The healing hero

Chapter 8

Percy entered the throne room trying to get his head away from the little line Apollo left him a few hours ago. "Firsts for everything." He was not ready to unpack that one. But as Percy sat down in his newly built seat he made the mistake of looking up at his father. He knew his eyes were telling almost everything. 

"So? Good talk?" His father chuckled as he got up and walked over to him. 

"Yeah, mhmh. Perfect talk." Percy said, moving his head around to punctuate each word.

Poseidon started laughing, looking his son in the eyes. "What'd he say?" 

"Nothing." Percy's voice cracked, as he forced out the word. This led to his father laughing even louder, attracting the attention of the others in the throne room.

"What's so funny?" Artemis asked, keeping an eye on her blushing twin.

"You're brother said something that has this one here so flustered he won't say it." 

Apollo chuckled hiding his face, "Oh..." 

"Oh? What was it?" Aphrodite asked.

"...uh....That I was his first for everything in Ancient Greece..."

"Yep that would do it!" Artemis laughed eyeing the new god.

Everyone laughed as both halves of the couple hid their faces. At that point they knew Percy needed to know how easy it is for a God to procreate no matter the presenting gender of either side. Though that was a conversation for another day. 

"Do you know how insane it is to know this life I have one first love and one first kiss that different people, and haven't had my first time yet. But in Ancient Greece I had one first love, one first kiss, one first time and they were all the same person. And being able to remember it, but not being as emotionally connected to those memories as when I was first remembering." Percy looked over at Apollo, "And knowing you still love that person, no matter what your past memories show. It's insane." 

Dionysus nodded, "Yeah it really is, but you need to remember you are not your past, and you make your own future. Don't let those memories mold who you are," He looks over at Apollo and gives a small sad smile, "or who you love."

Percy was now wondering did he actually love him? Was it all his past influencing him? Was it worth it? Remembering everything? Who is he really?

"Percy! Your spiralling. Breath, calm down. Don't doubt yourself. You are you. You love who you love. Yes your past memories may have influenced you at first, but trust me when I say you love him as you." Aphrodite said, glaring at Dionysus. 

Apollo looked down before getting up and walking over to Percy. He kneeled in front of him, grabbing Percy's hands. "We can take this slow. And if you decide that you don't really love me, then we can be friends."

Percy felt his heart breaking at the idea of just being friends. He couldn't stop the tears, or his words.

"NO! Please! Don't leave me!" 

Apollo looked up surprised, "Okay. Okay, I won't leave, I'm right here." Apollo looked down before looking towards Artemis. Apollo knew he couldn't ask for help but he really needed it.

"Why did you think I was gonna leave?" He asked.

"I....I don't know..this image flashed in my head then I got scared." Percy said, avoiding looking Apollo in the eyes.

"Image?" 

"I don't want to talk about it..." 

"Percy are you having those thoughts again?" Dionysus asked.

"I'm fine, don't worry." Percy said getting up out of the his chair and leaving the throne room.

Dionysus looked at Apollo, and for the first time in millennia Apollo saw worry and fear in his brother's eyes. "What thoughts? What is going on?"

"When I tell you you have to promise you won't baby him, but will care for him."

"I promise." Apollo felt even more confused and worried now.

"After he got to camp and he lost his mother, Chiron had him meeting with me or an Apollo kid once a week until he went on his quest. After that it was twice a week. Most demigods don't get that kind of treatment, as you know."

"Why was he doing okay?" Poseidon asked now scared for his own son.

"He was struggling with processing everything that had happened. But you see Percy never talked much, he was one to always write down things then bring it in and then we would go over it. But after he got back from Tartarus, it got worse." Dionysus looked down, he feared for everyone's reactions.

"He was plagued by nightmares from the pit himself. None of these were of his mind's own making. He would relive his time there, but also be tortured for him leaving the pit. Once he started talking to me about it, I was receiving them too. But mine was watching everything the pit did to Percy."

"Why did no one talk to the council about this?" Artemis asked, tears pooling in her eyes.

"It would make it worse. I had an inkling that Perseus would be changing soon, but I didn't know how long until that arena tournament. After that the dreams stopped, Percy then started seeing me just for PTSD."

"Then he became a god, and now?" Apollo asked.

"Now it seems that Perseus is on the receiving end again, but they aren't using his real memories to torture him this time. Their using fake prophetic visions of you." Dionysus looked at Apollo.

"Me? Why me?" 

Everyone wanted to strangle him at that moment, what did he mean 'Why me'.

"Apollo, your his boyfriend. You are the one he trusts the most right now, they take that away and what is he left with?"

"He is left with broken trust...." Poseidon knew how much trust and family meant to his son, and using that against him was wrong, so very wrong.

"How do we help?" Zeus asked.

"Talk to him, remind him your still there." Dionysus said, then got up and left.