#still figuring out Annabeth but I’m getting closer

[gummii-teef]

Last post of the night- women.

[laenordeservedbetter]

Thieves & Prophecies

Words: 2.6k

Pairing: Clarisse La Rue x Fem!Reader (Daughter of Poseidon)

Synopsis: When your friends accuse Clarisse of stealing the lightning bolt, you make a choice that dooms Olympus.

Warnings: PJO EPISODE VI SPOILERS, r has anger issues, r isn't too fond of the gods, ooc!clarisse, Luke. [Let me know if I missed any.]

A/N: People say you should write to get over writer's block, so here's another Clarisse x reader. The new episode had me stressing out for Clarisse and she wasn't even there. At least we got good Percabeth scenes.

masterlist || previous work

---

You’re leaning against a wooden crate while Grover proceeds to explain why Clarisse is the lightning thief. The pounding of your heart was the only thing you made yourself hear, tuning out of the conversation. You couldn’t believe it. You refuse to believe it. Clarisse wouldn’t do something like that. Something’s wrong. They are wrong.

“Y/n?” Percy stands in front of you, looking apologetic. You meet his gaze, realizing that they must have finished talking. You don’t say anything, figuring that your conflicting emotions are visible to them. “I’m sorry about Clarisse. I know that you think she’s not capable of stealing the lightning bolt, but all signs lead to her.”

The glare that you send Percy makes him flinch. “She didn’t do it.” You claim. Percy opens his mouth to protest, but you weren’t done talking. “I know she didn’t. I’m sure of it.” You say the words with such conviction that Percy can’t help but feel bad for you. You scowl upon seeing his sympathetic look, shaking your head. “Don’t give me that look.”

“Y/n…” Grover interjects, moving to stand beside Percy. “I know that this is hard to hear since Clarisse is your—” Grover cut himself off, “But there’s no other half-blood Ares could possibly want to protect except his favorite daughter.” He says softly, trying to reason with you.

You were far past reason, however. Not when Clarisse is involved. You walk a few steps closer to them, your jaw clenching. They both take a step back, their backs hitting a combination of crates and cages. They weren’t used to seeing you like this. They’ve watched you protect them from monsters, but they haven’t experienced being on the receiving end of your wrath. It was not a good feeling.

“Say one more word about Clarisse being the lightning thief and I will make sure none of us get to the underworld in time for the solstice.”

Grover and Percy merely nodded, too afraid to argue.

You retreated to the corner furthest away from them; feeling more exhausted than you had been since the quest began. A part of you wanted to ensure that Percy completes his quest and that he clears his and your father’s name, another part wants nothing more than to protect Clarisse, but the emotion that overpowers both is your anger.

How could they all just sit there and come to that conclusion without thinking it through? Their accusation didn’t even have that much of a backbone to support it with. You were mad at yourself for not being able to convince them otherwise. You were mad at Ares for taking Grover’s bait and for not ratting out the real thief, which you probably shouldn’t say out loud. Though, at this point, you didn’t care because tomorrow morning, Percy and Annabeth were going to send an Iris Message to camp and there will be nothing you can do to stop Chiron, Mr. D, and the rest of the demigods from going after Clarisse. You needed to act and you needed to act fast.

---

As soon as Percy, Annabeth, and Grover fell asleep, you stood up and silently moved to the truck’s doors. Percy was leaning against one of the cages, his eyes peacefully shut. Sometimes, you forget that he’s still a kid. He should be enjoying his childhood, not going off fighting monsters. But unfortunately, that’s just the way life goes when you’re a half-blood, being in constant danger. Yet another reason to be mad at the gods. You shake your head, trying to ignore the pang of guilt when you think about leaving your brother. If there had been another way, you would have taken it.

You just hope Percy forgives you when all of this is over.

…Or if he survives the solstice.

You stop in your tracks, wondering if what you’re about to do is the right decision to make when Annabeth starts to stir.

It was now or never.

You continue making your way to the door, but something in the corner of your eye stops you.

The bag that Ares gave.

There was something about it that drew you in. You know you shouldn’t, but you grab the bag, opening the top zipper. There was cash, clothes, and golden drachmas, exactly what the god of war said. You had no need for cash or clothes, so you take those out. You scoop a few drachmas and place the rest on the floor, putting the coins inside the bag since it would be handier than putting it in your pockets. You sling the bag over your shoulder and bolt for the doors, the metal making a loud bang the moment you force it open. Before either one of the trio could go after you, you were already a few miles ahead – or behind, depending on which direction you’re looking from – of them.

You don’t stop running until you reach a coast. You wanted to collapse in exhaustion, but you force yourself to keep going until your feet touch the water. Sighing in relief, you close your eyes, allowing the water to give you strength. The wind was chilly tonight, darkness looming above you. The possibility of war was getting closer yet here you were, having just abandoned your brother for Clarisse.

You didn’t know what you were going to do when you reached camp. Would you try convincing Chiron that Clarisse wasn’t the culprit? Would you run away with your girlfriend? Or would you take the blame despite not having the lightning bolt yourself?

You hear a whine before you, prompting you to open your eyes. A creature with the head and front legs of a horse but with the tail of a fish appeared in front of you, tilting its head a little. Your eyebrows scrunched in confusion, “Did my dad send you?” You asked.

Yes, my lady.

Your brows scrunch even more (if that was possible) at the term. Your hand reaches out to pet the hippocampus, the creature leaning into your touch. You were still surprised that your father, Poseidon, decided to help you. He did listen to your prayers most of the time, but you thought that he wasn’t your biggest fan at the moment, seeing how you were about to go to camp and possibly ruin his reputation. You guess you were wrong. A small smile graced its way onto your face as you mumble, “Thank you, father.” You get on the hippocampus, the creature making sure you were properly seated before it started moving.

---

The sun had completely risen by the time you reached camp. Being on a hippocampus was by far the best mode of transportation, in your opinion. You got good sleep this time. You get off of Summer (you learned that that was her name when you were trying to make conversation), your feet landing on the shore.

“Thank you, Summer. I promise I’ll give you a snack when I see you again.” You promise, smiling softly.

Summer made a noise of approval before diving back into the water.

You look towards the woods, feeling like something was about to go wrong. “You can’t back down now.” You mumble to yourself. Clarisse needed your help. This is the reason why you came back to camp. You will your feet to move, one foot in front of the other.

This wasn’t gonna end well.

---

Sneaking into camp was easy. Getting past the campers was the hard part. If they saw you, they would bombard you with questions. You can already sense the kind of questions they’d ask, the things they would say. You grit your teeth in annoyance. Everyone seemed to be doing something. Though, the number of campers in the archery practice range and the dining pavilion were smaller compared to the last time you were here. Odd. You shake your head, trudging forward, trying to look for Clarisse.

“You stupid moron! I told you. I didn’t steal the lightning bolt!”

Ah, there she was.

Your heart flutters upon hearing her voice. There was no mistaking that that was her.

You see Luke get out of the armory. You could make out a figure behind him, a girl tied against one of the tables. Your expression hardens as you stare at the Hermes cabin councilor. Before he could meet your gaze, you hide behind one of the cabins.

Anger coursed through you again. Your fists clenched, leaning your head against the structure of the Zeus cabin. You wait for a minute, then another, then another, before you feel your anger subsiding. You use the back part of the cabins in order to get to the armory, rushing past groups of campers before they could spot you.

The armory was unguarded, which was a bad decision on Luke’s part. Like seriously? The armory is the best choice you can come up with to lock up the alleged thief in? There are dangerous weapons in there. If they had caught the real thief and locked them there, it would have been a bloody day. You scowl at their incompetence, but your expression morphs into one of worry when you open the door and see Clarisse.

She glances towards you, squinting her eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. “Y/n? What are you doing here?”

“I don’t have time to explain.” You march towards her and settle yourself in front of her. Her hands were tied. “Gods, what have they done to you?” You mutter, grabbing a dagger from the table above her and using it to cut the rope.

“They’re accusing me of stealing the lightning bolt, which is stupid because I didn’t do it. This must be Percy’s doing.” Clarisse grumbles, an apologetic look crossing her face after she says the last sentence. “Sorry. I know he’s your brother, but…”

“They’re wrong. I know.” You nod reassuringly. Not a second after you finish cutting the rope, Clarisse surges forward to pull you into an embrace. You laugh in surprise, pulling her closer, “Woah, there. Hi.” You close your eyes, inhaling her familiar scent. It was good to have her near you again. You let out a sigh of relief, placing your hand on her hair. “I missed you.” You say.

“I missed you too.” Clarisse replies before reluctantly pulling away. She places both of her hands on your face, as if memorizing it all over again. Her brows were scrunched as she looks at a scar that wasn’t there before you left and you found yourself wanting to ease her worries.

“It’s not as bad as it looks.”

She scowls. “You got hurt.”

“I’m okay now.” You insist. Before she asks follow-up questions, you try to state why you were here in the first place. “I tried to convince Percy, Grover, and Annabeth that you didn’t steal the lightning bolt, but they wouldn’t listen. So, I jumped out of the truck when they were sleeping. I got a few drachmas in case of emergencies. Then, I went to a beach, where a hippocampus appeared and brought me here. And now I’m realizing I didn’t think too far ahead because I don’t know what to do now. If I can’t convince Mr. D or Chiron that you’re innocent, I… We can run away. Yes, that we can do.”

“You did all of that for me?” Clarisse had an unreadable expression on her face. She looked like she wanted to kiss you, yell at you, and cry all at once.

Your brows furrow. “Of course I would. Why wouldn’t I?”

“You could’ve gotten hurt.”

“But I didn’t.”

“That was really stupid.” She says.

“I know.”

“You jeopardized the quest.”

“I know.”

“You could’ve experienced your father’s wrath.”

“I know.” A small laugh escapes you.

Clarisse shakes her head, “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

“Yes, so I’ve been told.” You roll your eyes.

“Gods, I love you.” Clarisse mumbles.

You sport a teasing grin, “Aww, you do?”

“Shut up.” She punches your shoulder playfully.

“Ouch!”

“What are you doing?”

Your playful banter came to an end when you hear Luke enter the front door, two of the kids from the Athena cabin standing behind him. You turn, stepping forward to stand in front of Clarisse. You’ve been in similar positions in the past, except she was the one protecting you. Now, it was time to return the favor.

Both Athena kids step forward on Luke’s signal, dragging both you and Clarisse outside, where there was a cluster of campers watching you.

Great, a show. Just what you needed.

“What were you doing with the lightning thief?” Luke questions.

It took a shake of Clarisse’s head to stop you from attacking him. You settled for “accidentally” stepping on his toes instead. “Clarisse is not the lightning thief.” You state. Around you, there stood at least two dozen campers. You spot Chiron and Mr. D amidst the campers and your eyes light up. “You don’t even have proof that she stole the lightning bolt, so how can you be so sure that it’s her?”

Luke ignores your question entirely. “Just give up, Y/n. Stop protecting her. You know that she stole it. We all do.”

“She didn’t steal it!” You yell, meeting Luke’s eyes. It felt like having a staring contest with a statue.

“Yeah, well, how do you know?!” His voice raises to match yours, his cold gaze almost scaring you. Almost.

You fall silent, not having a proper answer to that. Truth was, you didn’t. You could just feel it. But making choices based on feelings isn’t a good enough reason for anyone in this camp. You turn towards Chiron for help, but he doesn’t say anything. The entirety of the Ares cabin is quiet as well. That’s when it occurs to you that if they don’t speak up, there is a zero percent chance that anyone else will.

Luke appears smug, as if he had proved his point. “Exa—”

“Because I did it.”

You shock even yourself at your words, but you do nothing to take them back. You weren’t able to see any other option left. You were surrounded. If you’d try to escape with Clarisse, you weren’t making it out of camp alive. This was your last resort.

“What?” Clarisse says beside you, her voice barely above a whisper. You force yourself not to look at her. You wouldn’t be able to stand the look of betrayal on her face. You’d rather have her hating you than have her punished for something she didn’t do.

Luke scoffs, “No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did.”

You don’t break eye contact with Luke as you say the words, ignoring Clarisse’s screams of protest.

For once, Luke was taken aback. He keeps shaking his head, “No, you’re lying. Just give up already. You can’t protect her anymore.”

“I stole the lightning bolt.” You say, louder this time around.

“Miss L/n, that is a serious admission.” Chiron says, his tone grave. You could see the apprehension in his eyes. “Are you sure you stole the lightning bolt?”

“She’s bluffing.” Luke announces, but he sounds unsure.

Your bag grows heavier, as if someone placed a boulder inside it while you were talking to Luke. It was too much to carry. Naturally, you removed the bag from your shoulder, setting it down on the grass. You open the backpack’s zipper, your breath hitching when you see the thing that has been weighing it down. You pull it out of the bag, hearing gasps and words of alarm from the campers.

The bolt crackled in your hand, the color mesmerizing you. You tilt your head with a sly grin, your eyes fixed on Luke.

“Do you believe me now?”

[starflirts]

NO GRAVE CAN HOLD MY BODY DOWN (I'LL CRAWL HOME TO HER)

in which luke is determined to keep you close to him forever. luke castellan x fem! reader, wc: 1.36k, warning: swearing, note: first post dedicated to my favorite villain... enjoy !

"Wha-... what the fuck are you talking about Luke ?" From the edge of his bunk bed, your boyfriend avoids your stare, looking anywhere but at your face. "Look at me ! You can't just drop this upon me and act like nothing is happening !" He can hear the hurt and the confusion in your voice and decides to get closer to you. He wants to hold you tight and never let you go but settles for holding your hand.

"Babe, listen to me. please." He’s the one to look at you with pleading eyes this time, one hand circling yours and the other resting on the nape of your neck. "You know how much I hate Olympus and how they toy with us just for their own benefit. I know you feel the same way, watching kids barely getting here safely only to never be claimed or only when their parent deems it convenient ! Do you think it's fair ? To be used as a puppet so you can finally be worthy in the eyes of mom or dad ? Risking your life to fix their shortcomings ?"

His emphasis on dad doesn't intrigue you, you already know. Everyone knows. His eyes are full of resentment and his scar seems so red, a stark contrast with the unmarred skin. Luke goes on and on about his supposedly great plan and you can only watch in horror as the boy in front of you looks nothing like the one you fell in love summers ago.

Hand reaching for the one still laid on your nape, you look up, brows furrowed. "Does Annabeth know ?"

These three words are enough to make him flinch. He opens and closes his mouth and that tells you everything you need to know. Your face twists with disgust and anger as you shove his shoulder enough for him to stumble back, away from you.

"Fuck off Luke !" you spit, tears cornering at your lash line. "How dare you turn your back on your little sister, on me ?" Your voice cracks but you try to put up a brave front, wiping the corner of your eyes. You can only stare at him in disbelief, even though your hands itch to bring him closer to you, to hold him and to at least try to understand his sudden change of heart.

Luke attempts to step forward but you pull back and he can hear his own heart breaking. He runs a hand over his face before answering you with a shaky sigh: "Look, I’m doing this for everyone at camp, for us ! I want us to live free of that burden. We deserve so much more than what the gods have to give !" His voice falters and he clears his throat. "I don't want to wake up one morning and find out you're gone because of them, because you went on a stupid quest for the sake of your parent who can't even bother to acknowledge you !" He looks at you fondly and sighs. "Do you remember the time I came back from the quest Hermes sent me on ? You were so scared something had happened to me. I can't let that happen again. I can't let that happen to you. I want to protect you, to protect us ! You- you're all I have."

Tears fall freely as you shake your head, hugging yourself in an attempt to calm down. "There’s got to be another way, you can’t… You can’t do this Luke ! I-" you sob.

And you feel so afraid yet you don’t know whether you’re more scared of Luke himself or of the thought of losing him to something this insane. The cogs in your brain turn and turn but you can't bring yourself to drive him out of your life, not when you've seen him at his best and at his worst, when you've been by his side for so long you can't even remember.

In a few steps, Luke is engulfing you in a hug and all resolve you had to push him away crumbles within seconds. He rests his chin on the crown of your head while you cling to his shirt. He holds you tight, as if the mere thought of you walking out of his cabin would become true and you might vanish with the wind.

"Hey hey, it’s okay, we’ll… we’ll figure it out, we still have time." he whispers in your ear and you want to believe him, you really do.

Slightly pulling back, he rests his forehead against yours, hands coming up to cup your face. With a sad smile, Luke's thumbs wipe your tearstained cheeks.

"There, don't cry," he tells you softly, "my pretty, pretty girl. You know I'll never let you go right ? I love you too much to be able to live without you."

His smile is genuine as his hand cautiously takes your own to place it on his chest, right where you can feel his heartbeat. "You’re here, always and forever, no matter what."

Luke's world had crumbled a long time ago, ever since he realized the gods were monsters in disguise. But now that he has you in his life, whatever's left of that sparkle of hope he had when he was fourteen (and when the world seemed so big yet so full of chances) shines brighter. You were the one who rebuilt everything from scratch, who fixed the gaping hole in his heart.

Your free hand comes up to brush his cheek, thumb trailing his scar. You wish you could close your eyes and pretend that the world isn't on the brink of disaster, that your Luke isn't about to change its course.

The love of your life starts again: "I'll be with you at any cost, believe me. And if anyone, so much as the gods or that new forbidden kid attempt to separate us, I'll walk- heck I'll drag myself back to you !"

His promise is sealed with a kiss and you're certain you'd follow him in a heartbeat: "for better or worse ?" you ask in a small voice, lips hovering over his.

He answers you with a smile and shiny eyes: "for better or worse."

[starkeyboy]

no you can’t catch me now

luke castellan x zeus!reader

imagine you are thalia because this song SCREAMS her

i immediately thought her and my fingers couldn’t stop writing :)

“There's blood on the side of the mountain

There's writing all over the wall

Shadows of us are still dancin'

In every room and every hall”

i laid on the ground as blood soaked the leaves. the screaming of the people i love most, going off to the distance. luke’s face appearing every time i closed my eyes. oh luke. the love of my life. the first. and the last.

i love you luke castellan.

°°°

i ran through the trees, luke and annabeth in front, grover in tow behind me.

“keep running! don’t look back,” grover screamed behind me. i knew deep down that if grover didn’t make it back, his dreams were gone. but he swore to protect us. my running slowed as luke and annabeth didn’t take one look back, grover getting ahead, he noticed i wasn’t in front. grover stopped and looked at me as i stopped.

“go grover,” i said as rain soaked us. grover shook his head and he went to grab my arm. i took a step back as the two up on the hill stopped and screaming my name. i looked at them as i smiled. oh how i loved them.

“no y/n, you’re gonna make it, if we keep running, come on!” he screamed as i took every step back when he fell forward. i heard the monster behind me get closer.

“they don’t want you or them, grover, they want me. that’s all they want,” i yelled over the thunder. i nodded and he shook his head.

“please y/n, run with us to safety” he pleaded. i looked up once as i saw luke running down, to get me, to drag me uphill.

“grover, tell luke i love him. please,” i said as i smiled softly thinking of him. i turned around as everyone’s yell at me grew quiet. lukes running grew faster as i drew my dagger, a gift from dad. the monster close.

“i love you so much” was the last thing i said because before i knew it, i was looking at the monster as it snarled at me.

°°°

lukes pov

i let out an agonizing scream as y/n lied on the grown as the monster ran. i dropped to my knees as tears spilled from my eyes. i felt arms grab onto me as lighting strikes the grown where she laid. roots growing. a tree forming, a pine tree. her favorite tree.

“you wanna know why i love these kind of trees in the woods?” she said as i smiled at her, awed by her fascination of the world. i raised my eyebrows in question. “pine trees are majestic luke. they survive the cold, the heat, the storms. survival at its finest. and they provide beautiful pine cones, which smell amazing,” she smiled at me brightly. when she looked at me, it was like the world paused. it was just me and her.

“i hope one day when i die, i come back as a pine tree, giving me a full life through everything, protecting others as they pass, a shelter for those who need it most.”

the memory of just a day ago repeating in my head for days on end.

everywhere i looked, she was there. in the cabin, the mess hall, the arena. the woods.

“Bet you thought I'd never do it

Thought it'd go over my head

I bet you figured I'd pass with the winter

Be somethin' easy to forget

Oh, you think I'm gone 'cause I left”

the more i trained and the more i picked up fights, you would think i would move on easily. but there was always this one light that brought me back to y/n. always back to the pine tree.

the day we got to camp was the worst day of my life. everyone said camp was a safe place for half-bloods. why did y/n die? why didn’t zeus save her, huh?

camp was no longer called safe when she left us. when she sacrificed her life for us.

“oh, hey,” i heard behind me. i furrowed my eyebrows as i turned to find nobody. “i’m right here, luke, right in front of you.” i looked in front of me and saw the tree.

“y/n?” i whispered in disbelief.

“yeah, honey, it’s me,” she said softly as i felt a caress on my cheek. “you can’t see me but i’m here, i’m not leaving.” i felt a tear fall from my eye as i thought of her.

“i miss you so much,” i let out a sob. i leaned my head on the trunk of the tree. “so much”

“oh luke” she whispered. “i never left you, im here forever for you and with you”

“But I'm in the trees, I'm in the breeze

My footsteps on the ground

You'll see my face in every place

But you can't catch me now

Through wading grass, the months will pass

You'll feel it all around

I'm here, I'm there, I'm everywhere

But you can't catch me now

No, you can't catch me now”

i grunted as the monster got my cheek, feeling the blood drip off my cheek. i drew my sword and swung at it, but it kept growing stronger.

“fuck you, dad, fuck you,” i growled as i felt my fate. the monster above me now as he dripped of slobber. his mouth opened, emitting fire. i closed my eyes, ready for the impact, but nothing happened. i felt a force and lighting strike happening in front of my eyes. it let me get up and run after hearing her whisper to me.

“run, luke, go!”

°°°

i sat in front of y/n as i planted a new flower for her. i can feel annabeths, grover’s and percy’s eyes on me.

today was the 5th year of her passing and every year, i grow a new flower, whether it be strawberries on accident or not.

“what’s he doing?” i heard percy said.

“planting y/n a new flower. she sacrificed her life 5 years ago today and 5 years ago today we i got the privilege to feel y/ns warmth as her tree gives the camp life. lukes way to thank her is gifting her natures beauty,” annabeth explained.

i sighed as i touched the trunk gently.

“i’m not gonna let anyone hurt you, i promise. im so sorry i couldn’t promise that 5 years ago today,” i whispered as a tear of mine dropped to the ground. i felt arms wrap around me, her familiar scent filling my nose.

“i promised that nobody would hurt you when i died, and i will always fulfill that. because no body can stop me. no body can catch me now,” she said as she touched my scar. the feeling of her touch felt comforting.

“There's blood on the side of the mountain

It's turning a new shade of red

Yeah, sometimes the fire you founded

Don't burn the way you'd expect

Yeah, you thought that this was the end”

y/ns pov

i smiled as i laid on the ground, my blood soaking the hill. the snarl of the monster disappeared. i heard luke behind me scream as i felt arms wrap around me.

“oh darling,” the voice said. “oh darling,” he kept whispering. i closed my eyes as luke filled my head. the arms around me tightening, the wind calming, the rain stopping, the smell of pine filling my nose.

“this isn’t your ending, darling” he said and i was gone.

[mediumgayitalian]

previous

———

“Hm,” Piper says, fingers steepled. She looks very intently at the air in front of her. “Hm.”

Nico scowls impatiently. “Feel free to be helpful at any given time. Now, even, if you’re so inclined.”

“Have you considered that the reason you’re so infatuated with Will is because you may be blessed by Apollo?”

“I’m infatuated with Will because he is the physical manifestation of everything I value in a person,” Nico says automatically. Then he frowns, processing the rest of Piper’s sentence. “Wait, what?”

Nico understands his error as the grin on her face stretches into something truly grotesque. “I was going to make a joke about your drama levels, but thank you for that. I’m really looking forward to telling several dozen people and delighting in the knowledge that you’re going to curl up into a bundle of humiliation under your bunk tonight as you think about it.”

Instead of answering, Nico decides to walk away. Since there is so much blood concentrated in his skull, resting mostly around his face region, he takes two steps and begins to pass out, but luckily Piper has followed him and impedes a head injury by gripping his arm and merrily forcing him forward.

“So,” she says, steering them towards the amphitheatre, “what’s Plan B?”

“Bold of you to assume there was a Plan A.”

“You like Sunny Boy way too much to walk in there blind.”

“…Touché.”

She’s smug enough to be silent, slinging an arm over Nico’s shoulders as they walk. The closer they get, the harder Nico is forced to grapple with just how godsdamn much he’s softened. I want you to be happy, Father had said. Camp will be good for you, Chiron had agreed. You’re a little twit and need socializing, Mr. D had snipped.

Nico needs a better father figure. He wonders if Paul Blofis’ offer is still open.

The amphitheater is not, of course, empty when they arrive, because Nico knows the Fates personally and each of them despises him. The actual training part is empty — unsurprising — but the stands are moderately filled, with people gossiping, braiding hair, and if Nico is not mistaken, a small, pop-up nail painting salon. Mitchel lifts a purple-smeared hand in an absentminded wave as they step onto the packed dirt.

Nico ducks under Piper’s arm, turning to face her. “I need to fight you,” he informs her. “For my own personal pride.”

She nods thoughtfully. “It does indeed need restoring.” He curved, icy blade gleams in the early afternoon sun, mirroring her dangerous smile. “Square up.”

Since honour is for nerds, Nico doesn’t bother waiting. He simply attacks, lunging for the left side Piper always leaves open. Unfortunately for him, her recent meddling in his love life means her mother has blessed her with a little sprinkling of extra verve, and she dodges easily and cheerfully.

He sends a glum mental prayer down to his father.

Anytime you’re feeling generous, Pop, he grumbles, I would love a boost.

There’s an actual rumble to the ground, as his father laughs at him.

“Real kind,” he says out loud. “Dick.”

“I wonder if you would have more success in the wooing department if you had conversations outside of your own head,” Piper says sweetly. She spins her sword in a neat little circle by his face. “All bay brooding makes you look so…broody.”

Nico scoffs at her. “Will seems to like my broodiness. For some reason. So there.”

“And yet…” She trails off, shooting him a teasing look. Nico is unfortunately very easy to tease (thanks, Bianca) (and for that measure thanks, Hazel) (Reyna too, probably) (and honestly Annabeth) (gods, and Percy) (don’t even get him started on Leo) (really, it would be more prudent to name the people who do not take sick pleasure in driving him up the wall) and as such succumbs easily to her tormenting, taking a hard hit to the side when he’s too keyed up to avoid her spinning slash.

“Note to self, don’t let the monsters know about big embarrassing crushes,” she muses. “They make Nico sloppy and will get him killed in battle.”

She mimes writing something down. This, thankfully, leaves her distracted enough that Nico gets his sword levered against hers, twisting until she’s disarmed. She lifts both hands up in surrender when he points a sword at her throat, but remains entirely unaffected by his glare.

“Pride re-instated?” she asks.

Nico huffs. “No.”

…Yes.

“You’re such a grouch,” she says fondly. She tries to ruffle his hair and is forcibly stopped by his jab to her ribs. Unfortunately, Piper McLean takes no shit sitting down, and in a minute they’re on the floor, getting caked in dust, trying to see who can leave the most bruises on the other. Nico would wager that they’re just about tied.

“You have a list,” Piper grunts, muffled as she bites his bicep. He shouts, wrenching his arm away — she is pointy. “I have no idea what you’re all mopey about.”

He digs his knee into the small of her back. “I gave him flowers! He made a poultice out of them!”

“Technically, you made the poultice.”

He elbows her in the stomach. She shrieks and jabs her knuckles right under his eye.

“You’re so annoying!”

“You’re so annoying!”

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

Every part of Nico’s body aches. So badly. He’s not sure which one of them won their brawl, if either, but he knows for sure that he is actively turning purple. He feels like the first time his nonna gave him a hammer and a piece of cutlet — he was maybe five years old — and told him to flatten it. (He remembers, now, the look on her face as she wiped pulverized chicken flesh from her eye. Oops.)

“Go to Will and get healed up?”

Nico huffs a laugh, immediately wincing at the strain on his tender ribs.

“Yep. Let’s go.”

The walk is miserable and bruised. And slow, since both of them are limping. Several campers walk by snickering, since apparently Saving The Entire Damn World, For Real And Actually, You Ungrateful Brat, Should I Just Destroy It Again Then earns you no permanent respect.

It’s not too bad, though. Nico would rather chomp on concrete than admit it out loud, but Piper isn’t horrible company, and she hums when she walks. Bianca did the same thing. For once, it’s a pleasant reminder, although he does wonder if Nico will ever be able to look at the women in his life and not think of her.

(In all honesty, probably not. He sees her in the clouds, in the gnarled bark of the trees; feels her in the warmth of the sun; hears her in every snorting laugh. He likes to imagine how much she would love these women, though. If she were alive they would be her friends first. He knows she was happy with the Hunters, however briefly. He thinks he can maybe forgive himself if he thinks of her without weeping.)

“Least it doesn’t look too busy today,” Piper comments. She purses her lips at the Big House, which for once seems quiet. Perhaps Will made good on his threats and finally dosed the Hermes’ table breakfast spread with Benadryl. Nico would be proud. He deserves a day of peace.

“Great. That means we get the full force of Will’s bitching on us alone.”

Piper scoffs. “Please. You like it when he yells at you.”

Nico almost kills her for real. By the time she manages to kick him off of her, still snickering to herself, they both have a new layer of bruises on top of the old ones.

“Gods, di Angelo, you make it so easy —”

“Shut up,” he says hotly. “You are literally the most annoying person in this stupid camp.”

She sticks her tongue out at him. He scowls, kicking a rock to avoid kicking her and setting both of them off again. It rolls over the grass, pinging off the side of one of the many braziers and rolling finally to a stop back at his feet. In its new position, it perfectly catches the brightly shining sun, refracting the light in a dandelion-esque burst.

“Huh,” he murmurs.

Wincing at his stiff joints, he crouches, vaguely registering Piper pausing somewhere to the left of him. He scoops the little thing up, bringing it close to his face to inspect.

It’s roughly cut, so it’s not anyone’s jewel or anything. Some of the pieces are textured with tiny little divots, like a regular stone, but some are straight and flat and catch the light. Some kind of crystal, then. It’s dense, about the size of a walnut, and shaped kind of like a brain. It is a very familiar shade of blue.

“Holt Hades, you are sappy.”

Nico flushes, shoving the rock into his pocket. “Nobody asked you, Piper.”

“I asked me! I am always asking me.” She jogs to keep up with his suddenly speedy strides, gripping onto the elbow of his shirt when he tries to move faster. “Is this Plan B? Little gifts.”

“It’s a rock,” he says shortly.

“Diamonds are rocks.”

“I didn’t get him a diamond.” He pauses. “Should I get him a diamond?”

She shrugs. “I dunno. I’m not the one in love with him.”

“Who said anything about —”

“Nico! Piper! Hey!”

“Notice who he called first,” she whispers, right in his ear. She grins over at Will before he can say anything. Or curse her. “Hey, Will! How are you?”

It is unfair for a person to look good in mint scrubs. They don’t even suit him, not really, but he still looks — well, he’s beautiful. His hair is poofier than usual and sticks out like he stuck his finger in a socket, and his beam is so bright Nico has to genuinely squint to look at him, and how is it, honestly, that his freckles look like dappled sunlight? That’s not normal.

“I’m okay.” He waves them inside, not bother to close the door behind them — it’s nice out, and Nico knows he prefers the breeze and sun. “Bored.”

“Not enough ocular surgery to perform?”

Will’s grin turns wry. “Nope.” He reaches out to brush his thumb across Nico’s eye scar. He freezes, holding his breath, hyperaware of those callused fingers as they approach the ever-warming skin of his face, heart galloping in his chest. As soon as Will makes contact — because of course the touch was to get his vitals, c’mon, Nico, head in the game — he frowns.

“Why are so many of your capillaries burst?”

Piper smiles guiltily, holding up a hand.

“I beat him up.”

“Wha — you did not!” He turns to Will, indignant. “We beat each other up! She’s lying!”

Will sighs. He glares at them both for a full forty seconds, then turns his face up to the heavens, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like I do not deserve to be surrounded by this kind of dumbassery. Send lightning through the sky if I should let them suffer.

Nico waits. No lightning comes forth.

Will sighs. “Cot, let’s go, y’all know the drill.”

Piper mouths y’all as she sits down. Nico mouths eat dirt back at her.

“Now, I could hum sum’n and —”

“Sum’n,” Piper whispers delightedly. Nico ignores her.

“— get y’all fixed up good, but y’all’ve pissed me off good —”

Nico takes the initiative to pillow-smack Piper in the face while Will’s back is turned. Luckily, it muffles her shriek.

“— so I’m not gonna do all that.” He closes the cupboard with his hip, hands full of vials. “Ain’t even gonna waste ambrosia on y’all, honestly. Y’get some bruise ointment and a Tylenol ‘cause I know y’all were up to shenanigans.”

He puts a lot of emphasis on ‘nan’. Nico knows he is trying very hard to be stern, but he is in fact very cute, and Nico is putting a lot of his brainpower towards memorizing the specific wrinkle pattern that Will’s nose gets when he’s annoyed. If he says that Will looks like a bunny he might actually get shot, no matter how much Will allegedly seems to like him, so he manages to choke down the sentiment. But it is indeed there.

“— and take it easy, y’hear? Bruises don’t heal in a day.”

Gods, his eyes are really, really pretty. He’s almost tired of thinking it, but they match the sky exactly, all the time. Poets write about sparkling eyes and pretty faces all the time, but all of them can choke because all of them are liars. Will Solace has the prettiest eyes of anyone who has ever lived. They are indeed the windows to the soul, and his soul is just —

“This is for you,” Nico blurts. Essentially acting on its own, his hand slips in his pocket and draws out the blue stone, holding it out. “Um. I saw it and —” He glances at Piper, panicked, and she kicks him in encouragement. “Thought of you. So.”

Will stares at the stone for a moment. Nico sweats.

“Nico di Angelo,” he chides, hands on his hips. The panicked look he flits in Piper’s direction grows tenfold. He is not at all comforted by the grimace she sends back. “Do you think I’m so corrupt as to accept a bribe?”

“Um.” Nico hesitates. Piper smacks her face onto her hands, groaning. “That’s not what I —”

“Well, you would be correct.” Quick as a bird, Will darts out and snatches the stone, sliding it into one of his many (many) shorts pockets, nodding in approval. “I don’t have any aventurine. I’ve been looking for it. Good bribe.”

He sets down the ointment and Tylenol, gesturing for Nico to hold out his hands. Nico sighs, then complies.

“I mean, he didn’t destroy it, this time,” Piper whispers as he begins to sing, enveloping Nico’s body in a warm, golden glow. “So…progress?”

“Progress,” Nico agrees. He glances over at Will, eyes squeezed shut in focus, and rolls his eyes fondly. “Who knew it would be so hard to convince someone who already likes me to go out with me.”

———

next

[https-lawrenceslittleone]

PJO YANDERE ALPHABET PART 1

Includes: My OCs (Floraline Sampson, Theodosia Collymor, and Zaria Asghar)

Letters: A, B, and C. More parts will follow. 🙏

Warnings: Dark content obviously!! I do NOT support any of the things that I’m writing about. For me, writing yandere content is like enjoying any other form of horror content. I do not support proshipping, sucks that I have to clarify that, but I do considering some people are stupid and think yandere = proship. Anyways, don’t like, don’t read. I know this isn’t my usual content, but I post what I want. 😛

Floraline-

A - Affection (How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?):

Floraline is EXTREMELY physical. She loves physical affection of any kind. After her and Leo get together, she clings to him 24/7. She gives him hugs and kisses all the time, and loves using flower language and giving him flowers.

B - Blood (How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?):

Surprisingly, very. She is extremely protective over Leo and she’s horrified of anyone taking him away from her. If anyone shows a little too much interest in him for her liking, they’re gone. Theodosia helps her hide the evidence, because she isn’t great at it herself.

C - Cruelty (How would they treat their darling once abducted? Would they mock them?):

I don’t think Floraline would abduct Leo. Not unless it was for an emergency, like he’s on the verge of leaving her and she has no choice but to deprive him of his choice. But other than that, I don’t think she would do it. Mainly because she has nowhere to keep him, and he’d be hard to contain with his fire abilities and intelligence and all. She’d definitely think about it, though. I also don’t think she’d be very cruel to him, mainly just unintentionally guilt tripping him.

Theodosia-

A - Affection:

Theodosia is the type of yandere to slowly gain trust, and she acts completely normal. At least at first. It starts off with small, friendly things, like letting Jason borrow her books, or discussing various interpretations of creative works with him, or talking about various Greek and Roman myths. But once the two grow closer, it’s more romantic things, like love poems and slow dancing. When they’re actually in a relationship, it still isn’t too intense. She gets super embarrassed by PDA, so it’s usually just cuddling and kissing behind closed doors.

B - Blood:

Can and will murder, but doesn’t prefer to. She prefers to manipulate. Either manipulating people into thinking whoever has their eyes on Jason is a terrible person, and isolating them from everyone or blackmailing them is usually good enough for her.

C - Cruelty:

I don’t think she would kidnap him, simply because it’s too risky. Although, she really, really wants to. She just isn’t able to. She will be cruel to him in her own ways, though. Mainly emotional manipulation and a bit of guilt tripping. Will give him the silent treatment for days if he talks to a girl a little too long, and expects him to “make it up to her” by taking her out or buying her something expensive.

Zaria-

A - Affection:

VERY affectionate with both Percy and Annabeth and was from the beginning. When she became friends with them, she became very touchy with both of them. At first, because both Percy and Annabeth were already dating each other, it made them both jealous. But then they realized she does the same thing to both of them, and they figured that that’s just…how she is, and they don’t bring it up, because they honestly enjoy it. She makes little bracelets for them, introduces them to her animal friends, gives them compliments all the time, etc. Once they’re all together, it only gets worse. Constantly wants cuddles and hugs and kisses and hand holding. She’s just a big baby tbh.

B - Blood:

Another one who’s willing to kill! Won’t do it herself, though. She has a pet lion for that! She just has to get rid of whatever pieces that Celery (her lion) doesn’t eat, and she’s good. No one would suspect anything from Zaria. They don’t think she’s the type of person to do something like that.

C - Cruelty:

Also wouldn’t kidnap. Wouldn’t even try. It’s Perseus Jackson and Annabeth Chase, she is aware she has no chance of even getting a chain on their bodies, let alone keeping them there. She’s definitely fantasized, but never tried. Will also manipulate, though, but mainly by ignoring them and guilt tripping. They talk to someone that isn’t her for too long, and she’ll go off into the woods for hours at a time with no notice, and then when she comes back or when they find her, she’ll break down sobbing and ask them if they’re gonna replace her, which makes them feel really guilty.

[heroes-of-olympus-next-gen]

Hi!!

I really love your work

Could you write a more intimate percabeth reunion in the argo 2 .

Just them cuddling together , afraid of what's to come and just reassurance .

🙃

I hope you enjoy this <3

Don’t leave me

Annabeth was still trying to fully grasp what had happened in the past few hours. They had reached New Rome and Percy was finally back to her. She didn’t want them to ever be apart again. She had just finished showering when someone knocked on her door. “Yes?”

The door opened slowly, only to reveal her handsome boyfriend who was all she could think about in the past 6 months. “Hey, Wise Girl. Can I come inside?”

“You don’t have to ask that.” Annabeth patted the mattress next to where she was sitting. Percy still smiled the same way which made her feel more at ease. She was afraid that things would be different between the two of them, but Percy was still the same person she had fallen in love with.

He sat next to her, and pulled her closer to him, closing the gap between them. Their fingers intertwined and he placed his free at the nape of her neck, caressing her skin until their foreheads were touching. “I really missed you.” He said with a raspy voice.

Annabeth was feeling her eyes water. That’s all she had wished for the past few months. Just to have him close to her, holding him like he was her lifeline. She couldn’t even talk from how overwhelmed she was. There was a moment she had thought that she wouldn’t see him again. That it would be like when he disappeared before the battle of the Labyrinth, but she wouldn’t see him again. His fingers wiped the tears from her cheeks. “It’s fine. We’re fine.”

“I don’t want you to ever leave me again.” She whispered as she sat on his lap. “Never. I won’t be able to handle it.”

“I’m never leaving you again. Even if it means going through hell with you.” Percy reassured her. “You and I are a team. You’ve played on your own for too long. You are never going to be alone again. I can’t control the future, but I can promise you that I’ll be by your side.”

She kissed him until she felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore. “Good thing, because you aren’t allowed to leave me again.”

“You’ve been strong too long. Let it all out. You’re safe now.”

Percy’s words hit Annabeth right in her core. He was the only person who could make her feel safe like she could let him in the walls she had built for herself. She rested her chin on his shoulder as he rested his head on her pillow. She didn’t want to let him go, and she wasn’t going to. Screw Coach Hedge and his stupid rules. Percy wasn’t going to leave her room. Even being in the end of the corridor felt suffocating for her.

“Do you think, we’ll survive this? Gaea and all that stuff?”

“I am sure, love. Because I have big plans for the two of us.”

“Really? Like what?”

“We can come stay in the West Coast. In New Rome there is a university that I’ll probably manage to get in while you study in Berkeley because you are so smart. I don’t know what I’ll study but I’ll figure this out later.” She had put her head on his chest, feeling the vibrations of his voice all over her body.

“And then?”

“Then, I’m going to marry you. We’ll move back to New York so that we can be close to Camp and my mum. You’ll have your own Architectural firm while I take care of the kids.”

“We have kids?”

“If you want to.” Percy was playing with her hair. “And we’ll have a house in Montauk where we’ll move after retirement. I’ll be sitting on the porch all day and you’ll be doing a new project every day because you love being busy.”

Annabeth had closed her eyes, feeling her fears getting blocked by Percy’s voice. “More.”

“You’ll probably redesign half of Manhattan and when we’ll walk through the city and you’re admiring the buildings, I’ll be saying to random people that you designed them and because you are down to earth you’ll blush and pretend like it’s nothing. And I’ll be immensely proud of you. No matter what.”

“I wish I could have found you sooner.”

“I wish I could have come crawling back to you.”

[theslay3d]

Goodbye

Jason Grace x Child of Apollo!reader

Gender:Gender neutral 

Warning:none really but if you see any just tell me

Word count: 712

A/N ok so this is kinda sad but yk enjoy

You were just given a prophecy by Rachel. Another quest you had to go on. You see you were friends with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover and have gone on quests with them from the start. Even when Percy went missing you had to go on the quest with Jason, Piper, and Leo.

During the whole war with Gaea you and Jason got closer and eventually started dating. You thought after the second war you've been in you would get a break but no. Now you had another guest to go on as soon as you heard it you simply sighed, talked a little bit with Chiron then left to your cabin.

All the other counselors were there when it happened as it was your guys monthly meeting. Even Jason was there as he was visiting the camp and you. You and Chiron figured out when you would leave which would be in two days as for once the time limit you had was farther away.

As soon as you got to your cabin which was Apollo’s you flopped onto your bed and stared at the ceiling. Luckily no one else was there which was odd but you didn't question it as you were still processing.

“Haven't I given enough?” You thought to yourself bitterly. You were just so tired of the God’s and the quests they would give. You have given your whole life stopping people from overthrowing them going to war two times yet still they would send you on another quest.

You didn't notice the tears rolling down your face till you felt them at your neck. You wiped the tears away as you slowly sat up and leaned against your pillow. You were snapped out of your bitter thoughts towards the God’s as the door opened and Jason came in.

“Hey” Jason whispered in the silence of your room as he walked towards you and sat near your legs. “Hi” you whispered back in reply, afraid of getting any louder incase it would make you start sobbing. Jason moved forward till his back was also resting against your pillow.

“Come here” Jason said as he slowly put his arm around you and brought you closer to him. So much for not sobbing you broke down in his arms as he held you. “Haven't I given enough?” You repeated over and over again as you cried. Jason's heart broke for you if anyone deserved a break it was you, Percy, and Annabeth. He slowly rubbed your back to try and keep you grounded while you continued crying.

The prophecy didn't even seem that bad, it was just the fact that you had to go do another thing for the God’s when you should have been worrying about getting your driver's license, going to homecoming, just normal teen stuff not if you're gonna make it this quest.

You guys sat there for a few more minutes until your sobs turned into sniffles. You had your head leaned on Jason's shoulder as he grabbed your hand and stroked his thumb over the back of it. “Thank you” You hummed out to Jason “For what?” He asked “Just for being there for me” You sighed out.

“Of course i'm going to be there for you I love you” He said as he kissed the top of your head “I love you too” You replied back

***Time skip***

It was now time to leave for the quest you were going with a Daughter of Demeter and a Son of Ares. You had your bag all packed and it was time to get in the van and say goodbye. You said bye to all your other friends like Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Leo and others. You were joking around and pretended you were not worried until it was time to say goodbye to Jason.

You and Jason hugged each other while saying goodbye “I better see you soon” Jason whispered in your ear. “You will” You replied back as you kissed his cheek and slowly walked away towards the van. “I love you!” is what Jason wanted to say but it was too late you were already in the van.

Jason never got to say I love you as he never saw you again after that.

[forevfangirlwrites]

i had this idea for hthf: what if percy met luke? even though percabeths relationship is private, maybe percy goes with her to an awards show or premiere (skipping the red carpet or not), and at the after party like is there and says hello to annabeth (since it’s mentioned they had an amicable break and im assumed that means they’re on decent terms) and while percy’s more secure in the relationship now than he was when he first found out he dated, he’s still very 🧐

-It’s Percy’s first time going to an event with her so needless to say he’s nervous but as Annabeth explained, afterparties are pretty informal and all you really need to do is stand there with a glass in hand and he thinks he can handle that

-He sticks to her side like glue for most of it, and she introduces him to a few people who he vaguely recognizes and some who he’s only seen on the screen before. (He’s used to it now though, mostly) That is until she tells him she has to go to the bathroom and he’s left standing awkwardly by a table.

-No one is paying attention to him anyway but he tries to get a glimpse of Will or Jason in hopes he can also seem like he knows people other than Annabeth here. Neither of them are in view though

-He’s scrolling through his phone when a guy bumps into him and almost makes him spill his drink. Thankfully it doesn’t cause it’s his first real properly fitted suit he’s ever owned (a gift from Annabeth) and he doesn’t want to ruin the first time he wears it

-“Shit sorry, did I get you?” the other guys says and Percy assures him he’s fine. Something about the guy looks vaguely familiar and he’s trying to place what show or movie he must have seen this guy in when he continues. “You’re Percy Jackson right?”

-A few people, upon introduction, had said something along the lines of “oh this is Percy, yes we saw the magazine covers” but no one has flat out recognized him and it’s actually kind of shocking

-“Uh yeah…” He tries to figure out how to ask the guy who he is but it’s going to come across as rude especially since he recognized someone like Percy

-The guy nods, clearly about to say something else when a hand on his arm makes him turn to see that Annabeth has returned and slipped her hand back into his arm.

-“Luke,” she says and suddenly everything clicks into place. “How are you?”

-He’s not going to be any type of way about this, is what he tells himself. Yet he’s pretty sure he stiffened a little at Annabeth saying her ex’s name and it’s probably way more obvious than he wanted it to be

-“Good, and I see you’re doing good too, I’m glad.” Luke replies with a smile and it’s nice and all but Percy just wants the conversation to end (or to melt into the darkness, that would work too)

-Annabeth leans even closer to him and squeezes his arm where she’s holding it. “Yep.” (Okay so maybe that felt good).

-“Well, see you around Annabeth, nice meeting you Percy,” Luke nods towards them and with a wave he walks away and Percy can finally breathe again.

-“You okay?” Annabeth asks and though he is okay, he is kinda tired of being here. But it’s Annabeth’s thing and he doesn’t want to be rude. It must show on his face though because the next thing she says sounds like music to his ears.

-“You want to dip?” She doesn’t even wait for an answer and pulls him along. And it’s not till they’re in her car with Frank at the wheel does he finally slump in the seat. He gets why Annabeth always comes back tired, these things are a little exhausting.

-“Sorry about Luke, I didn’t think he’d come up to you.” Annabeth had only briefly talked about Luke before this and all he knew was that they both realized it wasn’t going to work and decided to break up. There wasn’t any ill-will and he thinks that Luke was probably just curious to meet him (He is the one dating Annabeth Chase after all)

-He assures her it’s okay but the nervous look on her face doesn’t disappear, well not until they’re back home and he’s kissing her senseless because he’d been holding back the moment he saw her in that dress

MORE CHAPTERS: how to handle fame and headcanons

A/N: Thank you for the prompt! I decided to write it in this format just to switch things up a  bit and it ended up being almost 700 words lol I hope you liked how it turned out! Thanks again!

[knuffled]

not so bad - chapter five

hope everyone is safe and warm and having a happy holiday season! if you enjoyed the chapter, please drop a comment on ao3 and reblog! thanks!

ao3 link

Annabeth swiped at the beads of cold sweat running down her forehead and rolled another ball onto the penalty spot. The October chill had long since sunk into fingers and toes, but the flames of frustration kept her outside. Her match today had gone abysmally. She’d done well to find space and shrug off defenders, but she couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net for the life of her. In total, Annabeth had hit each of the posts thrice and the crossbar twice. As if to add insult to injury, they had lost the match 0-1 even though they could’ve been up 3-0 by half-time.

She swiped at her nose, picked a spot, and took a breath before starting to run up to the ball. Top left corner was her chosen target, but the ball sailed well past the post. Annabeth got ready to release a stream of obscenities before she remembered the girl’s middle school team were still playing a match a field over, so she forced herself to remain silent.

It seemed there was nothing more to gain from practicing penalties, so she figured she’d head over and watch their game. There had been a dark-haired winger playing that had caught her eye.

She gathered her things and cleaned up the stray balls before making her way downfield. Her old middle school coach noticed her lingering at the edge of the pitch and motioned for her to come join him.

“Thought your game ended an hour ago, Chase,” he said.

“Nice to see you too, Coach,” Annabeth muttered.

He laughed and said, “I see you still take loses as poorly as ever.”

“Ok, I’m leaving.”

He held his palms up in surrender and bit back a smile. “Alright, I promise I won’t pick on you anymore. Just stick around.”

Annabeth sighed and sat on the cold, dry grass. She was surprised to see that East Summers was blowing out the other team 5-1. What was all the more surprising was that their opponents were the winners of middle school cup the year prior.

Suddenly, Annabeth’s interest was piqued.

She leaned in and paid closer attention to the game. A wild pass flew towards the right wing, one that even Annabeth would have had a hard time controlling, but the winger trapped it with the outside of her foot and flicked it past her mark. Annabeth couldn’t help letting out a small whistle of appreciation as the girl sped towards the goal and nutmegged a defender before chipping the keeper charging out to meet her. Her teammates burst into cheers and crowded her to give her a hug.

“You like that, huh? Can’t say I blame you,” Coach said, grinning.

“Who is she?” Annabeth asked, stunned.

“Her name’s Estelle. Only a sixth grader, if you can believe it. Girl’s got the best first touch I’ve ever seen in her age group, possibly even at the U-16 level,” Coach said proudly.

“You could probably set up to play on the counter and ping long balls her way the entire game,” Annabeth muttered.

Coach scoffed indignantly and said, “As if I would ever resort to such brutish tactics.”

Annabeth looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “Wanna tell me why you’re playing five at the back then?”

He coughed surreptitiously before crumbling under her accusatory look. He threw his hands up and said, “Alright, I admit it! It’s just too easy a gameplan, okay? Sue me!”

As if on cue, another long ball sailed to Estelle. The opposing defender, who had probably been getting embarrassed all game, tried to contest her aggressively. She pulled at Estelle’s shirt to keep her from turning, but Estelle turned her back to the defender and flicked it over both their heads before spinning and catching the ball on the other side.

Annabeth shook her head and let out an incredulous laugh. It was almost unfair how good the girl was. She could have easily taken a spot on the high school team with her skills.

The two center backs were more wisely stationed in the penalty box, ready to close in on her the moment she stepped in. Annabeth worried her lip and hoped that Estelle wouldn’t try to recklessly rush in to dribble past them. Instead, Estelle stopped at the corner of the box and immediately prepared to shoot.

“She’s been practicing this one non-stop the past few months,” Coach whispered to Annabeth.

Estelle’s form made it look like she was going to blast the ball towards the near post, but instead she curved it into the top corner at the far post. Annabeth blinked in surprise - that was  her go-to move when she wanted to score. The whistle blew to signal the end of the game and Estelle jumped in the air, fist-pumping in celebration, as her teammates rushed over to her. But before they swarmed her, Estelle met Annabeth’s eyes and gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

Coach clapped his hands and shouted at them to come over for drinks. The girls dug into a cooler box full of Powerade and chattered excitedly amongst themselves, completely ignoring Annabeth’s presence altogether, but Coach flagged Estelle over.

“Woah, you’re Annabeth Chase,” Estelle said quietly.

“Uh, yeah, hello,” Annabeth said, surprised. “And you’re Estelle, right?”

Estelle’s blue eyes looked like they’d bulge out of their sockets. “Holy shit, Annabeth Chase knows my name!”

“Hey, language,” Coach chided.

“Sorry,” Estelle said absently, her attention focused on Annabeth. “Did you watch the game?”

“Just the tail-end of it,” Annabeth said. “But you were incredible. You could give a lot of high schoolers a run for their money.”

Estelle blushed at that and shifted on her heels. “T-Thank you.”

Annabeth bit back a smile as she watched her. There was something strangely familiar about the girl. She reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t figure out exactly who.

Her train of thought was derailed when Estelle said, “I’ve been practicing your killer finesse shot since the start of the summer. I still only get it like half the time.”

“Well, you should focus more on your point of impact. Hit the center of the ball with the side of your big toe instead of your laces,” Annabeth suggested.

Estelle’s eyes lit up before she grabbed a stray ball and ran over to the penalty box. She set the ball down and tried Annabeth’s suggestion, but the ball curved over the crossbar. Estelle bit her lower lip and frowned at the sight before she went to retrieve the ball.

Without meaning to, Annabeth found herself running over to the penalty box with a ball in hand and waited for Estelle to return.

“You’re trying to hit it too hard. Pretend like you’re trying to cross instead of shooting and just bend it. Watch me,” Annabeth said, putting the ball down.

Estelle watched intensely as Annabeth ran up to ball and relaxed her leg the moment she made contact. The ball curved in a beautiful arc and sank neatly into the top corner of the net. After the string of horrible misses from the game, there was something incredibly relieving, almost therapeutic, seeing the ball go exactly where she’d intended for it to.

“Woah,” Estelle whispered.

Annabeth smiled at her and said, “Why don’t you try again? Remember to relax. You’re not going for power here.”

Estelle stuck her tongue out in concentration and ran up to the ball carefully before hitting it sweetly with her left foot. When her shot met its mark, Estelle bounced up with excitement and sent Annabeth a giddy grin that Annabeth couldn’t help reciprocating.

“Nice! I think you got it!” Annabeth said.

Estelle opened her mouth to say something but she stopped with a frown.

A familiar voice was calling out, “Stella! Stella! Where are you?”

“I’m over here, Perce!” Estelle shouted back.

All at once, Annabeth realized who it was that Estelle reminded her of. Percy jogged onto the field, his hands buried in his coat pockets. The scowl on his face melted the second that he saw Annabeth standing there, however.

“Oh, Chase, h-hi,” Percy said, uncharacteristically nervous. “What are you doing here?”

“I stayed after my match to blow off some steam and ended up catching the middle schooler’s game,” Annabeth said.

“You two  know each other?!” Estelle shrieked.

Percy looked at her like noticing she was there for the first time. “Oh, right, yeah. Chase, this is my sister, Estelle. Stella this is Chase. She goes to school with me.”

“I know  that  , dumb-dumb,” Estelle huffed. “But you know  her and you never told me?”

Percy gave Annabeth an apologetic look and mock-whispered, “Sorry, she’s kind of your biggest fan.”

Estelle didn’t hear him because she seemed deep in thought before an epiphany spread across her face.

“Oh my god, don’t tell me she’s the same Chase you’ve been going on and on about at home?”

Percy let out a very uncharacteristic squeak and his face turned beet red, much to Annabeth’s amusement. To be fair, this sudden information also sent her heart rate skyrocketing in her own chest as well.

“I- she’s exaggerating, I swear,” Percy stammered.

“No I’m not,” Estelle huffed indignantly. “You talk about her so much that you’re driving me and mom crazy!”

“Alright, head to car, you little monster,” Percy said, sounding thoroughly exasperated.

“No way,” Estelle said. “I ran into her first. Finders keepers.”

“Finders keepers doesn’t apply to human beings,” Percy said, sighing. “Now scram or I’ll tell Ma who really broke the vase even though she’d been warned not to practice indoors like a hundred times.”

Estelle’s face darkened at that. “Fine. Jerkface.”

“Goldfish brain.”

Estelle flipped him off and stalked off towards the parking lot, but not before giving Annabeth a look of longing and a wave goodbye. Annabeth waved back and offered a small smile.

Once she was out of earshot, Percy coughed surreptitiously and said, “Um, to be clear, she was lying through her teeth there.”

“Mhm, that sounds real convincing.”

When Percy groaned, Annabeth gave him a sidelong glance and said, “I wasn’t aware I was such a hot topic in the Jackson household.”

“You’re making fun of me now,” Percy grumbled.

Annabeth bit back a smile. “Only a little bit.”

Percy shook his head incredulously and said, “Anyone ever tell you that you can be a piece of work sometimes, Chase?”

“Well, my step-mom’s sure to remind me of that pretty much every day so I’d say so.”

Percy had the tact to change topics and said, “Thanks for giving Stella some tips. She really looks up to you.”

Annabeth waved a hand dismissively. “I barely did a thing. She’s crazy good on her own.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her you said that. It’ll make her entire year.”

A breathless laugh escaped Annabeth as she stared at her cleats. “Yeah, well, I’m not so sure I deserve that kind of attention. There’s loads of people she’d be better off looking up to.”

Percy scoffed and said, “Listen, I don’t know much about soccer, but I do know my sister, and let me tell you: the kid is a harsh critic. If she thinks someone’s good, they’re bound to be fucking amazing. I’m pretty sure you’re just doubting yourself.”

Something about his words, the unshakable faith that belied them, made Annabeth feel like she could fly.

Annabeth cleared her throat and shot him a grateful look. “Thanks, Percy. That really means a lot.”

Percy’s face softened. “No problem, Chase.”

A comfortable silence settled between them before a sudden gust of cold wind had them both shivering. All at once, Annabeth was reminded that she was caked in cold sweat and dirt and probably smelled absolutely horrendous.

But before she could excuse herself, Percy said, “I’d better head out before Stella chews my head off for taking so long, but I’ll see you later, Chase.”

“Yeah, later,” Annabeth said, nodding.

It was only after he left that Annabeth allowed herself to groan. Fate seemed to enjoy putting her in situations where she ran into Percy at her absolute worst. Her only saving grace was that he, for whatever reason, never seemed to judge her for that. If anything, he usually helped make things better.  That was pretty unfair of him, if you asked her. Pretty unfair indeed.

[my-random-ocs]

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!🎉🎂🎈🎉🎂🎈🎉🎂🎈

@randomestfandoms-ocs

“Okay, but why is the end credits scene of this movie the funniest thing ever?” Lexi asked.

Jet was grinning as Serafina the cat practiced getting thrown up onto a roof by Hervé the horse. She hadn’t felt this happy, smiled this wide, since her mom died.

The girls had been in Paris with Chris for about a month. They decided a movie night was in order, so all three donned their pajamas, and put on Barbie Princess and the Pauper. They danced, they sang along, and they downed amounts of junk food only teenage girls at slumber parties could ingest.

The past month had been amazing. After the semester they had had, all three girls had a lot to work through, separately and together. They wouldn’t forget that anytime soon, but they hoped to leave some of it behind for the moment.

And Barbie was helping them do that.

“I want to know why these movies are better than half of modern cinema,” Jet responded around a mouthful of buttery popcorn.

Allison nodded. “True.”

“I’m pretty sure Erika and Dominick were my first OTP,” Jet added.

“What’s an OTP?” Allison asked.

“One True Pairing,” Jet answered. “Basically it’s when you ship a couple – real or fictional – more than other couples?”

Allison was still a little lost, as was Lexi. “Ship?” Lexi asked.

“Want them together. Like Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, they’re a ship.”

Allison nodded. “Makes sense. I guess Odette and Daniel were my first Barbie ship, then.”

“Mine was Annika and Aiden,” Lexi said, taking a sip of soda.

Jet heard a buzz on the table, and her phone screen lit up. She read the text and laughed. “Rose just asked me what the future’s like.”

It had just turned midnight in Paris, but it was still the afternoon in California.

Lexi and Allison laughed.

“We should send a selfie,” Lexi suggested.

“Yes,” Jet agreed, and the girls plopped closer together on the couch.

Making funny faces, and serious ones, Jet thought about the last semester. She had no idea that when she moved to Beacon Hills, she would ever get to be a protector. Or that her classmate would get bitten by a werewolf. Or that she would meet and actually become friends with the cousins she was supposed to be close to all along.

But it all did happen. And yeah, that year was still scary and miserable and horrible, but as Juliet sat on the couch snapping selfies, she realized it set her on the path to figuring out she was supposed to be.

And just for a moment, Juliet, her arm tight around Lexi, Lexi’s arm around Allison, grin nearly cracking her face open, felt like everything was going to be okay.

[arickaandherfictionalothers]

The Jackson siblings fall from the Arch

~~~~~~~~

Characters: Queen Amphitrite, Aricka and Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood

Aricka and Percy fight Echidna, meet their stepmom, and nearly drown in the Mississippi River.

All in a days work for a couple heroes.

~~~~~~~~

But he’d already slipped over the edge of the hole, gripping onto the edge with what strength he had left- he’d already been stung by Chimera, Aricka had too. But she wasn’t going to leave her little brother defenseless.

Echidna used the distraction of Aricka screaming her brother’s name to push her off as well, Aricka managing to grab on to the ledge as well, one arm around Percy’s middle. “You- you just incurred the wrath of Poseidon,” Aricka growled. “You won’t ever have a - a moment’s peace after this.”

“Oh, brave naive little warrior...” Echidna said pityingly. “What a shame you have to die.”

She lifts her foot and Percy can see what was happening- but Aricka merely gripped him tighter.

“Be brave, my little hero,” Aricka whispered, “trust me: and trust our father.”

Echidna steps on Aricka’s hand and Aricka lets go with a screech of pain as they plummet toward the ground-

But at what seemed to be the last moment; the Mississippi River lunged up to seemingly swallow the two children of Poseidon and pull them into the water.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aricka opens her eyes to see the murky polluted water of the Mississippi floating around her, noting she was still dry, not a drop of water around her. Percy reached for her and she pulled him closer to her, both trying to figure out how go forward from there. “Children…” a voice calls out, and they turn to see -

“My lady-!” Aricka stammered, bowing her head respectfully. The Nereid smiles graciously. “Queen Amphitrite, you are quite a distance from the ocean-?”

“You wonder what I am doing here?” Aricka nods and Percy stares at the woman- his apparent stepmother. “I bring word from your father, and a gift.” She approaches Aricka first, brushing her hair back and smiling. “You have his eyes.. and his strong jawline.” At Aricka’s face she chuckles warmly. “I’m sure you think I’m upset by your existence, but fret not. My husband is as controllable as the tides. I know I am his wife; my position and relationship in his life is not a question. As long as he returns to me, I will not begrudge him his passing fancies. He worried for you, child. Seeing you be poisoned- both of you- and being unable to do anything about it- he felt absolutely helpless.” Aricka nods, sighs.

“I tried to save Percy but it was too quick-,”

“He knows, dear one. Your father knows how much Percy means to you.” She holds out five pearls to Aricka. “For you. You’ll know the right time.” Aricka nods and slides them into her backpack, which had fallen into the river with them.

To Percy, she says, “brave hero… your mother’s fate isn’t as hopeless as you fear. Go to Santa Monica. Do not trust the gifts-,” a rumbling sound and she looks up. “I must go. The water is too foul and Zeus is beginning to suspect- you must get to Santa Monica-! Go.” She strokes their cheeks, gives them both a final fond gaze. “Be brave, victors of Poseidon.” And then, as she vanished, a jet stream of water pushed the siblings toward the surface-

And the chaos that awaited them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

@astralshipper @rosieshipper @hyperionshipping @hyperionshipping @yeehawselfshipping @letsgofoletsgo @callsign-revenge @tsundere-selfship

[smellslikemultifandomimagines]

Hi! I love your writing and I would like to request a percy jackson x male!reader smut. Where the reader is tall and buff and his godly parent is Zeus. So basically the plot is that percy is always rude to reader bc he secretly like him. So reader one day is really tired of percys by so the reader takes him to the Zeus cabin and roughly fucks percy (with consent of course) percy calls reader daddy. Next day reader is cuddling percy then percy confesses to reader and obviously reader likes him back :) u thought it would be funny if you included a scene in that same day where perce is struggling to walk. Maybe he was with the whole friend group(reader is part of it since he is a child of zeus) then reader walks in without his shirt on for whatever reason and they see the scratch marks on his back, the others put 2 and 2 together and figure out what happened and just laugh about it while reader put an embarrassed percy on his lap. ❤

pairing: percy jackson (18+) x male!reader - son of zeus!reader

warnings: smut → rough smut, dom!male reader + sub!percy, fingering, penetrative sex.

word count: 1.1k

a/n: ahh omg thank you so much bby! hope you like this one ✨🖤

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

requests for the sleepover are open🖤!

request guidelines here✨!

smut night masterlist

🌻masterlist🌻

it was a stupid, senseless comment, really. but it was still enough to get under your skin.

"percy, can i talk to you for minute please?" you clench your fists, eyes burning through his soul.

"uh, sure?"

the two of you walked, more like stomped, to Zeus's cabin, your chest heaving in so much anger - anger that had been pent up for the last few months. Percy had always made petty, stupid comments towards you ever since you came to the camp. His immaturity really showed through his demeanour with you. You suppose you could understand why - he's threatened by you. it makes sense, you were another child of the Big Three after all.

without a word, as soon as you both reached the cabin, you shove him up against the door. Percy smirks, knowing that he's finally gotten you to react. Contrary to your belief, he liked you. He wasn't 'threatened' as you had put it, but rather unsure of himself. you made him act so different - certainly not himself, that's for sure.

"what now?" percy arches an eyebrow in amusement. You say nothing, but press your lips against his roughly. He sighs into the kiss, tugging you by your stupid camp shirt closer to his chest.

You grab his shirt, mercilessly dragging him over to your bed before pushing him down on it. He chuckles, propping himself up on his elbows while watching you take your shirt off.

"don't just sit there, ocean boy. Strip."

Percy does as you say, quickly tugging his pants down his legs and his shirt over his head.

"what're you gonna to do, fuck me?" he snickers, a playful and mocking smirk playing on his lips. You lean down, arms on either side of his hips.

"see, that's exactly what i'm going to do." Your voice low in a growl. He gulps, eyes widening in shock, fear, excitement. You pull him to the edge of the bed by his ankles, a quick yelp escaping his lips. Percy's legs spread wide for you, his cock twitching in excitement.

your fingers toy at his entrance, dragging it all over his thighs and back down again. His bottom lip pulls into his teeth, his breathing heavy.

"you know it's funny how you've got such a good mouth, that i can shut it by barely even touching you," you ridicule, wanting to tempt him to say one of his snarky comments. but he doesn't. he just whines and rolls his eyes, impatiently waiting for you to finger him already.

His wish is granted, your finger slowly pushing into him. He gasps, but catches it through bitting his lip again. A smug smile plays on your lips, watching as he struggles not to let out a moan. But he fails as you pump your fingers faster into him, adding another finger to stretch him out nice and good for you.

"daddy," percy whispers, hips grinding against your fingers. The petname took you by surprise. you never pecked him to be a 'daddy' type of person.

regardless, you respond, "yes, ocean boy?"

"f...ah," he's cut of by his own moan. "fuck me, please."

You take your fingers out, and before he got a chance to whine at the loss of touch, you thrust into him roughly. He moans loudly, fingers holding tightly on your arms. Building a steady rhythm, you pound into him, letting out small grunts here and there.

Percy on the other hand, was one loud and whiney son of a bitch. He can't control his moans, feeling too enveloped by the pleasure. His hand reach up and claws at your back as he whines and moans out curses.

"fuck, daddy, harder, please," he can barely talk, body too overwhelmed. You comply with his plea, knowing as he asked so nicely. The bed squeaks from underneath percy, banging into the walls as you pound harder into him. His fingers claw harder - you were sure there was going to be deep red marks all over your back that was going to last at least a few days.

You lean up, holding his hips tightly with one hand while the other works at his cock. Pumping him up and down a few times, percy practically sobs in ecstasy. Your hand words harder and faster, wanting to bring him to close the edge. You felt yourself being driven to the edge at his fucked-out state.

"gonna cum," percy pants out heavily, whining and twisting the sheets in his fists.

"let it all go for me, yeah? you've been such a good boy for me."

"daddy, fuck," he moans, his cum spilling over his lower stomach as well as your hand.

"awh that's it, just like that," you coax him as you ride out his high.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The sun shines through the small gap in the curtain. You eyes flutter open, and softly giggle to yourself as you see a sleepy percy curled up next to you. Your arm stretches around his shoulders, pulling him into your chest. He wakes, yawning tiredly but snuggles further into your bare chest.

"morning," he mumbles, soft lips pressing to your skin.

"you feeling okay?" you ask, thumb caressing over his hip bone. He nods, but winces as he tries to drape his lap over your waste.

"last night was fun," percy looks up at you, his pretty sea green eyes flashing sweetly at you. You smile sheepishly and kiss his nose. "i wondered how long it'll take you to finally fuck me."

"oh fuck off," you roll your eyes as the two of you laugh.

"no but seriously. I like you, [y/n]."

"so that's why you've been an asshole!"

"how else was i supposed to get your attention?!" the two of you laugh at his comment.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

you meet the others in Athena's cabin, where the discussion about the next quest abruptly stops.

"well well, where have you been, mister? we've got import business to discuss," annabeth says sassily, only now noticing your stood before them without a shirt.

"was getting breakfast quickly," you shrug, sitting down on the floor next to grover. Percy comes in the room, tea in hand for Leo and Piper.

"nice of you to finally show up," he teases. You arch an eyebrow as you notice the way he's walking. it was if he just got railed the previous night.

"oh my god, no you guys didn't!" annabeth gasps, as she glances at the scratches on your back. Piper takes a look at your back, noticing the deep red lines.

Percy's face flushes a deep shade of red, spreading down to his neck. You look at him and send him a wink, pulling him into your lap just to spite him even more.

"i'm going to kill you," he mutters low enough for only me to hear.

"i'd love to see you try, ocean boy."

[willsimpforanyone]

Hey there! Hope you are having a great day!🙂 could u please write a Percabeth fic with badgirl!Annabeth and kind of Nerdy!Percy? Perhaps in 🛏 Percy flips the tables where he is SUPER dominant and he uses Annabeth’s kinks against her? Sorry if that’s 2 specific!

ooo an au and a smut? i'll do my best!

sidenote- i'm such a sucker for pet names so 'doll', 'darlin'' and 'babygirl' are gonna make frequent appearances

i don't think there are any warning needed

----------------------------

"Annabeth, please, I need to concentrate." Percy frowned at the papers in front of him, puzzling over the maths. Annabeth sighed, flopping on the bed, her black leather jacket creaking as she threw her hands behind her head.

"I'm bored, Seaweed Brain," she lightly kicked the back of his chair with a boot. "And you've been staring at the same problem for twenty minutes so clearly you are too." Annabeth leaned up on her forearms, blonde twists tucked behind her ear. "What, I'm not as interesting as marine biology?"

Percy chuckled, but his eyes stayed fixed on the paper. "You're plenty interesting, but right now I really need to figure this out, okay?"

Annabeth sat up properly. "Can I help?"

"You're a genius at architecture and ancient Greek, babe, but marine biology has unfortunately never been a hyperfixation of yours." Percy noted something down on the paper and Annabeth's heart fluttered at the petname. It wasn't often that her boyfriend called her anything other than 'Annabeth', 'Annie', 'Beth' or 'Wise Girl'.

The leather jacket was shrugged off and Annabeth was left in black ripped jeans and a tank top, sleeves dipping to her hipbones. "Perce, you gotta relax," she stood behind his chair and rested her hands on his shoulders. Her lips touched his ear as she leant down. "I know, for a fact, I can help with that."

Percy reached up and lightly stroked her cheek, but returned his attention to his damn work. "I'm serious, Beth, I have to finish this by tomorrow."

Eyes rolling, Annabeth threw herself back on the bed. Clearly, being subtle wasn't working. Well, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Honey, I'm bored, and I want attention. Specifically your attention." She fixed her eyes on the back of his head. "I want it now, Percy. Get over here."

There was a tense pause. Percy's pencil stopped scratching across the page.

He sighed.

"You're so demanding."

...that was a different tone than Annabeth was used to.

It didn't matter, she was ready to be in control. Percy silently got up from the desk and neatly tucked his chair in, picking up Annabeth's leather jacket from the bed and placing it on the back of the chair. Annabeth made to stand up from the bed, but Percy's hand pushed her back down.

"No, you wanted my attention, right?"

Annabeth paused. This was different. "...yes"

"Then strip."

Percy's voice was deep, commanding, and Annabeth shifted slightly on the bed. "What?"

He placed his hands either side of her thighs, eyes focused on hers. "I don't think I need to repeat myself, baby, do you?"

Oh fuck. Annabeth was so screwed.

Percy backed away, arms folded and giving her space. She stood, uncomfortably aware of her slightly shaky legs, and somewhat inelegantly kicked off her boots. No reaction. She shimmied out of her jeans and tossed them on the floor. No reaction. She pulled off her shirt and tossed that too. About to pull off her bralette, Percy held up his hand to stop her.

"Sit up on the bed."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "Since when did you start giving me orders?" She loved this new side, but oh boy was she gonna make him work for it.

The dark smile on Percy's face sent electricity through Annabeth's body. "Since when did you start obeying them, darlin'?"

He moved forward, so close they were almost chest to chest. "Now, be a doll, and sit on the bed. Leaning against the headboard, if you'd be so kind."

Annabeth moved onto the bed almost before realising it. Her breath caught in her throat as Percy grabbed his shirt and pulled it off, revealing toned, lean muscles.

Percy's eyes were dark, a shadowy green that pierced into Annabeth's smoky greys as he knelt on the bed, lowering his head to press kisses down Annabeth's thighs.

Shaky breaths left Annabeth as he kissed closer and closer to the line of her underwear. He winked as he nipped at her skin, pulling a gasp from her. "What, no retort? No witty comeback, Wise Girl?"

"Fuck o-" Annabeth choked on her words as Percy licked a stripe up her clothed pussy.

"That's what I thought," he whispered and leaned up, taking the material between his teeth and dragging it down, lifting her hips to pull the underwear down her legs and throw them across the floor.

Annabeth's head was whirling. Her sweet nerd had a whole other side to him and she felt out of her depth in the best way.

She slapped a hand across her mouth as Percy flicked and writhed his tongue, stifling the moans that threatened to spill out. A sharp slap to the outside of her thigh jolted her body, and she looked down to see Percy glaring at her.

"Don't you dare."

He dove back in and Annabeth's back arched, hands fisted in the sheets as her eyes squeezed shut and moans filled the room. Percy trailed his fingers so slowly across her skin she almost screamed when he plunged them into her, the new sensation lighting her on fire.

"Perce, fuck, more!"

Immediately, Percy pulled away, leaving his girlfriend panting and whining. "I don't think you're in the position to make demands, babygirl."

Annabeth pouted. "What? You just stopped, why?"

"You demanded attention like a brat," Percy shrugged, sitting back on his heels. "And now I'm giving it to you, you think you deserve more?"

A shiver ran down her spine as Annabeth registered the tone and the fact that her sweet, usually submissive boyfriend just called her a brat.

"Tell you what," Percy trailed a finger down her stomach. "If you ask nicely, and be a good girl for me, I'll give you what you want." He smirked. "Sound good?"

Annabeth tried her hardest to not instantly say yes, to retain some of her dignity. She was the tough one, the one everyone knew not to fuck with, and now she was on the verge of begging her boyfriend to fuck her.

She nodded.

"That's my girl." Percy beckoned her to sit up and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her into a fierce kiss. His lips were a soft contrast to his behaviour, and she smiled into the kiss.

All too soon, Percy pulled away, but kept his hand on her neck. "Now, darlin', ask me for what you want."

She swallowed any uncertainty. "I want you... I want you to fuck me."

Percy shook his head. "That sounds like a demand, babygirl. Try again."

The fucker wanted her to beg.

"...please, Percy, please fuck me, I'll be good, I promise!"

The dark smile that spread over his face settled a pleasantly tight feeling in Annabeth's lower stomach. Percy pushed her back so she laid on the bed, and he kicked off his jeans and underwear. "That's much better, darlin'." He reached into the drawer by the bed and withdrew a condom, tearing open the packet and rolling the latex onto his cock. He slid back in between her legs, head dipping into the crook of her neck. Annabeth pushed against Percy's hips as his lips made contact with her skin, and both moaned at the friction.

"You're so gorgeous, baby." Percy nipped at her skin, leaving a trail of red marks in his wake.

"Perce, please, stop teasing me," Annabeth looped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a sloppy kiss, pressing her body up against his. "I asked nicely, please, plea-"

Annabeth cried out and threw her head back as Percy thrust into her. He kept an unrelenting pace, and it was all she could do to hold onto him.

"This what you wanted, huh?" Percy's heavy breath was on her neck, his voice directly in her ear. "You wanted my attention, you finally got it, right?" Annabeth didn't answer, eyes closed and mind clouded with lust and pleasure. Percy slapped her thigh, snapping his hips into her hard. "Answer me, babygirl."

Annabeth shrieked. "Yes! Yes, this is what I wanted, Percy, thank you baby, I got what I wanted!"

Percy chuckled lowly into her neck. "That's my girl."

He sped up the pace, hitting that spot inside her that had her toes curling, stomach clenching, nails digging into his shoulders. "I-I'm so close Perce, don't stop, please please please don't stop-"

"Wouldn't dream of it, Wise Girl." Percy kept his movements consistent, only dragging a hand down Annabeth's body to rub circles in her clit.

Annabeth came with a scream, eyes squeezed shut and legs wrapped around her boyfriend's hips. Percy groaned deeply, reverberating in his chest as he spilled inside the condom, stilling his motions inside of her.

His arms shook with the effort to not collapse on top of her, and he gently pulled out of her. Shifting to the side of the bed, he let himself fall on the bed next to her. Removing the condom and tying off the end, he threw it expertly in the bin.

"Baby, that was just a whole new side of you, huh?" Annabeth smiled.

Percy blushed red, a stark contrast to just a few minutes ago. "Did you like it?"

She brushed his hair behind his ear. "It was new, but I did like it." She poked his shoulder. "My cute nerd has a dominant side, who knew?"

Percy grinned, and pecked her cheek. "Can I go back to my paper now, brat?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled and shoved him off the bed. "Get back to it, Seaweed Brain."

-----------------------------------

i very much hope you enjoyed! this took me forever to write bc executive dysfunction is a bitch but thank you so much for requesting!

[annabethy]

150. “we shouldn’t be doing this” and “shut up” followed by a kiss <3

In which Annabeth is nothing less than perfect, and Percy makes it his goal to change that,, percabeth

Annabeth is never one to act out of line.

She follows the rules in school and does everything as perfectly as it gets. She’s involved and everyone knows her name. She does just about everything she can, really, to be able to paint herself in a perfect light. That’s not something she ever thought would change, so when she finds herself being pulled out of class and face to face with the kid whose personality is the polar opposite of hers, she is just as surprised as anyone else would be.

“Jackson,” she says neutrally. She eyes him up and down, and pretends that she isn’t impressed by the ease with which he manages to get away without wearing the uniform properly. It makes it that much more entertaining, sneaking around with him. “Did you need something?”

Percy gives her a brilliant smile, and Annabeth bites her lip to stifle her own. “I missed you.”

“You’d miss me less if you paid attention in class,” she suggests. “You’d be too distracted to miss me.”

“Have you considered that maybe I can’t pay attention in class because I miss you?”

Annabeth laughs in his face when he walks closer to her. His hand presses behind her, right against the small of her back, and she rolls her eyes when he kisses her nose. Normally, she wouldn’t want them to be somewhere anyone could see, but there’s no one around, and she thinks it makes it a little more exciting.

“Given your track record, I find that hard to believe,” Annabeth tells him.

“My track record isn't even that bad.”

“It’s not as good as mine,” Annabeth preens. Percy coughs out a playful insult, and Annabeth raises an eyebrow. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” Percy says brightly.

“It sounded a lot like you called me stuck up.”

“I think you’re imagining things,” Percy says. “I would never call you stuck up.”

He definitely has, but they were more things whispered in her ear as a tease when she’s struggling to breathe against him. She hadn’t minded it then, and if this is going where she thinks it is, then she doesn’t mind it all that much right now either.

She plays dumb. “What was so important that you pulled me out of class?”

Percy plays with the plaid skirt of her uniform, and Annabeth looks at him scoldingly when his fingers curl around the edge of the fabric.

“I figured we could spend the period together,” he says, moving his hand away and settling for lacing their fingers together so he can try to tug her down the hall. She doesn’t budge, and Percy whines. “Come on. I didn’t want to go to class today.”

“You said the same thing yesterday, and the day before that.”

“And you had an amazing time with me then, too.”

Annabeth scowls, but Percy gives her his usual troublemaker grin and tugs her hand again. She gives in and follows him, but it doesn’t stop her from making commentary on his outfit. He’s entirely missing the blazer to his uniform, and the white button-down is rolled up to his sleeves with the first few buttons undone. She supposes it makes it easier on her end when she’s surely going to be taking it off later that day, but she still thinks it’s only fair to chastise him for it.

Percy gently pushes her through the door of an empty classroom, and Annabeth immediately turns around to glare at him.

“Absolutely not.”

“No one ever comes in here.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“I’m in here every day, and I’ve never been caught.” He closes the door behind him and wastes no time before perching himself on top of one of the desks, all while Annabeth watches him from the edge of the room. He gives her an innocent look, tilting his head at her like a puppy and smiling sweetly. It drives Annabeth insane in the best possible way. “Are you just going to stand there?”

“What if someone walks in?”

Percy peeks at the door behind her. “I don’t think they’d suspect anything. It’s not like anyone would expect us to be doing anything, out of all the people here.”

“They’d definitely think you guilty of something,” Annabeth says. “You love making me break rules.”

“And you love breaking them.”

Annabeth sighs dramatically but walks towards him on the desk anyway. He immediately rests his hands against her waist, and his fingers tickle her sides slightly before he tries to untuck her shirt so he can rest his hands against her skin directly.

“If anyone walks in, we can reassure them that we were only discussing student government things. It’s believable.”

“Maybe if we weren’t halfway to—”

Percy silences her with a kiss that’s more of him laughing into her mouth at her previous statement, but Annabeth loves it just the same.

“I’m fine with just talking,” he reassures, smoothing her golden curls down. “I just wanted to see you.”

“You couldn’t have waited until the next class?” Annabeth muses.

“I could have, but then we wouldn’t have gotten to walk together. Isn’t this so much better?”

“Possible disciplinary action if we get caught alone here? Absolutely.”

“Do you really think they’d care?”

“If it were just you, probably not. They’re used to you breaking rules.”

Percy breathes out a snicker and rests his face against her neck. “And you never break rules?”

“Not before I met you.”

“Then isn’t it a good thing you met me? You had no personality before.”

Annabeth pulls him up by his hair, and he just looks at her innocently. His hand moves from her waist to slightly lower. The room seems to darken a bit. “That was mean.”

“You know I’m messing with you,” he says. His fingers press beneath her chin to kiss her properly this time, and it takes her mind off his insults for a few seconds. “I’ve always thought you were so fucking hot. I just knew I had to be the one to ruin your perfect image.”

Annabeth laughs daringly against him. “You’re never going to ruin my perfect image at this school.”

“I don’t mean that image.” Percy’s lips brush against her jaw. He draws skin into his mouth, and Annabeth can’t think of anything else. It probably isn’t a good thing that she stops worrying about if someone walks in whenever his lips are on her, but then he’s pulling her impossibly closer, and she doesn’t care.

She returns his kisses and lets herself drown in him. It’s hard not to when he smells as good as he does, or when she’s able to undo the rest of his buttons and run her hands over his chest. She forgets she’s sitting in a teacher’s classroom when Percy undoes her blazer and the first few buttons of her button-down so that her bra peeks out, and when his fingers are definitely slipping below the hemline of the skirt she knows he can’t get enough of.

At some point, Percy pulls them apart so he can slide off the table and push her up against it instead. He pries her legs open and steps between them, and he makes her truly disheveled in the way he always does, running his fingers through her hair and leaving faint bruises down her neck. Annabeth breaks the kiss with a hand on his chest. Her lips feel tingly, and she has to take a few deep breaths before she can properly speak.

“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she says, but even she’s not convinced when she refuses to loosen her legs and let him move away.

“Shut up,” Percy mutters with an adoring smile.

It’s all Annabeth needs to hear before she pushes the rest of his shirt off and forgets about everything else.

[bitsandbobsofwriting]

Merlin becomes a little obsessed with time, and how it’s running out:

Merlin struggles with a massive workload, and doesn’t understand how to ask for help, even with the simplest tasks, because people are relying on him. For small things, and large. He can’t let anyone down. He can’t.

REQUESTED

TW: not eating or sleeping properly, a little blood

Merlin is tired.

No one really notices the exhaustion, not at first anyway, what they do notice, is how much busier he seems to be.

He’s rushing around the castle so quickly, fetching and carrying things for Gaius, completing various chores for King Arthur, and trying to fix any problem he comes across (both the mundane, and the... less so), that no one sees him for long enough to notice the bags under his eyes. No one notices the way he sways on his feet if he stands still long enough. And if they do notice? Well, he’s rushing off to complete the next task on the list before they can say anything.

The few times he’s stopped to chat, he’s been quiet; polite but not really friendly.

His friends brush it off at first, he’s always been the type to rush places, and they figure he’s just got a lot of things to organise with the Yule celebrations coming up.

It had never really occurred to Merlin, but being the King’s Personal Manservant actually made him one of the most highly ranked servants in the castle. And that meant, everyone asking him for help, all the time.

Anything in the castle that could possibly concern The King, even briefly, was run by Merlin first. Everything from flower arrangements, to the week’s dinner menu, to which chambers to house guests in, to when exactly The King would like this paperwork completed.

It wasn’t too bad at first, Merlin had managed to stay on top of things for years, even during busier times such as these.

But this winter was different somehow. 

Merlin was a fully trained physician by this point, and he didn’t like to think about it much, but Gaius was getting older, quicker and quicker it seemed.

This just meant that more and more of the excursions that Gaius used to take outside the Physician’s chambers, were now being passed on to Merlin. 

He valued the trust that Gaius placed in him, but a trip to the lower town to treat this year’s strain of flu took him away for almost a week.

Long nights consoling young children who were in pain, followed by long days making it to as many houses as possible, to treat as many people as possible, meant he lost out on a lot of sleep. Especially since his mind was thinking about a million other things at the same time.

After finally getting the outbreak under control, he made quick work of the journey back to the castle, only to find a list of various speeches that needed writing and chores to catch up on, and a long line of panicking servants who needed whatever duties they had double checked.

Merlin had barely caught up on all of that work, staying up late through the night, when a second outbreak occurred in a different section of the city.

Gaius had made it clear to The King that the people’s health, and therefore Merlin’s position as Secondary Physician, should come first; Arthur whole heartedly agreed, and gave Merlin the time off to deal with it happily enough, but that didn’t erase the huge list of things he still had to get done when he returned.

He was only gone for three days this time, but with Yule getting closer and closer and foreign nobles arriving for the celebrations, Merlin had a ridiculous number of things to do when he got back. 

The headache that had been coming and going over the last month soon became permanent, and the shaking in his hands became something he had to actively account for any time he carried something heavier than a plate.

~

Merlin was rushing from the kitchens to the stables after dropping off Arthur’s empty breakfast tray when he heard it.

He paused in the corridor, leaning his weight against the cold stone of the wall as he strained his ears.

Just as he was about to write it off as him hearing things due to the lack of sleep, he heard it again, clearer this time, like someone was crying just on the other side of the stone.

He backtracked down the corridor a few metres, and slowly pushed open the door to a storage room, only to see Annabeth, the castle’s youngest serving girl, having a cut on her cheek being cleaned by George.

The both of them look up in shock at the intrusion, and Merlin clenches his fists as he sees the tears on Annabeth’s cheeks. He is especially worried when he sees the concern, painted clear as day on George’s face. George who was well know for being the least reactionary, most expressionless servant in the castle.

He shuts the door behind him, and walks forward, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She immediately launches herself forward, and begins crying once again into Merlin’s chest.

He almost falls back, barely able to carry his own weight right now, let alone the weight of a distraught young girl, but thankfully George notices his imbalance and catches him with a firm hand on his back.

Merlin gives him a grateful, but bleary smile, as he strokes a comforting hand up and down Annabeth’s back. 

He nods to the bloody cloth in George’s other hand, and raises a questioning eyebrow.

George catches his meaning quickly, and replies in a quiet, but harsh voice:

“Lord Anselm reported that his manservant had taken ill, and requested that Annabeth take over. He was... displeased, with a dropped pillow.”

Merlin frowns in worry, as the girl, barely even fourteen summers, looks up at him with red eyes:

“I didn’t even drop it, it fell off his bed when I had my back turned. But he started yelling and he... he threw an empty goblet at me and then got even angrier at that mess. He wouldn’t let me leave for ages he was just standing over me and screaming.”

Merlin can see George tense in anger out the corner of his eye, and he calmly shushes the girl, wiping away her tears and giving her a small smile:

“He shouldn’t have done that, it wasn’t your fault. George is going to take you to Gaius, to get that looked at properly, and I’ll deal with Anselm until his manservant gets better, ok?”

George frowns slightly, but Annabeth speaks up before he can say anything:

“You won’t get in trouble, will you Merlin?”

Merlin gives her a cheeky wink and ruffles her hair:

“I’m always in trouble.” She giggles slightly, and Merlin counts that as a win.

She steps back, and George takes her hand, but he looks at Merlin, speaking quietly once again:

“Are you sure? I know you’ve got a lot of work at the moment, you can drop her off at Gaius’ and I can serve Lord Anselm, if you like.”

Merlin shakes his head, but realises quickly that was a bad idea as his vision starts swimming. He closes his eyes tightly for a few seconds and takes a deep breath, before looking back at an obviously concerned George and replying:

“No, it’s fine, I can deal with him. All those bloody quests Arthur drags me on means I’m well equipped to deal with people like Lord Anselm. Though I would appreciate it if you could pass by the stables and let them know to have Arthur’s horse prepared for noon, tomorrow.”

The fact that George’s lip twitches only slightly at Merlin’s address of the King, tells Merlin that the man is truly worried about Annabeth, and now probably Merlin’s safety as well.

He nods his head slightly, with a quiet “Of course.” and with that, the three of them leave the storage room.

They head in opposite directions, but after moving only a few feet, George looks back and calls to Merlin over his shoulder.

Merlin turns, slowly this time now that dizziness has become a problem, as George asks with a frown:

“Are you sure you’re alright, Merlin?”

Merlin gives him a small nod and smile, before waving him off:

“Yeah, I’m fine, just tired. I’ll see you later.”

George’s frown deepens, but he nods slightly, and turns back around again, leading Annabeth in the direction of the Physician’s chambers.

Merlin took a deep breath and rubbed harshly at his eyes as he watched them turn the corner, before turning in the opposite direction, and making his way to the guest chambers.

Lord Anselm was a visitor from a neighbouring kingdom, known for his harsh treatment of anyone he deemed below him (which... to be honest... was everyone, as far as he was concerned). He was here for the Yule celebrations, and to suck up to the King no doubt.

Merlin paused outside the room, taking another deep breath and trying to not look so exhausted, before knocking politely on the door.

A voice grumbles from the other side, calling for him to enter.

Merlin entered slowly, and shut the door behind him, immediately spying the Lord eating his breakfast at the table. He was an intimidating man, tall, even taller than Merlin, with a heavy gait, a thick beard, and a permanent scowl.

He looks harshly at Merlin, and roughly asks:

“Who the hell are you? Where’s my girl?”

Merlin clenches his hands behind his back, but replies neutrally, looking somewhere over the Lord’s shoulder:

“I’m afraid she has succumbed to an injury, and won’t be serving you anymore. I’m The King’s personal manservant, meaning I won’t be able to serve you full time. We’re a little understaffed at the moment, My Lord. Is there anything I can do for you this morning?”

The man growls and stands up, stalking quickly towards the manservant.

Merlin was especially glad that he was made aware of his balance and dizziness issues earlier, because if he hadn’t, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to hold himself upright when Lord Anselm swung a harsh fist to the side of his face.

He smirked horribly as he said:

“Insolent little thing, aren’t you? Are all of King Arthur’s servants so pretty?”

Merlin’s head rocked violently to the side, and he took a step back, before righting himself. He took a subtle deep breath as he winced in pain, but schooled his face back into indifference as he returned his gaze to just over The Lord’s shoulder:

“Would you like me to return your tray to the kitchen, My Lord?”

Anselm growled once more, obviously unhappy with the lack of reaction, and brought down a heavy hand on Merlin’s shoulder, leaning in close and snarling:

“You do that, pretty boy.”

Merlin waits impassively for him to release the bruising grip he had on his shoulder, before stepping around him and clearing away the tray.

Lord Anselm stared at him distastefully, but Merlin dutifully ignored it, and headed to the chamber door with the tray of leftovers and dirty plates. Anselm turns quickly towards him:

“Hurry back. I have things that need doing.”

For the first time since he entered the room, Merlin looks him straight in the eyes before saying:

“Like I said My Lord, we’re incredibly understaffed at the moment. I’m afraid no one will be able to serve you until your own manservant recovers from his illness.”

The shocked look on the Lord’s face gives Merlin just enough time to leave the room and hurry half way down the corridor, before Anselm followed him out.

Merlin heard the door bang off the wall as Anselm ripped it open, ready to shout, enraged, but the sight of the guards patrolling the corridor stopped him, and he slammed the door shut again with a huff.

Merlin let out a relieved breath. He had hoped that the sight of the guards would stop him from making a scene, and he was glad he was right.

One of the guards, an older man named Gavin who had always been kind to Merlin, stopped him with a hand on his (unbruised) shoulder:

“You alright Merlin? I though Annabeth was serving him?” He nodded at the other guard to continue on, mumbling that he would catch up in a minute, before looking back at Merlin, who blearily nodded:

“He threw a tantrum, hurt her. George took her to Gaius and I said I would deal with him.”

The guard frowned and muttered “bastard” under his breath, but widened his eyes as he saw the bruise blooming on Merlin’s cheek:

“Bloody hell, Merlin, do you always take over for the violent ones? You should get that checked out.”

Merlin sighs and shakes his head, only slightly:

“It’s fine, I’ve got too much else to deal with at the moment. The manservant he brought with him is sick, and Annabeth is certainly not serving him again, so I told him he would have to deal with minimal serving, until his servant gets better.”

Gavin let out a breath, and chuckled slightly:

“Pfft. Balls of steel, Merlin. Go on, you look in a hurry, I won’t keep you.”

With that, Merlin gives him a brief smile, before rushing towards the kitchens once again, trying not to feint the whole way.

~

The whole ordeal only pushed him twenty minutes behind, but twenty minutes was a problem when he was already three days behind on Arthur’s laundry, two days behind on stocking up on ingredients for Gaius, and two weeks overdue for a lunch with Gwen. 

Plus he still had one speech left to proof read, and considering Arthur wrote it himself, it’s more likely to end up being a full re-write, rather than a proof read.

OH, and that leak that he’d promised the stablehands he would help fix.

Ah shit. He also had to collect Gwaine’s spare sword from the blacksmith at some point, before he forgot again.

AND there was a huge delivery of flowers today, no doubt there would be some sort of problem with that.

All of that, on top of the fact that no one has tried to kill Arthur in recent weeks, and it was starting to unnerve him.

His journey to the kitchens went much like that. Task upon chore upon promise upon paranoid intrusive thought piling up in his head with every step.

He finally got to the kitchen doors, and paused outside. He took a deep, shaky breath, and shut his eyes tight, before forcing his mind to calm, and pushing through the door. 

The noise and smells immediately had him turn his head sideways, as if trying to escape the sudden onslaught, but the movement did nothing but force him to realise how much the side of his face had begun to throb.

He took another deep breath as the persistent noise, now in his mind, and out of it, made him want to scream. He resisted the urge, and dumped the tray next to the sink, before rushing out once again, ignoring the glares that the cook sent his way.

As he hurried down the corridor, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides in an effort to stop the shaking, he decided that laundry was the priority right now. If he could just get at least one basket done, that would be enough for today at least; and he could read over the speech whilst he did it.

Ok. ok. This is fine.

He finally made it to Arthur’s chambers, bursting in without knocking, and walking straight to the pile of dirty clothes. 

He doesn’t even have the energy to be annoyed at the fact that they were on the floor, instead of in the basket, and he certainly isn’t with it enough to notice the conversation between Arthur and George... wait... George??

Merlin is only lets his surprise distract him for a moment before he looks back to the laundry, bending over far too quickly, and having to hold himself up against the wall as his vision swims.

He vaguely hears George calling his name, but he waves his hand behind him absentmindedly and ignores him. He forces his eyes to focus again, as he picks up an armful of clothes.

He stumbles over to the desk, still not paying attention to the other two occupants of the room. He looks around blearily, once again beginning to clench and unclench his hands under the dirty clothes in his arms, just to stop himself from falling over.

He takes a deep breath, and interrupts whatever it is Arthur is saying:

“Speech.”

Arthur is clearly taken aback, having realised that Merlin hasn’t listened to anything either of them has said. George gives him a knowing look behind Merlin’s back, and Arthur frowns.

Merlin turns around, quick enough to make his vision blue once again, but not quick enough to make him fall over, and looks in Arthur’s vague direction:

“Speech. Where is it?”

Arthur gasps as he notices the now deep purple mark up the side of Merlin’s face and steps forward, George follows him, and takes the laundry from Merlin’s hands, and setting it on a chair before turning back to him.

He turns just in time to see Merlin almost tip backwards, and rushes forward, placing firm hand on his back once again.

Arthur slowly brings his hand up, concern written all over his face as his fingers hover just over the bruise:

“Merlin... what happened?”

Merlin rolls his eyes slightly as he turns back around to the desk, gently pushing George’s hand away and looking through the paperwork:

“Fell. Speech? I really do need it Arthur, I don’t have time.”

Arthur looks at George out the corner of his eyes, and George shakes his head, mouthing “Lord Anselm” .

Arthur frowns again, and picks up a piece of paper from his bedside table, going to hand it to Merlin, before snatching it back when he reaches for it:

“Not, until you tell me the truth, Merlin.”

Merlin huffs, and rolls his eyes again, before snapping:

“Fine, Lord Anselm punched me in the face because he’s a Lord and I’m a servant, and he can do whatever he wants to me and that’s nothing out of the ordinary. Speech. Please?”

In Arthur’s shock at Merlin’s bluntness, Merlin leans forward and grabs the piece of paper, before quickly turning away, ignoring the loss of vision at the sharp movement. He knew his way around Arthur’s chambers when he was asleep, he could manage a short black out.

He gathers up the laundry once again, and stumbles towards the door, interrupting Arthur’s:

“Merlin! Will you just-”

With:

“Don’t have time.”

And leaving the room before either of them can say anything more.

Arthur shakes himself free of the shock, and looks to George, bewildered:

“You really weren’t kidding were you? He’s completely out of it. Do you know what’s wrong?”

George frowns only slightly as he replies:

“It’s a busy time of the year My Lord, and we’re rather under staffed at the moment. Merlin has a habit of being unable to say no when people ask for help. That, on top of his normal duties to yourself and Gaius, and having to deal with the flu outbreak, I think- If I may speak freely, Sire?”

Arthur nods immediately:

“Of course, George, always.”

George nods gratefully before continuing:

“I think he’s just a little over-worked at the moment, My Lord. He’s never been good at asking for help.”

Arthur nods and hums thoughtfully. He thinks for a minute before looking back at the servant:

“Hmm. Keep an eye on him, won’t you George? I can’t have him keeling over, and make sure he gets some food in him.-”

George gives a firm nod:

“-Thank you, you’re dismissed, go back to your duties.”

With that, George turns and leaves the room, wiping the worried frown from his face and resetting it into his normal neutrality.

~

Merlin was unendingly grateful to find that the speech wasn’t actually that bad. By the time he finished hanging Arthur’s clothes to dry, he had a solid idea in his head of all the little bits he needed to tweak. He just needed to get a quill to it, and it’d be done and dusted.

He rushed as quickly as he was able without falling over, back to Arthur’s chambers, opening the door slowly this time; he really didn’t have the time to stop and chat, and if anyone was in there, he would just come back later.

Thankfully, the rooms were empty, and Merlin only had to spend around five minutes sat at the desk (where there was a small plate of food, labelled “For Merlin”, which of course went untouched. Deliberately ignored or just unnoticed, who knows), writing out his adjustments.

Five minutes however, was long enough for him to forget to not move too quickly, and the moment he tried to stand up, he immediately passed out. He fell back into the chair, and slumped forward onto the desk, his bruised cheek landing with a smack on the wood.

He woke again with a start, and jumped up quickly as he ran his hands through his hair roughly. He began to breath deeply, and tears came to his eyes as he brought his hands down roughly, gripping the edge of the table so hard he could feel his hands bruising.

Merlin, after managing to keep what he thought was a tight lid on it all day, was officially panicking.

His cheek was throbbing again, but he could barely feel it, only able to think about how much time he was wasting.

He can’t be taking naps now. He can’t. He doesn’t have the time. He’s still two days behind on laundry, two days behind shopping, two weeks since he’d last properly spoken to Gwen, he can feel a storm in the air so the leak HAS to be fixed now and Gwaine NEEDS his sword and where are those fucking flowers??

The more Merlin’s thoughts rush around his head, the more tasks he remembers that he needs to do, the more he panics. And the more he panics, the less he can breath, and the less he can breath, the more time, he is wasting.

When Merlin finally manages to open his eyes, which he hadn’t realised had been shut painfully tightly, he notices that the shadows on the walls have barely moved since he last checked.

Huh.

Ok.

He breaths slightly easier as he just about manages to drag himself over to a window, peering down into the courtyard below, to see that the castle was still busy.

He must’ve only been passed out for a few minutes at most.

It’s ok. There’s still time.

Merlin takes one last deep breath, pours himself a glass of water from Arthur’s jug and downs it all in one.

Ok. Too much to do, no more wasting time.

Merlin quickly straightens out the desk, leaving the speech in the middle for Arthur to see, and ignores the remaining fuzziness in his head as he stumbles out the door and down to the Physician’s chambers.

~

Merlin spends the next few hours down at the market.

He could feel his heart pounding louder in his ears with each second that he had to stand and wait in line, but it was no ones fault but his own that he had left the shopping too late.

He just had to be patient. Ignore the headache, ignore the pain in his cheek and shoulder, ignore the bruises on the palms of his hands from where he gripped the table, ignore the paranoid thoughts about assassins and poisoners and bandits.

By the time he made it back to Gaius’ chambers, it was dark. His hands shook violently, and he could barely see what he was unloading from his bags, but he kept pushing forward.

Without sparing a glance towards Gaius, he rushed out of the room again, now unhealthily used to the constant swimming in his vision, he dragged his hand along the stone walls of the castle corridor, and used that to navigate to the kitchen to pick up Arthur’s dinner.

The cook of course yelled at him about being late, but instead of brushing it off like he normally did, he internalised it.

He spent the whole journey up to Arthur’s chambers working himself up.

He was late. He was running out of time. He was so fucking tired. But that’s fine. That’s ok. One more job tonight, and he can rest. Just one.

He delivers Arthur’s food without a word, and if Arthur wasn’t worried before, he definitely was now.

Merlin lays out the meal, and quickly goes about lighting the fire for the night, and turning down The King’s bed. He turns to Arthur, not really bothering to focus his eyes and actually look at him, before saying:

“Anything else tonight, My Lord?”

The lack of sarcasm would be worrying enough to Arthur, but the way Merlin’s eyes stayed unfocussed, even as Arthur walked towards him, and the way his words slurred, almost sent him into a panic.

Merlin finally makes eye contact with him as Arthur grips his shoulders, but he quickly lets go when Merlin flinches in pain.

Fuck that hurt.

He’d forgotten about the bruised shoulder.

Arthur’s frown deepens:

“Merlin, are you alright? You look exhausted, you look sick. And you didn’t eat the food George left out.”

Merlin nods his head slowly, and moves towards the door, rolling his shoulder slightly to try and sooth the ache:

“Yeah yeah, I’m fine, and I’m not a dog Arthur. Just lots to do. Am I dismissed?”

Arthur nods slowly, but suddenly adds, as Merlin gets to the door:

“Yes, but only if you get something to eat and then go straight to bed. Get some sleep Merlin, whatever it is, can wait until morning.”

Merlin doesn’t look back at him, just waves his hand over his shoulder as he shuts the door behind him.

Ok. One more job. Just one more and then sleep. Maybe. He did have some useful new spells he needed to memorise... having as little time as he does means he should probably get at least a few done tonight.

Ok. One more job, then he can sit in bed and memorise some of those spells, then maybe he can get an hour or two of sleep before sunrise bought tomorrow’s jobs.

He headed over to the stables, at this time of night no one should be around, he can wave his hand, make some sparks, and the leak would be gone.

He halts in his tracks and his eyes widen as he subconsciously begins clenching and unclenching his hands once again.

No.

The stablehands know he promised to fix it. If they see it’s been fixed with some sort of miracle, instead of patched up properly, they’ll know.

Maybe he’s just being paranoid, but he’s also running on no food, no sleep, and a potential concussion. Trying to use magic right now was probably not his best idea.

He forces his hands to still, and continues his trek across the courtyard, towards the stables. 

The next time he stops, it’s because he hears the distinct sound of an armoured guard falling to the floor (the fact that he recognises the sound immediately, should tell you all you need to know about how insane Merlin’s life is).

Merlin rubs his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose briefly as he mumbles:

“For fucks sake, I knew it had been too long.”

Without wasting another second, Merlin turns back around, and sneaks carefully to where he’d heard the noise come from.

He finally spies the slumped guard by the main entrance to the castle, and after establishing that the attacker was long gone, he rushes over.

The growing puddle of blood, and lack of pulse, worries Merlin endlessly. Whoever did this was good, the guard never saw it coming, and now he was dead.

Merlin doesn’t want to leave him like this, but in all likelihood, the assassin was going to head straight to Arthur’s chambers, and Merlin had to catch up before he could do any damage.

The exhausted manservant rushes through the large doors, trying ever so hard to focus eyes, and not quite managing it, but powering through anyway. Thankfully he new the route to Arthur’s chambers by heart, he didn’t have to be able to see to know where he was going. 

He’s already out of breath before he even reaches the staircase that leads up to the royal chambers, but he doesn’t have the time to stop and catch his breath. Arthur was in danger, and as per fucking normal, Merlin was the only one that seemed to know anything about it.

He forced himself up the steps, being mindful of his weak legs and using the wall to pull himself up as quick as he could.

He swore to himself as he turned the corner to see the vague outline of a man with a dagger slip unnoticed through the doors to Arthur’s chambers.

Where the fuck were the rest of the guards?? Merlin had expected to see a few more bodies on his way up but there had been none. Shift change over maybe? In which case, how did the assassin know?

He pushes the thoughts to the back of his mind; something to worry about later, as he sprints down the corridor.

He almost falls several times, tripping over nothing but his own exhaustion, but he uses his own momentum to stop himself tipping over, forcing his feet to just keep moving forward.

He bursts into the room loudly, and the assassin, who had almost reached Arthur slumped over asleep on his desk, whips his head around to stare at him in shock.

The King mumbles from his spot on the desk:

“Merlin... I told you to get some sleep.”

That seems to snap the assassin out of his surprise, and he lurches towards Arthur, bringing the dagger up so he could swing it down viciously into his back, but Merlin rushes forward to meet him.

He shoves Arthur’s chair with as much force as he can muster, and steps into the space it had resided in as Arthur sprawls on the floor, cursing loudly.

It takes only a second for Arthur to be on his feet, a sword that was hidden under the desk gripped in his hand and any remaining sleepiness scrubbed from his face, but that second is all it takes for the dagger to sink with sickening force into Merlin’s shoulder.

Merlin gasps and staggers back as Arthur steps forward, swinging the hilt of his sword down onto the attacker’s head, and with a loud thunk, the would-be assassin drops to the floor, unconscious.

Arthur turns quickly towards Merlin, who was leaning against the wall, dagger still planted deeply in his shoulder, and once again curses loudly. He rushes forward to catch his manservant just as he falls, widening his eyes as he notices the rapidly growing crimson stain on his tunic:

“GUARDS!!” he yells it towards the still open door, but looks to Merlin as he mumbles:

“Shift... change. No one there yet.” with a groan.

Arthur curses for a third time, as he pulls Merlin’s uninjured arm around his neck, and starts to stagger towards the door, dragging Merlin, who is basically a dead weight at this point.

The manservant groans, not sure if it’s the constant, background panic that’s seemed to plague him the last few weeks, or the pain of the newest stab wound that’s making him dizzy, but either way... ow.

Merlin finally manages to raise his gaze to realise that Arthur is currently dragging him past the closest exit to the stables (god knows how they’d gotten that far without Merlin noticing), and he half-heartedly pulls away.

Arthur almost stumbles with Merlin’s sudden movement, but says strongly:

“No not that way Merlin, gotta get to Gaius, you’re going to ok, alright?”

Merlin’s breath deepens in panic, and Arthur, mistaking it’s meaning, says:

“Almost there, Merls, don’t worry, Gaius will fix you right up, just hang on a little more for me.”

Merlin tries to pull away again, going so far as to softly thump Arthur on the chest to make him let go (it doesn’t work, he’s far too weak):

“No... no, you don’t.... understand. I can‘t, I don’t.... I don’t have time.”

Arthur frowns at him, but continues moving in the direction of the Physician’s chambers. He turns his concerned face away from Merlin, to see two guards turning into the corridor ahead of them:

“HEY!! One of you go to my chambers to collect the would-be assassin, and one of you run ahead to Gaius to warn him we’re coming; deep stab wound to the shoulder. Tell anyone you might see to be on high alert, an attempt on my life has been made.”

Arthur growls as they just stand in shock, obviously taken aback at the sight of the King near dragging an almost dead-looking servant down the corridor towards:

“NOW!”

With that they jump into action, one of them sprinting back the way Arthur and Merlin had come, the other sprinting ahead, to warn Gaius.

Arthur looks back down to Merlin, trying to pick up his pace as he notices him grow weaker and weaker:

“Come on, only a few more corridors Merlin, then Gaius will take care of you and you can sleep it off. I’ll even give you tomorrow off, how does that-”

Before Arthur can finish his question, Merlin moans, and tries to pull away again:

“No... time. Too many things to do... not... no time. Leak...”

Arthur stares at him in confusion as Merlin trails off, but blinks in surprise, as he gains a sudden burst of lucidity again:

“NO! Leak needs... sorting. Flowers and... Gwaine’s sword. Check on... Annabeth-”

He pulls away from Arthur far more violently this time, and the King drops him as he staggers from the force.

Arthur curses and kneels down, panicked as he tries to get his arms under Merlin’s weight again. Which Merlin is making very difficult.

The manservant can’t really feel the pain at this point. All he knows is that time is passing. Time that should be spent fixing things. Whatever stupid thing Arthur wants right now needs to wait.

Leak. Then spells. Then catch up on laundry through the night. Then check on the flowers in the morning. Hopefully lunch with Gwen. Sword next. Then. Then he can maybe think about whatever is happening right now.

Arthur finally gets his hands under Merlin’s arms and pulls him up, growing more and more worried as Merlin tries to wiggle away, like he doesn’t want to get treated.

Only one more corridor.

Arthur continues his journey through the halls, breathing deeply with the exertion. 

Merlin had lost the last of his strength trying to escape, and the fall to the floor had knocked his other injuries slightly, so Arthur was forced to pick him up, carrying the limp man bridal style.

He finally made it to Gaius’ chambers, to see the guard holding open the door, and Gaius rushing around, gathering various ingredients and tools.

Arthur bolts through the door, not even looking at the guard as he spots the empty cot in the middle of the room, and carefully lays a clearly delirious Merlin down.

The dark haired boy continues to mumble, a frown etched deeply onto his features:

“No... time... too much else... to worry about...”

Arthur calms his own breathing before looking back to the guard:

“Make sure the alarm is sounded. Find out if the assassin was caught and report back to me as soon as you know anything. I’ll be here.”

The guard nods firmly before running out of the room, and Arthur turns his attention back to Merlin. He gasps as he notices blood dripping from the palms of his hands, and lurches forward, forcing Merlin’s fingers to uncurl.

Arthur realises with a numb horror, that something much more than the stab wound is wrong with his... friend. This isn’t even close to the worst injury he’s ever seen Merlin get, but still he lies here, panicking about something to such an extent that he drew blood with his own nails.

Gaius finally bustles over, and without even looking at him, forcefully tells Arthur:

“Hold him down, he’s in no sort of mental state for me to treat him awake, so I need to get this down him and he won’t... appreciate it.”

The King notices the vial of foul-smelling liquid in Gaius’ hands, and quickly moves around to stand behind Merlin’s shivering form.

He presses one hand down onto his uninjured shoulder, and bends over, leaning his other forearm across his chest, trying desperately to avoid aggravating the dagger still imbedded in his shoulder.

Once he’s secure, Gaius pinches Merlin’s nose, and pours the liquid into his mouth, quickly dropping the vial onto the table beside him, and massaging his throat to help it go down.

Merlin spasms for a few seconds and kicks out, but Arthur just about manages to hold him steady before he finally goes limp, his eyes rolling back, and his hands hanging off the side of the cot.

Arthur steps back, and collapses in a chair at Merlin’s side, before looking up at Gaius. The King watches the Physician bring over a pair of scissors and cut Merlin’s blood soaked tunic away, before examining the wound, and carefully removing the dagger.

Arthur tries to calm his heart rate, and takes deep breaths as he watches Gaius work, knowing that the injury, though bloody, was not life threatening.

At some point during the process of the wound being cleaned, stitched, and dressed, the guard from earlier had re-entered the chambers to say:

“The assassin was found and taken to the dungeons, sire. The castle is on high alert, and patrols are looking for any accomplices, though currently it appears the man was working alone. Two guards have been found dead, one at the castle gate, and one at the main entrance to the building.”

Arthur vaguely remembers nodding, and dismissing the guard; telling him to keep him updated, before focusing back on Merlin.

When Gaius finally slumps into the chair opposite Arthur, on Merlin’s other side, The King takes a deep breath, before asking quietly:

“What’s wrong with him, Gaius? I mean besides the obvious? George said-”

Before Arthur can finish, three thunderous pairs of feet burst through the door.

The King looks up to see Gwen, Gwaine, and Leon enter the room in a hurry. Gwen answers his questioning gaze with:

“The three of us were together when a guard told us what happened. Will he be alright?”

Gaius gives them a comforting, but strained smile, as they move towards the cot:

“He’ll be fine my dear, with time.”

Gwen moves quickly to stand by Arthur’s side, and takes one of Merlin’s limp hands in her own as she blinks away tears, her other hand covering her mouth. Gwaine rushes to the end of the cot, looking down at his best friend with a pained expression, and resting a hand on his leg. Leon steps into place above Merlin’s head, stroking a gentle hand through his hair, before focusing his concerned expression on Arthur in question.

Arthur huffs, but pays them no mind as he looks back at Gaius:

“Like I was saying, what’s wrong with him? George said he was acting oddly, and he seemed... almost sickly the last time I saw him. Then all the way here he was trying to get away from me, he just kept muttering about time, and saying he had things to do.”

Gwaine growls, and before Gaius can reply, he snarls out:

“You’ve been bloody overworking him, that’s what’s wrong. Look at him, he looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks.”

Arthur looks up, annoyed:

“That’s exactly why I’ve been giving him fewer chores, Sir Gwaine. I didn’t give him anything specific to do today, and when I told him he would have some time off on the way here, he freaked. Pulled away, I dropped him, and he just began muttering about not having time, having too much to do.”

Gwen clears her throat before timidly saying:

“He has been acting a bit strange. He seemed a little stressed after the first outbreak, but I figured that was normal for this time of year and let him be. Then he got back so late last night, and every time I saw him today he just seemed... more and more panicked. I tried to stop him a few times but he ignored me, like his mind was completely elsewhere.”

Arthur frowns at that, and Leon speaks next, his hand still absentmindedly carding through Merlin’s hair:

“Hmm. He’s been looking unwell; swaying on his feet, leaning on walls. I saw him in the market earlier today and he looked about ready to feint, but I was pulled away by a few guards. When I looked back again, he was stumbling away in the opposite direction. He looked in a rush, so like Gwen, I let him be. Perhaps he hasn’t been sleeping well?”

Gaius looks grim, and nods:

“I heard him moving about all through last night. I got up to offer him a sleeping draught but he refused, saying he had things to do. I got the impression this morning that he didn’t sleep a wink. And I remember what the yearly flu excursions were like, I doubt he slept any better whilst he was treating people in the lower-town.”

The three of them look troubled. How had they let it get this far? Merlin was clearly some sort of sick, and no one had noticed until he was ignoring stab wounds and clawing at his own skin.

Leon tilted Merlin’s head, frown deepening as he spots the purple bruise over his cheek, now also stretching up into his temple and into his hairline. His voice came out a mumble, as if he were speaking to himself:

“What happened here?”

Arthur’s face darkened, and he replied lowly:

“Lord Anselm. I informed him to leave my kingdom and told him not to come back until he could refrain from beating my staff.”

Leon nodded, face angry, and Gwaine replied:

“Bet he didn’t like that, the bastard.”

Arthur looked up at Gaius, and cleared his throat before asking:

“What do you suggest, Gaius? He’s clearly not... ok.”

Gaius sighed once more, looking down at the man who had become his son, before saying quietly:

“I imagine all three of us are right, in a way. He’s overworked, stressed, and lacking sleep. That mixed with a punch hard enough to give him a mild concussion, and the fact he likely hasn’t eaten very well over the last few weeks, led to a... miniature break down, of sorts.-”

He looks up at Arthur, who is struggling to hide how distraught he is, with grim determination:

“-He will need time off to recover. More than a few days, likely. And support. He has learnt to rely on no one but himself in recent years. Dealing with a workload that multiple people would struggle with all on his own, was almost certainly what led to his obsession with time, time running out. You will need to reassure him that any tasks he is worried about are being completed just fine without him, otherwise he’ll panic.”

Arthur nods before replying, his voice thick:

“Of course. Whatever he needs. He mentioned... a leak? And flowers, Gwaine’s sword. He mumbled a few other things as well, but I couldn’t hear him. He said something about Annabeth?”

Gaius rubs his eyes as he nods slowly:

“Yes, George bought Annabeth by earlier. Lord Anselm had hurt her and Merlin sent the two of them here before he went to deal with the Lord.-”

He looked up to see Arthur sporting a vicious frown, and continues:

“-She’s fine now, just a little shaken, her injuries will heal in a week or so. The other things he mentioned to you though...”

Arthur sighs, but Gwen speaks up, still clutching Merlin’s hand, before he can say anything:

“I overheard some of the stable-hands worrying about a leak in the stable, knowing Merlin, he probably offered to help them. And the flowers... well there was supposed to be a delivery today, for the feast decorations, but it hasn’t arrived yet.”

Arthur nods, and Gwaine swallows, looking a little guilty, before saying:

“He ran my spare sword to the blacksmith about a week ago, for repairs. I told him there was no rush, but he must’ve got in a panic about it.”

Arthur nods, but raises his eyes to Gwen in confusion:

“Ok, the sword and the leak I understand, but the flowers? Why would a castle delivery be any concern of his??”

Gwen widens her eyes in surprise, and Leon makes a disbelieving noise, before saying:

“Sire, with all due respect, Merlin is the King’s Personal Manservant. Of course it concerns him.”

At the growing confusion on Arthur’s face, Leon sighs. He drags a chair forward, and sits in his place behind Merlin’s head as he continues to absent-mindedly run his fingers through the man’s hair:

“My Lord, everything that has anything to do with you, gets run by Merlin first. Pretty much every non-political decision not directly made by you, is made by Merlin. I always thought it was rather hilarious that he didn’t seem to realise how much power he has within the castle.”

Arthur widens his eyes in realisation, and slumps back in his seat:

“I had no idea... no wonder he’s so exhausted all the time. He’s practically running the castle behind my back.”

Gwen nods sympathetically, but Gwaine still looks a little annoyed as he grinds out:

“Honestly princess. How did you think it was that the visitors you liked least were always housed in the chambers furthest away from yours? Or how the castle kitchen is always stocked up on your personal favourites? Or perhaps how council meetings always seem to be at a time most convenient for you, despite you never rearranging your own schedule? When we all joke about how you wouldn’t last a day without Merlin... we mean it. He doesn’t just dress you and feed you and sing you to sleep, he runs your whole life, mate.”

Leon and Gwen nod, and Arthur sighs, and the room goes silent for a few minutes, the only noise being Merlin’s ragged breathing.

Arthur finally straightens up, and nods to himself slightly:

“Right. Merlin gets every Monday off, no matter what, including his physician duties where possible. George is going to be reassigned as an... assistant of sorts; Merlin will hate it but I don’t care, he needs the help. He’s also going to get a bloody great big pay rise, and new chambers with a big desk. And that’s just to start with.”

Gaius raises his infamous eyebrow, but Arthur ignores it, he can see the hint of pride in his eyes. Gwen and Leon smile and nod, and Gwaine huffs before muttering:

“Yeah, that better be just to start with. Kid deserves the world.” 

Arthur stands from his chair and begins pacing, before looking back to the others in a hurry:

“Ok, Gwen, can you go find the Housekeeper, inform her that I want a few more servants to be hired, on a permanent basis. The castle is obviously understaffed if Merlin is the only one fixing everyone else’s problems. Take Gwaine with you, a guard informed me the assassin had been caught and was likely working alone, but just in case.-”

With that, Gwen nods and leaves, closely followed by Gwaine, who stops only to give Arthur a short, assessing gaze, before giving him a nod and leaving.

“-Leon, find the Steward, and George if you can. Find a set of chambers that can be reassigned to Merlin, and tell them to begin the process immediately. Not too big, he’d complain and refuse to use them but... oh you know what he’s like, I trust you’ll pick something to his... tastes.”

Leon gives Arthur another smile, before heading towards the door. Just before he can leave, Arthur calls out for him again:

“And if you could have a plate of food sent here as soon as possible. I don’t think he’s eaten all day and we’ll need to get something down him when he wakes up.”

Leon nods, and leaves without another word. Arthur collapses back into his chair before looking at Gaius, and blushing at the fond smile on the older man’s face:

“What?”

Gaius just shakes his head as his smile grows:

“Nothing, my boy. I’m just glad you’re finally realising at least a little of what Merlin sacrifices for you.”

Arthur frowns and tilts his head:

“You mean there’s more he’s giving up than sleep, food, and any and all free time he has?”

Gaius drops his smile fractionally, but covers it quickly (not quick enough that Arthur didn’t notice however) :

“Hmm. Nothing that you need to worry yourself over, My Lord.”

Arthur’s frown deepens:

“Well now I’m just going to worry about it even more. What is it Gaius? If you won’t tell me what the problem is, at least tell me the solution.”

Gaius settles a heavy, pensive gaze on Arthur, and stays silent for a few moments before answering slowly and quietly:

“A long time a go, I gave Merlin some... difficult, advice, pertaining to which secrets he should keep to himself. Perhaps when he wakes I shall rescind said advice. But ultimately, whether he tells you the true extent of his... well, truth, or not, is up to him. I advise you not to push him.”

Arthur huffs:

“So he’s hiding something from me?”

Gaius gives The King a sympathetic smile:

“He’s hiding a multitude of things from a multitude of people. There are very few people who know Merlin fully. His life has been... difficult, from birth, to such an extent that not even I’m aware of what’s going through his mind, the pain he suffers, and I live with him.-”

Gaius stops hesitantly, but Arthur nods for him to continue. He looks deeply troubled, before saying:

“All I can request Sire, is that, if he does decide that he trusts you enough to reveal himself fully, let him finish the story in it’s entirety before you start forming conclusions, and remember, that everything he does, he does for Camelot, for you.”

Arthur’s face shows slight confusion, but he nods firmly. He may not fully understand what on earth Gaius is talking about, but he has a feeling he’ll know it when he sees it. Plus, Merlin means a great deal to him, and the man obviously does a lot for him, the least Arthur can do in return is sit patiently and wait for Merlin to come to him with whatever truth Gaius thinks is so worrying.

~

It was late in the night when Merlin started to stir, only a few hours until sunrise.

Arthur and Gaius had both fallen asleep after checking over Merlin’s bandages. Gaius had settled in a cot in the corner of the room, and Arthur was curled up in his seat, Merlin’s hand clutched in his.

Arthur woke slowly at first, and then all at once, when he realised that Merlin’s hand was twitching in his own. He leaned forward on his seat, frowning, as he stroked Merlin’s forehead gently with his other hand.

Merlin’s eyes blinked open, as he muttered Arthur’s name. The King smiled gently, placing a comforting hand in the centre of Merlin’s chest, and squeezing his hand slightly:

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

Merlin frowns slightly, before he gasps with wide eyes and tries to sit up. Arthur pushes back gently against his chest, and Merlin is far too weak to do anything about it as Arthur speaks quietly:

“No no no, you stay right there. You need to get better before you start rushing around again.”

Merlin frowns and begins to breath deeply:

“No, I don’t have the time Arthur, there’s too much I gotta do.”

He tries to sit up again, but Arthur holds him down, struggling to think of what to say to calm his manservant down before he did more damage to himself:

“No there isn’t. You can’t do anything when you’re sick and injured, alright?-”

At Merlin’s panicked expression, Arthur hurries to continue:

“Don’t worry, Merlin. Gwen spoke to the housekeeper about hiring some new servants to help. I’m going to get Percival to fix the leak in the stable later, Gwaine doesn’t need his sword for at least a few days, and to be perfectly honest, he can get it himself. The housekeeper will deal with the flowers, and Annabeth is fine, Gaius saw her earlier and sent her home for the day. There’s nothing for you to worry about, ok?”

Merlin frowns, and blinks blearily, clearly beginning to lose his lucidity:

“Are you ok? The... assassin... looked pretty... pretty... serious...”

He trails off, but refuses to close his eyes, and lifts a shivering hand to loosely clasp Arthur’s wrist as Arthur replies:

“You haven’t slept or eaten properly in days, you’ve been smacked around and stabbed, and you’re asking me if I’m ok?”

At Merlin’s once again panicked expression, Arthur sighs:

“Yes Merlin, I am one hundred percent ok, and so is everyone else. The assassin was caught, everyone is safe, and there’s nothing that you need to think about right now. Let go, get some sleep.”

Merlin frowns indignantly, and murmurs:

“I’ve already... slept too... long... gotta-”

Arthur huffs before interrupting him:

“Being unconscious is not the same as being asleep. Go to sleep Merlin. I promise, I will wake you up if you are needed in any way... do... do you trust me?”

Merlin looks at him oddly, before his eyelids flutter shut and he goes limp. Arthur just about hears the muttered-

“More that anyone.”

-before Merlin passes out once again, and after waiting a few minutes to make sure he wasn’t faking it (definitely something Merlin would do), he collapses back in his chair.

Merlin really was sick.

Arthur huffs with annoyance at himself, how had he not noticed this sooner? Why hadn’t he pushed it when he came to collect the laundry? Why hadn’t he given Merlin a day off when he got back from the lower-town? Though, knowing Merlin, he probably would’ve spent all day working anyway, even if it wasn’t directly for Arthur.

Arthur’s thoughts are racing so much that he knows he isn’t going to get back to sleep, but it was far too early in the day for anything official to get done; the city was asleep. And besides, even if there was something to be done, Arthur found himself exceedingly unwilling to let go of Merlin’s hand.

So sitting here and thinking was his only option it seemed.

Gwen, Gwaine, and Leon had come back around an hour after he had sent them away, and he was more than pleased with what they had to report.

The housekeeper had drafted up notices asking for permanent, paid, help in the castle, to be distributed in the lower-town tomorrow (or... later today).

Leon and the Steward had found a suitable set of chambers for Merlin, about halfway between Arthur’s and Gaius’, small compared to Arthur’s rooms, but still bigger than the footprint of Merlin’s house back in Ealdor.

Arthur hadn’t managed to get any food in Merlin when he briefly woke up, but the plate that Leon had sent up still sat their waiting, and it would be ready when Merlin was lucid enough to eat.

Arthur was still very worried about the man he had grown to trust more than even himself, but he also trusted Gaius, and if Gaius wasn’t freaking out, then neither would Arthur.

~

The next few days were... difficult, to say the least.

It took a lot of persuading to convince Merlin to stay in bed, and even a few sleeping draughts slipped into his tea, courtesy of Gaius.

Merlin was also getting increasingly annoyed at all of his friends visiting him, and treating him like he was made of glass. 

He was getting desperate to leave the Physician’s chambers and get some work done, and Gaius was not best pleased when he caught the man trying to sneak out.

Gaius sternly told him to sit down and shut up for a minute whilst he explained why exactly he can’t get out of bed yet, and Merlin reluctantly sat back down, nodding at Gaius to start talking:

“Merlin, you hadn’t slept at all in at least seventy-two hours. You hadn’t slept well for the several weeks before that. You hadn’t eaten all day, and I imagine that you hadn’t eaten properly, again, for the several weeks before. You had a mild concussion and fractured collarbone, courtesy of Lord Anselm. Bruises on your hands from gods know what. Balance and dizziness issues caused by being medically exhausted. You are stressed far beyond levels that are even vaguely healthy. All of this, before you sustained a serious stab wound. Merlin, you had a panic attack, yesterday, over not being able to fix a leak. You can not keep working like this, or you will burn yourself out again, and then where will we be? You are of no use to anyone if you drop dead. So will you please, just trust that Arthur has things handled just fine without you.”

Merlin had the decency to look a little ashamed at first, but rolls his eyes when Gaius mentions Arthur:

“That man never has anything handled. Gods know how he’s even managed to get dressed the last few days.”

Gaius raises an eyebrow, an obvious “I dare you to argue with me right now” look if Merlin has ever seen one.

Merlin huffs before climbing fully back into his bed (still in the Physician’s chambers. Gaius advised against telling Merlin of all the changes that were happening until after he was better, otherwise he would... simply put, he would freak) and looking to his lap, frowning.

Gaius sighs, and puts a gentle hand on Merlin’s least-injured shoulder:

“Be patient, Merlin. You fail to realise how many people care about you, and how much. We would be devastated to lose you, it’s hard enough to see you suffer like this. So let yourself heal fully, if not for yourself, then for us.”

Merlin looks up at him tiredly (everything seems to tire him out at the moment) with tears in his eyes and Gaius leans forward to gather the boy in a hug.

Merlin falls into it easily, and buries his head in the crook of Gaius’ neck as the older man runs a hand through his hair. He sniffles slightly, before mumbling:

“I’m sorry.”

Gaius smiles sadly, not that Merlin can see it, before replying quietly:

“No need to apologise my boy, just get some sleep. I believe that Guinevere will be joining us for dinner later.”

Merlin nods before removing himself from Gaius’ arms, and settling back under the covers. He shifts until he’s comfortable, and whispers a soft goodnight (I mean... it’s the middle of the afternoon but he’s sleeping the nights and days away at the moment), before drifting off.

Gaius sighs once more, before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him quietly.

They had a long way to go. Physically, Merlin was well on his way to healing, but emotionally... well. He had a father-figure physician, a fellow servant, five boisterous but loving knights, and a King who may or may not be in love with him.

He’d get there. He just needed a little more time.

~

THE END

Thank you so much for requesting this anon, I had fun writing it! It kept getting longer and longer and I almost split it into two, but I just decided to go for it in the end.

I hope y’all enjoy! Same as always, you wanna write it up with proper paragraphs and extend it and everything, go for it, credit and tag me :)

Let me know if y’all want my thoughts on anything in particular!