AN: I'm back! I honestly have no valid excuse for my lateness beyond a simple 'real life'. I hope you guys will understand and will keep reading my stories. I'll leave you to the chapter! Let me know what you think about it, if you want.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine!

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The Inherent Dangers of Aquariums

"Will you get that?"

It takes Poseidon a moment to react to her request. He raises his eyes from the document – 'It's a report, Sally. You think it's easy being the God of the Sea?' – he's reading, glances first at the ringing phone and then at her, eyebrow arched.

Sally sighs, because she knows all too well what that look means. "Technology is not going to murder you, Poseidon." Nor is actually doing something useful every once in a while, she adds uncharitably in her mind. She knows she's not being fair, but she's tired and exasperated by life in general. One of her colleagues at the candy shop left without notice and Sally now has to cover all her shifts until her boss finds a substitute – something she doesn't seem in a hurry to do. As if that wasn't enough, she also has three essays to write, all due next week. Poseidon isn't helping her any by refusing to do a simple chore. "Just do it, please."

He rolls his eyes, but gets up all the same. Sally is pleasantly surprised he does so without the usual fuss about modern technology and she goes back to her essay with a smile on her face. Of course, that's when he has to prove her wrong, because he can't stand to let someone else have the last word.

"I hope you know this is a waste of time for the both of us," he complains, hand already outstretched to grab the phone, "it's probably one of your extremely likeable and not at all obnoxious friends."

He answers the call before she can retort and she has to settle for glaring at him over the edge of her laptop. He's probably right – not that it's much of a stretch: her friends and her boss are the only ones who call her and no one calls Poseidon, for obvious reasons – but she's still hoping she won't have to leave her essay half-finished. Gods know a simple conversation with Eric or Noemi can take up a whole day, especially now that they're about to have a baby. It makes Sally wonder: was she that needy of reassurances back when she was pregnant with Percy? She hopes not.

It's only after a few minutes of relentless typing that she realizes the phone conversation isn't giving any sign of drawing to a close and that Poseidon has made no move to pass the phone to her.

She sets her laptop aside, frowning, and gives Poseidon a questioning look.

He shrugs, bringing a finger to his lips. There is an amused smile on his face.

"Of course," he says, "I understand perfectly." He hums, nodding along with whatever the person on the other side of the line is saying. "It's absolutely outrageous."

Sally's eyebrows rise: that's too much sarcasm even for Poseidon.

"How many sharks did you say were there?"

The hair on Sally's arms stand on end and her heart rate picks up. She has an inkling where this is going and she doesn't like it one bit.

"Well, I would expect you to know, considering –" He moves the phone away from his ear and stares at it amusedly. Sally can hear a feminine voice loudly yelling from the other side. Poseidon's shoulders shake with suppressed laughter. "Of course I do not find it funny," he lies as soon as the phone is once again pressed to his ear, "That would be exceedingly immature. Yes, we'll be there to pick him up soon."

Sally closes her eyes, breathing in deeply. Percy. It's obvious from Poseidon's relaxed stance that whatever happened is not serious enough to warrant their worry, but she can't help it. She knows how accident-prone her son is.

"I'd wish you a good day, but I can tell that's not likely to happen. Goodbye."

He hangs up. There is a moment of silence during which Sally wonders just how much Percy's teacher hates Poseidon right now and then the God in question cracks up.

"Holy me," he says between one breath and the other as he staggers back to the couch, "What a little beast..."

"What's so funny?" Sally hisses. She is one bad news away from tearing her hair out of her head. "What happened? Is Percy –?"

"And you had the audacity to tell me not to call him 'demon-child' –" is Poseidon's non-answer, "– his teacher seemed to think he is an irksome pest, too. In fact, I believe she called him a 'manipulative brat' and a 'devil-child'." He frowns. "It didn't sound as though she thought it was a good thing."

Sally snaps her mouth shut before her jaw can reach the floor. "Poseidon!" she forces out between clenched teeth.

Poseidon looks at her as if he can't understand what's got her so uptight. "What? Oh, he's okay," he reassures her, "Probably expelled again, but okay."

She runs a hand through her hair. Figures. "Damn it. I had hoped…well, it doesn't matter. What happened?" she asks again. "Are you sure he isn't hurt?"

"No one's hurt, Sally," he says long-sufferingly, looking far more like his usual composed self, "There was just a small accident at the aquarium. Serves them right," he adds in a snarky tone, "it's shameful the way they treat those poor animals. Tell me again – why did we allow him to go?"

Sally sighs deeply, pulling closer the pair of shoes she discarded less than an hour earlier.

She has no answer to give.

She knows allowing Percy to go was a bad idea, but he looked so hopeful when he asked that she didn't have the heart to tell him no. Judging from Poseidon's grouchy behaviour as of late – well, grouchier than usual, anyway – Percy's big, pleading eyes and pouty expression worked their magic on him too, stamping out any objections he might had.

She's sure the god regrets it now.

"You know, in the old days," he grumbles in his patented 'I'm older than you and I know best' voice, "I'd have cursed them and their city and their families and even their pets for much less."

"I'm sure it's not that –"

He cuts her off. "I might even have asked for their children to be sacrificed."

They stare at each-other, Poseidon with the expression of someone fondly remembering the good times gone by, back when he could ask for a beautiful maiden to be chained to a rock over the sea and expect it to happen for real, and Sally contemplating what to throw at him. Her shoe or her laptop?

"Only the hot ones, you know," he goes on, smiling blissfully, "There was no way I could have sex with –"

She throws the shoe. Far less expensive.

"Sally!" he complains, rubbing his shoulder. He gapes at her, looking mortally offended. "In the old days, I'd have –"

"Turned me into a crab. Yeah, yeah," she unconcernedly waves the 'threat' away. Poseidon glares at her. "If you could stop talking like my grandfather and tell me what exactly Percy did, that would be appreciated."

"Like your –?!" Poseidon closes his eyes, breathing in deeply. His jaw clenches. "I swear, Sally, sometime you make me wonder how I can possibly survive in this modern world." She rolls her eyes. "Percy…pulled the wrong lever –" He smiles again, but this time it's one of his sharp, dangerous grins (the ones Sally will never admit send tingles down her spine), "– and dumped his entire class into the shark poll."

Sally throws her head back against the couch with a groan. Sometimes, she really hates her life.