FOUR YEARS AGO

TWELVE YEAR OLD PERCY STEPPED into the rec room of the Big House where Chiron sat, awaiting her arrival.

"Uh, Chiron?" She started awkwardly. "You asked for me?"

Chiron, who had been watering a tiny plant, set his watering can aside and gave her a warm smile that melted any anxiety away. "Percy! Come, take a seat. Don't worry, you're not in any trouble."

Nodding, she sat at one of the empty chairs at the ping pong table near him. It felt like she was in the principal's office awaiting an expulsion, but this was Chiron. He would never kick out a demigod from the safety of camp. Plus, he did say she wasn't in any trouble, but still, what on Earth did he want to talk to her about? The quest was done, Zeus' bolt and Hades' helm had been retrieved. Unless...

Oh no, her stomach sank. Was it another quest? She was so done with quests. She never wanted to go on another one ever again!

Fortunately for her, it wasn't that.

"I've noticed that you've looked a bit down after you finished your quest a few days ago," Chiron brought up, frowning. "Did something happen during your quest? Something... that you don't want to talk about? Because you can talk to me about things, Percy. I've sent out many demigods in quests over the millenia... and they rarely come back the same. Please Percy, I'd like to help you in any way I can."

She looked down at her lap. "It's nothing like that..." Chiron seemed to think that she was horribly traumatized or something. "It's just... when I went to Olympus to give the bolt back, I met my father."

He nodded, having already known about that. "And I take it that something happened?"

"Kinda," she mumbled. "We talked for a bit. It wasn't very good. He sorta said he regretted me being born? And called me a mistake? I don't think he meant to be mean about it, but... it just sucks."

Chiron actually winced. "Ah. I see. He definitely could've handled this more... delicately," especially since this was their first time ever meeting, "But please don't take it to heart, Percy. I'm sure Lord Poseidon didn't mean it in that way."

"I know he doesn't," she replied. "I just... When I was told that my father was still around and not 'lost at sea' like my mom always said, I couldn't help but get my hopes up. I wanted to meet him. I was angry and bitter, but I really wanted him to like me even though he was just using me for this stupid quest..."

He gave her a pained look. After so many years of being alive, this probably wasn't the first time he had to have this conversation with a kid. She wondered just how many other demigods had been in her spot, frustrated and wishing to have a godly parent that was around.

Chiron took a deep breath, like he needed to steel himself for whatever came next.

"Percy," he began. "I'm sure Anthonius already told you about the Ancient Laws that Lord Zeus decreed eons ago?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah... he's the one that forbade gods from interacting with their mortal kids."

"That's correct," he said. "I know it seems cruel to you, but the gods cannot risk creating attachments to their demigod children. It will only lead to disaster."

"How?" She didn't mean to make it sound demanding, but all of this just sounded like excuses to her. "They can't interact with us, fine, but they can still try to help out in other ways! Pay child support to the mortal partners they left behind, send the police over when their kid's getting abused or—"

He calmly raised a hand to stop her and because Percy respected him so much, she fell quiet, but the irritation was still written all over her face.

"It's like I said before. They absolutely cannot afford to get attached. It won't end well, Percy. You've heard of the stories, have you not? Every time a god interacts with a mortal, how does the story always end? With many other mortals dead, including the one they interacted with."

She wilted at that, because he was 100% right. Nothing good ever happened when a god laid their eyes on a mortal, demigod child or not.

"Let's say these Laws didn't exist and the gods were allowed to raise their demigod children," he started to say. "Picture yourself as... hmm, maybe five years old. You're crying because you scraped your knee and when your father asks what happened, you tell him 'Anthonius pushed me off the swing set!'. Little incidents like that would result in war. It may sound ridiculous to you, but that's just how the gods work. Even the most minor of offenses towards them lead to hundreds of innocents suffering. Now imagine that scenario happening for every other demigod child."

Percy looked down, grimacing. He kind of had a point. The gods started a terrible war over an apple, hell would definitely raise should their kids get even the littlest bit of injury.

"The human world would not be able to withstand it. It would break apart from all the bloodshed, and the gods would fall right after." He said solemnly.

"Now here's another scenario: what do you think a god would do when their beloved child is fated to die? They wouldn't allow it. They would fight the Fates to keep their child alive, but you know that no one can run away from fate, not even the gods. The Fates would not be pleased with it; anyone who tries to tamper with fate is always met with an even worse one. This is why the gods cannot grow attached to their children, Percy. It is very much for your own good as it is for them. The repercussions would be devastating. For everyone. A mortal parent would kill for their child. A godly parent goes beyond that."

Percy wondered what that would be like, to have an all-powerful parent that loved you so much that their love could bring the whole world to ruin. If the Ancient Laws never existed, she wondered if Poseidon would ever do that for her. It seemed doubtful now despite Chiron's words.

"Your father does care for you, Percy," he finished gently. "But he can only do so at a distance because that is as much as he is allowed to do. For both of your sakes. I know it hurts to hear, but this is for the best."

He was right, as he always was. It really did hurt. Even four years later it continued to hurt.

Because Percy wanted more than this, but she could never have that.

NOW

"Is that my phone?!" Percy squealed when she swam into the Great Hall, her green eyes immediately zeroing in on the pristine looking box set on the table.

Poseidon gave her a flat look. "No 'good morning'?"

She smiled sweetly and kissed him on the cheek as a greeting. "Sorry. Good morning, daddy."

He hummed in satisfaction before sliding the box over to her. "That's better. And yes, this is your new cell phone. It's the latest model built by Hephaestus. My phone number as well as your uncles' have already been added."

"Awesome...!" She breathed out in awe. She reached out for the box, eager to meet her new phone, only for him to slide it away from her.

"Eat first. I won't have you using the phone during a meal. You'll just get distracted." He told her.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat, but she didn't argue. She started to turn, about to head over to her respective seat only for a pair of strong arms to pull her back and soon enough, she found herself sitting on her father's lap, her side now pressed against his strong chest.

...Huh?

Her thoughts must have been written all over her face because he asked her in a challenging tone, "Is something the matter?"

"No!" She laughed nervously, trying to keep on her most convincing smile. "It's just... I'm surprised! You're... oddly affectionate today, daddy."

"So? Is it bad for a father to want his only child close to him?"

She swallowed a lump down her throat, her smile still plastered onto her face. "Of course not!"

The arm around her waist tightened. "Then stop complaining and eat." He grabbed a spoon that had a piece of sunnyside up egg on it. But rather than handing it over to her, he held it out, like he was waiting for her to open her mouth.

Her mind went blank.

Wait... is he... going to feed me?!

Not even Hades was this forward!

She tried her best to rationalize this. She nearly died yesterday. Any parent would want to keep their child close after something like that. Poseidon's sudden... clinginess was just a natural response.

Mechanically, she opened her mouth and allowed him to place the spoon in. After swallowing, she forced another bright grin. "Mmm, delicious! I've got it from here now, daddy, so I'll just—" she tried to take the spoon from him, but he pulled it away.

"No." He said sternly. "I will feed you."

Percy wanted to start ugly-sobbing. This was not how she wanted her day to start. "But—but—"

"—I realize that I have not been as attentive towards you as I should have been. Allow me to remedy that."

"You've been plenty attentive!" She burst out, still keeping that forced grin on her face. She must look so constipated right now. "Like, so attentive lately! You're like a super dad!"

He fell quiet, but the arm around her waist squeezed her tighter as a warning. The way he stared at her was intense, like he was trying to say, 'You sure you wanna keep arguing with me on this?'.

She gulped.

"But I'm totally not complaining so do whatever you want!" She exclaimed, finishing it off with the sweetest smile she could manage.

He smirked. "Good girl. Don't worry, I won't be doing this for every meal. I wish to indulge just this once."

YOU MEAN YOU'RE PUTTING ME THROUGH THIS FOR SHITS AND GIGGLES?! She wanted to scream, but she just smiled and said, "Oh, okay."

He continued to feed her for the remainder of the meal. By the end of it, she slumped to the side against his chest, feeling like she was about to blow up.

"No more, I'm full," she mumbled, shaking her head when he tried to feed her a baby carrot.

Thankfully, he set the utensils down. With a wave of his hand, all the food and plates on the table vanished.

He leaned back on his chair, pulling her closer to him. The weight of her mermaid tail didn't seem to bother him at all. His webbed hand reached up, claws carefully stroking through the wavy strands of her dark hair. She sighed dreamily, nuzzling closer to him for more.

"I can never understand the limits of the human stomach. They require food to live, yet too much hurts them. It troubles me how much you are like them." He began.

"...Does it disgust you?" She asked warily, preparing herself for the answer.

"You? No." He said it so easily she almost missed it. Something in her went alight at that. "I feel... frightened when I think of how human you are."

"Well, I am half human according to Beelzebub." She pointed out, but she was still reeling over his words.

(He cares, he cares, he cares. This was all she ever wanted.)

"Your body leans more towards your humanity than your divinity. It makes you more vulnerable to death. I do not like it." His expression went dark as he held her tighter. "Beelzebub's lack of progress on finding a safe way to ascend you displeases me greatly."

"He's trying his best," to find me a way home, that is, she finished guiltily.

For the first time ever, the thought of going back to her original universe made her stomach coil with discomfort. She knew she couldn't stay here. She had loved ones back home, but she had everything she ever wanted right here.

She felt cold now. This was selfish of her. If she returned, she would hurt Poseidon. They had a rocky start, but he clearly cared for her now, cared for her so much that he could hardly let her go. If she left... she didn't want to know how he would react to it.

But if she stayed, she would be hurting so many people back home. Her mom, Paul, Anthonius, her dad...

Poseidon's lips pressed against the crown of her head, pulling her away from her thoughts. "You are rarely this quiet. What are you thinking about?"

"What would you do if I was just... gone?" She suddenly asked.

She could feel his body tense up against hers. Instantly, the atmosphere changed—literally. The water started to darken as if poisoned by an unknown source and the temperature went so low that she could see ice beginning to form on the walls of the room.

"Has someone threatened you?" He asked, his voice now dangerously dark.

"No," she said quickly. "I'm okay. This is just a hypothetical situation. What would you do if I just... if I just suddenly disappeared one day?"

Instead of calming down and letting things return to normal, everything just became worse. The water became even darker and Percy had to bury herself further into her father's embrace as the ground shook and more ice formed.

"If you were to disappear," he began, his voice lower and sounding more ancient, more powerful than she had ever heard from him. "Rest assured, daughter, for not even the Fates could stop me from getting you back."

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

It was official now: Poseidon didn't just care for her, he loved her. Maybe a little more than he should.

Percy didn't know whether this was a good thing or not. On one hand, she finally gained the love of a father who could actually be a constant presence in her life! Yay!

But on the other hand...

"I don't understand. You're happy that Poseidon loves you, but at the same time you're not? You humans and your emotions are so confusing..." Beelzebub sighed, inwardly wondering when the hell Percy decided that he was the best person to go to to talk about her feelings.

"I just feel terrible." She confessed.

"Why?" Beelzebub was truly at a loss here. "You want this. You've told me so yourself, so why do you feel bad now that you finally have this?"

Her shoulders slumped. "I feel like I don't deserve it."

"What?" The response almost made him laugh. Of course you deserve it, he was about to say, but he quickly suppressed it. "I really don't get you."

She shrank in her seat. "It feels wrong to me. I'm not really his daughter, you know? I feel like a fake and I hate it... I don't belong in this universe. I need to go home, but if I leave..."

He let out a deep sigh. "There's something I should show you."

She furrowed her brows and shot him a questioning look. Wordlessly, something appeared in his hands.

"Since you believe that you are not Poseidon's daughter, this might make you feel better," he began, setting the objects down on the table. It was a pair of vials that were tied together. One was filled with ichor, the other contained a cotton swab. Attached to it was a slip of paper.

"What's this?" She asked as she picked them up.

"Your saliva sample and Poseidon's ichor sample."

She snapped her head to him in confusion.

He nodded in confirmation. "I asked him for a blood sample for the sake of the study and he agreed to it. Now Percy, I know you think ichor is just some divine essence with no scientific basis unlike DNA, but that's not completely true. It is divine essence, but even ichor has specific components for each owner similarly to how DNA works. It's like a magical signature, for lack of better terms. And the half of you that's made up of ichor? Its signature matches Poseidon's."

He gestured to the vials. Percy looked down at the slip of paper that came with it. It took a while to read, but once she understood, her hands started to shake with unbidden joy.

PERCILLA & POSEIDON
PATERNITY TEST RESULT:
Probability of paternity is 100%

"You are Poseidon's daughter just as much as you are the other's," Beelzebub told her gently.

"But... but how?" She marveled.

He shrugged. "Who knows? I have no clue how alternate dimensions work. My theory is that gods are multiversal—they are a constant no matter the universe. If a universe contains forces of nature like, for example the sea, then the gods who rule over them should exist as well. The same goes with concepts like love, marriage, and war, if all these exist then so do the gods that represent them. We are not like humans who contain DNA, we're essentially divine essence contained in indestructible meatsacks. Our essence is the same multiversally."

Percy tried to rack her brain around it. "So, there's probably other Poseidon's in other universes and their ichor is the same as one another's? And I'm their daughter too because the half of me that has ichor is the same as theirs?"

"Essentially, yes," he nodded.

"Whoa." She mumbled. "That's a lot of dads then."

"Yes," he agreed. "Do you feel better now?"

She shot him a grateful grin. "Yeah."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Something is still troubling you."

She grimaced. "Well... I still feel bad. I gotta leave and all. I know it'll hurt him." It'll hurt a lot of other people too, she added, inwardly shuddering.

"Don't think about it then. Just enjoy what you have now," he advised. "Treasure it, even if it's for a short while."

His words were enough to make her smile widened. "You know, you're a lot sweeter when you aren't tying me up and being a weirdo."

"And there you go ruining the mood," he rolled his eyes.

"No, seriously! It's nice to talk about these sorts of things with you. You give good advice, unlike Loki who just makes fun of me for having 'two loser dads'."

"What."

"What?"

"What did you just say?" He demanded.

"Loki makes fun of me for having loser dads?"

"No, not that," he glared. "The other thing. Loki knows? Since when?"

"Oh. Like, two weeks ago?"

He stared, suppressing the urge to throttle her. "...And you're just telling me this now?"

"I forgot. Sorry."

"How did this even happen?!"

"Well, apparently Loki knew from the very beginning that something was off about me. Since he's the god of deception, he was able to tell I was sus. Then, um, he may have eavesdropped on me and Goll's conversation about the multiverse and forced me to tell him..." She trailed off.

He gave her a very hard stare.

She shrunk. "Don't be mad! It's not completely my fault! Besides, we can still benefit from this!"

"How?" He demanded, completely unconvinced.

"Well, you always complain about how gaining access to the bifrost would make your research ten times easier right?"

He frowned. "Yes, but I need permission from one of the Chief Gods to even step near it. I can't even use you as an excuse because researching the bifrost has nothing to do with trying to find a way to safely ascend you—as is the cover story we are going with."

"Loki has this cloak," she began eagerly. "It hides his presence. That's how he's able to sneak around without anyone detecting him! You can use it and sneak into the bifrost undetected!"

Beelzebub straightened up in interest.

"I was thinking you could beat the shit outta him and take his cloak," she grinned. "I'll even help you! I don't think he'll be mad. I fight Loki all the time, I think he's starting to like it at this point..."

"Loki's questionable masochistic tendencies aside, you're certain of this?" He asked, leaning forward.

"Yup! I even asked him myself and he confirmed it." She preened.

"Percy," he breathed out. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I was actually wrong about you..."

She puffed her chest out in pride.

But then he went on, "You do have a working brain cell in that seemingly empty head of yours."

She smacked his arm, "Hey!"

"I will deal with Loki and find a way to acquire his cloak. Preferably without violence."

"Aww, you're not gonna fight him?"

"Even if I beat him, he'll proceed to annoy me for the rest of my life. I'm already suicidal as is, Percy, I'd rather not make it worse." He said bluntly.

"Good point."

Their session ended on a good note, so by the time Poseidon returned to pick her up, his daughter was all smiles as she greeted him in Beelzebub's foyer.

"Daddy!" She lit up, practically scampering over to him like an eager puppy. She didn't even care that Beelzebub was watching as Poseidon leaned down so she could kiss his cheek. The two vials containing the paternity test were tucked into a small bag Beelzebub gave her.

"What is that?" The blonde asked, noticing it.

"Oh, just a gift from Beel." She dismissed.

He nodded in acceptance and grabbed her hand, the silent sign that he was about to teleport them away. She managed to give Beelzebub a quick wave before they disappeared in a column of seawater.

Once she was back in their palace, she quickly shed her human form, switching to her mermaid one.

"Hey, daddy?" She started.

"Hmm?"

"Where's Uncle Hades?" She asked cautiously. "He's usually the one taking me to Beelzebub and picking me up."

"He's busy," he replied offhandedly. "Apparently he's in the process of divorcing his wife."

She stiffened. "What?"

Persephone's voice echoed in her ears, "Once our divorce is official, he will finally be free to pursue you."

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

"Divorce is when a husband and wife separate," he explained, probably under the impression that the word wasn't in her 'infant terminology'.

"Oh," she said weakly. "That's... terrible."

"Don't feel bad," he droned. "It was about time he ended that marriage. It was only making him miserable the longer he stayed with her."

I'm pretty sure Persephone was more miserable, she wanted to say, but kept her mouth shut. She wasn't exactly happy with that goddess right now.

There was no way Hades would actually pursue her once the divorce was finalized, right? What happened between them was just a moment of weakness because of Persephone's interference!

Oh who am I kidding, she winced. He didn't seem to have any regrets after what happened. No shame either, unlike her who was currently wallowing in it every time she thought back to that night.

"Percilla," he began.

"Hmm?"

"I've ordered an artisan to come here later tonight."

She gave him a confused look. "An artisan?"

He nodded, "For a throne," he clarified. "I believe it's about time you have your own throne beside mine in the throne room, so I've ordered an artisan to come. Tonight, we will be discussing what yours should look like."

Her jaw dropped. "Um... A throne? I'm really flattered, but... is it really that necessary? I don't think I need a throne."

"You are the Imperial Princess of the Atlantean Empire, of course you need a throne," he snorted, as if she was foolish for believing otherwise. "He should arrive just after dinner. In the meanwhile, all your lessons have been canceled so you're free to do whatever you wish."

She perked up. "Actually, daddy, there's something I wanna do."

He raised a brow. "What is it?"

Here goes nothing... "Can I go visit the surface?"

The sea went still.

"The surface."

"...Yeah. Like... up there. The land."

"No."

She swallowed thickly. "But—"

"—No. Absolutely not."

"I'm not asking to go alone, of course! We can go together and—"

"—I said no and that's final," he cut her off, his voice firm. "Humans are a barbaric species with no sense of order. I will not have you near such filth."

And with that, he turned his tail and left. Percy sighed in defeat. There went her plans to go to New York. But it wasn't like she wasn't expecting this.

This just left one last option for her: she'd have to find a way to sneak up there herself.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

Apollo's gala was going at full swing; the Nine Muses were performing, Mnemosyne was watching over her daughters like a hawk, and the guests were enjoying themselves.

Apollo got ready to join them, his lira da braccio in hand and tuned to perfection. As he was about to approach the Nine Muses, he overheard that name that made him stop in his tracks.

"—Percy made a Gossipmonger account, you should follow her." One of the Valkyries, the youngest one who he believed was called 'Goll', said excitedly.

"Poseidon finally allowed her to have a phone?" Brunhilde said, surprised.

Goll nodded. "Yeah! I gave her our numbers too just in case, and Lady Mnemosyne's too of course. By the way, her Gossipmonger handle is 'Seaweedbrain'."

Brunhilde fell silent at that, and Apollo couldn't blame her. Seaweed brain? What kind of ridiculous name was that? Didn't she know that, as the daughter of a god, she could just use her own name? Or had she not been verified yet? Why would she choose to call herself something so insulting anyway?

Shaking his head in disdain, he moved forward only to hear more people talking about her.

"It's a shame Percy couldn't come," Shiva mentioned, swirling his glass of wine.

Indra, who had been smoking nonstop since he had been here (which was just gross in Apollo's opinion), looked up from his cigarette. "Poseidon's girl?"

"Yup! Good kid, nothing like her old man." Shiva stated proudly, as if he were the one responsible for the girl's upbringing. "She kinda reminds me of Baldur sometimes."

At that, Indra stopped smoking. "Careful with your words, Shiva. Loki's been hanging around her lately. Don't want history to repeat itself."

Apollo shivered at the mention of the deceased god. Baldur had been as radiant as he was, beautiful, sweet, and perfect in every way. Like many others, Apollo had fallen victim to his charms, but before he could make his move, he had been cruelly snatched away from him—from everyone.

But this? This was just insulting. To compare Baldur to the likes of some half-breed girl... It made him sneer in contempt.

Shiva and Indra moved away to indulge in more wine, but another conversation took place and she was the topic again.

"—think Poseidon's daughter will come here?" Aphrodite mused, leaning against Ares' arm.

Apollo could feel his jaw drop at the betrayal. Aphrodite too? She had always been fond of his parties, but now she didn't even look like she was enjoying herself! Too busy thinking of the half-breed girl!

Ares turned absolutely white at the mention of her. "P-Poseidon's daughter?" He squeaked, which wasn't very warlike of him. "She's here?"

Hermes smirked faintly in amusement. "Calm down, brother. Percilla isn't attending the party. Have you seen how furious our uncle was during Loki's short trial? I do not believe he'll be letting her out of his sight."

Aphrodite let out a giggle that sounded as lovely as the Nine Muses' voices. "She's got Lord Poseidon wrapped around her finger now. She's so entertaining, don't you think?"

Ares' knees were buckling. "Dite, please," he begged. "Please, please don't drag her into your schemes! Her father's going to kill you, and then me just because I'm associated with you!"

She scoffed. "I'm not afraid of Poseidon. If he kills me, at least the last thing I'll see are the sight of glorious tits—"

"—Aphrodite," both Hermes and Ares groaned as if they had had this conversation a million times.

"I'm not going to do anything, so just relax," she huffed. "I don't need to do anything. Trust me, boys, this messy little love story will unravel without my help. All I need to do is sit back and relax~"

"Love story?" Hermes raised a brow. "Something tells me this story will be quite short. Poseidon has grown strongly attached to his daughter, he will not spare any suitors."

"Unless the suitor's him," she winked.

Ares' jaw hit the floor. Even Hermes was stunned.

"I sense many more bonds tied to her too," she added. "Hades is one of them. Let's just say it's no mere coincidence that he's currently divorcing his wife."

Apollo had heard enough. His instrument disappeared from his hands.

It was just nonstop Percy this, Percy that—it was driving him crazy. What was so addicting about some mortal half-breed daughter of Poseidon? Even Poseidon and Hades had fallen to their knees for her!

She's probably not even that good looking! He wanted to retort out loud.

Seething, he stormed over to his father, who was drunkenly chatting with Hera.

"Father," he began, ignoring the burning glare from his stepmother. "I'd like your permission to descend to Midgard."

He decided it was time to finally meet the girl everyone was currently obsessing over.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

Meanwhile, Percy was currently going stir-crazy back in Atlantis. Her father refused to let her out; not for Valhalla, not for the city, and not even for the hippocampi stables which was ridiculous because the stables were still part of palace grounds!

Her days were spent inside the pristine palace walls, where all she did was study, sleep, and eat. On days on end. It had been like this for a long time now. She was beginning to miss the days where her mom would send her out to go grocery shopping or to take the clothes to the laundromat. She missed the days where she could meet up with her friends and hang out around the city.

She missed the ability to just leave.

She couldn't risk sneaking out. Gods were omniscient—they knew everything that went around especially in their own territory. She knew Poseidon was keeping an eye on her even when he wasn't around. Even when he was up at Valhalla.

But there was one realm where he couldn't see too clearly: Helheim.

Midgard and Valhalla were connected to each other so gods were omniscient in both realms. Helheim, however, was disconnected from the other two. It would be a lot harder for gods to try and see into it and vice versa.

And today, Poseidon had gone into Helheim to have an important discussion with Beelzebub about his progress with her ascension.

Unless she invoked his name, he shouldn't be able to watch over her. This was her perfect chance to leave for the surface. She knew it was stupid, but she missed her home. She would do anything to see it again, even just for a short glimpse. She needed the reassurance that everything she loved—despite it being different now—still existed.

"You're all done, princess. Excellent work," Proteus smiled in contentment as he closed the thick tome she had been studying with. "You're free to do as you wish. However, please avoid the throne room as construction is still going on."

Right. Her throne. She still couldn't believe she was getting one.

After being dismissed, she swam to the direction of her room, saying her greetings to any servants that swam by. But rather than actually going to her room, she crept up the stairs. Years of being forced into quests helped her learn how to be sneaky around beings with ultra sensitive senses so she managed to reach the top floor of the palace in no time.

One of the many perks of living underwater was that she didn't have to worry about gravity hurling her down to the ground after jumping out of a window on the highest floor of a building.

So after swimming out the window as quietly as possible, she closed it shut and swam upwards for the surface. She hoped none of the residents of Poseidonis would look up and see a tiny dot swimming away.

She swam and swam until she could see the distorted view of the sun on the water's surface.

Just a peek, she reminded herself.

Finally, she breached the surface, breathing in air at last. Her ear fins twitched, the sensation of air feeling foreign to them. She looked around until her eyes landed on a city.

She blinked.

"Wait... huh?" She uttered.

This was not New York. Instead of the towering skyscrapers of the famed concrete jungle, she saw the rugged landscapes of an island, glittering white and blue-roofed buildings standing atop cliffs. She had seen this image a hundred times before on Instagram pictures of celebrities on vacation: Santorini, Greece.

She wanted to smack herself.

Of course her father's kingdom wouldn't be in New York. That was how things worked back in her original universe, not in here. It shouldn't have surprised her that his kingdom would be in Greece (it actually made a lot more sense than being in America).

Well... alrighty then. As beautiful as Santorini was, it wasn't the city she wanted to look at so it was back to the palace with her.

But before she could swim back down, the sunlight suddenly shined over face, momentarily blinding her. She covered her face and looked away, but at that moment the sunlight became even hotter.

"Well!" A melodious voice boomed.

Percy tensed up. She squinted through the light, spying a radiant figure descending from the skies. He had no wings, but he seemed to be flying down just fine without them, his golden sandals stopping just inches above the sea.

Everything about this man was shiny. His hair was like long threads of rose gold with little rubies decorated in them, he had eyes made out of sunlight, and his lips were painted gold. She spotted three glittering piercings around his left eyebrow and another under his eye. His skin seemed to be made of light, but while Aphrodite glowed with radiance and beauty, he seemed to literally be made of it.

Apollo. It had to be him, either that, or another sun god from a different pantheon.

"So you're the little mongrel I keep hearing so much about, hmm?" He finished. He was handsome—like all gods were—but he was haughty too (also, just like most gods). His voice oozed with arrogance. He stared down at her like she was a rat he was about to exterminate. The shining golden bow in his hand didn't go amiss to her either.

Great. Was this guy looking for a fight?

Irked, she lowered her arms and stared at him warily. "What do you want?"

"..."

No answer.

She stared at him, and he stared back, but this time his arrogant expression was wiped off his face. He looked gobsmacked as he stared at her. Several more seconds of silence passed. The atmosphere went from tense to awkward real quick.

"Um..." She gave him a weird look. "Are you gonna say anything or...?"

Apollo didn't answer. He was too busy staring at her face. If he could travel back in time, he would've punched himself for all the times he had belittled her appearance.

This was no mongrel half-breed. Had he not known of the circumstances of her birth, he would've assumed Poseidon had created her through a pearl, molding her into perfection just like him.

She looked nothing like Poseidon, but at the same time, she had her father's divine beauty. Her warm tan looked as if it had been kissed by the sun and her black hair looked more beautiful than any black pearl he had ever seen. And her eyes—gods her eyes—they were a perfect copy of the sea itself! All beings of the sea were ethereal—the goddess of love and beauty had been born from the sea after all—but no nymph or mer could ever compete with the pretty little thing he had set his eyes on.

It was decided now. His heart was set. He had to have her.

"Oh my," he giggled like a lovesick school girl, casually dismissing his bow and arrow to twirl his long pink hair around his delicate looking finger. "Hello, there~"

Percy began to cautiously inch back. "Um... hi? Weren't you about to kill me?"

"My name is Apollo," he introduced himself, completely ignoring her words. "And you, beautiful one?"

"...Did you hit your head on the way down here?" She wondered aloud.

He perked up. The sunlight seemed to grow stronger. "Are you worried about my health? Not to worry, darling! As the god of healing, I rarely ever get hurt! In fact, I haven't been injured in millennia!"

I'm pretty sure he wanted to kill me, she thought. Why else did he have his weapon out? But why's he acting so weird now?

"Uh... right. Good for you. Anyway, I'll just be going now." She was about to dunk her head into the water, only for him to let out an ungraceful squawk of panic.

"Wait!" He nearly shrieked. "Don't leave just yet! Won't you give me your name, fair maiden?"

She cocked her head back. 'Fair maiden'? This was such a stark contrast to the Apollo back in her old universe, who usually addressed her as 'Perce' or 'dude'.

"Percy," she supplied, giving him a tight smile.

"Percy," he breathed out, as if it was the most beautiful name in existence. "Short for...?"

"Percilla."

"Even better!" He sighed dreamily. Then he straightened up, chest puffed out like he was about to make some grand statement. "Marry me, Percilla!"

Her expression fell. Oh hell no.

"Bye." She said bluntly, dunking into the water and getting ready to propel herself back into the palace.

Strong arms breached through the surface, wrapping around her waist and pulling her up with ease.

The only thing she managed to say was a startled, "Wha—?!" before they were shooting into the sky.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" She screamed as he flew through a bunch of clouds.

"I'm taking you away! You rejected me before I could even woo you!" He despaired.

"Are you stupid?! You're supposed to woo me first BEFORE proposing!" She shrieked. She wanted to slap him with her tail, but they were hundreds of feet in the air and she was already getting woozy from the altitude.

She must have been close to losing consciousness because rather than responding to her not-so-nice words, Apollo shot her a worried look before readjusting her in his arms. He was now carrying her bridal-style, head pushed against his chest.

"Almost there," she heard him mutter. Not even a second later, they were sucked into the bifrost, her head bursting with an overload of information about the universe.

They reached the end of the bifrost, shooting out of its gate and ascending yet another sky. She knew they were in Valhalla, but had no idea where he was taking her.

Up ahead, she could see a giant hunk of rock just floating in the sky and it finally clicked in her head. Delos. The floating island where Leto safely gave birth to the archer twins. That was where he was taking her.

Apollo drew closer, humming in content. She could see that carved out of the rocks on the side of the island were three massive swan heads that stuck out. They rose above it and she could finally see the whole island in view. It was more glittery than Santorini, but smaller. His garden took up a huge portion of the garden; she could see perfectly trimmed hedges that resembled a maze from up above. At the very center was a large fountain and at the back of the island stood a castle.

Apollo went for the fountain. Now that she was closer, calling it a pool would've been more appropriate. It was the biggest fountain she had ever seen. It was bigger than a community pool and that wasn't counting the marble statues of himself and his sacred animals that were placed in the middle.

"Here you go," he sang as he carefully deposited her into the water.

When Percy looked up, breathing heavily, Apollo was already naked, standing proudly.

She recoiled back. "Ew! Why are you naked?"

His smug smirk vanished.

"'EW'?!"

She covered her eyes. "Put that away! Nobody wants to see that!"

He sputtered, "I-I'll have you know, many MANY people would kill to see my—BLRRRGHHH"

She cut him off by blasting his face with water. "This is your attempt at 'wooing' me? You're so gross!"

"HUH?!" She might as well have stabbed him. His ego had just taken a huge blow. But then realization clicked in his head. "Ah! I see! You're the type to fall in love with someone's personality over their looks, correct? I'm the same as well! That makes us perfect for each other!"

"Have you lost your mind?" She demanded. "Dude, you just kidnapped me and flashed me like some common creep. You do realize my dad's gonna kill you, right?"

"Nonsense!" He laughed, as if she wasn't the daughter of one of the most homicidal gods in the universe. "Lord Poseidon loves me! I'm his favorite nephew! He would be proud to have me as a son-in-law!"

She gave him a very doubtful look.

"Now come! Undress and bathe with me! The best way to get to know one another is when we're at our most vulnerable!"

He stepped into the fountain, hand reaching out for her. She inched back, pushing her tail up as if to use it as a shield.

"Go away!" She yelled.

"No need to be shy, my love! Aren't you mers used to nudity anyway?"

"I'm not a mer! And I'm not comfortable with nudity either! Go—away!"

A flash of annoyance crossed his pretty face before his charming smile returned. "Don't be like that! I promise I won't do anything unsavory towards you."

He stepped forward again, and her father's words rang in her head, "The next time trouble arises and I am not around, pray to me or call out my name if you must. I will be there."

There had been many times where her prayers went unanswered. She remembered Chiron's warning, that gods couldn't always interfere in their children's lives whenever they wanted, that they couldn't risk to form attachments. Poseidon had helped her a handful of times, most of which were indirectly, as he didn't want to incur Zeus' wrath, or worse—the Fates'.

But this was not her universe and this Poseidon had no rules to follow.

I hope you were telling the truth, dad, she thought before unleashing what could possibly become her strongest move:

Percy opened her mouth and let out the most unnatural, siren-like cry that could probably be heard from miles away.

"DAAAADDYYYYYYYY!"

Momentarily, the cry stunned Apollo, his whole body going still. He recovered quickly, but before he could get the chance to ask her what the hell that was about, the floating island began to shake dangerously.

Apollo hurriedly steadied himself. "Wha—?!"

His statue—his magnificent statue depicting his glory alongside his sacred animals—suddenly broke apart as something formed underneath it. It separated into pieces, making way for a large head of blonde hair, large enough to nearly take over the fountain. The head slowly breached through the water's surface. Then, a large pair of murderous blue eyes came next.

Apollo watched in horror as Poseidon, now sized up to at least a hundred feet, emerged from his pool from the waist up.

If Apollo had a heart, it would've exploded from the amount of fear he was feeling.

"U-U-Uncle Poseidon!" He sputtered, trying to put on a winning smile. "I haven't seen you in so lo—URK!"

Poseidon's massive hand reached out to pluck him out of the water. Apollo was now trapped in his fist which was squeezing him so hard that if he had human organs, they would've burst from the pressure. With his other hand, Poseidon gently picked up his daughter, letting her sit delicately on his large palm.

"You kidnapped my daughter," Poseidon stated in his usual monotone voice. He wasn't yelling, but he was so massive that when he spoke, a powerful gust of wind blew Apollo's luscious hair back.

Apollo tried to speak, but the god of the seas was squeezing him so hard that the only thing coming out of his mouth were pathetic wheezes.

Meanwhile, Percy was awestruck. Her prayer worked. He came. He actually came. He was here, in the divine flesh and all.

Suddenly, all her awe was gone when she heard a sickening squelch sound. She turned back to Apollo and nearly gasped. Poseidon was squeezing him like one would squeeze a sponge, water coming out of every hole. But this wasn't a sponge, this was a god, and ichor was pouring out of his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears the longer he remained in the other god's grasp. He looked dead, the only sign of life were his twitching fingers desperately clawing at every bit of Poseidon's skin.

"This is why the gods cannot grow attached to their children, Percy. It is very much for your own good as it is for them. The repercussions would be devastating. For everyone. A mortal parent would kill for their child. A godly parent goes beyond that." Chiron's wise words came back to bite her.

Poseidon would kill a god for her, and the revelation of it amazed and horrified her at the same time.

"Daddy, enough."

His cold blue eyes darted to her. "You wish for him to go unpunished, daughter?" He demanded. "He kidnapped you and tried to tarnish your purity."

"He only just wanted a bath with me," she explained calmly, knowing very well that it was a lie but it was getting harder to ignore the gurgling sounds Apollo would make. "He was just a bit... over-excited. Please, daddy, let him go."

"That soft heart of yours," he scoffed, but to her relief, finally released him. Rather than carefully placing him back down, he simply unfurled his fingers and let the bleeding god fall from his grasp, hitting the bottom of the fountain with a sickening SPLAT that would've killed any human. Percy felt herself flinch.

The pristine waters of the fountain quickly began to mix together with Apollo's ichor, creating a grotesquely beautiful image of blue and gold.

Poseidon glared down at him, "Heed my words, Apollo. Should you ever lay your unworthy hands on my daughter ever again, I will strike you where you stand. Be grateful for my daughter's mercy, for I will not let her decision sway me a second time."

Apollo didn't respond—couldn't respond actually. His divine body was obviously still trying to recover from being nearly crushed. Through the now stained water, she managed to see his golden eyes staring back at Poseidon fearfully, blinking once as if to say 'I understand'.

That was enough for him. Without another word, Poseidon tucked his tiny daughter closer to his chest and then teleported themselves away.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

Beelzebub leaned back against his throne and let out a heavy sigh. He hadn't been expecting a surprise visit from the Tyrant of the Seas, but after a single unwanted conversation with him, he already felt exhausted—and gods weren't even capable of feeling exhausted.

Poseidon had come to him, demanding for answers as to why he was taking so long in finding a solution to deifying his daughter. Fortunately, he had already created a list of fake answers to explain, but Poseidon was unsatisfied with each one. He even went so far as to blow up one of his walls in anger. He was like a stoic toddler throwing a tantrum and destroying whatever he wanted. It was very unlike the Poseidon he knew.

I guess you were right, Percy, he found himself thinking. Your father really, really loves you.

Suddenly a high giggle echoed throughout the throne room. Beelzebub tensed up. He hadn't sensed anyone in here, so how—?

"Loki," his shoulders slumped, spying the trickster god step out of the shadows, donning his usual purple cloak. "I wasn't expecting you here. I thought I told you I would meet you in Valhalla."

He waved a dismissive hand. "Too boring. I find sneaking into Helheim more up to my speed," he chuckled, and his words only further confirmed Percy's theory that he could use the cloak to sneak into the bifrost. "Anyway, that was an interesting conversation, huh?" He glanced over to the broken wall the blonde had caused. "I would say that I'd never seen him so angry before, but I actually have. Percy, of course, was involved. It seems like he only ever loses his cool when she's around."

"She is his daughter after all," Beelzebub replied coolly, drumming his fingers over the armrest.

Loki hummed in agreement, his violent eyes greedily taking up the damage that had been done. Then, he faced him, hands placed behind his back as he rocked back and forth on his feet, a mocking visage of childish innocence.

"Sooo," he drawled. "I'm curious. I never expected for you to request my presence. What do you need lil ol' me for?"

"I'd like to make a contract with you," he said bluntly, getting straight to the point.

Loki's grin widened. "Oh?"

"I want to use your cloak."

He made a sound of understanding. "Ahhh. I take it Percy must have told you of what it can do, huh? I'm surprised, Lord Beelzebub! I didn't think someone of your caliber would need this old thing," he tugged at his cloak. "It makes me wonder... hmm... could it be that you're losing your skills?"

"If you're trying to get a rise out of me, it won't work," Beelzebub rolled his eyes. "I need your cloak to sneak into the bifrost so I can study it further." It was guarded heavily, with hundreds of warriors and powerful wards protecting it from any intruders. The only people who could bypass it all were the Chief gods and those who were granted with permission to use it.

"Oh, I see, trying to access the multiverse, huh?" He giggled. "Let's say I do agree to lend you my cloak, but what do I get in return?" He asked sweetly.

This was what Beelzebub was worried about. Usually, he enticed his victims into entering a contract with him by offering them something he knew they wanted. This was the first time he came up blank; Loki was too unpredictable, too much of a wild card. He didn't know what he wanted or needed, which meant his only choice was to practically hand him a blank check.

"...What is it that you want?" He replied smoothly, trying to hide his irritation.

Loki let out a bellowing laugh, holding his stomach as he threw his head back. "Hahahaha! I knew you didn't have anything to offer! I knew it!"

Beelzebub stared expressionlessly at him, revealing nothing.

When Loki finally stopped, he reached up to wipe away a stray tear. "You're a real funny guy, Beelzebub. Almost as funny as Percy!" He chuckled. "Don't worry, you have something I want."

"And that is?" Beelzebub quirked a brow, reclining back on his throne in a show of nonchalance.

"Information, of course!" Loki clapped his hands together. "You've been studying Percy for months, so you must know everything about her by now, right?"

Beelzebub could feel something coil in his gut, but he pushed the feeling away. "Yes," he answered. "What do you want to know about her?"

In an instant, Loki's grin vanished, taken over by a cold and dark expression. "I can't hurt her. I want to know why."

At this, Beelzebub fell silent, his hands gripping the armrests of his throne so tightly that they began to crack.

Wordlessly, Loki removed his cloak and draped it over his arms. "This is our contract, Lord Beelzebub. I will allow you to use my cloak until you finish your research with the bifrost, and in return, you will tell me why I can't hurt Percy and how I can. Agree to my terms and you can have my cloak."

For the longest time, Beelzebub didn't speak or move. He went as still as a statue, his mind running a mile a minute.

This was probably one of the easiest deals he could make. All he had to do was give him the information he already had.

And yet...

He wanted to know about the Curse of Achilles—Percy's greatest strength, and her greatest weakness. If he told him, then... then...

Loki smirked in amusement. "Oh my... don't tell me you're actually hesitating now? Does the Devil have feelings for that little outsider?"

He scoffed, "Of course not. I agree to your terms."

Swiftly, he summoned forth a contract and beckoned the other god closer.

I don't care. He tried to tell himself.

Loki stepped forward eagerly.

"I'm sure you know the consequences of breaking one of my contracts," Beelzebub warned him as the sound of flies buzzing grew stronger.

He smiled, "Of course I do."

I don't care.

Loki signed his name on the line. Beelzebub retracted his claws and sliced through Loki's palm. He watched numbly as the green haired god let his divine blood drop on the paper.

She means nothing to me.

With a maniacal giggle, Loki requested for his seal to be placed on the lower right side of his waist, right above the waistline of his pants. He lifted his shirt up and Beelzebub placed his hand over the area, and if the Devil marked him a little too painfully, he didn't complain.

When he pulled his hand away, the symbol of Beelzebub now tainted Loki's skin.

The contract was finished, Loki was marked, and Percy's fate was sealed.

She is nothing.

Loki let out a breathy laugh, his eyes wide with manic glee. He practically shoved the cloak into Beelzebub's hands.

"Now," he began greedily. "Tell me."

"In her universe, the myths are closer to the truth. The story of Achilles and his invulnerability isn't fictional, he was a real person in her world and Percy bears the same curse as he once did," he began, ignoring the way Lilith's mark seemed to throb on his chest. "Because of that, no harm can come to her. Except on a single spot. Her mortal spot. One hit there and she will perish."

"Just like Baldur!" Loki spat, hatred dripping from his voice. "I should've known. She's just like him...! Tell me where her mortal spot is!"

"I don't know."

He froze. "...What?"

"I don't know," he repeated.

"What do you MEAN you don't KNOW?!" Loki's voice raised. His eyes glowed with fury and his godly aura began to leak out of his body. "You have to tell me! It's part of our contract!"

"Our contract stipulated that I tell you why you can't hurt her and how to hurt her, which is what I just did. I told you that she bears the Curse of Achilles, and that the only way to kill her is to strike her mortal spot." A devilish smirk crawled over his lips. "You should've been more specific in your demands, Lord Loki. Don't be embarrassed though, it's a newbie mistake. Thousands of humans have done the same."

A deep laugh bubbled out of his throat when Loki tried to blast him with magic. He deftly avoided the attack, letting his throne take the damage.

"DAMN YOU!" Loki cursed. "Give me back my cloak!"

Smiling calmly, he transported the cloak away, allowing it to get absorbed into the shadows and disappear elsewhere. "I have fulfilled my end of the deal, Lord Loki. Now it's your turn. I don't need to remind you of the consequences of breaking a deal with me?"

Loki's eyes darted around the throne room where he spotted several flies stationed around, their beady little eyes on him.

"FINE!" He spat. "I'll figure it out myself! But YOU!" He glowered at Beelzebub. "Don't think you've won, Beelzebub! You'll regret tricking me, you damned fleabag!"

He teleported away. Beelzebub had no idea how he would sneak back into the bifrost without the help of the cloak, but at this point, he didn't care.

He had done the worst possible thing imaginable. He had told Loki about the existence of the Curse of Achilles. He had put Percy in danger.

...But that's fine, he tried to convince himself. Now that Loki no longer had the cloak, anyone would be able to sense his presence. He could no longer sneak into Midgard, let alone Atlantis. Plus, it wasn't like he knew about Percy's mortal spot either.

It was fine. She would be fine.

(She was just his experiment anyway. She was nothing to him.)

— author's note —

Apollo lovers don't worry, I know very well that Apollo's views on beauty aren't about what's on the outside but on the inside. But despite this, he's still a sucker for a pretty face (his harem of hot nymphs are proof of that 💀) so he's merely physically attracted to her, but eventually he'll fall in love with the real her.

The whole scene with the paternity test wasn't originally going to be here, but I put in here anyway cuz I needed to weed out the weak! I saw way too may comments going all "i can ignore the incest cuz it's not like they're really related anyway!" I HAVE NOW PROVED YOU WRONG! THEY ARE RELATED HAHAHA!

Ok but no seriously, if there wasn't going to be incest I wouldn't have put "incest" in the warnings 😐 Most of these comments are from wattpad, and I gave you guys warnings in TWO chapters already (in the very first one and in "act one"). I would've put "pseudo-incest" if I was really going for the whole "oh they're not ACTUALLY related cuz they're alternate versions, etc etc" route, but I'm not, which is why I strictly put "INCEST". Plus, I even put it as "dead dove" and said that it means to take the warnings seriously...

I'll say it one last time: YES THERE IS INCEST HERE. If you gotta pretend that a huge theme of my fic doesn't exist just to make yourself feel comfy, then I'm sorry but this book is NOT for you. If you're gonna continue reading anyway, then please stop with the "oh I'm just gonna ignore this huge central theme of the book teehee!" comments.

A Hades meme from Luna999:

Here's an amazing comic from yagodnyizefir about the pjo verse trying to find percy 😭💖:

Here are some percy picrews from fanficboysarebae!!!:

(She couldn't change the white face lol^)

(Blonde!Percy from the TV show!^)

Yona13350 made an edit of Athy as Percy, but Wattpad doesn't support Pinterest videos, so the link will be in the comments -->