AN: There are definitely some adult themes in this chapter…so just keep that in mind.

"Still too predictable," Delta chided, his stony-gray eyes boring into my own. He leaned back into his chair, brushing some nonexistent lint off of the cuff of his jacket. "Power, Percy, requires the ability to play with appearances. You have to be able to wear different masks; you need to keep a bag full of deceptive tricks on you at all times. Without it, you'll never make it far in this world. Again. You're a traveler entering one of Atlantis' bordering cities."

I'm two weeks into my training. I haven't gotten the wonderful chance for any real field experience yet, seeing as Delta said I needed to pass all of my 'preliminary' tests.

Well, I mean, the other day, I got sent out to take care of a feral stingray that was harassing moviegoers by the Atlantis Cinema, but I wouldn't really call that a mission.

In fact, I resent that particular stingray, because the owner of the cinema was so grateful for my assistance, he'd insisted I sit and watch a movie, courtesy of the cinema, for saving his establishment. The problem? The movie was my life being played on screen.

I felt like retreating into my chair the whole time. I'll admit, my fight with Ares does seem pretty cool, now since I'm not like, in mortal danger and stuff, but the existence of this movie begs too many questions. The most pressing, obviously being how they even get so much of this on film in the first place.

I had my question answered when the credits rolled, and the post-credits scene was Hades waving at the camera.

"Hey, Perce," He'd said, a teasing grin on his face. "I recorded this, for you know, safety reasons. You're alive, though! So now, I'm going to sell it to Atlantis. Toodles!"

Prick. I grumbled about that the whole way back to the barracks, and get this! Delta was so mad I 'took advantage of my fame' that he made me run laps all night.

I'm not exaggerating. With the boost I got from being underwater, I could quite literally run all night- Delta was well aware of this fact.

Being a part of the espionage division of Atlantis was, as you'd expect, a lot of work and an even larger amount of red tape. They had a really specific way of doing things down here, and the fact that I was the Son of Poseidon could only get me so far.

Every agent of the fourth, as we were called, was expected to show a level of proficiency in four major categories: combat, intelligence, speed, and mental fortitude.

Each agent-in-training was given a week to prepare for their eventual examinations in these categories. After that week passed, Delta himself would personally make sure to test each cadet thoroughly.

Combat involved rapid-fire fights of increasing difficulty with different members of the fourth. I mopped the floor with most of them, but when I got to Delta himself, he stopped the test, claiming he'd tested me enough when I first got to Atlantis.

The intelligence portion was covered by my exam and speed? I'm a child of Poseidon underwater. Come on now.

Mental fortitude was a bit tougher, just because all of the tests were so random- I had no chance to accurately prepare for any of them. There were all kinds of weird situations in which I basically was instructed to keep a straight face and make no outward reaction.

One of the times, an old man was brought in, coughing violently, and I had to watch as he eventually passed out. Another time, I was forced to stand silently as a woman begged for help before she turned and tried to kill me. That time, I was told to 'dispatch' of her as quickly and painlessly as possible.

The worst one, by far, was when they brought in a naiad and made her try to seduce me. The worst part was how into it she got- something made me feel like she wasn't really acting too much at all.

Delta had to tell her the test was over four times. Eventually, he had to get two agents to quite literally pry her off of me.

Let's move on, then.

With Gamer's Mind, I ended up passing all of those tests with flying colors. I did too well, in fact, and Delta took it upon himself to teach me some of his personal tricks, and test me on those, before letting me out onto the field.

Being a soldier in this particular branch of the Atlantean military boasted a weird ranking system. Rather than use titles like commander and general and so on, the fourth rated their soldiers based on color.

No, not in a racist way. I mean, some dolphin warriors did get called 'bottlenosed bitch' but I'd like to think that was lighthearted humor on the part of the soldiers.

Any newly-minted soldier would start with white coloring on the brim of their armor, and that color would change over the course of their time in service. Different colors meant all kinds of things- the time spent in service, combat skill, specializations.

I was to be given a black brim, like Delta. You might think it's a little unfair, but I actually earned it, too. The only thing I needed to do before I got to display it was finishing all of my specialization tests from Delta and complete one mission.

Something about eligibility, I think I was told. Now, the real-world experience, we talked about, but the tests?

As luck would have it, out of all of the crazy, harebrained plots he cooked up, the peculiar situations he put me through, and the downright embarrassing scenarios I was forced to endure, I passed all of the tests except one: lying.

Yeah. Lying.

Need a guy to disable a whale shark with one hit? Maybe you need someone to accurately tell you how far the nearest city is based on the chariot marks on the sand- listen, I'm your guy for all of that, but lying?

As you guys know, I'm the worst damn liar on the planet. When I was a kid, I could never skip school without my mom wringing it out of me the second I got home. Before I left middle school, there was a running bet to see what would happen first: my first successful excuse for not doing homework, or Nancy Bobofit finding a date to the winter dance.

I wasn't winning. Three months into the year, every teacher I had shut down any reason I gave for missing homework- even the ones that were legitimate, but Nancy, on the other hand, had managed to get a date. It was her cousin…but we never added that clause into the original bet.

All of the other tests, I'll admit, seemed harder on paper. There was fighting, sneaking around, climbing, running, err, seduction, and conditioning. You name it, over this past week, I've done it. Having the game made them all easy, though. If anything, these days felt more like level grinding than anything else. I was itching for some real action.

"Hello, there. My chariot broke down in front of your tavern, and I was hoping you could lend me a hand in fixing it."

"Not buying it," Delta shut me down, almost instantly. "Again."

Lying, LV-23 (37%)

This is your ability to lie to people! The higher your level is, the more convincing the lie is! It comes with a smaller chance of discovery!

The chance varies based on the context of the lie, but your lying is boosted by 1% every time you level up!

Lie failed!

You'd think this whole game ability to thing would at least help but so far, I've only been able to tell a few successful lies.

It's been the same thing for a while. Delta and I sit in a room, he gives me a general situation, and I have to find possible ways I could lie. Small ways I could twist potentially ambiguous parts of the situation to my favor, whether it's to acquire a favor or information.

For example, let's say he gives me the situation of being in an ice cream shop.

I could say "oh, hi, I'm actually allergic to ice cream," in an attempt to gain information about their menu, or "I'm looking for a frozen yogurt place," to gain information on the layout of the city I'm hypothetically in, but he'll just shake his head and tell me it's not believable enough.

How is that unbelievable? What kind of psychopathic maniac would lie about being allergic to ice cream?

My lying skill has leveled up multiple times in this whole process, but it still falls flat against Delta for some reason.

Deep breath. Alright, let's go.

I felt my Skill activate.

"My name is Tom. I'm a traveling merchant, and I was hoping to take refuge in your fair city while this storm passes."

Gleaming words glittered at the bottom of my vision:

Lying, LV-23 (40%)

This is your ability to lie to people! The higher your level is, the more convincing the lie is! It comes with a smaller chance of discovery!

The chance varies based on the context of the lie, but your lying is boosted by 1% every time you level up!

Lie failed!

Do you know how catastrophically maddening this is? Let's say, for some reason, the context of my lies to Delta are at an absolute zero- no, let's assume it's negative.

Even then, my lying skill is good enough to the point where one of the hundreds of lies I've told over the past day and a half should be good enough for him- but no.

Delta shook his head. "Nope. Not buying it. Have you ever lied before in your entire life?"

"Yes," I said, fighting back some annoyance. Not well, but he didn't need to know that! "I guess it's just tough to lie on the spot like that. The context of the lie doesn't lend any credence to its believability. It's basically my word against yours. Isn't that a bit unfair?"

"Mm," Delta said, cracking his knuckles. His face had one of the biggest not-my-problem expressions I've ever seen on it. "Doesn't seem like it to me, cadet. Well, I'll be quite frank. Can I be frank with you?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Level with me. To be able to lie, you need to understand lying."

"You don't say," My annoyance got the best of me. Delta, to his credit, didn't even bat an eye at my gloomy outburst.

"Lying, to some people, is just telling an altered version of the truth- something that isn't entirely wrong, but not right, either. To others, it's saying something completely random. With me so far?"

"Yes."

"The easiest lies to tell are the ones that you, yourself, believe in wholeheartedly. I like to think of them as subjective truths," Delta continued. "Things that are true if just change the perspective around a little. If you can convince yourself what you're saying is true, you'll have an infinitely easier time convincing someone else of it."

He paused, noting my expression. "Bored, then? I suppose I'm not really connecting with you, as they say. Alright then, let's make it about you. You seem to like doing that."

"Me?" I asked, not even touching on the fact that my boredom was that evident to him. I let the barb about my supposed selfishness slide, too. "How so?"

"Well, you've been lied to your whole life. You're being lied to, even now. If there's a single soul on this planet that needs to understand the value and function of lying, it's you."

That got my attention. "Lied to? How so?"

"This is not entirely your fault," Delta quickly prefaced, and I raised an eyebrow. "Let's take a deep dive. Your track record with the supernatural isn't amazing."

Oh…he's going straight below the belt for this one, already. I guess I kind of deserve it for acting like a brat during his lesson.

"Got your attention now?" Delta smiled again, slightly colder this time. "You're far too complicit…trusting, even. I've seen the way you act with your father. I've heard all about your relationship with the Lady of the Hearth. We've seen your victories, of course, but to the trained eye, there's a lot more going on behind the scenes."

I froze for a moment. My stomach dropped slightly as a cold feeling grew across my chest. Delta and I looked at each other for a few moments, a silent battle of wills taking place. "A lot going on behind the scenes how?"

"I think we both know what I'm hinting at," Delta said knowingly. His eyes narrowed. "Aphrodite?"

"How did you…" I trailed off. He's one of Delta's trusted soldiers, right? Maybe he told him? But why would he tell a soldier about his son's love life?

This is going to sound so self-absorbed, but in the movie about me, Aphrodite's scenes are kind of short. If anything, you'd think she's just taken an interest in me. All of the marriage stuff is kept under wraps.

Did Delta really glean that much information off of those few scenes? If that's true, what kind of an animal is he?

Delta paid no mind to me. "I think that's the most extreme case, but in general, that's where you mess up. I think you're still thinking of them as your father, your aunt. They're not your father and aunt first, Percy, they're Olympians. Mortals and gods are different entities for a reason. No Olympian ever acts just for the sake of it."

"Aren't you committing treason?" I tried to reason, my mind immediately flashing through the potential motives Delta could have for telling me all of this. Yeah, okay, I know I'm spiraling by this point, but I've just been trying to avoid these stray thoughts for a while and now my boss is just dragging them out in front of me.

It's like meeting with your boss at McDonald's because you need to take a day off and he starts listing off your deepest, darkest fears. And your social. He even mentions your girlfriend. Not fun now, huh?

Yeah, thought so.

"Maybe. If you tell, I guess I am. You won't, though," Delta continued, his posture still relaxed. His darkened eyes held no hint of worry in them. "Listen. The one power that all immortals have over mortals is their ability to lie- it's a privilege given to all gods. They play with mortals. An immortal can try as they might to pass as human, but the one pitfall they'll always fall into is their need to lie. They subconsciously try to maintain that rift of power, even when they're not trying to show off. They don't want a mortal to ever be on an equal playing field with them."

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that my dad is playing me?" A lump formed in my throat. I didn't think he was, but Delta was starting to worry me a little.

"Not exactly. He might be a different cause, as he cares for you, but even he's guilty of deception. Think with me, why would he choose to enter your life when he did? He claims to bring you down here on the excuse of training you, but if that was his intention all along, he could've walked into your life at any given time. Right?"

"The Ancient Laws"-

"Don't mean much," Delta interrupted. His tone carried a faint hint of bitterness, and I filed that information away for later. "He's in your life now, is he not? The loophole he boasts would've been there even when you were a child. I know you're not dumb, so for a second, put yourself in his shoes and reason with me. Why claim your child now, of all times?"

I glared at Delta but walked through the whole logic by myself.

Okay, I'm Poseidon. I'm on Earth, and even though I was told not to, I got this lady pregnant and I know she's going to have my kid.

I'm guessing my dad knew when my mom had me. I know he visited me when I was a kid, so it isn't even that much of a stretch to assume he knew when I was born- he might've even been there.

Doubt started to creep in. Delta might've been onto something. Why not just hide me away? I knew Poseidon visited me as a kid, but why not just do that from the start? If my destiny was what really worried him, he could've snuck me down here and started training me from the moment I learned how to walk.

I remembered, "Zeus' bolt was taken. He needed to claim me so that I could get the bolt for him and clear his name."

"Yes and no. You're kind of right," Delta amended, leaning forward. "In this world, gods do not take kindly to insults. Accusing your father of theft when he's transparently one of the most…loyal Olympians was a grave mistake. Your father claimed you as a sign of aggression. You, a fresh demigod, boasting the power of two of the Elder gods and the favor of the Lord of The Underworld. A demigod capable of dueling Ares to a standstill after a week or two of training. Have no qualms, Percy. Your father may feel affection for you- in fact, I'm sure he does- but this series of events is nothing except political maneuvering."

I exhaled slowly. As much as I hated it, Delta was right. Without his own goading, I could tell now that the reason I was in Atlantis, apart from Poseidon's own guilt, was to make me even stronger so that any Olympian wouldn't cross him.

Delta gave me that moment of peace but started speaking again, quietly. "That's how lying works. People you care about, the ones that you trust- they're the ones who will lie to you the most."

I nodded, the feelings of sadness quickly fizzling out. As far as revealing conversations went, that could've been much worse, still. "Yeah."

"To successfully lie, you'll need to be able to do the same thing," Delta finished, still taking the chance to teach me something. "Bring out those feelings in your target, and use it against them. Take what you need, and leave."

A low, whale's call was heard from outside of the window. The shadow of a giant humpback whale dwarfed the two of us, who were sitting outside, in a secluded deck-like area with a glass ceiling.

Delta looked up for a moment, his expression flickering between annoyance and neutrality. "Tell him I'll be there in twenty."

The whale must've heard his response somehow, as it went swimming away with another low call.

"Chin up, soldier," Delta sighed a moment later, reaching into his armor and pulling out a thick brown envelope. He placed it on the desk, flicking it towards my side. A small smile formed on his face. "Your first mission."

I glanced at the envelope curiously, reaching forward and touching it. Immediately, the black words I was getting all too familiar with sprung up on my screen as lines, tumbling and twisting over each other like little insects, before settling into letters.

[STORY] Quest Alert!

Live and Let Die!

One of the most prominent political figures in Atlantis has invited you to his gathering as a sign of welcome to Atlantis! Uncover his deep secret and escape with your life!

Rewards:

+100,000 EXP!

+100 REP with The Royal Family!

Hidden Rewards:

? PER ?

?

?

Failure:

The destruction of Atlantis!

[YES/NO]

Hidden rewards? Interesting. I clicked yes. I guess the game must've heard my plea for a real mission.

Delta cleared his throat as I opened the envelope, pulling out the letter and skimming through it. A lot of it was just political mumbo jumbo and backtalk, but the overall message was pretty clear.

"Your father sent that our way," Delta explained as I put the letter back into the envelope. "He says it's of the utmost importance that you go."

"What is the mission?"

"Well, first, let me explain something to you," Delta said, standing up and gesturing for me to follow him. He opened the door.

The chair squeaked as I pushed it backward and got up. We started walking through the barracks, where for some reason, there wasn't a single soul. All of the lockers were closed, too. It was as if everyone just up and left.

I've been in this place pretty frequently for the last few days, and there's always at least a couple of people milling around.

Sure, they keep their distance from me for one reason or another, but I was getting kind of used to seeing them hang around.

"Today, believe it or not, is one of your brother's many concerts," Delta said, following my line of sight. He gestured around the empty room. "As the crown prince, he gets the best of the best protection at those things. We, along with all of the other divisions, are usually dispatched to stand guard during times like that."

"His…concert?" I repeated, the words tasting sour on my tongue. I basically have an expiration date, and I'm going to spend every single day up until that point training and fighting for my life…and Triton is spending his days throwing a concert. Didn't my dad himself tell Delta this mission was important?

Right. It's so important that he's going to his other son's concert. Real important.

"Mm. He's sort of like a celebrity around here when it comes to that stuff," Delta said, his hand pressing into the side of the wall, opening another door that revealed a staircase. "Usually, your father would go with you, too, but this opportunity is too good to pass up. Triton is doing his 'Best of The Beatles' show, and your father would likely rather give up his trident than miss that. You, instead are taking his place. You will be going with his wife."

I almost faceplanted, for two vastly different reasons. Atlantis is really that behind, huh? "Um, Lady Amphitrite?"

Delta raised an eyebrow. A warning edge followed in his next words, "Yes. Is there a problem? I thought you wanted a chance to go out into the field."

Yes! Did Delta really think my father's wife was going to enjoy spending alone time with a literal example of her husband's unfaithfulness? It's like he was setting me up to have the worst first mission ever.

"No," I muttered, following silently. Pretty soon, we were standing on a terrace overlooking one of the more populated parts of Atlantis. The upper ring, I think it's called.

Say what you will about the place, but I'll never get over how peaceful everything looks down here. In the overworld, things are always tense at the best of times. Especially for me- I grew up as a street rat in one of the most populated cities on the face of the planet.

I wouldn't have known peace and quiet if it hit me in the face with a steel-toed boot. Down here, though?

I could see the little kids running around with their parents, not a single care in the world. Some even grabbed the tails of the manta rays and floated around. The sea life seemed to revel in the attention it was getting, all kinds of animals swimming down to play with the citizens.

Couples sat on the purple dunes, some having picnics and others laying in each other's arms contently.

They stared up at the artificial source of light, my dad's power, hanging in the sky indefinitely. From an outsider's point of view, it was really crazy to see. Most of the people just live down here.

Up on the surface, everyone's always preoccupied with one thing or the other. Whether it's financial, or emotional. I don't think I've ever met anyone who was 100% content with everything.

Here, though? People live in perfect harmony. Raising your children here, or falling in love, or even just retiring would be infinitely better than anywhere else, save maybe Olympus or Elysium itself.

Atlantis truly was paradise.

Delta spoke up a few moments later, "You see, Percy, Atlantis is a very peaceful city. Through our inner police and your father's own power, crime simply does not exist within these walls."

"I'm guessing you're going to tell me something that contradicts that, now?" I said, leaning against the railing and peering out at the children, a weird bubble of protectiveness forming in my chest.

"You're correct," Delta mirrored my actions. I looked over at his eyes staring hatefully into the distance. "As well protected as the inside of the city is, threats still find their way here. Threats that aren't as brazen and obvious to the eye as you'd expect."

"I'm guessing there's some sort of flaw in the shield around Atlantis," I supplied, my voice a lot more confident than I felt at that moment.

"Precisely. It doesn't allow anyone wishing to cause harm to those inside the walls to get past it," Delta explained to me, pointing to the mirror-like walls around the city. "That doesn't mean people who want to cause harm to others outside can't get in. From there, they can indirectly hurt those inside the walls."

I tapped the railing a few times, inspecting the walls again. I could barely see into the dark depths of the ocean beyond. "I used to think the biggest problems around here would be the Kraken or gigantic killer squids."

"People are always more dangerous than monsters," Delta warned, his voice gaining a hard edge. "Monsters are always easy to figure out, easy to identify. People, though? Even the most sadistic people pose as saviors even though they have no intention of saving a soul. They prey on the fears and whims of the innocent and smear themselves with their blood. The man who has invited you to his home is one of those people."

What an introduction. Delta is a lot of things, but I'll be damned if the man doesn't have a way with his words.

"Carcinus," I remembered from the letter. "That's the man who invited me. In the myths, wasn't he that giant crab who was turned into a constellation?"

"He was, for a period of time," Delta confirmed, sighing and pulling out two cigarettes. There was a small pop and the smell of sulfur reached my nose. The cigarette was sparking, a wisp of smoke trailing upwards. "Then, your father pleaded Hera to remove him from the sky so that he could serve in his court. He's a shrewd businessman, the kind that can get all kinds of tariffs at a discount price."

"So, my father decided to bring him here for financial gain?" I wondered aloud, and Delta nodded, putting the cigarette in his mouth. The end of it burned. I felt a weird uneasiness. "He knew what kind of man he was, too?"

"He did. Sometimes, Percy, leaders have to hire not-so-great people to make the lives of those under them better," Delta confirmed, lighting the second cigarette. He held it out to me. "Trust me, kid. You're going to start sooner or later if you stay here. Might as well start now."

I took it hesitantly. I mean, I know these things cause cancer and stuff, but does my demigod status and gamer ability counteract it?

Eh, whatever.

I put the cigarette in my mouth and inhaled. It didn't taste anything like it smelled. It was this weird smoky taste, but at the same time, a smooth texture? I don't even know how to describe it.

We stood in companionable silence as a gigantic whale shark swam out in front of us, its singular eye regarding us with curiosity. I resisted the urge to scrape some of the barnacles off of it.

"Not bad, kid," Delta complimented as I puffed out the smoke for the last time. While I could go without the taste, I won't deny that it had a calming effect. "Now, onto your mission. Normally I wouldn't mind giving you free rein and letting you choose how to deal with him, but the man, true to his name, is cancer. If you take him out right away, it could open a can of worms we're not ready to deal with."

"So, you need me to get some dirt on him?" I asked, even though I knew that was what I needed to do.

"Yes. You have to find some sort of incriminating evidence on him that we can then flip to your father and take legal action," Delta summarized. The flap of his jacket rippled as a gust of wind rolled over us. "He's officially outlived his usefulness. Your father has someone he wants to take Carcinus' place."

"Is that the easiest way to take him out?" I asked curiously, walking through the different ways I could incriminate him. "Won't it seem suspicious if I just so happen to find information on him after I go to his dinner?"

"Well, it would if he knew you were looking for it. The best way to go about it would be to avoid asking any questions to him directly," A small smirk formed on his face. "He just so happens to have a daughter around your age."

"How? Aren't we talking about, like, an immortal being, here?"

"Carcinus has many children. She isn't even the youngest. When you're a constellation, you don't get to do certain things," Delta rolled his eyes as if Carcinus' inability to keep it in his pants as a personal affront. He looked at me. "Your father had you, didn't he? Is the timing really that surprising?"

I couldn't argue with that logic.

"So, you think I should try to get dirt through her?" I asked, waving to some of the little kids that walked by. They jumped up and down excitedly. I think their parents knew Delta, though, because they pulled their children away quickly when they saw him.

"In a sense. You see, you're a big deal around these parts," Delta continued, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Most of the younger kids look up to you. And most of the females are smitten with you…"

"Oh."

Delta laughed loudly. I think that's the first time I've seen him so entertained by something- of course, it's my embarrassment. "Yes. Oh. Believe it or not, that would be the easiest and least suspicious way to do things."

"You know I'm like, thirteen, right?"

"I didn't say you had to sleep with her, although I would expect you to do as much, if the mission required," Delta pointed out, and I grumbled to myself. "Talk to her, make her feel nice and wanted, and then subtly inquire about her father. That simple. Then, bring your step-mother home and mission over. Sound good?"

"Yeah," I said, stretching my arms out. "Sounds good."

"Good," Delta said plainly. We stood around for another minute, staring at the beauty of the city.

"Well, kid, I'll see you tonight for debriefing," He said, offering me his hand to shake. I took it, noticing a small rectangular box that somehow made its way into my hands.

My eyebrows raised toward my hairline as I turned the box over in my hand- he really handed me his pack of cigarettes.

Delta offered me a wink, before turning around and walking back towards the staircase. I stood there for a couple more minutes, trying to piece together all the things I'd learned about Delta so far.

I still had no idea who he truly was.

After meeting with Delta, I linked up with my dad and had lunch with him. It was a nice change of pace.

In a way, too, it was the kind of thing I'd always dreamt of. When I was a kid, I was super jealous of all of the other kids when it came to times like Bring Your Dad to School day. It was kind of funny to imagine now, though.

All of the other kids had dads that were firefighters, or teachers. Poseidon would walk in and give all the children a sand dollar. I feel like the teachers at the schools I went to would think he was on drugs or something, and call the police.

Maybe it's best he didn't show up.

The food itself was pleasant enough, but I didn't have too much of an appetite after my conversation with Delta. The lunch passed quickly enough.

My dad took me to Amphitrite's quarters around evening-time.

"Make sure to get home safe," Poseidon reminded me, the smile lines on his face crinkling. "I'll make sure to tell Triton you were busy."

"Thanks, Dad," I deadpanned, but the sarcasm went sailing over his head. He gave me a thumbs up and grin, and went walking down the hallway, whistling the start of Hey, Jude.

I knocked twice on the door, a little twinge of nervousness making itself known in my system. I felt like this woman was going to be looking for different ways to kill me on the spot.

"Come in!" A sweet voice answered from behind the door, and I grabbed the handle and tugged it. The door disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place, and I stepped on through.

The woman who I assumed to be Amphitrite was standing in the middle of the room, with nothing but a white robe on. The problem? That white robe was completely unfastened, leaving the entire front of her body completely visible.

The entire front…

Worse, even, was the fact that when I walked in, she gave me a wink and slowly pulled out the strings that were fastened around her arms. The robe fell to the floor with a soft thud.

Zeus. Maybe the woman was trying to kill me.

Naiads bustled around her. I think there were five in total. One was shaving Amphitrite's legs (not that there was any visible hair to start with), while another was applying a pink balm on her arms. A third was tucking her hair into an ornate design, braiding flowers into her raven locks.

A fourth was filing her nails while continuously applying polish to already completed ones. The fifth stood an arm's length away, holding up a rectangle with dozens of little shining fabrics on them.

Amphitrite [QUEEN OF THE SEAS]

LV-305

HP-1,000,000,000/1,000,000,000

MP- 1,000,000/1,000,000

Amphitrite is Poseidon's bride and the undisputed Queen. She harbors a deep hatred for her son, Triton. She enjoys fancy dinners and helping the citizens of Atlantis in her free time.

Well, with a level like that, no wonder she's the Queen. If she's that strong, though, how strong is my dad?

She smiled regally at me. "You must be Perseus."

"Percy is fine," My voice suddenly rose more octaves than I'd like to admit. I cleared my throat, "Um, I can come back or something…"

"Nonsense," Amphitrite continued softly, the door somehow reappearing behind me and closing with a soft shink. "Come closer, will you? Let me get a better look at you."

I obliged, keeping my eyes directly on hers. I don't know why it is that every woman I run into in Atlantis has to put me in some weird situation, but I'm definitely not trying to get caught lacking by my own stepmom.

I cursed myself from jumpstarting my own maturity- an occurrence that seems to be happening all too often these days. Maybe being twelve, actually twelve, in these situations would've made them far more bearable.

It seemed like some of my training was already make itself useful. I never thought I'd say this, but this really isn't my first time in a charged situation with a naked woman.

Atlantean training really was something else.

Amphitrite reached forward, her smooth hand cupping my face. The fragrance of flowers reached my nose. Was that Wisteria- no, Chrysanthemum! My mom used to have a bunch of these in our garden back home.

Her multicolored eyes bore into my own. "You are to accompany me tonight?"

"Yes," I replied, not trusting myself to say much more. I still couldn't get that great of a read on how she felt about me, and I didn't want to risk offending her more than my existence probably already did.

"Delightful," Amphitrite said, retracting her arm holding it to her chest. I pretended to not notice her tracing the underside of her breast. "Oh, it's been so long since I've had a companion to one of these dinners!"

"Doesn't Lord Poseidon accompany you?" I asked curiously. So far, so much of the Greek world had been different than the myths. I intended to find out just how deep that change ran.

Plus, it gave me something to focus on. Gamer's Mind or not, Amphitrite was a bombshell.

"Poseidon does not," Amphitrite clarified as her beautiful face darkened slightly. I didn't miss the way she said Poseidon- it sounded like I'd asked her to say slug, instead. "And has not. After I bore him that waste of godly blood, he has not done more than what our contract has required."

"Contract?" I wondered aloud, and she smiled pleasantly at me. The message in her eyes was clear: not here.

"I will explain once we depart," She said casually, one of the naiads moving down to her legs with the balm. The one that was shaving her was done, apparently, as she stood up and started walking towards me.

Suddenly, my clothes were gone, too. I yelped, jumping backward in an attempt to cover myself up.

"Relax, my lord," She whispered, dropping to her knees. I stood, frozen until she just went on to rub that same balm on my legs.

"What is that stuff?" I asked curiously, ignoring the blush that was spreading on my face. Did I think that was going somewhere else? Maybe. Let's move on.

Eh, why wait, right? I observed the little container in her hand.

[CHRYSANTHEMUM BALM]

A balm used in the higher-up circles of Atlantis to promote skin rejuvenation. Additionally, it repairs minor cell damage.

+5% MANA RETENTION!

-10% DMG TAKEN!

Honestly, those stats aren't too bad at all. Especially on top of the boost I get by being in the water anyway, I'm much stronger down here than I am on land. Maybe I can sneak some of this stuff onto the overworld.

"It's a special balm, my lord," The naiad tending to me said softly, taking great care to avoid certain parts of my anatomy as she continued rubbing it into my skin. "It's been a standard step in getting ready for political functions. It's a mark of the House of Poseidon."

"That it has," Amphitrite made her presence known, her finger resting on one of the green fabrics presented to her. I easily observed the distaste on her face at the mention of Poseidon, again. "Plus, it just smells so nice. Tell me, Percy, do you go to functions often?"

Functions? Me? I resisted the urge to laugh.

"No, my lady," I replied, a slightly justified annoyance permeating my being. "I wasn't even aware that Atlantis had concerts, up until today."

I was rewarded by Amphitrite's melodic laugh.

"Yes," She agreed, lightly tracing her stomach. An unmistakable tinge of bitterness followed in her next few words. "I wonder about that quite often. How it is that out of his many sons, it just so happens the one I gave him turned out to be such a major disappointment?"

I was at a loss for words. We stood in silence for a few moments, as the naiad moved onto my arms and chest.

"Forgive me for my outburst," Amphitrite said, not sounding too apologetic at all. She not-so-subtly looked me up and down. I tried to ignore that weird gleam in her eyes. "Is there any color you'd like to wear?"

I know the whole "in the grand scheme of things" argument that basically says that this situation is more or less the same level of wrong as my dad and mom being together, but that doesn't make me feel any less weirded out, and that doesn't make the situation any less wrong.

Don't misunderstand me- Amphitrite is a total MILF. I have half a mind to call this place MILFlantis with the way these older women are trying to entice me- but there's something seriously wrong with that.

At best, I look fifteen, maybe sixteen at this point. My uncle thought I looked fourteen a month ago- and at that point, I'd only had my powers for a week or two. I get that they must be attracted to me because I'm the prince or whatever, but this is just odd. Predatory, even.

I know gods and mortals don't play by the same rules, but it's something to keep in mind, in general. The gods aren't as amazing as the myths would tell you, and this is just one of the main examples of why.

"Any color is fine," I said as the naiad finished rubbing the balm onto all of me. She gave me a quick bow, and all but scurried over to the side of the room, standing attentively.

"Mm," Amphitrite said, slowly walking over to me, taking drawn-out steps. She got uncomfortably close- to the point where her warm chest was pressing into my body.

With a shock, I realized I was eye-level with her. How much had I truly grown in the short time I'd been here?

Gamer's Mind was back to being pretty much near infallible. For a while there, its strength would fluctuate, but now, after maybe an initial moment of shock, it did its job fairly well. I have a theory that it got a little wonky because my body accelerated itself into puberty, but I'm not going to think too much about it.

As long as it's working now, I'm good.

She reached out, grabbing my hands and slowly placing them on her waist. My hands felt like lava on her smooth skin. Amphitrite looked at me intensely, her eyes flickering with all kinds of unreadable emotions.

Her warm breath tickled my neck. "Amazing. Your mental fortitude is strong. You're a true candidate, then."

"Candidate?" I repeated, feeling a lot more comfortable than I should've been at that moment. "What do you mean?"

"Why," Amphitrite said softly, tracing my chin with her finger and lightly pulling my face closer. Her lips were pressing into my ear. "To be crown prince, of course."

"Isn't that Triton's job?" I wondered aloud, ignoring the, uh, reactions I was getting to being this close to a naked woman. My mind was racing, trying to string together all of the bits and pieces of information Amphitrite had planted throughout the conversation.

This woman has a deep hatred for Triton for sure. I can tell she doesn't like my dad either, but I'm not sure if it runs quite as deep as the level of dislike she has for my half-brother. Her biography says she cares about Atlantis and its citizens, though- so she wouldn't be hinting towards treason, now, would she?

"It sure is. For now. I think it's time we give it to you," Amphitrite whispered hotly, pressing a burning kiss onto my cheek before pulling away. "Some food for thought. Oh, silly me, it's nearly time to go."

I stood in shock for a moment as she turned, swaying her hips back to her original spot, where she finally picked a color.

Me? The crown prince? Her use of sensuality as a deterrent fell flat against my mental resilience. She tried to plug the idea of me wresting control of Atlantis from Triton, in between what was a pretty good attempt at seduction.

She was good. Not good enough, unfortunately, but still good.

The idea of me being crown prince wasn't exactly treasonous, though. In fact, it was the kind of thing my dad had offhandedly mentioned to me a few times, too. Once my time as the prophecy child was over, he'd said, I could come back down here and take my rightful spot.

Amphitrite seemed eager for me to do so.

I'll have to keep an eye on her, I thought to myself as I eyed her not so discreetly bend down to pick something up.

The naiad holding the fabrics smiled and nodded, and they all broke into a lullaby. The water around me suddenly came alive with mana, twirling, and twisting around my skin. It changed colors multiple times, eventually settling on the green Amphitrite had selected.

It grew longer, encasing my entire body before settling. I held up my hands and looked down. It looked like I was basically wearing what Aladdin wore when he wanted to impress Jasmine- just green- and if you can believe it, even tackier.

Amphitrite was wearing a dress that hung much lower than it needed to. There's no wonder that dress was made from magic- any normal dress and her chest would've been spilling out. It looked unbelievably tight in certain areas, but she seemed to pay no mind.

"Perfect," Amphitrite clapped her hands, and the naiads looked on bashfully. "You did wonderful, girls. I'm very impressed."

"Yeah, this is really comfortable," I agreed, meaning every word. It felt like I wasn't wearing anything at all!

They bowed their heads and disappeared into a mist. Amphitrite smiled at me again, walking forward and taking my arm.

We made our way out of the palace, where a chariot with two seahorses was waiting for us. I held the door open for Amphitrite and went to move in to sit when a yell got my attention.

"Percy! Perce, where are you going, man?" A man's voice called, and I looked over to see Triton, dressed like John Lennon, running down the steps of the palace, an electric guitar in his hand. He tripped over the third one, tumbling down the rest of them. He got up as if nothing had happened. His grumble followed, "Stupid glasses."

"Lord Carcinus invited our family to dinner," I said, smiling in spite of myself. Triton wasn't what I'd expected at all, but I appreciated the attention to detail he'd put in with the round, dark glasses and his hair tumbling down his neck. "I'm accompanying Lady Amphitrite."

"Sick, mom's in there?" Triton grinned widely, peeking his head into the chariot. "Mom! What's up?"

"Hello, Triton," Came her scathing response. "Come to embarrass your mother even more, now, have you?"

"Bah," Triton said, waving it off, but I could tell he was a little hurt. A small frown formed on my face, but he continued talking to her excitedly. "You're missing out! I have a great lineup for tonight. You should really listen to me perform one of these days, mom. You said you would."

Amphitrite made a noise of disgust. "Percy, can you please climb in and close the door? I believe we're getting late, now."

"Yeah, sure," I muttered, hopping into the chariot. I saw Triton's grip on his guitar slacken a bit.

I looked back at him, and Triton's grin had died, but he still looked into the chariot. He forced himself to give us another grin, "Ah, maybe next time, right?"

"Definitely," I promised him, shooting him a thumbs up. "Knock them dead for me, brother. Maybe if we get back in time I can catch a song or two."

Triton's smile was back. "You got it, Perce. Take care, man."

I held my hand out for a fist bump, and he grinned again, giving me one enthusiastically. "I'll wait for you to get back."

"Sounds good, man," I said as nicely as possible, waving to him. "See you soon! Have fun!"

"You too," I closed the door at his reply and the seahorses started moving automatically, tearing down the streets of Atlantis.

"I truly wish your father had never convinced me to bear his child," Amphitrite said venomously, her hand clenched into a fist as the city flew past us.

"What really happened?" I questioned, and Amphitrite took a deep breath.

"When Poseidon first sought my hand in marriage, I fled his advances, and hid at the far ends of the earth," Amphitrite recounted, her voice angry and quiet. "The dolphin-god Delphin eventually tracked me down and persuaded me to return to wed the sea-king. I got there, only for Poseidon to not show any interest in me at all."

"Why did he look for you so intensely, then?" I asked, my interest piqued.

Amphitrite sighed. "He wanted…a contract. At the time, he was deep into battle with Oceanus. He wished for a way to protect his main base of operations, and he wanted my help to do it. Contracts, as you may or may not know, are like mana conditions, but for more than one person. They are about self-imposed limitations on the use of the potentially gained, but shared power."

"So, you two essentially combined your power?" I put two and two together, and she nodded grimly.

"We did. And as such, the shield of protection was erected around Atlantis, where it stands to this day," Amphitrite finished for me, and I looked out of the chariot window to sneak a peek of it.

There it was, like always. The gigantic, prism-like dome of energy constantly pumping around the city walls. "I thought it was just my father who powered it."

Amphitrite hummed. "That's what he or any other member of the city will tell you. History is always altered, Percy. You'd do well to remember that."

We exited the city, and I once again felt a slight pressure on my chest, almost like there was a kitten or some other small animal on it. The light of Atlantis faded behind us, and the outside of the walls was so dark I couldn't even see in front of me.

"Is that why the myths are so different?" I asked, attempting to gain more information. The darkness outside the chariot was beginning to unnerve me. "Ever since I've been introduced to this world, I feel like no one and nothing is how I expected or learned it to be. Sometimes the myths are completely off."

"Right on the dot, Percy," Amphitrite said in a moment of seriousness. "The gods don't like mortals trying to meddle in their affairs. They paint themselves in a manner completely different than they truly are so that if a mortal were to try to intervene, they'd be sorely overmatched."

Delta was right, then. His entire spiel about gods wanting nothing more than to keep the rift between themselves and humans large was as accurate as possible- this was all coming from the mouth of one of those deities, herself!

"Including demigods," I muttered under my breath. Amphitrite laid a comforting hand on my knee, but I couldn't help the bubbling resentment that had been growing in my chest for a while now.

The existence of demigods in itself is such a morbid concept. We shouldn't exist. I guess back in the day, getting to be a demigod would've sounded cool. Fun, even. Compared to the boring life I used to live, the old me would've jumped at any chance to be extraordinary in any way, shape, or form.

This, though? It's great and all, yeah, but it also sucks. I'm in constant danger, and every single good experience I have feels like a waste of time because soon it'll all be for nothing.

I was a mistake in every sense of the word. My entire existence is wrongdoing, proof of Poseidon's inability to follow the simplest of rules that he himself agreed to.

And now, what? I'm being trained up to one day put my life on the line and possibly leave it all out there?

I never asked for any of this.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to get my emotions under control. It wouldn't do well to be in a bad mood once I reached the dinner.

Little did I know- a bad mood was going to be the least of my problems soon.

STAT CHANGES:

STR- 40 UPGRADED TO 45!

VIT- 20 UPGRADED TO 24!

DEX- 40 (+5) UPGRADED TO 44 (+5)!

INT- 30 UPGRADED TO 35!

CHA- 31 (+5) UPGRADED TO 34 (+5)!

WIS- 25 UPGRADED TO 27!

Lying, LV-1 (20%) UPGRADED TO LV-23 (40%)!

AN: Hello, everyone! Here I am with another chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Not a lot of action in this one, but hey, they can't all be about him fighting! I originally wanted to take this chapter in a different direction, but there are definitely certain themes and ideas I wanted to get to planting, so I took a different approach.

Also, I'm trying out a new stats format, as you probably saw, so let me know if you guys like that!

Onto my favorite part as always :)

TheWritingFreakIsBack: Thank you for your entertaining reviews! I got a good chuckle out of them, and I'm glad you like the story!

Robbieoj: Thanks man, right back at you!

Guest: Ya know, I'm starting to wonder if people even read the start of the story. The "stupid silly mistakes [I] made" regarding PJO are done purposefully. My world is significantly different, and one of the things I'm trying to slowly uncover is just how different and why.

Etkowatches: I do have a master list. Maybe one of these days I'll post it as a side-along story if enough people want to see everything he has. Also- good catch. I'll have to go back and fix that- thank you!

NydelokMan: I definitely have something like that planned. I feel your pain though. Writing has always been a hobby for me, and taking hard classes did not exactly make that hobby easier. I enjoyed your stories, though!

BBWulf: I feel you. 'Tis is the life of a demigod, unfortunately.

Loulloko: Thank you…I think. The whole point of this fic is to try to take a more realistic spin on Gamer stories…so if it's realistic enough that you dropped it, I think I'm on the right track, here.

Slayerbane: No worries. I don't plan on using a party system. I have something else planned, but the Game will be Percy's and Percy's only.

Posaitan: It's so great to hear from you! You're one of the OG readers of this fic and every review from you makes my day. No, this story will never be abandoned, though. I love it too much.

Also, thank you to everyone who wished me luck on my finals! I did pretty well, and I'm looking forward to a way easier spring semester! This story is back, baby!

Let me know what you thought! See you guys soon!

-Maroon

EDIT 4/20/21: Numbers.