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If there was one thing that Percy appreciated about his mom’s relationship with Paul, it was how often they tried to include him and make him feel like he was part of a family. It was definitely a complete one-eighty from living with Gabe, who, at best, preferred to act like he didn’t exist, and he was finding that he actually liked spending time with Paul. It was a little surprising, if he was being honest. Whether having a family dinner, watching a movie, or getting help with his homework, the evenings they spent together usually put Percy in a good mood.
Usually.
Tonight had definitely fallen into the "outlier" category, because right now, all Percy could feel was pissed.
Technically, he was supposed to be in bed by now. He had said goodnight to Sally and Paul at least an hour ago, but instead of going to sleep, he just sat in his room, mind racing. How could he possibly go to sleep after the movie they just watched?
He had never seen Titanic before tonight, and he absolutely could’ve gone the rest of his life without watching it. He liked to think that he understood the dangers of the ocean better than most people, but watching a boat full of people horrifically sink for an extended period of time just felt like a slap in the face. He was basically the ocean, for crying out loud. This had to be some kind of personal attack.
The worst part wasn’t just that the one guy died in the movie. His mom had shed a few tears at that part, but Percy was more fixated on the fact that the boat actually sank. Like, in real life. And there was one person to blame.
Or, should he say, a god.
Percy would be lying if he said it didn’t make him uncomfortable to think about his dad in…that way. He knew there were a lot of myths where Poseidon was a huge jerk, but it felt much more removed when it happened in ancient times. In terms of Poseidon’s lifespan, the sinking of the Titanic was actually pretty recent for him. He might as well have done it last weekend.
Percy wondered if Poseidon even knew the Titanic movie existed. Probably not, considering his dad was terribly behind on pop culture, but the Titanic itself was a pretty big deal. Poseidon surely had to remember sinking the boat. What did he have to say for himself?
Well…
Percy supposed he could ask.
Yes, he was well aware that there was an important difference between could and should. A smite-worthy difference, in fact. He had bothered Poseidon with unnecessary prayers in the past, so that part wasn’t unprecedented, but he had never dared to directly chew him out. That probably broke at least a dozen rules about respecting the gods, but he was feeling too tired and too petty to care.
And besides, Poseidon wouldn't smite him, right?
His gut told him probably not, and that was all the encouragement he needed.
Alone in his room, Percy clasped his hands together tightly, trying to channel all of his anger out into the universe. “Hey. I’m mad at you.”
And then he waited.
Percy wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting to happen at the declaration, but a silent bedroom should've been at the top of the list. Poseidon had made it explicitly clear that he couldn’t constantly drop everything just to talk to him (thanks, Ancient Laws), and Percy knew that he wasn’t exactly being inviting. If his dad even heard him, he probably sounded like a little bug whining in his ear, and Poseidon would be well within his rights to ignore him.
But he wasn’t going to give up so easily. He tightened his grip until his knuckles turned white, hoping the action would miraculously make his prayer more powerful. “Hey, Dad. I’m talking to you,” he prodded. “And I’m mad at you.”
Still nothing. Not even a little sign that his dad was listening, like the flutter of a curtain or something falling off his shelf. Rude.
“I’m angry at you,” he said.
Silence.
“I’m…” He wracked his brain for another word. “...furious at you.”
Still no dice. If anything, his room seemed quieter than before.
“I'm annoyed. Upset. Irritated. Outraged. All of those words.”
He paused for a moment, hoping that would finally get his dad's attention. He had a sinking feeling that it was going to be a tough crowd tonight—after all, it wasn’t exactly rare for his father to be absent—but his stubbornness still won over.
“Don't think that I'm above getting my mom's thesaurus,” Percy threatened. “I can name adjectives all night. Don't even get me started on the definitions-”
I feel as though I’ve missed some important context here.
In spite of everything, Percy nearly jumped out of his skin at the arrival of a familiar deep voice. Instinctively, he whipped his head around, half-expecting Poseidon to be right behind him, but the room was still empty. And that meant Poseidon was in his head. Like…right now. Paying attention to him. He immediately froze at the realization, brain short-circuiting.
And okay, yeah, he should’ve been more prepared for this to happen, but how can anyone ever be prepared to telepathically communicate with their godly father who was supposed to be ignoring them? He guessed Poseidon would rather break the rules than have to listen to him try to sound out the longer adjectives in the thesaurus.
Perseus?
This was going to be a trainwreck, Percy just knew it. Why hadn't he thought out what he was going to say? His mouth had gone completely dry, and he was surely gaping like a fish.
Son?
He needed to get his thoughts together fast before Poseidon got bored of his silence and left, or worse, freaked out and thought he was in trouble. Slightly panicked, he blurted out the only thing he could think of.
“I’m mad at you,” he said.
Yes, I gathered that much, Poseidon replied, huffing. Is that your new catchphrase?
Poseidon sounded exasperated, and it was enough to remind Percy of why he was doing this in the first place. If he had to watch that stupid, cursed movie, then Poseidon had to explain himself.
“It might as well be,” Percy said. “Imagine me crossing my arms right now. I can't with my hands clasped.”
I'm imagining it, Poseidon responded dryly. Now, would you like to explain why you're acting this way?
“I'm the one asking the questions here,” Percy said. He started to pace back and forth, wishing he could talk with his hands. “Where were you the night of April 14th, 1912?”
Poseidon paused, and Percy imagined him raising an eyebrow. You're asking me where I was a century ago?
“Don't act like you don't remember,” Percy accused. Poseidon had godly memory, and Percy had seen enough detective shows to know that he was deflecting big time. “Does the North Atlantic ring a bell?”
…I'm aware of the Atlantic Ocean, yes.
Ugh, getting a confession was looking to be much harder than he thought. He stopped in his tracks, giving the emptiness around him a pointed look. “Does the Titanic ring a bell?”
As soon as Percy said those words, Poseidon immediately went quiet, and Percy knew that he had caught him. He was prepared for Poseidon to launch into dumb excuses or deny his involvement, but instead his dad just sighed deeply.
You watched the movie, didn’t you?
Percy’s eyes widened. “What? You know about the movie?”
Of course I know about it. I got angry prayers for months after its release.
Poseidon got prayers from other people? Percy knew that he didn’t have a monopoly on his father’s attention, but the idea still felt foreign to him. Why would anyone else want to pray to his dad? Poseidon was his dad, not theirs. “But…you didn’t have any demigod children at the time,” he protested.
I didn’t. I got prayers from demigods who weren’t even my own. Aphrodite’s children were particularly distraught.
Percy couldn’t stop himself from snorting at the mental image. If he thought he was pissed praying to his dad, he couldn’t imagine what an Aphrodite girl obsessed with Leonardo DiCaprio would have said.
“Well, you deserved it,” he said. “It was super uncool of you.”
It wasn’t my fault they hit an iceberg.
“It was your ocean.”
I don’t make icebergs. Blame Boreas.
Percy scoffed. “Okay, I’m convinced you’re just making up gods at this point.”
I promise you, he’s real. I had a child with his daughter, actually-
Percy flinched. "Okay, okay, I don't need to hear that story."
Even so, he does exist. And I would tell you to pray to him with your complaints instead, but I would prefer it if you were not turned into an ice sculpture.
“Gee, thanks,” Percy muttered.
I believe I have set the record straight. Now, if you’ll excuse me-
“Hey, not so fast,” Percy interrupted. “You might not have made the iceberg, but you didn’t have to sink the ship and drown all those people.”
Percy could sense Poseidon’s emotions creeping their way into his brain, and if he didn’t know any better, he would say that his father felt sheepish.
Even if I did intentionally sink the ship, which I'm not saying that I did, you can’t say you’ve never had an off day before, Poseidon said.
Percy gaped. “What do you mean ‘off day’? I have off days all the time, but that doesn't give me a free pass to destroy a random cruise ship.”
That would be quite an impressive feat. I would be proud of you.
“Not the point!”
Poseidon huffed. I don’t know why you would even watch that movie in the first place.
“I didn’t choose it, Paul did.”
The energy in Percy’s brain instantly shifted, and Percy felt a spike of…something. Anger? Possessiveness? Percy wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t help but feel like he had said the wrong thing.
Oh, I see, Poseidon said coldly. This man is trying to turn you against me.
“What?” Percy blinked, shocked. “No. No. He doesn’t even know you’re a god.”
A likely story…
“I’m serious,” Percy promised. “It was just a coincidence.”
Coincidence or not, it’s not my fault that Pill is inept at choosing movies-
“Paul,” Percy corrected.
What?
“His name is Paul.”
That’s what I said.
“It definitely wasn’t, but whatever.”
It’s not my fault he can’t choose appropriate movies for you, Poseidon continued.
“Appropriate movies?” Percy repeated. “What do you want me to watch? Finding Nemo?”
That would be acceptable.
“Oh my god,” Percy said, running a hand over his face. “I can’t believe you won’t just admit that you made a mistake.”
It’s not a mistake to follow the laws of physics. Too much water entered the breach in the ship. The ship couldn’t handle the weight and sank. It’s simple.
“No, I think that you just heard that they were calling the ship unsinkable and you took that as a challenge.”
Their hubris led them to their deaths, not me. All ships are sinkable under the right conditions.
“Ha!” Percy exclaimed. “So you admit it! You created those conditions to prove them wrong.”
I admit nothing.
Percy groaned. This was getting absolutely nowhere, and it was only getting later and later. “So you’re seriously not going to apologize?”
The creators of that film should be apologizing to me. It’s defamation.
“It’s not defamation if it’s true,” Percy argued.
I’m being slandered, Poseidon complained.
“And you’re about to be hung up on," Percy said, gesturing with his hands.
Fine by me. I’m really not supposed to be talking to you, and I’m quite occupied at the moment-
“Great, have fun with that,” Percy said, and before he could think, he unclasped his hands, severing the connection. His brain went completely quiet again, and he knew he was alone.
For once, Percy had finally had the power to leave Poseidon, not the other way around. He’d ended the conversation. He'd had the upper hand. It should’ve been satisfying.
So why didn’t it feel as good as he thought it would?
Deep down, it was probably because Poseidon had reminded him that they weren't supposed to speak like this. Percy had willingly ended the conversation, but who knew when Poseidon would pay attention to him next? He liked to think he had some control in the situation, but he really didn't.
But whatever. It was fine. He was used to this, and it was completely fine. He didn't want to talk to his dad right now anyway, not when he was being so cranky. He just needed to push all thoughts of the Titanic and Poseidon out of his head and try to get some sleep.
He crawled into bed and pulled his comforter up over his head, trying not to feel like he was sulking. He didn't know how much time passed like this, but as he slowly started drifting asleep, he was jolted awake by a small disruption in his mind, like a lingering thought that he couldn’t quite shake. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but it only got stronger and stronger, and suddenly Percy's mind was once again enveloped in his father's presence.
Are you truly upset at me?
Percy's eyes snapped open in shock. Poseidon had never initiated a conversation with him before, especially not about something that wasn't life or death. “Dad? What are you doing here?”
…I do not wish for you to be upset at me, Poseidon said hesitantly. I would like to make amends.
Percy blinked. Oh.
Just like before, he didn't know what to say anymore. Poseidon had come back because he…felt guilty? Percy didn't know that gods could even feel that way, but he guessed that it wasn't the first time that Poseidon had defied his expectations. Percy might not have been the best at godly etiquette, but he knew one thing for sure: when a god offers you an olive branch, you take it.
“I want to make amends too,” Percy said tentatively. “I don't like being mad at you.”
That is something we can agree on, Poseidon said. I'm sorry for any distress my actions have caused you.
Wow. That was actually a pretty decent apology, all things considered. Poseidon must have been stewing for a while if he was finally able to admit that.
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” Percy said. He rubbed at his eyes, suppressing a yawn, but even exhausted, he couldn’t resist poking fun at his father. “Did you say that to the Aphrodite kids too?”
No, I did not, Poseidon said flatly. You might not be the only one who prays to me, but you are the only one who I ever respond to.
Poseidon made exceptions only for him? A smile broke across Percy's face at the thought, and he was unable to stop a warm feeling from flooding his chest. “Because I annoy you until you have no choice but to respond?” he asked.
You may be annoying, but you are also my favorite. That helps.
His favorite. Before Percy could even begin to figure out how to respond to that, his smile involuntarily faded into a yawn, and he felt Poseidon start to tug away in his mind.
I should leave you now. You need to sleep.
Percy wanted to protest, but he knew that he had been pushing his luck since he had started his prayer, and the night had already ended infinitely better than he thought it would. He nodded reluctantly. “Okay.”
Goodnight, Perseus.
“Goodnight, Dad. Thanks.”
At that, Poseidon's presence quietly left his mind, but unlike last time, when Percy was left with emptiness, the warm feeling inside remained.
Percy supposed that this was what it felt like to be favored.