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Chapter Text

Percy knelt before the three graves. With a twist of his hand, four sand dollars materialized in his hands. They caught the fading light. As the sky transformed into a fiery palette of oranges and pinks, Percy placed each sand dollar before a grave. The wand tossed his hair into disarray. He closed his eyes, recalling the flames and the shrouds that burned alone. How he longed to have faded with those pyres. His form flickered, as if he were phasing in and out of reality, one moment as translucent as a ghost and the next solid as stone.  

“Is this your choice then?” a familiar voice asked. The shadows grew around him, gaining strength in the diminishing light. Percy ignored Nico in favor of staring at his own hand, nearly transparent. He wondered if he closed his eyes and simply wished, would he disperse completely, disappearing like mist on the ocean? Freed from the ichor in his veins?

“Percy….” Nico placed a hand on Percy’s shoulder, “it wasn’t your fault.”

“Isn’t it?” Percy let out a bitter laugh, running a hand to pull at his hair. “What happened…was because of me. I doomed them all. My family, even my father’s kingdom. We’re far past the point of no return.”

“Not necessarily.” 

Percy finally glanced up to Nico. For all that the other was shroud in darkness, a glimmer shown in Nico’s dark eyes. Their gazes met. Before Percy could even open his mouth to ask, Nico started talking again. 

“I’ve been talking with Rachel. And…there is a way.” Nico offered a hand. 

“To return?” 

“In a manner of speaking.” Nico’s fingers curled around Percy’s hand, oddly warm against his own. “A chance to change things.”

Percy studied his hand, limped in Nico’s, it seemed more solid. Real. He finally grasped the other’s hand and stood. Standing at eye level with Nico, he searched the other’s expression and asked, “My mom?” 

“Maybe.” Nico folded, taking a step back as he tapped at his ring. “It might be some time before you meet her again.”

“I’d have to remain like this.” Percy clenched and opened his hand, pulling at the ichor in his veins till a glowing swirling liquid ball of it appeared in his hand. 

“There is another price to pay,” Nico warned.

“There always is.” Percy let go of his control, watching the ichor drip from his fingers. He bent down to run his fingers across the moon lace that grew at the foot of the graves. “And whatever it is. I would pay if it meant…”

“It won’t be precisely the same.” Nico knelt to his side, grasping Percy’s hands as if he could stop the other from bleeding ichor. “It’s sort of a parallel universe. So all of this,” Nico waved a hand, gesturing as if to encompass the world, “would remain. But you could find another version of those you lost.”

 “I could see them alive?” Percy traced the letters of a name, Sally Jackson . 

“Yes. Their souls would be the same. And you’ll have your bond with your father once more.”

“How far back?”

Nico’s mouth twitched into a half smile.

(So Death spoke to Life. “Why do you wish to fade?") 

Chapter Text

How had he let Nico talk him into this again?

Percy ran a hand through the iridescent sand that was now up to his waist. Sand continuously fell behind him, growing every second and filling the hourglass. In the background, he heard the others chanting. Will’s voice sounded like a song, blending in harmony with Nico’s. Hazel’s voice a chant, her Greek rougher than the others. Percy could feel the magic gathering in her hands, the way that mist shifted as if she was about to spin it all into a single thread. He met her eyes for a moment, reminding their earlier conversation if he was certain about this.

Her eyes still held the question, “Are you sure about this?”

He nodded once more. He had already settled the affairs of the sea. Tossing the Trident in a rock and saying whoever was pure of heart could rule Atlantis. If it worked for Camelot, it would work for his father’s kingdom. He doubted anyone could be more disappointing of a ruler than him. Someone who could rebuild everything that had been destroyed because of him.

Perseus, the destroyer.

Oh, how he lived up to the meaning of his name and not that of the only hero with a happy ending.

Shifting his gaze, he studied Frank, Rachel, and Piper. Only the seven of them remained, rewarded with gold running through their veins. He forced a smile across his face, placing one hand against the glass. He was grateful that none of them had asked him to stay. He knew this request of them was selfish, asking them to send him off like this. There was more he could be doing, more that he could help with. He left them with the hardest part, rebuilding everything from the dust of war.

But Percy just couldn’t anymore. He had nothing left to give.

The shimmering sand raised above his hand, surrounding him at his shoulders. Soon, it would be at his neck. As he stepped back, Percy whispered his last words to them, “Ευχαριστώ, Αντίο.*”

Standing in the center, he closed his eyes as the sand fell directly on his head. He was so tired. And this, with the weight of the sand pressing against him, would, at the very least, grant him a reprieve. A chance to start anew, a chance to rest.

The sand fell around his ears, shutting out the chants and songs of the others. It was nearly time. Warmth surrounded him, and he didn’t need to see to know the sand had begun glowing. It wrapped him into a soothing embrace, beckoning him to follow it, to rise above the shell of being he held so long.

Percy let go. He became nothing more than pure essence as he was carried from one realm to the next.

He didn’t know how long he floated like that. Something akin to stardust floating through time and dimensions, amorphous. Till something tugged at him, a voiceless question. Thought once again resumed as he processed.

‘What did you want?’ It seemed to ask, or perhaps, ‘Where do you want to go?’

Or maybe he was asking himself that? The images of his family flashed through his mind: his mother, sister, and Father. The feeling of that first hug and of how protected he felt. As if, for a moment, he didn’t have to be on edge. Even his first impression of a warm glow and a smile. What would it have been like to be raised by Poseidon?

A surge of his father’s power grasped him. Pulling him from the endless floating as he felt the bond between himself and his father as strong as it had been in the final days.

Had he made it then? To the world, Nico had mentioned. Percy grabbed at that bond, pulling himself forward, trying to teleport himself to his father. He could hear voices arguing in Ancient Greek, catching snippets of phrases about salt water, drinking, and fruit.

Then, above it all, a voice rang out: Athena. As a crowd took up the name, voices rising into a roar, his connection with his father began to dissipate. Percy knew what it meant. They rejected him and, in turn, Percy as well. It was a world that didn’t want him. That didn’t matter, he had felt it through the bond. The delightful surprise of his father, a shimmer of hope and want. He hadn’t even met this version of his father yet, but he felt it. That warmth.

Now, the emotion was fading away as the bond unraveled.  

No! Percy shouted, but nothing rang out. He couldn’t speak. He had no form. Desperate, Percy sent out a tendril of his essence along the fraying bond. If he let go, would he be sent back? To that world that he had failed? He couldn’t.

Despite his will, he couldn’t strengthen the bond, nor stop it from breaking.

No. No. He wasn’t doing this. He could see everyone again. He would see everyone again. Percy grasped with all his might for anything, pulling it towards him. The lingering traces of Poseidon’s power wrapped around him, sheltering him in place.

Despite being drained, Percy focused on giving himself a form once more. Only to wrap himself in his father’s essence, creating a container of some sort. Percy was still formless but now fully in this world. As the last of his energy left him, an image of a pair of blue eyes flecked with gold appeared in his mind. Percy knew those eyes. He was just too tired to place them.

Exhaustion pulled at him. 

He needed a nap. 

Chapter Text

“A gift divine.” An all too familiar voice woke him from his slumber, the ancient Greek translating in his head. “It must be here.”

Annabeth? It felt like her. Percy pushed his awareness out. He was in a shell made purely of Poseidon’s essence. He wanted out, but it did not budge, nor could he physically touch it. A twist in thought, and he could perceive himself as nothing but a bundle of brilliant gold within the shell. He was not completely in this world, but he was no longer drifting in between.

“The Trident’s Mark is here.” An image of ancient Greece flashed in his mind; a younger, more Greek-looking Annabeth, wearing a chiton, kneeled near him. The image spread out. The shell that sheltered him was deep within a fountain. Then further too, Percy could take in the surrounding buildings and stone columns, people wearing chitons, all of it…It really was ancient Greece.

Her finger traced along the ridge of a fountain.

“Anna, we’ve looked all over. I don’t think we’ll find this gift. And how are we to know it when we see it?” The impression of a young male worried at his lip; his nose had a slight upturn reminiscent of Hermes’ features. “With those suitors hounding our home, we haven’t much time to spare.”

“We will know.” Greek Annabeth kneeled, peering into the fountain itself. A warm hand laid against the top of his shell. Percy pushed his energy reaching out, attempting to connect to his dearest friend. All he managed to do was twist within the shell as pure essence. He still lacked something before he could take form.

Greek Annabeth lifted him fully out of the water, calling out, “Mentes! Telemachus! Come look!”

“Annaliese,” A lower voice spoke, stepping closer to Annabeth-no Annaliese. Outwardly, he appeared to be an older Greek man, grey hairs curling through a curled beard and a face full of wrinkles. But the eyes. Brighter than Annabeth’s and a bright piercing grey that would look through a person.

Athena’s eyes.

“This is the largest shell I have ever seen. I have never seen such an array of colors before,” the youth said, resting his hand against his shell. “Odd. It’s warm.”

“It’s divine.” Anna, Percy decided to just call her that in his head, cradle the shell closer to herself.

“This is what we must bring to Elis’s shores. I can carry it, sister, and you can finish your pilgrimage to the goddess’s temple.”

“I—“ Anna hesitated and then offered him to the other youth. No. Percy wasn’t going to have it. Even if this girl wasn’t his Annabeth, not the one that he missed so dearly, he knew her. Percy didn’t want to leave her. This other youth was completely foreign to him, and he had no idea why Athena was there. “No, Telemachus,” she cradled the shell closer to her. Percy nearly spun within the shell, pleased. “I’ll see the whole quest through.”   

“You are returning with me to Ithaca?” Telemachus, which must be the youth’s name, spoke. And Ithaca, that name sounded strangely familiar. Where had he heard of it before? “Mother wanted you away from those horrible men.” He spat the last word.

“Let’s journey to the goddess’s temple first. I’ll pray to my divine mother for guidance.”

“We will see you to the temple,” The ‘divine mother’ herself said, using a man’s voice and appearance. After that, we will continue our journey.”

“I will gather supplies for our trip to Elis, while you commune with the goddess.” Telemachus asserted.

As he journeyed to Athena’s temple with Athena, Percy couldn’t help but wonder at how much younger the goddess was than when he knew her. She was accompanying her child on a quest! Something that would have never happened in his world or time. Not with how rule biding and strict the goddess was. She always seemed to side with Zeus. But here she was, flouting those laws unless Olympus hadn’t made those laws yet. Further, proof that the Olympians had dramatically changed from how they were in the past.

Annabeth had said they became kinder, but for Athena, was that true?

As Anna, not Annabeth, entered the temple. Athena reappeared, dawning her human form with a great barn owl on her shoulder.

“My child,” Athena stepped towards Anna, smiling. She placed a hand on Anna’s head. Percy wasn’t sure if he ever saw the goddess smile before. Somehow, it made her seem younger and freer. The weight of two thousand years hadn’t touched her yet, and the gods were still in their prime. Powerful and younger. What would his father be like?

“Divine mother,” Anna made some sort of gesture that Percy had never seen before. “I seek your wisdom. Is this the ‘gift of the forgotten divine’?”

“The Lord of the Sea’s essence lingers within. Only,” Athena’s divinity gave him the equivalent of a poke—only with Percy so desperate to latch on to this world, he held on. It began seeping into him, offering him a connection to a former domain of his, adjacent to one of Athena’s own roles. Percy grasped at it. Athena’s essence sunk into him like a grain of sand that lay in the center of a pearl. It connected him to this world.

Finally, he was able to focus on his bond with his father, able to grasp something. It was the lightest touch, a single drop of water in the ocean, but it was enough. Percy felt himself begin to take form. His mind focused on maintaining his appearance and the hope of being reunited.

“Oh.”

What did she mean by oh? He had never heard the goddess sound so surprised. But then again, Percy had never truly gotten along with Annabeth’s mother. Only he felt it. The tentative connection from the sliver of Athena’s essence that now resided in with him. Oh.

Oh no.

This was not how things were supposed to go.

No way.

Sally Jackson was his mother. No one else.

Chapter Text

Within moments, the shell Percy was contained in was cradled in Athena’s arms. And Percy was not okay with this. Nor the hand that gently traced along the grooves of the shell with the trace of Athena’s essence sinking in. For a moment, it felt like the mortals were frozen, and he heard Athena speak.

”I know you’re there,” Percy wanted to protest, ‘Nothing to see here’ as his essence began to twist, “not even fully formed. The barest wisp of a thought of mine and the…” Athena paused, stroking the shell, “ the sea’s essence. A foolish hope, but if you come into being, more than anything, may it be you, dearest Pallas, returned to me.” Waves of warmth wrapped around Percy, and he began to gain form.

To develop. Percy stared at a tiny hand, realizing what he was. A baby. This wasn’t really what he had in mind when offered the chance to go back. Percy was going to blame Nico and Nico’s plans. They never went as Percy expected.

“Divine Mother?” Anna asked, arms outstretched for Percy’s shell. Percy felt one last probe from Athena; he wrapped himself in his father’s essence as if hiding behind a gossamer shroud. If he ignored that small little nugget of essence that helped spark his form, then hopefully, he could prevent Athena for acknowledging it as well. He knew Athena could sense something from him, but Percy wasn’t ready to face her or ancient Greece as a whole. The Olympians were at the height of their power and their drama . 

Percy just needed to get to the sea, to his father’s domain. He would rather be a baby of all things again, in Atlantis than anywhere else. There, he could experience what it might be like to be raised by Poseidon. A wilder, younger Poseidon, but he had heard enough from Triton during the war to know some aspects of his father never changed. Poseidon had and would always love his children. No matter what. All Percy had to do was snuggle up to his dad, charm Amphitrite, and enjoy a stress-free life in Atlantis. Peace. Percy couldn’t even imagine it. If he lucked out, he might even be just an immortal and not a full-fledged god. He had already failed once as a god, unable to save those closest to him. No. He wouldn’t do it again. Somehow, if he ended up in Olympus with Athena, of all deities, he didn’t think he would get that. Did Athena even have any immortal children?

”Divine Mother?” Anna repeated, her arms still held out. The thought of saying such made Percy cringed. He longed for Sally Jackson or Poseidon. “Am I to go forward on the quest? To bring this gift to Elis? Or is that Telemachus’s journey?”

”To Elis’s shores, a temple to build.” Athena muttered, finally handing him back to Anna. That sounded like a phrase from a prophecy. Percy was done with prophecy and wanted nothing to do with any of this.

“For the storm-bringer? Would that appease him? To let Father finally return home?” Not-Annabeth’s voice sounded half-hopeful and half-desperate. Was she the one who lost a parent this time? Was Poseidon somehow involved? Percy didn’t care for Athena, but if it was for Annabeth -

“No.” Athena’s fingers drummed against the shell. Percy twisted towards the other end of the shell. What were they talking about? A temple? Dread sunk in Percy’s stomach. It couldn’t be for him. 

“Then for-“ Anna looked down, wrapping the shell closer to her chest. Her voice almost reverent, “this is a-“

“Not to be spoken of yet.” Athena’s gaze set heavy on the both of them. “But this task. The construction of this one’s,” Athena caressed the shell, “ temple. It was always meant for you.”  With that, Athena vanished from sight. He could still feel her gaze on them.

“To design a temple.” Anna cradled Percy’s shell close. “I was content to be a priestess for mother, but this, to create a monument such as this. The first temple of one of the immortals. This quest was more than I could have ever wished for. A way to return my father to us and to follow this dream-“ She placed her forehead against the shell. “Thank you.” Percy sent a pulse of warmth towards her. Immensely fond of Anna’s wish. So much like Annabeth. No matter how much he might dislike Athena, having Annabeth as a sister, a sibling, the thought warmed him.

“Find a gift of the lost divine,” Anna hummed as she stepped out of the temple, “To Elis’s shores, a temple to build.” That still sounded suspiciously like a prophecy.

”Annaliese!” The boy from earlier called out, a leather bag slung over his shoulder. “Sister! I found us lodging for the night. What was your council?”

“I’ll accompany you back to Elis. Then I will start my duty there.” Then Anna bounced. “I’m to be in charge of the temple to be built.” 

“The news gladdens me. And Elis is not as far as Athens from Ithaca.” The boy, Percy, should try to remember his name. But the youth was entirely unfamiliar to him. Besides some features that vaguely reminded him of Hermes. Not so many that Percy thought the god was his father, but perhaps a legacy? “And the shell?”

”We bring them to Elis.”

”Them?”

Anna just smiled at the youth. 

“Anna, them? What do you mean by that?”

”You’ll find out, Telemachus. But this,” She placed a hand against Percy’s shell, “they’ll convince the lord of the seas to listen to us to quell his wrath.”

“And Father will be free to return home.”  Telemachus grinned at her, reaching out for the shell. 

Anna shifted out of his reach, holding Percy close. “It is my duty to carry them.” Percy was all for that, but he rather just have Anna toss him into the ocean. He’s sure his father would discover him eventually that way. But if he could help her. Especially if she was searching for a parent, then Percy would. 

“By the way, where is Mentes?” Anna asked. Mentes…also known as Athena’s alter ego. He still can’t believe the goddess was accompanying her own child on what must be a quest. 

“He’ll meet us at our lodgings.”

The start of their journey to Elis was strangely calm. No monsters approached them. Mostly likely, because with a god in their company, none would dare. Why couldn’t any of his quests be this easy? Percy was sure there was a law against it. But maybe the “ancient” laws hadn’t been implemented yet. The only issue he had with it was when Athena would rest a hand against his shell at night and call out for Pallas once again.

Percy really should know who that was. It rang a bell, but he couldn’t remember. Still, it bothered him. How would Athena react when she realized that he wasn’t who she wanted?

On the second day, they had stopped for the night at Corinth; Percy could practically feel the faint presence of his father. His sense stretched out, noting a temple upon a hill that overlooked the sea. Poseidon’s temple. If Percy could enter its halls. Then, he wouldn’t have to worry about Athena. His father wouldn’t care who he was and wouldn't have any expectations of Percy. He desperately wanted to be able to move, to go to his father’s domain and call out for him. But he couldn’t. He was stuck in this shell as his body kept developing. It felt strange. To know that he would be born again in a different world, starting over as a baby . 

Percy should have asked more questions before agreeing to the ritual. But at the time, he just hadn’t cared. He hadn’t cared how he would end up, or if he would end up anywhere at all.  

“Do you think it’ll be Father we’ll find in Elis?” Telemachus asked, his question directed to Mentes as they sat around some lord’s table. “The prophecy stated that our wish will be fulfilled there, right?”

“Words of prophecy can be misleading.” Ugh. So it was a prophecy. At least it was one he wasn’t responsible for. “‘To Elis’s shores, a temple to build. Upon the altar, a wish fulfilled.’” Mentes quoted, then their gaze landed on Percy’s shell. “Whose wish was never defined.”

”But it was Anna’s prophecy, so it must be our wish, right?” Telemachus countered. 

“The ways of the gods are difficult to decipher,” said Mentes/Athena, a god. 

“Even if Father is not there,” Anna finally spoke, setting down her stylus and the wax tablet she was working on. “If we offer this,” she held Percy’s shell up, “to the god of the oceans, then we can ask for safe passage for Father.” She turned her gaze to Mentes. 

For one moment, Mentes’s face twisted in distaste before returning to a neutral expression. Percy rolled within his shell. He was in full support of Anna’s plan. Anything else, any notion that Athena might have for some other location, he wasn’t going to go with. Even right now, Percy was entirely helpless. Dependent on Anna’s determination to see her quest through, all while knowing that any fickle goddess or god could just simply grab him, steal him from the Demi-god’s arms. Preventing, Percy from returning to the only home that was left for him to find.

“What were the last two lines of that the oracle spoke again, Anna?” Telemachus hummed. 

Anna hesitated for a moment, setting Percy back down in her lap. A finger tracing a swirl along the shell. “I don’t know who it refers to. I can’t imagine it speaks of my Divine Mother, but at the same time, I do not know how it would refer to our mother either.”

“Anna-"

”That verse isn’t important for us. The last verse. It’s ’Arises from within, Ocean’s kin.’” 

The prophecy was definitely about him, but how ? Percy was new to this world. He wasn’t even technically born yet. How could there be a prophecy- Percy recalled the flash of blue-gold eyes and recalled one of Apollo’s domains. During that far too short of a year of peace, he had once questioned Apollo about it. About the prophecies and what he could make out of it. The other had only given a vague answer. 

“It has grown late, children.” Mentes broke up the conversation. “And we are to set off tomorrow, fortunately, with the horse, we should be able to make it halfway through Arcadia by the end of the day.” 

“Yes, Mentes.” The two rang out. 

During the night, Percy drifted between something like sleep while being aware of his surroundings, cradled in Anna’s slumbering arms. Till something drew his attention. 

“I request an audience with Father.” Athena’s voice rang in his head, unheard by the mortal senses.

Then he heard it, Hermes’s distinctive chuckle as the messenger spoke, “finally seeking to save my grandson all the while shamelessly traveling with his children.” 

“Just carry my message for me, Hermes.”

”Well, I am the Messenger . I’ll even bless your little mortals so that they may have safe travels on their quest. I can’t wait to see how this will resolve.” 

A flicker of movement, and then he felt Hermes approach. Percy wasn’t ready for him. To talk with this god after everything, remembering the sacrifice that Hermes had made when the final war had begun. That was in the past. In a different world entirely. He wasn’t going to think about what happened there . None of it would matter for thousands of years. Instead, Percy focused on diminishing his presence even more, but he was more than hiddened by the blanket around Anna, and Hermes didn’t seem to notice him. 

Their following travels went smoothly. Percy could still understand the horses perfectly, and he reached out to encourage them to be both calm and make haste. As they traveled, Mentes would give out little snippets of information about the regions. Percy wasn’t entirely sure if it was for Anna and Telemachus or if some of it was directed towards him. The stories featured both various heroes and gods, most of whom he had never heard of before. It felt very much like they were on a tour.

”And this is Mount Cyllene, the birthplace of the Messenger God, Hermes-”

”Hail, Travelers.” A man stepped onto the road, his features mostly mortal but with that unmistakable upturned nose. 

“Hail,” Telemachus called out, stepping in front of Anna and Mentes.    

‘Hermes.’ Athena’s voice rang out in a way that couldn’t be heard by the mortals. 

‘Athena.’ Hermes responded and grinned as he stepped closer to the group. “Where do you travel to? I’ve some extra supplies for the road and am willing to barter for them.” He eyed Percy’s shell.

“Greetings, and thank you for your generosity,” Mentes stepped past Telemachus, neatly shielding the children. ’ State your business.’

‘In a moment.’ Hermes grinned, laying down a pack of supplies. “All I asked for is that interesting shell you picked up.”

’Don’t you dare.’ Mentes’s form flickered for a moment, and Percy could nearly make out Athena. “We are not interested.”

“Oh. Is that shell yours?” Hermes’s eyes sparkled.

“Yes.” ‘ Yes.’ Athena’s voice came out in two tones. Resounding eerie in Percy’s head. 

‘What have you done?’ The man peered around Mentes, and Percy felt Hermes expand his presence, probing at him. Even attempting to hid his presence did not work against Hermes’s curiosity. All Percy could do was roll within the shell. Stuck trapped and feeling two sets of divine eyes on him. 

‘None of your business!’  

“I’m sorry, sir,” Anna spoke, pulling at her shawl, veil thing to cover Percy more thoroughly. “This is something we can’t part with.”

‘State your business, messenger. Will our father grant me my audience or not.’

“Athena, your audience has been granted,” Hermes spoke, this time including the mortals. Mentes’s form rippled, taking Athena’s preferred mortal appearance as if Hermes’ words had broken her illusion. “But your guidance for these mortals ends here.”

”Hermes!” 

“Mentes?!” Only Telemachus sounded shocked. Anna merely looked down.

”Your mentor hid such a great secret from you.” Hermes chortled. “For the rest of your journey, the three of you will make it on your own.”

”The three of us.” Telemachus’s gaze was on Anna and him.

”Yes. This little one,” Hermes put a hand on the shell, sending a pulse through it. Percy recoiled, trying to hide himself. It would be so easy for them to crush him as he was now. Even if he could sense that Hermes was just trying to get a feel for him and determine what he was or what he would be. 

“They aren’t even born yet.” Athena protested.

’If you want to stay with them, I could always inform our Father about all this. The reason you delayed your audience with him and what you’ve done with a fragment of our uncle’s essence.’

”I’ll go with you, Hermes.” ‘ Father doesn’t need to know yet.’

’You can’t hide this forever, Athena.’ Hermes turned to the two children, dropping the bag. “Take this and good luck.”

”It is only three days more to the shores of Elis.” Athena spoke. “I will meet with you again there.”

With that, they both vanish. 

“What did they leave us?” Anna asked, holding Percy closer to her.

Telemachus bent down, opening the bag. 

Celestial bronze daggers, swords, and shields spilled out.

”That’s not a good sign.”

“Telemachus, you did say you wanted to fight monsters.” Anna bent to pick up a dagger. “I think you’ll get your wish.”

Chapter Text

“So,” Telemachus started, through another stick onto the fire. They had taken shelter in a near by cave for the night. A bronze dagger within reach for each of the youths. Neither of them had seemed to concern about monsters until this point. “Mentes was the Goddess of Wisdom?”

“Telly,” that nickname , “You hadn’t noticed. ”

“It’s not like I’m full demi-god not like you or our grandfather. The god of messengers is more distant in our family tree. I don’t have the same sixth sense you do when it comes to these things.” Telemachus huffed. “I suppose that’s why you never shared the second to last line of the prophecy.” 

Anna nodded, then leaned in to whisper to the other, “Repentance for Mother’s greatest sin,” the silence stretched between them. “We both know that line does not refer to our mortal mother. Especially when considering the last line, ‘arises from within, Ocean’s kin.’”

“What crime could our patron goddess have done? What sin could she have committed?” 

“It’s not something that is well noted, but one of her priestesses, who taught when we were younger, told me.” Anna ran a hand against Percy’s shell. “She raised with one who was considered a pearl of the sea, daughter of the sea’s messenger god,” Anna hesitated momentarily, then continued, “Pallas. They grew up closer than sisters, and then there was a sparring accident. Pallas was a divine nymph, one who never aged or was touched by disease, but not a goddess. She held no domains. And the wound was fatal.”

“Is that why Pallas is one of the epithets that your divine mother uses? To honor her?”

“It is.”

The fire crackled between them. Percy took a moment to digest this information. It was something he never knew, nor had he thought about it. Triton, the way he acted, it always just felt like a grumpy older brother. But to learn he had a child, one that he lost to Athena. Someone who he help to raise . Even if it was an accident, he knew how his divine family acted. He hadn’t thought they cared much about him, but when allowed to show it, they were ridiculously overprotective. Their wrath led to such destruction against their foes, but in the end, it hadn’t been enough. Percy twisted within his shell, dispelling the brief images of his past.

 “This shell is the same shape as an oyster, only the largest one I ever seen, and she was called a pearl of the sea.”

“Can nymphs return in such a way?” Telemachus reached out. Placing a hand on the shell, for once, Percy did not try to hide. Still, he didn’t like the way any of them were thinking about him. He wasn’t his long-gone niece. It wasn’t something he ever thought he would need to worry about. Triton never said anything about his past, and Percy never asked.

“I don’t know.” Anna sounded pensive. The crackling of the flames danced before them. “We should get some rest. We have further to go tomorrow, and it would be better to shelter in towns from now on. Places that are protected by the gods and not left out in the open like this.”

They shuffled around camp for a bit before pulling the blankets up. When he heard a series of soft snores, Percy expanded his senses. Both were blissfully asleep, out in the open, where monsters roam at the height of ancient Greece. Were neither of them going to take watch? Anna was practically a beacon. When Athena was escorting them, Percy didn’t waste a thought on monster attacks, but now.

Could Percy even do anything as he was? Sure, he could sense his surroundings. But for all intents and purposes, he was contained within this closed shell. He wonder, if not for the first time, how his shell exactly appeared. It was challenging to perceive. He reached out for the water in their waterskins, but no. He couldn’t even cause a ripple.

Percy pushed against the lid of his shell. Nothing, he couldn’t get out. Nor could he use any of his abilities. Because what was it Athena had said, he hadn’t ‘born yet.’ The only thing, he could pull on was the weak bond he held with his father and the even weaker one that had taken root from Athena. One he wasn’t going to acknowledge. The thought of it was too weird. Perhaps Percy had never forgiven the goddess for the quest she set Annabeth on. No matter how much they needed to shut those doors. There were better ways than the one they took. Nor could he forgive her call during the third war and all the loss of life it had caused. They hadn’t won that skirmish, nor the ones that followed. 

Percy shook off the echoes of the past. It belonged to a world he was no longer part of. A future that he would see never come to being. 

He needed to focus on the now. To watch over the sleeping teens and spread his awareness to sense in case of a monster’s approach. It was all he could do. He was more helpless than a baby, and it was starting to grate. No matter how sick of fighting he was, Percy would always try to protect those he held dear.

The ground shifted. Percy stretched out his awareness to be past the cave. 

No.

He recognized that monster with all its many heads.

Desperately, he tried to halt it, to shake the ground, but nothing. Instead, he focused on his connection with Athena and then Anna, if he was right. There was a workaround here, especially with Anna physically holding him. 

Wake up. He tried to call. But it wasn’t enough. The stress of the situation was impacting this small body. Focus, that’s all he needed to do, on her hand against his shell, on his own energy, of what connected them, ‘ Annie. Wake up.’

“What?” the girl muttered, shifting in her blanket. Then she froze, and the ground shook once more. She rolled to her feet, one arm cradling Percy to her chest, and the other held fast to the dagger. “Telemachus wake up!”

“Anna, what is it?”

“I’m not sure, but-” Small rocks clattered to the ground, shaken loose. “It’s big.”

“If it gets in, we’ll be trapped here.” Telemachus frantically scoped up the rest of their gear, leaving behind the blankets. Slinging a bow against his back, quiver at his hip one hip and a sword at the other. Percy hoped that the other boy knew how to use it. Annabeth and he faced off a Hydra when they were younger before Percy gained full control of both his powers. It would be so easy if he could just reach out. Even now, he could practically feel it, the green blood coursing through the Hydra, the acid building its glans. 

“We could use that.” Anna hoisted her grip on Percy. Percy smiled; even if she wasn’t the same as Annabeth, she still always had a plan. 

“Why did we choose a cave of all things? I take back what I said about wanting to be legendary. I lost a fight against Antinous . How can I beat actual monsters?”

“They’re both actual monsters. And you have me this time. My divine mother is a war goddess. We’ll win. We have no other choice.” Anna whispered as they crept along the wall, dodging more of the rocks that tumbled down as they made their way through the narrow entrance. “All we need to know is what it is. If we’re lucky, it won’t notice us.”

Percy’s newly created heart pounded in his chest. What could he do? There must be something. Anything. He grasped at the bond with his father. But what good would calling him here do? Poseidon would rescue him, but what about Anna and Telemachus?  

“Don’t worry, shell.” Anna held Percy closer. “We’ve got this.”

They were lucky that the moon was so bright. It was the only reason that the three of them managed to hide behind a boulder before the Hydra passed them. Only three heads, one Percy thought, for each of them. They waited, Anna and Telemachus huddled together, a hand over their mouths as if to quiet their breathing.

“Anna,” Telemachus whispered, peering around and watching as it neared. It’s both partially glowing green with acid built up along its teeth. “It’s getting closer.”

“Wait.” Anna held Percy tighter, slowly inching them around the other side of the boulder. “Maybe it’ll go into the cave.” As soon as she said, Percy knew that would be the last thing to happen. He might not be fighting, but his luck would be constant no matter what world he was in. 

The three heads snaked back and forth, one hissing at a separate rock, another rubbing its head along the entrance to the cave. The last turned to look behind. It’s gaze dead on Telemachus. 

Their heartbeats echoed loudly in the clearing. 

There was one moment when the two stood frozen, and the one head of Hydra just stared at them. Then another. Then the third. Glowing acid built up along their mouths. 

“What do we do?” Telemachus shouted, placing the boulder between him and the hydra. Acid hissed against the rock, melting a portion of it. The ground thumped as it approached.

”Move!” Anna commanded, dashing behind another boulder.

 “What are our chances against this, Anna?” Telemachus shot an arrow at the center of the Hydra. It barely punctured the skin. 

“Aim for its eyes.” Anna called out. Two of the heads focused on her, while the other slithered towards the closer boulder that Telemachus hid behind.

The next arrow was met with acid and didn’t even reach the Hydra. 

“This isn’t working!”

“I’ll distract it!” Anna shouted. 

Annalise clearly lacked the same training that Annabeth had mastered. She dodged one head, dagger glancing along the side of the Hydra. However, one of them snaked around back. Its face was inches from Anna’s nose, acid dripping down from its mouth, and sizzling splashes of it hit the ground. Anna backed up. Pulling Percy closer to her chest, she tossed a dagger to the center of the beast. 

Just as she turned to run, the final head met her. Percy’s heart pounded, trapped as he was in the shell he couldn’t do anything. Instead, he just watched as the three heads seem to encircle them. One snapped forward, mouth ajar, and right when the teeth were about to enclose around his shell. The head plummeted to the ground. 

Telemachus stood with a sword in both hands, his bow against his back once more.

“Run!” He grabbed Anna, and they immediately sheltered behind the undamaged boulder. They panted for a moment as the sickening squirt of something popping echoed around them. It had grown two heads to replace the one. 

“Should we make a run for it?” Telemachus gestured back towards the path winding around the mountain. It would be difficult to traverse in the dark, but staying here-

“No.” Anna shook her head, glancing around the boulder at the lumbering Hydra. However disorientated it briefly was, it was making its way straight towards them. “No, I have an idea.” 

”We’ll aim for its weak spot. I managed a score against its flank earlier. If we can get to its heart. We just need some luck.” Anna rubbed a hand along the shell. “I know you’re in there. And that you have power . So Please, divine shell, help us. I beg of you.” She placed him gently down against the boulder, hidden behind a smaller rock, dagger in hand. “In whatever way you can.”

It was enough. 

Percy felt one of his domains settle into him, strengthened by his newly forged connection with Athena. Still, it would grant him the power to give them aid. Percy grasped the Hydra with his might and froze the blood flow. The mere act drained his strength, but he could hold out long enough for both Telemachus and Annabeth to tear into the very heart of the Hydra.

It collapsed with one dying roar. 

And the last of Percy’s awareness faded with it. He had a sinking feeling that he had pushed himself too far, too young to expand his power like that. He fell into a slumber, holding onto his connections, a little afraid that he would be sent drifting in the nether between the worlds if it loosened.

Chapter Text

Apollo lazed on his throne, ideally strumming his lyre as Athena made her case to their father, highlighting the poor, suffering Odysseus. It didn’t take seeing into the future for him to notice what she was hiding, what she wasn’t mentioning: traveling with her favorite child and that child’s mortal sibling. Then again, to send a child on a quest to be with. If Athena hadn’t gone with her precious princess Annaliese, then Artemis would have recruited the girl to the Hunt.

Athena so hated sharing and knew better than to leave a child defenseless.

‘Heh.’ Apollo side-eye Hermes. Despite being forced to abstain from discussions of Odysseus’s fate, his brother’s grin was far too broad, and Apollo could tell his focus was split. Tsk. Not giving their Lord Father their entire focus during a meeting was begging for trouble.

‘What are you doing?’ Apollo directed his thoughts to his younger brother. Carefully keeping a half ear to what Athena was saying, citing instances of Odysseus’s bravery and how he’s brought honor to Olympia. Not so silently, Apollo admitted that the hero’s travels were a prime source of amusement. Pity that he was trapped on Ogygia.

‘Nothing.’ It clearly wasn’t.

Apollo turned his attention, subtly following his gaze to the mortal world. Easy since the words of Delphi still lingered on the girl, half-sung into his ear, along with the flash of eyes so similar to his uncle’s, but something so much more in that gaze.

‘Is that a Hydra?’ And there was something else. Something the girl held. A flash of a future. Not of the girl’s, but of Apollo’s.

‘I didn’t set it on them!’ Hermes protested. ‘I just knew it was in the area.’

“Apollo?” Athena turned to him.

“Hmm.” Apollo strung another melody on his lyre, his eyes meeting Athena’s. “I do miss the songs of the Sirens.” ‘Athena. I’ll give you my support in return for a favor.’

‘What favor?’ Athena paused while verbally going on about Odysseus acting in self-defense and even going so far as to include the songs that will be created for Odysseus’s deeds.

‘One yet to be named. So, a favor for a favor. What do you say?’

Athena paused.

“Enough.” Zeus boomed. Apollo’s fingers fell still. Both their gazes briefly flashed to their father. “Apollo! What is your position?”

Apollo turned to Athena and raised one eyebrow. ‘Well?’

‘Fine.’ Athena hissed in return.

“I’m in favor.” Apollo grinned and leaned back. ‘I’ll expect a vow on the Styx later, or I’ll rescind my support for your mortal.’

“Hephaestus?” Zeus turned his attention away from him.

‘What did I miss?’ Apollo turned his gaze again to the youths, nearly towards adulthood. Hydra made a nasty snape towards the girl and the near iridescent shell she held.

‘Telemachus!’ Hermes cheered as the youth chopped off one of the Hydra’s heads. ‘Now go for the- Or run away.’

‘She’s Athena’s child. They’ll come up with a plan.’ Apollo reassured, knowing that Hermes wanted his descendant to win this fight. He even went so far as to send a minor blessing to the youth. Young enough still that Apollo could justify it as part of his divine duty, but he doubted any of the others would notice. Not with the way Athena and Ares started to fight straight up in the middle of the throne room.

‘What!?’ They turned to each other. The Hydra was frozen. Unmoving, like a living statue. That new divinity that pulsed so weakly from the shell had flared out, just a brief surge of power. Apollo could almost taste the domain that settled upon the unborn being. One that fell so neatly adjacent to his own.

A godling not yet born? That power, the brief feel of that new divinity. It was familiar. Was this new divinity the same as the lover he foresaw? While Apollo preferred those immortals of his uncle’s realm, he had always refrained from going for his children. Out of all his siblings, he had the best understanding of his favorite uncle. Poseidon didn’t even favor the Cyclops that much, but for his tears and pain, he was willing to use his full power against one that harmed something that was his.

And a new child like this? Someone that Poseidon could keep. Well, Apollo always did like a challenge.

He had to see this godling for himself.

Percy came back to awareness slowly. The vague impressions of traveling, of Telemachus and Anna speaking, settled over him. His awareness of his surroundings had diminished. He could sense Anna but not of their border area.

“Little shell,” she whispered. “What do you think of this spot?”

“Shouldn’t we pick a spot closer to the city?” Telemachus asked.

“I like the view from here. Plus, I think the little shell likes hearing waves crashing against the cliff.”

“That’s what you like hearing,” Telemachus huffed. “Wouldn’t something on the beach be better?”

“A temple needs a good foundation and not something that will shift with the sand.” Anna stepped closer to a ledge. “And look at this stone formation. It’s like an altar.” Then she placed him down on the stone.

And everything just clicked. Percy could sense his surroundings vividly—the roar of the waves, the calls of birds, the sleeping earth beneath him, the heartbeats of Telemachus and Anna. Further still, rivers carrying freshwater rushed to meet the Ionian Sea, and the hustle of the nearby ancient city. Percy stretched out further, and then he felt it.

A weight gaze.

Sky blue eyes flecked with gold.

The stringed notes of a lyre resonated through the air, carried by the wind, as the world brightened. Anna and Telemachus promptly knelt, heads lowered. The air grew charged. The simple notes grew into a melody—ancient and beautiful—that wrapped around the shell. As the light grew, Apollo stepped forward, all golden hair and eyes blazing to match. Divinity rolled from him. Stronger than Percy had ever felt from the carefree god before.

He stepped forward, ignoring Anna and Telemachus, who didn’t move from where they knelt.

Apollo placed a hand on Percy’s shell. And Percy could feel him. The quick tang of an arrow, the sound of music, the light of healing, the darkness of disease, endless knowledge, and the distant echoes of thousands of prophecies all coalesced in one being. It was so much unfiltered.

He wanted to step away, but he couldn’t move. He was trapped in this shell. And the too-curious eyes of a god he no longer knew. Not this ancient, most powerful form.

“How long must I wait, little Godling, for what I’ve seen to pass.” Blue-gold eyes peered at him as if seeing through the shell and even past the baby form that Percy currently held, to Percy as he once was. With storms raging in his chest and the oceans in his blood, all water at his call, and the weight of all he failed to save.

“What do you want, Apollo?” Athena appeared, stepping in between Percy and Apollo. A spear supported her weight as golden ichor dripped from too many wounds. What happened to her? He…not even in the end could he recall Athena being in such a state. Too clever to be wounded to such a degree. She was at the height of her power here. How could she be harmed?

“Nothing yet, dear sister.” Apollo stepped back. “Just curious about your child with our dear uncle. Tell me, does our Lord Father know?”

“You know as well as I do in that regard.” Athena’s voice was measured as if speaking required great effort. “This matter doesn’t concern you, Apollo.”

“Me, no, not yet. But you. Your decision. It’s rare for a prophecy to refer to one of our kind.” Apollo’s eyes stared past Athena as if seeing an event long since passed. “Tell me, are you, Athena Pallas, prepared to make the amends necessary for the great sin you committed long ago.”

“It wasn’t my fault.” Athena cried out, placing a hand against Percy’s shell as if to draw comfort from it. “And she’ll return to us now.”

“I thought you had greater wisdom than that.” Apollo grinned, then disappeared in a flash.

“Seeing Mortals’ fates, I understand. But for one of our kind?” Athena shuddered. “That’s something else entirely.”

Percy hated agreeing with her, but this Apollo sees too much. Had Apollo always been this way and played it down, or was this something that had to do with being in the past? Those eyes staring through him sent a shiver through him. And having Athena act in his defense unnerved Percy like nothing had before. He didn’t want her as a mother. Not when he knew how she would treat her children in the future. The sacrifices of them she would make.

No matter how fondly he thought of the Apollo and Hermes from his world, these beings weren’t them.

Everything was strange. This Apollo and Hermes were not his own. He didn’t care if his dad was different. Their bond and Poseidon's love for his children would be the same. Percy would be safe with his father.

Percy reached out through the remnants of that bond.

Maybe he could call his dad to him?

Before any more Olympians took an interest in him. Especially his Uncle.

“Dad.” No, that word wouldn’t be familiar yet. He needed to keep with the Greek. “Patéras. πατέρας.” No response; their connection was too weak for Percy to be heard. But he didn’t want to give up. He didn’t want to end up having Athena attempt to raise him in Olympus. To be under the eyes of an uncle he never cared for and the constant drama of the Olympian council. Would they still debate if he should live? Especially as he was now. A new immortal. Percy didn’t know what to expect from these gods, which were so similar and completely different. Would they choose to kill him in the end? A part of him just wanted to cry. The fear had him grasping the bond with his father, reaching out, and then crying with all his might for him. “Papa.”

In the distance, the waves ceased. The ocean turned to mirror calm.

Had Poseidon heard him?

Percy reached out again. The bond between them felt stronger. He could feel his father better. This time, it was easier for him to call out. “Papa.”

His father’s essence traveled down the bond, wrapping around him and strengthening their connection. A wave of relief washed over him. The ocean danced in response. From the surf, his father stepped out. Then, with a swirl of sea breeze, Poseidon stood before the stone altar.

“Poseidon,” Athena spoke, spear still in her hand.

Poseidon ignored her, instead reaching towards the shell that held Percy. As soon as the god’s hand touched the shell, a surge of energy passed between them. Percy squirmed in his shell, finally feeling fully present in this world. Percy pushed against the shell, wanting out.

The lid opened. Percy took a moment to adjust as his perception changed from sensing his environment to finally opening his eyes to this world for the first time. He reached out, his small hands grasping his father’s finger. He clenched it, a smile crossing his face as he gazed up at Poseidon. His father stood before him, having donned a mortal’s height, a crown of pearls and shells above long black curls. But his eyes—he knew them.

Percy giggled and then called out, “Papa.”

Poseidon’s expression softened. Then he carefully lifted Percy from the shell, bestowing a kiss on his brow. “My child.”

“Papa.” Percy returned; any other word seemed beyond him. His thoughts felt strangely youthful, but it didn’t matter. As his father cradled him close, he finally felt a sense of peace, of safety, and of home.

“Poseidon,” Athena called out, “the child is mine.”

Thunder roared overhead.

Chapter Text

“Athena!” Zeus’s roar was the very thunder in the sky. Lightning danced against darkening clouds as a bolt struck and Zeus appeared in all his ridiculously tall, probably nineteen-foot form. Compared to Poseidon and Athena who had taken a more mortal height, he stood out. Literally.

The thought caused Percy to giggle. Dramatic appearances, dramatic disappearance, Zeus was still such a drama king no matter the age. 

“And Poseidon! What have you begot?” Thunder rumbled with every step he took towards them. 

Poseidon didn’t even glance at Zeus. Instead, he turned away from the other gods and shielded Percy from view. Poseidon smiled down at Percy. The smile that Poseidon wore was familiar to him. It was the same as the distant memory of his, the first memory of his father. 

“Papa.” Percy reached out and grabbed his father’s finger and giggled again. 

“My child.”  Poseidon reiterated.

“Love Papa.” Percy flooded the newly established bond with all his affection, saying the words he never had the chance to tell Poseidon before the end. His father’s expression stuttered momentarily, as an intensity grew in his eyes. 

“Father!” Athena’s voice rang out. 

“Athena, is it not enough that we have freed your mortal? Now this?“  

“The child belongs with me. Poseidon has plenty of immortal offspring. I have none.” Athena spoke, despite her mortal child still being present. Both Anna and Telemachus were still kneeling on the ground, their gazes cast to the floor. Not daring to look up, to risk the gods choosing to take their true form and killing them in an instant. 

”Hmph. Poseidon, give me the child.” Zeus demanded. “And I will-“

”No.” Poseidon’s voice resonated through the clearing. The roar of waves crashing against the rocks below, and the wind picked up. Poseidon took a step forward. The seafoam that made his father’s cloak-fabric thing wrapped around him, tucking him neatly to Poseidon’s chest as his father grew in size, matching Zeus. Percy clung to the seafoam fabric, feeling his father’s power wrap securely around him. Did they really have to change form for this? Percy wasn’t. He had never bothered to try and figure that out, and he didn’t mind being in the form of a human infant for now. 

Let the other gods think he wasn’t a threat. He could figure out how to age himself up later. But for now, he just wanted to be held by his dad. 

“You dare to tell me no? Me?” Zeus thundered as he approached

Percy pulled at the fabric wrapped around him, peering up at Zeus. When he got the electric blue gaze of the god-king, Percy grinned, and chirped, “No.”

Zeus gaped at him. He opened his mouth, a finger extended out. A moment later, Poseidon blocked Percy’s view. A large hand rested gently against him. 

“Poseidon!” Zeus roared, ozone permeating the air. 

“The child defers to his father. This is only right.” Poseidon sounded smug as Percy tried to peer through the gaps in his fingers. So what if his current baby form could fit into the palm of his father’s hand when the gods choose their larger forms.

“What is right,” Athena cut in, “is for the child to be raised by his mother.”

”You raise a child?” Poseidon asked incredulously. “You who swore off anything to do with families.”

”I have no interest in lying with another, nor household management. But he is my child. My immortal child. I have a right to him.”

”He is of the sea-”

”He is of Athens! He was always meant for the world of man, not to be sequestered away in oceanic depths.”

“Athens,” Poseidon sneered, “that city of yours that cost me this child to begin with.”

“What-“

”Yes.” Poseidon closed his fingers, cupping Percy in his palm. “When those mortals rejected my divine gift, the brief connection I felt, the conception of this child, was lost. When they chose you, they denied his existence.” 

Percy remembered that, the pull, the arguing and then the feeling as if he would disappear once more into the nothingness between worlds. How he fought to wrap himself in his father’s essence and fell into a deep slumber. Until-

“I found the shell.” Athena hadn’t found him. Sure she had given him the spark necessary to exist, but Anna had found him. ”Without me, he would never have been born. He is my child.” 

”I will let Odysseus go.” Poseidon offered. “Give this child to me, and that mortal can go free.”

Athena was silent.

”Is that not what has you dripping ichor still?” Poseidon continued. “You fought your own father for this mortal’s freedom.”

What? Percy shoved at his father’s fingers, peering out to study Athena again. And she did look battered, a deep cut on her arm sluggishly dripping ichor, and her garment torn, frayed as if she had been struck by lightning. 

Athena had fought for a mortal.

A mortal hero. 

Even now, she stood in such a way to shield the two kneeling mortals at their feet. Both Anna and Telemachus were eerily silent. Percy could particularly feel the odd mix of fear and awe radiating from them. Listening to a custody battle between the gods was probably not on their to do list.

The Athena Percy had known, thousands of years in the future, would never have done such a thing. So, what had happened? Was the scars left from Rome, the slight carry over between the personalities enough to do this damage?

What had made Athena so cold?

“Enough.” Zeus boomed. “I weary of your bickering. The godling can speak. Let him choose.”

What? Zeus was actually being fair? Asking his opinion, giving him a choice. This world felt so surreal. The gods were different from the ones he knew. Athena caring about mortals, about her children, and Zeus trying to be just and fair, it was a little crazy.

Percy crawled out of the cloak fabric thing that had wrapped around him, until he landed in Poseidon’s palm. He tugged at his father’s thumb, sending a wave of affection down their bond.

Poseidon sighed, then brought Percy out. “ My child wishes to speak.”

Athena smiled at Percy. She seemed so young. For one moment, he could see Annabeth in her features. 

”Well.” Zeus tapped a foot. “Choose.”

Percy stared at Zeus, tempted to stick his tongue out at the god. He could tell any interest that Zeus had in him initially was rapidly fading. Zeus, Athena. All the gods that would get stuck in their ways, would ignore the world.

A second chance.

A way to make things better.

”Nine months with Papa,” Percy decided, hugging Poseidon’s thumb. Then he pointed at Athena, and channeled some of Estella’s nonsense. “Three months with Athy! Summer ones.”

’Athy.’ He saw Athena mouthed the word. 

“Hmm…Splitting the year works well for Persephone. It will be so.” With a flash of lightning, Zeus disappeared.

“I get him first.” Poseidon shrunk to mortal height, cradling Percy to him, before tossing him in the air. Percy giggled.

”It is the last month of summer.” Athena stepped forward, shrinking in size as well, hands outstretched. 

“Don’t you have affairs with your mortals to sort?” Neatly dodging Athena, Poseidon gestured one handily to the two kneeling mortals. “Give him to me first and I won’t try to hinder Odysseus as much as I was planning.”

“Let me hold him.”

”Haven’t you already?” Poseidon glanced back to the shell that Percy had been in. “And someone needs to work on building his temple.”

”At least let me name him," Athena stomped. 

”Percy!” Percy grinned, tugging on the material of Poseidon’s cloak. “I’m Percy.” 

“Derived from Perseus?” Athena asked as she walked a pace with Poseidon. 

“No.” Percy lied. He didn’t want to be called anything else, nor give Zeus any conniption that he’s using one of his demigod's names.

”Why that name, my child?” Poseidon lightly tapped Percy’s nose.

”Mine.” Percy grabbed his father’s finger, grinning up at him again.  

“Hmm.” Poseidon stopped. They had reached the shores, and waves clashed against his hills. Athena stood on the beach. In the distance, Percy swore he could make out the watchful gaze of other gods. Especially, Apollo’s.

”Poseidon.” Athena stepped forward, uncaring as the waves hit her ankles. “You will give him to me next summer.”

“We will see.” With that, the waves crashed over them, wrapping around them. 

The world flashed around them as Athena cried out, "Poseidon!” and then “Percy!”. In a blast of bubbles, they reappeared directly above the heart of the sea, the ancient city of Atlantis.