A/N

Bring out the guns and swords. I know that most of you want to kill me right now. Heck, I want to kill myself for taking so long to update, but finally, here I am, bringing you a brand new chapter of your favourite fanfic.

It's just that these last couple of months have been hard. I lost three loved ones, including the very first friend of my life. Ss soon as I got over that, I had a bunch of exams to attempt. I actually started with this chapter on October 8. Wrote these 17.3 k words in just four days.

Well, let's just hope this kind of break doesn't happen again. Here's to wishing for no further writer's block.

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Sorry, but I won't be addressing any reviews in this chapter, as chapter 20 got about 105 comments. If you have any questions or want to give suggestions, please comment in this chapter, or PM me. I am always happy to speak about my stories.

I know that my shitty A/N is the last thing you want to read right now, so I will keep it short.

Let us begin with today's badassery without any further delay.

Last Time :

"Why was this information kept secret from us? I was right, wasn't I? Poseidon is trying to dethrone me by playing clever politics." Zeus screamed, before standing up and glaring at Poseidon.

Poseidon rolled his eyes, along with half the Olympian council. "Congratulations brother! Your IQ just dropped by another ten points." Poseidon snarked as he shook his head at Zeus in disappointment.

Percy decided to break the conversation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the Master Bolt. Holding it above his head, he spoke, "Lord Zeus. Here, take your Master Bolt."

Percy threw the cylindrical can to Zeus, who opened his palm and caught the Master Bolt. Immediately, the cylindrical can expanded and formed the Master Bolt, cackling with energy as it was held by its true owner.

Zeus was distracted for a few moments as he inspected his Master Bolt. After through inspection of the bolt, he finally looked up.

"Hmmm. It is not damaged, luckily for you."

Percy groaned at his arrogance and mumbled. "Yeah yeah. You're welcome."

Zeus then spoke. "Do you want to say something, son of Poseidon?"

Percy nodded his head and spoke. "Yeah. I'm tired, so I will be going now. Need some sleep after fighting the idiot. Goodbye." He turned to his father.

"Send me to camp, dad. We will speak later. Also, send me to someplace quiet, preferably straight into your cabin." Percy spoke.

Poseidon nodded and snapped his fingers, making Percy disappear in mist.

Percy felt himself disappear in the mist and reform again. Opening his eyes, he expected to see the walls of his father's cabin, but instead, he was met with several pairs of eyes staring at him in surprise. Surprise that soon changed to interest.

Looking down, Percy saw that his father had transported him smack in the middle of the dining pavilion, where the demigods were having dinner. Now, the demigods were surrounding him, asking him questions about the quest.

Looking up at the sky, Percy glared and spoke, "Not funny, dad. Not funny at all."

Present Time :

Third person POV:

Place : Palace of Poseidon, Atlantis

"Nope. Not doing it. Nope, non, não, nein, 아니요, never. Not doing it in a million years."

Perseus shook his head, pacing across the length of his room as his father and brother stood nearby, staring at him with unhidden amusement.

"Son. I hate it as much as you. And believe me, even the many millennia that I have lived have not made it any less horrible. But your mother is adamant on doing this, and I don't think I can convince her this time." Poseidon, the lord of the seas spoke in a slightly apologetic tone.

"Oh come on. Don't give me that excuse dad. That might have worked the last seventeen times, but not this time. I am not falling for this." Percy snapped back, making his father sigh in resignation while Triton was still laughing in the sidelines.

"Look son. You know how your mother is when it comes to this. And you also know that there is no changing her mind when she makes it up. So, just suck it up and get dressed. Today, the Ball has been organized in celebration of your successful quest and Mera's birthday. So, it is necessary you be there." Poseidon spoke as he rubbed his forehead, not meeting Percy's eyes as he knew he wouldn't last if his son gave him the huge emotional eyes.

"Still no. You guys enjoy, but I refuse to take part in this Ball. I have had more than enough of these events for a lifetime." Percy spoke out loudly, making his final decision as he stopped in front of his father.

In a last ditch attempt to convince his father, Percy continued. "Honestly dad, after reading about our family on your side, I had always imagined that I would dread meeting most of them."

Sighing, he added, "But what I didn't think was that mom has forty-nine sisters. I can't survive this Ball with this dad. Please don't make me go."

Poseidon exhaled loudly, before speaking, "I really didn't want it to come to this, Perseus. But as it turns out, I don't have any option."

Realising what his father was implying, Perseus' eyes widened and he gasped. "Noo! You wouldn't!"

Poseidon gave him a sad look, before speaking loudly, "Honey!! I need you to come here. Your darling son is refusing to go to the Ball."

Triton gulped when he felt his mother approaching the room, and disappeared in a wave of fine blue mist. 'Slimy Bastard' Percy thought as he scowled at the place where his elder brother was standing mere moments ago.

The door to Percy's room slid open as the Queen of the Seas stepped inside. Amphitrite, eldest of the Nereids and the lady of the oceans, looked every bit the goddess that she was.

She wore a teal blue dress, with intricate patterns and designs woven all across it. Ger ocean blue eyes twinkled with kindness, before they landed on her younger son, where they narrowed into a glare that she had patented as, 'Percy has messed up' glare.

Perseus, the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, second in line to the throne of Atlantis, the defeater of the mighty Leviathan, the Minotaur, and Ares, shrunk into himself when he saw his mother's glare being directed at him.

There were few things that scared the mighty Prince Perseus. His mother's glare most definitely was one of them. "W-wow mother. Don't you look lovely today?! Father sure is a lucky god." He spoke in the most charming voice he could muster up, trying to flatter his mother and butter her up.

Amphitrite let her glare dissipate, before smiling and walking towards her son.

Perseus was shocked. He had never, never expected his flattery to actually work on his mother. Especially not when she was already furious at him for battling an Olympian.

In hindsight, he should have been able to foresee what was coming for him next. As soon as his mother reached him, Percy felt a shiver creep up his spine.

Looking up, he gasped when he saw the sickly sweet smile present on his mother's face. This was bad! Fuck! That smile never meant anything good. His mother had never really hit him when he messed up. She had always just given him the smile and then dropped the bomb.

"I wish I could say the same about you, Percy dear. But alas, you refuse to wear your royal robes and get ready for the party." Amphitrite spoke, making Percy sweat as he nervously tinkered with his trusty pen.

Amphitrite paused for a moment, before continuing. "A prince is always supposed to be ready at a moment's notice. He should be ready to do things that he doesn't like, but might benefit his kingdom. And I know that you know all this, my dear. I taught you myself. So, what possible reason do you have for this?"

Percy gulped, before shaking his head slightly. Unlike with his father, Percy couldn't use charming and cunning words with his mother. She was extremely smart, not to forget that it was her who had groomed him into politics and social behaviour. She would never be fooled by a good for nothing excuse of his.

Amphitrite let a small, victorious smirk slip onto her lips. She knew that Percy was smart enough to realise that he couldn't …. What did those mortals say? Ahh. Yes! She knew that her son couldn't bullshit his way out of this.

Waiting for a few more seconds, she again let out her fake sweet smile and spoke, "Well then, if there is no reason, I think it is time you get dressed, Percy."

She turned around and was about to leave the room, when she turned back again and spoke in a mock innocent voice, "Ohh. And just for this, you get to escort me to the Ball instead of your father, who will escort his granddaughter. And then you will personally greet each of your forty-nine aunts and your grandmother with me."

Percy's expression of utter horror made his father laugh out loudly. But the laughing died down as soon as it started when the Sea God's wife glared at him.

Satisfied, Amphitrite turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"I fucking love that woman!" Poseidon spoke in a dreamy voice as he stared at the door.

Percy cringed at this, before walking forward and pushing his father out of his room. "Take your fantasies somewhere else, old man. I need to change in here." He spoke with equal parts amusement and cringe as he closed the door behind Poseidon.

Walking to his wardrobe, Percy opened the door to see a maze of clothes and other accessories. His wardrobe was the size of dressing rooms of football teams. There was a whole rack just for his ties and bow-ties. He might not show it often, but Percy definitely had interest in fashion. To the extreme right end of the wardrobe was the rack for his formal shirts and slacks. Beside that were his suits, all designed by the best damn designers in Atlantis. Each and every suit jacket was a different colour, with a total of two hundred jackets. In the middle of the room was his beach clothes rack, with his swimming trunks, his Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda pants, a style that he had copied from his dad.

Fuck, an entire glass case was reserved for his wathes and sunglasses alone. Never let it be said that Perseus, prince of Atlantis, did not have proper clothing choices.

Walking inside, Perseus walked to the left end of the room, where on a huge rack, his royal robes hung. Picking out one of the simple, yet elegant ones, Percy walked out of the wardrobe and shut the door. Spreading out the robe on his bed, Percy first put on his bright blue chiton, a colour matching to that of his mother's dress. Grabbing the robes, he wore them on his back, where they immediately molded to fit him perfectly.

If he was going to go to the Ball, he sure was going to go in as dashing as ever. Smirking as he looked at himself in the mirror, Percy immediately noticed that he had missed something. Stepping back into the wardrobe, he walked towards the end. On a mannequin's head that was stationed on a desk, there sat a pure silver crown. No, it was not just plain silver. It was Atlantean silver, the rarest divine element on Earth. The price of one kilogram of Atlantean silver could easily measure up to that of fifty kilograms of Imperial gold or sixty kilograms of celestial bronze.

This element was only used by the royal family of Atlantis, not even the Generals and Nobles of his father's court could afford it. Not many people might know this, but the reason why Zeus, Poseidon and Hades' weapons of power were far more powerful than the other gods was that they had small amounts of Atlantean silver in them. It had been a gesture of peace to Zeus and Hades from Atlantis.

Realising that his mind had again drifted off onto another tangent, Perseus shook his head and put on his crown. Walking out of the closest, he checked his reflection in the mirror for the second time. The grin that marred his lips at the sight in front of him signified that he was pretty happy with himself.

Turning his body, Perseus then walked out of his room and shut the door behind him. Taking the passageway to his right, he started to move towards his parents' room in order to escort his mother to the Ball like she had instructed him to.

One thing about living in a humongous palace that Perseus loved was that he had to walk distances to get from one place to another. This gave him some time to he alone and be peaceful.

Ever since the news of him defeating the Olympian God of War in a one versus one fight had come out, his popularity amongst the Atlanteans and demigods had shot up like a fucking missile. Before, Atlanteans used to praise him for being the slayer of the Leviathan and being the ideal prince of the seas. But now, the subjects of the sea literally worshipped him like they did his father, mother and brother. He had become the official face of Atlantis. All anyone could speak of was him and his unachievable achievement.

Of course, like with any new trending news, rumours had started to spread like wildfire. Some rumours were …..amusing, to say the least. For example, there was one that said he had made Ares cry for him mommy, and that the God of War had wet his pants.

There was also one rumour saying that the reason he was so strong was because the primordials had made him their champion. Yeah, right. As if the primordials didn't have anything better to do.

Some rumours were just outright weird. One example of this was a rumour saying that he had challenged Ares to woo ladies and goddesses and that he wanted a harem for himself.

Righttt. He didn't even want to comment on that one.

For fuck's sake, there had even been fanfictions made about him by some people where he was the son of some Norse god and adopted by Poseidon and Amphitrite. Something about him having ten girls to himself and defeating some dude named Order. Haha. That had made Perseus laugh out loudly.

So engrossed was he in his thoughts, that he didn't even notice that he had passed his mother's and father's room behind. Walking back, he knocked on the door of the room softly.

"Come in" came the melodious voice of his mother. Pushing the humongous doors, Perseus walked inside and saw his mother sitting in front of her dressing table, applying the final touchup on her makeup. Not that she needed any.

Walking towards the extremely comfortable sofas kept in one side of the ridiculously big room, Perseus took a seat and made himself comfortable. Leaning forward, he picked up an apple from the small basket of fruits kept on the table. Taking a small bite of the extremely juicy apple, Percy let out a sigh of pleasure. Kashmiri apples were just something else. But even more than the sweetness, the apple enticed Percy further as it tasted the same as Zoë's lips. He could still remember those lips clearly, it had after all been his first real kiss. Sure, he had kissed Hestia numerous times after that, but Zoë was still the one to steal his first kiss. As they say, you never forget your first. Though Percy was pretty sure that the phrase was used for sexual intercourse, not kisses.

Having done with her makeup, Amphitrite stood up from her seat and made some final adjustments to her dress. Turning around she saw her youngest son sitting on the sofa and munching on an apple, while he was clearly thinking of something else. She had a good idea of what he was thinking, seeing the faint red blush covering his cheeks and the dazed look in his eyes. Her baby boy was thinking about the girl he likes. Or rather, the girls that he likes.

She could remember it like it was just yesterday that he crawled around in his cute shark onesie, giving her a toothless grin and following her around, giving her kisses on the cheeks. And now, her little boy was growing up.

The next moment, she felt a sensation on her cheeks and opened her eyes to see Perseus kissing her cheek. "You look wonderful, mother." He smiled at her as he stepped back, adjusting his crown that had tilted slightly.

Amphitrite smiled softly. Some things never changed. And she was glad that they didn't.

Noticing his robes and seeing that he had cleaned up quite well, Amphitrite let a full blown smile onto her face. Licking her thumb, she wiped away imaginary smudge from his forehead, just to antagonize him. Percy scowled and swatted her hand away, glaring at her half-heartedly.

Amphitrite just laughed and spoke, "You look dashing, young man." To which Percy grinned his signature part cocky, part mischievous grin.

"I always look dashing, mother." He replied cheekily as she shook her head in mock disappointment.

At that moment, the doors to the huge room opened and in walked his father, the lord of the seas. Poseidon was wearing a plain white Chiton, with his sea-green robes flowing down his back. He wore a crown much similar to Percy's, just bigger and more intricately designed. He had trimmed his flowing beard, which was now present as a dark stubble. He hadn't yet noticed that Percy was present in the room, as he was busy grooming the blood red rose in his hand.

"Come on sexy. The guests have arrived." Poseidon spoke without looking up.

Perseus choked on his breath as he heard the nickname, while Amphitrite turned bright golden and her eyes widened.

Not hearing a response, Poseidon looked up and his eyes widened to see his son standing there with his wife, who was blushing bright golden.

Percy was the first to snap out of it as he coughed awkwardly and spoke, "I..ummm, I should wait outside." And he took his leave, closing the doors behind him.

After a few minutes, the doors opened again and Poseidon stepped out with a shit-eating grin similar to Triton's, with a blushing Amphitrite following him.

Ignoring their expressions, Percy stared at the path to the Ballroom and spoke, "Shall we get going?"

Poseidon was the one who voiced his agreement. "Umm yes. Let's go."

Percy started to walk, with his parents following him. Reaching the small entrance to the Ballroom that was used by the Royal Family, Perseus stopped and turned back to his parents.

A few moments later, he saw Triton approaching them, with Mera at his side. Triton was wearing the exact same attire as their father, except that his Chiton was a stunning black colour instead of white. Mera was wearing a sparkling green dress, hyper excited about the Ball.

"Little broo. Looking good!" Triton exclaimed as he plucked the crown off Percy's head and ruffled his hair.

Percy glared at Triton, before seeing that his mother and father weren't looking at them. Seizing the opportunity, Percy flipped Triton the bird, to which the Crown Prince just laughed.

Placing the crown back on his head, Percy scowled at his elder brother and started to chat with Mera. That was until he heard his mother speak, "Young man. Who are you taking to the Ball?"

Triton smiled softly in response and held up his index finger, asking their mother to wait for him. "This was supposed to be a surprise, but I can't keep it anymore." Triton almost goggled with excitement.

Continuing, he spoke, "Mera's mother has finally accepted to come in front of the public."

Percy raised an eyebrow at this, Poseidon smiled happily, while Amphitrite looked giddy with excitement. But the most notable reaction was the one that came from Mera.

"Whaa?" She squealed in surprise as she stared at her father with wide eyes. "You guys are getting together?"

Triton nodded and pulled his daughter in for a hug. "Yes honey-muffin. We rekindled a while ago, but didn't tell anyone as we didn't want to get your hopes up just to have them shot down. But now, we have decided to give it a try."

Mera squealed even louder and hugged her father tightly. "That is amazing."

Perseus smiled at his brother. "Congratulations, brother. Just don't scare her away with your Triton-ness." As he chuckled, with Poseidon joining him.

The lord of the seas clapped his eldest son's back. "Well done, son. I knew you wouldn't give up chasing your woman, just like I didn't." He winked at Amphitrite, who smiled brightly at the father-son duo.

"Soo, are you going to tell us who it is?" Amphitrite asked excitedly. This was the first time in his several millenia long life that Triton had gotten into a relationship. He had been a one-night stand kind of person, something that annoyed Amphitrite greatly. So, it was obvious that she was excited.

Triton's smile immediately dropped as a small amount of trepidation took its place. "Well…" he awkwardly chuckled. "I don't know how you will react to this." He spoke nervously as he rubbed his neck.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he saw a figure approaching them. Dashing across the corridor, Triton reached the lady. Smiling softly, he spoke, "You look beautiful, as always."

The lady smiled. "You look great as well, Triton." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You know we have to tell them, right?" She asked softly, to which Triton sighed and nodded.

Taking a deep breath, the Crown Prince of Atlantis stood straight and nodded confidently. "Let's do this." He spoke as the pair turned and started to walk towards the Royal Family.

Amphitrite's eyes widened dramatically, along with Poseidon's, when they saw who it was. But before any of them could speak, Mera walked forward and hugged her mother. "Mommm." She squealed as the lady smiled and hugged her back.

"Hello dear. Oh! You look lovely tonight." The lady spoke as she kissed Mera on the forehead.

Perseus could swear that he had seen the lady somewhere before. Racking his brain, Percy was just about to give up on guessing her identity when he heard his mother exclaim a name.

"Melite?!!!" Amphitrite exclaimed in part shock, part amazement as she walked forward.

Perseus' eyes widened as he connected the name. Melite was the Nereid of calm seas. She was his mother's youngest sister, and thus, his aunt.

"Hello sister. It is great to see you." The youngest Nereid spoke in a pleasant voice, her expression serene, perfectly fitting her title as the Nereid of calm seas.

For the first time in his life, Perseus saw his mother at a loss for words. "H..how? What? When?" Was all that the eldest Nereid could exclaim, as she tried to process the situation.

Her youngest sister had a daughter with her eldest son. Even though it was very common in the Greek World, that didn't mean that Amphitrite felt any less awkward about the situation.

Triton stepped in this time. "As for how it happened, I was not lying when I said that it was a drunken one night stand. As to when it happened, the answer is Percy's coronation as Prince of Atlantis."

He then continued, "I didn't even know about it until Mel informed me that she was pregnant. At first, we decided to be separate, but as time processed, we couldn't help but fall for each other."

Amphitrite nodded dumbly, still not processing the situation. Poseidon could see that it could easily take his wife more than fifteen minutes just to regain her bearings. Time that they did not have. So, even though he had many questions of his own, the Lord of the Seas walked forward and gently steered his wife towards the doors. Turning to his side, he smiled and beckoned his granddaughter, who walked towards him and stood next to him.

Perseus walked forward and stood beside his mum. "Well, that was definitely something." He spoke awkwardly, not being used to keeping queit for such a long time.

A very unlady like snort was his mother's response to his statement. "Yes. That definitely was something." She replied with a half-smile as she took another glance at her elder son and her youngest sister.

Perseus extended his hand to his mother, amused at her shock and confused state. It wasn't often that he saw his mother losing her graceful aura, and it was slightly funny. "Ready to go, mother?" He asked in order to take her mind off of his brother's current situation.

Amphitrite stared at his hand for a few moments, before shaking her head and smiling. "Yes, of course dear." She slipped her arm through his, connecting their elbows.

The doors to the Ballroom slid open as Percy heard Delphin announce their presence to the guests.

"Honoured guests of the Royal Ball, may I present to you the Royal Family of Atlantis." Delphin announced in a rather loud and authoritative voice, immediately gaining the attention of each and every attendant.

"First, let us welcome our very own king, the lord of the Seas, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Lord POSEIDON!!" Delphin announced as the humongous Ballroom erupted in a drowning wave of cheers and claps. A cacophony of "My lords" and "Hail lord Poseidon" ran throughout the room, making his father smile.

"Being escorted by the king is the very special, very beautiful princess of the sea. Let us welcome the Blood rose of the sea, Lady MERA!!" He announced as another round of applause and cheers went around the room. Mera blushed in embarrassment at the title that had been given to her because of her fiery red hair.

As the king and his granddaughter entered the throne room, another huge round of applause was heard. Finally, the applause died down as Poseidon let go of Mera's hand. The lord of the Seas then walked towards a small table where his generals and nobles were sitting, while Mera gracefully walked up to her friends, the daughters and sons of the generals.

Delphin then announced, "Now, put your hands together for the lovely queen of Atlantis, the Fairest Lady in the sea, Lady Amphitrite!!"

Unsurprisingly, the applause that Amphitrite received was even louder than Poseidon's, making the Lord sulk while Percy chuckled in amused.

"Escorting the queen to the Ball is our young prince, second in line to the throne of Atlantis. Please welcome the favourite son of Atlantis, the slayer of the Leviathan, our very own, Prince Perseus!!" Delphin boomed as in the Ballroom.

This time, only two one word could describe the applause and cheering - otherworldly and deafening. Percy smiled as he saw his father stare at him in unhidden pride, while his mother's half-smile turned into a full blown proud smile. He himself let a charming smirk onto his face as he raised his hand to the crowd, making the cheers go louder.

Percy was really wishing his mom would let go of his hand now, but as expected, and to his extreme horror, mind you, his mother turned to the right and started walking towards a small table, dragging him through their linked elbows.

In his defense, Perseus managed to not showcase his horror and trepidation on his face, but he whispered to his mother, "Mother, no please. Anywhere but there. I promise I won't run away from Grandma Doris and all the other aunts, just please don't do this."

He all but pleaded to her in hopes to make his mother let go of his hand.

Before his mother could reply, Perseus heard Delphin boom, "And now finally, let us welcome our very first prince, the heir to Atlantis and the best Trident weilder to ever walk this Earth. May I present to you, Lord Triton!!" Yet again, the crowd burst into claps and cheers Triton entered the room with the mother of his daughter.

"Lord Triton's partner for this evening is none other than the youngest Nereid, the deity of calm seas. Welcome, Lady Melite!!" The round of applause might not have been that loud at Melite's entrance, but the moment everyone saw Triton lean to his side and kiss the Nereid, the cheers and claps went through the roof.

"Percy honey, you know I am not letting you get out of this. Why even bother trying to convince me?" Amphitrite replied flatly, while sending friendly smiles to the guests around them.

Perseus just sighed in resignation and stared forward. Once his mother had made up her mind, not even his father could change it. To the people who thought his father was very stubborn, hah, Amphitrite took the crown by a mile and half.

As soon as they reached the table, Percy closed his eyes and counted to three. As soon as he mentally got to three, he braced himself. As expected, he heard a number of squeals and Awws as the ladies sitting at the table swarmed him and his mother.

This was the table Percy dreaded the most at these Balls. This was where the wives of the generals and nobles sat, along with their daughters. The only thing that made Percy survive this table was that Mera was here.

"Oh my!! Look who's here. The hero of Atlantis himself." Exclaimed Sé'rra the wife of Delphin, as she grabbed Percy into a hug, suffocating him in her bosom.

Immediately after, Percy was pulled away by another woman, a stunning brunette going by the name Fiona, as she pinched his cheeks and kissed them. "By the Gods. You just seem to get cuter every time I see you." She spoke as she inspected his face.

All the while, Perseus could only nod and smile as he tried to figure out a way to escape this table. So far, the only ideas he had were either pulling out his sword and threatening the ladies to back off, or puke on the spot so that the ladies would back off. Unfortunately, the look that his mother gave him rooted Perseus to his place, utterly terrified of facing her wrath.

"May I indulge you in a dance, my prince?" A small, soft voice asked from beside him and Perseus turned to see Dellé, the daughter of Delphin smiling at him.

Perseus nodded a little more excitedly than usual, extending his right hand to the girl in front of him. Dellé giggled softly, before placing her left hand in Percy's right one, before dragging him to the center of the room, where many couples were already dancing.

Reaching the dance floor, Perseus turned to face Dellé as he placed his left hand on her hip, his fingers grazing against the fine silk dress that covered her body. Dellé placed her right hand on his shoulder, as they started to dance slowly, gracefully to the rhythm of the song.

"Awww. Look at them!! Don't they look cute together?" Perseus and Dellé heard one of the ladies squeal behind them.

"Every single time." Perseus groaned as he locked eyes with Dellé, who was grinning at him.

"Aww. Not blushing this time, huh? What? You don't find me attractive?" She asked him in a teasing tone, to which he just narrowed his eyes at her.

"As far as I can remember, it is always you who blushes when the ladies catcall at us." Perseus shot back at her with a crooked smirk, taking pride in the embarrassed blush that crept up her face.

"Y..yeah. You wish, Pretty boy. Besides, we both know that I am way out of your league." Dellé retorted back hotly, with a glare that changed to indignance when she saw that Perseus' grin just widened.

"Oh yeah? And it seems like my elder brother, the father of your best friend, is perfectly in your league, eh?" Perseus asked smugly, struggling to hold back his laughter when he saw Dellé's face heat up unnaturally.

"Whatever, pretty boy. But are you trying to tell me that uncle Triton isn't hot?" Dellé asked him teasingly, knowing that the question would make him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Perseus shuddered, before replying, "I refuse to reply to that, on the grounds that I don't want to."

Adding on, he raised his eyebrow and smirked, "Although, I never thought you were the type to be interested in DILFs."

The heeled shoe that hit him on the leg made him clench his teeth, though he couldn't suppress the shit-eating grin on his face.

"Shut up, pervert." She grumbled as Perseus shrugged his shoulders, still grinning like a madman.

Suddenly, he sobered up and locked eyes with his dancing partner. "Fun aside, Dellé. Triton is in a relationship with Aunt Melite, currently. And this time, it seems serious. I don't want to see you hurt, I care too much for you to do that to you." He spoke compassionately, squeezing her hand softly.

Dellé's eyes widened when she heard this, but then she just sighed and placed her head on Percy's shoulder, hiding in the crook of his neck. "I thought so when I saw them kiss. Well, I guess I will have to be the grown up and let him go, huh?" She asked in a bittersweet voice.

In an attempt to cheer her up, Percy spoke, "Look at you, all grown up. Who are you and what have you done to Dellé?"

The daughter of Delphin chuckled as she wiped away her tears on Percy's neck, something that did not bother the son of Poseidon as he could just will them to dry.

As the dance came to an end, Percy escorted Dellé back to the table, where he pulled her chair out for her, pushing it back when she took her seat. He could count about six more ladies that wanted a dance with him, but fortunately for him, he heard his father's loud voice, "Perseus, my boy! Come here and join us."

Giving the ladies an apologetic smile and goodbye, Perseus started to walk towards his father's table, which was on the other side of the room.

On the way, many respected citizen of Atlantis bowed their heads at him in a show of respect and salutation, which he replied with nods and small smiles.

Finally, he reached the table where his father was talking and drinking along with his generals and nobles.

"Ahh. Perseus! The man of the hour. Welcome, welcome." Delphin smiled at him, raising his glass of Scotch in salutation.

Perseus returned the smile, before studying the occupants of the table. There was of course his father and Delphin and Naphos the royal medic, but along with them were five mermen, the four generals and one noble who Poseidon trusted almost as much as he trusted Delphin.

First there was General Alciver, the chief in command of the Atlantean infantry. The second was General Dionirel, the chief in command of the Atlantean cavalry. The third general was General Korger, the chief in command of the Atlantean beast force, which included every creature from the Killer whale to the Atlantean giant dolphins. Finally, there was General Korper, the elder twin brother of General Korger. He was the head of the Atlantean secret services.

The noble present at the table was none other than Lord Nereus, Perseus' grandfather.

The four generals and Naphos offered Percy a bow of their heads, to which Percy responded with nods. Nereus, never having been one to show much affection, just smiled at his adopted grandson and spoke with a nod, "Perseus."

Perseus reciprocated the nod with a smile and nod of his own. "Grandfather."

Poseidon was the first to speak. "Perseus, my son. Mere words cannot possibly do justice to the brave and incredible feats you have achieved in just thirteen years of your life."

The other occupants of the table nodded their approval and raised their glasses again.

Seeing this, Poseidon continued. "The Generals and myself believe that it is now time you enter Atlantean politics and establish your position as a prince, not just as a brave warrior."

Percy nodded, already guessing where his father was heading at with this information.

"This was not to be announced till your birthday two months from now, but I thought it would be better to inform you in advance. Perseus, from August Eighteenth, your birthday, you will officially be the governor of the city of New Atlantis." Poseidon told him with a proud and almost giddy grin.

Perseus' eyes widened dramatically as he choked on his Nojito, completely surprised at what his father had just spoken. He had expected that his father would put him in a position of power where he could have some jurisdictions of his own, but never had he imagined that his father would make him the governor of a city like New Atlantis when he was so young.

The huge kingdom was divided into several provinces just like any other nation. The largest province was none other than Poseidonopolis, where the Royal Family lived. It was the richest and most populated city, being the capital of Atlantis. The second strongest and largest province of Atlantis was Pearl, the city that was governed by Triton. It was so powerful because it was where all of the Atlantean silver reserves were.

New Atlantis was the third largest and most powerful province in the kingdom of Atlantis. It was known as the birthplace of most of the legendary Atlantean warriors. About thirty percent of the Atlantean army consisted of citizens of New Atlantis.

"Wow! I..I don't know what to say, father. This is huge." Perseus spoke as he snapped himself out of his shock.

"Yes, perhaps it does sound intimidating. But worry not, my boy. We believe that you can handle it. Also, till you can make decisions on your own, Lord Nereus will be acting as your royal advisor." Poseidon spoke as the generals and Lord Nereus nodded in agreement.

Perseus took a moment to digest this new information and then steeled his face with a look of confidence. "Very well then. I will be honoured to have the position of Governor of New Atlantis."

As if on afterthought, he smirked and asked, "You are giving me specifically New Atlantis for a political purpose too, right?"

Poseidon raised his eyebrow while the generals listened with curiousity, wanting to see what Perseus was going to say.

"Am I?" Poseidon asked questioningly, expecting Percy to elaborate.

"I know that after beating Leviathan and Ares, I have become the new symbol of Atlantean bravery. If I became the Governor of the province that produces about thirty percent of our royal army, the number of recruits from New Atlantis will shoot up even more. Other provinces would see this as both a slap to the face, what with being bested by a teenager, and also a threat to annexation of their territories. They would try to increase their contribution towards the nation and army too. It would also prevent them from even thinking about betrayal, and keep them in line. Overall, it is nothing but absolute profit for Atlantis." Perseus explained his reasons, finishing his drink and setting the glass on the table, before resting back in his chair.

"Wonderful. Right up to the smallest point. See, you are ready, my son." Poseidon exclaimed with a proud grin.

"Hit right on the head, Lord Perseus. Such understanding of royal politics at such a young age, incredible." Naphos complimented as Percy gave him a smile and nod.

"Now that it is done, we would like to hear from you about your fight with the God of War, my prince." General Alciver spoke as he leaned forward.

Perseus nodded his head. "Very well gentlemen. Just let me get myself another drink first." Ordering another Nojito for himself, Percy too leaned forward and started to describe his battle with Ares exactly as it happened.

By the end, Perseus could see that all the generals were staring at him with unhidden awe and pride, even Nereus was giving him a look of pride. Naphos was scowling, remembering the condition Percy's body had been in after the fight. He had never seen so many cracks in a single bone. Or so many cracked ribs, for that matter.

Perseus had become the only person in Atlantis to ever have gone toe to toe with an Olympian and come out on top. Other than Triton of course. The crown prince wouldn't have any problem thrashing most of the second generation Olympians. Except for Athena and Ares, Triton could literally wipe the floor with the other younger Olympians, even Artemis and Apollo.

"One thing I don't understand, Lord Perseus. How were you able to survive a direct blast from the Master Bolt? Even if Lord Ares' attack with the bolt would be significantly weaker than Lord Zeus', it would still be enough to level at least ten buildings." Naphos asked, puzzled and awestruck that the prince of Atlantis had survived the attack.

Perseus could only shrug in response. "Unfortunately, even I do not have any clue whatsoever. But I try not to think about it, being content that I survived."

Perseus saw his father give a small smirk at the question, and realisation dawned upon him. His surviving the bolt definitely had something to do with his parentage. But he also knew that Poseidon would evade every question of his related to that topic. So, Perseus left it at that, at least for the moment.

"Ahha. The way you dragged him in by the hair had each and every Olympian shocked and awestruck. A 'mere twelve year old' demigod not only beating Ares, but absolutely humiliating him. The last time this happened was….. well never." Poseidon roared with laughter as he remembered the scene.

"I can only imagine the look on the faces of the lord of Olympus and the goddess of marriage at seeing their son in the condition he was in." Alciver laughed as the other generals nodded.

"Speaking of marriage, my prince and my lord, I wish to speak something." General Dionirel spoke as each occupant's attention focused on him.

"Go ahead, Dionirel." Poseidon spoke as he gave him the go ahead signal.

"I wish to propose a betrothal contract between my youngest daughter Salicia and Lord Perseus." The general proposed as Perseus' eyes widened.

Perseus had never met Salicia. All he knew was that she was about two years older than him. But he also knew that it would be an advantage for both families to accept the proposal.

For Dionirel's family, it would make them directly related to the royal Atlantean family. Also, it would establish them a level above any other general and noble family.

For the royal family, it would give them a powerful ally that would be completely loyal to them even after Dionirel passed away.

Poseidon glanced at Perseus and saw that his son had already broken down the situation and was thinking of how to answer. Deciding to let Perseus handle it, Poseidon sat back and spectated, ready to interfere if his son messed it up. But he was mostly sure his son could take care of this. Afterall, a huge surprise was heading Perseus' way in just about five minutes.

Perseus took a few more moments, before sitting up straighter and placing his hands on the table, lacing his fingers.

"General Dionirel, I am beyond honoured that you deem me worthy of marrying your daughter. But as of now, I cannot say yes to the betrothal." He stopped to judge the general's reaction.

Dionirel was staring at him with a blank expression, clearly wanting him to elaborate and explain his reasons. Poseidon was meanwhile giving him a small smile, boosting Perseus' confidence.

Taking a deep breath, Percy continued. "I assure you that it is not because I have a problem with the betrothal itself. And might I say that from what I have heard, lady Salicia is quite lovely and any man who marries her would be extremely lucky. But you see, there are two main reasons I cannot say yes as of now. The first one is that as of now, most Olympians are furious at me and there is trouble brewing up. Somehow, I have the feeling that I am going to be in the middle of it all. I do not want to put your daughter at harm's way just because she is my fiancée. I would never be able to forgive myself if someone hurt her just to get to me. The second reason is that if I am to say yes in the future, I would first like to spend time with my intended. To get to know her. I hope you understand, General." He finished sincerely, waiting for the general's reply.

Poseidon leaned sideways and whispered in Percy's ear. "Excellently done, son. But I think you are in for a big surprise." He winked at Percy, confusing the prince.

After about two minutes, Dionirel finally spoke with a nod and understanding expression. "That sounds about right, my prince. It is very honourable of you to turn down the proposal, keeping my daughter safe from harm. I respect your decision, and all that I can do is introduce you to my daughter and hope you two … what is it that mortals say…. hit it off."

His face finally turned into a huge smile as he continued, "Although, I am pretty sure you both know each other very well."

The general stood up and walked to somewhere behind Perseus. The prince meanwhile turned to his father and spoke, "Aren't you unhappy that I rejected this proposal? I mean, I know it is very advantageous to us."

Poseidon just shook his head, chuckling. "Firstly son, you didn't turn the proposal down, you just pushed it into the future. Also, I think that you will rethink your decision in about ten seconds."

Before Percy could question his father as to what he meant, he heard General Dionirel speak from behind him, "Lord Perseus, meet my daughter, Salicia."

Perseus turned around and froze. His jaw dropped in awe and surprise as he saw the teenager standing beside General Dionirel. Long brown hair cascaded down her back and shoulders, as her matching chocolate brown eyes glinted with mischief and warmth. She wore a stunning blue dress, the exact same colour as Percy's eyes. She was about as tall as him, and about fifteen years old. But still, Percy immediately recognised the girl.

"Sally?!!" He blurted out, flabbergasted and awestruck, though the second emotion was mainly due to how stunning she looked.

Sally smiled happily, giving him a bow of her head. "Hello, my prince." She said.

Perseus heard the clicking sound of a camera and turned to see that his father had clicked a picture of his flabbergasted face. Glaring at the god, Perseus growled. "Delete it, or I'll tell mother about the game that you went to after cancelling your date night."

Poseidon paled immediately, before nodding his head and deleting the picture. Perseus nodded in satisfaction, before turning back to Sally.

Sensing the confusion of the boy, General Dionirel walked towards the table and patted his back. Meanwhile, Sally walked towards Percy and held out her hand. "Can I have a dance, my lord?" She asked with a grin on her face.

Percy just dumbly nodded, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Sally, or rather Salicia, was the daughter of his father's most trusted General and most possibly, his betrothed.

The two of them walked towards the center of the dance floor, where Sally placed her hands on Percy's shoulders, as the prince's arms went to her waist. The two of them started to sway to the rhythm of the slow song that was playing, some old romantic song from the 80's.

The feeling of his body dancing finally snapped Percy out of his stupor as he stared at the girl in front of him. Being the charming, eloquent prince that he was, he blurted out, "What? How? I don't understand."

Salicia, no wait. He was just you to call her Sally. Anyway, Sally just giggled at his question and answered, "Surprised, huh? I hoped so."

Perseus again just nodded, not knowing what to say.

"My, my. Is this really happening? The charming Prince Perseus is speechless." Sally laughed again, making Percy growl softly.

"As to your questions, yes, I am General Dionirel's daughter. And yes, this is my true age." Sally answered his questions.

"B..but what about when and how we first met? I..I don't understand." Perseus stuttered slightly, still not able to connect the dots completely.

Sally just flashed him a grin. "Come on dummy. I know you can easily figure it out. So, you tell me."

Perseus was silent for a moment before he groaned slightly. "It was all planned, wasn't it? That day, I wasn't supposed to go on a walk, yet my mother almost forced me to do so. Then there was the fact that a woman was actually roaming a deserted village alone. It was a scheme made by our parents to introduce us, huh?" He asked.

Sally nodded slightly. "Almost correct. Except for the fact that it was actually my idea. You see, I knew about the betrothal contract long before you knew. But, I wanted to see the prince for who he was, not what the public showed him to be. So, I reached out to Lady Amphitrite, and we both set this plan together."

Perseus digested this information, before his eyes widened in horror. "What about those men forcing them upon you? Don't tell me that was planned too. Did I kill three innocent men?"

Sally shook her head frantically as her lips pulled back in a snarl. "No. Those men were not part of any plan. They just saw a pretty lady alone and decided to force themselves upon her. They deserved every bit of pain that you gave them." She hissed.

The prince sighed in relief. Sally then continued, "Actually, even though that wasn't part of the plan, it actually played a very important role. It gave me my first impression of the real you. And by the gods was I impressed. The way you saved me and didn't ask anything in return, made me think that being promised to you couldn't be so bad."

Then leaning in she whispered, "Also, the fact that you are cute doesn't hurt."

The son of Poseidon stayed silent for a few moments. "Wow. That is actually a lot to process."

Sally nodded. "I can only imagine. How about we go for a walk? Maybe it will help you clear your head."

"Yeah. Yeah that sounds good." Percy nodded as he stepped away from her and offered her his hand. Once she placed her hand in his, he started to walk towards the royal family doors, exiting the Ballroom.

"Do you have any destination in mind? Or are we just going to roam in the palace?" Sally asked.

Thinking for a moment, Perseus spoke, "I think I might have something in mind."

The two of them turned to their right and started to walk.

Sally had seen most of the Atlantean palace in the few years she had been here. But she still had no idea where Perseus was leading her.

At the end of the corridor they reached an elevator, the doors to which slid open when Percy stood in front of it. They walked into it,

and the elevator doors shut behind them.

Pressing the button for the bottom most floor, Percy stood straight and stared at the door in front of him.

"You know you don't have to stand so stoic and straight when not surrounded by the public, right?" Sally asked him with a giggle.

Perseus nodded. "I know. But tell me this, have you ever seen me leaning onto something or well, not standing straight?"

Sally thought for a moment, before shaking her head. Percy nodded.

After a short, comfortable silence, percy spoke, "How did you change your age?"

The reply to his question came immediately. "Your father is one of the strongest Olympians, Percy. Of course he helped me do so."

Percy nodded again. Finally, they reached the ground floor of the palace. Walking out of the elevator, Perseus started to walk towards his right, away from the palace, while Salicia walked beside him.

"Is it near,... the place we are going to?" Sally asked after a few moments of silence.

Perseus shook his head. "I wouldn't call it near. It will take us some time."

"Hmmm. I see. Hey. You never told me what happened after you landed in the center of the dining table at Camp Half-blood after your meeting with the Olympians." Sally spoke, clearly wanting to know what had happened.

Perseus was silent for a moment, before a small smile spread on his face, before it turned to a scowl as he remembered the end of his stay at Camp. Taking a deep breath, he started recalling the events of that day.

Flashback Starts

Time : Where last chapter ends

Third person POV

"Send me to camp, dad. We will speak later. Also, send me to someplace quiet, preferably straight into your cabin." Percy spoke.

Poseidon nodded and snapped his fingers, making Percy disappear in mist.

Percy felt himself disappear in the mist and reform again. Opening his eyes, he expected to see the walls of his father's cabin, but instead, he was met with several pairs of eyes staring at him in surprise. Surprise that soon changed to interest.

Looking down, Percy saw that his father had transported him smack in the middle of the dining pavilion, where the demigods were having dinner. Now, the demigods were surrounding him, asking him questions about the quest.

Looking up at the sky, Percy glared and spoke, "Not funny, dad. Not funny at all."

Suddenly, gasps and cheers erupted across the dining hall as the campers started to cheer for the quest hero. Every table, other than the Ares campers of course, was cheering and clapping as Perseus slowly climbed down the table.

Looking at the cheering campers, Perseus saw that all the attention was currently on him. Being used to being in the spotlight, he smiled brilliantly and raised his hand with a peace gesture.

After a few minutes, the cheering died down as everyone sat back down, but each and every eye was still on the son of Poseidon.

Noticing this, Percy walked towards his table and saw a water nymph already setting the glass and plate for him. Giving her a polite smile, he nodded as she bowed and then took his seat.

'Some Filet mignon and a glass of non-alcoholic malt.' Percy thought as the food filled his plate.

He was about to start eating when he heard the sound of hooves approaching him. Looking wistfully at the juicy piece of steak on his fork, which was mere inches from his mouth, Percy sighed before setting it down and facing the legendary trainer of heroes.

"Chiron, what can I do for you?" He asked politely.

Chiron smiled at him, a mixture of happiness and pride. "Sit, my boy. Continue with your lunch. Perseus, I can't tell you how proud I am of you and your friends. Succeeding in a quest this hard, even with basically all odds stacked against you. I don't know if even Heracles could have been able to do this."

Perseus gave him another smile. He managed to hide the angry hiss that escaped his lips at the mention of the God of strength. "Oh, you flatter me, Chiron. It was after all a team effort. Speaking of which, where are Grover and Annabeth?"

Chiron replied, "They were utterly exhausted when they reached here, both physically and mentally. So, I had them sent to the infirmary for the day."

Nodding, the son of Poseidon spoke, "That's good. The quest must have taken a severe toll on their minds and bodies. Especially the Underworld."

Chiron's eyes widened when he heard the son of Poseidon mention the realm of Hades. "And you, my boy? Aren't you tired?" He asked Perseus.

"Oh I am about ready to drop dead." Perseus spoke in a deadpan voice.

Chiron chuckled. "Yes. You do look severely disheveled. I can not think of a single time other than the Capture the Flag game that I have seen you messy."

"Unfortunately, that's the way I have to be. Royalty and all that." Perseus groaned as he finally took a bite of his food. Instantly, he let out a small moan of pleasure as he felt the taste of the steak fill his mouth.

"Why don't you take some rest today, child? I will make sure that the campers do not disturb you or your quest mates today." Chiron suggested in the grandfatherly tone.

Honestly, Chiron was almost similar to Albus Dumbledore. Just that the centaur was far less secretive and not manipulative in the slightest. All in all, he was the perfect version of Albus Dumbledore.

"Sure, Chiron. That sounds perfect. But rather than my cabin, I think I will be at the beach. If you need me, just send any naiad or water nymph." Perseus replied.

Chiron nodded, just as Perseus finished his food. Looking around, he saw that most campers were staring at the son of Poseidon with awe and curiosity. He knew that as soon as he left the table, Perseus would be swarmed by a horde of campers wanting to know about his quest.

"I suggest you get going, Perseus. Lest you get ambushed by your friends here." The centaur gave his suggestion, which Percy completely agreed with.

"Yes. See you around, Chiron." Perseus spoke as he dipped his head in acknowledgement. Receiving a nod from the centaur, Perseus rose from his seat and walked towards the exit.

Reaching the beach, Perseus took off his shirt and walked into the warm ocean water. He willed himself to let the water soak his skin, groaning in pleasure as he felt his home element rejuvenating him.

Closing his eyes, Perseus floated on the sea water, deciding to take a small nap. But alas, it wasn't meant to be as he heard the sound of a school of fish swimming towards him.

A cacophony of shrill little voices in his head was the indicator of the fish reaching him and trying to get his attention.

Opening one eye, Perseus scouted his sides to see that he was surrounded by about thirty small clownfish. 'Nemo' Percy's head thought subconsciously.

"Hello there." Perseus greeted as the fish let out loud, excited noises which Percy could only think were fish' version of cheers and squeaks.

"My lord. It is an honour to see you in fish." One clownfish spoke as Percy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"In fish?" He asked, confused.

The fish giggled as it replied. "The humans say 'in person'. Just like that, we say 'in fish'."

"Huh. I see." Perseus spoke.

Had he been spending too much time with Triton or did that just make sense?

Before the fish could speak further, they immediately darted back into the ocean, sensing a human being coming their way.

Perseus opened his eyes completely and saw Annabeth standing on the beach. He would much have preferred that the daughter of Athena sleep throughout the day.

Knowing the Athenian, she definitely knew that something was fishy with Perseus. Heh. He let out a chuckle at his thought. Anyway, he knew that Annabeth was smart enough to figure out that he had been trained in the art of swordsmanship. And now, she would be asking him a million questions at least.

Perseus groaned as he felt a rubber ball hit him on his chest. Where the fuck did Annabeth even get a rubber ball?

Willing the water to carry him towards the beach, Perseus finally stood on his feet and stretched his body, moaning as he felt the audible popping of his back and neck.

Before he could speak, Annabeth piped up, "How did the council meeting go? What did the gods say? Did you see my mother? Did..?"

"Nice to see you too, dear." Perseus snarked at her, interrupting the unending barrage of questions that was spouting out of the Athenian's mouth.

Annabeth's cheeks tinged red, partly due to embarrassment, partly due to annoyance at Percy's snark.

"Forgive me if I have a million questions. It's not like I just saw my friend, a twelve year old demigod, beat the shit out of one of the most powerful Olympians." Annabeth shot back with equal, if not more sarcasm in her words.

"My, my, Annabeth. What would Luke say if he heard this kind of language from your mouth?" Perseus grinned cheekily, feeling the satisfaction that always filled his heart when he successfully annoyed and embarrassed his grey-eyed friend.

"Ughhh. You really are insufferable, aren't you?" Annabeth asked as she glared at the prince of the seas.

Perseus shrugged. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. But till date, nobody has had the guts to say this to me."

"Cocky much?" Annabeth scowled, as Percy shrugged and turned to his side, walking towards a couple of pool chairs that had been placed on the beach for the demigods.

Resting himself on the pool chair, Perseus summoned some water from the sea and willed it into a pair of blue sunglasses. Resting the cold water/sunglasses on his eyes, he leaned back.

The small creaking sound of the chair beside him signalled that the daughter of Athena had taken a seat there.

"How did you manage to reach the beach? I thought you would have been ambushed by the others." Perseus asked.

"Invisibility cap, remember?" Was Annabeth's reply as Perseus nodded, remembering the Yankees cap that Athena had gifted Annabeth.

"Now, tell me this. What happened in the underworld? All I remember is entering the palace of Lord Hades. After that, I woke up from what was maybe unconsciousness and it seemed like you and the lord of the dead were chatting like buddies." Annabeth asked her first question, making Perseus groan inwardly.

"When we entered Lord Hades' palace, the king of the Underworld had not reigned in his aura. Unable to digest the aura, you and Grover fell unconscious. I think that the only reason I was able to maintain consciousness is because I am a child of Poseidon. Well, then I spoke to him and got to know that even his helm of Darkness had been stolen at the same time that the Master Bolt was taken. We made a deal. I said that we would find the helm for him, if he granted us safe passage out of the Underworld. He agreed. That's when you woke up." Perseus explained briefly. Sure, he had left out some details, but it was still all completely true.

Annabeth nodded her head. "Hmmm. I see. Now, let's address the elephant in the room. How did you not only manage to beat four legendary warriors of the old, but also knock Lord Ares out. As far as I could see, you were matching the God of War in each strike. Something that not even the most legendary warriors weren't able to do. So, how were you able to do so?"

Perseus was silent for a moment. "Do you know you look exactly like your mother? The resemblance is uncanny, except that your mother has black hair opposed to your blonde."

This distracted Annabeth for a second. She seemed to think about it for a moment, before she snapped out of it and glared at Perseus.

"Don't change the topic, Sailor boy. Answer the bloody question." Annabeth grunted, still glaring at the son of Poseidon.

Perseus raised his eyebrow. "Sailor boy? Hmm, that's new. How about Sea Prince next time? It suits me better, don't you think?"

Eye twitching, Annabeth Chase just let it pass and then spoke with gritted teeth, "JUST. ANSWER. THE. DAMN. QUESTION."

"I can't, Annabeth. You have to understand. If I tell you this, it puts you in grave danger. For now, all you should know is that I was trained for this shit from when I was five years old. That is the sole reason why I was able to beat the War God. Maybe sometime in the future, I might be able to tell you. But for now, I hope you understand." Perseus replied in a cool voice, not letting any emotions seep into his tone.

Seeing that the daughter of Athena was about to question it some more, Perseus raised his hand, effectively silencing her.

"Please, Annabeth. I am not asking this as a favour from a comrade or fellow demigod. I am asking this of you as a friend. If you think of me as a friend, I hope you will leave this alone for now."

It took a few moments, but the daughter of Athena finally nodded. "Okay. I will not pressurize you into telling me, at least for now. But I hope you know what you are doing, Jackson."

It took a while, but Perseus finally remembered that his identity in the mortal world was registered as Perseus Jackson. Hmm. Weird surname, that. In Atlantis or even Olympus, Jackson would refer to the son of Jack. Hmmm, then again, mortals were the weirdest species of life he had ever interacted with.

"So, what are you going to do next? As far as I reckon, the Camp ends next week." Perseus asked Annabeth.

"I..I think I will stay for the year, just like every time." Was Annabeth's reply.

'Ohh. Right. Her relationship with her father was not great, after all.' Percy thought.

"You are conflicted. There is something bothering you. What is it?" Perseus asked as he studied his friend.

Annabeth sighed. "Yes. When I entered my cabin to sleep, I saw a letter on my bed. It was from my dad."

Perseus did not comment, just staring at her, waiting for her to continue.

"He.. he wants me to come home for the year. Something about mending our relationship." Annabeth spoke with gritted teeth.

"And you don't want anything to do with your father, right?" Perseus asked, to which Annabeth nodded slowly.

Perseus sighed. Standing up, he walked forward and grabbed his shirt. Putting it on, he stared at the horizon past the sea, watching as Apollo handed over the sky to his twin sister.

'Artemis must be up there.' A small part of his brain noted subconsciously. A serene smile spread on his face.

"You know, I won't give you my opinion about whether you should accept your father's invitation or not. But one thing I can say is that having people who care about you is never a bad thing, Annabeth. Maybe you and your dad will make up, maybe you will not. But will you be able to find that out if you don't try from your end?" Perseus asked in a calm voice, feeling the sea breeze tussling with his hair.

The daughter of Athena was silent for a few minutes. Perseus took this time to walk towards the sea and stand in it, with the water reaching up to his calves.

He heard the almost unbearable sound of Annabeth's feet shuffling in the sand behind him. A moment later, the daughter of Athena stood beside him, staring at her legs.

"I..I don't know. I want to give him a chance, I really want to. But…. I am scared, to be honest. What if…?" Her sentence remained incomplete as she kept staring at her feet.

Gazing at the Athenian, Perseus spoke with a smile, "What if I make you a promise? If you feel like you need anyone, or even if things are not going well, you just IM me. I will be there as soon as I can, to escort you back to Camp myself."

Annabeth looked at him with hopeful, yet doubt filled eyes. But when she saw the confident look on his face, she found herself nodding. "Ok. But if you break your promise….."

Her mouth was literally squeezed shut as Percy rolled his eyes. "Yes, I get it, mini-Hitler. Now shoo, go back to your cabin and give me some much overdue peace." He smirked as she stomped off the beach, muttering about stupid sailor boys and lack of chivalry.

As night approached, Perseus finally left the beach and walked back to the dining pavillion. There, he saw that he was yet again the last one to enter. Just like before, each and every demigod's eyes were on him.

Perseus sensed the water balloon coming towards him and turned to his side. Catching the balloon, he threw it back to where it came from, with no force held back.

The balloon struck Travis Stoll of the Hermes cabin, dousing him in water from head to toe.

"Next time, do not try to hit a son of Poseidon with water, genius." Perseus rolled his eyes with a smile as the entire Hermes cabin laughed at their drenched sibling.

As he walked towards his table, Perseus saw Chiron approaching him.

"Let me guess, the campers want to know about the quest?" Perseus asked blandly as Chiron nodded with a small smile.

"How about I recall the quest during campfire?" Perseus proposed as Chiron accepted it.

After dinner, the campers gathered around the campfire, chatting amongst each other, waiting for the son of Poseidon to describe his quest.

Perseus walked towards the campfire and saw the outline of a girl glaring at him through the fire. Percy gulped, knowing that he was going to get chewed out by the most soft-spoken goddess he knew.

Walking to the fire, Percy glanced around to see that nobody could see him from there. Walking straight into the fire, Percy grabbed the girls face and pressed his lips to hers. The goddess, in the form of a thirteen year old girl, squeaked as she was surprised by the sudden action of the prince of Atlantis.

After a few seconds, Perseus pulled back with a huge grin, still holding the goddess' chin. "Hey Hestia. I missed you." He spoke with a smile as he pecked her cheek.

Hestia, the eldest goddess, couldn't keep her glare up, as a small smile slipped through her stoic face. "I missed you too, Percy."

Then, it seemed like she remembered something and her smile immediately turned to a glare again. "Wait here after the campers go to sleep." She glared at him as she vanished in a burst of flames.

"Still beautiful." Perseus muttered as he stepped out of the fire, batting away a stray flame that had started on his shirt.

When everyone finally got seated, Chiron finally spoke. "Children, today Perseus here will tell you about his quest to return the Master Bolt to the lord of Olympus."

Perseus stepped forward as a round of cheers and applause went around the area. Smiling, he spoke, "Firstly, I would say that this isn't my quest alone, nor is it my own success. This is a success of all the demigods present here. Even when the gods were choosing between the two sides for the war, you guys stayed United and strong, not turning against each other over anything. That is true victory. And that is what makes us the best of both, the mortal and immortal worlds, doesn't it?"

This time, an even louder applause along with a few "Well spoken" and "True" went around the area.

"Also, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood were extremely important for the quest, so, I believe they deserve credit for this quest too." Perseus spoke as he pointed at his two friends.

After the cheering died down, Perseus started to recall the events of the quest to the other demigods.

There were some parts which he had to change, or edit, like the parts that could give away that he was a prince of the seas, and the part about Medusa, but other than that, he stuck to the truth as much as possible.

After he finished, he saw that each and every demigod, other than Annabeth, of course, had an awestruck expression on their faces.

The first one to speak was, as expected, Connor Stoll. "Damnn!!!" Was all he got out.

Slowly, a Demeter girl raised her hand to ask a question, but Perseus already knew what it would be. "No, Katie. Lord Hades does not have those gigantic teeth, nor does he have hair made of blue flames and an ugly face. He is also not evil."

"They should really stop showing you guys that stupid Disney Hercules movie." Perseus muttered as he shook his head.

Katie seemed disappointed for some reason. Or maybe it was just her natural dislike of Hades that she inherited from her mother.

Turning to the Ares cabin, Perseus saw all of them glaring at him murderously. He would have to do something about that. But for now, he ignored them completely.

Soon after, the area cleared up as Chiron ordered them to go back to their cabins. Perseus sighed in relief and sat down. Who knew that demigods, even children of Athena, could ask so many dumb questions.

All of his irritation vanished when he heard the familiar noise of flames coming to life. Looking beside him, he saw Hestia sitting there, her hands tending to the dying fire.

As soon as she was done with what she was doing, Hestia whirled around and punched Percy in the arm. "What the hell were you thinking? Taking on Ares as if he is some equal opponent. Wait, were you thinking at all? Tell me you had a plan, Perseus, or the Fates help me I will strangle you myself."

"Hey! Hey. Relax, Tia. I am fine, see. Not a scratch on me. Well, except for this new scar, ….and this one. Oh! And how could I forget about that one?!" Perseus tried to calm Hestia, but got sidetracked in the middle of doing so.

"Not dimming my anger, Percy." Hestia spoke in an angry tone, still mad at him for putting himself in danger.

"I am sorry, Tia. But in my defense, if I didn't do it, the war would have started by now." Perseus spoke in a somber tone, placing his hand over Hestia's hand.

Hestia sighed, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. "I know. And that is what upsets me even more. You had to risk your life just to prevent a war that wouldn't have happened if my brothers weren't so immature."

Percy grinned. "Do you know what I realised when I was standing there in the throne room?" He asked Hestia.

Hestia looked up from the fire and stared at him questioningly.

Perseus spoke, "How in Dad's name does Hestia keep her cool with these idiots?"

This time, Hestia couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It is horrible, that I will admit. They are worse than toddlers, fighting about every single thing."

Perseus laughed along with her. The two of them then fell into a comfortable silence, content with each other's company.

"Soo, I go to Atlantis in a week." Perseus spoke as he stared at the fire in front of him. Hestia's presence was the only reason it was still burning.

Hestia let out a soft hmm, acknowledging the fact.

"You should come and visit it. I could give you a tour." Perseus suggested, hoping she would say yes.

"That would be great." Was Hestia's reply as the two of them gave each other small smiles.

"You should get some sleep." Hestia spoke as she finally stood up.

"Yes, I suppose I should." Perseus replied as he stood up beside her.

"Take care, Percy." Hestia mumbled as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"My lips could also use some attention, you know." Percy grinned cheekily as he gave her a wink.

Hestia returned the smirk. "They could, couldn't they?" She asked rhetorically as she leaned forward, moving to his lips.

Percy closed his eyes, waiting to feel the soft touch of her lips on his own. But the next moment, he felt a warm breath tingling near his ear as Hestia whispered, "Later" and disappeared in a flash of flames, leaving Perseus standing there with puckered lips and closed eyes, looking like an idiot.

"Every single time." Percy groaned as he regained his composure and started to walk towards cabin number three.

Walking past the arena, Perseus heard the sound of a sword striking against the straw dummies. Curious as to who was practicing at this time of the night, the son of Poseidon walked inside the arena. In there, Perseus saw Luke Castellan striking the dummies as hard as he could, not applying any technique, just brute force. It was as if he was trying to take his frustration out on the dummies.

"My, my. How low will you fall, Castellan? Attacking someone who can do nothing to fight back, that's just sick." Percy joked as he leaned on the wall at the entrance of the arena.

Luke turned around and grinned equally. "They are still better opponents than a snarky, shithead son of Poseidon I know."

Perseus laughed out, pulling out his ballpoint pen and uncapping it. "Care to take on someone that can actually fight back?"

"Sure. It will be more fun kicking your sorry ass anyway." Luke shrugged with a smirk, before advancing at Percy with a downward slash.

Perseus dodged the slash by leaning his body to the side, before immediately replying with a few strikes of his own.

Ten seconds later, it turned into a full blown duel with the son of Hermes defending and the son of Poseidon attacking relentlessly.

Twenty seconds after that, the duel turned into a beatdown with Perseus dodging Luke's attacks and slapping the son of Hermes with the flat of his blade whenever he got the chance.

About a minute later, Perseus stood in front of Luke, who had his hands locked behind his head in a surrender pose. Riptide was pointed at Luke's chest, while Luke's sword was laying ten feet to the side.

With a grin, Perseus pulled back as Luke started to rub the parts that had been slapped by Riptide.

"I still have no idea how you are so good with a sword at this age." Luke muttered as he shook his hand, trying to get the feeling back in his left shoulder.

Perseus shrugged. "I am pretty amazing." He nodded sagely, before grinning.

The two demigods walked to the stands, where Luke took a long sip from his water bottle. Perseus sat beside him, noticing that Luke had changed his sword. He now wielded a pure black blade, with blades at both sides.

"That looks like a good sword, Castellan." Perseus complimented offhandedly as he himself took a sip of water.

"Thanks. It is a great sword. I named it Backbiter. It can kill monsters, as well as mortals." Luke spoke.

Being a prince, Perseus knew that execution was a completely fair punishment in many cases. Heck, he had himself slain three vile men who had tried to rape Sally. So, the part about Luke's sword being able to harm mortals did not disturb him. But there still was one thing.

"I thought Chiron taught you to not harm mortals." Perseus spoke, as he felt Luke stiffen beside him.

It was a long time before Luke spoke. "You know Perseus, I have always admired Chiron. He is a great teacher, and without doubt the best archer I have ever seen. Plus, he is like a father to Annabeth, which means very much to me."

Taking a small pause, the son of Hermes continued speaking. "But everyone has faults, Perseus. Chiron's fault is that he is too morally upright to understand that when in a life-death situation, all morals go to shit."

Perseus nodded. He couldn't find anything untrue about the statement. When in death, morals usually were tossed aside. Not just by mortals, but by immortals too.

"Do you know why I got this scar, my friend?" Luke asked Perseus out of the blue.

"Isn't it because Ladon scratched you on your quest to steal the golden apples?" Perseus asked.

Luke let out a bitter, humourless chuckle. "Yes, that is what Chiron asked me to tell the demigods. But nobody knows the real reason, except for the old bastard and his masters, those good for nothing, fucking Olympians."

"If Ladon had scratched me, I wouldn't be here now, Perseus. I would be long dead. No, this scar of mine was a gift from the Olympians. You see, the quest to steal golden apples had gone perfectly fine. I am Hermes' strongest child in two centuries, do you really think I couldn't steal a fucking apple from a fucking dragon?" Luke asked, speaking the words Olympians and Hermes as if they were poison on his tongue.

"What do you mean? What really happened on that quest?" Perseus asked, worried for his friend.

"Once I stole the apple, I heard a loud thundering sound in the sky. The next moment, I saw a humongous bolt of lightning fall beside me, obviously an attempt by Zeus to kill me. Scared out of my fucking mind, I ran to the top of the hill, where it was still calm. Once there, I saw another bolt come out of nowhere. I had no time to react, the bolt struck me head-on. "

"I..I could literally feel my skin melting into a puddle, Perseus. The most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life. But then, I felt a gentle touch. Opening my eyes, I saw the Hesperides dragging me to their father, Atlas. This scared me more, until I saw him take the apple in my hand and crush it. He poured the juice on my face and body, healing me and cancelling out the extreme pain." Luke added, as Percy looked at him with wide eyes and a look of extreme horror.

"Yes. The gods, who are supposed to be the pinnacle of perfection and justice, tried to kill one of their own children. Meanwhile, the Titan who is considered to be the cruellest of them all, healed the same person, without asking for anything in return." Luke spat, as he got up and started to pace the stairs.

"Luke, that's horrible, man. But are you sure it was Zeus? You know that the gods have almost no influence over Othyrs, right?" Percy asked cautiously, trying not to make the son of Hermes even angrier.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out. "WHAT? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? Are you seriously trying to defend the gods after listening to what they did to me?" Luke roared as he punched the wall next to him, cracking it. His rage was obviously giving him power.

"No, don't get me wrong, Luke. I am horrified by what happened to you, but do you know for sure…." Perseus was interrupted by Luke at this point.

"NO! I am not mistaken, Perseus. And that is why I stole the fucking Master Bolt and Helm of Darkness. It was all going perfectly, just as we had planned. But then you had to bring in your pretty little head and fuck up every plan that my master had made. Do you know that my master asked me to kill you? But I refused. I thought you would understand, see that the gods aren't what you think they are. But yet again, I have been proven wrong. So, I am sorry, Perseus, but you have to die. I am sorry it had to be this way." Luke screamed, before turning somber, almost guilty in the end.

Perseus immediately sprang to his feet and uncapped his pen, holding Riptide in a defensive position.

"I know that I cannot beat you with a sword, Perseus. I think you failed to notice that Backbiter was sitting beside you all this time. But you know what is so great about that sword? It can also be used to open portals." Luke gave a smug smirk, as he pointed at the sword.

'Perseus, watch out!!' Ikol screamed inside Perseus' head as the son of Poseidon immediately flicked the black blade away.

But alas, the damage had already been done, as Perseus felt a sharp sting on the backside of his neck. Immediately, he slapped the object that had stung him. A small, purple scorpion fell dead near his feet.

"Pit scorpion, from the deeper parts of Tartarus itself. One of the deadliest venom known to the world. But don't worry, the death itself will be very painless. Your heart will fail in about two minutes, killing you." Luke commented, as he walked forward and grabbed his blade.

Perseus felt his knees buckle as he felt the poison start taking effect. Falling to the ground on all fours, Perseus tried to fight the poison with his water abilities, but it didn't affect it in the slightest.

Luke reached Perseus and spoke, "The Golden age approaches, Perseus. Too bad you won't live long enough to witness it." He kicked Perseus to the ground, before slashing the air with his sword. A portal opened, which Luke stepped through. Immediately after, the portal closed, leaving Perseus alone and unmoving.

Perseus tried to send a prayer to his parents or Hestia, but noticed that there was some kind of block. Of coure, Kronos might not be able to do much in his current state, but placing blocks on divine contact for a few minutes was well within his powers.

Cursing, Perseus turned to his other source of help available. "Ikol, I could use some help now. Can you heal this venom?" Perseus asked desperately.

For the first time in forever, Ikol replied without a sarcastic comment or taunt. 'With the limits on my powers, I can't heal the venom. But I can slow it down, allowing you to reach out for help. But then I will be out of commission for a few days.'

"Bloody do it!" Perseus hissed. He felt the venom slow down in his body as Ikol worked his magic.

Slowly, Perseus got enough control of his body to get to his feet and start limping to the Big house.

As soon as he reached the Big House, Percy felt the venom rush back as Ikol muttered, 'Done, Perseus. Take care and stay alive.'

Perseus managed to knock on the door loudly, before the venom took full effect and made him drop to the ground.

Fortunately for Percy, the door opened really fast and Chiron glanced outside. As soon as the centaur saw Perseus, his eyes widened in horror. He immediately bent down and picked Percy up, carrying the son of Poseidon to the infirmary.

That was the last thing Perseus could remember before he blacked out.

When he finally returned to consciousness, Perseus saw that the entirety of the Apollo cabin was present in the Infirmary, along with Chiron, Annabeth and Grover.

"Perseus, my boy. Are you ok?" Chiron asked nervously.

"I'll live." Was Perseus' reply as he sat up.

"You were bitten by a pit scorpion, which by the way was found dead near the arena. What happened?" Chiron asked, as Percy's eyes widened.

"Luke. It was Luke. He stole the Master Bolt and Helm of Darkness. He is rebelling against the gods and tried to get me to join him. When I refused, he summoned the pit scorpion to kill me." Perseus explained as a series of gasps rang out through the room.

"What? No way, Luke would never do that." Annabeth exclaimed in horror.

"I'm sorry Annabeth, but I remember it vividly. We had a spar before that, and he even told me the truth of his quest." Perseus spoke calmly, eyeing Chiron when he spoke the last part.

Chiron's eyes widened. "But how did he escape so soon, then?"

"He works for some master, who provided him a sword that can open portals." Perseus answered, purposely leaving out the identity of the master. The demigods were already shocked. No need to add fear.

It had taken some time, but Perseus had finally been able to prove his statement. The camp was in utter chaos for the entire week after that.

Finally, the week had ended and Perseus had returned to Atlantis, only to be welcomed with a pomp and celebration worthy of royalty.

After all the celebrations, he had entered the palace, where he had spoken to his mother and father, before playing a game of chess with his elder brother. This was the same day as the Ball in Atlantis.

Flashback Ends

"So, that's basically it" Percy spoke as he told Sally about his past few weeks, obviously omitting the details about Hestia. He still had no idea what to do of the situation.

"By the gods, how could you not tell me that you almost died, you stupid, stupid boy?" Salicia exclaimed in horror as she cupped his cheek.

Perseus smiled. "I have almost died about ten times in the last two weeks, Sally. Also, it doesn't matter, because here I am, standing beside you, completely alive."

Sally sighed. "Yes, and I am so happy about it." She leaned in and pecked him on the cheek.

"Ahha! Here we are." Perseus exclaimed as they reached a ridiculously huge dome. It was easily about ten times the size of Madison Square Garden, still smaller than the Olympian throne room, but humongous nonetheless.

"What is this place? I have never been here in my life." Salicia exclaimed as she saw the humongous dome.

"Yes, you haven't seen this. That is because only royalty, lord Delphin and General Korger are allowed in this place. Not even the other Generals or even mother's sisters." Perseus smiled as he walked towards the gates.

Two guards were standing outside with their Spears crossed against each other. Seeing the prince of Atlantis approaching, they immediately uncrossed their spears and bowed to their lord. "Lord Perseus!" They exclaimed.

Perseus nodded, before signalling to them to open the doors. The guards nodded and opened the doors, before immediately stepping back into their positions.

Perseus turned to Sally and extended his hand. The latter placed her hand in his and walked forward.

Walking inside the dome, Perseus exclaimed. "Lady Salicia, behold Atlantis' Royal beast forces."

Salicia could only gasp as she saw the scene in front of her. Just about every magical beast found in Atlantis was swimming in the water around her.

She walked forward, entranced by the majestic creatures in front of her. Sea serpents, humongous crabs, mini Krakens, each and every one of them was present.

"Go on. They won't hurt you. They rather enjoy playing with us." Perseus urged her, as he came up to her.

That was all the motivation that Salicia needed, as she immediately dashed off towards the cute, yet humongous Atlantean dolphins. They were the size of killer whales, yet extremely friendly and playful. A pod of those dolphins immediately surrounded Salicia and started to show their antics to gain her attention.

Perseus let her have her fun for a few minutes, before he walked over to her and gently pulled her out of the pod's area.

"Now, let me show you a beast that is believed to be a myth even by most immortals. It is a son of Pontus, the primordial of water himself." Perseus spoke as Sally's eyes widened dramatically.

"A primordial?" she asked in shock and awe as she numbly followed the prince.

"Yes. A primordial." Perseus grinned as they finally reached a huge ledge.

"Do you trust me?" Perseus asked Salicia with a blank face.

Without hesitation, the daughter of General Dionirel replied, "Yes."

Perseus smiled and pulled her into a hug. Before Salicia could comprehend anything, Perseus pushed off with his feet, straight into a free-fall into the hole.

"Salicia screamed like a little girl, thinking that Percy had slipped and fallen into the hole, taking her with him.

Percy groaned and did the only thing he could think of to keep her mouth shut - he pressed his lips to hers.

The moment their lips met, Percy's eyes widened. He felt the same tingling in his chest that he felt when Zoë or Hestia kissed him. What did that mean? Did he like Sally too?

Salicia moaned into the kiss, her eyes closed and her hands wrapped around Percy's waist.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they pulled back, staring at each other.

"You know…. That was our first kiss." Salicia exclaimed as a wide smile spread onto her lips.

Perseus let out a smile of his own. "Yes, I know. It was wonderful."

Salicia blushed, before staring down. "Ughh.. I don't want to ruin, the moment, but I think we are about to land."

Perseus snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah, yeah. Right." He nodded as he used the water to land them smoothly.

Taking Salicia's hand, Percy started to walk forward, until the passage elongated even further, opening into a place just as big as the dome above.

Right in the middle, a huge, huge figure was lying down.

"Sally, witness before you, Teleftaíos, the last Megalodon alive." Perseus announced.

Sally couldn't believe her eyes. In front of her was a creature that even the mythical world believed was just a myth. A shark so huge, it almost equalled the Leviathan in size.

Perseus gave her hand a gentle tug, as she walked behind him.

Reaching the humongous creature, Salicia saw Perseus get down to his knee. She followed his example.

" Teleftaíos, hello." Perseus spoke in a respectful tone, as he dipped his head in respect.

The gigantic shark opened it's eyes and stared at the prince of Atlantis, before it opened its jaws and gave them what Sally thought was a grin.

"Perseus, prince of Atlantis. What a surprise?! What brings you here today? Oh, and is this your lady?" The Megalodon spoke in fluent ancient Greek.

Perseus smiled. "No, this is not my lady. At least, not yet. As for the surprise, I just wanted to meet an old friend."

"If by old you are referring to my age, I will chew you into a million pieces." Teleftaíos threatened Perseus with a snap of his large jaws.

"Sure you would, if you could catch me." Percy snapped back, grinning brightly as the primordial let out a loud hmmph.

"Whatever. Well, who is this lovely lady?" Teleftaíos asked as Sally waved shyly at thd Megalodon.

"Teleftaíos, meet Salicia, daughter of General Dionirel, chief of the Atlantean cavalry." Perseus introduced Sally as the Megalodon let out a humming sound.

"Ahh. Good to see you, Salicia, daughter of Dionirel." Teleftaíos spoke as Sally returned the greeting.

Perseus was going to speak further, when he felt his mother trying to send him a mental message.

"Perseus, wherever you are, get your feet running back towards the Ballroom. The audience want a speech from you. Your father's speech ends in two minutes." Lady Amphitrite spoke in a stern voice, before ending the conversation.

Perseus groaned and turned to Salicia. "The audience want a speech from me. We have to get there in two minutes."

Salicia nodded.

Turning to the primordial Megalodon, Perseus requested, "Teleftaíos, if you could just teleport us to the palace, it would be great."

The next moment, Perseus and Salicia vanished in a bright flash of light, before appearing in front of the Ballroom doors.

"Wow. That was even faster than Olympian teleportation." Salicia muttered.

"Well, Teleftaíos is a primordial, after all." Perseus shrugged, as the two of them entered the Ballroom hand-in-hand.

Perseus could see that his father had just completed his speech. Everyone was now staring at Perseus as he made his way over to the stage.

Reaching the stage, he let go of Salicia's hands and gave her a little smile, which she returned.

Climbing onto the stage, Perseus took a small breath. Keeping his shoulders straight and his hands by his side, he started to speak.

"They say I am a hero. They say I am a legend. They say I am a prince, both by heart and by status. Well, they are wrong."

Perseus took a pause, sweeping his eyes across the room. Each and every attendant had their eye on him. He could also see a few people recording his speech, to play it in the NEWS.

"I am nothing but a proud son of Atlantis."

Roars and cheers of approval ran throughout the room as Perseus stayed stoic.

"They ask me what gave me the motivation to pull through, what made me defeat the bloody god of war. Well, here it is, I will give you the answer to that question. Firstly, I made a promise on my honour that I would do anything in my power to protect Atlantis. The citizens of this wonderful land accepted me and loved me as their prince, even after knowing that I am adopted. I can never repay you people for your kindness. Also, nobody, and I repeat, nobody questions my father's character."

Perseus took another pause, as another loud cheer went on. People were positively buzzing with excitement, as his family looked on with proud smiles. Triton was giving him a thumbs-up, while Mera was shaking her head at her friends, who were openly staring at him with stars in their eyes. His mother was smiling softly, a proud-mama expression on her face, as his father raised a glass at him, grinning proudly. The generals were cheering, as Salicia stared at him with a huge smile.

"Any threat to Atlantis is a threat to me. And I will do everything in my power to stop anything that threatens my homeland, and rip it apart. If it comes to my homeland, then yes, I am the bloody hero they say I am. I am the bloody legend they say I am. I am also the prince. And they will have to go over my dead body to even take a pebble from my land. This, I swear on my honour as Perseus, son of Poseidon and Amphitrite. Prince of Atlantis."

Then in a loud voice, he roared, "Hail Atlantis!!"

The crowd reciprocated the chant with equal excitement. "Hail Atlantis!!"

After this, someone from the crowd shouted, "Hail Lord Perseus, prince of Atlantis!!"

The chant was soon taken up by the rest of the crowd. "Hail Lord Perseus, prince of Atlantis!!"

Perseus swept his gaze across the crowd, before climbing down from the stage. Salicia was the first one to greet him. "How was the speech?" He asked her

"Are you sure you hadn't practiced it before? It was so good that I could actually see people repeating it." Sally smiled in awe as he chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"Excellent speech, son. But I hope you have something left for your birthday." Poseidon spoke, as he came from behind and patted his son's shoulder.

"I will make something up, don't worry." Percy assured his father, grinning along with him.

Perseus was about to say something, when Lady Amphitrite joined them and asked Perseus and Salicia to accompany them.

"Perseus, I would like to have a word with you. And I think it would be good for young Salicia to be there too." Amphitrite spoke with a kind voice, yet serious expression.

Perseus nodded his head and turned to Salicia. Taking her hand in his, he started to walk behind his mother, following the queen of the seas to his bedroom.

On the way, he heard his mother speak, "It seems like you have been busy even outside the quest, son."

Perseus immediately understood what this conversation was going to be about. Dread filled his heart as he stared at the sky. 'If you have any mercy, Ladies of Fate, please kill me and call me up.' he thought as he finally entered his bedroom with Salicia and his mother.

Anddd wrappp!!

17.3 k words

A/N

I'm back, baby! Back with a bang. This is my first non-violence, non- smut chapter I have written. I hope it is as good as I think it is.

So, how was it?

Was it worth the wait?

Which was your favourite part?

Did you like Percy's chemistry with Sally?

How was Percy's speech?

So, I know that this two and half month break was horrible. I hope it doesn't happen again.

Also, the above image is of Teleftaíos, the Megalodon.

Guys, please vote and comment. It means a lot to me. And if you are readers of , please comment, Favourite and follow. We have crossed 1k follows and favourites for this story and I can't be happier. Now let's take this number to 2k.

Ladies in the pairing :

1 Artemis

2 Zoë

3 Hestia

4 Aphrodite

5 Athena

6 Piper

7 Reyna

8 Calypso

9 Sally

10 Thalia

No changes there, obviously.

Ok then.

Thank you

Until next time

Peace out

Darkgamer08