A/N: So, an important note for all of you reading this story here instead of on A03 - I'm currently running a poll over there in the comments section about whether or not readers would be interested in smut/sex scenes as a part of this story. The results may or may not sway my final decision on the matter, but I wanted to gauge interest. If you don't want to switch sites to contribute your opinion, feel free to drop an answer in the reviews here instead.
However, I have a problem over here on FF. The content guidelines specifically mention that explicit content is not allowed, even with an MA rating, and so I'm iffy about posting that sort of thing (even though I've read plenty of it on this site in the past). However, depriving one audience of great blocks of content doesn't feel awesome, so you can see how I'm in a bind.
If you have an opinion on the matter, feel free to let me know! This is my first ever story posted here so I'm not sure what rule enforcement/disciplinary action would look like. It won't be relevant for at least the next chapter or two, so I have time to think through my options before deciding how to proceed. Either way, thank you all for reading!
Aphrodite was teasing him.
Intellectually, Percy knew that was the case. It wasn't like that was anything new, really. The goddess must have suspected that calling the group of demigods 'our children' would hit like a sack of bricks to the chest. It wasn't even that good of a tease because, realistically, they weren't his kids. The sky bearer had never even done anything that physical with a woman. He was pretty sure, at least.
That's not what made it work, though. What made her words so devastatingly effective was the fact that Percy had heard the phrase 'our children' and his heart had missed a couple of beats in a row. The man's nuclear blush wasn't helped by those thoughts. His mind was assaulted by images of kissing Aphrodite and touching Aphrodite and then doing both at the same time and oh gods his brain couldn't stop.
Percy Jackson was screwed. No doubt about it.
The young god took in the sight of the small gathering of half-mortals as Aphrodite dragged him over on unresponsive legs. His dress shoes left dark furrows in the grass, and Percy could already tell Peitho would be on his case for staining them. They were, obviously, a pretty good looking bunch of kids - though calling them kids felt a bit disingenuous because the majority looked to be around his age.
Despite their lineage, the best thing about them to Percy wasn't their appearance. It was the fact that the sky bearer could look at them with clear eyes. No haunting whispers, no hanging ghosts, no crushing expectations. Despite the darkening evening, the son of Poseidon could actually inspect each demigod without worrying about a splitting migraine. It was freeing.
Percy knew that it meant this was a chance to start fresh, to make a genuine connection without the shattered past hanging overhead. He had never been so excited to not know someone before. How bad could they be? The demigods at least had one parent he trusted. The sky bearer wouldn't let the fact that they were only his step-children diminish that fact, since that would make him more of an asshole than he already felt he was.
Percy hadn't realized how hungry he had been for such an opportunity until it was staring him in the face. The sensation was so refreshing it almost made up for the terror.
Almost.
Unsurprisingly, most of Aphrodite's kids were female. Each was wearing some variation of a stunning dress, though the style and lengths varied wildly. There were seven demigods in total, with only two males in the group. The boys were dressed in finely pressed suits that looked suspiciously similar to the one Percy was currently wearing, even if the color palette was different. It wasn't like the sky bearer could judge - he looked fantastic in it, after all.
The small entourage seemed to be clustered around one of the older girls. She was perhaps a year younger than Percy, maybe less. He found it more than a bit uncomfortable seeing someone practically his age and having to force his brain to think 'daughter'. Unfortunately, that sensation of wrongness wasn't new to the son of Poseidon. It had basically been the dominant emotion he had felt since becoming an Olympian in the first place, so he was mostly used to it at this point.
Dark, chin-length hair fell braided on either side of the girl's face, framing a pair of eyes that seemed to swirl with a lesser version of Aphrodite's color-shifting magic. The demigod's flawless skin was darker than the standard half-divine tan, though it paired nicely with her pale rose drop-waist dress. She had clearly inherited Aphrodite's regal nose and cheeks, the likeness so close it could have been photocopied.
Despite her queenly appearance, the girl seemed a bit uncomfortable with the delicate bands of gold on either bicep. She kept crossing an arm over her chest as if to hide what lay beneath, and Percy watched as she ran a thumb over her lips. Strangely, the demigod looked a bit miffed when none of the ruby-red lipstick came off with the motion. When Percy and Aphrodite crossed into her field of vision the woman shot up straight, patting down her blouse for wrinkles that didn't exist.
"Piper!"
If the rest of the group wasn't looking before, they certainly were after Aphrodite's cheerful exclamation. The newly named demigod's eyes widened as the goddess rolled in like a steam-train. Of course, that meant Percy was dragged along at the same breakneck speed.
The love deity only let go of his arm once they were within hugging distance, the edge of which was made apparent when Piper was scooped up by her mother. Aphrodite barely got off a double cheek tap before launching into a spiel of French so fast and thick that her hapless fiancé couldn't even catch individual syllables. Piper, by contrast, looked like her brain had completely short circuited. The only thing missing was Thalia's signature hair sparks.
While the demigod was busy being accosted with Parisian affection, the sky bearer took the chance to finally find his footing again. Once it became clear that Aphrodite would be occupied for the next few minutes, the young god swallowed and swiveled to take stock of the rest of the group. In turn, they were doing the same to him. Hopefully they all felt just as awkward as Percy did.
It certainly looked like it.
The closest to Piper, and therefore only on the fringes of her mother's splash zone, was another woman around Percy's age. Maybe even a year or two older, though judging such a thing was always difficult when Aphrodite's daughters appeared so youthful. She was certainly tall by mortal standards, but the top of head didn't even come to Percy's collarbones.
Glamorous was the name of the game here, clearly. The demigod's dark and luxurious hair was curled into thick ringlets, each chorded with thin strips of gold silk. Pink eyeliner framed warm brown eyes, and her cheeks were dusted with just the right amount of makeup to frame her Asian features in the most flattering way possible. Dark, shining lipstick only made the way one side of her lips curled up in a half-sneer all the more obvious.
The largest difference was the amount of jewelry. This new demigod was practically adorned in the stuff, to the point that it looked genuinely a bit cumbersome. Rings on each finger, bracelets on either wrist, and even a shining platinum pendant. The end of the necklace fell directly inside the plunging neckline of her dress, shaped into a sparkling diamond 'D'. Her attire showed enough cleavage and skin that only one of Aphrodite's daughters could pull it off without raising eyebrows. There was a critical tint to the demigod's expression that put Percy a bit on edge.
"Huh." The woman rolled the word around in her mouth, taking a moment to look him up and down. "Mom could have done better." Her tone was exactly as polite as her words.
"I'm sorry?" Percy was so caught off guard by the unexpected jab that it gave enough time for Aphrodite to release Piper and throw herself over.
"Drew!"
Despite the woman's initial bravado, no one could stand up to the tide that was her mother. For a single instant, Drew's expression looked as if she feared she was about to be drowned in a looming, massive wave. More cheek taps and hyperactive French meant that Percy had no chance of contributing, though the tall woman found her footing faster than her sister.
Speaking of Piper, the love deity had somehow managed to leave her daughter both completely rumpled and flawless at the same time. Percy watched as the demigod blinked once, then a second time in almost slow motion. It was somewhat vindicating to know that Aphrodite could do such a thing to someone other than himself. Piper seemed like she needed a few moments to breathe, if the way her face was screwed up was any indication, so the sky bearer moved his eyes along.
The third person in the still-forming circle was the first male that Percy had examined. The man stood at a height somewhere between his two sisters, with the age to match. That would have made just a bit younger than Percy, but the curly-haired adult had a hard time looking the sky bearer in the eye. He had rounder features and a kind-hearted sort of face, one that probably had mortal women swooning every time he walked into a room. His suit was black instead of pink, though the undershirt was a pale red.
"Mitchell!"
Ah, that squeal meant that Drew was free. She looked to be in about a similar place as her sister, as if none of the demigods had encountered this version of their mother before. Case in point, Mitchell was wholly unprepared for Aphrodite to come barreling in. For a moment Percy thought the man would fall over when the goddess embraced him fiercely. Instead the boy steadied, and the sky bearer looked one step down the line once he was sure the demigod wasn't about to keel over.
The other male of the group was up next. Percy almost did a double take at first - it was like someone had taken Mitchell's color palette and inverted it. Red suit coat, black button-down. Straight blond hair instead of dark brown curls. Cut and angular versus wide and open. A pair of sharp hazel eyes observed the young god with a lazy sort of glint, like the 'cool guy' from an action movie had broken free from the trope and appeared in real life.
"Nicholas, bonsoir!"
The bravado did not help Nicholas. Nothing would have. Yet another victim fell prey to Percy's fiancé, which meant it was time to move on.
The next of Aphrodite's daughters was a woman adorned in a flowing halter-style dress that showed off her delicate shoulders. The demigod was the sort of pale that would have made her the subject of a slew of nineteenth century poems, the picture definition of a fragile beauty. With alabaster skin and pale eyes, she certainly seemed the most laid back so far. The woman actually shot the sky bearer a smile, one that revealed a row of shining white teeth only a bit brighter than her pale-gold hair.
"Valentina, darling!" Well, at least Percy wouldn't have to ask for their names. One less chance to embarrass himself. Despite her looks the girl was clearly not made of porcelain, at least if the way her mother handled her was any indication.
The next yet-unaccosted demigod was nearing the end of the strange crescent shape that had formed around the two immortals. Though, 'teen' would have been more appropriate in this instance. The girl couldn't have been any older than eighteen, but there was something innocent twinkling behind her eyes that seemed more youthful than that. The demigod's poofy dress was more conservative, nearly falling to her ankles in large pillowing waves. Though, with how short she was, maybe it would have been standard length for Drew.
Somehow, Percy thought that twin pigtails were a thing only for small children. Apparently, he was wrong. How silly of him.
"Oh, Lacy, ma petite fleur. How you have grown!" Not enough to withstand the unstoppable tide of Aphrodite, apparently. The goddess gave no quarter to the vertically challenged demigod, though she didn't seem to mind. That Percy finally forced to the end of the line, and to the person who he could instantly tell would be his favorite.
She was small, first off. Small and young - more so than anyone he had seen, even including those in Artemis' troupe. The girl clearly hadn't even sniffed her tenth birthday yet. She was no taller than Percy's waist, the cap of an unruly mop of dark hair coming barely up to the tops of his thighs. Her features were a bit round, like her body had just begun to sluff off the last of the lingering body fat that most younger children possessed. Percy recognized her as the one who had first waved back at Aphrodite a few minutes ago.
The girl was clad in a tiny, positively charming purple princess dress. Her eyes were a unique color caught somewhere in between burnt orange and a fiery crimson. With a button nose and a rounded chin, it was pretty clear to see that she would eventually grow into a striking young woman.
It wasn't her looks that made Percy like her, though. It was her attitude.
The small demigod was staring right at the young god, unrepentant and unflinching. There was a crease between her eyebrows, as if she was focusing on some incredibly puzzling math problem. When the sky bearer stared right back the girl only jutted out her chin and put her fists on either hip. Overall, it was safe to say that he found her absolutely, positively, one hundred percent adorable.
"Who're you?" Was that a southern accent? How much more could his heart even handle? "What're you doin' with my ma'?" The relative strangeness of the fact that Aphrodite had claimed someone so young was completely swept under the tide of sheer cuteness staring Percy in the face.
"I'm Percy." The son of Poseidon hadn't even made the conscious decision to lower his torso, but he suddenly found himself crouching anyway. "What's your name?" A gentle, cool breeze set the girl's hair fluttering across her forehead. Fog curled around her delicate slippers, careful and gentle.
They weren't quite eye to eye, but this was about as close as Percy could get. The teal flame in the young god's chest was a growing bonfire, but instead of roaring energy it was giving off soothing pulses in time with his heart. It was so loud in his ears he didn't notice that the rest of the group had fallen silent, nor the dozen other eyes on his form.
"I'm Eloise." A perfect name, in Percy's opinion. "You're Percy?" The girl raised one eyebrow in a move that was so much like her mother that the sky bearer could only gape internally. "Like, Percy Jackson? The one the older kids are always talkin' about?" She sounded positively skeptical. "I thought you weren't real. Like bigfoot."
"Yeah, that's me." Percy couldn't help but laugh. "Pretty sure I'm real, though." This was the most fun he had experienced all night. Hades, perhaps all week. Certainly in the past six years before that, thought that went without saying. Something about the totally unrepentant sass was so refreshing.
"Uh huh." Eloise was very clearly unconvinced. "And why're you here?" Her tiny eyes narrowed.
"Well," Percy raised his left hand to show off the swirling engagement band. "Me and your mom are getting married." He met her distrusting expression was a wide smile.
All the while, the teal blaze grew. Percy hadn't even noticed, caught up as he was, but a sentence that a minute ago would have had him blushing to his roots slipped so easily from his lips. All of the man's nerves had evaporated into the wind. The words were coming directly from the flame, each sound perfectly crafted in a way that the young god couldn't possibly have pulled off himself.
"Oh. Yeah." The little girl crossed her arms, thawing a bit. "So what, am I supposed t' call you dad or somethin'? 'Cause I'm not." The pout on her lips was weapon's grade.
"No!" Percy had never waved his arms so quickly in his life. Just the thought was enough to nearly upset the strange flow-state he had entered. "That would be . . . really weird." Eloise's huff seemed to agree. "Just Percy is fine."
"Fine." The young demigod sniffed. "But I'm keepin' an eye on you."
Percy chuckled again. She was just so charming! It was a monumental struggle to resist the urge to reach out and ruffle the girl's hair. "You can keep them both on me, I don't mind." Eloise flushed a bit when he winked at her conspiratorially. Aphrodite wasn't the only one who could tease, especially when most of her personality was already living in the back of the sky bearer's head.
"Oh, come here ma fille." Aphrodite swooped into view like a diving hawk, scooping up her daughter with painted nails instead of sharp talons. "I'll be trusting your sharp gaze, Eloise. Don't let his honeyed words fool you! Il peut être assez sournois, you know." That last part was whispered into the giggling child's ear.
The goddess propped Eloise on her hip like she was a toddler and not a girl on the cusp of double digits. Once again, the view of a truly maternal goddess found Percy completely smitten. It also had the young god swallowing thickly, especially with the way his crouched position enhanced the view up Aphrodite's split leg dress.
Before his traitorous eyes could wander too far, the sky bearer smoothly stood. The fire in his core had fallen to glowing embers, the sensation still providing enough energy to have the man's fingers habitually tracing Riptide's top edge. The grass around Percy's shoes bent away from the soles of his feet, blanketed in a rolling mist. Mitchell seemed to be the first to notice, shuffling back a step to clearer ground.
"Okay. Time out." Percy looked over to find a recovered Piper holding her hands straight out in a 'T' formation. At her side, Drew still looked like she had swallowed a lemon. "You're Percy, right?" The question was so clearly hypothetical that he didn't bother to answer. "Are you sure you're not an imposter or something? Annabeth never said you had gray hair." The striking demigod let her arms fall, gaze flickering across Percy's form critically. "Or that you were so tall." The woman leveled a surprisingly stern expression in his direction. Percy opened his mouth to reply, but was beaten to the punch.
"What in gods' name did you do to mother?" Drew's voice was just as judgmental the second time. Her shocked glare was nearly poking holes in Percy's fancy suit.
The sky bearer just closed his mouth. What sort of question was that?
Drew's comment had everyone in the half-circle looking over at Aphrodite. The goddess merely blinked back innocently as she went through the motions of lowering Eloise back to the grass. Apparently the two had been conspiring with each other, because the young girl was smiling in a pleased and mischievous fashion. The family resemblance remained uncanny.
"I kinda like it." Mitchell had hardly recovered from his own interaction with his mother. The demigod looked equal parts bashful and glowing, fidgeting with the bottom hem of his suit coat and still anxiously watching the clouds around his shoes.
"She changed at the start of the war, remember?" Valentina's airy voice did her appearance justice. "Just not . . . this much." Pale eyes moved back and forth between the two immortals, but the woman's content expression was the stark opposite of her tallest sister's.
"He seems cool." Lacy's pigtails bounced as the teen nodded resolutely, hair glowing despite the lack of sunlight. There was an endearing earnestness to the motion. Percy let out a breath of relief at the vocal endorsement.
"He does not 'seem cool'." Apparently Drew used that mocking tone on her own siblings. It continued to rub the sky bearer the wrong way, as did the way the demigod used her stature to loom over her shorter sister. "He's, like, barely older than Piper!" The mentioned woman frowned, as if not sure whether or not that was an insult. "He's practically a child!" Drew's chocolate eyes moved away from her half-siblings to her mother. "What happened to you, mom?"
"The same thing I would wish to happen to each and every one of my children." The reply came quickly. Percy couldn't help but relax a tad when Aphrodite's warm hands circled back around his right arm. It hadn't even been a day since that had started and the son of Poseidon was already addicted. The beautiful goddess was wearing a relaxed and happy expression, but there was a hint of warning in her swirling gaze that only Percy could see.
"Come on." Drew bulldozed right over any other attempts to speak. She flapped her hands directionlessly, immaculate fingernails waving with the nervous motion. "You can't be serious." The tall demigod almost sounded like she was in denial. "You fell in love? With him? Really?" She spat the words out, as if they tasted foul on her tongue. The group hushed nervously.
"Drew!" Piper hissed, breaking the silence. The shorter demigod stepped up and grabbed her sister around one arm, the bottom hem of her skirt whirling with the motion. Nicholas, the only one who had yet to say a single word, had lost that laid-back twinkle behind his eyes. Eloise looked confused, her smile dropping away.
"Is that so surprising, my daughter?" Anyone smart enough could tell that the goddess' even tone of voice was a trap waiting to be sprung, each word a sharp tooth of the bear trap. Percy knew because his mother had used that same tone on him several times in the last four days, usually when he hadn't eaten in what she deemed to be too long.
"Perhaps all it takes is finding the perfect man." Aphrodite took the chance to rub one palm up the sky bearer's bicep, adding in a quick appreciative squeeze at the end. "Or woman, or anyone else really. I don't judge, mes filles." The goddess tacked on with a wink.
"You- I-" Drew shook off her sister aggressively. The demigod was clutching her dress, pulling the fabric so tight Percy feared it would tear. "You didn't break his heart yet? I thought that was, like, the whole point." The woman's eyes couldn't settle between the two Olympians. "Are you just . . . waiting to?" The lady certainly had courage, if nothing else.
A week ago, Percy may have been concerned that Drew was right. If there was one thing the young god wasn't lacking in, it was insecurity. Now? The feeling of Aphrodite's vow just to the right of the sky bearer's heart made it impossible. He just knew.
"No." Aphrodite's voice was toeing the line between empathy and pity. "I am not." The phantom hands on Percy's shoulders clutched to him tightly for a moment, as if the goddess' aura was forcibly keeping him close.
"I got rid of that rule years ago, Drew." Percy was surprised to hear how much steel could fit inside Piper's voice. The demigod was fisting her hands tightly in front of her drop-waist dress, jaw set and chin tipped up. "When I became head counselor, you know that. And you also know that it was because mom asked me to." Despite her confident words the demigod shot her mother a quick look, which was answered by a single nod.
"I'm glad I never had to go through with that stuff." Lacy was twirling a bit of her hair with one lazy finger. Her energetic enthusiasm seemed wholly unaffected by Drew's comments. "You can kiss a lot more boys when they aren't worried about you breaking up with them all the time." The diminutive teen rocked back and forth on her heels - how she didn't fall over was anybody's guess.
Any other parent might have been nonplussed about their teenage daughter so openly admitting to such actions. Aphrodite, clearly, wasn't 'any other parent'. Instead the goddess reached out to nonchalantly pat the girl on the head. The motion was almost proud.
"Have you taken a fancy to anyone, my daughter? Hmm?" Aphrodite asked teasingly. The tone was so effective even Percy blushed a bit. "And don't lie, you know it won't work on me mon petit déviant." The demigod's only answer was a carbon copy of Eloise's mischievous smile.
"We're getting off topic!" Drew cut back in, one painted eyelid twitching. "No one cares, Lacy."
Percy couldn't keep back the frown that pulled at the corners of his mouth. He wasn't alone in that regard. Aphrodite was still smiling on the surface, but the sky bearer knew better than to think she was unaffected as she slowly retracted her hand.
"Mother seems to care." Mitchell pointed out, quietly. The young adult shrunk back when his sister turned her glare in his direction. The motion was so familiar Percy was tempted to check his curls for satyr horns. He hadn't thought a child of his fiancé could be so . . . demure.
"Maybe you should go for a walk or something, Drew." For the first time, the other male of the group spoke up. "You're not helping." Nicholas had a sort of relaxed drawl that fit his looks, especially when he kept his hands shoved into his pockets. "Get a glass or wine or something. Drinking is usually what you do when you know you're wrong, right?" His comment was delivered so smoothly you could almost have missed the clearly intentional dig contained within.
"You . . ." Drew's shaking hands looked like they'd rather be around her half-brother's neck. The older demigod trembled in place for a moment, before dipping her head to stare at her thousand-dollar shoes. "Fine. I get when I'm not wanted."
Drew sharply spun on one heel away from her siblings. As she turned, Percy caught the glance that the demigod shot her mother. The cocktail of confusion, hurt, and anger in her eyes stuck with him even as the tall woman stormed away towards the nearest bar.
For a few breaths the entire group stood, saying nothing. When the young god looked at Aphrodite, he felt a pang in his chest when he saw just how brittle her expression had become. The goddess' gaze tracked her daughter all the way across the grass. The fact that none of the other demigods had defended Drew was both evidence of her normal demeanor, and also just . . . sad.
Percy knew what it was like to be lonely.
"Sorry about her." Piper once again seemed to take the role of mouthpiece for the group. She looked especially contrite. "Drew's got some issues, I guess." A couple of the others nodded in agreement. Piper's eyes were looking at Percy, but he wasn't sure if the apology was completely meant for him alone. The demigod was playing with one of her side-braids nervously.
"You needn't apologize, Piper." Aphrodite sounded a thousand years older for a moment. She tugged at her bottom lip with a canine, the motion this time contemplative and regretful. "If there is blame to be assigned, it is for me alone. Une autre erreur." Aphrodite's body leaned into Percy's, the goddess' head tapping against his shoulder briefly. "I can only be thankful that I was able to get to you all with time enough to right some of my wrongs. But with Drew? With . . . Silena?" The second name was barely a ghost given voice. The four oldest demigods winced in unison, and Percy's mental chalkboard gained another heavy tally mark. The goddess sighed, a sad sound he didn't like one bit. "I fear my change came too late."
The mood, whatever mix of strange yet happy it had been before, cratered so hard Percy was surprised that the ground beneath his feet was still flat. Even the cheerful Lacy and the bright Eloise had been dragged down by the change in atmosphere. It was worse for Piper, Valentina, Mitchell, and Nicholas, as if the name 'Silena' had sucked a bit of the soul from their eyes. It was obvious that there were, in fact, ghosts hovering the group - just not the kind that Percy could see for himself.
"Piper?" Aphrodite's pinched expression didn't look like she was optimistic about her next words. "Did Michael not join you this evening?" The goddess sounded like she already knew the answer. "I would like to see each of my living children tonight, no matter their age or origin. C'est important pour moi." Her pink aura was heavier than Percy had felt in days. He watched as each of her adult children grimaced in sequence. They certainly all looked like siblings when they did something like that.
"No, mother." Piper drew herself up a bit, meeting the goddess' eyes. There was a strength to her spine despite her downcast expression. "Michael left camp. Last week." The striking demigod clutched at one arm with the opposite hand. "We tried to convince him to stick around, but . . . you know how it is with the Romans." She faltered a bit over the last part.
Romans? Percy's brain tripped over the word, yet Aphrodite nodded like that made any sense at all.
"He was having a tough time. He tried to hide it, but we could tell." Valentina's pale face was burdened. The weight made her appear frail, ghostly. "It's hard for everyone at camp, but especially for them. With the war over he didn't seem to find enough reasons to stay."
What? Percy was lost. Again. He hadn't missed that familiar feeling of cluelessness.
"I can't imagine." Mitchell looked genuinely sympathetic in a way that fit his soft personality. His hands were still holding the bottom hem of his black jacket. "You lose your friends, then your home. And then, to feel like you lost your parent too? Awful." The curly-haired man shook his head. "Not that it's your fault, mom. That's just what he kept saying."
"I see." The shortness of Aphrodite's reply didn't do justice to the grief contained within.
Percy was bursting at the seams with so many questions he could barely contain them all. The man bit down on his tongue so hard he was surprised that ichor didn't start running across his teeth. He wanted to know.
But Percy wasn't a child, nor was he stupid. The already tense situation didn't warrant the sky bearer butting his nose into clearly delicate personal conflicts for the sake of his curiosity. Aphrodite didn't need a quiz, she needed a hug. Percy moved his right hand to rest on the goddess' smooth knuckles, pressing down enough to hopefully get the idea across.
"This sucks." Eloise's southern drawl broke the quiet. The little girl had her arms crossed, kicking at the grass with shining slippers. "Parties are s'posed to be fun." Her round face was screwed up in disappointment. Percy fiercely agreed with that sentiment.
"Perfectly put, my daughter." Aphrodite finally smiled again, and beneath her flawless mask it looked like she half-meant it. "The purpose of this was for you all to meet Percy, not get caught up in my web of past errors." The goddess traced the side of Percy's hand with her thumb where it rested on their combined arms. The motion wasn't missed by any of the older demigods. "Any questions for us, mes enfants?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry! We've had terrible manners." Piper seemed to realize the situation right as she dropped into a perfect curtsy. "Lord Percy-"
"Stop it." The young god sighed. He gave a moment for a surprised Piper to find her feet again, the woman's face a bit pink with embarrassment. "No bowing, please. No titles, either." How many times would he be saying those words over the next few days? "Questions?"
"Oh! I got one!" The short Lacy rocketed one hand upward, like a student in class who needed to go to the bathroom. Her cheer returned with explosive force. "You guys are getting married, right?"
Both immortals nodded, and this time Percy couldn't fight back the heat in his cheeks.
"Does that mean we aren't gonna get any more brothers or sisters?" The diminutive demigod swayed in place. Her dress swished over the tips of the dark grass, the plant bed black as the sky above. "'Cause we haven't gotten a new one since I was, like, a kid. And you two seem pretty lovey-dovey so if you have a baby it'll be waaaay prettier than we are, which seems kinda unfair." The girl's swinging pace increased with each word. Apparently, Percy had met his match for run-on sentences.
"Well." Aphrodite seemed confident for about a half-second before Percy felt her stiffen. "We haven't, I mean. Excuse-moi." It was like the thoughts that she had inspired in her fiancé with her teasing just a few minutes before were just now hitting the goddess too. Percy could practically see the wheels moving behind her eyes and her ears were turning red. "Pardon?"
Aphrodite was grasping for words for the second time that night, when the sky bearer never thought he would see it happen even once. Somehow, Lacy had completely flipped the atmosphere of the whole conversation simply by putting her mother on the back foot. Percy had forgotten the amount of fluster the goddess usually kept buried under that cool surface persona. Lacy smiled, and the young god dimly realized that that had been the point all along.
Clever girl.
"I don't think it would matter." Nicholas spoke up next, still somehow leaning backwards without anything behind his torso. "If they have a kid, it would be our sibling, sure, but also not a demigod. Just, a normal god. I guess." He shrugged, sharp shoulders rising.
Percy blinked at the slick-haired man. That was actually a really good point. The relaxed demigod shot the young god a wink in reply, a motion quite brazen and casual for any interaction with an Olympian. Perhaps all of Aphrodite's kids were growing on him.
"It would be pretty cool to have a god as a l'il brother." Eloise seemed simply enchanted by the notion. "Or sister!" She clapped her hands a bit at that idea. It was obvious that the small demigod found the prospect of no longer being the baby of the group as an enticing one. The fog rolling across the ground was so thick it was almost knee-height on the young girl.
"Come, now, dears." Aphrodite held up a hand, halving the warmth on Percy's right arm. It was more than made up for by the heat radiating from her darkening face. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves-"
"Where would they live?" Mitchell tilted his head to one side. His hair didn't even fall with the motion, curly as it was "Wouldn't Lord Perseus have a cabin?" The question had seemingly swept up the entire group, not a soul among them uneager for a lighter topic to latch onto.
"We could combine cabins." Valentina pointed out airily. The darkness overhead gave the pale woman an almost supernatural tint.
"Hmm." Piper crossed her arms, fidgeting with the gold bands around either of her biceps. Her sharp face was pinched in thought. "That could work. I could still be head counselor, at least until they grew up." She seemed more eager than Percy expected at the idea of handing off responsibility to this purely hypothetical child. "Although you probably would want to raise a god up here instead of in the mortal realm." That point birthed a variety of winces and conceding head bobs.
"Demigods are important, though." Mitchell mused. "Aren't they? When we leave, that's another empty cabin at camp." He sounded genuinely worried by that prospect. It was so in line with his character that the sky bearer was left wondering if there was anything under his exterior other than mushy compassion.
"This is a matter to be discussed between Percy and I, children! Casser, before you get ahead of yourselves." Was Aphrodite commanding or pleading? Her face was completely red - pink glitter caught the starlight across her high cheekbones, the sight beautiful enough to almost stop Percy's heart.
"What, why?" Eloise tilted her head at the goddess. Her small eyes blinked in a picturebook definition of pure innocence. "Ain't that what married people do? Have babies?" Nicholas snorted loudly, visibly holding down laughter.
"Well, yes, Eloise." The goddess removed her other hand from her betrothed's arm to flap them about in the space in front of her torso. "But you must understand that-"
"We could adopt!"
Everyone else stopped speaking instantly. Slowly, each head turned in unison. They were all looking at Percy. Why were they looking at him? Oh right, it was his mouth that moved.
"We could adopt." Percy had to say it again, because he hadn't even realized his jaw had moved the first time. Aphrodite was watching him with shocked eyes, hands frozen mid-motion. "Like what Artemis does, right? Just with a different name." The sky bearer hadn't even realized how much thought he had subconsciously put into this idea, but once the first word was past his lips Percy couldn't get them to stop.
"We're not ready to have our own kids-" who was he trying to convince? "-but I would guess that there are a lot of kids out there who could use some help-" more than Percy could even count "-so we could just, bless them as ours. Demigods who are unclaimed, maybe." Percy swallowed thickly, unable to look away from the hypnotizing chocolate-rose of his fiancé's gaze. "It's one of my domains, anyway. I- We could be their patrons. One or both of us. Yeah."
And with that, the most asinine thing he had ever had the gall to say was completely out there, just in the open wind. Gods, this was why Percy needed his mother here. The sky bearer hadn't even been off Olympus yet, for gods' sake! Sally would have stopped him from spewing such dreamy, sappy, completely unrealistic shit out of his mouth. In front of his crush as well, his huge crush who he was also going to marry. Oh, and her kids too.
They were all still staring at him.
"Children?" Aphrodite's face was motionless, her tone completely even. "Cover Eloise's eyes, would you?" Lacy was quick to slap a hand over the young girl's face, ignoring the indignant southern squawk she got in response.
Not that Percy was allowed much time to think about that before there was a whirlwind of movement. Percy barely had time to brace because in a single instant Aphrodite was in his arms and her hands were cupping his cheeks and her lips were on his lips and she was kissing him. Not just a peck to the corner of the lips, like earlier that evening.
No.
She was not just 'kissing' him. The goddess of love was kissing Percy Jackson.
It was all he could do to not melt on the spot.
Everything else ceased to be in that moment, like Kronos had risen from underneath the ruins of Othrys and stopped time on Olympus. It was magical and incredible and impossible all at once. Percy could have sworn the stars were twinkling twice as bright overhead.
Their faces slotted together like two pieces of a puzzle, the goddess' perfectly calculating the specific trajectory to get as much of her painted, full lips on his own as she possibly could. The goddess' hands swept from his cheeks to the back of his neck, where her fingers fisted with every inch of curl she could reach. They were tugging, insistent, almost frantic. With Aphrodite's face so close he was fully able to appreciate every mote of her divine perfection. Hades, even the way she had raised onto her tiptoes was elegant.
Oh, and she was still kissing him.
Percy had no clue what he was doing. He didn't know how to react to the softness of her mouth on his own. He couldn't deal with the sensation of her body against his chest, of the feeling of her on his skin, of the taste of her tongue on his tongue. Their auras were swirling, combining, feeling in a way more intimate than he could have possibly expected. She was soft and supple and warm and maybe his mother was right and he did love her. In that single moment, Percy threw caution to the wind.
The man seized his fiancé by the waist, closed his eyes, and kissed her back. And what a kiss it was.
For what could have been an eternity, the two immortals were completely consumed by the sensation of one another. It was an instant addiction. When the goddess parted her lips to make a little hot gasp and bit at Percy's bottom lip, he wasn't sure how he ever lived before that moment. The back of his eyelids were an explosion of pink and teal, every inch of his skin rolling with heat and energy.
Percy eventually followed the love deity's example, reaching one hand up into the heavenly silk that was her hair to cup the bottom of her skull, almost literally lifting her off her feet in an attempt to bring her even closer than before. The goddess was more than willing, forcing her mouth harshly into his own and moaning in the back of her throat when he reciprocated with force.
Gods.
He had wanted this so bad. Percy was finally realizing how big of an idiot he had been for the past week for pretending otherwise. Just an absolute, complete, hopeless buffoon. That was a mistake he didn't plan to make ever again.
It was like the sky bearer had never experienced fresh air, but as he responded to Aphrodite's advances with a rumbling noise of pleasure and chased after her it was as if he was breathing for the first time. When the goddess was pressing into him and her hips ground into his own and her hands were still pulling at the back of his hair the sky bearer felt fit to explode. It's all Percy could do to keep his soul inside his body and his aura from destroying everything within a twenty yard radius.
Percy was quite sure he wasn't a very good kisser, at least at first, but Aphrodite was nothing but a patient teacher. In the span of less than sixty real-world seconds the sky bearer was subjected to an entire PhD level course in smooching. If that were true the son of Poseidon would have thrown out the degree to go through the lessons all over again, tuition be damned.
Percy could sense their divine presences melding in the tiny gap between them, like a tiny star was swirling into existence against his chest. Her ghostly touch was everywhere, and for once he didn't mind. The kiss was more than a kiss - it was an embrace, a promise, impossible coexistence for a single perfect moment.
Physically, of course, the goddess was somehow relentless and ferocious and submissive and heated all wrapped in a curvy, delicious package. The way her lips ran, danced, played across his own was on a completely new level of intimacy. When Aphrodite finally pulled away, Percy did something he never thought he would do in his entire life. He whimpered.
Audibly.
"If you keep speaking in such a manner, Perseus Jackson." Aphrodite's whispered voice inspired several waves of full-body shivers down the sky bearer's spine. When Percy opened his eyes he found that her full, delectable lips were dark and almost bruised. "Eloise won't be the youngest for much longer. Comprendre?" Aphrodite's tone was shaking as much as her face, which was still not as much as Percy's legs. Never satisfied, the goddess took the chance to reach forward and nibble on his earlobe a bit before retreating.
Percy almost whimpered again.
With that, it was over. In the end, there the young god stood. Motionless. Broken in the best way possible, eyes blank and unseeing.
Percy could still feel Aphrodite's mouth on his own when he ran his tongue across his lips. You could have confused the ends of his sleeves for miniature smoke machines with how much fog the son of Poseidon was generating. He almost couldn't believe that the whole thing had just happened. Hades, he still wasn't even sure what had happened!
A half-step away, Aphrodite was aglow. Literally. It was in much the same way that Grover had pointed out with the sky bearer just a few minutes before, though instead of green it was pink. Each motion left a brilliant and dazzling impression of her features behind in mid-air. Her power was so overwhelming that the entire universe seemed to bend in her direction, as if the fabric of space dimpled at her feet.
The love deity's hands had fallen from Percy's cheeks to his elbows, where her painted nails clutched with barely-restrained divine force. A couple sets of ghostly fingers continued running their fingertips across his cheeks and chin, as if seeking to continue where their mistress had left off.
"Wow." The demigods were all gawking, Lacy especially. The short teen looked like she wasn't even aware she had spoken. Not a single face wasn't completely red from watching.
"What happened?" Eloise clawed at her sister's hand to little success. "Lacy!"
"And that, mes enfants-" Aphrodite flipped her hair with a smooth wave of her neck. The goddess' irises were completely taken over by that neon swirl, so powerful that it beamed like tinted spotlights out over the grass. "-is how you kiss the man you love. Oui?"
"Can you do it again?" Lacy slapped a hand over her mouth this time, but the question had already been voiced. The motion finally freed her younger half-sister, who began vibrating in place with wide, shining eyes. A few people down Mitchell dropped his gaze to his shoes, visibly mortified. Nicholas was smirking again, though it was a bit wobbly.
"Can I take notes?" Valentina looked incredibly interested by that prospect, hungry in a way that would have reminded Percy of her mother if there was currently a single coherent thought in his entire head.
"Valentina!" Piper cried, her voice an octave higher than normal. The tan woman smacked her sister on the shoulder with a palm.
"Non. I'm afraid not." Aphrodite was more outwardly pleased than Percy had ever seen. The first thing he felt, besides the echoes of their kiss, was when she threaded her arm through his own again. "A real woman doesn't kiss and tell, you see."
The goddess giggled then, and it would have been obvious to anyone listening that Aphrodite is just as high in the clouds as her still immobile fiancé. Still, the demigods all nodded like she had spoken the most sage advice they had ever heard. Even the males.
"Any more questions?" Somehow, Aphrodite managed to sound like she wasn't still breathing as if she had just sprinted a hundred yards. Percy caught himself peeking at the movement of her chest again. It wasn't his fault that his elevated angle gave him the optimal look into the crevices of her bust.
"I don't know if Mitchell will survive any more if they all end like that." Despite Nicholas' lazy tone it was clear that this time he intended the tease to be light-hearted. That didn't stop his half-brother from hunching his shoulders even further, head and neck the color of ripe tomatoes.
Percy could only stand and watch as the group devolved into a round of light-hearted teasing. Even Piper joined in under the guise of re-establishing order, and she seemed like the most responsible of the group. When Lacy jumped over to try and drag Mitchell down into a headlock and Eloise started badgering Valentina, the warmth of the teal flame in Percy's chest was almost as strong as the feeling of Aphrodite on his arm.
The banter was light and clearly loving, the sort that came from a group of people who had been through the trials of life together. Percy hadn't even been aware of the subtle weight behind the demigods' eyes until it was lifted. It suddenly struck the sky bearer how much of a shame it was that there were so few demigods present, and that one of their number had been ostracized already.
It was sometimes easy to forget that when Percy was looking at those around his age that he wasn't watching normal young-adults. He was observing veterans. Survivors of a calamitous divine war. Kids made soldiers by blood and circumstance.
It was good, then, that none of them were as broken as he was. Their smiles came easier, their laughter more real. Maybe that made it all a bit more worth it, in the end. Aphrodite was a good mom if this was how her kids had turned out. Maybe not always, but that's what was so impressive about her.
The fact that she had changed.
Percy was stuck in his ruminations, watching as Piper tried to pry her younger sister off her younger brother, when he felt it. A strange tug on his aura, almost like someone had reached out and poked at one shoulder. The feeling was both physical and yet not at the same time. Percy was stumped until it happened again. Aphrodite seemed to sense it too, because they both looked over their shoulders in sync.
Across the grass, back under the hanging candle light, Percy's teal-green eyes locked into a set of deep ocean blue. It was Poseidon, standing tall over the crowd and staring directly at him. The god's skewed face spoke volumes for his current mood. A few tables over, Drew was sitting alone and sourly nursing what looked to be her second drink. Her nearly-empty table was evidence that even the most beautiful of demigods still sat at the bottom of the Olympic totem pole.
Percy's father's mouth was set into that familiar slanted line. It was that same expression he had held during the sky bearer's first meeting with the council earlier that week, though softened several degrees. Amphitrite remained on his arm, still just as gorgeous. Contrasted against her husband, The Nereid's smile was downright welcoming. Even so, the glint in the woman's gaze was almost as scary to Percy as the prospect of talking with his father. From the way they were both watching, it seemed he would be getting both at once.
We need to speak, son. Poseidon's rumbling voice was almost audible in Percy's head. The smell of salty sea-spray ghosted across Percy's senses for a moment. Their gazes were still locked.
"You guys okay?"
Percy was dragged back into reality by Eloise's high-pitched voice. It took the young god a moment to wrench his eyes away, and when he did he found the small demigod eyeing her mother with concern. Her siblings had paused their cheerful conversation, expressions tilting back to serious.
"It seems our time runs short, mes enfants." Aphrodite didn't have to fake the resigned edge to her tone. The goddess blessed the group with a gentle smile. "There are other matters that require our attention before the night concludes." The demigods looked like they were trying not to let their faces fall, but Percy could see it anyway.
"We get it, mom. No worries." Piper spoke up. Her tone was understanding, as were the rounds of nods from her siblings. Lacy finally let go of Mitchell, shuffling to the side with an apologetic glance.
"I'll leave you all with some good news." Aphrodite spoke as she moved forward, gliding into a short hug with her daughter. Once Piper had released it, the goddess started to move down the line one at a time. "Due to Percy's domains, both he and I will be around Camp Half Blood far more often in the future, you see. Excellente nouvelle, n'est-ce pas?" She was embracing Lacy at that point, who seemed to dance a bit in place and get one extra squeeze in.
"We'll be there in two days, actually." Percy was valiantly ignoring the feeling of his father's gaze burning into the back of his skull. Such a thing was easy when looking at Aphrodite was always the most appealing option possible in any scenario. "Grover said something about setting up an event. Maybe another party." He smiled at Eloise again, who had been swooped up in Aphrodite's arms for the last hug. "A fun one, this time." Her replying grin lit up the shadowy lawn like a tiny sun.
"We'll have to help." Valentina's tone was light but no less resolute. Piper seemed to agree, and from what Percy had gathered so far her opinion carried the most weight.
"When you all are ready to depart, merely convene with Drew and say my name out loud." Aphrodite instructed, returning to Percy's arm like they were opposite sides of the world's strongest magnet. "I'll hear you and arrange your travel. Je vous aime tous. N'oublie pas, mes enfants." Percy wasn't sure quite what the goddess said last, but from the way each demigod seemed emotionally touched he could infer enough. THe love deity was gripping at his arm as if holding herself back from another round of hugs.
"Thanks, mom." Piper's voice was a bit thick, her words were quickly echoed by the rest of the group. "It was nice to meet you, Percy." The de-facto leader of Aphrodite's children gave Percy a smile then, one that felt far more dangerous than before. "Treat her right." It was clearly and obviously a threat.
"I'll try." Percy answered. Apparently that wasn't good enough, because he suddenly found himself the center of six glaring demigods. The sky bearer swallowed, quickly rephrasing. "I will."
"Good." Piper's face returned to its normal, less-than-deadly appearance.
Satisfied, Aphrodite gave her children a last little wave before steering Percy around by his arm until they were facing back into the depths of the party. Not even here, dozens of yards away, were they safe from the peering eyes of the various tiers of Olympus residents. Looking at the packed crowd of socialites was like staring at the top of an ant hill, knowing that once you stuck your finger inside they were going to crawl right up your arm.
Percy wasn't sure exactly where that thought had come from, but it was suitably gross and strange enough to capture his current emotions. Oh, and his father was still staring. Would it kill the Olympians to blink occasionally when they did that?
"Back into the fire, as it were." Aphrodite murmured at his side as she pulled him towards the lights. He caught her gaze lingering on Drew, watching as her now visibly intoxicated daughter waved down a passing server. Clearly Dionysus was serving drink with deities in mind, not half-bloods. The picture-perfect veneer around the striking woman seemed to come apart with each sip, revealing something broken beneath.
"You really love them." Percy was becoming an expert at speaking out of the side of his mouth. It sounded so obvious when said out loud, but the sky bearer hadn't exactly had the best experiences with his own divine parent recently.
"Of course I do." Thankfully, Aphrodite didn't take offense. She was still watching her daughter. "In this case, all the incentives are properly aligned." The goddess caught the confused look Percy shot her, continuing softly as she pulled him along. "They desire a loving mother, while you desire a caring wife." The sentence came out easy. "Therefore, I am both. C'est simple." She turned and smiled up at him, a renewed glow to her features.
Percy hummed in response, his brain digesting the goddess' words. It was good on the surface, but . . . Aphrodite hadn't mentioned anything about what she wanted. Just him, and her children. Unbidden, their first conversation since the young Olympian's proclamation flashed across his mind. Not a single thing matters more to me than you, Aphrodite had said. At the time, that had been a wholly terrifying thing to hear. It still scared him, to be honest.
But if the outcome of that obsession was a change for the better, would Percy be doing the right thing to tear that down? Was Aphrodite's selfishness as terrible as everyone made it sound? It was moments like these where Percy felt like the goddess wasn't giving herself enough credit.
Maybe they both needed his mother around for more reasons than he had initially thought.
Percy searched for some way to lighten the mood as they crossed the boundary line of the lawn, stepping from soil back onto marble. "Do we have to stay? We could just go home." He tried, sensitive ears catching the jaunty tune the band was playing in the background. "Maybe . . ." The man willed his blush from returning. "Kiss again?" Percy tried not to come across too eager but failed completely. Still, his efforts were rewarded.
The goddess blinked once as his words processed, visibly knocked out of her own thoughts. When she glanced up and saw his reddened cheeks, Aphrodite threw her head back to laugh just like she had outside the training hall back at her manor two days ago. This time, Percy allowed himself to appreciate the view without forcing down any of those bubbling, happy emotions in his stomach.
"Survive the night, Percy?" Aphrodite teased, eyelids at half mast in a way that showed off her deep purple eyeshadow. "I'll allow you as many as you desire, mon cher. A suitable reward, hmm?" This time it was the goddess trying not to sound enticed by the idea, but the way her steps started counting in double-time was a dead giveaway.
"At this rate it'll be a miracle if we even make it home." Percy didn't even realize he had called her manor such, trying his best to not stare down his waiting father as he and Aphrodite approached. The fact that the rest of the Olympian family were also watching their newest member was lost on none of them.
Aphrodite made an understanding hum in the back of her throat. "You see why I intended to invite you to these from the beginning, love?" In front of them the crowd parted, the love deity's heels clicking loudly against the tile underfoot as they were swallowed whole. "Imagine coming to such things alone. Or with Ares." She grimaced under her mask as the packed bodies enclosed behind their backs. "Désagréable. Especially in hindsight."
Percy didn't want to imagine as he tried to school his face under control. The attention of all the circling party-goers was back onto his form. The young god could practically feel the way they were judging him after interacting with not one, but two groups of demigods back to back. He could hear it too, divine senses allowing him to perfectly pick out each conversation within a hundred feet.
Percy hadn't realized he was frowning until a phantom finger smoothed the crease between his eyebrows. At the same time, Aphrodite used her grip on his arm to nudge his attention to one side where the young god caught a glimpse of his mother standing next to Hestia in one corner. At least she had found good company.
Back under the overhead lights Aphrodite gradually lost her human softness, the sharp edge of politically-savvy Olympian returning. Percy knew it was a necessity, but he still found it a shame. The distant feeling of Artemis against his mind heralded the moon cresting over the horizon on the other side of the palace. The sky bearer fought back the cold shiver that the sensation sent down his spine.
"Percy!" Poseidon's voice boomed over the chatter and music, almost literally carving a path through the nearby bodies towards his son. Percy was at least thankful for that, since it made approaching the King of Atlantis slightly less claustrophobic. "Finally, we get a chance to talk." Percy's father hid his frustration admirably, but it still leaked through. His wife spoke next.
"It's nice to meet you, Perseus." Amphitrite's voice was smooth like a deep sea current, a touch deeper than he would have expected from her slight frame. Even from a few steps away, Percy still couldn't tell whether or not her cheerful expression was real. "Congratulations, young man. To you as well, Aphrodite." The Queen of Atlantis at least said it like she meant it.
"Thank you." Percy answered for them both.
The sky bearer tried not to eye Amphitrite too suspiciously after the greeting, but he couldn't think of many reasons why the woman would be happy to meet the offspring of her husband's most recent affair. Aphrodite smiled back at the Nereid, her face as equally polite and practiced. Despite both women technically standing on their partner's arm, it almost seemed like they were the ones calling the social shots.
"Yes, congratulations on the engagement, my son." Poseidon couldn't quite pull off the sound of honesty that his wife had displayed. "You've more than earned this." That second sentence allowed Percy to see the sincerity that was previously lacking as the sea god's smile lines finally reached his wizened eyes. The younger Olympian tried his best to not let it get to him.
"Thanks." Not for the first time, it struck Percy as strange that he was almost as tall as his father and equally as muscular. Still, there could be no doubt who was older. It wasn't just in Poseidon's trimmed black beard - it was in the air around his form, in the way the other socialites gave him a wide and respectful birth that Percy wasn't granted. The immortal's deep-blue aura had a physical presence that was impossible to ignore.
Next to the men, Aphrodite and Amphitrite were somehow conducting their own conversation without words. Their locked gazes were unwavering. The love goddess and Annabeth had done the same thing, and now that Percy thought about it so had his mother. Could all women do that?
For the moment, Percy chose not to interfere. It seemed mostly non-hostile from his outside perspective, and butting in would probably make things worse. While he was deciding, the ensuing silence stretched on for slightly too long to be polite.
"I'm glad to be here. With Aphy, at least." Percy finally said, realizing he was the one who had trailed off. One of Poseidon's eyebrows rose, but he thankfully decided against commenting.
"I wanted to catch you before the party was over." The god of the sea took a step forward as if to put a hand on his son's shoulder, but in the end he decided against it. That just left the two couples a touch closer than was comfortable. The sky bearer could count his father's teeth.
"I was wondering . . . have you given any thought to visiting Atlantis in the next few days?"
Percy hadn't.
"Our subjects would love to meet their second prince, you know."
Unfortunately, Sally was no longer around to stop Percy from snagging a wine glass off the closest servant's tray.