| PANDEMONIUM | Percy x Apollo

Chapter 6

"I'm not surprised." Apollo said, sounding resigned. "I had suspected as much, since you know," Apollo did not know what to call their marriage, "since five years ago." He settled for.

Percy looked confused. He was sitting on Apollo's bed, in a corner. He seemed relaxed but tired. He was adorable. Apollo wanted to paint a portrait of his right then. He sent a part of his conscience to do just that.

"He's the only legitimate son, but he's third in the line of succession after me and Athena. And he's jealous because father doesn't pay him enough attention. No attention at all. He never gets anything. Not even the prospective brides and grooms." Apollo gave Percy a pointed look at that, hoping he'll understand what he meant.

Percy, thankfully, understood. But he seemed even more confused. "Ares hates me."

"He hates your guts. Even a blind man couldn't ignore the beauty that you are." He turned to look at an interesting keychain on his bedside table.

Percy seemed to be avoiding looking at his face as well.

"So, this plan might've begun as early as five years ago?" Percy asked.

Apollo scrunched his face, thinking and turned to look Percy. He looked more and more tired by the minute.

Apollo decided that Percy needed a massage. He didn't know if he would be welcome to do it though. But he walked up to Percy and sat down behind him on the bed. He laid his hands on Percy's shoulders and sensed him tense up. He was halfway there anyways, so he decided to go for it and started kneeding the muscles on Percy's neck and shoulders.

He sensed Percy relax beneath his hands.

"I'm not saying it had to be five years ago. I just know that it's a reason for him to switch sides."

Percy turned to look at him over his shoulder, a frown on his face. "You 'know' that it's a reason?"

"God of Prophecy, darling." Apollo grinned at him. "I see some things on occasion. Nothing very catastrophic or world changing but things that lead to disasters or certain outcomes. I don't even know when the vision is going to happen."

"So how do you know that that's why Ares switched sides?"

"I've seen him say that in one of the visions, looking all angry and jealous and pointing at me. But the visions don't always play out as I see them either. So it's reliable for deduction, but unreliable for prediction."

Percy nodded. Apollo took to concentrating on the massage. He couldn't sense anything wrong with the muscles, but there seemed to be some issue inside him.

"Percy?" He asked. "You don't happen to have poison in your body do you?"

"God of Poisons, darling."

Apollo laughed out loud at that, the first time they laughed together since five years ago.

But he couldn't shake his worry, not even when Percy thanked him for the massage, looking so much better than he did minutes ago.

Apollo wanted him to stay, wanted them to fix what had once been broken, but he knew he was being selfish. There were bigger things at stake and Percy would never rest until he had given the best he could.

For now, Apollo just hoped that Percy would let him be there for him.

-

Percy decided to go to the Tower first and clear any of their doubts before they decided to dig deeper.

He materialised in a side alleyway, away from surveillance cameras and got into his car. A blue convertible custom made by Leo. He made a mental note to meet up with his demigod team and brief them on the issue as soon as he was done checking with the camps.