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Empaths at Camp Half-Blood weren't common, but the ones that existed felt the pain of everyone at camp since the seven arrived in the nick of time. It had been a week since Gaea was defeated, but there were still injured demigods. Will and his sibling had a lot more work to do. "Y/N you should take a break."
"I can't, Will," Y/N said, barely looking up. They were changing the bandages on a leg of the child of Mars, who was passed out in her cot.
"Why not?" The son of Apollo got no response, causing him to sigh. Y/N barely noticed when he left the infirmary and came back with another boy in tow.
"Hey." Y/N looked up to see their boyfriend, Percy, leaning against the doorframe. "I think we need to talk."
"Great, we'll talk later."
"I mean now, Y/N." Percy walked up to them and held out his hand. They took it hesitantly and followed him to the beach. Y/N was tense and unsure around Percy ever since he got back. The aura they got from being around him was darker than it used to be, and they didn't want to believe that he had changed for the worst. Since then, they had been avoiding him by staying in the infirmary and finding excuses to avoid him. "What's going on?"
"Nothing's going on, Perce," they avoided his eyes, staring out into the sea.
"Bullshit, Y/N," Percy groaned. "I know you better than anyone, and you throw yourself into work if you're trying to avoid something. I have a feeling that something this time is me, and I want to know what I did - or didn't – do."
Instead of answering, Y/N sat down on the soft sand and continued to stare at the sea. Percy joined them, not wanting to pressure them into telling him. "What happened on the Quest?"
"A lot, where do you want me to begin?" His tone was more gentle than before, more patient. Y/N relaxed a bit, seeing the boy they knew before he disappeared.
"Your aura is darker," they pointed out. "Being around you has been hard because of the negative energy. What caused that?"
More silence passed between them. Anyone that was nearby had since left them alone. Percy was trying to figure out a way to tell his partner about his encounter with Akhlys – the Goddess of Misery, and how Annabeth pulled him out of his trance by mentioning them. The minutes that passed felt like hours, and Y/N was about to get up and leave when Percy began to speak.
"You know how in The Last Airbender, there are blood benders?" Y/N finally looked into his sea-green eyes, knowing where this was going. They nodded, encouraging him to continue and allowing themself to feel the pain he felt in the memory. "Annabeth and I – we were in Tartarus when I found out I can do that."
Guilt bubbled in Y/N's stomach as they listened to what happened during his encounter with Misery. They misjudged his emotions. What he felt was pain and anger, but pain and anger that would've spun out of control if he wasn't reminded of Y/N. They waited until the boy was done, allowing for his pain to course through their body and feeling what he had felt these past few months.
More than anything, they realized how much Percy missed his partner. He wanted nothing more than to be back at their side, and that was enough motivation to survive the Quest and get back to camp. "I'm sorry, Percy."
"Don't apologize," he smiled gently. "You were scared, and acted on instinct."
"Still, I-"
"Y/N, even if I fully gave into that power, you would've gotten me out of it somehow." He sounded so certain, enough that they believed it when Percy spoke. "And I know that because I love you."
"I love you, too."
"I will always come back to you, and that's a promise." He smiled and kissed them. The two demigods spent the rest of the day attached at the hip, the tension between them completely dissipated.