After their trip to Olympus, Percy wished for nothing more than to be able to just go to sleep. He had almost fallen asleep earlier during the meeting already when the meaning of the prophecy was being discussed and at this point he was just tired. Resisting Aphrodite's power especially had just taken a toll on him mentally.
Alas he couldn't do that. The emergence of a new great prophecy delivered directly by Apollo was a major incident and right after they came back, both Percy and his father were already in a meeting. All gods that directly served under the sea god were present to hear Poseidon recite the prophecy and even though none of them said it outright, Percy could feel their gazes on him after they heard it.
Unlike earlier on Olympus though, his father spoke up to comfort him this time. "Don't be too certain that this prophecy refers to Percy. When it was delivered, there were multiple others in the room, including the likes of Zeus and Aphrodite who are both known for their many lovers and for their strained marriages. We will see in due time who stands at the center of this prophecy and we can focus on it then."
It immediately made sense why Poseidon hadn't said this earlier, Zeus would have definitely taken offence at being called out like this. But even though Percy already knew that he was the prophecy's target, he felt more reassured and calm after his father's words. The prophecy spoke about things that were yet to come and just like they had to wait for those events to happen, he too would have to wait for his role in them.
Additionally, even though he knew that he stood at the center of the prophecy and that he would traverse the nordic pantheon through it, he had no idea what the individual lines meant so worrying about something he didn't fully understand was in its own right already rather foolish.
The ensuing discussion about the prophecy however wasn't any more enlightening than the one on Olympus. Just like the Olympians, the sea gods also threw their fair share of guesses around, be it Python, the Kraken or Artemis somehow unlocking part of her domain that had so far laid dormant. Percy couldn't blame them for it either, the prophecy was deciding their fate so decoding it was of utmost importance, they were just doing terrible, himself included.
The meeting ended with Poseidon just ordering silence and dismissing all gods other than his two sons. His vassals would continue to look into the matter but Percy also knew that they had more important things to worry about given Oceanus was still on the loose. At the same time the gods only had to find something within the next three months so maybe that was enough time? It had to be.
"Percy, Triton, I know that this prophecy is worrying for both of you, but I will need your attention for what is to come now." His father successfully broke him out of his musings with that, Triton mirroring him to his right. It was rare for Poseidon to sound so solemn and serious, especially outside of war. "We have found Oceanus. My scouts found traces of his forces in a nearby trench and I have monitored the area ever since. Whatever he is hiding is down there. I cannot leave Atlantis without risking it to be destroyed again so I have to ask the two of you to go in my stead to confront him. Amphitrite will go with you so you won't be outmatched even if you fight Oceanus but you will have to retreat if he has any more backup."
For a moment, silence was all that filled the room as the two brothers took a moment to comprehend their father's words. Going against Oceanus would be very challenging, even if they outnumbered him as the ocean had been his to rule long before any of them even existed. Ultimately though, Percy and Triton both nodded, accepting their new assignment. Even if he was stronger than them, they couldn't let Oceanus get away after all the death he had brought upon their father's kingdom, upon their home.
Once Poseidon saw both of them agree, he got up from his seat and started swimming towards the exit. "You will go to find Oceanus in a week. Until then, prepare yourselves and enjoy your time here."
They both knew what Poseidon meant and what he wanted them to do: spend time together and have fun. He clearly believed Percy and Triton to be strong enough and wanted them to put their mind at ease, yet the two brothers did the opposite. Within an hour they had taken a part of the training arena for themselves and were squaring each other up. They had sparred with each other so many times that they could both read the others moves with their eyes closed and the speed of their blows resembled wild stabbing with how fast they were going but there was a system behind it.
Percy especially always found it fun to fight Triton. The similarities between their powers ensured close fights almost all the time and with all his experience, Triton was just about the only opponent that Percy didn't bother trash talking. His brother had ignored every attempt of him doing so in the past and more than once did Triton force him to eat his words after a duel ended.
Their fight this time was a long one, lasting several hours as neither of them grew tired in the heart of their domain but eventually Triton managed to slip through Percy's guard, knocking his sword aside before lowering his trident. He hadn't gone for the final blow but they both knew he could have landed it. "You sure learn quickly, brother. When you first came here you couldn't even last ten seconds but now look at you. I'm almost getting jealous!"
Triton's grin was genuine, happy not just for his victory but also the growth his little brother had shown. Percy threw the same grin back, deciding to not give a teasing remark after he had just gotten genuine praise. "You bet! Next time I'll be ending your streak, Triton!"
"Now, now, don't get ahead of yourself. You're good but I'm the most amazing fighter in Atlantis so you'll have to wait a bit more before you stand a chance at beating me." Now Triton's grin had turned from genuine to mischievous, the cheekiness that was so telling of their heritage coming through. "Yeah, right. As if it's going to take me longer than a month. Besides, isn't dad the best fighter in Atlantis?"
"He doesn't count, he rules the place! And it doesn't matter either way, you can't beat me and that's what counts, little brother!" As if to underline his point, Triton swam up to him and ruffled his hair just to immediately be pushed away by a current. As Percy pushed him away though, Triton pulled back, commanding the sea to throw Percy upwards as he rose above the city of Atlantis and into open waters. From there a playful game continued as the two of them pushed each other around the ocean, going from the ocean floor all the way to the surface and back. Eventually, when even that ended, they just swam around, the city far in the distance.
It was almost enough to fully distract Percy from what had happened just a few hours ago. The topic was brought back however when they came across a school of fish. Schools of fish were notoriously gossipy and since this one had just gone past Atlantis, it seems that they had already picked up the latest rumors and just to confirm that, Percy was congratulated for his engagement by at least a dozen fish before Triton put a stop to it, sending the fish on their way.
As the fish swam away, Percy observed Triton as he entered what Percy called 'psychic mode'. Even now that he was immortal, Percy didn't know what exactly his brother was doing but he had been told that this was a god's way of observing the world so he imagined it like a controlled version of his demigod dreams. That said, it looked halfway between ridiculous and terrifying as Triton's body went limp on command and started to float towards the ocean floor. Frankly, he was only calm right now because he had seen his brother do this before whenever he had felt like observing something outside of his domain.
The entire experience only lasted a moment though as Triton's entire body shook when his consciousness returned and a mad grin spread across his face. "Wow, that lieutenant of the hunt sure packs a punch. She's manhandling the counsellors of Camp Half-Blood all on her own right now…wanna watch?"
Knowing his brother, Triton had probably just looked all over the place for something to cheer him up and he'd be lying if he said that didn't sound funny. "...fine"
The moment Triton's hand touched his arm, he felt himself get whisked away, first by the sensation of them teleporting to what he guessed was somewhere in Atlantis and then immediately after by the sensation of his soul being pulled out to roam the world. The entire experience only lasted a second before he felt his vision clear as he looked at the familiar room in the big house, watching what appeared to be a meeting between the cabin counsellors and Thalia representing the hunters. Chiron was sitting in a corner too, though he seemed to be taking a backseat in whatever was happening right now.
"...and even if that were true, why the fuck would we ever tell you anything about it?" Thalia's voice was uncharacteristically quiet and somehow far more threatening as a result. In the middle of the room the usually hot-headed huntress was having a staredown with the equally hot-headed Clarisse, the latter slowly backing away from Thalia as small arcs of lightning danced over her skin already. It felt kinda good, seeing Clarisse all but cower before his cousin.
"But…" another demigod spoke up, this one Percy didn't recognise. By his looks though, he seemed to be a son of Zeus with him sporting an uncanny resemblance to his father. Figures he'd have broken his oath again, what else would you expect? Said son of Zeus however was clearly uncomfortable as he flinched away under Thalia's glare. He was maybe 14 or 15 years old so it made sense that he would be afraid of his older sister, especially when she was angry like right now. To his credit though, he did not stop. "This is an Olympian marriage. Shouldn't you have told us since this is something we need to know either way?"
The young boy seemed awfully uncomfortable with the attention he had gotten himself now, shrinking away from Thalia just like Clarisse had previously. "And you know now, don't you?" Her voice was still so much more quiet than usually, a silent threat hanging in the air. She didn't get a reply either, no one in the room willing to be the next target for her.
After a second of tense silence, another voice broke through, this one belonging to Nick, a son of Hermes who had apparently succeeded the Stoll brothers as chancellor of the cabin. "Well, then what do we do now?"
The question hung in the air for an uncomfortably long time, no one having an answer. With how Percy knew Zeus, the demigods would be forced to attend the ceremony. Even though no one spoke up loudly, whispers started to fill the room not long after, each another worried thought. "Do you think he remembers me?" "How is this fair?" "Will he become an Olympian now?" "Does that mean their demigods will be here soon?"
Percy froze at the last question, a trigger pulling in his mind just for it to be interrupted by a loud thud as Chiron had stomped his hoof on the floor. "That's enough! Those speculations won't be tolerated here or outside this room, understood? It's dangerous to spread rumors about a god."
He shot an almost pleading look to Thalia, obviously requesting her to overlook this just once and since the request came from Chiron, Thalia seemed willing to listen to it. "Fine, but if I hear another word about this, especially about either of them having demigods, then there will be consequences, am I clear?"
She let her glare wander through the room once before fixing it on Chiron, the one most representative of the camp as a whole. While Chiron had had a warning tone earlier, Thalia sounded almost vengeful, a promise of pain behind her threat.
At the same time as Thalia slammed the door shut behind her, inadvertently ending the meeting, Percy also felt himself be pulled back. He didn't know what to think of what he had just witnessed. Most of it should, rationally speaking, either make him angry or sad but deep down he was somehow feeling satisfied and happy. It made no sense and it made even less sense that Triton had known he'd feel this way.
As if he had asked the question out loud, Triton answered. "You're a child of the sea, of course this feels good for you. You might not want them to actually get hurt but just like all of us you are just as vengeful as you are forgiving. Plus there's just something nice about seeing them get their payout for three years ago." There was a small grin on Triton's face and Percy also understood what his brother meant. He had inherited his father's wrath and it seemed like that included his ability to hold a grudge too. "Now, if you'll excuse me. Our sister is coming today with a report about eastern waters and as the crown prince, I have higher duties to attend to."
The grin from Triton's face grew a little wider as Percy couldn't stop himself from letting out a laugh. After the giant war Kymopoleia had talked it out with their father and by now she visited Atlantis every once in a while when she caught a break from her duties. To his surprise though, she did get along very well with Triton and so the 'report' he'd be getting from her was just his way of saying they'd get drunk. While Percy hadn't been here the last time it happened, he heard that Triton had been so drunk that he had crashed into a rock and slept with his head buried in it and apparently Kymopoleia and Triton were drinking buddies now.
As Triton swam away, Percy followed him for a bit before taking a different turn and arriving back in his own quarters. He had enough stuff to think about anyways so he might as well take the break he got now to do so. Since he had already delegated the prophecy to the back of his mind, the next thing was the announcement of his engagement. It was still highly frustrating that Aphrodite had managed to slip him under her control, even just temporarily and although his father almost ran her through with his trident in response, Percy couldn't shake the feeling of utter frustrated wrath that was right now resting inside of him. Maybe that's what Triton meant when he said that vengefulness and wrath were in his blood just as much as forgiveness? He sure was feeling vengeful for this particular incident.
Next was the actual marriage. His dad had told him that Aphrodite and Hera had struck a deal with him that as long as Percy and Artemis went along with everything else, they wouldn't have to sleep with each other so what had initially been his greatest worry had been resolved almost too easily. That said, they still had to get through the rest of the marriage normally and that would be bad enough. He couldn't think of an easy way out either and to top it off, they would have to act the part of newlyweds for the entire party afterwards.
No matter how much he rattled his brain, he just couldn't see that work out. They had barely managed to last five minutes before a much smaller crowd so how could they make it through five hours? He didn't have an answer to that. Even after thinking about it for a while, he couldn't find one. Eventually though, his thoughts drifted away, finding more peaceful topics. He didn't even know how he had managed that, but he was starting to feel sleepy rather than stressed and slowly he was losing himself into the realm of his subconsciousness.
Here it is, the next chapter after the one week break. As was already teased in this chapter, the confrontation with Oceanus is the next big thing that is going to be happening, hopefully within the next few weeks. Additionally Percy and Artemis will still be pushing back some of their emotional issues since, as written at the end of this chapter, there just isn't a simple answer to their woes.
Since the question showed up on an earlier chapter, I don't know how many chapters I'll write in total but I find it nice to use numbers 018, etc since the chapters stay in order then even if the story turns out to exceed 100 chapters. Otherwise alphabetic ordering will place 8 below 10 for example.
And of course, thank you for your kind words, I appreciate the feedback I got so far, both plain positive and constructive.
As always, more feedback and questions are welcome and appreciated and I'll see you next time.
-M