Chapter Text
Eros was in heaven. His ears were being serenaded by the sound of soft giggles; his lips were tasting the soft flesh of olive skin; his nose was tickled by the sweet sent of rose perfume; and his eyes were enchanted by the sight of the demi-god youth he had picked-up from New Rome. Life did not get better than this.
As Eros’ lips finally reached the scene of the final adulation the doors to his palace chamber opened and he recognised the light foot-fall of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, Olympian and his mother.
He scrambled to cover himself and the New Roman youth with his bed sheet as his mother approached the foot of his emperor-sized bed. Aphrodite was aggressively looking towards the wall, which Eros found a small mercy for this most recent interruption by his mother.
Throwing down a scroll Aphrodite said “Here are the five mortals I need enchanted Dearest. Please don't mess it up this time like you did with Psyche.” Aphrodite drawled the last part out with condescension that made Eros grind his teeth as she knew full well that the incident with Psyche happened over three millennia ago.
“And please don’t get so engrossed in your… affections that you can’t sense my approach. You know this is the eighth time I have caught you in such a compromising situation this annum.” Before Eros could snap a retort to this most annoying of criticisms Aphrodite turned on her heel and left.
So mad at the latest motherly ‘constructive criticism’ Eros forgot all about the man in his bed and picking up the list stormed out of his chamber.
“Thats the last bloody straw!” He shouted, making his wind spirit servants glide away in fear at seeing their usually unperturbable master so enraged.
With a flash of light Eros appeared in the grime-covered, windowless workshop Hephaestus called his home. “Dearest step-father,” he said through gritted-teeth, having lost none of the rage that gripped him moments earlier. “I have a proposal for you.”
Percy hated himself. He knew intellectually he shouldn’t. He couldn't control his newly-discovered attraction to the same gender, now the now obvious lack of attraction towards the opposite. He was accepting it though. He would never have what he truly wanted, so she could have everything she wanted. Anabeth had their lives planned out perfectly for them. They would go to New Rome University together, share an apartment in the city together, graduate together, find a nicer apartment together, get married, have children together, grow old together and die together, ideally at the same moment hand-in-hand. Anabeth meant more to Percy than anyone else alive – except maybe his mother – so even if it meant life-long suffering never getting what he so, so, so desperately wanted, that was a price he was willing to pay to ensure her happiness.
Percy stood up now, resolved to suffer and looked around the temple. Percy loved New Rome, the energy of the city, the depth of possibilities and the friends he had made there, but they couldn’t build a temple like the Greeks. The four states around him, carved of marble, of a gorgeous man, wearing nothing but a quiver on his back was appealing – gods how that chest was appealing – but it didn’t have the same majesty that Eros’ temple back at Camp Half-Blood did.
Percy approached the alter now and with soul-crushing resignation threw in an offering. Percy then turned and went to leave the temple, sullen at his resignation, but stopped when he heard a slight cough from where he just stood. Turning, for a moment Percy thought one of the statues had been brought to life – Galatea-style – but banished this idea when he saw the four statues still standing in their full, un-abashed nudity on their plinths. His confusion was further diswaded when he noticed the figure, who he now presumed to be Eros, stood in-front of him fully robed in a himation – for which Percy was grateful, not needing his new resolve tested so soon.
“Don’t do this Percy.” The god emplored, sadly. “A life of misery is not what you deserve! You saved Olympus! Twice!”
You fear the girl — Anabeth was it? — will have her life ruined and never see her dream come true? I can see that doesn’t happen, I will find her a lover who can love her back, who wants the life she desires, who will do the things we both know you can’t” Percy narrowed his eyes, ever-weary of charity from a god.
“Who are you?” Percy responded, feigning ignorance of the god’s identity. “And why do you want to help me?”
Eros laughed, “Come come Percy, you know who I am, this is serious business and we have no time for false stupidity! As to why I want to help you, I am the god of romantic love! Any person with an ache in their heart, a gleam in their eye or a throb in their loins is my domain.” Percy would normally have cringed at the crude words and the uncomfortable wink he was given but found himself strangely immune to such reactions and instead entice by the god’s charm.
“I wish to see you happy, you silly young thing! And a woman, as pretty and smart as she may be cannot do that for you. Let me set you and her free. Not only will I find her a lover who will give her all she wants, but I will even do the same for you!” Again, Percy would normally have shrunk away from seeming altruism from a god, but such negative reactions were not forthcoming, rather relief filled his soul and made his body loose all the tension he had been holding for days.
“Now here’s what we’ll do: you shall go home to your apartment, you will leave this letter where Anabeth will find it.” The god reached behind his himation and pulled out a wax sealed envelope. “It will explain that you have realised your sexuality and that you cannot give her the life she deserves. You have gone on holiday to give her and yourself some time to process. Once that is done, return here and you shall be transported to your vacation spot. In the morning the man destined to be your love will find you there.”
Before Percy could ask his pressing questions, Eros was gone and the envelope lay on the floor.
As time grew from Eros’ disappearance, Percy found himself shaking off the unnatural compliance he had found. What hadn’t waned was the relief he felt at not committing to a life of falsehoods. He did not doubt now that there was a secret motive to this scheme, but the thought being free from the depression he felt when near Annabeth or New Rome drove him on to his apartment to leave the envelope. In fact, Percy grew more excited the close he came to his apartment. Where was he going? Who is this true love? Why did he not need to pack anything?
Percy rushed to put the letter where he knew it would be found. Percy couldn’t bare Annabeth coming home while he was there and having to explain in person. He knew it wasn’t the “correct” means of break-up or coming-out but Percy had no energy left in him to deal with other people. So after his mission was complete, Percy closed the door behind him with a smile on his face and a tear in his eye.
It was eight-twenty-seven now, and the streets of New Rome were dim, lit only by the moon that shone behind Percy on the way back to the temple of Eros. The walk back to the temple seemed to take an age. All the thought of doubt and worry he would have expected on the way there now came with abandon. But he never considered going back to the apartment and the self-hatred that came with it. Instead he trudged on up to the temple of Eros on the outskirts of the city.
When finally Percy’s foot fell towards the entry stone of the temple it landed on golden sand. Shocked Percy looked around. He was on a beach 100 meters in front of a cave, whose opening is mostly covered by an overgrow grape-vine. Four springs of water run near the cave, irrigating wild fields of parsley and violets. A forrest of alder, poplar and cypress trees surround the clearing in front of the cave’s mouth. In-short the same island where Percy met Calypso only a year or two ago. She of course had now left the island with Leo. Gods only knew where the two of them are now.
The Greek smiled at the thought of Calypso. Maybe, hopefully, Annabeth would get over him as well as Calypso did and find someone as great as Leo.
Percy turned around. Complete isolation. He couldn’t see anything on the horison as it was too dark, but he knew from his time here before that no island could be seen even in the best conditions. This is what he needed, Percy thought. No one to worry about, no one to bother him. Just paradise on earth.
He laughed and went to pull off his t-shirt, but found no hem to grab. Instead of his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, he was wearing a disturbingly short chiton which barely covered the curve of Percy’s ass. Still, he undid the leather tie around his waist and removed the chiton, kicked off his new sandals and finally felt completely relaxed standing nude on the beach of Ogygia.
When Percy glanced down he got another surprise however. Never having need to do so, Percy was never very meticulous in his grooming habits. Now, however, his pubes were gone, not even stubble remained and the same was true for his balls. Reaching behind in trepidation, he felt the smooth, hairless skin of his bum and his hole. Deciding not to think about what the change to his sexual organs grooming portended, he shrugged and ran into the water.
When he awoke in the morning in the meadow of parsley he had chosen to fall asleep in, still completely nude Percy rolled from lying on his side to his back and cushioned to back of his head with his hands, noticing that he at least still had hair in his arm pits.
Percy lay utterly contented for the first time in years staring at the perfect baby blue, cloudless sky for an unknowable amount of time. Until, with a sudden reminder of the foretold arrival of his one true love, he heard an annoyed voice shouting “Hello?”
Sitting up sharply, Percy saw the face of the last person he would ever expect to be his future love: the god of war.