Hey guys! I've got my exams rn, so naturally I am sitting here plotting stories and writing PJO. Great fun. Anyway, this fic gets kinda dark. It's not explicit or graphic. Just maybe a little sad and disappointing. So yeah, read at your own risk.
The make-shift graves have been built on the palace grounds. The stench of dead mer stinks the waters, made it hard to breath. Now that their noses have been accustomed to the stench of blood, decay and war, it only gives them a headache and a helpless sort of numb restlessness that not even the gods can help them through.
Triton has seen this kingdom through the eyes of immortals. He has seen wars and death, birth and growth, seen shame and filth and seen them grow out of it, slowly painfully like a butterfly through a cocoon.
Atlantis isn't perfect but it doesn't boast to be the haven of the King of the Seas for nothing. Beautiful, expensive and built on the magic of the most powerful sorcerers of the sea, Atlantis was more than gorgeous and not just on the outside.
And now, it was under attack, its men in tatters and its spirit in shambles.
Seas did not normally try to bleed themselves dry. Most sea deities had been respectful, powerful and loyal to its realm. The Old Man had not created much of a fuss when Amphitrite and Poseidon got married, instead entering a peaceful though rocky alliance with the current ruler. Even Oceanus had stayed peaceful, serenely yielding the powers of the seas to Poseidon when the Titans had been defeated back in the first Titan War. And Pontus had not even been heard from in millennia.
To see such a senseless massacre alarmed all the perplexed deities who saw it.
"We can hold, we will hold," Poseidon had assured him as if doubting his own words repeatedly. There was nothing to do but try.
"A rescue mission," Poseidon had said grimly one day as their forces are stretched thin as is. Triton turned to look at his father incredulously. "Father, we don't have the man-power to do anything but defend our realm at our best."
Poseidon shook his head, adamant and stern. "The Prophecy Child cannot fall into the hands of the Titans who will use him to their advantage. Fish him out and away from danger and get him to the Palace before it's too late."
Jaw clenched, Triton dutifully obeys. "As you wish, My Lord."
But really, was the child worth three of his best men? The rescue mission killed his friends, his brothers-in-arms, all for a little child who didn't even have the sense to appreciate the sacrifice. As Poseidon sheepishly introduces them, he takes his leave and follows in his Mother's wake before he says something they'll all regret.
Barely a week later, Poseidon strikes his trident on the ground, eyes grim. "I must join my brethren in the fight against Typhon above."
"My Lord, you mustn't." Triton pleaded. "Without you, half the city will be massacred in a matter of hours."
Poseidon frowned, eyes stormy. "Cities can be rebuilt, population compensated. But there is no prosperity in a world ruled by my Father and his monsters." Gods, with their immense power came great responsibility. No matter how much Poseidon's heart pleaded to stay and protect what was his, he was duty-bound to look at the bigger picture. This was the chess master, sacrificing the pawns to defend the king.
"The demigod," Triton grasped at straws. "Isn't he the one destined to save Olympus?"
Poseidon looked down at his son, face unreadable. "He stays and defends Olympus, perhaps to his last breath but even the Prophecy Child is no match for Typhon. He has requested my help to sway the tides of the war."
"Does he not realize how many will die in this one strike alone?"
Poseidon looked at his heir with disappointment and sadness. "If the war on the surface is lost, even we cannot hold against the Titans forever. And winning it above will guarantee us a victory here. Try to understand, my son. As much as we wish to, we must not let our emotions cloud our judgment. It is our responsibility to be impartial and just and look at the bigger picture. We may be gods but even we aren't all-powerful and this time, I need to lose some to win some."
"I see I cannot change your mind," Triton whispered despondently. "I request your permission to stay back and defend our realm as much is possible, Father."
Poseidon's eyes flared with intense pride and as Triton watched, he flared to his usual age, tanned soft skin beyond his swirling green eyes, confidence and youth in his heavy gaze. "You do me proud, son." Poseidon looked upwards for a second and Triton had no doubt he was thinking about the little godling, destined to die in what seemed like a futile war against the Titans. Undoubtedly, Triton isn't the only son he is proud of right now.
There is only one of them he can say it to though right now. Despite himself, he feels sorry for his Father. It's easy to die, but it is so much harder to live on, knowing that you have condemned your own flesh and blood to die in your stead and can do nothing for it.
He does not feel sorry for the young demigod though. The guy would live on through millennia, his quests glorified, his life deified, his death martyred. No matter who won or lost the battle, neither the Titans nor the Gods would be forgetting the young man anytime soon.
Unlike the hundreds, thousands of nameless others who would just as soon be forgotten in the sands of time, the legacy of Percy Jackson's birth, life and death would live on forever.
Triton would bravely stand and defend his realm till the very end of his essence if that's what it took. His men would hold and die and still defend the seas with everything they had. Children will be, have been orphaned and would live on with the knowledge of the war and the pain of their loss. But when the world recounts the stories, they will only remember the brave son of Poseidon who fought on the surface, who traded immortality for fairness, whose ideals ruled his strength.
But Triton, he didn't want a throne on Olympus. He didn't want recognition for himself. And looking at the countless graves of all the pawns who had been sacrificed to a higher gain, Triton knew, he may be born immortal but he still had mortality in his veins. And with all the essence of the mortal emotions that defied his better judgment, Triton swore in his heart. There would be no forgiveness for his brother. Not today. And perhaps not ever.
This idea had been in my head for ages. Because it's always Triton doesn't like Percy cuz he's jealous. Like, fuck that shit. This god is a sensible smart god usually. Loyal too. Except his loyalty is more to his family than to the random son of Poseidon who just popped up out of nowhere. I wanted to do him justice without giving them a redemption arc and this came out. Hope you guys like it. Lemme know what you think about it.
