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“The fates wove their tapestry just so, they made tragedy so well-tailored to your skin. It would be a waste to toss it aside, especially when your life has the potential for something so beautiful,” Melpomene whispered softly into Percy’s ear. Her voice scratched at the back of his neck, sending chills down his spine. Her nails dragged along his arms, leaving faint marks. “They outdid themselves with your life.”
“What did I do to deserve this?” Percy asked softly, his voice breaking. He knelt in the graveyard on the cold, wet ground. Tears freely flowed down his cheeks as he traced the etching of his mother’s and father’s name. He looked at the dried, long-dead flowers that decorated the site. “I can’t… I can’t do this.”
“Oh, little hero, your kind never have happy endings.” Melpomene kissed his temple. It was a sick mockery of how his mother used to kiss him goodnight. “Where you go from here is your choice alone. You denied immortality for your mother, for your friends. Where do you stand now?”
“I don’t want to live forever.”
“But do you want to die?” Melpomene’s hand caressed over his cheek, smearing his tears across his face.
Percy said nothing has he lowered his head to the ground. He breathed in the strong sent of moist dirt and decay. His finger tangled in the dead grass, pulling handfuls from the ground. He didn’t know how long he stayed there. Minutes. Hours. Days. All he knows is that when he stood, Melpomene was gone. Her disappearance didn’t make him feel any more alone.
He didn’t bother wiping the mud from his jeans. His eyes were red-rimmed and swollen. Painful. He brushed his fingers over their grave one last time, promising to return before walking out of the graveyard. He was in a daze as he walked back to what used to be his home.
There was someone else living there already.
He gazed through the window, looking at the awkward academic that was studying at a desk. They didn’t notice Percy. They were completely engaged in their reading, flipping between pages, and pulling out other books seemingly at random. There wasn’t a single trace of the family that used to live there.
Percy turned and walked away.
Percy walked. And walked. And walked. He walked aimlessly, no destination in mind. There was no one he had to visit. He had already told Chiron that he wasn’t staying for the year. He knew that he could have shown up and they would have accepted him with open arms, but he couldn’t handle their pity.
He couldn’t handle the air of mourning that was still hanging over camp.
He found himself on a dock. It shouldn’t have been a surprise; New York City was surrounded by water, and it had always called to him. He sat on the very edge, the bottoms of his sneakers just skimming the water. There were no ripples.
A strong scent of brine washed over him, overpowering the usual pollution that usually emanated from every inch of New York. He felt a warm presence appear next to him, pressed against his side, and wrapped about him.
“Did you know?” Percy asked, not looking over at his father.
Poseidon tightened his grip around Percy’s shoulders, pulling his son in close. “Not until this moment. The split was… difficult for me. I felt that something was wrong but didn’t know what until I saw you. Until I felt your sorrow.”
Percy had never felt smaller. He melted into his father’s touch, longing for every ounce of comfort he could get. “I don’t know what to do without them.”
Poseidon kissed the crown of his head. “I will be here to help you. After all you have done for this world, Zeus owes you this. I do not call you my favorite lightly, Perseus. I would have you in my life for eternity if you would let me. You are something precious that I wish to cherish.”
“How do I keep going when my family is dead?”
Poseidon took his son’s chin in hand and tilted his head, so they make eye contact. “My son, the divine side of your family still exists. We will last until the end of time itself. We are no less your family just because we bleed ichor.”
Percy’s face scrunched in pain. “… you’re right.” His shoulders fell in defeat. “Dad… what do I do?”
“Come home with me,” Poseidon said in a soft voice. “Come home with me to Atlantis. You deserve to feel safe.” Percy watched as his father stepped out onto the water, his feet being splashed lightly by the waves. He held out a hand to his son. “Please, Perseus. Let us take care of you, just this once.”
Percy started to reach out to his father. “But what about Zeus? Won’t he punish us?”
“He will not, you have given up too much to this world. He owes you this much. He will not say anything, I promise you this.”
Percy slowly nodded before taking his father’s hand, stepping out onto the sea. As the two sank beneath the waves, he watched as years were shaved off of his father’s face. Stress lines were smoothed over, and a light returned to his eyes. “Thank you, dad.”
“I should be thanking you; you have granted me the chance to be a true father.” Poseidon lightly tugged Percy forward, catching a current. They passed schools of fish, forests of seaweed, and grazing hippocampi.
Percy always felt most at home in the water, but he hadn’t ever realized how he truly belonged to the sea. He felt a long-forgotten song resonate in his soul. Even in the face of tragedy, he felt truly alive.
As they drew nearer to Atlantis, they busier the waters became. Curious sharks swam over to them, lightly bumping their heads against them. They startled a laugh out of Percy, who just lightly patted their heads as they chattered about how the young prince was home.
“It’ll just be the two of us for dinner, Amphitrite and Triton are visiting with one of her sisters right now,” Poseidon said, a firm hand on his son’s shoulder. “They should be back within the next few days.” The doors were opened by two large mermen, one wielding a trident and the other wielding a sword. They both bowed their heads in respect as their king swam past. “After we eat, I’ll show you to your rooms so you can rest.”
Percy nodded, staying close to his father. He felt like a young child holding onto their parent’s hand at a party. He didn’t know anyone, didn’t know the rules. All he could do was rely on his father to make sure that he would be okay. His father led him into a large hall, a long table in the middle that was already covered in a wide variety of foods. Both familiar and foreign.
Dinner passed in silence, the only sounds being the occasional scrape of cutlery against porcelain. Percy’s eyes began to feel heavy as he filled his stomach. He tried to fight against the draw of sleep, but after years of fighting and living in fear, his body was ready to drop.
As his eyes slid close, the last thing he saw was his father’s soft smile.
As Percy woke, the first thing he noticed was how comfortable he was. He was resting on a plush bed, surrounded by pillows and thick blankets. The second thing he noticed was how well rested he was. He hadn’t been able to sleep a full night in… he didn’t know how long. He didn’t consider Hera’s magical coma to be sleep, as he wasn’t conscious at the time. All she did was pause his life; she didn’t give him the benefits of a month-long sleep.
The third thing he noticed was the god leaning over his bed.
Percy rubbed his eyes. “Dad… what are you doing?”
Poseidon smiled down at his son, pulling him from the bed, blanket and all. “I want to eat breakfast with you. I’ve already had everything set up.” He wrapped an arm about Percy, leading his still-partly-asleep son outside of the castle into the gardens. Among the glowing corals and swaying seaweeds was a picnic blanket, already laid out and covered with every breakfast food imaginable.
Percy was pulled down to sit with his father. Sunlight streamed in weakly from hundreds of feet above. Percy knew that at this depth, there shouldn’t have been any natural light. There was magic at work for the kingdom to be so well lit by the sun.
“How are you feeling?” Poseidon asked, handing him a mug of hot chocolate that had been enchanted so it didn’t spill.
Percy took a slow sip. “I’m not okay… but I think I’ll get there.” He leaned against his father.
And to Poseidon, that was everything.