Chapter Four: The Reason We Can't Have Nice Things
From what Triton had heard, demigod dreams were usually pretty terrible.
Of course, they had never really experienced a godly dream before. Gods didn't sleep all that much, but when they did, the fates seemed to like to make it that much more painful. The dreams were usually long...And vivid.
In fact, this one was so vivid the only way he had realized it was a dream was from the sign in front of him.
Welcome Newly Deceased!
The Underworld.
Triton had never been to the place before. He couldn't die and had never received an invitation from his Uncle, but this was clearly the place...And unless he had been magically summoned here by Hades, he had to be in some kind of sleep.
The realm was dark with tinges of red and shades of brown. In the distance you could see heaps of color that would likely be jewels and riches of some sort, while a little farther out the green top of a tree could be seen within the fields of punishment.
"No!" the voice yelled out and vibrated throughout the room, sounding hoarse and desperate. Triton knew that voice. He had heard it before.
Looking around he saw nothing though, only the gloomy shade of spirits drifting aimlessly around him. It was almost as if the voice was a recording, playing throughout the Underworld.
"Gods, please...Please..." another voice cried out, different from the first one. This time Triton was able to put a name to it. Wasn't that Percy's girlfriend? He frowned, spinning around as a new voice yelled out, joining the others. What was going on?
"You can't!" Triton looked up, realizing what he was hearing. His mother had once mentioned that in Hades' realm, you could hear the voices of your loved ones mourning your death. Well, he certainly wasn't dead, and the only person that he could think Annabeth Chase's voice could be mourning for would be…
"Percy." the voice was soft and uncertain, causing the sea prince to jump at how the boy seemingly appeared next to him. Triton jolted, looking down at the kid who had played Capture the Flag with them earlier... The son of Hades. "Percy." he said again, sounding more forceful and a spirit paused by them, having been almost to the gates of the Underworld.
"Nico?" it asked and Triton froze. What in the...?
"Hey Perce." Nico spoke quietly and Triton shook his head. Usually, his dreams had a fair amount of accuracy to them, but this was clearly impossible. How could Perseus have died within the last couple of hours? How could he have possibly died at any time? Nico stared at his friend for a moment, seemingly drinking in the view of a very ghostlike son of Poseidon.
"Hey." he greeted weakly and Nico stared for a moment, as if expecting something more. "I'm sorry." the words came sadly with an almost trace of bitterness to them. Triton had no idea what he was apologizing for, but the two boys seemed to have an understanding of what the words meant.
Percy looked over towards the gates again and gave a wry smile. "You think your Dad will even let me in?" he asked lightly, but the other boy didn't reply. "Nico, what did you want me to do?" he asked with exhaustion.
"Do you have any idea-"
"Yes." Percy snapped, cutting him off "I get it. Don't remind me."
"We could have won. Without this."
"Hazel and Frank would have died."
"They were ready!" Nico shot at him suddenly and even Triton jumped out the amount of fury put into the words. "Everyone was prepared for that! Hazel knew she didn't belong out there and Frank just wanted to be with her! Now what? Now they are nearly crazy with guilt! All because you decided to play hero!"
"I couldn't watch them die!"
"It wasn't supposed to be about you!" Nico cried out "They would have been happy in the Elysium together."
"You would have been okay with Hazel dying?" Percy asked with disbelief and Nico stiffened. Obviously they had entered some sort of personal territory and it was literally paining the younger boy to be having this conversation.
"It would be better than seeing how broken she is now. Not eating. Not talking. I can't help her. Even Frank can't seem to get her out of it." he finally said, his voice tight and strained.
A flicker of something wavered in Percy's eyes and he shook his head quietly.
"I need to go through Nico." he sighed, gesturing to the gates and Nico glowered at him.
"You're so selfish sometimes." he muttered, kicking the ground violently "You survived for them, only to make everyone watch you die."
And there it was. Triton didn't understand a thing that was happening here. He didn't get how his half-brother was dead, when he obviously wasn't. It couldn't be a memory, because he was-once more- still alive. The future maybe?
"I think I'm entitled to one selfish thing. At least just this once." Percy frowned, but the guilt was evident enough in his face. Even within his flickering ghostly form, his expressions were still readable.
"I hate you." Nico spat out with disdain and if the look of Percy's face was anything to go by, this wasn't a foreign phrase on the younger boy's tongue.
"Yet you're here." he responded calmly, green eyes suddenly brighter than ever, piercing the son of Hades face. It was strange since his eyes were the only color on him. "What do you want Nico?" he asked forcefully and scream echoed form somewhere out in the field of punishment. Nico took a breath, possibly to reign in his anger, and looked a way for a moment. Slowly he unclenched his fist and gave a wary look at the gates a few feet away.
"I can't let you go through." he answered softly "You need to stay here so it's easier."
At this Percy's eyes narrowed in suspicion, suddenly looking very guarded. His hands flew to his pocket, but then he must have realized he couldn't draw his weapon as a ghost. Nico pursed his lips as though the obvious mistrust was like a physical blow.
"What will be easier?" Percy asked with exhaustion "Nico, what did you do?"
"Nothing." came a hesitant reply "I didn't do anything." There was a pause where they studied one another with critical eyes. Percy glanced towards the gates again and once more at Nico. "Don't do it." Nico told him flatly "Just stay."
"Why?" Percy asked vehemently "I just want to get this over with."
"Too bad." Nico barked at him, with obvious frustration. Seeing Percy shift towards the entrance again, he moved right up to the demigod and pushed him back with surprising force, seeing as his hands should have gone through. Triton supposed it was a child of Hades' thing. "You told me you were my friend. You were always there, even when I didn't make it easy... And even after all that crap I put you through, you still defended me and somehow, you come out of…you know…That place thinking you aren't a good person. Well you were and you are so shut up, stay put, and act like it." he growled and Percy blinked, looking utterly startled by the mixture of hostile affection somehow displayed. He swallowed down what looked to be a temper of some sort, but didn't reply, staying stiff as Nico backed away, his eyes daring him to move.
That place? What did the demigod mean by that? Where had Percy gone and come back from?
"What are we waiting for?" Percy asked again, his tone vibrating with a variety of emotions. Nico looked as though he might answer, but another voice came into play, loud and demanding.
"Perseus." it boomed and Percy looked over behind Triton's shoulder and frowned.
"Lord Hades." he greeted with obvious bewilderment "What-"
"Come." the lord of the dead spoke as he brushed past them all. "We have much to discuss before we return."
"Um... Return? I'm...Very much dead." Percy objected, waving his hand to prove a point. Hades gave him an appraising look, his face calculating and almost... Understanding, in some very offhand way.
"As I said. We have much to discuss. Come." he commanded and Nico nodded at his cousin, gesturing them towards his father.
Triton gasped as he woke, nearly falling off the bed. His head was pounding and the booming voice of Hades still seemed to be vibrating around the room. The god paused for only a second to untangle himself from his sheets before taking a moment to contemplate what in the name of the gods had just happened.
Hesitantly, he glanced towards Percy's bed which remained unused at the moment. Triton knew this shouldn't warrant any concern (if he had felt any towards the brat to begin with). After Triton had demanded Chiron allow him into the cabin and that infernal rock had been disposed of, Percy had disappeared. A smart decision on his behalf considering he was ready to blow the kid up into a thousand pieces. The old centaur had managed to talk him, promising to speak to Percy on the matter. It had been enough to calm him down for the moment, but he was still secretly plotting his own revenge.
Standing up all the way up, he moved towards his designated drawer. He still found it a little weird to get dressed, as strange as that may sound. It wasn't as though he needed to put on pants in Atlantis, being half fish, and shirts were more of a nuisance that anything. Aside from battle armor, he really didn't need much to get ready.
After spending ten minutes throwing on the pieces of clothing, Triton decided the dream couldn't have been nothing more than the Fates attempting to mess with him. Percy was quite obviously still alive and ready to annoy him. If it was a future scene, then he felt as though there was nothing to be done. Things always seemed to worsen when the futures were attempted to be controlled. The Fates were very wild creatures after all.
"Triton?" Pursing his lips he looked over at the demigod in question as he poked his head into the cabin "Uh...Hi?" he offered a weak smile as he narrowed his gaze. "Yeah. Last night. Sorry about that." he said, rubbing the back of his neck "Nice of you to not decapitate me." he added before gesturing outside "So...Mess hall is that way if you want food..."
"I'm fine." the god replied coldly and Percy shrugged, not looking all that disappointed. He was just about to turn away when he noticed the intent look on Triton's face.
"What?" he asked and the older boy shook his head, trying to get the images of a pure white Percy out of his head. It didn't matter anyways. He didn't care.
"Nothing." he finally said and Percy shrugged, leaving the cabin so that the god could wallow in his confusion of whatever was going on.
Triton wasn't for sure when it happened, or how really, but he ended up finally making his way to the dining pavilion despite his earlier protests. He really was hungry and there appeared to be no other way to get food in this gods' forsaken place.
It kind of reminded him of a war zone.
Tables were cluttered about with groups of kids all scrambling to get food, dumping some in the fire while others dove for a spot at a table, most of them ignoring the empty ones. Chiron stood high at his table, his face breaking into a smile when he saw him and gave a little bow of acknowledgement, but didn't say anything. Sighing, Triton wondered if he should just shout at them to get out of his way or throw his weapon.
"Look who it is." Someone called out and Triton raised his eyebrows as six Ares kids jumped from a table, walking towards Percy. Huh. Everyone here seemed to hero worship the kid… What was this here?
Triton leaned back, ready to watch with interest. He was not at all happy with Percy preventing him from getting into their cabin, and had been mere seconds away from pummeling the kid. Watching someone else beat him up was the next best thing.
"Can I help you?" Percy asked blandly with slight annoyance as he walked past them with a roll of his eyes. It was kind of annoying to see that in comparison to the brutes surrounding him, Percy actually looked… Impressive. Straight backed, tall, handsome, powerful, and overall like a leader who knew what he was doing. Triton supposed he already looked like that, but it was easier to ignore when he wasn't around people who made it stick out like a sore thumb.
"Yeah." The one guy said, blocking off his path "You can apologize for making our cabin look stupid."
"Sorry." Percy said flatly and from behind him, his brother's calm façade was ruined by the lake beginning to churn forcefully in the background.
"Please, as if you really mean that." Another one said, coming up from behind him with an expression of taunting hatred.
"Back off." Percy warned and at this point a couple other campers were beginning to notice the rising conflict, par Chiron who was in deep conversation with a cabin leader.
"Hey." Annabeth called out, pushing her way up to stand beside her boyfriend. "It was just a game, and it wasn't a personal attack on you." she shot at them angrily and Percy glanced over at her.
"You know, even if you two are the mightiest heroes in this camp, our whole cabin can still kick your butts." Another one said mockingly "So I would get out of this chica."
"Make me." She growled and Percy cleared his throat.
"Can we just all chill? I didn't-" he started, but was cut off by two of the Ares kids grabbing him and holding him still while another two grabbed Annabeth. Triton scoffed, as Percy rolled his eyes, obviously knowing he could kick their butts within seconds. He could already see his eyes traveling around him, finding a thousand different ways to get out of this if Chiron didn't notice soon.
"Not so tough now." the one mocked, and Percy made an irritated sound.
"Will you grow up?" he hissed and Triton saw the rest of the Ares cabin shift nervously as the one talking growled.
"Peter." One of his sisters spoke warningly and Annabeth looked with slight panic between the two and her words from a couple days earlier suddenly rang back. Peter is one of the Ares kids. Most of them are blood thirsty, but Peter…Well he's dangerous if he loses his temper. Really dangerous.
"I swear Jackson." He snarled and pulled out a dagger from underneath his belt. Immediately there was a buzz. Some of the Ares kids looked alarmed at how quickly that escalated, but most of the other campers were moving to intervene. They weren't going to make it though. Peter was about five seconds away from using that knife, Triton realized, and even if Percy threw those kids off of him or they let go, it would be too late.
And it was.
Percy went into action, throwing the two Ares campers off of him and reaching for his pen, only to find the knife jab into his stomach. Annabeth cried out, her captors having let go of her with the realization this had been taken too far. Peter gave a battle cry, looking as though he was going to keep going.
"Enough!"
His voice rang throughout the hall as Triton strode over, kicking Peter off and stepping on his wrist to get him to relinquish the blade. Chiron had already come over, grabbing the offender roughly and dragging him away from the crowd slightly. Everyone went silent.
Triton's mind was immediately on his dream as he looked to see Percy on the ground. Could this…?
"Perseus." He muttered, squatting down next to him and pushing his shoulder. Percy gave a shaky intake of breath and looked over at him warily.
"I'm fine." He murmured back "Could have taken him."
Triton was pretty sure the second part was true. Even with a knife wound, Percy probably could have still pummeled the Ares brat. That is if he hadn't died instantly from said wound.
"Whatever. Get up so we can get you to the water." He spoke tersely and glowered his death glare over at Peter, who was watching the scene with Chiron's hand firmly on him.
"Who the Hades do you think you are? Attacking the son of Poseidon? With a god present? What idiot could be more foolish?" he spoke coldly and held up his hand as Peter opened his mouth to retort "No. Your voice seems to lower the intelligence of the entire camp, so if I were you I would quit inflicting your thoughts on the world, shut up, and keep your useless, pathetic existence to yourself before my father comes to obliterate you." He finished and heard a low whistle from someone in the crowd. Glancing over, he saw Percy had stood back up, refusing help from Annabeth who looked as though she was going to drag him to the infirmary herself with frustration.
"I got it." He grumbled to her, ignoring the amount of blood that was beginning to pool his shirt.
"Oh shut up." Triton sighed, and allowed him to accept the ambrosia Annabeth was offering before pushing him towards the lake. "Come on before you die."
"I would think that would make your day." Percy told him through gritted teeth as he tried to resist flinching.
"Perhaps…But then Father would be groaning about it forever which would just make you more annoying dead than alive." He shrugged and heard a weak chuckle.
"Aw, I knew you cared." He murmured and Triton snorted, pushing him as hard as he could into the water and waited for him to pop back up.
"Wait, wait, wait." Triton ordered as the two made their way back to the dining pavilion "So you're telling me the Ares scum is not going to be executed?"
"Uh…No." Percy shrugged, rubbing his stomach with annoyance. It had taken him a little over ten minutes to heal, but he insisted he was well enough to go eat. Apparently hamburgers were a very rare thing to have at Camp Half-blood and Percy was very willing to sacrifice his health to have one. "I don't know exactly what's going to happen to him, but I'm guessing lots of chores, extra trainings, being shunned by his cabin… Or perhaps telling Mr. D… So maybe he will die... Nah, Mr. D would give him a medal or something." He added thoughtfully and Triton frowned.
"Your camp's ways are too… Lenient. If this was father's palace, he would be fed to a sea monster. Considering your Poseidon's son, he may have even been tortured as well."
"That's… Reassuring? I thought the Roman camp was harsh." Percy frowned, looking slightly alarmed as they got their food. "Thanks for…You know. Coming over I guess." He shrugged as he added some more food on his plate.
"Don't think too much of it. I still don't like you." Triton told him flatly and Percy's mouth twitched as though he was refraining from being amused.
"Of course." He told him and headed over to the empty table which was relegated all by itself.
"You're eating alone?" Triton spoke with slight incredulity and watched as the kid shrugged sadly.
"I kind of have to. We sit at our godly parent's table." He explained as he went over and pushed some of his food into the fire. "I don't know if it counts for you since you're a god and all." He added, but Triton had already sat down, examining the sandwich in his hand.
"This doesn't look very appealing." He commented with a grimace and Percy stared.
"You don't get out of the water much, do you? Hamburgers are amazing. Try it." He commanded and Triton narrowed his eyes. For some reason he was having a flashback of a certain five year old asking him if he liked pizza.
"Watch your tongue." He muttered and took a bite, slowly allowing the flavor to settle in. It was good. Really good. Not that he would ever admit it.
"So…" Percy started awkwardly after several minutes of silence and clicked his tongue. Triton looked at him expectantly for a moment and finally Percy shrugged "I don't know. I'm just bored."
"Do you do this every meal?"
"Yep. I usually end up just playing solitary after eating. We have to stay here for at least an hour so Chiron knows were actually eating and stuff."
"Why wouldn't you be?" Triton frowned and Percy pushed his now empty plate to the side and took a sip of some strange blue coke.
"Health reasons. A few years ago some Aphrodite girl quit eating because her counselor told her she weighed too much. Then, an Athena kid kept skipping his meals because he would just read at the table the whole time. I think a Hephaestus kid kept making things out of his food so he wouldn't eat either…" he finished, pulling out a deck of cards and shuffling them.
"Mortals are strange." Triton decided and Percy gave him an appalled look.
"Well it isn't as though you have to eat. You probably worked for days without eating and didn't realize it. Or can change your appearance with a snap of your fingers. It's harder for us." He defended and started setting up a game. "What?" he asked at his questioning look "It isn't as though I can have a video game over here. Besides, I have to try to be able to keep up with Annabeth." He added, placing the cards down.
"Do you know how to play Ships?" he asked, pushing his own plate away.
"What's that?" Percy frowned and Triton took that as a no.
"A game we play at the palace. I guess you mortals might compare it to…Poker I think?" he said and Percy's face darkened considerably.
"Never been a fan of Poker." He muttered and Triton gave him a calculating stare before deciding it was better to leave it alone. He could always order the information out of him later if he really cared enough.
"Well this is the better version of it." He replied, taking the cards off of the table, ruining Percy's game, and then rearranging them. The younger of the two pouted, but didn't object as Triton set up the complicated game and then began to explain the rules. It took at least twenty questions, three different tries of explaining, and all of Triton's little patience, but eventually he seemed to get the general drift of it.
"HA!" Percy yelled out, slamming three of his kings down in triumphant. Triton snorted and responded with two aces, leaving the other scowling and glaring at the cards. They had been in the middle of their fifth round, and obviously Percy wasn't going to give up until he won.
"At least try to keep a blank face." He chortled "I can tell everything you have by your expression." He told him and watched as Percy carefully let his face become unreadable.
Hmm…
Slowly, he went to put down his winning hand before pausing for a second. He really didn't want to play again, and just knew they would have to if the brat lost once more. Internally rolling his eyes, he instead mixed his cards and flipped down a six.
"Wait." Percy said, letting his eyes go wide as he put down the rest of his cards. "Did I just win?"
"Barely."
"YES!" he beamed and sat back smugly. "Knew I could beat you." He grinned wildly and Triton felt his mouth fall open.
"You-? What!? No you couldn't!"
"Just did."
"Luck!"
"That's what they said the first time I kicked butt with a sword." He threw back and Triton let his hand run through his hair in exasperation. This kid was going to kill him…Or vice versa, whichever came first.
"You know what? You're annoying." He snapped and Percy rolled his eyes.
"Funny how often I get that." He grumbled, sounding half peeved by the statement. Smirking, Triton flicked a card at him to compensate for his unintentional kindness in letting him win. "Ow." He whined.
"Please. You got stabbed earlier and said you were fine. I don't think a card hurt you."
"Maybe I am just used to having the Achilles' curse." He clicked, frowning as he poked his own skin. "Still weird."
Triton ignored him, noticing that most people were getting up, the hour obviously over by this point. Stretching his arms, he waved over Chiron, who galloped towards them with a pleased look. Probably thinking that they were getting along or something.
"Triton." He greeted "Percy. Are you feeling alright?" he asked, eyeing him over.
"Oh yeah. Water cleaned me right up." He yawned before spotting Annabeth and Grover "Uh… Hey, am I still teaching sword fighting tomorrow?" he asked and at Chiron's confirmation, nodded and headed off to join his friends.
"Lord." Chiron said, turning to him and Triton took a moment to watch Percy greet his friends.
"What is to happen to the camper who stabbed him?"
"Undecided."
"Hm. I see." Triton pursed his lips before realizing it might sound like he felt concern for the brat. "Is Dionysus returning soon?"
"Within three days. With all the war that has happened he has many decisions to make on who stays sane and who does not."
"I never quite envied his job." Triton murmured, having always pitied the god. Despite his reputation for drinking and partying it seemed eerie. No matter how many fun things you can reign over as a god, dealing with madness canceled all that out.
Triton was a little unsure of what to with himself after that.
He could go back to the cabin, but it was getting much too dull in there and Triton, unknown to Percy, would have it all to himself the rest of the afternoon. He could do a 'camp activity' as Chiron put it, but that simply sounded less than dignified. The beach would just make him homesick and he had no campers he really liked to talk to...
"Chiron." he suddenly said as he watched a mob of orange and purple shirts walk by. "The camps...Are they getting along?" he wasn't for sure why he asked or even cared. It just popped into his mind. He had a nagging suspicion his Dad wanted to know and decided to use Triton's mind as messenger, but didn't comment on it.
"Well...Better than usual." Chiron chuckled with fond exasperation. "They are all very determined. I suppose you've heard about the gods wishing to separate the Greeks and Romans again?" he asked and Triton nodded vaguely, reviewing the facts in his head. Once the giant war had finished, there had been a bit of uneasiness on whether the Greek and Romans should remain together or separate. Fear of violence and conflicting races seemed to increase, and it ended with Apollo standing up in front of Olympus, quoting the 'I Have a Dream' speech. Athena, in her ways, had been furious that he had destroyed such a beautiful form of rhetoric and nearly pulverized him.
"The gods want to keep them apart again." Chiron sighed "Percy and the others don't want that, so they are attempting to make a point. Romans and Greeks are taking turns switching camps so that they're always mixed up. Annabeth and Percy should be heading over to Camp Jupiter next month to stay for a little while... Maybe longer if they decide to go to college there." he added and Triton nodded, impressed that the two camps were working together on this. He doubted the Romans gave way to the Greeks easily, especially considering the launched battle on Camp Half-blood after their own camp was attacked.
"I don't quite understand one thing though... I know if the heroes survive their prophecy they tend to get rewards. Why not ask for the camps to be united?" he asked and Chiron blinked, giving him a very long look.
"Your father never told you what they asked for?" the old centaur inquired softly and when Triton simply looked at him with confusion, sighed. "I suppose he wanted you to find out from Percy himself. Though I bid you the best of luck getting it out of him."
"Getting what out of him? Tell me." he demanded and Chiron smiled at him with tinted sadness, leaving Triton's authority diminished. Despite his normal resentment for this camp, he still held the teacher in high respect. After all he had done for Triton's own children...
Cringing, Triton decided not to think of that. There was a reason he didn't have any half-bloods of his own running about this place, and a reason he had never stepped foot inside of his camp. He tried hard not to think about it.
"My lord, I would suggest you speak to your father on these matters." Chiron told him and Triton scoffed, glaring at the sea which pounded softly on the sand not too far away.
"Athena and his bickering drove away Iris I'm afraid." Triton told him "And I feel no need to contact him by...Other means." he added. Triton knew he could simply step into the water if he wished to speak to his Dad, but he also knew the amount of home sickness would be ridiculous. He wasn't about to put himself through that yen and then have Poseidon not even answer.
Chiron, for his part, looked vaguely amused by the news. Smiling, the old centaur dipped his head for a moment, as if resisting laughter.
"He has upset Lady Iris now?" he asked with sparkling eyes "How rather unfortunate."
If that didn't raise a heavy amount of suspicion, he didn't know what did.
"Is there something I should know?" he asked with patented glare and Chiron shook his head with slight exasperation.
"Nothing you need to worry over. Your father simply never ceases to surprise me at times...A trait he had passed on to your brother and yourself."
"I like to believe a little more steady than he is." Triton told him. He liked be calm and predictable...Even though he knew he didn't always achieve those aspects.
"The god of waves steady?" Chiron asked with a cocked eyebrow. "That is a surprise within itself."
"You put things in the most disheartening of ways." Triton scowled at him and a smirk came over the activities' director's face.
"I speak only the truth." he said simply and looked over at the group of Hermes kids whispering is hushed tones. Narrowing his eyes, he turned back to Triton. "I must go... I suspect I will have to stop some sort of foolishness." he shook his head and Triton smiled slightly at his completely irritated swish of the tail.
"Farewell then, Chiron." the god told him and the centaur galloped towards the kids, who looked over at him in alarm as he approached. Chuckling, the god walked over to arena.
Triton had always loved sword fighting. He was better with his trident, but the item just didn't hold that much power when he was out of his domain. His Dad's was another story of course, but that was...Well... Poseidon. An almighty powerful god of Olympus who could squash you with his pinky finger. Triton knew he could never live up to that.
Twirling the bronze blade, he hacked absent mindedly at the dummies, allowing himself to lose his thoughts to aching of his muscles. The Ares girl hadn't caused him much damage. He was already healed up. Only his pride remained wounded along with the stabbing of humiliation at her second almost successful strike. He knew if Perseus hadn't been there he could be sporting a very embarrassing looking forehead right now.
Part of him had wanted to kill the girl on instinct, but he had never been one to pick unnecessary battles. Besides, even Triton acknowledged this camp as a safe place for demigods. He respected that much.
Chopping off another head of a dummy, he let out an irritated noise. Stupid children. He knew it was irrational for him to be upset with Percy for saving him...No, not saving. He wasn't a damsel. Helping him. Either way, he didn't like it.
He didn't need the half-blood's help. Nor did he want it. Perhaps it was a childish feeling, but Triton had never liked Perseus Jackson on instinct. Obviously because he was a result of his father hurting his mother- his amazing mother- as well as...Other things. Triton clenched his teeth as he shook his head. He was such a child sometimes.
That didn't make much of the anger subside.
How was it that after his years of being on this planet that he got shown up by heroes every time?
His father simply doted on his half-blooded children, never paying much attention to his immortal ones. Over the years he had boiled it down the fact that Poseidon would have them forever, while his demigods would only be a passing pleasure. It still hurt though, as much as he hated to admit it.
"Wow. You aren't that bad." Turning, Triton latched onto a pair of green eyes as they bore into him.
"I've had a few years of practice." he shrugged and the girl gave a wry smile, pushing fire colored hair out of her face impatiently. Triton hadn't seen her before. She was tall, with vivid green eyes and messy clothes that looked as though they had been through a paint ball war. A daughter of Demeter perhaps?
"That's what everyone has been saying." she smiled and plopped down on one of the stadium benches, her face gaining a dreamy quality.
Triton waited, expecting her to tell him something. Maybe Dionysus had finally returned? The girl didn't say anything though, simply watching him expectantly. Did she want him to do a flip or something?
"Who are you again?" he asked her and her smile got wider and Triton could have sworn he felt a slight breeze.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare." she grinned and the god nodded. He had heard Apollo talk of this girl often, his obvious fondness for her surviving his Oracle was uncanny. Of course it had also theoretically gained her the dislike of a certain god of messengers. Triton learned not to ask too many question of the subject though. It would be cruel to bring up May Castellan or Rachel Dare in front of Hermes.
"The Oracle." he acknowledged and Rachel gave an annoyed huff.
"Is that all I'll ever get credit for?" she grumbled "Can't you just call me...Oh, I don't know...Rachel?" she demanded and Triton blinked at her sudden mood change.
"Uh...Okay..." he told her. What was she doing here again?
"So, that dream you had last night." she began seriously and Triton stared at her. "What? I'm 'The Oracle' remember?" she asked, using her fingers to quote her title with a role of her eyes. "I know all."
"And you wish to talk about my dream?" he asked her flatly, trying to keep the incredulity out of his voice. It didn't work.
"Well...More or less." she shrugged and pulled out a sharpie from her pocket, doodling on her frayed jeans with a look of utter concentration. "You see, Percy happens to be my friend." she said, though her tone suggested that they may not been always the case. Had Annabeth Chase had competition?
"So it was a vision. The dream. I will happen in the future." he nodded in understanding. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"What? Oh, no. That already happened." Rachel told him dismissively and Triton felt his forehead crinkle with lack of understanding. "Wait. Don't start twenty questions yet. I can only give away so much." she paused to close her sharpie and look admiringly at the new picture of some sort symbol on her jeans. "Alright. Here's the deal. Only Percy can tell you the full story of what happened, but well...He's Percy." she shrugged "AKA very stubborn and difficult at times...All the time." she corrected. "So my job is to make sure he tells you."
"Why would it matter if he tells me anything?"
"Think of this way. The Fates showed you that dream probably. Those old hags are like my boss' boss. If they showed you the dream and showed me them showing you the dream-"
"Will speak plainly?" Triton scowled at her and Rachel looked at the sky in annoyance.
"I am." she frowned "I guess I'll put it in Percy words. I'm doing what the Fates want me to do. I don't know why they want you to know anything, but they do. I'm just following the chain of command here." she shrugged "So the point here is this: talk to Percy. Try not to annoy him."
"Me? Annoy him?" he asked with an opened mouth and Rachel shrugged
"From what Annabeth tells me, sibling annoyance goes both ways. Listen. If I know Percy, and I do, he's not going to want to talk about this. So just... Don't make him too upset."
"Your advice is eye-opening."
"Gods, you really are related to him." Rachel grumbled with annoyance, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "I-" she suddenly paused for a second as her phone buzzed.
Huh. Probably the only person in this camp to have a phone, aside from Annabeth.
"Ugh. Octavian." she answered "Haven't you ever heard of texts?" she griped with annoyance "Well if you don't like me, why are you calling!? I'm in the middle of something!" she hissed and went quiet for a moment. "Well I got news for you pal, I don't need a teddy bear to tell me that if don't quit bothering me I'll shove my hairbrush down your throat... For the last time no! You cannot take Ella! Or kill Percy. Or Annabeth. No. No...No...No...No...No...No... Yes. No, I was just kidding. Look. If we're going to try to do this 'share the fame' thing we have to- Don't interrupt me!" she growled and a very angry voice yelled back into the receiver. "Ugh, why did the Romans have to have an Augur?" she groaned and kneaded her forehead. "Octavian. How about you take a pillow pet and predict my answers and I'll try to predict yours? Ok? Wonderful. Bye." she ended the call with a snap and rolled her eyes.
"Apollo shouldn't have kids." she told him flatly and Triton knew better than to ask. "Where was I?" she frowned and Triton slowly relinquished his sword.
"Uh...I think you were finished. Ask Percy about his death that somehow happened in the past and don't make him turn into a crying girl." he surmised. Rachel pursed her lips, but before she could correct him on the matter, the god had already exited the training area.
He wasn't about to lie.
That Oracle kind of scared him.
The thing about being a child of Poseidon, is that there is one trait that you will usually always have in common with your immediate relatives…The inability to not listen very well or do what others want you to.
Triton liked to think he was better than most of his family, but well… Even he had a rebellious streak. He may have promised Rachel Elizabeth Dare to talk to Percy, but she never told him when he had to do it. The Fates could simply wait. Besides, he had a perfectly good entertainment system going here.
"Triton!" Percy yelled as he pounded on the door to his cabin and the god smiled contently as he looked up from the sword his was sharpening. "Let me in!"
"What?" he asked and heard a string of curses outside the door. Deciding to further mess with him, he flicked his hands so that the door unlocked and the spells preventing Percy from entering fell.
"You-" the younger son of Poseidon started as he stormed in and Triton twirled his hand again. The walls were back up and Percy let out a yell of frustration as he found himself once more outside of his cabin.
"Perseus, aren't you going to come in?" he asked innocently and couldn't help but laugh as he heard something thrown at the door in anger.
Revenge was sweet.
Sorry everyone! I guess it is still Thursday, so I wasn't technically late with this, but I still had planned on getting it out a little earlier than ten. As always, if you see any mistakes please let me know!
Thanks for reading (:
-Kensi
