Chapter Text
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Percy was walking at the back of the class. The school had taken them on a visit to the aquarium, but Percy felt like something could go wrong any moment.
It always happened. Every time his mother got him a new school, he would get expelled after the first year or during it. And when things seem to go well, the little trips like this would fuck it all up.
He was just 7 at the moment he shouldn't be able to cause so much trouble. But somehow, even if it wasn't his fault, the others always made it his fault.
He decided to try and stand to the very back, hoping that they would forget he was there and nothing would happen.
No. He couldn't let anything bad happen again. His mother Sally would get distressed like always while searching for a new school for him.
She may never show it, but percy would always notice it anyway, and he couldn't let that happen.
Percy looked around the aquarium while making sure he didn't fall behind the group, his mother would never take him anywhere near the water, no lakes no beaches no pools no nothing.
Percy always thought it was because in some way she didn't want him to dissappear like his father did. 'lost at sea' She would say every time he asked about his biological father.
Now he's in an aquarium, the closest he'll ever get to water if his mom has any say in it. The place was relaxing but at the same time he felt weird, the fishes and sea creatures seemed like they were watching him, following his every move, he saw some getting out of hidding just to see him, maybe he was imagining things but it all felt way too real.
Percy watched in awe as some Crab seemed to want to impress him and did a flip...or at least tried because another Crab got in it's way and the flip was left unfinished. Percy could almost swear he could understand what they were saying and what they were thinking. But that was impossible, he knew better even if he was 7 he wasn't that dumb
The class was soon lead by the guide to the last stop.
'Okay children! We've been saving the best for last! Can everyone make a line please?'
The guide said.
The class of 7 year olds soon got into a line, they were all curious as to what the last room was.
Percy though stayed at the very back like he had been doing the entire visit and slowly they entered the room.
They found themselves over a metal platform above a huge water tank ,the kids were looking down the sides, Percy went to a side and leaned on the railings to see what they were watching. Sharks, they were over the shark exhibition.
'As this is the last stop. I need a volunteer, Who wants to feed the sharks?'
The guide asked.
The whole class had their hands up in no time except for Percy who did want to volunteer but he also wanted to stand low this visit, the guide however seemed to think that Percy being the only one to not raise his hand was the correct option for a volunteer.
'You what's your name?' The guide asked pointing at Percy.
'Me? Percy' Percy answered hesitantly not really wanting to stand out and mess something up.
'Yes, come on percy, don't be shy' the guide said as she signaled him to get close.
Percy reluctantly walked up to her doing his best to ignore the glares of his classmates and as soon as Percy was near, the guide put a hand on his shoulder and guided him to a control panel.
'Okay Percy. To feed the sharks you just gotta pull this red lever right here' The guide explained as she pointed to a red lever next to a blue lever in the control panel.
Percy nodded but before he pulled the lever he heard someone else.
'No! young lord, pull the blue one!' Percy heard. He looked around confused but he couldn't find the source of the voice.
'Down here young lord' Percy heard the same voice again and looked down the platform. There was a shark there.
'Pull the blue one please young lord' the shark said again.
Percy didn't know what to do. The shark was asking him to pull the blue lever but the guide told him to pull the red lever, how was he even understanding what the shark was saying? And why is the shark calling him young lord?
'Is everything okay Percy?' The guide asked seeing how hesitant he seemed to pull the lever.
'No it's okay.' Percy said and without thinking he pulled the blue lever.
The guide realized too late and before she could put the lever back in place, the platform made a few clicking sounds before rotating to the side and throwing everyone in it off balance.
Percy grabbed onto one of the railings trying not to fall as he heard all his classmates screaming while they failed to grab onto something and fell to the shark infested water.
The guide was thrown to the opposite side from the control panel and was desperately trying to make her way back, their teacher was trying to stay on the platform and stopping kids near her from falling but with the platform leaning more and more to side that proved to be difficult
Percy couldn't hold for long as the platform kept on rotating and he lost his grip. He didn't have any time to think before he fell into the water. The sounds from outside were instantly muted, he tried to hold his breath and swim back up but he didn't know how to swim. He felt skin make contact with him, the sharks were swimming around him pulling and pushing him down. Percy didn't know what to do, he was panicking more and more as the sharks pulled him deeper and deeper into the tank, he didn't know how to swim and he doubted that even if he knew he'd be able to with the sharks pushing and pulling him down. He wouldn't be able to hold his breath for much longer and he was sure the sharks would eat him as soon as he drowned, and just as the thought came to him a shark brushed against him scaring him and he accidentally inhaled water, he was sure he was done for, that's it, he was going to die because he got scared by a shark and inhaled water. He closed his eyes resigning and accepted his impending doom just hoping his mom wouldn't hate him for pulling the wrong lever, but extrangely he didn't feel anything change at all.
Percy opened his eyes and took a deep breath, he wasn't an expert on swimming or anything but he was sure that he should be drowning right now, not breathing under water, not like he was complaining though.
Percy looked around the sharks that were surrounding him but he realized it wasn't predatory, it was more like a ...greeting?. Then he heard it again but not just one shark, many.
'Young lord! We're honored you came to visit!' A shark said nudging him like a big sea puppy.
Percy was confused but he wasn't tense anymore, now that he wasn't panicked he could feel how the water seemed to give him strength, how he could breath even easier underwater than over it, he didn't see sharks intimidating anymore they were like big puppies, real big puppies from the sea.
He could feel the water moving drastically because of his classmates panicking to get out, he could hear the bubbles and the movement of the water, he could understand the sharks that were referring to him as "young lord" and making short talks and questions like he was a famous star.
He then heard hits against glass and when he turned to look he could see the visitors of the aquarium panicking and pointing at him like he was in danger, which they probably thought he was. Percy then turned his concentration back to the sharks that were fighting over who Percy liked more.
'I'm the best so it's obviously me' Said a shark as it gently nudged Percy
'What are you saying? I was the one who asked him to pull the lever! so it's obviously me, since he granted my wish' another shark said getting near Percy.
Percy decided to let them talk about that and instead he got distracted inside his own thoughts.
If they acted like sea puppies could he treat them like puppies? So Percy reached his hand to one and started to pet it, at first the shark went still along with the rest as they watched, then the shark let himself get pet while the rest watched with jealousy.
'My turn young lord!' Said a shark getting near him
'No! Me next please young lord!' Another said and soon the sharks were fighting for who Percy would pet next.
Then Percy realized he still hadn't asked the question he has been wanting to ask the most ever since the first shark asked him to pull the blue lever.
Why were they calling him "young lord"?
But before Percy could ask he felt hands grab him and pull him up until he was back on the surface again.
The platform was back in place and his classmates were all in it with sheets around their shoulders, some were crying or trembling in shock. His teacher Mrs. Kary was kneeling in the side of the platform and took him from the person that brought him back to the surface and into the platform.
'Are you okay?!' Mrs. Kary asked him in panic, she was wet, she probably fell into the water too at some point after he fell
'Why did you do that!? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?!' Mrs. Kary asked him with a mix of worry and anger, she was too blinded by her emotions she didn't even notice Percy was completely dry, not even he himself noticed and if anyone did, they didn't say anything.
'I'm sorry, I got distracted and pulled the wrong lever! I didn't mean to...' Percy said, it wasn't the complete truth but it wasn't a lie either.
'That's everyone right?' The guide came up to Mrs. Kary to make sure no kids were missing.
Turns out she was the one that pulled him out of the water, as a worker of the aquarium she took the responsibility to take the kids out of the water safely after fixing the platform.
'Yes. Thank you for your help, I'm sorry for all the trouble ' Mrs. Kary said
The guide looked at percy with worry but more anger than anything else.
'Why would you do that? I specifically told you the RED lever' the guide said trying not to show her anger even though it was evident.
Percy didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. The guide turned around and started guiding the kids out of the room, his teacher Mrs. Kary said that the visit was over and they would wait on the aquarium's lobby for their parents to pick them up and everyone followed the guide out the room and into the lobby.
Percy sat down in a couch in the lobby with a sheet sitting uselessly around his shoulders since he didn't feel cold or even wet(because he was completely dry). He watched the door of the aquarium open and close each time, expecting to see his mother but it always was someone else's parent.
He was one of the last 5 kids remaining, he knew his mother was at work but surely she would come for him as soon as she's called.. right?.
But then all his hopes of his mother picking him up banished when he smelled him before he even saw him.
Gabe. He entered the lobby with his usual act of a 'Good' stepfather, going to Mrs. Kary and she explained the situation.
Percy tensed immediately, Gabe wasn't going to be happy. He would be pissed about having to pick him up, his mother wouldn't be back from work in hours and Gabe would beat him up for wasting his time like this. He couldn't, he didn't want to go back with Gabe to be beaten up until his mother was back from work, no he couldn't,no..
A shadow fell upon Percy, Gabe was standing infront of him with his fake 'I care about you' facade he always put on when there was people around. Gabe didn't say anything, simply turned around and started walking towards the exit, Percy followed in silence, he knew Gabe wouldn't say anything until they were alone.
They got out of the aquarium and when finally there was nobody around Gabe threw his facade and glared at him.
'YOU THINK I HAVE TIME TO WASTE PICKING YOU UP EVERY TIME YOU GET IN TROUBLE?!' Gabe yelled grabbing Percy's wrist harshly.
'YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO PICK ME UP!' Percy answered and immediately regreted it when he felt a sharp pain in his cheek and his nose started bleeding.
'DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!' Gabe yelled
That's when Percy knew he couldn't stay.
That's when Percy knew he wasn't going back to the apartment with Gabe.
That's when Percy decided he wasn't going to stay with Gabe not even for a second longer.
And that's when he ran.
He ran, ignoring the pain in his cheek.
He ran muting out the yells and threats of Gabe.
He ran letting the sheet over his shoulders fall.
He ran without daring to look back at Gabe chasing after him.
....
Percy didn't know where he was running to, he didn't know for how long he had been running, but his feet knew exactly where they were heading. The beach. Percy stopped as he looked down into the water, his breath was messy because of for how long he had been running He took a moment to gather his thoughts. The sound of the water helped him calm down, the waves crashing gently against his feet felt like they were calling for him, telling him to get in, and he did.
Percy closed his eyes and walked into the sea letting it rise over him. Covering him up to his knees, then his waist, then his neck and finally letting it cover him entirely.
Almost immediately he could feel the pain of the hit in his cheek leave him like it never even happened in the first place, he could breath easier underwater so his breath calmed down almost instantly too.
He opened his eyes and kept on walking deeper into the sea, he didn't know how any of what happened today was possible or what he was doing, but it felt right.
He walked deeper and it didn't take long before lots of fish swam to him and just like the sharks he could understand them, the fish were asking what he was doing or where he was going. He always answered the same
'I don't know'.
He walked deeper getting in conversations with sea creatures that swam to talk with him, until one specific sea creature he had never seen before swam to him.
It looked like a horse but it had the tail of a fish, a hippocampi, how did he knew what it was called? He didn't know he just .... knew.
'Young lord, if i may know.Where are you headed to?' The hippocampi asked
'I don't know, I just want to get away from Gabe' Percy said
'Gabe? Who is Gabe?' The hippocampi asked curious
'A smelly weirdo' Percy said not wanting to talk about him
'Sounds bad. Is there anything I can do for you young lord? Perhaps take you to your father?' The hippocampi suggested
At that Percy's eyes widened, his father? His biological father? The one lost at sea?
'My father?' Percy asked in disbelief
'Yeah. The lord will be happy to see you, young lord' the hippocampi said
'Take me' Percy said without thinking much of it. His father? Did this hippocampi really knew his father? What does it mean by lord? Is that why every sea creature refers to him as "young lord"?
The hippocampi did a backflip underwater to express some kind of excitement before signaling to it's back.
'Get on young lord! It's a long way from here!' The hippocampi said.
Percy got on the hippocampi's back, it was surprisingly easier than he expected.
The hippocampi then started swimming deeper into the sea with Percy over it.
They were going to his father, and Percy was going to find out why his father had left them with smelly Gabe, he was going to find answers to the breathing underwater and the "young lord" title and the understanding sea creatures...
And probably find out how he now knew the name of every sea creature he crossed since he doesn't remember the hippocampi ever mentioning it's name was Karlo.