Weeeeelll, since you guys followed the story XDD I decided to add another chapter! Thanks for enjoying the first, and here's the second! I hope you enjoy it!
Deep under the sea, a palace made of Gabbro rock sat on the edge of a continental shelf. The dark walls were adorned with all manner of pearls and abalone shells, giving the palace walls its iridescent lustre. Luminescent pearls highlighted the paths, occasionally embellished with corals or seashells. The surrounding gardens consisted of various sea plants and coral colonies, while the large palace doorways granted entry to creatures such as sharks and whales.
This was Atlantis, home to the largest Open-Ocean Merfolk pod.
Within one of the many rooms of the palace, Percy was sitting before his Gabbro hewn desk, a sheet of paper in his hand. It was a letter from Annabeth, coated in woodland magic for preservation. An open envelope sat upon the desk, likewise magically protected from water.
Five months had passed since their initial meet at the shore. After the Noctua Owls wrapped up their one-week meeting with the Snow Owls, they had left for home immediately. Shortly after that, Queen Athena discovered her daughter's beach meetings with Percy and was furious. As Annabeth described in one of her first few secret letters to Percy, she had been grounded and confined to the royal halls as punishment. It had taken some careful maneuvering on her side, with aid from her elder siblings, to convince Queen Athena to at least allow Annabeth to send letters as she has made important connections with the heirs of many other different owl clans.
It was with this little allowance that Annabeth had been able to sneak some letters to Percy. Secret letters that were no longer secret, after Queen Athena discovered what her daughter had been up to two weeks later.
"It has been messy," Annabeth wrote, "Mother was terribly upset. You know you've really angered her when she is completely calm and composed. It's better to see some semblance of displeasure from her when she is angry. I spent hours trying to convince her why writing to you is beneficial for our clan."
She went on to describe how she had made her case with her mother, finishing with how she would rather inherit a clan with one less enemy instead.
"This grudge should end, Mother. Or if you find it unacceptable still, it should at least stop with your generation."
Queen Athena had not responded to her daughter's arguments, but merely dismissed her. Two days later, she gave her approval for Annabeth to continue writing, though she made it clear that she disapproved of Annabeth's friendship with Percy.
Undeterred, Annabeth had continued on with her letters. She and Percy traded all sorts of information with each other, ranging from their respective cultures to personal life stories. Over time, they would even include little gifts in their letters to one another, leading to Annabeth's latest letter to Percy that he was reading right now.
Dear Percy,
Thank you for the sea glass you sent! They are absolutely fascinating and beautiful; I've never seen anything like this before. And, before I forget, Malcolm is working on piecing together the complete history of Belfrost, and wonders if you're able to find any relics of the sunken city for him? He has enough material to work with for the moment, but anything extra would help. He says to tell you thank you in advance.
So, how is Atlantis? Everything alright? Is the dispute between the Sirens and the Deep-Sea merfolk solved? From what you described, it sounded quite bad. It appears to be developing into a long-standing feud between both tribes, which can't be good for the oceans. How does your father intend to tackle this issue? Both Sirens and Deep-Sea mer are so vicious, I can't possibly think of a way in which to appease both tribes.
For me, we are in the final stages of the Clan Games. There are a lot of great athletes this year, as well as musicians. We just finished the Torch Races today, and the next event would be the Boat Races. I know I told you before that we Noctuas are not quite familiar with water-based things, but we do try our hand with everything. It's good practice anyway. I think you would be interested in participating if you were here, but unfortunately the event is restricted to Noctua clan members only. I'll tell you more about the Clan Games if you wish in a future letter. After the Boat Races, it would be time for the Awards Ceremony, followed by feasting and celebrations. So, it's going to quite a long day. I hope I can leave a little earlier than usual by then, I've got some projects that I'd rather be working on than partying.
Does Atlantis have similar games like we do? Do let me know!
Yours sincerely,
Princess Annabeth
PS. In return for the sea glass, I've opted to send you a commemorative token made specially for the Games. The obverse bears the olive-wreathed torch that we light during the Games, and the reverse bears the relief of the Noctua Owl: the symbol of my people.
Smiling softly, Percy set down the letter and reached for the envelope near him. Upon looking inside, he fished out the token that Annabeth had enclosed with her letter. It was round and made of silver, coated in a thin but sufficient layer of woodland magic to prevent it from tarnishing. The craftsmanship that went into detailing the reliefs that Annabeth described were exquisite.
Picking up both letter and envelope, Percy swam over to his nightstand, which was next to his scallop shell bed that sat in the center of the room. The shell was lined with a variety of sea plants such as seaweed and kelp, covered with a large sheet of sea silk, which served as Percy's blanket. The nightstand was, similar to most other furniture in the palace, hewn from Gabbro. The drawer interiors, however, were lined with nacre. Percy deposited Annabeth's token into the first drawer, which was filled with various mementos and keepsakes that he deemed important to keep close to him. These included the gifts that he had been receiving from Annabeth via her letters.
Shutting the drawer, Percy returned his attention to the letter in his hand, rereading the first paragraph.
'Belfrost? Must be a really old place, I've never heard of it. Maybe Rhode knows, she's the scholar of the family.'
The merman folded up the letter and replaced it within the envelope, stuffing it under his red, Nautilus shell pillow. Once he was done with that, he left his room in search of his sister.
The hallways of the palace were large and vast, with various mer swimming about. Other sea creatures like fish and octopi drifted around the place, with the occasional whale or shark swimming by. Luminescent jellyfish provided ornamental lighting, further contributing to the kaleidoscope of colours that suffused the palace. As Percy swam along, many mer would stop to bow, and Percy would awkwardly wave them off while simultaneously accepting their greetings. Despite having lived under the sea for five and a half years, Percy was still uncomfortable with his princely status.
Born to a human mother and raised on land, Percy was more used to the lifestyle of the common land-dwelling folk rather than that of royalty. However, his father had been persistent in bringing him under the sea after he reached 10 years of age - against Sally's protests - insisting that he was both human and mer, and should experience life underwater. While King Poseidon had no intentions of tearing Percy away from his mother, Percy was his son, and thus rightly deserved to be crowned prince regardless of what anyone said. Unable to deter him, both Percy and Sally went with it.
They were also immensely relieved that Poseidon's family had been kind and amenable to Percy despite his social identity as a child born out of wedlock. Though his initial arrival in Atlantis had not been without hostility, the Atlantean mer had gradually warmed up to Percy after seeing how their royal family cherished him. Should one ask the Atlanteans as to why they adore their youngest prince, they would likely say that it is due to Percy's humble disposition. Even so, Percy still felt uncomfortable with the attention and respect shown to him. After all, he was just…himself. Not anyone special.
Discarding those thoughts, Percy continued his search for his sister. He eventually found her by the hallways leading to the throne hall, where his father was in counsel with his advisors. Rhode swam over, busy with a scroll in hand, and Percy called out to her.
The youngest Atlantean princess looked up and smiled, "Brother,"
"Is Dad still talking to the councillors?"
Rhode sighed, "Unfortunately. The conflict between the Sirens and the Deep-Sea mer involves too many factors for it to come to a cessation." Rolling up her scroll, Rhode continued, "Whatever Father's decision, neither tribe would be pleased. There is practically no way to resolve this matter without triggering another complication."
Percy nodded at the scroll, "I'm guessing that's what you're trying to do, finding a solution."
"Oh, yes, everyone is trying. Even Kymopoleia,"
The merman sighed, "I wish I could help, but I'm not well versed enough with all this political stuff to actually say anything."
"Do not undervalue yourself, Brother. Your counsel has proven insightful on multiple occasions." The purpureus tailed mermaid smiled gently at her youngest sibling.
Percy released a bashful smile, then remembered what he came for, "Oh, I wanted to ask, do you know anything about the sunken human city of Belfrost?"
Rhode tilted her head to one side, "Mmm, yes, it fell to the waves about 500 years ago. What of it?"
Percy's eyes widened at the answer, "Do you know the exact location? I was thinking of exploring the ruins, if there's anything left behind to explore, that is."
Rhode studied her brother for a moment before sighing, "Is this yet another favour for the Noctua Princess?"
Percy cheeks reddened, "No! I- This- I just-"
The elder mer shook her head, "Brother, you have a good heart, and I believe you when you say that the princess is not her mother. But to be close to anyone from the Noctua Clan at all…that is terribly risky. Especially since this is not just anyone, but the heir to the Noctua throne."
"I get where you're coming from, but we're just friends, and we want to end the feud between our people. What we're doing – doesn't that count as promoting diplomatic relations? It's a positive development for us, and for them."
Rhode gave Percy a sad smile, "As you say, Brother. Nevertheless, I advise you to exercise caution. Many here still feel deeply for the loss of Pallas, and may not take kindly to your act of goodwill."
Percy nodded, "I understand, so…Belfrost…?"
"Go south to the sunken ship then ride southeast where you will reach the Varenswell current. Follow the current, and soon you will reach Cambien Coast. The ruins of Belfrost are close by."
Percy nodded, "Thanks, Rhode,"
"Safe journey, Brother,"
The merman waved to his sister in farewell, then headed to the royal stables. There, he saddled one of the swordfishes and guided it to the main entrance of the palace grounds. As he was about to depart, a devil fish arrived at the threshold.
"Headed out, Perseus?"
A green tailed merman came into view upon the back of the large ray, his dark ponytail drifting with the current.
"Triton,"
Realising his brother was still waiting for an answer, Percy tacked on a quick affirmation after the acknowledgement. Triton studied his half-brother, eyes taking in the saddle bags that hung from the sides of the swordfish.
"If I remember correctly, your visit to the surface is not due for another fortnight. Where are you bound?"
"Heard there was a city called Belfrost that sunk 500 years ago. I thought I'd check it out, explore the ruins."
Triton hummed, "I did not think that you would be interested in human ruins,"
"Well, I am now."
Percy was beginning to feel flustered, why were his siblings so observant today? He hoped Triton would not catch on to what he was up to-
"Another favour for Athena's daughter?"
Percy groaned, was he really that obvious?
Seemingly reading his mind, Triton snorted, "It's not that hard to tell." He guided his devil fish closer and said, "You are intent on courting the princess then?"
"Why does everyone think that- We're just friends, Triton!"
The crown prince crossed his arms, unimpressed, "Friends do not send each other gifts so frequently."
"It's a cultural exchange, for the love of the Fates!"
"Personalised gifts,"
Percy flung his arms up, and Triton smirked a little.
Growing serious, the crown prince then said, "Tread carefully, Percy. Not many would approve of your relationship with someone from the Noctua, Father may not have said a word, but I know he does not approve."
Percy sighed softly, "I know,"
Triton inclined his head towards his brother before guiding his steed further into the palace grounds.
Percy watched the giant ray disappear behind a coral colony, then turned around and urged his swordfish forward. Not many knew of his correspondence with Annabeth, except for his sisters. Kym had teased him endlessly about it, while Rhode had been unsure, but exhibited mild disapproval. Although Percy had not made it known who exactly he was corresponding with, it appeared that his family had it all figured out.
While Triton had not exactly voiced his thoughts on the matter, Percy knew that his brother disapproved. His daughter was the one who had been killed after all. If anyone would oppose Percy's relationship with Annabeth, it would be Triton, and Percy could not fault his brother for it.
Shaking his head, Percy redirected his attention to his steed, guiding him to where the sunken ship was. He would write back to Annabeth once he has found some Belfrostian relics for her brother.
The idea of the Clan Games are inspired by the Olympic season that's ongoing right now :D But the descriptions of it are drawn from/based on the Panathenaic Games, or the Great Panathenaea festival that Athens used to celebrate in ancient times.
I don't know if the Panathenaic Games had a torch lighting ceremony like the Olympics does - since it wasn't considered one of the big shot Hellenic Sports - so that bit about lighting the torch is a rip-off detail from the Olympics instead XD
-Ninniacthel
