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Jason frowned as he looked at the darkening skies, the clouds suddenly looking more menacing than they had been an hour ago. As he turned back to his crew, he noticed they reflected his grim expression on their faces.
He signaled to the captain to turn the ship around. It wasn't just the imposing clouds that were a problem but the rough seas themselves. What had started off as a leisurely voyage to celebrate the young king's birthday had quickly soured as the unpredictable weather constantly shifted.
Too be completely honesty, Jason was tipsy. He hadn't heeded the captain's or first mate's advice to turn back half an hour back. After all, it wasn't everyday one turned 25 years old.
The king had arranged for his closest friends to partake in the festivities. As the ship made its way back, Jason went to where his friends were gathered. He clapped a hand on Leo's back, causing the latter to accidentally spray out his drink from his mouth. The rest of the group stepped back in disgust.
"What the hell…!" Will wrinkled his eyes as he glared at Leo.
"I'm turning the ship back," Jason announced before Leo could defend himself. "Sorry, the party was a dud."
"The weather does look bad," Frank added pensively. "Well, did you at least find someone?"
Jason shook his head, "No, it was a failure on that end too."
In addition to his friends, Jason had invited several eligible maidens. He figured he could kill two birds with one stone. Jason knew that in the next year or so, he would require a wife to secure him an heir.
While he had dutifully flirted around with the women aboard, they were all so exceptionally terrible conversationalists. Their main goal appeared to be to please the king by shoving their rather ample bosoms into his face. Not that he didn't appreciate it, but he didn't want his future wife to be so shallow. He wanted someone with whom he could converse with as an equal.
Most of these women, despite their noble birth, carried themselves as common harlots. Of course, there had been exceptions. Princess Annabeth was refreshingly pleasant to talk to. Sharp-witted. Intelligent. Beautiful. Humorous. He could tell she would be a shrewd ruler; however, and he could tell she felt the same way, neither party wanted to further their relation past friendship. She would make a wonderful ally.
He had been hoping to meet Princess Piper as he had heard talks about the lady's beauty and compassionate nature. However, latest rumor had it that the young princess was likely to be betrothed to the son of one of her mother's potential allies.
Leo swung his arm around the king, "Well, at least you can still go stag. No need to be tied down. I can't just bless one young maiden with my charm. I think someone like me needs to be shared for all. You know, share the wealth and everything."
"Or, you're just a curse for every lady in this land," Nico muttered under his breath.
Before Leo could retort, Will intervened, "He is the king. He can't go stag forever."
Jason left his friends as they argued the merits of being single or being married. He knew Will was right. As the king, he couldn't afford to be single. Nor did he want to be single. He didn't enjoy the life of a bachelor who could bed any women he wanted. He wanted that one person he knew his life would be tied to for eternity.
While Jason wasn't a hopeless romantic, he couldn't hurt to dream, right? He swung his legs off the back of the ship as he sat down on the deck, watching the angry waves crash around him. He noted that most of his party had taken shelter inside as the rain began to pelt down from skies above. The deck around him had cleared up, leaving him alone in his thoughts and drenched.
In the back of his mind, he knew he probably shouldn't be sitting so close to edge with no railing in place. The added dangers of his inebriated state and the rough seas should have only bolstered that thought, but Jason once again didn't pay heed as he was lost in his thoughts.
Why had he even organized this event? He wasn't much for parties, but he had gone through the motions expected of him. He had uncharacteristically found himself drinking more than he could handle as well.
As he stared at the tempestuous sea in front of him, he couldn't help but feel slightly irritated. Why was this so hard? He was the king. He shouldn't have to search this hard to find someone to love. Was he being too picky perhaps?
An image of a brunette woman offering a view of her bust had him cringing at the sheer desperation. He shuddered, trying to shake the thought out of his head.
No, he was not being too picky. He had every right to find someone who…at the least…he could stand the sight of to be his partner.
Deep in his thoughts, he almost missed the briefest glimpse of a human hand sticking out from the tumultuous waves.
He blinked as he squinted again. The hand had disappeared.
Was he seeing things?
He shook his head. Maybe he should head back in.
As he was about to get up, he saw that hand again. This time in much closer proximity to the ship.
Fuck.
Someone had fallen over board.
He leaned over to get a closer look.
He had to get help, but that would be too late. He had to help the person overboard himself.
Jason stood up on unsteady legs, both from the waves and his drunken state, he tried to locate an object to throw to the person overboard.
He hadn't even taken two steps forward towards the life preserver he had seen when Jason felt the ship rock dangerously.
Before he could even react, a giant wave swept over the deck, sweeping the young king down with it.
As he felt himself being pulled down, Jason vaguely saw the flicker of a large, green tail approach him.
Pretty.
Just how drunk was he?
Δ
When Jason came to his senses, the first thing he felt was someone kissing him.
Before he could move away, the person moved his hands to his chest as he pushed down. Hard. Jason almost buckled under the strength of the other person's arms.
A resounding cough vibrated through his body as he spat out the salty sea water. Jason's chest heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath.
His vision still slightly clouded was slowly beginning to clear up as his breathing became more regulated.
He could barely make out the face in front of him. Despite the face still being blurred, he could distinguish the sea green eyes alight with curiosity as they stared back at him. The green of the eyes looking vaguely familiar.
Pretty.
There was that pesky word again.
Before he could think much more of it, his attention focused on his savior. The face now had more defined features. A thin, pointed nose stood in between those lovely big, green eyes. Those eyes almost seemed to hide behind the long, dark eyelashes framing them while thick eyebrows sat atop. Locks of wavy raven black hair were shoulder length. Smooth skin without a single hint of a blemish. The pink lips looked plump and swollen.
The maiden in front of him was beautiful.
Jason found an unexpected blush cross his face.
He realized his reclined position as the woman's face directly hovered over his without the slightest hint of an expression on her face.
He couldn't stop his eyes from traveling down past her shoulder when his breath stopped. Jason thought he was about to choke again.
He quickly pushed his savior off as he scrambled back. He vaguely heard a splash register in the back of his mind.
Jason stared at his hands in horror.
His hands had made contact with a chest. A bare, rock-hard chest.
With trepidation, he glanced back up. However, there was no one in sight.
He was still hallucinating or drunk.
Those were the only explanations.
Or perhaps he had hit his head and suffered a concussion.
He tried to stand up, but his legs buckled under him and onto the sand below. He winced in pain as he took in the surroundings. He couldn't even recognize where he was.
God, he was so tired. And hungover. And hungry.
He plopped back on the sand, noticing just how close he was to the water. However, he lacked the energy to move. With some of the barely remaining energy in him, he managed to push himself up to lean against one of the rocks on shore. He stared into the water, wondering what had happened to his ship and friends.
They were no doubt frantically searching for him. Unless…
Another dark thought struck Jason's mind. What if the wave had been large enough to capsize the ship? That wasn't possible, was it? The wave hadn't been that big…
He debated what to do next. He needed food, and he was not going to get that by sitting on the sand.
As he mustered his resolve, he noticed that there was a disturbance in the otherwise calm waves. Before he could scamper away, a pair of familiar, green eyes rose from the clear waters…followed by a broad chest…a broad, well-toned chest. A muscled chest that was now covered by equally muscular arms. But that wasn't the main thing that caught Jason's attention.
As his eyes trailed downward, they were met something else. Something scaly. Green and scaly…
Jason stared in shock as he swore under his breath, "Hell no…"
He had been kissed by a man.
A merman.
Δ
"Do you faint a lot?" a deep, gravelly voice asked, almost as if it hadn't been used in years.
When Jason's eyes opened again, he found himself in a similar position to earlier. His savior was hovering over him again, this time with some concern evident as his head was cocked to one side.
The only difference being…Jason now recognized this face to be that of a man. A merman to be exact.
Jason sat up quickly and scampered back. He knew that as the king, this was unbecoming of him. But at this moment, he could not give two shits.
The other man…fish…? Whatever he was, the other being sighed in exasperation. "Can we not reenact the same scene again?"
"You— you can talk," Jason stammered out.
"Evidently," the merman responded with a raised eyebrow. "As can you."
When Jason didn't respond, the merman held out his outstretched palm, "Here. Eat."
The curiosity getting the better of him, Jason looked over with some interest. He immediately recoiled at the sight.
A dead fish sat in the merman's hand. A raw, dead fish.
"I can't eat that!" Jason protested, the feeling of nausea suddenly threatening to overtake him.
The merman gave him a long look before shaking his head in irritation, "Okay then, try this." He tossed something over to Jason before the latter could react. It ended up hitting the blond king in the shoulder, causing him to wince.
A tender, green coconut sat in his lap as Jason contemplated how to eat it. If he had his sword, he could have chopped the thing open easily. But, he couldn't do anything with his bare hands.
"Drink," the merman commanded.
"I can't break it open," the blond rolled his eyes at the merman's insistence and clear lack of foresight.
The merman, still in the water, gestured to Jason to come over. The king hesitantly walked over with the coconut in his hand, ready to throw it at the merman in case he kissed him again.
As the thought passed through his head, Jason felt bad. He had saved him after all.
When the merman gave a pointed look at the coconut, Jason handed it over. He crossed his arms over his chest to see how the merman would deal with the problem.
Before the merman could do anything, Jason suddenly felt stupid. He had to have been concussed. That was the only explanation for his actions right now.
He could have easily opened the coconut with the rocks on the beach.
His pride getting the better of him, Jason looked back towards the merman, "Give it back. I know what to do."
The merman simply gave him a withering look as he took the coconut in between both his palms. The object looked awfully small in his hands.
With a swift motion, Jason heard a crack.
Jesus Christ.
He had broken the coconut with his bare hands.
Jason made a mental note to never get on the merman's bad side.
Suddenly afraid of the merman in front of him, Jason took a step back, worried that perhaps the merman would throw the coconut at him instead.
The merman rolled his eyes as though he knew what Jason was thinking, "I'm not going to throw this at you. Besides, I saved your life, why would I hurt you? Here." He handed Jason one half carefully.
The merman nodded at Jason, indicating the king should mimic his actions as he drank the sweet water from the young coconut.
The moment Jason's lips came in contact with that refreshing tasting, he almost moaned in greed. Within seconds, he had polished off the water, craving more.
The merman sported an amused look on his face. He flashed Jason a smile as he bit down into the white flesh of the young coconut.
If Jason hadn't been so terrified, he would have followed suit. His eyes were trained on the teeth of the man in front of him.
The merman's teeth were pointier than any sharpened sword that Jason had come across. Jason suddenly had a vision of those teeth leaning over his neck, ready to end his life.
I'm fucked.
He was jolted out of his nightmare as the merman murmured lowly, "Are you a child? How many times do I have to tell you to eat?"
Δ
After finishing off his meal of the coconut… he had refused the raw fish once more, Jason began walking along the edge of the water. The merman followed alongside in the water.
"I'm Jason," the king finally turned to the merman after a long period of silence.
"I'm Perseus. Percy for short," the merman replied.
"Where am I?"
"Well, you are currently above the kingdom of Atlantis."
"Kingdom of what?"
"Atlantis." the green-eyed merman repeated with a disgruntled look on his face, as though the question had offended him.
"Never heard of it."
"Then, pray tell, where are you from?"
"Antioch," Jason answered, not bothering to hide the pride.
"Never heard of it," Percy responded with snark.
Not wanting to argue with the merman after Jason had seen evidence of the other man's physical prowess, he quickly changed the topic.
"Are there any ships around here?"
"No, this island in uninhabited. And before you ask your next question, I know not what happened to your own ship. I merely saw you fall face first into the water."
"I did not fall face first," Jason retorted hotly. "The waves swept me in."
"Right, the waves."
Jason was tempted to deck the other man, but again restrained himself knowing that Percy could easily destroy him.
"What am I going to do…?" Jason groaned as he sat down on the sand with his knees up to his chest. His sunk his face into his hands while the merman simply watched with a bemused expression.
"You could build a boat?" Percy offered, trying to be helpful.
"Do I look like I know how to build a boat?"
"Wait, no don't answer—"
"You're right. I don't know what I was thinking. You can't even break open a coconut."
Jason glared at the other man only to find that he had an easy smile on his face, like he wanted to provoke a reaction from Jason.
Well, Jason wasn't going to let him have that satisfaction.
"But, in all seriousness," Percy's smile flickered. "I could help you build a boat. I've studied them enough to make one that could work. Or, at the very least a raft."
"And go where?" Jason grumbled. "I have no idea where I am."
"Do you want my help or not?"
While Jason wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug grin off that merman's face and turn down his help, he knew this was his best shot at getting back home.
Δ
Jason paused to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He looked on with jealousy at the merman still in the water. How he wished he didn't have to work in this miserable sun to gather the branches for the boat.
Percy seemed to enjoy his role, ordering Jason around to find the correct branches.
"No, that one's the wrong size."
"That one is too flimsy."
"How are you so weak? Pick up that one over there."
"Do you have a size complex? Why are all the branches so small?"
Jason was ready to throttle the merman, but he didn't. He watched with begrudging respect as the merman carefully laid out the branches to be assembled.
By the time nightfall had hit, Jason couldn't move his legs from exhaustion. They were nowhere close to being done with the boat either. He glanced at where the merman had secured the branches Jason had gathered with some twine-like material. Jason had to admit it, but the merman was a skilled craftsman. Even only partially done, the boat looked more impressive than any final product Jason could have conjured up.
He maneuvered around the cragged rocks on the sandy beach to where Percy was in the tide pool. The merman was leaning his back against a giant boulder with his eyes closed, allowing Jason to observe him without fear of being caught.
Seeing the peaceful look on the merman's face, Jason could see how he had initially mistaken the merman for a woman. Despite the merman's…quite obviously male… body, his face had an androgynous beauty about it.
As Jason approached the tide pool, he had the sudden temptation to lean over and touch the man's smooth face. His finger hovering close to the merman, he was startled when a single green eye looked back.
Jason fell into the water with a resounding thud as the merman simply stared at him.
Why was his stare so unnerving?
"Are you done?" Percy asked.
"What?"
Done staring at his face? If so, then no.
"Are you done collecting the branches?" Percy clarified.
"I thought I might call it a day."
"The sooner you finish, the sooner you can get out of here."
"I still have no idea how to get home."
"Don't your people know how to navigate?"
Jason sat stonily. Sure, humans knew how to navigate, and as king he had had training. But, he was by no means an expert.
The merman gave the king a once-over when the latter didn't respond. He slid closer to the blond-haired man, causing Jason to inch away.
"I mean, if you wanted to be with me longer…"
"Shut up," Jason replied angrily. His head whipped to face the black-haired merman. "Do you enjoy irritating me?"
Expecting the merman to give him a snarky response back, Jason was stunned to silence at the livid, almost scary, expression on his face.
"I have been nothing but kind to you. I saved you. I fed you. And now, I am helping you get back home. I have nothing to gain from helping you."
The feeling of guilt completely enveloped Jason. The merman was, of course, completely right. Despite the snide comments, he had only ever helped Jason. However, Jason was frustrated with his situation and refused to back down, "Then why? Why are you helping me?"
Percy slumped down as though all his energy had suddenly left him, "I was curious."
Now Jason's interest was piqued, "Curious?"
"Curious about humans," Percy continued, suddenly looking…shy?
"You—"
"I've been fascinated about humans for a long time. I've seen so many ships pass by these waters, and I always wondered what life was like for you. My father forbid me from growing too interested in human affairs, but I refused to let that stop me. It was a form of retaliation I suppose. The more my father tried to dissuade me, the more interested I became. It became an obsession you might say. That's why I know so much about boats," he tilted his head towards the unfinished boat. "You're the first human that I've had a chance to approach."
"Oh…" Jason wasn't sure how to respond. He had heard tales (no pun intended) of merfolk, he had always scraped them up to be stories. But here they were, an entire civilization of people who knew that humans existed.
And from what Percy said, they were similar in certain aspects. They clearly had family units as well.
"You mentioned your father…?" Jason asked hesitantly.
Percy gave him a sour look. Clearly this was a sore topic.
Jason quickly scrambled to find a new topic, "Then, can you tell me about the merfolk?"
The grim look on Percy's face considerably brightened, "Of course, the merfolk…"
Jason watched how animated the other man was in talking about his people. Lost in the merman's sonorous voice, Jason simply nodded, almost subconsciously, feeling hypnotized by that deep timbre.
He was shaken out of his reverie by a sudden splash of water hitting his face. With an indignant look on his face, he faced Percy, "What the hell was that for?"
The merman's tail was seen sticking out of the water. For a moment, Jason was speechless as he carefully glanced at the sea green tail. It was exquisite. The scales almost shone like emeralds even in the night. Jason was suddenly curious as to how they might look under the light.
"You weren't paying attention," Percy said drily.
"It wasn't my fault your voice is so sleep-inducing," Jason lied through his teeth. No, not sleep-inducing but entrancing. The merman had the mature voice of a skilled story teller that completely enraptured his audience.
Percy moved through the water effortlessly as he stood in front of Jason. Stood being a figurative statement as the merman obviously did not have legs.
"Why do you keep getting so close to me?" Jason asked as he looked away in discomfort from the close proximity.
"I told you, didn't I?" Percy's head dipped closer to Jason's ear. So close that Jason could feel the breath brush past his ear, causing the king to shiver from the feeling. "I said I was curious…about humans."
Δ
As the days went by, Jason began feeling himself fall into a comfortable pattern. After spending most of his waking hours with the merman, he felt like he had known the merman for years. Despite the verbal spars that the two would engage in, the sense of familiarity between the two prevented anything from escalating into a full-blown argument.
Jason was even getting accustomed to the merman's manner of talking. His snarky remarks. How he would roll his eyes every time Jason said or did something he considered idiotic.
One thing Jason could, however, not get used to, was how quickly he had become attached to the merman. He had never felt this contented with anyone before, not even his friends that he had known since his childhood.
And no, the king wasn't just saying that so he could appreciate the merman's ethereal beauty…not that that didn't play a part in his attraction…but Percy truly did make him feel like all was right in the world.
A large part of this was the trust the two had for one another. Jason would extol the merman with stories from his kingdom. Percy would listen eagerly as Jason explained the inner workings of human society. The ever so inquisitive pupil, Percy would interject with questions that Jason often had difficulty answering. The genuine interest with which Percy asked those questions honestly surprised Jason. Finding himself enamored by the merman's curiosity, Jason would find himself smiling back as he answered the questions posed. Despite being an artisan by trade, Percy had extremely helpful insight into problems Jason was dealing with back in his kingdom.
This conveyance of information was not one way. Time and time again Percy showed just how much he trusted the king. The merfolk, from what Jason had gathered, were reclusive. Human interaction was forbidden…an offense punishable by death. This would explain the lack of sightings of the other species.
However, Percy had broken every one of those rules. The foremost being that he had saved Jason from the waves. He was helping him with the boat. And lastly, he trusted Jason as he spoke about the merfolk and their society.
Jason wasn't sure how long it had been since he had been on the island…likely nearing a fortnight. While they were making progress on the boat, the pair would occasionally run into mishaps, delaying the process. However, the merman had even secured a semblance of a rudder. When Jason had asked him where he had gotten it, Percy had simply told him that it had been from some shipwreck that had sunken to the bottom of the ocean.
Although it looked to be in fairly good condition, Jason didn't think further on the topic. Just happy that he had a rudder. Jason couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the other man.
Jason glanced over to Percy as the two took a break from working under the unforgiving sun. The merman was leaning back on his two arms on the large boulder on shore, almost as though he were bored. His majestic tail flipped around on the hard surface while his face was trained towards the water.
With the scales on his tail catching the sun, Jason almost felt himself becoming blinded by the luminance. He had a sudden urge to run his fingers over those lustrous green scales, but he restrained himself. Yet, he could not peer his eyes away.
Percy must have felt the gaze as he turned back to look at the blond king. A knowing look played on the other man's face, but he too remained silent.
As the moments passed on silence, Jason finally gave into his temptation.
He gulped before he looked up to see the merman still staring at him with that smug grin. The king hesitated, "Can I— can I touch your scales?"
Jason immediately wanted to clap his hand over his face in humiliation, expecting Percy to ridicule him.
However, the merman had a soft look on his face, as though he were trying to save Jason from the embarrassment of the question.
The merman simply nodded once, still not breaking eye contact with the other man.
Jason shyly reached out to touch the scales at the base of Percy's tail, near the flipper. His hands shivered at the touch. Not in disgust, but at how cold it was. He ran his fingers over the scales, marveling at the feel. They were so smooth, almost like a prized pearl.
Without realizing it, Jason had begun to stroke the base of the merman's tale, still unable to believe just how beautiful those scales looked.
He was not expecting, however, for the merman to wag his tail.
When Jason caught sight of Percy's face, he was stunned into silence, his hands halting at the view. He looked like a puppy being scratched behind his ear as his smile spanned the entirety of his face.
Percy, finally noting the stop in the motion, looked at Jason as though he were seeing him for the first time. However, the merman quickly recovered himself as he shrewdly stared back at Jason's astonished face, as though he were challenging the other man. Why did you stop?
Jason tore his gaze away from Percy as he felt his hands move again. He felt addicted to the feel of those smooth, shiny scales.
He murmured to himself, almost in a trance like state, as his fingers danced over the scales, "I wonder what's under here."
He hadn't intended for Percy to hear it, but curse that merman's excellent sense of hearing.
Jason could hear Percy's head snap up when he had uttered the sentence.
Almost afraid to meet the merman's eyes, Jason looked up with mortification. This time, Percy did not take pity on him as he returned the look with an impish smirk on his face.
"Wouldn't you like to find out?"
Before Jason could snatch his hands away from the merman, Percy grabbed on to his wrist with a vice-like grip, dragging his hand up his tail.
Seconds later, Jason's hand was hovering over what he assumed would be the other man's crotch if he were human. Hovering dangerously close.
He could feel heat emanate from the scales. A stark contrast to the scales at the base of the tail. Jason's hand almost recoiled at the feel. Yet, another part of him wanted to get rid of that small separation between his hand and the merman's scales.
He knew he would regret it if he went with what his heart had in mind. Almost reluctantly, he tried to tug away from Percy's hold, but the merman's grip only tightened, forcing Jason's hand down even lower till his fingers were skimming those scales.
Shit.
The first thought in Jason's mind was how hot those scales felt.
The second thought in his mind was how hot he suddenly felt.
The third thought in his mind was how hot Percy looked.
The other man's eyes were closed with a look of pure bliss and euphoria on his face.
Jason carefully stroked one of the scales, observing the change in Percy's face as he shuddered, hissing at the touch. However, before he could go any further, Percy stopped him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Percy said. Jason paused. Not because of the words, but because of how the merman's voice had suddenly become deeper… huskier…
"Why—why not?" he managed to stammer out.
Percy tugged Jason closer to him, as close as the boulder would allow.
His mouth dangerously close to Jason's jaw as he whispered darkly with the arousal evident in his voice, "Let's just say that this appendage has uses other than procreation."
Without another word, the merman dove back into the water.
Jason simply stood there with his mouth open, immobile like a statue. He had not even noticed that the merman had completely doused him with water.
Δ
The next morning, Jason was rudely awakened by shouts from the sea. He rubbed the sleep… not that he had really been able to sleep after what had happened yesterday… from his eyes as he squinted into the distance.
A faint, dark shape became clearer as it approached.
Jason stood up quickly.
No way.
Was that… was that a ship?
As the ship came closer, the royal insignia of Antioch was seen clearly.
They had found him.
Jason waited patiently for the ship to find an acceptable area to dock on the island. He watched as the first mate lowered the ladder, allowing for the king to climb aboard.
"Your majesty!" the captain breathed a sigh of relief.
Jason felt himself being tackled into a hug, a mess of recognizable curly brown hair shoved into his face.
He sputtered as he pushed the man back.
"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!" Leo exclaimed. "You don't know how long we've been searching for you. Do you understand how many things we had to overcome to find you? Someone even stole one of our rudders! I don't understand how someone snuck up on us to steal the rudder while we were still in the water. Fortunately, I was able to…"
Jason tuned Leo's voice out.
A stolen rudder?
It couldn't possibly be…
Jason hadn't even noticed the ship pulling away from his shore whilst deep in his thoughts.
Had the merman purposefully stolen the rudder to prevent Jason from being rescued?
But, how could Percy have known this ship was intended for Jason?
And besides, he was still helping him build the boat...
Jason was getting a headache from the contradictory thoughts passing through his head.
Suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness, Jason went down to the deck, looking at the waves that threatened to spray him.
Jason simply spent the rest of the day looking out into the water, hoping for some sign of the green-eyed merman. The hours passed, and soon, the sun was beginning to set.
By the time they had reached Antioch, Jason felt despondent. The last time he had seen Percy had been cut abruptly, and he had no sense of closure. Once they reach the port, the king was bombarded by several people. Friends and members of the court alike. However, they were all background noise to Jason's thoughts as the king allowed himself to be taken back to his palace.
Δ
The weeks went by slowly, and Jason often found himself walking along the shore when he was not in meeting with members of the court or allies in the neighboring kingdoms.
In frustration, he kicked a rock wedged in the sand into the calm waters before him. He turned back with his hands shoved into his pocket in anger.
"Ow!" came a deep voice from behind him.
Jason's head whipped around faster than he had known was possible.
And there he was. The man who had been haunting his thoughts for days on end.
Only the head of the handsome black-haired merman was seen above the surface of the water.
"It only took weeks to find you, and this is the treatment I get," the merman drawled with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
Jason rubbed his eyes in disbelief. He was rendered speechless.
"Don't tell me you're going to faint again."
The merman moved closer to the shore, his upper body becoming more visible as the water became shallower.
Waist deep in the water, the merman looked at Jason expectantly, waiting for him to talk.
Sensing that the king was unlikely to talk any time soon, the merman sighed, "I was hoping for some reaction, you know."
Still no response from the blond-haired man as he continued to stare blankly.
"Alright, I guess I will have to get a response another way."
The merman strode forward as he finally stepped out of the water. Jason's eyes unwillingly dipped lower.
Fucking hell.
No way in hell.
Was he dreaming?
Had he already fainted?
Because there was no way that the green-eyed merman was standing in front of him with two legs.
However, that was the least of Jason's problems. His eyes got stuck on what was between his two legs.
A 'third leg.'
Perseus Jackson, merman extraordinaire, was standing in front of him unabashedly… nude.
Jason blinked his eyes several times, the scene remaining unchanged.
Percy walked closer till he was standing a hair length away from the king. Knowing that Jason would likely take a step back, Percy's hands securely held Jason's waist in front of him.
"So, my king… I believe you were curious about just what was under my tail. Why don't you find out?"