TW: Memories of abuse, homophobia/ homophobic words

Virgil's POV

"Well if it isn't my future son-in-law!" Apollo called from the car he was leaning against. When Logan and Roman dragged me closer towards him, the god flipped up his pair of sunglasses. "Logan! How are ya man?"

I looked up from between my friends, squinting against the sunlight that seemed to burn into my skull, to see Logan wince and Roman look at him with barely contained laughter.

"Salutations, Apollo." Logan responded to the god, heaving my arm up higher around his shoulders. "May I ask why you're here?"

"My son's missing, Logan." The sun god answered casually as he ran a tanned hand through his golden hair. "If I can't search for him directly, I might as well help out who can."

"Future son-in-law?" I interrupted, my concussed ass not being able to stop itself. "Are you and Patton getting married?"

Logan groaned and Roman snickered. At this point the two demigods had managed to drag me down to the grass and closer to where the glowing car was parked.

Apollo smiled down at me, seemingly oblivious to how my face was bleeding from at least five cuts and my brain was probably slowly collapsing in on itself.

"That's the hope, my young demigod." He told me seriously.

I took my arms off from around my friends' shoulders and thrust them into the air.

"I call best man!" I shouted brightly. Apollo looked amused while Logan and Roman looked at each other, then back at me with confusion and alarm. Turns out that alarm was well needed as seconds later my head gave an overly painful throb and my vision went blurry. "Shit!"

I felt my legs shake and give out and my face pressed against the grass, along with hands on my shoulders trying to pull me up but I screwed my eyes shut like I could block out the pain.

"Well that's not good." Was the last thing I heard from Apollo's voice before I surrendered to the pain and fell into darkness.

*********

I was fourteen, but so very close to fifteen.

I was leaning against the wall of my bedroom with a math textbook open on the floor in front of me as I jotted down equations. I allowed myself a nod of approval as I flipped the page over. That was probably the most relaxed I had managed to be in months, but the spell was broken as I heard the front door open and close again, signalling the arrival of Sebastian.

I froze and hoped silently that he would ignore me and pass out on the couch like he's been accustomed to doing for a while, but to no avail.

"Boy!" I heard him yell in his rough voice. "Get your ass out here!"

Boy. I was used to that, in this house I didn't have a name. My foster siblings were little angels who could do no wrong, but I was just 'Boy'. Maybe if he called me by my name he'd have a harder time bashing my face in.

I sighed in defeat, knowing that I could meet him in the living room or I could stay here until he dragged me out by my hair. Luckily I was used to that since I had been trapped in that hellhole for nearly a decade, and I knew what to do. I stood up, lifted my mattress, and hid my finished homework under it so Sebastian wouldn't find it and shred it to pieces. Then I turned the doorknob of my bedroom door and slipped out.

He was standing a couple steps away from the front door, still in his coat. He wasted no time aiming a glare at me. I noticed that at his feet was a pile of broken ceramic like someone had smashed a vase or something.

"Come here." He commanded.

Knowing I didn't really have a choice, I went closer.

"What the hell is this?" Sebastian asked as he pointed down at the ceramic at his feet.

I stared at the wreckage, then back at him. Avoiding looking directly at those cold grey eyes.

"Looks like glass." I finally answered. "You do know what broken glass looks like right?"

"Don't get smart with me, boy." He growled. "I know you broke this so you better clean it the fuck up before I make you."

I definitely didn't break it. I had been in my room since I had gotten back from school hoping that the 'out of sight, out of mind' tactic would work. Obviously one of Sebastian's actual kids smashed whatever it was and knew that I'd get blamed for it. Again, I was used to this type of stuff and went to look for a broom.

"Okay, but I didn't break it." I couldn't stop myself from saying, but I continued get on my knees to sweep up the shards into the dustpan.

"What'd you just say?" Sebastian asked lowly, a warning that if I didn't shut up I'd regret it.

Obviously I didn't just shut the hell up like I should've.

"I'm just saying that I didn't break it." I shrugged as I tried to stay still under his eyes. "Because I didn't."

He was shockingly quiet for a second. Then he wasn't.

"Give that to me." He said as he reached down and ripped the full dustpan out of my hand, causing a couple shards to fall off the side.

I swallowed nervously, knowing that something was coming but I didn't know what. I slowly got to my feet as Sebastian plucked out four of the sharpest pieces and dropped the rest to the floor. My heart pounded loudly in my ears.

My foster father arranged the fragments so that the sharp ends stuck out of the gaps between his fingers. I had just enough time to think:

'Oh fuck'

Before he punched me hard in the face, pushing the glass far into my skin. I yelled in pain as I hit the ground and I could already feel the blood rushing down my cheeks. He wasn't done though, as he pinned me down with one knee on each side of me and hit me repeatedly.

Right, left, right, left, right, left.

I couldn't see anymore. I could only feel the explosions of pain as his knuckles contacted the sides of my face over and over again. I could only register parts of what he was yelling.

"Piece of shit... teach you to... in my own house!"

Finally, his attack ended. My vision was reduced to small slits in my eyes, whether they were swelling shut I didn't know. Maybe I just didn't have the strength to open them. I thought it was over, that's how it always worked. I mess up, he knocks me around for a couple minutes that felt like hours, then he walks away to get a beer and I stumble to my room to fix what I could do no one asks questions at school the next day.

But that's not what happened.

Instead, he hauled me up and slammed me roughly against the wall, holding me up with his hand around my neck.

"I learned something interesting today." He rumbled, his eyes taking on a predatory look. "I learned that there's a faggot living under my roof."

I forgot all my pain. My stomach dropped past my feet and into nothingness as my eyes widened in realization and fear. My heart hammered faster and faster and faster until I couldn't hear anything over the rushing of blood in my ears.

He knew I was gay.

"It's true isn't it?" Sebastian asked, but he wasn't really asking. He already knew. "You're a fucking queer?"

I stayed perfectly still, fear cracking through my veins like ice and my silence was answer enough. How did he find out? The only person I've told was Joan and there's no way in hell they would've told Sebastian.

Then his hand tightened around my throat. Tighter and tighter.

I gasped for breath, for any oxygen, but there wasn't any. There wasn't enough.

"Please," I managed to gasp out. "Please stop!"

My begging was silenced as he wrapped his other hand around my throat and tightened it even more. I couldn't even get a sliver of air in my lungs. I kicked my feet and flailed my arms as hard as I could in an attempt to get him to let go but of course it didn't work.

I knew Sebastian was homophobic but I didn't think it would be this bad when he found out that I was gay.

I was sure he was going to kill me. I was sure he was going to take that extra step he'd been leading up to for the past 9 years. I thought about Joan, how they wouldn't know what happened to me. I thought about my mom, who I was probably about to see again.

But my vision was fading into black, leaving only a pinprick for me to see anything out of. I felt my body go limp as Sebastian dropped me to the floor and I knew I had fallen right into the pile of glass. Sebastian was hitting me again, kicking me in the ribs and stomach, but I couldn't feel it. I couldn't move. My brain and body felt like it was dissolving into static.

I heard the chime of the clock signifying midnight.

'Happy birthday to me.' Was all I thought, before Sebastian's heavy hand slammed my head into the floorboards once more, and then there was nothing but the blackness.

*******

I felt a warm hand on my forehead and I jerked awake, jumping as far away from that hand as possible and throwing my hands up to defend myself.

"Woah, stand down soldier." I heard someone say. Wait, that wasn't Sebastian's voice.

My vision cleared and I saw that I was sitting in the back of a van of some sort with Roman and Logan sitting next to...someone. Apollo! That's who that was. Even though I knew who it was my chest was still rising and falling rapidly.

I blinked hard until my vision cleared and I remembered what actually happened. My back was pressed against the wall of the van and I saw Roman and Logan's eyes fill with concern and surprise. Roman had put his letterman jacket back on and had some green grass stuck in his hair.

I ran my hands over my face and neck. I could still feel the ghost of Sebastian's vice-like grip around my throat. I swallowed thickly.

"I..." I hesitated and caught my breath. I could feel my hair sticking to my forehead and the back of my neck with sweat. "I'm fine. What's going on?"

Obviously no one bought my lie, but they let it go. I also realized that I was in the presence of the literal Sun God so I sat up a little bit straighter.

"You had a severe concussion and two cracked ribs." Apollo answered me, his blue eyes remarkably similar to his son's. "Ambrosia could've taken care of most of it, but from what I've heard you've been using up most of your supply."

I felt my face redden and I crossed my arms across my chest.

"It's not my fault." I protested, eyeing how Roman was suppressing a smile. "Monsters always seem to go right for me."

"Well that, and the fact that you seem to have no self-preservation instincts." Logan observed.

I gave a little shrug.

Of course I had self-preservation instincts! Except for when I flew on the back of a gryphon to save Roman, and when I jumped straight at that Dracaena to help Joan, and when I dove in front of an enchanted campfire in the form of a serpent and-

Okay maybe Logan had a point.

"What happened to the cool looking car from before?" I asked to change the subject as I looked around the van we were sitting in. There were a row of seats in front of me that could fit probably three people but the driver and the passenger's seats were empty. "Where'd this van come from?"

"A little godly magic." Apollo winked. "My sun chariot can look like anything I want it to, so I like to keep it in sports car mode. But a van would probably be more useful right now."

"Now lie back down and let Apollo work his magic." Roman instructed. I stared at him stubbornly and he stared back, having a silent stand off. Eventually I gave in and begrudgingly resumed my spot lying on the van floor.

Logan shook his head in amusement as Roman looked way too proud of himself. I would've laughed if I had the energy.

"You two are pretty cute together." Apollo said casually as he splayed his fingers across my forehead again, a glimmering warmth emanating from them.

The noises Roman and I simultaneously made were somewhere between a strangled laugh, a choking noise and a painful squeak. Logan dropped his face into his hands as a massive facepalm, but I could tell the little prick was struggling to keep laughter away.

"What?" The sun god asked, looking confused. "What'd I say?"

I glanced up and saw that Roman's face had gone a bright red as he nervously ran his fingers through his chocolate locks.

Well that's new, I thought. Usually I'm the one with my face on fire.

"Virgil and Roman are, um," Logan started to explain. "Not together."

Roman cleared his throat awkwardly and my face twisted into a grimace.

"Oh. Really?" The blond god questioned as if he couldn't believe it. Logan nodded when he realized that neither I or Roman were planning on saying something. "Well you two could've fooled me, they way you have little conversations without speaking."

You seriously could've cut through the tension between Roman and I with a knife. His face looked like it was viciously sunburnt.

Did I wish we were together? Well obviously since the son of Aphrodite's stupid face wouldn't get out of my head at any waking moment. Roman had at least tried to make it pretty clear that he didn't feel the same way, but his actions really went against him. The way he had saved my life on multiple occasions without any hesitation, how he stayed with me all night when I locked myself in my cabin, how he stood by me even when the entire camp thought I was a monster.

That had to count for something...right?

Even if it didn't, something I knew for sure was that before that day, I had never seen Roman Garcia blush. And by the look of surprise and entertainment on Logan's face when he saw Roman's hue, he hadn't either. I took a bit of pride in that.

"You know you two really make me think of my son and Logan." Apollo continued obliviously. His hands were now shining their golden healing light over my injured ribs.

"Is that right?" I asked, knowing the direction this was going and barely holding back a grin. "How's that?"

"Well for one thing, you're both horrendously oblivious." The god threw out and Roman and I scoffed indigently. "It's true, everyone can see it but you."

Logan disguised his laugh as a cough but that didn't stop me from propping myself up on my elbows to give him a death glare. I took in a sharp burst of air as pain shot through my chest from the movement, but it was worth it.

"Of course, Logan was worse than the two of you combined." Apollo continued, a sly smile creeping onto his face as he pushed me back down. "You've met my son Patton, so you know that he couldn't hide his affections even if he wanted to. It look Logan over a year to realize that Patton liked him."

"Over a year?" I burst out, my voice laced with amusement. I looked over at the son of Athena. "And you call yourself observant."

"How was I supposed to know?" Logan mumbled, embarrassed. "I'm not a mind reader."

"You don't need to be a mind reader to know that when a guy gives you a bouquet of flowers he had nymphs grow, he probably likes you." Patton's dad responded.

Roman burst out in loud laughter and I followed close after. I would've been fully rolling on the floor if my ribs weren't still cracked. Logan wasn't blushing like Roman had been, but his pale skin had taken on a pink tint.

After we had come down from our laughter high and Apollo finished healing me, our mismatched group gathered around the back of the van where the doors were open. Roman and Logan were standing while I sat curled up against the van wall and Apollo sat on the edge of the van with his legs hanging over. I could see the wreckage of the ranger station behind my friends and felt a bit bad. If I had any money, I'd leave it in there as a way of apologizing.

"Where're you boys heading now?" Apollo asked.

"Miami." Roman answered. "We had, um, a little run in with Aletheia earlier and she told us that's where Patton is."

"Aletheia, huh?" The god considered. "I doubt she just flat out told you. Didn't she ask for anything in return?"

I stared at the grass and brought my knees closer to my chest, feeling Apollo's eyes on me. Aletheia's voice echoed in my head.

I find that matters of the heart are the most difficult to say aloud.

How many souls will be lost so you can keep your inner demons?

Tell them, or your best friend and the man you love will die!

"We had a bit of trouble, I'll admit." I heard Logan say as I steadied my breaths. "But then she informed us that Patton could be found beneath the state of Florida in Miami."

Apollo hummed in thought and I tore my eyes away from the dirt I was staring so intensely at.

"I've got to ask," I started, weighing my words carefully. "Why didn't you go find Patton? I mean, surely an Olympian god would be more useful in a cross-country recuse mission than three teenagers?"

Logan and Roman both sent me 'shut the hell up' glares, but Apollo didn't look upset by the question. He just sighed and glanced up at the blue sky.

"I wish I could, really. I even asked Zeus if I could, and he said no." He answered. "Gods are forbidden from interfering in these types of affairs the way I wanted to. We can help, like Aletheia and Aphrodite, but we can't conduct a quest for Patton ourselves."

His downcast expression brightened (no pun intended) as he looked up at me, Roman and Logan.

"So I did the next best thing." He said proudly. "I sent my oracle to issue a quest to my son's best friends. Obviously the leader of the quest would be Virgil since he's Hades' son but you two were a shoo in. The first person Patton is going to want to see is Logan and Roman, well, there's reasons."

"Hold on-" I attempted, bewildered at Apollo's cryptic end to his story. What reasons?

"So now is my time to help!" Apollo stood and clapped to emphasize his point. "I figured you'd need transportation somewhere, and North Carolina to Miami is like-"

"11 hours and 30 minutes by car," Logan interjected as he pushed up his glasses. "Give or take."

"Exactly. So you can either take public transit for 11 and a half hours with the risk of getting attacked at any second," Apollo continued. "Or you can accept my offer and get to Miami in a matter of minutes."

"Offer?" Roman asked, a growing but wary excitement rising in his eyes. "You don't mean..?"

"I sure do, Mr Garcia." Apollo finished with a blindingly white smile. "I'm offering you a ride in the Sun Chariot."

Logan, Roman and I looked at each other, giving our answers silently to each other.

Logan wasn't looking forward to it but he wanted to accept, Roman was practically exploding with excitement, and I just really didn't want to take another bus.

So I turned to Apollo.

"Miami," I said. "Here we come."

All comments are read and appreciated <3

Guess who's back, back again. Update schedule? Idk her.

I'll keep this A/N short but I just wanted to say sorry for the wait and happy 2020 and I love all of you.

(Also this chapter was kinda bad and sorta filler but yeah)

Okay bye :)

Fun Fact: Roman can speak fluently in all languages of love. This means French, Spanish, Italian, etc.

Hope you enjoyed :)