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Everyone has a soulmate. Mortals, gods, half-bloods, centaurs. Everyone. The thing is, the pairs don’t typically cross between species or mortals and immortals, especially not where gods are involved. Gods’ soulmates have always been guaranteed to be another god.
The only exception, of course, is Apollo.
While everyone else up on Olympus proudly displays the godly names burned into their skin, Apollo hides away in his temple with a golden wristband firmly shackled around his wrist. If anyone were to know his soulmate was anything but as godly as himself, his father would surely strip him of his immortality for good.
Occasionally, when he’s alone, Apollo removes the band and allows himself to dream of a life where he could freely be with his soulmate. A life where they were both living up on Mount Olympus, just as happy as everyone else up there.
But he knows it’s futile. Even if he wanted to, it would be difficult to find his soulmate with such a rare name. He doesn’t even know where to start, he’s got no leads on whether they’re just a mortal or a demigod or anything. All he knows is the name.
Perseus.
It’s a lovely name, really, Apollo thinks. He’s only known of the existence of one lad with the name, Zeus’s son from back in the day. He’d known instantly that the hero who’d defeated Medusa, although beautiful, had not been his destined lover. Although this son of Zeus is his only reference of the name, it always vaguely makes Apollo think of the sea, waves crashing against the shore. It has him longing for the feeling of sand clinging to his feet, imagining the soft scent of the ocean’s salty waters overcoming his senses as a calloused hand closes around his own and drags him closer to the water.
Apollo’s never sure why it’s the sea that comes to mind when he looks at the soulmark, but he’s been dying to find out for the many millennia he’s been alive.
---
Percy doesn’t understand the name on his wrist for the first few years of his life, doesn’t get what it means or who it is. Eventually, when he’s eight years old, he hears about it from a teacher at school and hurries to ask his mother about it the moment he gets home.
“It’s called a soulmate,” Sally says, sitting down with Percy at the small kitchen table. She launches into a whole brief explanation of what it entails, Percy’s wide eyes staring back all the while.
“So who’s mine?” he asks once she’s finished.
Sally sighs, her eyes falling on the name on Percy’s small wrist. “Percy, you’re a very special boy,” she says.
“What do you mean?”
“To understand who your soulmate is, there’s something I need to tell you about your father first.”
Percy’s amazement level steadily goes up throughout her entire speech, his mouth hung ajar in shock all the while. “So… my dad is a god. Like, one of the gods. And… so is my soulmate? But how does that work?”
“Yes, your soulmate is the god Apollo.” Sally sighs once more. “I’m not sure, but you will undoubtedly meet him some day.”
“Wow…”
---
When Apollo first hears news about a young demigod, a son of Poseidon, being accused of stealing from Zeus, it means nothing to him. He brushes it off as just another kid seeking more attention from their detached godly parent. Except, rather quickly, it becomes a far bigger deal for him. He walks by Poseidon and Zeus discussing the matter, and hears the kid’s name slip out of his uncle’s mouth.
Perseus.
Apollo, naturally, can’t keep his mouth shut. He steps into their conversation, ignoring the fact that he could easily get at the other end of Zeus’s wrath for this. “Woah, woah, woah. Perseus?”
Zeus and Poseidon both turn to look at him, irritation slapped across both of their faces. “What are you doing here?” Zeus demands instantly.
“Hey, it’s a free mountain, I can go where I please,” Apollo says, throwing his hands up and putting on what he hopes is a dazzling smile.
“What do you know of my son?” Poseidon asks, his voice much softer than Zeus’s.
“Perseus is your son?”
“Yes, he is. What do you know of him, Apollo?”
“Wellllll…” Apollo trails off, unsure of whether or not he should be honest. He is the god of honesty, he supposes, so really it would be a sin against himself to lie. With this thought in mind, he says, “Pretty sure he’s my soulmate.”
“What?!” both Poseidon and Zeus shout.
Apollo slides his wristband off to display the name on his tan skin, showing it off to his father and uncle. “There’s only ever been, like, one other Perseus in existence, and it wasn’t him so I’m pretty sure it’s gotta be this one.”
“No,” Poseidon states, voice and expression steely and firm. “There is no way. You are not my son’s soulmate.”
“Maybe you should take a quick peek at his wrist to see if it matches?”
Poseidon grunts, vanishing in a small pool of water. Apollo assumes he’s gone off to do just that.
---
Poseidon puts it off for several months. It isn't until after the true thief has been revealed and things have begun to settle down at camp that he goes to visit his son in his cabin.
“Perseus?” Poseidon calls out, entering the cabin. “Are you in here?”
Percy pokes his head out from the other room and steps out. “Hey, what's up?” he asks with a smile.
“I've just come to see how you've been doing. Well, I hope?” Poseidon tries to sneak a peek at his son's wrist, only to find it to be covered in a band oddly similar to what he recalls Apollo’s looked like.
“Yeah, everything has been pretty calm lately. Though I've got a feeling it won't last long.”
“Well, we shall hope for the best, my son.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Perseus?”
“Yeah?”
“Would you mind… taking off your wristband?”
Percy steps back, clearly shocked. “What? I- No, that's personal.”
Poseidon sighs. “I believe I already know of the name on your wrist, Perseus. It is alright.”
“...Fine,” Percy mumbles, reluctantly sliding the band off. He holds his wrist out for his father to see it.
Poseidon looks at the inscription, losing any hope he might have had walking into this. The name Apollo is sketched in in beautiful golden cursive letters. His nephew wasn't lying, they were soulmates.
“Well, I can't say I'm supportive of this bond, but I want you to find true happiness, my son.” Poseidon sighs. “Even if it is him that is destined to give it to you.”
Percy breaks out in a huge grin. “Thanks, dad!”
“But not until you're of age can he lay a hand on you. Never forget that.”
“Duh, that's gross. I'm only twelve.”
---
Apollo looks all too smug when Poseidon returns, informing him of what had happened. “I told you, man. Why would I lie about love?”
“You are exhausting,” Poseidon says. “I told him this as well, but you need to hear it far more. You are not to touch him or speak with him at all until he is of age. Seventeen, at least.”
“Yeesh, okay. Five years? That's nothing for a god. You should be more worried about him waiting. As a mortal, time is all he's got.”
---
In the end, the wait is undoubtedly harder for Apollo than it is for Percy. He watches Percy from the sky, every day, sees him grow into an increasingly more beautiful and well-built man. As Percy approaches seventeen, Apollo almost cannot contain his desires and urges to finally meet his soulmate in person. The fact that he sees Percy talking about him to his friends makes it all the harder.
---
When Percy is only a month away from turning seventeen, he can't think of anything but Apollo. He still has yet to even meet the god at all, just having heard stories and seen a few pictures. The only people that know his soulmate’s identity are his parents, Grover, Annabeth, and Chiron. Apparently Chiron just knows every kid at camp’s soulmate.
With everything with Luke and Kronos being settled, he doesn't have any worries about quests or monsters, which just leaves even more headspace to be filled with Apollo. Percy can tell he's annoying Annabeth, since he won't shut up about it.
“Oh my gods, I can't wait,” he says one day, when they're sitting together by the river. “In one month, I'll finally get to meet him, and talk to him, and touch him, oh my gods, Annabeth.”
“You're so in love and you haven't even met him yet. Calm down, Percy,” Annabeth says, rolling her eyes at his obsessive behavior. “What if you find you don't even like him? He is kind of an idiot after all.”
“So am I! So it'll work out perfectly.”
“Yeah, sure.”
---
Apollo waits until 11:55 on Percy’s birthday to visit him. Percy is alone in his cabin after having spent the day with various people from camp celebrating the day. He's getting ready for bed, shirt off, when Apollo decides to make his entrance.
Percy turns towards his bed, only to jump when he sees someone sitting atop it. “Shit, what the hell!” he shouts in his alarmed state. It takes him only a second to realize who it is. “Apollo?”
“Ding ding!” Apollo sings. “Hello, Perseus.”
“I was starting to think you wouldn't show up today.”
“And miss my baby boy’s big day? No way.” Apollo stands up, making his way closer to Percy with a lazy grin.
“Um… can I see it?”
Apollo’s grin slides into a smirk. “I'll show you mine if you show me yours.” He throws in a wink just for good measure.
Percy lifts his wrist in Apollo’s direction, wristband already absent. Apollo’s eyes snap onto the letters instantly, his fingers reaching out to trace the patterns. “Beautiful…”
“Show me yours.”
Apollo obliges and offers up his own covered wrist to Percy. The demigod slips the band off and drops it in awe as he takes in the smooth blue letters of his name on Apollo’s wrist. He stares for a moment before pulling it up slightly to press a fleeting kiss to the skin there. Afterward, his eyes flick up to meet Apollo’s, who's already staring at him with dark eyes. Apollo barely hesitates before surging forward to press their mouths together in a heated kiss. Percy pulls him even closer, kissing him back immediately. They continue on like this for several minutes before Percy’s hormones get the better of him and he grinds his hips against Apollo’s, their erections rubbing together. He moans, and Apollo chuckles, pulling back slightly.
“I think we should take it a little slower,” Apollo says softly. “Your lovely father may not like it too much if I deflower you the first night we have together.”
“I don't care what he thinks.”
“Oh?”
“I just want you, now.”
“And who am I to refuse such a beauty as yourself?”
“Exactly.” Percy grins, leaning in to whisper in the god’s ear, “Fuck me, my Lord.”
Apollo pivots and pushes Percy on his bed, knowing there's no way he's walking away from this tonight.
---
The following day, Percy awakes alone. Frowning, he remembers the previous night and wonders where Apollo could be. He's aware of his lover’s morning duties of raising the sun, but he would be back by now. If he was planning on coming back at all, that is.
Percy tries not to dwell on it as he gets dressed and heads to the cafeteria area for breakfast. He sits down at his table, not noticing the several pairs of eyes on him right away. When he does, he gets both uncomfortable and confused. “Why are people staring at me?” he asks, looking to Will who's been giving him an uneasy look.
“Uh, I think most people only are for one reason,” Will tells him, coming closer to Percy's table. “I've noticed two things though.”
“Care to share?”
“Well, first off, dude: if you get so many hickeys you really need to find a way to cover them up. Like, seriously. It's not secret what how you spent your birthday last night.”
“Oh gods…” Percy’s eyes widen in embarrassment, having totally forgotten about the myriad of marks Apollo had left on him the previous night.
“And secondly, MY DAD IS YOUR SOULMATE?!?” Will yells, clearly extremely bothered by the idea.
“Um…” Percy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, inadvertently drawing Will’s attention to his regrettable bare wrist. He really wasn't thinking at all this morning.
“Oh my gods! That's disgusting!”
“Gee, thanks. He's actually the opposite of disgusting, though. Pretty hot, y’know?” Percy cracks a grin, knowing Will will never be able to think of him or Apollo the same way ever again.
“STOP IT!!!”
“Dude, your dad is amazing in bed. Everything I've heard was so real. But maybe better, actually.”
“PERCY! I'm never speaking to you or him again. Nope, never. Goodbye forever, Percy.” Will shivers and walks back to his table, Percy laughing after him.
“Good one, he'll be scarred with horrible mental images for the rest of his life. He'll get over it though,” someone says, sitting down beside Percy.
Percy looks up, smiling brightly when he sees his soulmate beside him. “Where were you?”
“Speaking with Chiron. Wasn't a choice. He did say I could hang around camp with you when you're not busy with any quests, though. Something about how most other campers have their soulmates with them here, so it's only fair yours can be here too. No complaints here,” Apollo explains, slipping an arm around Percy’s shoulders.
“None here either. It's just gonna take a lot for everyone to get even semi-used to seeing you all over here.”
“I think you mean all over you.”
“Fair point.” Percy checks to see of anyone is looking in their direction, unsurprisingly finding quite a few eyes on them. More than before. Ignoring them all, he turns in the god’s arm to lean his forehead against his. “This is gonna be hard.”
“You know what else is gonna be hard?”
“What?”
“Your cabin’s wall when I push you up against it and fuck you so rough.”
“Fuck…” Percy leans forward, removing the mere inch that had separated them before and kissing Apollo hard.
Apollo returns the kiss with equal fervor before they both pull back together, breathing hard. “Perseus, no more in front of the kids.”
“Cabin?”
“Cabin.”
Before they hurry off, a few people notice the matching names on their wrists. The chatter on the topic doesn't die down after they leave, it just increases. All of Apollo’s children wallow together in their discomfort as they try not to think about every dirty think their father could be doing to the camp's hero as they sit there.
FIN.