Chapter Text
Poseidon can feel himself tense when the door opens, revealing the stranger who may have kidnapped his child from his mother. The being is pale and has long black hair in a ponytail that reminds him of his elder brother, Hades.
However, unlike Hades, their eyes are ever-shifting in their hue. They are dressed casually, wearing a galaxy-themed hoodie over a black T-shirt, a pair of jeans, and blue socks.
The being suddenly smiles, though it is all teeth, and Poseidon can feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
“Welcome, Poseidon,”
At that, Poseidon manifests his Trident, making the stranger raise their arms in a non-threatening way.
“Woah there! Before you decide to kill first and ask questions never, how about I let you in the apartment and offer you some food and drinks. Xenia is still respected, isn’t it?”
Poseidon narrows his eyes suspiciously, making the stranger roll their eyes.
“I swear on the Styx I will answer any and all questions you have, and that I mean no harm to Perseus Antigonos Caos-Jackson,”
Thunder cracks in the background, and Poseidon only relaxes slightly, feeling a hint of a smile on his face for a moment at finally knowing his child's name. The stranger mutters in a language Poseidon hasn’t heard in a long time before stepping aside to let the god in.
“What happened to hello? What is your name? How are you? Rude ass youngsters,”
Poseidon walks in, Trident still in hand, and the demigod(?) closes the door behind them before tutting when Poseidon steps further into the apartment.
“God or not, this apartment has rules, and one of them is shoes stay by the door,” they tell him, putting a hand on their hip as if scolding a child.
Poseidon glares at them but takes his shoes off and carefully sets them where there's a mat for shoes.
“Thank you. I’ll show you the dining area. We have much to discuss,”
After they sit down, an array of mortal and immortal food and drink covers the table, making Poseidon eye it all suspiciously as the being takes a cup of nectar and drinks it like nothing.
“Well, I know you, but you have no idea who I am. Or do you? Regardless, I go by Kosmas Caos,”
Kosmas, the root word for cosmos in Greek; meanwhile, Caos is chaos in Spanish. Poseidon narrows his eyes again, and Kosmas looks unbothered.
“You drank nectar like it’s nothing. You’re no demigod, so what are you? Why do you have Perseus? Where is Sally Jackson, and why is my son sharing both her and your last name?”
Kosmas looks at him with a raised brow and an amused smile on their face.
“Our son,”
Poseidon glares at them.
“He is not yours,” Poseidon harshly corrects, feeling his hackles rise when the stranger has the audacity to look amused.
“But he is. Percy is as much yours as he is mine and as much as he is Sally’s, Poseidon,”
“Lies,” Poseidon practically growls.
“Calm down. You’ll only get the answers you seek if you do not frighten our child,” Kosmas says, their eyes flashing as the prior amusement leaves their face.
Poseidon makes the mistake of imposing their aura on the being in front of them. By doing that, the being does the same, and Poseidon’s eyes widen as sheer terror fills his being.
There are no words in any language he knows that could describe what nothingness and everythingness feel like at the same time. It’s terrifying, overwhelming, absolute, final.
Poseidon knows exactly what Kosmas is, even if he himself has never had Hera’s experience of being so close to the existence that is Chaos. Poseidon quickly gets off of the chair and kneels once their aura is reeled in, knowing that one simple show of respect won't cancel out the many moments of disrespect he had shown the being, Chaos, already.
The god hears a loud sigh come from said being, the beginning of all, and he quickly says his goodbyes to his wife and children telepathically.
“Please, for the love of me, get up and sit down. I’m not going to smite you or throw you into me, believe it or not. Percy would never forgive me,” Chaos says, clearly annoyed.
Poseidon wastes no time getting back on his seat, gripping his Trident like a lifeline. Just as he opens his mouth, Chaos lifts a finger to signal him to wait.
“If you call me Lady Chaos, Lord of All, or the Great and Powerful anything, then I might actually be tempted to end your existence. As I am now, I have a name. Use it,” Cha- Kosmas warns.
“Of course, Kosmas,” Poseidon easily agrees, feeling sweat dripping down his neck.
“Good. Now, Percy has my essence as well as yours, so he is your child as much as he is mine. Even if he did not have my essence, it is I who have been here since his birth. It is I who changed every diaper, fed him, held him, cared for him as a mortal would. It is I who was present for all of his mortal child's firsts. Who answers his sudden onslaught of questions when he becomes curious about something. Who has our home and Percy himself warded against monsters, gods, and most of his primordial family members. He is my child,” Kosmas makes clear before looking more somber.
“Sally died and no, I did not think that would happen. I fully intended to let Sally raise Percy as she wished, and her death was a miscalculation on my part,” Kosmas explains, and Poseidon feels grief roll over him in waves.
Sally was truly a queen among women, and now she is gone. Poseidon knows that mortal lives are fleeting compared to the gods, but he never thought that she would be gone from him and Perseus so soon.
“I truly did not anticipate for that to happen, but when I realize it did, considering the Oath you were forced in and the… issues Zeus has with paranoia, the consequences should you have taken Percy would've been hefty. I decided to create a mortal shell for myself so that Percy could be raised in the mortal world until he no longer can,” Kosmas says, their tone a hint softer.
“He’s been using his abilities,” Poseidon brings up, “Is he aware of what he is?”
“He is, which is entirely my fault. What can I say? This is my first time being close to mortal,” Kosmas admits, rubbing the back of their head before shrugging.
“He’s always thought I was weird compared to mortal adults, and I was tired enough one morning to use my abilities around him without realizing it. He knows what I am, and he knows who you are to him and what you are. Thanks to my wards, his demigod scent is muted, and Erebus also watches over him for me so I don’t need to use my own abilities too often,”
“...What?” Poseidon questions.
Erebus? The Primordial of Darkness? Personification of Shadows? The Underworld itself?
He… watches over Perseus?
“Well, the more I use my abilities, the more likely my other children will take notice of Percy and I. Not that I think they’d do anything about it, but I’d like for Percy to have a somewhat normal upbringing, at least. His siblings can wait a few more years to meet him. Erebus is an exception because he found us due to using my powers as much as I did when Percy was first born. Aither, Pontus, Thalassa, Hypnos, and Morpheus are also aware, but are sworn to secrecy by me, of course,” Kosmas explains dismissively, as if hearing that the other primordials want to meet Percy is a normal occurrence.
“My ocean,” Poseidon mutters, making Kosmas roll their eyes.
“Erebus rarely stirs, but my sudden activity on this plane of existence intrigued him, and he finds Percy interesting. If a monster notices that Percy can see them, Erebus sends them straight to Tartarus. That’s not to say I don’t think he hasn’t been gossiping to his siblings before I could keep him shut, but,” Kosmas shrugs as if there's nothing they can do about that, “I let things be as is. Percy is my exception, but even then, I won’t fight his battles, nor tell him what to do with his life. I will be his parent, but in the mortal way. He’s not quite ready for the divinity that is me,” They continue.
The more Kosmas talks, the more Poseidon can feel the ichor in his veins leave his face.
“My point is, I intend to have Percy live in the mortal world as long as I can. He may know of the divine world, and he may be using his abilities, but I have no intentions to have him go to any camp until the ball starts rolling on that Great Prophecy. Not Camp Half-Blood, not Camp Fish-Blood, and not Camp Jupiter,”
At the mention of the Roman camp, Poseidon can feel Neptune come forth for a moment before he settles on being Poseidon again. Kosmas lets out a low whistle.
“Yikes. Well, if it makes either of you feel better, that schism issue gets resolved sometime soon. Or maybe not. Who knows?” They say, making Poseidon rear back in shock.
He doesn’t know if that means that they manage to unite the Greeks and Romans, or if they wipe each other out.
“If you want to talk about co-parenting, we can have that arranged, though whatever plans we come up with have to be discussed with Percy so they can be adjusted as needed,”
“...Co-parenting?”
Kosmas looks at him like he’s an idiot.
“Yes. Co-parenting. Percy stays with me during the week for school, and maybe he can go with you to Atlantis on weekends. He is especially shielded from the gods. So long as you don’t bring him around untrustworthy individuals, there would be no threat of the other Olympians knowing about him,” Kosmas suggests before deciding to eat a piece of bread.
Poseidon feels like he’s gone through so many emotions at once since arriving here, but even he can’t be distracted from the thought of being able to be around Perseus freely. He was never one to listen closely to the decrees his brother declared, always using the ways of the sea as an excuse for his closeness with his demigod children.
Poseidon couldn’t approach his children per the rules, but that could not stop them from coming to Atlantis via the sea, their domain, and doing as they wish away from prying eyes, as gods cannot enter the domain of another without permission. The same as the children of his older brother, Hades, do by going to the Underworld freely.
Especially when Kosmas, Chaos, the creator of all, is offering to have Perseus spend time with him with the additional security of wards? Well, who is Poseidon to say no?
“That sounds reasonable,” Poseidon slowly replies, feeling himself relax just slightly, “And what of the summers?”
Kosmas looks thoughtful for a few moments before grinning.
“Well, we could ask Percy what he thinks,” Kosmas replies before standing up, “I’ll go get him,”
Poseidon watches as the being walks off, already calling for the child. Barely a minute passes before Kosmas comes back, holding hands with Perseus, who comes barreling to him with bright, sea-green eyes and a wide smile.
Poseidon stands up to meet his demigod son.
His son. Sally’s son.
Chaos’ son.
“Are you really Poseidon?” He asks excitedly, his eyes widening comically when Poseidon nods and smiles warmly at him.
“I am, Perseus,”
At that, Perseus makes a sour face that reminds the god too much of his eldest son with Amphitrite, Triton.
“Perseus makes me feel funny. Call me Percy, please,”
Poseidon can’t help but be amused, but he obliges as they sit down at the table.
“My apologies, Percy. I.. am truly glad to meet you, my son,”
At that, Percy’s eyes practically sparkle, and that's when Poseidon realizes that the hue changes, just as the eyes of Kosmas, though they tend to settle on his sea green.
“I’m happy to meet you too! Ren said you were my Dad, and that you couldn't be around me or else you would be in trouble…” He trails off before his eyes widen in horror, and he looks back at Kosmas, “Is he gonna get in trouble?” he asks in a small voice, making Poseidon want to scoop the boy up in his arms and hold him close.
“No. My super duper cool powers will keep him out of trouble!” Kosmas declares, making some sort of pose that makes their boy relax and giggle before he turns back to him.
“Ren is super cool! Are you guys friends? Will I get to see you more? Can I go to Atlantis?” Percy asks, sounding more and more elated with each question as he practically vibrates on the spot.
Poseidon dares to glance at Kosmas, who is looking at Percy with a fondness he wouldn't think something of their calibre would be able to express. Poseidon lets himself rise to match his son’s enthusiasm.
“I’m not too sure if we are… friends quite yet, but we can be,” Poseidon decides to say, getting an approving nod from Kosmas, “We were just discussing how to split your time between us, so you can continue living your life mainly in the mortal world while still having a connection with me. Are you in favor of coming to visit me in Atlantis on the weekends?”
While Percy seems enthusiastic at first, he becomes hesitant and looks back at Kosmas again. Even Kosmas seems confused, raising a brow before approaching Percy and crouching down to his level.
“What’s up, pup?”
Poseidon raises a brow at the nickname.
He loves sharks, and baby sharks are pups, duh.
“Will you come with me to Atlantis?” Percy asks.
Kosmas smiles and hugs the boy, and Percy returns the hug fiercely as Kosmas looks at Poseidon, the answer quite obvious, though unsaid.
“...I have no qualms with your Ren coming along with you to Atlantis. It’s only natural that you would want to bring familiarity with you when in unfamiliar spaces, and considering we will be seeing much of each other, it would only be right,” Poseidon says, finding himself with little regret over it when Percy lights back up again and lets go of Kosmas to approach him again, thanking him over and over.
Poseidon settles for ruffling his hair, but when he reaches out, the boy takes a step back, making Poseidon blink in confusion.
“Ren says people should ask for permission before touching me, or else it can make weird people want to hurt me,” Percy huffs, looking quite adorable despite his seriousness before smiling again.
He grabs his arm and places his hand on his head with a wide smile.
“You can mess with my hair like Ren does, though. Unless I say no, but I usually like it, so it's okay,” Percy continues.
“Of course, Percy. Never let anyone touch you without permission,” Poseidon agrees, looking at Kosmas, who shrugs.
“I won’t apologize for protecting our kid from unwanted advances and unsavory beings,” Kosmas says unapologetically.
“You shouldn’t,” Poseidon agrees.
Perhaps co-parenting with Chaos itself will not be as bad as Poseidon initially thought.
Poseidon takes that thought back when he gets summoned to the deepest parts of the depths to come face to face with Pontus himself not long after.