I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus.
Chapter One: The Fight
(Percy Point of View)
Percy Jackson was not your average hero, or you average person for that matter. For one, he was now a god, and two unlike others he was still allowed to interact with his mortal family.
After the giant war along with rewards the seven and Nico were offered to become gods and goddesses (well, they didn't really have a choice in that). Thalia was told that once she was killed she would become a goddess. They were also told that any future spouse they married would become a god/goddess.
While they became gods and goddesses, due to their connections to their mortal families and their desire to have some mortal experiences, they were allowed to live as mortals (despite being gods and goddesses) for a little while longer, as long as they had mortal connections that is. Percy, no doubt, thought he would take advantage of the fact that they had not elaborated on that later, but even with this allowance he still asked to be a demigod for a little while longer. They said they would give him until age twenty five. If he died before then they would make him a god.
Annabeth and the others chose to become gods and goddesses immediately, but Percy chose to delay a bit. He still wanted a somewhat normal life. Then about six months after meeting Carter Kane who had become his friend, his father came to him.
Poseidon was wearing his usual beach attire, and he had a nervous look on his face as he knocked on Percy's apartment. To the god's relief, it was Percy who answered it. In fact, it appeared that the others weren't there, and for the errand he had to run, Poseidon preferred it that way.
"Dad?!" Percy asked incredulous but excited. The gods were allowed to interact with their children more now, and most visited their children at least once a week, but Poseidon usually visited Percy on an exact schedule. He was not anticipating seeing his father until the next day.
Quickly, Percy bowed to him and invited Poseidon in, hastily cleaning his scattered homework off of the couch. He tried to clean up the mess around the apartment, cheeks red as he hastily stuffed a bag of buttered popcorn back in the microwave and Poseidon sat down to watch him. When the boy was done he faced his father leaning against the opposite wall. "So..." Percy began awkwardly. "What brings you here?"
Poseidon hesitated, not sure how to break it to his son. He knew Percy would be disappointed, angry, and might fight a bit, but he had no other choice. Zeus had ordered him to do it. 'Oh well,' the man thought. 'When everything goes wrong, I'll just blame my brother. It was his idea, after all.' Poseidon nervously cleared his throat. "As you know," he began slowly, trying to go about this gently. "You are my son, and I am king of the sea. Even though you were illegitimately born, you are still a prince, royalty, specifically a prince of the sea, not only because you are the son of a king, the king of the sea specifically, but you are royal because your uncle is king of the gods and because your grandfather was king of the titans."
Percy hesitated before nodded. He hadn't thought about this before. He had never assumed that he was a prince even though he knew that he was of royal blood. Truth be told he didn't really think he was counted a prince because he was born illegitimately, but he guessed he was wrong.
Poseidon seemed to recognize his train of thought and gently assured him, "Yes Percy. Though it is not officially addressed, all the gods and goddesses related in some manner to the big three and to the titans are royalty, princes and princesses. However the more closely you are related to the big three and our siblings, the more status one has. And the closer one is related to the king of the gods, the more status one has amongst the gods. You may have been born illegitimately, but you are still a prince of the gods and of the sea. We don't follow the same rules that exist in Europe where illegitimate children, though they are recognized when they have royal blood, aren't princes and princesses."
Percy frowned. "I guess I get it. But I still don't see what this has to do with anything," he replied.
Poseidon hesitated more. He knew that this would be difficult on his son. "Well, Percy, when you become a god you will become higher in status that most, not only in the kingdom of the sea but in the kingdom of the gods as well. All your godly powers will be strengthened and you will be more powerful than before. As such, when you become a god you will need to receive more training on how to control them."
As the boy leaned back against the wall again he shrugged nonchalantly. "And I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," he replied, not at all worried. "But in all honesty, that's a few years from now. I'm not worried about it."
That's when silence suddenly reigned and Percy seemed to notice his father's hesitation. "It is a few years from now, right?" he directed at his father and once again there was silence.
Poseidon decided to skirt the topic. "As you know, your former step mother, Queen Amphitrite, who has become fond of you, has decided to adopt you, and in fact she already has. While it is true that you are a prince, illegitimate children have slightly less status than those legitimately born, though not by much. By adopting you, you will have full status and greater status, as much as if you were legitimately born. But you are still your birth mother's child. You merely have two mothers now."
The boy smiled. He had become fond of Amphitrite and viewed her as his mother as well. Perhaps that's because he knew that in the end he would want a mother when his birth mother was dead, and when she had offered to adopt him, he had immediately said yes. He couldn't help but be happy that he had two mothers.
"I'm really happy that she did it," Percy admitted. "Truth be told, when I met her, she didn't seem to like me very much. Now I'm merely grateful that she wants me as part of the family, that she's willing to include me. Even if she had decided not to adopt me, I would have been happy merely because she included me like a son."
The sea god smiled and he too was joyful that his son was going to be involved more in his and his wife's lives. "But there is one other thing," Poseidon began again. "As you know, when you become a god you are going to have greater responsibilities. Not only will you have a responsibility in the family kingdom as a prince of the sea, but you will have godly responsibilities placed on you by merely being a god. Due to defeating Kronos, if you wish you could take his place, but I highly doubt they'll give you the option. I wanted to warn you that more than likely they'll hand it to you, but you don't have to begin those duties until your fully able to handle your duties as being a prince and god of the sea."
As Percy considered his father he couldn't help but feel that something was being held back. "What else is going on?" Percy asked and to his surprise, his father flinched as if he was hoping that he wouldn't ask that question.
"Well," Poseidon hesitated but knew the inevitable was coming. "As it turns out, those duties may come sooner than you think."
Immediately Percy froze. "Wh-what do you mean?" he whispered quietly, a look of pure horror on his face. He had been through Tartarus and back and all Percy had asked was for some time to be perfectly normal. Had they actually gone back on their word?
"Percy," Poseidon gently murmured. "Some things have... happened and it was not my decision. Because this is not a matter of the sea, Zeus has a final say. He has... ordered that you change into godhood be sped up."
Silence reigned once more and then Percy stood straight up in shock and alarm. "What!" he shouted, even though he knew that it may not be the most respectful of things to do. "But he promised! You promised! It wasn't supposed to be until I was twenty five! I wasn't even given a choice in the godhood thing, I was merely told that I would be, even if I didn't want it!"
Both Percy and Poseidon knew that that wasn't exactly what was said, but in the end, that was the message that was sent, that Percy was becoming a god no matter what. Percy had been able to deal with it only because he was promised that once he became a god he could still live somewhat of a normal mortal-like life afterward while attending his godly and princely duties and because it would be delayed until he was twenty five. But as the part of it where it would not being done until he was twenty five hadn't been sworn on the river Styx, while the rest, including living like a mortal afterward, had, thus Percy knew that they could go back on their promise without consequences. As Percy thought on it now, Zeus had been careful not to include the part where he couldn't become a god until he was at least twenty five or he died, whichever came first. He must have known that he was going to break it.
Percy stared at his father in betrayal. "Why?" he asked. "Why would he do this?"
Poseidon sighed. "Whether you believe it or not, Zeus has acknowledged your unique perspective. In fact the reason he wants you as my lieutenant is because of that unique perspective. That is the same reason he wants you as a god sooner. You see, the gods are trying to patch things up with their mortal family, and you have lived as a demigod and can provide that perspective."
"But Annabeth was a demigod as well!" Percy blurted out. "And Jason and Nico! Why can't he just ask them?"
"Because you're unique," Poseidon explained gently, standing up to walk over to his son. He put a hand on the boy's shoulders but Percy merely shrugged it off and walked away. "I didn't have a choice!" Poseidon pled. "It wasn't a matter of the seas! It was outside of my jurisdiction! I may be on the council of Olympus, but Zeus as king of the gods has the final word in such matters as this!"
Percy remained silent for a little while longer, almost moping about his impending godhood. Finally he asked quietly, "How much longer do I have as a mortal?" He turned to face his father, and as he did so Poseidon could see how upset his son was despite how much he tried to mask it.
The great sea god sighed. "Until after this conversation," he admitted.
Percy's jaw dropped and there was such a look of betrayal in the boy's eyes that Poseidon couldn't help but be hurt. Percy, running on emotion and not quite thinking, walked over towards his jacket, put it on, and walked out the door without another word, slamming it behind him. Poseidon was left staring after him before sighing and flashing back to Olympus. What was done was done.
The moment Percy walked out the door there was a brief flash of brilliant bright white light and he was turned into a god. Poseidon knew that it would be best to leave the boy alone for now to calm down. He was still, after all, a teenager.
(A little while later)
(Percy Point of View)
When Percy left the apartment he hadn't even realized what he was doing. All he knew was that he was mad, but the moment he left the apartment he immediately regretted it. He was made a god. Mad he ran away, blindly walking through the streets of New York. The odd thing was he was quite aware of his surroundings at the same time. It was a different feeling. He felt stronger, more powerful, and his senses were sharper now that he was immortal. And unlike being a mere immortal, like Thalia, he couldn't die.
And Percy hated it. 'I thought I would have more time,' he thought. Not once did he want this, but at least if he could wait until he was twenty five he could have more time to prepare for his new life. It was almost like finding out that he was a demigod, only a thousand times worse. Immediately, upon becoming a god, he felt the pressures and responsibilities being put on him. He had no idea it would be like this. 'Poor Annabeth,' he thought back to the time when she was made a goddess in front of him. 'She must have been shocked when it happened.'
He sighed and to his surprise he had wound up at the sea shore. Now that he was a god he could have multiple trains of thought at the same time; he wasn't limited like a normal human was of thinking of one thing at a time. No wonder the gods didn't understand mortals! They could think of more than one thing at the same time and solve more than one thing at the same time.
Suddenly, another voice was in his head and Percy immediately knew it was his father. 'You can go home when your ready,' he informed the boy. 'Or if you choose you can come home to Atlantis when your done wandering. Your mother wants to meet your properly now that your a god. She's rather excited about it but she understands that you may need some space.'
Percy sighed and decided to use the mental communication back. 'Does my birth mother and step father know?' he asked back, not sure if it would work.
But sure enough it did. 'I think you'll be able to tell them. Just make sure that you keep your temper in check. Remember that their mortals and your more powerful now. It can be easy to accidentally harm them without meaning to.'
Percy thought about going home to his mother. That was, after all, where he would be living most of the time. But instead of living at Camp Half Blood for the summer, Percy would be living with his father in his father's palace for the summer, but he would be allowed to visit Camp Half Blood whenever he felt like it, whether summer, winter, spring, or autumn.
But as he thought on going to Atlantis now that he was a god, he couldn't help but remember the time after the giant war that his father had personally brought him there. Of course that was before he realized that Zeus would back out on his promise and make him a god sooner. Poseidon and taken him and shown him his princely room close to Triton's (and boy was it huge), then he had proceeded to give him a tour. Percy was pleased that his room was also close to Tyson's, and he had even been able to talk with his half brother briefly at the forge when he visited.
His step mother (now adoptive mother) had been a little distant at first, but when Percy bowed to her, showing her the respect that was due to a Queen, she had warmed up to him and had become more welcoming. And she became nicer and nicer each time Percy visited Atlantis. Eventually she had even come to visit him, at his apartment. The next time she visited it was not for Percy but for Percy's mother. She came to inform Sally that she had forgiven her for her relationship with her husband and to ask her permission to adopt Percy, informing the mortal that she would still have her motherly rights to Percy as well. The only difference would be that Percy would have a second mother, and a better place and status on Atlantis as well as a mother when Sally passed on. Sally agreed, glad that Percy could have a family when she and her husband died.
Tyson himself had been excited when he found out that Percy would be at Atlantis more. Percy was happy that cyclops lived a long time. He certainly didn't want to lose his brother any time soon. In fact, for the most part, his times at Atlantis had been fun and enjoyable.
The only problems Percy had were with his godly half brother Triton. Triton was never pleased when he arrived and always seemed to be in a bad mood. He either ignored Percy or teased him, trying to irritate Percy with his condescending manner towards the demigod. Triton acted like Percy didn't belong on Atlantis, despite Queen Amphitrite adopting him and despite the fact that Percy had tried to be polite to his half brother, now brother.
But Triton had ignored these attempts, even the times when Percy tried to talk to him to get to know him better. Triton would ignore him and and act like he didn't exist and wasn't in the room at all. When Queen Amphitrite noted this she sighed. "I'll talk to him," she informed Percy, smiling kindly. Then she walked after her birth son, and Percy was left all alone.
Percy admitted that he was most frustrated with his father for Triton's behavior. While his father and Queen Amphitrite (who allowed him to call her mom or mother) would comfort Percy about it, Poseidon would do nothing about Triton's behavior. Queen Amphitrite alone was the one confronting Triton about it, and one time Percy thought he had heard Amphitrite chastising Poseidon for his lack of intervening in the situation in Percy's behalf.
Triton knew that Percy was to become a god, and whenever this excitement was brought up in the kingdom, Triton would get irritable and frustrated. No doubt he was mad about it. But now that Percy was a god, he wondered how his brother would respond.
As Percy was brought back to the present, his thoughts taking less than a second to complete, he hesitantly asked his father, 'Does... does Lord Triton know that I'm now... you know..."
He thought he heard his father chuckle in his thoughts. 'Old habits are heard to get rid of?' he mentioned in amusement. But he must have sensed Percy's confusion for he added, "Now that your a god you don't need to address any of the gods as 'lord' or 'lady' any more, Percy. Of course you should still respect them as we all respect each other, but your not obligated to those rules that mortals and demigods are bound by. Amphitrite and I don't mind if you call us mom and dad. You are not bound any more to address your brother as 'lord' any more.'
'But I don't think he'll appreciate that very much,' Percy mentioned, nervous now that they were on the same level for the most part. He also wanted to correct his father, stating that the gods don't always respect each other, but he decided not to try his luck.
'And he'll have to deal with it,' came the response. 'Yes, Percy. Everyone knew almost immediately when Zeus announced it suddenly today, and in the world of the gods, news spreads fast, faster than the internet in fact. It is very hard to keep secrets in the world of the gods. Yes, Triton knows.' Poseidon seemed to hesitate before adding, 'In fact he was grumbling about it earlier before I left. But your mother and I have talked to him and he knows to show you respect when you finally come to Atlantis. But as to whether or not he will do that...' Poseidon trailed off, not sure what else to say.
'Well that settles it then,' Percy replied somewhat frustrated. Another portion of his mind wandered, wondering how on earth Poseidon knew about the internet, and that part of his mind made a mental note to ask about it later. But his most important thoughts were centered on what kind of troubles lay in store for him on Atlantis. 'I'll go back to my mortal mother's place and I'll come to Atlantis during the summer. I need some time to adjust.'
To his surprise Poseidon seemed to hesitate at this. 'Actually, though you can go to your birth mother's place, we would like to you come to Atlantis today or tomorrow. At least for a week or two.'
The smell of salty sea wafted towards Percy and his eyes widened. 'For at least a week?! I have school! I can't exactly miss out!'
'Relax, Percy. We'll mist them.'
'That's not the point! I have to be there to know what we're learning about!'
'And you will be properly educated on Atlantis,' Poseidon tried to reassure him, but Percy couldn't help but notice how he emphasized the word 'properly', albeit subtly. It was as if his mortal education was inferior and wasn't good enough, but as Percy thought on it, with the amount the gods knew, it probably was inferior. 'Don't worry, it will include what mortals learn, including your English classes. After all, we have to know how to properly interact with mortals. But it will include much more than that as well.'
'But that's not the point!' Percy pointed out. 'I wanted a normal mortal experience! That's why I wanted to wait!'
'I know,' the man tried to comfort his son. 'But it's too late for that now. I know that you're upset, but you don't have to sacrifice everything. Besides, you're only coming because Amphitrite wants to see you properly, and so that you can receive your first lessons about being a god at the hands of Triton.'
Immediately when Poseidon said the last part, Percy knew it was a bad idea. 'Lord Triton!' Percy exclaimed, wondering how on earth it would turn out. He was still wary to adopt godly customs for his brother due to the enmity Triton had for him. 'But he hates me!'
'Yes, well,' Poseidon hesitantly began. 'Your friends had their first godly lessons immediately after they became such because it's imperative that new gods master their new powers soon so that they're safe around mortals and not out of control. So the same is for you. After all, if you want to live with your mortal family, you're going to need these first few lessons.'
'But why can't you give it!' Percy pled, practically begging.
'Because,' came the response. 'I have some duties on Olympus to attend to for a little bit, ones that require me to be present, and your mother is going to have to run the kingdom, which is presently incredibly busy right now, so she won't have time to teach you either. That leaves only Triton since Tyson is not a god. He is the only one available to teach you. Don't worry, as soon as I get back I'll take over your lessons and when things calm down, your mother will also have a hand in teaching you. You won't have to worry about your brother teaching you then. But until then...'
As Poseidon trailed off Percy frowned and folded his arms in frustration. 'Fine,' he grumbled. 'I just hope he doesn't use it as a time to humiliate me!'
'We've spoken to him,' Poseidon tried to reassure him, but somehow Percy doubted that would make a difference. 'He knows that he's going to be your teacher.'
'Fine,' Percy rolled his eyes, frustrated beyond all reason. His day, which had started off perfect by an unexpected visit from his father was now ruined. 'At least let me inform my birth mom before she worries.'
Percy imagined that his father would be smiling at this, and so he headed home. He wasn't surprised to see his mother there, and as her back was to him, he wondered how she would respond when she saw him and noticed that he was a new god. Paul, his step father, was nowhere to be seen and he could only imagine that Paul's reaction would be worse, almost pure panic that he now had a godly step son.
As he walked up to his mother and tapped her on the shoulder, he could feel the tension in his body. Sally spun around and when she looked at him she didn't seem to notice anything different at first. That was until she took a closer look at him.
"Percy?" she asked aloud, curiosity on her face. "What happened to you?" Though Percy didn't look any different, there was now a new aura and feeling of power that came from him being a god.
The boy sighed and led his mother to the couch where he sat down and put his head in his hands. "They did it prematurely," he explained, his tone mourning. "Dad came by earlier. He...he said that Zeus didn't give him a choice. I was made a god as soon as I walked out the door."
Sally put her arms around Percy and hugged him tightly, wanting to comfort him. "I know you didn't want it, honey. I'm really sorry that it happened." But even she was powerless to do anything.
Percy sighed. "Dad wants me to come to his palace," he explained. "Something about learning to use my new powers so that I don't end up accidentally harming anyone."
"Then go," his mother ordered him, caressing his cheek gently. "I'm sure we can come up with a cover story for you."
Suddenly, Percy realized that his capability to use the mist was increased. He had learned to use it a little bit after the giant war, actually he had experimented with it when using it to conceal the Argo II as they landed in near Rome. But now that he was a god, he was able to use it without any difficulty, unlike before.
"That's okay," he reassured his mother. Snapping his fingers he immediately thought of a cover story, knowing the mist would be applied. His mother seemed confused at what he was doing at first, but then her eyes widened in understanding and she stared curiously back. "A domestic dispute," Percy explained. "A custody battle. My father lives in Greece and demanded that I come stay with him for a bit, so you had to oblige. He's a wealthy man, and he wants me to go to a private school there where he feels that I will be educated better."
Sally nodded in understanding. "I guess I'd better tell Paul so that he'll know the cover story.
Percy hugged her and then sighed. He was not looking forward to his trip.
(A little while later)
(Percy Point of View)
Percy stood in Poseidon's palace waiting for a chance to speak with his father (it was his father's idea, not his as he didn't really want to talk to him). His father had told him he wanted to talk, but needed to wait until after speaking to Delphin, so Percy used to the time to take a look at the architecture of the palace room they were in, wondering what Annabeth would think about it.
Poseidon was going to leave soon afterward but he had promised to talk to his son before he left, so Percy knew it was inevitable to get out of it. When Delphin swam away, Poseidon turned to face his son, but Percy turned away slightly and refused to meet his gaze. "You could have refused Lord Zeus, you know," Percy bitterly started, but ended with that statement.
Poseidon sighed, the man looking somewhat older all of a sudden when his demeanor changed. "Listen, Percy, I know that this is hard for you, but it's impossible for you to be made a mortal again. Once a god, always a god. But this life does have it's ups. You'll see."
When Percy refused to respond or speak anymore Poseidon came and put his arm around the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered but Percy still refused to respond. Finally the god sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. "Work hard," he ordered his son. "Put all your efforts in. I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise."
Percy merely nodded and then turned to look back at his dad. "I'll work hard," the boy managed to say despite the pain of betrayal that still coursed through him. "But that doesn't mean I like this situation. I didn't want this at all."
Poseidon nodded. "I know," he whispered, then patted him on the shoulder before flashing away.
Percy did have to admit that there were some perks to being a god, though. For one, he no longer had to look away when a god flashed away. The other was that he could manipulate the mist with ease.
But he didn't have time to dwell on this as Amphitrite and Triton walked in. Amphitrite looked him up and down before smiling at him. "You do seem to look slightly different," she observed softly, walking around him slowly. Percy stayed still as she did so and nervously glanced at Triton. The god was now in his more human form and had folded his arms in dissatisfaction, his demeanor indicating that he was not pleased Percy was here. But Percy was immediately brought back to Amphitrite when she continued her train of thought. "You're stronger, no doubt faster, and you seem to have a little more muscle, though you are still lean. You're slightly taller and your features are more perfected. But still, they're differences that no mortal would notice."
She stopped right in front of him, looking Percy in the eyes. She seemed to hesitate politely before venturing, "How did your birth mother react?"
Percy glanced away slightly before looking back and responding, "She didn't notice at first. The only thing she noticed was that there was power about me. She didn't notice that I looked different."
Queen Amphitrite nodded. "That sounds just about fair. As I said, the physical changes aren't really something that a mortal would notice. But you do radiate a specific power that can be felt. All gods do. But, surprisingly, you're able to suppress it really well, something a new god is not really able to do. I suspect that you will come far in a short while during your training." She smiled at him and that made Percy feel somewhat better.
"Thank you, my lady," he responded and Triton scoffed in the background at which Amphitrite gave him a reprimanding glare which Triton conveniently chose not to notice.
The young looking queen smiled at him again. "Please, you no longer need the formalities now that you're one of us. Seeing as I have adopted you, I am now your mother and if you wish to address me as such, it is your right. I wouldn't mind."
Despite the awkwardness, Percy decided to try his luck. "Of course... mother," he tried and to his surprise Amphitrite smiled at this, pleased that he had called her 'mother'. This encouraged Percy more, and the awkwardness between him and his new mother slowly began to evaporate.
Only Triton seemed displeased with the new developments. He scowled at Percy and rolled his eyes when Percy called Queen Amphitrite 'mother'. But the queen took no notice of this, seemingly deep in thought. When she was pulled out of her thoughts again she gently brushed Percy's cheek, smiling some, and whispered, "Train hard, son. You may be new to this but you will progress faster than you imagine."
She backed up some, heading towards the exit, leaving Triton and Percy together. Before she left she looked back. "I expect the two of you to get along, now. After all, this is now a permanent situation. I would be training you personally, Percy, if it weren't for the fact that I have to run the entire kingdom alone while your father is away, and that is going to be occupying my time. Because of that, as you already know, Triton is your teacher. I expect you to listen to him and work hard. Triton, no teasing or bullying him. Treat him nicely and train him well."
With that she walked out.
An awkward silence seemed to fill the room as the brothers were left alone. Percy was nervously looking at his new teacher and Triton had his arms folded still, staring disapprovingly back at Percy.
The silent void was broken by Percy. "So," he tried to venture, hoping to not get on his new teacher's nerves. "What are we going to be doing now?"
To Percy's surprise, this only caused Triton to frown even more. And he thought his brother couldn't possibly frown even further...
"First of all," Triton sternly replied, no approval in his voice. That, and he was now glaring at Percy. "You will not speak unless spoken to. Second of all, we meet and will only be seen together for lessons. Outside of lessons, I expect you to stay as far away from me as possible, and I expect you to stay away from our palace."
"Um," Percy began. He ran his right hand through his hair and looked away as he awkwardly replied, "I kind of live here now."
Triton scowled even more. "Can't you go back to your mortal mother?" he practically snapped.
But, having had enough, Percy shook his head and bravely looked Triton in the eyes, the awkward tension gone. "I can't until I've mastered my first few lessons," he explained back. "Apparently it's too dangerous for me to be around them until otherwise."
At the growled mumbling under his breath, Triton seemed to grudgingly accept this. Percy knew that he could understand what his brother had said if he wanted to, but he had a feeling that he didn't want to know what the sea god was saying, so he chose to ignore it. "Fine!" Triton snapped back with increasing irritation. "You don't have to go back to your mortal mother, but stay away from the palace! Wander the seas if you want to! But stay away! Understood?"
At this Percy was beginning to be irritated himself. "I thought the whole point of this was to learn to get along also," the boy pointed out, though he had a feeling it would only make the situation worse. Still, he was tired of being pushed around by the older god, and he wasn't going to be told what to do and what not to do.
An irritated hiss left his brother's throat and Triton walked up to Percy, trying to intimidate him. But Percy didn't flinch. He stared back defiantly. Percy could tell that Triton was trying to contain his temper and though the older god used a much softer tone, Percy could tell the threat behind it. "Just stay out of my way, out of my palace and sea, and we'll get along," Triton glared and then he pushed roughly past him towards the door. "Hurry up!" he yelled after Percy when the boy didn't immediately follow. "We have a lot to do today. And I will not accept slacking."
But Percy stood firmly, folding his own arms, and he refused to go anywhere. When Triton turned around and saw the defiant Percy, he pointed towards the door and yelled, "Get going!"
Percy rolled his eyes and stared defiantly back. "No," he replied firmly and harshly.
If there was ever a more incredulous look on Triton's face, it was now. Clearly he hadn't been anticipating his younger brother to have the guts to stand up to him. But Triton was now furious, more furious than ever, and from the look on his face he was determined to get what he wanted, even if he had to push Percy to get it. He took one step forward. "What did you say?" he demanded of the younger god.
Unfortunately, Percy seemed to have the same determination to get what he wanted, even if it meant defying Triton. "I said no," the younger god replied firmly and clearly, trying to get his point across. "I'm not doing anything until we solve our differences and can at least treat each other with respect. I'm not going to do what you want if you're just going to yell at me."
Triton clenched his fists at this and he took another step towards Percy. "You will do what I say!" he yelled back, but Percy shook his head.
"I will not be pushed around and tossed around like a bean bag!" Percy yelled back, his own anger growing. Triton, though seemingly confused at the expressions Percy used, seemed to get the point and in an instant he was in front of Percy, a hand around his throat.
"You will do as I say!" Triton threatened, but he clearly wasn't expecting Percy's next move, nor the effect it would have.
Percy grabbed his wrist, and using an aikido move he had learned, he twisted Triton's wrist, forcing the older god to release his grip. Then, bringing his other hand under his elbow and bending it, he lifted Triton's arm over his head in one fluid motion, and in an instant he was behind Triton, pinning the other god helplessly to the ground. It all happened in less than a second, and Percy could feel Triton's anger and embarrassment growing that he had been defeated so easily by his younger brother who, only hours ago, had been a mere mortal. Percy made a mental note to continue his martial arts training as it seemed to have superior tactics, but right now, he also felt an increase in anger himself. "I'm not your slave!" Percy hissed back. Then he released him.
The moment Percy let go of him, Triton stood on his feet and whirled around, anger showing in his eyes. "How dare you!" he shouted, pointing his finger at Percy.
However, that did not improve the situation and tensions only built. "How dare you!" Percy yelled back, the situation escalating quickly. "What have I ever done to you?!" Percy let all his anger and frustrations off his chest in his monologue during the shouting match that ensued. "What have I ever done to get you to hate me? I've tried! I've tried to get along! But you! All you've ever done is be rude and condescending towards me! I've tried to be nice, and all you've ever done is taunt me back for whatever stupid reason you want! You single me out of all people! You don't even treat Tyson this way!"
"Leave Tyson out of this!" Triton ordered him sharply. "And for the record, I never wanted you here to begin with! Do you think I wanted to be your teacher? NO! But I got stuck with YOU anyways."
"Why do you hate me?" Percy continued, and he took a daring step forward. "Bring forward the evidence! Show me what I've done to offend you! If there is honestly anything I've done to offend you, I'm sorry! But I want to know why you hate me so much!"
"Because you exist!" was Triton's hurtful reply, and this only angered Percy more. "Dad broke the oath by having you! You shouldn't even have been born!"
"Right!" Percy took a step forward, bringing them closer. "And somehow that's supposed to be my fault? I didn't do anything! If you have a problem with it, bring it up with dad since it's his fault! I have no control over anything dad does, or anything anyone else does for that matter! And may I point out how sorry an excuse that is? After all, you don't seem to be angry that Tyson exists, only me!"
"Leave Tyson out of this!" Triton hissed again and he was immediately in front of Percy. "He has nothing to do with this!"
"Then why am I the exception?" Percy spat back, stepping even closer. The water around them was bubbling and turbulent as the brothers battled it out with words, threatening to turn it into a physical match. "Explain to me why I am singled out!"
"Shut up!" Triton hissed back, and Percy wondered where he had learned the modern language from. From father perhaps? After all, Poseidon visited the mortal world often. But he had no time to think on this.
"No!" came the shout back. "We're solving our differences right now! Like it or not, Lord Triton, we're brothers, and we're going to have to deal with each other for the rest of our existence, which is eternity!"
But at this the boiling point, figuratively speaking, had been reached. Triton immediately slapped Percy hard, starting the physical fight that would change everything.
Percy, not one to take a blow and not strike back immediately pushed Triton back. Triton once again pulled back for a punch, but Percy had been training in the marital arts and even though he was still a beginner, his fighting skills were honed much better than before. He anticipated the blow, and not wanting to hurt his brother, he opted for more passive fighting methods. He leaned to the side and caught Triton's arm as it came rushing forward towards him, then, grabbing his wrist, he used his brother's momentum and flipped him onto the ground. "Enough!" Percy shouted back.
But Triton merely stood up and launched himself at him again. Percy moved forward and in an instant he was behind Triton. He leaned low and swept Triton's feet from underneath him, then, using his momentum, he spun around and kicked Triton as he got up.
Triton must have noticed that he was not going to win this fight using physical combat. Waving his hands, his trident appeared and Percy had to doge as a blow of godly power was sent towards him. Trying desperately to remember what little he had learned as a beginner about chi, Percy abandoned the thought immediately and instead, using his new godly powers, he shot a wave of pure light back at Triton.
The sparing continued, and Percy had to continually dodge Triton's harsher blows as the god was more experienced with his godly powers than Percy was. Percy, using the martial arts evading methods he had learned, tried to incorporate his own strikes in, and though they were less concentrated, at least he managed to hit Triton some, which only angered the god even further and made the god want to strike more.
They had both circled until they were both on opposite sides of the room, the thrones to Percy's left, and the exit to Percy's right.
Triton charged and Percy ran towards him. They quarreled for a bit, hitting and striking, and as Triton tried to turn his trident around to strike Percy, the younger god pushed him away. Now enough distance between them, Triton pointed his trident towards Percy and power began sparking inside the trident, getting ready to discharge.
In the instant that Triton did this, Percy grabbed the trident and turned it to keep it from hitting him. Without thinking, Percy pointed the trident to the left, where the thrones were, and the trident discharged.
A loud crash was heard and in an instant both brothers slowed down and slowly turned to face where the noise had been. Horrid anticipation filled both of their faces as they looked reluctantly to see what had happened.
They both froze when they saw the mess. But almost a second later they both paled extremely white, especially Percy.
On the ground, broken in three big pieces and splintered in many more, lay Poseidon's trident, his weapon and symbol of power, broken.
Percy continued looking at it in shock.
"Oh no. We are so dead."
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Firestar'sniece