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Percy allowed his father to steer him away from Jason, even though all he wanted to was bury his face in Jason’s shoulder and never let go. Gods, Jason was his fiancé now. They were getting married. The feeling was so heady Percy thought he might collapse from it.
“That boy is very devoted to you,” Poseidon said quietly, breaking Percy from his thoughts. “You would not believe the things he did for you over these past two weeks. It is hard for me to allow a son of Zeus near you, but he is a good one.”
Percy smiled. He had been through hell and back this week for Jason, too, but hearing that it was mutual made his chest warm. “I know he’s a good one. Some days I just feel in awe that he is mine, and I am his. I can’t believe he chose me.”
Poseidon laughed. “He feels the same way, you know. You are the most powerful demigod in eons.”
“It’s not about power,” Percy insisted. “That’s one of the things I love about him. He doesn't love me because I am powerful, and he doesn't fear me for it either.” He said the last part quietly–it was still a bit of a sore spot for him. Fear was one of the main reasons he and Annabeth had broken up, after all.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Poseidon stopped Percy’s train of thought from spiraling any further, which Percy was endlessly grateful for. The two of them stopped walking, and Poseidon turned to face Percy. “You know that you are my favorite son.”
Percy blushed, but nodded.
“I have grown to love you unlike I ever have for any of my mortal children. When you were 16, I had hoped you would take the offer of immortality only because I could not bear to watch you die. But you turned down the offer for that Athena girl.”
“Not just her,” Percy said gently. “Immortality would be lonely. I didn't want to leave my life behind.”
“Since then,” Poseidon continued as if Percy had not added anything at all, “I have grown impossibly more fond of you. All of my immortal children think of you as their brother, especially Triton. Even my lovely wife has grown fond of you, too. It is your choice, obviously, but know that we all adore you. You are our family.”
“My choice? What are you talking about?”
“Let me finish, Perseus,” Poseidon said, laughter evident in his voice. If he was anyone else, Percy had no doubt he would be dead for interrupting a god, but luckily his dad loved him. “I also want you to know this is not a one time offer. You can take all the time in the world to think about it.” At Percy’s nod, he continued. “I spoke to Zeus about this too, before you ask. We want to offer both you and Jason immortality. In that way, immortality would not be lonely, although you would always have me and the rest of our family with you as well.”
“Oh, gods,” Percy mumbled, one hand flying up to cover his mouth in surprise.
“You are two of the most powerful demigods we have ever seen, and you both have done so much for Olympus. Together, you defeated both Kronos and Gaea. If you ever wanted immortality, both of you have more than earned it. You are already more god than man, anyway.”
Percy’s head was spinning. On one hand, the concept of immortality frightened him. It was so vast, and so unknown. If they became immortal, all of their friends would eventually pass away. His mother. Paul. All of the kids they trained at camp.
On the other hand, he could spend all of eternity with Jason. Jason had told him once, in the dead of night, that no amount of time would ever be enough with Percy. (Looking back on it, Percy was pretty sure that was a line from Twilight, but hey, at the time, it had been romantic as hell.) Thalia was immortal too, and many of the gods had even become their friends over the past years. Not to mention his dad’s side of the family. He really did love each and every one of them dearly, and becoming a part of their family permanently sounded rather appealing.
“Like I said, you do not have to make a decision any time soon,” Poseidon said gently. “Even if you decide no at one point then change your mind, the offer will still be up. And I would never, ever force this decision on you. As much as I want you by my side forever, what I want most is for you to be happy . Do not make this decision because of me, but because of yourself. Do you understand?”
“You would really be willing to put up with Jason for all of eternity for me?” That was the first thought that sprung to Percy’s mind. He flushed, embarrassed by it, but Poseidon just laughed.
“Don’t tell him I said this, but I actually really, really like him. I’m thinking of inviting the two of you to dinner next week so Amphitrite and your siblings can properly meet your fiance. Does that sound good?”
Percy nodded, then grinned. “Oh, he gets embarrassed so easily. That will be so fun.” Poseidon smiled too, then the mood sobered as they both remembered the reason for the conversation in the first place.
“I really appreciate the offer, Dad. I know it must not have been easy to convince Zeus to offer me immortality twice. But I will have to think about this, and talk to Jason and like, my mom before I decide anything.”
“All the time in the world, Perseus,” Poseidon reminded him, then pulled Percy into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you, you know that right? For everything you have done, and what you are doing now. I hope he will treat you as well as you deserve.”
Percy blinked back tears, melting into his father’s embrace. He always smelled like the sea–like home.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “And he will. I know he will.”
“I’ll see you next week for dinner,” Poseidon said, pulling away. “Bring Jason.” He added with a wink, before he disappeared into the sea. Percy laughed, wiping his eyes, then turned around to walk back to where Jason was waiting for him. He had a lot to think about.