To Swear On Styx

Chapter Twenty: I'm Tired.

Playlist Part Twenty:

The Old Citadel - Mentrix

If You Fall I Will Carry You - Efisio Cross

~*~

Percy was a fucking traitor. That was pretty much the sum of what he'd figured over the past few days.

Of course- there were a lot of other things he could call himself- back-stabber, double-crosser, pushover- lots of other, nauseating, despicable, and entirely true things to describe whatever the fuck he was playing at. But- for whatever reason- that word traitor kept shifting back into the forefront of his mind, leaving his head feeling too full, and exhaustion pressing up against the backs of his eyes.

He was a traitor when he got back from camp. He was a traitor when he'd let Kronos- let Kronos confuse him, when he'd let Kronos kiss him.

He'd been a traitor in the coliseum, when Kronos' stupid golden eyes had smudged away everything except the warmth tangling in his stomach and the words- we can give it a shot- suddenly clawing up his throat.

And- he'd been a traitor every day since. Every fucking day after that he'd slept in Kronos' bed, that he'd trained in Kronos' coliseum, sat in Kronos' war room, eaten in the dining hall, walked down the halls, looked out Othrys' fucking windows-

Traitor.

It didn't matter that he was tired. It didn't matter that he was so fucking tired he could barely stay awake half the time. He should've been stronger- smarter- better-

But- no. Percy wasn't loyal. He wasn't a hero. He wasn't what his family, what his friends wanted him to be, needed him to be.

He was a traitor.

He was weak.

~*~

When Percy rounded into the foyer, he was hoping for a peaceful breakfast. Maybe some toast, or some of that weird bougatsa-whatever he'd seen Iapetus picking at the other day. Something simple, that he could eat while he was still half-asleep, preferably in some dark corner of the dining room where nobody'd bother him.

But- no. As was typical for Othrys, the first thing a completely exhausted Percy was greeted with was Kronos, Hyperion, Oceanus, and Mynemosyne having a very intense whispered debate over by the main doors.

The Titan King was visibly aggravated, his narrowed golden eyes boring into the Titan of the East as the other waved his hands around, occasionally side-eyeing his older brother and sister for support.

"-beyond ridiculous," Hyperion was gritting out through clenched teeth. "This is destined for failure-" he abruptly broke off when he caught sight of an unsure Percy loitering by the end of the hallway, the Titan of the East's red eyes glowing with anger and a deep, vexed rumbling rising up from his chest.

"Evidently not, considering the fact that I've done it twice before, and Mnemosyne here has assured me I'm more than capable of it," Kronos replied levelly, taking advantage of Hyperion's sudden silence. His gaze jerked up then, meeting Percy's, and something flashed across his eyes, the unspoken message- get over here- loud and clear.

Heaving a sigh, Percy's shoulders drooped, and he cast one more look of longing over at the lucky deities flittering around the dining hall's doors who didn't have to put of with Kronos' bullshit, before silently accepting the fact that breakfast was a lost cause and trudging over to the bickering Titans.