Saitempress

I realized that with the back-and-forth format of this fic, it might be difficult to follow along between updates. plus, the flashbacks are probably confusing enough on their own - so here's a rough timeline to keep track of events (subject to change + will be updated with each new chapter)!

NOT SPOILER FREE!!! Includes references to suicide

refseek.com

www.worldcat.org/

link.springer.com

http://bioline.org.br/

repec.org

science.gov

Good news: Neither of them are dead. Bad news: They’re definitely not in the 21st century.

Luke and Percy defaulting to hating each other’s guts because war, death, and a clash of ideologies.

Luke and Percy immediately try to part ways but learned not to do so because the first and last time they did, they had a sudden time jump and had been sent to drastically different times for a couple of hours. They aren’t co-dependent, sticking together just increases their chances of survival. That’s all.

Luke and Percy reluctantly(?) accepting that they were now stuck with each other until they could figure out how to get back to their time.

“This truce is going to last as well as I can shoot an arrow.”

“You have shit aim, Jackson. I’ll probably end up with an arrow sticking out of my throat.”

“Exactly.”

Luke and Percy bonding over how gods are unhelpful, mainly because they asked for help and the gods just kept giving them really weird looks. Luke had been insufferably smug for days. “I told you the gods don’t care.” “I’m sorry, did you have a better idea?”

After several fuck ups, more weird looks, and the painful realization that they truly can’t change the past, they have pettily extended their dislike to anyone who can see the future. No one likes a know-it-all, especially those who have placed bets on their lives and refuse to give them a share of the winnings. No, it does not fucking matter that they couldn’t take the riches with them. (The Fates have confiscated all their contraband and it never gets easier. The less said about Ananke, the better. She gives them hope, the utter audacity.)

Luke and Percy returning back to their time after spending centuries with each other and working together to force the gods to keep their promises to become less of a deadbeat. Several centuries worth of blackmail material have to be good for something.

The demigods are trying and failing to wrap their minds around the sudden changes because to them, it’s only been a day. They are also reeling from the amount of attention they’re receiving from their godly parents. Their parents claim it’s because they’ve sworn on the River Styx to claim their kids. None of the demigods believe them. The distrust only deepens when Rachel starts cackling right in their faces when they ask her about it.

Conspiracy Theory Nights are held every Tuesday. Annabeth has resorted to using Daedalus’ laptop to keep their conspiracy theories under lock and key. They tried the anonymous box approach, but they’ve received all sorts of “speculations” with handwritings that were too flawless to be written by teenagers with ADHD.

Things seem to be looking up right until Percy vanishes from the face of the Earth and Luke absolutely loses it. He’s heading straight to Camp Jupiter once he gets it all out of his system, but he just really needs a minute. In the meantime…

“Chiron, I’m heading to Olympus. Good luck, you’re going to need it!”

“Mr. D? Mr. D, wait!”

-Dionysus teleports away-

And it's literally in a council so everybody from the 12 + hestia somewhere just see z+p spawn a new god.

And the thing is he's like the most reasonable fucking person ever in ancient greece (especially the gods) because obvi modern sensibilities...

Apollo is smitten because genuinely who would be into Percy like that,,,

But at first it was lust,,, saw this nymph like hottie and he needed that,,, then spent time with percy and??? He's so sassy? Sweet? Kind? Loving? A great warrior? Protective of his children??? (He protects demigods and mortals in general, especially those really kind to him but he's in delulu land rn) He'd be an amazing wife,,, oh look his children love him,,, kids love him!!! As a protector of youth how could he not be attracted to that?! Oh his kids are calling him mother now??? Oh perfect!!!

So he's gonna be on the deep end guys

Like I need dramaaaa,,, APOLLO WANTS HIS NEW HALF-BROTHER??? Poseidon and Zeus fucked??? s4s (slut for slut) era??? Hades got left alone in the brother bonding?!?! (He was happy for that actually)

Hera to Zeus: I knew you had low standards but literally fucking our brother????

Zeus:🧍*standing because he did not fuck Poseidon,,, He genuinely doesn't fucking know how he made a kid with him mid argument, and just saw the kid spawn there*

And the whole of Olympus is just set a blaze with rumors about z+p fucking and how they somehow created a child,,, and how it got alllll the bad aspects of both fathers...

Then they see him and they're just like...

He was a product of those two??? He's a fucking saint,,, he's sweet and polite?!?!??

He's not ugly??? He's fucking beautiful and literally how did they make him by accident??? It's like he was made with auch painstaking care and precision????

He's not a slut like his fathers?????

Not sure exactly how Past!Poseidon and Percy would meet (Percy may or may not tell his dad about the whole time travelling thing), but Poseidon can sense that Percy is his son, and he can also sense that his son is pregnant, but for some reason he isn't able to sense the identity of the "evil man" that dared to impregnate his precious son, and Percy refuses to say who his baby daddy is.

Poseidon senses his son is pregnant and he's worried a little, but when he discovers it's a GOD's baby, an Olympian, he goes on a search and interrogates each god, and when he finds him, he'll gut them like a fish.

Apollo: as the god of archery, i bless percy not to take this test.

Odysseus:

Apollo: this kid is good at literally everything except the bow, give him a chance.

Odysseus:

Apollo: well do you want me to shoot for percy?

Odysseus:

Apollo: Odysseus?

Odysseus in his mind: *if i take this kid in, gods will be hanging around my doorstep forever. why is such a good boy making a deal with these... these?*

Telemachus: *looks sadly at his father*

Odysseus, screaming in frustration: i'll think about it

Pros:

- Luke has an utterly obsessive god of love wrapped around every single one of his fingers and ready to throw down for him at all times.

- Considering that Eros is in some mythologies a Primordial and not just a god (though he is always a god that other gods deeply fear), this is one hell of an ace up his sleeve.

- In combination with the above, Kronos ain't getting nowhere with him. Yeah, the gods are terrible parents and that hasn't changed, but Kronos is still worse, and this time Luke isn't being drip-fed his poison for years.

- He will never want for anything material in his life. After a life in a neglectful home with a deadbeat father and a mother he had to be the carer of, and then 5 years~ on the streets, this is a type of security that is worth a lot. Contrary to the old adage, money does, in fact, buy happiness (it's been proven with studies), usually through the means of buying financial security and resources/time to spend on personal pursuits.

- He will never feel unwanted or unloved as long as Eros is around to drown him in his adoration. See: deadbeat dad, mentally-absent mother (sorry May, you deserved so much better), probably-first crush turned into a tree who later threw him off a cliff because Thalia sees the world in black and white (look, her development got put on pause at age 12, she's got a lot of learning and growing still to do), more caretaking duties foisted upon him as the head counsellor of Cabin 11, and being the one taken care of instead of having to be the caretaker is a hell of a draw. Not everyone wants to be the "mom friend" or older brother figure, and he should at least get the choice.

- He gets to choose his own relationship to Hedone since she's a full grown goddess and not in need of any parental guidance or related dynamic. He can be a girl dad if he wants, or they can just be good friends - adults are often friends with their parents, you know? The relationship is very different when the kid is no longer a kid.

- As the god of love and of sex (the root of Eros and erotic is the same after all) the sex has gotta be outstandingly divinely amazingly good. My boy Luke deserves it.

Cons:

- Luke has an utterly obsessive god of love wrapped around every single one of his fingers and ready to throw down for him at all times.

- Being loved to destruction is the name of the game in Greek mythology, but maybe he can squeeze out a happy ending...? Or as happy as can be, anyway, when it's very much not a human love he is being loved with.

- Aphrodite fucking hates him as soon as she finds out he exists. Sometimes your opps from a couple thousand years ago come back to haunt you 😔😔 And sometimes those opps are your mother-in-law who tortured you in your past life.

- Similarly, he gains all of Eros' enemies by association. Eros has made a lot of enemies. He's also not someone many dare to cross, so it may instead be a question of who is stupid enough to go for Luke. Though surely there will be someone...

- There will be no escape from Eros. He lost Psyche once, and he won't lose her again. Luke will return his love; he will have no choice. Eros' modus operandi if Luke shows resistance and/or hesitancy as Luke is, uh, 14 when he arrives at camp: gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss babeyyy.

And lastly:

The following is the entire reason I enjoy this whole concept, other than my boy Luke being loved with a dangerous ruinous love:

[FRANTICALLY WAVES YOU HELLO] HI YES YES I AM ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS

i love lukercy so goddamn much hooooooooly fuck

im gonna plug a bunch of my own fics bc uhh im insane and i've written over seventy lukercy fics :3

the high school sweethearts au in case you want fluff and fluff and a bit of smut but mostly smut. get together in hs and get married eight years later. im insane about them

the letters!verse if you want hurt, no comfort, and a lot of angst. secret relationship canon-adjacent fic series right here, and the writing only gets better as you go on! it's very silly and i met a bunch of my favorite people (including my girlfriend) through this au :) luke and percy hurt, a lot, but it's the most canonish fics ive posted!

the happy new year au if you would like simp luke, way too many plots, and a bollywood au by yours truly! it's really very sweet and incredibly angsty :)

others' fics:

trading tomorrow by @loosingmoreletters and @darkmagyk i believe? very very sweet fic post-percy time travelling back to when he was twelve and taking care of his own younger self. i reread it a lot and it's really truly one of my favorite fics ever

reading percy jackson - the lightning thief by @riseriseleo again a great fic and by one of the aforementioned favorite people; it's really good and very soft, but also includes a shitton of feelings and excellent writing!

OOF

yeah I can definitely see this being a situation that comes up. They're in college and it's normal to drink. But Jason gets way too into it without meaning to.

Percy won't kiss him when he's had alcohol because the smell of it is triggering. Jason definitely cries about it more than once.

They work to find balance. Percy would never try to control Jason and say he can't do it. But he has his clear boundaries. Jason has to fight to keep himself under control and respect that.

“Okay. A quest—a divinely sanctioned quest—broadcast by an Olympian. Very usual. Very, very normal,” Percy muttered under his breath, his fingers twitching against his thighs. 

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Fuck. Who am I kidding? Nothing in this mirror-world is normal.

His hand froze, fingers clenching into a fist. Percy inhaled slowly, then dragged out a long sigh—like that would somehow delay the moment and allow his brain enough time to boot back online.

Obviously, he wasn’t that lucky. When was he ever, really? 

[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: “First Divine Quest—Father-in-Law, this Devoted Son-in-Law Shall Answer the Call of Arms!”]

Percy’s brows twitched. “Look, monster—“

[System is not a monster, Host… (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥)]

“—or whatever weird… floating, sentient UI thing you might be. I’m not going to play this crazy game you concocted just because you want me to—to—“

Exchange saliva with Luke Castellan. 

A shudder crept up his spine, ears burning as he shooed the mental image away. Nope. Not getting even more traumatized today. Not even by his own mind, thank you.

“Whatever. I won’t do it—doesn’t matter how much you sparkle.” 

Planting his feet wide, like a general about to give an ultimatum, Percy looked down his nose at the flickering screen. Then, mercilessly and with a great deal of spite, added:

“I refuse.”

[Host, you can’t refuse! Σ(°□°˶) !! This System does not wish for Host to face the Punishment Protocol—]

He suppressed a disdainful snort—poorly, considering it was immediately followed by a string of crying emojis flashing right at his face. 

Goddamn, I can’t believe this thing was what yanked me out of my very comfortable bed. And—successfully, somehow—shoved me right into the middle of a flaming hot mess of a multiverse get-the-girl game, Percy thought, rolling his eyes. Exasperation prickled his skin. But the “girl” in this scenario is a revolutionary leader with daddy issues. Great.

Way to go, System. 

Percy crossed his arms, narrowing his gaze at the AI kidnapper like he could force it to babble by employing the greatest force of the universe: shaming.

Zeus: Okay, we need someone to run Camp Half Blood with Chiron—

Percy: *Kicks Down The Doors* I VOLUNTEER!

Poseidon: ...Percy!? It's been centuries—!

Percy: And it will be at least another, I'm still not talking to you (–_–)

•••

Percy: *Polishing Riptide* I was flooding cities before your mother's bloodline was even a thing, don't you find that odd?

Luke: *Drunk off his ass* Can you sharpen that on me?

•••

Hermes: *Slams a bottle of rosé on Apollo's desk* ...

Apollo: ...What happened...?

Hermes: ...Three thousand, one hundred, and nineteen years of courting him—fighting with you over him...And he picked my. fucking. son...

Apollo: You're shitting me right...?

Hermes: ...*Cracks open the bottle and starts pouring them both a glass*

Hermes: Which one of us will be the object of your attraction~?

Percy (Whose rejected them both repeatedly): Wooow, what great options this is gonna be so hard...

Luke: *Kicks Down Door* Oh father I've started a war!

It's how Luke "I hate using my powers as a son of Hermes" stole what Percy needed. It's about how seeing Luke's life string being cut made Percy sick, and how Percy mistook it for his own life string. It's about how the Fates were knitting a pair of socks. It's about how Luke was the only one who patiently answered Percy's questions and talked to him like he was a human. It's about how Percy trusted Luke so much he didn't even suspect Luke was the lightning thief. It's about how Luke stuttered when giving Percy the flying shoes. It's about how Luke said the hellhound was just to scare Chiron. It's about how Luke left before the pit scorpion stung Percy. Its about how proud Luke was of Percy disarming him. It’s about how Luke gave Percy private lessons when no one else wanted to be around Percy. It’s about how Luke’s sword fighting training has kept Percy alive. It's about how Luke keeps asking Percy to join him. It's about how Hermes sent Percy to bring Luke home.

It’s about how Luke always lets Percy escape. It's about how they dream about each other. It's about how they recognize and can find each other even while invisible or separated. It's about how Percy finds Luke attractive no matter the circumstances. It's about Percy telling Thalia they need to kill Luke and later Thalia reminding Percy that they need to kill Luke. It's about how the gods show Percy visions of Luke's past. It's about how even when Percy is with Rachel, he can't escape Luke. It's about Percy meeting May and being mistaken for Luke. It's about Percy pretending to be Luke to comfort May. It's about how Annabeth won't talk about Luke with Percy before or after Luke's death. It’s about Percy being relieved to tell Luke everything in the Iris Message and then letting the spy continue to feed information to Luke.