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Poseidon has held hundreds of his newborn children over the centuries but it never fails to amaze him that something so small and pure as the babe in his arms could ever come from the Father of Monsters; with a mother like Sally Jackson, a queen among mortals, Poseidon comes to the conclusion that their son can only take after her. It’s the only explanation.
Percy is so small, so fragile.
Poseidon dares not move as he holds the sleeping baby for fear of awakening him, awakening his mother, alerting others of the god’s presence and wandering eyes towards the innocent child.
Kymopoleia was this small. His precious Hurricane was once this small and helpless but she became more.
Rhodes was this small. His intelligent Scholar grew up and became a queen.
Triton was this small. His wonderful son everything he could have ever hoped for in an heir.
Percy had his ichor flowing through his veins but his mother’s mortal blood diluted it too much for his liking. Ideally, Sally would have taken his offer to become a minor goddess in his court and Percy’s blood a golden hue.
Percy yawned in his arms and snuggled further in Poseidon’s embrace and the seas were calm.
“You are my son. A prince of the seas.” Poseidon whispered.
The young prince scrunched his nose and sea green eyes fluttered open to look at his father.
“One day, when it is safe, I shall bring you to the seas and introduce you to your family. They hate to stand back and leave you aside but understand it is to keep you safe.” Poseidon said with a heavy heart; Amphitrite longed to hold another babe in her arms, Triton desired to be an older brother again, Kymopoleia longed to create miniature hurricanes and storms for amusement, Rhodes longed to play older sister. The Nereids were all but held back, not wanting the King of the gods to notice their youngest prince.
The sea itself dared not show interest in its youngest but Poseidon was weak and in his weakness, went and held his son.
“They long to meet you.” He whispered.
He didn’t know what happened, what was wrong, or if it was just because, but Percy began to cry.
“Oh, no. Let’s not wake your mother.” Poseidon began to lightly rock Percy in his arms and began to sing softly a lullaby his mother sang to him before being eaten by the Titan Poseidon called father. “As the stars start to align, I hope you take it as a sign that you'll be okay.”
Percy whimpered and tears fell down his cheeks as Poseidon maneuvered him into a different hold and cradled his head.
“Everything will be okay.” Poseidon felt sick that he couldn’t promise anything for his youngest and, in sick relief, gratitude towards the Morai that Zeus’ daughter was years older and would reach sixteen long before Percy ever would. “And if the seven Hells collapse, although the day will be my last, you will be okay.”
Percy’s whimpers lessened and buried his face in his father’s neck.
“When I'm gone, you'll be okay.” Poseidon promised him. He would take care of Sally and Percy from afar. He would keep the monsters at bay and their eyes off his son. When the time came for Percy to go to Camp, he would be there in the storm and the rain, shielding them from the eyes of any who seek to harm his son.
With Percy calmed, Poseidon laid him back in the crib.
Looking into mirror eyes, Poseidon smiled and traced a finger down Percy’s cheek before creating a small stuffed whale shark and placing it in the crib next to him.
“I love you Perseus. I hope you know that.”
Percy yawned as the sea breeze caressed his cheek and ruffled his fluffy hair before dissipating.
///
For as long as Percy could remember, there was a melody in his memories. It could have been a lullaby his mother had sang to him but didn’t remember, or a song he heard as a toddler and it just burned itself into his psyche; he didn’t remember the words and therefore had no way of finding the song.
It was the melody he would hum to himself as he hid himself in the closet to hide from his stepfather’s drunken tirades.
It was the melody he would hum to himself as he started a new school, as he walked the halls alone, as bullies bigger than him would throw him into lockers or dump their food on him in the lunchroom.
It was the melody he would hum to himself to help him fall asleep that first night away at Yancy and every night afterwards until Grover couldn’t take his roommate anymore and moved into his dorm room.
After Grover, everything was okay.
He was okay.
Percy had a friend and it felt amazing to actually have a friend.
For the first time, Percy felt as if everything was okay.
Until it became the melody Percy hummed on the floor of the crowded Hermes cabin; surrounded by kids just as ignored from their parents as he was from the supposed father that wasn’t in fact, lost at sea.
“That’s a pretty melody.” His floor partner, an unclaimed kid of about nine, whispered.
“Sorry if I’m bothering you. I’ll stop.” Percy quieted.
“No, it feels hopeful. I actually think I’ll be okay when you hum.”
So Percy continued to hum.
Until he got claimed, Percy had thought he would be okay.
///
Percy held Annabeth under the water in the bubble he created; his heart twisting in empathy for his best friend as she sobbed in his arms and he could only hold her.
He rubbed her back as she wept and rocked her in the waves, wishing he could do more.
The melody he hummed when he was sad or lonely came to mind and Percy wanted his friend to feel better, so he hummed.
He hummed as he rocked her.
If he put words to the melody, he didn’t remember.
Barracudas circled them.
Sharks lurked in the wreckage of ships historic and new.
Still Percy rocked her and sang and hummed.
Slowly, slowly, Annabeth began to calm down.
Her hyperventilating eased, her tears ceased, yet her pounding heart continued to beat because her crush was holding her, singing to her, humming some nonsensical song about how she was going to be okay at the bottom of Siren Bay.
Annabeth whispered something to him.
The wax in his ears blocked the sirens’ call, it would block her whisper as well.
Still Percy held her until she felt okay.
It was the same melody he would hum to her that winter when he saves her from Mount Orthys; the same melody she would hum to herself the entire time she was kidnapped because she knew Percy would come and everything would be okay.
///
When Percy is pronounced dead and Annabeth volunteers to weave his shroud, she hums along to the memory of his voice as she unravels the shroud; delaying the funeral because they cannot have a funeral if there is no shroud to burn.
No one else would unweave the shroud.
No one else believed that Percy would be okay.
He had to be.
It’s only when one of the Hermes campers catch her unraveling the blue and silver shroud that Chiron has her under watch until she finishes.
“I know you wish… I too want,” Chiron sighs and his head bows. “I don’t want to believe he’s dead but with a volcanic explosion, odds of his survival are slim to none.”
“But he’s the one. He has to be! He’s not even fifteen!” Annabeth sobs, fingers weaving the son of Poseidon’s shroud; hating that her mother is a craftsman and a weaver and hating that she inherited the skill as the shroud is near complete.
“I wish I could say that everything will be okay, my dear.”
“I kissed him. I never even told him about the crush I have and I kissed him and he’s dead and-” Annabeth flinched as if the shroud burned her as she completed it.
“Then Percy died knowing that you loved him. I hope you take comfort in that.” Chiron helped Annabeth detach the shroud from the loom and walked with a hand around her shoulders, leading her to where the funeral was to be held. “I know it’s hard to believe right now, but you will be okay one day.”
Annabeth didn’t believe him.
Not until Percy crashed his own funeral.
///
In Tartarus, it’s impossible to feel as if everything will be okay when everything about their current situation is definitely not okay.
Not when the air is toxic.
Not when monsters are constantly attacking.
Not when Annabeth is cursed with blindness and crushing loneliness.
Not when Percy nearly dies, he’s convinced he did at one point, and wakes up in a giant’s bed with Annabeth at his side and Small Bob curled up on his chest.
Not when Misery poisons them or he her.
Not when Tartarus himself stares into Percy’s eyes and makes him feel fear.
Nothing is okay.
Annabeth and him are corpses that just happen to breathe when they collapse out of the elevator and their friends carry them out of the House of Hades.
It is only when they see the sun and the stars and feel the fresh summer breeze do they feel it might be okay.
///
Percy wakes to the sound of Estelle’s cries.
Paul and Sally are trying to shush her wails.
“Stella, your brother needs his sleep.” Paul pleads.
“She doesn’t want to eat, I don’t know what she wants.” His mom sounds on the verge of tears.
Percy rolls out of bed and shuffles towards his parents’ room.
“Stelly, please tell us what’s wrong.” Paul was offering her baby blanket and stuffed animals to no avail.
Percy shuffled across the room and held his hands out in grabby motions.
“Percy, honey go back to bed.” His mom sounded so tired.
“Gimme.” Percy yawned, his arms open.
Estelle whimpered and held her little hands out to her brother.
Percy took her from their mother and looked at the two frazzled parents; shocked that all Estelle wanted was her brother.
“You go back to bed, I got her.” Percy took her blanket and her blowfish from Paul. “She’ll be okay.”
Sally nodded and kissed her son’s cheek and her daughter's forehead.
“You get some rest, okay?” Paul ruffled his hair and led Sally back to bed.
“You got it dude.” Percy took Estelle back to his room.
Kicking aside a shield and some laundry that was not put away yet as he made his way to the bed.
“What’s my little Starfish sad about?” Percy asked. “Is it that I’m graduating and going to college?”
Estelle started to whimper and her little lip trembled in the moonlight.
“Oh, Starfish, you will be okay.” Percy promised.
Estelle started to cry again but Percy was prepared.
He didn’t know where the words came from, just that the somehow fit with the melody he had hummed for years.
“If the stars ever align, I hope you take it as a sign that you'll be okay. Everything will be okay.” As Percy sang, he used some of the water from his water bottle to form sea creatures that swam above her head.
Estelle looked up in awe as dolphins and otters and whales reflected moonlight across the room.
“And if the seven Hells collapse, although the day will be my last you will be okay,” Percy made a whale shark and the spots made the room look like it was covered in starlight.
“When I'm gone, you'll be okay.” Percy kissed her curls as Estelle yawned. “And if the heavens crash aground, I know you'll hear the trumpets sound. And you'll be okay.”
Estelle snuggled into her brother’s arms and he wrapped his arms tighter around her; as tired as he was being the gods chosen errand boy, he would do everything they asked if it meant Estelle will be okay.
“Everything will be okay.” Percy smiled softly as he watched his sister fall asleep. “I promise Starfish, I’ll make sure you’re okay.”
Percy didn’t have nightmares that night.
For once, he felt okay.