Chapter Ten: Tours and Tales

Two Days Later, Atlantis City Tour

I sighed and looked at Triton. Dad droned on about the beauties of Ancient Atlantis. He smirked. Mako was playing a game similar to rock, paper, scissor with Tolo. Except this game was shark, spear, shield. Fresca was watching over her younger sister, Elise. The blue scaled girl was very low today. I hadn't entered into any conversations with her. I missed Tyson, but Dad said that he had work to do. I secretly think it's because the other Mers didn't looked kindly on the Cyclopes. They would have thought it scandalous for the Royal Family to include their Cyclops son… They arrogantly viewed them only for manual labor and nothing else. They didn't even view them as living creatures to be respected!

I snorted. I absolutely despised racism. Hunt swam next to me. "M'lord, would it be alright if I courted Elise?"

I stared at him. "What? You think I'm Eros now? Go and do your best to distract her away from me. I hope you succeed."

He beamed at me and swam to Elise. She gradually started smiling again; he even got her laughing. Triton shook his head.

"Mother's won. I had hoped she wouldn't."

I gave him a sideways glance. "Won at what?"

"Your speech. You're beginning to sound like me."

I clutched my heart and pretended to die. Triton rolled his eyes.

"But seriously, Triton. Am I?"

He nodded. "Yep. 'Go, and do your best to distract her away from me. I hope you succeed.' Since when does Percy talk like that? The old Percy would've said, 'Good luck, man, I hope you net her.'"

I paled. "I've got to see my camp friends. Leo will set me straight."

Triton snickered. "I certainly hope so. It was positively disconcerting to hear you talk like me. We already look alike, I don't want anymore insults to my character."

I gave him the stink eye. "Shut up."

"So eloquent."

I snorted. I looked around and realized that we had moved inside the museum. I gave a shudder. "Hey, Triton?"

He sighed and looked at me. "Yes?"

"The Kindly Ones can't go underwater, right?"

He gave me a double take and then nodded. "That's correct."

I heaved a sigh of relief. With this bounty, I didn't know what monsters would be included in it.

"Why?"

I didn't look at him. "Nothing really, just curious."

He gave me a nonplussed stare. "You're a horrible liar."

I glanced at him and snorted in derision. "Dude, I wasn't really trying." He raised an eyebrow, but I had already moved on.

It was weird for everyone to bow around me. We passed random civilian Mers and they would quickly bow. They were probably bowing to Dad. He was the king and god after all. I just ignored them until Triton pulled me aside.

"Don't ignore them, Percy. That's rude."

I blanched. "But, weren't they just bowing to you guys?"

He stared at me and then groaned. "No. They were bowing to the whole Royal Family. You are a part of that now."

I stared at him and groaned. "I keep forgetting!" My voice echoed slightly. I turned back and waved jubilantly at the Mers I just passed, smiling at them. They hesitantly waved back.

I turned back to Triton and saw that he had his head in his hands. "You will never be a Prince. Never." I snickered.

"Percy! Triton! Come over here!" We turned to see Amphitrite waving us over.

"Yes Mother." Triton said. I just nodded and followed my half brother. I spied a couple of girls drooling over Triton and snickered.

"You got a fanbase, brother dear." Triton glanced over at the group of girls. He grinned at me.

"Are you sure that they're here for me?"

I blinked. "Duh. They ain't here for me, dude."

Amphitrite was staring at me. "Perseus! Watch your grammar!"

I sighed. "Apologies, Mother." She had told me to call her mother. I was really uncomfortable with it, but Dad said that Amphitrite was only trying to get closer to me; she wasn't trying to replace Sally.

Triton made little choking sounds. I sent him a smirk. Poseidon continued to swim through the museum with Amphitrite on his arm. I bumped Triton once accidentally. A few seconds later, he bumped me. I bumped him. He pushed me a little. I pushed him back. It would have started a pushing war, if Mako hadn't cleared his throat and looked at us warningly. We flushed and swam on, albeit a little dejectedly. Our tails drooped.

The tour was boring. I breathed easier when we left that museum. Triton noticed. He whispered to me so Mother wouldn't notice.

"Care to explain your allergic reaction to museums?"

"No."

"Percy…" He wouldn't admit it, but he was pleading with me. I sighed.

"Back when I first discovered my powers, both Zeus and Hades thought I had stolen something of theirs. Hades sent a Kindly One after me to either kill me or get his item back, hopefully both. The Kindly One attack me in a museum. I was alone with it. Well…Chiron appeared out of nowhere to throw me Riptide, Anuklusmos, my sword, but I pretty much was alone in the fight."

Triton stared at me. He forgot to whisper. "How in Tartarus did you survive?!"

Poseidon turned and raised an eyebrow. "Regaling your brother with some past quests, Percy?"

I blushed. "My first monster."

Mako and the others crowded around. "What was it?" Tolo and Hunt asked together.

Amphitrite sighed. "What is it with men and war stories? Anyway, Percy can tell us that story when we get to our picnic." We went to a sandy area that was nicely isolated. It overlooked the Ancient City of Atlantis. We started eating our food. Poseidon motioned for me to continue my story.

I cleared my throat. "I'm not very good at story telling. That's more of a Hermes trait, but I'll try my best. My first monster happened before my father claimed me as his son. I was just Percy Jackson. I didn't even know about the Greek world."

Tolo raised a hand. I smiled. "How old were you?"

"I was twelve. I was actually on an outing of sorts with a bunch of other classmates of mine. We were going to a museum that held a bunch of old things from the past above surface. Anyway, Hades and Zeus were ticked off at my dad. They thought I did some things that Poseidon wanted me to do. I was accused of stealing Zeus' master bolt. I didn't, but that didn't stop Zeus from thinking it. Anyway, Hades was also ticked at me, so he sent Alecto, one of the Kindly Ones to collect. She was going to either collect my soul, or the item that he thought I had, or both.

"I was alone in the museum with her. Chiron popped in out of nowhere to throw me Riptide, or Anuklusmos. He didn't give me a helping hand though." I huffed. "The Kindly One attacked me and I killed it." I munched my sandwich. Underwater food was actually pretty good.

Triton, Hunt, Mako, and Tolo were staring at me as if I had grown two heads.

Triton cleared his throat. "So let me get this straight. You killed a Kindly One by yourself? Untrained? With just a sword? No armor?"

I nodded and kept eating.

Poseidon chuckled. "That's my boy. Triton took on a sea serpent when he was four." He looked proud. "Both sons of the Sea are strong and powerful." He preened slightly. I rolled my eyes in tandem with Amphitrite.

Triton waved that away. "I'm immortal father. The rules are slightly different for a mortal." He stared at me. "How did you kill it?"

"I swung my sword." I pantomimed swinging my sword like I had done then.

Mako whistled. "That would do it. You just did an advanced maneuver when you were twelve and untrained. How are you not famous now?"

Poseidon coughed. I could tell that he was about to spout my titles. "Dad! Have a sandwich!" I all but stuffed a sandwich in his mouth. He raised an eyebrow but caught the message.

"Thank you, Percy. I was getting hungry." He smiled gently.

Mako slumped slightly. He realized that his King wouldn't be giving forth any info on me.

Elise looked at me. "There's a sword competition among the nobles. Why don't you join them?"

I laughed. "I don't fight for fun. It's just not…me. I fight monsters, not nobles." I squinted my eyes and stuck out my lower jaw. She giggled, and Fresca smiled.

Amphitrite shook her head. "Do not make rude impersonations of the nobles, Perseus."

I nodded. "Sorry Mother."

Triton snickered.

"Do not snicker Triton. You sound like you're choking."

He nodded. "Yes, Mother."

I sent Triton a smirk when Amphitrite's back was to me. He glared at me in good humor.

Poseidon cleared his throat. "So, how are Percy's lessons going Triton?"

Triton shook his head in mock despair. "Horrible. Once I asked Percy how to greet a Duke. He just stuck out his hand and said 'Hi! How ya doin?'"

I started laughing. "That's how we greet each other above!"

Triton closed his eyes. "Percy, that's how commoners speak. You are a noble."

I pretended to die. Poseidon sighed. "His eating lessons?" Triton groaned.

I couldn't help it. I snickered. Amphitrite shot me a warning glance. I flicked my tail lazily as I listened to Triton gripe about my lack of manners.

Mako was shaking silently as Triton continued to tell Dad the horrors of my eating. I knew he was laughing. All of them were. I smiled at them. I was pretty dorky.

Once we were done eating, our friends had to leave. Triton had to go do some military general stuff. Amphitrite was doing Queenly business. Dad was about to go, but I stopped him.

"Dad?"

He turned and smiled at me. "Yes Percy?"

"Everyone has something to do. Can I go visit my friends in Camp? Please?!"

He sighed and then nodded. "Come back at sunset."

I nodded and hugged him. "Thank you!"