Percy bolted upright in his bed, sweat beading his forehead. He had just had the same nightmare that had been plaguing him for months – Mrs. Dodds turning into a scaly, winged creature and flying at him, claws outstretched. The attack at the museum had been haunting him through the nights, and the rest of Yancy Academy was convincing him he was crazy during the day, everyone set on the fact that Mrs. Dodds had never existed. He was getting extremely stressed, and he had reverted back to silence and ASL communication in an effort to take some stress off himself – it took more effort to do what he needed to in order to verbally communicate when he was stressed, or when it was dry or when it hadn't rained for ages.
He glanced at the clock before heading into the bathroom that was attached to the dorm he shared with his best friend, Grover. He undressed quickly and stepped into the shower, letting the cold-water wash over him as he sat down, leaning against the side of the shower. Water had always calmed him down, had always been where he felt the most at peace. And it had always been a place where he could relax and let himself make the noises that he knew were a version of communication but also knew he couldn't use in front of others – people his instincts wanted him to call land dwellers, even though he had no clue why or what it meant.
He stayed sitting in the shower for a long time, simply letting the water wash over him as he absently clicked, squeaked, hummed, and wailed, sometimes making signs that he knew – had always known – but that weren't part of ASL. He had no clue when or where he had learnt the signs or the noises, but he knew what they meant. It was instinctual, and it was more comfortable than ASL or the way he spoke. He finally got out of the shower when Grover woke up and knocked on the door, needing to use the toilet.
Another day in school, trying to convince himself he wasn't going mad, and trying not to get bullied or in trouble for his silence.
Percy groaned as he sat up, his head aching.
"Careful there." He turned his head and found Grover sitting by the bed, looking like he hadn't slept for a week. Everything that had happened came rushing back to him and he groaned again. He opened his mouth, trying to do whatever it was that let him speak, but no sound came out. He tried again, but his head kept pounding, ruining his concentration. He sighed and turned to Grover.
'What happened? What's going on? Where are we?'
"We're at a place called Camp Half-Blood. It's a safe place for people like you. You've been out for 2 days. What do you remember?" Grover asked. Percy frowned, trying to sort his memories out.
'You came in the storm, saying something about something being right behind you. Lightning hit the car. There was a monster, half-man, half-bull. The Minotaur?' he asked, spelling out the name of the monster.
"Yeah, Pasiphae's son. Be careful with names, they have power. Signing should be alright, but don't say them out loud. Do you remember anything else?"
'You were passed out. The monster attacked, and mum disappeared. I killed it, with its own horn, I think. Then I blacked out.'
"That's pretty much it, yeah. Sorry Perce, I should have asked earlier. Are you alright? Does anything hurt? And I'm sorry about your mum Percy. I'm a terrible satyr."
'Is she really gone? Is she dead? My head hurts, like a constant pounding.'
"I didn't see what happened, but yeah, I think so. I'm so sorry Percy. And here, this drink should help your head," Grover said, passing Percy a tall glass of amber liquid that looked very much like apple juice. Percy took a sip, staring at the liquid in surprise at the taste, having expected apple juice – it tasted like a liquid version of his mum's homemade blue cookies, with the choc chips still melting. He took another sip, the pounding in his head disappearing like it had never been there at all.
"Thank you," Percy said quietly, his ability to project his voice easier to use now that his head didn't feel like there was an explosion occurring in it.
"Course Perce. Come on, Chiron and Mr. D are waiting for us," Grover said, taking the glass from his hand before helping him to his feet. Percy swayed slightly as he stood before getting his balance and following his best friend out of the room he was in, wondering who Mr. D and Chiron were.
Percy stared around at Olympus as he walked along the path that led to the throne room – hopefully. He had no idea what he was getting in to but hoped that he would be allowed to leave Olympus alive; he had brought Zeus' lightning bolt back after a long and hard quest, after all. He had struggled with his selective mutism through the quest, especially when they were in the Underworld – and he had discovered that his selective mutism had a godly reason behind it, and how he was able to speak.
When he was first claimed and moved into the Poseidon cabin, which he discovered was referred to as the Sea Cabin by those who lived in it, he had found a note sitting on one of the beds, addressed to him. It had explained to him about his connection to the sea, how it had caused his vocal cords to be different to those of land dwellers. It had explained how he would have instinctively known how to use his powers to manipulate the water molecules to create sound waves, and how the signs and noises he instinctively knew were the communications used in the sea – the signs of the sea and the sounds of the sea. It had explained how if it was dry or very hot, or if he was under stress or incredibly anxious, then his ability to manipulate those water molecules would become harder to use; either because his emotions made it hard to concentrate or because there was only a small amount or water molecules to use. It had explained how, normally, the cabin would have a handful of other children with the blood of the sea, not just his siblings.
The note had explained how he would have to discover his powers and abilities on his own, both because it would let him find and push his own limits, and also because even his dad didn't know what abilities the sea had given him on top of his God-given abilities from his dad. It had explained how the sea was the one to choose his name, how it was the sea who named him Perseus; his mum had always liked the name, but it had been the sea that decided on it and allowed his mum to name him Perseus. Knowing that the sea had named him Perseus made it seem more special, like a name just for the sea and those of the sea and made him more determined to only go by his nickname of Percy while on land. He had decided that only those of the sea would know him as Perseus; this decision was made slightly more difficult by the monsters always referring to him as Perseus Jackson, since they somehow knew his name.
And, most importantly, in Percy's opinion, it told him that Poseidon, his dad, was proud of him and was watching over him, even if he couldn't see him.
Percy pulled himself out of his thoughts as he reached the throne room, steeling his nerves and adjusting the backpack on his shoulder before stepping in. He was instantly overwhelmed by the crackling power in the air, and could tell that, just like in the Underworld, the godly power in the air, mixed with the dryness of the air – like the dry and ozone feeling before a storm – would not allow him to easily speak. But he would try.
He knelt down in front of the thrones, acknowledging first his father and then the King of Gods – it was only right to acknowledge the King of the Seas, as a being of the sea before anything else, before the King of the Gods, especially since he wasn't a god. Zeus didn't seem to agree, but thankfully his father was quick to placate him, and Percy could sense the water molecules in the air shifting as the words that seemed to come from his dad floated through the air; even though the note had explained it, it was nice to know that there were others who spoke on land the same way he did.
And then, at his dad's prompting, he told the story of their quest. He explained about everything that had happened, the encounters that set them back or pushed them off course, and the circumstances that led to them finding the bolt. He spoke of the multiple run ins with Ares, and talked about everything that had happened in the Underworld. He had to pause, multiple times throughout the story, to regain his bearings and steady himself before pushing on – normally if it was that difficult to project his voice, he would simply fall silent, relying on his hands to speak for him, but he could tell that Zeus would not appreciate that, so he pushed on.
He relaxed slightly as Zeus disappeared, the heavy feeling in the air disappearing with the god. He looked up as his dad stepped towards him, shrinking down to human size.
"Sir, what was in the pit?" he asked as silence spread between them – it was both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.
'Have you not guessed Perseus?' his father asked, signing the question in the signs of the sea. Percy instantly felt safe and at home; here was someone who knew the language he instinctively wanted to use, here was someone he could communicate with without a thought.
'Kronos. The King of the Titans. My grandfather,' he replied.
'From time to time over the eons, my father has stirred from his place in Tartarus, where he resides in pieces. He breathes evil thoughts and invades men's nightmares, wakening restless monsters from the depths of the pits. But to suggest that he could rise is another thing.'
'It is true. I could feel his power. He is healing, coming back.'
'I may believe you, my son. The sea has felt echoes of his disturbances, and there have been whispers of sea forces long forgotten stirring once again. But Lord Zeus has closed all discussion on this matter. He will not allow talk of Kronos. You have completed your quest, Perseus, and that is all you have to do.'
He raised his hands, about to reply, before he paused and lowered his head. 'As you wish, father.' He didn't look at his dad as he finished signing his message, keeping his head bowed.
"Obedience does not come easily to you, does it Perseus?" his father asked, and Percy tilted his head slightly at the sounds; he had made similar sounds himself when he was alone and talking to himself, but it was very different to hear someone else use the same noises as communication. He shook his head in answer to the question, his gaze still directed towards the ground.
"I must take much of the blame for that. The sea does not like to be restrained, as you must have worked out by now, and you are of the sea because of your connection to me. And Perseus, your mother has been returned, she will be waiting for you when you return home."
Percy lifted his head, a small smile making its way across his face at the news of his mum. He opened his mouth to ask something, before snapping it shut again and shifting his gaze, so he was looking at his dad's shoulder, rather than his face.
"Your mother is a queen amongst mortals Perseus. And I will never regret being with her or helping grant her wish to have a child, but I will regret the fate I have given you." Percy winced, shutting his eyes, and lowering his head back towards the floor, his smile sliding from his face. His father had basically said that he was a mistake, that he wished he wasn't born. He unconsciously wrapped his arms around himself, giving himself comfort.
"Oh Perseus, that's not what I meant," Poseidon said, crouching down and lifting Percy's chin with his finger, causing him to open his eyes to look at his dad. "I will never regret having you. You are my son, my child. I simply dislike that I have burdened you with the life of a hero. All demigods face tragedy through their lives, and I regret that I have brought a similar fate down on you. But I will never regret having you as my son Perseus."
"Really?" Percy asked, blinking back tears that were forming in his eyes.
"Of course, my son. You read the note I sent you, and I will tell you as many times as I need to until you believe it. I love you so, so much Perseus, and I am so incredibly proud of you and the person you are becoming. I love you and even if I am not there, I will be watching over you as much as I can."
"Thank you, dad," Percy said, wrapping his arms around his dad. Poseidon gently returned the hug for a few moments before stepping back.
'I love you Perseus. You are a true child of the sea.' Poseidon gave him one last smile before disappearing in a shower of bubbles, leaving Percy to make his way back out of Olympus and home to his mum on his own.
Percy collapsed on his bed in his cabin with a muted groan. He loved Tyson, he had since he had first met him, but he didn't want him as a brother, didn't want to have to share his cabin with him. Annabeth had thought he was crazy for not realizing that Tyson was a cyclops, for not realizing that they were half-brothers through his dad. But his instincts had basically yelled at him to hide the secrets of the sea from him. He had originally thought it was just because he was so close with Tyson that his instincts were telling him that, reminding him that his new friend couldn't know. But now, he could tell that the communication of the sea was not a secret that cyclops were allowed to know, at least, he knew the time wasn't right for Tyson to discover them – he somehow knew that telepathic conversation was the way to communicate with cyclops below the sea.
And now his dad had claimed Tyson. He understood why, of course he did. Tyson had the blood of the sea in him, meaning that the Sea Cabin was rightfully his to stay in. But he was a cyclops. And no matter how much blood of the sea a cyclops had, none of the cyclops were chosen of the sea while the solely lived on the surface, and no cyclops was allowed to witness the sounds of signs of the sea until the sea claimed them. So yes, he did understand why his dad had claimed Tyson. But he hated the fact that his dad had unintentionally taken away his one safe place, the one place he could freely use the communication of the sea while above land.
The next few days were tough for Percy. He was irritable a lot, snapping at the other campers often, especially when they made a comment about his relationship with Tyson. He didn't mean to snap or be irritable, he didn't mean to be so mean to Tyson. But he didn't have the release he had always had – his room at home, the shower at boarding schools, and the Sea Cabin at camp. And he hadn't realized how much he had relied on that release, how much he had depended on having a safe place to use his instinctual method of communication after masking it all day.
He ended up hiding in the lake when everything got too much. Annabeth had pulled him aside during their shared free block and, quite forcefully, told him to get it together, stop acting like an idiot, and stop taking out whatever was annoying him on the rest of the camp. He had had to bite his tongue to stop himself snapping at her – or letting out a very high squeal that his dad, and mum if she could understand the sounds of the sea, would not appreciate him using or saying – and had retreated into the lake. He swum to the deepest part of the lake and simply sat there, letting the water around him sooth and calm him. Here he was free to let out the instincts he had masked for the past few days, let out the signs and sounds he had wanted to release in the Sea Cabin but had been unable to, due to Tyson being there.
He spent almost an hour down there, only coming up when someone started throwing stones around the edge of the lake. It was most likely Annabeth, and it was most likely to get his attention.
That night, he had a peaceful dream, rather than one of Grover. He was simply relaxing in the ocean. As he floated in the sea, his dad's voice echoed around him.
"I apologize for causing you to lose your safe place Perseus. I neglected to think of how the sea hides its secrets from my cyclops sons until they are accepted at our underwater forge. But Tyson is my son, regardless of the sea not choosing and blessing him or accepting him just yet, so I couldn't not claim him. I am sorry for taking away your safe place Perseus." Percy let out a sigh, a trail of bubbles leaving his lips; one of the naiads had clearly told his dad of the hour he spent in the lake, and some of the things he had said while releasing his frustrations.
"I understand dad. He's your son and he is my brother, even if the sea didn't claim him and will wait before accepting him. I just wasn't used to not having somewhere to release." The sea around him seemed to warm slightly, flowing around him in a soothing manner before he fell into an even deeper sleep and away from any dreams at all.
Percy did his best not to breathe through his nose as he tackled Nereus – he smelled horrible. He wrestled with the Old Man of the Sea for a few minutes, before tricking him into taking both of them into the water.
"Damn it, why won't you drown?" Nereus asked, and Percy grinned.
"I'm the newest demigod son of Poseidon, a child of the sea. The sea won't hurt its own," Percy replied, just knowing that he could use the sounds of the sea to communicate with Nereus, that Nereus would understand.
"You are Prince Perseus," Nereus stated, pausing in his struggle for a split-second, and allowing Percy to get the upper hand. Percy frowned slightly at the title – he disliked being referred to as Lord or Boss or Prince, but he knew that it was his rightful title; both as his dad's son, and as a named Prince of the Sea by the sea itself.
"I am," Percy agreed, before switching his grip so that Nereus was completely trapped. "And I believe that I have you trapped, so now I get one of my questions answered."
"Why do half-bloods always attack me?"
"Because you know everything. Now, I have a question for you to answer," Percy said, before he and Nereus both surfaced, Nereus grumbling under his breath.
"If I have to," Nereus grumbled. Percy asked his question, the four of them all being surprised by the answer. Once they had gotten away from Thorn, thanks to Mr. D's help – which was grueling to ask for, especially since it was always much harder to project his voice to someone on the other side of an Iris Message – Grover volunteered to go with the Ophiotaurus to make sure it got safely to camp. Percy knew that his dad would need a sacrifice to help make sure Grover got there safely; Grover was not one of the sea, and he didn't have blood of the sea either, so he would not be able to travel underwater without aid, and aiding someone to traverse under the sea – which was a sentient thing – would require something to convince him to help, or a power boost, or a reason for the sea to help and allow it.
Percy looked at the sea for a moment, the dreams he had been having running through his mind, before making his decision. He unclasped the lion skin hanging on his back and dropped it in the water. He verbally projected his prayer, so his quest mates could hear what he was saying, while quietly using the sounds of the sea to make the request, as he did with every prayer towards his dad since he had first met him.
"Dad, please accept my offering. Please help Grover and help provide him a safe passage back to camp through the sea."
Percy stood in front of the Olympians, exhausted from the battle and from holding the sky, listening to the Olympians vote about whether or not to kill him. At the moment, the silver strand of hair that had appeared less than an hour ago, was falling down in front of his face, reminding him of everything he had gone through in the last two days alone. And at the moment, he didn't care if the Olympians decided to kill him – as long as they didn't hurt Bessie, as long as they didn't hurt the Ophiotaurus, a creature of the sea, he didn't care what else they did; he could feel it in his very blood, a small voice he knew to be the sea whispering in his ear to protect the creatures of the sea, to protect those he was responsible for as a Prince of the Sea.
'Dad, you can't let them hurt the Ophiotaurus. He's a creature of the sea, he's one of your creatures,' Percy signed in ASL, not wanting to use the signs of the sea with so many other witnesses – especially not when a handful of his friends and a few of the gods knew ASL and would know if he was using different signs; he couldn't talk though, not after the stress of a battle and holding the sky.
"Perseus is correct. The Ophiotaurus is a creature of the sea, one of my creatures to protect. I will not let you kill it."
"You can not have it residing in the sea, in your domain. I will not allow you to have such power at your fingertips," Zeus thundered, and Percy did his best to not roll his eyes; Zeus had no idea the amount of power his dad had, the amount of power any of the sea had – for one thing, they all thought those of the sea could only manipulate the sea, not all water.
"It shall reside on Olympus then, out of all of our domains and in neutral territory. But I shall not let you harm the Ophiotaurus, and I shall not let you harm my son."
"You won't let us harm him? He is a threat to the very future of Olympus," Athena exclaimed.
"I will vouch for Perseus and his loyalties," Poseidon declared. Percy smiled slightly at that, glad to know that his dad still loved him and trusted him enough to vouch for him – he knew that no other god would risk their honor by vouching for a demigod, their own child or not.
Percy let out a small squeal of excitement, which he quickly squashed since he was around land dwellers, as he saw the person who had just arrived at the door. His dad. His dad had come to visit him on his birthday. Percy laughed silently as his mum greeted his dad, seeming flustered, his smile widening as his dad shot him an amused look; clearly his dad had heard the small sounds of the sea that always accompanied his laugh, silent or not.
"Hello Perseus. Happy birthday my son," Poseidon said, stepping forward and placing his hands on each of his shoulders.
"Hi dad," Percy said, smiling up at his dad.
"Mind if I steal Perseus for a little?" Poseidon asked and Percy saw his mum nod before his dad was steering him towards his bedroom. Percy sat down on his bed as Poseidon waved his hand towards the door and a thin film of water appeared around the closed door, before his dad sat down next to him.
"The water will soundproof the room while we talk," Poseidon explained. "Are you alright my son?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. I guess."
"I have heard stories about what happened. But I want to hear it directly from you. Tell me everything."
So Percy did. He explained all about the quest in the labyrinth. About the side quest for Hephaestus and his time on Calypso's Island. He talked about finding Daedalus and seeing Kronos fully gain a body, taking over Luke's body. And he spoke of the battle that occurred after, the battle at camp.
"So Kronos is indeed back among us. And there is something different about Luke. No mortal body should be able to host a titan, and he shall not be easily killed. And I have problems of my own."
"The old sea gods?" Percy asked, remembering what Tyson had mentioned. His dad nodded.
"Indeed. The battle came to me first Perseus. Even now, I can not stay much longer. The ocean is at war with itself, and the sea can do nothing to stop it. Oceanus feels the change coming and has sided with Kronos to try and take advantage of the coming shift," Poseidon said.
"The change?"
"I'm sure you have felt the difference in the water in the past few years my son. The sea is preparing to shift leadership, to shift the title of King. Oceanus hopes to conquer Atlantis and take over so as to claim leadership when the shift is upon us. The change will happen within a decade, and Oceanus wants to claim it rather than letting Triton take my place as King of the Seas," Poseidon explained.
"What does the change mean for you?"
"I shall not disappear my son, do not worry. I do not know what I shall do once my rule is over, but I shall not disappear. I simply step down and Triton takes over. Something would only happen to me if Oceanus takes over, as he would have to kill both myself and Triton, and any other heir the sea has claimed, before the sea will pass the rule back to him."
"Let me help. Let me come down and help fight," Percy said. Poseidon sighed.
"Not yet my son. I know you have been feeling the call of the sea Perseus. Normally you would be at the age that you would be invited to Atlantis for a year, to learn of the sea and your position in it. But not yet. The war is upon us my son, and I can sense you will be needed up here, on the surface. Later, when we are at peace again, and when you are not under such scrutiny due to the prophecy, you can answer the call of the sea and join us under the surface." Percy nodded; he had felt the calling of the sea, the longing coming from it that was calling him to come and stay in its comforting depths. But he knew his dad was right; right now was not the time to visit, and, as much as he hated it, he was needed on the surface rather than down in the sea. He may be a Prince of the Seas, but his duty was to the surface right now, and helping and fighting on the surface was the best way he could aid the sea.
"That reminds me. Your birthday gift Perseus. You will know how to use it. Spend it wisely," Poseidon said, handing him a sand dollar. Percy stared at the sand dollar, trying to work out why his dad would give it to him. What could he buy with a sand dollar? But he still nodded, slipping the gift on to his camp necklace. He heard his mum calling for him, something about the candles, and Poseidon stood.
"I need to go, and so had you. But one more thing Perseus. The explosion at Mount St Helens. The eruptions are still continuing. Typhon is stirring. It will not be long before he wakes and escapes his bonds." Percy nodded, looking down.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
"It is not your fault. It was bound to happen sooner or later. And the power you displayed in the volcano Perseus, makes me proud. You have influence over such a large variety of my domains, of the domains of the sea. The sea has gifted you much power Perseus, and it would not have for no reason. You already are an amazing hero, and I can not wait to see what else you shall accomplish." Poseidon patted his back and pressed a soft kiss to the crown of his head.
"I love you, my son. Happy birthday." And then he vanished in a swirl of sea spray, the film of water covering the door disappearing with him.
Percy gasped, his eyes snapping open and shooting up in bed. His hands moved to cradle his head, and he felt tears start to form in his eyes as he remembered what had happened. Beckendorf.
"Brother!" Percy winced slightly at the voice echoing around his head, before turning slightly to see Tyson standing next to the bed he was lying on.
"Tyson?" he asked, projecting his voice much like he would on land, only in his head rather than through the air, one hand still on his head. He still found telepathic communication weird, even though he had used it with Tyson before in the sea of monsters and had used a one-way version to communicate with horses and sea creatures.
"Yes brother. Scouts found you last night, floating in the water near the big ship that went boom." Percy nodded.
"Where am I?"
"Atlantis. Daddy had his healers helping you and now you're better."
"This is Atlantis?"
"Yes brother. Come, daddy wants to talk to you before you go back to the surface." Percy nodded, moving into a standing position before swimming after Tyson through the palace. He flinched slightly as a boom shook the walls. Tyson explained a bit about the war as they went through the palace, which helped explain some of the flashes of light and booms that occurred. Percy stopped just inside the doorway as he took in his dad's appearance. Gone was the young and healthy appearance, gone were the boardshorts and Hawaiian shirts. Instead, Poseidon was wearing full armor, which Percy was kind of expected seeing that they were at war. But Poseidon no longer looked young. His hair was greying, and he seemed old, as if the centuries he had seen were starting to show.
"Perseus. It is good to see you are healed," Poseidon said, glancing up from the plans he was looking over to look at his youngest son.
"What's happened dad?"
"Atlantis takes damage, and so do I. I am connected to my realm. But I am fine son, you have no need to worry." Percy nodded, not knowing how to reply to that. He didn't have to though, as another person entered the room, a merman with two tails; Percy instinctively knew that this was Triton, his older half-brother and crown prince of the sea.
"Father. Perseus," Triton said, his voice and expression turning colder as he acknowledged Percy.
"Lord Triton," Percy returned quietly, using his godly title rather than his sea title since his half-brother had done the same. Triton looked over him once more before turning away and ignoring him.
"I am leading the reinforcements out father. I will not fail you," Triton said, sending Percy a cold glance before swimming out. Percy just watched his half-brother swim out, understanding Triton's reaction to him. Most people might think it was because he was Poseidon's half-blood son, and that Triton didn't like him because he was the product of Poseidon cheating on Amphitrite. Percy knew better though. He knew that Amphitrite didn't care about Poseidon's relationships, knew that they were simply very close friends who ruled together. He understood why Triton was shunning him.
He was a Prince of the Sea. He had a duty to those of the sea, a duty that he was seemingly shunning by being on the surface while the ocean was at war. He understood how Triton probably saw the situation. His dad had told him how a child of the sea would have normally come down to Atlantis by now, to learn about the sea, and understood that Triton probably saw his absence as a shunning of the sea, shunning the family. He understood, and simply hoped he could build a better relationship with his brother once the war was done, and they were at peace.
He opened his eyes slowly, blinking at the harsh light shining right above him. He had no clue where he was, or how he got there. He had no idea what was happening, why he was wherever he was. And he had no idea who he was. It's alright Perseus. The sea takes care of its own. He relaxed slightly at the voice whispering in his mind, feeling that he knew the voice but could put no name to it other than Sea. He wasn't bothered by that now though, knowing he could trust the voice.
Percy, Perseus stumbled across the road, glancing around as he tried to work out where to go. There was a pull to the east, to a camp that Lupa had told him to search for, a camp that Annabeth could possibly be at. But there was also a pull to the sea, to the coast and the ocean that he knew would welcome him. Go east Perseus. The sea will always be waiting, but you are needed elsewhere. Perseus glanced at the coast once more before following the voice's instructions. The voice had never guided him wrong so far, and he knew he could trust it.
The voice had helped him learn to talk again, learn to sign in the signs he could use around those the voice called land dwellers. The voice had called him Perseus, told him that that was his name – even as the wolf, Lupa, called him Percy Jackson – and had told him of some of the small abilities he had with water. Perseus glanced once more over his shoulder before starting to run again, knowing the monsters – gorgons – who had been following him for days would be right behind him.
Perseus – or was he Percy? Everyone, Lupa and the goddess and the god had all called him Percy, but the voice called him Perseus and he trusted the voice – followed Frank and Hazel down to the harbor, to the boat they would be using on their quest to Alaska. He stopped as he saw the small dingy that sat in the 'harbor', a broken boat that didn't look like it would last a trip to Alaska like they needed it to. The sea aids its own Perseus. Simply will the water to keep the boat intact. Perseus steeled himself before stepping forward. The voice was right. He could do this.
Perseus stepped onto the dingy, Frank and Hazel gingerly stepping on behind him, sitting down at the back of the boat. He concentrated on the sea, his connection to it, and the boat he was on. He felt a small tug at his gut before the boat took off, gliding steadily through the water at a speed he deemed safe. He could do this. This was familiar. He could do this.
Percy – Perseus – drew his sword, the familiar weight of Riptide a comfort in his hand. He charged the legion of dead romans, hacking and slashing at the shades and spirits that could hurt him but that he couldn't kill. He needed a way to distract them without behind harmed, a way to get them away from his friends without endangering his friends, both of whom had their own important missions; Frank was trying to free Thanatos, which would mean he could kill the shades, while Hazel was trying to defeat the Giant, trying to lure him away and get him across the border to kill him.
A quick memory surfaced, of a glowing opponent, a hurricane, and a maple tree. He could vaguely remember fighting someone, a hurricane around him. He focused on the tug in his gut, and felt the water around the glacier react, churning and frothing. But it wasn't the hurricane. Connect to the elements Perseus. Feel the connection to the water all around you.
Perseus – Percy – did as the voice advised, focusing on both the tug in his gut and the water in the air around him. He felt the water around him, which he could already manipulate to speak with, start to move faster. It clustered together and started whirling around him, the wind picking up as a hurricane started to form around him.
Percy groaned slightly as he woke up. He had spent the two-hour trip from Alaska back to Camp Jupiter half-asleep, his memories fully returning. He knew now that the voice that had been guiding him, the whispers of the sea, would be gone now. He knew that the sea only spoke when needed, and now that he had his memories again, it wouldn't be needed.
He was thankful that the sea had helped him, helped him re-find and re-discover his powers and abilities and helped him learn enough to not expose the sea's secrets. But he was happy now to continue learning and growing on his own. It was what every child of the sea did before him, it was what he had always done, and it was what he would continue to do. Those of the sea were powerful for a reason, and that was because they grew at their own rate and with no expectations other than their own.
Percy stepped into the water at Montauk, slowly walking into the waves until the water was waist high. He let out a soft sigh at the feeling of water surrounding him again, a feeling his had missed desperately. Especially since Tartarus. Tartarus had been so dry, so humid, so hot, and so without water. There had been no water. There had been the rivers of the underworld, but they were not water, they were liquid in the barest of terms. They were fire and misery and pain and hatred and forgetfulness and wailing. They were not water, and he had missed it.
He slowly walked deeper, letting the water rise to his chest. He breathed slowly, trying not to hyperventilate. The water wouldn't hurt him. The water wouldn't kill him. Like the voice, the whispers of the sea, had told him when he had no memories; the sea takes care of its own. The sea wouldn't hurt him. And yet he still had an irrational fear of drowning. He had nearly drowned in the bog in Alaska, nearly drowned in the well with the crazed nymphs. He had nearly drowned in the river Cocytus, had nearly drowned Akhlys with her own poison, had nearly drowned in poison that Polybotes and Kympoleia had surrounded him with. So, while yes, he did know the water wouldn't hurt him and that he wouldn't drown, he was still terrified of drowning.
But he had been invited down to Atlantis, to spend a year down there like he was meant to almost three years ago and dam it he was going to. He would not let an irrational fear stop him from living under the sea for a year, something he had been craving and longing for since he was 14.
He took another steadying breath before turning to his mum and Paul, both who were watching him from the shore. He waved, and they both waved back.
'I'm going to miss you,' he signed, just like he had been signing since he returned from Tartarus. It was so dry down there that he couldn't project his voice, and then there was the stress of the war and fighting and nightmares and the trauma and it was just too hard to relearn how to speak above the surface again.
'We'll miss you too. Enjoy your time with your dad,' his mum signed back. He sent them one last wave before ducking under the water. He sat there for a few minutes, getting used to the feeling of being completely submerged again, getting used to breathing underwater again. He knew that if he just gave himself time, he would lose his fear of drowning, would slowly beat it into his mind that the sea wouldn't kill him, and he wanted to do that before he saw anyone in Atlantis.
While he sat there, just below the waves, he thought back to his mum. He was going to miss her while he was in Atlantis, especially because he hadn't seen her for 9 months and had only been back for 2 before his dad had sent him a dream, inviting him to visit. But she was happy for him, wanted him to have the opportunity to live with his dad, and had told him to go. She had said that Goode had expelled him anyway, for missing so much school without any explanation – they hadn't reported him when they first realized that he was gone in case it had to do with the godly world – and she hadn't enrolled him anywhere yet, so he wouldn't miss school. And camp could survive without him for a year.
As his thoughts drifted to camp, he started thinking of Annabeth. He loved her, and knew she loved him. But they had both agreed that they were better as friends, that their relationship was healthier as friends (when they weren't caught up in jealousy anyway). Annabeth said that she had lost some of her trust in him after Tartarus. She wanted to trust him, wanted to so much, but seeing the power he had shown down there, especially with Akhlys, had terrified her, and taken away some of the trust she had. And that wasn't something they could change. Percy hadn't said it, but he had felt restricted too. He didn't want to hide anymore parts of himself. He was already hiding the things that were the sea's secrets, and he didn't want to have to hide his God-given and sea-given abilities as well. The power, as much as it terrified him, was part of him as well, and he didn't want to have to hide that. It was a mutual break up, and they would remain friends. He was sure Annabeth was happy – last he had heard, she had been thinking of messaging Thalia and asking if there was a spot for her with the hunt.
Percy took one last breath before shifting and starting to swim, fully comfortable again under the water. He swum until he was out of the bay and in deep water before calling for a hippocampus. He waited for a short while before one appeared, and he asked her if she could give him a ride to Atlantis. The hippocampus was happy to, so he grabbed hold, being swept away deeper in the sea and to Atlantis.
Percy shot bolt upright in his bed, the soft seaweed comforter drifting off him at his abrupt movement, a yell escaping him before he could stifle it. He was sure he had been yelling and thrashing in his sleep before he woke up and hoped that his nightmare hadn't disturbed anyone. He had been in Atlantis for three weeks and had been doing his best to appear normal to those around him.
During the day, he spent time with his dad, Triton, Delphin, Amphitrite, or some other citizen of Atlantis – usually someone who worked in the palace – learning about his duties and responsibilities as a Prince of the Sea beyond what his instincts told him, working on and exploring his abilities, and learning about the sea and ocean from those who truly knew; land dwellers only knew so much about what hid below the surface and how the sea worked, most things being something that only a being of the sea could know or hope to understand.
His nights were normally spent trying to sleep, catching a few hours here or there. When he managed to sleep, he usually woke up from nightmares, memories of both wars and his time in Tartarus haunting him; he had only had three months after the Titan war before Hera had kidnapped him, stolen his memories, put him to sleep for 6 months, and then thrown him right into another war, and that was not enough time to process a war. So now he was trying to process two wars at the same time, along with a highly traumatizing event where he had been so isolated from his natural element of water. Most nights he didn't scream from his nightmares, although he knew he thrashed around like crazy, as he often woke up tangled in his seaweed comforter, or his sheets when he had been on the surface.
He did his best to show a strong front, to try and convince those of the sea that he was fine. He was happy to be in Atlantis, and he didn't want his time there, as short as he knew it would be – a year to a year and a half was only so long – to be shadowed or disrupted by his trauma and recovery. He knew he had some form of PTSD, the nightmares and occasional night terrors, as well as the flashbacks and panic attacks he occasionally had; thankfully no one had been around when he had experienced a panic attack while in Atlantis, and he hadn't had a flashback in almost two months, because he didn't want anyone to see him like that. His lack of a good night's sleep, though, was starting to get to him. Water would normally help re-energize him but living in water had made that sort of redundant. And there was only so much water could do to help, especially when he kept pushing himself through the day to keep up the strong front; he had always been the strong one, the one other people went to for comfort, the one who led the demigods and stood up to the gods, and he didn't want to break that image.
Tonight though, he hoped he hadn't disturbed anyone with his screaming and yelling. He knew that most gods didn't need to sleep often, so he knew his dad, Amphitrite, and Triton, at least, would probably be awake. His nightmare that night had been a mix of the two most terrifying experiences of being in the pit; the battle near the Doors of Death and facing the primordial embodiment of Tartarus, and the encounter with Akhlys where he manipulated poison and almost killed a goddess when he almost lost control.
Percy grabbed the seaweed comforter before it could float too far away, wrapping it around his waist and legs as he sat against the head of his bed, curled up so his knees were near his chest, his arms wrapping around his legs. It was a comfortable position, and one he had found helped him calm down after a nightmare. He rested his forehead on his knees, starting to take deep, slow breaths when there was a knock at his door. His breath hitched as his head shot up, so he was staring at the door, before letting out a soft sigh and waving his hand, manipulating the water to open the door. He lowered his head, so his chin was resting on his knees, his eyes fixed on the door. He was slightly surprised to see Triton enter once the door was open, the water pushing the door closed again once Triton was in the room; apparently, he had disturbed someone.
"Are you alright Perseus?" Triton asked, the sounds of the sea coming out softly, as if Triton was hesitant to speak to him. "I heard screaming."
"Sorry if I disturbed you. Nightmare," Percy said, hugging his knees closer and tighter.
"Are you going to go back to sleep, or can I stay for a while?" Triton asked, slowly swimming closer to his bed.
"I probably won't get back to sleep any time soon. You can stay if you want." Triton watched him for a moment, before sitting down on the end of his bed.
"How are you finding your time in Atlantis?" Triton asked after they sat in silence for a few minutes, Percy focusing on his breathing and nothing else like he had been going to do before Triton came in.
"Yeah, it's great. I always knew the sea was amazing, but actually living down here really shows me how much I was missing. And everyone is so nice and welcoming and helpful. I really love it," Percy said.
"Yes, everything under the surface is quite magnificent, isn't it. And you have already made quite the impression on the members of the sea. The mentions of your efforts to free and protect creatures of the sea were known down here even before you came and showed everyone how caring and loving you are." Percy flushed slightly at his brother's words.
"I was just doing what was right. And it's my responsibility to help those of the sea however I can, regardless of if I'm living on the surface or under the sea. I'm just sad that it's taken me so long to be able to come down here."
The two brothers continued talking for a while, sharing stories of encounters and escapades with various sea creatures. Percy also told Triton of a few small quests he had done for the gods, and in turn, Triton shared stories of Poseidon from centuries ago that none of the gods, other than sea gods, knew of. As they talked, Percy started to relax, both around Triton and from his nightmare, his arms relaxing around his legs and his legs starting to stretch out, so that he was no longer curled up in a ball against his headrest, and rather stretched out so his feet were almost next to Triton.
"Do you want to talk about your nightmare Perseus?" Triton asked once he had finished a particularly detailed story about how he and Delphin had pranked their dad and had gotten everyone in Atlantis in on the joke, including Amphitrite.
"I don't know. Maybe? What do you want me to say? It was just memories from the war," Percy said with a shrug, his hands fiddling with the seaweed comforter that lay bunched up across his legs.
"Which war? I know you have fought in two wars in a very short amount of time."
"The second one. Against the mother earth and the giants."
"Do you have nightmares about the Second Gigantomachy often?"
"Yeah." Percy sighed, a trail of bubbles leaving his mouth and floating to the ceiling of his room. "I have nightmares basically every night. About events from the Second Titanomachy and the Second Gigantomachy." Triton stared at him for a few moments before shaking his head.
"You have nightmares every night? I do not normally hear you. And you normally seem perfectly rested during the day."
"I get some sleep during the night before my nightmares and manage to doze after that, so it's not like I don't get any rest at all. And I don't normally scream during my nightmare. I thrash around like crazy, but I don't normally scream. Tonight's was just a particularly bad one."
"What was tonight's about, if you do not mind sharing?" Triton asked, and Percy could hear the concerned undertone to the question. "I have heard that talking about nightmares can help."
"Um, a particularly traumatic event from the Giant war. I think the others said it took them 2 weeks to complete their journey, but time was difficult where Annabeth and I were, so I don't really know how long it was before we met up with the others."
"I do not know what event you speak of, and I was unaware that you had to split up, apart from the daughter of Athena's solo quest. I was unable to pay much attention to the war, with the schism going on and with my other duties as messenger of the sea and father's heir, especially since he was locked on Olympus by our uncle," Triton said slowly. "I am sure father know however, if you do not want to tell me but want to talk of it, as he often watched over you and your quests, and since he was locked on Olympus, he would have had more time to watch you as he couldn't do most of his duties to the sea and Atlantis."
"I don't really want to talk to dad about it. I don't want him to think I'm fragile or anything, especially since a lot of my land-dwelling friends already think they need to be careful around me since I reverted back to being mute on the surface after the event," Percy said.
"I am happy to listen if you want to talk about it, brother," Triton offered.
"Are you … are you sure?" Percy asked hesitantly. Triton nodded, shifting on the bed so he was leaning against the wall rather than sitting in the middle of the bed, his two tails curling up around each other. Percy took a deep breath before letting it out, watching the bubbles float to the ceiling and pop before looking back at Triton. He fiddled with the seaweed comforter as he began to talk.
"After Annabeth's solo quest to retrieve her mum's statue, we all got together in the cave the statue was in. We'd just finished fighting the twin giants and were eager to see her again because it had been a stressful day, a stressful few days really. As the others were securing the statue, Annabeth started to get pulled backwards. She had to fight Arachne, and the spider had managed to get Annabeth's foot trapped in web, so when Arachne fell, she started to drag Annabeth down with her. I wouldn't let Annabeth fall alone, and there was no hope of pulling ourselves up, so I made Nico promise that he would lead the others on the ship to the surface side of the Doors of Death before letting go and falling with Annabeth. We fell into Tartarus," Percy said, before slowly starting to tell Triton about Tartarus.
About how dry and humid and hot it was, how everything there was designed to kill them, even the air they were trying to breath. He told him of having to drink fire to survive, how there was no water at all, no pure water anywhere in the pit to try and manipulate. About how horrifying it was, with every single monster he and Annabeth had ever killed being down there, wanting revenge, including the titans and giants they had already beaten. How it was kill or be killed down there. He told Triton how he hadn't been able to manipulate the water in the air to project his voice because there was no water, so reverting back to mute, and how that stuck even when they got out because everything was too much – too much stress and trauma and fighting and nightmares and too much of everything happening at once – to even try and remember how to project his voice.
And when Triton took everything well, the only reactions he showed being horror at the situation his brother had been in, he hesitantly started to tell Triton about the two events that were part of his nightmare.
He spoke of facing Akhlys, how he had manipulated something that wasn't pure water, pulling on the water in poison because it was a liquid, and how he had almost killed a goddess because of it. How he had been able to manipulate every single river of the Underworld, two of them even before the pit, manipulating liquid made of fire and misery and pain and hatred and forgetfulness and wailing. He told his brother how he had started being able to feel the water in every liquid around him, how he had been able to feel the blood of those around him. And he spoke of facing the physical embodiment of the pit, of facing the primordial Tartarus and the absolute terror it had caused.
When he was finished, Percy stared at his lap, still fiddling with the seaweed comforter. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Triton finally worked out what to say to everything he had just been told.
"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell in me about your experience Perseus. I can not begin to imagine how horrible it had to have been." Triton moved off the bed, swimming over to one of the cupboards on the other side of the bed and pulled out a large blanket, made of kelp and sea pen weaved together with strands of red sea whip mixed in as well.
"Try and sleep a bit more Perseus. The stress from everything you experienced and only getting a small amount of sleep, which I know demigods need, isn't good for you, especially if you haven't slept well for weeks now. I will let father know that you will miss breakfast."
"I haven't slept without nightmares for years, but it got worse in the last 6 months with the Giant war. What about nightmares? They always come and wake me up," Percy said, even as he lay down and let Triton place the second blanket, which he now realized was like a weighted blanket, over him; he didn't even realize how comforting the added weight from the weighted blanket would be – most people would probably think it would make him feel trapped, but it made him feel safe and comforted. Triton brushed his thumb over his forehead, before moving back.
"Hopefully that will help you have a dreamless sleep for at least a few hours brother," Triton said. "Sleep." Percy smiled at his brother, signing a quick thank you before shifting to get comfortable and closing his eyes.
Triton frowned as he swum out of Perseus' room after he watched the younger boy quickly fall asleep. He was trying to work out what Perseus had done for the Fates to put him through so much. He knew that Perseus hadn't been alone down there, but the other demigod wasn't connected to an element like those of the sea were, so being down there wouldn't have affected her in such a way; Perseus was abruptly and forcefully ripped away from something that was an integral part of his being – water.
Triton stopped as he reached on of the rooms that were filled with the jellyfish he was looking for. He gathered a few and herded them through the halls of the palace and into Perseus' room. These jellyfish had a small blessing on them from Hypnos and Astraeus, and their proximity helped bring peaceful sleep to those of the sea who suffered from nightmares and provide a soft, soothing light in the room; hopefully they would be able to help his brother and allow him a restful sleep like he hadn't gotten for a long time – years, according to Perseus.
He watched Perseus for a little while before swimming back to his room, glad that the young demigod seemed to be sleeping peacefully now, basically completely still, a stark contrast to his consistent fiddling or moving while he was awake, or to how he described himself thrashing in his sleep. He stayed in his room, considering everything Perseus had told him, rather than continuing with the paperwork he had been working on before he heard Perseus' screams.
He lost track of time and before he knew it the shell for meals was being blown. He left his room, checking in on Perseus, who was still sleeping soundly, before heading to the dining room. He found his mother and father already seated at the circular table and he took his seat next to his father.
'Good morning mother, father,' he signed before inclining his head slightly.
'Good morning, Triton,' his father returned.
'Morning blessings, my son,' his mother added.
'Was Perseus far behind you?' his father asked, glancing towards the doors of the room that led to the quickest way to the personal rooms of the sea's royalty.
'Perseus isn't going to be joining us for breakfast this morning, and will most likely miss his morning activities,' Triton signed. 'He didn't sleep well last night, and for all the nights he has been here.'
'Is he alright?' his mother asked, a concerned look on her face, and Triton understood her worry; while he saw all of his father's demigod children as his siblings, his mother saw them all as her children, regardless that they shared no blood other than the blood of the sea.
'I am unsure, but I think he will get there. He has been having nightmares every night.'
'If Perseus won't be joining us, let us begin our meal,' his father suggested. 'How do you know of Perseus' nightmares?'
'Our rooms are close to each other. I heard him screaming in his sleep and went to investigate. I checked if he was ok and stayed in his room just talking for a while. We eventually talked about his nightmare, and he told me it was about the worst part of the Second Gigantomachy that he experienced, but that he's had nightmares about the wars and battles and such for years,' Triton explained while eating; one benefit of the signs of the sea was they could talk and eat at the same time which made conversations during meals so much easier. He didn't go into detail because he didn't want to worry his mother too much, and because he was sure that his father had to know what he was referring to.
'What are you talking about Triton? What did Perseus experience during the war just finished that you are referring to as the worst part?' his father asked. Triton glanced at his mother before looking at his father and carefully laying his cutlery down.
'Father, what do you know about the events of the war that just passed and Perseus' place in it?' he asked slowly.
'I know how Hera switched Perseus and one of Zeus' Roman sons, and how Perseus went on a quest with Roman children of Hades and Ares to Alaska, the Roman child of Ares having traces of the sea in his blood and the gift of shapeshifting from the sea. I know that Perseus joined the seven spoken of in the prophecy, along with Athena's daughter, Aphrodite's daughter, Hephaestus' son, Zeus' Roman son, Hades' Roman daughter, and Ares' Roman son. I know the seven ventured to Rome where they rescued Hades' son and found Athena's statue, and then how they journeyed to Greece to close the Doors of Death. I know Athena's statue was brought back to Camp Half-Blood to help us stop the schism while the seven went to the original Mt Olympus for the final battle. I know they fought various giants throughout the quest, and I know everything that happened in the final battle against the giants, how Mother Earth rose from an injury Athena's daughter had and from Perseus' blood nose, and the final battle at Camp Half-Blood where Mother Earth was put back to sleep by Hephaestus' son sacrificing himself. Why?' Triton lowered his head to his hands.
"Father, how much of the quest did you actually see and how much did you only hear about through gossip and from the others stuck on Olympus? And did you pay much attention to how Perseus was communicating on the surface?"
"The schism made it hard to fully keep track of everything, but I saw part of Perseus' quest to Alaska, his encounter with Dionysus in his Roman form, and his fight against the twin giants. And then I was there for the final battle against the giants and the schism was healed enough to let us watch the final battle at Camp Half-Blood. Everything else I know is from what the others saw and told me about. I did realize Perseus was back to signing his communications, but I simply assumed it was from the stress and exhaustion of the war and the want to keep as much power in reserve for the battles," Poseidon replied, and Triton groaned into his hands. He had thought his father knew, and he really didn't want to be the one to tell him. He lifted his head and looked at his father.
"Did you sense, feel, or see Perseus in the sea or the sky at all in the two weeks between Rome and Greece? You had to have been present enough at some point during that portion of their journey to try and check in on Perseus." Poseidon slowly shook his head in response to his son's question.
"I don't, but my memories of that time are extremely scattered. You know how the schism affects me, and the constant flickering doesn't help memory or attention. If I remember correctly though, those two weeks that you speak of was when the Roman demigods first started actually threatening and attacking the Greek demigods at their camp, so the schism got worse. I don't think any of the Olympians were very aware of those two weeks."
"You're kidding me," Triton said. He really hadn't wanted to be the one to tell his father. Especially since he knew how his father favored Perseus.
"What's going on Triton?" his mother asked.
"A lot mother. I thought father already knew about this. Are you telling me father, that none of the Olympians are aware that Perseus and the daughter of Athena fell into Tartarus?"
The next few months after Percy talked to Triton and Triton told Poseidon and Amphitrite about Tartarus passed quickly. Triton, Amphitrite, and Poseidon all helped Percy heal and cope with his PTSD from the wars and Tartarus. Percy continued sleeping with the weighted blanket and the jellyfish in his room, and found they really helped him with his nightmares, and his family helped him work through flashbacks and panic attacks rather than trying to hide them and work out what triggered them to prevent the same thing triggering them again. And even with that, they all continued doing everything they had been doing in the first three weeks of Percy's visit to Atlantis. Percy continued learning about his duties and responsibilities as a Prince of the Sea beyond what his instincts told him, learning about the sea and ocean from those who truly knew, and working on and exploring his abilities.
Now though, Triton and Amphitrite were also helping him with his abilities, learning how to use the abilities he had discovered in the pit. They helped him learn how to use his abilities over liquids that weren't just water for good, like his ability over poison and blood for healing. Amphitrite had told him, when they first started helping him work with the abilities he was scared of, that she had the same ability to manipulate liquids and so did his dad and Triton; that helped him not be scared of the ability and trust that he was meant to have the ability, that it wasn't unnatural like he had thought. They helped him get comfortable with the abilities that had once scared him, helped him get comfortable with all the abilities he didn't think he deserved. The sea only gives abilities to those who deserve them.
One day in April, when Percy had been under the sea for about 8 months, Percy started to feel as if something was wrong. He had felt restless all day and spent the day in the arena, learning the ways of fighting underwater, learning the best ways to fight with the water resistance and what weapons worked best underwater – he quite enjoyed learning how to wield a trident. He had just finished in the arena for the day and was heading back to his room to clean up before dinner when the sea whispered in his ear, like it had done months ago when it had guided him while he didn't have any memories. Perseus, you are needed on the surface. Your surface mother is in trouble.
Percy froze at those words before quickly swimming to his dad's office, where he knew his dad would be working at that time. Percy knocked on the door to the office and the door opened, his dad calling him in without even looking up.
"Yes?"
"May I go to the surface for a little while dad?" Poseidon looked up from his papers to look at him before nodding.
"Of course, Perseus. You are not a prisoner here. Why do you ask?"
"The sea told me that my mum's in trouble. I'll be back later dad, but I might miss dinner." Poseidon nodded and waved him away. Percy left the office, the door shutting behind him, before he concentrated on the water in him and around him, disappearing in a trail of bubbles; he had quite enjoyed learning about vapor travel – it was how his dad preferred to travel rather than flashing places like the other gods did – which he could do as well since he could control more than just water, and it was an incredibly useful ability.
Percy appeared in a burst of mist on the fire escape outside his bedroom window, climbing in easily and heading straight for the living room. He stopped in the doorway at the sight, before darting back to his room and grabbing two shirts and starting to rip it one into strips. His mum and Paul were both on the ground, bleeding from what looked stab wounds; he would worry about how they got those later, first he had to make sure they survived. He went to his mum first, since she was closer, grabbing Paul's phone from the table as he did.
He bunched up one of the strips of the first shirt and shoved it on the biggest wound, putting as much pressure on it as he could with his knee to keep his hands free to tie a couple of strips together. He then used those strips tied together to wrap around it as a makeshift bandage, to hold the pressure on there while he dealt with the other wounds and helped Paul; he heard Will in his head, telling him they would get an infection if he didn't sterilize the material first, but at this moment he didn't care – they could be cured of an infection, they couldn't be cured of bleeding out. As he did the same thing for all of her wounds, he concentrated on their blood and focused on slowing it down a bit so they didn't bleed out, and called 911; he didn't care if using a phone signaled to monsters that he was there, right now he had to get an ambulance for his mum and Paul, because he couldn't heal them in the same way he could heal demigods, which is what he had training for. Once he had finished wrapping all her wounds, he rolled his mum onto her left side and put her in the recovery position.
He moved over to Paul, ripping another two strips of fabric from his shirt. He shoved the material on the wound, putting as much pressure on as he could as he again tied a few strips of his shirt together before wrapping it around the wound and over the cloth on the wound. He repeated that for each of Paul's wounds, before rolling him on to his right, which was the side with more injuries, and putting him in the recovery position. He sat next to his mum and Paul as he waited for the ambulance to arrive, fiddling with Riptide between his fingers – he knew his phone call would have sent out a signal to nearby monsters and wanted to be ready just in case. Soon enough, the ambulance arrived, and the paramedics took his mum and Paul away – which was his cue to let go of his control of their blood – telling him which hospital they were headed to so he could follow them and meet them there since there wasn't enough room in the ambulance for him to ride with them.
Percy paced through the apartment as he heard the ambulance pull away before grabbing a shirt from his room, since he had been shirtless all day rather than wearing a tunic or a chiton for training; shirtless, tunic, or chiton were the only options for men under the sea, with women having a different variety of options – although there was nothing preventing a man or a woman wearing the style of the other gender. He left the apartment and walked through the streets of the city for a few minutes, before ducking into an alleyway when he felt himself being followed; there were the monsters he had signaled to with the phone call. He unsheathed Riptide and dispatched the mix of dracaena and empousa. Once the monsters were only gold dust, he vapor travelled to an alley he knew was near the hospital he was told his mum and Paul were being taken to.
He waited in the hospital for hours, waiting for information on his mum and Paul. He had gone to the bathroom an hour and a half into his wait to IM his dad, since he was sure he wouldn't be returning to Atlantis that night – he would either still be waiting for information on his mum and Paul's condition, or he would be spending the night with them to assure himself they were ok. He was able to wait in the emergency room waiting room overnight, along with about three others, and he spent the night alternating between praying to Apollo that they would be alright, cursing whoever hurt them, and there was one point where he prayed to both Thanatos and Hades that if they passed, they passed peacefully and achieved Elysium so they could have peace in the afterlife; he desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that though, not yet.
It was about 2am when a nurse came out and asked for relatives of Paul and Sally Blofis. He stood and followed the nurse to a private room, where the nurse told him that unfortunately, both his mum, Paul, and his unborn sibling had passed away. They had both lost too much blood and his sibling hadn't been developed enough to deliver early or to survive with the amount of blood his mum had lost. Percy nodded, numb, and made arrangements to collect the bodies the next day. He left the hospital walked back to the apartment, not caring that it took him an hour to do so, hoping the walk could help him process what he had just learnt.
He didn't sleep that night. Instead, he spent the time cleaning up the apartment and working out what he would do from there. He knew he would go back to Atlantis for the rest of the time he was meant to be there and would work it out from there, but he needed immediate plans. It was about 5am when he worked out what to do.
He vapor travelled to the Sea Cabin at Camp Half-Blood, knowing he was still the only demigod child of the sea who was of age to go to camp, and collected the materials that each cabin had to make shrouds; one of the traditions at camp was that you made a shroud for yourself in case anything happened at the end of your first summer, so every cabin had the materials to make shrouds – before the oath to claim all their children, any unclaimed who were in the Hermes cabin by the end of their first summer made a shroud depicting themselves and simply didn't have a godly symbol included, and made a new shroud if they were claimed. He then travelled back to the apartment and spent the next few hours making two shrouds, one for his mum and one for Paul; he knew, from previous conversations, that Paul didn't have any family aside from his mum, being an only child and having his parents die a year before his mum and Paul met, so he would be the only one to work out funeral arrangements and funeral rites.
He spent the next day making phone calls to anyone he needed to inform about their passing, such as insurance companies and their workplaces, taking the time in between phone calls and arrangements to kill the monsters that arrived, either from the signals from the phone calls or by following his scent. He also went to visit the cemetery where he knew they had already bought sections on a memorial wall, which was the same one Paul's family were buried in, and got their plaques done, as well as getting one done for his unborn sibling, even though he didn't know their name.
He performed the rites for his mum and Paul at sundown the day after they had been killed, on the beach at Montauk. He made sure they had a drachma resting in their mouth, so they could pass through Charon's ferry with ease, before wrapping them in the shrouds he had prepared for them. He laid them both on individual pyres, saying goodbye to them both before lighting the pyres on fire and watching their bodies and shrouds burn. He stayed until the fire had completely burnt out, tears slowly falling down his face as he mourned his mum, Paul, and unborn mortal half-sibling. He murmured a prayer to Hades, in both the sounds of the sea and through a quiet projection of his voice, asking for them to have a peaceful afterlife, praying that their deeds had been enough to allow them to rest happily in Elysium. He watched as the ashes from the funeral pyres slowly blew away with the wind, scattering along the beach and floating over the ocean.
He had two more stops before heading back to Atlantis. He vapor travelled back to the apartment and spent the next hour checking that everything was prepared and ready for the apartment's new purpose. He had a note stuck to the wall of the kitchen, explaining where things were, and he had everything stocked well, and he made sure the window in his room that led to the fire escape was closed but unlatched. Once it reached 9, he grabbed the note he had already written and left the apartment, one key going in his pocket and the other in the hidden hole in the wall behind the plaque stating the apartment number after locking the door.
He left the building and went to the alleyway next to the building before vapor travelling back to the Sea Cabin at camp. He checked to make sure no one was breaking curfew and moving around camp before leaving the cabin and moving to the Big House. He headed over to the table on the porch of the Big House, where he knew Chiron would go when he first woke up, and pinned the note he had written there, before heading to the beach and submerging in the water and heading back to Atlantis.
The next day when Chiron woke up, he would find the note that Percy had left for him, a key sitting next to it.
Chiron,
Two days ago, Sally and Paul Blofis passed away after being stabbed. I know many of the campers knew them, and if they wish to visit their graves, their memory is preserved on a memorial wall at Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th Street Brooklyn, New York.
Their apartment has been frequented by demigods during the past two years, and in memory of their welcoming arms to demigods in need, their apartment has been turned into a safehouse for demigods on quests or trying to get to camp. There are first aid kits fully equipped, a small collection of nectar and ambrosia available, the kitchen is stocked with non-perishable food, beds are available, and there is both electricity and water available for light, heat, and warm showers.
This key is one key for the apartment, and the spare key is hidden behind the number plaque. The window next to the fire escape is unlocked if they don't want to come in through the front door. The apartment is number 56 at 62 Roosevelt Dr. Brooklyn, NY 11223.
Percy Jackson
