PJatO || Tritercy || PJatO || Tritercy || I Remember || Tritercy || PJatO || Tritercy || PJatO

Title: I Remember – Saving Percy

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; post both series

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, hurt/comfort, depression, magic, human-turned-merman, explicit intercourse, anal, merman-sex, mating, mpreg, hetero

Main Pairing: Triton/Percy

Side Pairings: Paul/Sally, Poseidon/Amphitrite

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Tyson, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis

Godly Characters: Triton, Rhode, Kymopoleia, Benthesikyme, Proteus, Poseidon, Amphitrite, Triteia, Pallas, Calliste, Aphros, Bythos

Summary: In a car accident, Percy loses the ability to walk. He slowly fades away and there is nothing anyone can do about it. At least until Triton offers a solution.

I Remember

Saving Percy

Sally couldn't remember what her son's smile looked like.

It broke her heart and at least five nights a week, it was why she cried herself to sleep. She had faint memories of how it used to be. That energetic little bundle of joy she called her son, running around, screaming and laughing. Riding – horses or later on pegasi. When he fought, he looked like he was dancing, so graceful and elegant. Not at all how she would have described her son before. He had been so full of energy and laughter, she'd never forget the little boy who tugged at her hand as he practically ran through the zoo to get to the marine animals.

But his smile itself, it seemed to fade in her memory more and more. Over a year, it had been over a year now that Percy had last smiled. Not just at her, but in general. Over a year.

About thirteen months ago, the last time he had smiled at her, he had been on his way to prom. He had been so happy, even though she didn't remember the look on his face, she knew for a fact that he must have been smiling and laughing. He had been going with a classmate – with his boyfriend of a few months. He had been so carefree and promised to be careful, not to drink too much.

He hadn't, neither had his boyfriend. But the guy who had hit their car full-force had been completely wasted. Percy's boyfriend lost his life, Percy lost his legs. Paralyzed from the waist down. For months, Percy had been in the hospital, then in physical therapy. They had consulted dozens of doctors – Nico and Hazel had paid to fly in the best of the best world-wide thanks to their affliction to wealth and riches. But they all said the same thing. There wasn't anything they could do. Rachel literally dragged Apollo in to check Percy and say something different. Some things just couldn't be healed, not even nectar or ambrosia could heal the injuries he had suffered months ago. And the gods couldn't hand out favors. He hadn't said it like that, but it was the sum of it all. If the gods would start brewing up miracle elixirs just like that, where would they draw the line? Leo had protested the loudest. They had conjured a cure for death itself, but they couldn't restore Percy's legs? Annabeth had screamed her head off, cursed the gods for letting Percy down after everything he had done and given up for them. Jason, Reyna and Frank had already been in the middle of cooking up some kind of plot to break into Olympus and raid Apollo's personal medicine cabin, with the aid of Piper's charmspeak to distract Apollo. It had warmed Sally's heart to see them.

The worst however was Percy, because he had simply done nothing. After having been told for the umpteenth time that there was nothing that could be done, he had completely resigned himself to his fate. All his friends, his mother and brother and stepfather, they all tried to coax him out of his resignation. It was so unlike Percy to give up. If there was even a speck of hope – no, scratch that, even the tenth of a scrap of a speck of hope – then Percy would fight tooth and nail.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, but I just... I just... I c—can't...", had Percy admitted under tears, breaking down in front of his family and friends. "I can't... I can't live like this, with all of you trying to give me hope. With every new doctor you drag in, with every god you pray to, I feel this spark of hope. And then that someone just stamps on it and I can feel something inside of me... breaking. It breaks more and more with every failed attempt and... and if... if we keep doing this, there will be nothing left of me... I don't... I don't have the strength anymore... I just... can't..."

At first, they respected his wishes for a little while, but then they started plotting behind Percy's back, trying to find anything. The longer all of this dragged on, the more they could all relate to what Percy had confided in them. They constantly got each other's hopes up just to trample them again. After a few months, they started to give up, one by one. Not on Percy. Never on Percy. But on trying to find a cure for Percy. Instead, they focused their time and effort on Percy and lifting his spirits, supporting him in his healing progress – or as far as there was a healing progress. Physical therapy was hard and frustrating. It brought out the worst in Percy. He grew angry and lashed out, which seemed just as untypical for Percy, but they all tried to accept it and help. It was just... they couldn't really help. It was up to Percy, all up to Percy. And he wasn't strong enough, neither physically nor mentally. All his friends and family could do was watch him fade away.

It was that night, thirteen months after the accident, the night that Sally realized she started to forget her son's smile, that she prayed. She prayed and begged for Poseidon to help and he came.

"I... can't... I'm sorry, Sally, but this is beyond my powers", whispered the god, not daring to look at the heartbroken woman. "I would, in a heartbeat, but... but this is nothing I can do..."

Her shoulders were shaking as she started crying. Of course he wouldn't be able to help either, but somehow, she had hoped there would be some miracle that Poseidon had worked. After all, he had been the one to create this beautiful boy together with Sally. She thought he could save their son. He wrapped his arms around her, hold her close until her tears slowly subsided.

"Why... Why him?", asked Sally, her voice hoarse from crying.

"I don't know", admitted Poseidon, looking over her shoulder at one of the pictures on the wall.

"H—He has been nothing but kind...", continued Sally, fingers clawed into his shirt, holding onto it for dear life. "He fought your quests and your wars and slayed your monsters and... and now that he needs you, none of you can or will help him... I just... I just want my Percy back..."

"I know", whispered Poseidon, eyes tightly closed. "I know."

/break\

Six gods swam in a half-circle around a window, watching the coral garden while whispering to themselves. Merpeople, in nearly all the colors of the rainbow. The queen, a soft pink color in skin and tail, looked the most concerned, her arms crossed over her chest. Her children – green, orange, purple, red and yellow – all whispered among themselves, exchanging glances and looks.

"Someone has to talk to father", declared Benthesikyme, flapping her purple fish-tail once.

"Yeah, not me", snorted Kymopoleia, her face an even darker shade of red than normal in irritation. "I'm not good with those... feelings-things. Rhode should do it. She's a wimp."

"I am not a wimp!", protested the yellow mermaid with a pout.

"Yeah, you're all about talking and holding hands and stuff", snorted Kymopoleia, rolling her eyes.

"Enough", declared their oldest brother Proteus, glaring at them both. "No need to bicker."

The orange merman was the tallest of them and even though he was kind of nature, he could be easily intimidating if he wished to be. Triton heaved a sigh as he watched his siblings and mother.

"Very well, I'll go and speak to father", volunteered Triton after another moment.

Amphitrite smiled sweetly at him, expressing silent gratitude with that one look. She had already tried to consult her husband, but that the matter at hand was one of Poseidon's illegitimate children made the conversation decidedly more rocky. Triton swam through the open window down to the garden. There was a statue of Percy Jackson, standing tall and glorious after defeating Kronos. Poseidon had been so ridiculously proud when his son had risen to be the savior of Olympus, had commissioned the statue right away to forever honor his demigodly son. Now all this statue did was to remind Poseidon that Percy would never stand tall and glorious again. He would never stand at all. Bound to a chair with wheels, defeated by easy tasks like going to the toilet, frustrated by simple things like being unable to reach the cupboards in the kitchen.

"Father", called Triton out to alert Poseidon of his presence.

"Mh?", grunted the lord of the sea, not taking his eyes off of the statue.

Poseidon looked very old these days, so much older than Triton had ever seen him. Worn out. It was one thing for the gods to lose a child during battle, during quests, at the claws of monsters. But losing a demigod son who had fought two wars successfully, who had saved Olympus two times, to such a thing as his own mind. Injured by a drunk mortal's driving, not the minotaur or something else impressive. A common human tragedy – and it made the matter only so much worse.

"You have to move on", pressed Triton sternly as he came to stand next to Poseidon.

"He looks so proud", whispered Poseidon, not minding Triton at all. "Look at him, he's all smiles and sparkly eyes. Who made the statue? I wish to add to their reward. This truly looks like him."

"I'll make sure it will be arranged", sighed Triton and shook his head. "Please, father. You need to let this go. You've lost Theseus, Bellerophon, Cycnus, Aethusa, Euphemus, Erginus... It's the fate of demigods to perish, father. And it's the fate of us gods to move on."

"He hasn't perished", spat Poseidon and turned to glare at Triton. "He's alive. He's alive, but he wishes he wasn't and I can feel it and it breaks my heart. I can't help him."

Triton heaved another sigh and averted his eyes. He understood that. He understood how much it pained Poseidon. Being helpless was the worst feeling, especially for an almighty god. There had to be something that could be done – and that thought alone was ridiculous, because everyone who loved Percy had already been grasping for straws so why should Triton of all people find a solution? Still, when he looked at how broken his father was, he knew they needed to find something.

/break\

A couple weeks later and Triton was drinking coffee in the cafeteria of the clinic where Percy had his physical therapy. He had come here every day – or at least every day that Percy had to be here – watching the boy's progress, or rather the lack thereof. This was shockingly so not the Percy Jackson that Triton had met during the Titan War. Not cocky, self-assured and hyperactive. He barely interacted with the people around him, his eyes were blank and fallen in, legs incredibly thin due to the lack of muscles and usage. Then again, he was rather thin overall, had probably lost his appetite together with his motivation to live, really.

"Today is not a good day", sighed Sally, sounding frustrated.

She and her husband sat at the table next to Triton, giving him the perfect opportunity to listen in. As far as Triton had witnessed so far, there were no good days. Not anymore, not for a long time.

"There is nothing else we can do", whispered Paul, grasping his wife's hand.

Triton could hear their frustration and desperation quite clearly. Emptying his coffee – the only thing mortals had invented that truly was worthy of the gods – Triton stood. Percy often send his mother and stepfather out, too embarrassed to let them see his short comings or failures. Triton walked over to the room Percy was in and came to stand outside the glass-door, watching silently. Everyone who was close to Percy knew how frustrated he was and all his friends and family only saw the hopelessness, the lashing out, the giving up. But when Triton looked at Percy, he did so with a certain distance they didn't possess and it allowed him to that last will to fight that was left in Percy. He had not yet given up on life itself. Because regardless of how frustrating physical therapy or the formerly simple tasks in life now were, he still continued to put up with them. That grasp on life, it was slowly slipping away, yes, but right now, it was still there, still pulsing with that fierce determination that was so purely Percy Jackson that it made Triton stare in awe.

"Hello again, Mister Stalker."

Triton started and jumped slightly before staring down. There, in his wheelchair, sat Percy Jackson and stared up at him inquisitively, one eyebrow cocked. His eyes were still disturbingly blank, but when looked at very closely, Triton could see that last spark of life in them that had not yet extinct.

"Uhm, I have no idea what you mean", grunted Triton, running his fingers through his beard.

"You know those glass windows you keep staring through, it's a two-way window."

"...Right", sighed Triton and made a face. "I'm sorry. I just... saw you. And your efforts."

"Embarrassing, I know", sighed Percy and rolled past him, eyes on the ground.

"Not at all", objected Triton and frowned. "I think you're brave. But I was wondering... Isn't there a water therapy for cases like... yours? Wouldn't swimming make it easier on you?"

"Not a chance", snorted Percy, voice hard.

"If I may ask, why is that?", asked Triton, honestly curious as he followed his half-brother.

For a while, Percy didn't answer and Triton figured he, as a 'stranger', wouldn't get an answer at all. "Back, before... the... swimming was my life, it was the greatest joy I had. Just kicking off and swimming until every muscle in my legs and arms ached. I can't use my legs anymore. Being back in the water without being able to fully enjoy it, it... it'd be worse than anything else."

Triton stared in surprise and nodded in understanding. He took a moment to digest and mull it over. He understood it, completely. Not being able to swim, Triton didn't know what it'd do to him.

"What... What if I could make you swim again?", asked Triton curiously.

"Don't", spat Percy and looked up again, giving Triton a glare of pure hatred. "Don't toy with me. I don't need your perverse sense of humor, because it isn't funny. Just... leave me alone."

He pushed past Triton and headed for his parents, leaving the king of Atlantis alone and stunned.

/break\

More weeks passed and Triton couldn't help but return to the clinic as often as possible. As much as he hated his own human form, he marveled at how Percy handled his broken human body. And there was something else. Sometimes, Percy would look Triton's way. At first, with hatred and anger and Triton feared the boy would send security after him. But the more days passed, the more that look changed. Doubt, curiosity, confusion and in the end, hope. One day, before Percy even headed to his room for his treatment, the demigod rolled up to Triton and stared at him with hard eyes.

"Show me", demanded Percy, voice firm and yet wavering. "Show me how you'd make me swim again. But I swear, if you were making fun of me, I will make you regret it."

Triton had to smile despite himself, nodding slowly and motioning for Percy to follow him. He already knew that Percy downright hated it when others pushed his wheelchair for him. In a way, it was the last bit of control Percy had over his life and he didn't want it taken away from him.

"Please don't break my nose when I lift you out of the chair", requested Triton coolly.

Percy huffed and averted his eyes, waiting impatiently as the stranger lifted him out of the chair. "What's your name anyway? You never said. Or why you seem so interested in me to begin with."

"I'm hurt you didn't recognize me, little brother", chuckled Triton as he cautiously walked down the stairs into the water of the pool, carrying Percy. "Sure, I'm lacking the green skin and fins, but..."

"T—Triton", sputtered Percy wide-eyed as he stared at the other. "But... Why? Why are you here?"

"Father worries about you", replied Triton casually as the water started to engulf them. "Relax."

Gritting his teeth, Percy obeyed. Or tried to, anyway. He hadn't been able to relax since the accident. He hadn't been able to do a lot of things since the accident. Closing his eyes tightly, Percy held his breath. He didn't know what he was expecting, really. He didn't even know why Triton was here – because of their father, of course, but it still didn't explain the weeks of stalking. Still, right now Percy didn't want to think about those things. He wanted to know what it was that Triton could do that no one else had been able to. Weeks ago, Triton had planted that seed in Percy. The seed of hope. For so many months, he had tried to stomp any hope down before it could break his heart beyond repair, yet once again he found himself falling for it. It was his greatest weakness, he supposed. He couldn't withstand hope's temptation. He gasped for breath at the tingling sensation running down his spine – past the point that had been dull for over a year now. The sensation of feeling returning to a part of his body with which he had long since given up on ever feeling again send tears to his eyes. He hiccuped as he tried to breath, heart beating irrationally hard.

"Sh. Relax, Percy", whispered Triton, adjusting his hold to grasp Percy's waist. "Open your eyes."

Percy did as he was told, reluctantly so. When he looked at Triton, it was the Triton he knew. Green-tinted skin, scales running up his arms, fins between his fingers. It were the arms wound around Triton's neck that surprised him though, because they were blue. He spread his fingers, looking curiously at the fins between them. That was when he realized. He had the feeling back in his lower regions, but it was different from how he remembered it – even though the memory of running and dancing and fighting and walking seemed so faint and far-off. Craning his neck, Percy looked down to see that his two useless, useless legs had been transformed into one beautiful tail. Azure-blue and sparkly, long and lean, flapping at Percy's inner command. It obeyed him. It did as Percy wished. Not like his damn legs since the accident had, just uselessly laying around, not doing a thing, mocking Percy and tormenting him all the same. No, this gorgeous tail, it flapped left as he wished it to and moved right as he wanted it to. Percy took a shaking breath.

"It's alright", assured Triton softly. "Let go of me. You can do it. Just... swim."

What neither of them were aware of were the two mortals who had come down after Percy's therapist had sought them out in the cafeteria, complaining about the lack of Percy and the fact that the boy had left with 'a friend' for the pools. Sally clasped a shaky hand over her mouth as she watched how her son – a blue merboy – swam round after round after round through the relatively small pool. Yet it wasn't the miracle of seeing Percy move so freely that drove her to tears. It was the unique sound of Percy's ringing laughter that did. She felt her knees grow weak and she had to hold onto Paul not to collapse on the ground as Percy's laughter filled the echoing pool area.

"Oh gods, this is amazing!", exclaimed Percy as he circled in on Triton. "This... This is even better than how I remember it! H—How is that possible? Are my memories playing a trick on me?"

"No, they're not. Swimming with a tail is natural, of course it feels... better than with legs", replied Triton, smiling despite himself as Percy looked at him with such bright eyes.

Percy's happiness was contagious. It had been one of the main engines during the Titan War. The boy was by no means a born leader, but he had an air of confidence and joy that infected others and motivated them to join Percy and work with and for him. This side of Percy had been pushed so far in the background by all the darkness surrounding him lately, it was good to see it back full-force.

"P—Percy...", stammered Sally softly, approaching the two brothers.

"Mom!", yelped Percy and turned to look at her with the brightest smile possible. "Look!"

With that, he jumped out the water like a dolphin to dive right in and swim another round through the pool. He emerged at the rim of the pool in front of Paul and Sally, folding his arms and grinning like a total maniac. It melted both Sally's and Paul's hearts as they saw it. Both had long lost hope that they'd ever see it again, yet here it was, blinding them both.

For the next half hour, all Paul, Sally and Triton could do was watch in amazement how Percy freely swam circles in the pool, laughed and enjoyed life in a way he hadn't for too many months. In a way, it felt as though the accident had never happened. It was perfect until it ended.

"We... should get going. There is a therapy group scheduled for the pool soon", stated Triton and caught Percy by the waist. "Hold on tight, I'll bring you out again."

The fear in Percy's eyes was agonizing. The light that had returned to them in the past hour dimmed significantly as Triton turned Percy back to human form and placed him in the wheelchair. An idea started to form in the back of Triton's mind, one that was not yet ready to hatch.

/break\

Triton took a week to prepare everything, talk to his family and others in Atlantis. Only when the week was over did Triton teleport to the Blofis household. Paul and Sally were sitting together on the couch, both looking so much more devastated than in the week before.

"Missus Jackson", greeted Triton, nodding his head.

"Lord Triton, what... can we do for you?", asked Paul stiffly.

"Thank you. For what you've done for Percy last week", said Sally hastily, smiling strained.

"I'm here to talk about that with you", nodded Triton and sat down in front of them.

"Y—Yes...?", asked Sally, nervously inching closer.

"How is he doing?", wanted Triton to know instead, keeping his voice soft and low.

"Bad", sighed Paul and shook his head. "Worse than before. We... appreciate what you did for Percy, we haven't seen him that happy in a long time, but... afterward, when we got home, he... He crashed. He hit a rough path, rougher than anything before. It's... bad..."

"I thought so", nodded Triton and sighed. "I have an idea. I'm not sure if you're going to like it."

"Tell us. Anything that could help Percy", pleaded Sally, looking at him with sad eyes.

"The problem is that everyone was focused on restoring Percy's legs. There's nothing that can be done about them, I'm afraid. But as I did last week, I have the ability to turn a mortal into a merman or mermaid", answered Triton slowly. "It won't give Percy the ability to walk again, but it will give him the ability to move around freely, to swim again. It... could be permanent. If could be a second chance for him, but he won't be able to stay in the mortal world. He would have to come with me to Atlantis – the city of my people. I spoke to mother and my siblings about it and he could stay in the palace with us, until he finds a place of his own. I'd also have a job for him, if he'd like."

"A... job? You've truly planned it through", grunted Paul surprised.

"We have our own camp for heroes, just like Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. He could start there as a trainer and teacher, I cleared it with the camp's directors", replied Triton with a nod.

"That... That sounds... nice...", admitted Sally with a frown. "But... why shouldn't we like it?"

"As I said, he'll have to leave New York and the mortal world behind. You could see him, at shores, but he will never be able to walk the Earth again", stated Triton firmly.

"I'll never be able to walk the Earth again as it is."

The three turned to the stairs. At the top of the stairs stood Percy in his wheelchair. He was glaring down at them, eyes hard. Then, he averted his eyes and stared down in his lap. He took a shaky breath and bit his lower lip before looking up again, something sad in his eyes.

"I... want this", stated Percy in a barely audible voice. "I want this. I want... the feeling back. That feeling of freedom, of not having to rely on others for everything. I want... a second chance. Please. I mean, I can still see you two, IMs work under the sea too, I could call dad and Ty too after all, and I could come to the shore and it'd just be like... like it should be. I'm twenty. I should move out, to another city for college or something, start my own life. I wasn't supposed to be tied to this chair, to this house because I just can't deal with life on my own. Last week, when you gave me the tail, I felt... I felt like myself again, for the first time in... so, so long... I want that feeling back. Please."

/break\

Percy vowed to himself that he wouldn't stay in the palace for more than a few weeks at max. Once he would be used to the city, once he had a stable income, he'd start looking for an apartment of his own. He was done sponging off of others. The past year had been humiliating for Percy.

Of course, the first thing before moving into his new room that had happened had been a thirty-minute hug followed by a two hours personal tour from his dad, who was excited like a little boy as he got to show Percy around for the first time. Percy had been to the palace once before, but it had been during the Titan War and he hadn't gotten to see it in great detail.

"Dad, dad slow down", requested Percy after two hours, three great halls, five bathrooms, four coral gardens, seven floors and three wings. "Please. I'm not exactly used to the tail just yet."

"Ah. Sorry. I'm just... excited, I guess", grinned Poseidon sheepishly, pulling Percy into another hug. "And I'm so happy to have you here now. And to see you like this again. So... bright..."

Percy blushed a little and ducked his head. He wasn't stupid. He knew he had been spiraling down into depression over the past year. He had only eaten or slept when his parents urged him on, only engaged when others came and approached him. There had been no point in doing anything, not when he couldn't do it on his own. But this? All of a sudden, he could move on his own again. He didn't have to wheel the chair, he didn't need anyone to carry him somewhere, he didn't need anyone to hand him things because they were too high up, he didn't have to think twice about how he could go somewhere, he just did it. There was a surge of adrenaline and dopamine running through his veins right now. He knew it would subside again at one point, either he'd fall back to depression, or he'd go back to normal at least. Still, he was going to enjoy this happy high as long as it lasted.

"Thank you. For having me here", said Percy softly as the two sat down on a bench.

"There's nothing to thank for", huffed Poseidon offended. "You're my son. Of course I will help you as good as I can. But.. I'm... I'm sorry I didn't come up with this solution."

"Triton said something to mom and Paul earlier and I think it's right. Everyone was hung up on trying to restore my legs that no one saw the alternatives. I guess I will miss walking, but... I can swim again. And down here, under the sea, I can do everything. I don't need my legs. I'm free again and I'm grateful for it", explained Percy softly. "I just... I want to look into the future and do everything to make it good. I don't want to dwell on the past year. I want to forget it. Soon."

"And we'll do everything we can to help you, my boy", promised Poseidon, grasping Percy's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Triton said he already spoke to my half-brothers and you could start working at camp, if you want to. Not that we want to pressure you or anything. You can take your time, enjoy Atlantis for a while and think about what you want to do with your life."

"I want to work at camp", replied Percy, tilting his head and staring out at a school of fishes passing through the corals. "I wanted to work at our camp. After graduation, I wanted to start working with Chiron. I had it all figured out, planned it with Chiron already. I even... I even told D... Daniel about it, on our prom night. Told him I wanted to stay close by, I'd start working at a summer camp. He made fun of me, teased me about not being able to let go of my mom just yet. I hit him, playfully, made him laugh and... and that's the last thing I remember of that night. We were in the car, driving back home, planning our futures and how we may be able to still see each other because he wanted to go to college in New York. And then... everything goes blank and I wake up in a hospital, being told that I'll never walk again and that my boyfriend is dead."

Poseidon gulped and nodded. "Well, I... know you will be a good influence on Atlantis' youth. You know, young mermaids and mermen are very curious about the human world. You could teach more than just sword-fight or hand to hand combat. You could be a history teacher."

"Annabeth will have a fit when she hears that", laughed Percy and shook his head.

"Ah, yes. You have a fountain in your room, direct like to Iris. I want you to always be able to call your mother and your friends", stated Poseidon as he stood again. "Come. I'll bring you to your room, you should get settled. Sleep some. And tomorrow, Triton wanted to show you Atlantis."

"He does?", asked Percy skeptical. "Honestly, I don't even understand why he helped me."

"Now you're being too harsh", chided Poseidon with a frown. "Triton isn't heartless. Sure, he was cold toward you the first time you two met because you were... competition, in a way. But now..."

"I was too worthless to be seen as competition?", snorted Percy darkly.

"What? No. You were injured, you needed help", corrected Poseidon, staring down at his son.

He laid one arm around Percy and pulled him closer. Percy leaned into the embrace as he was led to his room. He had to smile when he saw the room. All blue, with sparkly pearlescent paint, a giant sea shell standing in the center, obviously the bed as it was filled with fluffy pillows and blankets. There was silk surrounding the bed, a screen for privacy in a way. Large crystal-like mirrors opposite the bed, framed with pearls and gems and corals. It was all very beautiful, yet one detail made him laugh. There was a stuffed toy in the bed – Disney's Flounder.

"Our beds actually look more like your human's, but since I know how much you love The Little Mermaid, I thought you'd appreciate this. And the toy, well, I couldn't resist", explained Poseidon.

"Thanks, dad", laughed Percy and shook his head. "This is awesome, really. Awesome."

"Good", sighed Poseidon relieved, nodding. "Well, I'll let you settle in then. If you don't remember your way to the dining hall, just ask one of the fishes to bring you there then."

"Okay. See you later, dad", nodded Percy with a small grin.

Percy swam circles around the room to inspect every single corner, before he settled down on the bed. His eyes wandered over the room while he got more comfortable, until he dozed off. He had been swimming a lot today, an exercise he wasn't quite used to anymore.

"Prince Perseus? Prince Perseus, are you in your chambers? Please answer, your highness."

Blinking sluggishly, Percy sat up. "Wha...? Heh? Who's there?"

"My name is Marcellus, I am one of your father's servants", came the reply. "May I enter?"

"Uhu", confirmed Percy, rubbing his eyes and stretching his new tail some.

He enjoyed this simple task of moving the tail around immensely. The door opened and Percy's eyes moved to see that servant of his father. He made a strangled, delighted noise when an octopus wearing a bow-tie entered the room. The octopus gave him a disturbed look at the noise.

"Are you quite well, Prince Perseus?", inquired Marcellus the octopus.

"Bow-ties are so cool", yelped Percy before he could help himself.

"Ah", nodded Marcellus slowly. "I'm not sure what their temperature has to do with anything."

It only made Percy grin even more. He already liked this octopus. Though he still wasn't quite sure why an octopus would wear a bow-tie to begin with. It did help with the Disney-vibe though.

"Marcel? Is he here? Is he alright?", asked a new voice from the all, an unfamiliar voice.

"Yes, Princess Rhode. The young master seems to be in perfect health, albeit tired."

Percy tilted his head curiously. Rhode, personification goddess of the island Rhode, one of the kids of his dad and Amphitrite. The only one of his siblings he had ever met had been Triton, even though he was aware he had more. Sure, he had never really paid attention to the myths, but knowing he was a son of Poseidon had made him to at the very least be informed about his immortal half-siblings. Like Arion, or Pan. A family picture would look pretty weird. The one who entered was not one of the odd siblings though. She was a very beautiful mermaid, with a yellow tail and nearly golden glistering skin. She offered Percy a kind smile as she approached.

"Hello, little brother. It's so good to meet you", greeted the goddess. "My name is Rhode."

"Uh, hello... Lady Rhode", replied Percy, trying to be polite.

"Rhode is enough", smiled the yellow mermaid. "We're family after all. And I mean it, it's really good to meet you. Father talks a lot about you. We're... all waiting for you with dinner and we started wondering if you're alright. Would you like to accompany me now?"

"I fell asleep", said Percy with a sheepish grin and got up. "Sorry about that."

But Rhode just smiled in reply and motioned for him to follow. Marcellus led the way down toward the dining hall, with Percy and Rhode following him. Percy's eyes darted between the octopus in the bow-tie and the yellow mermaid next to him. This was his life now. It was weird and like out of a cartoon, but wow, he was so looking forward to it. It felt as though everything was brightening up for him, finally, after all this time in the darkness. He smiled to himself.

"Ah. There you are, Percy!", exclaimed Poseidon relieved as the trio entered the dining hall.

"I... uh... fell asleep. Haven't been up on my feet for so long in a while and... haven't been up on my tail at all so far", answered Percy as he approached his father, looking for a place to sit.

Before he had much time for that, he was scoped up in the arms of a cyclops and whirled around like a rag doll. He smiled as he laid his arms around Tyson's neck and returned the hug. He glanced over Tyson's shoulder to see who else was present. The table was formed like a tear-drop, though the tip of it was flattened. At the head of the table were three throne-like seats, the center one occupied Poseidon, those left and right occupied by Triton and Amphitrite. On the curve of the table at Triton's side were two empty seats, followed by an orange merman. Rhode swam up to sit down between Amphitrite and a purple mermaid, who sat next to a red mermaid.

"Tyson, put your brother down. Dinner is getting cold", chided Poseidon amused.

"Right. Sorry", grinned Tyson, letting go of Percy and beaming down at him.

"I'm happy to see you too, Ty", said Percy with a small smile before turning to the table. "Uh, it's... nice to meet you all. I'm Percy, but I guess you already know that... Thank you for having me."

"Of course, my boy", stated Poseidon with a thousand watt smile.

But Percy just stared at Amphitrite doubtfully. He didn't really know her yet, but as far as he was informed, she didn't like him. Then again, as far as he had been informed, neither did Triton. He yelped as the purple mermaid got up and swam over to them to hug Percy tightly.

"Oh, I've been looking forward to meet you!", declared the female with a large grin. "You're such a brave hero, we've all hoped to meet you after everything dad told us about you!"

"...Was", whispered Percy as he pushed the stranger away a little. "I was a hero. Not sure how fast news travel under the sea, but I've been pretty much useless the past year."

"Oh no, no I was talking about the last year", corrected the purple mermaid, tilting her head some. "I mean, going through what you've been through? I can't even begin to picture living without usage of my tail and your legs are kind of equal to it, aren't they? You were incredibly brave."

"Who are you even?", asked Percy a bit disturbed and followed Tyson to sit down.

"Right. Introductions first, yes", grinned his sister embarrassed. "I'm Benthesikyme, goddess of calm waves. My twin-sister Kymopoleia, goddess of violent waves. That's Rhode, you already met her apparently. And that's our oldest brother Proteus, guard of dad's seals."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Perseus", stated the orange merman with a nod of his head.

"Likewise", replied Percy before turning to the agitated red mermaid. "Uh, long time no see, Kym."

"You owe me an action figure", huffed Kymopoleia and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Jason! Jason does!", protested Percy with a glare. "What are you even doing here?"

"Dad grounded me after the whole Giant War catastrophe", muttered Kymopoleia under her breath.

"What Benthesikyme said is true. You were incredibly brave in the last year", stated Triton.

Percy sighed as he was herded into sitting between Tyson and Triton. The cyclops had one hand on Percy's shoulder, as though he was afraid Percy would disappear again when he let go of him. It was a cute sentiment, really. Ducking his head, Percy chanced a glance at Triton.

"I wasn't brave", whispered Percy while fishes brought in their dinner. "I was a coward. I've been hiding away the past year, I've been... bitter and angry. Still am, about the loss of my legs. But there are others. Have you ever seen the paralympics? There are people who can do such amazing things with their handicaps. People who handle life... well, better than some who don't have handicaps. Those people, they are brave, they are incredible. And... seeing them only made me feel worse about hiding away in my room, which, well, just made things harder..."

"No one blames you for how you handled your... situation", butted Amphitrite in, he voice oddly comforting. "It was a difficult situation to deal with and everyone handles it differently. Who knows, maybe given time you could win gold medals too, yet as things are, you don't have to deal with it anymore, you have a chance at a different life here."

"...Thank you", whispered Percy surprised, staring at Amphitrite. "I don't... I'm..."

"It's alright", assured Amphitrite with a thin smile. "You're welcome here. I know I was... not the biggest fan of you, but that was when you were just another glorious demigod hero child of my husband. But your injury... I suppose you could say that you became real then. Before, you were just another name on a long list of glory seeking demigods, but then you became just a... child. A hurt child, who needed comfort. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not a fan of you being a bastard child of my husband. Yet your pain – and the pain it caused my husband... I'm not heartless, Perseus."

"...Thanks", mumbled Percy and averted his eyes.

"And now for a lighter conversation topic", chimed Kymopoleia and made a face.

"Did dad already show you the palace, big brother?", asked Tyson eagerly.

"Yeah, sorry, Ty", answered Percy. "But you could show me the forges?"

"Yes!", exclaimed Tyson, offering Percy a large grin.

With that, the atmosphere started to lighten up and they started to talk about Atlantis and life under the sea. Percy asked questions, with his family more than eager to answer. Especially Benthesikyme and Tyson nearly stumbled over each other when trying to answer something.

/break\

Percy didn't remember the last time he had slept that well. It could be the soothing feeling of being surrounded by his element, but he was pretty sure it was the fact that he had feeling below the waist again and the gigantic weight that was lifted off his shoulders. He was sure the nightmares about the accident would return soon enough, but for now, there was just this light feeling of it-gets-better. So when he woke up, he felt more well-rested than he had in over a year. A lazy smile laid on his lips as he stretched and wiggled his fins for good measure, whipping his tail left and right and watching it in amazement. He would have never guessed that such a little action would bring that much joy to him. Humming happily, he collapsed back against his fluffy bed.

"So you're finally awake", stated a casual voice.

Yawning widely, Percy turned to stare at the source of the voice. Triton was sitting on a chair next to the bed, looking at him with an unimpressed expression on his face. Percy blushed embarrassed.

"Uhm, morning, Triton", greeted Percy and sat up some. "What... How long have you been here?"

"I wanted to pick you up for the promised tour of Atlantis and to introduce you to Aphros and Bythos", grunted Triton and coughed to cover his own slight blush. "I just arrived here."

He didn't remember the last time someone had made him feel flustered. But this had been such a blatant lie, it didn't fail to fluster him. After all, he had been here for two hours now. Somehow, he had been under the impression that Percy was an early bird. Apparently, he was a late fish. Yet he hadn't been able to wake Percy up, because the boy had been so peaceful and content and beautiful in his sleep. It had mesmerized Triton and all he could do was sit down and watch Percy in silence, not even noticing how time passed. Part of the appeal was Percy's new appearance – the blue skin, the slim tail and scales, it was far more pleasant to the eye for Triton than human skin and legs. Though it was by far not the only or the most appealing thing. It was that peaceful expression on Percy's face that really drew him in. For too long, the boy had been forlorn and sad and angry, but now he finally looked at ease again and it brought a special kind of joy to Triton to know he had been the cause for that look. This thought was what was truly mortifying.

"Great. Let's go!", exclaimed Percy and jumped off the bed, trying to swim past Triton.

"Oh no. You are eating breakfast before we leave", snorted Triton and caught Percy by his waist. "You've been fading away for too long, we need to build you back up again."

With an awkward blush adoring his cheeks did Percy turn away. He knew that Triton said was right, he hadn't been doing good in the past year, had lot a lot of weight. Nodding slowly, he obediently followed Triton to the dining hall, where Benthesikyme and Kymopoleia were already sitting.

"Morning", greeted Percy with a small smile. "Where are the others?"

"Tyson had to leave for the forges early this morning, mom and dad are on some kind of meeting on Olympus and Rhode went to the library", listed Benthesikyme. "And don't ask me where Proteus is. I kind of often lose track of him. He's so secretive."

Percy nodded and sat down together with Triton. It was odd how easy it came to him to be with his half-siblings, but he knew that he really enjoyed this. He had already enjoyed the dinner last night, because it was just so... homey. Having this big family, all gathered together, it was so different from how their family dinners at home used to be. Just him and his mother.

/break\

Atlantis was beautiful – they went window shopping, paused in beautiful coral gardens, sat down in various little cafés for refreshments. All around them, people bowed and whispered and gasped. It was the first time that Percy really realized that Triton was more than just a prince, he was a king himself. King of Atlantis and all merpeople in all the oceans.

"How come... uhm... I mean... Dad's the king of the ocean, so how come you're a king too?", asked Percy curiously as they sat in a bistro in a coral garden. "And are you and our siblings all merpeople? I mean, you were a human when you stalked me. Dad's a human god too, so..."

"Mother and her sister Galene are mermaids, born mermaids. They're the children of Nereus, the old man of the sea, and his wife Doris. Grandma Doris is a mermaid too, one of the daughters of Oceanus and Thetys, the Titan deities of the ocean and siblings of our grandfather Kronos. You could say that my siblings have been born with a choice, between humanity and mermanity. I, however, am a born merman. I can shift into human form, as all gods can shift into any shape, but we all have one born appearance. I'm the king of my people, heir of them all through my mother's blood", answered Triton slowly. "And seeing as the people of the ocean are merpeople, my family chose this appearance too, to fit in, you could say. It's also just more practical for a life here."

"Yeah, it is", agreed Percy and flapped his tail playfully. "It's amazing. I mean, it's only been less than twenty-four hours for me, but I can feel it. It's like being part of the ocean, even more so than before. It's so... amazing. Not to mention that I'm finally able to move freely again."

"I can imagine", nodded Triton as he emptied his drink. "Well, we should head to camp."

"Yeah", agreed Percy and stood to follow his big brother. "And... thank you. For, well, everything. For the tail, for letting me stay here, for showing me the city, for the job opportunity."

"No need to say thank you", assured Triton, casually placing one hand on Percy's lower back.

He guided Percy along the way to the outskirts of Atlantis and toward Camp Hydros, eyes focused on Percy to take in the boy's awestruck expression as they entered camp. This boy was incredible. He was so open, so genuine, as he showed how in awe he really was. Triton, as the king, had seen a lot of fake people with fake smiles that tried to kiss his ass. Yet here was Percy, just being Percy. He had always just been Percy. And when Percy had been younger, that aspiring hero, it had been incredibly annoying. Yet now, this more mature Percy, this merman Percy, it was endearing.

"Wow", whispered Percy as he took in the cabins that looked like sunken ruins.

Everywhere were young mermaids and mermen swimming around, chatting and laughing. There were two large men waiting for them with crossed arms, staring intensely at Triton and Percy.

"So this is the famous Percy Jackson, mh?", grunted one of the intimidating men.

"I'm Aphros and this is Bythos", introduced the other one. "We're the directors."

"Aphros! Bythos! I have the schedule you asked for!", yelled a nervous voice.

The gray mermaid with the large glasses interrupted them before Percy could reply anything. Yet the new arrival looked so scatterbrained and wide-eyed that Percy couldn't really hold it against her, he rather felt bad for her for whatever had happened to cause her disarray.

"Honey, if you could not interrupt", sighed Triton, massaging the bridge of his nose.

The dark-gray eyes widened even more as the mermaid's attention snapped over to Triton and Percy. "Oh my gods, I am so sorry. I didn't see you there! Wait, is it already time for you?"

"You just said you made our schedule. How did it slip your mind that they were supposed to come over now?", inquired Bythos, raising one curious eyebrow at her.

She gave an embarrassed yelp and hid her face behind her hands. "I'm... sorry..."

"You're hopeless, sweetie", sighed Triton fondly and shook his head.

Percy had curiously raised one eyebrow at the 'honey', but by the 'sweetie' the second eyebrow joined the first. "Uhm... Hi, I'm Percy, it's great to meet you all. Who are you?"

With that, he stared intensely at the gray mermaid who peeked at him from between her fingers. "Oh right. You don't know me yet. Hello, uncle Percy, I'm Pallas."

"...Uncle Percy?", repeated Percy slowly, eyes crossing in confusion.

"That is my middle daughter, Pallas", introduced Triton, clapping Pallas on the back. "She's a bit chaotic and sometimes her mind is all over the place, but she's a clever and good girl."

"Thanks, dad", grinned Pallas and blushed a dark gray.

"Wait. You're a daughter of Triton? Please tell me you have a sister named Ariel", asked Percy.

"Uh, no. We're not... actually in a Disney movie, you know", grunted Triton and rolled his eyes. "My daughters are Triteia, Pallas and Calliste. Though Triteia, as my heir, is currently out on official royal business. She should arrive back within the next two weeks. Her sister Calliste is with her, out of safety reasons. That girl is fiercely strong."

"One of our camp's greatest heroes", agreed Aphros off-handedly.

"You're such a spoil-spot, Triton", huffed Percy and rolled his eyes. "You know, you should totally name your next daughter Ariel. No, wait. Ariel is the youngest, so you should name the next one Attina. I mean, you're immortal, there really is enough time for seven more, right?"

Triton froze up for a second and just stared at Percy. Not because the silly Disney reference surprised him – at this point, he knew that those were not exactly a rare thing. No, it was because there was an image passing through his inner eye. One of Percy, holding a cute little guppy, tickling the baby's nose as it cooed delighted. The image was far too appealing for Triton, making him long for it. And that was the thing that made him freeze up. Sure, Percy's exterior was more than appealing and quite inspiring for dirty thoughts and yes, he came to like Percy's personality in those past weeks of seeing the boy struggle with his disability. But this kind of longing was a foreign one for Triton. A disturbing one, because it was so incredibly intense.

"Father? Father, are you still with us?", asked Pallas curiously, waving a hand in front of him.

"Ah, yes. A thought just... crossed my mind", replied Triton and cleared his throat. "How about we move this to the main temple? There are some curious guppies gathering already."

"Splendid idea, my king", agreed Bythos with a sharp nod.

Together, the five of them headed toward what must be the underwater version of the Big House.

/break\

Triton was a busy merman. He was the king of Atlantis and the heir of the king of the ocean. Yet by the time night rolled around, he found himself conveniently lingering close to Percy's room, waiting. He wanted to see Percy and hear how his first day at Camp Hydros had gone. Yet Percy just swam past him into his room. Frowning curiously, Triton decided to follow the boy. Percy groaned hoarsely and collapsed face-first on his bed and groaned into the pillow.

"Good evening, Perseus", greeted Triton amused, cocking one eyebrow.

"So... much... pa—ain...", groaned Percy, voice muffled by the pillow. "I got aches where I didn't know I could be in pain... Then again, I haven't been in pain the waist down in months..."

Triton smiled at the nearly pleased tone to Percy's voice at that. Even pain was better than nothing. Swimming up to Percy, he sat down next to his half-brother on the bed, caressing Percy's hair. It was incredibly soft, downright fluffy. And the way Percy leaned into the touch, it was so cute.

"And aside from the pain?", asked Triton concerned. "Is it a lot of pain?"

"Naw. More like... I mean, the tail is still new and so are the muscles. Everything is new and I need to adjust to it first, I guess. Not used to so much exercise anymore", mumbled Percy and turned onto his side to snuggle up closer to Triton's caress. "It was awesome though. I mean, those little mermaids and merboys are incredibly adorable and cute! And they were in so much awe when I told them I used to be human! So cute! And your daughter was a great help for me so I didn't get lost and managed to keep to my schedule. Aphros and Bythos are great too. Bythos promised that if I stick around, he's gonna tell me embarrassing toddler stories about Chiron."

Triton smiled pleased at that. So he had found Percy the right job. The boy seemed more than happy with how his day had been, even though he was sore all over. It was disturbing how much Percy already affected him. He was frightened how it would be a few weeks or months or years down the road. No, not frightened. Anxious, trembling with anticipation.

/break\

Triton was leaning against the rail, only half listening to what Triteia, Amphitrite, Poseidon and Proteus were talking about. Triteia would one day in the far-away future take on Triton's throne and living with his parents made diplomacy between the ruler of the ocean, the ruler of fishes and the ruler of merpeople decidedly easier. Proteus was, in a way, the Sebastian to Poseidon's Triton. Yet Triton's attention was on what was going on below him in the coral gardens. Percy and Tyson were teaming up against Calliste and Kymopoleia in a game of water ball, laughing and joking, enjoying the time together. Pallas and Rhode were sitting below the statue of Percy after the Titan War, discussing a book by the looks of it, both with serene expressions, while Benthesikyme was playing the ref for the game in front of them. With all their happy family members, his focus was still on Percy. It had been fourteen months now since Percy had joined them in the palace.

And even though he had claimed to get an apartment as soon as he got a stable income, Percy was still happily living at the palace. He had warmed up to all of them and was enjoying this opportunity to be part of this family. Mermen were immortal, so Percy would have more than enough time to find his own place. For now, he wanted to use this chance to get to know his family better.

And Triton? Triton was falling more and more in love with Percy with every passing month.

"Father. If you'd please at least pretend to pay attention", requested Triteia sharply.

"That will be hard for your father", mused Amphitrite with a knowing smile.

"Why is that?", inquired Proteus a little confused, looking at his mother.

"For us born merpeople, it can be hard to ignore the forming mate-bond", stated Amphitrite. "You will never truly understand this, because you only chose the tail as your second form, born like your father in human bodies. For us, it's different. When we fall in love, we form a bond that grows stronger and stronger with time. Once the bond is formed, it'll be hard to be apart from your mate until the mating ceremony – the wedding. So bear with your father, he is preoccupied."

There was a baffled silence as Triteia, Proteus and Poseidon crowded on the balcony around Triton, trying to figure out who Triton's chosen one was. There were various servants rushing through the garden on their way to chores or in the middle of doing their chores.

"Hey! If you guys are done with your meeting, you could as well join us instead of standing there, staring out into the water!", called Percy from below them, waving his arms. "Come on, Tri! You join our team, Proteus joins the other team and we'll majorly beat them!"

"I told you not to call me that, Perseus", chided Triton with fond annoyance. "And we are not done with our meeting. We're just taking a... break. Go back to your silly game."

Percy wiggled his nose and stuck his tongue out childishly, earning a huff and a smile from Triton. Realization slowly dawned on Poseidon and while Percy did as he was told and returned his attention back to the game at hand, Triton found himself engulfed in a way too tight hug by their father, who started whirling him around like he was a fifty years old guppy again.

"That's wonderful!", laughed Poseidon delighted, squeezing Triton even tighter. "Wonderful, my boy! I've been concerned about possible suitors for Percy for a while now! But once you and him are mated, I won't have to worry about suspicious figures in Percy's life! You're the perfect choice for my little boy. You can take good care of him and at your side, he will be my heir, as your queen. This is just brilliant. I wouldn't have been able to come up with a better solution myself! Hah!"

Triton made a face and averted his eyes. For months now, he had tried to avoid this very conversation. He was aware of the bond that had been sparked by Percy turning into a merman and it had ignited into a brilliant, heart-warming fire over the past months. When the bond had first sparked to life, Triton could have still stomped it out before it got too serious, yet even then he couldn't find it in himself to avoid Percy. Whatever the boy did, it captivated Triton – watching Percy at camp, how he interacted with the young guppies, seeing Percy so lively with their siblings and how he acted toward Triton's children, talking to Percy about various topics. He was a goner. Yet he hadn't much liked the idea of Poseidon learning about those things – at least not before Percy did. But he also had not yet found the right words to tell Percy. With Poseidon knowing, Triton found himself under immediate pressure to tell Percy before their father blurted it all out.

With that, the meeting was pretty much hijacked. Poseidon was on a high, planning his sons' wedding, forcing Proteus to take notes concerning the guest list and the arrangements their still needed to make. Amphitrite shook her head fondly as she followed the two. Which left Triton and Triteia on their own, standing on the balcony and overseeing the game.

"Will you say something now, please?", requested Triton unnerved after a couple of minutes.

"I think you made a good choice, father", stated Triteia, a small smile dancing around her pure-white lips as her eyes were trained on Percy and Calliste. "He's extraordinarily brave and compassionate. He does have his dull and slow moments, but he makes up for those with his sweet nature. Even though he can't keep up with Pallas' intellect, he made up for it by introducing her to Annabeth and Rachel. You knew those four regularly hang out at the shore of Camp Half-Blood? He also spends a lot of his time sparring with Calliste and he introduced her to a quite amazing fighter called Clarisse. I'm a bit frightened what that friendship may lead to. And me? Much like grandma, I've caught on with your intentions toward him. I've tested him, every now and again, asked his opinion on various matters that I, as your heir, dealt with. He may not have the keenest sense for politics, but he has an incredible sense for the people. Many things that I approached from a democratic or politic angle, he approached from an emotional angle. He would make a fine and widely loved queen, father. The people adore him already as it is. The young ones basically fight for the privilege to attend his classes, their parents gush over him and his unique view on things."

Triton nodded slowly, feeling something akin to relief settling in his heart. "Good. Good."

"I'm not going to call him mom though", declared Triteia with a mischievous smile.

Before Triton could sputter any kind of reply, Triteia was already half-way down in the garden, calling out for Percy that she wished to join their game and that they'd just needed to animate one of their bystanding family members to also join to the teams would be even again. Triton was too busy trying to comprehend all that had happened in the past minutes to truly react. He just watched.

/break\

Percy grinned pleased as he collapsed on his bed. Today had been a good day. A really, really, really good day. Even though it had been nearly fifteen months now that he was living under the sea, he still sometimes had bad days. With flashbacks of the war, or of his time in Tartarus, or of his time of being immobile. It send him into dark places, rendered him basically useless all day. Most days however were good days, thanks to the family he now had around himself and the friends he had made in Atlantis by now. Not just those under the sea, he still went to see his mother and Paul at least every second Sunday, he also often visited the beaches at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter to check in with his friends. Today was such a day. First, he had gone to visit Camp Half-Blood, together with Pallas. That girl and Annabeth had clicked right away. After listening to them ramble for a while, Percy had bid his goodbye to go and meet his mom and Paul. They listened intently to everything Percy told them about Atlantis, Camp Hydros and life at the palace. All of those followed an exhausting morning at camp, with a dozen hyperactive young mermaids drowning him in questions, eager to soak up all the knowledge he could provide on sword-fighting.

Which translated to Percy being extremely exhausted by the time he finally collapsed on his bed. And due to said exhaustion, it took Percy about fifteen minutes to realize he was laying on something. It took him another ten minutes to find the energy to roll off of it and grab it. It was a jewelry box from Pontos' Pearls, the most renewed jewelry store in all of Atlantis. Which translated to expensive. Who would sneak into his room to leave an expensive present? And what was it? Tilting his head, he opened the box. Inside was a simple enough looking green necklace holding a purple shell. The shell was adored with shards of amethysts and other purple stones as well as tiny purple pearls set along the rim of the shell. It seemed to be an amulet, so Percy cracked it open. He gasped and smiled tenderly down at the open amulet. There was a picture inside, of him in his mother's arms when he had been small, both of them smiling brightly. It was beautiful and thoughtful and Percy loved it. He hastily put it on, tracing it with his fingers.

"You... like it?"

Blinking slowly, Percy looked up to see a nervous Triton standing in the doorway. He frowned curiously at that. For the past month-or-so, Triton had been behaving really oddly toward him. Then again, technically speaking he had been behaving oddly since offering Percy the tail. But his behavior had stabilized to a good, caring and friendly companion since than. In the past month however, he had been very weird. Especially when Amphitrite, Poseidon or Triteia were also around. Which brought him to the next thing. Poseidon had been behaving the weirdest way in the past month. Like, totally odd. Where Triton was a bit confusing, Poseidon was completely crazy. He kept beaming and laughing randomly and without a reason, babbling on about 'great plans'. Percy had also caught him a few times with color pallets that he held up to compare with Percy's skin.

"It's... very beautiful. But it's not my birthday. That was last month and you already gave me something", reminded Percy with a frown. "What's the occasion? You need a favor or something?"

"I...", started Triton and coughed a little to cover up his embarrassment. "It's a courting present."

"...Oh", whispered Percy slowly, suddenly turning a bright purple.

"Yeah", nodded Triton, ruffling his own hair. "I assume you know what it means."

Percy nodded so wildly, his head nearly fell off. His blush brightened even more, giving him nearly the same facial color as Benthesikyme. The mating of merpeople was different from the love-life of humans. He had been through The Talk with Triteia, Pallas, Rhode and Benthesikyme months ago and it had been more than awkward and odd and freaked him out, but it was good to know.

He flicked his one, blue tail and looked over at Triton's two, dark-green tails. There were technically speaking four kind of merpeople. Dominants and submissives, both present in females and males. Females had the upper body of women, males the upper body of men. Dominants had two tails and submissives had one tail. It was something that he had first noticed as odd after his first week. At the beginning, he had just enjoyed this colorful and new world, but then he started to notice how there were mermaids with one tail, like Benthesikyme, and mermaids with two tails, like Calliste. Same went for mermen. Cue the awkward talk with his sisters and nieces. When it came to reproduction, the upper half of merpeople didn't say much, it was the lower half that counted. All submissives could carry children. And judging by the one tail Percy possessed, he was a submissive. It didn't really bother him, not after what Triteia had told him about their community. It didn't make him any less of a man that he was a merman who could carry. There was a tradition when it came to relationships though. The society was quite modern these days and there was a lot of casual dating – which also explained the existence of Triteia, Pallas and Calliste – but merpeople, unlike humans, mated. Generally, they could live their whole life without a mate, just with casual dating, but once two merpeople clicked, there was a spark that ignited what Triteia had called a mate-bond. The mate-bond was the underwater equivalent of marriage, just unbreakable and truer. When a couple noticed that this bond was forming, they could either break apart and stop it from deepening. If however the mate-bond was wanted, then there was an old tradition of how courting should go and generally merpeople still honored said tradition. The dominant would make the submissive a courting gift, generally a piece of jewelry and in a way comparable to an engagement ring. If the submissive accepted it, they'd start the courting week. Seven days, seven dates. And if the bond strengthened over this time and both wanted it, then they'd proceed with sealing the deal.

"Are you... Would you... That is, do you...", started Triton awkwardly, unsure how to finish.

"Yes", answered Percy hastily before either of them could make a bigger fool of himself. "Yes. I, uh, I mean... I've been kind of in love with you for a couple months now. Not that it surprised me, I mean... you and me, we didn't get along when we first met, but I was a brat and, if we're being honest, you were also quite the brat, and we both were more in a sibling rivalry. But now, now I..." Percy paused, fingers playing with the amulet around his neck as he looked up at Triton. "I forgot what it felt like to be happy. But thanks to you, I remember it again. You gave me a second chance, when you treated me normal instead of like a brat, when you offered me the tail, when you got me the job, when you got me the place to live at... A second chance at a better relationship with you, a second chance at happiness, a second chance to move around freely... It's very hard not to fall in love with you after everything you've done for me, you know."

Triton straightened his back at the praise, looking tenderly down at Percy. "I'm glad. I'm glad you're happy here and that this is the right kind of life for you. Now I hope I can make you even happier."

Percy offered him a lopsided grin and nodded. "So do I. You better come up with seven awesome dates, Tri. My standards are very high, you know."

"Duly noted", chuckled Triton with a sharp nod of his head. "You've had an exhausting day. I'll leave you to it then. And tomorrow, I'll pick you up from camp and take you out to dinner."

/break\

Dating the king of Atlantis surely was a rollercoaster of adventures. On their first date, Triton had taken Percy out to a fancy restaurant in Atlantis. Food had been delicious, conversation had been pleasant. All in all, it had been a good time. The second date was a tiny bit more daring, because they went on a dolphin-ride together. Percy was pretty sure that Triton had let him win, but it was okay because he had so much fun. The third date was a picnic at a beach, staring out at the sunset while flapping their tails in the shallow water. And even though it hadn't been very adventurous, Triton had had a lot of kingly duties that day and Percy had been more than swamped at camp, so it was exactly what both of them had needed that day. Fourth date and Triton took Percy to the human world. It meant for Percy to go back into the wheelchair, but Percy wanted to be able to sit at the dinner table with his mom and Paul the day he introduced Triton to them as his boyfriend.

"I'm not entirely sure about this, but... I do know enough about the Greek gods to know that this kind of thing does not seem... uncommon. And as long as you treat my boy right and make him happy, make him smile like he did tonight, then I support this relationship", had Sally said.

She had offered Triton a tender smile and a hug, surprising the man into total silence. Afterward, Percy had feared she had threatened him because he was frozen in shock like that. When they left the Blofis-house after dinner that night, Percy insisted that they'd also go and see a movie, share a popcorn and make out in the back of the theater, because if he was in the human world, he wanted to go full human date experience. It had been fun and Percy had enjoyed it, even though he had been stuck in the wheelchair the whole time. But he knew that he'd get his tail back by the end of the night, he knew it wasn't permanent and even so, Triton managed to distract him pretty well.

Yesterday, on their sixth day, the inevitable had come and they told their family. Not that they hadn't already noticed the past five dates. Poseidon literally had a banner saying 'CONGRATULATIONS TRITERCY'. Percy and Triton had never been more embarrassed in their lives. They went to the fair together, as a family. All of them, including Triton's daughters. At first, Percy had been a bit awkward and nervous about what they were thinking about it – but it became apparent pretty fast that they were old enough to deal with it, if anything they were happy that their father had finally found his One. Sure, Calliste occasionally called him mom to tease him, but Percy had learned to deal with that mermaid. After touring the fair with their family for a while, Triton and Percy split up from them at one point to get some alone-time (and less teasing and cat-calls).

Which led to the present. The fateful seventh date. It had started embarrassing enough with a lot of hugging and excitement from Poseidon. That alone made Percy eternally grateful when Triton led him to a carriage. In which they had been sitting for the past two hours.

"Will you tell me where are we going to now?", asked Percy, gazing out at landscape.

"No. You are entirely too cute when you pout", replied Triton with a smirk.

Percy huffed, decidedly not pouting as he turned the other way. Triton chuckled softly and rested one hand on Percy's tail, caressing it softly. A shudder wrecked Percy's body, a pleasant shudder. They had allowed the bond to form and in the past two days, they had grown incredibly sensitive to each other's touch, the bond longing to be completed. And that was going to happen today. Percy shuddered again at that though. The past six days and dates had shown him just how much in love he really was with Triton. In the past year, it had all been more in theory – in Percy's head. He had fallen in love with Triton for his kindness and for what he had done for Percy. But now it was pretty real – holding hands, stolen kisses, the small caresses between. Something inside of Percy called to him, told him that this was how he could and would spend eternity. How he wanted to spend eternity. And he was darn grateful that they left the palace to complete their mate-bond, because he was pretty sure that Poseidon would be standing on the other side of the door with a glass pressed against the door to listen in. Their dad was very invested in their relationship, to a point where it was downright creepy, really. So wherever they were going, it was appreciated.

"Wow", whispered Percy in awe as a palace came into sight.

It was smaller than the one they called home, but it was no less impressive. Blue sparkly crystal, sharp edges and elegant forms. He instantly knew that Annabeth would totally love it.

"The Northern palace. We used it as a vacation side back when my daughters were small and before that when me and my siblings were small. We also live here whenever he have work in this part of the seas", explained Triton casually. "It's very... blue. So I figured you'd like it."

Percy laughed softly and elbowed Triton as the two left the carriage. "Thanks. Very nice."

"What? It's true", smirked Triton and took Percy by the arm. "We have the whole palace to ourselves. I send the staff on paid vacation so we can do whatever we want wherever we want."

"Oh. Kinky", snickered Percy and nudged Triton while wiggling his eyebrows.

"That was actually not what I meant, you little perv", teased Triton and raised one eyebrow. "For now, we settle in and I show you around. Then, we make dinner together, mh?"

"I like that plan", agreed Percy with a broad grin.

They walked at a moderately slow and comfortable pace, Triton explaining every nook and cranny with stories from his childhood and his daughter's childhood, which made the tour all the longer but also all the more fun. Percy really enjoyed this trip down memory lane, but at the end of it, they both were pretty exhausted. They settled for making dinner together, both pretty famished. They worked well as team, dividing the different chores and joking around.

"I honestly didn't expect a king to be a good cook", mused Percy as they finished up.

"I'm thousands of years old. I had enough time to learn a trick or two", chuckled Triton amused, dividing the kelp noodles on two plates. "Let's eat in bed, mh? It's more comfortable."

"And we'd have easier access to dessert afterward, huh?", whispered Percy mischievously.

It was weird, spending time together when both of them knew exactly where the night would end. Though Percy enjoyed the small blush he got out of Triton for that one. They headed to one of the master bedrooms together and settled on the giant, comfy bed, Percy leaning against Triton's side while they ate in companionable silence. Triton had one arm wound around Percy's waist, which made eating a bit hard and very slow, but that was okay because they had all the time in the world. There was absolutely no need to rush into anything, because both knew exactly where they stood.

"Mh... This was nice", murmured Percy as he liked his finger after swiping off the last bit of sauce from his plate. "Just cooking and eating and cuddling. Yeah, that's the best date so far."

"You're lazy", teased Triton with a smirk, kissing the top of Percy's head.

There was a stretch of silence between them in which they just held onto each other and listened to the other's heartbeat. Continuously, they inched closer. Hands moving to caress, tails rubbing against each other, heads being tilted to lips could catch skin. After about half an hour of slow-motion adjustment did Percy find himself laying on his bed, with Triton floating above him.

"So... uhm... now... to the main event, I guess?", offered Percy sheepishly.

"Nervous?", asked Triton softly, trailing his lips along Percy's collar. "There's no need to be. I know what I'm doing and your body is literally made for this. Just follow your instincts."

"If you could not treat me like an inexperienced virgin, that'd be great", huffed Percy offended, hitting Triton's chest. "I've had sex before, you know? I'm just... I mean, this isn't just sex, is it? This is sealing the mate-bond, which would make me... your... uh... wife. Okay, I think I'll need another century or so to adjust to how things work here, really."

It was hard to adjust to things like those. Being the submissive in the relationship, he was the wife. It didn't refer to women, it referred to submissives. One of his students at camp, his mother was the submissive male in the relationship and his father the dominant female. He stumbled over those things, because he associated women with wives and mothers and queens. But in a society like this, with basically four different shades of genders, things worked a little different.

"You'll make a fine queen", mused Triton softly, stealing a kiss from Percy's lips. "And if this is too different and new still, I have nothing against calling you my husband until you fully grow into our society. There's absolutely no need to feel awkward or effeminated though."

"For someone born into this society and growing up with the terminology being used that way, yeah, sure, but for me? Not so much. Still weird", hummed Percy and laid his arms around Triton's neck, pulling him down into a kiss. "Enough now. Let's worry about that stuff later down the road. For now, I wanna feel what mermen-sex feels like, so... uh... take the lead?"

Triton nodded sharply, fingers trailing down Percy's sides in a teasing caress, causing Percy to shudder slightly and arch into the touch. Triton's fingers danced over Percy's scales as he gripped Percy's waist and turned him onto his side. His fingers found a dipping of soft scales about two hands from Percy's lower back. He started caressing them slowly, circling the softness and softening them up even more. Percy moaned hoarsely, throwing his head back at the touch.

"W—What, wow", whispered Percy out of breath, fingers clawed into the sheets.

"Wait, you never... played with yourself since you became a merman?", asked Triton surprised.

"I did", huffed Percy with an offended glare. "But, uh, with my... well, cock, not... uh..."

Percy turned a brilliant shade of pink, causing Triton to laugh and steal a kiss. "You're so cute."

Huffing, Percy glared at his lover. "Behave, or I'll change my mind about this whole mating!"

"You wouldn't", smirked Triton and kissed Percy, this time slower and longer.

Percy sighed heavenly as Triton redirected his attention to his cock. That had been probably one of the most awkward parts of the Talk he had with the girls. Where was his dick? There was a soft patch of scales below his naval, about two hands down. Teasing it was good, just as good as that matching patch at his backside. While Triton's left hand was busy easing into the soft scales at his back that were slowly loosening up to reveal a tight, slick hole, Triton's right hand was caressing the soft scales at Percy's front. They worked like an animal's sheath, protecting his cock. Now that he was slowly growing more and more aroused, he felt himself growing hard. His cock poked out of its hidden sheath slowly, growing longer. Percy threw his head back, resting it against Triton's shoulder, enjoying how the king kissed along Percy's neck. He was so aroused that Triton's fingers easily slipped into his by now looser entrance. A gasp passed Percy's lips as Triton wrapped his other hand around Percy's hard cock. They were decidedly getting closer to the main event.

"O—Okay, gimme more, please", requested Percy, bucking his hips back and forth.

He couldn't decide of what he wanted more, the jerking of his cock or the fingers playing with his hole. All he knew was that he needed more, he needed to be one with Triton, to seal their mate-bond. He wanted to be one with Triton forever – not bodily, duh, but emotionally. He wanted the bond. Triton slowly let go of Percy to adjust himself so he was laying behind the younger merman. Percy liked the way Triton's green hands looked against his own blue hips as Triton started to hold onto him again, keeping him in place. Percy gasped, straightening his back as he felt the tip of Triton's cock easing into him. Triton took all the time in the world, saving every split second of how Percy felt around him, with every millimeter even more. The feeling of Percy surrounding him with his tight warmth became suffocatingly intense and all Triton could do to restrain himself was find another distraction. He bit Percy's shoulder, kissing and sucking to leave a mark. His mark.

"S—Shit", hissed Percy and gritted his teeth. "That hurt. But in a good way, kinda."

Triton snickered and sucked on Percy's pulse when he finally started properly thrusting. His fingers had an iron grip on Percy's waist while he started properly fucking him. After a while of rhythmic thrusting, Triton loosened his grip on Percy's waist and slipped one hand around to grasp Percy's cock. The king's two tails wrapped themselves securely around Percy's tail, holding him in place instead of Triton's hands. While jerking Percy off with one hand, his other hand wandered over Percy's chest, tracing Percy's sixpack, circling his naval and teasing his nipples. He flickered the cyan-blue buds, pinching and twisting them to test what kind of different sounds he could elect from Percy. There was such a wide array of whines and moans and whimpers that Triton was in total awe. It was as though Percy was a musical instrument and Triton was just about to learn how to properly play him to compose the most beautiful songs. It was mesmerizing.

"Turn your head", ordered Triton softly, nudging Percy's jaw. "Bite me."

"R—Right, mark", gasped Percy, twisting his body to first kiss Triton.

He felt himself getting close to the peak, but before that, they needed to close the deal with the mate mark. Triton had already left a pretty prominent mark on Percy's neck and now it was Percy's turn to do the same. Laying one arm around Triton's neck, he trailed his lips along Triton's yaw to find his pulse. Biting and kissing and licking and sucking, adamant on marking his mate. Triton groaned hoarsely in the back of his throat, picking up the pace of his thrusts and his jerks. Percy only let go of Triton's neck when he couldn't hold back the moan anymore as he reached his own orgasm at the hands of his mate. He collapsed on the bed, out of breath, holding onto Triton as good as he could while the king worked toward his own orgasm. The tails were like vices, clinging onto Percy's tail and making it downright impossible to move away, not that he could with Triton's cock impaling him. Only a few more thrusts and Triton came, filling Percy with the warm seed. Both of them were left panting, trying to catch their breath as they laid in silence for a while.

"So... you're my husband now, huh?", stated Percy casually after a few moments.

"Yes... my queen", replied Triton with a teasing smirk, kissing the base of Percy's neck.

"Yeah, that really needs an adjustment phase", laughed Percy and shook his head.

"I love you", whispered Triton as he laid his arms around Percy's waist.

"I love you too", answered Percy with a soft smile, snuggling up to the embrace. "My king."

Triton snorted and captured Percy's earlobe with his teeth. He started drawing little symbols on Percy's stomach, wondering to himself if this first time was enough to plant the seed for their first guppy in his mate. Percy was informed about merpeople customs and Triton knew that Amphitrite had taken the time to explain to Percy about the herbal mix that was used as contraception. He had also made it clear to Percy that he left the decision up to him. Triton loved Percy and he truly did want those little guppies named after Disney characters, honestly Percy could name their children whatever he wanted, as long as there would be children. But he knew that everything was still very new to Percy and he'd understand if Percy needed a few more years or decades to adjust.

"Stop thinking so loud, I'm trying to sleep here", chided Percy with a yawn.

"I'm thinking loud?", inquired Triton with an amused smirk.

"Yeah. You look so thoughtful that the brooding is basically oozing out of you. I know that look. It's like trademarked by Nico and his dad. Don't tell me you're adopted and in reality, you're a son of Hades. That would be quite the scandal", grinned Percy. "So, what got you broody?"

"I'm... thinking about... well, you and me... now that we're mates...", drawled Triton.

He placed both his hands on Percy's stomach, rubbing small circles with his thumbs until Percy caught on with what was being left unsaid. "We are so naming her Attina, you know that, right?"

"...What?", asked Triton slowly, blinking.

"Like I told you. You should totally call one of your kids Ariel, which means you should call your next daughter Attina. And since I have the honor of carrying said daughter, she will be named Attina. There's totally no way around me and you having a Disney princess lineup."

Triton snorted and shook his head at that. "You're truly one of a kind. I'm glad that you're mine now, as I am yours. And I am very much looking forward to our Disney princess lineup."

Percy laughed at that and pulled Triton down into a half passionate and half lazy kiss. After it, their lips still lingered against each other and both settled down to lay as comfortable as possible.

"How long are we staying here?", asked Percy curiously. "It's nice, the calm."

"A couple days, maybe a week or two. However long you want", whispered Triton with a smile, caressing Percy's cheek. "Just you and me together, my love. Before we face our family again."

Percy laughed at that. "Yeah. Dad's gonna be so excited to be a grandpa. Urgh."

~*~ The End ~*~