So… it turned out that the Gods were real.
OO OO OO OO
Now, Percy had never really thought about his religion. Like- he didn't know what Gods he believed in or if he believed in any. It just… wasn't something he'd thought about.
His mom never talked about religion, and Gabe definitely didn't. He knew a lot of his neighborhood went to the church, mosque, or synagogue, but his mom didn't, and neither did he.
So he'd never really thought about the Gods beyond what he researched for giving gifts to Triton, or looking into the holidays, or the homework Triton gave him… okay so he'd thought about it some but not as Gods. They were just… Beings that he'd read about, not considering Their divinity.
It just wasn't important, he was training to be a waterbending Master and everything else came second.
But now… well now he was thinking about it. Mainly because he was talking to two Gods, river Gods apparently.
He had a lot of questions, like was Triton a God? Was he not named after Triton the Sea God but was actually a Sea God? Was Poseidon Triton's dad? Were the other rulers of the sea also Gods? Were the Greek Gods the only ones? Were there other Gods? What about the ones his classmates worshiped? Why were they talking to him? Why did they call him Godling?
The River Gods did Their best to answer his questions, but They seemed a bit overwhelmed by them.
Triton was a God, the God of Waves and Calm Seas, and sometimes connected to the Tides.
Poseidon was the King of the Seas, God of the Seas from the myths, and yes, Triton's dad.
The other Rulers of the Sea were also Gods, there were many.
And They called him Godling because he was a DemiGod, his Parent a God. They assumed it was Triton or someone close to Him because of the attention Triton gave him.
He didn't think Triton was his dad, that would be weird. Triton was a good friend, practically his brother. And he didn't even know Percy's name at first, surely his dad would know that?
The River Gods didn't have enough answers for him in the end.
OO OO OO OO
When Triton returned a few days later Percy had questions for him.
A lot of questions.
He wrote them down.
In a list.
A six page list.
It was an important list.
Triton had frozen when Percy brought it up–and wasn't that a panic attack, what if Triton hadn't wanted Percy to know? What if he didn't want Percy to know anything about Gods? What if Percy wasn't supposed to know? What if it was just for the divine and as a mortal he wasn't supposed to speak of the Gods like that?
But Triton had moved again after, and had taken Percy's hand and agreed to answer his questions.
He did make a rule about it though, he said he had the right to refuse any questions without giving a reason, because apparently some information wasn't to share and other information might put Percy in danger.
That was fine, Percy trusted that Triton would answer what he could.
Triton may have kept it secret from him before, but Percy didn't think he'd lie to him.
And Percy would prefer having some information over no information.
So Triton had taken the list and left, promising to answer all the questions he could when he returned.
Percy missed him.
OO OO OO OO
Percy never saw the River Gods that told him about the Godly world after that. Not even the little glimpses from the corner of his eyes. The river got dirty again without him having to ask, but the River Gods were nowhere to be found.
He'd asked the fish if they knew what happened, or where the River Gods were, but none of them held any answers.
Well, actually Eli the Eel said that Triton had visited them, but Percy didn't know why. Did he want to know what Percy had already been told? It probably wasn't too important or the fish would tell hear.
He didn't think that was related to the River Gods just vanishing.
But Triton returned within the week, so Percy put it out of his mind.
OO OO OO OO
They were sitting at the bottom of the river, a spot that Percy had cleaned the day before.
Triton was fingering the paper in his hands while Percy twisted his bracelet, waiting for Triton to speak.
"Alright," Triton murmured. "I guess I should start explaining…"
At Percy's eager nod, Triton began.
He explained the Gods, the Greek ones, and how They came to be. He drew out a basic family tree while speaking of Their rise to power. He spoke of Their children, with Gods and mortals alike, how how the children fought with and for Them.
He spoke of ancient grudges and their modern continuations, of the end of grudges and the beginning of peace.
He spoke of Laws, Laws that went back to the beginning of Khaos, and laws that went to the beginning of Zeus. Ancient Laws, and ancient laws. Khaos' laws, unbreakable, to be defied only if you wished to face Khaos. Zeus' laws, to be enforced by Zeus as he saw fit.
Triton spoke of exceptions, of favor earned and laws avoided. He spoke of honoring vows, of offering hospitality, of honoring the dead.
He spoke of not touching another Immortals power, of Immortals not facing a mortal till they are directly challenged.
He learned of the punishment for breaking, ruin and death, or curses lasting millennia. A plea could be made, mercy could be offered, but it had to be earned.
Triton explained how the Gods were beings beyond Mortal knowledge, and there was much Percy could not know of them.
He then spoke of Percy, of his parentage. How he could not be sure of Percy's Metua, but dared not speak until it was confirmed.
There were protections for children, and ignorance was a powerful one.
Triton handed Percy a scroll on the matter, sitting back and allowing Percy to ask new questions.
Percy swore to himself he'd read it quickly, that he would catch up.
He asked for more information, on the sea, on the Gods of the Sea, on the laws that governed him and the Gods. On what he could know, all of it.
Triton promised he would give Percy all the information he would need, books called to his hands in a flurry of bubbles.
He could not speak of all that Percy wanted to know, not yet.
Ignorance was not the only shield for children, but for Percy whose mother was oh so busy and he was expected to care for himself in her absence, it was a powerful shield.
Triton promised Percy he would answer more when he was older, when he was safe and able to be told all that he was and all that he wanted to know.
He spoke of a camp for Godly children, a camp that perhaps one day Percy could attend.
But not yet, Triton said that it wasn't safe. Not for Percy. Not if Triton was right about his Metua.
Percy agreed, he trusted Triton. Triton was like his big brother, and Percy knew he'd keep him safe.
But he also couldn't help wondering who his father could be that he wouldn't be safe at a camp for children of the Gods.
OO OO OO OO
The Summer Solstice arrived at long last.
Things had been very busy, and Percy was buried in stuff to do, but thankfully he'd still managed to get Triton's gift done.
He'd only realized the date in the last week, mind you, so it wasn't the best gift, but he had something and that was the important thing.
He'd dug through the library for information on the Summer Solstice, and it seemed to be a lot of meals and sharing stuff with family and honoring the sun. One thing mentioned it being the new year in Ancient Greece, so maybe he should wish Triton a happy new year? Was the New Year the same in the sea? And there was some holiday called Kronia that celebrated food… He wasn't sure how to celebrate it, but since it kinda honored the sun… maybe he could do that?
So he read some suggestions and wore orange, which was the color of the sun, and drew a pretty picture for the Sun (was that Apollo? Helios? If the Gods were there then it should be one of Them right?).
Anyways, he saved some of the dinner from the night before, kofta and baked beans, to share with Triton. He'd also painted a rock to look like a seashell. It was kinda rough, but he thought it looked nice.
He felt bad it was all last minute, but he did also try to fill the stone with purifying energy, like the sand dollars.
If he'd planned ahead more he could've asked his mom to make hamam mahshi instead, but it would have to do.
Triton seemed happy at least. He said the energy would dissipate (which apparently meant dissolve or leave) from the rock-shell soon.
Percy was proud when Triton said it was advanced for his age, even if it was roughly done. And then Triton also promised to show Percy some cool tricks to make it last longer another day!
Percy ate the leftover food with Triton and basked in Triton's praise.
Triton was always so supportive.
OO OO OO OO
Percy's birthday was a bit over a month after the solstice, yet it felt like no time at all before it arrived as well.
Triton gifted him a charm for his bracelet this time, Triton called it a poturu. It was a little pearl and Triton said it could be used to escape from anywhere in the world, or beyond. This one was a Personal Pearl (or ta'potu), Triton made it himself.
It would bring Percy straight to Triton, no matter where Percy was, or where Triton was.
Apparently there were a variety of types of poturu. Some could bring you to the closest body of water (wa'potu), or that would bring you to water you considered safest (uo'potu), or even ones that would just shield you in place (pa'potu). But Triton thought this one would be best.
He said he wanted Percy to be able to reach him in the case of an emergency.
Percy couldn't help but tear up at that, it was very sweet. He vowed to keep it safe and only use it in the direst of emergencies.
Triton smiled, helping him clip it to his bracelet.
After he let Percy admire it, and it's position next to the other two charms, he revealed the second present.
A book on the Siren's Song.
Percy beamed, water swirling around him as he leapt to hug Triton, squeezing tight.
"Thank you thank you thank you!"
He would finally be able to learn the Siren's Song!
He had read up on it, but it was really complicated and Triton hadn't let him even begin to learn it previously, only learning the theory. He'd been told some amazing tales of what could be done with the Song, he was thrilled to learn about it.
He ended up opening the book right then and swam around with Triton for another hour talking about sea magics and asking about Siren's Song. Triton made him promise not to try anything without supervision, which Percy did freely.
Percy was given one more happy birthday from Triton as he got out of the water, and he waved to Triton before hurrying home.
Home to Gabe.
But more importantly, home to his mom.
She wrapped him in a hug the moment she arrived home from work, smelling like salt water taffy and comfort. A bright smile on her face as she ushered him to the table to open presents and prepare for dinner.
Dinner itself was delicious, mom made sayadieh. Percy loved the fish, it was always spiced to perfection.
He got a blue cake too of course, and blue cookies. And she bought him a new pair of shoes to replace his torn and worn through ones. She even got him a few audio books on the myths!
Overall it was one of the best birthdays he'd ever had.
OO OO OO OO
School started up again (new one) but honestly, Percy wasn't really paying attention to it.
Yeah it was important, but the books from Triton were way more interesting. He was giving Percy all the books he hadn't before cause Percy couldn't know about the Gods hand in the ocean. Now Percy had all of that, and he was drowning in the information.
He'd learned so much about the history of the sea deities, their worship, how to honor and respect them, how they held their positions, how they interacted with each other, how the different kingdoms interacted, how the sea itself functioned-
It was fascinating learning how Poseidon was the Overall King (the Arila, but one note in one of the books mentioned Poseidon as the Old King, the Wanril). But things were complicated so while he ruled the seas, he also did not command the other Sea Gods. They ruled their waters, but also owed Poseidon some loyalty.
It was really complicated, full of specific rules and when Poseidon had so-ver-ient-y and times when the others did.
Percy figured he could learn about it for years and not understand it all.
And this was just the beginners book! There was so much more to learn.
He loved learning about the sea, he didn't know why he had to do land stuff. The sea was so fascinating, he could barely focus on anything else.
He was really glad he knew the truth now too, there was so much more to learn about.
The next book he had to read was about the cultural information of each kingdom, which was apparently very different. Percy couldn't wait to read it.
"Mr. Jackson, are you even listening to me?"
Right after he got out of detention.
OO OO OO OO
Outside of lessons, and his few detentions, and the numerous classes he kept zoning out in, school was going pretty well.
Well, other than that one creepy girl with a weird feel to her. It felt strangely… warm? Around her. And he kept hearing this faint buzz. It wasn't even quite hearing, but kinda like how he could 'hear' the fridge. A feeling in his bones…
He didn't know what to do about it, or what it was, but he didn't like it. It rubbed him wrong.
So he avoided her.
She did not avoid him.
He was stressed.
OO OO OO OO
Percy did not like field trips.
He knew he said it before, a bunch, but they sucked. Maybe he'd just not go on the next one.
At least this time he wasn't blamed for the mess, but he still felt sick and miserable.
It wasn't his fault that the creepy girl turned into some kind of… creature… he swore he recognized her- but he didn't pay much attention to the land stuff so- he didn't understand-
He didn't know what she was, why she was there, with fire for hair and mismatched legs of metal and goat- but she'd attacked him.
She'd been there for him, acting like a vampire and trying to suck his blood and biting his neck while he screamed and tried to shove her off.
Thank Poseidon he'd called upon his power instinctively, the walls exploding with water and drowning her and cradling him and he hit the ground with a bleeding neck healing over in an instant.
She'd crumbled to gold dust, mud like texture left behind along side a glowing red stone.
He hadn't grabbed it, he'd been too busy curling up and hiding in the corner, clutching his healed neck and terrified by what happened.
The guides had found him there, blood on his skin and pale and shaky and scared. He'd been taken to the doctor but had been declared fine, just shocked.
The only upside was that no one blamed him.
OO OO OO OO
When Percy told Triton about the scary girl and how close he'd come to- to- had he? Had he come close to- to dying? He wasn't sure but- Triton had wrapped him in a tight hug, shushing him softly and assuring him he was safe.
Percy had clung to him, assured by the armor on him and the trident he could summon. Nothing would hurt Percy while Triton was there. He was safe.
When Percy had calmed, Triton had declared that they would do more training with his trident and double that with his water.
If his instincts leaned towards water as a shield, then Triton said he would help him hone them.
The training was very hard, Percy ached all over, but… Triton was proud, and Triton was teaching him how to stay safe.
So Percy never regretted telling him.
OO OO OO OO
The book on the protections children had was really interesting. It was simple, but complicated.
There were two main protections for children, two things that shielded them.
The first was ignorance–To know about the Godly world was to open your eyes. You viewed it, but what you saw could see you back.
This protection was the flimsiest for children of the Gods, as they were by nature able to view more of the divine than mortals. But for those who could not be shielded other ways, they were kept ignorant.
A thin shield against threats.
The other protection was guardianship.
Percy found this one really interesting, it was based in belief more than anything else.
First the child had to have a guardian, someone who watched out for them, raised them, taught them, protected them . The Person who would shelter them and feed them and ensure their safety.
There had to be someone, someone connected to them, someone whose hearth they belonged to. By magic or law, they had to have a home to have a guardian. They had to act to keep the child safe, and the child had to be a child to them. But so long as that was the case, the child held an inherent protection.
To be a part of one's hearth was to be shielded by it. It was a protection granted by Hestia, Zeus, and the other deities of the home.
Percy found that fascinating, apparently it was a phenomenon even in the ocean (though the hearth was different there).
The book noted that protections usually started weakening when the child started to have independence. In the ocean this was commonly around sixteen, but on land Percy wasn't sure. He was pretty independent, did that weaken his protection? His mom still watched out for him…
He wondered briefly what would have happened if he only had Gabe. Gabe would've never treated him like a child, might not have even kept him in the house.
His mom though, she always said he'd be her little boy. It was embarrassing at times but surely it meant that he would have her protection for a long time.
He knew she'd watch out for him.
He wondered about children without families that protected them. Families that didn't see them as a child, or as someone who should be treasured and cared for. Did they lose protection quickly?
The book didn't specify much about Gods, he wondered if They didn't count the same way. The other books talked about Gods, talked about Their inherent nature as being Different. Could They not protect Their children? They couldn't offer a home and hearth, not like a mortal could.
He wondered if that was why Gods weren't mentioned in the book, was it just understood that They were Different?
It was all so confusing.
OO OO OO OO
Percy had long since decided he was going to be the best at sea magic, all of it really. But he had a special interest in protecting things.
Especially after… the incident.
He didn't want to be afraid like that again.
He could, and would, use his waterbending to protect himself and others. The book mentioned ways of training, of improving. There was a lot of focus on protecting the young in the book on children's protections. The sea had a lot of care for children he'd noticed.
A lot he couldn't do, it was for a guardian to protect their child, but some he could.
He asked Triton to help him learn, to improve and be able to protect himself.
Triton's bright smile meant nothing but pain, but Percy was happy anyways.
So he had to learn the runic language of the sea, the Ivuohalm (the oldest language of the sea). It was used for magic only, spoken and written. Words themselves could be magic (Siren's Song showing that), and written forms could embed it into things.
It wasn't like Halmaheran, he didn't have an instinctive knack for it. But it was something he had to learn.
Which meant he'd have to study it a bunch.
Oh joy.
OO OO OO OO
The air was getting colder so Percy had gotten his jacket out once more. It was a little tighter now, but not too much. He was glad, it meant he didn't need a new one yet.
But also he was still small, he didn't like that.
But ignoring his height, he was really happy. He'd heard the news when he was making a sandwich and the reporters were talking about how scientists were baffled by lower levels of pollution in the rivers!
He was doing good, he was helping .
He may have been slower than Katara was when she helped the one fire nation town, but she'd had the whole village to help and he was alone. And he was helping .
He was improving the river, making a better environment, making things better .
Clearly he could make a difference, and he was determined to keep doing so.
He wanted to get better at making sand dollars. They were hard to make, but the more he made the better he got and they'd actually started making the water feel cleaner lately.
If he could make a lot of them then the water would get clean so much quicker!
He didn't need to hide to do that either, which made it even better. He could just walk along the polluted river and break the sand dollars, cleaning the water that way.
Percy was determined to master sand dollars. He would become a master purifier one day and make Triton proud.