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Through midnight's cold, the laurel stirred,
No trumpet called, no prayer was heard.
The Sun came down to find the Sea.
For love remembers what should be.
Though gods may part and Mist deceive,
The heart remembers, though it grieves;
And when the darkness takes its plea,
The Sun returns unto the Sea.
The next night, the air inside the Fifth Cohort barracks changed.
At first, nobody noticed.
The barracks was old, crowded, and perpetually uncomfortable. The wooden walls groaned whenever the wind came down from the hills, the beds creaked whenever somebody moved, and the room always smelled faintly of leather, old sweat, polished armour, and whatever disaster the legionnaires had tracked in on their sandals that day. It was not a pleasant place to sleep, but after a few weeks in Camp Jupiter, Percy had learned that complaining only encouraged the older legionnaires.
So Percy slept.
Or, at least, he tried to.
He lay on his narrow cot staring at the ceiling, his hands folded behind his head. Moonlight filtered through the small windows, casting pale rectangles across the wooden floor.
He should have been exhausted.
Instead, his mind would not stop.
Apollo's face.
Apollo's voice.
The Roman Senate.
Octavian's expression when Apollo had called Percy his beloved.
The entire Camp Jupiter valley now knew.
Or, more accurately, the entire valley was pretending not to know while very obviously knowing.
By sunset, Percy had already been stared at by approximately half the legion.
By dinner, several legionnaires had stopped talking the moment he entered the mess hall.
One poor probatio had dropped his plate.
Another had saluted Percy.
Percy had no idea what to do with that.
So he had eaten his dinner, gone back to the barracks, ignored Bobby's increasingly nervous glances, and attempted to sleep.
It was nearly midnight when the room changed.
A warm breeze drifted through the barracks.
Percy's eyes opened instantly.
The cold California night vanished.
The scent of old wood and worn leather disappeared beneath something entirely different: wild laurels, warm stone, summer grass, and sunlight.
Percy sat upright.
For one terrible second, he thought Hera had come back.
Then a soft amber light began to pulse from the corner of the room.
Percy's heart stopped.
Then restarted.
And suddenly he was smiling.
"Apollo."
The light brightened.
It did not explode or crack through the room like the god's arrival in the Senate chamber. This time, it was quieter. More deliberate. Golden light gathered beside Percy's narrow cot, folding in on itself until it took the shape of a person.
Apollo appeared sitting casually on the edge of Percy's bed.
Tonight, he looked like a perfect and slightly unsettling combination of both his Greek and Roman selves.
He wore a simple white chiton, but heavy golden brooches shaped like imperial eagles fastened the fabric at his shoulders. His cropped Roman hair was slightly tousled, as though he had spent several hours arguing with other gods and had finally given up attempting to look perfectly composed. His eyes were Gold, but there was warmth in them now.
Not the cold, imperial gaze that had silenced the Senate.
This was Apollo.
Percy's Apollo.
The moment their eyes met, Percy forgot every single thought he had been having.
Apollo smiled.
"Perseus."
Percy stared at him for approximately two seconds.
Then he threw his arms around him.
Apollo caught him immediately.
A quiet laugh escaped the god as he wrapped both arms around Percy, holding him close with the unmistakable protectiveness of someone who had spent far too long worrying about whether the person in front of him was alive.
"You came back," Percy murmured.
Apollo rested his chin lightly against Percy's hair.
"I told you I would."
Percy pulled back just enough to look at him.
"You said you had to settle something on Olympus."
Apollo's expression became deeply suspicious.
"I did."
"What did you settle?"
Apollo looked away.
Percy narrowed his eyes.
"Apollo."
"I settled it."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing particularly concerning."
Percy stared at him.
Apollo sighed.
"Fine. There was shouting."
"How much shouting?"
"A moderate amount."
"Apollo."
"There may have been lightning."
Percy blinked.
"Lightning?"
"Not mine."
"Zeus --- er Jupiter?"
Apollo gave him a pointed look.
Percy slowly sat back.
"Oh."
"Yes."
"Was this about Juno?"
"Among other things."
Percy groaned and dropped his head against Apollo's shoulder.
"I told you not to start a divine war."
Apollo's hand moved through Percy's hair.
"And I listened."
"You absolutely did not."
"I started no wars."
"Yet....."
Apollo's smile was entirely too innocent.
Percy sighed.
The warmth surrounding Apollo seemed to grow stronger. It spread through Percy's small corner of the barracks, wrapping around them like sunlight. The rest of the room faded slightly from Percy's awareness, not disappearing, exactly, but becoming distant.
Apollo noticed Percy looking around.
"I have placed a privacy ward around us."
Percy looked back at him.
"A what?"
"A ward."
"You can do that?"
Apollo raised an eyebrow.
"Perseus."
"Right. god."
"Exactly."
Percy smiled.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Apollo simply looked at him.
Really looked.
His Gold eyes moved over Percy's face, as though memorizing every detail again. Percy suddenly understood why Apollo had seemed so intense when he arrived at the Senate.
He had been looking for Percy.
Not merely because Percy was missing.
Apollo had been looking for the person Hera had taken away from him.
Percy's smile faded slightly.
"I'm sorry."
Apollo immediately frowned.
"For what?"
"I don't know."
Apollo's expression softened.
"Perseus."
"Hera took my memories, and you were looking for me, and I didn't even remember you."
"You had no choice."
"I know, but---"
"You had no choice."
The god's voice was quiet but firm.
Percy looked down.
Apollo gently lifted Percy's chin.
"Look at me."
Percy did.
"You were not responsible for what was done to you."
Something in Percy's chest loosened.
Apollo's expression softened further.
"I searched."
Percy's throat tightened.
"How long?"
Apollo was silent.
That silence was answer enough.
Percy swallowed.
"You really looked for me."
Apollo looked almost offended.
"Of course I did."
Percy gave a shaky laugh.
"Right."
"You vanished."
"I know."
"Juno erased you from yourself."
Percy went still.
Apollo's expression darkened for just a moment.
"I could feel that something was wrong. I could not find you properly. I searched the camps. I searched the cities. I searched every place I thought you might go."
Percy looked at him.
"And then?"
Apollo smiled faintly.
"And then the Romans threatened you."
Percy snorted.
"That would do it."
"I felt your presence."
Percy blinked.
"From Camp Jupiter?"
Apollo's smile widened.
"Did you think a little Roman Mist could hide you forever?"
Percy thought about that.
"Honestly? After the last few weeks, yes."
Apollo laughed softly.
The sound was warm enough to make Percy smile despite himself.
Unfortunately, on the other side of the privacy ward, the sudden temperature increase had caused a different sort of problem.
Bobby woke up sweating.
At first, he assumed Marcus had somehow stolen his blanket again.
This had happened before.
Marcus denied it every time.
Bobby did not believe him.
He kicked the blanket off and rubbed his face.
"Why is it so hot?"
No answer.
Bobby frowned.
The barracks should have been freezing.
It was the middle of the night.
The windows were open.
The California wind had been howling earlier.
Instead, the air felt like the first warm morning of summer.
Bobby slowly sat up.
That was when he noticed the light.
Percy's bunk was glowing.
Bobby froze.
A sphere of soft, golden light surrounded the corner of the room.
Inside it sat Percy Jackson.
And Lord Apollo.
Bobby stopped breathing.
For several seconds, he simply stared.
Then his brain restarted.
Unfortunately, his brain restarted with panic.
"Marcus."
No response.
Bobby turned.
"Marcus."
Marcus continued sleeping.
Bobby reached across the narrow gap between their beds and shook him.
Marcus groaned.
"What?"
"Marcus."
"Go away."
"Marcus."
"What?"
Bobby pointed.
Marcus opened one eye.
Then the other.
He looked toward Percy's bunk.
His entire body froze.
Bobby watched in fascination as Marcus went through approximately seven emotions in three seconds.
Confusion.
Recognition.
Horror.
More recognition.
Existential terror.
"Is that..."
"Yes."
"That's not..."
"Yes."
"Why is Lord Apollo in our barracks?"
Bobby stared at him.
"Do I look like I know?"
Marcus grabbed Bobby's arm.
"Why is he sitting on Jackson's bed?"
"I don't know."
"Why is Jackson smiling?"
"I DON'T KNOW."
"Lower your voice!"
"You lower your voice!"
Both boys froze.
Apollo had moved.
Marcus nearly passed out.
The god had not noticed them.
Or perhaps he had noticed them and simply did not care.
Which, Marcus decided, was somehow worse.
A soft murmur came from inside the glowing sphere.
Percy was speaking.
Bobby leaned forward.
Marcus immediately grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Do not."
"What?"
"Do not listen."
"We can barely hear them."
"Exactly. We are already too close."
"We are on the other side of the room."
"That is too close to a god!"
Bobby slowly nodded.
That seemed reasonable.
Neither of them moved.
Unfortunately, Dakota woke up.
Dakota was a light sleeper.
He opened his eyes because the entire room was suddenly glowing.
For several seconds, he stared at the ceiling.
Then he sat up.
Then he saw Percy.
Then he saw Apollo.
Dakota slowly lowered herself back onto his pillow.
He pulled the blanket over his head.
There was silence.
Then his head reappeared.
"Am I dreaming?"
Marcus looked at him.
"I hope so."
Dakota stared at him.
"If this is your dream, you're a terrible person."
"It is not my dream!"
Bobby hissed at both of them.
"Stop talking!"
They all went silent.
A fourth probatio woke up.
Then a fifth.
Within ten minutes, nearly half the barracks was awake.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke above a whisper.
And absolutely nobody knew what they were supposed to do.
They were Roman legionnaires.
There were rules for encountering gods.
There were procedures.
You bowed.
You showed respect.
You did not speak unless addressed.
You certainly did not sit upright in bed and stare at a major Olympian having a quiet conversation with the newest recruit in the cohort.
The problem was that nobody knew whether the rules still applied when the god in question was apparently visiting his boyfriend.
Bobby finally whispered the question everyone was thinking.
"Should we bow?"
Marcus stared at him.
"We are in bed."
"So?"
"How do you bow while lying down?"
Bobby considered this.
"Slowly?"
Marcus closed his eyes.
"We are going to die."
Dakota glanced back toward the golden sphere.
Apollo had one arm around Percy's shoulders. Percy was leaning comfortably against him, looking more relaxed than anyone had ever seen him since arriving at Camp Jupiter.
Dakota's eyes widened.
"He's holding him."
Bobby looked.
"I can see that."
"No, I mean LOOK AT HIS GODDAMED FACE."
Everyone looked.
Apollo was watching Percy with an expression that made the entire barracks uncomfortable for reasons none of them could properly explain.
Not because it was frightening.
Although Apollo was certainly frightening.
Not because the divine pressure filling the room made their instincts scream that they were in the presence of something ancient and powerful.
It was something else.
The god looked worried.
Relieved.
Protective.
Like Percy mattered.
Like the scruffy, undocumented Greek recruit with the faded purple shirt was somehow one of the most important things in Apollo's entire existence.
Marcus whispered, "Jackson is insane."
Dakota shook his head.
"No."
Marcus looked at her.
"What?"
He nodded toward the glowing sphere.
"Look at him."
Percy was laughing quietly at something Apollo had said.
Marcus frowned.
"He laughed at the god yesterday."
"Exactly."
Bobby looked horrified.
"Maybe Jackson doesn't understand who Apollo is."
Dakota gave him a flat look.
"Bobby."
"What?"
"Lord Apollo descended through the roof of the Senate."
"Oh."
"Jackson remembered him immediately."
"Oh."
"And the god threatened Octavian."
"Oh."
Bobby frowned.
"Okay, when you put it like that, I see the problem."
Marcus stared at them.
"The problem is that Jackson apparently knows Apollo."
Dakota's eyes narrowed.
"No."
"What?"
"The problem is that Apollo knows Jackson."
The others looked toward the golden sphere.
Nobody had a response.
Because he was right.
Inside the ward, Percy had finally stopped thinking about Camp Jupiter entirely.
Apollo was still beside him.
Still warm.
Still real.
Percy kept expecting to wake up.
"I thought I'd dreamed you."
Apollo's expression softened.
"You dreamed of me?"
"Apparently."
"Good dreams?"
"Mostly."
Apollo looked pleased.
"Mostly?"
Percy grinned.
"There was one where you turned into a giant golden chicken."
Apollo stared at him.
"I have no idea what that means."
"Neither do I."
"Perseus."
"Sorry."
Apollo shook his head, but he was smiling.
Then his fingers brushed through Percy's hair again.
Percy looked up.
"You know everyone is terrified of you now."
Apollo looked completely unsurprised.
"They were terrified before."
"More terrified."
"Ah."
Percy smiled.
Apollo looked thoughtful.
"Would you prefer I return tomorrow and apologize?"
Percy stared.
"No."
Apollo blinked.
"No?"
"Absolutely not."
"Why?"
"Because the last thing Camp Jupiter needs is you showing up and saying, 'Hello, I am sorry for threatening to destroy your political structure yesterday.'"
Apollo looked offended.
"I did not threaten to destroy their political structure."
Percy narrowed his eyes.
Apollo sighed.
"I implied it."
"You implied it loudly."
"They understood."
"Yes. That's the problem."
Apollo considered this.
Then he smiled.
"Very well. I will not apologize."
Percy laughed.
Outside the ward, Bobby whispered, "Why did Jackson laugh?"
Marcus looked ready to cry.
"Stop noticing things."
"I can't help it!"
Dakota suddenly stiffened.
Everyone looked at him.
"What?"
He pointed.
Apollo had turned his head.
Very slowly.
The entire barracks froze.
The god was looking directly at them.
Nobody breathed.
Bobby made a noise that could generously be described as a squeak.
Marcus immediately closed his eyes.
Dakota grabbed her blanket.
Inside the ward, Percy followed Apollo's gaze.
Then he blinked.
"Oh."
Apollo looked amused.
Percy turned.
The Fifth Cohort was staring back at him.
Approximately fifteen pairs of eyes immediately vanished.
Everyone suddenly became extremely interested in sleeping.
Percy stared.
"Apollo."
"Hm?"
"How long have they been awake?"
Apollo's mouth twitched.
"A while."
Percy's eyes widened.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"You seemed happy."
Percy covered his face with both hands.
"Oh my gods."
Apollo laughed.
Across the room, Bobby whispered, "He saw us."
Marcus whispered back, "We're dead."
Dakota, who had somehow become the most sensible person in the room, sat up straighter.
"Nobody move."
Bobby stared at her.
"Why?"
"Maybe he'll think we're statues."
"That is not how gods work."
"It might."
Percy lowered his hands.
"Guys?"
Nobody moved.
The bubble vanished and Percy's voice was audible again.
"Guys, you can stop pretending to be asleep."
Silence.
Bobby immediately pulled his blanket over his face.
Percy sighed.
"Seriously?"
Apollo looked delighted.
"Romans are very disciplined."
Percy stared at him.
"That's not discipline."
Apollo looked toward the line of absolutely motionless legionnaires.
"It appears disciplined."
Percy pointed.
"Bobby is shaking."
Bobby stopped shaking.
For three seconds.
Then resumed.
Apollo finally took pity on them.
The divine pressure in the room softened.
It did not disappear completely, but it became easier to breathe.
Marcus cautiously opened one eye.
Apollo was still watching them.
Marcus immediately closed it again.
Percy sighed.
"You're not in trouble."
Bobby's blanket moved slightly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Lord Apollo isn't angry?"
Apollo answered.
"No."
Every legionnaire in the barracks went perfectly still.
Bobby slowly lowered the blanket.
"You can hear us?"
Apollo raised an eyebrow.
Bobby immediately put the blanket back.
Percy snorted.
Apollo looked deeply pleased with himself.
Marcus finally gathered enough courage to sit upright.
Very carefully, he lowered his head.
"My lord."
The others followed.
Even Bobby.
Apollo watched them for a moment.
Then he nodded.
"You may relax."
Nobody relaxed.
Percy whispered, "Apollo."
"What?"
"You're making it worse."
"I told them to relax."
"They think you're going to incinerate them."
Apollo looked genuinely confused.
"Why?"
Every single person in the room stared at him.
Percy slowly looked at Apollo.
"Because you're a god."
Apollo paused.
"Ah."
"Yeah."
The god considered this.
Then he sighed.
"Romans."
Percy laughed.
Apollo looked at him.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You are laughing at me."
"A little."
The god narrowed his eyes.
Percy grinned.
Across the room, Dakota stared in disbelief.
"Did Jackson just—"
"Yes," Marcus whispered.
"He's laughing at Apollo."
"Yes."
"Again."
"Yes."
Bobby slowly lowered his blanket.
"I think we're going to have to get used to this."
Marcus looked horrified.
"Get used to it?"
Bobby gestured helplessly toward Percy.
"He's not going anywhere."
Nobody could argue with that.
Especially not after what had happened in the Senate.
Apollo eventually looked back at Percy.
The amusement faded from his face.
For one brief moment, the god looked sad.
"I have to go."
Percy's smile disappeared.
"I know."
"I cannot remain until morning."
"You've got god things to do."
"Unfortunately."
Percy sighed.
Apollo placed a hand against Percy's cheek.
The gesture was gentle.
"I will come again."
Percy looked at him.
"Promise?"
Apollo smiled.
"The sun always returns to the sea."
The words made something inside Percy ache.
Not painfully.
Not anymore.
He remembered now.
The warmth.
The laughter.
The person who had searched for him.
The person who had found him.
Percy smiled.
"Okay."
Apollo stood.
The golden light surrounding Percy's bunk began to brighten.
Across the barracks, everyone watched.
Nobody dared look away this time.
The god paused beside Percy's bed.
Then he looked toward the gathered legionnaires.
For one terrifying moment, everyone wondered whether he was about to deliver some divine warning.
Instead, Apollo said, "If any of you allow Octavian to threaten him again, I will be disappointed."
Bobby went pale.
Marcus sat perfectly straight.
Dakota nodded rapidly.
"Understood, my lord."
Apollo smiled.
"Good."
Then he looked at Percy one final time.
The imperial god vanished.
The golden light faded.
The barracks was dark again.
The wind outside returned.
The familiar smell of leather and old wood slowly replaced the scent of laurels and summer.
For several seconds, there was complete silence.
Percy lay back on his cot.
He pulled his blanket over himself.
"Goodnight."
Nobody answered.
Percy closed his eyes.
Five seconds passed.
Then Bobby whispered from three bunks away.
"Jackson?"
Percy groaned.
"What?"
"Are you actually dating Lord Apollo?"
Percy opened one eye.
"Go to sleep, Bobby."
Silence.
Another five seconds passed.
Marcus spoke.
"Does Neptune know?"
Percy covered his face with his pillow.
"Go. To. Sleep."
Dakota whispered, "What does Apollo mean by disappointed?"
Percy groaned louder.
The entire barracks immediately began asking questions.
Percy lay beneath his blanket and seriously considered jumping into the Little Tiber.
By morning, however, one thing was absolutely certain.
The Fifth Cohort had witnessed something no Roman legionnaire was ever supposed to see.
A god had entered their barracks.
Apollo, lord of the sun, prophecy, music, medicine, and the imperial power of Rome itself, had descended in the middle of the night.
And he had come for Percy Jackson.
Not to issue an order.
Not to deliver a prophecy.
Not to claim a new hero.
He had simply come back.
And somewhere between the golden light, the terrified legionnaires, and Percy's increasingly desperate attempts to make everyone go to sleep, the Fifth Cohort reached one unanimous conclusion.
They were never, under any circumstances, going to mess with Percy Jackson again.
Because apparently, when the sea had a problem,
the sun answered.