavilion.
A shiver ran through him as he saw the shadows bending and twisting in front of him. Nico appeared as a shadow stretched too long, slipping between tables and campers without a sound. He saw it before anyone, seeing his friend appearing at the end of the table.
Nico didn't sit. He stood at the end of the Poseidon table, dark eyes flicking from Percy to Annabeth, then back again. His expression was unreadable, the usual tight-lipped calm, but under it, something thrummed like tension before a quake. He knew. Percy wasn't sure how, but he had a feeling that the boy knew.
"You good?" Nico asked, his voice low but not soft.
Percy looked up. For a moment, the only thing he heard was Nico's heartbeat, quiet, steady. Something in Nico's presence scraped against him like sandpaper, something instinctive. Percy forced himself not to flinch. He wanted to hold him inside. His mouth was watering again.
"Define 'good,'" Percy tried, voice hoarse. "I'm eating and pretending not to be having an existential crisis." Annabeth gave him a sharp glance, like a warning not to go too far. Percy shoved a pancake in his mouth to avoid having to explain why he was drooling. He was pretty sure eating your friends fell under a weird category.
Nico tilted his head, pale skin seeming almost translucent in the dappled sunlight.
"Looks like you need a spare," Nico says suddenly, Percy choking on his pancake. A fight? A fight when he didn't know how strong he had gotten? He forced a leisurely smile.
"Didn't know you wanted to get your butt kicked this early in the morning."
"Are you sure about this?" Jason asked, arms crossed as he stood with the group, "We're just letting them go at it?"
"It's not a fight," Nico replied calmly, stretching out his shoulders. "Sparring, it's scary; it's just normal." Just normal. Percy wanted that. He found himself standing a bit too quickly, walking with the friend group.
"Seeing Percy fighting is always kick ass; hush Jay," Leo says, patting his friend's back with a grin as they approach the sparring ring. Leo, Piper, and Jason are standing on Nico's side, watching the two.
Across the ring, Percy stayed quiet, gripping Riptide, its blade gleaming too bright under the overcast sky. He hated how it seemed to feel alive in his hands, humming, in tune with his very being.
"He's acting weird." Leo finally comments, leaning toward the two. "He's..different; we're all catching that, right? He's more down than usual." He mumbles, watching as Percy gets in the right stance.
"He's more...divine, I think." Piper points out. While Percy had always been godlike, it seemed..more true now than ever.
Jason rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You think he's—?"
They didn't get to finish the thought. Because then Percy moved.
Across from him, Nico stood poised, his Stygian iron blade already gleaming with death's kiss.
The first clash of blades echoed like thunder, though neither of them struck particularly hard. But the air shivered . The trees bent . The clouds overhead seemed to retreat just slightly like even the sky didn't want to get too close.
Percy wasn't fighting seriously. Anyone could see that. He was holding back. Every motion was too careful and too contained as if he were bracing against himself more than against Nico.
And still, he was fast. Inhumanly fast.
Leo blinked. "Okay, is it me or is he-?"
"Getting bigger?" Jason finished, voice low.
They weren't imagining it. Percy's form rippled subtly like his body had grown not grotesquely, just wrong-sized. Too tall. Too broad. It was like when their parents would return to their more true forms, taller,
His skin glowed faintly with ocean light, a blue-white radiance pulsing beneath his veins.
"What the Hades, " Piper breathed.
Jason took a half-step forward, instincts flaring. "That's not demigod strength."
"That's divine," Leo whispered.
Across the ring, Nico didn't flinch. He parried another blow and stepped back, breathing steadily. Percy, however, was starting to fray.
He hadn't hit Nico. Not properly. But a careless flick of Riptide had grazed Nico's forearm, a thin, shallow cut. Nothing that would last long with a good dose of ambrosia .
Percy saw the blood . Just a drop.
And everything inside him rebelled.
His body tensed, eyes wide. His grip loosened like he was afraid of what he might do if he held on tighter. Riptide clattered to the ground. The bitter feeling in his chest from last night exploded into panic.
"Oh gods- Nico- I didn't-"
"I'm fine, " Nico said firmly, voice sharp.
Percy wasn't listening.
The world responded to his panic. The light dimmed. The wind whipped around him. The scent of saltwater surged, so strong Piper could taste it on her tongue. The ground under Percy's feet cracked, hairline fractures spiderwebbing outward.
Jason and Leo both moved, flanking either side of the ring.
"Percy!" Jason called.
"I didn't mean to," Percy rasped, stumbling back. His glowing hands trembled. His voice was shaking. "It was barely a scratch, but I didn't- I didn't put that much power into it." His gaze flicked toward Nico's wound.
And something ancient stirred in him.
Protect. Preserve. Take inside. Keep safe.
He had tasted this before, the bitter, haunting feeling . The same instinct from before.
To pull Nico in . To tuck him away where no one could ever hurt him. Not even Percy.
"Don't," he whispered to himself. "Don't- don't you dare-"
The divinity inside him pulsed. His skin blazed like starlight trapped in seawater.
Annabeth was there. Not dramatic. Just solid. Real. Her hand found his.
And Percy exhaled. The pressure receded. The glowing dimmed. He breathed again.
Everyone was silent.
Nico rolled his shoulder, barely glancing at his scratch. "You're not a danger, Percy. You're just… not only Percy anymore."
Piper stared at him like she'd never seen him before. "He's a god, " she whispered.
"No," Percy said, voice hoarse. "I'm not-"
"You are, " Jason said quietly. "I've fought gods. I've felt them. You felt like that."
Leo blinked, wide-eyed. "Bro, we ate s'mores together like three nights ago. You cannot go full divine on us without warning. There's got to be a clause or something."
"I didn't want this," Percy said. "I don't even know how it's happening." Before he processed what Leo had said, a hysterical snort left him. "S'more is the last thing I want to taste right now," he mumbles, remembering last night.
Jason crouched next to him and Annabeth, Percy needing to squeeze her hand a bit to keep the urge back. It looked comical now, thanks to his height.
"You okay?" he asked. It was a simple question, but Percy nearly broke down sobbing right there, bringing a hand to his mouth to hopefully hide the fact he was drooling now. Percy didn't answer. He couldn't; he was terrified of the judgment, of having his friends fear him.
Jason put a hand on his shoulder. "Percy. Look at me."
He did a bit slowly. His eyes glowed faintly, barely a flicker, like a starlight behind sea fog.
"You didn't lose control. Not really." Jason didn't flinch; instead, he looked at Percy fully , undaunted, as if Percy couldn't absolutely fold him with a thought.
"I almost..I wanted- I nearly went to swallow Nico . " Percy hissed. "That's not control, Jason. That's instinct. My body wanted to keep him inside like he was- was."
"Someone important," Piper interrupted, her voice firm as she joined them, arms crossed. "You think we haven't seen this before? You think gods don't get weird about the people they care about?"
"This isn't normal," Percy muttered, voice cracking. "I'm not supposed to be a god."
"Yeah," Leo said from behind him , "but you're one now."
Percy groaned. "Thanks for the clarity, Leo."
Leo plopped down beside him cross-legged. "Look, man. You didn't explode, you didn't smite Nico, and you didn't turn him into a fish and forget why you did it. Compared to most gods, you're practically chill."
"Leo…" Annabeth warned softly.
But Leo held up his hands. "I'm serious! Percy, you freaked out because you didn't want to hurt anyone. That means your instincts haven't taken over. Not all the way."
Jason nodded. "Leo's right." Piper shot him a look, which Jason promptly ignored, continuing
"Look. You're scared. That's good. Gods don't usually get scared — they get angry, entitled, or distant. You're still here, sitting in the dirt with us. That means something." Leo continues and, just to prove his point, teasingly punches Percy's arm.
Percy looked at them. His friends. His. And he realized something terrifying. He could feel them.
Not just see or hear or smell. Feel — like threads tied to his ribs. Jason was like a cold wind threaded with static. Piper tasted like copper and rose petals, her prayers sharp and clear like glass: Let him be okay. And Leo burned like molten metal, layered with laughter and a hope too big for his chest: If he breaks, we'll help him put the pieces back.
The thoughts nearly broke Percy, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt the overwhelming bitter feeling swallow Leo down . Percy's breath hitched.
"I can feel you."
Jason blinked. "Feel us?.. Care to..explain?"
Percy pressed a hand to his chest. "Like… threads. Energy. Like I could pull you to me if I wanted. And that's wrong, right? That's not something I should be able to do."
"You think gods don't feel connected to their followers?" Piper asked. "You're a lot of things, Percy, but you're not empty. You're not cruel. You love people. That's what's saving you."
He dropped his gaze. "I don't want to turn into something you all have to save yourselves from."
Leo leaned into his shoulder, warm and insistent. "Then let us help before that happens. Don't shut us out."
Behind them, Nico stood slowly, pressing a cloth to his forearm. "Percy, you didn't mean to hurt me."
"No, he didn't," Annabeth said softly. "But that instinct… it's not going away. It's getting stronger." She had known. She had been in his stomach all last night. He takes a breath, trying to relax. It doesn't go away; the bitter feeling only gets stronger. He was getting bigger, and he could feel it. Nico and Leo were already both so small; both had been hurt - Nico was hurt . He had hurt- he had hurt Nico.
"It's getting stronger right now, so ah. If you don't want unscheduled tummy time , I suggest you leave ." Annabeth says quietly. Percy was more than embarrassed about it but said it was better than cramming his friends into his stomach. He hides his mouth with his hand, trying to hide the fact he was drooling. The glowing salvia dripped onto the ground. Leo, gods blessed him, leaning in closer, seeming curious. Percy groaned in annoyance.
"Okay, just a little curious right now; I've never actually been eaten. Everyone's always hyping it up, though." Percy was going to punch this kid, he swore. The fondness combatted the bitter feeling for a moment before he looked up at Leo, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, well, it's very undignified, so be prepared then." Percy scoffs, hating how he seemed to get bigger. Just like last night, Only the group of his friends were more like dolls.
Leo didn't leave.
Even after Annabeth's not-so-subtle warning after Percy's saliva hit the ground. "You're drooling again," Leo said, and his voice was too casual and too calm, like Percy wasn't teetering on the edge of swallowing literally everyone around them.
"I noticed," Percy muttered behind his hand, his voice half-buried in shame and saltwater. He could feel Leo. Feel his fire. It wasn't hot to Percy. It never had been. Even when Leo worked in the forge, even when he'd been all blazes and energy, Percy had felt that flame like something soft, like a campfire in his chest. A warm , dancing thing. Alive.
Leo inched closer, fingers twitching at his side like he wanted to touch.
"You've never been eaten before?" Percy asked, voice brittle with disbelief. He would have thought Hephaestus would've tucked this little firefly away in seconds.
Leo grinned. "What? No! I mean, maybe metaphorically in high school debates, but-"
"Leo," Percy said flatly.
"Okay, okay, no. Not even once." Leo rubbed the back of his neck. "But I mean, c'mon. Piper said it felt like being inside a blanket. Burrito Nico said it was quiet and nice. And you—well, you're you."
Percy looked down at his hands, glowing faintly now with his own saliva. Gross. That was very much something he needed to fix or ask his dad about. "You don't get it," Percy whispered. "It's not just instinct. It's needed. I need you inside me because then I'll know you're safe. I won't be able to hurt you or lose you. And that scares the hell out of me."
Leo didn't flinch. He leaned in, voice softer now. "Percy... that doesn't sound like a monster. That sounds like love with divine backup."
Percy's breath hitched. He reached for Leo, not even consciously. His fingers curled against Leo's shoulder, barely grazing him, and Leo didn't step back. In fact, leaned into the touch. Massive fingers could practically pluck the boy up by his middle, a stark contrast to earlier when there had been less size difference.
"Just... don't digest me, bro."
A dry laugh escaped Percy before he could stop it. It caught on the edge of something dangerous. Something trembling. "I won't," he promised, voice thick. "I couldn't."
The bitter feeling in his chest surged again, and he exhaled slowly, fighting the pulse of hunger and protection that curled in his stomach like a whirlpool. Leo didn't resist when Percy pulled him in, just in an embrace. Tight, one-armed, cautious. But Leo could feel it.
"Okay, this is weird, but not in a bad way ," Leo murmured against Percy's chest. His voice was muffled. Safe. The bitter feeling practically purred within him. He hated it. He had a new respect for his dad, holding back for as long as he did.
Percy tried to ignore the fact that everyone was still there. Annabeth, of course, seemed curious, and Jason- oh, he had stepped back. Percy wasn't sure when, but he had. It made sense, and he wasn't too offended by the movement. It had to be weird, but at this point, he wasn't sure he could stop it.
Percy's mouth opened before he could stop it. He tried. He really did.
But his body moved first. His jaw widened, mouth aglow with sea-lit magic, and the world tilted just slightly. Leo didn't scream. He let it happen. He didn't even flinch when the chill engulfed his head first when gentle hands eased him over his teeth and rested against the plush feeling of the tongue. It was chilly, nothing like Leo expected. Everything around him glowed as his face was pressed more against the back of the new god's throat. It didn't take much give before Percy swallowed, and Leo's face squelched through the muscle and downwards. Percy had a decent handle on his body that was hanging out of his mouth, mostly his legs. Leo wriggled forward. It was weird being bent in half like this, mindlessly kicking his legs until Percy let out a snort .
Percy's throat expanded effortlessly as he kept swallowing, hands moving from his mouth to his middle, and it expanded just slightly at the new addition. He let a shaky breath out, squeezing his eyes shut. Leo was instantly moving, laughing, and exploring.
"Dude, your insides glow too! Crazy!"
Percy's lips quirk upwards slightly at the excitement. When Percy opened his eyes again, Nico was watching him. He stood across the field, not saying anything, arms crossed, eyes as dark and steady as the River Styx.
"You did it," Nico said. Not a question.
Percy wiped his mouth. Leo's presence was still within him, a steady ember tucked beneath his ribs. His cheeks flushed darkly, and looking away from the boy's gaze.
"You didn't hurt him," Nico said simply. "He trusted you."
Percy looked up. Nico's expression hadn't changed, but something in his voice had something quieter..curious. The little brat he had met at the school shone through a bit.
"You've been inside a god before," Percy murmured.
Nico nodded slowly. "My father. It was like going home and disappearing at the same time. I needed it."
"That's what it feels like," Percy admitted. "Like ... like I can take all the bad things and tuck you away where they'll never touch you again."
"You already do that," Nico said, stepping closer. "Even without swallowing me whole." That warmed him to his core, Leo wriggling slightly, making his presence known as he got settled. It was odd. Leo seemed to be moving less. He couldn't be sleepy; he had just gotten up..then again, he hadn't seen the boy rest since literally dying.
Percy shook his head. "You don't get it. I wanted to. I want to right now."
Nico didn't flinch like he was expecting; instead, he just breathed a breath and moved closer. Step by step, like approaching a storm he wasn't afraid of.
"Then do it."
Percy froze. "You trust me that much?" He whispers, his hands pressing inward on his middle unconsciously, Leo pressing back against the touch with a muffled " Dude" that made him murmur an apology to the boy.
"No," Nico said. "I trust you more." The moment stretched. Percy's body was already reacting. The divine part of him pulsed in his chest, too large, too loud. His jaw ached. But Nico stepped forward, which was too short to really reach up to reassure him any further. The demigod steps on Percy's leg to even begin to try to reach the new god's face.
"You won't hurt me. And if it helps... I've done this before." And that was all it took. Percy leaned down enough to meet Nico's gaze. He lets a breath out before laughing shakily. This was ridiculous; he was eating his friends; who even did that?
Nico stirred him out of thoughts, wiping drool onto his shirt. "come on, if you drool anymore, we'll have to call it part of your domain." He teases. A soft smile settles on the boy's face when he gets a weak chuckle from Percy.
"Fine.Fine, I..alright." He lets another breath out before opening his mouth. Nico, who had done this a few times, stuck his arms right into Percy's open mouth. It was the easier way, after all. Percy was actually surprised at how quick and easy it was, the boy's hands hitting the back of his throat. And with a swallow, he was halfway down.
Note to self: have any guests keep their arms up.
His tongue safeguarded Nico from any potential danger from his teeth, and even then, he felt them shifting again, becoming more round. Was this what happened every time with the gods? Did their bodies really just change? He swallowed again without realizing it, flinching when there was movement from within as the two got situated.
"Hey! You didn't say I had to share!" Leo complains, Percy grunting when the boy places a decent kick. It didn't hurt, thankfully, but it felt funky.
"Maybe don't kick my spleen?" he suggests, pressing in against the two. The bitter feeling had completely faded from his chest, which was blissful. "You doing alright?" Percy asks after a moment, relieved at the twined answers of 'yes' he received.
"It's weird...Like..drinking flat soda." Percy mumbles.
Inside, Nico made a noise that could only be described as an affronted scoff. "Did you just compare me to flat soda?"
"You're not even the only one in there," Percy pointed out, shifting as Leo jostled again. "You're more like… flat soda and a handful of firecrackers."
Leo's laugh echoed faintly from somewhere around his stomach. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me. Kinda." Nico sighed, the sound muffled but easy to imagine.
"Gods, this is going to be a nightmare to explain to Chiron."
"Who's explaining anything?" Percy mumbled, eyes fluttering shut for a second. The warmth spreading from his chest wasn't just physical. It was emotional, too. There was something undeniably comforting about having the people he cared about so close. Too close, maybe. But still.
"You're the one who swallowed us," Leo said helpfully. "I think you're on clean-up duty."
"I don't think I can look either of them in the eye and tell them that I swallowed two campers," Percy grumbles, his hands resting lightly on his middle. He glances out of the corner of his eye to see that Piper, Annabeth, and Jason have teamed up a bit ways from them. Part of him expected disgusted, but Jason threw him a thumbs up and a smile. Right. Gods in the Roman city eating people was an honor. It was just weird to Percy since he hadn't seen the film.
Leo made a dramatic retching sound. "Ugh. Feelings."
"Want me to throw you up?" Percy asked sweetly. Hoping to fix the odd mood he had created
"I take it back!" Leo yelped. "Love is great! Hooray for trauma bonding!"
Nico laughed an actual, real laugh, and Percy thought, yeah. Weird as it was, this was kind of nice. Maybe not an everyday kind of thing. Definitely not. But for now, it was enough to hold the bitter feeling back.
He pauses when he notices a little girl with a sword looking at him. She didn't seem scared at all , instead delighted, happily bouncing away. Percy shared a look with the group before Annabeth took off like a shot, Jason and Piper coming to his side.
"Alright, we're going to stay calm." Piper's voice was almost musical, Percy smiling weakly. Oh, he wished Charm spoke still worked on him.
"Piper, I'm a god." he reminds weakly. Oh, it did not feel good admitting that out loud at all. They had maybe a few minutes before the little girl told Chiron, which meant Mr. D was coming too. He shifts to sitting again,
Percy sat cross-legged in the grass, arms resting on his knees and over his slightly distended stomach. Percy couldn't stop shaking.
Jason and Piper stood close, Jason resting a hand on his knee. He was close, even if he was a freak of nature.
"I charm spoke Mother Dirt to sleep, and I'll do it to you," Piper says, determined, looking at Percy in a way that made his stomach gurgle loudly.
The two were keeping watch , not for threats but for who was coming.
And they were coming. The sound of hooves was the first thing Percy registered. Steady. Heavy. Measured. Chiron emerged from the treeline with the ease of someone who had walked this path many times, but even he looked concerned. His brows were drawn , his mouth tight.
Beside him, as Percy looked up, Mr. D walked slowly , dragging a finger lazily through the tall grass, absently plucking petals from a flower. But Percy knew him too well by now. That wasn't apathy. It was the focus. They approached in silence. The kind that made Percy's skin itch. Chiron was the first to speak. His voice was calm but low. Serious.
"You're certain they're unharmed?"
Percy nodded, not trusting his voice. His fingers dug into the grass. It hurt his mentor didn't trust him to keep them safe. His hands rest on his middle protectively, a small sneer pulling at his lips. He wouldn't harm his friends, and it was unfair to assume that he even wanted this.
"They're fine," Piper snaps, seeming perfectly content to defend Percy.
"Of course they are," Mr. D murmured. He didn't sound surprised. Only tired. "It's not like Peter goes around harming his friends." it almost..sounded like a defense.
"I didn't mean to," Percy started, hating how his voice cracked. "It just… happened. I thought I could control it. I had to. I-" He swallowed hard, eyes darting between them. "I didn't want to hurt anyone." The two in his stomach respond to his fear, Nico at least, lightly rubbing the stomach walls. Oh, that felt..nice. Warm and buzzy, like sipping ambrosia. He lets a sharp breath out, his cheeks darkening.
"No one said you did," Chiron said gently, stepping closer.
Mr. D exhaled. "You're still clinging to mortal instincts. That's… admirable. If inconvenient." Right, Percy guessed the closest thing to a mentor for ascending would be his camp director. Great. He would be a wonderful teacher .
"Keep your sarcasm to a minimum; you are horrible at projection, even as a godling." Mr. D says with a sigh. Percy had no idea how the god had even heard him, but- oh..oh, they had communicated last night with his dad, and Mr. D. There was some type of god radio, and he was tuned into it.
"Well..this has been awkward, and I hate it, so either I'm leaving or you're leaving." He announces. When the two didn't budge, Percy stood, half holding his gut, half for comfort, and the other for some support.
Leo was obviously having a good time, rapid-fire, asking Nico questions, who could only answer half of them before another set came. Percy couldn't help but smirk. Ha. Now Nico knew what it was like. Piper and Jason flocked his sides like little bodyguards; it would be nice if they didn't just come up to barely his knees. Shrinking wasn't an option either; he wasn't sure if he could adjust his guest's heights and wasn't sure he could emotionally handle having two teens tiny and stuck in his gut.
Neither adult said anything, so he continued, heading to the beach. He sits at a bench, hating how it groans and creaks under his weight. Wisely, Piper and Jason sit on the other one. "Well..that was something." Piper finally spoke.
"You're a god," Jason says, breaking into the room with the elephant and dragging it out. "When did..it couldn't have been for long. But a god...Percy, this is huge." he continues shaking his head in disbelief.
Percy folds his arms over his middle, trying to look smaller without getting any smaller. "I think..it's been happening for a while. I just. I've been hearing prayers." it felt good to admit it. He was being completely honest, and he wiped his mouth again, hating that he kept drooling. He had to be one of the grossest gods. At least Ares didn't drool like he did.
"Why didn't you tell anyone." Piper rests a hand on his knee; it is grounding and warm. He wondered if he felt cold..he was, after all. He was breathing at least, something he hadn't forgotten again. Why didn't he? Percy laughs weakly, looking at the water and trying to ignore the shifting in his gut. He ate two of his friends..he had. Two. He squeezes his eyes shut, focusing on the warmth inside and on his knee. They were fine; he was fine.
"Would you have believed me?"
"Maybe not at first, but yes. You're not one to make things up, Percy." Jason murmurs, leaning forward. At least he wasn't ridged or being absolutely polite like he normally was towards gods. "Are you alright?"
Oh, he was going to start crying if people started asking that. He opens his mouth to answer, only to sigh in relief when Annabeth comes jogging up, seeming confused and tired.
"I think I found out why Percy ascended."