To Swear On Styx

Chapter Seven: Aphrodite Embarrasses Me in Front of Everyone

Playlist Part Seven:

The Lightning Thief - Bear McCreary, Sparks & Shadows

~*~

The next morning, Percy woke up to sunlight streaming in thick bands over his face. He squeezed his eyes shut, before stretching widely and pulling himself up in bed. The massive chamber was empty, which set Percy on edge more than he'd've liked to admit. Hesitantly, he reached forward, splaying his hand over Kronos' side of the bed. The sheets were still warm, so the older probably hadn't been gone long.

Unless, of course, Percy thought grudgingly as he pushed back the covers, his eyes lidded in distaste. -Olympus had self-heating magical mattresses. Which- he wouldn't put it past the place.

Percy sat there for a second longer, just trying to process everything, when a door on the far side of the chamber swung open and Kronos strode in. Steam billowed out of the room behind him, the scent of floral soap thick in the air. He wore a towel round his waist, and his hair was wet, his bangs plastered to his forehead, and little droplets of water trailing down his neck.

He studied Percy for a moment, before jerking his chin to the door behind him. "We'll be leaving soon, so hurry and take a bath. I'll wait for you to eat breakfast."

All but launching himself out of the bed, Percy ducked by the Titan King, inclining his head so the other couldn't see his face, and shutting and latching the door behind him. Barely taking any time to appreciate just how beautiful the bathroom before him was, Percy buried his burning gold face in his hands, hunching over and taking in a deep breath.

He absolutely hated himself. Why, by Chaos, did Kronos have to be so attractive? Why couldn't he have preferred to look middle-aged like Zeus? Why did he have to saunter around in only a towel, water trailing down his toned chest and abdomen and back and-

Percy heaved an annoyed sigh, pulling his hands down his face with a groan of revulsion. Kronos had to be toying with him on purpose. He had to be aware of what he was doing. And, by Tartarus, he was good at it.

It was harder than Percy had ever thought possible to remind himself that, hey, this was Kronos. This was the monster that possessed Luke, that waged war against the Olympians, that forced him to carve his name into Nico's back, that threatened to order him to torture Annabeth. This was a monster. It wasn't a game, and his actions weren't without consequence.

And yet, that little conniving voice murmured in the back of his mind. You've already betrayed everyone. You've already sworn your loyalty to him. What does it matter, who does it hurt, if you sleep with him?

It did matter, though. It was about the principle. He may have sworn himself to Kronos, yes, but that didn't mean he had to like it. True betrayal would be if he fell in love with the Titan King. True betrayal would be if he laid in his bed of his own free will.

As long as he didn't act on whatever poison Eros was injecting into his mind, it didn't matter.

Eros.

A sudden bout of rage had Percy letting out a guttural snarl and slamming his fist into the marble wall beside him. The stone cracked, hairline fractures threading out from beneath his unscathed hand, and little bits of stucco crumbled to the ground, flattened into dust.

Unbothered, Percy lowered his hand, directing his glare toward the bathroom door. He was going to kill Eros.

~*~

After the epaulia celebration, during which Percy and Kronos were gifted with a variety of ancient, beautiful presents, Percy found himself standing at Kronos' side in the war room, of all places. His hands were clasped in front of him and his eyes lidded, staring out at the dozens of Titans before them. Beside him, Kronos and Hyperion were debating on... Something. Truthfully, Percy had no idea what was going on.