𝐂œ𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐬é𝐬 [Percy Jackson]

69

Kira had once told him, as long as he could see the sun, he wasn't lost. 

Sunlight hit Percy's face as he woke up. 

"Why are you still here?" Hadrian asked. He was dressed already- a black t-shirt with baggy jeans. He laced his shoes as he looked away from Percy. He had half expected the son of Poseidon to vanish in the night as if he was nothing more than a figment of Hadrian's imagination. He certainly hadn't expected to wake up face to face with him.

"Because I care about you, you asshole" Percy mumbled as he yawned. How the actual fuck did someone look good while yawning?

"We still have a day before Rome" Hadrian ignored Percy's statement.

"What are you going to do?"

"No idea" Hadrian shrugged, "I don't know if Annabeth will let me do anything now"

"Give her time. This isn't the first time she's felt betrayed"

"Luke"

"I keep forgetting you knew him" Percy's features grew colder, sharper. Hadrian tried to keep his expression neutral. 

"Percy-"

"What happened last night?" Percy asked instead. He was half sitting up, propped up on an elbow, the covers draped on him, making him look like an emperor. 

"Nothing" 

"Mon cœur..."

Hadrian was going to kill him. He was sure he was. If it wasn't enough crushing on your fried- your straight friend who liked your other friend- Percy had to make this more difficult. Everytime Percy called him that, Hadrian thought he was having heart palpitations.

It's just a silly crush. Hadrian told himself. Stop making it a big deal. It'll go away soon. 

"It was nothing" Hadrian said shortly. 

Percy stumbled out of bed. He set the rainbow fish down. 

"Hadrian"

"I just... I just don't like being touched when I'm- when I'm defenseless"

Most demigods had some sort of PTSD anyways, Hadrian desperately wished Percy would leave it at that. But he seemed unaware to the conflict going through Hadrian's mind. Instead, the brunet ruffled Hadrian's hair as he walked past him to the closet. 

"What happened?" He asked. "What happened to make you scared?"

"Nothing" Hadrian lied, "Just... you know- waking up to monsters"

"Humans" Percy amended. "That's not how you react to monsters, you react by pulling out a weapon, not freezing."

He turned to face him and Hadrian swore his heart was in his throat. He hated this, hated Percy for this. Hadn't he laid enough of his heart bare in front of him? Why did he want this too? His stomach lurched like the whole boat was descending. Maybe it was. 

"PTSD Percy, sometimes somethings don't go away"

"Hadrian, don't bullshit me" Percy pulled out a t-shirt and looked him in the eye. "What the  hell happened"

Hadrian took a deep breath. For some reason, he always felt deeply ashamed about that night. Even though it wasn't his fault, he'd carry the guilt with him. Maybe if he slept somewhere else, maybe if his hair had been a normal brown instead of turning pink in his sleep. Maybe if he'd done something different. 

"After the battle of Manhattan..." He began. He didn't like this, didn't like the way Percy looked so concerned even after he'd told him he was going to betray them. Percy was too good. Too good for someone like him. "I didn't have a place to crash for a while, at least until Gaea teleported me to camp a few months ago. I was.. well homeless" He shrugged.