𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐒 [pjo]

nineteen; never meet your heroes

━━━never meet your heroes

.・゜゜・───・゜゜・．

Jason carried the three ashore, where the man in purple was waiting.

Hercules was handsome, with curly black hair and coppery skin, lean and strong but not hulking. Callahan swallowed, turning away to catch the white sails of the Argo. Hercules was handsome, but Cal had a thing for dumbass black-haired boys and genius-level blondes. 

The three landed at the edge of the surf. They approached slowly, careful not to make any threatening moves. Hercules watched them with no particular emotion as if they were some form of seabird he had never noticed before.

"Hello," Piper said. Always a good start.

"What's up?" Hercules said. His voice was deep but casual, very modern. He could've been greeting them in the high school locker room.

"A lot, dude," Callahan responded, turning again to glance at their ship. The minor god cracked a smile, and Piper swallowed.

"My lord Hercules, I'm Piper, that's Callahan, and that's Jason--"

"Where's your lion skin?"

Callahan winced and glanced at Hercules, expecting to find him pissed and glowering. Instead, the god had cracked a smile that seemed exasperated in a fond way.

"It's 90 degrees out," He leaned against his club like a walking stick, "why would I wear my lion skin? Do you wear fur coats to the beach?"

Callahan muttered every Sunday under her breath and watched as Hercules's eyes glanced at her.

"I guess that makes sense." Jason sounded disappointed. "It's just that the pictures always show you with a lion skin."

Hercules glared at the sky accusingly like he wanted to have words with his father Zeus. "Don't believe everything you hear about me. Being famous isn't as fun as you might think."

"Tell me about it," Piper sighed.

Hercules fixed those brilliant blue eyes on her. "Are you famous?"

"My dad...he's in the movies."

Hercules snarled. "Don't get me started with the movies. Gods of Olympus, they never get anything right. Have you seen one movie about me where I look like me?"

Piper had to admit he had a point. "I'm surprised you're so young."

"Ha! Being immortal helps. But, yes, I wasn't so old when I died. Not by modern standards. I did a lot during my years as a hero...too much, really." His eyes drifted to Jason. "Son of Zeus, eh?"

"Jupiter," Jason said.

"Not much difference," Hercules grumbled. "Dad's annoying in either form. Me? I was called Heracles. Then the Romans came along and named me Hercules. I didn't really change that much, though lately just thinking about it gives me splitting headaches..."

Cal found herself glancing back at the horizon for a third time, squinting at the sunlight before she returned to the conversation.

"At any rate," Hercules said, "if you're Jupiter's son, you might understand. It's a lot of pressure. Enough is never enough. Eventually, it can make a guy snap."

Callahan hummed. She had seen it enough times with Percy to know that it's true.

The god's eyes slid over her quickly before turning to Piper. His dark eyes glimmered in the harsh sunlight, dark and not quite sane. Callahan's eyes flit over to the girl beside her out of concern.