Pretty late for a Mother's Day fanfic, but whatever. Happy (belated) Mother's Day!
The Good Times
Triton narrowed his eyes at a dolphin, who bravely stared back at him. It was still obvious, though, how hard it was shaking. Bubbles formed near its quivering fins and he could hear a thwack every time its fin would hit the marble table—and that probably hurt a lot.
Thwack.
U-Um... A-A-Are y-y-you e-e-en... joying—
The dolphin swallowed. He looked twitchy. Clearly wanting a do-over, he cleared his throat. Areyouenjoyingit,LordTritonSir?
Thwack.
Triton laughed, which made everyone around them stiffen. The dolphin managed a weak grin. It was probably its first time to be so close to a royal like him, and those who were watching only added to the pressure.
He pitied the mammal, but only slightly. He had to admit he was enjoying its reaction, as sadistic it might sound. It was good to know from time to time that he wasn't the only one on the verge of nervous breakdown. Now that he won't admit to. (Though it probably didn't count, since he was a god and the animal was, well, an animal.)
Thwack.
He waited for a few seconds, before finally saying, "Hmm... Thank you, Finnley," and swimming away.
The dolphin sighed, although not quite sure whether it was out of relief or defeat.
Triton chuckled to himself as he focused on the next one in line, a pleased-looking lobster. It was funny, the way everyone reacted in the Dining Hall. The first few minutes he would stare down at the competitor and eat his creation, the rest would act like this was it. Triton's going to choose him. And then he'd say those words—"Hmm... Thank you, (insert name of merman/animal here)"—and everybody would be cool again. As if they knew what he was thinking. Just because he didn't stand there, awestruck, in front of a cake's tasty glory didn't mean he didn't like it.
What made it even funnier to Triton was that he was just picking out the pastry chef to create the desserts they needed for the celebration. Since when was baking ever a fierce competition? Then again, the newbies thought this would be a good way to get the recognition they deserved, and the older ones didn't want someone—especially a newbie—to make the cut.
"Hmm," mumbled Triton, carefully chewing around the hard bits of the cake.
"How is it, my lord?" The lobster asked slowly.
"Hmm..." He repeated. Ignoring the hopeful stares of the lobster, he wiped his mouth and thanked him.
After another hour of staring, poking, eating, thanking, and praying the stuff didn't poison him or whatever sickness that gods like him could get, Triton was finally done.
"How was it?" An approaching merman, Tristan or something like that, asked.
Triton huffed, resting his hand on the table before pulling it back quickly. His hand had landed on sticky syrup. "Please, Tristan. You're acting like one of those chefs. I don't want to hear that question ever again."
Tristan grinned. "Of course. But what I meant was have you chosen anybody?"
"No, not yet," Triton sighed. "I already have some people in mind, but I'm not sure. I might take that Finnley guy, though; he's good."
The other merman nodded. "I'd say take all the time you need, but the day's drawing close, so…"
"Mm, yes. This is such a pain in the tail." Triton paused to flip his hair out of his eyes, but it floated back to the same place. "Would you like to take home the remaining cakes? I guarantee you they taste good." He swept an arm over the plates, as if it would convince Tristan to eat them all. "Or at least some them do."
Tristan surveyed the half-eaten cakes and laughed nervously. His eyes seemed to land on the seaweed-crusted triple layer cake topped with squid ink baked by the lobster earlier. He gulped. "Er… No, sir, that's alright. I'm not hungry, anyway… If it's okay with you, I'll be taking my leave."
"Suit yourself, Tristan," Triton flicked his hand towards the door.
"Thank you. Have a pleasant evening," Tristan turned to leave but stopped. He looked over his shoulder. "Oh, and sir? My name is Bill, not Tristan."
Triton's eyes widened slightly and pink tinged his skin. It popped against his green skin, making it more noticeable. "Yes, of course. My bad. I guess I'll see you around… Bill."
Tristan-who-turned-out-to-be-Bill laughed quietly to himself and left.
Triton watched him go. The stress of the planning was really getting to him.
And he had his father to blame this for.
If it wasn't for Poseidon, he wouldn't be busy preparing a last-minute Mother's Day celebration for Amphitrite.
Really, if Poseidon could only keep his hands off that mermaid Adella, Triton wouldn't even be in this situation. Or at least that's what the story circulating around the palace says. The other rumor was vice-versa: it had been Adella who couldn't keep her hands off Poseidon. The least popular version was that Adella fell on top of Poseidon by accident and Amphitrite conveniently happened to come in at the right—or wrong, if you were either Adella or Poseidon—moment.
Triton was pretty sure the third version was the truth, but whatever it was, the story didn't end well for Adella. Which was a pity, since he did fancy her a bit.
On the bright side, at least she wasn't turned into plankton. Still, Triton was sure it sucked to be a catfish right now.
Anyway, Poseidon thought it would be a grand idea to throw a party for Amphitrite in order to appease her. His even grander idea? Have his son, who had nothing do with the fight, to be in charge.
Triton was always after Poseidon's approval, but becoming a party planner didn't top the list of how to get it. In fact, it wasn't even on the list.
If he had to be honest, Triton was perfectly content with celebrating Mother's Day by greeting her and giving her a peck on the cheek or a bouquet of flowers. They survived a hundred years or so without knowing that day existed.
Come to think of it, what did humans do on Mother's Day? Triton snorted at the thought of Perseus Jackson doing something similar to this. He may have been the saviour of Olympus, but Triton was sure the guy's brain was so full of seaweed, he wouldn't live past picking the decorations.
Ack, the decorations!
He still didn't know how big the party should be, what kind of food to have, and now he had to worry about the decorations too. He wasn't even sure who the entertainment should be. He had been thinking of Ariel, one of the biggest pop stars of her generation, but did Amphitrite even like her?
Oh, sweet Dionysus, help me!
Making sure that he had the Dining Hall to himself, he picked up a spoon and licked the frosting off of it.
Hey, stressed required desserts, right?
oo00oo
Percy picked up the ready-made cake mix box and did his best to read the instructions.
Did Paul seriously expect him to bake when he couldn't understand the instructions? In his opinion, he thought it would be better if they ordered one of those giant cookies from Mrs. Fields. That way, if ever Tyson decides to pop in, they'd have enough dessert to share. And also, it would be yummier. Maybe they could even have the cookie in blue.
The sudden slam of the door made him drop the box and grab Riptide.
Intruders were becoming rampant and Percy didn't want their apartment to get robbed. Especially on a Mother's Day.
Before he made his way to the front door, he took a glass bowl with him. It had just occurred to him that Riptide won't have any effect on the human. Besides, Percy always wanted to try breaking something over someone's head, and it was better to use a bowl rather than one of the pretty vases his mom just bought.
Percy slowly rounded the corner, the muffled groans of the intruder reaching him. He carefully checked it the intruder was armed, and quickly noticed a familiar salt and pepper head poked out from behind the bags of groceries he was carrying.
"Paul?" Percy asked, reluctantly revealing himself.
"Oh, hey, Perce," his stepdad greeted, shakily dropping a reusable bag to the floor. His smile fell from his face when he saw what his stepson was holding. "Uh… why are you holding those?"
"Oh! These?" Percy awkwardly settled the glass bowl onto the coffee table as Riptide transformed back into a pen. "I was just, you know, um, practicing how to defend from attackers!"
"Practicing," Paul repeated dubiously.
Percy nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah! Haven't you been hearing the reports of break-ins? Anyway, so when I saw how many things you were bringing in, I decided not to practice on you and help you out instead, like the good stepson I am."
Paul simply laughed and shook his head. "Right. I'm sure you're making your mother proud," he commented.
"Well, it is her day today," Percy replied, taking two bags from Paul. "So what do you want me to do?"
"Did you prepare the ingredients?"
Percy nodded.
"Okay, good. I need you to blow some air in the balloons I bought while I would on the cake. Once you're done, you can help me decorate."
"I still think we should get order cookies from Mrs. Fields," Percy said as he shuffled through the bags for the balloons.
"Eh, it'll be too late for that now. Besides, making something ourselves will make it even more special."
"Whatever you say, boss."
oo00oo
"Good job, son," Poseidon said, taking in Triton's work for the past days.
"Thank you, Father," he beamed. And you're welcome for saving your marriage and your butt.
In the end, Triton decided that it would be a small celebration; the only ones he invited were his parents.
At first, he had done it out of laziness and lack of time, but he thought Amphitrite would feel more appreciated if the ones close to her were with her.
A jazz band played in the corner, and a dolphin butler stood dutifully near the door.
Streamers hung from the ceiling and fishes glowing an iridescent green swam past them. Every now and then, a crab would come out of its shell and blow heart-shaped bubbles.
In the center of the room was table covered in cloth that shined every time it moved. A three-tiered cake was placed on top of the table. It was green and gold, two of Amphitrite's favorite colors, and was decorated in glittering seashell. A beautifully crafted cake topper of his mother sat on the cake, smiling up at them.
It was a cheesy design, he had to admit, but there was something nostalgic about it that he liked.
"What about you, Father?" Triton suddenly asked. Now that the work was done, he was free to wonder what Poseidon had been doing. Hopefully not looking for a way to revert Adella back to her normal state. Amphitrite wouldn't want that as a Mother's Day gift. "Did you get anything for Mother?"
Poseidon grinned proudly. "Of course I did! It was what I was busying myself with while you worked on the party. Let me see, it should be somewhere here…" He muttered to himself as he patted the pocket of his Hawaiian shirt. Then his shorts. "It's… It's not here."
Triton raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh no," he whispered, eyes widening in realization. "I must have put it with Sally's gift by mistake when I sent it to her."
His son bit back his laughter, unmanly giggles escaping him instead. "Oh, she's going to like that, Father." Most of the time, he was polite and wouldn't dare mock him, but he couldn't let this pass.
Before Poseidon could silence him, the doors flew open, squishing the butler in the process. Triton winced on his behalf upon hearing the half-squeal, half-gag sound the dolphin made.
"Did anyone else here that?" Amphitrite asked, swimming in as the doors magically closed behind her, like they always do in palaces, revealing the bruised and twitching face of the dolphin. The crab claws on her head snapped left and right, as if they too were looking for the source.
The queen of the sea abruptly stopped as she took everything in for the first time since coming in.
Poseidon smiled warmly at her. "Happy Mother's Day, my dear." Poseidon went over to her and Triton followed suit.
"How sweet. You did this all for me?"
"Why not? It is your day after all."
Amphitrite held Poseidon at arm's length, eyebrows raised. She wasn't convinced that was the reason behind the little party. "Mm-hmm. And I don't suppose you have a present for me too?"
Poseidon's smile wavered but didn't totally disappear. "Ah, yes, well, you see…" He was starting to look uncomfortable. For a moment, Triton thought Poseidon would come clean and admit his mistake. "…I'm not yet finished."
Triton snickered. Well, it wasn't a total lie…
"Oh?" Amphitrite frowned slightly, but quickly waved it away. "But I do appreciate the both of you doing this for me. This is such a wonderful Mother's Day, and we don't normally celebrate it! Thank you."
Triton watched as Poseidon wrapped his arms around Amphitrite. As he did, Poseidon gave him a thumbs-up. He never saw his father do that, and the sight of him, almost acting like a mortal father, made him want to laugh again.
"Happy Mother's Day, Mother."
oo00oo
"I don't understand, how did it get up there?"
"I don't know," Paul admitted. "I was here when it happened and I don't understand it, either. I've always wondered how the cake gets stuck in the ceiling in the novels I read."
Percy was still looking up at the ceiling in awed confusion. You know you've lived your teenage life when you finally see a cake stuck to the ceiling. Bits of blue frosting were starting to fall down, and if they didn't take it down sooner, they'd have a bigger mess in their hands. "I can call Annabeth later," he offered. "She should know how this happened."
Paul chuckled at his suggestion, not knowing that he was actually serious. "We should take it off then maybe bake another cake."
Percy frowned. He wanted to tell Paul I told you we should've bought a Mrs. Fields cookie but thought better of it. Instead he said, "Do we still have enough time?"
"I think so," Paul muttered. "But I'm not sure if we have enough cake batter left."
"Uh, I guess we should—"
"I'm home!" Sally sang out.
Paul and Percy looked at each before looking back at the cake. "You go stall her," Paul quickly instructed. "I'll remove the cake."
Percy nodded dutifully and ran to his mom. "Hey, Mom!" Paul heard Percy say. "Look at you! How was the spa?"
"It was very nice. Thank you for sending me there. Is Paul here?"
"No problem!" Percy chirped. "And, uh, Paul? Oh, yeah, he's here. Here but busy, I don't think you should… Wait, Mom!"
Paul shook his head as he stood on his toes on the table. With a plate in one hand, he tried to reach for the cake with his free one. No such luck. If he was just an inch taller, then maybe—
"Paul, what are you doing?"
The said man whipped his head around just as the cake fell on his head.
Percy immediately burst into laughter and Sally cracked a small grin as Paul wiped frosting from his hair and licked it jokingly. "Mm, I'd tell you to taste this, but…"
"Oh, boys," Sally sighed, the grin still present.
"Happy Mother's Day, Mom. We tried making you a cake, but somehow it got stuck to the ceiling," Percy explained.
"One of the many mysteries of life," Paul added, causing Percy to snort.
"I obviously can't taste it now, but I'll take your word that it tastes good, Paul." Sally teased. "Now, come on, help me clean up. Then we can go eat out."
Percy broke into another grin as he got some tissues. For a second, he wondered what Poseidon was doing right now. Was he celebrating Mother's Day with Triton and Amphitrite? Did they even know such a thing existed? Or was he thinking of Sally?
And what about Sally, did she want to spend Mother's Day with Poseidon?
He thought of the wrapped gift from Poseidon he saw in his mom's room a while ago, and hummed to himself. Never mind the fact that Poseidon won't visit her. He knew that his mom would be happy once he saw the gift, and that was all that mattered.
oo00oo
Extra Scene
"Helloooo!" Tyson shouted as he entered Percy's apartment room. The place was empty.
Disappointed, he kicked one of the blue balloons lying on the floor, looking around. Oddly enough, there was some frosting stuck to the ceiling. Tyson was sure that frosting didn't belong there. Brother must have been partying hard with his family, he thought glumly.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed a yellow sticky note stuck to the lamp. Tyson picked it up and curiously read it.
Hey, buddy! If you're reading this, it means we're already out. We're eating dinner and might come a little later. We might even bring home some Mrs. Field cookies, so stay if you want. Just make sure not to spook the neighbors, okay? –Percy
"Cookies!" Tyson exclaimed happily. "I hope there's peanut butter flavour!"
A sharp gasp interrupted him, and when he turned, he saw that he had left the door open. An elderly lady was standing there in surprise before running away.
Tyson cocked his head, confused. "Happy Mother's Day!" He said anyway.