Chapter Text
Percy stared at Ares with wide teary eyes fearing for the worst. Fearing that Ares would make a stupid decision. He sighed knowing no matter what he chose it wasn't good for them.
Ares chose to save the boy. From the love goddess, and maybe from Ares himself too.
A single tear rolled down on the boy's rosy cheeks at his betrayal and it stung so badly to see him in pain like that, to know it was his fault. The boy clung to him harder crying out loud when Ares felt the stab from behind. Ah, the goddess and her arrow, he thought, and soon the pain dissolved.
The world went blurry.
He blinked once.
He grimaced. Why the fuck was the punk in his arms? He shoved him away, relishing the hurt look on the demigod's face. The little brat deserved it.
Ares remembered faintly how they used to be. Brief flashes of memories here and there showed him his past he couldn't place anywhere inside his brain or his heart. He seemed happy in those tabloids, joyous as ever. He thought he'd been in love perhaps - and that's what others kept telling him - but he didn't remember the feeling.
He hasn't seen him in months of course, but his brothers and sisters liked reminding him that they used to be a couple before-
Before Aphrodite stepped in.
Before he had to choose to stay together with the boy, but he would be stuck in New Rome, a place where he didn't belong, where he was exploited, or he could choose to go against Aphrodite and face the consequences: aka the arrow that took his love away. Apparently, he chose the latter. But he sometimes remembered the boy in his arms, the curve of his smile, the shine in his eyes. He remembered the pain too. How the goddess forced him to stay in the city, how it eventually led them to each other, how the boy would confide in him, how he would try to cheer him up.
That's probably how they got together. Well, he didn't remember everything.
How he wished he did.
Ares hated those Olympian parties because everyone attending hated him.
He stood aside, with a chalice of wine in hand, and let his eyes wander over the crowd again.
His eyes widened when he saw the boy. He stood by his father, almost hiding behind his much bigger figure.
He looked just as much an outsider as Ares felt.
Ares wondered if the boy was happy. If he had moved on. He'd heard he was living in Atlantis now, and visited his mortal family often, and Ares wondered if it was enough of a compensation for him, seeing what he did to him.
He remembered the boy wanting to live there, so then he must be happy, right?
They made eye contact briefly but Ares turned away in shame. Percy looked heartbroken still.
Ares sat on the ground near his temple - as per his habit during parties nowadays.
It was one of those nights again, where the alcohol didn't warm him enough, and didn't help him untangle the web of emotions inside his chest. He was just so confused, so empty. Ever since the arrow, he felt like he couldn't feel anything at all.
"Can I sit?" came a voice, strangely familiar. Ah, Percy.
He bowed his head yes and averted his eyes. At first glance, the boy looked better than the last time he saw him. Less lost at least. But he still radiated his love and need for Ares, something he couldn't return. He kind of wished he could.
"How are you?" he broke the silence after long stretched-out minutes.
"Healing." the boy spoke softly and Ares finally looked up at him.
"That's good!" he nodded and held the boy's curious gaze. The boy still ached for him, that was clear.
They sat in silence for the rest of the party, and Percy left in the morning with his father, leaving Ares on the damp ground, still in the same spot.
Wondering.