I couldn't decide on which gif to use, so I just put both of them hehe

Also, here are the results to my latest tumblr poll I made for fun:

I was surprised that "everyone" only got second place, I thought it'd be number one wtf 😅

Also, DID YOU GUYS KNOW THAT THE ROR GODS ARE OLDER THAN THE UNIVERSE???? According to ch 4, Zeus was literally alive before the Big Bang:

I'm so shocked, I thought they'd be a few billion years old, BUT THIS MAKES THEM OVER 13.8 BILLION YEARS OLD. They're older than the planets, older than the fucking universe omg 😭😭

PERCY WAS TELEPORTED RIGHT IN front of her uncle with a plate of cake in hand that she definitely wasn't holding before (thanks grandma!).

"You're back!" Adamas was pleasantly surprised. "And you're alive! So, how was it? Was the food good? Is that cake for me?"

She quickly pulled the cake out of reach from his grubby hands. "The cake's mine! I think grandma gave it to me 'cause I missed dessert."

"How could you miss dessert?!"

"Well..." She winced. "I kinda got sent to the time-out island? But it was all my dad's fault though! I did nothing wrong!"

His eyes widened a little. "The time-out island?" He let out a whistle. "Shit, I haven't been there in forever. What'd you guys do to get sent there?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. That jerk tried to avoid coming so she had to force him there. And I think she was hoping for us to try and talk things out, but we couldn't even look at each other. She might've been upset about that."

"And what happened on the island?" He reminded her of gossiping teenagers, always wanting to know every detail of things.

"Well... nothing bad, surprisingly," she muttered. "He didn't try to kill me—" He even saved her at one point, though she didn't want to talk about that, "—but, uh... at the end, before grandma took us back... he... umm..."

"He...?" Adamas leaned in eagerly.

"He... offered to give me a tour of the Atlantean Empire? He wasn't demanding, he asked for my permission and everything. It was super weird."

His jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Percy, tell me everything."

She blinked, but did as she was told. She recounted everything that had happened on the island, even the part where he prevented her from falling off the top of a mountain.

When she finished, she expected him to explode. Either with laughter or anger or something. But strangely enough, her usually loud uncle was now silent. He stared at her in pure astonishment.

It took several seconds for him to finally say something.

"...Oh my gods," he whispered. "He was trying to apologize."

She cocked her head back. "Huh?" Where did he get that idea?

"Look kid, your dad fuckin' sucks. He's an awful dude. He does terrible shit and he never apologizes for it even when our mom tells him to. I have never ever heard the words 'I'm sorry' leave his crusty ass lips," he told her, which was kind of hypocritical since he wasn't the type to apologize for anything either.

"Um..."

"But that doesn't mean he's never apologized in his own way though," he continued. "On very very very rare occasions when your dad feels bad for somethin' or when he realizes he's in the wrong (which he always is), he repents in ways that don't include him actually sayin' 'I'm sorry' 'cause he's too damn prideful. That's what the whole 'tour' thing is about. That loser's tryin' to tell you he's sorry and wants to make it up to you by taking you around the kingdoms."

She stared at him in utter bewilderment. "W-what...? No... No way, that's..."

Percy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Poseidon... actually felt bad about what had happened? He was trying to apologize to her?

No. That couldn't be it. Poseidon was heartless. He didn't care about anyone but himself. Why would he feel bad about hurting her? She was nothing to him. Just a disappointment. A daughter he never even wanted.

The doubt was written so clearly on her face that even Adamas—one of the least emotionally intelligent gods of the Greek pantheon—could see it.

"Trust me, Percy," he insisted, uncharacteristically serious. "I can hardly believe it either, but he is 100% genuinely sorry for what he did."

A fucking miracle was what this was. He could barely remember the last time Poseidon felt bad for fucking something up, probably back when they were still living with their mother. After that, Poseidon's merciless and cruel nature only increased and Rhea was no longer around to temper him. Hades had tried his best of course, but Poseidon was impossible to deal with.

But this tiny, runty little kid was able to bring him to his knees—metaphorically of course. He doubted that Poseidon would ever drop to his knees over anyone, but he was beginning to realize that Percy had a pretty good chance.

Poseidon was changing for the better—not in the "I'm gonna stop killing people and love everyone uwu!" way, but in the "I'm gonna be less of a dick to my daughter" kind of way. He was changing for her sake and her sake only, and honestly, Adamas would take it. If anyone deserved to have a kinder Poseidon, it'd be Percy, his literal child.

"You're... good for him," he told her. "And hell, he might just be good for you too, Percy." Once he got his act together, of course.

She wasn't so sure about that. Whatever 'change' Adamas seemed to see in his little brother, she was completely doubtful of. As for him being good for her, well... Let's just say she didn't have a good track record when it came to fathers. Paul seemed to be the only one who was a constant, stable presence in her life.

(Plus, she wasn't planning on staying here for too long. Getting attached... well, that was just a recipe for pain.)

"Look, if you... wanna take up his offer, go for it. I won't stop you," he sighed.

"...Do you think I should?" She asked meekly.

He shrugged. "Kinda? I mean, Poseidon's seriously not the type to feel bad over anything so I think he's really trying with you here. But I honestly can't blame ya if ya want nothin' to do with him either."

"Just..." He grimaced and looked away, suddenly shy all of a sudden. "If you wanna give him a chance, and it doesn't go well, just know that you gotta home with me, okay?"

The upper corners of her lips lifted up. "That's super sweet of you."

He placed a hand over her face to block out her smile. "Shaddup. You're lucky you're my favorite."

"Awww! Don't worry, you're my favorite too!" She grinned. Out of all her relatives here, Adamas was definitely her favorite. Hades used to be her favorite, but er, he was a bit of a creep. She was still wary about Zeus, and she only met her aunts a few hours ago.

Adamas was the only member of the family who was genuinely nice to her without any creepy intentions. He was probably going to be the one she missed the most once she found a way back home.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

The next day, Percy found herself standing at the center of Poseidon's throne room.

It had been, what? Nearly three weeks since she left the palace? Despite the short amount of time since she had been gone, the palace seemed... so different now. The water was darker and felt colder. Proteus, who was usually at his side, was nowhere to be found.

"You are here." Poseidon said, blinking almost as if he couldn't believe it (you and me both, dude, she thought with a snort).

Instead of his regular form of nearly seven feet, he was around fifty feet now, sitting on his now equally massive throne. Percy couldn't help but admire it. Back home on Olympus, her dad's throne looked like an oversized fishing chair with a built-in holster for his trident. This one was different.

The back of his throne resembled the inside of a humongous abalone shell, the pearlescent colors being a deep blue, green, purple, gold, and black. It was decorated with black pearls and behind it, she could see massive pieces of coral that nearly touched the ceiling. The scariest part was that underneath his chair were massive tentacles that were moving. They slowly swept around the floor, some wrapping around nearby columns. They were big enough to crush them. Either he had a monster hiding underneath his throne, or his throne was actually sentient. She didn't know which was scarier.

Overall, it was a pretty cool throne, fitting for the ruler of the seas.

"Um... hi..." She said awkwardly.

He said nothing back.

She cleared her throat. "So, uh, about your offer..."

"You've finished thinking it over?" He questioned.

She nodded, breathing in deeply. "I would like to see your empire."

"Our empire," he corrected.

That caught her off guard. Her eyes widened a little, and she could feel some heat creeping up her cheeks. "O-oh. Um... our empire then."

For a few seconds, he didn't speak. It was nerve-wracking waiting for him to say something. If she wasn't already underwater, she would've been sweating from how anxious she felt.

"Good." He said. She couldn't tell if he was pleased or not, his face was so painfully stoic. "We will begin tomorrow. We will be gone for two months, so—"

"—Two months?!" She squeaked, interrupting him.

"...Yes, two months." He replied. "We will spend one week in each kingdom. That is seven weeks, thus, two months."

Percy felt her jaw drop to the floor. She didn't think this tour was going to take that long!

Stupid, he literally rules the entire ocean! That's, like, more than half of the planet! Of course it's gonna take that long! She inwardly scolded herself.

"W-will anyone be coming with us?" She asked feebly.

"No."

"But... Proteus..."

"He will remain here."

She felt like wailing. There was no way she could survive two months alone with only Poseidon.

She swallowed thickly, an excuse already forming in her head. "Um, is it possible for us to take a raincheck? I just remembered that Uncle Adamas signed us up for this Fortnite competition and I really don't wanna let him down, so... uh, yeah. Is that okay?"

Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes! She begged.

He stared at her. And then began to speak:

"You know, daughter, you remind me of a man I knew once, long ago," he drawled, the stoic look never leaving his face. "He requested to meet with me. I was in a gracious mood, so I granted it, but when the meeting was only days away, he sent me a letter saying he wouldn't be available because he changed his mind. On the day we were supposed to conference, I ordered him brought to me in chains and vaporized him for wasting my time. What a fickle man he was... I believe he once stood at the spot you stand on now."

He let out a soft sigh at the end, leaning back on his throne like he was reminiscing on the good ol' times. Meanwhile, Percy stared at him in wide-eyed horror. It had been a while since she felt this familiar sense of dread and she didn't welcome it.

She clapped her hands together and plastered on her most sweetest smile. "U-um, actually, daddy, I think Uncle Adamas wouldn't mind if I postponed our little competition!"

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to get in the way of your... bonding." He said the word 'bonding' as if it was something vile.

"Totally!" She cried out in agreement, hoping she sounded more excited and less terrified. "Which means I actually have time to go with you! Yay!" She started clapping enthusiastically, feeling herself wither away on the inside. This was a nightmare.

"...Hmph," the corners of his lips lifted up ever so slightly into what resembled a smirk. She could tell that he was enjoying every second of this.

"What a relief," he replied smoothly. "And here I thought I would have to give my brother another visit."

She shuddered. That was definitely a threat. Now she was glad she changed her mind so quickly. She didn't want Adamas to get hurt by him again.

"I believe now is the time for your... lunch, correct? Go on now, daughter. Afterwards, prepare for tomorrow." He ordered.

She nodded with a stiff smile and left the room.

You fucking jerk, she internally sobbed.

Unfortunately for her, tomorrow came by too quickly. She was woken up by Proteus who made quick work of getting her ready for the day. He did her hair and even picked out the clothes she would be wearing. She knew this tour of the empire wasn't going to be some simple roadtrip, but it made her nervous how much he fretted over making sure she was perfect.

By the end of it, she was donning an oceanic corset decorated with gold and lined with pearls. Attached to it was a long blue skirt that billowed around like she was wearing living beach waves. 

After a hearty breakfast, she was ushered out of the palace and led to the stables where the chariot was being prepared. Poseidon was already sitting there, waiting for her. Just like her, he was dressed to impress.

"Whoa," she couldn't help but mutter, but not because of his appearance. His chariot was just super cool.

His chariot was large enough to seat several people. It was blue and green and decorated with pearls and abalone shells. Ichthyocentaurs (marine centaurs) were busy gathering hippocampi and putting them in reins at the front.

"We'll tour around Atlantis first," Poseidon said after she climbed in. "The citizens of Poseidonis have already caught glimpses of you, so they're quite eager to meet you. Then, we'll go to other major cities throughout the first week."

She nodded along, only to freeze.

"Wait, do I have to talk?"

He gave her a look that made it clear he thought she was stupid. "Obviously."

"I mean, like, do I have to give any rousing speeches or anything like that?"

"No." There was absolutely no way he would ever let her make any political speeches. Knowing her, she'd probably do something stupid, like declare blue waffles as the national food.

"Oh thank gods." She relaxed. She was good at talking to people in a casual setting. Giving speeches? No thanks!

Once the preparations with the reins were done, they were ready to go. The hippocampi swam forward, swimming with the currents. They were crossing the long bridge connecting the palace grounds to the city.

"For this week, we'll be staying within Atlantis so there's no one from my court that you'll be meeting," Poseidon began. "But that doesn't mean you can misbehave. Make sure to be on your best behavior."

"Of course I will!"

He gave her a very very dry look.

Her grin faltered. "Er, well, I'll try my best of course..."

He accepted that.

As nervous as she was, Percy couldn't help but feel a little giddy. At least this week she was reassured by the fact that there were no nobles that she needed to meet. No, that would be in the coming weeks instead.

Poseidon's court consisted of kings and queens of the other six kingdoms under the Atlantean Empire. They all answered to him just like in any other empire, and members of the court were supposed to act as counselors to the main ruler, except they were literally just figureheads. Poseidon, being the narcissistic egomaniac that he was, would never actually allow anyone else to rule his seas. The only reason there were other rulers was for the sake of 'propriety'.

In the later weeks, she would meet them all. Delphin, king of dolphins and the ruler of Nereia. Eurynome, a mermaid goddess and the Queen of Merlea. Leucothea and Palaemon, Queen Mother* and King of Saphilune. And so many more. She knew that everyone called Poseidon the 'Tyrant of the Seas' so naturally, she wasn't looking forward to meeting the other rulers. They most likely hated and feared him—and her too for being his daughter.

Not to mention the fact that Poseidon managed to get all this land through conquest. He originally had only his kingdom, Atlantis, to rule. Then the Titanomachy happened and he killed Oceanus, after which he decided he needed to rule everything. She may not know all the details, but she knew that conquest was violent, the history textbooks taught her that much. Everyone who was alive during it all was probably still alive now—that was eons and eons of growing resentment.

Chill out, she told herself. I don't have to worry about that yet! I just need to enjoy the week!

Soon enough, they crossed the bridge and entered the city. The hippocampi made neighing noises as if announcing that they were close to their destination.

Percy looked ahead and gasped. Ever since she moved into Poseidon's palace, she hadn't been allowed to step outside to explore the city at all. She only managed to catch brief glimpses of it on her first day here.

They drove towards a large glowing city. Like literally glowing. Every building was made of some glittery illuminating material. She could see schools of fish and other cute sea creatures swimming around, and even groups of mythical ones too. But what really caught her attention were the mermaids. She couldn't help but blush. They were topless. Were all mermaids topless here? She couldn't remember if they were like this the first time she came here.

They started swimming up to the surface.

She squinted. She could see a shadowy shape on the surface. A boat...? But why would—?

Suddenly the mermaids began to sing. No words came out, just a simple song they made with their voice alone. It was enchanting and addicting to listen to. She felt tempted to get up and join them, only for her veins to turn to ice when she saw bodies fall into the water. Humans. The mermaids immediately stopped singing, sharp-toothed grins on their beautiful faces as they dove forward to sink their fangs into their skin.

In a matter of seconds, they were covered in a cloud of red.

Percy could hardly believe what she just saw. Poseidon glanced at her. "What is it?"

"T-there were humans here. On a boat," she managed to say. "I thought you said you didn't allow them."

"Sometimes I let them in. Our people need to eat after all."

Flesh-eating mermaids. Well that definitely ruined any chances of her rewatching The Little Mermaid when she got back home. She didn't think she could ever see Ariel the same way again. Were the mer people in her dad's kingdom flesh-eaters too? Gods, she hoped not.

"Oh. Okay. Makes sense." She replied calmly, sitting back against her seat. She felt a little shaken, but she wasn't showing much of it. At this point, she was probably getting desensitized to all this craziness.

They entered the city at last and Percy could feel her previous terror disappear.

Poseidonis was breathtaking now that she could fully take it in. She leaned against the side of the chariot, eyes wide as she admired everything. Mer people stopped to watch them in awe. Jellyfish started to float around them, as if to illuminate their path. A school of little fish swam around her hair before moving on to Poseidon's blonde curls. To her astonishment, the god didn't seem to mind them.

"They all like you," she said in amazement.

He raised a brow. "Did you expect them to hate me?"

"Yeah."

He snorted, and somehow he managed to do it in such an annoyingly dignified manner too.

She turned back to the crowd their chariot drive had gathered. It was as if the city's inhabitants had come out just to watch them. It reminded her of when news channels would obsessively follow members of the British royal family, how they always garnered huge crowds wherever they went. The invasiveness of it would've creeped her out, but she was too amazed by all the different kinds of species she was seeing.

"Can we stop for a bit?" She asked eagerly.

"What for?"

"You wanted me to meet our people, right? I can't do that if we're just gonna drive past them! Let me talk to them! Make some friends and all that!"

Poseidon stared at her for a bit, for finally relenting with a nod. "Fine, but—"

She was already out of the chariot before he could even finish his sentence. He blinked before leaning back against his seat. Well then.

Percy swam towards the crowd, only to hesitate. Her nervous smile must've endeared to them though, because they were quick to approach her and soon, she was practically swarmed with mer people and sea creatures.

They were definitely curious about their new princess. They touched her hair, poked her cheeks, and checked her teeth for fangs. One young mermaid held up her hand, utter amazement in her face at the lack of webbing or claws. Fish swam around her body, looking for fins. A jellyfish sat atop her head. Anyone would've freaked out over it, but Percy knew it wasn't going to hurt her.

"Such pretty hair~" An elderly looking shark cooed.

"Thanks, I got it from my mo—dad!" She quickly corrected herself.

"You have legs, my lady!" A cuttlefish exclaimed.

"Yeah. I wish I had a tail..." She was quite glum about that. She wondered what it would be like to have a mer form. What color would it be? How shiny would her scales be? Would she have fins too?

"You smell like Emperor Poseidon and food at the same time!" A young merman grinned.

Percy nervously backed away from him. "Um, thanks! I think..."

Meanwhile, Poseidon sat back at his chariot, watching her intently. She was a natural at this, as if she was used to socializing with large groups of people, as if she was used to being the center of attention. She mingled with his people with effortless ease, like an animal in its natural habitat.

This is where she belongs, he realized.

She was now racing around with a bunch of mermaids, her hair newly decorated with pearls and small shells. She outswam them effortlessly, but he could tell it was only because she used her powers to give her a speed boost. It would tire her out eventually...

He let her play around a little longer than he planned, and by the time she was climbing back onto the chariot, she was breathless as he expected.

"Your legs are useless in this environment," he told her bluntly. "When we return home, I will teach you how to use transformative magic so you may acquire a mer form."

She blinked at him stupidly. It took several seconds for her to register what he said. "Oh, uh, you don't need to do that for me," she started to say, her voice a few octaves higher. "No, really! I can just continue using my powers so—"

"—Be quiet. I will teach you."

"Okay!" She squeaked.

The hippocampi started to swim forward, probably to take them to the next major city. The citizens waved them goodbye and Percy followed suit, but on the inside, her heart was pounding.

Did Poseidon just... offer to help her with something?

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

The first week ended too quickly for Percy's liking. She spent her days swimming around Poseidonis under the watchful eyes of the city's namesake. It was all so delightful, like a fairytale dream come true. Once upon a time, she dreamed about living under the sea with her father, exploring his kingdom and befriending his people. And now, she finally achieved it—albeit with an alternate version of him.

This was everything she ever wanted. Peace and joy, an easy life where she didn't have to worry about the next battle or the next monster attack. Creatures of all kinds wanted to play with her, not eat her. The gods left her alone, they didn't pester her to go on the next quest or to do this and that for them.

It wasn't exactly normalcy, but it was peace and she would take it.

But today, there would be no more of that. Today, she would be meeting the first of Poseidon's court members and she had no idea what to expect.

Currently, the two of them were on the chariot being driven to the next kingdom, Nereia. It was ruled by King Delphin, king of the dolphins. The Kingdom of Nereia was the closest to theirs, taking over the South Atlantic Ocean while Atlantis was the North Atlantic.

Outside of the chariot, everything was a blur. The hippocampi were going so fast, Percy expected her skin to peel off her face. But it didn't. Instead, it felt as if they were riding on a calm current. Must have been some cool godly magic or something.

"So, uh," she awkwardly spoke up. "When we meet King Delphin, do I need to bow or something? How do I address him?"

"No bowing necessary, and it matters not how you address him. He is to address you as his 'imperial or divine highness' or his 'lady'. If he fails to call you by the correct title, you are to report it to me." Poseidon replied.

Percy wanted to tell him that she really didn't care about titles, but the hippocampi were beginning to slow down, indicating that they were reaching their destination.

The first thing she noticed was the amount of dolphins, which shouldn't have surprised her since Delphin was the king of dolphins. There were all kinds of them; short-beaked, long-beaked, spinner, clymene, and so many more. Even most of the mer people she saw had dolphin-shaped tails.

Back home, Delphin was her father's lieutenant. He was also the one who helped him and Amphitrite get together by persuading the nereid to give him a chance. But now that she knew it never happened in this universe, she wondered what Delphin's role was. Did he alert Poseidon of Amphitrite's attempt for vengeance? Fight alongside him? Or did he have no involvement at all?

The chariot finally stopped right outside of the palace. Delphin's palace was smaller than the one they had, but just as luxurious and lavish. There were already armed guards standing in position outside, ready to greet them.

Percy started to sit up, ready to get out of the chariot, only to pause when Poseidon placed a large hand on her shoulder to stop her. She glanced back at him questionably, but he only shook his head.

Then she found out why. One of the people outside, a heralder probably, cleared his throat and boomed in a loud voice, "Make way for His Divine Majesty, Emperor Poseidon, god of the seas! And her Divine Highness, Imperial Princess Percilla of Atlantis!"

Everyone bowed. A pair of dolphin warriors went up to open the chariot doors for them.

Oh, she blinked. That's why.

Poseidon swam out first and then, in a shocking display of gentlemanly manners and decency, held his hand out for her to take. She refrained from dropping her jaw, but the action nearly caught her off guard. Still, she took it, his large hand practically engulfing hers as he helped her climb out. She could feel the brush of his claws on her skin and the webs between his fingers.

Everyone was still bowing, but she made sure to keep her back straight and head held high like she was taught. They approached the large pair of doors, where they were met with a dolphin bigger than the rest. Delphin.

He straightened up, and Percy could see bubbles being blown out of his blowhole—a common sign of feeling threatened in dolphins.

"My lord and lady," he greeted them in a high voice. "I was not expecting your visit to come so early, I—"

"—Open the doors, Delphin," Poseidon ordered him.

Delphin bowed his head again and motioned for his servants. Quickly, they opened the doors. Poseidon swam forward, tugging Percy along. She glanced back just in time to see more bubbles come out of Delphin's blowhole. The amount of bubble clouds he was emitting nearly toppled over the little crown on his head.

He's terrified of him, she realized.

It was such a stark contrast to when they were driving the chariot around to see the common populace. Everyone seemed to love having Poseidon around. Little baby fish were even swimming in his hair! But now that they were meeting with nobility, everyone seemed too scared to even blink in his presence.

It's because they're only figureheads and they know it, she figured. They have no true power, Poseidon controls everything. Them included. They may be nobility, but she was beginning to realize that their freedoms were actually extremely limited thanks to Poseidon.

Holy shit, she shuddered. She wondered what kinda pro-Poseidon propaganda he let out to make all the common people love him so much while the nobility feared him.

Poseidon was still holding her hand as he led her through the palace. She was tempted to just... casually "slip" her hand out, but didn't want to piss him off, so she didn't. Instead, she allowed him to lead her to the grand hall, where servants were still busy setting up the long table.

They froze when they saw them enter the room. It was almost as if their fear was leaking into the water.

"Forgive me, my lord!" Delphin rushed in after them, his crown almost sliding off his head. "I wasn't expecting you to be arriving so soon so my servants hadn't had the time to prepare the palace!"

Poseidon's cold stare could cut him to pieces.

"It's okay!" Percy said before he could speak up. She had a bright smile on her face. If her father was going to be a dick, might as well do some damage control. "We can wait. It's good manners to have patience, right daddy?"

She beamed up at him, as if daring him to deny it.

"...Correct, daughter." Poseidon relented. "We shall wait. For now, Delphin, have someone take us to our chambers."

Delphin looked like he was about to kiss her feet with how relieved he felt as his servants went forward to lead them away.

"You should not have excused them," Poseidon told her as they swam down the hallway.

She shrugged. "You were being too harsh. It's just food."

"Says the one whose survival relies on constant nutrition," he scoffed.

She rolled her eyes, which he caught.

"Don't roll your eyes at me."

"Hmph."

He rolled his eyes at that, which was kinda hypocritical.

She didn't hesitate to call him out on it. "Hey! You rolled your eyes too."

"Hmph."

The servants leading them down the hallway all exchanged awkward stares.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

Poseidon hated to admit it, but he was genuinely impressed.

His daughter had an innate ability at fucking everything up, but it seemed like socializing with people was the one thing she was exceptional at. Which was the exact opposite of him. He detested socializing with people and just people in general. If someone wanted to speak with him, it had to be about a topic of utmost importance and urgency, not useless things like everyone seemed to like. If they dared to waste his time, he would kill them.

The weeks passed by, and it was becoming very clear to him that his daughter was a natural at charming people. At first, she was quite stiff and shy at the face of nobility unlike when she was mingling with the common people, but things started to smooth out. She would speak up, usually to defend them when they were faced with his ire, and his royal members just seemed to eat it all up.

It was so... odd. When he spoke, people reacted in fear. When she spoke, people loved her.

Like right now: she was rambling about the most inane of topics and Queen Mother Leuchothea and her son, King Palaemon, were listening with rapt attention, not out of fear, but out of genuine interest in what she was saying.

"—did you know there were so many whale sharks here?! I counted a lot of them when daddy took me outside!" She exclaimed, eyes wide with childlike giddiness.

"Oh my, really?" Leuchothea placed a hand over her chest, as if this wasn't already common knowledge. Her kingdom was the Indian Ocean, everyone knew it was a safe haven for whale sharks.

"I truly haven't noticed!" Palaemon laughed out loud.

Yes you have, Poseidon was tempted to say. But he remained silent and continued to watch. Neither of them seemed to care for his presence, too enraptured by the young girl sitting across from them.

Perhaps I should send her to meetings in my stead so I don't have to attend them, he mused. But then he crossed the thought off when he realized she would probably do something stupid like propose a "National Blue Food Day". Knowing Zeus, who was equally as stupid, he would actually go through with it.

His thoughts were cut off when Percy suddenly let out a yawn mid-speech. The act somehow managed to warm the royals' nonexistent hearts because now they were cooing after her as if she was a newborn baby seal.

That's enough of that now, Poseidon decided, rising up to his fins. The movement caught their eyes, and they reacted in shock upon seeing him, as if they really had forgotten all about him in favor of his daughter.

"It's past her bedtime," he announced. "Percilla, to bed."

She grumbled in protest, but got up from her chair.

"'Night, guys!" She said, waving to them casually as if she was speaking to commoners and not a Queen and her son. Neither of them seemed to mind as they bid her farewell, their tones more formal and polite now that they were reminded of Poseidon's presence.

They walked to her guest bedchambers. When she stepped in, she let out another yawn.

"You are doing well," he decided to tell her before leaving.

"Huh?"

"Meeting our people," he clarified. "Initially, I had my doubts that you could handle the tour, but it seems like I was mistaken for once. The citizens like you. Even the members of my court."

"Oh," she said lamely. "Uh, thanks?"

"Tomorrow will be our last day in Saphilune. We will be riding to Merlea. It'll be the last kingdom for us to visit, then we can return home. Prepare for it. Goodnight now."

He turned to leave, but Percy suddenly let out a, "oh wait!" before grabbing his wrist to stop him.

Usually, he would've cut off the hand of anyone who dared to touch him, but this time, he just turned back to look at her, waiting.

"You're gonna teach me how to do transformative magic when we get back, right? You promised." She reminded him.

"Yes, I remember. Is that all?"

Her eyes lit up, but she was obviously trying to keep calm around him.

"Yes that's all," she said, trying to act all prim and proper. She released his wrist and gave him a practiced smile. "Thank you. Goodnight, daddy."

He nodded and left the room, closing the door on his way out.

As he walked away, he could hear her let out an excited squeal followed by an exclamation, "I'm gonna get a tail!".

(If Leucothea and Palaemon noticed how much softer his expression was when he returned to the room, they didn't dare speak of it.)

— author's note —

* "Queen Mother" is the mother of a ruling king.

Realized I never described Poseidon's throne before so I did it here!

The scene where Poseidon was telling her about the guy he killed in order to scare her was inspired by that one part in Volume 2 of Who Made Me a Princess where Claude tried to scare Athy into singing him a lullaby 😂😂

Anyway, NEXT CHAPTER WE FINALLY GET SOME PJO!POSEIDON!

(We'll also be reading about three surprise pjo gods hehe 😉)

Here's a fanart from sillylily04:

Some context cuz I know not all my readers check out my tumblr, but I basically started this au about Apollo writing Perpollo fanfics about him and Percy and making statues and merch of her. This is a statue Apollo made of her post-shower 😭

Now here's some mermaid!percy fanarts from moonchild-artemisdaughter:

And here's a piece from honey-dew mint! It's Percy in her red & black dress from last chapter:

Here are picrews from camilalexa93!!!: