Chapter Text
Going to the Underworld was not something that could be considered fun . Quite the opposite. It was dark. It was dank. It was depressing. Unfortunately, it was also the place one particularly solitary goddess called home, with said solitary goddess requesting an audience and refusing to be forthcoming of the details. Of course.
Fortunately for Triton, Hecate requested that they meet in a cave by the Styx rather than in her chambers within Hades’ Palace. He may have been one of the messenger gods, but he didn’t want to catch his uncle on a bad day due to the season. He also wasn’t looking forward to a meeting with the Queen of Witches, but he knew that if he ignored it she would find some way to hex him. That was the last thing he needed on top of everything else.
Still, would it have killed her to pick somewhere nicer for their oh-so-secret meeting? He would’ve taken the Sea of Monsters at this point.
The immortal son of Poseidon clutched his trident in one hand and his war trumpet with the other as he ventured towards the goddess’ cave, once again questioning why he agreed to do this. Entering the cave didn’t make him feel any better. If he could describe the sight before him in one word, it would’ve been: peculiar .
The cave was bigger on the inside, with a multitude of candles suspended in the air, their flames flickering against the cave walls and illuminating the room in a low light. A bubbling cauldron was tucked into the far corner, green smoke wisping from the contents and twisting itself into different shapes. Against the wall on the far stood a table holding a crystal ball and cards that shuffled themselves while suspended in the air. Bookshelves crammed with tomes wrapped around the cave walls and a cabinet containing gods-knew-what hung above the cauldron. It was truly an odd sight, and Triton would’ve been very happy to turn around and walk out if he hadn’t known that Hecate would’ve placed some sort of jinx on him if he did.
So , steeling himself, he cleared his throat and stepped fully into the ‘room’ within the cave. “I received your message, Hecate. I hope you know that I have important business to take care of that I pushed aside to come here for.” He called out.
There was no answer at first, but Triton knew better than to let that fool him. If he could count on one thing it was that Hecate had a flair for showmanship and she more than likely had already known he was there before he even called her out. In the time it took for him to blink, the Triple Goddess was sitting in a plush recliner, a thick book in her hands as if she had been there for a long while.
Her green eyes flicked up at him and she marked her place with a bookmark before shutting the tome and placing it in her lap. “I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come in, Lord Triton.” Her voice held a dreamy quality to it, and the almost whispered words seemed to echo in the expanse of the cavern they were in that sent tingles running down his spine.
He gave her a short bow, though his brows were furrowed in slight irritation and discomfort due to being so far removed from the sea. “Lady Hecate, I was surprised you asked to see me.” He said stiffly as he remained standing awkwardly in the entrance.
Hecate beckoned him in with a wave of her hand, and Triton awkwardly moved from the entrance to a matching plush chair that had appeared in front of her. He sat down rigidly, and the goddess let out a small laugh behind her pale hand. “No need to be so stiff, my Lord. Formalities are not required here. After all, we are family, are we not?” She tilted her head slightly, her luminous green eyes seeming to see into and through him in a way that very much unnerved him.
She didn’t give him a chance to respond before she let out a small gasp and her mouth fell open in slight surprise. “Oh, but how rude of me. I didn’t offer you any refreshments. Please, take a cup. And get comfortable, as I feel this will be quite the discussion.” She gestured in front of them and a small table appeared between them off to the side. On it were two goblets full of nectar and a platter of ambrosia.
Hecate herself took one and sipped at it while watching Triton slowly reach over to take his. They sat in silence for a few moments, Hecate with a dreamy smile on her face and Triton trying (and failing) to get comfortable. Finally, he spoke. “You summoned me here for a reason, did you not? I wish to conclude this business as I do have other duties to my father I must fulfill.”
A satisfied grin stretched across Hecate’s face and she placed her goblet back on the table. Damn her, she wanted him to break the silence first. “Tell me, do you recall when we settled in England for a few centuries? The little… pet project… of mine?” She questioned.
The Messenger of the Seas narrowed his eyes at her in some suspicion. Of course he remembered that time. It was quite the creational period for his father, if he remembered right, along with some collaborative efforts between his uncles and his father. It was the first time in millenia that the three sons of Kronos actually got along and didn’t threaten each other with war.
“I do… what of it?” Was his response.
“Well, as I’m sure you know, they’ve been kept separate from the rest of us for centuries. I’ve kept them in a bubble and they have forgotten the old ways of the gods.” She looked off to the side as she spoke, her tone wistful and longing.
“If I recall correctly, you were the main reason why that was.” He pointed out.
It was true. His father was enamored with the little race of sorcerers, as well as all the other gods. However, they began to lose faith in all of them except for Hecate. Even then they eventually ceased worshiping her and focused on such silly things like blood purity . Poseidon was gloomy about it for decades , and neither he nor his mother were able to put him out of his mood until he eventually chose to forget about them. Throughout all of this, Hecate didn’t bother to correct them, choosing instead to soak up the worship in order for her to feel important (not that Triton blamed her since the ‘minor’ gods were less ‘relevant’ than the Twelve). Of course, the other gods became jealous and ceased to interact with them any longer until they were worshiped again.
He was almost surprised they were that lenient, but then again they had begun to feel the pull of civilization moving and moved to America some decades later.
Hecate nodded in response to his statement. “I will admit, I got a bit… presumptuous.” She frowned before she shook her head. “But I don’t see a reason why times can’t change. Everything comes full circle, does it not? History repeats itself.” She gave him a secretive smile and Triton felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation.
“What is your point, Hecate? Why have you summoned me here? I doubt it is to relive old memories.” He snapped.
His frustration grew when she calmly took a sip of nectar and stared down into the cup as if she could divine answers from it. She was silent for so long, he was tempted to take his chances with whatever curse she sent at him and go about his day when she answered again in a voice so quiet he nearly missed it. “There is a terrible future in store, Triton.” She told him, her voice now serious and, if he was listening correctly, perhaps containing a hint of fear? “I can sense that we are on the verge of something that can change the course of history.”
Now he was listening. Despite any misgivings, she was the Goddess of Crossroads, meaning she could see into the future to a degree. He would be a fool not to pay attention.
At his motion to go on, she continued. “You are aware of the Great Prophecy, are you not? No need to lie to me, Triton. I am aware that it is confidential knowledge, but all of Olympus is aware of it already.” She held up a hand as Triton had opened his mouth to do just that, but closed it and grumbled to himself. “I can feel that it will be fulfilled soon, within a century at least.”
That… was quite the statement. He gave her a hard look as he mulled over her words. “You’re certain of this?” He questioned.
She nodded. “I have confirmed this with the Moirai.”
That simple statement shouldn’t have made Triton shiver as he did. If they were involved, then it must be true. One didn’t just casually speak with them.
He had a sinking suspicion as to why she brought that up and why he was there. He thought back to how shifty his father had been for the past few months and frowned. As much as his father tried to be sneaky, he was very much not . It was obvious to both him and his mother that he had another fling with a mortal and had more than likely sired another child.
As much as he hated it, he couldn’t find it in himself to hate his father or the mortal woman that had caught his eye. He knew his mother got a kick out of seeing him try to hide it, to the point where it was almost like a game to them. Some weird, convoluted, game that he had no hope nor want of understanding.
So there was one thing explained, but why in the world was Hecate…
“You’re questioning my involvement.”
Yes, he was, but why did she have to look so damned smug about it?!
“Perhaps…” He ground out through gritted teeth.
A secretive smile graced her lips and she sat back in her seat. “Like I said, history repeats itself, and everything will come around full circle.”
That didn’t answer his question in the slightest.
His irritation getting the better of him, he stood with enough force to cause the chair he was sitting in to slide back. “If you’re going to continue badgering me with riddles and cryptic puzzles then I will see myself out.” He growled, already turning to leave.
“Wait! Please!”
If it wasn’t for the note of desperation in her voice, Triton would have ignored her and continued on his merry way. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh, and sat back down in the chair. The Messenger of the Seas gave her a pointed look. “Talk.”
She let out a sigh and traced her finger on the book in her lap. “If my visions are correct, and if I am understanding the counsel of the Three, then I believe your brother will be the bridge between our world and the world of magic that I have guided. Furthermore, I foresee that he will have the potential to bring either preservation or destruction to the world.” She finally said.
His jaw clenched as she said that. So she was assuming that the Great Prophecy was upon them, and that it was regarding this unknown child of his father. He let out a huff and allowed disinterest to mask his features, not giving any evidence to the painful twisting of his insides. “And what does this have to do with me? Surely you didn’t wish to tell me something I would have found out eventually.”
Hecate didn’t answer for a moment, choosing instead to stare off at a place over his shoulder. “Why do you hate your father’s children, Triton? I know you to be a god that values family. Surely you cannot blame the children for their father’s indiscretion.” He bristled at that, but she continued. “Or, perhaps you don’t actually hate them.” A sad smile was aimed in his direction, and he braced himself for the next words she would speak.
“It’s always hard when we outlive them, isn’t it?”
He felt as if a dagger were thrust straight into his heart. She would know, of course she would. She understood the pain of being an immortal and having mortal children. She knew the pain of having to burn their shrouds and bodies when their life strings were cut. She didn’t have to call him out on it, though.
His eyes were narrowed at her. “And your point is?”
Another smile graced her features and she stood up, extending her hand down for him to take. “Come with me. I wish to show you something.”
He looked between her and the outstretched hand with suspicion before he stood and grasped it. As soon as he did so, the room seemed to spin around them in a whirl before stopping. They were now in a nursery in a New York apartment, a crib stood in the middle of the room and a mobile with smiling fish hanging from it slowly turned over it. There was just a trace of godly power there, but it was enough for him to know that his father had just been here prior to their arrival.
A heavy weight settled in his gut as he looked at the cradle. “This is-”
Hecate shushed him gently as she dragged him over to the crib. “We don’t want to wake him.” She chided softly as they approached.
Her face lit up as she saw the babe within, but Triton still refused to look. He couldn’t allow himself to. It had been so long, so long since he closed his heart off to others. How could he rightly rejoice when his own daughter had fallen millennia prior?
Hecate had no such inhibitions, choosing instead to reach in and pick the child up. She made cooing noises as she held him (the wrong way, Triton noted with annoyance), rocking him a bit too hard for his comfort. The baby made noises of discomfort, and Triton knew that he was going to cry any moment with how the goddess held him.
When the first cry left his mouth, Triton’s resistance crumbled and he snapped. “For goodness sake woman!” He all but snatched the baby out of her arms and gently maneuvered him so that he was laying securely in his arms. “Do you not know how to hold a child?!” He hissed.
Hecate, for her part, was looking entirely too smug. “I do, but I wanted to see if you remembered.”
Whatever retort he had on the tip of his tongue died when a tiny hand touched his chest. The god looked down and was met with wide sea green eyes. He ceased breathing for a few moments as he took in the baby’s appearance. A mop of jet black hair crowned his head, and his skin possessed a natural tan that made him seem to glow in the moonlight. When Triton looked down at him, the baby gave him a wide toothless smile showing dimples and laughed.
Oh… oh Styx . He was doomed.
Triton’s features softened and he gently rocked him back and forth. A pang entered his heart, as he knew Pallas would have loved him. Perhaps… perhaps the witch woman was right. It had been too long since he allowed himself to love. To hold a child in his arms.
“Perseus.”
He locked eyes with Hecate and she repeated herself with a smile. “His name is Perseus.”
Triton’s face twisted in distaste, which the goddess couldn’t help but laugh at. “ Perseus ? Of all the names they could have chosen and it had to be a son of my Lord Uncle ?” His tone did nothing to hide the indignation of the name.
Hecate had the nerve to simply shrug.“It seems so. Whether you like it or not, that is his name.”
He rolled his eyes but elected to remain silent, choosing instead to look down at his baby brother who had begun to close his eyes from Triton’s rocking. He couldn’t help but feel dread as he looked down at him. “He’s going to suffer in life, isn’t he.” He knew the answer before Hecate spoke, and even then it was just to confirm his fears.
“He is the product of a broken oath made on the Styx. Life will not be kind to him. He will face much, suffer much, endure much. But you need not simply watch from the sidelines.” She said. When he gave her a questioning look, she continued. “He will need you in the future. Not as a deity, but as a brother. Tell me, Triton. Can you be a brother to him?”
She looked him in the eye as she asked this, her gaze severe and once more looking through him. Had he encountered the boy later in life, he would’ve shrugged the notion off and treated him as any other bastard child of his father. Now that he met the child, though, and held him in his arms… well… Triton was beginning to second guess his view on his father’s demigod children.
Especially now as he saw how peaceful the child was when he was sleeping. It was interesting, despite the fact that he was the product of an affair, Triton couldn’t help not hating him. Quite the opposite, really. The god’s shoulders sagged in defeat and he nodded.
“I assume you have something in mind.”
He could practically feel Hecate’s self-satisfied smile as she moved to him and gently took his brother from his arms. She cradled him in hers (the proper way, thank goodness) and murmured words of magic in a tongue only she knew before setting him back in the crib. "I do. And I have already begun to set it in motion.”
He waited for her to elaborate, but instead she brought out an object from the depths of her robe. It was silver and looked to be a long and thin metal rod with a handle on one end and a carving of some kind on the other. Triton’s eyes narrowed as he saw her pull the object out and he let out a whispered sound of alarm as she held it in her hands. “Hecate. Is that a Pit-damned brand ?!” He hissed incredulously.
She had the audacity to shrug. Again. “In a sense. But also not.”
This woman was going to be the fading of him, he guaranteed it.
“Unless you plan to dabble into livestock, I do not see why you would need a brand around my brother. My infant brother.”
She brushed off his concerns dismissively. “It binds with moonlight and shadow, he will not be harmed. I swear it on the Styx.” The roll of thunder didn’t quite settle his nerves, but he nodded while still keeping an eye on her and his fingers itching towards his conch shell. If he so much as heard one little peep out of his brother from Hecate’s witchcraft, he was going to take him back to his father’s palace and hide him away.
Hecate was ignoring the agitation of her fellow deity as she strode to the window where the full moon was shining though. Her eyes closed and she once more began to murmur in the ancient tongue of magic she herself had woven into being long before. Triton could feel the air thicken as the magic bent to its maker’s will and intent.
The brand in her hands began to glow silver beneath Artemis’ light, and only when he was sure it would cause a disturbance did she bring it back inside. She continued to speak the language of magic as she walked back to the crib. The scent of incense hung thickly in the air and reed torches suddenly appeared in each corner of the room.
She raised the brand above her head as she chanted a few more words and then brought it down to his brother’s forehead. He was fully preparing to hear his brother cry and smell flesh sizzle, but there was none of that. Instead, the light that was collected in the brand seemed to flow into his forehead and condense there into a glowing mark. When she pulled the brand away, it revealed a glowing silver mark of three moons.
“He has been Witchmarked.” She informed him, choosing not to further elaborate as she turned back to face him and handed him a small rolled-up scroll. “I will require these items in three weeks’ time. Then, I shall elaborate more.”
He took the offered scroll and held it to his side. “I assume, then, that you will watch over him?” He questioned.
A knowing smirk was the response he received. “Do I really need to?” She retorted before she was gone in a whirl of incense and candle smoke.
Now left alone with his brother, Triton let out another sigh and stepped over to the crib. He stood there, for a moment, just gazing down at his slumbering brother. Another sigh left him, one of regret, as he lowered his hand to stroke his brother’s hair.
“You may not always know it, but we will always be watching you.” He whispered in the ancient tongue. “You may resent him, you may even hate him, but know that his actions shield you from the wrath of those who would have no qualms killing you. Though it goes against every piece of logic I can muster, I will do my best to shield you from harm. And I vow to always watch over you.”
Triton then lowered his head and placed a kiss on Perseus’ forehead before standing up. Slowly, a fond smile came to his face as he turned to leave. “Rest well… little brother.” He whispered before he vanished, leaving behind the scent of seaspray.