Chapter 3

Greetings! This story had it's second review in the form of much appreciated constructive criticism delivered in a civil manner. Thank you, your input is very valuable in helping me improve the quality of my writing.

All credit for the characters goes exclusively to Rick Riordan.

It had been a month since Poseidon had brought Percy back with him to Atlantis and it was during this time that he realized, neither he nor Amphitrite were prepared to deal with the consequences of raising a mortal toddler, especially not one as hyperactive as Percy. He had initially thought Percy was a timid and shy boy but that assumption had quickly been broken down. He knew that toddlers were naturally hyperactive and extremely inquisitive, although Percy seemed to take those attributes to a different level. Percy always had to be engrossed in something and most of the time that something ended up causing trouble. His hypersensitivity to his surroundings was much greater than other demigods and combined with the constant energy the water provided him made the boy the toddler version of a wrecking ball.

Percy was extremely intelligent for his age and he could near perfectly pronounce new words after listening to them for the first time. Combined with his strength, something that still baffled Poseidon, he was the definition of a child prodigy. Poseidon knew that his demigod children were extremely powerful, compared to children of lesser gods, but Percy's power even outclassed that of his demigod siblings. His power was on par with that of Triton when he had been Percy's age and it seemed to be constantly growing. He had thought that maybe it was because Percy was surrounded constantly by his natural element instead of growing up on land, which may have been empowering him to greater extent, before that had proven to be false, as Percy's power didn't even dip a bit when they occasionally broke the surface and took a stroll across the white beaches of Greece. Percy also seemed to be a kinesthetic learner as he immediately adopted new techniques of water manipulation just by observing him or Triton perform them.

Even though the death of his mother would probably leave some lasting trauma on his son, the boy had started to come out of his shell and for that, Poseidon was thankful. In truth though, the void left behind by his mother had been partially filled by Amphitrite, who after a few days had completely let go of all her reservations about Percy, his innocence endearing its way into her heart as she doted like him like she used to dote on Triton. Percy for his part seemed to truly enjoy spending time with her and learning from her, desperate for the familiarity of a mother's love. He had once even asked Amphitrite if she was his Mama and Poseidon had been shocked when she immediately and without any hesitation responded that, even though she would never replace his real mother, she could be his second Mom, before planting a gentle kiss on Percy's brow.

Percy had been accepted into the family by nearly everyone, even Triton had warmed up to him after an incident three weeks ago.

Poseidon had involuntarily fallen asleep due to the constant exhaustion. He had not expected that taking care of Percy would be this taxing. He had no idea of what Percy could or could not eat and he had been afraid of feeding him Atlantean food. For that reason, he had sent a few of his mermen under disguise to the surface world to figure out and procure the foods intent for a human toddler. Until then, he was going to be feeding him small amounts of Nectar and Ambrosia, but he was terrified that Percy may starve due to how much he moved around and the limited amount of godly food a mortal could eat.

Even with Amphitrite helping him, they had exhausted themselves in trying to feed Percy and in putting him to sleep. So after nearly a week of little to no sleep for either him or for Amphitrite they had finally succumbed to exhaustion; they may have been immortal but even they needed the occasional respite. He knew that he was out of practice, but he could not remember raising his immortal children to be this tiring - probably because young gods grew at a much faster rate than mortals.

"Why were you green before? Are you sick?" Percy's worried voice pulled him out of sleep and Poseidon tensed up, preparing to confront whoever was talking to his son.

"No brat, I am naturally green. Father asked me to take up this human form in order to make you feel more comfortable around us" Triton replied, his voice an exasperated huff but Poseidon could detect a hint of amusement in his voice and he relaxed, knowing his firstborn would not pose a threat.

"My name is Percy, not brat." Percy hotly countered, with a tone that clearly indicated how stupid the merman was for confusing his name.

"Sure, whatever you say, brat." Triton teasingly replied, purposely putting extra emphasis on the word brat, eager to rile up the 2-year-old.

There was silence for a second and then a soft thud, which Poseidon assumed was Percy kicking Triton, before he heard a childish shriek running away and erupting in fit of giggles in the distance.

Poseidon did not need to see Triton to know that he was smiling, he and his son were too much alike in that regard. Percy had done it, it seemed, he had even managed to charm his biggest opposition, his big brother. With those happy thoughts Poseidon slowly drifted back into the realm of Morpheus.

After that incident Triton had stopped growling and scowling at Percy, adopting a more indifferent but silently curious façade before eventually opening up, even taking Percy with him on walks through Atlantis to show him around his new home. It seemed that it was now time to make things official: Atlantis would soon gain another Crown Prince. With that thought in mind, Poseidon got up from his throne and moved to inform Amphitrite and Triton of his decision before making arrangements for Percy's coronation.

"Before the Titan King Kronos could eat your uncle Zeus, your grandmother Rhea tricked him by feeding him a rock instead. Your uncle grew up in the island of Crete, preparing to free his siblings." Amphitrite was sitting in the royal courtyard with Percy in her lap, recounting the story of the first titanomachy to him, the boy sitting almost perfectly still as he intently listened to his adoptive mother.

"One day he silently entered the Titan's palace and fed the Titan King a drink which made him vomit up all his children." Amphitrite said, her voice colourful and arms gesturing along with the child-friendly version of the story.

"Eww." Percy declared, his nose scrunched up in disgust, making Amphitrite chuckle and ruffle his hair affectionately.

"After that, your father and his siblings fought the Titans for ten years, before finally defeating all the Titans and sentencing them to punishment for eternity."

"Eternity? How long is eternity?" Percy curiously asked her, eager to learn anything he could and sate his innate curiosity.

"An eternity is a very, very long time, sweetheart. Sometimes even more than thousands of years." Amphitrite replied.

"Oh." was Percy's reply as his brows furrowed in concentration as he tried to comprehend the weight behind that statement. "Good, he was meanie to papa." he nodded in a voice full of conviction that suggested there could be no other logical outcome than the Titans' imprisonment.

The naivety of Percy's description of the feared Titan Lord brought a smile to Amphitrite's face. She gently stroked his hair as he blabbered on, recounting his various conversations with the fish.

In the month since Percy's arrival she had whole heartedly fallen in love with Percy, he had become her little ball of sunshine. He was very restless and ever curious, but the ease in which he became friends with the entire staff of the Royal Palace shocked her. He was naturally very accepting of people and sincerely tried to the best of his ability to help others. Slowly the toddler had become an integral part of all their lives as he was a fresh breath of life in the royal household.

While everyone's life had taken a turn for the better with his arrival, undoubtedly it had had the greatest effect on Poseidon. While she loathed to admit it, the death of the mortal woman had been very hard on Poseidon and for the first few days she could see how heavily it had weighed on him. The grief had also fed into his massive streak of overprotective hovering and for the first week he didn't let Percy out of his sight, even when he was around others.

After the incident with Triton, Poseidon, while still fiercely protective of Percy, had relaxed a little because he slowly started to understand that he had nothing to worry about with her and Triton watching out for Percy. Bringing Percy to Atlantis had provided a new and unprecedented opportunity for Poseidon - while he had had very few demigods over the centuries that he kept a close eye on, he had never gotten the chance to raise them himself, only to aid them from afar when absolutely required.

The Ancient Laws were a series of oaths on the River Styx collectively taken by all immortals and while breaking an oath on the Styx was not as grave a mistake for a God as compared to a demigod or mortal, there still were consequences. Hence most of the Ancient Laws pertaining to domains and symbols of power were strictly maintained, but the limiter to the interaction with the mortal world was not specifically set .This was the loophole that Poseidon had exploited the most as the Ancient Law limiting the interaction was a decree of Zeus rather than a solemn oath.

It had been decided by Zeus in the beginning of the Age of the Olympians when the six children of Kronos and Rhea had overthrown the Titans, just after Zeus and Hera's lavish wedding. The law had been passed by a young Olympian council who thought that they would be loyal to their consorts for eternity and would not sire any demigod children. Zeus had at the time declared that anyone who interacted with demigods would face his wrath and this very decree had choked out the chance for Zeus to be a good father to his demigod children. Eventually, when the demigod population had risen to an extent where they could not be ignored any longer, the Law was changed to prevent any direct intervention but to allow it in the form of indirect divine intervention. Zeus had been so embittered about the trap which he had set for himself that he severely punished any Olympian that directly interacted with their children.

Poseidon though, being one of the three brothers and the ruler of a whole different domain, had been outside his direct control, something Zeus feared and despised, always attempting to force his brother to adhere to his decree with threats against his demigod children, not that it mattered to the sea god. Poseidon always maintained a distance from his children when they were younger, so as to not put a target on their backs, but once they grew and achieved their full potential under his secret guidance, he openly protected and helped them in times of need, with scant acknowledgement of the Ancient Laws.

The most defiant of the three though was Hades who, being completely outside Zeus' sphere of influence and, more often than not, not even considered an Olympian, often took his children back with him down to the Underworld where they lived out their lives to completion in peace under his protection.

Poseidon's arrival interrupted Amphitrite's train of thought and she let go of the squirming boy in her arms, who ran and jumped into the outstretched arms of his father.

"Papa!" Percy excitedly beamed up at his father, his trust in the man now complete, as if he had known him all his life.

"Hello Percy, what have you been up to?" Poseidon asked his son with a wide smile adorning his face, the excited greeting warming his heart.

"Mama said meanie Gramps ate you and you gave him timeout for eternity" Percy recounted the events of the greatest war the world had ever seen in his own adorable way, proudly showcasing the new words he had learned.

Poseidon laughed heartily at this and then gently nuzzled Percy's cheek against his own which caused Percy to break into a fit of giggles. Amphitrite was sure that Poseidon had not been this happy since playing with Triton when he was a toddler and that was a long time ago. Spending time with Percy had made Poseidon content in a new way, as was evident in the calm seas and steady currents that had guided nearly all boats to safety, not a single violent storm in weeks. Amphitrite marvelled at how a single demigod could have such a large effect on the world.

"I plan to officially coronate Percy as second in line to the throne of Atlantis in a traditional ceremony similar to the one we had for Triton." Poseidon told his wife while playing with Percy, the hope for her approval evident in his eyes as they found hers.

His statement caused a sharp stab of panic to run through her; an official coronation would broadcast his presence to the world and by extension show their open and blatant disregard of the Ancient Laws. She was worried that this would attract unsolicited attention from Olympus and they would rip away her Percy from her or worse. She knew that such a way of thinking was irrational for a Goddess, especially one of her calibre, but such were the instincts of a mother.

As if sensing her fear and wishing to alleviate it, Poseidon reached out for her hand. "Don't worry Amphitrite, this coronation ceremony is not just for pomp, along with coronating him I will also declare that any attempt to hurt him will be met with the wrath of the sea."

"But Poseidon, what of the Olympians?" Amphitrite worriedly asked, squeezing her husband's hand in hers.

"The Olympians will not dare to step foot into the sea, they know I will drown the entirety of Greece along with both of Zeus' demigod children if he attempts something suspicious." Poseidon ruthlessly declared, with the certainty and power of a true king.

Amphitrite was about to retort before a new voice cut her off. "He is right mother, hiding Percy will do no good, the only way to protect him is by announcing to Atlantis and Olympus that grave consequences await anyone who tries to harm him." Triton confidently declared after landing in a jet of water next to his father, standing proudly in support of his family. Percy gave Triton a wide toothy smile who returned it with a small smile of his own.

Amphitrite pondered on the idea. What her husband and elder son were suggesting would be risky play, but the House of Poseidon was known for its fierce loyalty. If they played their hand properly, this would be the perfect manoeuvre to truly ensure Percy's protection. She acquiesced with a nod, already thinking about asking Delphin to help her plan the coronation.

They were so engrossed in conversation that no one noticed that Percy's little brow was tightened with concentration as he attempted to replicate what he just saw Triton doing. It worked, but it worked a little too well as he suddenly shot off without any warning, propelling Poseidon backwards and stunning everyone. Percy had not been aiming and by the time they realised what was happening, he had crashed into a statue of Poseidon with a loud thud.

"PERCY NO!" Amphitrite shouted frantically as she immediately reached for Percy, holding him close and fervently checking him for injuries. Poseidon and Triton rushed beside her, the sea around them violently swirling in response to their panic.

What they saw left all of them speechless. Instead of any broken bones or the deep gash that should have been there due to the sharp ridge of the statue that Percy had collided with, there was only a small, almost non-existent bruise on his forehead.

There was only one possible explanation.

Percy was invincible.

The final act of this chapter was my attempt to incorporate a surprise into my earlier reference that Percy was kinesthetic learner. I also wanted to give Zeus' character more depth, I don't want to label him simply as the bad guy and blast off using him as a launchpad because I feel every character has complexities to be explored, this may stray from canon but then again, this is fanfiction. Also Poseidon's threat to drown Greece just for two demigod sons of Zeus, (Heracles and Dionysus) is meant to portray that he can be as terrifying as he is loving. I know this may feel like a drag but I really want to explore the characters and don't want to use time skips without any previous contexts. Read and review, a heartful thank you from me for all the support you have given. Have a great day!