Work Text:
PJatO || Thanatercy || PJatO || Thanatercy || Godly Gifts || Thanatercy || PJatO || Thanatercy || PJatO
Title: Godly Gifts – Polympians Event 2024
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. 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.
Main Pairing: Thanatos/Percy
Percy Jackson Character: Perseus Jackson
Godly Character: Thanatos
Polympians Prompt: godly gifts
Summary: Ever since Percy moved to New Rome for college, he's had a secret admirer. Death.
Godly Gifts
Polympians Event 2024
Death was courting him. Which sounded like the opening line to an Emily Dickinson poem, but actually, Percy was not being metaphorical, he was being very literal. Death, the god of Death, the angel of Death, was courting him. Not that he had known that for long.
Ever since Percy had moved to New Rome for college, he'd had a secret admirer. Yes, he noticed that. Flower bouquets and chocolate boxes didn't just randomly sprout in front of someone's door. Well, in the beginning he hadn't thought that it was for him, since he'd literally just moved there one day ago, so he thought that maybe the last tenant's partner had sent it, not knowing their beloved had moved. But it continued, for weeks. And then the food started. First a pizza delivery that he hadn't ordered, but it was his favorite, and it was already paid for anyway, so he took it.
He'd also been finding more black feathers outside his apartment. At first glance, they looked like raven feathers, but when the light hit them right, they shined so many colors, they were mesmerizing. So he thought maybe some special magical Roman bird. Not knowing what bird they belonged to, Percy decided to collect them anyway, because they were beautiful.
Only when Nico and Jason were over about two months into Percy living in New Rome did he learn what the feathers really were. Because Nico recognized them, and he was so startled by them, by the amount of them that Percy had collected. He said he'd seen them before, in the underworld. They were Thanatos' feathers and the Death God usually lost one or two after shadow traveling.
That was silly. Why would Thanatos come to him, that often? He laid awake the whole night, after Nico and Jason left again (holding hands and whispering and with a highly blushing Jason, so, Percy was high-key glad that they weren't staying over at his place).
The next day, he went to talk to Hazel and Frank. Maybe this was a gratitude thing, since the trio had saved Thanatos' life? Maybe Frank and Hazel were also getting tokens of appreciation?
They did not. Percy was the only one getting near daily gifts of sort from the Death God. The gifts varied, the flowers, chocolates, sometimes it was just… a pretty rock? Or a sea shell. Small things. Other times, it was the food being delivered to him and already paid for. And sometimes, he would even get something expensive, like jewelry or clothes. When winter started to get colder and Percy shuddered and muttered about needing a hoodie jacket, he found an azure blue hoodie jacket that was so soft and comfortable, just laying out on his couch.
Now, that one tipped him off that Thanatos wasn't just leaving gifts. He was keeping tabs on Percy, he must have heard that Percy wanted a jacket, and he must be aware that Percy knew who left the gifts for him, because this was the first time there was a gift waiting for him in his apartment. Breaking and entering, kind of problematic, but shadow travelers did have fewer boundaries there. So Thanatos had taken Percy knowing it was him as an invitation. Percy knew he should find this creepy but he found it weirdly charming. He felt looked out for, taken care of.
Still, now that he knew it was Thanatos, and that Hazel and Frank didn't get special treatment, there was absolutely no denying what was happening. Death was courting him, romantically.
Percy found himself laying sprawled on his couch, wearing the comfy hoodie he had gotten two days ago, since the jacket was nice but he needed more comfy clothes for at home, eating leftover pizza from last night that had just arrived paid for, again. He tilted his head.
"You know this is ridiculous, right?" Percy asked the empty room. "I mean, the gifts are really nice and I appreciate the food, I really do, because this whole college life thing is exhausting and… Wait, that's why you're even doing that. The first one arrived when my fridge was fully empty. That's… sweet and stalkery at the same time."
Percy tried to his smile. He really should not find this as charming as he did, but oh he was smitten.
"C'mon," Percy tilted his head back. "Stop making me talk to an empty room like I've lost my mind, I know you can hear me and are probably lurking in the shadows, pretty bird."
A flicker, in the darkest corner of the room, and then the sexiest god Percy had ever met stepped out. Tall, broad-shoulders, those strong arms had distracted him the first time they met. He wore his hair in dreadlocks that were loosely tied together in his neck. His pitch-black eyes bore into Percy's very soul – and that had never felt as literal as with the Death God. Percy smiled softly as he saw the near flustered look on Thanatos' face. Cute. Percy tilted his head and watched, waiting.
"Pretty bird," Thanatos repeated, clearing his throat. "I…"
The smile on Percy's lips turned into a bit of a smirk as he leaned back. "You gotta know that I'm interested at this point. What, you think I'd have let this go on for this long if I wasn't? Granted, I was just… generally flattered by someone liking me. But after I learned who it was, do you really think I would have just… let it go on for free stuff? Or that I, who has kicked major gods, titans and giant ass, wouldn't tell someone I'm not interested to stop, huh?"
Now, the god looked startled and a little lost. "I… do not know what to do."
Involuntarily, Percy started laughing. "Wait, you have been courting me for like three months now and you… you didn't prepare for the moment I say yes?"
"...Yes," Thanatos looked a little sheepish. "You are the hero of Olympus, you are sought after by… possibly every demigod around, I did not think… Why?"
"Damn, pretty bird, you are really throwing me off here," Percy huffed, shaking his head. "For one, really, really, really good looking, I mean, have you seen yourself? You're also kind. And… you seem to care about me a lot, you've been kind of taking care of me, which is… nice, it's a… I'm not very used to that, beyond my mom. You're thoughtful, with the things you gave me. Look, I'm not saying I want to marry you or anything. I'm just… saying that I'm interested, and that I wouldn't mind to get to know you and, I don't know… go on a date?"
Thanatos' eyes were wide as he stared at Percy, like he had genuinely not expected this outcome, just to then smile. And it was the brightest smile Percy had ever seen, it made his heart jump a little. That made the Death God look even prettier. Blinking a couple times, Percy got up and walked over to the god, resting a hand on Thanatos' biceps. Strong, strong biceps. Percy blinked and licked his lips, tilting his head a little to the side as he leaned up.
"You're not moving," Percy noted after a moment. "And you are… too tall for me to do this on my own. If you want to kiss me, you will have to bend dow-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence as Thanatos wrapped his arms around Percy's waist to pull him into a deep, long and passionate kiss that left Percy dizzy and very pleased. He grinned happily.
~*~ The End ~*~