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Chapter Text

Title: Chasing Origins: Sam's Story – The Heart of War

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

Disclaimer : All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, family, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, abuse, rape (mentioned), hetero

Main Pairing : Trend/Derek/Sam

Side Pairings : Leroy/Sam, Erik/Sam, Jonas/Sam, Chuck/Sam, Trend/Others, Trend/Derek, Sander/Derek, Sander/Jonas, Sander/Stella, Vic/Derek, Erik/Derek, Jonas/Derek, Marshall/Sara, Herc/Thea, Loki/Blance, Liam/Malene, Nico/Percy, Chris/Clarisse, Ares/Aphrodite

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Malcolm Cage, Will Solace, Jason Grace

Godly Characters: Ares, Aphrodite, Chiron

Own Pegasi : Trickster (Sander), Fighter (Sam), Rush

Own Characters : Samuel Elijah James Raser III (Ares), Trend Ignatius Austin (Athena), Charles Smith (Athena), Marshall Mikaelson (Enyo), Erik Anderson (Enyo), Jonas Meyer (Enyalios), Derek Rhys (Demeter) , Rainbow Jordan (Iris), Melissa Montgomery (Dionysus), Victor Kruger (Hephaestus), Stella Ribeiro (Aphrodite), Takara Phenia Thompson (Trivia), Loki Murdock (Mercury), Blance Lamour (Chione), Sara Mers (Mars), Joanna Foxx (Vulcan)

Sam's Family : Samuel Elijah James Raser II, Jolene Raser, Liam O'Riley, Malene O'Riley, Selene O'Riley, Lene O'Riley, Leah O'Riley, Lara O'Riley

Own Characters of the Next Generation :

Nicercy : Bianca Maria 'Bia' di Angelo, Hades Poseidon 'Donny' di Angelo

Chrisse : Calandra 'Cally' Rodriguez, Chrysander 'Sander' Rodriguez, Charisma 'Carry' Rodriguez

Pipabeth : Theadora Tiphane 'Thea' Chase

Matie : Amarilla 'Amy' Cage

Jayna : Hercules 'Herc' Grace

Frazeleo : Nicole Esperanza 'Nico' Zhang

Summary: This is Sam's story, his origins leading up to 'Chasing Fireflies'. The first time his mom told him that he was a son of Ares, how he moved to New Athens and met his biggest hero, Percy di Angelo. His relationship with Leroy and those that followed. How the scrawny boy turned into the biggest hero of their generation. His first quest with Sander and how he got the Heart of War from Aphrodite. How he first met his pegasus Fighter and how the four Sons of War became friends.

Chasing Origins: Sam's Story

The Heart of War

First Partition: The Early Years

/29^th July 2015 – Dublin, Ireland\

Jolene Raser could not be prouder as she laid in the hospital bed, holding a small bundle of giggling and babbling perfection in her arms. The young woman with the long, dark curls and the deep, green eyes stared fondly at her son, caressing his cheek tenderly.

“So, sis, what are you going to name him?”, asked her sister curiously.

Turning away from the baby, Jolene look up at her eager mirror-image of a sister. Malene was reaching out to tickle her new nephew's stomach, the baby giggling delighted at that and trying to grab her fingers, though failing miserably. Malene's own daughter was leaning against the bed, staring at the baby in awe. The young girl had never seen anything that small, it was amazing.

“What's its name?”, asked the child wide-eyed.

“This is your new cousin. He's not an 'it', Selene”, corrected Malene fondly, ruffling her daughter's hair. “But yes, sister. Do tell. You're making such a secret of his father, at least introduce my nephew to me if you're not going to introduce the jerk who's left you with a baby.”

“This is Sammy”, smiled Jolene, holding the baby up some. “Samuel Elijah James Raser the Third.”

“Awfully fancy”, commented Malene and rolled her eyes. “You're really going to name the boy after our father? I can already hear dad crying tears of manly pride and such.”

The sisters shared a laugh as little Sammy cocked his head curiously in a way as though he was judging his name. The giggle that followed was deemed as agreement by the two women.

“You are going to be great and strong one day, Sammy”, whispered Jolene and kissed his nose.

“Don't pressure my nephew!”, chided Malene and butted in. “It's totally alright if you'd rather dance ballet instead of fighting, you hear me? If mommy gives you a hard time, come to auntie Maley.”

Sam babbled some and reached out with his hand for her as though he wanted to tell her that it was alright and that he would do that. Or at least the overly emotional females in the room interpreted the baby's curious actions as that. Selene was not impressed. The baby had done like nothing yet. Hopefully he would grow more interesting once he was older.

/Autumn 2019 – San Diego, California, USA\

He did not grow more interesting. Selene heaved a sigh as she poked the boy's cheek. The nine-years old girl wanted to explore, to have adventures. Instead, she was stuck being 'responsible' and watching out for Sam. But Sam was boring. He spend all his time drawing stupid stuff that no one could really tell apart anyway. And still he got praised for it. She poked his cheek again.

“Stop that!”, whined Sam, swatting her hand away. “Auntie Maley! Sel is being mean again!”

Turning wide, teary eyes toward the door, Sam waited for his aunt to appear. But auntie Maley was very stressed these days, because of the new baby. Giving the boy a strained smile, Malene shifted her baby daughter in her arms before turning serious eyes onto her oldest daughter.

“Selene. What did I tell you? Be nice to your cousin. He's staying with us until his mom returns”, said Malene sternly before sighing again. “Liam? Liam, love. Can you watch over Selene and Samuel? They're fighting again. I just wanted to bring Lene to bed.”

A man appeared behind the brunette, exhausted woman. Dark hair, shining, bright eyes and a kind smile as he leaned down to kiss his wife and pet the baby's hair. Baby Lene giggled happily.

“You know, maybe we should consider returning to Dublin?”, suggested Liam softly as he walked past his wife and toward Selene and Sam, sitting down with the children. “I mean, I can see how much it strains you. The children. Especially with us being stuck babysitting Sam all the time for your sister. I do have a job offer and... you know my family is living in Dublin. Imagine just handing Selene over to her grandparents whenever you want a moment to yourself.”

Selene's eyes widened in anticipation. She had only met her grandparents a couple of times, mostly on Christmas. This sounded exciting! Sam next to her whined at the prospect of them moving away. Chuckling at the children's reactions, Liam leaned over and grabbed Sam to sit him down on his lap, looking interested at the boy's drawings to distract him from the adult-conversation.

“What are you drawing there, kiddo?”, asked Liam curiously.

“Is a dragon!”, declared Sam proudly, pointing at the red blob. “See?”

“Oh, of course it is”, nodded Liam seriously. “And what a beauty! My, how do you always come up with such wild beasts and monsters? You sure have a lot of fantasy, kiddo.”

“Is not fantasy”, corrected Sam and wiggled his nose. “Is real. I saw it yesterday at the shopping center! It was flying above and growling really loud and breathing fire!”

Malene stared worried at the boy. Ever since he could speak, he was constantly babbling crazy nonsense about monsters and dragons. At first, he had even scared Selene with it, but by now the girl had grown accustomed to it. Still, Malene worried. Looking at the baby in her arms, she wondered what kind of influence Sam would be on little Lene. The boy was so sure that all his fantastic tales were true. She didn't exactly want to call him crazy, because he was only four years old and his fantasy was most likely just running wild, but it was just too much excitement and she didn't want this kind of stuff to influence her own children.

“Maybe you're right, Liam”, whispered Malene softly. “Maybe it's time to get some... distance.”

/Spring 2021 – Raser Mansion, near Stonehenge, England\

Six-years old Sam stared in awe, his yaw hanging open widely as he turned around over and over again. This was no house, this was a castle! Like, for a proper king! There were even armors from knights standing in the hall-way, guarding it. This place was like out of a dream!

“You like it, Sammy?”, asked his mother fondly.

Jolene was on her knees to be on eye-level with her son. Sam was still completely in awe as he turned to stare at his mother, nodding his head so fast that she feared it would fall off.

“I'd hope so, young man. No Raser ever claimed these holy halls to be unfit.”

“Grandpa!”, exclaimed Sam so loudly, his voice echoed from the walls, startling him.

The elderly man laughed good-natured at the child's enthusiasm. Sam ran over to his namesake and threw himself at his grandfather. The senior wrapped his arms around the boy and lifted him up.

“So, I heard you're going to stay with me for a while, kiddo? Are you excited to see more of England?”, asked Samuel Senior, his eyes however trained on his daughter.

Jolene averted her eyes in guilt. She didn't like doing this, but Sam kept attracting more monsters the older he grew and leaving him in the care of a mortal neighbor was just too dangerous. Still, she had a job. She was a marine, she couldn't abandon the call of her duty. So she would have to leave Sam with someone she could trust, someone who could see through the mist. Not that her father knew of the gods – he was too catholic to live through that revelation, no, it was better for him to believe the monsters were demons. Walking over to her father and her son, she pecked her baby boy's cheek, which made Sam giggle. The young child wrapped his arms around her neck.

“I'll miss you, ma”, whispered Sam, hugging her tightly. “Be safe, please. I promise I'll behave.”

And he did, much to Samuel Senior's joy. Out of all his grandchildren, Sam was the only boy and he had high expectations in him. The heir of an old and important family, to carry their name and legacy. Not the only legacy Sam was carrying, even though his grandfather was unaware of that.

/Summer 2022 – Dublin, Ireland\

Things just kept changing and Sam did not, not, not at all like it. In fact, he pretty much hated it. As far as a nearly-seven-years old kid could hate anything, that is. First, auntie Maley and uncle Liam moved back to Ireland so he had to stay with the neighbors whenever his ma wasn't there – and he didn't like the neighbors, because he didn't know them and anytime his ma's job required for them to move, it were new neighbors. Then he got to stay with grandpa in the castle, which was just plain awesome, but still a change and kind of weird for him. But now? Now grandpa is 'too old' to live in the big house all on his own so he followed his daughter back to their family's home, the place he had been born, his daughters had been born and at least four of his five grandchildren had been born. Dublin. Which meant for Sam that he had to adjust to another new place to be. Which bothered the boy extremely. He couldn't adjust to a school, had no real chance at finding friends because they constantly kept moving. But living with grandpa was cool and he got to see uncle Liam again, so that was fine too, because he liked uncle Liam. Uncle Liam was always nice to him. Auntie Maley though, she kept looking at him strange, as though he was something bad. Was he something bad? He wasn't sure. And then there was Sel, but now she was even meaner than she used to be and she sometimes made him wear her dresses, which was so not okay. And Lene was bigger now and she didn't even recognize her. With Lene and the new twins – he had never ever met them before, but they were only babbling babies anyway – auntie Maley was way too busy and she always told grandpa that he was too old to have to watch over an active boy like him. She never said anything about grandpa being too old to watch over Sel though. Or the three tods.

“Take him with you”, ordered auntie Maley one day with a stern glare at her husband. “I honestly don't care what you do, some male-bonding stuff, but get the boy out of the house. He keeps getting into trouble and yesterday on the playground, Lene nearly got hurt because of his ridiculous ideas!”

It wasn't ridiculous. The birdie had breathed fire and if Sam wouldn't have pushed Lene out of the way, she would surely have caught fire too! Why hadn't auntie Maley seen it? But before he could voice any of these thoughts, he could feel his uncle's grip on him, easily lifting him up. Blinking a couple of times, he looked into the mischievous eyes of uncle Liam.

“What do you say, kiddo? We ditch grandpa and the women and do some 'male bonding'?”

Uncle Liam was his favorite, favorite, favorite person on the planet, after his ma of course. So duh. His face brightened with a broad smile and he nodded enthusiastic. He had no idea what male bonding was even supposed to mean, but he got that it meant he wouldn't have Sel harass him or auntie Maley blame him for the monsters she couldn't see. And the babies were boring anyway.

/Summer 2022 – Ballina, Ireland\

Sam was nervous and antsy and all kinds of odd feelings that made his stomach flutter in that giggly way. Uncle Liam and him had taken the bus to Ballina, some place he had never been and Sam wondered if they were doing their 'male bonding'-thingy in this city?

“No, we're not, kiddo”, chuckled uncle Liam and shook his head, taking Sam's hand.

“So... Why are we here?”, asked the brunette boy confused.

Uncle Liam stopped and went down onto his knees in front of Sam, his hands on the boy's shoulders. Sam cocked his head as he saw the secrecy in his uncle's eyes. He remembered it from when uncle Liam had broken auntie Maley's favorite vase while playing soccer with him in the living room. Uncle Liam gave him one of those secretive smiles like when he made Sam promise not to tell auntie Maley that her favorite vase died a horrible death and then he leaned in some.

“We're going somewhere else”, whispered uncle Liam, paying close attention to the pedestrians around them and that no one could hear him. “Somewhere where it'll only be you and me. And then we'll do something really fun. I'll show you something you'll never forget. But you'll have to promise not to tell it anyone. Especially not your auntie and your ma. Promise me, kiddo?”

And uncle Liam is ruffling Sam's hair, one corner of his mouth turned up in a kind of giddy way that he had never seen on his uncle, but Sam really liked it when he got his hair ruffled, so he nodded. Besides, it was uncle Liam. He wouldn't make Sam promise if this was something bad, right? Uncle Liam lifted him back up into his arms again and Sam clung to the adult's neck.

“Why won't you tell me what it is?”, asked Sam softly.

“Because it's a surprise and you don't want to ruin the surprise, right?”, chuckled uncle Liam.

They walked for a long, long time. So long that even Sam realized that no, there was really no one around here. Which made him question even more where they were going and why. What kind of surprise could wait in the middle of no where? And okay, they were following a stream and uncle Liam had brought a tent, he knew that. So were they going camping? Maybe fishing? Back when he had lived in Washington for a week or two or so he had heard a boy say something about fishing with his dad. Was that male bonding then? Because how should Sam know? He never had a dad.

“Uncle Liam?”, whispered Sam softly, yawning tired. “Are we there yet? I'm sleepy.”

“Soon, kiddo”, answered his uncle a little amused, shifting the boy in his arms. “Soon...”

Somewhere along those lines, Sam must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he remembered was waking up next to a camp fire. His uncle was kneeling in front of it, poking it with a stick.

“Is this the surprise?”, asked Sam, rubbing his eyes and crawling over to his uncle.

“What?”, asked Liam in return, slightly confused.

“Dunno”, shrugged the boy, even more confused. “What is the surprise?”

“Come here, then I'll show you”, prompted his uncle and took his hand again.

He led Sam away from their camp side, covering Sam's eyes with his hands. The young child was unsure where they were going or why, but he was more than eager. His uncle stopped and crouched down behind him, pulling Sam onto his lap. The hands slid from Sam's eyes and around his waist to keep him in place. Biting his lips, Sam slowly opened his eyes.

“Don't freak out. Don't scream. Stay calm, Samuel”, whispered Liam into his ear.

A surprised and breathless yelp escaped Sam's throat as he stared wide-eyed. “W—What...”

Liam smiled as he rested his head on Sam's shoulder, following the boy's line of sight. “They're called pegasi. Winged horses. I named the gray one Rush and the brown one Fighter.”

Sam cocked his head in amazement. He loved, loved, loved horses. And right in front of him, at the coast of the stream, stood two beautiful, winged horses. One was dark gray and broader, the other an elegant, chestnut-colored mare. He had once before seen a winged horse fly through New York, a pretty black one, but it wasn't close enough. Sam tried to shrug his uncle off.

“No, Samuel”, chided Liam in a soft voice. “They're very shy. You'll chase them away. Stay.”

“No!”, objected Sam and shook his head wildly. “I want to pet her head! She looks nice!”

“She?”, asked Liam a little confused.

“Fighter”, nodded Sam and sneaked out from his uncle's arms. “She's a pretty lady!”

Liam had no chance to hold Sam back as the boy ran over to the pegasi. Much to the adult's surprise, the two pegasi didn't fly away as the wide-eyed child approached him. Shaking his head in amazement, Liam watched how Fighter – the mare, he had not even noticed that the brown one was a mare – pushed her head against Sam's, making the boy giggle in delight. A fond smile spread over Liam's lips. Sam had always loved horses, Liam had known Sam would love to meet a pegasus.

“Do you know why you can see them?”, asked Liam softly as he dared to step up to his nephew.

“See what?”, asked Sam confused, caressing Fighter's mane and clinging to her neck.

“The monsters. The dragons. The pegasi”, whispered Liam. “Did your mom explain it?”

“No”, mumbled Sam and shook his head. “Ma says it's because I'm special, but others can't see them like I can, so I'm not allowed to talk about them anymore. Why can you see them?”

Liam paused for a moment and frowned. Sam was a demigod, that much was for sure, but it seemed Jolene hadn't told the boy the truth. It was not up to Liam to tell the boy anything. And how was he supposed to explain it? Sadness clouded his bright eyes as he shook his head. Once Sam would be claimed, once the boy would join camp – either camp – Liam would never be allowed to see him again. Traitors were not allowed to have contact with campers. Liam wasn't proud of the side he had joined during the Titan War, but he had followed his big brother and if asked now, he would do it again. Sometimes he wondered if Alabaster was still around, if he was alright.

“Because I'm special like you”, answered Liam after a small pause, wrapping his arms around his nephew. “I promise you that it's alright. That you can see them. Everything will be alright once you're older and once you understand. Now... What do you say? Up for a flight?”

For now, Sam wasn't claimed. For now, Sam was still that wide-eyed, adorable little nephew of his and Liam would be damned if he wouldn't use the little time he still had with the boy. He would teach Sam everything he could, for as long as he could. Forest-green eyes sparkled so brightly that Liam had to smile amused. Lifting the boy up, he placed him on Fighter's back.

“And that's what we'll do?”, asked Sam eagerly, clinging to Fighter's neck. “This is bonding?”

“Yeah, this is our bonding”, grinned the adult amused and climbed onto Rush's back. “I'll teach you about the beasts and how to fly a pegasus. Good bonding-time, kiddo?”

“The bestest!”, exclaimed the excited child.

/Autumn 2023 – Dublin, Ireland\

Eleven years old Selene was holding the hand of her three-years younger cousin Sam. The brunette boy was pulling her along and urgh, was he embarrassing. He was such a little brat. But mom and dad had insisted on her taking him out for ice-cream. Dad especially. Sometimes, she felt as though he loved Sam more than her. Maybe because he was a boy? Dad always said it was because of something they shared. Must be the boy-thing. How bothersome.

“Se~el, don't be so slow!”, whined Sam annoyed, tugging on her head.

It would be so much easier to be annoyed and dislike the brat if he wasn't so impossibly adorable.

That was the last thing Selene remembered about that day and if you'd ask Sam, she should be glad about it. While aunt Maley fussed over Selene, uncle Liam and Sam were in the other room.

“What did you see, Samuel?”, asked Liam urgently while putting a band-aid on his forehead.

“Sel wanted to buy me an ice, but the ladies in the truck were funny”, mumbled Sam. “They didn't have legs, more like two snake tails and they wanted to eat me. Ouch.”

“Sorry, kiddo. That's going to burn”, smiled Liam a little strained.

He hated to admit it, but his wife was right, after all. As much as he loved Sam, but the demigod was putting Liam's very mortal children into danger. Sam was eight years now, the older he grew, the stronger his blood grew. Whoever Sam's father was, it was a strong god. It was time to talk to Jolene Raser about Camp Half-Blood. For the safety of all of their family.

/Autumn 2024 – Los Angeles, California, USA\

Jolene was relieved to be back on friendly land. Los Angeles wasn't her home, not even close to it, but the US were a territory she knew and she finally got to be with her son again. Sam was sitting in the living room, happily chatting away with his cousin Selene. Frowning slightly, Jolene turned toward her brother-in-law. Liam had dropped by, with Selene. Los Angeles was not exactly the closest place to Dublin, so she had the suspicion that something was going on.

“What is it?”, asked Jolene after another moment of awkward silence.

“Tell me about Sam's father”, prompted Liam, staring out of the window and at the beach. “Poseidon, maybe? He has an affliction to horses that I have never seen in such extends before.”

“W—What...?”, asked Jolene, her voice thin with surprise.

No one was supposed to know. Sam's father was her secret, hers to keep and to protect. And how did Liam know about the gods anyway? How could the nice man her sister had married years ago be talking so casually about the Greek gods? She stared fearfully.

“No. If he were a child of one of the Big Three, he would have long since been claimed”, murmured Liam thoughtful, shaking his head. “Hermes? He loves traveling, after all. Tell me, Jolene.”

“A—Ares...”, whispered Jolene, her voice barely audible even in the silence of the kitchen.

“Of course. A soldier of such beauty as yours”, chuckled Liam, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Though Sam is nothing like any child of Ares I have ever met. Hah. A son of Ares.”

“How do you know...? What are you? Are you one of them?”, asked Jolene urgently.

“A demigod?”, grinned Liam amused. “Yes. A son of Hecate. I've used my magic as best as I could to protect Sam as long as we were close to him. But son of Ares explains some. The boiling blood of war is nearly as attractive to monsters as that of the Big Three. Monsters love eating heroes and aside from the Big Three, the god of war brings forth the ones with most hero-potential. Sam is growing too strong in scent and temptation for monsters. He's a danger. To himself, to you and to everyone around him. I... hate saying this, but you need to send him away. Send him to safety.”

“Why do you hate saying it?”, wanted Jolene to know, staring in confusion.

“Because...”, started Liam, dropping the playfulness and looking at her oddly serious and sad. “Once he is claimed, I can't see him anymore. Let's just say I had a... fallout with the gods. I'm not allowed contact to campers. Once he joins the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood, I will never be allowed to see him again. Not sure how to explain that on family gatherings, but... I love the kid, I want to know him safe. He'll be safe there, even if I can never see him again.”

Jolene stared at him for long, silent minutes. She had no idea what Liam was talking about, but she hated the idea of Sam leaving her. When she had first discovered her pregnancy, Ares had revealed himself and told her that once he'd claim the boy, Sam would have to join some kind of city full of other kids like him where he would be safe, but Jolene could never enter it. Could not live with him, not raise him, not be with him. But he was her son, her only child. She couldn't give him up.

“No, Liam”, whispered Jolene and shook her head. “You don't understand. He's... all I have.”

“And you risk losing him”, warned Liam and cocked one eyebrow. “I've lost so man siblings and comrades to... No, no, this takes too long. This is not your history to know. What matters is that I know how dangerous the life of a demigod is. A demigod who has no idea about his legacy though? He's a danger to himself, Jolene. Please, see in how much danger he is by simply breathing.”

“But he's my baby boy”, protested Jolene, tears prickling in her eyes. “You want me to let my nine years old baby boy live on his own. H—How can I... abandon him like that?”

“Jol”, whispered Liam tenderly, resting one hand on her shoulder, urging her to look into his eyes. “This is not about you abandoning him. He can come and see you whenever you two want. Or, well, have time. Look, you are living a life unfit for a child. He's constantly moving, he can't really find a place to fit in. Think back, when was the last time he brought home any friends?”

“I...”, started Jolene with a thoughtful frown. “I don't know...”

“Sam is a great kid”, reassured Liam softly. “But he stopped seeing the point of making friends, because he would have to move soon anyway. Sending him to Chiron and to this safe haven will not even keep him out of harm's way, it will give him a permanent home. The chance to make friends, get a regular schedule, a place to repeatedly return to.”

Liam cringed inwardly. If asked ten years ago, he would have laughed into anybody's face who would suggest that Liam would be making arguments for Camp Half-Blood. Still, regardless of his past, he knew this was the only place where his nephew could be safe. And nothing was more important than the safety of his family, not after all the family he had lost. A flash of freckles and dark green eyes, sparkling with mirth passed through his mind and once again, he found himself once again questioning what may have become of Alabaster and if he ever found the same kind of happiness as Liam, a home and a family and love. Shaking his head, Liam tried to focus on the presence. The family. The still short of crying sister-in-law of his.

“Jolene, I know you're not ready to let him go yet, but sooner or later, you will be forced to let him go. One day, my words will come back at you and haunt you, because he got hurt and you will regret it”, murmured Liam urgently, letting go of her shoulder. “Heed my words, mortal.”

With that said, he turned around, leaving her to her thoughts and checking in on the kids. Selene and Samuel had a tendency of quarreling worse than any siblings he had ever seen, which was ironic, because Selene got a long perfectly well with her own younger siblings. They cared for each other.

Chapter Text

Second Partition: The First Year

/Spring 2025 – New Athens, New York, USA\

Fighter gave a whine and nudged Sam's shoulder. The nine-years old boy flinched slightly. He had dislodged his shoulder two days ago during an attack by some very weird beast-thing with way too many heads. His mom hadn't stopped fussing over him, crying loudly. Mostly mumbling about how sorry she was and how much she regretted that uncle Liam was right. The conversation got more confusing afterward. Greek gods, his suddenly not so dead father and oh, he had to move out. His mom helped him pack and kept talking about how good he would fit in in that new place. Even though Sam tried very hard to be angry at his ma, he just couldn't. Because that was his ma and his ma would never do anything to harm him or to upset him.

“So, Fighter, this is the place we're going to liv in from now on”, grunted Sam with a glare.

He had his backpack shouldered, his fingers running through Fighter's mane. Even after his summer of bonding with uncle Liam, Fighter never truly left him. She followed him, checked on him. In a way, she was the only friend he had. The duo looked around the intimidatingly amazing city. Everything was just that edge old-fashioned. Not last-century old-fashioned, but ancient Greece old-fashioned. Which was amazing, but also kind of confusing. And Sam had no idea what would come next. Where was he supposed to go? Would he stay in a foster home? With foster parents?

“Mh. New kid, arriving on his own? That's rare”, commented a dark, amused voice.

Sam whirled around to face a tall Italian man. “Uh, hello, sir. I'm Samuel Raser and I guess I'm a son of Ares. My... ma send me here. She said I'd be safe here?”

“Hello, son of Ares”, smiled the man amused, shaking his head. “I'm Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. I'm the head of... mh, that is getting too complex now. Let's say I'm an authority figure around here and I will take care of you. Get you settled. Come with me, we'll assign you an apartment.”

“But my friend-”, started Sam with a frown, pointing at Fighter.

“Friend? Interesting”, asked Nico curiously. “Well, the pegasus can feel free to explore the city. The stables are close by and free for every horse-born being to stay at. Now come, boy.”

A strong hand clasped down on his shoulder and the adult steered Sam toward a building. Truth be told, the following hour or so was a total blur to Sam. Too much input. Nico di Angelo kept talking about the gods and myths and laws as though it was completely normal – just like his ma had. There were many documents that needed his signature and many questions he had to answer, mostly about his family and how far he was capable of fighting or the likes. Two hours later and with a stack of papers concerning certain laws and guidance lines he'd have to obey if he wanted to stay here and under the protection of the DPS (he hadn't even bothered asking what that was or what it did, it was probably in one of the memos anyway), he found himself alone again. Somehow, he was relieved to get a moment to himself. He stood in a tiny apartment, the kitchen counter to his right and a door to a small bathroom to his left while he was already in the middle of what was the only room of the apartment. Even if he'd include the size of the bathroom, this whole apartment was still smaller than his room back at home in England. At home in Dublin, he had a closet bigger than that bathroom. And how was he supposed to cook in this small not-kitchen? Heaving a sigh, he dumped his backpack on the kitchen counter and collapsed face-first on the bed. The only furniture aside from the fridge, hearth and stove in the kitchen and the table. The bed was small and uncomfortable. He was aware that he was being a spoiled brat at the moment and he sure as anything had already lived under worse conditions. But that had been small 'Don't worry, Sammy, we'll only stay here for a month or so'-assignments from his ma. This here, this was supposed to be his home. As in, he was stuck here until he was eighteen. Which was still nine years away. So he had a right to criticize.

“At least Fighter can stay here too...”, mumbled Sam and rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. “I hope she's alright. If... she's really going to stay with me...? Rush is waiting for her...”

Fighter occasionally came to check in on Sam, but she never came to stay. She had her mate in Ireland, she would always return to him. The feeling of being completely abandoned gripped on Sam's heart tightly. If she would leave, he would have no one. Ma had said she couldn't visit this place. And uncle Liam wasn't returning his calls. He was alone.

/break\

Gulping hard, Sam shouldered his backpack. This time, it wasn't filled with all his belongings, but with a set of school books he had been handed by Mister di Angelo. And he also wasn't standing uselessly around in the middle of the city, instead he was standing in a hall in the Athena Academy. And wasn't it just high and mighty to have the local complex of schools be called Athena Academy, in a city called New Athens? That goddess really had a too big head on her shoulders. Sam may not know her, but he didn't like self-centered people and it didn't get much more self-centered.

“Time to make new friends”, muttered Sam flatly as he knocked on the door.

“Yes? Come in”, called a voice from the other side of the door.

School. He had just learned that Greek gods were real, that his dad was the freaking god of war, but they expected him to just go to school? It was so ridiculous, it nearly hurt. Opening the door, he slid inside and took a shy look around. There were so many curious eyes on him, making him shudder. Three pretty girls in the first row were already whispering and giggling. One was a little rough, with a red bandana on and a nasty grin as though she was planning on how to humiliate him best – that one was practically screaming 'bully'. Another was really pretty, with long, black curls and pitch-black eyes and olive-skin. She bore a familiar resemblance to Mister di Angelo, come to think of it. And the third was a tomboyish native AmErikan. He didn't like gossipy girls. Wiggling his nose, Sam stepped up to the teacher – a tall, blonde and friendly looking man.

“You must be Samuel, yes?”, smiled the teacher, urging him to enter. “I'm Mister Cage, son of Athena. But you can call me Malcolm, most of my students do. Why don't you say a thing or two about yourself? Introduce yourself to your new classmates.”

“Hi, I'm Sam Raser, I guess I'm a son of Ares. And I hate being here”, grunted Sam stubbornly.

“Well, that was cheery”, noted Malcolm with one raised eyebrow. “Take a seat.”

Sam took a nearly frantic look around, trying to find an empty spot. His eyes caught storm-gray ones as he saw the two boys on the window side of the front road. One was a really bulky and tall dark-skinned boy, making Sam question if that kid was really only nine. But the other was the one who had caught his attention. A scrawny blonde with glasses, staring at Sam so intensely, it made the son of Ares uncomfortable. Shifting some, he looked for another seat. There was a brunette boy whose hair was pointing up in a cool way. The boy grinned at him and waved. Returning the grin, Sam walked over to the last row and sat down on the empty chair next to him.

“Sander Rodriguez, nice to meet you”, grinned the boy, holding his hand out.

“Sam”, replied the son of Ares, shaking the offered hand, but still feeling the intense gray eyes on his neck. “Say, what's up with blondie? Is he always such a creep...?”

“That's Trend. He's new too, only moved here a week ago”, laughed Sander amused. “I guess he's still trying to wrap his head around the whole gods-are-real thing. Don't worry about it.”

Five rows in the front sat Trend, his eyes still fixed on Sam, head cocked curiously. The boy with the wavy, shoulder-long brown hair was thin and lanky, but his skin was like bronze and his eyes were the most amazing things Trend had ever seen. They were dark green, for boring people. But to Trend, it was like looking straight into a jungle or forest, a hundred shades of green, matching in such a soft yet dark tone, boring into his own inquisitively. The boy was easily the most beautiful thing Trend had ever seen. Pushing his glasses up, Trend kept staring until his best friend elbowed him. Grunting at the brute force, he turned toward the dark-skinned, amused boy.

“Dude, can you be any more obvious?”, chuckled the other boy teasingly.

“Shut up, Marshall”, muttered the son of Athena annoyed. “I'm just curious. He's the first kid of Ares I've ever seen. Ares is the god of war, right? Shouldn't he be bulky and strong like you?”

Sam was a good, strong name. Fit for a son of the god of war. But this kid didn't look like a son of war, he looked too cute for that. He looked more like a Sammy than a Sam.

“He's a kid”, shrugged Marshall bored. “Still got time to fill out, I guess.”

/break\

Rubbing the red paint off his cheek, Sam took a satisfied look around. He had painted the walls, had gotten himself a high shelf to part the room so he got some more privacy in his tiny little bedroom. It started to look more like him and less like just some place where he had to crash. He still hated it though. School too. The three strange girls kept whispering and gossiping. The blonde weirdo kept staring at him. The others mostly steered clear off him because of his dad. And how messed-up was that? He didn't even know his father. But Ares had quite the reputation, most were afraid of the children of Ares. Not that he minded. No one bothered him, no one bullied him. He could just keep ignoring the world. To him, this was just the routine of another school with another set of kids he didn't need or want to befriend. Besides, the school year was nearly over anyway, so who cared?

/Summer 2025 – Camp Half-Blood\

So, school had been horrible for the past month, but this right now? This was worse. So much worse. He was seriously forced to attend a summer camp. The whole concept of this sounded weird to him, but Mister di Angelo had told him it was important for his education. Which, hello, was even more weird. Wasn't school supposed to be for his education?

“Samuel Raser, son of Ares”, murmured the half-horse man in front of him curiously.

Another weird thing. There was a half-horse man standing in front of him, looking him up and down, which made him even more uncomfortable than just being here. The tall man smiled kindly at him and clapped him on the shoulder, motioning for Sam to follow him. The cabins looked weird and the campers looked even more weird. Then there were all those half-goats walking around. Satyrs. He was still getting used to terms and all. But they had a few satyrs at school and at his apartment building, who kept checking on the kids.

“The counselor of your cabin is Calandra Rodriguez. If you have questions or problems, you can go to her and she will give you guidance”, explained the half-horse man softly. “Here we are.”

At least the cabin was very red. Sticking his head into the cabin, he saw only two kids lounging on two beds, most other beds looked used too, but were empty for now. Sam blinked surprised.

“Oh! Sam!”, greeted Sander with a broad grin. “Come in. Thanks, Chiron, we'll take it from here.”

Arching one eyebrow, the son of Ares slowly entered the cabin. Sander and his twin were looking at him quite intensely and he actually had the urge to leave again right away. But Sander was kind of nice – not that they had talked much in the past month, Sam had stuck with his plan of not befriending anyone. Reluctantly sitting down on the bed next to Sander, he stared.

“So, I'm Cally, your cabin leader. You'll listen to me, you can come to me if you have problems – but just don't have problems, kiddo, yeah?”, grunted Sander's twin a little annoyed.

“Okay...”, nodded Sam slowly, eying the girl that looked too much like a bully for his liking.

Better not get onto her bad side. Laying down on the bed, he decided that he would handle this just like he had handled school. Ignore everyone, wait until his time was up and hope that ma would come to her senses and let him return home again. Closing his eyes, he thought of Ireland.

/break\

So far, his stubbornness had been unmatched. But that had been before he had met Sander Rodriguez. The boy was like a stalker, he had insisted on showing Sam around camp and explaining to him all the rules he would have to follow. Truth be told, Sam was kind of grateful for that. There were just too many things he had to take into consideration all the time, it made his head hurt. And all the facts about the other demigods, it was all a little much. Whimpering in pain, Sam collapsed on his bed on the fifth day of camp, hiding his head under the pillow.

“For a son of Ares, you're quite the wimp”, noted Sander amused as he leisurely sat down on his own bed. “You're the strangest Ares-kid I've ever met. And I've met a lot of them.”

“Maybe I'm not a son of Ares after all”, sneered Sam and turned his head to look at his new friend.

“I'd say so”, snorted Sander and cocked one eyebrow. “You're useless at hand-to-hand combat. You refuse to even touch a weapon. You haven't engaged in any petty fighting and quarreling so far, even though a kid of Ares normally can't go a day without getting involved in a fight. And you're the scrawniest thing I've ever seen. Seriously, I just want to feed you. What's up with that?”

“I don't know”, shrugged Sam, groaning as he turned onto his back. “Ouch. I just don't gain weight, regardless of how much I eat. High metabolism or something like that is what my uncle called it.”

“And what's wrong with your attitude?”, asked Sander, turning onto his side to stare at Sam.

“My ma is a soldier, she fights to protect. What are we fighting for? I did attend the last month of school and caught the gist of Mister Malcolm's history class. There hadn't been a war in fifteen years. Weapons are something to be used if needed. I don't see the point in learning how to fight if there is nothing to fight for”, snorted the son of Ares with a glare. “Besides, we're freaking kids. I'm nine. Which sane person hands a sharp weapon to a nine-years-old kid? Seriously? That's sick.”

Sam huffed as he got hit square in the face by Sander's pillow, the legacy laughing amused. “You are the weirdest kid of Ares ever . I think I really like you, Sam.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, Rodriguez”, muttered Sam from beneath the pillow – his arms ached too much to use them to remove the pillow from his face. “Is there anything here that's actually fun?”

“Depends on how you define fun, Raser”, mocked Sander. “Normally, fighting is fun for children of Ares. So I'm a little lost here. What do you like? Swimming? Climbing? Running?”

“Will you stop with all those... activities”, grunted Sam and shuddered.

“You make a suggestion then”, snorted Sander and rolled his eyes. “What do you like?”

“Animals”, answered the son of Ares thoughtful. “Especially horses. They're like the most amazing beings on this whole planet. How come the camp leader is a half-horse anyway?”

“A centaur, that's what they're called”, laughed Sander loudly and sat up. “Come. I think I know what you're going to enjoy. I'll show you the stables. We even have winged horses here.”

“Pegasi?”, asked Sam eagerly and forced his sore muscles to sit up. “Where?”

“Come on”, grinned Sander, wrapping one arm around Sam's shoulders.

The two boys walked through camp, Sam's eyes sparkling with eager anticipation, which caught the attention of one curious son of Athena. Trend was sitting on the porch of the Athena cabin, his new summer home as he had been told. Next to him sat the cabin head, Theadora Chase, as well as another legacy of Athena, called Amarilla Cage, the daughter of his history teacher. All three had their noses deeply buried in books, but the two brunette boys passing them distracted Trend enough to lift his gaze. He wasn't sure about the new kid yet. But if Trend was one thing, it was observant, so he had kept observing the other newbie. Sam, he reminded himself. No, Sammy. He had thought about approaching Sammy, talking to him, but Sammy hadn't even talked to anyone else and Trend was not the social kind of guy, so he surely wouldn't approach the shy boy himself. There was one thing about him Trend couldn't ignore. And that were those eyes. Seeing Sammy with the other guy and with those amazingly sparkling eyes, it got him curious. Putting his book down and laying his reading glasses on top of it, he stood and followed the two brunettes, not listening to the confused calls of the girls. The inquisitive Athena-part of his brain demanded to know exactly what made Sammy's eyes sparkle in such a blinding way. They reached the stables, the place Trend had deemed to be his most hated in all of camp. Wrinkling his nose, Trend stepped closer to observe them. The sparkling in those dark eyes intensified as the other brunette led Sammy over to a white pegasus.

“That's Trickster. He's my companion”, grinned Sander broadly. “Trick, this is Sam. My friend.”

“He's amazing”, whispered Sam in awe, cautiously reaching out to pet the white mane. “Hello, Trickster. It's a pleasure to meet you. You are one handsome stallion, you know that?”

The suspiciousness in Trick's eyes dissolved as he acknowledged the compliment and pushed his head against Sam's. Sander grinned amused at that, cocking his head curiously. Trend, watching from afar, made a face. Sammy liked horses? How could he? Shuddering, the blonde left.

“He seems to like you”, noted Sander curiously. “How about we get you a companion too?”

“A companion? Is that what you call them?”, asked Sam interested, looking at Sander.

“Well, yeah. Some of us do, at least”, shrugged Sander thoughtful. “Some think that pegasi are just dumb animals. Stable duty, just something Chiron makes us do. But I for my part, and others who have taken to a pegasus, call them our companions because pegasi are very loyal and helpful.”

“Well, then I already have a companion”, grinned Sam softly. “Her name is Fighter. But, well, she's not always around, I guess. I hope she'll come visit during the summer though.”

“Don't worry, while she's not around, I'm sure the other pegasi would be glad to have someone who actually cares”, smiled Sander and nudged Sam. “Come on, it's time for dinner anyway.”

/break\

Okay, so Sam didn't hate everything about camp. Stable duty was awesome, there were so many beautiful pegasi. And he didn't hate Sander – even though they were not friends, they were barely acquaintances in Sam's books, regardless of what Sander claimed. Something in the back of Sam's mind told him that he was not going to enjoy what was to come next. Today was this year's first Capture the Flag and Sam was still trying to wrap his mind around the rules, because they didn't make any sense to him at all. Why did the teams have only one flag and why should they try to steal the flag of the other team? Made no sense at all. Just like every other sports game. Still, Calandra had quite the arguments for him to give his best. She growled at him and pushed him against the wall, pining him by his shoulders, glaring at him dangerously.

“You listen here, pipsqueak, I am not losing this game”, declared Calandra darkly. “You will give your damn best. We're the Ares cabin, we are winners. If you keep being a pouting, whiny brat, then you can just go and look for another cabin for all I care. Are we clear, pipsqueak?”

And oh yes, they were clear. This was his 'don't screw it up'-moment and if he screwed it up, Sam could vividly picture Calandra dunking his head into a toilet. Her speeches were very motivating. So as the Ares cabin met up with their allies to discuss their plans, Sam was nervously fidgeting. Calandra and the head of the Athena cabin, Thea or something, were discussing plans with the other cabin heads, while those who were no cabin heads dutifully stood back. Sander tugged on Sam's hand, pulling him over to two kids from the Athena cabin. One Sam recognized from their classes. The blonde with the cute reading glasses and the weirdly obsessive stalking-behavior.

“Hey, Trend”, grinned Sander curiously and sat down. “And Amy. What you working on?”

The blonde looked up and pushed his glasses up, only sparing Sander a short look before staring at Sam with those too intense eyes that made Sam shudder. This guy really was a weirdo. But he looked cute with those black glasses. Sam leaned over to take a look too.

“Trend made a plan”, answered the brunette girl as Trend remained silent for too long.

“Cool”, nodded Sander impressed. “Care to share? You're a first year, they normally stick to the back-row and keep their heads low. Show me what you got, brainiac boy.”

“I just...”, started Trend softly, suddenly a little nervous about being asked for his input. “I figured this Capture the Flag is like chess, right? We want to get their flag, their king-”

“Chess?”, grunted Sam with a confused frown. “The nerd game? I thought this was serious war-like business or stuff like that. Your sister made it sound serious, Sander.”

Trend frowned annoyed. He did not like being interrupted. And why was Sammy making it sound as though nerd games were something bad? Glaring at the cute boy, he cleared his throat.

“Don't be stupid, Sammy”, chided Trend annoyed. “Chess is-”

“Don't call me Sammy”, growled Sam dangerously. “And don't call me stupid!”

No one called him Sammy, only his ma was allowed to call him that, because she loved him. Who was this boy to think he had any right to call him Sammy? And stupid, to top it all off! Sam was not stupid! Everybody always assumed shit about him without knowing him and he hated it. A sudden rush of anger welled up inside of him, one that was so foreign and yet so natural, as though it was part of him. Gritting his teeth, he held his shaking fist against his side.

“I didn't mean it like that”, said Trend, but it didn't sound apologetic, it sounded condescending.

“Oh yeah? You didn't mean it like that?”, snorted Sam annoyed. “What's your problem anyway, weirdo? I know you've been following me around school ground and you keep staring at me like a creep. What's your problem? Now you get all high-and-mighty too?”

“I'm the weirdo?”, asked Trend and stood, returning the glare. “Says the son of Ares that looks like a son of Aphrodite? No, I take that back. I saw you fight. You're worse than the Aphrodite brats.”

Sander's eyes widened as he stood by and watched the scene. He saw exactly what was going on. His mom had warned him and Cally about such a thing. Athena and Ares didn't get along, their children tended to rub each other the wrong way too, like his mom and aunt Annabeth sometimes. The two sons of war were edging each other on, spiking the primal urge to fight each other. The first blow was delivered without anyone having the chance to react. So was the second. By the time the others could interfere, the two boys were already rolling around on the ground.

This fight was what would change Sam's life forever, not that he was aware of that.

An hour later, in the middle of Capture the Flag – or at least Sam guessed the others were in the middle of it by now – Sam and Trend were laying in the infirmary, both not looking at each other. The son of Athena was holding a bag of ice to his swelling eye, while Sam kept tracing his front tooth that was now missing part of it with his tongue. Both were glaring at the opposite wall.

“Boys”, sighed an exhausted voice as Chiron walked into the infirmary. “You know this is not acceptable. Campers don't fight. Not outside the arena. You two will be doing dishes for the rest of the summer, maybe that will give you enough bonding-time to get along with each other.”

“Yes, sir”, pressed both boys out between gritted teeth.

/break\

The following ten days were weird for Sam. The cabin accepted him, because he had finally engaged in a fight. He was still not touching weapons though. His evenings were spend cleaning and drying dishes with the weirdo, neither of them speaking a word. Then there had been the conversation with his mom. Mister di Angelo had even picked him up from camp for it.

“Am I in trouble?”, asked Sam worried as Mister di Angelo brought him to the DPS building.

“For the fight with the Athena boy?”, asked Mister di Angelo amused. “You're a son of Ares. You would probably be in more trouble if you wouldn't be picking fights. Not at my hands, but at the hands of your cabin mates, I'd say. No, you're not in trouble. But Malcolm and Chiron told me that you're having trouble adjusting. At school, at camp. I think I have a solution.”

Sam just nodded and stayed silent until they reached Mister di Angelo's office. What Sam had not expected was the screen with the image of his smiling mother on it. Sam stared surprised.

“M—Ma?”, asked the son of Ares and stumbled over to the screen. “Ma! How are you? Are you alright? D—Did Mister di Angelo bring me here because you're hurt? Oh gods, are you-”

“Sammy”, laughed Jolene softly. “Calm down, my angel. I'm fine. No, we're here to talk about you. You see, I send you to this place so you can be safe and happy. I've been told you're not happy though. Why? I thought... If you're with your own kind, with others your own age that share your... heritage, that you could be happy. If you won't have to move around all the time.”

“Ma! I don't care about moving. I just want to be with you”, sobbed Sam, feeling tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. “I don't want to be here! Why can't I stay with grandpa? Or uncle Liam?”

Jolene took a deep breath and for the first time in Sam's life, she looked at him disappointed and with a warning in her eyes. “Samuel, this is not about what you want, but what is best for you. Your blood calls out for monsters. As long as you're in the mortal world, you are a danger to yourself. As long as you stay with our family, you're a danger to them. You can't fight, you can't even protect yourself. You wouldn't be able to protect your grandpa, or your aunt and cousins. And I could not live with that. With either member of my family suffering. I'm on a very important mission, if I have to constantly wonder whether or not you're safe, I can't concentrate. Please, Sammy. Stay there, be safe and try being happy. I promise you, as soon as I'm back from the mission, I'll take you to the mansion and we'll spend time together, just you and me. But this is now your home, Sammy.”

/break\

Sam spend days mulling over his mother's words. He didn't want to worry her and he certainly didn't want to distract her while she was on a dangerous mission. And he surely couldn't be at fault for grandpa or Sel or any other member of their family to be hurt. His arms wrapped tightly around his legs, his head resting on his knees, Sam sat in the arena and watched the others train. Sander and Calandra were showing the others what to do and how to do it, but that wasn't the interesting thing. The weirdo was taking on one of the bulkiest kids around – the dark-skinned boy Sam remembered from school who always sat next to the blonde. It was interesting to watch. Seeing the scrawny blonde and his muscular, tall opponent, anyone with half a brain would bet their money on the tall guy. But the weirdo was cunning. Less scrawny, more lean, Sam corrected curiously. Tilting his head, Sam observed them closer. Trend – argh, damn it, the weirdo! The weirdo, not Trend, he did not like the jerk and the jerk did not deserve to be called by his name – was dapper and cunning. He made this whole fighting-stuff look pretty elegant actually.

That evening, as Sam found himself once again in the kitchen, holding a towel and drying the dishes Trend wordlessly handed him, Sam got bored. He didn't like spending all his evenings in icy silent. It wasn't his fault that he was stuck with a weirdo that won't talk. Well, technically it was his fault, he guessed, after all he had hit the guy square in the face.

“Why are you such a dick?”, asked Sam with a grunt.

“What?”, snorted the blonde and turned to glare at him. “I'm the dick? You're the one who called me a weirdo and went all psycho on my ass for... I have no idea what for, actually.”

“You called me stupid!”, exclaimed Sam and waved his arms around wildly. “I'm trying to get on my cabin's good side and you come along and call me stupid! I'm not stupid!”

Trend backed off some, staring at the furious brunette a little surprised. “I didn't call you stupid, I told you not to be stupid. There is a difference in that.”

“You're doing it again!”, growled the son of Ares with a heated glare.

“I seriously did not even imply stupidity this time”, huffed the blonde and rolled his eyes.

“Not the calling-me-stupid thing!”, exclaimed Sam and put the plate down. “The being a prick part! You're being so condescending! I hate when people act as though they're better than others!”

“It's in my nature. I am smarter than others”, snorted Trend with one cocked eyebrow.

“Well, let me give you a piece of advice, buddy”, spat Sam furiously. “No one likes jerks.”

“Now I'm a jerk. I thought I was a weirdo”, snarled Trend with a nasty glare.

“You are a weirdo! Even more so than a jerk!”, said Sam and shook his head. “I know you've been watching me the whole time since I arrived here. No one also likes a stalker, you know?”

“You're one to talk”, laughed Trend. “Don't think I didn't notice the way you always stare at me during training. I was only observing you because it's in my nature as a son of Athena. I thought that maybe with you being new around and me being new around, we could be... friends. But you didn't seem like you want friends, which is weird, so I kept observing.”

“I didn't want friends because I... hoped I'd get to leave this place soon”, sighed Sam softly.

“Why?”, asked the son of Trend, jumping onto the counter to sit. “It's the only place for our kind.”

“I don't care”, frowned Sam upset and shrugged. “I want to go home. I want to be back with my family. B—But... ma said it's not safe. Not for me, or the family... or her... She's in the middle East and she doesn't... need the distraction of worrying about me... I don't want her to die on the mission just because I'm being a brat... But that doesn't change that I don't want to be here...”

The son of Athena shifted a little closer, resting his elbows on his knees. “I'm sorry for that. Well, I guess I know what it feels like to want to be with family. I... my dad died. It's why they brought me here, because I don't have any family aside from him. And now he's gone.”

Forest-green eyes stared surprised up at the blonde. Why would Trend – how could he call the guy a weirdo now that he knew about that, after all – tell him something like that? They didn't even know each other. Then again, it seemed Trend wanted to get to know him. Sighing, Sam hopped up onto the counter too, coming to sit next to the blonde. Propping himself up on his arms, he leaned back.

“Sorry about that”, mumbled Sam, because what was one supposed to say to that. “And for your information, I was not being a weirdo when I was watching you. I studied your fight. You're good.”

“Thanks”, chuckled the son of Athena with a slightly sad grin. “Unlike you, eh? Not meant as an insult, I swear. I just noticed that you haven't even picked up a sword yet.”

“I don't like weapons”, shrugged Sam with a frown. “But I guess I should learn how to fight. But I don't want to, I mean, in the arena, everybody can see and my cabin is already quite hard on me... I don't want them to make fun of me for sucking at it... I don't want to disappoint anyone...”

Trend copied the frown and looked around for a moment before grinning wickedly and grabbing two long wooden spoons, thrusting one out to Sam. “Here. I'll teach you.”

“Teach me? Cooking, or what?”, asked Sam confused and stared at the spoon.

“Fighting. Or at least the routine of it”, explained Trend and pushed off the counter. “We can use our kitchen-duty for it. I'll teach you everything you need to know with the spoons and once you're good enough at remembering the routines, we can start training in the arena.”

“Why are you doing this? I mean, I got you into trouble and embarrassed you in front of your cabin and I got you a shiner and I called you a weirdo and-”, questioned the son of Ares.

Trend pressed his wooden spoon against Sam's lips to shut him up, raising one amused eyebrow at the other boy. “And you're interesting. You're different. You're not like the other Ares kids. I'm a son of Athena, I'm curious about everything that differs from the norm, which you surely do. That intrigues me. So... I want to learn more about you.”

“So I'm like a lab rat to you?”, asked Sam, somewhere between insulted and amused.

“No!”, exclaimed Trend and shook his head hastily. “I thought more about... a friend?”

The son of Ares measured him up and down, those eyes truly made him uncomfortable, at least until Sam grinned at him and thrust his hand out. “Okay. But then properly. I'm Samuel Elijah James Raser the Third. It's nice to meet you, I look forward to being your friend-slash-lab-rat.”

Trend took a moment to stare at the offered hand and then to stare into those deep, sparkling eyes. “Samuel... Elijah James...? That is one heck of a weird name.”

Huffing at the insult, Sam made a move to pull his hand back, but Trend was faster, grabbing it tightly and shaking it. “Everybody has an embarrassing middle name. I have two. No biggie.”

Grinning apologetically, Trend held onto Sam's hand. He hadn't meant to insult Sam. But it seemed to be a repeating theme here. Letting his fingers linger on the sun-kissed wrist, Trend shrugged.

“I guess you're right”, nodded the son of Athena slowly. “Sorry. I guess I'm not good with this whole... social-thing. I've never really spend much time with others my own age. I have no idea how to... talk, I guess. I always speak my mind, sometimes I don't notice I hurt others with my behavior at all. It's why I only made friends with Marshall so far, I guess. He's really silent, doesn't talk much so with not much talking, I can't say many wrong things.”

“Don't worry”, grinned the son of Ares amused, also jumping down the counter. “I'll teach you how to be more likable. I mean, well, if we're friends now, I guess.”

“Yes”, nodded Trend hastily. “Yes, we're friends now. Thank you.”

“That's a good start”, praised Sam with a broad grin. “If we improve your manners, you won't come off as overly rude anymore and people will like you more. Now, don't be rude. Introductions. Proper. You agreed with me, so you have an embarrassing middle name too, right? Tell me!”

“No way”, grunted the son of Athena a with a glare and shook his head. “No. Never.”

“See? That's being rude again. Don't be rude”, chided Sam before giving him the puppy-eyes, full with quivering lower lip. “Now, please? Come on! Tell me, tell me, tell me! Please!”

Raising both his eyebrows, Trend tried very hard to resist the brunette. But those eyes would one day be his downfall, he knew it in that moment. They weren't just incredibly deep and full of emotions and just downright beautiful, they were also kind of hypnotizing.

“Ignatius”, pressed Trend out, more than a little unwilling. “Trend Ignatius Austin.”

Sam started to giggle – another thing children (especially so sons) of Ares didn't do. This boy was completely screwing the rules and it fascinated Trend. It was as though Sam took the things that were expected of him and just did the exact opposite. Completely fascinating.

“Well then, Ignatius”, grinned Sam teasingly. “We got a deal. You teach me how to fight and I'll teach you how to be a polite, social and nice guy. Let's see who fails first on his impossible task.”

/break\

Much to Sam's surprise, the rest of the summer actually turned out to be the most awesome time of his life so far. He spend the evenings getting playfully trained by Trend while teaching the boy how to not always speak his mind and be such a creep. The days were mostly spend at the stables with Sander, because not long after, Fighter had arrived and she hadn't left since then. Sam, Fighter, Sander and Trickster had taken many flights together and it was just amazing. Sander picked up on the fixed relationship between Trend and Sam, so it was soon the four of them against all others – Sander, Sam, Trend and Trend's best friend Marshall. Not that Sam minded. The big, silent guy was really great to be around. The four of them caused mischief, went swimming and trained – once Sam was feeling confident enough with his skills to actually show them. Before the end of the summer, the four of them were known as the Sons of War around camp.

Sam was able to hold a sword now without injuring himself, but it still wasn't something he was interested in. Once summer was over, he dumped the sword in a corner of his apartment and planned on ignoring it until next summer. He however came to terms with having to stay in New Athens, so he dove right into his studies. Because that was something he was comfortable with. Absorbing knowledge. He borrowed every book on Greek mythology – no, now that was actually history to him – in the library and devoured them to be prepared for his new life.

Chapter Text

Third Partition: The Bonding Year

/September 2025 – Clio Library, New Athens\

It wouldn't be completely mistaken to call Sam obsessive, but there was just too much information, so it was hardly his fault. All the history he needed to catch up with. It was good the library was stocked with everything since the creation of the world. So many heroes, so many heroic tales. Sam was completely mesmerized, he wanted to learn everything there was.

“You know, one may start thinking you're a son of Athena in disguise”, teased a soft voice.

Sam jumped and looked up, staring wide-eyed at Trend. The blonde was wearing his black reading glasses and carrying eleven books. Dumping them on the table, he sat down next to Sam.

“There's just so much I need to learn. I mean, my ma used to tell me tales before going to bed, but those were so the kid versions of the myths”, muttered Sam wide-eyed. “I mean... wow. The gods are cruel. And perverts. This is just... much input. And I... I want to know this stuff. I want to know what I got myself into. I mean, this is now my life, after all. Right?”

“Right”, agreed Trend and pushed the books over to Sam. “Here. You got a little stuck on the old days. Try the more recent past. These are books that our homeroom teacher wrote on the recent history. The Titan War and the Giant War. He was very close to his half-sister Annabeth Chase, who had been a very important part of both wars. This is close history with a view on it that's even closer. The changes those wars brought to our world, you know?”

“What changes?”, frowned Sam confused, resting his chin on the pile of books Trend had brought.

“Well, before the Titan War, there were only twelve cabins at camp”, answered Trend slowly, pointing at a book labeled as History of Camp Half-Blood, by Argus.

“Huh?”, grunted Sam, now even more confused. “But there are so freaking many gods!”

“Yeah, but back in the days, camp only had cabins for the Olympian gods”, replied the son of Athena. “Any child of a minor god had to stay at Hermes cabin, because he's the god of travelers and they were considered 'travelers'. But most were unclaimed anyway. Gods – minor and Olympian gods that is – often didn't claim their kids at all. All that only changed after the Titan War, because the hero of the Titan War gave up on his opportunity for godhood and instead demanded for equal rights for all demigods and gods, giving the minor gods cabins too and forcing the gods to claim their children. It was a huge offense to Lord Zeus, but it made him the biggest hero ever.”

“Who was that? Sounds way more awesome than Hercules or Achilles!”, exclaimed Sam, his eyes wide in awe as he grabbed the books. “I mean, that is seriously generous.”

“Perseus the Second. Well, Percy Jackson”, grinned Trend, amused by Sam's enthusiasm. “He was the great hero of the Titan War and the unofficial leader of the Giant War quest too. But you got to read up on the Giant War yourself. Well, on both wars. The first five are about the Titan War.”

Sam stared at the other ten books aside from the camp history one. The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian. The others must have been the ones about the Giant War. The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades, The Blood of Olympus. Well, this looked like his evenings in his apartment won't be dull for the next couple of weeks. His cheeks were glowing in excitement as he stared up at Trend and gave the other boy his most brilliant smile.

“Thanks! It's really hard to find the right books around here. There are just... too many.”

“No problem”, answered Trend, a little red around the nose.

Sam looked too cute when he was smiling like that. It made Trend's heart race like a rabbit. This was sure worth walking all the way up to the library from the other side of town. Leaning back some, Trend pulled the books Sam had still laying beside him closer to take a look at what Sam had been doing before Trend had interrupted him. Cocking one eyebrow, Trend stared at Sam.

“Those aren't exactly history books, Raser. Those are romance novels”, snorted the blonde.

“They are not!”, exclaimed Sam, obviously embarrassed. “They're just... history, as seen from the angle of love. It makes everything all the more interesting. Like the Trojan War. Can't tell that story without the love. Besides, there is like nothing more romantic than a hero on the quest for true love. Stop laughing at me, you idiot! My ma and my aunt always made me watch girly movies.”

“Hey, I'm not making fun of you”, grinned Trend amused. “I just think it's weird.”

“Social skills. We need to work on yours”, grunted Sam and rolled his eyes.

“Sorry”, muttered Trend embarrassed. “I didn't mean it like that. It's just... unusual for a child of war, especially so a son of Ares, to like romance stuff and such.”

“Right. Your studies”, grinned Sam, now a little amused himself, spreading his arms. “Well then, professor. Study me. Yes, I like romantic stories. Probably because my ma never got that happily ever after, what with my dad being 'a fallen marine', aka a god.”

“So... you want that for yourself? A happily ever after?”, asked Trend curiously. “I mean, of course you do. Everybody wants to be happy. But I mean, in a romantic way. That's your first priority? Find a girl, settle down, have a bunch of kids?”

“Dude, I'm nine”, grunted Sam and arched one eyebrow. “My first priority is seeing the new Disney movie once it hits theaters next week. Naw, I... well, I guess, I want my life to be like a romantic comedy when I'm a teen. Meet the love of my life in high school, first relationship, all big and awesome, doing all those stupid, romantic things together, getting married, having a pretty house and three kids and a cat and just live happily ever after.”

“First relationship?”, asked Trend with a frown. “I think you've watched too many Disney movies if you think that you're going to get married to your first partner and live happily ever after with them. That's completely out of any statistics. Highly unrealistic.”

“So what?”, shrugged Sam with a glare. “How is living a Disney-life any more unrealistic than nearly being eaten by the Hydra? I think I have a right to expect my happily ever after.”

“Suppose you're right”, chuckled Trend and nodded.

“Say, why did you come here anyway? I mean, you're a son of Athena, so you probably live in the library or something like that, but... You came over with all those books for me. So did you come here because of me?”, asked Sam curiously as he gathered his books and stood.

“Kind of”, shrugged Trend a little awkwardly. “I wanted to ask you why you haven't asked for training. I mean, just because we're not at camp doesn't mean we can't train. We could meet up at Demeter Park or something and keep our sparring schedule?”

“Naw, I'm fine”, answered Sam and shook his head. “Glad summer is over. I hate this whole fighting and training stuff. Want to concentrate on my studies. School is important.”

“Another thing I would have never thought to hear from a child of Ares”, teased Trend.

“Ah. You're getting better”, praised the son of Ares and patted Trend's head – now that he had both hands free because Trend had taken the heavy books from him. “It doesn't sound like insulting anymore but like teasing. Such a good boy. Good to know my tutoring is effective.”

“Yeah”, muttered Trend uncomfortably, shifting the books some to distract himself.

“Come on. It's pretty far to my apartment and I want to get the books home before curfew”, grinned Sam, tugging on Trend's sleeve. “I have cake at home. You get some if you carry them all the way.”

“Cake? That you baked yourself?”, asked the son of Athena intrigued.

Sam always had home-cooked stuff with him at school, never fancy stuff, but still for most of the kids that were living on their own even a decent sandwich was four-stars worthy. And Sam's baking was by now famous in their class. Not that Trend wouldn't have brought the books home to Sam anyway, but Sam's cake surely was an additional motivation.

/October 2025 – The Jackson la Rue Dojo, New Athens\

Sam was glowing with excitement, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He had finally finished The Blood of Olympus and he surely had a new favorite hero. Percy Jackson. The history books Trend had gotten for him had completely captivated him.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you-”

“Damn it, shut up, Raser”, grunted Sander affectionately and rolled his eyes. “I told you it's not a big deal. I mean, uncle Percy is totally cool. I'm sure you're going to like him.”

“I already do!”, exclaimed Sam wide-eyed and nervously. “I mean, he's the most awesome hero of them all! Everything he did for the gods, even after, well, everything! I am so nervous!”

“He is so having a crush on Percy di Angelo”, snorted Marshall and rolled his eyes.

“Hn”, grunted Trend with a glare, regretting that he had given Sam the books after all.

The four Sons of War had gone to the dojo where Sander's mom was working right after school. Sam had not shut up about Percy Jackson ever since he had started reading The Lightning Thief . And it got even worse now that he had finished the last book during today's lunch break, so Sander had decided to give his best friend a little something to make him happy. Marshall and Trend had agreed to come along, 'for Sam's sake', but Sander knew that deep down, the other two sons of war were just as giddy as Sam. The son of Ares yelped and whirled around.

“Wait. Percy di Angelo?”, asked Sam awe-struck. “L—Like the Mister di Angelo from the DPS? Hold on, is Mister di Angelo the Nico di Angelo? The son of Hades?”

“Yeah, uncle Nico is the son of Hades”, answered Sander amused. “And he's married to Percy.”

“Ah!”, exclaimed Sam in a high-pitched yelp. “After all the years of pining, he got the love of his life! Oh my gods, The House of Hades was the most nerve-wrecking of them all. And see, Trend! See, you can get your happily ever after with your first love! Hah!”

“Sometimes it feels as though he's under the impression these are some fantasy books and not the actual life stories of real people and our not-too distant history”, noted Marshall amused.

“He got all the books signed by Mister Cage too”, whispered Trend with a grin. “Total fanboy.”

“You guys are jerks”, muttered Sam embarrassed, clutching his backpack to his chest.

“Ready to go inside?”, asked Sander to break the tension, opening the door. “Come on in.”

Sam was walking very close behind Sander, more like hiding behind the taller boy, following his every step until they reached an office. Sam's heart was racing a mile an hour and he had to think of how he would tell his mom about this. He would probably compare it to her getting to meet Johnny Depp in person. Sander opened the door and Sam didn't dare peeking over his shoulder.

“Mom? Uncle Percy? I... uh... I brought some friends that would really like to meet you.”

“Come in, kiddo”, grunted a brunette woman that looked a lot like Sander's sister Cally.

Clarisse la Rue, supplied his brain. No, Clarisse Rodriguez. Sander's mom. Sam was pretty sure his brain would shut down soon. And at the desk opposite of her sat a man. Tall, fit, with shaggy, black hair and sparkling, sea-green eyes, a smile that meant no good on his lips.

“Damn it, seaweed brain, you need to keep your fanboys out of our business”, grunted Clarisse and rolled her eyes. “Get in here, kids, and get this over with. We have actual work to do.”

“Yes, ma'am”, nodded Sam tentatively and steeped closer (after Sander pushed him). “Uhm... Hello, Mister Jackson—I mean, Mister di Angelo, sir, I'm kind of a really huge fan of you, sir, a—and I wanted to ask for your autograph, if that's not too much trouble, sir?”

“Aren't you a cutey?”, chuckled Percy with a soft smile and took the copy of The Lightning Thief from Sam's shaking hands to sign it. “You know, if you stick with Sander, you got a bright future ahead of you.” Percy paused before closing the book, looking at all four of them. “Wait. You're those Sons of War that Chiron told me about? Mh... You know what, kid? Stick with them all. A real hero is nothing without his friends. Keep that in mind.”

“Y—Yes, sir”, nodded Sam wide-eyed, taking his book back. “Thank you, sir.”

Marshall and Trend remained at the door, grinning as they watched the flustered son of Ares. Sander smiled at his mom and uncle as he wrapped one arm around Sam's shoulders and steered him back to the door. He knew his mom didn't have much patient with bringing 'fans' over and he would probably be grounded for the rest of the month for this, but the grateful smile on Sam's lips was totally worth it. He understood why his mom had this strict rule, after all otherwise they wouldn't get anything done because some new kid would always be there, asking questions about the war and wanting an autograph or private lessons from the Percy Jackson.

“That was totally disappointed”, grunted Trend once they left the dojo again.

He had thought Sam would get to sit down with Percy and have a proper conversation or something, after all, Sam totally adored the guy. Looking at Sam from the corners of his eyes, he expected to see disappointment in those dark eyes, but they were sparkling with glee.

“What do you mean?”, asked Sam confused and in total awe. “This was awesome. He talked to me! And he signed the book! This was the greatest thing ever! Thank you so much, San!”

Without thinking about it, he threw himself and Sander and kissed the brunette on the cheek. Grinning broadly, Sander ruffled Sam's hair and wrapped one arm around his shoulders again. Trend glared at them. At least until Sam leaned up and kissed his cheek too.

“Thanks for the books. Without them, I would still be totally clueless about everything”, grinned Sam softly, taking Trend's hand. “And where are we going now?”

“I was in for the cupcakes you promised us”, grunted Marshall, walking on Trend's other side.

“Yes, cupcakes!”, chimed Trend and Sander and licked their lips.

/November 2025 – Rodriguez Household, New Athens\

Sander had been mistaken. He was grounded for two months. But to make up for the trouble, his three friends had asked if they could spend the holidays. Clarisse had no chance denying them, so right now, they were harboring three additional children of war, much to Chris' worries. At least the boys had good manners and were obediently setting the table while he was cooking.

“I think it's nice that Sander found such good friends and I like that you're staying over, but you have to tune it down in the evenings”, warned Chris in his serious voice.

“My baby sister Carry is only three. She sleeps. Like, a lot”, complained Sander annoyed.

His three friends nodded in understanding. Sam craned his neck as he tried to watch Mister Rodriguez cook. Sure, he could mix up some eggs, get some pasta done, but he had no idea how to properly cook something. He was decent at baking, thanks to aunt Maley, but he hadn't gotten any cooking lessons yet, even though it intrigued him. He liked working in the kitchen.

“Sander, would you get your sisters and your mother? Dinner is ready”, asked Chris.

“Sure, dad!”, nodded Sander and dashed out of the room.

Sam was amazed as they all sat together – Chris, Clarisse, Cally, Sander, Carry, Marshall, Trend and Sam. It felt a huge lot like family dinners at grandpa's. It was good, the first time in months that he actually sat down with a family to eat. And Mister R was a really good cook. Dinner was nice and fun, because the family quarreled in the same way Sam knew from home.

After that, the four sons of war cramped into Sander's room and tried to make everything comfortable, with hundreds of pillows and three sleeping bags on the floor (between all the toys scattered there too. Sander was really not good at keeping his room clean). Grinning contently, Sam cuddled up in his sleeping bag next to the bed, listening with one ear how Marshall and Trend whispered softly and how Sander snored on his other side. He liked how good Marshall and Trend got along, even though he still found it a little weird. The socially awkward kid and the silent giant. But it was a match made in Olympus, or something like that. Those two were awesome at planning. Which was a good thing, because Sander was not good at planning, but at desiring pranks. So while Sander came up with the general idea, Marshall and Trend planned it until it was totally fool-proof and most of the time they send Sam to execute the deed. They were a great team. And Sam loved it. He loved actually having friends. He had never slept over at someone else's house, he never had such friends before. Still, he was way too nervous to actually sleep. He was still laying wide-eyed there, even long after Marshall and Trend's voices had faded out. After what felt like hours, he sneaked out of the room and downstairs to the living room, where he curled together on the couch.

“Did Sander snore too loud?”

Jumping slightly, Sam turned wide-eyed toward his highly amused half-sister. Clarisse stood at the foot of the stairs, chuckling amused, her arms crossed over her chest. Blushing slightly, Sam rested his chin on his knees again. Sander's mom was technically speaking Sam's half-sister. Sam was trying to keep track of these kind of things, even though they were really weird.

“What's bothering you, kiddo?”, asked Clarisse as she walked over to the boy. “Don't tell me you're still feeling guilty about Sander's punishment. It's not your fault he's grounded, it's his.”

“No, it's mine”, mumbled Sam and looked up at her. “Sander, Trend and Marshall said I have those kitty eyes that can not possibly denied. I didn't mean to get Sander in trouble.”

“You are strange, kiddo”, chuckled Clarisse amused, cocking her head. “And no, it's Sander's own fault. He knows he's not supposed to bring anyone to our work place. With Percy's fame, we would never get anything done if we'd let every little fanboy come in and swoon over him. Still, he seems to care enough about you to endure his punishment. Which says a lot about you, actually.”

“It does?”, asked Sam, staring at her with owlish wide eyes.

“He's never broken that rule before, even though he and Cally do gather a great amount of... let me call them followers”, pointed Clarisse out. “So he honestly cares about you, brat.”

“Well... he does call me his best friend all the time”, frowned Sam thoughtful.

Clarisse snorted and rolled her eyes. Boys, all idiots, regardless of their age. She vividly remembered how she had to practically spell it out for Percy too, that they were friends. Boys.

“Go back to bed. If you're going to be all tired tomorrow, Sander is not going to have much fun with you. And isn't that the reason you three rascals are staying over?”, asked the daughter of Ares.

Sam nodded hastily and ran back up to Sander's room.

/December 2025 – Sam's Apartment Building, New Athens\

Christmas was slowly coming up and Sam was less than happy. His mom won't make it home for Christmas this year and aunt Malene had made it pretty clear that she didn't have a mind for him at the moment either, because they were spending Christmas at uncle Liam's, with uncle Liam's parents. No place where Sam belonged then. Heaving a sigh, he fidgeted with his key.

“You look really, really sad. Why do you look sad, cutie pie?”

“Cutie pie?”, repeated Sam and scrunched his nose, looking up.

A boy stood in front of the apartment opposite his. The boy was about his height and age, with wild, a little longer, dark hair and dark green eyes. His hair was shorter than Sam's, but still longer than Trend's or that of other boys. And his hair and eyes were darker than Sam's, but his skin was fairer. The boy grinned broadly at him, shifting a cardboard box in front of him.

“Yep. Or sweetie pie, whichever you prefer. But something with pie, because you're kind of... carrying a pie there. And you actually have frosting on your nose, which is really adorable”, grinned the other brunette, cocking his head. “I'm Derek Rhys. They say I'm a son of Demeter. You?”

“Samuel Raser. Son of Ares”, answered Sam and put the cake down on top of Derek's box. “And do never call me sweetie pie or cutie pie or any other bakery-related thing ever again.”

“Sure, cutie”, nodded Derek and looked him up. “I'm going to keep you.”

“Say what now?”, snorted Sam and rolled his eyes, now with his hands free finally able to get his keys out. “I'm not a stray dog. The way it looks, you seem to be the stray here.”

“I'm gay and I just decided that you're going to be my wife one day”, declared Derek.

“H—How old are you anyway? How can you just walk around, saying stuff like that?! And I'm a boy, I don't do 'wife', you jerk!”, exclaimed the son of Ares annoyed, opening his door.

Before he had a chance to get in and close the door again, the weird boy was inside, with the cake in his arms. Huffing annoyed, Sam glared at Derek, who was comfortably sitting down on the couch.

“Husband then”, shrugged the son of Demeter disinterested. “But you can obviously bake. And the place is tidy. So I guess you'd still turn out to be the housewife. And I've known I'm gay since I was five. Really now. That's been like four years. I already have a life plan.”

“Four years? Wow...”, muttered Sam surprised, closing the door behind himself.

“Can you get the plates? For the cake”, grunted Derek impatiently.

“Right. Sorry”, nodded Sam and turned toward the kitchen before freezing. “What am I apologizing for? You just broke into my flat and now you want to steal Trend's cake!”

“Who's Trend? My competition?”, asked the son of Demeter wide-eyed.

“Competition? There is no competition, you're not competing for anything!”, exclaimed Sam.

“No competition?”, repeated Derek and relaxed with a pleased grin. “Good. Then you're mine.”

“And you're a freak”, grunted Sam and placed two plates on the table. “And Trend is a friend. I owed him a cake for learning with me, but he wasn't home. What plan were you talking about?”

Sitting down next to Derek, he cut the pie. He wasn't even sure why he was playing the host for this weird freak. Then again, he kind of did. He was bored and lonely. This Christmas would be spend without his family and his friends didn't have time for him either. Well, they had time for him, but Marshall, Sander and Trend were all about training and such things. Every time he asked them to hang out, they already had plans to meet up for swimming or sparring or whatever. And Sam really couldn't be bothered with training. He was way too relieved that summer was over and he didn't have the pressure of the cabin, demanding him to be good.

“The plan is simple, really”, answered Derek and took a bite of the strawberry cream cake. “Mh, this is damn delicious, cutie. Anyway, the plan is that I'll find a cute and pretty guy, get married and thus never have to worry about cooking or cleaning myself. Judging by your apartment, you are a clean guy and you bake totally delicious cake. So the thing is settled. You'll be my wife.”

“And you're... how old?”, asked Sam slowly, poking his cake.

“I'm nine”, replied Derek nonchalantly. “But I've had enough time to grow up already. My dad had died years ago. I spend my time going from one bad foster family to the next. With the European camp being in Germany, I had quite the hard time. And I did not particularly care about moving there. So I stuck with the system. Saw some pretty nasty things, but also some sweet families. I've spend enough time with other girls and boys to know what I like. And I've seen enough different families to know that whatever I end up with, I want a sweet thing that can cook and clean.”

He grinned broadly at Sam and winked. Rolling his eyes, Sam devoured his cake. He was going to kick the brat out of his apartment as soon as they finished their cake. And never let him in again.

/January 2026 – Derek's Apartment, New Athens\

Derek grinned contently as he picked on the muffin he was eating. His dark eyes watched how a fuming Sam made the dishes. That much for kicking Derek out of the apartment and his life. But being all on his own over winter break was just too boring, so while his three training-obsessed friends spend their days jogging all morning, sparring all afternoon and swimming in ice-water in the evenings, Sam spend time with Derek. He briefly questioned how he attracted all those weird stalkers. First Sander, who had been adamant on making him his friend. Then Trend, who admittedly had been the biggest weirdo about it. And now Derek, who even declared them engaged. Freaks. He needed some normal, nice friends. Huffing annoyed, Sam sat down next to Derek on the giant bed (Sam wondered why Derek had a bed that took nearly all the space of the apartment, but Derek had only said that 'in the future, that would prove to be handy and important'. Sam didn't want to know anymore). Grabbing a muffin of his own, Sam glared at it.

“What's eating you up, cutie?”, asked Derek softly, nudging Sam.

“I told you not to call me that”, grunted Sam irritated, hitting Derek's nose. “Bad boy.”

“Ouch”, huffed the son of Demeter, crossing his eyes to stare at his nose.

“Baby”, snorted Sam and rolled his eyes. “There's just something I've been wondering...”

“Oh? You're calling me baby already, cutie?”, asked Derek teasingly.

“I think I hate you”, heaved the son of Ares exhausted and plumed down on the bed.

“Now, what have you been wondering?”, wanted Derek to know, more serious this time.

The son of Demeter laid down on his stomach, folding his arms on Sam's stomach to lay down on it. As much of a joker and freak Derek could be, the dark-haired boy knew when to be serious. Somehow, he had that figured out in the past nearly two months of their friendship and Sam appreciated that. He also had learned to appreciate the stupid jokes.

“How did you know that you're gay? I mean, you're still a kid”, muttered Sam thoughtful.

“I just... knew”, shrugged Derek with a frown. “I don't know. It's hard to explain. I think it's simply something you know. Why? Did you finally realize that I'm your one, true love?”

“Dork”, snorted Sam and rolled his eyes affectionately. “No. It's just... I hung out with Marshall, Trend and Sander a few days ago and they were training. And... I don't know, Trend is really packed by now. I couldn't help but stare at his chest and stomach the whole time they were training...”

“Well, that's a pretty solid give-away”, snorted Derek amused and rolled his eyes.

“But how do I make sure?”, asked Sam urgently and glared at the younger boy. “I mean-”

Whatever he meant, it was swallowed by Derek's lips that pressed rather sloppily against his. Sam stared wide-eyed at a smug Derek once they parted again. The son of Demeter had the audacity to smirk at him like the cat that had just devoured the canary.

“I feel violated!”, yelped Sam high-pitched and blushed. “That was my first kiss, you little freak!”

“Yeah. You're really not good at kissing”, nodded Derek thoughtful. “We have to train that.”

The Ares inside of Sam demanded for him to hit Derek square in the face, but the sexually confused part of his mind tried to figure out if he had liked the kiss or not and if he was gay or not. Or maybe just not-that-straight? Could a ten years old kid even really know what he wanted? His mom always said that kids didn't know what they wanted yet. But he knew if he liked spinach or not, so why shouldn't he know if he liked boys or not? He stared at Derek as though he was spinach.

“We're not going to train that. You will stop with these assaults and the stupid nicknames and the damn idiotic talk about me being your wife, or I swear, I'll send Mister di Angelo after your ass.”

Those were the last words Sam spoke to Derek before storming out of the apartment.

/February 2026 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sulking was something Sam had perfected over the last ten years of his life. Since he had no idea how to explain his weird friendship with Derek to his war boys, he also couldn't talk to Sander or Trend or Marshall about the kiss and the fact that he had weirdly avoided his neighbor for a month now. He also had no one to talk to about this weird feeling inside. And that hurt. Because he was unsure what to think and what to feel. He knew that he really liked looking at Trend now that the older boy was filling out with muscles. But kissing Derek had just been weird. So was he gay now or just Trend-sexual? Or was he just a confused brat, like his mom had said? Children didn't know what they wanted. Then again, was he really a child? Sure, he was ten and a half, but he had nearly been killed by the hydra and a couple of other monsters and he was living on his own, cooking for himself, shopping for himself. He wasn't just a kid, so shouldn't he know such things about himself?

A knocking on the door interrupted his brooding. “Go away. I don't want to talk.”

“Samuel? I do have a key for the apartment, you know. Will you open the door now?”

“M—Mister di Angelo?”, mumbled Sam surprised and crawled out of his bed to open the door.

On the other side stood not just a not very impressed Nico di Angelo, but also a shy Derek, half hiding behind the son of Hades. Sam frowned, glaring slightly at Derek before turning his attention to the head of the DPS, nodding shortly.

“Mister di Angelo, what can I do for you?”, asked the son of Ares timidly.

“Derek here came to me today”, answered Nico seriously. “He told me that he's worried about you.”

“What?”, asked Sam confused, staring over at Derek.

“You've been avoiding me. A—And others”, pointed Derek out, his voice soft. “I saw your three friends knocking at your door at least four times this week alone!”

“He told me that all of this comes from you feeling... insecure?”, asked Nico tentatively, obviously uncomfortable with the conversation himself. “About your sexuality. And there is something that Derek voiced he'd like to tell you. Go on, Derek.”

“I—I wanted to say I'm sorry”, mumbled Derek, blushing slightly and shifting uncomfortably on the spot, staring at the floor. “I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with kissing you. I really wanted to help you though! It's why I brought Mister di Angelo!”

“Now, Samuel”, started Nico softly, looking at Sam. “Why are you feeling insecure?”

“I don't know”, huffed Sam frustrated, glaring at Derek the traitor. “I just do. I mean, I keep looking at my friends... differently. There is that friend of mine and I just... can't stop staring.”

“When he trains?”, asked Nico with a knowing smile. “At his muscles?”

“Yes!”, nodded Sam desperately, wide-eyed. “A—And I don't know... does this mean I'm gay?”

“It doesn't have to mean that you're gay”, answered the son of Hades and shook his head. “But as far as my experience goes, it surely means that you do like boys. Alas it's a different kind of desire, of course. You are a son of Ares, after all. Is it more of a calculating stare? Like you're trying to take apart this friend's strategy? Is it envy because he is stronger than you are?”

At that newly offered point of view, Sam frowned thoughtful before shaking his head. “No. I mean, I don't care about being a fighter and all. I don't want his muscles, I like his muscles on him. They look good on him. He looks good. Like, really good.”

“Then, I'd say, you are at the very least bisexual”, chuckled Nico, obviously amused.

“Don't make fun of me!”, exclaimed Sam hurt, glaring dangerously.

“By no means!”, reassured Nico softly. “You just remind me of myself, years ago. When I first noticed the way I felt around a certain boy. It left me feeling quite... alone and out of place. Is that why you're distancing yourself from your friends, as Derek pointed out?”

“...Kind of”, mumbled Sam unsure, looking at the wall. “Grandpa says queers are wrong. So I surely can't be gay, because I can't be wrong. I don't want to be wrong.”

“You aren't wrong”, whispered Nico, resting a hand on Sam's shoulder, squeezing it slightly. “If anyone is wrong, it's your grandpa. Love can never be something wrong. It's okay to feel the way you do, mh? Look around, the city you're living in. Our dear mayor is a woman, married to a woman. Our greatest hero is married to a damn lucky man. There is nothing wrong with love.”

“I never said anything about love”, muttered Sam stubbornly.

“Attraction, then”, chuckled Nico amused and nodded. “There is nothing wrong with that either, if you like that friend of yours. You don't have to be afraid of your own feelings, Sam. You seem to have friends that worry about you. Trust them, they'll make understanding yourself easier.”

“Are you... sure...?”, asked Sam softly, staring up at the son of Hades hopefully.

“Believe me, there is nothing I'm more sure of”, replied Nico honestly. “I've felt the same way at first, that my feelings for Percy are wrong, that I shouldn't desire another boy, even less so a friend, like that. And now I've been happily married to said friend for nearly eleven years and I wouldn't trade a single day that I shared with him. Once you find the right boy, you will never regret being the way you are and feeling the way you do, because nothing compares to that happiness.”

The way Nico said it, the love and honesty in his voice, told Sam all he needed to know. He'd never seen or heard that level of devotion, only when his grandpa told stories about his grandma. Sam liked that. He wanted that too. Someone who would one day talk about him in that voice. Smiling brightly, Sam leaned in and hugged the son of Hades tightly.

“Thank you, Mister di Angelo”, mumbled Sam into the tailored Italian suit.

“No need to thank me”, chuckled Nico amused, ruffling Sam's hair. “Thank Derek. I think you have a very good and observant friend there. Now, if you ever have doubtful thoughts or don't know who to talk to, my office door is always open, kiddo. Don't make yourself miserable, mh?”

Sam nodded numbly and watched silently how the head of the DPS left his apartment again, leaving Sam alone with Derek. The son of Demeter looked uncomfortable as he stared over at Sam.

“I—I'm really sorry”, whispered Derek unsure. “I thought it was funny. I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or question yourself, really. I like you. The way you are. A—And I get if you don't want to ever see me again, which is probably going to be hard because we're living opposite each other. But I'm still worried about you. I don't want you to be alone, because you're sweet and nice. Sweet and nice cuties like you shouldn't be sad.”

“I told you, don't call me cutie”, huffed Sam and rolled his eyes. “It's okay.”

“Really?”, asked Derek hopefully. “Because if... if you're not going to be my wife, then I would really, really, really like to be your friend. Please? Because I think... I come on too strong to others. I didn't really... make any friends yet. C—Can I be your friend?”

Emerald-green eyes were wide and hopeful as he stared up at Sam. The son of Ares frowned for a second before leaning over and pecking Derek's cheek. Yawning tired, he snuggled up to Derek.

“Okay”, mumbled Sam and closed his eyes. “Thank you. For worrying.”

For the first time in the last month, he easily drifted off to sleep, knowing deep in his mind that he had just found a new friend and that he would repay Derek. From now on, he would make sure to keep Derek safe, because he had just decided for himself that the strange son of Demeter would be his new best friend. Even though he knew that on the long run, he would probably regret that.

/March 2026 – Tritonian Lake, Demeter Park, New Athens\

Trend grunted, cursing beneath his breath as he dodged another one of Sander's well-aimed hits. He was a little out of it at the moment and he truly regretted it. In the form of bruises. The teens were gathered in Demeter Park for training, something they had been doing for months now, ever since summer had been over. And the closer the next summer drew, the more they forced themselves. Trend was dueling with Sander, an easy task normally, but he had his head in the clouds today. Not because of the other duo fighting next to them (even though it was interesting to watch how Marshall and Calandra clashed). No, solemnly because of their bystanders. It wasn't unusual for them to have bystanders. Not just Calandra's two female friends, Bianca di Angelo and Theadora Chase, but generally other demigods and halflings. This time around however the four fighters had two new bystanders. And one of them was the reason why Trend was so unfocused, because Sam had finally decided to crawl out of his apartment again about a week ago, in the last week or so of February. And it was so good to see the son of Ares again. He had been so weird since around Christmas and Trend had been extremely worried for the brunette. Sam had ditched them, repeatedly, even ignored them. It had worried all three other boys. So having Sam back was reassuring, relieving. But also not quite what distracted Trend – the blonde had perfected the art of staying calm under Sam's intense stare. No, the really distracting thing was the boy next to Sam, because the two of them looked awfully close, constantly whispering and giggling and even touching. Trend didn't like that. He had no idea who that new brat was and he didn't like that there was a new brat around who could hold Sam's attention like that. That wasn't right. Trend was not okay with sharing Sam's attention, especially not with some snotty brat.

“How about we take a break before I accidentally break some of your bones, bro?”, asked Sander.

Trend grunted and nodded reluctantly. He really couldn't focus. Frustrated, the son of Athena turned toward the blanket where Sam was leaning awfully close to the brat and whispering something into the other brunette's ear while blushing that delicate red. Opposite the two brunettes, not minding the males, were Bianca and Thea, deep in a conversation of their own. Sander heaved a sigh and collapsed on the blanket, between the two boys and the girls, facing the other two brunette males, while Trend deliberately sat down next to Sam. Close next to Sam. Glaring at the new brat.

“What have you two girls been whispering about the whole time?”, asked Sander curiously. “And who is that friend of yours anyway, Sam? I don't think I've seen him before.”

“We've just been contemplating which one of you fine guys have the most finger-licking worthy abs”, replied the boy next to Sam cheekily. “And my name is Derek Rhys. I'm Sam's neighbor.”

“Which one of us has the most finger-licking worthy abs?”, repeated Sander surprised.

“Ass-head”, hissed Sam and blushed, elbowing Derek.

“Now, that wasn't very nice”, chided Bianca, raising one eyebrow, only paying them half a mind.

“You keep out of this”, muttered Sam with a glare.

Marshall and Calandra followed them, sitting down with their individual friends. Marshall silently surveyed the little group while Calandra right away took the water out of Bianca's hand, listening with sharp ears to the praising from her two female friends. Sander was still staring at Sam.

“Dude, it's fine”, reassured Sander softly after a moment.

“What is fine?”, asked Marshall, his dark voice startling them.

The son of Enyo scarcely talked and if he did, it was important. Sam shifted nervously under the intense gaze of his fellow Sons of War. Squirming slightly, he tried to hide behind Derek.

“I think... I'm kind of... I may be... gay...”, whispered Sam softly, unsure.

“We know, Sam”, said Marshall, looking at the son of Ares with soft eyes.

“Y—You do? How?”, asked Sam wide-eyed, half-afraid.

“Dude, you've been staring for months”, chuckled Sander amused and leaned over to ruffle Sam's hair. “Kind of like the girls. So it was kind of obvious. Well, who does have the most finger-licking worthy abs then, eh? I mean, I know I do, but it would be best for the others to finally face it.”

“You're... okay with it?”, asked Sam unsure, his eyes guarded.

Derek heaved an overly dramatic sigh and hit Sam's upper arm. “He's been a drama queen about it for weeks now. He's really afraid of rejection. Of being... wrong . I told him he's perfect.”

“Because he is!”, exclaimed Sander confused before turning to Sam. “Dude, you're like totally unique and awesome. I never met a guy like you. You're totally great the way you are, who cares if you like looking at other guys? I do too. I don't care if it's a girl or a boy I'm looking at, as long as they're cute. There's nothing wrong with that, man.”

“He's right, Sam”, agreed Marshall in his deep, dark voice. “We're your friends. It's fine.”

Sam forced a smile, relaxing a little. Derek glared at that. Because Sam didn't relax against him, but against the blonde guy on Sam's other side. The conclusion was easy. This must have been Trend. The competition. Glaring intensely, Derek grabbed the bag from behind Sam.

“Can I have a piece of pie, cutie?”, asked the son of Demeter sweetly.

“Sure, but don't take such a big piece again! I'm not babying you again because you have a stomach ache”, grunted Sam irritated and rolled his eyes. “And you can give me one too.”

He had officially given up on protesting. The way Sam saw it, Derek would be calling him a cutie to the end of days. Breathing deep and relaxed, he got more comfortable resting against Trend. A strong arm – and wow, all that training had done wonders for the blonde – sneaked around Sam's waist, holding the drowsy brunette upright. Sam liked that feeling. He could easily imagine being held by those arms for all eternity. It was such a huge relief to know that his friends knew now.

“Well, who does have the most mouthwatering body then?”, grunted Sander impatiently, looking confused between Sam, Trend and Derek as though he was trying to figure them out.

“And why does he call you cutie?”, asked Trend with a slight edge. “Is he your boyfriend?”

“We agreed that Marshall has the best abs”, declared Sam and yawned slightly. “And Derek isn't my boyfriend, he's just an affectionate idiot. We're friends. And we're boys. But not boyfriends.”

“Wait, why Marshall?!”, exclaimed Sander with a crestfallen look.

“I have to agree”, grunted Trend with a glare. “I'm way hotter!”

“It's not about hotness, but about the abs. And let's face it, you two are only slightly muscular while Marshall is like the whole package”, grinned the son of Ares teasingly.

“Does one of you want a piece of Sam's apple pie?”, asked Derek friendly.

“Me!”, chorused Marshall, Trend and Sander loudly.

Sam smiled a bit as he silently watched how his friends wolfed his pie down. It was nice, being out again, hanging out with them. Joking and laughing and especially so watching them train. He had been a complete moron for being afraid. Turning an affectionate grin onto Derek, he silently thanked the son of Demeter for his help. Without Derek, he would still be holed up in his apartment.

/April 2026 – Athena Academy, New Athens\

Sitting on top of his desk at school and dangling his feet over the edge, he watched Trend, Marshall and Sander arguing about which weapon was the most effective. It was so boring, he was short of banging his head against the table-top. Those three and their training-obsession was really driving him crazy. Frowning upset, he jumped off the table, gaining their attention.

“What's wrong, Sammy?”, asked Trend curiously.

“I told you not to call me that, dork”, grunted Sam and rolled his eyes. “And I'm bored. I'll go and see what Derek is doing. You can just keep quarreling here, don't mind me.”

“Derek?”, asked Sander with mixed emotions. “You know I am totally jealous because he's trying to take you away from me. You're my best friend! I had you first. That's unfair.”

“San, you can have more than two best friends”, huffed Sam and rolled his eyes.

Sander looked thoughtful for a moment. “Well, maybe. I mean, I have Herc too, but he's Roman so I don't get to see him all that often, so that's kind of different. Still, I'll come with you.”

“What? Why?”, grunted Trend unamused.

“Uhm, well...”, mumbled Sander and blushed quite furiously. “When Sam visited Derek the last time, I noticed that my... uh, Donny, a friend of mine, he's in Derek's class.”

Grabbing Sander's shoulders, Sam leaned in until their noses were nearly touching, staring deeply into the other brunette's eyes. “Are you crushing on this Donny-friend-of-yours? You blush.”

The blush on Sander's cheeks turned a deep, dark red, making Sam grin victoriously and grab his hand. Within seconds, the two boys were out of the classroom, Sander wildly protesting and Sam giggling delighted. Marshall and Trend exchanged a surprised look before they followed their two other friends. What else were they supposed to do than follow them, after all.

Sam was totally giddy for this. He needed to see the guy who had managed to capture Sander's attention like that. After all, Sam had seen all the boys and girls fawning over Sander as though he was something special and amazing, but Sander had never paid them any mind. Sam had figured the other boy was simply too young to care, eleven wasn't exactly the age to go around and have boyfriends and girlfriends hanging off his arms (unlike one Derek Rhys, that is). Sam's shoes screeched on the floor as the son of Ares came to a sudden halt in front of a room. The door was open and the class was assembled. There was a bunch of faces he didn't know and didn't care about and some he recognized from the summer, but hadn't really cared to memorize their names. And then there was Derek. The son of Demeter was engaged in a loud conversation with a freakish looking girl. She wore a tie-dyed shirt and skirt, her hair was a colorful mix of purple, green, red, blue, orange and pink and her eyes seemed to shift in color too. All in all, she looked like a pack of crayons had vomited all over her. Frowning thoughtful, Sam turned toward Sander and followed the brunette's line of sight. Far in the back, on a lone place next to the window, sat the object that held Sander's full attention. A scrawny, small kid that looked an awful lot like Mister di Angelo, which meant he was probably Bianca's younger brother. He was adorable, in a sad puppy kinda way.

“Is he a di Angelo?”, asked Sam softly. “Because he looks like a di Angelo.”

“Donny di Angelo, second oldest son of Percy and Nico di Angelo”, confirmed Marshall's dark voice from behind them. “Don't let that fool you though. He doesn't fight at all. He's very adamant at refusing to even touch a weapon. A tree-hugger, is what they call him.”

“He's perfect”, defended Sander with an upset frown. “He's just too kind-hearted to fight.”

“So basically... he's Sam?”, asked Trend rhetorically and rolled his eyes.

“I don't hug trees!”, protested the son of Ares wide-eyed.

“Yeah, he only weaves flowers into crowns with Derek”, chuckled Marshall amused.

“That's enough teasing for one day. I'll go and talk to Derek”, muttered Sam with a glare.

/June 2026 – Arena, Camp Half-Blood\

After Sander's little revelation, Sam had secretly taken to watching Donny. Something that did not sit well with Derek, weirdly enough. Then again, the son of Demeter was rather demanding and didn't like to share Sam's attention, so whenever Sam was in Derek's classroom and stared at Donny curiously instead of giving Derek his undivided attention, the son of Demeter got annoyed. Which was a literal pain in the ass for Sam, because Derek had the nasty habit of kicking Sam's butt whenever he noticed. So far, Sam's observations hadn't given him much clue though. The boy was a total loner. He always sat alone, didn't talk to others. The only ones he talked to were Thea and Bianca whenever the two girls came to check on him.

Now it was summer and in the setting of camp, Donny was... even more boring. The boy really was a tree-hugger. He only hung out in the woods and sat under the trees close to the shore. He solemnly talked to Bianca and Thea and some other kids that all looked like di Angelos (and were di Angelos, as Sander had confirmed for him). Today, that would change though, because today, Sam would befriend the younger boy. Ever since Sander had admitted to liking the kid, Sam had set it his new life goal to befriend Donny di Angelo. He would, even if it'd kill him.

The Ares cabin was scheduled for sparring with the Athena cabin, which yeah, that was always an awesome thing. Cally Rodriguez was giving instructions, barking out at the new cabin mates not to embarrass her in front of the brainiacs, while Sander was already engaged in a fight with Amy Cage, the shy brunette girl Sam remembered from last summer as being a cabin mate of Trend and the daughter of their teacher Malcolm. She was nice enough, he guessed, so that was okay. Besides, Trend was Sam's anyway, so it was better that Sander had found himself another sparring partner. First things first though. Thea Chase was giggling and gossiping with Donny at the sidelines. As far as Sam understood it, those two were actually best friends (also, as confirmed by Sander – and Sam started to think that his buddy was quite the stalker). So Sam walked over to them.

“Hey, Chase”, greeted Sam shortly. “I think Calandra wants to spar with you. She keeps throwing imaginary daggers at you and I think those will turn into real ones if you don't go to her.”

The native American blinked a couple of times before noticing the indeed fuming Rodriguez-girl. Hastily biding her good bye to Donny, she stormed off. Grinning amused, Sam turned his attention to Donny. The smaller boy was staring up at him like a bunny caught in a hunter's trap.

“So... you're the son of Percy Jackson, huh?”, started Sam a little awkwardly. “You must be really powerful then. I mean, both your parents are sons of the Big Three, right? How... does that even work? They are both guys, after all. That's kinda... not possible.”

Now that he started to talk, he actually realized how strange that was. He had never really paid it much mind that the di Angelo kids were the children of two men. The evidently biological children of two men. Thinking about it only confused Sam even more. Staring curiously down at Donny, he expected some kind of reply. But the half-Italian only glared half-heartedly at him, his lower lip quivering – in anger or with suppressed tears, Sam wasn't quite sure – before storming out of the arena. Okay, that was rude. Huffing upset, Sam thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Little weirdo. No wonder the boy was such a loner if he always just started to cry and run away when someone talked to him. Great, now Sam wasn't feeling like sparring anymore.

“Congrats, you made the tree-hugger cry”, commented Trend drily as he suddenly came up behind Sam, an unimpressed frown on his face. “Sander is not going to like that, as you're surely aware.”

“I don't care what Sander likes”, huffed Sam with a glare. “The kid was being totally prissy. I just wanted to talk to him and he storms off as though he's too good to talk to a low-life like me. Is it because his parents are super famous or is he just being a spoiled princess?”

“Come on”, grinned Trend amused, clasping one hand on Sam's shoulder. “Let's get you back into training and take your mind off the high and mighty princess. You're surely rusty.”

Sam gave Trend a brilliant smile. He was totally rusty, because unlike his friends, he had not trained once during the last year. But he knew Trend was looking forward to training him again anyway. That was what he enjoyed most about the son of Athena, because Trend was always thoughtful of him and understanding. He didn't push about training over the year and he had taught Sam everything history-related that Sam wanted to learn (and some math, because that was kind of cool too – though Cally had threatened to cut his throat if he'd ever be caught saying that aloud).

/July 2026 – Ares Cabin, Camp Half-Blood\

Sam was laying on his bed, minding his own business (read: wallowing in self-pity because every part of his body ached after another horribly painful training-session with Trend, Sander and Marshall). At least Cally was out of his hair, because she was off with her little group of girls. Thank the gods for that. Groaning, he tried to sit up. He was really thirsty, but sitting was a total no-go, so he gave up and sank back down with a whimper.

“Why are you whining like that? Have you been on a quest? Did you get attacked? Was it a monster? Which monster was it? What kind of quest was it? And what's your name?”

Grunting annoyed, he cracked one eye open to look up into the eager face of a ginger. The girl had light, soft freckles sprayed all over her rosy cheeks, chopped, carrot-colored hair pointing up into every direction and wide, nougat-brown eyes staring at him in total awe and admiration.

“Training”, pressed Sam out. “No... quest. I'm just not good at handling training. And who in the world are you anyway? Why do you ask that many questions?”

The ginger hopped onto Sam's bed, kneeling next to him, her hands on her knees as she bend over to look him into the eyes, her head cocked curiously. “I'm Sara. I'm Roman and our praetors Loki and Blance try to encourage the Roman-Greek friendship so they send some of us Romans to spend the summer with you Greeks, which is totally awesome because I've never seen a real, proper Greek before. Are you a real, proper Greek? You must be a son of Ares, right, right?”

“Technically speaking, I'm a real, proper Ire, because I've been born in Dublin”, replied Sam, finding the strength to sit up (if only to get that girl out of his personal space). “But I am a Greek demigod, yeah. And I'm a son of Ares. So... if you're Roman and in this cabin, this must mean you're a daughter of Mars then...? Or did you decide to just check every cabin and annoy everyone? Because if that is the case, I simply have to recommend the Demeter cabin. They are so easy to annoy. Or the Athena cabin, but some of them can get nasty if you bug them.”

“Yes!”, exclaimed Sara and nodded vigorously before freezing. “I mean, not to all, but to the thing about me being a daughter of Mars. Yes. I'm Sara Mers, daughter of Mars. Which totally makes us siblings! Like, Roman-Greek-siblings and only half-siblings, but you're totally my big brother, right? I mean, you do look kind of a little older than me. How old are you?”

“I'm... ten, at least for another two weeks. Do you always talk that much?”, asked Sam astonished.

“Oh. I'm only eight. But yes, I talk a lot! It's why I don't really get along with the other children of Mars”, answered Sara with a slight frown. “You know, Romans are very strict and about discipline and all that stuff, but I don't like it very much. I think that's why Loki and Blance picked me to go to the Greeks, because they figured I'd fit better with you Greeks than with the other Romans, which kind of hurts, because I'm a Roman too, but it's also kind of okay, because I really wanted to see-”

“Breath”, interrupted Sam with a small grin. “Wow, you really talk like a lot. You're kinda funny. But you don't really fit with 'the Greeks' either. I mean, our cabin head Cally, she's a little... I think she'd behead you if you'd rant away at her like that. But don't worry, I don't really fit either.”

“Then we really are siblings!”, yelped Sara delighted and excited, jumping him.

Sam huffed as he hit the mattress again as Sara's weight hit him in a tight hug. The ginger's enthusiasm was kind of contagious so Sam found himself laughing with her in excitement. He was aware that he was an outsider in the Ares cabin, most didn't understand why he didn't live for training. The only one who understood him was Sander and the other boy didn't quite fit himself either, because he was actually a legacy of Hermes, at least by powers. Not every child of two demigods had the powers of both their parents, it was actually even very rare to happen that a legacy had the powers of two gods. But due to Sander's siblings both being legacies of Ares, they didn't want to separate the Rodriguez-children so Sander was allowed to stay at the Ares cabin too and since then, Sander had trained harder than any Ares child to fit in.

/August 2026 – somewhere above New Rome\

Fighter gave a delighted whine as she soared through the sky, chasing after Trickster. Sam was grinning broadly as the duo caught up with Trickster and Sander. Right behind him, Sara yelped.

“C—Can you go slower?”, yelled Sara fearfully.

“What? No! We'll never win against Sander if we slow down!”, objected Sam wide-eyed.

“I don't think I want to win”, mumbled Sara, a little green around the nose.

She gripped Sam's waist a little tighter, burying her face between his shoulder blades. Flying with Fighter and Sam was admittedly the coolest thing she had done in her whole life – Camp Half-Blood had been the first time she had seen a pegasus. Being with Sam in general was great. The boy had really taken to being a big brother, had showed her camp and introduced her to the other Sons of War, which had been really cool. They had easily taken to her, mostly so because of Sam's big and pleading eyes. This summer had been by far the greatest summer ever and she was so happy that Sam and Sander had agreed to personally bring her back to the Romans as summer ended.

“Sam?”, asked Sara loudly against the wind.

“What?”, acknowledged Sam with a short nod, giving a happy yelp as they shot past Trickster.

“I really had fun this summer”, smiled the daughter of Mars, hugging him even tighter. “Thank you. For being awesome. I'll really, really miss you, big bro.”

Sam smiled a little strained. She had been the first child of his father he had gotten along with too.

“You know what?”, grinned Sam mischievously. “Next summer, I'll stay at Camp Jupiter with you.”

Chapter Text

Fourth Partition: The Dark Year

/October 2026 – Honolulu, Hawaii\

A bright smile lit Sam's face up as he shielded his eyes from the sun. Leah and Lara, his youngest cousins, were sitting next to him, building a sandcastle. The four-years old twins were enthusiastically at work, giggling and occasionally throwing a handful of sand at their older cousin. Sam rolled his eyes affectionately and ignored them.

“Hey, pipsqueak”, grinned his oldest cousin Selene as the girl sat down next to him. “What's up?”

Sam shrugged and wrapped his arms around his knees, staring out at the blue, blue water. His ma and aunt were chasing a giggling seven-years old through the water, little Lene waving her arms wildly around as she got chased by the two adults. Sam cocked his head thoughtful.

“What's wrong, pipsqueak? You've been deep in thoughts since we arrived here”, frowned Selene.

Her aunt had invited them over to Hawaii because she was stationed there and it was a school break. Sure, Sel was a little sad that her dad couldn't make it – but he had some important lead on his search for his brother, or that was what he had said. So Malene had grabbed their four children and fled to Hawaii so she won't have to watch over the four rascals on her own. At first, Sel had been overjoyed that Sam would come too. She hadn't seen him in way too long and even though he was an annoying, little brat, he was her annoying, little brat. Life was boring, being the oldest of four daughters. And if she had thought Sam had been boring, the girls were even more boring. And even younger. Sam was at least only three years younger than her and he was a boy. That was more fun than all her little sisters. But Sam had been with his head in the clouds since they had arrived.

“It's nothing, Sel”, mumbled Sam with a frown and shook his head.

“Right”, snorted Selene and rolled her eyes, hitting him upside the head. “Now tell me.”

“Do you... have a boyfriend?”, asked the son of Ares softly.

“Huh?”, asked the fourteen-years old girl. “Sure. I mean, he's like the love of my life. Why?”

“I... think I want a boyfriend too”, whispered Sam barely audible. “I think... I'm g—gay.”

“Oh”, nodded Selene thoughtful. “Does auntie Jolly know?”

“No, ma doesn't”, mumbled Sam. “You're the first, aside from my friends... I just... don't know...”

“Cool”, grinned Selene, nudging her cousin. “I have a gay baby bro. That is going to be fun.”

Selene shot up from the ground and grabbed Sam's hand, pulling him along toward the beach. Yelping surprised, Sam stumbled after his cousin. Once they reached their mothers, Sel pushed her cousin over at Jolene before grabbing her mom's and her sister's hands.

“Ma, Lene, come! Let's help the twins with the castle!”, declared Selene with a broad grin.

“What... was that?”, asked Jolene confused, staring after her nieces and her sister.

“Uh... I think Sel wants me to talk to you, ma”, mumbled Sam unsure.

“Ah. Is this about whatever is on your mind that keeps you so distracted?”, asked Jolene softly and sat down in the shallow water, beckoning him over. “Now, what's wrong, my boy?”

“N—Nothing is wrong, I just...”, started Sam, running his fingers through his hair. “I...”

“You?”, prompted Jolene, raising one eyebrow. “Now come, you know you can tell me everything.”

“I know, ma”, mumbled Sam and averted his eyes. “I just... Grandpa said... it's wrong... and...”

“Now listen to your ma”, ordered Jolene and straightened her back. “Your grandpa is a wise man, but he's also a stubborn bastard in many aspects. Whatever this is about, your grandpa doesn't have to be right about it. He's not always right. Now tell your ma what's bothering you, my boy.”

“I'mcrushingonafriendofmineandhe'saguy”, rushed Sam out and took a breath. “I—I'm gay.”

“Gay?”, repeated Jolene a little surprised. “Well, that is... quite the surprise. And I always thought you'd leave a trail of broken-hearted girls behind. It seems you'll leave a trail of broken-hearted boys behind then, mh? And who is that guy-friend of yours you're crushing on, Sammy?”

She nudged him curiously, a kind smile on her lips as she wrapped one arm around his shoulders. He relaxed relieved and leaned into his mother's embrace, snuggling up to her warmth. A small blush spread over his cheeks as he contemplated telling her.

“I told you about my friends, right? You remember?”, asked Sam softly.

“Marshall, Trend, Sander and Derek, right?”, smiled Jolene and nodded. “Well, which one is it?”

“I... uhm... T—Trend”, confessed the embarrassed son of Ares. “He's really clever and kind and so, so handsome! Like, with golden hair and tall and all, like a prince out of one of the fairy tales you used to read to me! I really, really like him. And he's so nicely trained, he's really nice to look at!”

Jolene grinned amused at the dedication and passion in her son's voice. “What about him?”

“I don't know”, frowned Sam thoughtful. “I mean, he's never shown interest in anyone and I don't know if I like-like him. I just... really like watching him train. Like, really-really.”

“You're just too adorable”, laughed Jolene and kissed the top of Sam's head. “Now come, let's have some pizza with the girls. And ice-cream. And then you tell me more about this Trend.”

“Okay!”, agreed Sam enthusiastically and followed his ma, filled with relief.

/May 2027 – Fortuna Fair, New Athens\

“I told you I don't have money for this!”

“And we told you this is our treat”, chuckled Trend amused, ruffling the soft, peanut-colored hair.

Sam huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. Marshall and Sander on either side of him laughed amused and wrapped their arms around his shoulders. The smaller demigod glared up at them. He didn't want the others to pay for him, but he had spend all the 'spare money' – aka the money he won't need for food and clothes and books – on a plane ticket to Dublin after his grandpa had had a heart-attack last month. It hadn't been serious, lucky enough, and his family had assured him he wouldn't have had to come. Still, his grandpa was his grandpa, so of course he had to see for himself. But that resulted in him not having money to spend now and unfortunately enough, the Greeks had adapted a Roman tradition, this year for the very first time. An annual fair.

“And I told you that you don't have to”, grunted Sam and rolled his eyes.

“But it's the fair! It's like the very, very first fair Major Chase has put together, there is no chance we're going to miss it!”, objected Sander, waving his arms around widely.

“You could have gone without me”, tried Sam, growing more and more annoyed by this.

“But there's no chance we would have left you home alone!”, stated Sander stubbornly, shaking his head. “We're the Sons of War, we're like—a package deal, right? So we are going to enjoy the new annual Fortuna Fair! And if it means I'll spend my pocket money on cotton candy for you, then that's that. I want all of us to have fun. And since you won't even spend the summer with us this year, this is the least we have to do together. Now shut up, Sam.”

Heaving a sigh, Sam leaned up and pecked Sander's cheek. The idiot was too sweet sometimes. Though he was right. A fair was just no fun when you had no money to spend. So he unwillingly accepted the fluffy, pink cotton candy Sander just bought him. Marshall behind them chuckled fondly as he watched them. The fair was giant . And colorful. And loud. Sam loved it.

“So... Why didn't your flower friend come with us?”, grunted Trend, sounding just a little irate.

“Derek isn't here, because, like San just said, we're the Sons of War and I figured we should do something as just us again. I've been dragging Derek around for months now and don't think I didn't notice the... vibes between you guys. You don't like him”, huffed Sam.

“It's less... us not liking him, but more like him not liking us”, pointed Sander out with a frown.

Even Marshall nodded gravely at that. The son of Enyo had noticed that Derek could glare quite nastily at Sander and Trend whenever either of the boys was too close to Sam.

“Now, where do we start?”, asked Trend thoughtful, looking around, changing the topic.

Though Sam answered that question without even intending to, because his eyes locked onto something that actually made him squeal in delight. The other three boys jumped slightly in surprise and turned to take a closer look at whatever may cause Sam to make such a sound. A shooting range with stuffed toys. The boys cautiously approached it and nearly instantly did Sam's hands grab for the relatively large, stuffed, red horse. While Sam was so engrossed with the very fluffy pony – a unicorn, as they could see now that they were closer to it – his three friends exchanged challenging looks. The same thought, the same idea, crossed all their minds at once. A mirrored smirk spread over all their lips as they each thrust money onto the counter, startling the owner and Sam alike.

“Three shots”, declared all three in unison, Sander's and Trend's eyes sparkling with the challenge.

“What? No”, protested Sam with a frown. “I can accept unhealthy food, but you're not wasting your money on stupid stuff like that! Besides, you can't really win those games anyway! Especially not when a son of Hermes is the owner! No offense, Mister Rodriguez. No, you're not doing this!”

Chris behind the counter smiled amused at that and took the money from the boys, eying his son and his son's friends. He had grown to like the three boys, they were good for Sander. While Cally had gathered her little group of girls – Bianca di Angelo, Theadora Chase and Rainbow Jordan – his son had always lacked closer friends. Sure, both twins had plenty of admirers and followers because of their reputation and cunning ability, most of all the quests they had accomplished with Bianca. But Sander had never really made close friends, aside from his best friend Hercules Grace. Since Herc was Roman though, the boys didn't see each other all too often. So it was a relief to see Sander spending time with people outside the immediate family and his sister's circle of friends.

“Well, well, try your best, boys”, smiled Chris amused and leaned back. “And contrary to Sam's belief, this game is not manipulated. No definite losing. Or winning, just because you're my son.”

Sander nodded sharply and looked at his dad before aiming (and praying). Sander was a horrid shot. He was brilliant with a sword, mediocre with a bow and clever with a knife, but a gun, even just a toy-gun? He missed all three times horribly – hitting his dad with the second one even. Sam, Trend and Marshall had the time of their lives laughing their asses off.

“Oh, shut up and do it better”, pouted Sander and crossed his arms over his chest.

“You need to hit all three to get the unicorn. It's one of the big prizes”, added Chris as he ruffled his son's hair. “And you may start looking into shooting lessons, kiddo. I didn't know you were capable of failing that hard. Better not tell your mom about this, mh?”

Marshall smirked amused as he took the gun. Sam wrapped one arm around Sander's shoulders, silently saying thanks for trying. The older brunette was still pouting, but he directed his attention to Marshall. The tall boy was highly concentrated with each shot, but sadly enough, he missed the last one. Chris smiled kindly at the big guy and motioned to the range of things he could chose from. The son of Enyo looked unhappy, at least until he spotted a green bear and chose it.

“Wouldn't have thought you'd like that”, grinned Sam amused, though the grin slipped from his lips as Marshall thrust the bear out at him. “Dude, I want the unicorn. I'm not a little girl, I'm not into adorable, fluffy toys and stuff. I just like horses. And red. Especially red horses.”

“But you'll stay in New Rome this summer, right? So you can... take it with you, to give it Sara”, grunted Marshall, looking mildly embarrassed. “She mentioned that bears are her favorite animals and green is her favorite color... She may... like it.”

“I think Marshall may like her”, observed Trend amused and cocked one eyebrow as he took the gun to take his turn. “And here I thought you were only so considerate of her because she had been practically glued to Sam last summer, though now I suspect other reasons for that.”

“It's not like that”, grunted Marshall, obviously grumpy. “She was just... very sweet.”

“She was like the exact opposite of you, Big Silence”, snorted Sander wide-eyed. “I mean, did you even exchange any words at all? Sure, she talked like all the time, but did you legitimately say anything to her in return? Did you even get to say anything?”

“Well, she was rather busy... talking”, was Marshall's only reply. “But that was kind of nice.”

“How cute, Marshall got his girl a stuffed toy. What's next? Chocolate? Flowers?”, smirked Trend, punctuating each of the 'goods' with a perfectly targeted shot. “Or an engagement ring right away?”

With that, he set the third and last perfect hit. Sam nearly fell off the counter he had been sitting on, while Sander stared wide-eyed and just a little enviously. Marshall was too busy being flustered and too cool to be impressed by that. He had known that Trend was a perfect shot. Chris grinned amused and clapped his applause before freeing the red unicorn from its bonds and handing it over to Sam. With the most brilliant smile possible did Sam accept the unicorn, gasping at just how soft and fluffy the red unicorn with the green mane really was. While hugging the unicorn tightly, Sam threw himself at Trend, hugging the blonde just as tightly and nearly throwing him off-balance.

“Thank you”, grinned the happy son of Ares, kissing Trend's cheek. “I'll take good care of Iggy.”

“Iggy?”, repeated Trend a little confused.

“Yep. Short for Ignatius”, explained Sam with a mischievous grin.

“Give me back that unicorn. You don't get it if you're being a brat”, deadpanned Trend.

“Aw, don't be such a spoil-spot”, chided Sam amused. “Still... Thanks. Really. He's awesome.”

The son of Athena blushed a little and coughed to cover his embarrassment as he looked at a happy Sam, hugging the unicorn he had just become the namesake of. Shaking his head, he wrapped one arm around Sam's shoulders and steered him off the boot, followed by Sander on Sam's other side and Marshall on Trend's other side, all four of them looking around the aisle for more fun.

“Where did you learn to shoot like that though?”, asked Sander confused.

“My dad has always been a gun-freak, having a whole collection. He taught me how to clean and respect a gun practically before I could walk”, shrugged Trend casually.

Marshall snorted at the blonde's smug casualty, but he refrained from saying something. Instead, he steered the other three boys over to a food stand to satisfy the rumble of Sander's stomach in what was the start of a long evening of more games, bumper cars and a ride on the Ferris wheel (for everyone aside from Trend, who pointed out his dislike for heights). The four boys had more fun that night than in the whole last summer and Trend, Marshall and Sander really hoped that would make up for the summer Sam was about to miss. All the while, Sam didn't let go of Iggy.

/June 2027 – Camp Jupiter, New Rome\

Sam grinned broadly, clinging to Fighter's neck as the two of them slowly descended on a wide space in the middle of New Rome. He already saw the wildly waving and nervously jumping ginger waiting for him. Next to her stood a highly amused, very tall, dark-skinned girl.

“Sam! Sam! You're finally here!”, exclaimed Sara excited and nearly threw him off the pegasus.

“I'm like half an hour early to what I told you”, snorted Sam and rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I have to show you so many things and introduce you to so many people!”, grinned Sara.

“How about you start with the laughing girl next to you?”, asked the son of Ares amused.

“Right!”, nodded Sara so vigorously that her head looked as though it would fall off. “That's my bestest friend in the world! Joe! She's a daughter of Vulcan, which is like Hephaestus just Roman and she's a tinkerer and makes the most awesome gadgets and such!”

“Hi, I'm Joe. You must be Sam”, nodded the dark-skinned girl, holding her hand out. “You will not believe just how much Sara has been talking about you since autumn. Like, every second of the day. So... I have expectations you'll have to live up to, Greek boy.”

“Okay”, grinned Sam amused and shook her hand, wincing at her forceful grip. “And who's this?”

He stared past the two girls at the other two teens. One looked mischievous enough for Hermes, with black hair and dark, blue eyes, sun-kissed skin spanning over tight muscles. The other was a girl so pale that she looked more like a ghost, her eyes like two crystals of ice and her hair white as snow. The glare she leveled at him was no less icy than her eyes suggested.

“Those are our praetors, our leaders”, explained Sara, waving widely into their directions.

“I'm Loki Murdock, son of Mercury. And this is Blance Lamour, daughter of Chione”, introduced the mischievous boy. “We're the praetors, the... equivalent to Calandra Rodriguez and Bianca di Angelo, you could say. The leaders of camp. Though our Roman camp is a little different from what you're used to, Samuel Raser. Our 'cabins' aren't split by godly parent. You'll need to be invited into one of the cohorts and even then, you'll only be a probatio, which basically means you still need to prove yourself worthy of being part of our society.”

“Okay... And... can I be in Sara's cohort?”, asked Sam shyly.

“Sara and Joanna already pleaded for you to join. For now, they're... basically, they're responsible for you”, replied Loki with a short nod. “Go with them and they will show you everything. We simply came to introduce ourselves, because we have the highest authority around here and you are, albeit a probatio, an honored guest, so if you have problems, feel free to come to us.”

“Okay, thanks”, nodded Sam, trying to memorize the weird words.

“We're in cohort three”, stated Sara eagerly. “You'll love our centurion, she's really awesome-”

“A centurion is basically our cabin head”, explained Joe patiently.

“-she's a daughter of Trivia, a witch! A real, proper witch! That is so, so great! She can do all those magic tricks, like real magic, no bunny-out-of-the-hat tricks!”, continued Sara unfazed.

They reached a building which Sam suspected to be that cohort-thing Sara had been talking about. In front of it stood two girls, one a pretty yet tomboyish Latina, the other purple-haired. Sara came to a screeching halt in front of them, so abrupt that Sam crashed into her.

“Ouch”, complained Sam and rubbed his forehead.

“Sorry, bro”, grinned Sara sheepishly before turning to the girls. “Look, look! He's Greek!”

“I'm half Greek”, grunted the Latina and rolled her eyes. “I know plenty of Greeks. Why is this one any special? He doesn't look all that special. Looks like a pretty boy. Aphrodite?”

“Ares”, growled Sam defensively and straightened his back.

“Ah, yes, that sounds like the spark of Ares”, grinned the girl. “I'm Nico Zhang, legacy of Hephaestus and Mars. Centurion of the fifth cohort. Nice to meet you.”

“And this is our centurion! Takara Thompson, daughter of Trivia”, exclaimed Sara.

“Right, uhm, nice to meet you”, smiled Sam politely. “But can we cease the introductions for now? So many names and titles and... new vocabulary. My brain needs a break.”

“You're my new probatio”, observed the purple-haired girl interested. “Well, let's see how well you'll fend. Come inside and get settled first. Dinner later.”

Sam nodded relieved and followed Joe and Sara inside, his head swirling. He barely got to sit down on a bed as he noticed the still with energy bouncing daughter of Mars. Right, he still had something for her. Grinning broadly, he opened his backpack and pulled the fluffy, green bear out to present it to her. At first she cocked her head confused, until he nodded at her, indicating that yes, it was for her. And then she squealed, more high-pitched than Leah and Lara when they got ice-cream, which so far had been his measurement of ouch-glass-will-break.

“You got me a teddy!”, yelped Sara happily, now also hugging Sam. “Thank you, thank you, tha-”

“No, no, wait”, interrupted Sam amused. “It's actually not from me. Marshall won it at the Fortuna Fair last week and told me to give it to you. So... it's from Marshall, not from me.”

“Oh...”, mumbled Sara, blushing faintly as she stared down at the bear.

“Marshall?”, echoed Joe intrigued and leaned into Sara's personal space. “Who is this Marshall and how come I haven't heard anything about him yet? She talked so much after you returned from the Greeks, about so many different people. But this Marshall...”

“T—There isn't anything to say about him”, yelped Sara, her blush intensifying. “Nothing at all!”

“He's a close friend of mine”, supplied Sam. “Son of Enyo. Really strong and handsome and kind.”

“Oh, that sounds nice”, smirked Joe knowingly. “So you haven't talked about him because you're having a crush on him and didn't want to accidentally reveal that?”

Sara blushed darker and yelped annoyed, refusing to talk to either of them while Joe and Sam laughed loudly at her dismay. She still continued to hug the green teddy though.

/July 2027 – Third Cohort, Camp Jupiter, New Rome\

Sam groaned, pretty sure he was about to die. He had suffered under the Greeks, but the Romans were brutal. The only good thing about the Roman camp were the unicorns. He had never seen real unicorns before. Grinning broadly, he pulled Iggy close to hug him. So maybe it was a little childish for a twelve-years old boy to carry a stuffed toy with him, but he had gotten it the week before he left his Greek home and friends. As much as he loved Sara like a real, proper sister, it was still a completely new environment and new people and he knew no one aside from Sara and he missed Trend and Sander and Marshall and Derek – and even Cally, though he wouldn't tell her that. Iggy was like all of that, his reminder of his Greeks (and he had gotten it from Trend, but that wasn't the point. At all). Cuddled up to the fluffy unicorn, he turned around to face Sara. The daughter of Mars grinned at him amused, clutching her own stuffed toy to her midsection.

“You really suffer, like, a lot”, observed Sara. “I kinda feel bad for making you come here...”

“You didn't make me come, I wanted to come”, corrected Sam with a frown, his nose buried in the wild, green mane of Iggy. “And I don't regret it. I mean, training is murderous, but I find your politics highly fascinating and I like your elephant. He's awesome. And your unicorns.”

“Well, maybe I have something else to offer that you may like”, smirked Joe as she leaned against the door-frame, with her arms crossed. “I talked to Nico, she said it would be alright to show him.”

“Really?”, gasped Sara wide-eyed and jumped off the bed. “Awesome! Come, Sam! Fast!”

“Fast...?”, grunted Sam doe-eyed. “That is so not an option at the moment. I think Loki broke me.”

“Cally would call you a wimp right now”, teased Sara amused. “Now come, please, we got to show you something really, really awesome. Like totally special privileged-people-only awesome!”

“Okay...?”, said Sam cautiously as he climbed off the bed, placing Iggy on his pillow. “Where to?”

“Bunker 9.2”, announced Joe as she led the way.

Sam tilted his head intrigued. He knew of Bunker 9, but no child of Hephaestus would let a non-tinkerer inside their sanctuary. So the idea of seeing the Roman counterpart did make the naturally curious boy giddy. He stumbled after the two girls.

“W—Why am I allowed in though?”, asked Sam in awe. “If I was a son of Hephaestus, yes, but...”

“We're not as picky as the Greeks”, chuckled Joe amused. “We don't tolerate anyone in our bunker, but we do allow others aside from our siblings inside. Kara is a frequent quest too, so are our praetors and others. And since Sara is an honorary member and she like adopted you...”

Joe let the sentence hang in the air as she watched in amusement how her best friend pulled the Greek down into the bunker. It was dark, the walls weren't very high, it was dirty and stuffed with so much stuff – half-finished gadgets, metal and wood and whatever else, work-benches and so, so much more. Crowded, messy and disorganized. It made Sam's OCD twitch with displeasure, the urge to throw everything out, cleaning it thoroughly and one by one before putting it back, in a color-organized way, maybe sorted by kind too. And he would have to get all the bends out of the metal-scrapes. So maybe he was a little bit obsessive, but it was important to have an organized life. And having everything settled and organized helped him whenever something changed. Whenever he had to move, he kept the exact same order of things, kept his closet organized in the exactly same way so he could pretend it was just the same place as before. Adjusting to New Athens had made his problem slightly better, because for the first time, he stayed in one and the same place for more than a couple of weeks or months. But right now, with once again being in a new place, it kicked in with a vengeance again. Lucky for him – because he was pretty sure the Vulcan kids would behead him if he'd empty the bunker and clean it up – Sara had an attention-problem.

“Sam! Sam! Sam!”, chanted Sara and jumped up and down in front of him. “Look, look, look!”

And as easy as that did Sara distract Sam from his urge to clean up and organize. Whenever Sara started to stumble over her own words once again, Joe supplied a logical and understandable explanation. Sam marveled at the patience Joe showed and at just how good she was with translating this mambo-jumbo. After a while of being dragged around everywhere, being shown extremely complex machines and introduced to about two dozen tinkering and busy people in an age range between five and twenty-five. Sam's head was buzzing by the time they reached the centurion of the Fifth Cohort. Nico Zhang. The Latina was grinning amused as they approached them. She wasn't alone, by the looks of it, she was explaining some kinds of plans for a giant robot to a very tall, very handsome and very blonde guy. Sam's eyes widened and his mouth hung open just the tiniest bit too much. He was older than Sam, by three years or so. Broader, like twice Sam's size. Taller, by at least one and a half head. He had cheekbones, high and strong cheekbones. And dimples when he grinned amused at something Nico had said. The curly, unruly blonde hair pointed into all directions wildly. Arms bulking with muscles as they were crossed over a firm, broad chest. Sam felt his heart speeding up and his face flushing as he stared at this picture of a guy.

“Wow...”, whispered Sam in total awe as they approached the two.

Sadly enough the blonde Adonis was too engaged in his conversation with Nico to pay them much mind. And Sara was so fast at dragging him away again and chewing his ear off anyway.

/July 2027 – Bunker 9.2, Camp Jupiter, New Rome\

Okay, so maybe the unicorn stables only made second place on Sam's list of most awesome places in New Rome. He spend nearly all of his free time at Bunker 9.2, together with Nico and Joe and sometimes also Kara and Loki. It was only mildly interesting, if he was being honest. He wasn't much into planning and such – though he figured that Trend surely would have a certain appreciation for this. But aside from the arena, this was the place to find the hottest guys. And around here, the nice muscles weren't covered by armor, but rather adored by grease. So yes, maybe Sam visited Bunker 9.2 to enjoy the view. Greeks were nice to look at, but Romans were just the tad bulkier, more serious about their training. So very nice to look at. Especially so the tinkerers. Even more so one Leroy Jones, as Sam had learned a couple of days ago. He often hung out with Nico, mostly so because Nico was the head of the bunker – more or less so because Nico's mother had been the founder of Bunker 9.2 and the finder of Bunker 9 (Greek version). And since Joe had a bad case of hero worshiping going on for Nico Zhang, Joe was always close to Nico too. Since Sara – and with Sara also Sam – was mostly hanging out in the bunker because Joe was Sara's best friend, Sam got to spend about all the time sitting with Sara. While he talked with Sara, he listened in with one ear how Joe, Nico and Leroy debated on future tinkering and such. And while listening in, he got to stare at Leroy and marvel at that perfectly sculpted body. This had become Sam's routine over the past few days. Training, suffering, showering and then spending the rest of the day in Bunker 9.2, talking to Sara and drooling over Leroy.

At least until one day, when Joe and Nico seemed to have some kind of epiphany and ran off in the middle of a conversation. Suddenly, there was just Leroy, standing there, next to Sam and Sara. Not being distracted by the two girls. Sam blushed nervously as the blonde's attention laid on him.

“You'll go out with me tonight”, said the son of Vulcan in a nearly commanding voice.

Sam looked left and right, his eyes wide, but there were just Sara and him close by and Leroy's dark, brown eyes were practically boring into Sam's soul. The Greek gave a nervous squeal, causing Sara next to him to giggle and Leroy to laugh amused.

“Y—You... mean me...?”, asked the son of Ares surprised.

“I'm not blind”, snorted Leroy, crossing his arms over his chest. “You keep staring at me. And you're cute. So why not. I'll pick you up at six, look pretty. Not that that will be a problem for you.”

Sam nodded nervously. Then he got pulled out of the bunker by a giggling Sara. Before he could even really comprehend what had happened, he found himself back in the Third Cohort, being pushed onto his bed by a still giggling Sara. The ginger was eagerly going through Sam's clothes.

“W—What are you doing there, Sara?”, asked Sam confused, grabbing Iggy.

“Looking for clothes for you”, grinned Sara delighted, before frowning. “Or... don't you want to go? Because I kind of got the impression that you really like him?”

“Y—Yeah, I guess...”, nodded Sam numbly. “But... I've never been on a date! Especially not with a guy! W—What am I supposed to do? I don't know if I should really go...”

“Oh”, nodded Sara thoughtful and sat down next to her brother. “Well... What do you think?”

“He's hot”, said Sam without hesitation. “I mean, really hot. And like the first guy ever to actually... like me. But I just... I'm nervous... What if I screw up and he notices that I'm not good enough?”

“Oh shut up!”, huffed Sara and rolled her eyes. “You're like one of the most adorable things on this planet! If he thinks you're not good enough, then his standard is way too damn high, because if anything, he should be lucky to deserve you. You're the best big brother on the planet and certainly one of the best people around. So I'm sure you're going to be an awesome boyfriend too.”

Sam grinned slightly and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Thanks, Sara. You're awesome.”

“Yup”, agreed the daughter of Mars and stood. “Now, you're going to sort yourself out and I'll check with Joe to borrow some of her clothes. You don't have a single skinny-jeans. What's wrong with you? And your shirts... boring. You, sit and wait.”

Sam nodded numbly as his half-sister dashed out of the room in a crazy haze. Heaving a sigh, he hugged Iggy closer and collapsed on his bed. He had grown accustomed to staring at the hot guys from afar. Had been doing that with Trend for a while now. But suddenly, one of the hot guys asked him out. Wanted to go out with him. With him! What was he supposed to do? Frowning a little upset, he sat up again and stalked over to the built-in fountain of Cohort Three.

“Derek Rhys”, said Sam firmly as he threw two golden coins into the water.

“Little perv, came to spy on me in the shower?”, snickered a naked Derek with a wink.

Sam blushed furiously and covered his eyes. “Please take a towel. Please.”

“You're so adorable, cutie”, grinned the son of Demeter. “There, all covered up. You can look now.”

“Thank you”, sighed Sam, knowing fully well that it was not a given that a naked Derek would cover himself just because Sam was around. “I need your help, Der.”

“With what?”, asked Derek attentively, leaning in some. “What's wrong, cutie pie?”

“Uhm, well, nothing, I guess”, shrugged the son of Ares embarrassed. “I just... someone asked me out. A guy. A really, really hot guy. And I have no idea what to do, Der!”

“Oh...”, grunted the younger brunette with an openly displeased frown, before gathering himself and smiling tenderly. “Well, as long as you like him, I'm happy for you. What's he like?”

“I don't know if I like him just yet”, frowned Sam and shook his head. “I mean, I don't know the guy. I know that I like looking at him. He's that tall, broad blonde guy with the delicious abs and all that stuff. He's a son of Vulcan, which basically means shirtless hotness covered in grease and sweat. Don't look at me like that, you would be drooling too if you could see him!”

“What's his name?”, chuckled Derek, honestly amused this time.

“Leroy Jones”, replied Sam with a grin. “So, he asked me out and now I'm kind of... lost?”

“He asked you out, which means he's interested in you. So stop freaking out”, started Derek with a slightly deadpanned expression. “Take a shower, it'll relax you and your hair always looks pretty when you just showered because it curls so nicely. Get dressed in something decent. And then let him take the lead. Play the part. Oh, right. It's not just a part, it's the truth. You are a blushy little virgin who's never been on a date. Let it show a little. Believe me, the guys I've been with liked that a great deal. Gave them this feeling of being the first, it's good for their pride. Okay?”

“Okay”, nodded Sam nervously and took a breath.

“And after the date, you'll call again and give me details”, grinned Derek broadly, before frowning. “But tell this guy that if he's not the very best, perfect gentleman to you, your best friend will kick him in the balls. Very, very hard. Get that point across, alright?”

“I'm not going to threaten him on our first date!”, hissed Sam embarrassed and glared. “Idiot!”

“Love you too”, grinned Derek and broke the connection.

Heaving a sigh, Sam did as he was told and walked up to the showers to get himself cleaned. It probably was better if he smelt fresh and not like training and ew. Once he was showered – and admittedly also more relaxed – he fell face first onto his bed and waited for his half-sister to return to him with the clothes. So maybe he was a little uncomfortable thinking about wearing a girl's clothes, but then again Joe did kind of dress like a boy, so it would probably be alright.

“I got you skinny-jeans and a v-neck shirt! You have such a nice neck, you have to show it off!”

These words, being practically shouted into his face, were the only warning he got before his sister clomped him. And then she started ripping his clothes off and changing him as though he was her pretty barbie doll. Not that he could fight the girl on this matter.

/July 2027 – Third Cohort, Camp Jupiter, New Rome\

Truth be told, the date itself was a blur to Sam. He had been way too nervous and was so busy fidgeting and sniffing the flowers Leroy had brought for him. But he was positively glowing when he came back to the cohort in the evening, placing the chocolate on his nightstand and fetching a glass of water for the flowers. Sara was already deep asleep by the time Sam was back, so he decided to go to the bathroom and try sending an IM to Derek.

“Hello, cutie pie”, grinned Derek as the call connected. “So, how was your date?”

“It was... It was perfect”, mumbled Sam confused, ruffling his shoulder-long hair.

“You don't sound happy?”, noted the son of Demeter with a lot of confusion of his own.

“It's not that”, objected Sam and shook his head. “It's just... I was so busy being nervous and thinking about not doing anything wrong that I was probably a horrible date for him.”

“I don't believe that a date with you could be horrible”, declared Derek determined. “You're way too adorable when you yelp and blush and are a nervous mess. He surely had fun watching you, sweetie. Now tell me, what did you do? What did he do? What happened?”

“He picked me up – brought me chocolate and flowers even”, started Sam with a happy grin. “He invited me to dinner in this really delicious Italian restaurant and he paid and we shared a dessert and it was really nice, with romantic music in the background and all. And then he brought me back to Sara's and he... he... he kissed me. He brought me home and kissed me good-bye.”

“With tongue?”, questioned Derek.

“Ew, don't be gross!”, yelped Sam and shook his head. “We only just went on one date! He just pressed his lips against mine in a short kiss. He's very charming. A gentleman and all. It was great.”

Derek looked sad, just a little bit, when he smiled at Sam. “I'm happy for you, sweetie. But now hush, go to bed. You have Roman training tomorrow again. You need your sleep.”

“Huh. You're right”, nodded Sam with a glance at the clock. “Thanks, Der. For helping me out earlier and for listening. Good night, Der! Talk to you later.”

“I'll be expecting your call”, grinned Derek with a wink.

That night, Sam curled together around Iggy and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

/July 2027 – the beach, close to Camp Jupiter, New Rome\

Ten days passed. Ten days of hanging around Bunker 9.2, but instead of just gossiping with Sara, he sat on Leroy's lap, occasionally kissing or touching in some way. As long as Sam was close by, Leroy was content. The blonde had shown to be quite possessive, but in a way, Sam came to like it. It was a sign of Leroy liking him, wasn't it? He didn't like being apart from Sam, liked touching Sam and holding him close. That was sweet, wasn't it?

They were currently walking along the beach, holding hands. The sun was setting, being swallowed by the ocean. It was beautiful. Sam loved it. Everything was tinted red – his favorite color. It was just perfect. The most perfect date. Giggling slightly at the thought, he leaned his face against the very strong upper arm of his boyfriend. Leroy grunted curiously, sliding his arm around Sam's waist to pull the lithe brunette up against his side. Sam hummed contently at that.

“What are you giggling about, little one?”, asked the son of Vulcan.

“Nothing”, grinned Sam sheepishly. “Just... It's nice. Today. I love this day.”

“Good”, nodded Leroy pleased, caressing Sam's side. “You want to come over to my place?”

“Cohort Four?”, asked Sam confused.

“No. My place in New Rome. More privacy to... talk”, offered the blonde son of Vulcan.

Sam smiled brightly at that. So far, Leroy had not been the most talkative, so if the son of Vulcan wanted to actually sit down and talk with him... Nodding hastily, he urged Leroy on to guide them to New Rome. He was also quite curious about New Rome, because so far, he hadn't seen much of it. Leroy lived in a small apartment, startling similar to the ones the Greeks lived in in New Athens. Not all that much space, most taken by the large bed. Not even a couch. Then again, the television stood right in place to be watched from the bed. Sam blushed furiously as he reluctantly sat down on the large bed. His boyfriend was smirking when he sat down next to Sam.

“So... What did you want to talk about?”, asked Sam with a smile.

“Actually... I thought we could do something more fun”, smirked Leroy.

One hand found its way to Sam's thigh, the other slung around Sam's waist, trapping him, holding him. Sam shuddered slightly at the close proximity of the strong, handsome son of Vulcan. He liked those, when they were hugging and touching and kissing. Making out was what Derek had called it with the broadest grin possible. Reluctantly wrapping his arms around Leroy's neck, he closed his eyes and let himself be kissed passionately. The older boy slowly lowered him onto the bed, until Sam came to lay comfortably on the bed, with Leroy hovering above him. Strong, large hands wandered over Sam's chest and thighs and about everywhere. Breaking the kiss, Leroy peeled his tight shirt off his muscular frame, causing Sam to lick his lips. Yeah, he really enjoyed looking at strong guys. Smirking down at Sam, Leroy tugged on the younger boy's shirt.

“I show you mine, you show me yours”, whispered the son of Vulcan into Sam's ear, licking the shell and biting the earlobe. “My pretty, little thing. You're so beautiful, my little Greek.”

Sam hummed softly, arching his back, fingers clawed into Leroy's golden-blonde hair. It was nice, hearing compliments like that. But it kind of bothered him how Leroy always called him little. Not so much in a cute way, more in a literally belittling way. Still, he called him beautiful and cute, so that was probably his imagination running into overdrive.

“L—Leroy”, gasped Sam, wide-eyed, grabbing Leroy's wrist. “No, wait.”

His cheeks were dark red as he caught hand just as it was about to enter Sam's pants. They had kissed and touched, but not naked, not under the pants. Having no shirt on was already pushing it for Sam, but Leroy had looked at him so longingly, so he had agreed. Still, this was too much.

“Come on”, grunted Leroy, not very amused. “I did everything you wanted since we got together. The park, restaurants, every movie you wanted to watch, the beach. Everything you wanted. And I paid. Don't you think it's time you... pay me back some? Do something I want to do?”

“Um... Yeah, I guess...”, mumbled Sam unsure, wrapping his arms around his torso. “But-”

“But what?”, asked Leroy with one cocked eyebrow. “So you think this is a one-way-deal then? I pay for you, do whatever you want, whenever you want it and that's it?”

“No!”, objected Sam, starting to feel like an awful boyfriend. “I—I'm sorry, I don't... I didn't...”

Looking up at Leroy with those large, apologetic eyes, leaning up to kiss Leroy softly. Leroy hummed pleased and started to fidget with the button of Sam's jeans, slowly pulling it down. Sam started to feel more and more uncomfortable as his jeans hit the floor. He was always uncomfortable being naked around others, especially when those others were so well-trained. It made him feel inadequate. Leroy's hand returned to wandering all over his body, but once the taller boy was cupping Sam's cock, the son of Ares squirmed uncomfortable.

“No, wait. Please”, whispered Sam softly, with large, pleading eyes. “I—I don't... I'm not ready to go that far yet. Can't we just... kiss some more? Please. I'm sorry, I don't want to be egoistic-”

“Well, for that, you're being awfully egoistic”, snorted Leroy with a slight glare.

“I—I know, but I...”, started Sam unsure. “I'm just twelve, I want to take it slow, Roy. Please.”

“Stop being such a pussy, little pretty”, grunted Leroy, grabbing Sam's wrists tightly. “You'll enjoy it too, I promise. I'll make you learn to enjoy it. But now be a good boy and stay put.”

Sam stared wide-eyed and tried to struggle free from the grip, but he stood no chance against Leroy.

/July 2027 – Leroy's Apartment, New Rome\

Sam was staring with unfocused eyes just ahead of himself. His arms were wrapped tightly around his legs, as though holding onto himself would maybe stop the pain. Everything hurt, especially his behind and his wrists. There was blood on the bedsheets beneath him, but he really didn't care at the moment. He was in way too much pain to move. Besides, Leroy was gone, had left after he had pulled out and said he had training. So Sam was at least alone. Still, he really wanted to get out of this bed, out of this apartment. Actually, also out of New Rome.

He was confused as he stumbled into the bathroom to at least get a little cleaned up before slowly forcing his aching body back into his clothes. He was pretty sure he took at least trice as long as he would normally be, but he hurt just too much. It was already late when he reached Cohort Three and collapsed on his bed, curling together and nearly instantly falling asleep again.

“Sam? Sam, Sam, Sam! Come on, wake up! Training!”, exclaimed Sara loudly, waking him.

Sam groaned, cracking one eye open. It felt as though he had only just crawled into the bed five minutes ago, but it looked like morning. And Sara looked awake. Urgh. Groaning, he turned around.

“Leave me alone, Sara”, moaned Sam hoarsely. “I'm not good...”

“Are you getting sick?”, asked his sister worried, feeling his forehead. “No, not sick. But... wow... You look like some monster chewed you up and spit you out again. I think you should stay in bed today, just in case. I'll tell the praetors you're not well. Get better soon, big bro.”

The daughter of Mars pushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead softly before leaving. Sam heaved a relieved sigh and closed his eyes again to drift off into a not very deep slumber.

“Samuel? Samuel, are you awake?”

The voice tore him from his sleep again. Grunting annoyed, he cracked one eye open to come face to face with Loki Murdock and Blance Lamour. The praetors. Blance looked more or less bored and judgmental while Loki had a slightly worried frown attached to his face.

“Mh?”, grunted Sam in response, rubbing his eyes.

“Sara told us that you're not feeling well”, started Loki, looking him up and down.

“And I was so sure that you're faking because you can't stand Roman training”, teased Blance.

“Anyway”, grunted Loki, glaring at his partner. “You really don't look all too well. It probably is best if you rest for now. Sadly, nectar and ambrosia only work for injuries. You'll have to sleep that one out, I guess. Anyway, we'll check on you tomorrow again. Rest well.”

Sam frowned as he watched be praetors leaving the cohort again. Nectar and ambrosia didn't work on sickness, but on injuries. And damn it all, he was injured. Probably still bleeding even, he didn't dare to check. The pain itself was worse enough. Grunting lowly, he slowly forced himself to get up and out of bed to check the cohort's nectar-supplies. The way he was moving would probably make everyone suspicious during dinner, so he needed that stuff. Once the nectar was running through his system, he was feeling a little better. And a little dizzy. Yawning widely, he collapsed back on the bed, staying in a state of half-asleep, drifting in and out of sleep until dinner time.

“Hey, little pretty, I think you slept enough. You need to eat too, you know?”

Sam stiffened and slowly opened his eyes. This time around, there were even three people looming over him. Joe, Sara and Leroy. Sara was kneeling in front of Sam, caressing his cheek tenderly.

“You feeling better, big bro?”, asked the daughter of Mars concerned.

“Mh, yeah”, nodded Sam and yawned slightly, cracking his neck.

“Sara told me you're not feeling well”, stated Leroy and sat down next to Sam on the bed, caressing Sam's hair in that way that made Sam melt. “My poor pretty. I brought you some flowers.”

Sam's eyes darted over to his nightstand where a bouquet of the most beautiful, deep red hibiscus flowers. Right next to the flowers was a box of chocolate. Nougat, his absolute favorite. Just like the flowers. So Leroy had listened to what Sam had told him, after all. He did care.

“I wanted to take you out for dinner, Italian, your favorite, but if you're not feeling well...”, murmured Leroy concerned and leaned down to tenderly brush his lips against Sam's forehead.

“I—I'm... I'm feeling... better”, whispered Sam unsure.

He wasn't even sure why he was saying that. Well, he was feeling better, but after last night, shouldn't he stay away from Leroy? But maybe... Leroy had just wanted him too much? That Leroy wanted him so much that he couldn't wait? Maybe now he was sorry and now that he had his sex? Maybe he will be back to normal again now? Leroy smiled at him and kissed him softly.

“Well then, maybe you should go out with Leroy then?”, suggested Joe. “You haven't eaten at all.”

“Yeah! Joe's right!”, agreed Sara eagerly. “Maybe you'll be all fine again after a good meal?”

Sara and Sam shared that one opinion. Food made everything better. Sam smiled reluctantly and nodded. While Joe led Leroy out of the cohort, Sara already threw fresh clothes at Sam.

/July 2027 – Happy Dragon, New Rome\

Dinner had been fantastic, Leroy kept asking questions about Sam's family and how he was feeling and just let Sam talk. Something Sam loved. Talking about Ireland and England, about uncle Liam and his mom. It was amazing, Leroy was being a complete gentleman, pulling the chair out for Sam, sharing a pizza with him and even ordering a large dessert for Sam. It was the perfect date, the stars were sparkling above them as they made their way back. Sam was so exhausted from the day's events that he was constantly yawning and practically let Leroy half carry him.

“Mh? Where are we going?”, mumbled Sam confused.

“To my place”, stated the son of Vulcan in a nearly soft voice. “You look like you're about to fall over. My place is closer. What do you say, we curl together on the bed, watch a movie?”

“Can we watch Mulan?”, asked the son of Ares with sparkling eyes.

“Anything you want, little one”, chuckled Leroy amused.

/July 2027 – Leroy's Apartment, New Rome\

Leroy did not do anything Sam wanted. As soon as they were on the bed, Leroy was already tugging on Sam's clothes. And this time, once wasn't enough for the son of Vulcan. Sam could barely even protest, still aching too much from last night. And afterward, he could only cry himself to sleep. And in the morning, he got woken up rather roughly by Leroy, who demanded even more. Once Leroy left – left him alone, aching and crying, just like last time – Sam knew he had to get away. He barely cleaned himself before he stumbled out and back to Cohort Three.

“Sam! Where have you been? You know you ca-”, started Sara to rant.

By the looks of it, she had been waiting while all others were already gone to get breakfast, just so she could preach to him about not staying the night. But once she caught a proper look of him, she stopped instantly and gasped. Within a second, she was all over him, hugging him.

“Oh my gods, what happened to you, big brother?”, asked Sara worried. “Oh gods, d—did Leroy...? Did Leroy do this to you? Oh gods. C—Come on, let's go to the hospital, brother.”

Sam wanted to protest, but he was weak and every little move send jolts of pain through his whole body and damn, Sara was strong. He was drifting in and out of consciousness on their way to the hospital and he was pretty sure he must have passed out completely at one point, because the next time he woke up, he was in a hospital bed, with a beeping sound bothering him and a blonde doctor hovering above him. Sam frowned confused and tried to rub his face, just to wince.

“You got a nasty shiner there, you should probably not touch it until it's healed”, stated the doctor and smiled kindly at Sam. “Good morning, Samuel. I'm Doctor Will Mason.”

“Morning, doc”, nodded Sam. “When can I leave again?”

“A... friend of mine is here and he would like to talk to you too, Samuel”, said Will cautiously.

“I don't want to talk to anyone”, sighed the son of Ares annoyed. “My sis already talked enough.”

And that she had, even though he had been dizzy and his mind had been fuzzy, he did catch the gist of Sara's rant on their way to the hospital. How she would not allow him to ever see Leroy again.

“Well, you won't get around this conversation... Samuel Raser”, announced a new voice.

A critical looking blonde with a scar on his lip took the medical files from Will. It did not make Sam any more comfortable to have the two adults looking so serious while watching him.

“There is nothing to talk about”, whispered Sam softly.

“Those are not from training. Those bruises. The bruises on your wrists, your face. You had two broken rips, Samuel”, stated Will concerned and shook his head. “Some beat you up.”

“And that's why I'm here”, interrupted the other blonde seriously. “I'm Jason Grace, head of the Roman division of the Demigod Protective Service. See, we're here to protect demigods like you. Not just those from bad mortal homes, but we also want our camps safer. There had always been problems between certain campers. Due to their parentage. Like, my dad is better than yours, we're more respected than you are, such petty things. We're here to protect our charges from bullying. And frankly enough, you do look like you got bullied. You just have to tell me who did this and I'll take care of this, Samuel. We won't let such a thing happen again.”

“Look, I won't let such a thing happen again, so nothing to do for you”, huffed Sam.

He didn't want them to know. They couldn't know. They thought some bullies had cornered him and beaten him up, that was fine. Shall they think whatever they want to think. But there was no way he could let them know what Leroy had done to him. The pain was too great. The shame was too great. How could Leroy have done this to him? He was so short of falling in love with the handsome Roman, all the chivalry, all the romance. Such a gentleman. Roy had been so sweet to Sam. But all just to get into Sam's pants, whether Sam wanted it or not?

“I don't have anything to say to you, so leave me alone”, whispered Sam in a broken voice.

/July 2027 – Apollo's Heart Hospital, New Rome\

The two blondes were very persistent, but Sam was just a notch too stubborn for them. There was nothing they could do, not unless he told them something. Which he didn't. The nectar and ambrosia helped him a great deal, together with Doctor Mason's care and by the time afternoon rolled around, Sam released himself from the hospital and left. He wanted to get away, not just from the hospital, but from everything here. He wanted to get back home, where he was safe and where Leroy was as far away as possible. He never wanted to see the son of Vulcan again.

“Hello, little pretty.”

“What do you want?”, growled Sam, with as much bite to it as possible.

“Oh, turning fierce there?”, laughed Leroy amused as he caught up with Sam.

“Y—You... what you did to me...”, whispered Sam, feeling the tears in his eyes.

“Hey now, you know you don't look pretty when you cry”, snorted Leroy, grabbing Sam's chin. “I didn't do anything to you. I just took what is mine. You're my boyfriend, I take you out to dates and you serve me in the bed. This is a two-way thing, little one. You have your duty to fulfill too.”

“J—Just leave me alone”, pleaded Sam and tried to run.

/July 2027 – Leroy's Apartment, New Rome\

He couldn't run far and Leroy was too strong. Two hours later and Sam found himself once again curled together on Leroy's bed, bleeding and crying, while Leroy got dressed again. It was as though he could not break free. As long as Leroy wanted him, he would have him. Because he was just too weak, he couldn't run, couldn't fight. He was weak, had no chance.

“W—Why...? Why me...?”, asked Sam in a broken voice.

“You're interesting”, shrugged Leroy as he straightened his shirt. “I never had a Greek before. A son of Ares nonetheless. Mars is one of our highest valued gods. War, fight, battle. Strength. You could not possibly be more the opposite of what a child of Mars should be. You're cute, beautiful and a really good fuck. But you know what, I think it's over between us. Your constant whining and crying is really giving me a headache. I think it's better if we part ways, even though you're really tight and look amazing all flushed and in pain. Oh well. You can see yourself out?”

He left. Just like that, he left. Left Sam alone and broken, in immense pain and more humiliated than he had ever felt in his entire life. Because he was a son of Ares, but different from them? Was that it? The reason why he was in so much pain now? A divine punishment, because he fought his nature, because he was a disgrace? Was this his punishment for wanting a strong, hot guy to carry him on his hands and spoil him rotten? That he got the exact opposite? Was he just not meant to have a sweet, strong boyfriend? He had wanted that – to feel a boy within him. One day, months or years from now, with a boy he actually really loved. But a son of war and fighting should not want to be dominated, should he? They had called him that before, in the Greek camp, a disgrace to Ares. Though everyone who dared to call him that had gotten beaten up by Trend and Sander. But maybe those were right. Ares dominated and controlled. Wanting to give up that control and be swept off his feet by a handsome hero like a damsel in distress, how could the Fates not punish such desires? If he stopped doing that, wanting that, maybe he would be alright? Maybe he just had to be what everyone expected him to be so he could be truly happy? Because this was not happy, even though a relationship with a handsome, strong hero was everything he had wanted. Everything he shouldn't want, he supposed. This was not what a son of Ares was supposed to want. So he got punished for it, with the pain and the humiliation. Never again. He swore to himself that he would never let himself be that weak again, would never let anyone have that much power over him again. No one would ever dominate him again. Not in battle and not ever in bed. He would change, would do everything different, as long as the fates would be pleased and let him continue living in peace. No more pain, no more humiliation. He never again wanted to feel like he felt in that moment.

/July 2027 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Saying good-bye to Sara had been hard, because she had cried and clung to him for dear life, but she understood. Well, she understood half-way. She should he was leaving because Leroy had hit him. She had no idea... She could never have any idea about this. She could never know. No one could. Still, she helped him get out of camp early, with some cheap excuses to the praetors. They talked to Jason Grace and, by the looks of it, came to the agreement that Sam had probably been bullied by Romans for being a Greek and for being a weak fighter on top of that. So they had let him go, let him return home even though summer wasn't over yet. The flight back to New Athens was pure bliss, clinging to Fighter and soaring through the sky as though they were free, completely free. No one to taunt him, no one to bother him. Only him, the sky and one of the being he trusted most. He probably needed about a week of sleep after all the nectar and ambrosia he had consumed in the past two days. After all the pain he had been through in the past two days.

Fighter landed on the small balcony, more a balance act than a real landing. Climbing off her back, he kissed her side and caressed her mane for a last time before she took off again. His apartment was a little sticky and dark, because he had pulled down the shades before he had left. It suited him just fine. Dumping his bag carelessly on the ground, he only got one thing out of it before curling together on his bed. Iggy was hugged tightly to his midsection, the green mane of the plush pony tickling his nose while he cried himself to sleep, his small frame shaking forcefully with the tears.

/August 2027 – Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York\

Derek Rhys was a bored, bored boy. Sure, Sander was pretty to look at and it was actually nice being with the brunette, but still... He wasn't Sam. Wasn't what Derek really wanted. But those large puppy-eyes were something else entirely. The two of them were laying at the beach at the moment, cuddled up together on the towel. They were watching a game of beach volleyball, boys versus girls. Marshall, Trend, Charles from Apollo cabin and Victor from Hephaestus cabin were on one team, against Bianca di Angelo, Thea Chase, Calandra Rodriguez and Rainbow Jordan. Melissa and Stella were sitting with the couple, chatting idly away with Derek. It was amazing, he was actually making friends. Having a boyfriend, such a social one at that, had helped his social skills. There was also the matter of no-Sam-available, so he didn't have his whole attention focused on Sam. Melissa was a daughter of Dionysus and was only a year older than Derek, but she was great company. Someone who understood plants the way he did and her mind did have a wicked edge, something he really liked. Stella though, well, the daughter of Aphrodite was just a little shallow, but still sweet to talk to. He admired Sander for actually sticking around, because Derek knew the other boy had the deep desire to just run free and join the game again. But Sander was just that affectionate, promising him some cuddles convinced the brunette to stick around on the beach.

“Der”, murmured Sander and kissed Derek's temple. “Why do you think Fighter is back?”

“Fighter is back?”, repeated Derek stunned and turned some in the embrace.

“Yeah. I saw her earlier when I was taking Trick out for a ride”, nodded the legacy of Hermes with a thoughtful frown. “You think she didn't like the Romans and returned to her home stables?”

“Maybe”, nodded Derek slowly, patting Sander's head.

He had only gotten together with Sander because, well, the brunette was nice to look at and very close to Sam. And with Sam having a boyfriend now, why not trying to make the cutie jealous by dating Sam's other best friend? He wouldn't have thought for Sander to be such a charming, cute boyfriend, so that was a good twist there. Grinning slightly, he kissed the corner of Sander's mouth.

“You two want to go to an empty cabin, have some privacy?”, offered Melissa and rolled her eyes.

“Oh, the desires of young lovers”, sighed Stella dreamily. “So romantic.”

“Urgh, Aphrodite-brats”, grunted Melissa and rolled her eyes while ruffling Stella's hair.

/August 2027 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Derek had checked it himself, but Sander's words had been true. Fighter was back. And that could only mean one thing. Sam was back too. Because that horse was loyal to the grave, she would never leave Sam alone in a foreign environment. Sneaking out of camp was by far not complicated, not if someone really wanted it. And if it meant seeing Sam, then Derek truly wanted it.

It didn't take him long to reach their apartment building and the apartment of one Sam Raser. Knocking had no effect. Calling out to Sam had no effect. And after a while, he started to believe that perhaps, Sander had been right after all and Fighter had returned on her own. But then he remembered that he had a spare-key to Sam's place and figured that checking couldn't hurt. And oh, he was glad for that decision. Because what he found was not good. Sam was laying on top of his bed, crying and cuddling up to Iggy. Frowning worried, Derek slowly walked up to him.

“Cutie pie?”, whispered the son of Demeter as he sat down on the bed, slowly pushing the soft, wavy hair out of Sam's face to see the tear-strained cheeks. “What are you doing here? What's wrong? Where do those bruises come from? What happened, Sam?”

“D—Der?”, asked Sam, his voice soft and filled with fear.

“Yeah, it's me”, confirmed Derek, now even more worried. “It's alright. Whatever it is, it's alright.”

Sam sobbed once before he threw himself at Derek, hugging him tightly and burying his face in Derek's stomach. The son of Demeter frowned concerned as he returned the hug and caressed Sam's hair softly. Crying, afraid and obviously in pain. Also, back from the Romans early. Something must have happened with the Romans. With the Roman boyfriend, because otherwise Sam would be crying in said boyfriend's arms instead of bringing so much distance between himself and the boyfriend. Derek whispered soft words into Sam's ear while he waited for the other brunette to calm down again so they could talk. It took Sam some time, but he finally stopped crying.

“He hurt you, didn't he?”, asked Derek softly, rubbing the tear-strains from Sam's cheeks.

The way Sam averted his eyes was answer enough. And the way Sam stayed stubbornly silent was not very reassuring either. He tugged one of the peanut-colored strands behind one of Sam's ear.

“I need a haircut”, whispered Sam determined. “I look like a girl. Weak. I don't want... I...”

“Okay”, interrupted Derek with a short nod before Sam could start crying again. “I could give you a haircut. A manly haircut. What do you think about a... mh... a mohawk?”

“What's that?”, frowned Sam confused. “Sounds like a bird.”

Derek laughed softly and stood to get the scissors. “Get into the bathroom, less of a mess there.”

/August 2027 – Happy Dragon, New Rome\

Sam looked adorable with a mohawk. Derek loved it. Also, Sam had smiled, the first time he had looked into a mirror, he had smiled. A small and slightly sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. Once Sam was lulled back to sleep – with Iggy pressed close to his heart – Derek left again. He had something else to finish. Truth be told, he wasn't big on flying, especially not for hours and sneaking away from camp was not something he normally did either. Still, he had some unfinished business to attend to in New Rome. And Fighter was more than eager once Derek whispered into her ear that it was for Sam. Getting to New Rome wasn't hard, just boring. Finding the Happy Dragon, where Leroy Jones had frequently took Sam out to, wasn't hard either. Spotting a tall, handsome, blonde Roman was easy too. Smiling timidly, Derek sat down at the bar and ordered a large coke. Nipping it, he repeatedly smiled into the direction of the tall blonde, until the guy finally abandoned the friends he was with to come and sit next to Derek.

“You're cute. I'd remember if I had seen your around before”, pointed the tall Roman out.

“I'm just... passing through”, smiled Derek. “What's your name, handsome?”

“Leroy Jones. And who do I have the pleasure of talking to?”, replied Leroy.

“D... David”, answered Derek with a fake smile. “David Tennant. You alone here?”

“With some friends”, answered Leroy, jerking his head into the direction of his friends.

“How about I order you something to drink while you ditch those friends of yours?”

Derek had one of his most seductive grins on and winked at Leroy. It worked instantly. The guy stood and left, giving Derek the opportunity to order a coke for him too and slip something into the glass. When Leroy returned, they finished the cokes, talked and flirted heavily.

“What do you say...?”, whispered Derek lowly, leaning in, resting a hand on Leroy's thigh. “We leave this place and head over to yours? I'm sure you have a bed, don't you?”

“A boy all to my liking”, chuckled Leroy with a nearly wicked grin.

Derek knew this kind of guy. All that mattered to him was sex. How in the world did his adorable, innocent Sammy end up falling pray to such a predator? Well, at least the predator was easy pray for Derek. Within minutes, they were out of the restaurant, heavily kissing and on their way to Leroy's place. Something was phony about this guy, because if he really cared about Sam, he would be worried out of his mind and ask himself where Sam was instead of picking the next best boy up for make-out-sessions. When they reached Leroy's bed, it was an easy feat to pin the taller boy to the bed, straddling his hips. It was even easier thanks to the plants on the window-sill.

“You're a kinky, little thing”, chuckled Leroy intrigued.

“What did you do to Sam?”, asked Derek in a low and dangerous voice.

The son of Vulcan stiffened and tried to tug on the tight bonds of roots. The plants though, they were too strong. They kept the demigod in place, keeping Derek safe from the blind rage that he could see in those dark, blue eyes. This guy, he was dangerous and Derek could see it.

“Nothing unjustified”, growled Leroy annoyed. “He's my boyfriend, I just demanded what-”

“Oh, you little bastard”, growled Derek back, blind rage flashing through his eyes as he gripped Leroy's throat tightly. “I knew it. See, no one really takes me serious, but there is one thing I can do. And that's reading people. I knew you were trouble when I walked into that restaurant and I knew what kind of trouble you are when you kept undressing me with your eyes. You're a rapist. You're hungry and that hunger will never stop. You will never stop. You will never stop hurting people. But you made a mistake, because you hurt that one person, the only person on this planet, that I care about. So I will never let you hurt anyone ever again.”

“W—What are you going to do?”, asked Leroy, sounding slightly afraid. “You going to kill me?”

“Oh no. No, I'm not going through that trouble”, chuckled Derek amused and tilted his head. “No, I'm not a murderer. And death is by far too good for you. Besides, what I had in mind for you, I already did. I slipped it into your drink earlier, at the restaurant.”

“W—What did you slip into my drink?”, growled Leroy, a bit panicked and very furious.

“Let's call it... reverse-viagra”, hummed Derek softly and with an evil smirk. “I'm a son of Demeter, I can control plants. All kinds of plants. And I know how they work. It was easy, really, to brew something up. Something that will keep you from ever getting up again. See, death is a mercy. I want you, stuck with that hunger forever, but unable to ever feed on that one thing you desire the most. You will never have sex again. You will never rape anyone again.”

“You little-”, spat Leroy, short of going berserk.

“Ah, ah, ah. There is still one more thing left to be said”, chimed Derek mischievously. “See, I can take away your manhood, just like that. With a little mixture. But if you ever come close to Samuel Raser again, I will take everything from you. There are various poisons in nature. I can take your ability to see, to hear, to taste, I can drive you completely crazy, render you immobile for the rest of your life. And I will do all of that and even more if you ever hurt him again.”

/August 2027 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Derek knew. Well, he knew as much as Sara did. Why did that stupid, affectionate idiot have to come and check on him anyway? At least Derek didn't ask questions, he just held Sam and cooed at him and made him feel better. And he gave Sam a haircut. And even more importantly, Derek had promised not to tell anyone. Not about his bruises and not about his early return. To give Sam some weeks to adjust and heal up and get better. Whatever that meant. To Sam, it meant holing up in his apartment, curling together on his bed, crying himself to sleep and not talking to anyone. Yeah, that helped. To an extend. An extend that meant staying like that forever, because otherwise, this won't work at all. He was aware of that, he knew that he could only stay this way if he stayed this way – completely. Alone and hurled up in loneliness. But that wasn't him. He wasn't a loner. He liked people, he liked being with people, being with his friends. So he needed to find another solution.

“Sammy. What are you...? How did you get inside my apartment? When did you get back?”

“Hi, Trend”, whispered Sam with a small, slightly sad smile. “Not long ago. And I have a key.”

Trend cocked one eyebrow, not asking how Sam got that key, just throwing his bag into a corner and sitting down next to Sam on the couch. He noticed how the son of Ares stiffened some, but he didn't think much of it. He was just glad to see Sammy again.

“So... How was Camp Jupiter?”, asked Trend after a short, awkward silence.

“I need you to train me. Please.”

“What?”, grunted the son of Athena confused.

“I...”, started Sam, unsure how to continue, running his fingers through his hair. “I want to be stronger than Romans. I need to be stronger than Romans. Stronger than anyone.”

For another second, Trend frowned confused, but then he grinned. He knew Romans were fighters – Sam probably finally realized that being a fighter was important for demigods like them. It seemed seeing the fierce Romans finally triggered Sam's ambition to become strong himself. Finally. This was what Trend had waited for, because honestly, everything he really wanted was to fight side by side with Sam, train the other boy and see him in action. It made his fingers itch to know that now, the time had come. He would get his chance to train Sam and fight with him.

“Well then”, grinned Trend giddily and stood. “Come on.”

“What? Now?”, asked Sam stunned and stared up at the son of Athena.

“You want to become stronger? No better time for that than the now”, announced the blonde.

“Y—Yeah”, nodded Sam slowly and stood, unsure about himself.

Nervous again, he ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't keen on training, on sweating and aching all over again. But this kind of aching would make him strong, would give him the ability to fight off anyone who would ever try to bring him such pain again. He froze when he felt different fingers running through his hair, but when he looked up, he looked right into those amazingly intelligent, storm-gray eyes. It was Trend. Only Trend. Heaving a sigh, he relaxed some.

“I like your new haircut, Sammy”, stated Trend with a small smile, caressing the hand-wide stripe of two inch long peanut-colored hair running along the middle of Sam's head. “Looks cute on you.”

“It's not cute!”, protested Sam with a huff. “It's badass!”

“Yeah”, snorted the blonde. “You keep telling yourself that, Sammy.”

“Y—You jerkface!”, gasped Sam and grabbed a pillow to hit Trend upside the head.

Trend laughed at that and took a pillow to defend himself. “I'm the jerkface? Do you even know the newest news? Sander and Derek are dating! Your best friends. Now tell me how that feels.”

“Ew. That is ew”, shuddered Sam with a small, but genuine grin. “They can't! No!”

Trend just laughed in reply as they continued their pillow-fight. Today, there wouldn't be any training, just him trying to make Sam smile again and get that weirdly sad expression off Sam's face. But any following day for the next year was spend on a tight training schedule.

Chapter Text

Fifth Partition: The Friendly Year

/December 2027 – Demeter Park, New Athens\

Trend was mean. But the best kind of mean. When Sam whined and wanted to give up, Trend pushed him. Trend trained him. And together with Sander and Marshall, they trained hard, every day. It was the middle of December and it was cold in the park, freezing even. They were doing one on one, Sam facing Sander as Marshall fought Trend. The only one really completely enjoying himself was probably Derek, because the son of Demeter sat cozily packed into a large, fluffy coat, holding a cup of hot tea while watching four hot, half-naked guys.

“So this is how you spend your no-camp-breaks? I could totally get used to that.”

“I know, right?”, grinned Derek, clinging cups with Stella next to him.

The beautiful Brazilian daughter of Aphrodite had decided to tag along, out of boredom probably. Well, Derek was grateful for the company. As amazing as ogling hot guys was, it was way better with a gal friend. Too bad Melissa couldn't make it, but the daughter of Dionysus was just a little different. She didn't understand those simple pleasures like hot, sweaty guys. Peasant.

“You know, Sam is looking really hot”, commented Stella, pushing a strand of light brown hair out of her face. “He gained muscles over the past months. But he didn't lose his cuteness and that mohawk gives him such a sweet bad-boy touch. But in the most adorable way.”

“Yeah, I have dibs on that one”, grunted Derek with a slight glare.

“But you're dating Sander”, pointed Stella out, sipping on her pink cup.

Derek just shrugged, unimpressed, while Stella adjusted her perfectly fitted pink hat and her fluffy, pink coat. “Sander is a sweet distraction on the way, but the final destination is Sam.”

Cocking one eyebrow, Stella turned her attention toward the 'sweet distraction'. “Very sweet indeed. That sixpack is amazing. And he does have quite a cute bum.”

“He does have quite the tight bum”, replied Derek nonchalantly.

Stella spit her tea out of her nose, not at all looking like an elegant child of Aphrodite. “What?! Y—You two had sex a—and you... you topped him? He's one of our three big heroes!”

“And he is a very open-minded and dedicated lover”, nodded Derek. “I mean, he's a good top, very much looking out for me and my pleasure, but when I ask him if I could top, he lets me too.”

“Now that's something I'd like to see”, muttered Stella beneath her breath, blushing slightly.

“Perv”, chuckled Derek affectionately before turning toward the frozen lake. “Get your asses over here! I'm cold and hungry, let's eat the sandwiches Sam made!”

The four fighters slowly stopped and walked over to the two warmth seeking demigods. Derek and Stella pouted just the slightest bit as the four boys dried their faces and got their shirts back on. Then again, it was freezing cold in the snow, so they understood that the boys wanted to get dressed. It was murderous enough that Trend forced them to train shirtless in that weather. Sander hummed happily as he snuggled up to Derek and kissed him. Stella frowned thoughtful, remembering Derek's words concerning Sam. Her eyes darted between Derek and Sam.

“Are you alright with this?”, asked Stella timidly while Sam unpacked the food. “I mean, with Derek and Sander, being all cuddly and stuff? Doesn't it bother you?”

The son of Ares looked up from the cheese-sandwich he just handed over to Trend. “Huh? Why should it bother me? It's awesome. My best friends are dating. I mean, at first it was kinda gross but they can make their own choices and by now I settled with it. I think they're a cute couple.”

“Huh”, nodded Stella thoughtful. “You're a good guy, Sam. So... Are you dating? I mean, I...”

“I'm gay”, replied Sam, smiling slightly at her as he handed her a salami-sandwich. “You're a pretty girl, but I'm just really not into those. I'm also not into dating these days.”

“Not?”, inquired Trend curiously. “Why?”

“Just... I want to focus on my training for now”, shrugged Sam, flexing his barely existent muscles. “I want to become strong. I don't need a boyfriend distracting me from that.”

“Now stop with the serious conversations”, demanded Sander, his head on Derek's shoulder. “I just want to enjoy the tiny breaks Trend allows us before he forces us back onto the ice.”

“Into the ice”, corrected Trend with a wicked smirk. “Ice bath. Now eat up.”

/Christmas 2027 – Raser Mansion, England\

“I'm still not sure if I should tag along to this. This is your family and it's Christmas.”

Derek frowned awkwardly as he straightened his jacket and tried fixing his hair. Sam gave his best friend an amused stare as he rang the doorbell. He took Derek's hand, squeezing it in support.

“I asked ma, it is alright”, assured Sam. “Besides, you don't have any family left and with everyone gone, you'd be sitting all alone in a one-room apartment, probably eating take-out. I mean, Marshall is staying at his grandparents' and he dragged Trend along with him so that grump would not play the Grinch again this year. And I kind of doubt you want to be grilled by Missus Rodriguez on Christmas for dating her baby boy. That woman is wicked enough on her good days. So here you go, you're like the very first person ever that I introduce to my family. Huh.”

Derek smiled slightly, looking into those dark eyes and then down to their joined hands. Best Christmas ever. Even more so once the door opened. He recognized Sam's mom from all the photos in Sam's apartment. The woman looked like the picture of happiness and joy once she laid eyes on Sam and pulled him into the tightest hug possible, kissing his forehead.

“Cronaím thú, a mhic mo chroí!”, exclaimed Jolene between kisses she placed all over Sam's face. [trans: I miss you, my darling son]

“Mamaí!”, yelped Sam, blushing embarrassed. “Stop embarrassing me in front of Der! Also, no Irish, it's impolite speaking a language others in the room don't understand.”

“So polite, so well-manner”, sighed Jolene, grabbing his face as she looked over at Derek. “I have no idea where he got that from. My family, we're more a bunch of wild animals, basically. So I hope you have a helmet for dinner to keep you safe, honey.”

“Ma, stop scaring my friend”, sighed Sam, hiding his face between his hands.

“Oh, I'm sorry”, laughed Jolene and turned to hug Derek. “Hello, honey, it's nice meeting you. I'm Jolene, don't dare call me Miss Raser, or Captain Raser, you hear me, boy?”

“Yes, ma'am”, nodded Derek, looking plenty uncomfortable. “Thank you very much for having me here. I—I really appreciate it and I'm sorry for intruding on Christmas.”

“Oh, hush, boy”, chided Jolene, one arm around each of the teens. “Get inside first. Let's see how grateful you'll be once you meet the family. Once again, I hope you have a helmet.”

Sam grinned broadly as he led the way into an overly decorated room with a long table, set for ten people. Everything was so giant, with beautiful carvings in the wood all over. Even the chairs looked fancy. There were high windows, presenting a beautiful view to a snowy winter wonderland. A tall tree was standing next to the windows, pompously decorated. Even though everything looked rich and expensive, there was still such a personal note to it. Many of the decorations were hand-made, obviously by young children. It was beautiful and homey and more than Derek had known in too many years. At the head of the table sat two man. One old, with wrinkles and stark white hair, a funny pointy mustache and fancy clothes, obviously Sam's grandfather. The man next to him was younger, in his mid-thirties, with black hair and a cheeky smirk. Next to the black-haired man sat a woman practically identical to Jolene Raser, just with longer hair.

“Now, that's the... relatively reasonable part of the family”, started Jolene. “My father, we all call him Senior since he shares the same name as Sammy, my sister Malene and her husband Liam.”

“Where is everyone else?”, asked Sam as he went over to get hugged by everyone.

“Living room. You know how they are”, chuckled Liam, ruffling his nephew's hair. “Why don't you go and introduce your friend and tell the girls that dinner will be ready soon?”

“Kay”, nodded Sam and grabbed Derek's hand to pull him along. “Come, Der!”

Derek was nervous. He had heard a lot of stories from Sam about his family, after all Derek was practically living over at Sam's apartment with all the time he spend there. So he knew that uncle Liam was the dad Sam had never known and that his four cousins were practically sisters to him. The living room wasn't any less impressive than the dining hall. There were four brunettes playing on the floor with dozens of toys scattered on the ground. Two five-years-old girls playing with cars, each having one pigtail at the side of her head, but on the opposite side than her respective twin.

“Those are Leah and Lara. They're still pretty boring. But that's Lene, you need to watch out for her. She's in that make-over-phase. She likes putting make-up onto everybody”, warned Sam.

He was pointing at the small girl, about three years older than the twins, with chin-long hair. The girl was wildly gesturing as she talked to the oldest in the room. That one was older than Sam and Derek by three or so years, half her head shaved off, the other half dyed a dark pink.

“Pipsqueak!”, exclaimed the oldest as she noticed the boys.

“And that's Selene. She's... I would call her the devil's daughter, but uncle Liam is the best, so that would be a lie, but she, she is pure evil!”, hissed Sam just as he got pulled into a tight hug.

“My little bro!”, continued Selene as she thrust him an arm's length off to properly look him up and down. “Wow. You gained muscles. And I simply love your hair. Awesome.”

“Doesn't sound like pure evil to me”, commented Derek amused.

“Oh. Oh, you are new!”, exclaimed Selene, turning to him with interest. “Mh. Pretty. Lean. You need to gain some muscles though, or else you'll have a hard time keeping up with Sam, he's energetic. But yes, for now you have my approval. Sammy! I like your boyfriend. He's nice.”

“B—Boyfriend?”, yelped Sam and blushed the darkest red possible.

But before he could ask anything else, a mean looking Lene was tugging on Derek's shirt, with the twins flanking her sides. All three crossed their arms at once, glaring dangerously at Derek.

“If you hurt our Sammy, we will be very nasty”, warned Lene seriously. “Very, very nasty.”

As serious as an eight-years old could, anyway. Derek grinned, puffing his chest out just a little. It made him proud enough that he was the first one to meet the Rasers – even before Trend. And it made him immensely happy that the family obviously thought he was Sam's boyfriend.

“Derek is my best friend, not my boyfriend!”, groaned Sam embarrassed. “Why are you even thinking that he's my boyfriend? W—What is the meaning of this?!”

“Well, your mom told us that you're bringing a boy over for Christmas. Hello? Why shouldn't we think that?”, snorted Selene and rolled her eyes. “When auntie Jolly told ma and pa, we of course all assumed you'd be finally bringing home the boy. Don't worry, we didn't tell grandpa.”

“He's not my boyfriend”, sighed Sam, still flustered. “Can we now please have dinner?”

/Christmas 2027 – Raser Estate, England\

Dinner had been a small war. Derek had to hand that to Jolene, she had been right. It was also plenty. Good cooking seemed to run in the family and every Raser had added a part to the meal. Derek had never been that full before. So he had decided to take a little walk outside while Sam was being cornered by his ma and questioned about his current life. Not that he minded, because Derek was naturally curious and wanted to explore the large property.

“Wait up, son of Demeter”, called someone after him.

Derek stiffened and turned around to face Sam's uncle who hastily caught up to him. “W—What?”

“Don't look so startled, lad”, laughed Liam and clapped Derek on the shoulder. “I've known you are a son of Demeter since you entered the house. And I knew you are a demigod since Jolene told us Sam would bring a friend with him from the 'new place' he was staying at. I'm the one who had suggested to Jolene that Sam should live in New Athens, for safety.”

“Who – or what – are you?”, asked Derek suspiciously, slowly reaching for his weapon.

“I am who I told you I am. I'm Sam's uncle. But I'm also a son of Hecate”, replied Liam a little amused. “See, the Raser family had always been very... involved with magic and great events. They're a long line of heroes, reaching back to the ancient Greeks. So there is a certain pull, I think that is what brought me to Malene. Now, I need to talk to you about something important.”

“If you're a son of Hecate, why aren't you staying in New Athens?”, asked Derek confused.

Liam heaved a sigh as he guided Derek farther away from the mansion – farther away from curious ears. “There are things about this family that Sam doesn't know and... and I would hate to tell him, because when I tell him, he will hate me and we will never be able to see each other again. Still, in the event that something happens to me, I need him to know. You're important to him, can you promise me to relay to him what I am about to entrust to you?”

“Okay...”, nodded the son of Demeter slowly, frowning confused. “What is it? And why can't you tell Sam yourself? And please don't talk about dieing, you're too important to Sam.”

“Sam is not the only demigod in this family”, started Liam slowly. “I think I have to start many, many years ago. His great-grandfather, Samuel Elijah James the First, was a great war-hero. Of the Second World War. You know how gods are always drawn to humans that represent their realms.”

“Yes”, nodded Derek. “My father was a gardener. Well, he was in charge of the royal gardens back in England, so probably a little more than a common gardener. But what are you getting at?”

“The goddess Bellona, the Roman form of Enyo, she fell for him. Sam's grandfather is a Roman demigod”, replied Liam. “But he doesn't know that Sam is a demigod. Or that I am. And he never can. He can also never know you're one either. He hates Greeks. Despises us more than anything.”

“W—Why?”, asked Derek, intrigued but also a little scared for Sam.

“He used to have a sister. A full-blood sister. Far younger than him, in fact only a few years older than me...”, whispered Liam with a certain darkness in his eyes. “Talene, daughter of Bellona. A great Roman heroine. She fought aside of Jason and Reyna and other great Romans. She was a hero and the Senior admired her. He never fought in the Titan War, or the Giant War, for he already had Jolene and Malene to look after. And before you ask, no. Not every child of a demigod turns out to have powers. Malene is a completely normal mortal and Jolene only has the sight. But I'm getting sidetracked. Talene was a Roman heroine, fighting during the Titan War. I don't know what you know about the Titan War, but back then, Romans and Greeks didn't know of each other. They fought the same war, without knowing that on the other side of the US, someone was trying just as hard to reach the exact same goal. It made everything more complicated and-”

“I know, I have history lessons on the wars”, interrupted Derek. “I know about Jason Grace and Percy Jackson, about the Roman side and the Greek side and about the traitors and what they did-”

“No, you don't”, interrupted Liam this time, staring ahead into the distance. “You have no idea what we did and why we did it. Victors write history, but they will never tell the story of the losers.”

It took Derek only a moment to realize what was being said. “You're a traitor.”

“And that is why the Senior can never know I'm a demigod. And neither can Sam. I know how much he adores the heroes, how much he adores Percy Jackson. He writes about him in every single one of the letters he sends to me”, laughed Liam hoarsely. “He'd hate me if he knew that I've been on the... other side of the war. And the Senior, he would probably kill me himself.”

“T—Tell me... more”, whispered Derek slowly. “You say I can't understand why you did what you did, then explain it to me. If you want me to one day tell Sam this, I need to explain it to him. Because you're right, he adores the heroes and he would be heartbroken.”

Liam smiled in an appreciating manner and nodded slowly. “Back then, things were different. Minor gods like my mother, they didn't have their own cabin. We were all cramped into the Hermes cabin, without any privacy, most of us had to sleep on the ground because there weren't enough beds. Most of us were unclaimed, because honestly, our parents knew that it wouldn't even change anything for most. If anything, children of the minor gods had to endure bullying from the kids of the Olympians, because hey, they had their own cabins and were kids of the 'important' gods. And don't forget that back then, camp wasn't just a summer activity. We lived there. All day long, all year long. Sleeping on the floor in a small cabin you share with twenty others. It was humiliating and unfair. All we really had were each other. The Hermes cabin. Even more so our siblings. And you know how Luke Castellan, the leader of the Hermes cabin, was the leader of the revolution. He was charismatic and he was the epitome of a big brother to most of us in the cabin.”

“So you followed Luke because he was like a brother?”, asked Derek with a thoughtful look.

“No. It was more than that”, whispered Liam and shook his head, looking away a little embarrassed. “Luke had this best friend, Ethan Nakamura, a son of Nemesis. He though... Ethan, he was... the boyfriend of my brother. Ethan of course followed Luke, he would have followed Luke everywhere. And Ally... Alabaster... He loved Ethan, but he also loved us, his siblings, so he begged us, told us that we could have a better life. Alabaster was... he was my world, he was the most important person I had in my life and I would have walked straight into Tartarus if he would have asked me to go with him. I joined the revolution because it promised a better life to us who we always only got the scrapes the children of the Olympians left for us. I joined the revolution because my family and friends joined it and honestly, without them, camp would have been even harder to endure. I joined the revolution because I thought we could change the world. In the end... Percy Jackson accomplished what we were aiming for, but he would have never done for if not for us, I guess.”

“Okay”, nodded the son of Demeter, not feeling as full anymore or as happy as he had when he had left the house. “Now, uhm, is there a... story about this Talene? The Senior's sister?”

“There is”, whispered Liam, looking guilty and pained and a little heartbroken. “I love Malene very much, but she wasn't my first love. Angeli, a daughter of Hermes, she was my first girlfriend. Talene killed her during the war. Angeli died in my arms and our boyfriend Damian, he was... enraged, he fought Talene to death. Both were so severely injured, they... died. But all the Senior learned was that his beloved, heroic little sister died at the hands of a Greek traitor. If he'd know I was there, he would see an end to me. He hates Greeks for taking away his sister. It's why I made sure to keep it from Jolene and Sam that he is a demigod and why I'm making sure that the Senior doesn't discover that Sam is a demigod. Or that I am... who I am.”

“Sammy would understand”, blurted Derek out, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the tears. “I mean, he adores you even more so than Percy Jackson. If you'd explain it with the words you just used to tell me, he would understand. He would be angry at first, but he would understand and you could visit him in his apartment and he would feel less lonely and-”

“There is more to it”, cut Liam in. “We... traitors, we are allowed to live, but we are never to contact camp again. We are not allowed to even talk to 'non-traitors'. I'm lucky, I have magic, so for the few family meetings, I use powerful and quite draining spells to cover it up. I'm to blame, if the gods ever find out that I still have contact to a demigod, I would get severely punished, but Sam, he doesn't know so they can't punish him. If I tell him the truth, he would risk banishment himself. And I have the feeling that ever since he moved to New Athens and met you and Sander and Trend and Marshall, he's happy, genuinely happy for the very first time in his life. I can't risk taking that away from him. I love him too much to do that to him. And that's what you have to tell him.”

The two of them continued their way in silence, rounding the house. “Okay. I promise. But you have to promise to watch out and not get caught, okay? Because I don't want to have to break his heart by telling him all of this. So you have to stay safe so I'll never have to tell him.”

/January 2028 – Athena Academy, New Athens\

“So, how was Christmas with Marshall's folks?”, asked Sam as he sat down on his chair right behind Trend, staring curiously at the blonde. “Everything good? I mean... well...”

“Marshall's grandfather dressed up as Santa Clause and got stuck in the chimney”, snorted Trend in reply, turning his chair so he could face Sam. “How's your family? How's your mom?”

“Good”, nodded Sam with a small smile. “They're all... I missed them, an awful lot. But it was great seeing them all. Sel is still a selfish prick and obviously everyone thought Derek was my boyfriend. He relished in this. It was the most embarrassing Christmas ever.”

“Sounds like a total success”, laughed Sander as he plunged down next to Sam.

Marshall grunted in agreement as he took his seat in front of Sander and next to Trend. The Sons of War fell into light conversation about their Christmases and presents and families. It was weird, but Sam was glad to be back with his friends. He had missed his family, yes, but at this point, he would have been as heartbroken if he'd never be able to return to New Athens, just as he would have been if he'd never be able to see his family again. In a way, New Athens had become his home too. Never as much as the mansion, but Trend, Derek, Sander and Marshall, they were his family too now.

“Are you even listening to a word I said, Sammy?”, asked Trend teasingly.

Sam jumped slightly as he saw the handsome blonde just an inch from his face. “W—What?”

“I asked if you trained during the break or if you just ate your ma's food?”, chuckled Trend, poking Sam's stomach. “Because this doesn't feel like muscles. It feels like pie, lots of pie.”

“D—Did you just call me fat?”, asked Sam wide-eyed.

Trend's eyes widened just as much. He had just meant to make a joke, he didn't want to insult his Sammy. Because honestly, right now Sammy was even more beautiful than ever. Whenever he trained, he got that determined gleam in his gorgeous eyes and that slight flushing of his cheeks. And the mohawk was just downright adorable. And those muscles looked better than the lanky lack of muscles from before, he could still gain a few more, but it already looked good.

“You're not fat, Sam. You look quite gorgeous right now, you've been a little too thin so the weight gain suits you quite well. Also, congratulations on the successful training.”

“U—Uhm... T—Thank you, Charles”, whispered Sam and blushed furiously.

He stared up at the tall blonde sitting on his other side. The son of Apollo smirked amused, his sky-blue eyes sparkling with mirth as he nodded. He had quite some impressive muscles already. And he was taller than most others in their class. He was also a little over a year older than Sam, had to change schools just too often. Still smirking, the blonde leaned over, resting one hand on Sam's.

“You know, my friends call me Chuck”, stated the son of Apollo with a wink.

“Okay, class. I know Christmas and New Year surely had been fun and you have a lot of things to catch up on with your friends, but kindly use your break for that. Now, let's turn our attention to the Odyssey and the journey through the underworld”, announced Malcolm Cage as he entered.

Sam was still brightly blushing as he opened the textbook. After a few minutes, Sander nudged him and threw a piece of paper at him. Grunting at the other brunette, Sam unfolded the paper.

Dude, Chuck TOTALLY just hit on U! He ur type?

Sam snorted and balled the paper up to throw it at Sander's head, giving him the finger. Chuckling slightly, Sander stuck his tongue out at his best friend before both boys turned their attention back to the class and the story their teacher was just telling them. And that was where their attention stayed until class ended and the students practically fled the room. With his backpack shouldered, Sam hit Sander hard on the upper arm, causing the other brunette to stumble.

“Ouch, dude!”, complained Sander with that puppy-whine of his.

“Then don't talk bullshit, man”, grunted Sam with a glare. “Charles was not hitting on me!”

“Yeah, he totally was”, commented Melissa Montgomery as she passed them, throwing her long, black hair over her shoulder. “He's been staring at you the whole day, Raser.”

“See? Even Mel noticed!”, exclaimed Sander and waved with his arms.

“She's a daughter of Dionysus, what does she know?”, huffed Sam, crossing his arms.

“Oh come on, what's so bad about it?”, asked Sander confused as the two brunettes made their way toward another classroom. “He's pretty attractive, I guess. I mean, if one would be into muscular, broad-shouldered, charming, blonde dudes. Wait, that kind of sounds like something you like.”

“How would you know?”, hissed Sam embarrassed, elbowing Sander.

“I know everybody thinks that I'm dumb, but I am not completely hopeless”, grunted Sander and rolled his eyes. “I noticed that when you used to watch us train, you mostly stare at Trend. And in the arena, you often stare at Marshall's little brother Erik, or at the army of blonde archers from Apollo cabin. Like Charles. Or, as you are allowed to call him now, Chuck.”

Sam stared at his friend for a moment, mulling the things Sander had just said over. In the end, he wrapped one arm around Sander's shoulders and pulled him close, ruffling his hair with the other hand and nudging him softly, which made the ticklish boy giggle slightly.

“You're not dumb, Chrysander”, chided Sam, resting his forehead against Sander's temple. “You're sometimes a little slow, but you always figure it out. And math and stuff aren't important, but you're good at the important things, like feelings and being an awesome friend and a great hero.”

Sander's nougat-brown eyes softened as he looked down at his best friend. Laying an arm around Sam's shoulders, he pulled the other boy close enough to rest his chin on the peanut-colored hair.

“Thanks, Sam”, whispered Sander. “You're awesome too, you know.”

“Of course I am. Now come, let's go. If I remember that right, you got a lunch date with the Disney Princess”, grinned the son of Ares teasingly, nudging his friend. “Oh, he's blushing. How cute!”

“S—Shut up!”, exclaimed Sander embarrassed. “And it's not a date! We're heading over to the dojo to eat lunch with our moms! That is so not a date! And our big sisters are coming too.”

“But you want it to be a date, you want to be Prince Charming and you want to k-i-s-s your Disney Princess and sing songs with mice and birds!”, chimed Sam and dashed off, Sander hot on his tail.

/April 2028 – Rodriguez Household, New Athens\

It was April's Fool and there were teenagers scattered all over the Rodriguez house, sleeping on the ground. Bianca di Angelo, Thea Chase and Rainbow Jordan were laying on the ground in front of Calandra's bed, in her room. Right opposite her room was her twin brother's room. And it looked about the same in front of Chrysander's bed. Marshall, Trend and Sam were laying on the floor, while Derek laid in Sander's bed, with the trickster's arms around his waist. It was the day after the twins' birthday, so for once they had been allowed to have all their friends over to celebrate their thirteenth birthday. Which was a great thing, because normally Clarisse was already at the verge of going berserk when one of the twins had their friends over, but both of them? And Derek too. The boyfriend wasn't allowed to stay overnight normally, but since three other teens were staying in the same room as the couple and both bedroom doors were staying open (mostly so that the adults could make sure that the kids would at one point actually sleep), Clarisse had made an exception.

“Morning, San”, murmured Derek as he felt his boyfriend stir.

Turning around in the embrace, he kissed the older boy softly. Sander sat up, motioning for Derek to follow him downstairs. A little confused by this, the son of Demeter obediently followed into the for now still empty kitchen. Everybody else was not yet up after yesterday's party.

“I... wanted to wait until after my birthday and I think if I wait longer I won't do it at all...”

“Okay, what's going on, San?”, asked Derek a little concerned, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I... like you, a lot. And I like cuddling with you and kissing you and the... uhm... the... sex”, continued Sander (even though he barely whispered the word 'sex', afraid his mom or dad could hear him). “And I hope we can be friends, because you're awesome and we're both best friends with Sam so it would probably be complicated if you'd stop talking to me, but-”

“You're breaking up with me”, grunted Derek, blinking a couple of times. “What? Why?”

“Like I said, I care a lot about you”, replied Sander, resting one hand on Derek's arm. “But you don't like me, at least not enough. I know that you have feelings for Sam, but I had hoped that if we'd be together, you may... get over him. That you'd let him go and that you'd start liking me. I know you like me, but by far not as much as you like Sam and... I don't like being second best for my boyfriend, I really hope you understand that and aren't angry with me for breaking up.”

“I—I... understand that”, whispered Derek and averted his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at his now ex-boyfriend. “And I'm not mad. You do deserve someone who completely loves you, because you're a great guy and a wonderful boyfriend. I... had hoped the same as you when we got together, to be honest. I wanted to get over him. And you're amazing, really, you're the best boyfriend I've ever had. But I just... You're not Sam. And you're right, you deserve love. But... why now? I mean, this is kind of sudden. We've been heavily making out on your birthday and now you break up?”

“Well, like I said, I enjoy the cuddling and kissing and all”, mumbled Sander and blushed brightly, rubbing his neck embarrassed. “And I knew you had this whole day yesterday all planned out for me and I didn't want to ruin the party you put so much effort into, so I wanted to wait until after my birthday, but I thought... I really think I'd lose my courage or motivation if I wouldn't have done it right now, but I've thought about breaking up with you for a few months now. Since after Christmas break, actually. Because like I said, I had hoped you'd come around and start liking me back, but ever since you spend Christmas with Sam, you... You distanced yourself from me, spaced out more often. You even stare more often at him since then. So I decided after my birthday, I'd break up.”

“Okay”, nodded the son of Demeter and shifted some, giving Sander a small smile. “You know, you're really clever sometimes. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise, San.”

“Thanks”, grinned Sander broadly and hugged Derek. “So... We're good? Still friends?”

“Still?”, snorted Derek amused and rolled his eyes. “We haven't been friends before we got together. But yes, we're friends now. And we're good. But I'm sorry for... well, wasting your time.”

“Hey, you didn't waste my time”, grunted Sander, hugging Derek some closer. “You were my first time, Der. And my first boyfriend. And I really enjoyed our time together and all the things... uhm... that we did. So it's fine. I think you were a good first boyfriend, because I wasn't hopelessly in love with you and neither were you hopelessly in love with me, so no one is bailing their eyes out like in some stupid chick-flick. Now... Now that we're friends, can I ask you something?”

“Sure”, nodded Derek a little unsure. “I mean, we are friends now, so... Ask.”

“What happened between you and Sam on Christmas? It's a romantic time and you're like the first one to meet his family and his family thought you were his boyfriend and there surely were mistletoe and I know what you feel for him and you are acting strange since then and I'm not going to judge, well, I'm probably going to be a little disappointed and hurt, but-”

“Nothing happened between Sam and me”, stated Derek firmly, grasping Sander's hand. “We had fun, as friends. Really, absolutely nothing inappropriate happened. Just because I don't love you doesn't mean I'd be unfaithful, even if it would be with Sam. There was nothing, I swear.”

“I believe you”, nodded Sander when he saw how desperate his ex-boyfriend looked. “But... something must have happened. I just... you've been so... deep in thoughts since then.”

“Nothing you should worry your pretty head over”, smiled Derek and kissed Sander's cheek.

The truth was that Derek couldn't stop thinking about Liam and all the other 'traitors', because he couldn't brush the thought off that he probably would have done the same. If Sam would have joined and had asked him to join, he would have blindly followed. And the lives they had on the Princess Andromeda had been so much better than at camp. Yes, he had spend hours talking to Liam and he had come to a new and slightly unsettling world view, considering where he was living and what kind of a life he was leading, with the heroes. It had made him question everything.

Chapter Text

Sixth Partition: The Questing Year

/July 2028 – Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York\

This summer was good, better than any summer ever. Especially better than last summer. But Sam tried very hard not to think of last summer. So, since he had trained practically every day of the past year, he was in better shape than ever. He even aced Capture the Flag. And once he had actually managed to beat Cally Rodriguez in hand-to-hand combat. Though she insisted that it had only been beginner's luck. But so far, summer was awesome. Especially right now, because they all were at the beach together. Sam was playing cards with Stella from Aphrodite cabin, Melissa and Derek. Thea, Trend and Amy Cage were laying on a towel next to them, discussing some strategies for the next Capture the Flag (since Ares cabin had beaten their ass last time thanks to Sam). In the water were two teams playing water ball against each other. Marshall, his younger half-brother Erik, Victor from Hephaestus cabin and Chuck were on one team, challenging the up to now unbeaten team of Bianca, Donny and the Rodriguez-twins Cally and Sander.

“Guys! Guys! Guys! You're missing all the action!”, exclaimed Jonas from Enyalios cabin as he came running up to the beach. “Two gods just dropped by and gave a quest! Everybody is fighting for the quest! This is like the big thing of the summer and you're missing out!”

“What's there to miss out on?”, snorted Melissa and rolled her eyes. “The Rodriguezes and Bia will go, just like they always do. Fattest chance of success there. Besides, most don't really want a quest. They're actually going to be glad once the trio takes the quest. It's just appearance that they fight.”

“No! It's a big quest! Like, they are sending two teams!”, exclaimed the blonde son of Enyalios.

Everyone perked up at that. They were the best age for quests – all in their early teens. The most eager to accomplish something, to put their names down into the history textbooks next to Herakles, Achilles, Jason, Perseus, Theseus, Odysseus, Jason Grace and Percy Jackson. All the kids jumped up at once and ran off toward the Big House, in front of which every camper was gathering and most of those were fighting over who should go on the quest.

“What kind of quest is it anyway?”, asked Sander eagerly as he caught up to Jonas.

The peroxide blonde boy turned his head some to look at Sander. “It's for Chiron. He got... sick.”

“Sick?”, repeated Cally on Jonas' other side. “How did he get sick?”

“That would be our fault.”

The soft, silky voice interrupted all quarreling and chattering. All demigods suddenly went silent, the focus on the couple that had just walked out of the Big House, supporting a pale, sickish looking Chiron. One was a woman of tall and exotic beauty, the other a broad, muscular former jock by the looks of it, or maybe the leader of a motor bike gang.

“Those are Lord Ares and Lady Aphrodite and it is not their fault”, said Chiron in a hoarse voice.

“Oh, Chiron, you're only saying that to make us feel better”, sighed Aphrodite.

“What is the quest?!”, interrupted Cally Rodriguez, growing impatient.

She gained the attention of the three adults as well as that of all of camp. Most demigods looked scandalized that she would dare to interrupt a god, shushing her to shut up. But Ares laughed.

“You're Clarisse's girl, right?”, asked the god of war, something akin to fondness on his face.

“I'm not 'Clarisse's girl', I'm Calandra Rodriguez. I don't define myself over my parents”, grunted Cally and glared at her grandfather. “I'm also head of the Ares Cabin and camp leader.”

“Atta girl”, laughed Ares, amused by her attitude. “You got a brother too, right?”

“Uhm, that would be me”, piped Sander nervously, half hiding behind Cally.

Ares looked close to disappointed as he saw the shy behaving boy. “Well, that one needs some more work. Okay, I have decided. I want those two as the quest leaders. Clarisse's girl will be a success and the lad needs more exercise to grow a pair of balls.”

Sander and Cally stared at their grandfather dumbfounded before turning toward each other. All of camp started to whisper and gossip lowly. Chiron grunted and stamped his hooves once.

“Lord Ares has spoken. Cally, Sander, please come inside with me so we can discuss this.”

/a few hours later – Ares Cabin, Camp Half-Blood\

Sam was bored out of his freaking mind. After Chiron had called the twins into the Big House, no one had been up to doing anything anymore. Most had retreated to train or to speculate. He himself didn't know what to think. Sure, he was aware that it wasn't the first quest Cally and Sander had ever attended, but he was still wondering.

“Are big brother and big sister going to be okay?”, asked a small voice.

Sam rolled onto his stomach and turned to stare at the youngest Rodriguez. Right. It was Charisma Rodriguez' first summer at camp and suddenly having her big siblings taken away must surely be scary for the six-years old. Smiling slightly, Sam sat up some.

“Sure, Carry. Sander and Cally did a lot of questing before”, smiled Sam kindly.

The small brunette still looked skeptical as she glared up at him. But before Sam could reassure her any more, the door opened and the twins entered, both looking equally worried and thoughtful.

“Cally! Sanny! Everything good?”, asked Carry loudly as she jumped her siblings.

Cally caught the small child and lifted her up, looking at her twin brother. “Sure, kiddo. You know what, how about you and me go and spar some, I know you love that, mh?”

The two girls left and Sam just stared over at Sander impatiently until the legacy of Hermes went and collapsed on Sam's bed, right next to the son of Ares, and groaned loudly. Sander took Iggy the red plush unicorn and hugged him tightly. Staring at his plush unicorn and his best friend in concern, Sam scooted closer to rest his head on Sander's shoulder and nudge him slightly.

“What did he say?”, whispered the son of Ares worried.

“It seems that Lord Hephaestus had wanted to play a trick on Lord Ares once again, on the last council meeting, but somehow, Chiron got stuck in it and now he's... affected”, muttered Sander with a frown. “He's sick and not even Lord Apollo can heal it. The only cure they know is a gorgon's blood since that can cure everything. And since Lord Ares and Lady Aphrodite are feeling awfully guilty – well, the lady is, at least – they want to make sure. So they're sending two quests out, one to hunt Sthenno and one to hunt Euryale. Because, well, Cal, Bia and I already slayed Medusa only two years ago so she's not back from Tartarus yet. So Euryale and Sthenno are the only gorgons around. Cally is supposed to pick two campers to come with her and look for Euryale and I'm supposed to pick two campers to come with me and hunt Sthenno.”

“That's great”, grinned Sam, before his face fell. “Right? I mean, it'll be the first quest you'll actually lead since normally Bianca di Angelo is in charge. But you don't look happy.”

“You're right, it's a great opportunity, but...”, started Sander and faltered. “All quests I've been on so far, I had Bia and Cal. Cally knows what she does, she's... she's always protected me, had my back. And Bia is a great leader, she knows how to think stuff up. Now I'm supposed to lead a team of kids who probably have never faced a hard quest before, while Cally already called dibs on Bia, since they're best friends. And... Well, Lady Aphrodite and Lord Ares kind of started arguing and turned it into a bet too, saying I should pick an all-boys team and Cally should pick an all-girls team. Girls versus boys. The insulting part is that my own grandfather is betting against me, on my sister. Heck, even I am betting on my sister. She's always been the better fighter, she's more confident, stronger and she has the Bia-factor on her side and I don't even know who to ask to join the quest...”

“Well, I would have an offering for you”, interrupted Trend as the other two Sons of War entered.

“You'll come with me?”, asked Sander with the most hopeful eyes possible.

“No”, grunted Trend and shook his head. “No, I'm not a team-player. You know that. I don't do quests. But Marshall would. We talked about it. After we listened in on your meeting with Chiron.”

The big guy nodded in agreement, his strong arms crossed over his chest. “If you want me.”

“Yes!”, nodded Sander hastily and jumped up to hug the life out of Marshall. “Thank you!”

“No problem, Sander”, chuckled the son of Enyo, returning the hug. “I've been on small quests before too and I'd hate to see you go with strangers or with bad backup.”

“Awesome!”, exclaimed Sander, still clinging tightly to Marshall.

The tall black guy chuckled affectionately, holding the smaller boy close. Him and Trend had figured that this situation would make Sander uncomfortable and nervous. So the friends had debated on what to do. Both knew that a quest would make Trend uncomfortable – the son of Athena could admit that he wasn't good at playing in a team, he was a solo-kind-of-guy.

“Then you'll just need a third member for this”, smiled Trend as he took the now vacant spot on Sam's bed. “Got anyone in mind? Maybe Victor Kruger? A tinkerer can come in handy.” He tilted his head thoughtful and grabbed Iggy absentmindedly, turning the red plush unicorn around a few times in his hands while mulling other possibilities over. “Or Charles Smith? A healer may be better at determining whether or not it'll be the poison or the antidote. You could also take Derek, I mean, he's your boyfriend, after all. And he's a sneaky little bitch. No offense.”

“No offense taken since it's true and he actually prides himself on it. But... he's not my boyfriend. We broke up like three months ago”, admitted Sander and shifted, a little uncomfortable under his friends' curious glances, running nervous fingers over his thighs. “I didn't know how to tell you guys. I mean, it was a breakup and it was kind of weird. And I actually don't want to talk about it, I guess that's why I didn't tell you. I mean, we're still friends and all, but I think taking him on a quest would be kind of weird. He also doesn't like getting his hands dirty.”

“That is true”, laughed Sam amused and ruffled Sander's hair.

“So... You're not bothered that I broke up with your best friend?”, asked Sander half-afraid.

“Dude, just because you didn't tell me about the breakup doesn't mean that Der didn't either”, said Sam with a small smile. “He didn't tell me why you broke up, but he told me that you broke up. And it's fine. I mean, you're both my best friends and if you didn't click, you're better off separated.”

“Enough with the relationship-stuff. Back to the main topic”, grunted Trend a little displeased.

He had actually been pretty happy about the relationship between Sander and Derek, because it meant that Derek wasn't chasing after Sam so offensively as he used to at the beginning of their friendship. He sighed inwardly at his own thoughts. Because most of them seemed to be circling around Sam ever since the son of Ares had decided to spend the summer at Camp Jupiter. Not seeing Sam for two months had been hard and had made him think more often of Sam – like what was Sam doing right now, with who was he hanging out, what if he got awesome new friends at Camp Jupiter and would be joining them forever. It didn't help him much that Sam had practically been attached to him ever since he came back. With the special training, there had been whole weeks they had spend every second of every day with each other. And what with Derek being preoccupied by Sander, both of his best friends were not as available anymore as they used to be so Sam had more time on his own, so he spend it with Trend and Marshall. And that time together had made him realize one thing. Sam fancied him, a lot. Trend wasn't sure about love or anything, but he knew that Sam liked him, as more than a friend. The only thing the son of Athena didn't understand was why Sam didn't try and act on it. In fact, Sam had even repeatedly made a point of stating that he currently didn't need a distraction in the form of a boyfriend, which was the reason why Trend hadn't tried to confront Sam about the whole mess just yet.

“I'll come. If you... want me at your side”, offered Sam in a soft, nearly unsure voice.

“You... sure about that? Because you don't exactly sound that way”, questioned Sander.

“Y—Yeah”, nodded Sam, straightening his back some. “I mean, that's why I train, right? This is... I want a quest. And I want to go with you. If I am go to on a quest, I want to go with you, San. That... That alright? I understand if you want to take someone more experienced, since it's important-”

He got interrupted by a hyped Sander, who tried to hug the air out of him. “Yes! No, this is awesome! I want to take you with me! With three of the four Sons of War, how could we possibly lose against the girls? Also, you're like the Bia to my Cally! If Cally got her best friend and I got my best friend, we are totally even! This is going to be so freaking awesome! Oh, we need to pack!”

“What am I going to do, all alone, without the three of you bothering me?”, chuckled Trend.

“You will be so bored!”, chimed Sam with a broad grin.

/July 2028 – Near the Canadian Border\

Trend would not be bored. That summer, he had three very pretty boyfriends in a row, trying to get over the fact that he couldn't figure Sam out. It also helped him over being lonely. But this is not the story of All the Pretty Mistakes Trend Made. This is Sam's Story. So let's see how Sam was coping on his first quest, with Sander and Marshall, on the search for Sthenno.

They had followed the directions Lady Aphrodite had given them as to where Sthenno had last been seen. Now that they had reached the place, they made camp. Marshall had offered to go and gather firework, while Sam had started on the preparations for food and Sander put the tent up.

“How is it... Oh. Did you ever put a tent up before?”, asked Sam honestly surprised.

“Uhm... No? Normally Cally does that”, muttered Sander disappointed.

He was probably the most adorable thing Sam had ever seen, sitting between what was supposed to be a tent but rather looked like a Sander-trap. Because there was a flustered, wide-eyed and slightly desperate Sander trapped in the middle of the messed-up tent.

“Come on, I'll help you”, offered Sam with a small smile, reaching out for Sander's hand.

Sander returned the smile as his friend helped him up. Unlike the legacy of Hermes, Sam actually knew how to put up a tent after all the times he had gone camping with his uncle Liam. After a few tries and instruction from Sam, Sander actually got it right. Smiling proudly, Sam returned to work on their dinner. With his thoughts focused on the task, the son of Ares didn't even notice the large Eale – a horrible bull-like creature with rotating horns – until it was nearly to late.

“Fuck”, hissed Sam as he horn nicked his upper arm just as he tried to dodge it. “San!”

The only thing he had was the rather pathetic knife he was using to cut carrots, his real weapon, the one that actually would stand a chance against the monster, laying in his backpack, close to Sander. But the other brunette was already on the way, his own sword at the ready. Sam all the while experienced something new, something he had never felt before. Well, not entirely. He felt similar as Leroy had made him feel – weak and under attack. But then there was Sander, all of a sudden, pushing him out of the way before the Eale could harm him seriously and at the same time, handing him his own sword. There was something surging through Sam's body in that second, something new. He could fight back. He didn't have to take what his attacker served him. With a nearly vicious glint in his dark eyes did he slash at the gruesome beast. Him left and Sander right and at the same time, they thrust their swords into the monster, effectively dusting it. The attack and the fight left him buzzing with adrenaline, feeling energized and as though his heart was beating trice as hard than ever before. This was the most amazing feeling he had ever experienced in his entire life. He felt strong, invincible even. He had fought back and he had won. He felt like a success and ready to burst. Never before had he felt that way, so energetic and happy and confident. As the Eale burst into ashes, the heroes that had thrust themselves at it from both sides collided where the beast had been before. Grunting slightly, Sam found himself with his nose pressed against Sander's collarbone. The legacy of Hermes cheered loudly, laughing excitedly as he wrapped his arms around Sam. And in that split second, the short moment all of this had taken – the death of the beast and them colliding – Sam also realized something else. He had been stuck in a helpless situation, again, but this time, Sander had been there and he had most likely even saved Sam's life. The realization, coupled with that white-hot feeling of adrenaline pumping through his veins, sending this urge to do something, anything really, made the already impulsive demigod do something he had never considered doing before. He kissed Sander, hard. On the mouth.

That was the moment Marshall returned with the firewood. But he had never been big on words and he valued his friends enough to know that this was not a moment to be interrupted. Dropping the firewood silently beside the tent, he returned to the woods, smiling silently to himself.

All of this was missed by the two boys staring embarrassed at one another. Sam stared wide-eyed up at Sander, his hands over his mouth, whole face dark red. Sander was also spotting a faint pinkish taint as he gaped down at his best friend, pointer and middle finger of his right hand loosely on his lower lip as though he couldn't quite believe it yet. His other hand was still placed on Sam's hip. That was how they stayed for several moment, just staring at each other.

“I am so, so, so sorry! I didn't mean to kiss you! I don't even know why I did it! Oh my gods, I've never been more embarrassed in my whole life, I swear, I-”, blurted Sam out, nervous.

The adrenaline was gone, as sudden as it had come, leaving Sam more exhausted than ever in his life. It also left that horribly guilty and embarrassing feeling inside of Sam. Sander grinned slightly, albeit still flushed, placing both his hands on Sam as he pulled his friend against his chest.

“It's alright, it's alright, Sam. Calm down”, whispered Sander softly. “It's fine, really.”

“W—What about that was alright? I just kissed you!”, hissed Sam, cherry-red-faced.

“Yeah, I kinda noticed”, grinned Sander impishly. “Look, I know what just happened. Probably better than you do, actually. And I'm telling you, it's fine. You're a kid of Ares. I don't... I don't have that connection, but I've seen it in Cal. Every time she kills something, her blood boils. Believe me, you do not want to know how often I had to watch her and Bianca heatedly making out during a quest. It's totally normal, this was your first kill, so it was probably a reflex reaction.”

“I—I... I'm not in love with you, okay?”, grunted Sam, still feeling as though he had to clarify that.

“Yeah, I thought so”, nodded Sander. “Look, it's fine. I mean, it's normal. So calm down. You're the son of War. Fighting, battle and even more so victory... that's kind of your turn-on. You didn't know that. Obviously. So... Now you know. It's fine, really. I'm not holding that kiss against you, dude.”

Nodding slowly, Sam subconsciously grabbed his still bleeding arm. “Thanks... I guess.”

“Come on, let's get you patched up”, grunted Sander, guiding the son of Ares over to the tent.

Sam obediently sat down on a lodge and watched how Sander put a band-aid onto the scratch. Munching a bit of ambrosia, Sam contemplated what Sander had told him. It was embarrassing, but San was right. He had never felt as sexually aroused as he had after they had killed the monster.

“And what am I going to do?”, asked Sam frustrated. “I mean, I can't just always accidentally kiss you! I don't want to molest you just because I can't control my powers. That's freaky.”

“You mean that freaks you out”, corrected Sander with a small grin. “You know, I mean, I'm single and you're single, so it's not really a problem if we'd... do anything.”

“I don't want a boyfriend”, pointed Sam out with the slightest glare.

“I didn't say we have to be boyfriends”, replied Sander with a serious frown. “We can just... take care of each other. Like, like friends with benefits, it's what Cal calls it. It's what she does with Bia like all the time. They're not dating, they're just hooking up on quests when things get heated. You know, after a fight. And since we're both single, uhm, well... we could... too? O—Only if you think it'll be okay! I don't want to make things awkward between us or our friendship! I just like you and I don't want you to feel weird and I know from Cally that it's weird having that unused energy and nothing to put it into. She usually like trains a lot when Bia won't put out. So I guess you could also do that. I just... I'm missing sex, okay? I mean, we don't have to have real sex, we can just like jerk each other off. And I'm totally rambling, right? Sorry. I'll stop. I promise, I won't bother you again.”

Sam just stared silently at his best friend. And he continued staring silently at Sander during dinner once Marshall returned to them. Which made everything a little awkward. Especially when Marshall was the one who had to keep the conversation alive. He told them about a herd of Eales close by and they figured the one that had attacked their camp must have strayed from there. So the heroes decided to hunt the dangerous creatures down and take care of them before the beasts could attack them in their sleep, or attack others. With a little strategy, the three easily cornered the herd and systematically slayed them until there was only ash remaining. With every kill, Sam's blood seemed to boil more and more and by the end, as he came face to face with Sander, he just couldn't hold back but pull Sander into a heated kiss. The legacy of Hermes grunted, but eagerly replied.

“How about the two of you go back to camp. I'll get cleaned up in the river. I'll probably take an hour or so, maybe longer”, grunted Marshall amused as he turned around and left them alone.

Sam was eternally grateful for the privacy and even more so for the fact that he didn't have to explain anything. He gave a little yelp as Sander lifted him up at the hips. Wrapping his arms around Sander's neck and his legs around Sander's waist, he let the legacy carry him off to the tent.

“No sex”, breathed Sam between kisses as he was laid out on the ground. “N—No penetration-stuff! Just jerking each other off. A—And the kissing. You're a great kisser.”

“That's fine”, agreed Sander, trailing kisses down Sam's neck which got bared quite eagerly. “I get it. You don't want your first time to be a heated moment on a quest. Is fine. Just getting off.”

Sam nodded in agreement, ripping Sander's shirt off the lean physique of his friend. Drooling a little at the sight, Sam licked his lips in want and attached his lips to the strong chest. Sander giggled at that while fidgeting with his jeans. Now that Sander was nearly naked, he started to also undress his partner. Nougat-brown eyes were wide with lust as they racked down Sam's naked form.

“You're really, really pretty”, grinned Sander delighted, licking his lips again. “And you have a really pretty cock. Do you... can I... Can I suck it? I mean, you said no penetration, but...”

Sam looked mortified for a split second. Sure, he knew how it worked, in theory, but he didn't really know about that. Having his cock inside another guy's mouth? Though it did make him curious and his cock was aching with the urge for release. Blushing furiously, he nodded slowly, which earned him the most adorable look from Sander. Within seconds, the legacy of Hermes went down on him, licking his way over the relatively good defined six-pack and to the hard cock. An eager tongue curled around it, licking and sucking in a way that was amazingly new for Sam. It was so pleasurable and it was so warm and new. It was the first time another guy touched him in such an intimate way and it actually felt good. Sam moaned hoarsely as he bucked his hips up into the wet cavern of his lover's throat, his fingers fisting the other boy's hair the moment he hit his orgasm and came down the hot throat. Gasping and panting were the only sounds that could be heard when Sam collapsed against the ground. Licking his lips, his lover crawled over to him and laid down, strong arms possessively wrapped around Sam's waist to tug him close into a tight embrace.

“I should have figured that you're a cuddler, San”, grunted Sam and rolled his eyes. “No. Stop it.”

“B—But...”, whined Sander with a pout. “Cuddling is like totally part of sex! And you agreed that we do this friends with benefits thingy where we get each other off for stress-relief during quests! I don't feel relieved of my stress yet! I need cuddles to complete the process.”

Cocking one eyebrow, Sam stared down at his friend a little ridiculed. “Are you serious? Oh damn, you are serious. Fuck it, if I don't watch out, you'll turn into my boyfriend or shit like that.”

“Don't be mean”, complained Sander, still pouting. “I just think that if we do this jerking off and blowing each other thing to get the pend up energy out of our systems and be ready to kick some monster butts, it's really not asking too much that we cuddle afterward, is it? Also, we're sleeping outside. It's probably going to be below zero, so... uhm... warmth?”

“Yeah, right”, snorted Sam and gave in, snuggling up to Sander. “Don't go all boyfriend on me.”

“Wouldn't think of it, bro”, grinned Sander happily and closed his eyes. “Night, Sam.”

Sam smiled slightly as he cuddled up to the warmth of the other brunette. Both boys were already deep asleep and adorably cuddled up together when Marshall returned from his very extended stay in the river. At least he now felt refreshed and very clean. A small smile slid onto his lips as he saw his two friends curled together like that, all snuggled up. Of course he took a picture for later blackmail. Getting changed, he laid down for sleep. This had been enough excitement for this day.

/August 2028 – Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York\

Only three days later, the three boys victoriously returned to Camp Half-Blood. Their first stop was the Apollo cabin to hand over the vials. The healers could figure out which one was the poison and which one the antidote. Sam was practically glowing as he stood between Sander and Marshall.

“You look pretty chipper”, noted Chuck amused while he checked the vials.

“Yes!”, exclaimed the son of Ares, his face bright. “I slayed Sthenno! I finished a gorgon!”

“Congrats”, laughed Chuck amused, shaking his head.

“Yeah, we're really proud of him”, grinned Sander, ruffling Sam's hair.

“Sander had been injured during an earlier attempt and we were on our way back to camp. Since I was carrying Sander, we both couldn't help. I'm glad Sam handled it on his own”, grunted Marshall.

“So, where's my sister?”, asked Sander and looked out of the cabin's door.

“Sammy! Cutie pie, you're back!”, got practically screamed into his face.

Derek had seen Sander poking his head out of the cabin and in an instant, the son of Demeter ran past his ex-boyfriend to jump Sam, hugging the air out of Sam. Chuck took one of the two vials from his desk and stood, motioning for the by now four boys to follow him to the Big House.

“Your sister has yet to return”, replied the son of Apollo. “You arrived here first.”

Sander stumbled slightly in disbelief. But Marshall's hand on his back steadied him. The son of Enyo gave him an amused grin before pushing him on. Sam all the while had a bit of a hard time keeping up since Derek was still hanging off his neck like a monkey.

“Can you let go of me now, Der?”, asked the son of Ares as they reached the Big House.

“I'm never going to let go of you again, Raser!”, huffed Derek with a fierce glare. “Last time I let you out of my sight, you just stormed off into a possibly deadly quest! Never do that again!”

“I think you'll have a hard time with that, considering that he is totally hooked on the hero-business now”, laughed Sander and opened the door. “He actually did really great. He was awesome.”

Sam blushed under the praise while Derek cocked one eyebrow and stared down at him. Even though the son of Demeter wanted to forbid Sam to ever go on any quest again in his whole life. But he hadn't seen Sam that genuinely happy ever since he had returned from New Rome. And seeing Sam happy really was the only thing Derek wanted, so he let it go for now. Literally, because he started walking himself now. Although he did grab Sam's hand as they walked into the Big House. Chuck led them to Chiron's room, where much to everyone's surprise Trend sat at his bedside, reading a book to the sickly looking centaur. Sam felt himself heating up – and not just his face, there was a strangle tingly-hot sensation in his belly too – when he looked at Trend, his blonde, gorgeous self, with all the muscles and the reading glasses . Trend's attention shifted from the book to the guests and he put his glasses down and stood. Sam felt himself heating up even more when he was pulled into a tight hug by Trend. All those muscles and all that Trend-ness pressed up so close to him and that amazingly calming smell of old books and wild forests...

“I'm glad you're safe”, whispered Trend into his ear, giving him another squeeze before turning to also hug Marshall and Sander (though way briefer than he had hugged Sam). “You did it?”

“They did”, confirmed Chuck as he sat down next to Chiron and gave the centaur the antidote.

Chiron groaned slightly, though he didn't respond otherwise. Even though the cure would eventually kick in, it wasn't an instant-healing. Which was why Chuck chased them out. Once they reached the living room, they collectively collapsed on the couch. Sam in the middle, with Derek and Trend on either side of him, Sander on Derek's other side and Marshall next to Trend. Humming contently, Sam leaned against Trend's deliciously comfortable upper arm, with Derek's arms quite possessively wrapped around his waist. But it was alright, it felt good to have those he loved close.

“Now aren't you a cuddly bunch? I can't believe I lost that fucking bet because of you.”

“What Ares meant to say was thank you for helping Chiron out for us.”

The five teens jumped slightly as the two gods materialized in front of them. Aphrodite looked as beautiful as ever and Ares looked even a little grumpier than the last time they had seen him.

“Now, we made a deal. Loser gives the winner team... presents”, grunted Ares displeased.

“Presents?”, asked Sander and perked up some.

Ares huffed annoyed, snapping his fingers once. He held a broadsword, made of Celestial bronze.

“You're not half bad”, grunted Ares, sounding as though the words physically hurt him. “But you're not in for detailed work. This will be a better fit for you. It's called Mangler.”

Sander stared in awe at his new sword, hugging it tightly. The other boys rolled their eyes affectionately at the way the brunette's eyes lit up. Though much to their surprise, Ares also walked up to Marshall and handed him a shield. It was a weirdly appropriate exchange as both just nodded shortly at one another. Sam grew more nervous, grabbing Derek's hand and hiding his face in Trend's arm. This was his father. His father. The one he had never met in the thirteen years of his life. And right now, he was walking straight up to Sam, looking judgmental. Sam jumped a little as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. Staring wide-eyed up at Ares, Sam gulped hard. Ares pulled a stormlighter out, all golden but with a bronze swan imprint. As he clicked it open, it turned into a long, sleek, double-edged sword. One side was Celestial bronze, the other Imperial gold. Ares handed it over to Sam. The handle laid perfect in Sam's hand, unlike any sword Chiron had recommended him for training or the quest. And at the head of the handle was a large ruby.

“You're on the right way, but to reach the end of this way, you need a trusty sword at your side. I think this will be the right one for you. It's called Polemikh Kaphdia”, stated Ares.

“The Heart of War”, whispered Sam in total awe, turning it around once.

Aphrodite thrust her elbow into the other god's ribs in a very painful looking way, causing Ares to roll his eyes annoyed. “Right. And... I'm proud of you, son. You did well.”

Sam was about to burst with happiness. Within seconds, the two gods vanished again, as though they hadn't been there to begin with. Not that the teens minded, most of them were still knocked out from the quest. Which was why the three boys went to their cabins and fell into their respective beds. Sam hid beneath the pillow and the blanket, falling asleep instantly.

/next day, August 2028 – Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York\

“Sammy? Cutie pie? Come on, sweetie, time to wake up. It's past dinner time.”

Grunting slightly, Sam turned and cracked one eye open. He came face to face with a grinning Derek. Huffing at that, Sam cuddled Iggy close and hid under the green mane. Derek laughed and sat down on the bed, right next to Sam's head so he could pat the mohawk tenderly.

“Come on, camp put together a really big bonfire in celebration since Marshall woke up this morning and Sander actually took until noon. Congrats, you won. You slept one and a half day.”

“Big bonfire?”, asked Sam and sat up some. “I can have bacon, please?”

“You can have anything you want, sweetie”, chuckled Derek. “After all, it's your bonfire.”

With an excited yelp, Sam jumped off the bed and hastily grabbed a change of clothes. Derek was grateful for the other boy's obliviousness, because watching Sam change sure was nice to watch and would be remembered for later when he was alone in the shower. That ass was even sweeter without any clothes covering it. Leaning back some, Derek thoroughly enjoyed the show.

“So... There's something I should tell you before we go to the camp bonfire...”, mumbled Derek awkwardly, sitting up some. “I just don't want it to surprise you. While you were gone, Vic asked me out. We're kind of... dating now. You know Vic, from Hephaestus cabin.”

“Victor Kruger? He's a nice guy”, nodded Sam slowly, in approval. “He is a nice guy though, right? I mean, he's being good to you, right? Because if not, I'll break his legs and arms.”

“Well, then I better be good”, chuckled a voice from the door.

Sam hastily pulled his shirt over his head before looking at the intruder. It was tall, tinkering and handsome. Victor had light brown hair in dreads, broad muscles and even broader shoulders, sun-kissed skin and soft, hazel eyes. He was nice to look at, Sam had to admit that. Thrusting his hand out for the son of Hephaestus to shake, he smiled slightly.

“Congrats on the quest”, grinned Victor before wrapping one muscular arm around Derek's waist.

The son of Demeter obediently melted against his boyfriend, leaning in for a kiss. Sam's smile took a strained turn. He wanted that too. Someone strong to lean against. But he couldn't have it.

“We should probably get going, right?”, grunted Sam and left the cabin.

/September 2028 – Demeter Park, New Athens\

Calandra Rodriguez was not good with losing. It had strained the relationship between the twins just a little bit that Sander had won, especially since the quest had been given by their grandfather. But Sander wasn't mad at her for being angry. He was fine. Especially since it pushed his reputation even more these days, having won against her. Before, it had always only been Cally and Sander. In that order. Now there were those that talked about Cally and those that talked about Sander. It felt like the first step in separating his life from hers.

From then on, they also trained even harder. Sam, Sander, Marshall and Trend. And after that quest, Erik looked up to Marshall even more. The younger son of Enyo had always admired his cabin head, but now that said cabin head had played a major part in saving the life of their camp director, Erik practically constantly stared at Marshall in total awe. So after a lot of staring and lingering, Marshall went over it with his friends, asking them if Erik and his best friend could train at least a bit with them. Trend was not pleased. He only trained those he saw potential in. But he allowed it, under the condition that Marshall would be responsible for them. Sander laughed and compared it to the time his dad had wanted a puppy for the twins, but his mom kept telling him he would have to be responsible for it. Trend made them run twenty rounds through the park for that comment.

“I—I a—am s—so... g—grateful, T—Trend”, panted Erik while trying to keep up with their leader.

“You better be”, grunted Trend with a glare, picking up the pace. “Just try keeping up.”

Sam grinned slightly as he watched how Trend practically ran off on the younger blonde without breaking a sweat. Sam liked the way Trend took the lead. It gave him a nice view on Trend's hard ass and the defined muscles of his back. Gods, he wanted all of that so much.

“Watch it, you're drooling”, chimed Sander and nudged Sam slightly.

“Shut up and run!”, grunted Sam with a bright blush.

/October 2028 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sam was so very excited. His beloved little sister had decided to spend the break in New Athens, living in Sam's apartment with him for the time. Right now, the three of them – Sam, Sara and Derek, because Derek was part of Sam's furniture (is what he told Sara with an eyeroll) – were sitting together and eating dinner. Sam and Derek were practically stumbling over one another as they tried to tell her everything that had happened since her last stay over in New Athens.

Once it was late enough, the siblings finally managed to pry Derek out of the apartment to have some alone time. The two children of War sat together on Sam's bed, Sam in his My Little Pony pajamas (of which only Sara and Derek knew and both had sworn they'd never tell anyone that he was a brony) and Sara in her Care Bear Cousins nightshirt. So they both liked cartoon remakes of shows that had already been remade a few times and were aimed at a slightly younger audience, well if anything, it was just one more thing to glue them together. In fact, they had given each other plush toys when Sara had arrived – Sara to say thank you for letting her stay and Sam to say sorry for ruining the last time they had seen each other and cutting that stay so short. Which meant that right now, Sara was clutching a fluffy Wild Heart Fox to her chest while Sam was cuddling a rather large Big Macintosh (and introducing him to Iggy. Yes, he was playing matchmaker for his toys, sue him). On the screen was a marathon of Care Bear Cousins running – the spin-off relaunched show of the originally 80s cartoon. It was probably time to go to bed, but Sara had demanded for Sam to watch her favorite show and he was so glad to have the ginger over, he wanted to enjoy every second of it. Also, Sam had to admit that they had a very similar taste when it came to TV. Both were about overly colorful, talking and cute animals that bore a sign of their personality on a part of their bodies. Sam grinned broadly to himself as he made Big Macintosh and Iggy kiss.

“Are you really hooking your ponies up with each other?”, asked Sara with a frown.

“Uhu”, nodded Sam with a sheepish grin, blushing a bit. “Everyone is pairing up, I figured why shouldn't Iggy find himself a nice boyfriend too? And Big Mac is awesome. Tender, friendly, helpful and he doesn't talk a lot. Actually, he kind of reminds me of Marshall...”

“When you say everyone... does that mean... Marshall has a girlfriend too?”, asked Sara nervously.

She bit her lower lip and stared over at Sam like a bunny about to get shot by the hunter. Sam giggled slightly to himself. He had made plans with his friends to go out for brunch tomorrow – Derek, Sander, Trend, Sam, Marshall and Sara. And then he'd try and find some kind of excuse to leave Marshall and Sara on their own. He was sure they'd find something. Because he knew he had to get Sara and Marshall together. Sara loved talking and Marshall had never been one for many words. And both had already shown heavy interest in each other before, now he just had to hope for that spark to still be there. They were a match made by Aphrodite, at least in Sam's eyes.

“No, Marshall is still single”, hummed Sam with the faintest hint of a grin.

“Oh”, nodded Sara, her face as red as her hair and her toy as she buried her nose in Wild Heart's fur.

“Maybe we should go to bed”, suggested the son of Ares softly, grabbing her hand. “We'll have to get up early tomorrow for brunch. The Stolls make a mean brunch.”

Once the TV and the light was turned off, they found themselves on the bed again, facing one another, Sara tightly curled around Wild Heart and Sam hugging Big Mac and Iggy. The siblings stared at each other for a while, just laying in the darkness without speaking.

“I'm sorry”, whispered Sara after what felt like hours. “I shouldn't have pushed you into that relationship. If I hadn't encouraged you so much, you wouldn't have gotten together with L-”

“Don't say his name”, cut Sam in sharply. “And... And don't apologize. It's not your fault.”

Sara looked upset, as though she wanted to question him. Letting go of his ponies, he instead hugged his sister close. After a moment, she started sobbing into his shoulder. He knew how much he meant to her, the brother she had never had, the first one to accept her with all of her un-Mars-like behavior and habits and love her just for the adorable, little sister she was. He was her brother, he was part of her family, no less just because he was 'only' her demigodly and Greek half-brother, he knew how important he was to her. And he knew that she probably felt as though she had failed him. He also knew that she had carried that guilt and those tears for the past year. So he just held her until she cried herself to sleep, cooing softly to calm her down.

/the next day, October 2028 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sam yawned wildly as the knocking of the door woke him up the next morning. Ruffling his mohawk, he went to open the door. His face flushed the brightest red when he realized that he was only wearing his My Little Pony pajamas, in front of Trend of all people. The son of Athena was grinning highly amused while his eyes roamed Sam's body.

“Sara! Wake up! Trend and Marshall are here!”, exclaimed Sam loudly before turning to the boys in a lower voice. “Where are Der and San? And damn it, stop staring at me like that!”

Trend averted his eyes a little guilty, but he couldn't help the grin. Sam looked so utterly adorable in those childish pajamas, the shirt wrong-buttoned and thus revealing a sliver of bronze skin from where the pants were riding just low enough to show off those prominent hipbones. Trend's fingers were twitching to pull said pants down and investigate just how delicious that bronze skin was.

“Sander couldn't make it. Jonas finally manned up yesterday and asked Sander out after training – which you missed to have dinner with your sister. Anyway, after much stuttering and blushing, Jonas asked Sander out on a date and it seems, according to Marshall, that this date went awesome. Because this morning, Sander knocked at Marshall's door, only in his boxer-shorts. It seems he stayed at Jonas' place and further more, Jonas seems to be bribing Sander with the prospect of breakfast in bed and sex afterward”, grunted Trend while Marshall silently nodded next to him, looking a little uncomfortable. “And when we just knocked at Derek's door, Victor opened. Naked and with a pan in his hand. So I suppose Derek won't be coming either.”

“Oh... So it's just you, me, Marshall and Sara...?”, whispered Sam awkwardly.

Ushering the other two boys inside, he started to get changed while Sara was blocking the bathroom. So his plans of setting Sara and Marshall up turned into something akin to a double-date? He hastily got changed and knocked on the bathroom door. He was mildly surprised how pretty she looked. It seemed as though she was looking forward to spending time to Marshall and much to Sam's pleasure, Marshall's eyes nearly bulged out at Sara in a skirt and with her hair in curls. Which basically was the highlight of the day. Because during breakfast, Sara kept talking and talking about New Rome and her family in France and about everything anyone could picture there was to talk about, while Marshall opposite her just stared in awe and nodded at appropriate moments. Total match those two. The awkward thing however were Trend and Sam, who just stared at each other.

“So... Basically, we're the only singles in our circle of friends?”, asked Sam slowly.

“Not... entirely”, replied Trend, shifting some. “I'm seeing a boy from Aphrodite cabin.”

Sam's face fell. Oh. So Trend was seeing someone? It wasn't as though he had a shot with Trend, or wanted a shot with Trend. It wasn't something he could have. He knew that now. He was a son of Ares and when he had wanted this, his life had gone downhill and now that he had started training, his life was better than ever before. His mom had been totally proud when he had told her, all of camp looked at him, Chiron had praised him and his father had actually acknowledged his existence for the first time. He was a son of Ares, he had to be strong and brave. He didn't need a strong, hot man to lean onto. Even though said strong, hot man was dazzling with his strong arms and broad shoulders and those blonde curls (he hadn't gotten his hair cut since summer had ended and Sam enjoyed the way the golden hair curled just a little). And those stormy gray eyes, so deep and intelligent. And that smirk, so causing his knees to go weak. No, he didn't need any of this.

“Sam? Sam, are you even listening to me?”, asked Sara and poked him.

“Mh? What is it you said, Sar?”, grunted Sam and blinked a couple of times.

“Marshall offered me to show me the stadium, he said that there's a football game! A real football game, not that crap Americans call football!”, exclaimed the French girl excitedly. “And you hate football, so do you mind if I ditch you and go watch the game with Marshall, please?”

“Sure, go”, nodded Sam with a small grin, winking at Marshall. “So, no training today, Trend?”

The son of Enyo looked flustered, while Trend sighed. “No. Well, I can as well go on a date too.”

So Sam was supposed to spend the day all alone while everyone was paired up. Just grate.

Chapter Text

Seventh Partition: The Dating Year

/February 2029 – Athena Academy, New Athens\

Sam was disgusted by all the happy couples surrounding him. Derek was still seeing Victor, which was kind of okay because Victor build awesome stuff and Sam could test it together with Derek. Jonas and Sander were constantly being disgustingly cute, but that was okay too because Sander was just adorable when he was with someone – he had been the same way when he had been with Derek too, all dopey grin and happy sparkly eyes. Marshall and Sara were now officially dating since Halloween, which meant that Sara was spending every break she got in New Athens, so that relationship was over the top awesome because it brought Sam his baby sister closer. Okay, so maybe Sam wasn't disgusted by all the happy couples, maybe he just had a problem that Trend seemed to change boyfriends more often than Sander changed his socks. But it was also partly the fact that everybody was paired up like that, all his friends were dating.

Which in the end was why Sam was glad for the addition to their training sessions – even though it meant to watch Sander and Jonas making lovey faces at one another. But there was also Erik. Tall, sandy-blonde Erik with the intriguing half-smirk. Marshall's little half-brother and Jonas' best friend was a great guy, easy to talk to. And a good distraction from earlier mentioned lovey faces, as well as Trend's muscular, delicious body and the way Marshall kept talking about Sara (whenever he did talk, that is). So Sam spend a lot of his time with Erik these days.

Like right now. The six Sons of War (even though Trend denied Jonas and Erik real membership, both were by definition sons of war, their parents were after all respectively Enyalios and Enyo) had just finished their morning training. Every morning, five o'clock sharp, did they meet up in Demeter Park and go through some duel routines before jogging until the first one collapsed. Or until they had to go to school. Jog to school, just to torture them some more. Jonas and Sander were still in a shower stall, together. Most likely doing things the others did not want to witness, which was why Sam had hurried out. Marshall must have slipped past them already and Trend had hurried to get a quick number with the lover of the week. So Erik and Sam were alone in the locker room of the school's gym, getting dressed. And while doing so, they were talking about My Little Pony . It was so awesome to have a fellow brony as a friend. Dropping the towel around his waist, Sam laughed at something Erik had said while grabbing his boxer-shorts. The smile slipped off his face when a piece of paper fell out of the folded cloth. Bending down, he picked it up.

With his attention somewhere else, he didn't notice the brightly red-faced blonde staring at his ass. Or the way Erik shifted nervously while Sam read the card. Or how Erik blushed even more when Sam giggled and smiled again. Erik's heart was trying to break out of his ribcage.

“Oh my gods, you won't believe this!”, exclaimed Sam and whirled around to face Erik. “I have a secret admirer! Someone must have sneaked into the locker room while we were in the showers!”

“Y—You sound excited?”, observed Erik, trying very hard not to stare at Sam's junk greedily.

“Huh? Yeah, sure”, shrugged the son of Ares while (finally) putting his boxer-shorts on.

“You just... You give off this fuck-off vibe whenever someone flirts with you”, pointed Erik out.

“Because most of those are just weirdos”, huffed Sam, getting into his red shirt. “But this one is different. I mean, look at what he wrote. How he likes the way my eyes light up when I talk about something I like and how he admires my ambition and how hard I train. It also sounds really nervous and shy, which is kind of adorable. Whoever wrote that must be a real sweetheart.”

“So... You're... not totally against having a boyfriend then...?”, asked the son of Enyo slowly.

Sam blinked and sat down in slow motion as he realized that Erik was right. It had been one and a half years now, since he had been with Leroy. Nineteen months of hard training, of being with his friends and feeling strong. He had been intimate with a boy, with Sander, during the last summer. It had felt good, Sander had made him feel good. And with all the happiness around him, yes. Yes, he wanted a boyfriend. He wanted someone to be intimate with, someone to go on dates with.

“I... guess so...”, whispered Sam stunned, running one hand through his mohawk.

Erik took a deep breath, so deep he feared his lungs would burst. His hands were shaking when he took the heart-shaped box of chocolate from his locker and his face was burning with a blush as he turned toward Sam with the chocolate in his hands.

“I—If you would maybe perhaps consider then that... it would be wonderful for me... I would like to, I'd love to, it would be amazing if you'd...”, stammered Erik, turning more and more red.

“Huh?”, grunted Sam confused, ripped out of his thoughts as he stared up at Erik. “What?”

“The letter is from me!”, rushed Erik out, his face as red as a tomato.

“O—Oh...”, nodded Sam, turning red himself and even redder when he noticed the box of chocolates in Erik's hands. “W—Wait. You're... You mean you... and... me...?”

“I—If you want to”, nodded Erik embarrassed and fearful. “I mean, you don't have t—to. I just like you an awful lot and ever since my best friend and your best friend hooked up, we spend a lot of time together and I like spending time with you. I want to spend more time with you. A—As your boyfriend. You just said that you like the author of the letter and the idea o—of having a b—boyfriend and I promise you I'd be a really good boyfriend for y—you, really.”

Sam just continued to stare at the box of delicious looking pralines. It was true, he wanted a boyfriend and wanting a boyfriend was probably okay, right? He was just the son of Ares, the ultimate god of war, the conqueror of everything. He couldn't bottom. But blushing, stuttering Erik kind of looked like a bottom, probably. Maybe he could risk it? Just maybe? He had been training with Erik for five months, been friends with him for four months and had been meeting with Erik every Saturday morning to watch My Little Pony for a month now. He knew Erik, knew that Erik was a good guy. It wasn't like with Leroy, with someone he didn't know at all who just asked him out. Erik was a friend, someone he knew. Someone he liked – whose personality he liked.

“S—Sam?”, asked Erik nervously, shifting some. “Say something, please. Even if it's a no. That's okay too, I like being friends with you. But I'd like it even more if you'd want to be my valentine.”

Oh. Right. Tomorrow was Valentine's Day. Sam stared some more, his mouth open. Erik looked adorably flustered as he stared at Sam so pleadingly, his sandy-blonde hair in a wet mess from the shower, skin glistering with pearls of water still. Sam had the sudden urge to lick them off. He never had a valentine before. And Erik was cute. And hot. And sweet. Just as the son of Enyo wanted to fall into another rambling about wanting Sam, the mohawked boy cut him off by firmly pressing his lips upon Erik's. Erik gave a little yelp, but that didn't stop Sam from kissing him. While Sam clung to the blonde's face, holding it firmly in place so the son of Enyo wouldn't escape the kiss, Erik slowly melted into the kiss, hesitantly wrapping his arms around Sam's waist.

“Yes”, nodded Sam, his lips only a breath apart from Erik's.

“Yes, like you will be my valentine?”, asked the son of Enyo nervously.

“Yes, like I will be your boyfriend”, corrected Sam, grinning against Erik's lips.

“Oh gosh, awesome”, gasped Erik wide-eyed and hugged the air out of Enyo.

/April 2029 – Athena Academy, New Athens\

So things were getting a little easier after that. Being with Erik was really easy. Nearly natural. At least for Sam. He did know that it wasn't as easy for Erik, who was bending every way possible to please Sam. Things were great though. He finally didn't feel like a fifth wheel anymore. He could meet up with Sander and Jonas on double-dates, which was awesome because he and Sander were best friends and Erik and Jonas were best friends. Sometimes, when Sara was over for the weekend or so, her and Marshall would tag along too. And Trend with whoever was the fling of the week.

And then there was Derek. The son of Demeter was less than happy. He was currently getting out of the shower in the gym after Victor's basketball training. The son of Hephaestus followed him, drying his dreads up. Derek licked his lips as he stared the older boy up and down. The dark skin, glistering with drips of water, the sixpack and those strong arms. Victor Kruger was delicious.

“So, you got math next period, right?”, asked Vic curiously.

“Yeah. You have biology with Sammy”, hummed Derek and nodded.

“Yeah, that's something I wanted to talk about with you...”, drawled Vic nervously.

“Mh? What's up, Vic?”, asked Derek confused and started putting his clothes on.

“You and Sam. Look, I think we're really having fun and you staring at him really didn't bother me all that much. I'm a guy too, I like looking at something pretty too”, started Victor slowly. “But this whole animosity thing you have going on ever since Sam hooked up with Erik, it's annoying. Really. And kind of insulting, because you keep getting jealous over a guy who is not me.”

“So you're breaking up with me?”, clarified Derek with a huff.

“Look, I like spending time with you, sex is great and all, but... yeah, I'm breaking up.”

“Okay”, shrugged the son of Demeter and got dressed.

“Okay? Just like that...?”, asked Victor surprised and watched Derek walk away.

Derek turned around for a last time. “Yes, just like that. It was nice with you, but I have a mission.”

/May 2029 – Sam's Apartment, New Rome\

Sam was kissing down Erik's torso, the blonde arching into the caress. He was thrusting slow and cautious. It was exhausting and annoying and quite frankly kind of disgusting. He disliked the tight, warm feeling around his cock, he hated how he had to do all the work. It was exhausting. And all the whining and begging 'More, harder, please', urgh. He had no idea why everyone hyped sex so much. It was no fun at all. He's had better orgasms jerking off. Sam tried hard to think of something pleasant, but in the end it helped to be a horny teenager. Grunting a little, he came, closely followed by a loudly moaning Erik. Another thing he didn't quite get. All that noise. Not just the begging. The moaning and whining and whimpering. That stuff didn't feel that good, why all the noise?

Pulling out, he tied the condom up and threw it carelessly onto the floor before collapsing next to Erik. The blonde snuggled up to him delighted, rubbing his cum-smeared stomach against him. Ew.

He liked Erik. A lot. He enjoyed being with Erik. They had fun, Sam loved going on dates with Erik, cuddling with him in the morning and watching cartoons. It was easy to talk to Erik too. It was just the sex that bothered Sam. But he supposed that was part of a relationship, so well.

“I'll go take a shower. I got training with Trend in an hour”, stated Sam and untangled himself.

“We trained this morning?”, grunted Jonas confused. “And didn't you say you'd meet with Sander tonight for extra sparring too? Don't you think you... overdo things...?”

“Right”, snorted Sam and leaned against the door, showing off his arms. “You were saying?”

Erik blushed and stared at the delicious arms, gaping with open mouth. “Have fun, babe.”

“Thought so”, snorted Sam and got showered.

When he came back from the shower, Erik was already deep asleep. That boy was so easily knocked out. Rolling his eyes, Sam grabbed his jacket and left the apartment.

Erik was sleeping peacefully. Sam was very... thorough. It was tiring. He was still half-asleep when someone knocked on the door. Frowning confused, he sat up. It was Sam's apartment. Did Sam forget his keys? Wrapping a sheet around his waist, he went to open the door.

“Derek”, stated Erik surprised. “Uhm, Sam's not here. He went to train with Trend.”

“I know. I came to talk to you”, chimed Derek with a pleasant smile.

He looked Erik up and down. Erik may not be a Sam, but he wasn't bad to look at either. All cute blush and... cum on his sixpack. Huh. Smirking amused, Derek entered the room and stole Erik's sheet. The son of Enyo yelped embarrassed and tried to hide his privates. Cute thing, that one.

“So, how are things with Sam?”, asked Derek and got comfortable on the couch.

He didn't trust the bed at the moment. Erik hurried to got at least into a pair of sweatpants.

“Good. I guess. I mean... Good”, mumbled Erik with a frown.

“Doesn't sound good, hun”, snorted Derek with one cocked eyebrow. “Tell me about it.”

“I don't think I please him in bed”, blurted Erik out, glaring at the ground. “I just... I don't have the feeling that he has fun when we sleep with each other. I don't think I satisfy him.”

“Oh, honey, maybe you need someone who can be... satisfied by you”, smirked Derek wickedly, running one finger down Erik's torso. “I'm pretty sure you could satisfy me lots of times. And think about it, do you really want to be with someone you can't please? Isn't that... upsetting?”

/June 2029 – Rodriguez Household, New Athens\

Sander was laying on the couch, arms behind his head. His dad was at the park with his baby sister, Cally was out with her own friends and his mom was at work. He was waiting for his boyfriend. But as soon as he opened the door for Jonas, he regretted that.

“Why do you look upset, Jonas?”, asked Sander confused.

“I'm sorry. I'm... You're sweet and kind and I'm sorry, but I just...”, stuttered Jonas, staring up at Sander with those wide, green eyes of his. “Sam made Erik feel like he'd bad in bed and then came Derek and now Erik is confused and Trend never really made us feel like we belong to you four anyway. I think it's best for Erik to get a little distance to you guys and I'm his best friend, so...”

“So you're breaking up with me because your best friend is in a bad place...?”, summed Sander up.

Jonas nodded, head lowered. “I'm sorry. I really like you, but if we stop training with you guys and I'm still dating you, I just... I think Erik needs some distance and I want to be there for him.”

“It's fine”, nodded Sander with a small, sad smile. “I mean, he's your best friend, you want to be there for him, I get that. It's okay. I just hope Erik will be fine. I didn't even know anything happened? I didn't even know Sam and Erik broke up.”

“It's only been like a week or so”, shrugged Jonas. “And now he's sleeping with Derek and I don't like that. I don't think Derek is good for him. So I need to focus on him for now.”

“Wait, what? He's with Derek now...?”, mumbled Sander confused.

“Not my story to tell”, smiled Jonas and shook his head before kissing Sander's cheek.

Heaving a sigh, Sander watched Jonas leave. He understood the importance of friendship. He did not understand what exactly was going on with Erik, but he understood that Jonas wanted to be there for his friend and if the problem was really with having broken up with Sam – with Sander's best friend – then it would be complicated for Jonas to stay together with Sander since Sander was attached by the hip to his friends too. Shaking his head, Sander did what he thought best.

Half an hour later and he was standing in front of Sam's door, with the most giant tub of chocolate-chip ice-cream. Sam was still only in his boxer-shorts and his eyes were red when he opened.

“San?”, mumbled Sam confused. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard you were dumped when I was being dumped. I figured we could watch stupid movies and eat this tub of ice-cream with lots of chocolate-sauce?”, suggested Sander with a sheepish grin.

Sam ushered him inside and the two boys collapsed on the couch together after Sam got them two spoons and the chocolate-sauce. For the first ten or so minutes, neither of them said anything.

“I suck as a boyfriend”, blurted Sam out, shoving another spoon full of ice-cream in.

“Mh? What does that mean?”, asked Sander confused, licking the chocolate-sauce off his fingers.

“A week ago, Erik asked me if I'm happy with him because I don't seem... pleased in bed. What kind of boyfriend makes his boyfriend feel as though he sucks in bed?!”, growled Sam upset. “I wanted to be good for Erik, I wanted to be happy! Why can't I be happy?!”

“What... uhm... what was the problem in bed then?”, asked Sander unsure.

“I don't like it!”, blurted Sam out and blushed. “But that's my problem and not his, I didn't want to make him feel like it was his and now I made him upset and now he's sleeping with Derek!”

“What...?”, asked Sander surprised. “So Derek really stole your boyfriend?”

“I don't know”, sighed Sam and shook his head. “I know I made Erik feel unsure about himself and I just guess that Derek gave him the last push and now they're... I don't know if they're a couple or if they just have sex, but yeah. Is... Is Derek good at this stuff? At sex? I mean, how was it for you? With Derek and with Jonas? Did you, what did you do? What did they do?”

“Derek is a bit of a control-freak, whether he tops or bottoms”, shrugged Sander thoughtful. “And Jonas is a totally greedy bottom, like seriously. I guess everybody is different there. But don't worry, you'll find the right one too, Sam. Come, some more chocolate, mh?”

Sam nodded, head resting against Sander's shoulder as he shoved more ice down his throat.

/July 2029 – Mexican Boarder\

So, after lots of chocolate and even more training, both Sander and Sam had started feeling better. Of course then came summer. And with summer came trouble. Aka the hydra terrorizing the Mexican boarder. But Cally had a broken leg. So Sam, Sander and Bianca Maria were going.

“You know, Donny misses you coming over, Sander”, noted Bianca Maria as they sat together around the fire, eating what Sam had cooked them. “You're so busy with training these days.”

“Yeah. I'm sorry for that”, nodded Sander embarrassed and blushed a little.

“Okay, we should take shifts”, said Bia, looking at Sander amused for a second. “I take first.”

After dinner, Sam and Sander nearly instantly fell asleep. They had been on their feet for too long now. But they got woken up again all too soon by Bianca Maria's screams. And the shaking of the earth. Which was linked. Groaning tired, Sam sat up and reached for his stormlighter, clicking it open to turn into his by now well-loved sword. The double-edged sword glistered in the faint moonlight as Sam and Sander left their tent. Bianca Maria hung in the jaw of one of the hydra's head. Not the fire-spitting one, noted Sam as another head suddenly set their tent on fire. At least one thing. The earth beneath the beast split open, still shaking as Bianca Maria controlled it. Freaking handy, that. She was the ultimate Hades – death and earth and wealth.

“I distract the other heads, you go for the heart”, stated Sander seriously.

Sam felt the excitement, the rush of adrenaline running through his body as he charged. Bianca Maria and Sander had the five heads well-distracted, the hydra was caught in a crack in the earth with one of its feet. Still, it lunged for Sam with one strong, clawed hand. Sam gasped in pain as the claws sliced his side, but he still thrust his blade deep into the monster's rip-cage. Sam closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm liquid running down his hands just before the hydra disintegrated. The wind carried the remains of the hydra away. Bianca Maria fell with a loud screech, but thanks to Sander's gentleman-nature, he caught her bridal style, grinning.

“You should try not to get eaten by the monster next time”, suggested Sander and put her down.

“Right”, growled Bia with a nasty glare, trying to rid herself off the slobber. “I'll take a bath in the lake and try to get the foul smell and sour slime off myself.”

Sander grinned amused as he watched Bianca Maria storm off. She was used to be the glorious hero and not the one covered in slobber and spit. She was also annoyed that she didn't have her best friend with her this time around. When he turned some, he saw Sam, still standing there, staring at his blood-covered blade in fascination and with pride. When his eyes wandered some, Sander had to blush. Yep, Sam was hard. He had to blush even more when he noticed that this kind of turned him on. Sam, covered in blood and monster-ash, weapon still at the ready. He also didn't have sex in like two months, so maybe he was also a little bit desperate and horny.

“Sam? You alright?”, asked Sander as he stepped up to his best friend.

Sam whirled around and dropped his sword in favor of wrapping his arms around Sander's neck. He pulled Sander against him with an ease that actually surprised Sander a little, but the surprise didn't matter much once their lips met in a harsh, demanding kiss. Seconds later and Sam was already pulling on Sander's shirt. Sander obliged, breaking the kiss long enough to get rid of both their shirts. As they stumbled backward to the tent, Sander was fumbling with the button of his jeans and just before he fell onto his butt, he got it open. Sam sat down between his legs, ripping the jeans off him before shrugging out of his own jeans. Reattaching his lips to Sander's, the son of Ares pushed his own boxers down, while Sander Sander wiggled out of his own. As they deepened their kiss, Sam rubbed their hard erections against each other. Both moaned into the kiss. Sam started to kiss down Sander's neck, licking the sweat off his skin. Biting Sander's one nipple and tugging on the other with his fingers. His free hand more scratched than slid down Sander's torso.

“Hey there, you don't have to do everything”, grunted Sander amused and grabbed Sam by the shoulders, rolling them over. “I want some of the fun too. Let me taste you, Sam.”

Sam looked unsure for a second, he was so used to having sex with Erik, who just laid there and enjoyed, he had nearly forgotten how things used to be with Sam when they had been on their last quest. Sam gasped and collapsed on the ground as Sander's lips engulfed his cock, tongue teasingly licking along Sam's hardness. He spread his legs for better access as Sander caressed his thighs. He may have had better orgasms jerking off compared to fucking Erik, but Sander's blowjobs, they were on top of his list, that was for sure. Moaning softly, he thrust up into Sander's mouth.

“F—Fuck, I'll... a—ah...”, gasped Sam as he came.

He was panting hard as Sander leaned up to kiss him passionately, his cock slipping between Sam's thighs. The cum there used as lubricant as Sam pressed his legs close for friction. He grinned amused as Sander basically fucked his legs. They were still kissing hard, Sam's hands scratching Sander's back. Why was being with Sander so much easier than being with Erik had been? He yelped a little surprised as Sander came and covered him in cum.

“Oh damn, you always make a fucking mess, San”, groaned Sam, glaring down at his legs.

“Sorry”, mumbled Sander embarrassed. “Could have used condoms if we had brought any...”

The brunette hastily grabbed some paper towels and started cleaning the mess up. Sam smiled amused at his friend before pulling Sander down onto the ground with him. At first, the legacy of Hermes looked a little confused, but when Sam snuggled up to him, he smiled.

/November 2029 – Athena Academy, New Athens\

Savior of Chiron and slayer of the hydra. The one who got showered with presents by the mighty War God and the beautiful Love Goddess. Yes, Sam heard the low whispers of admiration behind his back. It had been mildly embarrassing at camp, but now back in school, it was even worse. They were sitting in Mister Cage's history class and just talking about how Herakles had slayed the hydra when their classmates demanded for more recent history and asked Sander and Sam how they did it. Of course Sander was up in an instant, loudly relaying how basically Sam had defeated the beast with one hand and with his eyes closed. Okay, Sam was exaggerating, but the way Sander told it was exaggerating too and the way the others swooned, it really sounded as though Sam had just killed it on his own. This was so embarrassing. He buried his face between his hands as the bell rang. Everyone was piling around him, asking a million questions at once.

“Now, guys, lay off him”, ordered a pleasantly dark voice. “Leave him alone.”

Sam looked up gratefully at a charming Chuck. The blonde shook his head amused.

“Thank you”, sighed the son of Ares, ruffling his hair. “This is so embarrassing.”

“I noticed”, snorted Chuck amused, winking at him. “Still, you should take the praise. You earned it. After all, you slayed the hydra. Even if Sander's story may have been exaggerated, I don't doubt that you were just as heroic as he described it. Take credit for what you accomplished.”

“Thanks”, mumbled Sam embarrassed, blushing furiously.

/Christmas Eve 2029 – Rodriguez Household, New Athens\

So there was no family Christmas this year. His mom couldn't make it home this year, uncle Liam was following some serious lead about his brother again and Malene was pissed at her husband for ditching them on Christmas, so she had declared there would not be a big Christmas this year.

But Clarisse and Chris had invited the 'lost puppies' to the Rodriguez Christmas.

Because Marshall's grandpa was sick – nothing serious, but still, his grandma was too busy tending to him to really concentrate on Christmas. So it was all three of them, Marshall, Trend and Sam, at the Rodriguez table, watching how Chris sliced the turkey. Carry Rodriguez was screaming for the largest cut (and trying to shove her vegetables over to Sander's plate).

Trend smiled a little as he looked at Sam. He had missed Sam so much, even though he wasn't even really sure why. After all, they lived close by, they saw each other often, but he felt as though they were drifting farther away from each other with every new relationship. It wasn't his fault that he just tried to find happiness, right? It wasn't his fault that Sam didn't seem to want him.

After dinner, they were all full. Clarisse was talking interested with Marshall, while Sander and Cally had to clean the table and do the dishes. Chris was fighting with Carry, trying to put the seven-years-old to sleep upstairs. And Trend and Sam stood outside on the balcony of the first floor, looking at the beautifully decorated houses of the neighborhood.

“So... Wow. I think these whole relationship-things don't do us much good. We used to be so close”, mused Sam softly, looking a little upset. “What's going on in your life, Trend?”

“Not much”, shrugged the son of Athena, unsure what a good answer would be. “You?”

“I'm not really sure what I'm doing with my life at the moment”, sighed Sam and ran one hand through his mohawk. “I mean, this whole hero-business is so... Wow.”

“Yeah”, laughed Trend softly, nudging Sam a little. “But you're good at it.”

“I guess so”, shrugged Sam, frowning thoughtful. “But is it really something to be proud of? That I'm good at killing? Even if they're dangerous monsters. Life is life, isn't it?”

“I don't see you protesting to a steak either and I think that killing for the carnal pleasure of eating isn't much different than killing to save innocent mortal's life, mh?”, offered the blonde softly.

Sam smiled slightly and nodded, rubbing his arms as the air grew more chilly. “Guess you're right.”

“Here, take my hoodie”, offered Trend as he noticed the shivering of the boy next to him.

Sam blushed a delicate red as he took the hoodie. They stayed there for a little while in silence.

“So, where is Derek? Not running after you like a lost puppy anymore?”, asked Trend playfully.

“You two, you're like cat and dog”, sighed Sam and rolled his eyes. “But no, Derek already had plans. With his boyfriend...s. Not sure about the terminus yet. I think that he's currently sleeping with both, Erik and Jonas. Not sure how that happened, but I think when Derek and Erik started to fall apart, Jonas got added into the equation. So right now, they're kind of... a threesome?”

“Interesting”, nodded Trend with one cocked eyebrow.

“Kinda weird thought”, laughed Sam and shook his head. “I mean, what do you do with two boyfriends? I was already completely overwhelmed with one boyfriend.”

“I'd have an idea or two what to do with two boyfriends...”, drawled Trend mischievously.

“Pervert”, laughed Sam and hit Trend's upper arm.

“Uhm, guys? You coming back inside? Dessert is ready”, called Sander, cocking one eyebrow.

Trend and Sam nodded and followed Sander back inside to finish Christmas dinner.

Chapter Text

Eighth Partition: The Hunting Year

/January 2030 – Somewhere in the Brazilian Jungle\

Searching for the minotaur was nothing that had been on Sam's wish-list for the winter break. But oh well. When the news of a sighting in the Brazilian jungle, Chiron, who was the principal of the school in the off-time of camp, had a meeting with Mister di Angelo from the DPS and some of the older demigods, like Percy Jackson (insert Sam's fanboy squeal here) and Mayor Chase. Needless to say, Sander and Sam had eavesdropped. And so had Bianca Maria and Cally. In the end, the adults had agreed to send the four heroes out. So right now, Sam, Sander, Bianca Maria and Cally were out trying to chase down the minotaur in the dizzying heat of the Brazilian jungle.

They had split up to find the minotaur. Well, not quite willing so. The beast was dangerous and the jungle was like a maze. Bianca Maria and Cally were coming at it from one side, Sander and Sam were supposed to get to it from the other. All four of them should then circle it. That was the plan. Of course, the two local hotheads – also known as Cally and Sam – had to attack first. Bia and Sander were left cursing, trying to distract the vicious monster. Cally and Sam were screaming their heads off as they attacked. After a little while, Sander and Bia just sat down on a large stone and took to watching them. It looked more like a game, honestly.

“Would you two finish him off already?”, asked Bianca Maria after a while.

“Yes, please. I'm hungry”, agreed Sander, arms crossed over his chest.

Sam and Cally rolled their eyes before exchanging a look. Sam thrust his sword into the Minotaur's chest from behind while Cally did the same from the front and as they twisted their blades, the monster fell and resolved into dust. One horn clattered onto the ground next to Cally, the other next to Sam. The two with the blood of Ares grinned victoriously as they picked up their spoils of war. Bia and Sander both gulped slightly as the other two turned back toward them. There was a hunger in their eyes. Bia yelped as she was being pulled forward into a hard kiss, Cally holding onto her. Sander barely had time to be disturbed by his twin sister practically ravishing Bia right in front of him, because seconds later, he had Sam sprawled all over his lap, fingers digging into his shoulders as the son of Ares kissed him hungrily. Only after a couple of minutes did Bia and Sander manage to break the horny Ares-blooded teens off, which earned them glares.

“Tents. Separate tents. Now”, grunted Bia. “I don't need to see what is happening over there.”

Sander nodded wildly in agreement and lifted Sam up, the son of Ares having his legs around Sander's waist, Sander's hands holding onto Sam's butt. Sander grinned a little dumbly as he carried Sam to their tent, where they lost their clothes in record time. Neither of them had gotten laid since July, which ironically had also been with each other. But after the breakup with Erik and Jonas respectively, they needed the break from all the relationship drama. Still, teenage hormones.

“Fuck. You're beautiful”, muttered Sander, hands wandering over sweat-covered bronze skin.

Sam had gained quite some muscles and his body wasn't as soft or child-like as it had been during their first time. He was well-defined and lean, but not broad or bulky. Basically, he was perfectly balanced between elegance and strength, in body as he was in fight. Sander's lips dragged over the skin, licking the sweat off Sam's skin. But just as he dipped his tongue into Sam's naval, he got pushed away and flipped onto his back. He grunted a little at the impact.

“My turn. So far, it's always been you pleasuring me. Let me pleasure you”, demanded Sam.

“Well, because you're the one getting horny from fighting...”, mumbled Sander confused. “So I wanna take care of you and give you the relief you want. You don't have to, really.”

“But I want to”, declared Sam, licking along Sander's full length once to make a point. “So let me.”

“Not going to say no to a free blowjob”, grinned Sander broadly.

He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better view on the mohawk. Sam was quite eager and his tongue was extremely cunning. Sander grinned as he watched the bobbing of Sam's head, moaning softly every now and then, his fingers clawing into the bedroll beneath them.

“Sa—am”, gasped Sander as he came, sputtering his cum down Sam's throat.

Sam coughed a little as he emerged from between Sander's legs, wiping sperm off his chin. The son of Ares leaned in for a demanding kiss, fingers combing through Sander's already messy hair. His erection was trapped between their body, rubbing against Sander's sixpack. Every time it rubbed over one of the packs, Sam shuddered. Sander grabbed him by the hips and leaned down to capture Sam's erection with his own lips. A trembling went through Sam's body as Sander's tongue teased the tip of his cock. Sander had always been good with his mouth. And hands. He whimpered softly right before he came and collapsed backward. Sander followed the motion and crawled over to lay with Sam, arms slowly sneaking around the mohawked boy's waist to pull him close.

“Why is this so easy?”, asked Sam confused, placing his head on Sander's chest.

“Slaying minotaurs?”, asked Sander, equally confused.

“No. Being with you. When we touch, it's all... synchronized, it all just... works. Never did that with Erik. It was always all... weird and we bumped heads and hands and it was... like... like work, you know?”, whispered Sam, fingers tracing Sander's sixpack. “It was all messy and weird.”

“Dunno”, shrugged Sander, caressing Sam's side with his fingers. “Perhaps because we fight together? We know each other's reactions, I know the way your body moves, you know the way my body moves, we know each other's weaknesses. We trust each other. You and Erik were friends, good friends, yeah, I give you that. But we're best friends. Right?”

He used his famous puppy-eyes and how could Sam say no to those? “Of course we are, San.”

“Then do me a favor”, prompted Sander suddenly, sitting up a little.

“What?”, asked Sam curiously.

“Go on a date with me”, said Sander. “I know I was the one suggesting just friends with benefits stuff, but you say it yourself, we're good together, on an intimate level. I wanna see if we're as good on a romantic level. Please? I don't want things to be awkward, it would just be one date. If it sucks and is weird, then we'll... just forget it. But I like you and you like me and we trust each other and we have great orgasms with each other. Maybe we could be a great couple together?”

Sam took a moment – a very long moment – to think about that. He wasn't sure. Being with Erik had been weird, but being with Sander wasn't. But how would dating Sander be? They were awesome bros, great friends and all, but there was a difference between being friends and being boyfriends. And he wasn't sure if that wouldn't ruin everything?

“One date, that's all I'm asking. We'll totally forget about it if it blows up in our faces”, pleaded Sander, his eyes soft and begging. “Please? Jonas wasn't right for me, he chose to side with his best friend and rather broke up with me than trying to mend the friendship all six of us Sons of War could have had if they would have tried to fight and actually be a part of this. Derek wasn't right for me either, because... I'm not the one he cares about the most. But you and me, we've risked our lives for each other on multiple occasions by now. Doesn't that qualify for a date? Please?”

“One. Only one date. If it is even remotely weird, I'm out”, warned Sam with a glare. “And now lay back down so I can abuse you as my pillow. Also, continue with that caressing, that was nice.”

Sander grinned a little as Sam snuggled up to him again. One date. He hoped it would be good.

/January 2030 – Sam's Apartment/Katie's Salad Bar, New Athens\

Derek frowned as he watched Sam. The son of Ares was in the middle of prettying himself up. Specially styling his hair, changing his pants for the fifth time, always looking for something better. It was obvious that Sam was preparing for a date. Derek disliked it.

“So... how does it work, anyway? This weird threesome-thing you have going on with Erik and Jonas?”, asked Sam semi-casually and very curious. “I just... don't get it. Two boyfriends?”

“It's great”, shrugged Derek with a slight smirk. “I even got them to sleep with each other. They were so bloody embarrassed, it was adorable. Two times the affection and touch, the sex and cuddles. It's pretty awesome, actually. You should try it too, some time. But for your information, Erik left. I think it grew too much for him, or something. Well, whatever.”

“Oh. Uhm, I'm sorry for that?”, tried Sam a little unsure.

“No need to”, shrugged Derek. “I didn't invest much into the relationship anyway. But you seem to be investing a lot into whatever this is going to be. Who do you want to impress?”

“No one”, huffed Sam and flushed a little. “It's just... Sander asked me out and he already knows me in all of my shades, you know? I try to look different, or something... I don't know...”

“Sander?”, asked Derek surprised and looked up, shock written all over his face.

If any Son of War would have snatched Sam away, Derek always had thought it to be Trend.

“It's just a date!”, defended Sam. “Not an engagement or shit. We're just... going out. And stuff.”

“And stuff?”, repeated Derek, even less pleased.

“Ah. This is perfect”, grinned Sam and whirled around before turning to Derek and kissing his cheek. “Anyway, I need to go. Can't be late. You can stay as long as you want to.”

With that, Sam dashed out of the apartment, leaving Derek alone. He really had more important things to worry about than a preaching from Derek. As soon as he was out of the apartment building, he literally ran into Sander. The other brunette yelped slightly, just about to ring the doorbell. Both grinned sheepishly at each other and blushed a bit embarrassed.

“So... ready?”, asked Sander, offering his friend an arm.

“As ready as can be, I guess”, nodded Sam and took Sander's hand instead.

He interlaced their fingers. Both were still flushed, the whole way toward Katie's Salad Bar. It was a little strange, holding hands with Sander, but San was great and they were affectionate all the time.

“So... what made you think that a date with me would be well-placed in a salad bar?”, asked Sam.

Sander shushed him as they sat down. “They have more things than just salad. Besides, their lamb's lettuce with bacon and roasted sunflower seeds rocks. Trust me on that.”

“You had me at bacon”, grinned Sam and leaned back some. “So... your sister and di Angelo?”

“Not sure if they're really dating”, shrugged Sander with a frown. “I guess it's more a friends with benefits thing too. It's them who gave me the idea, after all.”

They placed their orders – and Sam took Sander's recommendation. It actually tasted pretty damn amazing. They talked, throughout the whole dinner. Didn't even pause when they were stuffing their faces. It was the opposite of romantic. They talked about sport, accidentally spit at each other since they constantly had their mouths full, they hit each other playfully whenever one of them said something supposedly stupid. It wasn't a date, it was hanging out with the best friend and they both noticed. They just couldn't manage. It felt like it always felt. Nothing was different, there was no sudden spark, no violin music in the back of their heads. It was just... like it's always been.

“So... I had fun...”, stated Sam as Sander brought him home. “Like I always do when I'm with you. But... uh... I just... I care about you, a lot. Always have, always will. Just not really... This wasn't romantic, San, and I think you're just as aware of that as I am. It was hanging out, wasn't it?”

“Kinda”, shrugged Sander, looking frustrated. “I don't know, I just... I thought maybe, if we'd go on a date, something would happen. Like fireworks in my head or stuff and I'd suddenly realize that you're my one, true love and that that's why it's so easy to be with you, you know?”

“Uhu”, nodded Sam, clinging to Sander's arm. “But I'm not. We both know that you like the Disney Princess and I get it. You're getting restless, tired of waiting for him to come around, so you had hoped for an... easy way out. I guess love's just not that easy.”

“Guess not”, agreed Sander and grimaced. “I'm sorry. This was a bad idea.”

“I don't think so”, said Sam and shook his head. “I think it was good, to get it out of the way. Otherwise there would have forever been this big What If. What if we were meant to be but never realized it? But I think, we're just awesome friends and I think we just know each other well enough to have awesome sex. But it's not because we're madly in love. We just trust each other.”

“I think it's more than 'just'. I think it's awesome how much we can rely on each other, that I can trust you to always have my back”, mumbled Sander, one arm around Sam's shoulders.

“Yeah”, grinned Sam and nudged Sander. “You and me, we'll be friends forever.”

“I can live with that”, agreed Sander, smiling a little.

“You have to! I'm going to be the fucking best man on your wedding when you get that little Disney Princess into a wedding dress, after all”, snickered Sam, nudging Sander softly. “And you are so going to be the best man on my wedding. Whoever I may end up with...”

“He better be good to you”, noted Sander, grinning. “Otherwise I'll kick his butt.”

Sam laughed and ruffled Sander's hair. He was glad to have a best friend like him.

/February 2030 – Demeter Park, New Athens\

Sam was panting hard as he emerged from the lake. Lake Silencio. That was what happened when a Whovian son of Poseidon got to name a lake. But Sam liked it, a lot. After all, he was a little Whovian himself. And he totally got a kick out of other Whovians playing the Doctor's death out – he had once witnessed his personal favorite, with Miss Rachel Dare as Amy Pond, the Roman former augur Octavian as Rory Williams, Percy di Angelo himself as the Doctor, Clarisse Rodriguez as River Song (Sam took photos, lots of photos of a frizzy-curly haired Clarisse to show Sander) and Chris Rodriguez was actually wearing a real astronaut suit (or at least it looked real). It had been a really cool show and Sam had taken a lot of photos. His hero, dressed as his fictional hero. It was kind of amazing. He stared at the lake, recalling the scene.

“What are you staring at there?”

The sudden voice startled him out of his thoughts and it was cute to watch how Sam actually shot up some. He turned to look at Jonas with those large, dark-green eyes of his. Jonas bit his lower lip hard. He had been jogging when he noticed the single figure swimming from one end of the lake to the other and back and again. So when he saw the figure climb out of the lake after ten rounds of jogging around the lake, Jonas decided to walk over to check who it was. He blushed heavily when he saw Sam. Then again, that hardly was his fault, everybody would have blushed probably. Sam was only wearing swimming shorts, dark red ones. He was bathed by the rising sun, his bronze skin glistering. His mohawk long enough to stick to his head at the moment, all curling up a little since it was wet. Water was running down his chest, by now broader than Jonas remembered it, his sixpack more well-defined. But before Jonas could say hi, Sam turned back to stare at the lake.

“Memories”, replied Sam sheepishly, looking Jonas up and down. “You look... good.”

Since Jonas and Erik were one year below Sam and his friends, he hadn't really seen anything from them since summer. And panting hard after jogging, blonde hair clinging to his face, sweat covering his trained but lean body... Yes, Jonas looked good. Then again, his looks had never been a problem. Looking at him, Sam understood why Sander and Derek had been dating him.

“Thanks. You do too... You look amazing...”, mumbled Jonas and blushed.

Sam grinned wickedly, eyes sparkling as he looked Jonas up and down. “Get out of your clothes.”

“W—What?”, yelped Jonas, blush darkening even more.

“Come and swim with me”, laughed Sam amused, shaking his head. “What were you thinking?”

“W—Well... uhm...”, mumbled the Jonas, red as the rising sun.

“Come on. You're all covered in sweat and you're exhausted. Enjoy the cool water a little, calm down again before school starts”, chuckled Sam, motioning for Jonas to follow him in.

Jonas nodded and shed his shirt and jeans, running after Sam. The water was really cool and refreshing and so was Sam's laughter. The two of them just swam around a little, splashing each other with water, dunking each other and diving to watch the fishes that dared to come close. Afterward, they collapsed on the grass together, still bathed in the pink light.

“So... how have you been? We haven't talked in months”, stated Sam, turning onto his stomach.

“Good”, shrugged Jonas, also turning so he could look at Sam. “I think me and Erik, we weren't happy because we tried to fit into something that was already established. The four of you – Marshall, Sander, Trend and you – you're... a gang, a clique, a group. A sold deal. And Erik and me, we just tried to add ourselves to you. It's what made everything so weird. And, well, you and Erik. I guess you and him just didn't click and since you were his first boyfriend, he didn't know how to properly breakup with you or deal with the breakup to begin with. And things were weird, what with you four being such a tight-knitted bunch. I guess he was afraid they'd all side with you. All he knows are Hollywood breakups where all social contacts have to take sides and stuff. Anyway, I guess it's better this way now. We're with Chuck and Vic now. Heh, we've found out own gang, I guess. And they're awesome. We don't have to try and fit in, we just... fit together.”

“I guess that was the problem with Erik and me too, we tried too hard, but it didn't come... natural...”, whispered Sam softly, both boys subconsciously leaning in. “I'm glad for you. Vic and Chuck are awesome guys. And I guess, well, you can't force friendship. Just like you can't force relationships. Some things just... have to... happen... naturally...”

Jonas reached out, his hand resting on Sam's cheek. Their lips met in a chaste, soft kiss. Sam had his arms on either side of Jonas' head, leaning down more to dive in with his tongue. Jonas' arms wound around Sam's neck, pulling him closer.

/a few days later – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sander frowned confused where he sat on Sam's couch, staring over at Derek, who didn't look any less confused. Sam had invited both of them over, but he hadn't said anything so far, he was just pacing the room, gesturing wildly and muttering to himself as though he was rehearsing.

“Cutie pie, would you mind sitting down and explaining yourself?”, suggested Derek softly.

“Sorry”, sighed Sam and slumped down on the couch, between them.

“So, what's the matter, Sam?”, asked Sander confused. “You look troubled.”

“I kissed your ex! Both of yours!”, blurted Sam out, all rehearsing be damned.

Sander and Derek exchanged a look until it dawned on both. “Jonas? You kissed Jonas?”

“Uhu”, nodded Sam, blushing brightly, one hand running through his mohawk. “I'm sorry...”

“You do recall the whole 'ex'-part, right?”, grinned Sander amused. “I mean, he was my ex when he started... doing stuff with Derek too. Relationship? Was that it?”

“Yeah, kinda”, shrugged Derek leisurely. “If you gotta label it. I fancy thinking of them as my pets and I trained them. It was fun while it lasted. Huh. I need a new hobby now...”

“Pets...?”, asked Sam slowly, making a face. “No. I don't want to know what that means.”

Derek just laughed and shook his head, launching on the couch like he owned that place. It was just too much fun making Sam squirm. The son of Ares was way too adorable to be true. A dirty grin found its way onto Derek's face. Oh, he knew exactly what kind of tricks he'd like to teach his innocent little sweetheart. But now was not the time to think of those.

“So you kissed. Big deal. But good to know that you're a kiss-and-tell-er, sweetheart”, smirked Derek and winked. “Now, what's the problem? You didn't like it? Or did he force himself on you?”

He grew more serious at the end, sitting up, a protective glare on his face. It was highly unlikely, seeing as Jonas was the most submissive little bitch Derek had ever had. He'd never force himself onto anyone. He was more the kind that unwillingly called out to predators.

“What? Don't be stupid”, snorted Sam and shook his head. “No. We just... kissed. It just happened. I didn't plan on it. I was swimming and when I got out, Jonas was jogging there too and then we just... We talked and then we kissed. It was just a kind of right-moment-right-place-thing.”

“Still on Derek's side here. What's the problem?”, questioned Sander.

“I don't know”, shrugged Sam, frowning. “I mean, I'm dating your ex. Isn't that weird?”

“Dude, we're Greeks. Dating each other's exes is probably the least weird thing we can do”, grinned Sander amused. “I mean, he's a son of Enyalios, who is the son of Enyo and Ares. So, basically, your dad is his grandpa. And mine too. You gotta think in higher dimensions and stuff.”

“Ew. Yeah. Okay”, nodded Sam and shuddered a little. “So it would be fine if we'd... go out?”

“Nothing we could say to stop you”, snorted Derek, not very pleased by this turn of events.

/27^th February – Jackson la Rue Dojo, New Athens\

The dojo was decorated in bright and weird colors. Trend didn't like it. But Sam did, so he lived with it. They were celebrating his birthday. Like always, his friends practically stumbled over each other trying to make it big. Sam, Sander and Marshall always tried to make up for Trend's lack of an own family. Well, technically speaking, Trend's birthday had been yesterday. 26^th February. But seeing as Derek's birthday was the 29^th February, they had started celebrating them together, from the 27^th to the 28^th, meeting in the middle, so to speak. So they wouldn't have to throw two big parties only shortly after each other. And since Trend rather spend his birthday all on his own, he didn't complain about the party being later. And due to Derek's actual birthday only being every four years, Derek had no complains either, since he couldn't celebrate on his real birthday most of the time anyway. So like every year for the past four years, the friends had gathered together for a big celebration. Of course the Sons of War – Marshall, Sander and Sam. They even flew in some Romans, like Sara Mers, Herc Grace and Loki Murdock. Then of course also Derek's other friends, Melissa Montgomery and Stella Ribeiro. To bring a little peace again, they had also invited Chuck, Vic, Jonas and Erik. Since Sam was now officially dating Jonas and thought it ridiculous that Erik had been in need of so much 'space'. Besides, Derek got along well with his exes (which seemed to be sort of his superpowers, mused Trend). There was lots of food, very loud music and too much Cola to be true. They were a bunch of teens on a sugar high.

Sam grinned softly as he looked at Sara, who was all over Marshall, being cuddly. His own boyfriend was with Erik, the two best friends trying to best Herc and Loki on a round of ping-pong. Derek, Stella, Melissa, Vic, Chuck, Trend and Sander were currently playing some kind of drinking game. All alcohol courtesy of Loki the local child of Mercury. Looking closely, he noted that the others weren't playing ping-pong but rather beer-pong. Sam snorted slightly and went outside. It wasn't anything hard, only beer, but still Sam wasn't much of a fan.

“Hey. Why are you outside?”

“Why are you? It's your birthday party”, pointed Sam out and turned around to face Trend.

It was still very cold outside and they could even see their breath. He leaned against the balustrade with his arms, staring at the blonde. Trend shrugged and put his bottle onto the balustrade.

“It's getting loud in there and I just watched Sander and Stella heavily making out. Which was just weird. And I can't wait to tease him about it tomorrow”, chuckled Trend.

He leaned next to Sam, staring out over the city. It was beautiful at night. Sam turned around to join him, their shoulders bumping. Sam was far more beautiful than the city, especially when he was illuminated by the moonlight like that. It made Trend's heart speed up.

“Sorry I didn't invite your current boyfriend. I don't have a number or name to go by”, said Sam.

“It's because I'm single”, replied the son of Athena, taking a sip of his beer.

“Really? That happens?”, snorted Sam sarcastically.

Maybe he should slow down a little. He didn't want to look like a manwhore to Sam. It was just so much easier to drown his pain in sex than to actually think of why Sam wasn't ready to admit his feelings yet. Oh, Sam had feelings for him. Trend knew that. Sam blushed the most when it concerned Trend, especially so in a state of getting undressed after training. Sam also stared a lot when Trend was in said state of getting undressed. He was also the most touchy-feely around Trend. Sam was generally quite the hugger and such, but he sought most contact with Trend. And Derek, admitted Trend begrudgingly. But that was because Derek had basically trained Sam to do so. Not like a dog, but more... subconsciously. Just like Derek had made Sam come over to cook and clean for Derek. Derek knew how to make people do things. Another one of his superpowers, supposed Trend. Anyway, he knew that Sam at the very least liked him a lot more than a friend.

“Give me your jacket, I'm cold”, demanded Sam as he snuggled up to Trend.

The son of Athena grinned and shed his jacket to place it on Sam's shoulders. He rested his arm around Sam's shoulders as he did so, pulling him a little closer. They enjoyed the view in silence for a few moments, only the sounds of their cheerful friends in the background could be heard.

“So you're dating Jonas now?”, questioned Trend with a frown.

“It kinda happened”, shrugged Sam, a faint pink on his cheeks. “But it's nice. We click better than Erik and me did, I guess. I like being with Jonas. He's kind of... easy.”

Trend bit his cheek hard to keep from laughing. Easy was the right word to describe Jonas. The boy was a whore. Not that he was unfaithful, if he committed to someone then only to them. But he caved a cock and dominance like no one Trend had ever had beneath him.

“How's the sex?”, asked Trend bluntly.

“W—We haven't done that yet”, muttered Sam embarrassed. “We've only been dating for like two weeks! We only kissed and groped a little. Nothing... uhm... serious.”

Trend grinned amused, ruffling Sam's mohawk. The son of Ares was just too cute to be true. Too bad he was now committed to someone else. But Trend had a feeling that wouldn't work out anyway. They were too different yet too much alike, but all in the wrong aspects. Which was fine, because Trend didn't plan for Sammy to find The One in anyone aside from him. And if, there was only one real rival he had and that was not Jonas.

“What are you two doing out here all alone? Are you conspiring? Come back inside, sweetheart, I don't want you to catch a cold. Also, we're playing spin the bottle. You'll participate. It's my birthday wish, how could you possibly deny me that?”

Derek grinned and batted his eyelashes at Sam until the son of Ares heaved a sigh and followed him back inside, grabbing Trend's hand to pull him along. And just like how Sam followed Derek, Trend followed Sam. In the end, that was what they often did. Always, actually.

/April 2030 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sam had bags under his eyes and was folded small. He had just woken up from another nightmare. Marshall wanted to stay in New Rome for this summer, to be with Sara. He kept having flashback when he had decided to stay in New Rome for a summer, to be with Sara. And the nightmares he had were horrifying. He hated to think about it. Sobbing a little strangled, he stood. When he closed his eyes, he could see Leroy's face again. He couldn't be alone at the moment. Grabbing Iggy and clutching the stuffed horse tightly to his midsection, he left his apartment. His hand was shaking a little when he lifted it to knock on the door opposite his own.

“Who the bloody hell dares to interrupt my beauty sle...”, started Derek to bitch, just to freeze when he saw Sam and the tears on his cheek. “Oh, honey. What's wrong? Come inside, sweetheart.”

He pulled Sam into a tight hug and maneuvered Sam toward the bed, pushing gently so the son of Ares would sit down. Sam sat a little stiff, his fingers clawed into the fabric of his toy. Derek looked at him concerned, unsure what to do with that.

“I'll make us a nice hot chocolate, mh?”, suggested Derek softly. “You just sit and wait.”

Sam nodded numbly and sat in silence for a while. “I'm sorry, for waking you. I just... had a stupid nightmare and didn't... want to be alone. It was silly. I thought you may still be awake. I'm sorry.”

“Sweetheart, keep one thing in mind. You are always welcome”, replied Derek when he returned with the two steaming mugs, handing one over to Sam. “Now, do you want to talk about it?”

Sam shook his head violently, legs pulled up, still holding onto Iggy with one hand while the other clutched the mug. Derek nodded in understanding and sat down next to the son of Ares. They drank their hot chocolate in silence and Derek wondered what to do next. When they were finished, he took Sam's mug and brought both back to his small kitchen-counter.

“Do you...”, started Derek slowly. “If you want, you can stay the night. I can sleep on the floor.”

“No. I mean, I want to stay, but...” Sam interrupted himself and blushed. “Can we cuddle, maybe?”

Derek grinned a little amused as he crawled into the bed next to the embarrassed son of Ares. He laid down next to Sam and laid his arms around the brunette. It was a little strange, Sam was pretty broad and muscular by now. The last time they had been like that, Sam had still been a weak, frail twelve-years-old. But even though he was quite strong on the outside by now, Derek understood that on the inside, Sam was still that afraid twelve-years-old. With a last kiss on Sam's cheek, he pulled the blanket up to cover them. Tugging Sam's head under his chin, he got more comfortable.

“Good night, cutie pie. I'll keep the nightmares away for you”, promised Derek softly.

/May 2030 – Washington DC\

Jolene Raser was in Washington. Sam was on Easter break, so she had decided to invite him over. She missed her baby boy so much and she hated that she only got to see him so scarcely. But she knew this was for his best. She didn't drag him through the whole US anymore, he finally had a place to call home, had finally found a place where he belonged and where he was happy.

She smiled softly when she saw him curled together on the couch. Walking over, she brushed his hair out of his face and kissed his forehead. She couldn't believe that he was already nearly fifteen. Her precious, little baby boy. She could still remember the day he had been born, so tiny and cute.

“Oíche mhaith, a mhic mo chroí”, whispered Jolene softly.

Sam hummed in his sleep, snuggling closer together. She yawned and left to get to bed herself. Sam cracked one eye open to watch her go, smiling himself just a little bit. He was glad to be with his mom. She made him feel safe. And since Marshall had told them last week that he would be staying in New Rome, Sam was having nightmares again. Seeing Sara didn't do that, but hearing something like that – being reminded of that place, it made the nightmares return. He couldn't help but dream about when he had decided to stay the summer in New Rome for Sara. He kept dreaming about Leroy and what he did. Maybe being with his mom would make things better? Being with Derek had already helped, but he could hardly go over to Derek every time, so he hadn't come the following night after that first night. He tried to handle it on his own. It didn't work well. But even so, his body needed sleep. So while his mind desperately wanted for him to stay awake, to not go back to that horrible place, his body forced him to sleep.

He woke in the middle of the night when his mother shook him. Her face was marred by a concerned frown as she leaned down to brush the tears of his cheeks. At least she gave him enough time to catch his breath before she asked him what was wrong.

“Nothing... just... nightmare...”, whispered Sam hoarsely. “All the monsters and stuff.”

It was a white lie. He knew he'd break his mother's heart if he'd tell her the truth. She looked troubled but nodded. After all, she had nightmares about her own personal monsters too. In a way, both of them were fighting in a war against monsters. Just different kinds. And both brought home their nightmares and troubles. Smiling a sad, little smile, she took his head.

“You know what helps me when I can't sleep?”, whispered Jolene softly. “I cook.”

“You cook?”, asked Sam confused as his mother led him to the kitchen.

“Yes”, nodded Jolene and got some pots and pans out of the shelves. “It gives your mind something to focus on. And following orders, it's easy. Easier than thinking about... well, what's troubling you. Just focus on the instructions and go through the motions. It's very therapeutic, at least for me.”

“Yeah...?”, asked Sam unsure and in a small voice.

“Yeah”, confirmed Jolene. “Now, how about I teach you some of my favorite recipes while you're staying with me? Mh, let mamaí teach you how to cook, buachaill ceansa?”

“I'd like that. Thanks, ma”, whispered Sam with the tiniest smile.

/June 2030 – Camp Half-Blood, Long Island, New York\

“Jonas, where are we going?”, huffed Sam as he tried to follow his boyfriend through the woods.

“Just follow me!”, ordered the blonde with a broad grin, tugging on Sam's hand.

The son of Ares did as he was ordered and followed, deeper and deeper into the woods. By the time they reached their destination, it was already dark and they would probably be in deep shit if someone was to catch them. Sam was surprised. A blanket was spread over the forest floor, candles placed around it and lit. And there was a tube of lube. Oh. Sam gulped.

“I... uhm... just thought... I mean, we've been dating for five months now, right? And we only just jerk each other off and give each other blowjobs. I want to feel you inside of me, Sam.”

Both boys blushed at that. Jonas was right. They had been dating for a while now. And it was good, actually. The way things were. Sam had hoped he could push this whole in-and-out business away for a little later. But Jonas looked desperate. Taking a deep breath, Sam grabbed Jonas by the neck and pulled him into a harsh kiss. He should give his boyfriend what he wanted. So he did.

And it still sucked. He thought maybe it had been just because of Erik, but he still disliked it. He hated the feeling of a tight ass around his dick. And he hated doing all the work. Also, Jonas was a whimperer. He whined and whimpered and begged the whole time. Urgh. Sam headed for the showers right away, getting cleaned up. Feeling fresh again, he headed for his cabin. Okay, something was definitely off here. Sander looked depressed.

“San? Everything alright? What's up?”, asked Sam concerned and sat down on Sander's bed.

Most others in the cabin were already sound asleep, snoring loudly. Sander shrugged, his arms wound around his legs, forehead resting on his knees. Sam frowned worried.

“Cal and Bia were on that quest, you know that, right? The one about the Leukrokottas, right?”

“Yeah”, nodded Sam and gulped. “Did... Did something happen to them? Is your sister hurt?”

“Worse”, mumbled Sander, sounding like he was suffering a lot.

“Mh? Worse? Oh gods. Is she dead?”, asked Sam, his voice a mere whisper.

“No! When she and Bia were hunting those stupid lion-stags, they ran into the hunt. Like, The Hunt. The one led by Lady Artemis. And they teamed up to track them down and those stupid eternal virgins got into their heads and now Bia and Cal want to join the hunt!”, exclaimed Sander.

“Oh...”, whispered Sam and wrapped his arms around Sander, hugging him close. “I'm sorry.”

/July 2030 – Camp Half-Blood, Long Island\

Sander was concerned for Donny. He knew that Bia was basically Donny's world. Sure, there was a whole bunch of other di Angelos, but Bia had always been Donny's protector. Sneaking into the Hades Cabin, he knew that Donny liked to hide there when he didn't want to be in the Poseidon Cabin with his siblings. The younger boy was sitting there, curled together on a bed.

“Hey, Donny”, whispered Sander softly and sat down next to Donny.

Donny turned those large, sea-green eyes on him, lower lip quivering before he threw himself at Sander and sobbed into the brunette's chest. “She can't do that, right? She can't just join the hunt and leave me, right? Mom and dad won't allow that! Right? They're going to stay, they have to!”

“I don't know if our parents can do much about this”, mumbled Sander with a frown. “They may be able to keep our sisters from doing it for a few weeks or months, but in the end, it's their decision, I guess... Not ours... We can just... try and convince them to stay...”

Sander knew he was rambling and he knew he was being a hypocrite by saying all of that since he himself just wanted Cal to stay. But this was Donny they were talking about and Donny was his frail, beautiful, wonderful, perfect, gorgeous, amazing... Donny. And he was insecure and dependent on those people he cared and valued, like Sander and Thea and most of all Bia.

Sander hummed softly and rocked Donny until the younger boy fell asleep in his arms.

/August 2030 – Camp Half-Blood, Long Island\

So Donny's focus was on begging Bia to stay. Sam's focus was on Jonas and trying to make it work (Sander noticed that for the past month, their relationship had gotten a little weird). Trend's focus was solemnly on training out of weird reasons. Marshall was spending the summer in Camp Jupiter to be with Sara. So the only one who had time for him really was Derek. And seeing Sander's kicked-puppy eyes, Derek took pity on his ex and allowed Sander to tag along as their mascot while Derek was hanging out with Melissa and Stella. Right now, Stella, Melissa and Derek were sitting together at the beach, watching how Sander and Victor Kruger tried to beat Chuck and Erik in a match of beach volleyball. What with Jonas being off to be with Sam, they were one player short and Sander was more than eager to fill that spot. Derek grinned amused as he watched.

“So... Stella, dear”, started Derek, sucking on his pop-sickle. “Sander?”

“Mh?”, yelped the daughter of Aphrodite high-pitched.

“My birthday party, when you were heavily making out with my ex-boyfriend”, drawled Derek.

“You said he's not off-limits”, shrugged Stella. “Besides, we were drunk and playing spin the bottle. So, get to the point, Rhys. Because that piece of ass is going to be mine next.”

She grinned, a wicked and greedy expression like only children of Aphrodite could pull off.

“I just want to say that if you hurt my precious boy, I'll hurt you. Sander is one of the good guys, but he's also naive. So don't use him for some stupid Aphrodite-shit”, warned Derek with a glare.

Stella grinned amused and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I think it's sweet how you try to be all tough and 'I don't care about anybody' even though you clearly care. About more than just Sam.”

Derek huffed and flipped her the bird. She grinned and hummed before running off toward the game. She caught the ball out of the air, causing the boys to complain. Then she walked over to Sander, kissed him on the lips and handed him the ball. His ears were a burning pink as he stared wide-eyed after her. Even long after she had left again.

“I think she broke him”, laughed Melissa and nudged Derek.

“Poor, adorable little Sander”, sighed Derek and shook his head. “I doubt he's man enough to handle a daughter of Aphrodite. But if he's feeling up to the task, I won't stop him.”

“Poor bastard”, agreed Melissa with an evil grin.

/September 2030 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sam was humming softly, cooking something that smelt absolutely delicious. Marshall was setting the table while Sander and Trend already sat there and waited. Trend smiled softly as he watched Sam cook. He loved to watch him cook. Sam always looked so serene when he was cooking. The four friends had decided to meet up, on the last day of summer, to talk. They wanted to hear what Marshall had to tell about New Rome, after all. How Sara, Herc and Loki were doing. Which he did. Not in many words, but that was Marshall's style, after all. Once he was done, he was more than eager to hear about their summer. Mainly so that he wouldn't have to talk anymore. He was proud to hear that Trend was focusing on his training more, instead of hopping from one pretty boy's bed to the next. The big guy had seriously gotten worried that Trend had some sex addiction going on or something like that. He was sad for Sander, that Cally would join the hunt and leave. It seemed that Clarisse Rodriguez and Percy di Angelo had managed to force their daughters into staying until after Christmas at least. It still sucked, having his twin being gone after the two had been so close for all of their lives. Sam was a little concerning, it seemed that his relationship with Jonas wasn't working all too well. It was too bad, Marshall had wished for Sam to finally find someone he could be happy with, at least for a while. It didn't have to be his future husband just yet, but someone who'd at least give Sam a little peace of mind.

“What else is bothering you, Sander?”, asked Marshall concerned. “You look troubled.”

“Huh? Uhm... nothing”, yelped Sander with a bright blush.

“Nothing my ass”, snorted Sam with a glare. “Spill it, Rodriguez.”

“I kind of... uhm... well... On Trenek's birthday, I kinda kissed Stella”, mumbled Sander.

Trend rolled his eyes annoyed at Sander's laziness. Just because he was too lazy to say 'Trend's and Derek's birthday', he didn't have to create horrible abominations of their names.

“Yes, we all saw that”, nodded the blonde with another roll of his eyes. “So?”

“So we kissed again like two weeks ago”, whispered Sander, beet red in the face.

“But... I don't get it. Were you drunk again?”, asked Sam confused.

“No. She just walked up to me and kissed me”, shrugged the other brunette flustered.

“But... I still don't get it. She's a girl”, continued Sam, now even more confused. “With girl-parts.”

“That was about the most immature thing I ever heard you say, Samuel”, snorted Trend amused.

“Shut up”, huffed Sam and hit him. “Girl parts are gross, that's not my fault.”

“I take it back. That was the most immature thing I ever heard you say”, laughed Trend.

Sander and Marshall joined in and the mood got a little lighter again. Sander relaxed some, at least until his three friends turned inquisitive eyes on him. He shifted uncomfortably.

“I... never said I'm gay...”, shrugged Sander, decidedly not looking at them. “I like dudes. But I also like girls. They're pretty. I like pretty people, I don't care if they're boys or girls.”

“Oh. Why... did you never say something?”, asked Sam surprised.

“I don't know”, shrugged Sander awkwardly. “I mean, you're gay and Trend is gay and Marshall is straight. It's like... you chose a direction you're going and I feel like I just... can't decide?”

“Dude, being bisexual doesn't mean you're indecisive”, said Sam honestly, nudging him. “We wouldn't judge you for liking dudes and chicks. As long as it makes you happy, San.”

“Sammy is right”, agreed Trend, leaning back. “So does that mean Stella is your girlfriend now?”

“I dunno... We haven't talked about it yet...”, shrugged Sander.

“Well, would you want her to be your girlfriend?”, asked Sam with a grin.

“I dunno... I mean, she is the second prettiest girl at camp”, mumbled Sander and blushed.

“Second?”, chorused the other three Sons of War.

“After Bianca Maria”, shrugged Sander, blush darkening.

“Oh”, laughed Sam mischievously. “I get it. Because she's kind of a female version of Donny.”

Sander's blush darkened even more, that being answer enough. Trend shook his head amused.

“So, do you want her to be your girlfriend? Aside from her being pretty”, inquired Trend.

“She's nice and sweet and funny. I like that she has everything in pink. She looks like an exotic Barbie or something. It's kinda cute”, replied Sander with a dopey grin.

“You do want her as your girlfriend”, nodded Sam with a grin. “Then go and ask her out, idiot.”

/October 2030 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sam was panting hard when he pulled out of Jonas. He collapsed on the bed while tying the condom and throwing it into the trash can. Leaning over, he tried to kiss Jonas, but the blonde turned away.

“What?”, asked Sam confused. “Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“No, you were being a perfect gentleman and it was amazing. For me”, replied Jonas and sat up, looking somewhere between angry and upset. “It's you. When we first started dating, I thought Erik had bullshitted me. But ever since we first had sex... You're not satisfied. You're not having any fun at all, are you? And it's a shitty feeling being unable to pleasure your lover!”

Sam heaved a sigh. The sex was the downside of being in a relationship. He had really cared about Erik, it had been fun with him. And he also cared about Jonas and liked how easy everything had been. At least until they had to have sex. Sex always ruined everything.

“You're breaking up with me, aren't you?”, sighed Sam, running his fingers through his mohawk.

Jonas too sighed as he leaned over to kiss Sam's cheek. “I like you, a lot. And I like being with you. But... I can't be with you if I can't satisfy you. It's dragging me down and I don't like feeling inadequate, you know? Maybe... we can... stay friends?”

“We weren't really friends to begin with”, snorted Sam and cocked one eyebrow, shaking his head. “Look, I get it. I'm not angry or shit. I'm just sorry I made you feel like shit. I didn't mean to.”

“It's alright, darling”, grinned Jonas and leaned in for a last kiss. “I... hope you find the right one. Someone who can make you feel as special as you made me feel. You're really good in bed, Sam. It's a shame you don't seem to have any fun while doing it.”

/November 2030 – Athena Academy, New Athens\

“I don't get this shit”, stated Sam from where he was leaning against the bleachers.

“Mh?”, asked Sander, distracted by watching the cheerleaders hop around.

“Cheerleading!”, replied Sam, waving one hand into the general direction of the pyramid Melissa, Rainbow and Stella were forming. “I mean, don't we have enough pedophiles in our country? Do we have to give them all of that? They're like fourteen and they wear skirts that don't even reach the middle of their thighs and even those flip up all the fucking time, showing off their panties. Which are designed to be shown off. And their shirts don't cover their midriff either. It's like out of a fucking jack-off page for pedophiles. And they start them girls even at a way younger age to do this shit. What for? Seriously. You could dance in an age appropriate outfit too. But they make kids walk around like skanks. Imagine a nine years old would come to her mommy and ask her to walk around in a belly tee and with a skirt that shows off her panties. The mom would be scandalized, if she got any brains left. But putting them on display in front of an audience with cameras? Yeah, great idea. Fucked up, if you ask me. Sure, college and senior high, okay, they're meant to be hot and turn dudes on, but them kids? I don't fucking get that shit.”

Sander nodded absentmindedly, not really listening to his best friend because his girlfriend was jumping around in a short outfit, looking totally hot. He grinned happily when Stella ran up to him.

“Did you see me? Did you see me? Was I good? Did you like it?”, asked Stella excitedly.

“You were awesome”, grinned Sander and whirled her around before kissing her.

“Yeah, yeah, great hopping and jumping and shit. Can we go and eat lunch now?”, grunted Sam.

Stella huffed and glared at him. The two of them did not get along at all. Much to Sander's dismay. But the son of Ares and the daughter of Aphrodite always edged on and fought, or glared. He didn't like what she did and how she did it, she didn't like what he did and how he did it.

/December 2030 – Central Park, New York\

An off-season quest. Sam wasn't sure if he really liked that. Especially since it was fucking winter and for once it was actually snowing in New York. Fuck this. They had to chase a fucking lion through the winter wonderland that was the Central Park. Official mortal news had it that a lion escaped from the zoo. Truth was, it was the Nemean Lion. How to kill a beast with indestructible fur? Yeah, Sam and Sander were trying to figure that out too.

Sam was going at the beast from behind, Sander from the front. The legacy of Hermes was tricky. He tried to distract the monster with a sleigh of hands or two, producing small bobs from nowhere and throwing them at the cat to cast smoke. It confused the giant kitty a great deal. Sam all the while used that moment of confusion to jump the monster from behind. Sitting on the lion's back, he used the Heart of War to ram it deep into the monster's eye, twisting it. The beast whined pitifully before it died. Sam huffed as he crashed onto the ground. Putting his double-edged sword away, he ran his fingers through the soft fur. The spoils of war. He grinned wickedly.

“You want to make a fur-coat for your Barbie?”, asked Sam teasingly as he pulled Sander down.

The legacy grunted as he hit the fur and came to sit between Sam's knees. “No. You can keep it.”

“We going to use it now? Always wanted to do it in a park”, whispered Sam.

He held Sander by the collar and pulled him closer until his warm breath tickled Sander's ear. The legacy of Hermes shifted uncomfortably and leaned away when Sam tried to kiss him.

“Dude... I... I'm with Stella. I mean, so far when we did this stuff, we were both single”, mumbled Sander awkwardly. “But now I got a girlfriend. And I don't cheat, you know?”

“Right”, nodded Sam and gulped, feeling guilty. “Sorry. I know. I mean, I really am sorry. I didn't mean to... it's just... what we do when we slay a monster, so I thought... I don't know...”

“I'm sorry, Sam”, whispered Sander, looking like a kicked puppy. “I don't want to hurt your feelings or anything, but I also don't want to hurt Stella. I really like her and all... Are you angry?”

“Fuck you”, huffed Sam and hit his best friend upside the head. “Fucking moron. Of course I'm not angry. You got a girlfriend and we're just friends with benefits anyway. Girlfriend tops that. And I really didn't think. I didn't want to put you into an awkward position. Look, it's fine. I gotta learn how to control that... stuff anyway. Won't always be on a mission with a hot, willing guy who wants to give me a blowjob, right? So yeah, it's kinda like... training for me. Staying strong and shit.”

“Fuck off”, snorted Sander amused and stood, offering Sam a hand. “Let's get back home.”

Sam grabbed the golden fur and threw it over his shoulder before heading over to Fighter and Trickster, together with Sander. The two pegasi were standing at a safe distance, waiting for their companions to return. Sam smiled softly as he saw his oldest friend, caressing her mane.

“Hello, gorgeous. Are you cold? Look, I got a new fur”, offered Sam and placed the fur on her back before climbing on top of her himself. “Better, huh? I know you don't like the cold, my lady.”

“You and that horse”, snorted Sander amused and shook his head.

“Don't say the wrong thing now, fucker”, warned Sam as the four ascended into the air.

“Just saying. If that horse were a girl, you would totally be straight”, grinned Sander teasingly.

“Fuck off”, huffed Sam. “She's like an aunt or something, you moron.”

“Your aunt is a horse?”, laughed Sander.

“Your Disney Princess' uncles are horses! Even two of them!”, pointed Sam out with a deadpan.

“Oh”, mumbled Sander and made a face. “You're right. Ew. Weird.”

“Uhu”, agreed Sam mischievously.

“You're such an ass”, sighed Sander and shook his head. “How do I get that out of my head?”

“You started it. Now shut up and fly faster, or Fighter and I are going to kick your ass!”

“You wish!”, huffed Sander and leaned down some. “Come on, Trick. We won't let them win.”

“Not a matter of you wanting to 'let' us win”, smirked Sam and dashed off.

Chapter Text

Ninth Partition: The Last Year

/31^st March 2031 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

It was midnight and Sam had just been in the middle of a fucking awesome dream about My Little Pony (not that he would admit that out loud). He had been on the Apple farm, during apple bucking season, helping Braeburn and Big Mac out. Pinkie Pie had just interrupted them with a song and thanks to whoever was knocking like a lunatic on his door, he would never know the lyrics!

“What the fuck?!”, growled the son of Ares with a dark glare as he opened the door.

Seriously, what the fuck. Because the next second, he had a drunk Sander in his arms, kissing him aggressively. Sam blinked a couple of times and pushed the other off, glaring. Sander looked determined and upset and very, very horny. Stepping aside, Sam maneuvered his best friend inside.

“I'm sixteen”, declared Sander upset. “Today's my sixteenth birthday and Stella broke up with me like five hours ago. Says she's too much of an Aphrodite-girl to stay with me. Said she's sorry and all. I'm sixteen and I don't even get my birthday-blowjob because my girlfriend broke up with me!”

Sam heaved a sigh and sat down next to Sander on the couch. “Happy birthday, dick-head.”

“Thanks”, muttered Sander, turning puppy-eyes on Sam.

“Fuck off, I'm not going to give you that birthday-blowjob”, snorted Sam.

“Come on!”, whined Sander. “Have pity! Stella wasn't into giving head. I haven't been blown since the last time you blew me. Please, you give the best head I ever had.”

“You're drunk. You'd regret it in the morning”, sighed Sam and shook his head.

“Didn't regret it when we were on a quest”, countered Sander daringly, leaning in some. “Come on, three months ago you wanted to blow me even though I had a girlfriend. We're friends with benefits, right? And we're both single. Please, I really want a birthday-blowjob.”

While saying that, Sander peeled his shirt off in slow motion, purposely flexing those impressive muscles of his. His body was littered in scars, but damn did they make him even hotter. Sam licked his lips. It had been a while since he had last had a piece of meat in his mouth. Not that he was a sex-addict or anything, but he did like a nicely sized cock. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he'd have Sander's down his throat. Heaving a sigh, he unbuttoned Sander's jeans. The other boy gave a happy yelp, like a little kid who just got candy. Opening up wide, he licked his lips. Sander did have a beautiful cock. A manly cock. Not like Jonas, who had been all shaved up. Was it very hypocritical of Sam to complain about that? He shaved himself too, after all. Still, he kind of liked combing through his lover's happy-trail. Grinning slightly, he bobbed his head. Sander moaned as Sam tickled the spot between Sander's cock and balls with the tip of his tongue.

“Mh... A—ah, Sam”, gasped Sander, fingers clawed into Sam's mohawk.

Sam knew how to make him come. Blowjobs were the only thing about sex he was good at and enjoyed. Maybe he should just stick with oral in his next relationship? He swallowed hard when Sander came in his mouth. Licking his lips, he lifted his head off Sander's lap.

“Happy birthday, moron”, whispered Sam against Sander's lips, kissing him softly.

“Can I crash here?”, asked Sander and yawned. “Cal and me got hammered together and then the fucking hunt came back to pick her up again...”

Sam hummed softly. So that was why Sander was angry and drunk and here. Not because of Stella. He hadn't been in love with Stella. But because he had seen his sister again, just to have her leave. Again. It had been three months now since Bianca Maria and Cally had joined the hunt and Sander wasn't dealing all too well. Sam could only guess how well the sensible Disney Princess was handling it. Getting up, he laid one of Sander's arms around his shoulders and guided Sander over to the bed, where the other boy collapsed face-first. With his bare butt sticking up, boxers and jeans hanging in his knees. Grinning amused, Sam peeled the jeans off and pulled the boxers back up. He then nudged Sander a little so the brunette fell over to his side. Yawning, Sam climbed in next to his best friend and snuggled up to the legacy of Hermes.

“But tonight's still on, right?”, asked Sam, his head on Sander's chest.

“I guess. I mean, you guys planned me a surprise-party, right?”, shrugged Sander.

“It's going to be weird though. Having Stella there, if she broke up with you”, added Sam.

“She broke up with me because I spend all my time with Donny since our sisters joined the hunt. I get it. I don't love her and she knows it and an Aphrodite-girl doesn't take well to playing second violin”, shrugged Sander, combing his fingers through Sam's mohawk. “I'm not really angry at her.”

Sam nodded slowly and closed his eyes. “Sleep some, fucker. You gotta get drunk again tonight.”

/That Night – Jackson la Rue Dojo, New Athens\

The dojo was packed. One of the training rooms was laid out with sleeping bags, pillows and blankets, the other was set with tables and loud music was playing. The awesome thing about having a mother who owned a dojo. Lots of space for sleepover birthday parties.

Sam let his eyes sweep through the room as he leaned against a wall with a beer in his hand.

Marshall and Sara were, like always, using the opportunity of seeing each other to suck faces. They were half laying on the top of a ping-pong table and Sam wondered how long that poor thing could support Marshall's weight before splitting. The guy had more muscles than anyone else Sam knew. Herc was with Loki, Trend and Sander, playing beer pong, with Erik playing sports commentator. Loki's girlfriend Blance stood a little aside, talking to Nico Zhang and Thea Chase while watching the boys. And Donny. The di Angelo stood a little awkwardly around, obviously feeling uncomfortable at the party. Derek, Stella and Melissa were dancing on a table close by, which may also be the cause for Donny's uncomfortableness. The interesting thing were Victor Kruger and Jonas Meyer though, because the blonde son of Enyalios was straddling Victor's lap, while the son of Hephaestus had his tongue down Jonas' throat. That was new. And kind of hot.

“Jealous?”, asked an amused voice.

Sam jumped a little and spilled some beer over his shirt. Cursing to himself, he turned to glare at the one who had interrupted him. Charles. Well, Chuck. The blonde son of Apollo had only gotten hotter with the years. Sam still remembered three years ago, when Sander had first pointed out that Chuck had been hitting on Sam. But that had only been four months after Leroy and Sam had by far not been ready to date or even think about another guy wanting him. And then things had just... never happened. Never fit. Either one of them had a partner, or they just didn't get around to being close to each other. Or alone. Or in the right mood or setting or whatever.

“Not really. Already been there. Didn't work out”, grunted Sam and turned to leave. “I'll get changed. This shit is sticky as fuck. And cold. If you'd excuse me.”

But the blonde followed him. Sam didn't mind, or worry. Or think anything of it. He just stripped off his shirt once he was in the other room and started rummaging through his backpack.

“I wasn't talking about Jonas”, continued Chuck. “I know you're more into the broader and more muscular guys. Like Vic. Not sure why you've been dating Erik and Jonas though, because they're the least defined sons of a war god you could find, really.”

“They looked pretty beneath me”, shrugged Sam nonchalantly.

“We both know that's bull, Sam”, chuckled the son of Apollo. “I'm friends with both of them. How often do you think I had to listen to their complains because they couldn't... satisfy you.”

“You calling me a bad fuck?”, asked Sam in a demanding voice.

“Nothing the like. They were always very... satisfied”, replied Chuck and walked up to Sam. “You don't like topping. That's nothing to be ashamed of, Sam, you know. Jonas doesn't like topping either, it's why he enjoys having his legs up in the air so much.”

“I don't do bottoming”, growled Sam defensively and stood, tall and straight and with his chest out.

“That's... interesting”, nodded Chuck curiously, looking Sam up and down. “Let's say you wouldn't have to do either then. No sex at all even, if that's what you want. But I want you. You fascinate me and I've been watching for a while now. I'm ready for as much as you want, if you want.”

“You sure about that?”, asked Sam with one cocked eyebrow. “You sure you can take a relationship without fucking? Because Jonas couldn't. He'd been craving a cock after a few months. You'd be craving an ass after a while too and then you'll break up with me because you want more.”

Chuck smirked, a challenging expression. One of his arms sneaked around Sam's waist, the other hand took Sam's shirt out of his hand and dropped it onto the floor before pulling Sam close.

“Try me”, dared the son of Apollo, his lips a breath apart from Sam's.

Sam's breath hitched. He could kiss Chuck. He had wanted to kiss Chuck for a while now. The blonde was hot. Very hot. And honestly, Sam had a feeling that if he wasn't finding a... better boyfriend soon, he would be ending up hooking up with Sander, because if a drunken Sander came stumbling into his apartment now when he wanted a blowjob, they were dangerously close to falling into a relationship. And they had tried a date before, they weren't romantically compatible. This would ruin everything. His relationship with Sander was too important to be ruined by romance though. So Sam leaned in and closed his eyes, enjoying the way Chuck's lips moved.

/April 2031 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Being with Chuck was new. They had been on three dates now – cinema, dinner, walk around the lake in Demeter Park. The last one being what they had just come home from. Because it started raining and now both of them were soaked wet. Sam's building was closer than Chuck's, so Sam had invited him over for a shower and a hot chocolate.

“You can shower first”, offered Sam, motioning for the bath once they were inside.

“We could... shower together”, suggested Chuck and slowly shed his clothes.

Damn, that was one hot piece of man. Tall, broad, with light, yellow hair and sky-blue eyes. Sam licked his lips at the wet, delicious, muscular body in front of him. Chuck smirked and hooked his fingers into Sam's jeans to pull him up against his naked chest. Sam gasped and stared up at his boyfriend, all too willing to kiss him passionately. Sam moaned into the kiss and fought with his jeans. He had never been more eager to be naked with a guy. Well, aside from Sander.

“Okay. We can shower together”, nodded Sam and licked his lips.

Both of them were naked and Chuck could feel himself getting hard when he followed Sam into the bathroom, his eyes fixed on that hot, bronze-skinned bubble-butt. Sam was one of the most beautiful guys Chuck had ever seen. And the image of Sam soaping himself up under the shower was quite inspiring too. Grinning to himself, the blonde climbed in to join Sam.

“Need help with the back?”, offered the son of Apollo heatedly.

Sam nodded and handed the body wash over. Chuck's broad, strong hands worked the hard muscles.

“Need help with the boner?”, retorted Sam once Chuck was finished.

“What?”, grunted the blonde stunned, staring a little wide-eyed.

“I don't take it up the ass”, whispered Sam into Chuck's ear. “But I do take it down the throat.”

“Well then, be my guest”, grunted the son of Apollo and gulped.

He had to lean against the tiles as Sam gave him head. He'd had a lot of blowjobs already, but the things Sam's mouth did to him was more amazing than some of the fucks he already had. And when Sam actually swallowed, Chuck thought he could get hard again. The way a little bit of cum was dripping down Sam's chin looked tempting. Grinning at the blonde, Sam leaned in for a kiss.

“If that's the only kind of sex you're into, I think I can live with that”, panted Chuck.

“We'll see”, hummed the son of Ares enigmatically and turned off the water before grabbing two towels. “Get dried up. I want cuddles. And hot chocolate.”

Chuck rubbed himself dry while Sam fixed them two hot chocolates and then collapsed on his own bed, still butt-naked. Chuck raised one eyebrow, indicating down to his own nakedness.

“Yes, you're naked. Now get into this bed”, ordered Sam and snuggled up into the covers.

Chuck grinned amused and obeyed, laying one arm around Sam's waist to pull him close and taking the mug of chocolate with his other hand. Sam hummed softly, his head resting on Chuck's shoulder. The blonde thought that the mohawked head fit pretty perfectly under his chin.

/May 2031 – Derek's Apartment, New Athens\

Derek cocked one unimpressed eyebrow as he stared over at his pacing guest. He was pretty sure that Trend Austin had never been to his apartment before, but here he was, pacing around.

“Is there a reason you're here or do you just enjoy walking a hole into my carpet, Trend?”

“Sammy's actually happy with Smith. I saw them together the other day, at Katie's Salad Bar. Laughing and looking all... in love and all”, grunted the son of Athena displeased, still pacing.

“I'm aware of that”, muttered Derek with a dark glare. “No need to remind me.”

“No, you don't understand”, said Trend and shook his head. “I want to get Sam the perfect birthday present. Something Smith can't top, so Sam realizes that he's not that perfect of a boyfriend.”

“Why are you telling me that?”, asked Derek and cocked one eyebrow.

“Because we're going to pick it out together. We can give it to him together. Who knows Sam and his desires and wants better than you and me? If we put our heads together, we'll find the perfect present and then the game's back on track. Back where it always belonged. Between you and me.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, or what?”, chuckled Derek amused. “I like that. You and me, conspiring together to kick Charlie-boy out of the competition.”

The two exchanged a mean smirk, making them look like they were plotting world domination.

/29^th June 2031 – Jackson la Rue Dojo, New Athens\

Clarisse Rodriguez should probably contemplate renting her dojo out to birthday parties. Sam liked the way the dojo looked, all decorated for his birthday. SAMMY'S SWEET SIXTEEN was written on a banner hanging over the entrance. Sam grinned a little. They were all already pretty wasted, all his friends sprawled out everywhere. He had already gotten most of his presents. Aside from those he was most curious about. Derek and Trend had been whispering all evening, which in itself was unsettling, because those two didn't get along. With a curious expression on his face did he approach the two, placing one hand on a shoulder of theirs, poking his head in.

“I want my presents. Now”, demanded Sam with a broad grin.

“Present. Singular”, corrected Derek, returning the grin. “We got you something together.”

Sam cocked one eyebrow and made grabby motions. Derek grinned fondly at that. Sam was just too adorable. Trend shook his head, smiling to himself. How could Sam be that cute? Both of them grabbed the box and handed it over to Sam. Others, like Sander, Marshall and Sara, caught on with Sam getting more presents, so they piled around them, curious too. Sam yelped.

“This is wicked!”, gasped Sam and held the red leather jacket up.

He hastily put it on. It was cut tight, going with the curve of his body in a nice way. There was fur rimmed around the edges, but not fluffy or girly, more in a dangerous way. Sam grinned broadly.

“It's the Nemean lion fur you had laying around in your apartment”, said Trend.

“We brought it to the Beauty Pearl Boutique and Miss Tanaka turned the lion skin into leather, dyed it red, kept some lines of fur for the additions there”, added Derek with a smirk.

“Since its the lion skin that's indestructible, this jacket still holds the same magic as the fur did. Just less... furry, so to speak”, said Trend. “We figured this would be more your style than a pelt.”

“Awesome, awesome, awesome!”, chanted Sam and jumped both of them, hugging them close.

“This is totally awesome”, muttered Sander wide-eyed. “I wanna have one too!”

“You didn't want to keep the fur!”, chimed Sam and stuck his tongue out at Sander. “Thank you so much, this is so freaking wicked! I fucking love this thing!”

He kissed Trend's cheek and Derek's cheek and hugged them some more. Both looked extremely pleased with themselves, each having one arm around Sam's waist. Chuck frowned as he watched them. He knew what kind of intentions both of them had with his boyfriend. He was just grateful that Sam was exactly oblivious enough not to notice when someone was into him. Now Chuck just had to make sure those two would know that Sam was his right now.

“Chuisle, I have a present for you too”, declared Chuck and walked over to the three hugging boys.

“What's a chissle?”, whispered Sander confused.

“It means darling, you dork”, snorted Sam and hit Sander upside the head.

“In what language?”, grunted Sander doe-eyed.

“Irish, dude. Chuck's from Athlone, I'm from Dublin”, replied Sam and rolled his eyes. “Present?”

Chuck smirked amused, laying one arm around Sam's waist to pull him close. “It's my grandmother who's from Athlone actually, but yeah. And here's your present, chuisle. Enjoy it.”

Sam looked curious (as curious as the others around them; Vic and Stella had joined them too by now), ripping the envelope open and gasping. “You've got to be fucking kidding me.”

Trend glared and looked over Sam's shoulder at the two... flight tickets to Hawaii? Frowning confused, he turned to exchanged a look with Derek, but the son of Demeter looked as confused.

“You said your mother is stationed in Hawaii again and you said you're saving up for college, so I figured maybe you'd like a two week trip to visit her? I talked to Chiron to get us out of camp for the first two weeks and since you're such a good, strong hero, he agreed. I'm sure you'll protect me from any evil Hawaiian monster too, right, Sam?”, asked Chuck softly, kissing his boyfriend.

“Thank you, so much! This is the best!”, exclaimed Sam, his arms tightly around Chuck's neck as he pulled the taller boy into a heated, passionate kiss. “Fuck, thanks. You're awesome.”

A couple of minutes later found Derek and Trend standing on the balcony together, drinking beer and sharing a joint (courtesy of Melissa Montgomery). Puffing the white smoke into the air, Derek sighed. Trend grunted in agreement, bumping shoulders with Derek.

“The mom-card. How did he get to pull the mom-card?”, grunted Derek annoyed.

“Mom beats material stuff all the time, especially with Sammy. He loves his ma”, sighed Trend.

“Do you think we like... lost him? For good?”, asked Derek with a frown.

“They've been dating for four months now. Don't lose hope just yet”, snorted Trend.

“Him and Erik lasted for only three months”, pointed the son of Demeter out.

“And him and Jonas lasted for eight months”, countered Trend. “By the end of the year, this will be over, I tell you. They're all not made for Sam. At the end of the day, it comes down to you and me.”

“I hope you're right”, muttered Derek with a glare.

/July 2031 – Hawaii\

Jolene smiled where she laid propped up on her elbows on a beach towel, letting the sun warm her. The blonde guy was nice to look at and he made Sam smile. He had spend the money to fly both of them over so Jolene got to see her baby, so in her books, he was a catch.

“Oh, baby, I forgot! Your uncle send me this, to give you”, exclaimed Jolene and sat up.

She leaned over the basket of goods they had brought with them to the beach, rummaging through it. She held up a card and a small box. Chuck grinned as he watched how giddy Sam was. But then he had the box open and looked extremely confused. A key? He took the card and turned it around a few times. There was a motor bike, a really hot, red motor bike, on it, with HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAM in red letters on it. On the backside it red Enjoy it, love uncail Liam.

“I don't get it”, admitted Sam confused.

“Keys. And a picture of a bike, reading you're supposed to enjoy it”, listed Chuck. “Think.”

“You mean... uncle Liam got me a bike?”, yelped Sam, turning hopeful eyes on his mom.

“He did, against my better judgment”, sighed Jolene. “It's waiting for you at the mansion.”

“Fuck! This is definitely the best fucking birthday ever!”, exclaimed Sam, fist-bumping the air. “Can I turn sixteen more often, please? Presents this year are totally rocking.”

“I'm glad you're happy, chuisle”, whispered Chuck and kissed Sam's cheek.

The son of Ares hummed contently and snuggled up to his boyfriend, eyes closed and a smile plastered on his face. Jolene grinned slightly as she watched the boys. They were so cute!

/August 2031 – Miami, Florida\

“Sam? Would you mind concentrating on the fight, please?”, groaned Sander, wincing.

They were on a quest, again. An Ampisbaina harassing tourists in Miami. At least the beach was nice. Sam winced as he lifted his arm, wielding the Heart of War. He had dislodged his shoulder earlier. Gritting his teeth, he lunged at the two-headed serpent. One head on each side of the snake. Sander was busying himself with the other head. The problem was, they needed to cut off both heads at the same time. Taking a deep breath, Sam gave Sander the signal and they cut, at the exact same moment. The serpent turned into dust with a last whine. Two poisonous teeth remained.

“Sweet”, grinned Sander and picked up the teeth. “Blowjob?”

Sam snorted while Sander put the teeth away, whistling for their pegasi. “My blowjob is waiting at camp. You know, my boyfriend. Yeah, payback is a bitch, dude. Now come, I want to get back.”

“You and Chuck, you're really serious, aren't you?”, grinned Sander and climbed on Trickster.

“He's awesome”, grinned Sam happily. “And ma liked him too.”

“Fuck off, you're really serious, huh?”, laughed Sander.

The heroes were better organized than they used to be during the days of Percy Jackson. There were plenty of quests, to slay monsters. But only the big heroes got the big quests. Sam and Sander. When a big-ass monster was spotted somewhere, they were send out. And when they returned, others already awaited them, cheering. They actually had fangirls and fanboys by now. But Sam pushed past them toward the infirmary, where his boyfriend was already sitting, looking concerned.

“Hey, darling. Are you alright?”, asked Chuck softly.

“Dislodged my shoulder. Make it good again and cuddle me”, ordered Sam with a frown. “No, wait. Make it good again, blow me and then cuddle me. Yeah, I like that order more.”

“Kiss first”, grinned Chuck amused and sealed Sam's lips.

/September 2031 – Di Angelo Household, New Athens\

Sander shifted a little uncomfortably, staring up at Nico and Percy with wide eyes. Percy was pacing the room, constantly running his fingers through his hair. Nico was just generally glaring.

“We're worried about Donny”, started the son of Hades, leaning forward.

“He's always been a loner...”, drawled Percy, looking upset. “But I feel that he's been shutting himself off even more since Bianca joined the hunt last year. It's... getting worse, right?”

He turned those large, sea-green eyes on Sander, making the boy even more uncomfortable. “She was his favorite person, I guess. And now she's gone. He's taking it worse than I take losing Cally, I guess. He's just... having trouble adjusting, is all. Give him time.”

“We've given him months to adjust!”, grunted Nico with a glare. “It's been over a year now and instead of better, it only gets worse. And it's not like he talks. To us, or his siblings. Or anyone. We've tried everything, letting him spend the summer in New York with his grandparents, trying the mortals to talk with him. He won't open up to anyone.”

“We even tried a psychologist! Having Will counsel him, doesn't work”, groaned Percy. “And it's not like he has a lot of hobbies to take his mind off this. What... What can we do?”

“Why are you asking me?”, asked Sander wide-eyed.

“The only ones he really talks to are you and Thea”, replied Percy softly. “We're at the end. We've tried absolutely everything during the past months. We don't know what to do anymore. I think my baby boy is slipping into a depression of sorts. And I want to help my baby.”

“I don't think it's that bad”, frowned Sander thoughtful. “I mean, sure, he's down, but he's strong. You just, I don't know, find a way for him to talk about it, somehow.”

“I told you, he's a kid, he won't help”, sighed Nico annoyed.

“Well, it's not like there's a therapy group for brothers of huntresses”, muttered Percy, equally annoyed. “If so, you and Jason would be the presidents of that club.”

“True that”, snorted Nico amused.

“Then why don't you talk to him instead?”, asked Sander softly. “I mean, you want him to talk, but maybe he doesn't want to talk. Why don't you tell him how you felt when your sister joined the hunt? You've been at the same place as him, maybe he'll talk then.”

“My sister died not even two weeks after she joined the hunt”, deadpanned Nico with a glare. “I doubt that will be a good idea. It'll only make him shut down more. We try not to talk about it.”

“Uhm... Yeah, understandable...”, nodded Sander awkwardly. “And Jason? His sister is still alive and a huntress. Maybe that will help Donny settling with things?”

“Worth a shot”, sighed Nico. “I'll call the Graces, ask if Donny can stay for winter break.”

“And if that doesn't work?”, questioned Percy with a glare.

“We make him talk, lock him into this house with us”, grunted Nico before turning toward Sander. “You're dismissed for now, but you better make sure to keep him safe this summer again, mh, boy?”

“O—Of course, sir. Always”, nodded Sander hastily.

/Halloween, October 2031 – Chuck's Apartment, New Athens\

Sam was dressed as a tiger, with fake tail and ears and with make-up stripes. Skin-tight black leather pants, tiger-striped shirt. Chuck next to him was dressed as a lion, with a mane and everything. They had gone trick or treating and were on a party with the others, but at the end of the night, they stumbled into Chuck's apartment, Sam's hands already down Chuck's pants.

“Someone's all hard for me”, purred Sam with a wicked grin. “You want a blowjob?”

“I want to give you a blowjob, Sam”, grunted Chuck and threw Sam onto the bed.

The son of Ares laughed softly and shrugged out of his pants, Chuck was more than willing to help him. Sam laid back, legs spread for better access. Chuck's mouth was on him in seconds. It's been months now and so far, Chuck was really content with just getting and giving head, or jerking each other off. This was the best relationship so far. For the first time, Sam was really happy. Whimpering softly, he came down the blonde's throat. Chuck licked him clean before laying down next to Sam, kissing the son of Ares softly. Their breath mingled as they both panted.

“Is tú mo ghrá”, whispered Chuck softly. “You... don't have to say it back just yet, Sam. Just... I love you and I want you to know that I love you. I can wait until you're ready to say it too.”

“Oh... Okay...”, nodded the son of Ares doe-eyed, snuggling up to Chuck. “Okay.”

/November 2031 – Raser Mansion, England\

“I'll take you on for a race”, declared Selene as she put on a helmet.

She was sitting on a pink Ducati. Sam was sitting on his red one, smirking wickedly. He was wearing his read Nemean lion skin leather jacket, which fit perfectly to his bike.

“I'll win, cunt”, countered Sam. “And when I do, I get your dessert.”

“Fuck you”, laughed Selene and started her bike.

Both of them raced off, with Lene, Leah and Lara giggling and cheering them on. Riding his bike was nearly as much of a free feeling as flying his pegasus. It was the closest a mortal would ever get to flying a pegasus. Since he had experience riding one of those, he won the race with ease.

“Hah! Fuck you!”, exclaimed Sam, fist-bumping the air. “I win your dessert!”

“You're so full of shit”, snorted Selene amused, nudging him. “Come on, pool.”

“Fuck yes”, agreed Sam and peeled his jacket off, placing it on his bike.

On their way to the pool, they shed their clothes and placed them all over the mansion. By the time they reached the pool, they were both down to their underwear, laughing at each other.

“That thing is stuffed! I knew your cup-size is fake!”, exclaimed Sam.

“Fuck you! You have ponies on your boxers!”, countered Selene with a snicker.

Both jumped head first into the pool, splashing water out. They swam a couple of rounds through the pool before pausing, leaning against the fringe. Selene rested her head on her arms, looking over at Sam with her dark, green eyes. Sam returned the look, with the same eyes.

“So... Boyfriend?”, asked Selene softly. “What was his name again?”

“Chuck”, replied Sam, equally softly. “What about him?”

“He treating you good?”, asked Selene.

“Yeah. He's nice. Tender. Funny. Cool. Accepting”, answered the son of Ares.

“Good in bed?”, continued his cousin curiously.

“Fuck you”, muttered Sam and blushed. “I guess. I mean, yeah. We're doing good. Done with the pseudo-sisterly behavior? It totally freaks me out, Sel.”

“Fuck you too”, laughed Selene and dunked him. “I just want my baby bro be safe!”

“Urgh, you're the worst”, grinned Sam affectionately. “Okay, so... he's pretty cool, especially with me. And... uhm... H—He... told me he loved me the other day... on... Halloween.”

“What? Details! Now!”, exclaimed Selene giddily. “Tell me, when, how, what exactly.”

“He blew me, after our Halloween party and when we cuddled afterward, he just... told me he loved me”, shrugged Sam, blushing a little. “Told me he loved me and said that it's okay. That I don't have to say it back, that he can wait for me to return his feelings and all... And then we cuddled.”

“Mh... So... Do you return his feelings?”, asked Selene concerned.

“Not sure”, shrugged Sam, frowning a little. “I mean, he's great, but...”

“So no, okay”, nodded Selene, ruffling Sam's mohawk. “Well, then... just wait and enjoy, Sam.”

/New Year's Eve, December 2031 – Jackson la Rue Dojo, New Athens\

They were throwing a big new year's party at the dojo. Donny was sitting in a corner with Sander, whispering and giggling. They had gotten closer as friends since their sisters had joined the hunt. Before that, Sander had always been too awkward to really be friends with Donny. Thea and Herc were close by, Thea occasionally interjecting to their conversation, but mostly kissing Herc.

Marshall was with Sara, Joe, Blance, Nico, Mel and Stella, watching how the girls played some sort of drinking game, but mostly trying to steal kisses from Sara. Loki was playing the DJ, talking to Erik, who was more than eager to ask everything about Romans (he was talkative when drunk). Vic and Jonas were in a corner, making out.

And then there were Chuck and Sam. Derek and Trend exchanged a disgusted look from where they stood on the balcony, watching how Sam was sitting on Chuck's lap, with his arms around the blonde's shoulders, his tongue so deep down Chuck's throat, he was basically kissing the dude's ass.

“They won't last to the end of the year?”, grunted Derek, imitating Trend.

“Fuck off”, grunted Trend, emptying his bottle. “I wouldn't have thought they'd be this... happy.”

“First time I ever heard you curse”, pointed the son of Demeter out. “What do we do now?”

“Truce?”, suggested Trend softly. “I'm sick and tired of fighting. I think we actually work good together, so how about... you and me, just until Sam and Chuck finally break it off?”

“You mean... together?”, grunted Derek with a frown. “You and me? As a... couple?”

“We've both been screwing around because Sam's been blue-balling us. How about we settle for each other until Sam breaks it off, that way none of us it at an advantage once that happens?”, offered Trend. “We'd both get sex, maybe get Sam jealous if he thinks we settled for good?”

“Whatever, I haven't gotten laid in entirely too long”, shrugged Derek, grabbing Trend by the collar and pulling him in for a harsh kiss. “Happy New Year's, sucker.”

The fireworks got off in the background and Trend could see Chuck and Sam kissing again. So he wrapped his arms around Derek's waist and pulled him in for a longer kiss.

/January 2032 – Derek's Apartment, New Athens\

Derek moaned, his head thrown back while Trend's gigantic dick did things to him that no guy ever had done before. The moment the blonde came, hitting Derek's prostate hard, the son of Demeter was completely content with their arrangement. Moaning softly, he too came, ruining his sheets.

“Your dick is amazing”, commented Derek when the blonde pulled out. “Fuck.”

“Thanks”, chuckled the son of Athena amused and collapsed next to Derek. “You're not bad yourself. Tighter than I would have thought, considering what a little slut you are.”

“I don't always bottom with the guys I sleep with”, shrugged Derek.

“Mh. Wouldn't have taken you for a top”, stated Trend, his arms behind his head. “With who?”

“With every one of them. Jonas is a total bottom, he never tops. Erik's a switch too, so we took turns. Vic was a sole top, guess it was why we didn't last that long. Sander's an adorable bottom, always very flustered, but he's also a good top”, replied Derek with another shrug.

“Interesting”, nodded Trend thoughtful. “What do you think Sam's like in bed...?”

“Mh... good question...”, nodded Derek and licked his lips, snuggling up to Trend. “I know he's a bottom. Talked to Jonas and Erik a lot about their sex with Sam. He's not satisfied when he tops.”

“Seriously?”, snorted Trend, cocking one eyebrow.

“They're talkative when they're tied to the bed”, shrugged the son of Demeter.

“Well, you going to tell me, or keep it to yourself?”, asked Trend unimpressed, nudging his lover.

“They say he's a dedicated lover and all, got them totally knocked out with pleasure, but he never really... looked comfortable himself. It's why they broke it off”, replied Derek. “Because they felt as though they didn't satisfy him and that sucks, I know. So I think that he's a bottom. I've seen it before, just the other way around. A top with a dick up his ass, looking uncomfortable and not really getting off. I think he's a bottom who's trying to be a top.”

“Sounds good enough for me”, nodded Trend thoughtful.

“You know what I want to do to him?”, continued Derek, turning onto his stomach, crossing his arms over Trend's chest, staring into those dark, storm-gray eyes. “You know how he always smells like milk and honey? I want to draw him a bath of hot milk and then I just want to watch...”

“Mh, yes, I'd be in for that too”, agreed Trend, licking his lips. “Tell me more...”

“I tell you mine, you tell me yours”, smirked Derek, leaning in to kiss the blonde.

/February 2032 – Rodriguez Household, New Athens\

“You doing alright, Donny?”, asked Sander softly.

The boy was blushing awkwardly as he sat opposite Donny, both of them looking awkward. The half-Italian frowned and shrugged, biting his lower lip. He crossed his arms over his chest.

“It's been like a year now, Donny. Don't you think you could... live a little? Like, connect with others? I mean, you were with Jason during Spring Break, right?”, asked Sander.

“Sure. They were great. Well, Herc is... I don't know, I think he doesn't like me much”, shrugged Donny and ruffling his curls. “Look, Bia is my big sister. And now she's gone. I don't know how I am supposed to live with that. She was always there for me and now she left me.”

“Don't be so egoistic. Cal left me too, you don't see me shutting others out either”, countered Sander with a glare. “Look, your parents worry about you, I worry about you, Thea worries about you.”

“It just doesn't get better and I know mom and dad try, but handing me from one person to the next every week, it's just... hard, you know? One day mom sits down with me, then dad, then they send me to New York to talk to my grandparents, to the underworld, to the underwater palace, to talk to Doctor Mason, see this and that and talk to... I don't know...”, grunted Donny defensively.

“Not helping. I get it”, agreed Sander softly.

“And now the Graces. After uncle Leo couldn't help and all”, groaned Donny, ruffling his hair. “I get that mom and dad are frustrated and concerned and don't know how to help me, but asking everyone they know to help me, that is not helping at all!”

“Okay, so it's all the people trying to talk to you that annoys you?”, asked Sander thoughtful.

“Yeah. Look, I gotta go. I told Thea I'd meet her at the library”, muttered Donny.

He ran off and Sander knew that mostly, it was because he didn't want to continue talking. Sander frowned. Donny needed to get this off his chest, but talking wasn't an option. So what was? With that thought in mind, he made his way over to the di Angelos and knocked.

“Sander? Donny isn't home”, was Percy's greeting.

“Yeah, no. I know that. I just talked to him”, replied Sander. “I know what you can do!”

“Yes, please?”, asked Percy with hopeful eyes.

“Get him a diary!”, declared Sander proudly. “Since he doesn't want to talk, maybe writing his thoughts down, sorting them and stuff, maybe that could help him?”

“You're such a good boy”, smiled Percy and kissed Sander's head.

/March 2032 – Di Angelo Household, New Athens\

“Donny, sweetie, we got you the diary to use it”, sighed Percy softly and sat down on Donny's bed.

Donny glared at his mother, tilting his head. The diary had been sitting on his table, being ignored ever since Percy and Nico had gotten it for him. Percy looked at him upset and urgh, wasn't that the worst? Seeing his mommy upset, because of him? He turned to glare at the diary instead.

“I'm not a girl”, sighed Donny upset.

“It's not just for girls”, countered Percy, just to have Donny stare at him with an 'Are you kidding me?'-look on his face. “Okay, so it's mainly for girls, but... Come on, sweetheart, please.”

“No, mom, really. You've been throwing all kinds of things at me for months now!”, said Donny.

Percy lifted his hands in surrender and retreated, closing the door behind himself. Heaving a sigh, he walked over to Bianca Maria's room, resting one hand against the wood.

“You want something from Percy?”, asked Nico curiously as he stepped up next to him.

“No. Just... thinking about how things used to be”, shrugged Percy, turning sad eyes on Nico. “Donny's always made everything complicated for us, but Bia was... always there to help us. She's always been the only one he trusted. That he really talked to. I mean, he doesn't even want to accept the diary, even though I think Sander is right, it is the best option we have.”

“Don't worry so much, amore”, murmured Nico softly, wrapping his eyes around his husband. “Bia was always the only one he let really close, maybe... we should ask her help us out?”

“She's in Greenland”, grunted Percy with a deadpan.

“Well, once she comes back”, shrugged Nico. “We can have Hermes sending her a message so she can return to us to talk to Donny. She's the cause of the problem, maybe she's the solution too.”

“Suppose we can try that”, agreed Percy and leaned back against Nico. “You're amazing.”

“Yeah, I know”, nodded Nico with a grin, kissing his husband.

/April 2032 – Demeter Park, New Athens\

Trend was jogging around the lake, shirtless. Derek was laying on the blanket, watching whenever the blonde passed him. He was setting everything for a picnic while the son of Athena did his morning routes. It was a good way of sneaking some time together in and having Trend sweaty and shirtless. The son of Demeter yelped when he was suddenly grabbed around the waist.

“Come with me. Bath”, ordered the blonde.

“No! The lake's dirty and I'm clothed and... you're just going to throw me in anyway, right?”

“Yep”, grinned Trend wickedly and jumped, still holding Derek.

“I fucking hate you!”, exclaimed Derek when they submerged again.

“Yeah, I hate you too”, retorted Trend and kissed the brunette.

Derek hummed appreciatively and wrapped his arms around Trend's neck. Trend's strong, muscular neck. And those broad arms, wrapped around his waist. Yeah, Trend surely was the hottest guy he had been with so far. Licking his lips, Derek leaned in for another kiss.

“I had a dream last night”, whispered Derek softly.

“Yeah? Tell me more”, ordered Trend intrigued as they were floating in the water.

“I had Sam tied to the bed and he was begging me for more while I was pounding his deliciously tight ass”, whispered Derek, licking the shell of Trend's ear slowly. “His smooth legs wrapped around my waist, urging me on to move faster...”

“I love your imagination”, whispered Trend, kissing Derek's cheek. “Let's eat breakfast.”

“And then move this to your place, squeeze in a fuck”, grinned Derek.

“As long as you don't call out Vic's name again”, growled Trend with a dark glare.

Derek grinned mischievously. It was too much fun, screaming the name of one of his exes every now and then. Trend got so jealous, it was adorable. Especially considering that there weren't any feelings involved between the two of them. Sitting down together, they started eating.

“I figured you'd do the screaming today”, replied Derek nonchalantly.

“What?”, grunted the son of Athena.

“We've been together for four months now. So far, I did all the bottoming. Time you take your share of cock too, goldie locks”, stated Derek, cocking one eyebrow. “Equal relationship, right? I told you, I'm a switch. I like bottoming, but I also like topping. Be a considerate boyfriend and spread your legs for a change. It's not that complicated, really.”

Trend looked uncomfortable, but he nodded nonetheless.

/Next Day – Trend's Apartment, New Athens\

“Are you sick? Are you dying?”, asked Sander loudly. “Oh gods, you're already dead!”

Trend grunted annoyed as he opened the door, just to face a worried Sander with puppy-eyes. “What in the world is your problem? Why are you bothering me?”

“You canceled training this morning! You've never canceled training before! Not even when you were down with a cold and it was freezing outside!”, exclaimed Sander. “So I brought you chicken soup and I'm concerned, because something must be seriously wrong!”

“Please, shut up”, muttered Trend, running his hands over his face and walking back to his bed.

He fell onto the bed face-first. Sander frowned confused and closed the door behind himself.

“What's the matter with you? You look like you're in pain”, said Sander softly.

“Derek fucked me last night”, muttered Trend into the pillow.

“Oh... Wait, you bottomed?”, asked Sander stunned. “You?!”

“He asked me to. It was one time and it will never happen again, not with him or anyone else. That was the most horrible experience in my life”, groaned the son of Athena. “My ass is sore, it hurts when I walk, when I sit. It burns. How in the world are bottoms enjoying that?”

“You're cranky and bitchy”, giggled Sander and got comfortable. “It's kinda cute.”

“I'll never-ever-ever take it up the ass again, regardless of how much he whines!”, exclaimed Trend wide-eyed. “It was horrifying. I know why I'm a top. Being inside a tight boy, yes. But having someone inside of me? No. No. Never. So yes, I canceled training, because I can barely walk.”

“Wow. You really never bottomed before, huh? I mean, you're like seventeen already, you've had more lovers than anyone else I met, but you never tried bottoming?”, asked Sander curiously.

“I guess I always knew I wouldn't like it. And no one had ever been as persistent as Derek”, muttered Trend with a glare. “I'd be a shitty boyfriend if I'd just say no out of principle.”

“Wow. You're really serious about Derek, mh?”, asked Sander softly. “I mean, doing that for him...”

“We're not serious, we're just... wasting time together”, replied Trend with a glare. “Now shut up.”

/May 2032 – Sam's Apartment, New Athens\

Sam was randomly tossing stuff onto his bed, packing for camp.

“You know I'm still sleeping in here, right?”, asked Chuck amused, picking a shirt off his face.

“I told you I want to pack my stuff for camp early. You decided to lay on my bed, looking handsome and being naked. So you got to just lay there and suffer, sucker.”

Chuck shook his head and freed himself from Sam's clothes. He watched how Sam continued packing. He knew that for Sam, camp meant adventure. Quests with Sander. Rescuing the poor, saving kittens from trees or something like that. For the average demigod, camp meant something different. Hooking up with their boyfriends and girlfriends, hanging out with friends.

“Will you ever fall in love with me?”, asked the son of Apollo softly.

“That escalated quickly”, muttered Sam and stared doe-eyed over at his boyfriend. “Just because I don't want to suck your dick at the moment doesn't mean I don't care, dude.”

“No, I mean it. Will you ever fall in love with me? It's been six months now that I first told you that I love you and I just thought you may need some more weeks to figure it out or something, but half a year?”, whispered Chuck and sat up. “I just want to know, do you see yourself ever falling in love with me at all? Do I even have a chance in this competition, or was I never really in the race?”

“Great”, groaned Sam annoyed and sat down next to Chuck. “So if the sex is good, then it's feelings getting in the way? Fuck this. Why can't things just be... easy, just once?”

“Look, I care about you. I love you”, said Chuck tenderly. “And I've been waiting for you to fall in love with me for half a year now, but if it's never going to happen, I don't think I want to wait any longer for you. Sam, I'm sorry. I'm fine with the sex and the cuddles and all, but not... not if I'm the only one investing feelings into this, Sam. That's only going to hurt me on the long run.”

“You're right”, sighed Sam, ruffling his mohawk. “I'm just... I don't love you. And I think I will never love you. I don't even really know what that means, love...”

“That's a lie and I think we both know that”, smiled Chuck with a sad tint to it.

“No idea what you mean by that”, grunted Sam with a glare.

“Just ask yourself that again in an hour”, said Chuck and stood, getting dressed.

“So we're over. But... can we stay friends, please?”, asked Sam with pleading eyes.

“Sure”, nodded Chuck with a grin and leaned in for a last kiss. “I'm sorry, but... it's summer. Summer is dating season and if I lock myself into the infirmary all summer, waiting for you to come around after a quest, I'm wasting my time. Best chances to find someone to get over you is summer. If there is someone to find for that, because you're... special.”

“Thanks”, muttered Sam sarcastically.

The door closed after Chuck. He understood it. Sam knew that being in a relationship with someone he loved but who didn't love him back... Well, okay, he didn't know, but he figured it must suck. Still, Chuck had been good. Had been the best. Taking a shaking breath, he noticed tears on his face. Frowning annoyed, he rubbed his cheeks. Throwing his bag onto the bed, he stormed out of his apartment and knocked on the opposite door, loud and often.

“What's all that ruckus?”, grunted Trend when he opened the door.

His face softened when he saw the crying son of Ares in front of the door. Stepping aside, he motioned for Sam to come on in. Derek was sitting on the couch, drinking coffee.

“Who is it, Trend?”, asked the son of Demeter curiously, turning. “Oh. Sweetheart, what happened? Are you alright? Are you hurting? Why are you crying, honey?”

He put his coffee aside and stood. Trend had one hand on Sam's back as he guided the son of Ares over to the couch. Sam sat down between Trend and Derek and just started crying. Derek had his arms around Sam's waist, hugging him tenderly.

“Sammy? What's wrong?”, asked Trend concerned, caressing Sam's back.

Sam threw himself at the blonde, burying his face in the lap of his friend. Derek, who still had his arms around Sam's waist, just followed tail, laying down to spoon the other boy.

“What just happened?”, asked Derek stunned.

“Chuck broke up with me!”, exclaimed Sam, sobbing and clawing his fingers into the material of Trend's jeans. “I really thought he and me, that we would last...”

“Why did he break up with you?”, asked Derek softly, caressing Sam's hair. “Is he an idiot?”

“No! He's in love with me!”, continued Sam confused.

“That... is not exactly my first reason to break up with someone”, stated Trend confused.

“I can't say it back and he can't wait for me to say it back any longer, so he ended it!”, sobbed Sam, burying his face in Trend's stomach, who had gotten a little more comfortable.

Trend was caressing Sam's back, the son of Ares sprawled all over him, with Derek cuddled up to him. The couple cooed and whispered and patted him until Sam was finally asleep, his tear-stained cheeks red. Derek stood and took a towel from the bath, cleaning up Sam's face tenderly.

“Poor sweetheart”, whispered Derek softly and kissed Sam's cheek.

“He's all... vulnerable and sad”, commented Trend.

“Yeah. You thinking what I'm thinking?”, asked Derek and looked up.

“We're not tying him to the bed and making him fall in love with us”, grunted Trend and rolled his eyes, earning himself a pout from the brunette. “I was thinking that we need to keep the predators away from Sam when he's like that. I don't need some dickhead to take advantage of him.”

“Yea, you're right”, sighed Derek in defeat, knowing he'd never want to take advantage of Sam either if he was being honest. “Okay, okay. Let's work together a little longer. But first, put those muscles of yours to action and carry him to my bed. His neck will hurt like a bitch if he sleeps like that. Go on, be useful. I'll start dinner for us.”

It was approximately an hour after Chuck had broken up with Sam that Sam was being carried to Derek's bed by Trend, curling together on the blonde's chest contently. Trend caressed his hair for a last time before returning to the kitchen to let Sam sleep and help Derek with dinner. Both took a last look at how cute Sam looked, curled together and sleeping, before they kissed and got to work.

~*~ The End ~*~