Prologue

This was not how Percy had wanted to spend his birthday. He and his mom were supposed to be in Montauk by now, swimming in the ocean and relaxing in the sun. Instead, Percy ran through a forest outside Manhattan, trying to escape a pack of wild dogs. It had been quiet when he had first gotten there, save for the screams of his mom and stepfather still ringing in his head. After a few minutes of searching for anything to eat or drink, they spotted him. Percy wasn't sure what they were at first, but the howls and barks gave them away fairly quickly. He thought it was just some dogs, lost like him. Maybe even allowing Percy to join their pack. His thoughts changed when they leaped through the bushes, their beady red eyes staring him down.

The events of the day kept replaying in Percy's mind as he continued to run, desperate to escape the dogs. His luck seemed to have run out, as he noticed he was coming up to a clearing ahead, where the dogs wouldn't have any problems weaving around trees to get to him.

"Turn left, son." Percy wasn't sure where the voice had come from, but he had recognized it immediately.

"Dad," Percy whispered. It had been so long since he had last seen his father, but now he was finally back to save him. He followed his father's advice, swerving left and only narrowly avoiding a large Oak tree.

"Perseus, there is a river up ahead. You must reach it for me to help you." Percy had no idea what his dad was talking about, but he obeyed his orders once again, using the adrenaline rush he had gotten when he heard his father speak to dash faster than he ever had before. Despite the burst of adrenaline, he could hear the growls and snapping jaws draw closer and closer. Almost close enough to feel the dogs' breaths, Percy finally reached the river, leaping into the centre of it. As he always had when in the water, Percy felt relaxed and energized. It was an odd feeling considering a pack of dogs threatened to devour him. Suddenly remembering said dogs, Percy was shocked when he turned around. Instead of the beady-eyed monsters from before, his father stood on the riverbank.

"Dad!" Percy shouted, leaping into his father's arms. Neptune caught Percy's body, pulling him into a tight embrace as his face morphed into a bright smile. The two stayed like that for a while, until Neptune pulled his head away to look at Percy.

"My son. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for you before. But I have made a deal with my brother. He will allow you to come to my home and live with me for a while until you go to Camp," Neptune told him. Percy somewhat knew what he was saying, but there were still things he didn't understand. Not wanting to upset his father, Percy just nodded along.

"Does that mean I finally get to see your palace?" Percy asked. His father chuckled, nodding to his son.

"Yes, Perseus. You finally get to see my palace. But you are tired. The water did its best, but that race took a lot out of you. It's best for you to rest right now." Before Percy could protest about not feeling tired at all, Neptune swiped his hand over Percy's face and muttered a single word. "Sleep."

Percy woke up in a cold sweat, eyes darting around his room and landing on the picture of his family he kept on his bedside table. That was odd. He was sure that he wasn't dreaming about the forest. The note on his bedside table answered his confusion. Percy rose from his bed and grabbed the message.

Percy. I recreated the room from your mother's to make it more like home. My lieutenant, Delphinus, is waiting outside your room when you're ready. He will tell you about my family and bring you to me when you are finished.

-Your Father.

Percy folded the note back up and threw it in the trash before walking over to his dresser. He sighed in relief when he realized his father had given him clothes. Percy quickly changed out of his torn clothes from yesterday and threw open the door. He almost fell over in surprise when he saw a dolphin staring back at him.

"Ahh, you're awake, my Prince. I hope you read the note your father left." The dolphin's mouth didn't seem to move, but Percy could still hear his voice. Not sure how to communicate with the animal, Percy just stood there staring at him. "Oh! I'm sorry, Prince. I forgot how intimidating this form could be. Could you close your eyes for a moment?" Upon the dolphin's request, Percy shut his eyes so tight he could almost see the cells on the inside of his eyelids. He felt something warm cover the front of his body that disappeared as fast as he had thought it. Not long after it went away, someone tapped him on his shoulder. "You can open your eyes now." The dolphin told him. Percy started with one eye at first, gradually opening them wider to not see anything he shouldn't. Rather than the glossy dolphin snout that had been there before, a regular-looking old man was standing before Percy.

"What happened to the dolphin?" Percy asked, looking up and down the hallway. The man laughed as he gripped Percy's shoulder, leading him away from his room.

"I see your father has not yet explained everything to you," the man said, guiding Percy towards a large courtyard at the end of the hallway. "But no worries. We have plenty of time before we have to see him. Perhaps we should get you some breakfast while I talk."

-X-

It had taken a long enough time for Percy to understand Delphin's shapeshifting, so having to learn about the other gods took until after lunch. Eventually, Percy was able to grasp the concept of superpowers existing and that he has them. Once Delphin had been satisfied with Percy's knowledge, he led him to a hallway much larger and more regal than any they had been in before.

"Now, Percy. I will bring you into the throne room where your father will tell you what is going to happen over the next few years. You are also going to meet your stepmother, Salacia, and half-brother, Triton. Make sure you are on your best behaviour because those two are not the fondest of your father's demigods," Delphin explained. Percy was too young to understand affairs and faithfulness, so all he knew was his dad did something terrible when he had him.

"I will be, Delphin. I promise." the old man smiled at the boy once again as the mermen guards opened the doors.

"Ahh, here they are. How are you feeling, Perseus?" Percy hugged his father's waist as he answered his question.

"I still don't get a lot of things, but I promise I'll try to learn more," Percy promised. Neptune tore his son off of his body and looked into his eyes.

"There's no need for that, son. You already know more than any demigods at your age. Now, soon we are going to start your training. But first, meet your new family." Neptune stood up and gestured towards the woman and man standing a few feet behind Neptune. They weren't exactly glaring at him, but Percy could feel that they weren't very fond of him. Following Delphin's orders from earlier, Percy knelt on one knee and looked down at their feet.

"Lady Salacia, Lord Triton. I appreciate you allowing me into your home. I promise I will do my best to aid you in any way I can." Percy could feel their stares forming holes at the top of his head, only relaxing when Salacia gave him a small smile.

"As much as I hate to admit this, my love. I actually quite like this one."

A/N: This is my 4th? Attempt at writing this story. This time, though, almost the entire story is written. As of right now, it is 57 chapters, but there is some discrepancy with that number. Since it's not really possible to write the story in 'proper' book formatting (in terms of the timeline of things), I have split the story into arcs and interludes. Arcs are usually three (sometimes 2) chapters of actual story. It directly follows Percy's journey in Camp Jupiter. As I was writing, I realized the transition between these arcs was pretty jarring, so I came up with the idea of Interlude chapters to separate them. I'm mainly using them as a device to add more story without having to put it in the real story, and also to provide worldbuilding/background information in an easier. None of them will be necessary to read, but I recommend it. Because of this, they won't factor into the upload schedule as much. My current schedule is to upload every Monday (and Interludes on Sundays before the next arc starts), but if I have stuff done early I'll send it out as soon as possible. It shouldn't be too hard because like I said, a lot of the story is already written.

Hope you enjoy! Please feel free to review or follow or do anything so I can gauge the engagement on it lol.