WARNING: I... am not fond of this chapter. It feels all over the place to me and I kinda lowkey hate it??? But I couldn't fix it (I'm lazy), so I published it anyway 💀

"FELLOW GODDESSES," RHEA SET HER teacup down. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've brought you here."

Seated around her in a circular table were five other goddesses: Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Persephone, and Aphrodite. They had been invited to Rhea's palace for a tea party and while they always enjoyed a good tea party (especially the juicy gossip that came with it), they were more curious as to why this party was happening in the first place.

"It's come to my attention that my youngest grandchild, Percilla, already has a string of suitors vying for her hand in marriage," she said. "And I want to discuss the options with you all."

Oh no, Hestia thought as she watched the other goddesses immediately perk up, their faces blooming with glee and excitement.

"But before we get started on that," she continued. "There's one more person I must bring in. And Hera, dear, please behave yourself."

Hera furrowed her brows and looked at her sisters in confusion, but none of them knew what was going on.

Rhea cleared her throat and said, "Leto! You may join us."

There was a beam of light and a white haired goddess appeared beside her. She had the golden eyes of Apollo and Artemis. The second Hera saw her, she lost it.

"YOU!" She thundered, nearly soaring over the table to grab at her. Hestia and Demeter managed to grab her just before she could go flying. "Mother, why did you bring her here?!"

Leto sighed. "You're still jealous, I see."

"JEALOUS?!" She shrieked, making all the goddesses wince at the volume.

It was a well-known fact that Hera was indeed jealous of Leto, but not for the reasons most would expect. Leto and Zeus had initially been married but Zeus had already dumped her before he decided to marry Hera, so it certainly wasn't Zeus' affections she was jealous about. No, it was the fact that Leto had already been pregnant by the time they divorced, and if there was one thing Hera hated more than her husband's philandering ways, it was the prospect of his bastard sons being competitors for hers.

And Leto's bastard son, Apollo, was certainly the most powerful out of his illegitimate children.

"I should've ripped those damn brats out of your womb!" Hera seethed. "And let the harpies feed on their bodies!"

Leto's golden eyes flashed. "You keep away from my children."

"Enough!" Rhea raised her voice. "I did not invite you here to fight. We have an important discussion to talk about and I'd like to get to it. Now, the reason I've brought Leto here is because she has told me some interesting news: Apollo has fallen for Percy."

"What?" Demeter and Persephone echoed.

"Oh, dear," Hestia closed her eyes.

Aphrodite burst into maniacal giggles.

"WHAT?!" Hera shrieked madly. "Absolutely not! He has a harem of whores! He doesn't know loyalty even if it were to smack him in the face! He's just like his father!"

"His nymphs that he keeps around are just a passing fancy," Leto defended her son. "He does not love them. Not like how he loves Percilla."

Hera let out a cruel laugh, "Love, you say? Just like how he loved Cassandra, Hyacinthus, Daphne, Coronis, and all his other countless lovers? And where are they now, Leto, hmm? What has your dear old son done to the people he claimed to love?"

She turned to glare at Rhea, "This is insanity mother. Apollo cannot stay loyal, much less keep his lovers alive. You might as well ask the Fates to cut the girl's string if you decide to arrange them together."

"How do you even know for sure that he really loves her?" Hestia spoke up before a fight could ensue. "Apollo flirts with every beautiful face he sees."

That was a good point. Murmurs of agreements and head nods filled the table.

"Artemis was the one who alerted me of it," Leto began. "According to her, Apollo was making artworks of the girl. Paintings, sculptures, poetry, and the likes."

"So?" Hera was unimpressed. "He does all the time."

"He painted pictures of her foot to depict the moment where she stomped on his face multiple times," Leto informed. "In fact, a lot of his artworks depicted her beating him up. His sister was very concerned. She asked for my help."

"And she wanted you to set them up together?" Hestia gave her a doubtful look.

Leto averted her gaze. Actually, Artemis wanted help on keeping them apart—something about Poseidon raging war or whatever—but Leto, being the good mother she was, just wanted her baby boy to finally be happy and get the happy ending he deserved.

"He sounds obsessed," Hera grudgingly admitted.

"And that's the strongest form of love there is," Persephone added airily.

Everyone couldn't help but mutter in agreement. Apollo had been in love many times before, but he usually never went so far as to make artworks of them (artworks usually came after their tragic demise) especially after getting beaten up by them. Usually that was more than enough to anger the god—*cough cough* Cassandra and Coronis *cough cough*. The only time he had continued to pursue someone after being harshly scorned was with Daphne, and that was only because he had been pierced with Eros' love arrow.

"Hmmm..." Rhea began to think.

"Mother, you're forgetting something," Hestia spoke up. "Female relatives do not have the power to choose or arrange marriages. It is the duty of the girl's father or a close male relative. Poseidon is the only one with the power to choose who she marries."

"You are correct," she nodded in agreement. "But I am one of the very few people Poseidon respects. Once I make my decision, I will have him hear me out. My son will listen to me. He knows I only wish the best for Percy."

"Oh I wouldn't be so sure about that," Aphrodite said slyly. Everyone turned to her and immediately went on guard. She looked as if she were about to burst, like she was harboring the biggest secret ever and just couldn't wait to tell them all.

Rhea frowned. "And why is that, Aphrodite?"

The goddess of love leaned forward. Everyone followed suit.

"Poseidon is in love with his daughter." She whispered. "Because of that, he will never let anyone else marry her."

All hell broke loose.

Hestia's jaw dropped.

"POSEIDON?!" Hera nearly fell out of her chair.

"NOOOOOO!" Persephone wailed as Demeter held her close.

Leto quickly summoned a seat for herself before she could faint.

Rhea set her teacup aside, what Aphrodite said was bigger tea than she could ever imagine. "Is this true, Aphrodite? Are you certain of it?"

The buxom goddess nodded in confirmation. "Yes. 100%. I've been keeping track of her love life since I've met her. She's currently managed to make five gods fall head over heels for her."

There were gasps all around the garden.

"Five?!"

"But how?!" Demeter sputtered in disbelief. "Apollo, I'm not surprised, but Poseidon rarely lets her out of his sight! The only ones who have access to her are Hades and—!" She cut herself off with a gasp. Realization dawned on her. "Do you mean Loki?"

Hera's jaw dropped. "Is that why he's been kidnapping her so many times?! He's been trying to wed her?!"

Aphrodite let out a laugh, "Oh if only you can see what I can. Loki's side of the bond is... well, chaotic, just like him. It's twisted and mangled. I cannot even begin to understand it. I don't know if it's love, I can't even tell if it's hate. But he is obsessed, and obsession is no different from love and hate."

"He was with her at the cafe, mother, do you remember that?" Persephone turned to Demeter. "He defended her in the restroom."

"The restroom?" Rhea raised a brow.

Persephone nodded. "Yes, for some reason they were at some cafe on the human's side of Valhalla," she crinkled her nose at that. "Mother and I waited until she was alone so I could thank her for her hand in Hades' and my divorce. She was... upset, and Loki came to her aid. He was close to her. I didn't think he would be so much of a threat, but to hear that he harbors feelings of obsession..."

"This could go bad," Leto warned them. "The last time Loki was obsessed with someone, they ended up dead and all of Valhalla mourned."

"Yes, but Loki hated Baldur," Hestia pointed out. "Loki's feelings towards Percy are unknown, but so far he has been... somewhat amicable."

"Loki is a trickster god," Persephone hissed. "Deceit is his mother tongue."

While they argued about whether Loki would be a suitable candidate for Percy's hand in marriage or not, Hera silently mused about it.

Loki was... chaotic and not a trustworthy god. His previous marriage with Sigyn hadn't gone very well; he had cheated on her with Sif (possibly) and Angrboða—and even had numerous monstrous children with the latter. While he was a good father to their children, he wasn't the best husband. Sigyn finally had her foot down and publicly demanded a divorce and was granted one.

But—but! Loki was never in love with Sigyn (neither of them were in love with each other). He never harbored the same level of obsession that he apparently held for Percy. Perhaps Percy could... temper him, make him less of an annoyance to the other gods. She could keep him busy and distracted. If Percy could make Poseidon fall in love, then who was to say she couldn't keep Loki under control?

There was still Poseidon and Hades to think about, however.

Poseidon never loved anyone and it was widely believed that he never would. But then sweet little Percy entered his life and performed a miracle! She could imagine the look of awe that would strike everyone if they were to hear about their marriage. It would be the wedding of the ages! And Poseidon, naturally, would let her plan it for them!

As for Hades... She had been furious to discover that he and her husband conspired to have Persephone married off and even more furious to find out that Hades had the wedding WITHOUT her. What kind of idiot held a wedding without the goddess of marriage there to bless or officiate it?! An idiot asking for his marriage to go wrong, that was who! The only reason she didn't rain hellfire in Helheim was because of how much she loved her stupid little brother so he should count himself lucky! Not that it was necessary anyway. Naturally, their marriage ended up in shambles and Hades learned his lesson to never ever plan a secret wedding without his big sister ever again. Surely, if he were to win Percy's hand he would ask her to plan his wedding this time!

Poseidon, Hades, Loki... Hera nearly salivated at the thought of planning either of their weddings and blessing their marriages. Regardless of who was to become Percy's husband, she knew this pairing would triumph over all the pantheons—and she would be the one to plan their wedding!

That, AND she could laugh over the devastated looks on Leto and Apollo's faces. A manic grin crawled over her lips and a wild laugh bubbled out of her throat amidst the other goddesses' babble.

Rhea cleared her throat, making all chatter stop and Hera to finally snap herself back into the conversation.

"Apollo, Hades, Poseidon, and Loki," she counted with her fingers. "That's four. But you mentioned a fifth one. Who is it, Aphrodite?"

The aforementioned goddess smirked. "Oh you'll never believe this. This one's almost as shocking as Poseidon. It's the Lord of the Flies!"

Persephone's face grew red with rage. The flowers in her hair started to let out an acidic odor. "Beelzebub? I knew I shouldn't have let Percy visit him without a guard! He must be aware of Hades' affections by now, how dare he try to get in the way of them!"

"Beelzebub?" Demeter's eyes went wide. "When did that happen?"

"Oh a few months ago~" Aphrodite sang. "The development is slow, but steady. However, he's holding himself back, trying to push the feelings away."

"Good!" Persephone huffed. "Clearly he feels guilty because he knows Hades is in love with her!"

Hera found herself getting lost in her thoughts again.

Beelzebub. Now that was someone she never imagined ever falling in love, especially with someone who was the complete opposite of him. Beelzebub was dull and lifeless, and she was pretty sure the only time he ever expressed joy was when he was performing acts of cruelty on his experiments—experiments that made even Hera shudder and almost—almost!—pity his victims. It was hard to imagine the dark and dreary god with someone as cheery and outgoing like Percy.

But opposites attract, she thought back to the famous quote. She had to admit, Beelzebub and Percy would make a rather cute couple. They were like the male and female lead of the simple romance novels she would read whenever Zeus wasn't around to annoy her. It was her favorite trope!

This was perfect! Poseidon, Hades, Loki, and now Beelzebub too! She was already planning each of their weddings in her head, ready for the momentous occasion.

"What about Percy's end of the bonds?" Rhea asked curiously, and Hera was pulled back into focus yet again. "Does she return any of their feelings?"

Aphrodite couldn't help but snort, "That's the funny part. She barely returns them. She doesn't tolerate Apollo at all, she barely sees Loki as a friend, and Beelzebub's the only one with decently strong feelings of platonic love, however it's getting quite close to becoming romantic!"

"And what about Hades?" Demeter leaned forward.

"And Poseidon?" Rhea asked.

"She loves them," she confirmed.

Cheers were about to erupt, until—

"But," she went on. "As father and uncle respectively."

There were numerous groans around the table.

"However," she added, and several of the goddess perked up in hope. "It's... laced with fear and uncertainty on her end. Her feelings of familial love are more strongly directed to Poseidon, however, something has left her shaken. I can't tell what has happened, but I have a feeling it may not stay just familial soon. The same goes with Hades, but she feels more fear and shame with him. I don't know why..."

"I can answer that," Persephone sighed heavily. "She thinks it's 'wrong' to fall in love with your family."

Hera cocked her head back in disbelief. "Where in the Three Realms did she get that idea? It's so..." Her face wrinkled in disgust. "Human."

"That's what I told her!" She cried out. "But she refuses to listen! Hades has already shown that he desires her, but she is adamant on keeping away! I just don't get that girl..."

"We must get rid of that silly thinking," Demeter urged. "She needs to end up with Hades!"

"No!" Leto exclaimed. "My son loves her the most!"

"Hades is better off for her!"

"You dare—"

"—Hold on!" Aphrodite shouted amongst the noise. "There's one more thing I need to tell you all. It's... odd. When I first met her, I already sensed strong bonds of love attached to her, which shouldn't have been possible despite her age."

"Oh?" Rhea leaned forward, followed by all the other goddesses. "Tell us more."

"I sensed platonic bonds, familial bonds, all in varying degrees in intensity and reciprocity, but what caught my attention the most was heartbreak," she emphasized. "Feelings of unreciprocated love. Love that she does not return. I sense dozens of them, but there are four that are particularly stronger than the rest, but I cannot see them." She admitted, frustration evident in her beautiful features.

Rhea frowned in concern. "You cannot?"

She shook her head. It was unheard of for her powers not to work. As the goddess of love, she was able to see all kinds of bonds attached to a person—and who was on the other side. But this was the first time she came up blank. She could sense the bonds, the emotions, the intensity... but she couldn't see who it belonged to. It aggravated her on no end, but it also made her curiosity grow stronger.

"That's not all though," she added. "There is another bond, one full of pure, genuine, love—one that is returned."

All of their eyes widened. Somebody loved Percy, and she loved them back. Who could it be?

"Is it Poseidon?" Rhea asked.

"Hades?" Persephone and Demeter echoed.

"...Apollo...?" Leto tried, albeit doubtfully.

To their great devastation, Aphrodite shook her head. "No. It's someone else. Someone I cannot reach either. I don't know who it is, but I don't believe it's someone I know."

"Well, I don't care who she gets married to—as long as it's not Apollo of course—all I care about is getting to plan the wedding of the millenia!" Hera cackled.

This caused a round of loud chatter to erupt at the table.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Hestia brought her hands up. "Wait a second! You're all forgetting the most important question!"

Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"Does Percy even want to get married?" She asked pointedly.

Hera scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous sister, what little girl wouldn't want to get married? Not everyone prefers an eternity of maidenhood, you know."

"Why don't we just bring Percy here and ask her about her opinion on all of this?" Hestia sighed tiresomely.

"Oh but doing this is so much funnn~" Aphrodite whined.

Hestia groaned. Trying to speak reason to these goddesses was impossible.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

Meanwhile, over at time-out island, four gods sat in a circle in the sand...

"Adamas, stop throwing coconuts at your brother," Hades sighed for the umpteenth time.

"I'm bored," the second eldest whined. "Why the hell did mom leave us here?!"

"Apparently she wanted to have an important discussion with a bunch of goddesses and didn't want to risk us trying to eavesdrop," Hades droned.

"More like Zeus tryin' to eavesdrop," Adamas grumbled, throwing another empty coconut at Zeus' head.

Poseidon glared at Zeus silently, knowing full well that he was the reason they were all sent here. Zeus was the one who found out that Hera was being summoned by their mother and pestered her to let him come along. Not wanting to deal with him, Hera most likely complained to Rhea and now they were all stuck here.

"Mother better not keep us here any longer," he said darkly. "I do not wish to leave Percilla alone at the palace."

The mention of her name made Hades deflate, but his brothers were too busy to notice. He grabbed another coconut from the sand and started to drink from it in a poor attempt to hide his misery.

Adamas snorted. "Dude. You got a shit ton of servants in your house, I'm sure she's got a lotta people to keep her company."

"How is Percy anyway?" Zeus perked. "I haven't seen her since the divorce party!"

Hades made a sound of agony in the background. It went ignored.

"..." Poseidon was suspiciously quiet, which didn't make anyone feel good.

Adamas narrowed his eyes. "I swear if you made her run away again—"

"—Of course not," Poseidon scoffed.

"Then spit it out! What'd ya do?" He sneered.

He glared at him. "I did nothing."

Everyone stared at him doubtfully.

Poseidon scowled and finally told everyone what had happened...

ONE WEEK AGO...

Percy looked out the many windows of the palace where a cloud of red rapidly formed high up in the water. Merfolk were already swimming towards it, blood-thirsty grins on their faces.

She whirled back to her father, who stared back impassively.

"That wasn't necessary!" She shouted at him.

"On the contrary, it was." He replied. "Now answer my question, Percilla: what were you thinking?"

"What?" She glared.

"I thought I strictly forbade you from leaving the walls of our palace," he said sternly.

"I heard a loud noise," she tried to explain. "And when I looked up, I realized some giant ship broke. There were people drowning so—"

"—So you were trying to save them?" Poseidon sneered. "It was a waste of energy, daughter. They dared to sail in my territory so they are to face the consequences."

"But—"

"—Beelzebub," Poseidon called out.

There was a blur of black tentacles and suddenly he appeared at Percy's side, giving her a hard look before addressing him.

"Take her back to the library and continue with the lessons," he ordered. "Teach her about the attempted mermaid massacre that was done by Japanese humans*. Perhaps that would make her hesitate to save another one of their filthy kind."

"Of course, my Lord," Beelzebub bowed. He grabbed Percy by the forearm and they were gone.

END

"Sounds like she's tryin' to teach you empathy," Adamas snorted. It was a pointless endeavor, but he had to hand it to his niece, at least she was trying.

"Empathy... towards humans?" Poseidon sneered.

There were gasps amongst the small circle of gods. Adamas' jaw dropped. Zeus looked as if he had aged another hundred years. Hades nearly dropped his coconut in shock.

"What?" Zeus croaked.

Poseidon nodded, stone-faced. "Yes. Those people I killed were humans who tried to sail in my territory. I destroyed their boat as punishment and left them for my people to feast on. I caught Percy swimming up there to save them."

His face darkened. To think his own daughter would try to dirty her perfect hands for a bunch of low-life humans. It was sickening. The worst part, he didn't even know where this came from.

"Did she perhaps mistake them for other mers?" Hades wondered.

He shook his head. "No, she knew full well that they were human."

"Why the fuck would she care about those losers?" Adamas was bewildered.

"I don't know," Poseidon admitted through gritted teeth. "But that is not all."

"It gets worse?!" Zeus cried out.

"This happened long before this incident, but I once caught her trying to enter the surface," Poseidon turned to Hades. "Remember when I told you about what Apollo had done?"

Adamas perked up. "Huh? What'd he do?"

"He kidnapped Percy," Hades replied hollowly, thinking back to that dreadful moment at his divorce party that eventually led to his proposal being rejected before he could even offer it.

"HUH?" Adamas angrily lobbed another coconut at Zeus' head. "Learn to control your stupid kids, dumbass!"

"Apollo was only able to snatch her because she had left the safety of the palace," Poseidon went on. "She had tried venturing out to the surface, but before she could get to land, Apollo took her. After I rescued her and promptly punished him for his crime, she told me that she only wanted to go there because she was simply curious."

"That curiosity of hers can get her killed," Hades murmured worriedly. "Percy is far too naive to understand the barbaric nature of humans."

"Beelzebub and I have been trying to teach her of their horrors," Poseidon sighed through his nose. "But she refuses to listen."

Adamas clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Well you better find a way to get 'er to listen before she gets herself killed! Have you tried showin' her those documentaries the younger gen gods used to watch when they were kids? The ones that always feature in the educational channel about how humans are fuckin' everythin' up?"

"'Mortal Monsters'?" Hades asked.

He snapped his fingers, "Yeah, that's the one! Show her that!"

"I have," Poseidon replied flatly. "And that same night, I looked through her phone's search history and found out that she had been trying to look up New York City."

There was silence.

"...New York City?" Hades asked, just to make sure. "The city over in the United States?"

"The one with the giant rats?" Zeus added.

"Yes. That one."

"Was she... curious about how polluted it is there?" Hades asked.

"Or was she just looking up pictures of their giant rats?" Zeus suggested.

"Or was she lookin' up the crime rates and thinkin' to herself that all humans are crazy and that she needs to stay away from them?" Adamas added hopefully.

To their dismay, Poseidon shook his head. "No. She was looking up houses and a strawberry farm."

"...Huh?" They all cried out in unison.

"She searched for a specific apartment address in Manhattan, then it was a nonexistent cabin in Montauk, and she went on the map to find some strawberry farm on Long Island." Poseidon explained flatly.

The brothers all exchanged looks of pure bewilderment. This was becoming more and more weird. They knew Percy was a kind kid, but they never would've expected that her kindness would extend towards humans—especially with who her father was. The fact that she was looking up one of the filthiest cities in Midgar had them even more baffled.

"...Maybe she was apartment hunting?" Zeus scratched his head.

"In one of the shittiest cities on Midgard?" Adamas threw another coconut at his head. "They got giant rats, dude."

"Do you think she was looking for a venue for her debutante ball?" Hades wondered aloud. "It's coming soon isn't it?"

"I plan for her to have it on her first birthday and December is still a few months away," Poseidon refuted.

"What if she's just going through a rebellious phase then?" Zeus suggested.

"Only your children go through that phase, and that's because of your poor parenting," Poseidon scoffed. "My pearl is perfect. It's those humans that are corrupting her."

Percy was a child. Sure back in ancient times she was well past the age of entering adulthood, but mentally, she was still young. She was not at all like the mature goddess he once expected her to be. While she trained dutifully in the ways of a princess, she still had that endearing childish nature of hers and miraculously, Poseidon didn't actually mind it.

But it didn't mean he wasn't worried for her. As delightful of a child she was, such naivety left her vulnerable. She wished to explore the land above, but was ignorant of the dangers of man. She mingled with the gods up in Valhalla, but was blind towards their wicked ways. She was much too sweet and equally as soft. He knew the blame lied on him—he should've been harder on her, more strict on how she behaved, but the idea of squashing her personality felt too... wrong.

She is of no fault, of course, Poseidon thought. It is the fault of the humans for somehow managing to brainwash her to think in their way. Filthy, disgusting, accursed vermin. Even in the safety of his territory, she was still being corrupted by them.

"This is worrisome, brother," Zeus was stroking his beard, deep in thought. "Do you think Percy somehow met one of those pro-human gods and got indoctrinated by them?"

Adamas blinked, "Gods like that actually exist?"

"They are a very small minority, I assure you," he chuckled. "But yes, they do exist."

"You speak of the Valkyries," Poseidon's face darkened. His daughter was close to those dreadful sisters; he should've known that they would try to instill their ludicrous beliefs into her head. Once he was out of this island, he would slaughter them all for daring to taint his daughter.

Hades gave him a pointed look, having a good idea of what was going on in his head. "Poseidon, don't," he warned. "Odin is fond of his Valkyries. Killing them with no viable proof of any wrongdoing would lead to a war."

"I wouldn't mind a war!" Zeus beamed.

"We know you wouldn't," Adamas rolled his eyes. "Fuckin' trigger-happy idiot."

Hades ignored them and focused on the fuming blonde. "Do not harm them. Plus, she's close with them isn't she? Killing them would only upset her and draw her away from you."

Poseidon could feel his ichor freeze over at the thought of Percy leaving him for something so insignificant. He glowered, "They're filling my daughter's head with lies about humanity."

The eldest of the brothers sighed. "Poseidon, I don't believe the Valkyries are at fault. You truly haven't noticed it yet? Percy has always had a kind heart, I believe her curiosity and care towards humans is just... a part of her."

His lips curled. "You believe she was just born with those ideals in her?"

Hades nodded, "Yes. I do."

He, unlike most gods, did not harbor a burning hatred for humanity. He was quite indifferent towards them and while there were times where humanity's actions had disgusted him—the disrespect that he was given by the Romans was one of them—most of the time, he hardly cared about humanity at all.

So while Poseidon, Adamas, and Zeus—blinded by their hatred for humans and in denial that someone they cared about could ever see them as 'good'—believed that Percy had been 'brainwashed' so to say, Hades was able to see that Percy's affinity for humans was just a part of her, a natural thing not incurred by the influence of another.

However, it was still a concerning matter to him. He knew that not all humans were vile beings, but Percy's curiosity could lead her to meeting the wrong sort of human and end up getting hurt by them. That was something he could not let happen. If it were him, he would gently warn Percy that not all humans would treat her kindly and that it was safe for her to just stay within the confines of the palace.

But unfortunately for him, Poseidon wasn't the most patient of people, and he wanted to instill his own beliefs into his daughter right away.

Poseidon was glaring at him so hard that it was a miracle he hadn't pulled out his trident to try and skewer him.

Before any fight could ensue, Adamas spoke up, "Just wait it out, dude," he told Poseidon. "Percy'll learn eventually how shitty humans are. Forcin' her into thinkin' and actin' the way you want is only gonna make her run. Remember what happened the last time you did that?"

Zeus and Hades collectively winced at the mention of the time Percy left to go live with Adamas after Poseidon lashed out at her for not being 'perfect' enough. It was a very touchy subject for him, and Adamas sure had guts to bring it up again.

Poseidon stared icily, while Adamas only offered a shit-eating grin. Hades could see the waves on the beach beginning to rise and was about to tell him not to send a tsunami their way, only for a loud PING! to cut through the tension.

Everyone turned to Zeus who pulled out his cellphone.

"Oh, it's a notif from Shiva!" He said brightly. "Apparently he tagged me on his latest Gossipmonger post."

"Hmm, it appears he tagged me too," Hades murmured, his phone out in his hand. Feeling a bit curious, he clicked on the notification and was immediately sent to Shiva's post. There was a video on it with a blurry thumbnail, but what caught his attention first was the caption:

＠Shiva: ＠Zeus ＠Hades show this to poseidon lol 🤪🖕

Brow raised, he clicked on the video.

"It's Percy," he said, surprised.

Poseidon snapped his head towards him, "What?"

Hades quickly went to hologram mode and a large holographic screen showed up so everyone could see. The video began to play.

Percy was dressed in a royal blue saree that was draped around her body in a way that made it easier for her to move in. She seemed to be in the middle of teaching Ganesha how to stand on some... flat board with wheels? He was pretty sure he heard the humans call it a skateboard, but how did Percy know how to use one?

The camera turned around to show Shiva, who was grinning smugly.

"Guess who just signed the adoption papers~?" He sang teasingly before snickering. "Just kidding, just kidding!" He brought the camera closer to his face. "Or am I?"

In the background, Durga could be heard snapping, "Shiva, give me the phone!"

They heard him curse under his breath before the video ended.

The sea was forming dangerous waves now.

"She is not supposed to be with Shiva," Poseidon seethed. He turned his gaze to the skies. "Mother!"

Her voice echoed throughout the island, "Yes, Poseidon?" She crooned.

"You were supposed to leave Percy in my palace!"

"Well, I was going to let her stay home and just wait for you to come back, but Shiva called and begged me to let him watch over her instead. Something about an overdue playdate? He wanted a sleepover too," she chuckled. "I think he was jealous when he saw her Gossipmonger posts when she was in Asgard."

Poseidon was vehemently against this. "I do not wish Shiva to take care of my daughter."

"Shiva's great with children! Let her have this Poseidon, you rarely let that poor girl venture out! I bet all you do is make her study too," she clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Now, I'll let you boys out later, alright? My tea party isn't over yet!"

Adamas threw his head back and groaned. "Mooooom!" He whined. "How long is that stupid tea party gonna be?!"

Her laughter echoed around the island. "My tea party is just beginning, son! I'll talk to you later! Love you boys, mwah!"

She didn't speak again, and they knew that she went back to her party.

Angrily, Poseidon sat back down on the sand and crossed his arms. Behind him, the sea stirred violently to mimic his mood.

Hades sighed. He hoped his mother would let them out soon. He didn't think he could handle another temper tantrum-induced tsunami.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

Percy sat on the grass, surrounded by the lush flowers and trees of the garden. Shiva's three wives sat across from her, and they were cooing over hers and Ganesha's skills on the skateboard.

"How do you know how to ride one so well?" Parvati asked curiously.

"Oh, I dunno," she replied wistfully, thinking of all the times she used to ride skateboards back in her old universe. "I think I just got lucky."

It had been a while since she last rode a skateboard, so her skills were a bit rusty, but she didn't mind relearning it alongside Ganesha. It reminded her of the time she tried teaching a group of younger campers how to ride one.

The vibration of her phone pulled it out of her memories. She pulled it out from her pocket. The second she realized it was a text from Beelzebub, a wide grin spread across her face and she didn't hesitate to reply back.

👿Beelie👿:
Why are you with Shiva

my grandma kidnapped my dad

👿Beelie👿:
What

yeah lol idk but she was gonna let me stay in the palace but then shiva rang her up and asked if i could stay at his place so i can hang out

And here i am :D

👿Beelie👿:
Your father won't like that

D:

👿Beelie👿:
Why did Rhea kidnap your father?

idk she said she was gonna have a tea party with some other goddesses

And that Zeus was being annoying so she sent all her sons to the time-out island

👿Beelie👿:
?

Actually, never mind, I don't wish to know

When is he taking you back? We have a session tomorrow

idk probably soon?? She said after the tea party

👿Beelie👿:
You underestimate how long parties last with gods. I'm picking you up tomorrow morning

Can I have breakfast at ur place pls 🥺

👿Beelie👿:
Fine

yaaaaay ur the best 💙

👿Beelie👿:
Okay

Meanwhile, Parvati, Durga, and Kali all watched her silently, exchanging looks when they noticed the wide smile on Percy's face.

"Heeeey, Percy," Parvati called out sweetly. "Who are you texting, hmm?"

She looked up from her phone, still smiling, and said, "Oh, it's Beelzebub."

Then she went back to her phone.

The wives looked back at each other, wide-eyed. Beelzebub?!

Percy suddenly burst into a fit of giggles.

The goddesses were in a state of bewilderment.

"Beelzebub?" Durga hissed quietly. "Isn't he that creepy loner god that stays in Helheim?"

"He's the Devil!" Parvati gasped.

"I heard that he's apparently been appointed as Percy's caretaker by her father," Kali told them.

"I've never had a nanny before, but I doubt I'd get all giggly and googly-eyed for them," Durga snorted. They all glanced back at Percy and yup, she was still grinning and giggling under her breath as she texted Beelzebub. "Do you think they're...?"

"Definitely not." Kali replied flatly. "Poseidon would have his head."

"Hey, whatcha laughing at, kid?" Durga called out to her.

"Oh, Beelie just said something funny," Percy replied.

The wives looked at each other in shock. Beelie?!

"She must really like the dude to find him funny because that guy doesn't have an ounce of humor in him," Durga muttered.

"They're kinda cute, don't you think?" Parvati wondered aloud. "Don't they give off golden retriever and black cat vibes?" She giggled. "You know what? I've decided that I like them together!"

Before Kali or Durga could tell her how much of a bad idea that was, their husband's voice boomed throughout the garden.

"WHOOOO WANTS CHICKEN TIKKA MASALAAAAA~?!" Shiva came ambling in, carrying large platters of food in each of his four hands. Ganesha scrambled after him, carrying another large platter of drinks that he was trying not to spill.

Just one mention of food and it was as if Beelzebub no longer existed. Eyes bright, Percy dropped her phone and raised a hand. "I DO!" She shouted.

Durga snorted when she saw that and clapped a pouting Parvati on the shoulder.

Percy quickly rose to her feet and helped out a stumbling Ganesha and grabbed the tray before he could drop it. Together, she, Shiva, and Ganesha walked over to their picnic spot and began to eat without a care in the world.

Tomorrow she would go back to her father's palace and back to her usual monotonous routine, but for now, she would enjoy the little freedom she was granted.

In the middle of grabbing seconds, Parvati suddenly asked, "Hey, Percy, you're nearly one year old now!" She exclaimed. "Have you thought about marriage yet?"

She nearly choked on her chicken.

"H-huh?"

Durga snorted at her reaction.

Parvati giggled. "Weeeell, I just noticed how happy you seemed when you were texting Lord Beelzebub. Are you engaged to him?"

Her eyes nearly popped out. "Wha—No! I don't like him that way!"

"But what does your father think?" She pressed on. "Does he like the two of you together? Is that why he appointed him as your caretaker?"

"No!" She flushed. "It's not like that at all! I'm not marrying anyone!"

Shiva looked up. "Yeah, isn't that too soon? Percy's barely one."

"You're never too young for marriage!" Parvati giggled. "Oh, Percy, I hope your father finds the right one for you soon!"

Percy opened her mouth to insist that she wasn't going to marry anyone... but then she realized with cold dread that it wasn't exactly her choice to make. Not anymore, not in here at least.

She knew what it was like for women back in the times of Ancient Greece (and in many other cultures).

The second a girl was born, she was her father's property. Then she would become her husband's property. Should he pass away, she would become her son's property. But if she were unfortunate enough to not have a son, or a husband, or a father, or a brother, or any living male in her family, then she would be on her own. An ignorant person in the modern day would call it freedom, but Percy knew better than that.

Back then, men were needed because it was the only way for a woman to have shelter and money. Men and boys were basically their ticket to social security. Without a man, she would have nothing. A woman on her own was practically like dangling a slab of meat in front of a pack of wolves. She would be devoured until there was nothing left.

In a situation like that, becoming someone's property was much more preferable.

Nowadays, men were no longer a requirement for women to have decent lives. They were given the chance to achieve that on their own. Percy could achieve that on her own.

...Or at least she could have. She was no longer living in the mortal world, comforted by secured rights and strict human morality. She was in the world of the gods now, and as the daughter of a Greek god, she was now Poseidon's property whether she liked it or not.

She had it lucky though. Her situation could've been far worse. Not only was her father one of the most powerful gods out there, but he actually cared about her. And she had many other family members who cared about her too. She had read too many stories of unfortunate goddesses being sullied by other gods, and their own families rarely cared enough to avenge or protect them.

(Sometimes, the ones hurting them were their family).

But Percy had nothing to worry about.

She may be considered as property, but she was loved.

Her father would always protect her.

— author's note —

* So according to ancient Japanese legend, mermaid flesh granted people immortality so lots of people would hunt mermaids down to try and eat their flesh! Poseidon wanted her to learn about this in hopes to scare her away from humanity.

Also, I just realized that I've been calling it a "debut ball" when it should've been "debutante ball" since Percy's a girl 💀 idek why I've been calling it wrong, they literally call it "debutante ball" in wmmap too 😭😭😭

From naoyaofficialmommy:

A picrew of blonde baby Percy crying because Zeus said that daddyseidon was gonna be mad at her cuz her poseidon doll sucked :( from nobodyunimportant:

And more picrews from them:

And some Percades kids!

My traumatized water girlies and Beelcy:

From daushu:

A disney-fied percy from servamp234:

Fanart of Percy wearing her daddy's clothes from wisetimewasted:

Fanart from honeydew-mint of Percy's slumber party! And for those wondering, Percy's wearing a blue version of the crop top shirt that says "Contrary to popular belief, I have a dad (he just liked me a little too much):

Posy fanart from stormystorms:

Percy fanart from gemeiki: