Work Text:
Percy sat down in the living room of the sea palace – fidgeting his hands as he waited for his father, half siblings and step mother to appear, after a few minutes of waiting which Percy perceived as hours they finally arrived.
"Son, what brings you here?" Poseidon asked Percy as he sat down across. The rest of his siblings and Amphitrite looked at him with curiosity.
"Dad, i'm in a relationship with Apollo" Percy finally blurted out.
Poseidon looked at him with stunned eyes as he tries to open his mouth to say something, but no words came out.
"Dad? Are you okay?" Percy asked worriedly as he stretched his hands to put in it on Poseidon's shoulder
"Perseus, you know that I will not approve of this relationship, and you know exactly why." Poseidon said firmly, his eyes darkening with each word.
"I don't want your approval, but I need to know that you won't hurt him. He changed dad! Being Lester changed him." Percy fired back.
"That does not change the fact that he has many.. unfortunate ending for his lovers. I am worried for your safety Perseus, and being with Phoebus will increase that danger risk." Poseidon counter argued
"It was all in the past dad. I don't need your worry I can perfectly handle myself." Percy snarled.
"You can handle yourself eh? Tell me then what happened when you and that Athena kid broke up." Poseidon said, his eyebrows raising.
"You don't get to talk about Annabeth like that." Percy snapped
"I'm done talking to you dad. I don't need your approval anymore." Percy bitterly.
Percy stood up and stomped out of the room. Later he finally arrived at his apartment where a certain sun god waited for him in the couch.
"ἀγάπη μου! How was it?" Apollo said cheerfully as he skipped to hug Percy
"Not good." Percy said, his voice muffled by Apollo's chest as he hugged him tightly. Apollo frowned and flashed them both in to Percy's bed.
"Shh its okay darling, im here" Apollo soothed as he combed through Percy's soft black hair.
After a few minutes Percy fell asleep because of Apollo's slow soft singing. Apollo hugged him for an hour and shuffled out of the bed slowly, once he was able to get out he softly kissed Percy's forehead and whispered promises. He flashed inside of the throne room of the Sea Palace where Poseidon sat with his face buried in his hands. Once he noticed Apollo's presence he finally raised his head and looked at Apollo with cold eyes. The water around Apollo grew instantly heavy, the immense pressure of the deep trenches dropping like an invisible anvil. Poseidon did not raise his voice, but his words vibrated through the current with the weight of a collapsing continental shelf.
"State your intent, Phoebus, and let your words be few. Your light holds no power in my palace, so do not test my mercy by wasting the breath I allow you."
Apollo shivered as the words rippled through him, but he forced his shoulders straight, refusing to betray any weakness to the Lord of the Sea.
"I am here to speak of Percy, and our relationship," Apollo said, his golden eyes flaring slightly to push back against the suffocating dark of the trenches.
"I do not expect your blessing, Lord Poseidon, but I demand your cooperation. After all, it is Percy's happiness we are bargaining for."
Poseidon did not answer immediately. He sat in a deafening silence that stretched for agonizing minutes, the ocean current grinding to a complete, suffocating halt as he weighed every catastrophic possibility. Finally, the sea god leaned forward, his expression carved from stone.
"Although I abhor this... arrangement, I shall stay my hand for now," Poseidon murmured, each word dropping like lead. "Perseus is a child of the sea. Like the tide, he will leave you eventually anyway."
The sting of the words hit their mark. Apollo’s brilliant golden eyes flickered, darkening like a dying star at the mere thought of Percy abandoning him. Yet, beneath the sudden ache in his chest, a spark of relief ignited. It was a cruel truce, but it was a truce nonetheless.
"Thank you, Lord Poseidon," Apollo said, the words bitter and reluctant on his tongue.
He raised his head, and in a brilliant burst of golden light, flashed out of the deep ocean and back into the quiet and cozy atmosphere of Percy's apartment. Seeing his lover sleeping peacefully instantly warmed his immortal chest, melting away the lingering chill of the sea. Moving like a sunbeam, he slowly slipped onto the mattress next to Percy's side, careful not to disturb the sleeping demigod. He feathered a kiss across his forehead, nose and cheeks, the demigod slowly woke up at the fluttering feeling.
"Apollo? You're still here?" Percy murmured, his voice thick and groggy with sleep as he blinked open his green eyes.
"Of course I am, ἀγάπη μου," Apollo replied softly, brushing a stray dark curl from Percy's forehead. "I would gladly abandon all my divine duties just to remain by your side."
Percy snorted, a sleepy smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Well, you better not. Who else is going to recite terrible haikus to me if you fade from neglecting your job?"
Apollo pouted, crossing his arms with mock offense. "My haikus are art, Perseus! They are not terrible."
Percy let out a soft laugh, his tone dripping with playful sarcasm. "Sure they are, sunshine."
Apollo leaned down and kissed him, a little rougher this time to silence his teasing, though his lips quickly softened into a smile. "You are incredibly lucky that I love you," he muttered against Percy's mouth. "I sure am," Percy murmured, wrapping his arms securely around the sun god's neck and pulling him down into the blankets.
time skip
Percy woke up and immediately tried to stretch, only to wince as a sharp soreness flared across his lower back. The ache was a heavy, warm reminder of the passionate lovemaking he had shared with the sun god. He glanced at the empty space beside him on the mattress, finding it cold. He shrugged it off with a faint smile.
Maybe he just went to lower the sun, Percy thought, noting the amber light filtering through the window.
It’s almost sunset. It took a few minutes of careful moving, but he finally managed to stand and get dressed, remembering he had dinner plans with his friends. As he pulled on his shirt, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. The faint, glowing marks Apollo had left on his skin made him sigh softly.
He loved Apollo deeply, but Poseidon’s warnings still weighed heavily on his chest. He knew his father only cared about his safety, but it was suffocating how the King of the Sea refused to let him make his own choices. Shaking his head, Percy actively forced the thoughts away, letting the anticipation of dinner take over his mind. Once he finished getting ready, he grabbed his phone and called Nico. It was time for a shadow-travel lift to the restaurant.
Nico answered after the second ring.
"Hey, Neeks. Can you pick me up? I don't have my car right now," Percy said, leaning against his dresser.
"I'm coming. And didn't I tell you to stop calling me Neeks?" Nico’s voice carried a sharp, deeply annoyed edge through the speaker.
Percy snickerered. "Sure thing, Neeks." A second later, the shadows in the corner of the room lengthened and pooled together. Nico materialized from the darkness and immediately stepped forward, slapping Percy upside the head.
"Ow! Come on, Nico!" Percy pouted, rubbing the back of his head. "Is this how you treat your favorite cousin?"
Nico rolled his eyes, but as he glanced around the messy room, his eyes snagged on a very familiar, faintly glowing gold t-shirt tossed on the floor. His expression instantly twisted.
"Yuck. Did you and Apollo seriously fuck in here?" Nico gagged, his face a perfect picture of pure disgust.
"Let's just go!" Percy squeaked, his face burning a bright, tomato-red as he lunged forward to grab Nico's arm.
Nico and Percy stepped out of the shadows and into the bustling restaurant. Looking across the dining room, they easily spotted their friends already bickering at a large table.
"Hey, guys," Percy greeted, walking over.
"Hey, Perce," Jason said with a grin.
"Come sit next to me, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth said, her voice warm as she patted the empty chair beside her.
Percy smiled and took a seat. After a few minutes of chaotic chatter, they finally managed to flag down a waiter and order their food. But as they waited, the temperature inside the restaurant began to climb rapidly. Even though the sun had fully set, the air grew thick and stifling.
"Is it just me, or is it infuriatingly hot in here?" Percy complained, fanning his collar.
"Agreed," Piper chimed in, wiping her brow.
"I thought Lady Artemis ruled the night. Why does it feel like your boyfriend is crashing it?"
Percy froze as a sudden wave of realization washed over him. "Oh... now I know why."
"What? What is it?" Annabeth asked, turning to face him with an arched eyebrow.
"I may have completely forgotten to tell Apollo about our dinner plans," Percy muttered, his voice fading to a squeak at the end.
"PERCY, dude!" Will Solace gasped, pale under his tan. He swallowed hard, immediately closing his eyes to send a frantic, silent prayer to his father to reassure him that Percy was perfectly safe.
Before Will could even finish his prayer, a blinding burst of golden light flashed right next to their table.
Apollo materialized, his expression frantic and his golden hair slightly disheveled.
"Perseus!" Apollo breathed, utterly blind to the mortal crowd as he instantly threw his arms around his lover, looking him over to ensure he wasn't harmed. "By the gods, you are alright."
"Sorry, sunshine," Percy mumbled into his shoulder, blushing furiously as all his friends stared. "I forgot to tell you."
"It's fine, as long as you're safe," Apollo murmured, burying his face in the crook of Percy's neck and breathing a sigh of relief.
"Okay, you two lovers. We actually have a dinner to enjoy," Nico interrupted loudly, tapping his fork against his water glass.
Percy’s face blushed furiously at the callout, but Apollo just smiled against his skin. He stole one last quick kiss from Percy's lips.
"I'll see you later," Apollo whispered, before finally disappearing in a soft fade of golden light.
"I just realized... are those marks on your neck and arms, Percy?" Piper asked, her eyebrows wiggling as a mischievous smirk spread across her face.
"Shut up and eat, Piper," Percy muttered, his face turning an even deeper shade of crimson—if that was even scientifically possible.
An hour later, the dinner finally wrapped up.
"See you all back at camp!" Leo called out happily, waving as the group began to split up.
Percy gently refused Nico’s offer to shadow-travel him back home. Instead, once he was alone on the sidewalk, he closed his eyes and sent a quiet prayer to his boyfriend to come pick him up.
"How was your night, ἀγάπη μου?" Apollo’s warm voice murmured from behind him. Before Percy could even turn around, the sun god draped his own soft jacket over Percy's shoulders to shield him from the night chill.
Percy looked up, his eyes full of fondness. "It was amazing," he said, leaning up to press a sweet, lingering kiss to Apollo’s lips.
"Let's go home," Apollo said softly, offering his hand. Percy smiled, interlacing their fingers tightly as they vanished into the golden warmth of the hearth.