On the Fringe // Chapter Six
I told a couple people that I would get this chapter done this week and so I did. -o-v Take that, Writer's Block!
This chapter is a little longer to make up for the three month wait and as a bonus, check this out. FF.net tracks my readers by country and I noticed there was one reader (5 hits 1 visitor) who's been reading my PJO fics and doesn't have a country associated with them.
Olympian, maybe? In my fangirly mind, I like to think so. But! On to the fic!
Title: On the Fringe
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Eventual!Luke/Percy, past!Percy/Annabeth. Also some OC pairings, but those are very minor.
Warnings: AU, slash (m/m and f/f). Spoilers for The Last Olympian. Also, there's a handful of OCs, but most of them are camp counselors with minor roles.
Author's Note: This fic completely changes Luke's fate in The Last Olympian and will otherwise have spoilers. And if you bothered to look at the pairings and warnings, there will be slash, both with boys and girls, so if you don't like it, use your handy little back button right now. If you're still reading this, enjoy the fic.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are copyright to Rick Riordan and if he had any idea what I'm doing with his characters, I'm sure he'd be out for my foolish mortal blood. I do, however, own the OCs.
Chapter Note: Most of what happens in this chapter is my own interpretation of gods and places in the Underworld and may not coincide with Riordan's portrayal or what you might think. Also, Tayen has developed and made herself important, so she's become a bit of a main OC. She won't overwhelm any of the canon characters, though. I promise.
Chapter Six
Percy ran up to Luke, wrapping his arms around the son of Hermes from behind and pressing his cheek against the older demigod's back. Luke was so warm, warmer than before; burning, almost. Percy could feel the heat on his skin, warming him up and nearly burning where he touched Luke. He could feel the older demigod's heart beating under his hands, which laid flat over Luke's chest, fingers clenching the fabric of the son of Hermes' plain white tee.
"Luke, what are you doing?" Percy demanded softly.
Luke didn't move, didn't look back at the son of Poseidon. "You know I need to do this. I can't sit back anymore. I have to know the truth and no one will give it to me."
Percy's arms tightened around Luke. "Don't do this. Please, Luke."
The older demigod was silent for a moment, bringing his hands up to cover Percy's for a moment. Percy's fingers still clung to his shirt, even as Luke gently ran a thumb over the knuckles of younger demigod's right hand. A moment later, Luke lifted Percy's hand to his lips, kissing from the flat of the palm, along the thumb and to the wrist, each soft, gentle kiss causing a jolt to rush through the teen. The son of Poseidon could feel Luke's lips linger over the scar from the pit scorpion, as if wondering for the first time where that scar had come from.
"Don't stop me, Percy," he murmured against Percy's hand. He turned around, dropping the younger demigod's hand and bringing his arms around the son of Poseidon's waist. He leaned in, kissing Percy, firmly, deeply, passionately enough to cause the teen to whimper and go limp against him.
When the kiss broke, Luke pulled away, cupping Percy's face with one hand and pressing his forehead against the teen's. "Don't stop me and don't follow me."
Saying that, Luke turned away from the younger demigod and walked off, fading into the darkness that surrounded the son of Poseidon. Left alone, Percy stood frozen where he was, lips still tingling from the kiss with the older demigod and heart aching.
"I have to follow you, Luke. I can't let you do it this way, not alone."
* * * * *
If there was to be anything said about Percy Jackson when it came to those he loved, he was always prepared to go the distance and do whatever it took to save them. Hadn't he gone into the Underworld to face Hades in order to get his mother back? Gone into the heart of the Sea of Monsters to save his best friend? Had he not taken the weight of the skies themselves for Annabeth's sake? In the Labyrinth, he'd risked being killed by flesh-eating horses, been blown sky-high when Mount St. Helen's blew, risked everything to save the camp. Then, in the battle last year, he'd gone blade-to-blade with Kronos himself to save everyone.
Percy Jackson, as Athena had once said, would sacrifice the world to save his friends.
Luke was no exception. After renewing the friendship that they'd once had, strengthening it and falling in love with the son of Hermes, Percy was not about to let the older demigod slip through his fingers. Not when they'd just realized they loved each other - well, when Percy had just realized he loved Luke; the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that Luke had loved him for quite some time.
So when he'd heard that Luke had headed for the Door of Orpheus to get into the Underworld, to search for the Mnemosyne's Pool, he'd known he needed to go after him. Luke had every right to know what had happened the in the last four, nearly five years, but this wasn't how the son of Hermes should find out. Percy had known this wasn't the way Luke needed to know. So he'd immediately packed up a few essential items to go after Luke. He'd asked Nico to go along since, as the child of Hades, the younger demigod would know the Underworld so much better than he did.
They'd just gotten out of the camp when Tayen caught up with them, insisting she go along. She'd pleaded her case with Percy, making point after point for why he'd need her to go with - she was worried about Luke, she had an array of helpful potions and charms in case they'd need them, she had magic from her mother to help in fights, not to mention, she had the one thing they needed to get through the Door of Orpheus; a small music box she kept with her at all times, a gift from her mortal father.
So, convinced, Percy and Nico had let the daughter of Hecate join them. To be honest, Percy actually saw another upside to having Tayen go along; she'd once mentioned knowing Luke during the war and he wanted to know how. He wanted to talk to her about Luke, get her insight on the older demigod. The teenage girl had already given him enough to be curious about what Luke had felt before, how long the son of Hermes might have loved him. If he could get her to tell him more, it might shed some light on why the two of them were being pushed together through their dreams.
That had been yesterday now. Luke had a full day on them, since they'd had taken most of the day to get to Central Park. Nico would have taken them there immediately via shadow-traveling, but the son of Hades was not strong enough to pull two others through the shadows with him - not that he was happy to admit to that. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how they'd managed it; the last time he'd tried to sneak out of camp, Mr. D had come after him personally.
However they'd managed it, they had and the three of them were well into the Underworld. Like last time, they'd started out just behind Hades' palace. Nico had led them around the palace, keeping an eye out for his father - Hades was still quite unhappy with Percy for the loss of his dignity and robes after the son of Poseidon had tackled him last year, after swimming in the Styx.
"I can't believe you actually threw the Lord of the freakin' Dead's robes into the Styx," Tayen murmured after overhearing the conversation between Percy and Nico from where she was following the two younger demigods.
"I felt sorry for the souls," Percy said, giving a shrug.
Tayen wrinkled her nose and turned to Nico. "Please tell me your dad doesn't have a pair of matching boxers."
Nico gave a snort and rolled his eyes. "The less I know about my dad's underwear, the better."
The palace was well behind them now, so the three of them felt safe speaking at a normal tone. Nico was leading the way, keeping one hand on his Stygian iron sword in case the Keres decided they wanted another taste of Percy Jackson. Both Percy and Tayen kept their own weapons on hand - Percy carried Riptide in his pocket, hand wrapped around the pen form of the magical blade, and Tayen kept her hand around a four-inch, old-fashioned bronze key, which she explained was the alternate form of the crossbow she used.
"Hey, Nico?" Percy called to the son of Hades. "Where is Mnemosyne's Pool, anyways?"
Nico gave a shrug as he continued walking. "I actually don't know."
Percy and Tayen both stopped where they were. The two older half-bloods exchanged glances, confusion setting in. Percy moved again a moment later and ran to catch up with Nico, putting his hand on the younger demigod's shoulder. "Wait, what do you mean you 'actually don't know'? I thought you knew everything about the Underworld!"
Nico stopped and turned around to face Percy. "Not everything. Nobody knows everything about the Underworld, Percy."
"How are we supposed to stop Luke from drinking from the Pool if we can't even find it?!" Percy demanded. This was not how he'd been hoping things would go. He'd asked Nico to come along because, as the son of Hades, the younger demigod knew the layout the of the Underworld. He'd expected Nico to know exactly where Mnemosyne's Pool was!
"Relax, Percy," Nico told his friend, rolling his eyes. "I know how to find it. Or, rather, I know someone who can tell us how to find it."
"I'm confused," Tayen said, catching up with the two younger demigods. She ran a hand through her bangs, letting the purple of her bangs tangle with the dark brown of the rest of her hair. "We're supposed to be following Luke to the Pool, trying to stop him from getting there and none of us actually know where it is?"
Nico heaved a sigh. "I know how to find it," he repeated. He brought his hand through his own hair, pushing back too-long bangs. "Mnemosyne's Pool changes location from time to time to keep souls from drinking from it and reincarnating with their memories from their past lives. It occasionally does happen. You know those people who claim they're the reincarnation of someone who died when the Titanic sank? Some of them actually are."
"That's..." Tayen blinked. "Wow."
"Okay," Percy said, trying to get back on topic. "So, Titanic souls aside, how do we find the Pool?"
Nico lifted his arm and pointed towards Elysium, just over over the horizon. From where they were, the three demigods could smell barbeque on the cold, haunting breeze that blew through the Underworld. They could see the light from Elysium, almost feel the warmth of the paradise of the afterlife.
"We'll start there," the son of Hades told the other two. "We'll find who we need to talk to there."
* * * * *
The Elysium Fields.
Percy remembered the first time he'd seen Elysium, during his first quest. He remembered that this was where he wanted to go when he died. Heroes came here, rewarded for there good deeds in life. Legends rested here. Barbeque wafted on the wind, children - souls too young to be corrupted by the greed of humanity - ran in the gardens, over the emerald fields, voices of those who resided in this too small haven in the darkness of the Underworld echoed in the air.
"This doesn't feel right," Tayen said. "We shouldn't be here. We haven't earned it yet."
Percy had to agree. As wonderful as Elysium was, he knew that this was supposed to be out of his reach. He was still alive. He could have made the argument that he had earned Elysium; he was, in so many eyes, the Hero of Olympus. But it was too soon. He may have earned Elysium, but Elysium wasn't ready for him yet.
"She should be around here," Nico murmured.
"Who?" Percy asked.
"My sister," came the short reply from the son of Hades.
Percy arched a brow. "You mean Bianca? I haven't seen her since the Labyrinth."
"Not Bianca," Nico told him, though it was obvious in the younger demigod's eyes that he wished he could see his departed sister. It had been a long time since he'd last spoken to her and Percy could tell from the way Nico shifted that the younger teen missed her terribly. "My half-sister, Makaria."
"Goddess of Blessed Death," Tayen breathed.
Nico gave a nod, then moved forward, leading Percy and Tayen through Elysium, towards the Isles of the Blessed. Percy followed him closely, as did Tayen, though the daughter of Hecate looked rather nervous about being there. Percy could only assume it was because of what she'd said earlier about how they shouldn't be there. Though it might also be because of her involvement in the war - she had been on the Titans' side for the majority of it.
"Percy Jackson!" a familiar voice called, cutting into the silence between the three living demigods.
Percy, Tayen and Nico all stopped and, before the son of Poseidon could react, a very familiar young woman had thrown her arms around him in a tight hug. Percy blinked, taking in the dark hair and orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt the girl wore, trying to place who she was without seeing her face. Then he caught sight of an equally familiar young man approaching the group. The dark skinned teen had a grin on his face, black hair braided in cornrows and, as he came towards them, Percy remembered the last time he'd seen these two particular campers.
"Beckendorf? Silena?"
Silena let go of Percy, giving him a brilliant, perfect pearly-white smile, her face as clear and fair as it had been before the drakon attack last year. Beckendorf had no bruises, no cuts, no burns from the explosion he'd died in, only the rough hands that came from a life in the forges. It was like the daughter of Aphrodite and the son of Hephaestus had never died, never been through the events that killed them.
"Well, Percy, we didn't think we'd be seeing you here for a long time," Beckendorf said, slapping his hand on Percy's shoulder in greeting. "We heard you won the war."
"You...heard?" Percy blinked.
"Gossip spreads faster in Elysium than even in the Aphrodite cabin," Silena explained with a smile. She gave him another quick hug. "Thank you, Percy. For respecting me, even after what I did."
Percy gave a shake of his head, blushing from the closeness of the daughter of Aphrodite; even though he knew for certain that he was in love with Luke, all children of the goddess of love could affect people. "Silena, without you, we wouldn't have won. You led the Ares cabin to us, brought us the help we needed. We won because you helped us."
Silena nodded, eyes shining with welled up tears. Beckendorf put his hands on her shoulders, bringing her back towards him and embracing her. It was obvious from the way he held her, resting his chin on the crown of her head, that he knew what she'd done and forgiven her, loved her in spite of what had happened. Seeing that love that the son of Hephaestus had for the daughter of Aphrodite made Percy's heart ache - that was the kind of love he wanted for Luke.
"So what brings you here, Percy?" Beckendorf asked after a moment of silence. He stayed where he was, arms wrapped around Silena from behind.
Percy, broken out of his thoughts, had to take a moment to remember. "Oh. Uhm, we came here to ask for directions."
"We're looking for Makaria," Nico explained. "She has information that we need."
"You mean you're looking for Mnemosyne's Pool, too?" Silena asked, blinking at the son of Hades. She looked at Percy, then to Tayen. She did a double-take when she realized who the girl was. "Tayen. You guys are going after Luke?"
Percy looked between Silena and Tayen, noticing how the two girls definitely knew each other. From the way Silena focused anxiously on the daughter of Hecate, he figured that the daughter of Aphrodite had definitely known Tayen from the Titan army.
"You said 'too'," Tayen observed. "You know what Luke's doing. You've seen him."
Silena gave a hesitant nod. "He was here..." she trailed off, looked up at Beckendorf. "I don't know, time doesn't really exist here."
"Not too long ago, anyways," the son of Hephaestus shrugged. He lifted his arm and pointed out of Elysium. "He headed that way. Towards the Fields of Asphodel."
"Did he say anything?" Percy asked.
"Of course he did," Silena replied, blinking at Percy as if it should be the most obvious thing that Luke had said something. "He said that he was sorry that we were dead and that if you were to come down here to tell you not to follow him." She looked sternly at him, soft blue eyes focusing on the son of Poseidon. "Percy, I know Luke doesn't want you to follow him to Mnemosyne's Pool, I know why he's going there."
"To get his memory back," Percy nodded.
"You have to go after him, Percy," Silena told him firmly. "I know you love him, like I used to." She gave a soft, perhaps just a little bitter, laugh. "I wouldn't be much of a child of Aphrodite if I couldn't tell you were in love with him. But Percy, you know, better than anyone else, that if he regains his memory, it will hurt him. He can't know what he did."
Percy arched a brow at the daughter of Aphrodite. He knew that Luke, as he was now, living on a lie, on withheld truth, would hurt to know that he'd been the host of Kronos, the leader of the Titan army. All the things that he'd done in the past few years would come back and cause him more damage than simply not knowing. Luke might know that something big was being held from him on account of the oath and Percy knew that hurt him.
"Believe me, Percy," Silena continued. "If he remembers what he did, if he remembers how he hurt you, he'll never forgive himself. He loves you, Percy. He's loved you since he met you."
The son of Poseidon gave a start at hearing that. He'd figured that Luke had loved him for a while, but since they met? That made no sense! If that was true, why had he tried to kill him so many times? Why had he cursed the flying sneakers to drag him to Tartarus? Why sic a pit scorpion on him? There were so many ways that Luke had tried to kill Percy. If the son of Hermes had been in love with him the whole time...
"I've said enough," Silena sighed, giving a shake of her head. "And I've kept you too long. You need to hurry after Luke." She turned to Nico before Percy could try to get more information out of her. "Makaria is in the rose gardens, playing with the children."
Nico gave a nod and thanked the daughter of Aphrodite. Silena gave him a bright smile before turning to Percy and giving him a quick hug, wishing him the best of luck in getting to Luke in time. Then, she turned to Tayen and, to Percy's surprise, hugged the older girl tightly.
"You've always protected them better than I have," she told the daughter of Hecate. "Keep it up, even if Luke doesn't remember."
With that, Silena let go of Tayen, then she and Beckendorf bid the three living demigods goodbye before heading back to what they'd been doing - enjoying their afterlife in Elysium, together, as they wanted to. Percy turned questioning eyes on Tayen, about to ask what that had been about, but the older teen shook her head and gestured towards Nico, who was already moving towards the rose gardens. She hurried after the son of Hades, Percy following after her, questions running through his mind at a hundred miles an hour.
* * * * *
Laughter filled the gardens, the bubbly, high laughter of children who had died early in life. Granted paradise for their innocence, too young to be corrupted, spirits of children ran past the three demigods as Nico led Percy and Tayen into the rose gardens. Boys and girls, toddlers, elementary-age children, laughed, shrieked, smiled and waved without a care. In Elysium, they were free to run and play, with no worries of illness, no fear of beatings, no pain, no sadness, no anger. Just fun, just games, happiness and peace.
"Play with us!" a set of five-year-old twin boys called, grabbing Tayen's hands. "You can be our mommy!"
Tayen gave a flustered noise, trying to protest that she was not here to play, but the twins were adamant. She looked to Nico and Percy, hoping one of them would get her out of the predicament. Nico just gave her a nod, silently letting her know that it was alright if she went to play with the boys for a while. He and Percy would come fetch her when they were done with their meeting with the goddess. Tayen's face fell and her shoulders slumped, but she went along with the two boys.
Percy turned to Nico. "I thought we were in a hurry to go after Luke?"
Nico gave a shrug. "I have a bit of a soft spot for kids without mothers," he said casually.
Percy could see why the moment Nico mentioned it. The son of Hades had been a child when his mother had been killed by their uncle. He'd been raised by his older sister until her death and spent two years on his own. It would make sense for Nico to have a soft spot for motherless children, being one himself. Percy wouldn't press the matter, since the younger demigod probably wouldn't say anything else about it; Nico rarely spoke about himself, almost never opening up to anyone. He simply knew Percy well enough to know that the son of Poseidon wouldn't be going around telling everyone about this.
"Come on, Percy," Nico called back, having gone on ahead without the older demigod while Percy was thinking.
When he caught up with Nico, Percy asked how they would know Makaria when they saw her. Percy rarely could tell a god when he saw one, even after all the exposure to gods he'd had since finding out he was a half-blood. Nico gave a shrug in response to the question and Percy came to the conclusion that, as smart as Nico was, he wasn't very much help. He was about to tell the son of Hades this when a young girl slipped her hand into his.
"You've come a long way, Perseus Jackson."
Percy paused and looked to the girl. She was no more than six by the looks of her. Small, slight, with pale skin, soft brown eyes and curly black hair, the girl was familiar and yet strange to the son of Poseidon. She had a tawny colored sundress on, much too muted for the style it was, but oddly fitting for her coloring. Something about her reminded Percy of Nico; perhaps it was the softness of her eyes or the way she held herself. Or, it just might be that she looked like her father, Hades, just as Nico did, but with a fair amount of her mother, Persephone.
"Makaria?" Percy asked cautiously.
The little girl gave a nod. "You're here to ask me about Luke Castellan and the Pool of Memories, aren't you?"
Percy gave a nod of his own, then crouched down to be on the same level as the girl - the goddess. "Could you tell me how to get there? Before Luke does?"
Makaria regarded Percy for a moment, her eyes focusing on his face, as if searching him for something. For a while, Percy was almost afraid that she wasn't going to tell him. The goddess kept her hand in Percy's, fingers somehow so cold they were almost warm. Makaria pursed her lips, tilted her head slightly to one side before closing her eyes with a gentle sigh.
"You have your heart in the right place, Perseus," she said. She brought her head upright and shook it slightly. "You don't want the one you love to hurt. Consider, though, that the pain of being hated without understanding might outweigh the pain of knowing. I have given Luke Castellan the key to finding Mnemosyne's Pool and I will not stand in his way. But I will tell you what I have told him - there is a choice to be made. The answers are not in the memories of the past, but the memories to be made in the future."
Percy had no idea what Makaria was talking about, but he wasn't going to tell her that. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that you never dismiss the words of a god or goddess. What Makaria was telling him was important somehow and he would find out eventually what she meant. For the moment, though, he just wished she would tell him how to get to the Pool.
Makaria smiled at Percy, as if knowing what he was thinking. She gestured for Percy to lean in and, when he did, she whispered into his ear:
"Listen to the winds, for memories sing,
Echoes of swallows in the spring.
Cross thy heart and pray for guide,
And never let love leave thy side.
Open thy heart and hear the song,
The Voice of Memory will pull thou along.
Let words to thou whisper and show the way
To find the Pool within the day."
Percy furrowed his brow from the goddess' words. The rhyme made no sense to him, didn't answer his question at all and he had no idea how it was supposed to help him find Mnemosyne's Pool. It was a riddle and Percy Jackson was not one for riddles. Riddles were Annabeth's thing.
Makaria gave the son of Poseidon a smile. "It will make sense as you journey to save the one you love," she told him. "But you haven't much time. Remember the last line. You have only until midnight tomorrow before the shift."
"If that's the case, we should hurry," Nico said from where he stood aside. He hadn't heard what Makaria had told Percy; he could only assume that his cousin would tell him as they went after Luke. The son of Hades looked at his half-sister and thanked her softly for her help.
Makaria gave a nod and a soft smile in return. "Tread carefully, little brother," she warned Nico. "You know well that the Underworld holds dangers to even the children of Hades."
Nico gave a silent nod, then went to Percy's side, grabbing the older demigod's shoulder. "Come on, Percy," he said. "We should find Tayen and go on our way."
Percy looked back to Makaria as he and Nico navigated their way out of the rose gardens. The goddess just gave a faint smile before rejoining the children of Elysium for a game of tag.
* * * * *
After leaving Elysium and hiking through the Underworld for several hours, Nico informed Percy and Tayen that it was getting late. This surprised Percy, since he had no sense of time without the sun in the Underworld, but Tayen confirmed Nico's claim. As the daughter of Hecate, the Barbadian girl had a sixth sense while in the Underworld, where her mother had some presence. She suggested they make camp to rest for the night. The three of them would take turns on watch, since there were malevolent spirits and Underworld creatures that would love to get a hold of living demigods.
Tayen had taken first watch to let Percy and Nico rest. Nico was asleep quickly, comfortable in the Underworld as he was. Percy took a little longer to fall asleep and when he did fall asleep, he was dreaming once again.
This time, the dream was nothing like the dreams that Percy had been having lately. There was the surreal feeling, as usual, letting the son of Poseidon know that he was, indeed, dreaming, but he didn't recognize his surroundings. He was cold, he noted and, when he looked down, he realized he wore a short ancient Greek chiton and sandals. He was standing at the bank of a creek and he used the reflective surface to make sure he was himself and not some long dead Greek hero. He saw his own face, the face of Percy Jackson, looking back at him.
"Where am I?" he asked out loud.
"Athens," came an answer, in a familiar voice, one that Percy had heard in his dreams once before.
Percy whirled around to face whoever it was who spoke. Standing not far from the son of Poseidon was a young man with soft golden curls that fell loose over his shoulders. He wore a chiton similar to the one Percy wore, with golden sandals and a bow was slung over his shoulders, along with a cache of arrows.
"Who are you?" Percy asked, more than a little suspicious.
An amused smile curled over the young man's lips. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. He brought his arms out and, with the movement, a pair of small white wings rose over his shoulders.
Percy blinked. "Cupid?"
"It's Eros, actually," the winged man replied, still smiling. "Cupid is what they called me in Rome and the name has apparently stuck throughout the centuries."
"What do you want from me?"
Eros placed his hands on his hips, his smile fading and blue eyes focused on the son of Poseidon. "It's not so much as what I want from you," he told Percy. "It's what I'm doing for you."
Percy blinked again, confused. He looked back at the god that had come into his dream. "And what is that?"
"Percy, I'm the god of love," Eros sighed, shaking his head.
"I thought your mom was," Percy said, arching a brow.
Eros gave a roll of his eyes. "Love is a big thing, son of Poseidon. There are many aspects. My brothers, the other Erotes, and I have domains in love, just as our mother does." He brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest. "For example, I have dominion over love, lust and sex and, particularly, the love between two men."
"You mean like me and Luke?"
The smile from before came over Eros' lips. "Exactly like you and Luke," he nodded. "My mother reigns over traditional love. She has her preferences and I have mine. Sometime they overlap, sometimes they don't." Eros gestured to Percy. "My mother also sometimes likes to play with cases like yours. You may recall that she once claimed she would make your love life difficult?"
"Oh, I recall," Percy muttered, crossing his arms over his chest in mirror image of the god before him.
"Yes, well, in your case, she's toying with your destiny," Eros said. "Percy, you and Luke were meant to fall in love. My mother's meddling has made love for the two of you difficult, to the point where neither of you could recognize it. Which is why I had to step in."
"You're the one who's been giving me those dreams."
"Indeed," Eros grinned. "You wouldn't believe the strings I had to pull with Morpheus to get his help with that, but it worked. You realized the love you have for Luke, as he long since realized." He brought his hands together in a single clap. "Now that you two have recognized your love, my job is done."
"Is that why you brought me here?" Percy asked. "To tell me that your job is done? To tell me that I was meant to fall in love with Luke the whole time and Aphrodite's been messing with me for years?"
"Yes and no," Eros admitted. "My job is done, as I said. I've undone the damage that my mother has done. However, there is a little more that I need to do before I can leave you alone."
Percy held still as Eros moved closer to him. The god of love approached the son of Poseidon until they were chest to chest, Eros' hands on Percy's shoulders and forehead against the teen's. It was too close for Percy's comfort, mirroring Luke's actions too much for Percy to feel right about it. Eros didn't seem to mind, of course. In fact, there was a faint smile on the winged god's face.
"Cross thy heart and pray for guide, Perseus Jackson," Eros murmured. "And never let love leave thy side."
Percy's breath hitched, remembering the rhyme Makaria had recited - not because Eros was so close. "What does it mean?"
Eros laughed lightly. "It means love is your guide, Perseus. You love Luke. Your love for him will guide you to him. You have always had the blessing of love; from my mother, myself, my brothers. Use that blessing."
"What about the rest of the rhyme?" Percy asked.
Eros shook his head, closing his eyes. "That you need to figure out with your friends. I can only help with love. Find Luke, Percy. Love him. He doesn't need his memories to love you in return." The god tilted his head up and pressed his lips against Percy's forehead, a gesture of blessing from the god of love. "This will protect you and open your mind to Memory's song. Good luck to you, Perseus Jackson."
* * * * *
When Percy woke up, he brought his hand up to his forehead. The place where Eros had placed his lips was warm, as if the god had physically touched him, not just in his dream. Percy sat upright and let out a sigh. Eros had told him much in the dream and he needed to wrap his mind around it. A lot had been explained, but it brought forth more questions, questions that Percy needed answers for.
He'd find the answers. He'd find and love Luke. With these decisions set in mind, Percy took his watch, letting Tayen sleep for a while. Once they were all rested and it was time to move on, Percy knew that he would go forth with more determination than ever.
Author's Note: And with that, you guys finally get the update you've been waiting three months for. I hope that this chapter makes up for how long I've made you all wait. Things are actually getting a little busy in my life, so I can't make any promises for updates. Just keep on reviewing! Each review gives me more and more motivation to work on this story!
This chapter is a little longer to make up for the three month wait and as a bonus, check this out. FF.net tracks my readers by country and I noticed there was one reader (5 hits 1 visitor) who's been reading my PJO fics and doesn't have a country associated with them.
Olympian, maybe? In my fangirly mind, I like to think so. But! On to the fic!
Title: On the Fringe
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Eventual!Luke/Percy, past!Percy/Annabeth. Also some OC pairings, but those are very minor.
Warnings: AU, slash (m/m and f/f). Spoilers for The Last Olympian. Also, there's a handful of OCs, but most of them are camp counselors with minor roles.
Author's Note: This fic completely changes Luke's fate in The Last Olympian and will otherwise have spoilers. And if you bothered to look at the pairings and warnings, there will be slash, both with boys and girls, so if you don't like it, use your handy little back button right now. If you're still reading this, enjoy the fic.
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are copyright to Rick Riordan and if he had any idea what I'm doing with his characters, I'm sure he'd be out for my foolish mortal blood. I do, however, own the OCs.
Chapter Note: Most of what happens in this chapter is my own interpretation of gods and places in the Underworld and may not coincide with Riordan's portrayal or what you might think. Also, Tayen has developed and made herself important, so she's become a bit of a main OC. She won't overwhelm any of the canon characters, though. I promise.
Chapter Six
Percy ran up to Luke, wrapping his arms around the son of Hermes from behind and pressing his cheek against the older demigod's back. Luke was so warm, warmer than before; burning, almost. Percy could feel the heat on his skin, warming him up and nearly burning where he touched Luke. He could feel the older demigod's heart beating under his hands, which laid flat over Luke's chest, fingers clenching the fabric of the son of Hermes' plain white tee.
"Luke, what are you doing?" Percy demanded softly.
Luke didn't move, didn't look back at the son of Poseidon. "You know I need to do this. I can't sit back anymore. I have to know the truth and no one will give it to me."
Percy's arms tightened around Luke. "Don't do this. Please, Luke."
The older demigod was silent for a moment, bringing his hands up to cover Percy's for a moment. Percy's fingers still clung to his shirt, even as Luke gently ran a thumb over the knuckles of younger demigod's right hand. A moment later, Luke lifted Percy's hand to his lips, kissing from the flat of the palm, along the thumb and to the wrist, each soft, gentle kiss causing a jolt to rush through the teen. The son of Poseidon could feel Luke's lips linger over the scar from the pit scorpion, as if wondering for the first time where that scar had come from.
"Don't stop me, Percy," he murmured against Percy's hand. He turned around, dropping the younger demigod's hand and bringing his arms around the son of Poseidon's waist. He leaned in, kissing Percy, firmly, deeply, passionately enough to cause the teen to whimper and go limp against him.
When the kiss broke, Luke pulled away, cupping Percy's face with one hand and pressing his forehead against the teen's. "Don't stop me and don't follow me."
Saying that, Luke turned away from the younger demigod and walked off, fading into the darkness that surrounded the son of Poseidon. Left alone, Percy stood frozen where he was, lips still tingling from the kiss with the older demigod and heart aching.
"I have to follow you, Luke. I can't let you do it this way, not alone."
* * * * *
If there was to be anything said about Percy Jackson when it came to those he loved, he was always prepared to go the distance and do whatever it took to save them. Hadn't he gone into the Underworld to face Hades in order to get his mother back? Gone into the heart of the Sea of Monsters to save his best friend? Had he not taken the weight of the skies themselves for Annabeth's sake? In the Labyrinth, he'd risked being killed by flesh-eating horses, been blown sky-high when Mount St. Helen's blew, risked everything to save the camp. Then, in the battle last year, he'd gone blade-to-blade with Kronos himself to save everyone.
Percy Jackson, as Athena had once said, would sacrifice the world to save his friends.
Luke was no exception. After renewing the friendship that they'd once had, strengthening it and falling in love with the son of Hermes, Percy was not about to let the older demigod slip through his fingers. Not when they'd just realized they loved each other - well, when Percy had just realized he loved Luke; the more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that Luke had loved him for quite some time.
So when he'd heard that Luke had headed for the Door of Orpheus to get into the Underworld, to search for the Mnemosyne's Pool, he'd known he needed to go after him. Luke had every right to know what had happened the in the last four, nearly five years, but this wasn't how the son of Hermes should find out. Percy had known this wasn't the way Luke needed to know. So he'd immediately packed up a few essential items to go after Luke. He'd asked Nico to go along since, as the child of Hades, the younger demigod would know the Underworld so much better than he did.
They'd just gotten out of the camp when Tayen caught up with them, insisting she go along. She'd pleaded her case with Percy, making point after point for why he'd need her to go with - she was worried about Luke, she had an array of helpful potions and charms in case they'd need them, she had magic from her mother to help in fights, not to mention, she had the one thing they needed to get through the Door of Orpheus; a small music box she kept with her at all times, a gift from her mortal father.
So, convinced, Percy and Nico had let the daughter of Hecate join them. To be honest, Percy actually saw another upside to having Tayen go along; she'd once mentioned knowing Luke during the war and he wanted to know how. He wanted to talk to her about Luke, get her insight on the older demigod. The teenage girl had already given him enough to be curious about what Luke had felt before, how long the son of Hermes might have loved him. If he could get her to tell him more, it might shed some light on why the two of them were being pushed together through their dreams.
That had been yesterday now. Luke had a full day on them, since they'd had taken most of the day to get to Central Park. Nico would have taken them there immediately via shadow-traveling, but the son of Hades was not strong enough to pull two others through the shadows with him - not that he was happy to admit to that. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how they'd managed it; the last time he'd tried to sneak out of camp, Mr. D had come after him personally.
However they'd managed it, they had and the three of them were well into the Underworld. Like last time, they'd started out just behind Hades' palace. Nico had led them around the palace, keeping an eye out for his father - Hades was still quite unhappy with Percy for the loss of his dignity and robes after the son of Poseidon had tackled him last year, after swimming in the Styx.
"I can't believe you actually threw the Lord of the freakin' Dead's robes into the Styx," Tayen murmured after overhearing the conversation between Percy and Nico from where she was following the two younger demigods.
"I felt sorry for the souls," Percy said, giving a shrug.
Tayen wrinkled her nose and turned to Nico. "Please tell me your dad doesn't have a pair of matching boxers."
Nico gave a snort and rolled his eyes. "The less I know about my dad's underwear, the better."
The palace was well behind them now, so the three of them felt safe speaking at a normal tone. Nico was leading the way, keeping one hand on his Stygian iron sword in case the Keres decided they wanted another taste of Percy Jackson. Both Percy and Tayen kept their own weapons on hand - Percy carried Riptide in his pocket, hand wrapped around the pen form of the magical blade, and Tayen kept her hand around a four-inch, old-fashioned bronze key, which she explained was the alternate form of the crossbow she used.
"Hey, Nico?" Percy called to the son of Hades. "Where is Mnemosyne's Pool, anyways?"
Nico gave a shrug as he continued walking. "I actually don't know."
Percy and Tayen both stopped where they were. The two older half-bloods exchanged glances, confusion setting in. Percy moved again a moment later and ran to catch up with Nico, putting his hand on the younger demigod's shoulder. "Wait, what do you mean you 'actually don't know'? I thought you knew everything about the Underworld!"
Nico stopped and turned around to face Percy. "Not everything. Nobody knows everything about the Underworld, Percy."
"How are we supposed to stop Luke from drinking from the Pool if we can't even find it?!" Percy demanded. This was not how he'd been hoping things would go. He'd asked Nico to come along because, as the son of Hades, the younger demigod knew the layout the of the Underworld. He'd expected Nico to know exactly where Mnemosyne's Pool was!
"Relax, Percy," Nico told his friend, rolling his eyes. "I know how to find it. Or, rather, I know someone who can tell us how to find it."
"I'm confused," Tayen said, catching up with the two younger demigods. She ran a hand through her bangs, letting the purple of her bangs tangle with the dark brown of the rest of her hair. "We're supposed to be following Luke to the Pool, trying to stop him from getting there and none of us actually know where it is?"
Nico heaved a sigh. "I know how to find it," he repeated. He brought his hand through his own hair, pushing back too-long bangs. "Mnemosyne's Pool changes location from time to time to keep souls from drinking from it and reincarnating with their memories from their past lives. It occasionally does happen. You know those people who claim they're the reincarnation of someone who died when the Titanic sank? Some of them actually are."
"That's..." Tayen blinked. "Wow."
"Okay," Percy said, trying to get back on topic. "So, Titanic souls aside, how do we find the Pool?"
Nico lifted his arm and pointed towards Elysium, just over over the horizon. From where they were, the three demigods could smell barbeque on the cold, haunting breeze that blew through the Underworld. They could see the light from Elysium, almost feel the warmth of the paradise of the afterlife.
"We'll start there," the son of Hades told the other two. "We'll find who we need to talk to there."
* * * * *
The Elysium Fields.
Percy remembered the first time he'd seen Elysium, during his first quest. He remembered that this was where he wanted to go when he died. Heroes came here, rewarded for there good deeds in life. Legends rested here. Barbeque wafted on the wind, children - souls too young to be corrupted by the greed of humanity - ran in the gardens, over the emerald fields, voices of those who resided in this too small haven in the darkness of the Underworld echoed in the air.
"This doesn't feel right," Tayen said. "We shouldn't be here. We haven't earned it yet."
Percy had to agree. As wonderful as Elysium was, he knew that this was supposed to be out of his reach. He was still alive. He could have made the argument that he had earned Elysium; he was, in so many eyes, the Hero of Olympus. But it was too soon. He may have earned Elysium, but Elysium wasn't ready for him yet.
"She should be around here," Nico murmured.
"Who?" Percy asked.
"My sister," came the short reply from the son of Hades.
Percy arched a brow. "You mean Bianca? I haven't seen her since the Labyrinth."
"Not Bianca," Nico told him, though it was obvious in the younger demigod's eyes that he wished he could see his departed sister. It had been a long time since he'd last spoken to her and Percy could tell from the way Nico shifted that the younger teen missed her terribly. "My half-sister, Makaria."
"Goddess of Blessed Death," Tayen breathed.
Nico gave a nod, then moved forward, leading Percy and Tayen through Elysium, towards the Isles of the Blessed. Percy followed him closely, as did Tayen, though the daughter of Hecate looked rather nervous about being there. Percy could only assume it was because of what she'd said earlier about how they shouldn't be there. Though it might also be because of her involvement in the war - she had been on the Titans' side for the majority of it.
"Percy Jackson!" a familiar voice called, cutting into the silence between the three living demigods.
Percy, Tayen and Nico all stopped and, before the son of Poseidon could react, a very familiar young woman had thrown her arms around him in a tight hug. Percy blinked, taking in the dark hair and orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt the girl wore, trying to place who she was without seeing her face. Then he caught sight of an equally familiar young man approaching the group. The dark skinned teen had a grin on his face, black hair braided in cornrows and, as he came towards them, Percy remembered the last time he'd seen these two particular campers.
"Beckendorf? Silena?"
Silena let go of Percy, giving him a brilliant, perfect pearly-white smile, her face as clear and fair as it had been before the drakon attack last year. Beckendorf had no bruises, no cuts, no burns from the explosion he'd died in, only the rough hands that came from a life in the forges. It was like the daughter of Aphrodite and the son of Hephaestus had never died, never been through the events that killed them.
"Well, Percy, we didn't think we'd be seeing you here for a long time," Beckendorf said, slapping his hand on Percy's shoulder in greeting. "We heard you won the war."
"You...heard?" Percy blinked.
"Gossip spreads faster in Elysium than even in the Aphrodite cabin," Silena explained with a smile. She gave him another quick hug. "Thank you, Percy. For respecting me, even after what I did."
Percy gave a shake of his head, blushing from the closeness of the daughter of Aphrodite; even though he knew for certain that he was in love with Luke, all children of the goddess of love could affect people. "Silena, without you, we wouldn't have won. You led the Ares cabin to us, brought us the help we needed. We won because you helped us."
Silena nodded, eyes shining with welled up tears. Beckendorf put his hands on her shoulders, bringing her back towards him and embracing her. It was obvious from the way he held her, resting his chin on the crown of her head, that he knew what she'd done and forgiven her, loved her in spite of what had happened. Seeing that love that the son of Hephaestus had for the daughter of Aphrodite made Percy's heart ache - that was the kind of love he wanted for Luke.
"So what brings you here, Percy?" Beckendorf asked after a moment of silence. He stayed where he was, arms wrapped around Silena from behind.
Percy, broken out of his thoughts, had to take a moment to remember. "Oh. Uhm, we came here to ask for directions."
"We're looking for Makaria," Nico explained. "She has information that we need."
"You mean you're looking for Mnemosyne's Pool, too?" Silena asked, blinking at the son of Hades. She looked at Percy, then to Tayen. She did a double-take when she realized who the girl was. "Tayen. You guys are going after Luke?"
Percy looked between Silena and Tayen, noticing how the two girls definitely knew each other. From the way Silena focused anxiously on the daughter of Hecate, he figured that the daughter of Aphrodite had definitely known Tayen from the Titan army.
"You said 'too'," Tayen observed. "You know what Luke's doing. You've seen him."
Silena gave a hesitant nod. "He was here..." she trailed off, looked up at Beckendorf. "I don't know, time doesn't really exist here."
"Not too long ago, anyways," the son of Hephaestus shrugged. He lifted his arm and pointed out of Elysium. "He headed that way. Towards the Fields of Asphodel."
"Did he say anything?" Percy asked.
"Of course he did," Silena replied, blinking at Percy as if it should be the most obvious thing that Luke had said something. "He said that he was sorry that we were dead and that if you were to come down here to tell you not to follow him." She looked sternly at him, soft blue eyes focusing on the son of Poseidon. "Percy, I know Luke doesn't want you to follow him to Mnemosyne's Pool, I know why he's going there."
"To get his memory back," Percy nodded.
"You have to go after him, Percy," Silena told him firmly. "I know you love him, like I used to." She gave a soft, perhaps just a little bitter, laugh. "I wouldn't be much of a child of Aphrodite if I couldn't tell you were in love with him. But Percy, you know, better than anyone else, that if he regains his memory, it will hurt him. He can't know what he did."
Percy arched a brow at the daughter of Aphrodite. He knew that Luke, as he was now, living on a lie, on withheld truth, would hurt to know that he'd been the host of Kronos, the leader of the Titan army. All the things that he'd done in the past few years would come back and cause him more damage than simply not knowing. Luke might know that something big was being held from him on account of the oath and Percy knew that hurt him.
"Believe me, Percy," Silena continued. "If he remembers what he did, if he remembers how he hurt you, he'll never forgive himself. He loves you, Percy. He's loved you since he met you."
The son of Poseidon gave a start at hearing that. He'd figured that Luke had loved him for a while, but since they met? That made no sense! If that was true, why had he tried to kill him so many times? Why had he cursed the flying sneakers to drag him to Tartarus? Why sic a pit scorpion on him? There were so many ways that Luke had tried to kill Percy. If the son of Hermes had been in love with him the whole time...
"I've said enough," Silena sighed, giving a shake of her head. "And I've kept you too long. You need to hurry after Luke." She turned to Nico before Percy could try to get more information out of her. "Makaria is in the rose gardens, playing with the children."
Nico gave a nod and thanked the daughter of Aphrodite. Silena gave him a bright smile before turning to Percy and giving him a quick hug, wishing him the best of luck in getting to Luke in time. Then, she turned to Tayen and, to Percy's surprise, hugged the older girl tightly.
"You've always protected them better than I have," she told the daughter of Hecate. "Keep it up, even if Luke doesn't remember."
With that, Silena let go of Tayen, then she and Beckendorf bid the three living demigods goodbye before heading back to what they'd been doing - enjoying their afterlife in Elysium, together, as they wanted to. Percy turned questioning eyes on Tayen, about to ask what that had been about, but the older teen shook her head and gestured towards Nico, who was already moving towards the rose gardens. She hurried after the son of Hades, Percy following after her, questions running through his mind at a hundred miles an hour.
* * * * *
Laughter filled the gardens, the bubbly, high laughter of children who had died early in life. Granted paradise for their innocence, too young to be corrupted, spirits of children ran past the three demigods as Nico led Percy and Tayen into the rose gardens. Boys and girls, toddlers, elementary-age children, laughed, shrieked, smiled and waved without a care. In Elysium, they were free to run and play, with no worries of illness, no fear of beatings, no pain, no sadness, no anger. Just fun, just games, happiness and peace.
"Play with us!" a set of five-year-old twin boys called, grabbing Tayen's hands. "You can be our mommy!"
Tayen gave a flustered noise, trying to protest that she was not here to play, but the twins were adamant. She looked to Nico and Percy, hoping one of them would get her out of the predicament. Nico just gave her a nod, silently letting her know that it was alright if she went to play with the boys for a while. He and Percy would come fetch her when they were done with their meeting with the goddess. Tayen's face fell and her shoulders slumped, but she went along with the two boys.
Percy turned to Nico. "I thought we were in a hurry to go after Luke?"
Nico gave a shrug. "I have a bit of a soft spot for kids without mothers," he said casually.
Percy could see why the moment Nico mentioned it. The son of Hades had been a child when his mother had been killed by their uncle. He'd been raised by his older sister until her death and spent two years on his own. It would make sense for Nico to have a soft spot for motherless children, being one himself. Percy wouldn't press the matter, since the younger demigod probably wouldn't say anything else about it; Nico rarely spoke about himself, almost never opening up to anyone. He simply knew Percy well enough to know that the son of Poseidon wouldn't be going around telling everyone about this.
"Come on, Percy," Nico called back, having gone on ahead without the older demigod while Percy was thinking.
When he caught up with Nico, Percy asked how they would know Makaria when they saw her. Percy rarely could tell a god when he saw one, even after all the exposure to gods he'd had since finding out he was a half-blood. Nico gave a shrug in response to the question and Percy came to the conclusion that, as smart as Nico was, he wasn't very much help. He was about to tell the son of Hades this when a young girl slipped her hand into his.
"You've come a long way, Perseus Jackson."
Percy paused and looked to the girl. She was no more than six by the looks of her. Small, slight, with pale skin, soft brown eyes and curly black hair, the girl was familiar and yet strange to the son of Poseidon. She had a tawny colored sundress on, much too muted for the style it was, but oddly fitting for her coloring. Something about her reminded Percy of Nico; perhaps it was the softness of her eyes or the way she held herself. Or, it just might be that she looked like her father, Hades, just as Nico did, but with a fair amount of her mother, Persephone.
"Makaria?" Percy asked cautiously.
The little girl gave a nod. "You're here to ask me about Luke Castellan and the Pool of Memories, aren't you?"
Percy gave a nod of his own, then crouched down to be on the same level as the girl - the goddess. "Could you tell me how to get there? Before Luke does?"
Makaria regarded Percy for a moment, her eyes focusing on his face, as if searching him for something. For a while, Percy was almost afraid that she wasn't going to tell him. The goddess kept her hand in Percy's, fingers somehow so cold they were almost warm. Makaria pursed her lips, tilted her head slightly to one side before closing her eyes with a gentle sigh.
"You have your heart in the right place, Perseus," she said. She brought her head upright and shook it slightly. "You don't want the one you love to hurt. Consider, though, that the pain of being hated without understanding might outweigh the pain of knowing. I have given Luke Castellan the key to finding Mnemosyne's Pool and I will not stand in his way. But I will tell you what I have told him - there is a choice to be made. The answers are not in the memories of the past, but the memories to be made in the future."
Percy had no idea what Makaria was talking about, but he wasn't going to tell her that. If there was one thing he'd learned, it was that you never dismiss the words of a god or goddess. What Makaria was telling him was important somehow and he would find out eventually what she meant. For the moment, though, he just wished she would tell him how to get to the Pool.
Makaria smiled at Percy, as if knowing what he was thinking. She gestured for Percy to lean in and, when he did, she whispered into his ear:
"Listen to the winds, for memories sing,
Echoes of swallows in the spring.
Cross thy heart and pray for guide,
And never let love leave thy side.
Open thy heart and hear the song,
The Voice of Memory will pull thou along.
Let words to thou whisper and show the way
To find the Pool within the day."
Percy furrowed his brow from the goddess' words. The rhyme made no sense to him, didn't answer his question at all and he had no idea how it was supposed to help him find Mnemosyne's Pool. It was a riddle and Percy Jackson was not one for riddles. Riddles were Annabeth's thing.
Makaria gave the son of Poseidon a smile. "It will make sense as you journey to save the one you love," she told him. "But you haven't much time. Remember the last line. You have only until midnight tomorrow before the shift."
"If that's the case, we should hurry," Nico said from where he stood aside. He hadn't heard what Makaria had told Percy; he could only assume that his cousin would tell him as they went after Luke. The son of Hades looked at his half-sister and thanked her softly for her help.
Makaria gave a nod and a soft smile in return. "Tread carefully, little brother," she warned Nico. "You know well that the Underworld holds dangers to even the children of Hades."
Nico gave a silent nod, then went to Percy's side, grabbing the older demigod's shoulder. "Come on, Percy," he said. "We should find Tayen and go on our way."
Percy looked back to Makaria as he and Nico navigated their way out of the rose gardens. The goddess just gave a faint smile before rejoining the children of Elysium for a game of tag.
* * * * *
After leaving Elysium and hiking through the Underworld for several hours, Nico informed Percy and Tayen that it was getting late. This surprised Percy, since he had no sense of time without the sun in the Underworld, but Tayen confirmed Nico's claim. As the daughter of Hecate, the Barbadian girl had a sixth sense while in the Underworld, where her mother had some presence. She suggested they make camp to rest for the night. The three of them would take turns on watch, since there were malevolent spirits and Underworld creatures that would love to get a hold of living demigods.
Tayen had taken first watch to let Percy and Nico rest. Nico was asleep quickly, comfortable in the Underworld as he was. Percy took a little longer to fall asleep and when he did fall asleep, he was dreaming once again.
This time, the dream was nothing like the dreams that Percy had been having lately. There was the surreal feeling, as usual, letting the son of Poseidon know that he was, indeed, dreaming, but he didn't recognize his surroundings. He was cold, he noted and, when he looked down, he realized he wore a short ancient Greek chiton and sandals. He was standing at the bank of a creek and he used the reflective surface to make sure he was himself and not some long dead Greek hero. He saw his own face, the face of Percy Jackson, looking back at him.
"Where am I?" he asked out loud.
"Athens," came an answer, in a familiar voice, one that Percy had heard in his dreams once before.
Percy whirled around to face whoever it was who spoke. Standing not far from the son of Poseidon was a young man with soft golden curls that fell loose over his shoulders. He wore a chiton similar to the one Percy wore, with golden sandals and a bow was slung over his shoulders, along with a cache of arrows.
"Who are you?" Percy asked, more than a little suspicious.
An amused smile curled over the young man's lips. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. He brought his arms out and, with the movement, a pair of small white wings rose over his shoulders.
Percy blinked. "Cupid?"
"It's Eros, actually," the winged man replied, still smiling. "Cupid is what they called me in Rome and the name has apparently stuck throughout the centuries."
"What do you want from me?"
Eros placed his hands on his hips, his smile fading and blue eyes focused on the son of Poseidon. "It's not so much as what I want from you," he told Percy. "It's what I'm doing for you."
Percy blinked again, confused. He looked back at the god that had come into his dream. "And what is that?"
"Percy, I'm the god of love," Eros sighed, shaking his head.
"I thought your mom was," Percy said, arching a brow.
Eros gave a roll of his eyes. "Love is a big thing, son of Poseidon. There are many aspects. My brothers, the other Erotes, and I have domains in love, just as our mother does." He brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest. "For example, I have dominion over love, lust and sex and, particularly, the love between two men."
"You mean like me and Luke?"
The smile from before came over Eros' lips. "Exactly like you and Luke," he nodded. "My mother reigns over traditional love. She has her preferences and I have mine. Sometime they overlap, sometimes they don't." Eros gestured to Percy. "My mother also sometimes likes to play with cases like yours. You may recall that she once claimed she would make your love life difficult?"
"Oh, I recall," Percy muttered, crossing his arms over his chest in mirror image of the god before him.
"Yes, well, in your case, she's toying with your destiny," Eros said. "Percy, you and Luke were meant to fall in love. My mother's meddling has made love for the two of you difficult, to the point where neither of you could recognize it. Which is why I had to step in."
"You're the one who's been giving me those dreams."
"Indeed," Eros grinned. "You wouldn't believe the strings I had to pull with Morpheus to get his help with that, but it worked. You realized the love you have for Luke, as he long since realized." He brought his hands together in a single clap. "Now that you two have recognized your love, my job is done."
"Is that why you brought me here?" Percy asked. "To tell me that your job is done? To tell me that I was meant to fall in love with Luke the whole time and Aphrodite's been messing with me for years?"
"Yes and no," Eros admitted. "My job is done, as I said. I've undone the damage that my mother has done. However, there is a little more that I need to do before I can leave you alone."
Percy held still as Eros moved closer to him. The god of love approached the son of Poseidon until they were chest to chest, Eros' hands on Percy's shoulders and forehead against the teen's. It was too close for Percy's comfort, mirroring Luke's actions too much for Percy to feel right about it. Eros didn't seem to mind, of course. In fact, there was a faint smile on the winged god's face.
"Cross thy heart and pray for guide, Perseus Jackson," Eros murmured. "And never let love leave thy side."
Percy's breath hitched, remembering the rhyme Makaria had recited - not because Eros was so close. "What does it mean?"
Eros laughed lightly. "It means love is your guide, Perseus. You love Luke. Your love for him will guide you to him. You have always had the blessing of love; from my mother, myself, my brothers. Use that blessing."
"What about the rest of the rhyme?" Percy asked.
Eros shook his head, closing his eyes. "That you need to figure out with your friends. I can only help with love. Find Luke, Percy. Love him. He doesn't need his memories to love you in return." The god tilted his head up and pressed his lips against Percy's forehead, a gesture of blessing from the god of love. "This will protect you and open your mind to Memory's song. Good luck to you, Perseus Jackson."
* * * * *
When Percy woke up, he brought his hand up to his forehead. The place where Eros had placed his lips was warm, as if the god had physically touched him, not just in his dream. Percy sat upright and let out a sigh. Eros had told him much in the dream and he needed to wrap his mind around it. A lot had been explained, but it brought forth more questions, questions that Percy needed answers for.
He'd find the answers. He'd find and love Luke. With these decisions set in mind, Percy took his watch, letting Tayen sleep for a while. Once they were all rested and it was time to move on, Percy knew that he would go forth with more determination than ever.
Author's Note: And with that, you guys finally get the update you've been waiting three months for. I hope that this chapter makes up for how long I've made you all wait. Things are actually getting a little busy in my life, so I can't make any promises for updates. Just keep on reviewing! Each review gives me more and more motivation to work on this story!