Poseidon POV:

I had no idea it was this hard to be a father.

Sure, Zeus had warned me about the woes of having a child, but I never had imagined how hard it would be.

Now was the prime example of hardness.

Percy was on a hospital bed, eyelids closed over the sea green eyes that I knew had seen way too much for their own good.

I reached out on impulse and touched the gash that the hellhound had given him.

He always had a soft spot for those.

Sometimes I wondered why in the world I ever claimed Percy.

It was so hard to see the kid get beaten up all the time.

It was even harder to just sit around and do nothing.

What wouldn't I give to kill every monster who ever lay a hand on Percy.

Being a father was hard, but being a god and a father was even harder.

Suddenly Percy stirred in his sleep. "I love you dad." he murmured in his sleep.

A smile broke out across my face. "I love you too, son," I said, careful not to wake him.

I walked out of the hospital room, my mind racing.

Being a father was hard, all right. But those four words made it all worthwhile in the end.