A/N: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Fourteen
Rhode: Part V

Hades felt the shift in the sea like a miniscule flame on the edge of his consciousness. As the eldest brother he had long ago grown used to being able to sense when his brothers' powers were on the fritz, and clearly Poseidon had just discovered Percy was missing because the seas were raging. Internally he hoped he could get Percy back in a timely manner so that he could avoid a traffic jam in the EZ-Death line like the last time Fish Breath had royally lost his temper. Also, keeping Airhead unaware was kind of another top priority.

"Papa is angry," Percy said solemnly, shifting his eyes upwards.

"You can feel it, too?" Hades asked, slightly surprised.

Percy nodded, his dark hair flopping into his eyes. He pushed a hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly. "Papa is teaching me to control the sea," he admitted. "So far I am not very good at it. Last week I managed to control the southern current though." He grimaced. "Mostly."

Something told him that story would be hilarious to hear, but calming his brother's temper was higher on his priority list. "We need to contact your father," he admitted drolly, dreading the coming accusations.

"Can we use an Iris message?" Percy wondered curiously.

"Too risky," Hades admonished, worrying his lower lip as he thought. "Your father was adamant that no one but I can know that you are alive."

Percy's eyes were downcast, his arms wrapped around himself as he "Because he killed my birth mother?"

"Yes," the God of the Underworld said hesitantly after a beat of awkward silence. He cleared his throat. "You must ask your father these things, Percy. To be honest I do not know the entire story."

The boy merely nodded, missing his armor and wishing he was training with his brother right now. He was mostly using real swords now, even though Triton made him switch to wood whenever he was learning something new.

"What about Aunt Hestia?" he said suddenly, peering through the archways of the entrance hall to the hearth. He could see the light from the hearth dancing across the dark marble floor.

Hades hesitated. "Does she know?" he questioned seriously, relieved when the boy nodded seriously.

"Can she send a message to my papa?"

Inhaling deeply and releasing his breath slowly, Hades absently patted the top of his head. His nephew batted the hand away with a huff and a smile. "It is worth a shot," he decided, striding forward to have a chat with his sister.

Percy trailed behind, hoping that Hestia could help and this entire mess could be over with. He had a feeling he was going to be grounded for the rest of his life.

Amphitrite was frantic. The entire sea had been amassed — as quietly as possible — to search for the missing prince. Poseidon had violently reigned in his temper so as to not alert Zeus, because that was the absolute last thing they needed right now. She was standing in Percy's room doing her best to not think about what life would be like without him.

Poseidon had lost his temper with Rhode and had her thrown in the dungeons. Usually Amphitrite would be upset with him but this time, their stubborn head-strong offspring had gone too far. If she was responsible for this . . . if Percy was hurt because of her . . . well, things would rapidly change around Atlantis, that was for sure.

Percy had been missing for nine hours, approximately, and they already had a Percy-shaped hole in their lives. It felt immensely wrong to not have him trotting along at her elbow talking a mile a minute and asking her questions about everything and anything. It wasn't right seeing Bill out on the training fields hacking the stuffing out of his dummy in frustration because he was not old enough to be included in the hunt for his missing friend, when he should have been sparring and laughing with Percy. It wasn't right to see Poseidon barking out orders like a general, his eyes one shade shy of utter and consuming terror. The citizens of Atlantis raced around, frantically searching for the bright-eyed child who had charmed his way into their lives the first time they ever saw him.

It scared her a little, the strength of the hold the little boy had on her heart. It matters not that she did not carry him, did not birth him. He is hers in every way that matters and sometimes she worries that she loves him more than she has ever loved anyone. Percy loves her wholly, completely, unconditionally. She longs now for his tiny body, so small even for his age of just-turned-seven, to fold into hers and hug her tightly. Longs to run her fingers through his silky black hair as he leans against her and happily babbles about his day. She misses him so fiercely she can hardly stand it, and it has only been hours.

Seven years they had known Percy. Seven years, he had lived in Atlantis. Only for seven years. Seven. To an immortal that was a blink of an eye, a mere second in the grand scheme of things.

It felt like a hundred years, and not in a bad way. There hadn't been a young royal in centuries, millennia. He had breathed life and joy back into a city that had started to falter in this new age. Sea life was more active, more content, and visited more than they had in hundreds of years.

Amphitrite just thought it was a tragedy that nobody had paused to think about what Percy meant to them until they were faced with the danger of losing him. Everyone was desperate to get him back, to see his smile and hear his laugh and chuckle over the spats of temper and attitude he sometimes gave to Poseidon.

Poseidon put a hand on her shoulder, drawing her abruptly from her thoughts.

"My wife," he said. His voice was low and gravelly. Long fingers pressed into her skin, and she lifted her own hand to curl her fingers around his.

It struck her abruptly that she was no longer angry with him for cheating on her.

She had not been angry with him for a long, long time, and she wished she could tell him that. Wished she could tell him how much she loved him and respected him, how proud of him she was every day.

The words would not move from her lips.

"He made us a family again," she said softly instead. Shaking fingers pulled Percy's favorite blanket off the bed and clutched it to her chest.

Poseidon leaned forward, pressing his forehead to the nape of her neck, one arm wrapping around her waist from behind and pulling her back against him. "I know," he said quietly. Warm, dry lips pressed to her temple and then he was gone in a shower of bubbles.

"Find him, my lord," she pleaded softly to the empty room.

By the time of sundown on the surface world, Poseidon had not returned and Amphitrite was chewing on her lip. Shoulders slumped, she coordinated the next round of searchers and sank down on one of the benches facing the hearth, doing her best to hold back her helpless tears.

A scuffing noise caught her attention and then a faint cough, but she didn't look up. She was not particularly in the mood for talking to Hestia right now. Or at least she wasn't, until she heard a thump and a relieved cry of, "Mama!"

Thin arms wrapped around her neck tightly as a tiny body compacted with hers, clinging to her like an octopus. She didn't care though because this was her baby and he was home he was safe and alive and praise the Gods.

"Praise the Gods, Percy," she said, her tears falling freely as she clutched the little boy to her, raining kisses on his soot-smeared cheeks and brushing fingers frantically through his hair as she checked him for injuries. "Baby you scared us to death, where were you, are you okay, did anyone hurt you?"

He was here, he was here, he was here and alive and safe. She frantically checked him for injuries, tears streaming unnoticed down her face as she reassured herself that he was there, in one piece. His cheeks were damp too but he was smiling, a silly, wide, goofy smile that reminded her of Poseidon so much it hurt and she rained kisses all over his beloved little face.

"Oh by the Gods, we were so scared," she whispered, crushing him to her and rocking him back and forth. His skinny but strong limbs held her just as tightly as he trembled slightly, inhaling deeply every few breaths.

"I was scared too, mama," Percy said, burying his face in her neck. "I was in the ocean and then I was in the Underworld. I did not care for it, mama, it was too hot and too dry and it made me feel sick to be out of water." He shivered at the memory even as his mother pulled back, framing his face in her long-fingered hands and giving him a watery, relieved smile.

"Oh, by Olympus," Amphitrite cursed softly. "Elith! Send for Poseidon and call of the search!"

The servant appeared, laughing and sagging with relief when she saw the soot-smeared face of the prince. She thanked the gods and rushed off to do the queen's bidding, and in no time at all, Atlantis was in an uproar.

Percy was wide-eyed, astonished by the sheer affection being rained down on him. He clung to his mother until she eased him off and to the floor, smiling hesitantly at the merpeople and sea creatures and apologizing profusely for scaring them even though he hadn't meant to.

"Perseus!"

He flinched slightly, spinning to see his brother automatically switching back to his human-looking form, green fading from his skin as he took two running steps and swung him up in a powerful bear hug that made his bones creak. Triton was saying things in his ear, complete relieved nonsense, so Percy just hugged him tightly and tried not to cry.

"Sorry I missed our training session," he admitted quietly and with a cheeky smile.

"By the Gods, Percy," Triton said, hugging him again and pressing a kiss to his temple. He didn't sound mad, he just sounded relieved. "Never, ever scare me like that again. Kapiche?"

"Kapiche?" he repeated, confused.

Triton's lips twitched into a smile. "I'll explain later."

Poseidon was there then, his large arms squeezing his son to his warm chest, enveloping him in that familiar and comforting scene of sea and family and home. Percy clung to him, too, holding him tightly. His heart was pounding, the terror leaving him and relief replacing it because his son was here, safe, and remained a secret from Zeus.

"You are going to be the death of me," Poseidon sighed against his son's hairline, hugging him tightly nonetheless. "We are going to have a welcome back celebration, and then you are going to tell me everything that happened."

Percy nodded agreement, looking down at Amphitrite from his higher vantage point. "Can you tell me what Rhode meant, too?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes, Percy," Poseidon exhaled, pressing a tender kiss to his forehead. "We will tell you everything."

E/N: He's baaaaaaack! Now for the awkward 'you're adopted' conversation . . . and some more bonding. And yes for the ten and a half thousandth time, PERCY WILL BE GOING TO CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Eventually.

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