Percy Jackson: Daughter of Shadows

16. We Get Coffee with A Golden Statue

It had been two weeks since we'd been in the Labyrinth. (No, I did not cry for eight hours straight and no, Chiron did not have to call Celeste and Antonio over to comfort me. Stop thinking!) Annabeth had been a wreck. She oversaw the weaving of Percy's burial shroud. "I just can't do it. I just can't" Viktor had come back with more bad news. During a freak accident in the Labyrinth, him, Grover, and Tyson had gotten separated, with them still in the Labyrinth and him getting spat out in Time Square. I had to steady myself on the wall when I heard this. Losing Percy had been enough. But now Grover and Tyson? I didn't care that Kronos was a Titan and Luke had the same battle expertise I did. I was going to tear them apart with my bare hands. Mind, Dionysus had taken a break from double-checking my word about the minor gods just to see how I was holding up. Chiron pulled me aside later that day to explain that he was rather scared of me. I took that as a small victory. 

  I sat on the dock, dipping my feet into the lake. A strawberry soda was next me, only bottle thing that wasn't Diet Coke in the fridge. I grabbed the bottle and took a deep swig. "I wouldn't advise doing that next to the water. Terrible for the environment," said a voice. Triton stood in the sand. His curly black hair bounced off of his pale greenish skin. He wore a white tank top and swim trunks with a faux snakeskin jacket. "Triton?" "Hey, Lilly. Glad to see you again, this time not at the bottom of the Mississippi" He sat next to me, and a Watermelon Mountain Dew appeared in his hand. "What are you doing here?" "I'm a god of water. Sensing my ex-girlfriend dipping her feet in is easy" I snorted. "Yeah, right" "My brother isn't dead, just so you know" I stared at him. "How do you know?" Triton took a gulp of Mountain Dew. "He's on an island. Water's my thing, so I could tell. I'll let you take a guess about where he landed and with whom" "Ogygia. Home of Calypso, daughter of Atlas" Triton nodded. "You know your stuff. He's coming back now on a magic raft. Thought I should let you know" "Did you, or did you just want to piss off Barnacle Beard?" Triton laughed. "Well, talking to you does come with benefits. But also, just because I wanted to see you" I smiled. "Thanks" "No problem. Now, I'm still going to be here when Percy arrives. I want to see if he really has what it takes to be a son of Poseidon" "and what does it take, your Fishiness?" Triton picked up a rock and skipped it across the lake. "Well, for one, you've got have class, sarcasm, and-WHOA!" He fell into the water. I burst out laughing. "And apparently a knack for falling into liquids. I once saw Percy trip and fall in the dining pavilion right into a dryad carrying soup" I pulled him out of the water. Triton smacked my hand away, a dark green blush on his face. "Thanks" "You are very welcome. Now, when is Percy getting here?" Triton peered out into the horizon. "Now, actually." Percy waved his hands from a raft, and then proceeded to fall off. 

  "TRITON!" I screamed. "I've got him!" Percy stuck his head out from above the water. "You know I can swim, right-Who is this?" "Your half-brother, Triton" "Oh, your ex-boyfriend. Wait, that means you dated your cousin?" "Didn't know it at the time, but yeah" Triton dove into the water and pulled Percy ashore. I ran down to the beach and helped them both up. Percy stared at Triton. "Didn't you threaten to send a hoard of sharks and kelp to kill me if I screwed up getting the Master Bolt?" Right then, a white shark snarled from in the lake. Triton laughed when Percy jumped in the air. "Yeah. I meant it. Speaking of which, I've got to go, so see you around!" He kissed my hand. "You do realize Viktor kissed me two weeks ago, right?" Triton chuckled. "Do you know that even while we were dating, I knew he liked you?" I blushed. "Ah, so you didn't. Well then, I hope you two have a wonderful life, I've got to get back to the palace before Dad causes nineteen hurricanes to hit the Carribean. See you soon, Lilly" He grabbed a hold of the shark's fin and disappeared under the water. 

  Percy and I walked to the amphitheater. "So, Calypso and you talked?" Percy turned beet red. "How do you know about that?" "Triton told me and you have moonlace in your pocket. Now, I'm assuming you don't want me to tell Annabeth about it, do you?" Percy shook his head. "It'll cost youuuuuuuuu" Percy sighed. "What will I owe you?" I hugged him. "Just promise me you'll never go missing again, alright, little cousin?" Percy hugged me back. "Deal" "Good. Now let's hurry. They're about to start your funeral in about ten minutes, so we need to hurry."