To Swear On Styx

Chapter Eight: The Titan King Tells Me How Old He Is

Playlist Part Eight:

Saturn - Dragon Tamer

Titans - Dream Cave

~*~

When Percy woke up, he knew he wasn't on Olympus.

And how did he know?

The sea.

Even in the room in which he lay, he could smell sea salt strong in the air. The scent was thick and murky, and something about it was both familiar and minacious all at once.

Sitting up, Percy strode over to the window and threw open the curtains. Light poured into the room, and, squinting, Percy brought a hand up, peering out over the city sprawled across the water before him.

San Francisco. Percy was at Mount Othrys in San Francisco.

The Pacific Ocean stretched out beyond the buildings, and Percy suddenly understood why the ocean had smelled so wrong- it wasn't the mellow, safe, familiar Atlantic that he was used to. No, even from here, atop Othrys, or Tamalpais, or- whatever- he could see the waves slamming against the shores, churning beyond the cove. Power thrummed through him- he could sense exactly where the shallows dropped off, feel the currents churning maliciously below the water's surface, hear ancient monsters stirring in the depths.

The Pacific ocean was wild and entirely untamed, and Percy suddenly felt incredibly small. Behind him, he heard the door to the room open, and footsteps slowly approaching him. He ignored them, content to just stare out the window, taking in the Golden Gate Bridge, and the smaller mountains below him, and the skyline.

Arms wrapped around his waist, and he felt Kronos prop his chin up on his shoulder. "Are you feeling better, my dear?" Came the Titan King's voice, whispered quietly into his ear.

Annoyed, Percy disentangled himself from the older's grasp. "What happened?" He asked stiffly, rather than offering a reply.

Kronos' face was an impassive mask. "The Olympians agitated you," he finally said. "You burst into your divine form, and I calmed you down. We arrived in Othrys yesterday evening." He hesitated, before reaching forward and smoothing his hand against Percy's cheek, a slight hint of worry in his voice as he continued on: "You've been asleep for nearly a full day, my dear."

"The Olympians..." Percy trailed off, before clenching his hands into fists, embarrassment slamming back into him full-force. "Aphrodite... She knew..."

Kronos cocked his head, before gently drawing Percy toward him. Percy let him, caught up in his own worries, and Kronos softly carded one of his hands through the younger's hair. "What did she know?" Kronos hummed lightly.

Percy's throat worked, and he again pulled himself away from Kronos, stepping back so there was a good two feet of space between them. "She knew... About what happened on our... Our wedding night," Percy gritted out.

Arching a brow, Kronos crossed his arms. "A lot happened on our wedding night, Perseus. Care to elaborate?"

Frustrated, Percy threw his hands up in the air. "She knew that I'm attracted to you! Are you happy, Kronos? Are you happy that you've ruined my life?!" Spinning away from the other, Percy turned to stalk toward the door, only to be yanked back by a hand around his wrist.

"Happy?" Kronos breathed, his eyes gleaming as they met Percy's. "I'm ecstatic." His grip tightened slightly, and Percy winced, trying to wrench his wrist away.

"Kronos," he warned, anger thick in his voice as Kronos tilted his chin up so they were eye-to-eye. "You-" Percy's voice quieted as Kronos gently leaned forward so their foreheads were touching. "-what are you doing-"