Chapter 7
Thor always found midgard and her inhabitants refreshing. Humans were so different to his people in Asgard, with their short lives and varied personalities. Yet their spirits were strong, with a keen sense of survival, which he found admirable.
As a prince and god, Thor was given many titles. It took him a while to get accustomed to being called by his name and understand that it meant no disrespect. So when Percy addressed him as Lord, so quickly after his return from the golden realm, he thought nothing of it.
Now though after viewing the spar between Perseus and lady Natasha he wondered if he was too quick to dismiss his doubts. The way Percy fought seemed distantly familiar.
It has been aeons since Thor accompanied the allfather in his tours of the 9 realms but he did maintain his presence whenever he could.
Until his punishment, midgard never seemed particularly interesting so he didn’t spare more than a fleeting thought to its happenings. He remembers visiting when humans were bumbling around in caves with their animal hides. He remembers visiting when they had crude societies and enormous battles with their own champions and foes.
He remembers hating his duties that required him to visit this planet with its own different gods and goddesses in the name of diplomacy.
Something about Percy’s movements reminded him of the past and he couldn’t quite pin it down because the man acted so typically midgardian, it was difficult to reconcile the two.
Moving to the kitchen, Thor resolved to keep a closer eye on the mortal.
Percy as a rule tried to stay as positive as possible. He was always a happy child, a bit troubled but always radiant. That happiness was borne out of naivety, an innocent child’s trust that all will be right in his world. As he grew up he tried staying happy despite his circumstances. A smile in his abusive home lit up his mom’s world. A laugh at Paul’s dad jokes reassured his stepdad that he was fine. A pat on the back or a hug after discussing strategies kept his friends alive and hoping through the war. After all he went through he tried staying happy because there were plenty of reasons to lose heart. It was to give those around him courage and strength for what they had to endure.
Yet some days he was too tired to try. He would remember flashes, a suffocating feeling while riding the elevator, sharp panic the moment he went underwater, all without any context.
He remembers laying on ice, shards poking at his stomach and legs numb, surrounded by his father’s domain. He doesn’t know how he got there. He knows Annabeth died and feels her loss like the pain of a missing limb everyday but he cannot help but feel that they had shared so many moments that meant too much. Losing another supposedly close friend he does not remember makes him feel so guilty, a sacrifice he did not honour. He remembers the final war but the details are blurry.
A brilliant flash, lighting the whole sky orange and a distant sense of loss in between clashes of bronze and black he remembers feeling numb. Not the joy he expected from victory but relief that it was over and pain at what it cost.
He knows Hazel, Frank, Jason and the other Romans fought with him against Gaia. He doesn’t know how he met them or what jokes they all shared. He still remembers Jason’s excited face drooping with disappointment when Percy didn’t laugh at his attempt at a joke.
“It’s no big deal man” Jason had said patting his back “It will not always be like this”
But Percy knew it was a big deal, he knew that he was hurting them more every day by staying close to them, wearing the face of their friend and acting a stranger.
He loved that Piper tried to charmspeak him into a dreamless sleep despite the number of times he woke the entire camp with horrors he doesn’t remember. He loves that Clarisse pretends to hate him so that he doesn’t have whiplash from the 180 their relationship did since the Titan war. Everyday he spent there felt like an open wound, aching and unwilling to heal.
He had slowly started staying away, present just long enough so that no one complains. He put himself into his college courses with a fevered determination, to live the life Annabeth never got to.
He remembers the days after the war. After burning countless shrouds of the brave fallen, children whose strings were cut too fast.Rebuilding efforts took a long time, it was painful looking at blueprints and seeing the ghost of a blonde head leaning over it. It took months but the camps were habitable again. It wasn’t possible to build all the minor gods cabins at camp so the major gods agreed to host the children of the deities who had similar domains. Percy finally had cabinmates - children of Achelous,Brizo and many others.This ensured that the olympians had their support and gave them recognition.
Percy never had siblings so it was a novel experience, a horde of children listening to his every word and looking at him like he hung the moon. The older ones were not so easily won over but even they respected him enough to not question him. He had taken to sleeping at the bottom of the lake because of it though. He couldn’t bear to see their frightened faces once they heard his screams.
The lake felt like home, all the more comforting because he hadn’t visited his mother baring the one IM he sent her after the war. In his heart he knew she wouldn’t hold his silence against him but he didn’t think he could face her after she realised how much he had forgotten.
Some days he went under just for peace. He roamed the small piece of his father’s domain adrift like an unmoored boat. He could cry here, a place where he was not a hero, just another life on the ocean floor so that’s what he did. He didn’t even know why the tears formed, what exactly was he mourning.
“This is what has become of the great hero of Olympus?” He heard a voice echo in the dark lake
His half brother, prince of Atlantis and Heir of Poseidon had seen fit to grace Percy with his presence.
“What do you want, Triton?” Percy asked, too exhausted to stand on propriety
Triton merely raised an eyebrow at his tone “what are you doing here Perseus?”
“Did you need something from me?” Percy deflected, unwilling to answer
“Have care how you speak to me brother. You may be a celebrated hero but I will not tolerate such insolence” Triton said, eyes flashing “Now answer me, what are you doing here?”
Percy just sighed “I am tired Triton,I am freaking exhausted. If you are finally going to kill me just get on to it. If not then please just let me be. I need to be here for at least a while if I am to face them without worrying them”
At his words Triton’s eyes softened. The prince simply nodded and left.
After that incident Percy did not see Triton in the lake too often. He sometimes felt his presence around him but the prince never interfered with his interactions either on the surface or in the lake. He sometimes felt a different presence, still water bound and powerful but not one that meant him harm. Tonight though he wouldn’t mind some company. He needed to feel that the world around him was real.
“Isn’t it boring, watching your mortal half brother living his pathetic life?” Percy asked the water around him
A few seconds later Triton materialised beside him. He looked vaguely guilty at being caught.
“You are not who I thought you were” was all the prince said
“People rarely are”
The god took a moment to study the slumped form of his half brother
“Most in your position would be proud and arrogant, uncaring of others and demanding favours from the gods. In fact you are entitled to do so. But you have not a lick of arrogance in your nature despite your many accomplishments. You only seem wary of what you may become. It is most peculiar”
Percy hummed
“I can’t place you and as unsettling as that is, it is also refreshing...I would like to get to know you better, brother, if you are amenable” The prince looked uncharacteristically unsure of himself.
The demigod smiled “Believe it or not, I understand your anger at me when we first met, heck I expected it. I even understand your hostility in the beginning. It was misdirected but understandable. I wouldn’t mind a fresh start”
Percy never expected to get an overprotective older brother out of that deal.
Initially it had started as the occasional meetings under the lake. Percy would go under on various occasions and Triton would materialise far enough for him to have a sense of privacy but still within his line of sight. They would nod or smile at each other and that was it.
Triton would sometimes hold him through panic attacks and afterwards lend him a shoulder to rest against.
Percy in turn lent an ear for his frustrated brother to rant when court politics got too bothersome to handle. Triton was surprised to find Percy’s strategic prowess extended far beyond just the battlefield. He was able to solve many problems on his brother’s advice. Triton had not felt this unburdened in eons and it was visible to anyone in Atlantis.
Poseidon cornered him one day after court and simply said “I am glad you both find solace in each other”
Triton just bowed deeply and replied “He deserves to have your support and he would cherish your presence”
The lord of the sea looked tired “He deserves the world after his trials, but I doubt he would entertain my presence, after all, I haven’t aided him when he needed me the most”
Triton did not bother with platitudes, knowing his sire did not expect to receive any “You have failed him many times and are fortunate he has no ire towards you,father. Don’t fail him again, not when he still needs you”
The prince was most worried about his mother finding out about his newfound fondness for his bastard brother. The queen eyeing him from across the courtyard told him his worries would be put to rest one way or another today.
“Mother,” Triton greeted
“Triton” Amphitrite nodded, regal and poised “Adjourn your training later, we have matters to discuss”
“As you wish” Triton replied before proceeding to do exactly as she said
They swam a while pretending to view the happenings of the city. The prince knew his mother wouldn’t speak unless she wanted to and there was no point in prompting her so he held his silence.
“I have seen you spending time with Perseus”
Amphitrite was nothing if not direct. Triton did not deny her claims, facts as they were.
“I hold no hate towards my husband’s demigod son nor do I hate your father for siring that child. I knew when I married him what sort of a god he was and for all his faults he is a loving spouse and a good father. I forgave him a long time ago for straying from our marriage bed and I will probably have to do so for the rest of eternity. It’s just his nature. It only matters to me that he returns to me at the end of it and does not hide his actions. Nor does he expect me to stay chained to him while he wanders from one over to another.”
Objectively Triton knew this, after all Percy wasn’t the first demigod his father sired and Amphitrite was still married to Poseidon. Yet until now he did not know how much he subconsciously hated his father for hurting his mother, for making a fool out of her repeated trust in him.It made him feel lighter knowing that his mother was not as hurt as he imagined and that they had an understanding. It probably showed on his face because Amphitrite smiled and cupped his cheek.
“As I said son, I have been watching the demigod and his interactions with you. I can see that he is a good man and a better influence on you. As such, I do not wish to put an end to your time together so you don’t have to worry that I might hurt that child. I am a better goddess than that”
“Thank you, Mother” Triton said, trying to express all the gratitude and relief he felt in his words.
The queen consort of Poseidon nodded, a kind expression on her face as she dismissed him.
“Oh, and do bring the hero to the palace sometime”
It took all the training Triton had ever done in his immortal life to not gulp and flee like he wanted to at that thought.
In a few days though Triton felt his mother may have been warning him of an inevitable event because despite his best attempts Percy ended up meeting a lord of Poseidon’s court who had appeared because he sensed a powerful entity near the city limits. Of course it was Percy who was spending time with a lonely whale. Of course the lord had to be Phorcys the ancient sea god of hidden dangers of the deep who wasn’t known for his even temper. Of course they had to meet when Triton was unavailable and could do nothing more than bury his head in his palm and hope he at least got his brother’s fingernails to perform his final rights.
Later Percy would clap his shoulder and call him overprotective for his fears
“Lord Pho (PHO!?) is so sweet and kind I don’t know why you were worried Tri”
Triton tried his best not to gape like a fish
“It is a crime you haven’t introduced young prince Percy to the rest of the court prince Triton” The temperamental lord said smiling at the demigod “His tales of bravery are most inspiring and to meet the hero himself will be a matter of pride to any being of the ocean”
Leave it to his brother to be able to charm the entire court in a matter of days. Triton did not know why he was surprised.
Despite all the added worry that came with getting attached to a mortal Triton wouldn’t change a thing.