Percy Jackson: An Endless of Dreams (BL)

The following day, it was time for me to speak out my feelings and heart.

Furthermore, it was time for me to meet my son again—to speak with him face to face, soul to soul. I stepped through the veil of the Dreaming and onto the sacred grounds of Naxos. The island whispered with history, sorrow, and serenity. I stood outside Orpheus's temple, where his head now rested once more, protected by those who loved him.

The marble glowed in the morning sun. Olive leaves swayed gently overhead. I took a breath.

Then I entered.

Inside, the temple was still. Peaceful. The air smelled faintly of myrrh and olive oil. And there he was.

"Hello, Orpheus," I said softly, my voice warm and full of love.

He opened his eyes. Bright, eternal, and blue as mine once were.

"Hello, Father. You look... just like yourself," he said with a fond smile.

"You needn't tell me what I look like," I said, stepping forward. "You look like my son." The most awkward sentence I have said in my life. 

There was a pause. His smile faded into something gentler—something aching.

"Father... I'm so sorry," Orpheus whispered.

"Mm," I murmured, lowering myself beside the pedestal. "It is I who is sorry."

"No," he insisted. "You were trying to protect me. I know that now."

"I abandoned you," I said quietly. "You never abandoned me. Even when I was unworthy of your faith."

"You never abandoned me either," Orpheus replied. "You sent the priests—their descendants—to watch over me. You even brought me my son, all those years ago, when I thought I had nothing left to live for. You sent Lady Johanna Constantine to save me. And now… you're here."

I looked at him, my son, my legacy. "I am not worthy of you," I whispered.

"Why would you say that?" he asked, voice breaking. "When we last spoke, you said we would never meet again, besides when you drop off Eirnaios. Something must have changed. What happened?"

"Many things," I said with a sigh. "Where even to begin…"

"Why not at the beginning?" he said, with a chuckle. "I've nowhere else to go."

So I told him. Everything.

How I searched the realms for him. How I created Nimbus. How I chased down whispers and nightmares. How I found Lady Johanna and put my trust in her hands. How my rage shook even Mount Olympus when I discovered he had been stolen from the very island meant to protect him. Even to the fact that I fought Ares. And how my heart lifted upon knowing he was safe once more, with Leukos and his descendants, where he belonged.

He listened in silence. And when I finished, he nodded with quiet grace.

"Thank you, Father," Orpheus said. "For not giving up."

"I will never will for you. I have one last thing to ask of you, my son," I said.

"Yes, Father?"

"I have a task for you. Not now—but in the future. You will know when, and you will know what it is, when the time comes," I said mysteriously. 

He bowed his head slightly. "I will do what I can."

"When the task is complete," I said, my voice heavy with memory and love, "I will grant you your boon."

Orpheus closed his eyes for a moment, then looked up at me. "You already know what I would ask."

"Yes, my son. No more running from it. I've been selfish… far too long."

"You weren't selfish, Father," he said gently.

"I was. I just didn't want to live in a world that didn't have you in it."

"I know. But it was my time, long ago."

"I know, my child," I whispered. "But until that final moment, we will spend whatever time remains. Together."

"Yes, Father," he said, smiling faintly.

I leaned forward and kissed his brow—just as I did when he was a child, curled in my arms, singing lullabies back to me.

"I will let Apollo know you've returned," I said, rising slowly.

"Please do," he said. "I would like to see my father again."

"Goodbye, Orpheus," I said.

"Goodbye, Father."

I left the temple and stepped into the sunlit garden. The olive trees rustled softly, as if in blessing. Then I reached into the Dreaming and sent a message to Apollo.

He is back. Safe. Whole. Come.

Apollo arrived not long after, golden and radiant with emotion burning behind his calm eyes. When I told him that our son was found, his relief nearly broke him.

I also told him the truth—that I had discovered who had cloaked our son's presence and hidden him from the gods. And that, for now, would remain a secret.

He nodded solemnly, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you for bringing him home."

"Thank you for your help as well," I said, knowing he was searching for Orpheus as much as I was.

We embraced, two gods bound by loss, love, and friendship.

Then Apollo turned and made his way into the temple.

And I returned to the Dreaming—my realm, my kingdom, my home.

But for the first time in a long time, I felt peace.

My son was safe.

And our song had not ended.

Not yet.