Chaos Rising |BOOK 2| Harry Potter x PJO |Alexandra Marine|

BONUS: THE DAY SHE GOT MERCY

The old man looked up. I recognized the twinkle in his eyes, but his face....he looked like he'd aged forty years.

"If it isn't Odysseus," Poseidon said.

"Oh, come on, Dad," Alexandra pouted. "Seriously."

"What—what happened to you?" I asked. "Uh.. no offence- but-? Have I missed anything in the while I was gone?"

Poseidon didn't seem offended. "It's all right," he smiled. "The war has been hard on me."

"But you're immortal," I said quietly. "You can look... any way you want."

"I reflect the state of my realm," he said. "And right now that state is quite grim."

"Oh," I said, not knowing how to reply. I looked down at the mosaic.

"Ariana, this is my family," Alexandra smiled. "This is Amphitrite, my bestie and step-mom."

The lady in green armor stared at me coldly.

"And this is my brother Triton."

His double fish tails swished back and forth. He smiled at me, but there was no friendliness in his eyes. "Hello, Ariana Adler."

"What's going on here?" I asked.

Poseidon sighed. He raised his staff, and it changed into his regular weapon—a huge three-pointed trident. The tip glowed with blue light, and the water around it boiled with energy.

A huge sea serpent appeared from above us and spiraled down toward the roof. It was bright orange with a fanged mouth big enough to swallow a gymnasium.

Hardly looking up, Poseidon pointed his trident at the beast and zapped it with blue energy. Ka-boom! The monster burst into a million goldfish, which all swam off in terror. "The battle against Oceanus is going poorly."

He pointed to the edge of the mosaic. With the butt of his trident he tapped the image of a merman larger than the rest, with the horns of a bull. He appeared to be riding a chariot pulled by crawfish, and instead of a sword he wielded a live serpent.

"Oceanus," I said, trying to remember. "The Titan of the sea?"

Poseidon nodded. "He was neutral in the first war of gods and Titans. But Kronos has convinced him to fight. This is... well, it's not a good sign. Oceanus would not commit unless he was sure he could pick the winning side. We have been at war almost a year now. My powers are taxed. And still he finds new forces to throw at me—sea monsters so ancient I had forgotten about them."

"I can help," I said firmly. "I mean, it would also mean I could finally pay you back for all that I've done."

Poseidon's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

I took a deep breath. "I killed your son, the Cyclops Polyphemus."

Poseidon frowned at me. "So?"

"Oh come on!" I said. "So it's a problem when I let him live?"

"Obviously," Alexandra rolled her eyes. "Why do you think Athena wanted you to kill him ASAP?"

I put my palms on my face. "Someone just kill me already."

"Already tried that," Poseidon said. "Thrice in this lifetime, I think."

"Hey!" Alexandra protested. "That was you?"

"What? I'm just trying to be a good dad."

I rolled my eyes. "I can't believe this."

"Neither can I," Alexandra huffed.