Chapter 1: This Spring is Deeper Than I Thought
Chapter Text
Percy woke up confused and disoriented. And strangely enough, the sensation of falling into a pool - and actually having the water affect him.
Percy should have been used to strange dreams, given his demigod status. However, this dream seemed tame compared to the others which made it so strange in the first place. But Percy wouldn’t let the tameness of the dream fool him. He has long since learned that as a demigod, dreams were never just dreams. They always held a message or a warning.
But no matter what he did, Percy could not make heads or tails of this particular dream.
From the bits and pieces he recalled from his dream, Percy was able to make out that both Athena and Poseidon had been present. And there had been the sound of rustling leaves, the smell of salt and the gurgle of bubbling water, and a scent in the wind he could not particularly place, but made him think of pizza for some reason.
In all honesty, that should have been more than enough clues since those two were never willingly in the same place. Keyword being willingly. The only times Percy had seen Athena and Poseidon in the same place were at the Council meetings, and even then they tried to interact as little as possible.
But as they say, hindsight is 20/20.
“Are you sure it’s okay? I mean, I know this isn’t the first time I’ll be visiting but I don’t want to make Amphitrite and Triton feel uncomfortable.” Percy tugged on the hem of his shirt, wrinkling the edges of the faded orange t-shirt even more.
“Nonsense! Ever since you got Zeus to agree to visitation rights, many gods have been taking advantage of this to get closer to their children. And as you said, this won’t be the first time you’ll be visiting, so why are you so worried?” Poseidon paused, then tilted his head in concern, “Has Amphitrite or Triton said anything to you? They’ve told me they were fine with it, but if they said or did anything to you…”
Percy waved his hands in front of his face, “No, no. They haven’t said anything or done anything at all…I just think they feel uncomfortable with me there. I mean…I am technically a child of an affair, and it must be really uncomfortable to see a reminder of that walking through your home.” Percy’s voice got quieter and quieter as he finished his sentence, trailing off to almost a whisper as he looked down. A large, firm hand gripping his shoulders startled him from his thoughts, but he stubbornly kept his head down.
“I’m sorry I never realized how uncomfortable you were. That was my mistake, but Percy, you are my son. My only mortal son. I know you’ve rejected immortality a few times now, so I know that the prospect of you accepting it in the future is low. So, please, let me enjoy what little time I have with you while I still can…”
Percy made the mistake of looking up. Poseidon’s eyes were shining in unshed tears. And Percy…Percy found himself nodding in agreement and allowing his father to whisk them away to his undersea palace in a spray of water that dissipated before it could get anything wet.
Percy, Triton, Kymopoleia (call me Kym, she had said), and Rhode stared at each other in awkward silence. Or rather, Percy stared at his immortal siblings as they frantically whispered to each other, not realizing that he could hear them. And frankly, Percy was having fun watching them squirm. Though it was a little awkward since they were all in their larger forms.
“Talk to him, Triton!” Kym nudged not so subtly, her jellyfish tentacle hair billowing with the movement.
“Why me? What about you guys?” Triton hissed back.
“I don’t know the first thing about hanging out with demigods!”
“Neither do I!”
“I don’t either!”
Rhode spoke up, a little hesitant and awkward, “I mean should we offer him wine or something? That’s what we used to do, right?
“What?! Are you crazy? Look at him, he’s like ten!”
At that statement, Percy finally cut in, “Hey! That’s rude, I’m at almost double that age.”
Three heads swiveled to look at him in shock, but it was Triton who spoke up, “Wait, really?”
Percy furrowed his brow as he tried to figure out whether he was being messed with or not, but ultimately decided to continue speaking, “Why are you so shocked? We met when I was like fifteen and it’s been a few years since then.”
At that, the three gods grew silent. A few seconds passed before Rhode spoke, her voice gentle and a little sad, “Time passes differently for us gods. A lifetime to you is a blink of an eye for us, so believe us when we say that we truly don’t understand the concept of age…I think that’s what my father fears to be honest. I think he fears that if he blinks…if he looks away, you’ll be lost to him forever.”
A solemn air settled over the four, the three gods looking at Percy with pity while Percy sat, the weight of their words weighing on him.
Kymopoleia stood up, her abrupt movement should have disturbed the water, but apparently the perks of being a child of Poseidon allowed her to move through water as if it were air, “Well that killed the mood. Let’s go destroy some shit, it’ll make us feel better!”
“It’ll make you feel better,” Triton corrected.
“Then what do you propose we do?” Kymopoleia asked, her hair moving in agitated waves in response to her annoyance.
Percy raised his hand, as if he were in class and awkwardly got the three gods’ attention, “Uhh…you guys don’t have to hang out with me if you don’t want to, honestly, I was probably going to ask to explore the palace since I haven’t really had a chance to yet.”
“You know what, that’s perfect! Let’s go!” At that, Kymopoleia wrapped her arms around Percy, carrying him as easily as a child would their stuffed animal and walked away.
“What the- Kym, put me down, I can walk on my own. Triton, Rhode, help me!”
“No, suffer.” Percy didn’t need to move his head to see who said that.
A few days later, the sea siblings found themselves having visited most of the palace (Percy had to remind the others that he was mortal and needed sleep and food.)
But finally, the four stood at the entrance to one of the last few places to visit, “This is where father keeps his salt water spring.”
It took a few seconds, but when it finally registered, Percy whipped his head to stare at Triton in shock, “You mean THE spring, the one he used in his competition against Athena?”
Triton grimaced at Athena’s name, but nodded, “The Athenians may have overlooked the value in father’s gift, but it would have been a waste to destroy a divine creation. So our father stored it here.”
And there was that other little thing.
Percy could confidently say that over the past few days, he and his godly siblings had bonded. It was the little things from making themselves smaller to keep pace with him (or carrying him when their larger size was required) to using the word ‘our’ when talking about their father.
Before, they would use phrases like “My father,” and when they did drop the ‘my’ there was still an invisible wall, as if he wasn’t necessarily included. But now, his siblings easily used “Our father,” making him feel included and truly a part of the family.
Percy’s musing came to an end as he was met with a fresh, salty smell and clear glittering water. Distantly he noticed that the air was dry and somehow from one step to the next, the water that had constantly surrounded them disappeared. He couldn’t describe what he saw, and could only say, “Wow, it’s beautiful.”
Rhode placed a hand on his shoulder, “People often forget that our father represents much more than destruction.”
It was bound to happen.
Honestly, it was surprising that it didn’t happen sooner.
Put four children of Poseidon together in an enclosed space and something is bound to go wrong.
And as usual, it is the demigod in the room who gets the short stick.
Kym and Triton were arguing again, Rhode was playing peacemaker, and Percy made the brilliant decision to stand next to the three. Triton must have said something because Kym immediately transformed to her larger form, her hair whipping around her. In response, Triton also transformed, his double tails thrashing about as water surrounded him. Rhode tried to stop them, “Come on guys, someone will get hurt.”
“Yeah! Her/Him”
Rhode reached out, turning into her larger form, but it was too late.
A tentacle-like strand of hair and a broad tailfin lashed out, missed their intended target, and hit the unfortunate demigod standing next to them.
Percy felt the air being knocked from his lungs as he sailed through the air and landed in the salt water springs.
The last two thoughts Percy had before everything erupted in a torrent of bubbles and light, and before his vision whited out, was, “Huh, this is deeper than I thought.” and “Aw man, I really wanted to see the game room.”
Triton and Kymopoleia stared at the empty space where their half-brother used to stand. Then, in eerie synchronization they turned their heads and watched as his small body (and was it always so small?) sailed through the air before landing with a plop! in the water.
Before they could breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that he had hit the water and not the jagged rocks (and why were they so sharp? Someone could get hurt in here), the spring began to bubble and glow.
When the bubbling and glowing finally stopped, all that remained was calm and clear waters.
And no Percy.
“Shit”
Rhode turned and ran out of the room, “Daaaaad! Triton and Kym made Percy disappear!
When Percy finally swam his way out of the bubbles and surfaced, the first thing he saw was a man who appeared to be a king naming Athena the winner of a competition. She looked smug as she stared at Poseidon, only to falter when she and Percy made eye contact. There was a dawning look of horror on her face.
Looking at the water surrounding him and the olive tree in front of him, the first thing out of Percy’s mouth was, “Looks like I’m not in Kansas anymore.”
Hearing the unexpected voice and splashing water, Poseidon spun around, ready to smite the insolent fool who dared to swim in his creation, only to falter himself when he saw his own eyes on Percy’s face. He too had a look of horror growing on his face.
There was a sudden flash of light as Apollo appeared, a somewhat arrogant and mocking look on his face, “Well, well little sister, it looks like someone just had a child with her uncle. I wonder what kind of monstrosity you two created?”
Apollo spun around just in time to see Percy stepping out of the spring. And the mocking smile fell off his face so fast, it was almost as if it was never there. The water rolled off Percy like transparent pearls and his white chiton which was comfortably thin and light weight in the water, was disarmingly translucent in the high noon sun. The golden armbands highlighted well toned arms. As Apollo’s gaze traveled upwards, he was met with vibrant sea green eyes, delicately framed by silky, curled ebony locks.
And Apollo fell hard.
“Why hello there!”
Chapter 2: Seashores and Sunburns
Summary:
A meeting, an argument, and a revelation
Chapter Text
Rhode stared at the empty space her younger half-brother should have been and almost screamed in frustration when she saw that it was empty. She saw that Triton and Kym were also staring at the empty spot and felt a tick of annoyance at the corner of her eye. Later she would scold herself for her childishness, but that was later. Rhode did what any person (god or not) would do when frustrated at their siblings.
She tattled.
“Daaaaad! Triton and Kym made Percy disappear!”
Both Triton and Kymopoleia stared at the empty salt water spring, a look of disbelief on their faces. They were so distracted, they almost didn’t notice Rhode running from the room. But soon Triton and Kymopoleia shook themselves from their stupor and ran after Rhode in a panic once what she said registered in their minds.
“Rhode, wait!”
“Dad! It’s not what you think!”
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the first person they ran into was Delphin, who took one look at their disheveled and panicked forms, noted the lack of their younger sibling among their midst, and gave a long drawn out sigh.
Sea gods , he thought to himself, always causing me a headache.
“Come along then, my lord, my ladies. Let us go and inform your father of what has occurred.”
A few moments later found the the three children of Poseidon and the Lord of the Seas himself standing by the edge of the salt water spring, hoping to find what had triggered the reaction. And more importantly, find a way to bring Percy back.
Poseidon signed, a tired and worried look on his face, “Explain to me what happened?”
“Why hello there!”
Percy startled at the familiar yet unfamiliar voice of Apollo who was staring at him with a startling intensity. His eyes were an intense gold and seemed to glow under the light of the sun. There was an almost hungry to look his gaze. The sly, almost lazy smile spoke of dangerous things. Despite wearing clothes, Percy felt naked under the gaze and moved to cover himself.
Unknown to him, the movement highlighted his toned body, and if possible, Apollo stared harder.
“Now where did a pretty little thing such as yourself come from? Surely not my younger sister and uncle?”
Apollo ignored the offended shouts of the two other gods as his gaze continued to roam all over the gorgeous specimen in front of him.
Before he could make another remark, Athena cut in, “Surely you aren’t my child…are you?” The last part was an almost desperate whisper. Athena reached out a delicate finger, almost as if to poke him. Percy sidestepped, because being poked by a twenty-foot tall god would most likely hurt.
Instead, Percy used his powers to manipulate that water a little and scratched his cheek, an awkward expression on his face, “Uhh, no, you most definitely are not.”
Poseidon coughed, an awkward and sheepish expression on his face, “Then you are my child, yes?” At this, Poseidon titled his head as if to study Percy more, “You are much smaller than I would have expected.”
Before Percy could respond, Poseidon continued, “But no matter, I’m sure you will grow with age.”
Percy wondered if something was blocking the gods from being able to tell he was a demigod. He wondered how he should broach the subject with Poseidon.
“Um,” Percy stammered, only to be interrupted by a roaring crash of thunder and lightning as the King of the Gods, Zeus himself, announced his arrival.
“What treachery do I see here, daughter, brother. ” Zeus glared at Athena and Poseidon.
Percy wanted to scream as one of the worst possible gods for this situation arrived in all his dramatic glory. He wanted to cry as Zeus turned furious eyes in his direction, looking one second away from smiting him from existence.
“Calm yourself brother, you are overreacting. Athena has no claim to this child.”
Athena nodded her head, “Yes, I do not sense any of my essence in this child. He is purely of the sea.”
As much as he wanted to refute that statement, something was telling Percy to keep his demigod status to himself, at least until he was alone with his father.
Zeus glanced at Athena searching for any falsehood in her gaze, before turning to Apollo who nodded his head once. Zeus then turned to stare at Percy with his lightning blue eyes. “Very well. Then congratulations on the birth of your child, Poseidon. Do make sure he doesn’t cause trouble.”
“I will,” Poseidon replied, like a liar.
At that, Athena and Zeus flashed away, leaving only Percy, Poseidon, and Apollo.
Poseidon raised an eyebrow, “Why haven’t you left yet?”
Apollo gave a sunny smile, “Shouldn’t I get to know my new cousin?” The sun god tried to wrap an arm around Percy’s shoulder, only for Poseidon to reach over and bring Percy into his protective embrace.
“No.”
And with that response, Poseidon disappeared in a spray of water taking his new son and salt water springs with him to his undersea palace.
Apollo wanted to cry as Poseidon took away the pretty magic water boy. He didn’t even get a chance to talk with him before Poseidon whisked him away.
It just wasn’t fair.
He wanted to talk with the magic water boy too!
Apollo had to restrain himself from stomping his feet like a child, but somewhere, a small village watched in despair as their crops burned under the heat of the sun.
Just Poseidon watch.
He can’t always watched over his son.
Apollo will be waiting.
Percy tried not to stumble as his vision cleared and he found himself in his father’s palace. Distantly, he noted the differences between the past and present (or would it be future?).
“Now I know you’ve just been born, but we need to introduce you to your mother and brother. They’ll be thrilled at a new addition to the family.”
Percy awkwardly stood back as his father began to stride forward, making the sea god turn his head in confusion, “Aren’t you coming along?”
“Umm…I don’t know how to tell you this, but I’m a demigod, not a god. I don’t think they’ll be too thrilled.”
Poseidon cocked his head, “What are you talking about? Do you not think I can’t tell the difference between a god and demigod?”
“But I am a demigod!”
“No you aren’t,” Poseidon replied, “hold out your hand.”
Heart pumping in trepidation, Percy did so. And with a quick flick of his wrist, Poseidon shot a sharp jet of water and cut Percy’s palm, “You bleed gold.”
Percy stared at the golden ichor that gently flowed from the wound.
Chapter 3: Welcome Dinners and Stalkers
Summary:
A little bit of a welcome dinner and Apollo being a creep.
Chapter Text
“But I am a demigod!”
“No you aren’t,” Poseidon replied, “hold out your hand.”
Heart pumping in trepidation, Percy did so. And with a quick flick of his wrist, Poseidon shot a sharp jet of water and cut Percy’s palm, “You bleed gold.”
Percy stared at the golden ichor that gently flowed from the wound. “That’s not possible…” he whispered to himself, trying to deny what was in front of his eyes. Percy had the sudden urge to curl up and cry as the confusion and helplessness of his situation, combined with the shock of seeing the golden ichor seemed to take its toll on him. “How is this possible?”
Poseidon either didn’t hear him or ignored his distressed whispering because the next thing Percy knew, he was standing in front of the rest of his immortal family (or soon to be?).
Percy stood awkwardly as his father introduced him to the rest of the family. He was starting to feel a little uneasy at the stares he was receiving, a bit nervous and unsure on how the rest of the sea gods would react. Afterall, they had only just started to get along when he had been pulled into the past; and it must feel incredibly awkward to be introduced to a random full grown sibling without warning. Percy was not looking forward to having to earn their approval again.
But to his surprise, they were more amicable than the first time he had met them. Percy didn’t know whether to feel relieved or upset. On one hand, he didn’t have to endure their cold or hostile attitude, but on the other hand, it made him question what he did to deserve their cold attitude in the future. Realistically he knew that their first meetings weren’t under ideal circumstances, but even afterwards, it seemed he had to endure their cold treatment until they were forced to spend time together.
“Amphitrite, Triton, Rhode, Kymolopoeia,” Poseidon greeted, “This is your new sibling.” At this, Poseidon paused, realizing he had never gotten his new son’s name nor had thought of one for him. Poseidon coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment and pushed his son forward, “Go on then, introduce yourself to your family.”
Percy stared at his father suspiciously, but mentally shrugged, “Perseus, but you can call me Percy.” He was met with four blank stares. Technically it was five, but Poseidon was behind Percy and there was no way to tell what the god’s expression was like.
“Perseus is a very powerful name. Very fitting for a son of Poseidon. Your nickname is also very…unique.” Amphitrite diplomatically answered, giving nothing away.
“Tell us Perseus, how old are you?” Triton asked, but yelped in pain when Kym punched him in the arm. “What was that for?!”
Kym lowered her arm, “You can’t just ask someone how old they are! Look at him, he’s obviously a baby!” At that statement, Kym waved her hand, gesturing in Percy’s general direction.
“Triton. Kymopoleia. Calm down, you’re embarrassing yourselves in front of Perseus,” Rhode cried out, as she tried to calm her two siblings.
Poseidon chuckled as he watched his children bicker before turning to his new youngest, “Perseus was born from the springs I created for…Athens.” Poseidon’s face twitched and lips curled, as if it physically made him uncomfortable to say the name of the newly created “Athens.”
Amphitrite crossed her arms as she raised an eyebrow, “Well, I hope that Perseus’s birth place has beens safely secured, especially if those…Athenenians, don’t know how to appreciate a gift of the seas.”
“Of course. I simply replaced my godly creation with a simple salt water spring. Now that spring will be as useful to them as they imagined. If they could not look at the long term benefits of my gift, then they should not have it.” Poseidon paused, staring at Percy, “Besides, it would not do for a god’s birthing place to be in the hands of mortals. I’ve relocated the springs into a separate wing of the palace.”
Percy suppressed a flinch at Poseidon’s statement.
The pieces were slowly starting to fall into place. But there were still several pieces of information missing. It was as if he was trying to complete a puzzle with half the pieces missing and with no reference picture to help him. He just needed to find those pieces and he might be able to find his way home.
A loud clap jerked him from his thoughts, “Enough of that, we need to welcome our new family member. It’s a little last minute for a banquet, but a nice dinner should suffice until we get the preparations underway.”
“Wait, you don’t have to-” Percy tried to stop Amphitrite, “Please don’t trouble yourself!”
Amphitrite gently held Percy’s hands in hers, a warm smile on her face, “Nonsense, you are my husband’s child and I would hope that you think of me as your mother. You are a prince of the seas and you will be treated like one.”
Poseidon started chuckling. It reminded Percy of a Disney villain, “Hahahaha. Now Zeus won’t be the only one to have a fully grown child appear. And mine didn’t even give me a headache.” Poseidon bragged, unaware that he was tempting fate with those words.
Percy was led to a large and luxurious room. The walls were made of some sort of stone that was not quite marble. They were decorated with elegant trimmings and paintings. There were support pillars along the walls that ran along the height of the wall arching upwards into the ceiling. At the center of the arches was a beautiful chandelier made of small pearls of greek fire, coral, and sea glass. Vases of coral and sea anemone were placed elegantly around the room.
Poseidon placed a hand on Percy’s shoulders, “I’m sorry that the room is so shabby. This is one of the guest rooms and while it is suitable for guests, it is far below the acceptable standards for a prince.”
“No, this is great.” Percy gasped in awe.
“I’ll let you rest up a little bit before dinner. I’ll also send up a change of clothes.” With that, Poseidon gave Percy another pat on his shoulders before he walked out of the room.
Percy took another minute to take in the luxury of the room, marveling at the difference in the future. While his room was no less luxurious than his siblings in the future, his father had definitely modernized, changing his decor with the time. Looking at the ancient architecture and decor, he sort of wished that he could have a similar room when he got back to his time.
Time seemed to pass too quickly, and the next thing Percy knew, he was sitting at dinner, thanking the gods that etiquette was drilled into him within his first few days at his father’s place.
Amphitrite sneezed, “Oh, excuse me.”
The food in front of him was delicious and despite the fact that Percy didn’t recognize half the dishes, he made sure to try everything. He could only think that it’s a shame that some of these plants and animals would be extinct in the future. It was at times like this, that Percy realized just how much mortals have destroyed nature.
Sometime later, after a bit of wine and dessert, Percy retired to his room.
“Ugh, my muscles are so sore. I guess all the stress got to me,” Percy complained, his chiton slipping from his body as he stepped into the attached bathhouse. He started to rub his shoulders, only to scream his hand touched another set of fingers that weren’t his own and when another voice piped up from behind him.
“I can help with that, I’ve been told I have godly fingers.” Apollo grinned, looking mischievous and sly. His eyes were a glittering gold as they roamed across Percy’s figure. His hand was still placed on Percy’s shoulder, preventing him from moving.
However, before Apollo could do anything, the doors to Percy’s room burst open as Triton and a pair of guards rushed in, summoned by Percy’s scream. They took in the situation. Percy, undressed and trying to pull away from Apollo, who had his hand on Percy’s shoulders and shamelessly staring at Percy’s naked figure.
Knowing of Apollo’s reputation and the interest he had apparently shown to his younger brother, Triton brandished his trident, and prepared to spear Apollo with it, Olympian or not. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Triton didn’t get the chance as Poseidon materialized in the room, behind Apollo, and placed his own hands on the sun god’s shoulders. There was a dark look in his eyes, warning the sun god.
Apollo clicked his tongue in annoyance, gave a flirtatious wink to Percy, before he disappeared in a shimmer of sunlight, “I’ll be seeing you around, beautiful.”
“No, you will not!” Two voices thundered as Percy tried to grab his discarded chiton, no longer in the mood to take a bath. However, when he glanced down, Percy noticed that his chiton had disappeared.
Chapter 4: Mirror Between Times
Notes:
So this is extremely late and a lot shorter than what I wanted, but I needed to get it out. Sorry for the late update!
Chapter Text
After the disastrous Apollo incident, Percy was constantly under the “watch” of his older siblings, per Poseidon’s orders. His father had ordered that Percy would need to be accompanied by one of his siblings or a guard, preferably both, in hopes of deterring Apollo from acting. Fortunately Percy was able to talk his father down from having a guard stationed in his room. Unfortunately, Percy was not able to talk his father down from placing a sea serpent in his room to act as a sort of guard dog. Frankly, Percy didn’t understand the need for the whole thing. Sure, he had heard some myths about gods and their unfortunate love lives or what happened to those who caught a god’s interest, but personally, Percy felt that he wasn’t interesting enough to catch anybody’s eye. He figured the whole fiasco would pass within a couple days, a couple weeks at most, as soon as Apollo lost interest.
So with that in mind, Percy went to sleep, blissfully unaware of the events that would unfold.
Morning seemed to come much too quickly. Despite being several leagues below the sea, far away from sunlight, Percy was somehow able to tell that the sun was rising. It was somewhat disorienting, to be able to tell that it was morning but unable to see or feel light streaming through the window. Percy stretched, more out of habit than need, and climbed out of bed. There must have been some sort of magic to alert the servants that he was awake because Percy didn’t even have a chance to walk towards the door before a knock came, and a voice called out, “Good Morning, my lord. I have been sent to help prepare you for the day.” Or at least Percy hoped it was magic because he would have felt terrible if someone had been forced to wait by his door, waiting for him to wake up.
Percy called for the servant to enter and watched as the servant, alongside several other servants, brought in several pieces of clothing and accessories. “What’s with all the outfits?” Percy asked, as the servants laid out the outfits.
“Lady Amphitrite was unsure of what style you would prefer and had us prepare a few different kinds so you can choose,” the servant replied.
“I’ll be sure to thank her for her consideration,” Percy nodded and chose a relatively simple style, the only true embellishments being the light blue embroidered trim and matching blue accented accessories. After Percy chose his preferred outfit, the servants made a note of his style and proceeded to help him get ready for the day.
***
A little while later, Percy was escorted to a private courtyard where the rest of his family had gathered. His father and Amphitrite greeted him with a pat on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek, respectively, before heading back into the palace to attend to their duties. They explained that there would be another family gathering later that evening, but in the meanwhile, his siblings had “volunteered” to show him around the palace and parts of the city.
A few minutes later, Percy found himself walking through the palace, accompanied by his siblings. As his siblings whispered amongst themselves, he had a strange sense of deja vu. The feeling continued as they, or rather Percy, explored the palace.
“What are we supposed to do?” Rhode asked, her brows furrowed in concern.
“I don’t know! He seems to be doing fine on his own.” Kym answered, her voice a furious whisper and her tentacle-like hair whipping about anxiously even as her face remained impassive.
“Yeah, but he’s still a baby! He was literally born yesterday!”
“Born is kind of a stretch isn’t it? I mean he popped up fully grown, kind of like Athena, right?”
At the last remark, Triton cut in with his own sharp retort. “Don’t you dare compare our younger brother to her!”
Percy listened to his siblings argue amongst themselves with a small smile on his face. It was somewhat amusing to see that despite their thousands of years on him, siblings would still act like siblings. The three must have come to an agreement (or had gotten tired of arguing) because the next thing Percy knew, he was being given the grand tour.
While the layout of the palace was somewhat similar to the one in his time, there were plenty of differences to make the tour interesting. His siblings also provided excellent commentary, though there were times neither could agree on what the correct “story” was. Eventually, they came across the newly added area to the palace.
Percy stared into the spring, hoping for some sort of hint on how to get back to his time. If the spring can bring him to the past, why can’t it take him back to his present? Percy glanced around, and upon noticing that his siblings were caught up in a discussion, made an impulsive decision. While his siblings were distracted, Percy dunked his head into the spring, hoping to see some sort of hint. To his surprise, and delight, there was a slight tug in the water, which pulled him fully into the water.
As bubbles once again surrounded him, Percy closed his eyes, but when he opened them, he was shocked to find himself floating in a vast expanse of water. Above and below him, like mirror images of each other, were identical salt water springs. Somehow, despite the springs having no difference between them, Percy could tell that swimming down would give him the answers he was searching for. As he swam deeper down, the tugging sensation grew stronger. Percy increased his speed, desperately reaching a hand out towards the now glowing spring. However, his hopes were dashed when his hand met an invisible wall. Percy only had a second to feel sorry for himself before the invisible wall seemed to shimmer, like sunlight dancing across the water’s surface.
When the shimmers settled down, Percy found himself staring into the shocked faces of his siblings. They quickly gathered around the spring, shoving each other out of the way.
“Percy!! You’re alive!” Rhode exclaimed in near tears, relief evident in her voice.
“Perseus, where are you? Tell us so we can come and retrieve you.” Despite his cold tone, Percy could see the edges of Triton’s eyes, which were tight with worry, relax.
Kym nodded rapidly in agreement, “Hurry, Percy. Dad’s been on edge ever since your disappearance.”
Percy laughed uncomfortably, “Yeah, about that…I’m pretty sure I’m in the past.I mean I could be in an alternate dimension or whatever, but until something tells me otherwise, I’m going with the time travel option.”
Complete silence met his statement.
“...”
“...”
“...”
After a few tense seconds, Percy finally broke the uncomfortable silence, “...Uh guys? Any thoughts?”
Triton opened his mouth, as if to speak. Unfortunately, Percy felt another tugging sensation and he instinctively knew that his time was up. “Sorry to cut you off Triton, but I think I’m being called back.” The tugging sensation grew stronger, becoming more like being pulled by a Riptide.
“Called back to where? Perseus, where are you?!!”
“Back! Tell Dad that I’m in the past and to please hurry and help me find a way back! I’m scared that I’ll accidentally rewrite history.” With those parting words, Percy was forcefully pulled back. When he blinked open his eyes, he found himself staring into the worried faces of his siblings. Their past selves, that is.
“Perseus! What are you doing?” Rhode asked, her head tilted in confusion and perhaps a little concern.
After convincing his siblings that he was not trying to un-birth himself Percy once again found himself strolling through the palace grounds. And if his siblings kept an extra careful eye on him, Percy pretended not to notice.
Somewhere, in the distant future, Poseidon and the rest of the sea gods clutched their heads as some images flashed in their minds, almost like a memory.
Similarly, Apollo started seeing flashes of black and green and felt an inexplicable feeling of sorrow and loss.
Chapter 5: A Memory of a Person I Don't Remember
Summary:
Time travel is very confusing
Chapter Text
Apollo was dreaming, or maybe he was reliving a memory. It would be strange if he was, because he had no memory of these events ever taking place. But the him in his dreams had no concern for such thoughts, he was only concerned about the person in front of him. They stood on a cliff, in a field of wildflowers, overlooking the ocean. He could smell the sweet scent of the flowers and the salty brine of the ocean. The other person, probably a god, was wearing a simple white chiton. He was illuminated by the sun behind him. Apollo cupped the face in front of him and brought it closer, but try as he might, the face still remained a blur, only showing glimpses of tanned skin, dark hair, and the most vibrant green eyes.
Those green eyes nudged at something, but like leaves in the wind, they scattered.
“I love you,” Apollo had whispered, a promise, a prayer. “Don’t leave me,” he had begged, throwing aside his pride as an Olympian. For what was pride in the face of love?
“I don’t want to,” his lover(?) had replied, “but I must. I don’t belong here.”
Apollo placed a searing kiss against the soft lips, “You belong here with us. With me.” Apollo’s words were soft but fierce, as if he could speak the truth into existence.
But the figure merely shook his head, “You know that’s not what I meant…” Apollo felt a pair of hands, calloused hands of a swordsman, on his cheek, “Besides, soon you’ll forget all about me. You’ll have had hundreds, if not thousands of lovers. And I’ll just be a distant memory…someone you don’t remember.” It was supposed to sound reassuring, but to Apollo, it was more like a curse.
“I’ll never forget you,” he had sworn, not knowing then that he had been lying, “I’ll find you…no matter how long it takes. I’ll make sure to find you.”
Apollo felt tears warming his fingertips, as his lover whispered, almost too quietly for even his godly senses, “By then, you’ll have become a totally different person. Who knows if the you then will still love the me from now?”
Apollo drew the other into a gentle hug, placing a chaste kiss at his temple, “I should be the one saying that. I’ll always love you, but you might not love the person I have become…”
***
Apollo woke up, tears in his eyes and his heart longing for someone he didn’t remember. For someone he had sworn to that he wouldn’t forget.
It was a deep ache, reaching deeper than his soul. It was an ache for something lost, for something that never was.
How could he love someone if he had no idea who they were? How could he miss someone if he didn’t remember meeting them?
How could he ever forget someone as wonderful as P̸͎͎̪͙̟͑͝ͅẹ̷͙̰͇̣̗̲̎̏͆͒͝r̴̛͓͇̬̤̳͎̬̺͚̬̼̻͊̈͒͂̅͒͆̿̕̚͜ŝ̴̢̘̜̜͍̭̔̌è̴̘͎̲͇͔̟̘̳̺̮̳̙̉̈̑́̇ů̸̧͍̲̟̩̗̻̼̬̣͆͌ͅs̷̡̟̫͕̝͚͓͎̭̈́̄͂̑̃͊͠͝
***
Apollo flew over the ocean, and prepared to sneak his way back into his uncle’s palace, hoping for a chance to see the newest sea prince. It was very amusing to see the sea gods’ reactions to his interest in the youngest prince. They were very protective over the new god, creating an almost impenetrable defense.
Apollo grinned, it was both mischievous and dark.
He loved a good challenge.
The harder the challenge, the sweeter the reward.
There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, as if trying to warn him of something. But Apollo shook it off, telling himself that once he had conquered the newest challenge, he would move on to the next conquest. He had eons ahead of him, for what was another pretty thing in the face of the millenia ahead of him.
Somewhere, Aphrodite giggled as she felt the Fates weave a tragic love story into Apollo’s tapestry.
***
Percy stared longingly into the (his) spring in front of him. Try as he might, he could not get the waters to react the same way as before. No matter how long he stayed in front of the spring, no matter how long he held himself under its waters, he could not contact the present.
Or was it the future?
Stupid time travel messing with his sense of time.
From the corner of his eyes, Percy could see the siblings of the current time (his past), staring at him in wary concern. They kept their eyes trained on his figure, ready to yank him away from the water’s edge if it looked like he was about to attempt to “un-birth” himself.
***
Poseidon held his head in his hands, looking as old as he currently felt. The sea god groaned in despair, “Percy, how?!”
Once again, he cursed his son’s tendency to find himself in impossible situations.
His children stood in front of him, looking equally tired and exasperated.
“Father,” Triton spoke, interrupting Poseidon’s spiral into despair, “It may be safe to assume that Perseus meant to travel to the past.”
Poseidon waved his hand, gesturing for Triton to continue speaking.
Triton shared a quick glance with his siblings before continuing, “Perseus mentioned that he was afraid of messing up the timeline, however, knowing his penchant for getting into trouble, we can assume that he has already unknowingly acted in ways that would have affected the timeline. Looking back on our memories, we found no discrepancies. In addition, considering our current timeline is still standing, we can assume that things that happened were meant to happen.”
“And yet,” Poseidon countered, “how are we so sure that there are no changes? What if our memories were rewritten, and we are already living in the changed timeline?”
Rhode stepped forward, “Then I think we should assume that the timeline we are living in, the timeline we have lived through is the result of Percy’s change.”
Kym yanked on her hair, “Ugh! Enough of this! I can’t keep up with all this talk of time travel and timeline changes! Look, Percy’s already in the past. Whatever changes he makes, he’s already made, and we’ve already supposedly lived through. We just need to find a way to bring him back before something bad happens!”
Amphitrite raised an eyebrow, but did not speak.
Kym glanced around, her eyes frantic, “Didn’t you guys feel it?!”
“Feel what?” Poseidon asked.
“That feeling of loss and despair! Every time I try to think of Percy in the past, all I get is this horrible feeling of loss and despair! As if he died! ”
The sea family paled, horrified at the prospect of Percy dying in the past and never being able to see him again.
***
Apollo sat in his room, his eyes were dark and frantic as his paintbrush moved rapidly across the canvas, painting yet another splash of green onto the material. A blurry face gradually appeared.
Tan skin, sea green eyes, and black hair.
All around him were half finished works, all depicting the same splashes of color.
Chapter 6: Green String, Gold String
Notes:
I am alive
sorry the chapter is shorter than what you would want after such a long time of not updating, but hopefully you still enjoy it!
Chapter Text
Percy opened his eyes and furrowed his brows at the distant familiarity of his surroundings. He recognized some things. But he recognized them in the sort of way that anyone who’s been on public transportation recognized things.
He was riding a bus.
He had ridden many buses, but something about this bus ride felt a little too familiar, personal.
Everything felt so much larger. As if he had shrunk. He glanced down. His hands were small and soft. A child’s hands. They lacked the callouses he had developed over the years of holding his sword. Someone was next to him.
Grover.
He was riding on a bus.
Grover was next to him.
It started coming back to him.
The bus came to a stop in front of a familiar looking fruit stand.
And like all those years ago, the three old ladies manning the stand were knitting. But there was something different about it.
Percy stepped forward, studying the familiar green yarn.
Green yarn.
Not blue?
The surroundings wavered. Once, twice, three times before the fruit stand and bus faded away. The elderly visage of the Fates also faded like mist, revealing three veiled figures standing in front of a familiar looking fountain.
“Godling,” the one on the left spoke.
“Perseus Jackson,” the middle one spoke.
“We meet again,” the one on the right spoke.
Percy remained silent, waiting for the Moirai to continue speaking.
This seemed to amuse them. “Are you not going to speak? Where is that famed impertinence?” The right one asked, her hands trailing along a sea-green thread. Lachesis - the allotter. The one who measured the string.
“Why am I a god?” Percy asked. “I refused godhood, so why am I a god?”
The one on the left huffed out a laugh, “I think, little godling, you are asking the wrong question.” Her hands continued to work on the spindle, the yarn faintly glowing as it spun. Clotho, the spinner. The one who determined life.
“The question you should be asking, Perseus Jackson, is why were you not a god.” The middle one spoke, her hand holding a large gold and silver pair of shears. Atropos, the Inflexible One. The one who cut a person’s string - the one who determined their death.
“How curious it is,” the three sisters spoke in eerie unison, “that you would be born with two strings of fate.”
It was then Percy noticed that the green yarn was already snipped.
But Atropos had cut nothing.
Percy woke with a gasp, his heart pounding. He scanned the surroundings and for a split second recognized nothing. But his panic soon faded as he soon remembered where and when he was.
“What the Hades?” Percy muttered to himself as he sat up. “What were they getting at?”
But there were no answers to his questions.
Deciding he was no longer in the mood for sleep, Percy began to make his way towards the baths to wash away the cold sweat. He gave a reassuring pat to the sea serpent who looked at him in confused concern as he began to undress himself.
“It’s okay…hopefully.”
The serpent watched as Percy disappeared into his bath. It gave a soft croon as it called another serpent to take its place and began to swim towards its lord.
***
Breakfast was pleasant -or it would have been if it weren’t for the concerned glances thrown by Poseidon towards his youngest son. The other members of the sea family also began to show concern the more the silence dragged on. Amphitrite was more discrete with her concerned glances, but the sea siblings were blatantly staring at him. This continued for several minutes before Percy could no longer take the uncomfortable silence.
“What is it?” Percy asked, resigned, as he set down his utensils.
The sea gods glanced at each other before giving a pointed look in Poseidon’s directions. The lord of the seas seemed to wilt for a moment before steeling himself. Poseidon stared into Percy’s eyes, before finally asking, “Perseus…did you have a bad dream?”
Percy, despite having anticipated the question, flinched. “What makes you ask that?”
“Your serpent guard came and told us his concerns,” Amphitrite answered in lieu of Poseidon when she noticed her husband was struggling to answer. “He told us that you seemed panicked when you woke up.”
“I see…” Percy said, his tone carefully neutral.
“Is there something worrying you?” Rhode asked, her gentle voice tinged with concern for her youngest sibling.
Percy debated the pros and cons of telling his family his dream. On one hand, they could help him interpret the dream. On the other hand, they may become even more overprotective. But ultimately, Percy decided that it was better to have an answer to his dreams and a clue on how to get back home.
“I met the Moirai in my dreams,” Percy began. “They were holding a string that had already been cut.”
The sea gods paled.
“No…”
Up above, the waters began to churn as a storm began to brew. The seas and the storms were reacting to the gods’ agitated moods. The sailors and coastal inhabitants watched the waters and skies with growing concern, wondering if something had displeased the gods below the waves.
“Did they say or do anything else?” Poseidon asked, his voice urgent. “Did they do anything to you?”
A small coastal village was swallowed by the waves.
Percy shook his head, “No. They didn’t really say anything else. I think they were implying that the events that lead to the cut string had already happened.”
“Are you sure that was all?” Amphitrite asked, her voice tight with worry. “The Moirai rarely show such a vision for no reason.”
The sea animals began to grow agitated, reflecting the queen’s mood.
Percy shook his head again, “I don’t know.”
“How do we know it’s about Percy?” Kymopoleia asked. “What if the Moirai were showing Perseus someone else’s string? Someone that Perseus may come to know? We also can’t rule out that it may have been one of ours…”
“No,” Percy denied as Kymopoleia trailed off. “I didn’t feel like any of you. I just know that it didn’t belong to any of you guys.”
Triton gripped the knife in his hand tightly, “Is it too late to stop this? What if the Moirai were showing what could happen.”
“Could it be Apollo?” Rhode asked. “He has been showing an unhealthy interest in Perseus lately…and we all know how unlucky Apollo’s lovers end up.”
Poseidon flinched at the thought of losing his youngest son to Apollo’s obsession. “If Apollo even dares to grace my waters with his presence, all the earth shall know of my displeasure.”
The priests within Poseidon’s temple fell to their knees in fear as Poseidon’s anger reverberated through their very souls.
Aphrodite hummed to herself as she admired the tapestry in front of her. “Well, I wonder where those two lovebirds are in their story right now?” Her perfectly manicured fingers trailed along the threads, counting each one. “Has Apollo managed to capture young Percy’s heart?” Aphrodite asked, her palm laying flat against a depiction of Apollo and Percy smiling at each other.
The Moirai gave no answer.
“Can you tell me how it ends?” the goddess of love asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “I do believe that those two should have some form of a happy ending.” Kaleidoscope eyes stared at the depiction of Apollo kneeling and crying into his hands.
Lachesis raised a brow, “That is unusual of you, Aphrodite. You usually love tragic stories, do you not? You’ve orchestrated a few of them yourself.”
“Well, even a tragedy gets boring after a while - sometimes it’s exciting to see a happy ending.”
The trio of goddesses hummed in unison, but gave no answer.
Aphrodite sighed, “No spoilers, huh?”
The Moirai, the Fates, the personification of destiny sang an ancient hymn as they continued to weave. However, unlike before, the three goddesses - primordials in their own right - held two distinctly colored threads. Or more precisely, they held three threads.
A golden thread that once shimmered with divine essence but was now dulled was held by Clotho. The golden thread was cut, something rarely - practically never - seen in an immortal’s thread. A sea-green thread that seemed to shift with the colors of the ocean was held by Atropos. And in Lachesis’s hands was another golden thread, this one shimmering with life. The three goddesses held the threads close to each other and watched as they seemed to melt into one continuous thread.
Chapter Text
Percy furrowed his brows as the air in front of him seemed to ripple, fog and mist obscuring his vision. The wind - or rather, invisible strings - seemed to urge him forward, pulling at him insistently. He walked, nearly blind, for what seemed like hours, before the tugging sensation disappeared. A few seconds later, his hazy surroundings cleared, revealing a confusing scene. He tried to step forward, but found that he was unable to move. He was rooted in place, incapable of moving even a single inch. He tried to shout, but found that no sound escaped.
Two figures stood, facing each other on the banks of a river.
However, if one were to pay close attention, they would actually see a hidden third figure, submerged in the water with only their eyes and the top of their head visible.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” The goddess on the shore asked, her eyes shimmering with concern. She clutched a crystal vial against her chest, reluctant to give it to the figure before her. The vial contained a dark liquid, thick as oil. The liquid clung to the walls of the vial. “There must be another way.”
“I have to,” the other figure whispered, features hidden underneath the hood of his cloak. “It’ll save them from heartbreak.” He hunched his shoulders, as if trying to hide from the world.
“They’ll mourn you,” the goddess whispered in one last attempt to try and change the other’s mind.
Before Percy could make sense of what he just saw, the scene in front of him shattered like glass as ground beneath his feet began to crumble. Inky blackness stretched on endlessly.
And for one terrifying moment, Percy was suspended over the vast expanse of nothingness, The feeling of invisible strings the only thing holding him up.
Then all too soon, the strings went lax and Percy fell.
Deeper and deeper into the inky nothingness.
It was eerily reminiscent of falling into Tartarus.
The beginning of the end.
And the end of a beginning.
Percy woke with a silent gasp, cheeks wet with tears. He didn’t know why he was crying, only that he felt an unbearable heartbreak. He wiped away the tears, idly noting that the droplets seemed to turn into pearls.
“What’s going on?”
*
*
*
*
Somewhere, back in the distant future, the sun god Apollo dreamt. He dreamt of a time long passed. He dreamt of a time full of life, laughter, and love. He dreamt of a time filled with loss.
Apollo found himself walking through his garden.
A garden of lovers, as one nature spirit had once mockingly called it. (Apollo had flayed that spirit for its insolence - a warning and a message to all those who would dare to make the same mistake.)
Insulting as the phrase was, it still held a great deal of truth to it.
Maybe it was the romanticist in him - or the masochist - but the garden was a reminder of his greatest joys and his greatest sorrows.
As he walked, the sun god came across an overgrown hedge, almost fully covering an iron gate. Lush green leaves and vibrant blue flowers seemed to dwarf the small gate - more for decoration than to keep anyone out.
Strange.
Apollo had walked this garden hundreds - if not thousands of times - but he couldn’t recall ever walking past this particular area.
He stepped closer.
He could hear the faint whispers of a familiar, but forgotten voice.
He opened the gate.
He could hear the fleeting echoes of someone’s laughter.
He pushed past the overgrown branches and stepped inside.
He could feel the ghost of a lover’s lips across his cheek.
A lush and blooming garden came into view.
A garden within a garden.
Dozens upon dozens of different flowers. There seemed to be no rhyme or rhythm in the way the flowers were planted - as if planted by someone who had little to no garden experience and was only focused on the types of flowers. Chaotic in a way that made the garden beautiful.
Apollo only realized he was crying when he saw the first few droplets land on the delicate petals of a forget-me-not.
A garden filled with flowers that seemed to clash - that would not have survived in a mortal’s garden.
A garden that seemed to be filled with the words, ‘I love you.’
“I love you too,” the sun god whispered.
Apollo blinked awake.
He jumped from the bed and ran towards his garden.
There was a desperation in his pace that seemed to make no sense.
Why did he care for someone he didn’t remember?
He ran past his normal favorite spots, desperately making his way towards the spot in his dreams.
It was ridiculous.
There was no way that such a place existed outside his dreams.
He had walked this garden hundreds, thousands of times. If it existed, he would have come across it long before.
Apollo stopped short.
Because there in front of him was the familiar overgrown hedge and the iron gate from his dream.
“They’ll mourn you,” the goddess whispered in one last attempt to try and change the other’s mind.
The man shook his head, the hood falling to reveal dark hair and brilliant sea-green eyes. Percy recognized those features. How could he not, when he saw that same face every time he looked into a mirror. Sure, his features were paler and the bags under his eyes three shades darker, but those were his features.
“How can they mourn someone they don’t remember?”
The goddess closed her eyes and held out the vial towards the man.
He gave his thanks in a quiet, muttered voice before he tugged the hood back over his head and walked away.
The goddess on the shore watched him with sad, resigned eyes as his figure grew smaller and smaller. It was only when the man was no longer in view did the hidden figure rise from the waters. She rose, the waters clinging to her skin, and walked towards the shore. She stepped towards the shore, walking on the river’s waters as if it were solid grown.
“Lethe,” the goddess inclined her head in greeting towards the approaching figure.
“Is this why you asked for a drop of my river’s waters?” The goddess Lethe asked, her form still dripping wet. “Do you know what he is going to use it for, Mnemosyne?”
The goddess, Mnemosyne, shook her head.
“Then, why…” The goddess of the River Lethe narrowed her dark eyes, “did you give him a drop of my waters?”
Mnemosyne turned towards her counterpart with haunted eyes, “How could I go against Fate?”
Chapter 8: Interlude: Aphrodite Antheia
Notes:
I am still alive
Slowly but surely, I will finish this story
In the meantime, here is an interlude chapter
Chapter Text
Aphrodite was not shy in admitting that she could be a cruel goddess.
Afterall, how many times has she meddled with mortals and immortals alike and laughed about it in joy?
Even now, there are certain stories that make her lips curl into a sharp, predatory smile as she relishes in those screams of pain and agony. The desperate begging in their voices.
Love is cruel, and she is its unrelenting mistress.
But that did not mean she did not know gentleness too.
Love is like a fire.
It could be an all consuming blaze - destroying anything and everything in its path - and leaving nothing but ashes in the aftermath.
It can burn and it can hurt.
But nurture it carefully, and love could be the guiding torch and the warming fire in the dark.
Love can lead one to the depths of despair just as easily as it can bring them out of it.
Some forget that she is an elder goddess.
She was old when some on the council first came into being.
Despite what those insufferable maiden goddesses liked to believe, she was so much more than sexual desires. She was much more than some vain goddess.
Was she vain?
Aphrodite could certainly admit it. She was, afterall, the goddess of beauty. Had she not punished those mortals who dared believe they were fairer than her? Had she not cursed those who had spurned love, and in turn, spurned her?
When she had first stared into those sea green eyes of a young Percy Jackson, Aphrodite bit her tongue so hard she could taste the ichor flow down her throat.
Why she had been allowed to remember, Aphrodite could only blame it on the Moirai.
She remembered the dark glee she felt when the three goddesses weaved tragedy into Apollo’s love life once again. She remembered feeling giddy as she excitedly awaited the look of loss and sorry and Apollo’s face.
Despite Apollon’s accusations, she had no hand in him falling in love.
Neither had Eros.
Oh, her lovely son may have wanted to play his games, but Aphrodite had threatened to rip the wings of his beloved Psyche from the girl’s back and toss the girl into Tartarus should he disobey.
A part of her wanted him to disobey her, just so the goddess could disfigure that insufferable girl.
Aphrodite remembered waiting with bated breath as the two danced closer to tragedy.
But something changed.
Somehow, as their story progressed, Aphrodite remembered the anticipation morphing into dread. She didn’t want to see this story end in tragedy.
But the Moirai remained steadfast in their weaving.
Aphrodite remembered the unbearable heartache she felt when that tragedy finally came to pass.
And she remembered the incandescent rage she felt when the others had forgotten.
When Apollon had…forgotten.
The others could not remember.
No matter how much she prodded and pried - they went about their day as if the conversation never happened.
So Aphrodite held her tongue.
For hundreds, thousands of years, she held her tongue.
Even when she saw those familiar features in a too thin face, cheeks still round with youth, and eyes both hardened and innocent - Aphrodite held her tongue.
Foolish as she was, she tried to unravel what was already woven.
She pushed and she goaded. She tried to tie two strings that were never meant to be - all in an effort to prevent that tragedy. The daughter of Athena was not the best choice - afterall, nothing could match a fated love. But the grey eyed demigoddess was also not the most horrible choice.
Aphrodite hoped that this could prevent what had already happened.
The Fates had looked at her with pity and amusement.
It seemed that too was a part of the greater story.
The Fates must have had some plan in mind when they invited her to watch them weave.
She entered their dwelling with all the cautiousness of someone being led to their death.
Sweat trickled down the back of her neck as she fought not to show her fear.
“Well, I wonder where those two lovebirds are in their story right now?” Her perfectly manicured fingers trailed along the threads, counting each one.
Her kaleidoscope eyes softened in reminiscence.
“Has Apollo managed to capture young Percy’s heart?” Aphrodite asked, her palm laying flat against a depiction of Apollo and Percy smiling at each other.
The distant sound of laughter echoed in her ears, the sweet smell of flowers seemed to permeate the room.
The Moirai gave no answer.
“Can you tell me how it ends?” the goddess of love asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “I do believe that those two should have some form of a happy ending.”
The goddess begged.
Kaleidoscope eyes stared at the depiction of Apollo kneeling and crying into his hands.
Her brows furrowed in sadness.
Lachesis raised a brow, “That is unusual of you, Aphrodite. You usually love tragic stories, do you not? You’ve orchestrated a few of them yourself.”
Her breath hitched.
“Well, even a tragedy gets boring after a while - sometimes it’s exciting to see a happy ending.”
A shaky smile, poorly disguised with haughtiness stretched across ruby red lips.
The trio of goddesses hummed in unison, but gave no answer.
Aphrodite sighed, “No spoilers, huh?”
The three remained silent and the goddess sighed once more in disappointment before turning to leave.
“Apollo’s found the garden,” Clotho called out, causing Aphrodite to pause, eyes widening.
“It is a beautiful garden.” Lachesis remarked mildly.
Atropos titled her head in mock confusion, “Tell me, Aphrodite Antheia, did you know you were helping Perseus say goodbye when you helped plant that garden of love?”
“No,” the goddess of love lied, the words ash on her tongue.
“And did you not enchant the garden to only appear in front of Apollo when he felt the pain of loss?” Clotho asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.
“No,” the goddess lied again. “Apollo merely forgot about it once Perseus disappeared.”
“You are a cruel goddess Aphrodite,” Lachesis laughed. “Taking a garden of love away from the intended recipient.”
“Then again,” Atropos remarked, “you were the most excited to see Apollo cry.”
“It was mercy!” Aphrodite sobbed. “It was mercy.”
“Mercy?” The three goddesses asked in tandem. “How was it mercy? Was it not a punishment for forgetting?”
“Can it not be both?”
The Moirai remained silent, waiting for Aphrodite to continue. She did not disappoint, “Yes, it was a punishment. Why should Apollo get to enjoy the garden Percy worked so painstakingly hard at to convey his love and his deepest wishes, if that wretched sun god easily forgot Percy’s existence.”
“But that was not his fault.”
“I know! ” Aphrodite breathed in sharply to calm herself. “I know. That’s why it was also mercy- so Apollo would not mourn the loss of someone he did not know.”
“But now he mourns, and he does not know why. Only half remembered memories. He is on the verge of being driven mad.”
Aphrodite didn’t answer, merely turned away and vanished back to her palace.
The Moirai stared at the empty space for a few moments before they too turned back to their weaving.