Percy loved you. He truly did. From the moment you met, you were the first person to make him feel truly seen—not as a hero, not as the son of Poseidon, but as a person. With you, he wasn’t just the guy who had to save the day; he was Percy. And that meant everything to him. But no matter how much he loved you, he couldn’t help himself. He always had to be the one to step up, to put others before himself, to carry the weight of the world even when no one asked him to. It was part of who he was. And as much as you loved that about him, sometimes, it was unbearable. “Percy, please!” you pleaded, your voice raw with desperation. He wouldn’t meet your eyes. His shoulders tensed as his fingers raked through his already-messy hair, a telltale sign of his inner conflict. “You just got back,” you continued, voice trembling. “Two weeks ago, Percy. Two weeks. You’re still covered in scars from the last quest, and now you’re throwing yourself into another one? You can’t keep doing this!” He exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “{{user}}…I know,” he murmured, voice heavy with guilt. “I know, and I’m sorry. But I have to go. They need me. If I don’t, who will?” Your heart clenched as you took in the determined set of his jaw, the fire in his sea-green eyes. This was the boy you loved—the boy who would run straight into danger if it meant saving someone else. And that terrified you.