Requested by The_OtterPrincess

You laughed as you rushed through the city square, playing frisbee with the village boys, giggling as they purposefully threw it over your head, knowing you wouldn't be tall enough to catch it.

"Come on, boys," you scolded, playfully putting your hands on your hips. "That's not very fair."

"Relax, (Y/N)." Perseus grinned as he walked up to you, his brown eyes mischievous and daring as he teased you. "It's not our fault you're so much shorter, is it?"

You blushed, but rolled your eyes at him, knowing he'd had his eye on you for awhile. "Whatever." You turned and sauntered off after the frisbee, trying to see where it had gone, but your eyes widened as you saw it was being held by Hercules.

He examined the thick plate in his hands, turning it over and admiring the work done to it, ignoring the donkey he'd been told to watch. As soon as he heard your footsteps, he glanced up, giving you a weak smile.

You couldn't help but smile back, noticing his blue eyes were brilliant, the color of sapphires. "Is this yours?" He held it out to you gently, and you took it from him with a nod.

"I hope we didn't spook your donkey too much." You laughed softly, biting your lip and looking down, ignoring the boys yelling in the background for you to hurry up, asking what was taking so long.

"Penelope?" He laughed softly. "No, no. She's the toughest old donkey in all of Thebes."

You smiled. "I've heard you're very strong as well. She must get all of her brawn from you then, Hercules."

"Well," he scratched the nape of his neck, a light blush coming to his bronze, Grecian skin. "If you think so, then I'm not gonna deny it." He pressed one hand up against a white column, grinning broadly, appearing very cool and calm one second, and the next yelping as he almost fell over.

Your eyes widened as the column began to tip, smashing into column after column like a line of dominos, all of it coming crashing down in a heap, dust flying up everywhere, and when the coughing had stopped and all the debris had cleared the air, all eyes were trained on Hercules.

"Hercules!" Amphitryon, a local farmer, came out of the shop he'd just been in, frowning at the teenager he knew as his son. "My boy, what happened?"

You backed away as the two began to talk and others began to crowd the pair, all of them angry with the young man. As you arrived back to your group of friends, they were laughing at what had happened.

"I think he got a little love-struck talking to you, (Y/N)," Perseus grinned, poking your sides and holding out his hand for the frisbee. "Gods, I don't blame him. You could be made in the image of Aphrodite herself, hm?"

He chuckled, continuing as you said nothing. "It's a shame though. He seems to be cursed with disability, like Hephaestus. Cursed to live in an eternity of clumsiness, and the beautiful Aphrodite he has his eyes on only has room in her heart for one." He smirked. "Ares, pronounced Perseus."

You angrily shoved the plate in his direction, not caring as he grunted when it smacked his chest, his hands feebly coming up to grip the heavy disk. "There's nothing wrong with him, Perseus. His clumsiness is something that can be worked on. What you have?" You poked your finger into his chest as he moved the plate away, seeming to wish he hadn't as you dug the digit into his skin. "That can't be undone."

___________________________________

You sighed as you went to collect water from the well. A week had gone by since you'd last willingly talked to Perseus, and he'd just left your home with another half-hearted apology, sorry he had made you feel the way you had, but reminding you that he hadn't said a thing that wasn't true.

You groaned as you tried to lift the heavy bucket from the well, your wrist in a lot of pain from the week before. You'd wrapped it when you'd gotten home, realizing that the soreness of playing frisbee hadn't gone away because it was actually a sprain.

"Need some help?" You glanced back over your shoulder to see Hercules, carrying a bag full of miscellaneous things.

"That would be nice," you admitted, watching as he came up next to you and grabbed onto the rope, one sharp tug sending the bucket flying up out of the well, spilling the contents everywhere.

He sighed, running his fingers through his auburn hair and groaning. "I'm such a klutz. I'm so sorry."

You frowned. "That's okay. There's plenty of water in the well, you know," you said, laughing softly. "And maybe you are a little clumsy, but I think it could get better."

"How?" He asked incredulously. "No one likes me here. I don't fit in. I've been trying for years to learn to control myself, but I just can't." He shook his head. "That's why I'm leaving."

"Where are you going?"

"My parents told me a secret from a long time ago. I'm adopted." You stared at him, blinking. You never would have guessed. Though his parents had been a little bit older when they'd had him, no one had ever questioned that they were his real parents.

"My parents say that I'm the son of Zeus and Hera, and that I was given to them as a blessing when something went horribly wrong." He furrowed his eyebrows, rolling his eyes at himself. "Sorry, I know that's hard to believe. I'm still trying to understand it."

"No, I get it." You nodded. "I mean, how else would you be so strong? Now, please, before you go, help me again." You smiled encouragingly as he gave you a fleeting look. "I know you can do it, Hercules. You're capable of controlling it, believe me. Just..." You paused, looming over the idea in your head. "Pretend that everything you touch is a butterfly. You have to be so incredibly gentle with it."

"And you really think that will work?"

You nodded your approval. "Of course. I know you're able to do it. If you weren't, then you wouldn't have handed me that frisbee so carefully last week."

The tips of his ears turned red and he nodded, dropping the bucket back into the well again, and very cautiously, he started to pull on the rope, bringing it up to the top and setting it on the edge with a bright smile. "I didn't realize I could do that."

"Do you still have to go then?"

"I'm afraid so." He gave you a warm smile. "Thank you for that, but I have to prove that I can go the distance, (Y/N)."

You raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I would go anywhere to find where I belong. I hope you can understand that." You blinked at him after a moment, staring, and he furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"I do understand." You smiled brightly. "And that's why I'm coming with you."

___________________________________

Almost a year later, you sat near the fire of your room, waiting for Hercules to return as you entertained yourself with a book, propped up on the lion rug he'd brought for you. You smiled as you flipped each page, the story of a boy and girl slowly falling in love gracing your brain, your lips parting as you slowly read the words to yourself, drinking it all in.

"I have the dinner requested by a Mr. Philoctetes?" You reluctantly shut your book as you stood up to speak to the man.

"Phil isn't here at the moment," you explained, setting your book on the mantle of the fireplace. "But I can—." You stopped as you came face to face with Perseus, seeing his hands full with the golden platter of food.

"(Y/N)?" He asked, his eyes looking you up and down from head to toe as he took in your new appearance. Your hair was finely done up in a long ponytail, having grown out, with many ribbons. Your body draped in a beautiful (F/C) toga. And you? You looked gorgeous as always, your beauty only amplified now that you no longer wore the burdens of hard work and dirt smudged into your face.

"You live with this, uh, Phil now?" He chuckled, setting the tray down on a nearby table and looking around the room. "You never did tell me where you were going, (Y/N). You just up and disappeared. Why?"

"I don't really live with Phil. He still has his own home," you responded to his earlier question. "And I don't see why I had to tell you, Percy." You used his nickname, crossing your arms over your chest defiantly, remembering the last time you'd spoken. "Hercules and I left, and that's not really your business."

He narrowed his eyes. "You know, I'd been wondering about this Hercules. At first, I'd been suspicious, thinking the new hero of Athens and all of Greece couldn't possibly be the same scrawny, clumsy idiot who'd lived in Thebes so long ago, but I soon figured out I was wrong." He chuckled.

"And I'd had reason to speculate about why you'd up and left at the same time that he had, but even when the rumors started about the beautiful girl at the side of the mighty Hercules, I'd shoved the thoughts aside."

You stepped back as he suddenly moved towards you, his voice becoming a low growl. "And yet, despite all of my hoping, here you are. Explain it to me, (Y/N)," he demanded, not stopping as he continued to press you further and further back until your legs hit the bed, causing you to fall back onto it. "How does the klutz from Thebes win all of this?"

You sat up, anger flowing through your veins, practically nose to nose with him, your eyes trained on his in disgust. "Because he has what you'll never have. He has kindness, and love."

"I have her." Perseus flinched, standing up straight and moving away from you at the sound of his voice.

"Speaking of the Devil," you teased, smiling brightly as Hercules walked towards the both of you. His skin had become more bronze from long days out in the sun, his arms and legs toned and muscular from intense workouts with Phil, but his eyes? They were the same beautiful blue you'd seen the first day you'd spoken to him.

"You don't deserve any of this," Perseus growled, attempting to stand tall and act tough.

Hercules merely smiled, seeing right through the act. "Maybe you're right, Percy. But I worked for all of this. It took determination and effort. The one thing I didn't have to work for is (Y/N). She's been by my side since the beginning, and no one could possibly begin to deserve her."

You pushed yourself up from the bed, turning your glare on Perseus. Maybe Hercules was too kind to say anything, but you wouldn't allow him to be bullied a moment longer.

"I do know this," you started. "I don't believe that I'm worth any of his affections." You shook your head as Hercules opened his mouth to object, but you held up your hand to silence him. "And if he means what he says, then may the Gods bless him a thousand times. Hercules is an honest man, I know that. And if he says that even he doesn't deserve me?" You smiled thinly, your teeth hiding behind your lips. "Then Perseus, I can guarantee that by the depths of Tartarus, you sure as Hell don't."

You both watched as Perseus opened his mouth to speak, and finally, having nothing to say, stormed out of the room, slamming the heavy door behind him.

You rushed into Hercules' arms, hugging him tightly, smiling as he gently returned the favor, having mastered the art of controlling his strength after so much time with you. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."

"Don't apologize." You shook your head, looking up at him, his arms drifting down to your waist. "You came at just the right moment." You paused, licking your lips and staring into his eyes for a moment, trying to decipher his feelings. "Did you really mean all of that? What you said back there."

"Every word, (Y/N)," he told you softly. He leaned in, taking your face carefully in his hands and pressing his lips so carefully to yours, his touch feather-light. When he pulled away, the tips of his ears were stained red with a blush, but he seemed confident.

You panted, your air coming in with ragged breaths. "Where are we off to next from here?" You asked, eyelids fluttering as you tried to remember everything from the moment before, having looked forward to that first kiss for so long. "Patras? Corinth?"

He chuckled, gaze dancing back and forth from your lips to your eyes. "I think I'm going to be taking a break for a little while, actually."

You furrowed your eyebrows, trying not to get too distracted with all his glancing. "Why?"

"Because I want some time with my butterfly," he said, almost a whisper in the still room, the only sound the crackle of the fireplace as you remembered your conversation at the well, feeling the fluttering in your stomach.

"What about finding that special place?" You asked, heart beating faster and faster as he slowly leaned in again. "Finding your home?"

He smiled warmly, the gap between your lips only centimeters away as he looked at you with hooded eyes. "Trust me, (Y/N). I already found where I belong."