Chapter Text
Percy could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he stared at the syllabus in his hands. The name at the top mocked him, each letter etched into his mind like a brand. Apollo. His new teacher was Apollo. Fantastic, because why wouldn't the universe hate him today?
His new teacher for this subject in nursing school was Apollo. Apollo- the god of medicine and prophecy and poetry and perfect hair and sunshine smell and broad shoulders-
The god of fucking questionable decisions. Both figuratively and literally.
That was all it took for deep buried memories from four years ago to flash back before his eyes in an instant.
Professor- Mr. Apollo Sunday
He barely resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands and scream.
Why now? Why today of all days? It had been exactly a year since he and Annabeth had broken up, and while he knew their relationship had been unravelling for a long time-
(“- too dangerous Percy”
“-so I should’ve just let that KID die?”
“YOU KNOW THAT IS NOT WHAT I’D MEANT-” )
-he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt every time he thought about Apollo.
That night- a sunday - with him had been a catalyst-igniting a fire of realisation about how much he had restrained himself with Annabeth. It wasn’t just a fleeting mistake; it was a moment of clarity that haunted him.
( “more, more, please-”
“are you sure, Perce?”
“yes, please, gods-”
“just one god here, darling.” )
And that hadn’t been the best part, no. The best part? Being held rather than having to hold. Being able curl into them and not be reminded of falling, falling-
He could smell sulphur, his vision darkened, he could hear the river Coctytus crashing against its bed made of shattered glass and-
And then Apollo walked in all sparkly and shiny and then the sulphur was replaced by cloves and meadows and-
Without thinking, Percy bolted from the classroom, ignoring the curious stares of his classmates and one pair of piercing blue eyes he knew held flecks of gold near the irises - he’d wanted to count the little flecks, he remembers. He needed to clear his head, to breathe and not be reminded of anything.
What could he have said to them anyway? ‘Yeah, nothing to see here, just my past coming back to haunt me.’
He sprinted across the campus, his feet carrying him to the nearest water body- a small lake nestled within the university grounds. He stumbled onto the edge, letting the pain of his knees being scraped distract him from the world.
“Gods, why now?” Percy muttered to himself, tugging at his hair. The calm waters of the lake rippled and Percy forced himself to focus on it, matching his breathing with the movement lest he accidentally cause another hurricane and destroy half the campus. It was fleeting though - his mind of course, never listened to him.
The water before him glowed a soft, bioluminescent light and Percy let his eyes close, let warm arms surround him and tug him into the water and beneath after a moment of hesitation. He opened his eyes to meet his fathers’. Or rather- his Roman father’s. It wasn't often that Percy interacted with Neptune but since this was New Rome, it wasn’t as if Poseidon could come here.
Not that Neptune particularly liked the Romans either. The first time Percy had had a bad nightmare while studying here, accidentally causing a minor hurricane, Neptune panicked and came to check up on him. It was only then Percy had learnt about the past- about why Neptune didn’t sire children anymore, about the prejudice and genocide-
Safe to say, he had learnt that Neptune was… far more overprotective than Poseidon had been. Poseidon had tried to drag him away to Atlantis after the wars had ended (much to Zeus’ ire), sure but after lots of reassurance that Percy could protect himself, he’d let him go. For Neptune, on the other hand, Percy had had to convince Salacia to make him let Percy go back to New Rome after that nightmare.
Percy let the warmth of Neptune’s embrace soothe his frayed nerves. The bioluminescent glow of the water surrounded them, casting a gentle light that contrasted with the chaos in his mind. He took a deep breath, feeling the tension in his muscles begin to ease.
“What happened?” Neptune spoke after… a while. Percy didn’t know how long had passed, really, but it had been long enough for him to calm down.
“Nothing, I'm fine.”
'Wow, brain, real convincing' he told himself.
“ Perseus ”
Dammit. Only his mother and now his dad had ever managed to make him feel like this while just saying his name.
The god's steady gaze met his, and Percy found himself speaking before he even realised what he was saying. "It's Apollo. He's my new teacher…”
Neptune's eyes immediately darkened with concern, his grip on Percy tightening protectively.
“Apollo?” he repeated, his voice a low rumble. “What has he done to you? Has he caused you distress?”
Percy shook his head quickly, trying to calm Neptune. “No, no, it's not like that. It's just…”
Neptune pulled Percy deeper beneath the lake so they were sitting at the ground beneath.
“Did he overstep? The gods did vow to leave you in peace and bestow no further quests upon you, did he-”
“Oh, he didn't send me on a quest, unless you count a quest for sanity,” Percy muttered.
The waters gripped at him tighter and he could feel them being pulled elsewhere. He distantly noted the salinity change. Dammit x 2.
“Father!” Percy sighed, “I’m fine, it's just… we had a… thing, years ago and now- seeing him again…”
The waters around them swirled again. Oh gods, at this rate they might as well name the hurricane after him. Hurricane Perseus - hurricane of destruction, fitting really, what else could he do?
“I will not allow anyone to harm you, Percy. If Apollo has overstepped—”
"He hasn’t done anything wrong, I swear. If anything I-”
Neptune’s eyes bore into Percy’s, searching for any signs of distress. "Spare no detail," he demanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Percy took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his father's concern. "We had a… one night stand four years ago…”
Neptune squinted. Percy almost snickered. Salacia had told him how Neptune was not used to land customs and terminology, even worse than Poseidon had been.
“We slept together,” Percy mumbled, slightly embarrassed. How much he did not want to have this conversation could not be overstated.
He was glad the colour red could not be seen underwater so the heat in his face surely wasn’t visible. Thank you diffraction of light.
“Ah,” Neptune said, his ocean blue eyes flashed sea green. Dammit, Poseidon was listening.
“Did he-”
“No!” Percy said quickly, “I really, really wanted to, really it's just… the next day I got back together with Annabeth…”
Neptune’s eyes narrowed, “Ah yes Minerva’s daughter”
Neptune and Minerva got together slightly more than Poseidon and Athena did, if only because they were both outcasted by the Romans.
“Annabeth and I broke up almost- well, exactly a year ago.” Percy admitted quietly. "And part of me blames Apollo for it. But I know it's not his fault. It was a long time coming. That night with him just made me realise how much I was holding back with Annabeth."
Neptune’s grip on Percy’s hands softened, his expression shifting to one of understanding and sadness. "You have borne this burden alone," he said softly. "Why did you not come to me sooner?"
Percy shrugged, looking down at the water. "I didn’t know how to explain it. I didn’t want to make things worse."
Neptune nodded slowly, his protective nature still simmering beneath the surface. "And now you are faced with him again."
"Yeah," Percy said, his voice barely above a whisper. "There’s just... this sense of longing, like there's something unresolved."
Before Neptune could respond, the waters churned violently, echoing Percy’s turmoil. He barely caught Neptune’s groan as Poseidon's presence manifested beside him, eyes blazing with disapproval and worry.
“Really, Dad? You didn't come before but you show up now for the drama?” Percy snarked, knowing very well that Poseidon trusted Neptune enough to comfort Percy but just wanting to very much not discuss his past fling with Apollo with this father of his.
Somehow, talking to Neptune was easier- it had been Poseidon who had been an absent father, however unwilling that might have been, if the god’s words were to be believed.
"You cannot be serious, Percy," Poseidon thundered. "Pursuing Apollo is a mistake. You will only bring yourself more pain."
Percy flinched at his father's harsh words but stood his ground. "I can't just ignore how I feel. I need to at least try to understand these feelings. I mean… Ignoring my feelings is kind of my thing, sure, but even I can’t pull that off with…”
Neptune turned to Poseidon, his tone firm yet calm. "We must consider Perseus’ feelings. He is not a child anymore. He deserves the chance to follow his heart."
Poseidon raised an eyebrow as if asking if truly he , Neptune, the overprotective extraordinaire was saying this.
"And what if his heart leads him to ruin? We are supposed to protectors. We cannot let him make such a reckless choice."
'Protect me, wow,' Percy thought sourly, 'those reckless decisions of mine saved yall's godly asses, thank you very much.'
"Reckless or not, it is his choice to make," Neptune replied, his voice unwavering. "We must support him, not control him, you made that clear to me, didnt you?”
Poseidon’s eyes flashed with anger. "Support him? You mean let him walk into a situation that could destroy him? Our nephew is not trustworthy- perhaps he did turn less people to plants in the Roman days but-"
Percy watched the exchange, his heart pounding. He stepped forward, looking between Neptune and Poseidon.
"You’re talking as if I’m going running back into his arms!” Percy exclaimed, “I’m not , I’m just… figuring this out!”
Poseidon’s fierce gaze did not soften. "If Apollo hurts you, Percy, I will not stand idly by."
“How are there two of you anyway?” Percy asked incredulously, “aren't you both like… the same being?”
Neptune smiled wryly, “Gods can be at various places at once, this is just one of the times we’re two of our consciousness is here which is not allowed.”
Neptune shot Poseidon a pointed glare.
“I’ll send Triton to visit you,” Poseidon said to Percy who barely resisted a groan. Triton, who didn’t change with the greek-roman discourse would surely not stand by as Percy did whatever he had planned. With a final glare at Neptune, Poseidon turned and vanished, leaving an uneasy silence in his wake.
Neptune sighed deeply, his protective instincts softening as he pulled Percy into a comforting embrace. His fingers gently combed through Percy’s hair, a soothing gesture amid the storm.
“Despite what I said to my counterpart, know that I will be here the moment Apollo harms a single hair on your head. I swear it upon the tides.” Neptune muttered, pressing a kiss to Percy’s forehead.
“Thanks Father,” Percy muttered, sighing and closing his eyes.
“We are supposed to support our children,” Neptune said, really sounding as if he was quoting someone- Salacia? Percy had seen Amphitrite reading parenting books lately to get to know him. “So I shall be here even if you do decide to court my nephew.”
Percy blinked, “You’re offering to help me?”
Neptune squinted. Okay maybe he hadn’t meant that, Percy thought.
“...nevermind, Father, I’ll figure it out,” Percy said with a sigh.
The next moment he was back on land, dripping with… sea water? Which wouldn’t dry even when he willed it so, despite his powers. Percy sighed, it wasn’t the first time fathers had done that.