Chapter 21
Percy
The Avengers had decided that for some reason it was a good idea to go out for a picnic in the beach. Of course they would propose that, it wasn't as if they were in the brink of war.
But Percy agreed because, how could he deny the opportunity of getting away from everything for a while? And he was grateful he did because he was enjoying that scarce but precious free time.
"So I said 'He killed eighty people in two days', and he replied-" Natasha said while laughing but was interrupted.
"'He's adopted’," Tony said in falsetto.
"Hey," Thor shoved his arm lightly. "That is not the way my voice sounds." He looked at his teammates, which had all silently agreed to make fun of him and therefore looked falsely awkward. "Does it?" he asked this time, slightly unsure and mildly horrified. Bruce couldn't hold it any longer and burst out laughing, being swiftly followed by the rest of the team.
Eventually, the laughter died down, but Percy was still immensely glad for the little escape they had provided him. It was nice to know that his war team was not reduced to training and fighting only, it was nice to know that they were friends.
Percy calmly reached out for a strawberry from the basket but, just before his fingers could grasp it, Clint took hold of it and shoved it into his mouth, munching it.
He turned around innocently. "Sorry kid, didn't see ya," he said, which was of course a lie. Percy glared at him half-heartedly.
"Yeah, sure." He rolled his eyes but smiled amused anyway.
"And there was this other time..." Steve started. "We were searching for Loki and Tony was like 'He's a full-tilt diva, right? He wants flowers, he wants parades. He wants a monument built to the sky with his name plastered...'"
"'Son of a bitch'." It was Thor who mocked Tony this time with an exaggerated cocky face. He raised his chin and looked at him straight in the eye. "Payback is a bitch."
Tony stared right back and, surprising everyone, smiled proudly. "I taught you well." And with that, he unleashed another fit of laughter.
"Seriously, that was just pathetic," Percy said, his eyes shining with mirth.
"Yeah, that's what we all said when Steve told us how they located Loki," Natasha commented.
"But my all times favorite moment of that war was when Cap confronted Tony," Bruce told them.
"Oh, yes! That one was awesome," Natasha said and started narrating. "Steve said something like 'Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?' and, without missing a beat, he replied 'Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist'."
"I wasn't even lying," Stark piped in and then calmly took a sip of his drink. Steve raised an eyebrow but gave in.
"We're not leaving until you tell me, at least, five more anecdotes," Percy told them amusedly.
"We literally read your life so... Fair enough," Thor said and started talking about that time when Jane, his brother and him where escaping from Asgard in a plane he didn't know how to pilot. "I panicked, and Loki was like 'I think you missed a column'."
Percy smiled again, and it was almost unbelievable the way in which his serious and defiant face transformed when he did that. He looked so happy, like he didn't have a care in the world, and even if that was actually far from the truth, Percy appreciated immensely his friends' intentions of making him joyful.
An hour went by in which they simply enjoyed themselves and laughed almost hysterically. Anecdotes were interchanged and bonds strengthened between them all.
"Let's go to the sea now!" Percy said at some point. Everyone acceded, only after Percy promised a 'completely safe, unforgettable experience'.
They should have known that 'safe' for a former demigod meant 'you're probably not going to die'.
So they went to the sea, Percy taking the lead. They entered the water (half of them actually being dragged by currents Percy summoned) and, when the water reached their shoulders, Percy told them to submerge and provided each of them a bubble to breathe normally.
It would be an understatement to say that the group of heroes was mesmerized by everything Percy showed them. It was even better because, being the god of the sea, he could answer every question they had in a full but interesting way.
But, of course, everything eventually came to an end, and the mini underwater tour wasn't an exception.
Percy turned around with a jovial smile gracing his lips, easily answering what Steve had asked him a second before. He felt happy and finally in control because he was not only surrounded by his power source but also by his friends. The god looked away sharply with his grin falling, suddenly remembering that their problems weren't over. Even if he wished to pretend it was that manner, the war hadn't vanished and was still a persistent threat.
"I gotta go," Percy mumbled. The Avengers looked at him with both incomprehension and worry. He sighed tiredly. "I can't just forget everything and enjoy life when it means putting my friends' lives in possible mortal danger. I need- must practice."
"You know that you too deserve time to lay back, do you?" Natasha asked him softly, but he avoided her gaze.
"If you push yourself now, then you won't be as strong during the battle. I trust you know what you're doing," Clint said to him, and this time Percy met his eyes.
"I know, but not training now would be a million times worse than me overtraining. Water gives me energy, so it shouldn't really affect me as much. In a way, I'm actually recharging," he said and sighed. "Don't worry about me, but I need to do this, alright?" And it was probably their knowledge about his fatal flaw what made the group comply without much more opposition.
Percy took care of them until they were all in the safety of the coast, drying them off efficiently.
"I shouldn't be gone for too long," he told his team, trying to assure them that he would be fine on his own, trying to erase their concerns.
"If you aren't back by tomorrow at midday, you can be positive I'll go looking for you with my extraordinary new suit. It doesn't matter if you're in the middle of the ocean," Tony told Percy and then added as an afterthought, "But I'll paint your face in it and put kilograms of glitter." His eyes shone deviously. "Because you love glitter, and I'll make sure all your subjects know it." And that was enough threat for Percy to accept (though aghast) the short amount of time the billionaire offered. Knowing him, Percy was sure he was telling the truth, and he had no desire to push his luck.
"Alright, fine. But please promise you won't leave the tower. I'll keep up the barrier but it won't help if you decide to go out and kill monsters or whatever. Unlike other wars you were part of, killing before the final battle will not help. This time, you're only going to give the enemies valuable information to help kill you again afterwards, when they have reformed in the Pit, alerted and informed their master, our greatest enemy right now, and they'll also have a personal grudge against you. So my advice would be: stay safe; I trust you're smart enough to do that," Percy warned them and gave them one firm nod as farewell, silently telling them to be careful.
Without turning back once, Percy dove into the water once again.
.ψψψ.
(I know they're actually the same person but since it'll be confusing to read, I'll refer to them as father/son)
Looking back at it, Percy probably should have alerted Poseidon about his arrival.
Considering the degrading high-pitched scream Percy provoked Poseidon to do... Yeah, he probably should have called.
A sudden current hit Percy square in the chest, or at least tried to, since Percy made the water in front of him solidify just enough to form a barrier and prevent the impact.
"Was that necessary, dad?" He grumbled.
"Percy!" Poseidon said in surprise, also looking a bit ashamed from the scream. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought that maybe you could help me control my new powers..." Percy started off insecurely, but turned completely serious as he went on speaking. "I have to learn how to use them as soon as possible. I need to know all you can teach me about them, from their extent to their different uses. I figure you also have a few recommendations taking into account the fact that you have had them for millennia."
"Why the sudden interest?" his father asked him and shot him a questioning glance, which was quickly replied with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, right. The war."
This time it was Percy who looked at Poseidon quizzically. "What's on your mind? You seem distracted." He got a sigh in response.
"Sorry, but things have been going wild lately around here. The merfolk have been causing distress to the rest of the sea creatures with their long periods of training. Triton tried to help at first but refused to do it anymore once I slipped out about you now being much more powerful than him. Turns out that merging into one with your son messes with your other son's feelings." Percy couldn't suppress the little grin that made its way to his face. Sometimes gods could be so clueless...
"Whatever's the reason, I need you to focus. I'm sorry if that's harsh but..." He turned silent for a few seconds. "Actually, I'm not sorry. But my point is that I need you to teach me if we want to win this war, and I need you to concentrate."
"Yeah, yeah," Poseidon told his son dismissively, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. It was only then that Percy realized just how tired he looked and wondered if he had been unintentionally drawing energy out of him.
Percy took a short step forward and met his father's gaze. "Have you been sleeping?"
"With all the disruptions going on down here? I wish."
"Maybe you should rest for a while. I think I can manage alone if you tell me some tricks. But you seriously need to lay down a little, you won't be able to help anyone if you don't."
"I have done this before; I can do it again now." Poseidon said and smiled slightly. "Though I could use some sleep. I think it's been two weeks already since last time I-" He yawned- "No, I have to help you..." he trailed off as he fell asleep in his throne, with his elbow over the armrest and his chin in his hand.
"Sleep well," Percy said softly to his father's fatigued form. He turned around and headed out of the palace to where he guessed Triton would be. Maybe he couldn't get the Olympian god of the sea's help, but a minor god with experience wasn't bad either.
"You have the nerve to come here even after spreading lies to father?" an offended voice said from behind Percy, and he spun around to find his dear brother... or son, considering the new situation. He realized with a bolt that he was also kinda Tyson's father. He cringed at the thought.
"Hello, I guess," he said awkwardly. "I'm actually here for advice. I gained new powers recently and since the war is nearing, I thought they could be useful," he started explaining, though now a little reluctantly since he saw Triton didn't have any intentions of helping.
"And you continue with these falsehoods!" Triton said indignantly. "I will not allow a puny demigod-" Percy shivered slightly at the specific choice of words due to their resemblance to someone else’s- "to come here and think he can fill everyone's brain with these lies."
Percy should have seen it coming, it wasn't as if Triton's rivalry with his half-brothers were secret. But, alas, he had relied on hope instead of truth. That's why, when a trident materialized in Triton's hands and was thrown his way, Percy was taken aback.
Percy was known for his good luck during bad situations, which wasn't as calming as it seemed. Yeah, he got out of all life-threatening situations, but he had to go through them and that wasn't exactly a field trip. So, when his brother unexpectedly threw his trident, Percy was blessed with his instincts and strength making a sudden apparition to save him. He jumped back to avoid the weapon, but extended his hand almost unconsciously to grip it.
"Woah, calm down." Yep, he shouldn't have said that. Never tell an angry person to calm down. Like, ever. It only makes the person angrier and therefore everything's worse for the one speaking. Of course, Triton wasn't the exception to this rule, and it was proven a second after those words left Percy's mouth. As Amphitrite's son growled in rage, the water around him started to shift and spin, enveloping him. That probably would have been a lot scarier hadn't he started being dramatic and forming animal heads in it, because, as the water animals morphed into existence, Percy burst out laughing.
"Stop laughing, you mortal! I have the power, the authority and the capacity of reducing you to nothing but ashes-"
"Dude, seriously, cut the show. You can't threaten me with the sea, you should know that already." An idea made its way to Percy and he smirked. "Yeah, of course you know that... So, the only option left is that you're a melodramatic god. Wait, is that a redundancy?" Percy started rambling.
Triton's eyes flashed with fury as he raised both his arms and summoned nearby sea creatures. He was surprised with their reluctance to approach, but didn't show many signs of it. The only reason why Percy didn't miss it was because he had discussed body language with Nat a few hours ago. That and probably the fact that he knew everything about the animals and could understand their behavior as an uncomfortable and insecure one. Triton looked around nervously, but remained oblivious to why the animals were acting that way. Percy, however, did know why, and it was because they could feel Poseidon's aura surrounding him.
"Unlike you, I am useful to father and have been helping him for millennia. I have taken care of these creatures, I have protected their habitat, I have defended them during war times, and now they will help me defeat you so that your time lying here is cut short." The animals, a weird mix of dolphins, sharks, fish and squids, moved back. Triton looked almost betrayed but, literally for the world's sake, Percy pushed him further.
"What? Can't fight me alone?" He knew involving the animals loyalties would have been a low blow, so he left that out and instead insulted his strength. It was almost hilarious how that always got gods angry... They were so susceptible...
Triton took a deep breath ('is it still called breath when it's in water?') and opened his mouth wide. Percy was momentarily confused, but suddenly the older god was holding a conch shell in his hands and blowing in it, producing an enormous underwater wave to come crushing down, taking all the animals with it and burying Percy underneath.
A boisterous laugh was heard as the animals scurried away in both worry for their master and fear for their own fate.
"Man, that was awesome! Imagine what we could achieve if the animals were warriors instead! Or maybe animals, but some that actually want the attacked dead!" Percy found himself voicing his thoughts. It was ridiculously easy to make gods show one great trick.
"Are you implying that these animals weren't dangerous? Don't flatter yourself, demigod, it's not that you're strong, it's that I'm just getting started." Triton's eyes shone with malice.
And then, the real fight began.