Hello, guys, it's me: JustARandomBrit and I'm finally here with a one-shot - a thank-you present to everyone who has reviewed my main story, 'Change For The Both Of Us'. We recently reached 200 reviews and I couldn't let that go unacknowledged. Besides, I've been wanting to publish a few one-shots anyway.

This particular one-shot is something I thought up a few days ago when I was sleeping at my nan's. Basically, I've heard ghost-stories about my nan's house and I find it really hard to sleep when I'm there because I always think that the man from my dad's closet (when he lived here) is going to be standing over me. Usually I sleep in the pitch-black, but last night I had to sleep with the door wide open and landing light on. Call me a wuss, but hey, it's the truth, and it's my inspiration for this story.

More inspiration for this came from my little sister. It's her seventh birthday soon - I feel like so old looking at her. Every night I sit with her and we read a page of Rick Riordan's 'The Greek Gods'. She's fascinated with the gods like I am, and she's a surprisingly good reader for her age. Anyway, the way Percy acts in this is sort of a reflection of how my little sister acts. And myself when I'm scared. As those of you who read my main story will know, Percy's personality is often based on my own.

Speaking of my main story - those who read it will also know that I'm a massive fan of 'Poseidon/Percy Father/Son' bonding. So here we have more, of course. I plan on writing a few more one-shots (I'm working on one now, in fact) with the same sort of thing, as well as a few of the other gods making surprise visits to little Percy.

My god, I'm babbling. As usual. I'll babble some more at the bottom, but for now - enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON.

The monsters under the bed.

Every child's worst nightmare was the darkness beneath their beds; where the unknown lurked and bright imaginations conjured up beastly creatures which supposedly waited for them to close their eyes. For most children, the monsters were purely imagination. However for few – specifically Demigods – the monsters were real. The bed was where a child's scent lingered most, after all. Monsters were drawn to them, and the darkness was a bonus. Many Demigod children didn't see the age of eight due to what their parents brushed off as figments of their young minds.

Percy Jackson was no exception to the monsters under the bed. In his grimy room in his mom's tiny apartment, every night felt like being trapped in an arena of sorts; only he was weapon-less and terrified. Every evening, he would beg his mother to spend the night with her, in her room. Unfortunately, Smelly Gabe forbade it. Percy was five years old, and as he always claimed, he was a 'big boy'. And big boys didn't sleep with their mothers, Gabe told him.

"Please, momma," Percy said, squirming in Sally's arms as she carried him to his room. "A little longer. The TV isn't finished yet,"

"The TV is getting tired, Percy," Sally replied soothingly. "And so are you. It's time for sleep,"

Percy pouted and widened his eyes, determined to keep them open. "But I'm not tired...I'm wide awake. And so's the TV because Gabe is watching it. Pleeease, momma?"

"No," her tone was firm and final. "You know the rule, Percy – bedtime is seven o'clock, otherwise you'll be too tired for school tomorrow,"

There was no room for arguing, Percy could tell. They entered his bedroom and he instantly tensed, his green eyes trained on the space beneath his bed. Did the shadows just move? Surely they didn't. Momma told him that the monsters didn't exist. It was the light.

Sally sighed to herself silently as she placed her son on his bed, helping him under the covers. "Try and get some sleep," she urged. "There are no monsters, remember? I'll be right next door if you need me,"

"Four more minutes?" Percy tried again. "Please, momma, I'm not tired,"

"Your drooping eyes say otherwise, sweetheart," Sally chuckled lightly at his persistence and kissed his forehead. "I'll come and check on you in twenty minutes, alright? Sweet dreams,"

She straightened and left, leaving the bedroom door open a crack so light from the hallway seeped into Percy's room. A few seconds later, the light switched off – Smelly Gabe, probably. He loved to tease Percy about his fears of monsters looming in the darkness.

Percy shrunk into his corn blue blanket, pulling it all the way up to his chin and wrapping it around himself tightly – as though it acted as some sort of shield that the monsters wouldn't be able to penetrate. Within a minute or so, he was too warm (with it being midsummer outside) however he didn't dare stick his leg out from beneath the blankets. What if the monsters grabbed his foot and pulled him off the bed and then dragged him beneath the bed where the darkness would completely drown his screams so his momma couldn't hear him and-?

The young boy whimpered as something beneath him chuckled, causing the bed to tremble. He tugged the blanket over his head, trying to calm his rapid breaths. It's not real, he told himself. Momma said so. They're pretend. It's the naughty light playing tricks on me.

Another chuckle. Could light make sound? Percy didn't think so.

And so it prevailed like that. A minute felt like an hour. Percy didn't dare close his eyes, in fear that if he did, he'd open them again to find himself nose-to-nose with something terrible. So he stayed like that – paralysed with fear, blankets wrapped around him like a cocoon, his breathing short gasps and his eyes darting in every direction. It was going to be another long night.

Far away, Lord Poseidon wandered the depths of the Atlantic Ocean with no particular destination in mind, his thoughts further away than the sky above as he remembered the two people he was forced to leave almost six years ago. Sally – sweet, beautiful Sally – and their unborn child. He remembered his final few minutes with her, when he kissed her cheek and then her swollen stomach. He remembered feeling the ocean growing within her, and tiny feet fluttering against his palm. He remembered wondering whether the child would be a boy or girl. What would their name be? Would they look like Sally, or like him? How long would they live? Would they be powerful? Now Poseidon knew. It was a boy – a beautiful, hyper little boy with the name Perseus. Perseus Jackson.

Somewhere to the east, hurricanes raged as Poseidon remembered why he had to leave them both; his brother's stupid laws and their stupid Oath had forced him to abandon his lover and son. There were numerous things that Poseidon would never forgive Zeus for, and at the top of that list was making him leave the people he loved the most when Poseidon knew for a fact that Zeus visited his children regularly. Poseidon had never even met Percy, apart from one time when he was a month old and he held him at his cradle.

How dare Zeus criticise him for doing something that he himself was doing right at that moment in time? Oh, yes, Poseidon knew. After every solstice meeting, his brother would mysteriously vanish for a few hours. No one knew where he went exactly – except for the fact that wherever he went, he managed to calm down there. Last year, Poseidon followed him, and found him in a young girl's bedroom. His daughter's bedroom, to be exact. The pair were talking in hushed voices, and Zeus was actually smiling.

Poseidon straightened his back as that old memory hit him, his thoughts returning to where he was stood on the ocean floor with a thump. Wait, if Zeus was allowed to visit his child after the solstice meeting, what was to say that Poseidon couldn't visit his? Zeus wouldn't know, being so wrapped-up in seeing his daughter. As Poseidon, Hermes and Apollo had worked together to prove with a rather spectacular prank on Athena; when Zeus was gone, they could pull off just about anything and not get caught. A few minutes with Percy wouldn't hurt, right?

Closing his eyes, Poseidon visualised the apartment of Sally and Percy. He hadn't been there in years, though the layout was still the same. The sea god reappeared in the hallway of the apartment; from there he could hear the TV playing and Sally's utterly horrific husband belching loudly whilst talking (well, more like shouting) to his friends. The scent of the apartment hit Poseidon like a punch in the gut. How could anyone stand such a stench? Mortals truly baffled Poseidon sometimes...

Eager to see his son and get out of the foul-smelling place, Poseidon crept down the corridor, careful not to make a sound and alert Sally's husband he was there. As he moved, he sensed his lover in the kitchen, preparing some kind of food. It took all of Poseidon's willpower not to greet her. No, this meeting had to be secret, just like Zeus's. The fewer witnesses, the better.

Percy's room was in the same place as it had been when he was a babe; at the end of the small corridor, where the light of the living room should have been able to reach the crack in his door, only someone had turned the light off. Poseidon frowned a little at that, but he moved closer anyway. He realised with a heavy heart that Percy would likely be asleep at this hour, and they wouldn't be able to speak. Still, he added mentally. I'll get to see him. That's good enough.

Poseidon reached the door and stood outside it silently, listening. His frown deepened at what he heard – short, quick breathing and some sort of hissing. Hissing? Another foul scent reached the sea god's nose, only this one wasn't courtesy of 'Ugliano the Walrus'. It was the scent of a monster. Panic swept through him.

Opening the door, Poseidon stepped inside.

He didn't have any time to examine what the creature was that was looming over his defenceless son before his trident appeared in his hand and the said monster disintegrated with a hiss. Golden dust fluttered to the floor and showered the blanket on the bed, causing it to twinkle in the glow of the trident. It took Poseidon a moment to realise that the blanket was trembling – well, the child hidden beneath it was trembling.

Resting his trident on the wall, still giving off light, and shutting the door silently behind him, Poseidon stepped up to the bed. His brow furrowed as he looked down on it. How had the monster gotten in here? Would there be more? Was Percy hurt?

He sensed fear in his son – in the ocean. Long Island Sound was currently feeling brunt Percy's emotions, and it wasn't pretty. It amazed Poseidon how the child could have so much control over his father's domain yet yet remain so oblivious to it. It was also a shame that his innocence would probably only last a few more years. Poseidon wanted to know his son before that change happened.

Kneeling next to the bed, Poseidon took the 'careful' approach. "Perseus?"

It was the careful approach, yes. But was it the sensible approach? No. Honestly, appearing in a child's bedroom without warning didn't have a sensible approach. Percy gasped, his head appearing from beneath the covers as his eyes landed on Poseidon.

The sea god let out a gasp of his own.

It was like looking into a mirror – a really weird mirror that showed immortal gods as five year olds. Percy's eyes...they were the exact the same shade of green as Poseidon's. They glittered the same way, and even glowed like a neon light in the darkness. His dark lashes brought out the colour further. The irises shimmered the same way as Sally's, like ripples in the sea's waves. Poseidon realised that part of the shimmering was created by large, fat tears swelling in his eyes; pouring down his soft pink cheeks as he took in Poseidon's form.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice trembling as he tried to put on a brave face. It didn't work, though Poseidon thought it was a good effort coming from a five year old. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Don't worry, child," Poseidon said in a hopefully soothing tone. The last thing he wanted was Percy running to his mother, screaming, which would then lead to Sally slapping him over the head with a hot frying pan in hand (and Poseidon knew from experience that a blow from Sally's frying pan hurt). "I won't hurt you,"

Percy stared at him. His eyes and the glow of Poseidon's trident lit up his face – tanned skin, like he'd been lounging in the Greek sun for a week; raven black hair with a natural windswept style, only now it stood in odd directions due to lying in bed; soft, curved baby features that were the very definition of innocence and cuteness, with freckles lightly dotted across his cheeks. Poseidon never thought he'd describe anyone as cute, but it was true. No doubt when the boy was older, he'd be able to pass for a son of Aphrodite – the sea god almost wondered whether the interfering goddess had blessed his son or something.

"Where are the monsters?" Percy asked, shocking Poseidon a little. He'd expected more questioning about who he was and why he was there and such. He'd expected Percy to be sceptical and in no way...lenient to Poseidon's presence. This was unexpected.

"The monsters?" Poseidon repeated, still in a state of shock and confusion.

"Yes, the monsters," said Percy, nodding. He dared sit up a little more, letting the blanket fall from his shoulders. "The ones under the bed. They won't leave me alone. Momma says they're not real, but I know they are. Where are they now? Are they gone?"

Okay, so he asked a lot of questions. Sally did too, when she found out Poseidon was a god.

Poseidon plastered a comforting smile on to his face. "Monsters under the bed, you say? Why, we can't have that. Would you like me to get rid of them?"

Percy nodded timidly, wiping his damp cheeks with the corner of his pillow (which he clutched in his hands still). Poseidon resisted the urge to wipe the tears away himself, only he knew that would be far too...too fatherly at that moment in time. Percy had to come to trust him first before he could go around drying his tears and hugging him and such.

Poseidon dropped on to his hands and knees and scanned the darkness under Percy's bed. He spotted the said monsters instantly – red-eyed shadow demons who hissed at the light coming from Poseidon's glowing green eyes. His eyes glowed brighter as Percy whimpered in fear at the strange sound. Anger boiled beneath his the sea god's skin. These monsters – how long had they been lurking under his son's bed, leeching on his fear every night? With an almost-silent growl (he didn't want to scare Percy further) his trident flew into his hand (okay, so he failed pretty quickly at not scaring Percy) and he shot a blast of light at the shadow demons. They vanished with high-pitched screams like dog whistles. Luckily, only gods and Demigods could hear the sound, otherwise Sally would have heard and that wouldn't have ended well.

Pushing himself off his hands and setting himself on his knees, Poseidon looked up at Percy. He was gaping, which was understandable. At least he wasn't sobbing or screaming in fear, or even crying. His eyes were dry.

"How did you do that?" he questioned, eyeing Poseidon's trident wearily

"Magic," said Poseidon, placing his trident on the floor. "The monsters are gone now. They won't bother you again, my son,"

Percy's brow furrowed. "Son?"

Oh, trust Sally's son to repeat that word, Poseidon thought to himself. Yeah, 'monsters' aren't that of a big deal...nor is my trident...no, let's focus on 'son' instead... He smiled regardless. "That's right," he said. "You're my son,"

"Really?" Percy asked, now sitting up completely. His blanket fell down to reveal a Finding Nemo pyjama shirt, which amused Poseidon greatly. "But...but my momma said you were gone at sea. You...what?"

Poseidon chuckled at his adorable confusion (Styx, he was turning soft) and held out his hand. "My name is Poseidon," he said. "Nice to meet you,"

What? It was never too late or too early to teach your son manners – especially the son who is technically the Prince of the Sea, considering Poseidon was the King.

Percy tentatively shook his hand, albeit confused. Poseidon noted that his hands were oddly calloused for one so young – maybe he'd been practising his sword fighting already, only with a broom or something rather than a sword. "Poseidon," he repeated, as thought trying out the word to see if he liked it. "That's a funny name. I'm Percy,"

"I know," Poseidon smiled.

"Are you really...am I really your son?"

"Yes, you're really my son. Can you tell?"

Percy nodded, which made Poseidon grin. It was natural for a Demigod to be able to sense their godly parent, and vice versa. No doubt Percy knew who he was the second he heard him speak.

"What are you doing here?" asked Percy. "I thought you were busy at sea,"

"I was," Poseidon said. "But I got some time off to come and visit you. You've grown very much – the last time I saw you, you were a little baby. Like this," from his pocket, Poseidon drew a wallet the shape of some seashells. He opened it and withdrew a small photo of four-month-old Percy, which he handed to five-year-old Percy. Poseidon would carry the picture around with him at all times because...well, because he wanted to. He'd often pull it out and stare at it when he was stressed or worried or feeling anything negative, and it never failed to make him smile. Poseidon had asked Sally to drop a picture of the baby into the sea at some point after he was born, and he would receive it. Which he did.

"That's me," Percy said in surprise, leaning close to the picture to get a good look at it. A smile tugged at his lips. "I was tiny,"

"Very tiny indeed," Poseidon agreed. "I was terrified I might break you when I held you for the first time,"

Percy stared at the photo for a few seconds, as though deciding something. His head tilted to the side curiously (a trait inherited from Poseidon himself) and his lips twisted into a cute pout (Sally's cute pout). He then looked up at the sea god and offered him a smile.

"Did you get rid of the monsters?" he asked. "The ones under my bed?"

Talk about a subject change, Poseidon thought. "I did,"

"With that?" Percy pointed to the trident. He very nearly said 'trident', only he then frowned (as though unsure that was incorrect) and said instead, "The fork?"

"Not a fork," said Poseidon. "It's a..."

"A trident," Percy finished, a proud smile on his face that he'd gotten it right the first time. Another bonus of being a son of Poseidon – he was born to know his father's symbols of powers and stuff like that. Knowing what a trident was for Percy was as easy as knowing what a TV was. It was natural. "Did you blow them to pieces?"

Poseidon chuckled. "Between you and me...yes I did,"

Percy giggled too. "Good," he said. "I don't like monsters. They're scary,"

You'll be facing many more in your lifetime, my son, Poseidon thought sadly. He bit his tongue to stop himself from saying it, and checked his smile was still there before talking. "I agree. You've been very brave, however. How long were the monsters living under your bed?"

"A few days," Percy said. "Are you sure they're gone?"

"Check for yourself," Poseidon replied.

Percy twitched, about to comply, when his lips pursed into a grimace. "No thanks," he said, sitting straighter. "I trust you. Thanks for getting rid of them. Momma said I should always say thanks when someone helps me,"

Poseidon's chest swelled a little at the thank you and the simple phrase 'I trust you'. Well, this was going a lot better than he expected. Sort of. Poseidon hadn't had time to expect anything when he made the decision to visit Percy – only to see him and maybe not terrify him on the first visit. Already, Poseidon had received Percy's trust. The kid must have sensed him better than other Demigods; must have really known that Poseidon was his father. Maybe he sensed him so well that he could even feel his emotions. Heracles had that ability with Zeus. Maybe that was why he had his trust so easily.

"It was my pleasure," Poseidon replied, unable to stop his bright smile. No doubt his eyes were only one shade shy of pure joy. This couldn't be going any better. "I see that you haven't been getting much sleep lately,"

He took the risk and reached over to cup Percy's cheek; it was warm and still a little damp from crying. His thumb brushed the light purple bags under his eyes. Few people would have been able to notice them unless they looked closely, so of course Poseidon spotted them.

"The monsters stopped me," Percy admitted, surprisingly not pulling away from his father's touch. "I thought they might have eaten me if I closed my eyes,"

"Oh, they wouldn't have. They wouldn't have wanted to make me angry," said Poseidon.

"Would you have stabbed them with your trident?" asked Percy.

"Worse,"

That made the boy grin. "Ooh,"

Poseidon rolled his eyes – it looked like all Demigods had a passion for fighting, even at six years old. Percy wasn't quite as battle-lusting as children of Ares, though he stilled seemed to have a...liking for watching monsters being wiped out. "At any rate, they are gone now," Poseidon said. "You don't have to worry about the monsters under your bed ever again,"

"That would be nice," Percy admitted, blinking his eyes a few times. Poseidon realised that he was a lot more tired than he was letting in on – a few consecutive days with monsters terrorising your sleep was bound to put you a few hours behind.

"Maybe you should rest," Poseidon suggested, still stroking Percy's cheekbone, just beneath his eye, with his thumb. "You need to get some sleep for school tomorrow, don't you?"

Percy made a face. "School..." he repeated with distaste, though he didn't object to some sleep.

Chuckling, Poseidon nudged the boy until he was lying down. Percy brought the blankets to his chin and stuck one of his legs out of the blanket, which gave Poseidon a pretty good indication of how tall he was. For five years old, Percy was pretty tall and lanky. Maybe he'd just had a growth spurt. He yawned hugely the second his head rested on the pillow.

"Tired?" Poseidon asked, fussily checking the blanket to make sure it was covering him completely. It took him a moment to realise that he was tucking Percy in and going all mother-hen, so he quickly stopped. His hand reached over to stroke Percy's hair instead.

"A little," Percy muttered. "Momma wouldn't let me watch the TV for a little longer, and..." his eyelids drooped. "And...I don't know,"

"The monsters are gone," Poseidon told him once again as his hand gently ran through Percy's raven locks, smiling fondly. Styx, he didn't want to leave. "You may rest easy now, my son,"

"Do you have to go?" Percy asked, as though he'd read his father's mind.

"I'm afraid so, Percy. I could not find much time away from work," said Poseidon, his chest growing heavy with each word. He tried to keep his tone light and comforting. "My boss will be very mad if I am late back. But I will return. Do you know when the winter solstice takes place? The twenty-first of December?" Percy nodded sleepily. "I will return then, when it is dark,"

"Why when it's dark?"

"So...so I can check that the monsters haven't come back. They don't like the light,"

Percy nodded, as though that made complete sense. "Poppa?" he whispered, his eyes fluttering as though trying not to fall asleep. Poseidon's heart melted at the name. "What if the monsters come back before the winter solstice? What do I do then?"

"Be brave," Poseidon said. "Be strong. I will do what I can to keep them at bay,"

Once again, his son nodded, seemingly putting all of his trust into his father. Poseidon leant down to kiss Percy's forehead – the same farewell he gave him during his first visit – and muttered, "I love you, my son. Never forget that,"

He went to straighten up, only Percy did the cutest thing ever. He puckered his lips as Poseidon's head rose and managed to plant a brief kiss on the sea god's cheek. "Love you too, poppa..."

Boom. Gone. Percy officially owned Poseidon's heart.

"Sleep well," Poseidon said, blinking for no reason at all. "And don't tell your momma I was here. She...well, you'll know when you're older. Can you do that?"

But Percy was already asleep. It could have been his imagination, but Poseidon swore he saw him nod. Smiling so wide it almost hurt, Poseidon ran his hand through his boy's hair once more before standing, grabbing his trident taking a step back. Percy didn't have to know he was a god just yet. That could wait until he was a bit older. For now, he wanted his son to enjoy a life of normality. When the time came - when he was older and stronger and more capable of fighting monsters - he would know the truth. Unfortunately.

Before Poseidon left the room in a spray of sea-foam, he directed his gaze to Percy's bed – or, more specifically, underneath it. With a click of his fingers, the empty space below it was filled with boxes of toys. All were sea-themed, of course, and took up all the space beneath the bed. Now, not only would Percy have an unlimited supply of toys, the monsters wouldn't have anywhere to hide. Just in case, Poseidon clicked his fingers again, and a stuffed dolphin materialised on the drawers. Percy wouldn't know it, but the dolphin was actually meant to be Delphin. If there was ever a disturbance in this room, the Dolphin King would know, and Poseidon would sort it.

"Be good for your momma, my son," Poseidon muttered as footsteps walked towards the bedroom; Sally, no doubt, coming to check on their son. Percy shifted as though he heard him, and Poseidon vanished. The last thing he heard was the door opening and a surprised gasp when Sally saw her lover's gift to her son.

Those monsters under the bed weren't going to be bothering anyone for a while.

Cute? I think it's cute. Personally, I'm very proud of this chapter. I spent over an hour working on it and proof-read it about three or four times, so it had better be good. I used to be terrified of the monsters under my bed when I was little, and to this day I still fear that the Muppets will attack me in the night (what? Puppets scare me).

I thought that because my other story takes place when Percy is nine/ten years old and that he acts a lot older than he is, I had to write something about Percy being young and innocent and sweet and stuff. Basically, this is how I reckon a visit from Poseidon to Percy would be. It's a little AU and OOC but I think it's pretty accurate. And cute. Not being funny, but this is one of my favourite pieces of writing ever. I may have to give it to my English teacher to be used as grade for this half-term.

So, if you guys have any suggestions for other one-shots, feel free to mention them in a review. I suppose that I should advertise my other story, 'Change For The Both Of Us' while I here - if anyone reading likes father/son bonding between Percy and Poseidon, then go check it out. It's AU with no gods and stuff. I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed that too.

So...that's just about everything, I suppose. Leave a review if you enjoyed, and be expecting further one-shots from me! I'll add them to this story, as it's kind of pointless to make them all separate stories. So, yeah! Goodnight, everyone, and enjoy your days! :)