A/N: Hey, all. Sorry for the long wait - I graduated college, got myself a job, and moved to a new town. I currently teach preschool and I'm loving it. I also happen to live in the most rural of all rural places and internet is a struggle. Expect more updates in December when I return to the civilization that is California.
Lots of worldbuilding in this. The undersea culture is... complicated. And kind of messy! I will be delving into that as we go; attending Camp Fish-Blood is a must to retain positive relationships with the merpeople so Percy will be going there before CHB. Poseidon and Amphitrite had that conversation quite a few chapters ago. Don't worry he will eventually get to CHB, a lot has to happen before then, though.
Enjoy and thank you to everyone for your reviews and kind words! You guys are the best.
This is unbeta'd, so I apologize for spelling/grammar mistakes. It was edited only once by me but I figured you'd rather have the story with a few errors than not have it at all.
Disclaimer: Only own the OCs.
Chapter Eighteen
Harvest Festival
Triton cast his eyes around the ballroom and sorted through the Nereids, merfolk, Ichthyocentaurs, Atlanteans, various other water spirits, and sea creatures. After two thorough searches he concluded with a twinge of hysteria that Percy was nowhere in sight.
Triton forced himself not to panic. Percy was a capable young boy who could take care of himself, accidental adventure to Hades notwithstanding. Every time he had vanished and they had panicked the boy had been completely fine. It was more likely he'd become overwhelmed with the sheer number of people at the ball and had sought out some peace and quiet on one of the balconies.
Balcony, he should look on the balconies. He walked at a measured pace slightly faster than normal — his boyhood tutor's voice came back to him with a stern royals do not rush — and kept his expression blank.
The three main balconies attached to the two-storied ballroom revealed no little brother. He squared his shoulders and leaned over the railing, checking below to see if he could spot his brother in the gardens, perhaps.
No sign of him.
"Sire," a voice said behind him and he turned to find the captain of his old guard, a stern-faced no-nonsense merwoman called Nepthys who had recently been assigned to Percy. "What has distressed you so?"
"Have you seen Percy?" he asked rather than answer her question.
The soldier shot him a knowing look and vanished through the marbled archway in search of the rest of her squad. If the prince was anywhere in the vicinity, he would be found.
Nepthys returned with her squad and a fierce frown. "If he is anywhere in the vicinity, we will find him," she promised. "When did you see him last?"
"He was getting his cheeks pinched by the Nereids."
"Can hardly blame him for fleeing, then," one of the soldiers behind Nepthys muttered just loud enough for him to hear.
A half hour of (secretly panicked on Triton's part) searching had yielded no results.
"Perhaps we are looking in the wrong direction," one of the male guards suggested. Triton was too far away to see his face in the murky gloom of the sea night.
"Which direction would you suggest, barnacle brain?"
"Up," the male voice suggested mildly, and so they craned their heads back.
Silhoutted against the faint moonlight were massive forms of blue whales, their sudden calls echoing through the depths around them.
"Of course," Triton muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Would it kill him to listen to father for once in his life?"
Nepthys and another guard suggested they go up to find him and Triton accepted, tired by that point but glad they had found him. The blue whales were rather loudly broadcasting their excitement over getting to meet him at last so it was kind of hard to miss that he was up there somewhere.
They found Percy above the city waving farewell to a massive blue whale and several other smaller ones. Frowning in disapproval, Triton swam for his younger brother and the cause for many a gray hair as of late.
"You were forbidden to leave the palace," he told Percy as he came into earshot of the youngster, who was grinning and staring off after the whales who had just finished up their tribute call to Poseidon and were heading out into deeper waters.
Percy turned to him with a bright, easy grin. "They took me with them towards the surface," he gushed. "It was amazing, Triton! They are so fast and strong." His eyes were practically sparkling with excitement. Sparkling. Triton struggled to hand on to his anger and ultimately failed because Percy was being, well, Percy. "I wish I could travel with them again."
Triton merely shot him a look. There were only so many shenanigans he could put up with from his brother in the space of a mortal year and that would be pushing it beyond even his limits.
It was only slightly amusing to watch Percy's face drain of all color.
"Please do not tell father," he pleaded, hands grasping tightly to Triton's forearm. "I only wanted to swim with them, honest! Please, Triton!"
"Alright, alright, cool your sea cucumbers," the older prince sighed, reaching over to ruffle his hair. "I will refrain from telling father if you swear never to wander off again. I have just about had enough of you vanishing and giving me a heart attack."
"Sorry," the little boy whispered, looking contrite and biting his lip.
The sudden shine in Percy's eyes threatened tears so Triton sighed and hugged him close to his side. "Tell me about your swim with our good cousins," he offered, guiding the youngster back to the palace under the watchful eyes of the guards.
The light returning to Percy's eyes was worth it.
Triton just braced himself. Poseidon was no fool and would eventually figure out what had happened. He would keep his brother's secret but he would not lie if asked outright.
He just hoped their father's fury was less than the day Percy had come to live with them because he did not think the surface world could survive another temper tantrum quite like that any time in the next millennium.
TWO MONTHS LATER
"Focus, Percy," Triton scolded with a scowl, slapping his brother's left leg with the flat of his sword. "Get your head out of the algae."
Percy scowled at his brother and blocked his next strike with ease, spinning on his heel and thrusting forward for a strike of his own that was deflected easily to the side. They danced around each other for nearly five minutes, trading blows. The eight-year-old boy's brow was furrowed in deep concentration.
Triton disarmed him with a neat flick of his wrist and grinned in triumph.
"Hmph," Percy grunted as he retrieved Riptide and ran his hand down the flat of the blade. "Are you ever going to teach me that, Triton?"
"I promised I would for your ninth birthday, little brother."
"That is months from now," the boy whined, sticking his lip out pathetically.
"Careful, a parrot fish might bite that if you stick it out any further," Triton told him mildly, reaching down to flick the lip in question.
"Ugh," Percy sighed, rolling his eyes and capping the sword, slipping it into his pocket. "What is on our agenda today?"
"Relations with the Atlanteans," Triton informed him as they strolled towards the palace at a leisurely pace. He grinned at his brother's loud groan of protest. "It is necessary to know all of our people equally, brother. The Atlanteans feel that we favor the Merpeople and the Ichthyocentaurs over them."
Percy frowned. "We favor them equally," he said, confused.
"It does not always seem so. You have been here for eight years and outside of formal functions and tours you hardly if ever leave the palace." Triton absently kicked a stone off the cobbled path as they wound up the hill towards the palace courtyard. "Your tutor is a Merman and your sword trainer is half-merman, half-God. Your guards are almost exclusively Ichthyocentaur and Merfolk, that is why father changed your detail to include two Atlanteans as well."
The boy chewed his lip and considered the words. All of it was true; he hardly knew any Atlanteans and only knew that they looked just like him. They had a famous general called Orryn who had once lived in Atlantis but no longer did. He knew they had built the city and populated it and that his father had sunk it into the sea to protect it, but that was about it. In fact, he could think of only six Atlanteans who spent extended periods of time in the palace and all of them were a part of the Royal Guard. The rest of the palace staff was nearly all merfolk and Ichthyocentaurs.
Triton watched his brother process and the proverbial light bulb turn on. "See?" he prompted with a wry twist of his lips. "Father does not wish to offend. He forgets that mortal time spans are so short and that you have been here for nearly a decade already, seeing as it is like a blink of an eye to him."
"I suppose," the boy grumbled, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. "I dislike going to the city, Triton. My guards have to go with me and then I never get to do anything fun."
Triton made a sympathetic noise and slung an arm around his shoulders. "The unfortunate downside of being a prince," he said solemnly. "Look on the bright side. Your puppy dog eyes have swayed the mermen to growing in fashion, so to speak, so they shove us in suits now instead of breeches. It could be worse."
"Yeah," Percy said as he smiled despite himself and slung an arm around his brother's waist in response. "I guess so."
/
Percy stood at his window while Baric and Noric fussed with his suit jacket, getting out the wrinkles and fixing the cuffs. He was peering down the hill at the city of Atlantis spread out in the valley below them.
It was as sprawling as he remembered, set with the palace in the center and circular rings going out away from the palace. In fact it was set up much as Plato had described in his somewhat accurate writings on the subject. Carthos had delighted in those teachings.
He could see people moving through the streets, the Atlanteans mostly walking while the merfolk, Ichthyocentaurs, and various other sea creatures swam amongst them. Close to the palace were the grand structures of the nobility or the high-ranking like Bill's father Naphos, and outwards from there were the merchants and workers, the soldiers, the everyday people like seamstresses and gardeners.
There were four rings to the city if the Palace was included. It all existed on a sort of undersea foothill, with the Palace at the top at the highest point and the rings spreading out away from it.
The First Ring, and it was always said as a title for it was a location, was home to the various temples honoring Poseidon and other undersea deities. There were even a few for land deities, though they were far rarer. He knew for a fact that there was a temple honoring Hephaestus and his work with the Cyclops forges. It also housed the great sprawling estates of the nobles; most of those high-born in the undersea ranks of nobility, and some like Bill's family who had earned their space through merit. Naphos was famous for his brilliant strategic mind and had earned his rank as the army's lead general. There were a few others who had earned their station as well; he knew Carthos was one of them, having spent most of his life unearthing ancient histories and transcribing them before being asked to the palace as a tutor. Two of the families were famous Atlantean architects who had constructed the palace several thousand years ago and the skill had passed from parent to child for generations.
Atlantis' army and support personnel were housed in the Second Ring, commonly referred to as Second or Beta. There were two lochos, or regiments, of soldiers stationed at the capitol city. Each regiment had five hundred and twelve men each, making their total number just over a thousand. Their barracks, mess halls, Hippocampi stables, and training grounds encompassed nearly all of the land in Second.
Percy spent sparse amounts of time there as well as on the Palace training grounds, though his trips there were nowhere near as frequent. He mostly trained with Triton at the palace, though they occasionally ventured into the city to train alongside the everyday soldiers and not just the First Regiment, commonly known as First or the Royal Guard. The army shared the space with the Aegis, a sort of underwater police force who had regiments of their own; each city housed approximately two hundred of the Aegis Corps to enforce the law within the city while the soldiers protected the outside of it. Most of the Aegis spent their time patrolling and in the courtrooms upholding the laws of Poseidon.
Everyone else lived in the Third Ring, the largest and in Percy's private opinion, the most beautiful. Third was lively, full of life and color and laughter, of music and dancing, bright flags waving in the currents and mismatched merchant shops, houses that still fit the style of the city but who had charm of their own due to their uniqueness. Children played in the streets and the various races cheerfully haggled over goods and services. There was a multitude of trade, far more taverns than his father cared to think about, inns, blacksmith shops, seamstresses and weavers, cobblers, mechanics, an orphanage and several theatres there as well. Of all the rings, Third was his favorite. Outside the Third were the outlying farms, harvesting things such as crab, oyster, lobster, sea prunes, kelp, and scallops. It was there that the great and legendary herders stopped by and told their stories. There were many shepherds who tended the vast schools of various fish such as tuna and anchovy, who looked after populations of various shark breeds, even some who traveled with and tended to the dolphins and whales. He marveled at all the wonderful things they must have seen during their travels throughout the sea.
Most of the exciting things happened in Third, which of course meant he was rarely allowed to go there and never without at least a half a squad of guards shadowing his every step.
Percy sighed heavily and frowned down at the city. He supposed his mother was right, it really was beautiful. The Atlanteans had built most of it and they were known for their skill with engineering and architecture. In fact he knew they often collaborated with the Cyclops forges to create new masterpieces. It was a pity he did not spend as much time in the city as he would have liked but his royal duties often ate up most of his time.
"Prince Perseus," Baric said, presenting the coat with a flourish.
"Thank you," Percy said as he slipped his arms into the sleeves and rolled his shoulders forward to settle it. Triton was right; it was better than breeches. He buttoned the jacket closed and turned towards his manservant. "How do I look?"
"Like a prince," the manservant said with a ready smile. "Your guards are waiting outside."
"Who is it this time?" Percy sighed as he moved past them towards the doors.
"I believe your captain today is Nepthys, sire," Noric said mildly. "And she will remain so for the foreseeable future."
Percy stepped out into the hall and sure enough, Nepthys was standing there with a squad of soldiers — two Atlanteans, three Ichthyocentaurs, and two merpeople like herself. "Captain Nepthys," he greeted the merwoman with a smile, taking a brief moment to admire the coral-like texture of her dark breastplate. "It pleases my heart to see you looking well."
"And you, sire," the fierce-looking merwoman returned with a sharp-toothed smile. "We are ready to move out when you are."
Baric had followed him out and smiled in encouragement. "Enjoy the Harvest Festival, young prince," he advised. "Laugh and be merry with our people."
He smiled at the manservant, glad for his support. "You should enjoy the day as well, Baric, and Noric, too. Take the rest of the day off to enjoy the Festival."
The merman looked scandalized, shaking his head. "Sire, I have duties — "
" — that can wait until tomorrow," he finished for the merman firmly. "Your duties revolve around me and as I will not be present until it is time for bed, please take the day off to enjoy yourselves."
"Yes, sire," Baric said, a wide smile breaking through his usually stoic expression. "You are very kind."
Percy smiled back and watched him disappear back into his chamber, calling the news of their day off to his brother.
"That was very kind of you, sire," Nepthys said seriously, a twinkle in her dark eyes.
"Everyone deserves a day off every once and awhile," he returned casually, shrugging his shoulders. "I wish that I could give you the day off as well, but my father would be furious for days."
The entire squad shuddered in unison, well aware of the strength of the Sea God's temper. An angry Poseidon was a terrifying Poseidon.
Grinning knowingly, the Prince stage-whispered, "I will settle for giving you the day off tomorrow, since your orders involve following me around to babysit me all day."
Several of the guards smiled at that, one or two even shaking their heads at his sense of humor.
"Just like his father," one of them muttered, earning a grin from the female Ichthyocentaur standing directly to his left.
Percy strolled casually down the hallway, taking in the squad of soldiers whose laughter had done nothing to diminish their air of seriousness over his protection. He did appreciate their loyalty even if it was irritating to be followed around constantly. Poseidon had his reasons; the threat from Oceanus was not strong, per se, but it was definitely there.
"What are your names?" he asked curiously, studying each face. He had seen a few of them around, but they were usually with his father or Triton. He wondered where his usual squad was but knew they rotated duties and probably had the day off today.
"I am Nepthys, as you know," the captain merwoman said with a fond smile over his line of questioning. Everyone at the palace knew how brave, selfless, and loyal the young prince could be. It would not surprise them if he could list off each of the palace staff by name and occupation while being able to tell them something about each and every one of them. The prince had been like that since he was small.
Percy nodded his dark head, switching his gaze to the Atlantean man he'd made laugh earlier. He was tall and muscular, obviously well-trained to battle judging by his gait and had the same pale skin common amongst Atlanteans. His hair was light, nearly white in fact, and his eyes were so light blue it was somewhat difficult to make out the iris.
"Emet, majesty," the man introduced himself with a half-smile.
The Ichthyocentaur beside him was Myrin, a great-niece of Naphos himself. Behind them were sibling Ichthyocentaurs Gar and Llyr, large and imposing as most of their species were and with identical dark hair and eyes. They seemed pleased at his curiosity and gave their names proudly, both of them legacies of famous generals. The second Atlantean was female, long hair braided behind her head and with a scar marring the left side of her face. She shortly gave her name as Anath and did not speak again, sharp eyes tracking their surroundings and never staying in one spot for long. Two merfolk brought up the back, both male, called Tilan and Idris and who merely nodded acknowledgement without looking away from their visual scans of their surroundings.
While Percy appreciated their vigilance, he was still inside the palace surrounded by an entire regiment of guards. He figured here was about as safe as he was going to get. Sighing internally, he led the way out of the palace and down the steps towards the palace gates. Up ahead he could see Triton with his own entourage, hands tucked in his pockets as he nodded along to whatever his guard captain was saying. Judging by the set of Triton's shoulders, it was more of a lecture and less of a friendly conversation.
"Remember," Nepthys said right on cue, no doubt having prepared a warning speech of her own, "You are not to eat any sweets offered to you. The danger of poison is too high. Participating in games is discouraged unless the merchant is well known to the palace. Turn down any offers to dance. If you wish to dance, seek out someone from the crowd and try to be as random as possible."
"What if I select you?" he quipped, one eyebrow arched as he cracked a boyish grin.
Behind them, he heard several snorts and the sounds of bitten-off or muffled laughter. Nepthys glared at the lot of them, unimpressed.
"Forgive me," Percy added though he hardly felt sorry at all, "I could not resist, Captain."
"Hmph," the merwoman said crossing her arms and looking less than pleased. "Your safety is our number one concern, prince. Do not allow anyone to lure you off and do not attempt to lose us. We spend most of our time following your brother and father around and know all of their tricks."
"Duly noted," he grumbled, annoyed that freedom would once again be denied to him. "Am I allowed to have any fun, Nepthys?"
"You may participate in games that do not involve open combat or other participants."
Which basically eliminated everything, Percy thought bitterly. "No sparring?" he guessed.
Looking scandalized, the merwoman snapped, "Absolutely not."
"I am quite skilled with a blade," he huffed, slightly offended at her immediate refusal.
"Unless the combatant is your father, Triton, or young Bilius, the answer is no."
"Can I joust?"
Completely deadpan, Nepthys drawled, "I will assume you did not just suggest that I allow you to mount a Hippocampus and charge at another person with giant stick with the intent of knocking them flat to the seafloor after I just told you that sparring is out of the question."
Percy rolled his eyes, having expected the answer but feeling his chest tighten with irritation anyway. He envied Bill and the other kids who could run around and do what they wanted. All he ever got was rules, rules, and more rules. He blew out a breath and did his best to appear cheerful despite the fact he was restricted from any activity that involved even the slightest bit of fun.
The First Ring was full of serious-looking nobles mulling about in deep conversation while hearty music filtered around them. It was the same stuffy group of people he spent most of his time at various royal functions with, though he did spot Bill down in front of the large temple honoring his father. There was a statue of Poseidon beside it that was nearly twenty feet tall, trident stretched towards the surface and his expression severe.
"I have been attempting to escape to Third all morning," Bill said as he swam up beside the prince, rolling his shoulders back. "Forgive me for missing sparring this morning. Mother insisted I help with the housework."
"No problem," he assured his best friend, bumping their shoulders together as they shared a grin of camaraderie. "Did your father restrict you from anything even remotely enjoyable as well?"
"I was told I was not allowed to spar unless it was with you," Bill admitted with a crooked grin. "I was also told that if I did anything to even remotely offend the visiting Atlanteans, I would be grounded until my hair turns gray. Father says that reestablishing connections with the Atlanteans is the top priority of this week's festival."
Percy hummed in agreement and nodded. Poseidon had lectured him and Triton for nearly an hour at dinner the night before over how important it was to soothe the pricked tempers of the Atlanteans. They were still upset over the tsunami that had nearly wiped out the city of Kleiton in the 1300s, the city populated nearly entirely by Atlanteans. Records stated they had sent every architect, engineer, and person who could be spared from Atlantis but the Atlanteans had for the most part retreated from Atlantis, offended by Poseidon's temper and preferring to build a city of their own completely separate from the city they had helped to create. They had relocated the city to the warmer, tropical-like waters of the Indian Ocean.
Poseidon had let them, so Percy assumed that meant his father had felt bad for causing such destruction. He'd been giving them space since the incident had happened, though relations towards them had been steadily warming as Poseidon was gradually forgiven.
Olympus knew his father had caused hundreds of earthquakes and more than one natural disaster. In fact, the number was probably in the hundreds. Zeus was guilty of the same, as were most Gods. Their tempers often spelled doom for the mortal world.
"Will you spar with me?" he pleaded, not wanting to whine but hoping he would get to have some fun anyways.
"Of course," Bill said with a ready smile, swishing his tails as he laughed. "Honestly, Percy, I am only a year older than you but sometimes you seem so old."
"Am not!" he protested hotly, shoving his friend on the shoulder.
"You talk like you are," the young merman teased, swirling away from the next half-hearted blow. They were both smiling so there was no offense taken.
"Father promised if we behave ourselves today we get to spend all day tomorrow in the game room," he whispered to his friend, grinning in elation. It was a rare treat to get to spend any extended period of time in the game room; life and duty seemed to constantly get in the way.
"Your father is the greatest," Bill said, challenging his friend to a race.
Grinning, Percy lengthened his stride and made a beeline for the gate leading to Second. As soon as they left the First it was as if a curtain had been lifted; there were soldiers everywhere, dressed in their colorful cloaks and ceremonial armor, cheering and laughing. A handful of them were busy stomping out a cheery tune in time with their music, the soldiers laughing and dancing, drinking and generally having a great time. He knew one of the regiments was on duty today but the other was free to drink and be merry and enjoy their time off. It was a rare luxury with the threat of Oceanus and his cronies constantly looming over them.
Percy's grin widened because this was the best part about festivals: seeing his people enjoying life. He waved at soldiers he recognized and laughed when one burly Ichthyocentaur female pulled him into a spinning dance, his feet leaving the seafloor as she spun him around with enthusiasm. Bill had been grabbed by an equally enthusiastic Merman who was pinching his cheeks and telling him how much he looked like his father, the flush on his pale cheeks suggesting he'd had a bit to drink. The wine mulled by the Atlanteans from sea prunes could be particularly strong.
He was laughing at his friend's distressed expression. Nepthys watched all of this occurring with a vaguely disapproving expression but she did not move to intervene. Eventually, after a few more dizzying circles, he was set on his feet at his guard captain's side as the soldiers lifted their mugs in a loud bellow of approval and began to sing the sea's anthem in bawdy, off-tune voices.
Still flushed from laughing, Percy all but skipped towards the entrance to the Third Ring, where the guards on this side of the gate were watching their fellow celebrate with slight wistfulness.
"You get the summer solstice off," Emet reminded him cheerfully as he whacked him on the shoulder in passing. The guard — a black-haired, compactly build Ichthyocentaur — did not seem to share his good humor and scowled but made no other move from his guard position to the left of the main gate.
That or he didn't approve of being whacked on the shoulder by an Atlantean. It was a little hard to tell the difference, as most Ichthyocentaurs had what Triton like to call "resting rage faces".
Percy inclined his head to the guard in passing, appreciating his vigilance. The Ichthyocentaur visibly brightened and cracked a small smile, inclining his head in return. He resisted the urge to stick his hands in his pockets and paused just inside the gate to the Third Ring, inhaling deeply to take it all in.
Masses of people filled the streets. Music drifted over the crowd and the hustle and bustle of laughter and many voices talking in excited pitches. Flags snapped smartly in the currents, bearing the proud bright green of the Harvest. There were colorful banners strung up along the houses and from the lamp posts, which were glowing in alternating colors of the rainbow. Even through the water the scents of cooked goods drifted to his nose and he grinned in appreciation.
A girl no older than eight skipped right up to him, her dark eyes bright with laughter. She was Atlantean, built just like he was and with an eager smile. It was clear from her lack of hesitation that she had no idea who the dark-haired, smartly-dressed older boy was.
It was a delight to Percy, who could hardly step outside of the Palace without facing constant bowing and scraping. Today, his people were mostly opting to resist the urge to shower him in respect and finery. In fact, several of the craftsmen and shop owners were grinning at the sight of the young Atlantean girl smiling shyly up at their prince, her dark hair bobbing over her shoulder.
Like him, she was in a layer of air. The Atlantean cities were composed entirely of air, or so the stories said. Their own city of Atlantis was mixed between submerged and air-filled, courtesy of Poseidon and his power over the design. This region of the Third Ring was submerged but he knew two blocks over was where their resident Atlantean population resided and it was completely water-free.
"Would you like to dance?" the girl said, color in her cheeks but hope in her eyes.
"It would be my honor," he told her seriously, bowing over her hand and pressing his lips to her knuckles exactly as he'd been taught. Nepthys tensed behind him but he quite cheerfully ignored her, eager to do something besides stand around and watch everyone else having fun.
The girl beamed in delight, laughing and clearly resisting the urge to tug her hand back. It was small in his larger grip but her fingers were warm and free of callouses; her dress was of fine quality and intricately embroidered with elegant swirls of kelp. Percy guessed her to be six, maybe seven, and thus only slightly younger than he was.
"I do not know the steps," she confessed as he tugged her towards the square of dancing people of all races. "We dance different dances in Keon."
"I do," he told her with an impish grin, twirling her expertly as he did a little skip hop and fit them seamlessly into the swirling, leaping, vibrant dance. "Follow my lead," he said over the noise, winking down at the girl.
People in the crowd cheered, the volume of the music rising as the Atlanteans stomped their feet and the Ichthyocentaurs and Merfolk pounded their chests, singing along to the music and clapping in tune with the band on the edge of the market square.
They twirled and leapt, bowed and danced, Percy with a bright grin on his face all the while. When the dance ended he bowed to her formally and kept her hand in his, pressing a chaste kiss to her knuckles that made her blush.
"Who are you?" the girl wondered curiously, tilting her head to one side. "Do I know you?"
"Perseus Jackson," he introduced himself with another bow and a cheeky grin. "Enjoy the festival, miss."
And then he was gone, leaving the girl gaping after him in astonishment over having just danced with the prince.
Bill was nearly green from forcing himself not to laugh at the entire exchange and merely shook his head. "Your father will be pleased," he teased. "Way to build relationships with them."
"It was only a dance," he muttered, cheeks pinking slightly. "Dancing is alright, mostly."
"Without the overly tight breeches?"
Percy's empathetic nod made Bill and several of his guards snort.
The festival was in full swing and Percy took full advantage of the bag of coins in his pocket, enjoying fresh clams and raw sea prunes which were much better than the stewed variety Elith was always trying to get him to eat. In the dry sections, his Atlantean guards accompanied him while the rest took the long way. A small girl no older than four offered him circular bread brushed in sugar and he knelt down to take a bite, ignoring the grumbled protest of the guards behind him.
"Thank you," he told her honestly, flashing his best dimpled grin. She blushed, shoved the rest of the treat into his hands, and smiled back before racing off to tell her parents. He shrugged and ate the rest of it, waving at the people who were excited to see him.
Overall it was a pretty good day, the festival vibrant and loud and full of life. He and Bill participated in a sparring session to show off their skills and Triton even stepped in, the three of them facing off much to the delight of everyone, including the visiting Atlanteans.
There was more dancing, this time with a larger crowd and Percy picked a girl about his age from the rest of the crowd and asked her to dance. She accepted after a panicked look to her parents and blushed the whole time, hardly speaking a word.
"I do no bite," he told her honestly as he twirled them around to the music, the steps fast but not so fast that he couldn't talk.
"But you are a prince," she whispered.
"Just a prince," he agreed with a small laugh. "And a kid like you."
"I suppose," she frowned, but she did relax a little bit and seem to have fun, so that was a plus.
The song was winding to an end and he was about to lift the girl for the last sweeping move when he noticed Nepthys rushing through the crowd, concern on her face as his other guards barreled over several dancers in their haste to get to him.
Percy frowned, setting the girl down and stepping back, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong. His guards were shouting now, weapons coming out with vicious hisses of steel and it was suddenly chaos, people screaming frantically and rushing around, only adding to the mayhem.
All the hairs on the back of his neck rose and Percy immediately dropped into a defensive stance and spun, raising his arm as he would with a shield.
He was too late.
The knife sliced through his forearm like butter, bouncing off the bone and nicking his collarbone. A merman with crazy eyes and a snarling face was above him, one hand grabbing him by the throat, and pain exploded in his side.
An agonized scream tore from his throat, vision rapidly graying. A jarring impact knocked the hand free and he thought maybe he was on his back, the sounds of battle fuzzy on the edge of his hearing as he stared blankly up at the surface so very far above them.
A face obscured his view and he frowned, feebly lifting a hand to push him away but something caught his hand before he could do so and held it steady. Someone was talking to him but he couldn't hear the words. The water around him was rapidly becoming stained in red, tendrils of his own blood being carried away by the current. He could see a swarm of sea animals coming towards them like he imagined a flock of birds would on the surface, sharks and dolphins easy to pick out amongst the roiling mass.
Whoever had taken his hand captive was still talking to him but he was too tired to pick out the words.
In a slurred voice, Percy mumbled, "'m never gonna be allowed in Third again," and then promptly lost consciousness.