Percy's a Girl In This One, Basically

Poseidon's Castle

It's a good thing that Alex knows how to keep his emotions under control, otherwise he'd be – what's the technical term for it – completely freaking out right now. He's hundreds of feet underwater, so his air bubble must have some pressure-defying properties in addition to keeping him dry and alive. Percy is in the bubble too, casually propelling the currents around them to move farther. Her expression is relaxed, like, all in a day's work for a daughter of Poseidon.

In all honesty, he wasn't sure about the trip at first, but he couldn't say no once Percy brought up Poseidon's castle. This is his only chance to see it in person, and a guy like Alexander Chase doesn't say no to an opportunity like that. They've been underwater for twenty minutes now, travelling deeper into the ocean, and Alex suspects Percy isn't even going as fast as she could. After all, wouldn't want your boyfriend to get motion sickness when the two of you are in the same confined space.

He can't stop staring at the fish. There's a small group following them right now, and he could swear that they're staring. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing he's ever seen, but still... fish, watching them. "Percy?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Call me crazy, but I think these fish are following us."

Percy grins. "Oh, yeah. They definitely are. They're actually talking about us. I'm kind of a big deal around here."

He pushes his hand into the membrane of the bubble so it bulges outwards, and watches the fish dart away from the movement. "What, are they the ocean equivalent of paparazzi?"

"You could say that. They see me out on a date with my amazing boyfriend, they can't help it." Alex is half-tempted to roll his eyes, half-tempted to kiss her. He thinks the kissing half is winning. Percy is focused on directing the bubble, and she's adorable on the rare occasions when she's deep in concentration. He takes the chance to just drink in the sight of his girlfriend. It's hard to believe Percy's the same scrawny twelve-year old that tumbled into camp years ago. Now, she's slim and tall and toned, looking every bit the fighter.

A few more minutes tick by. Poseidon's castle appears first as a vague outline on the watery horizon, then into hazy shapes, and finally a grandiose structure that takes Alex's breath away. It occurs to him that he shouldn't be able to see anything at all except for a murky blur – another magic property of the bubble.

He takes in the sight for a long moment before saying, "It's incredible."

"Yeah?" Percy sounds more than a little pleased.

"Yeah. Di immortales... it's as beautiful as Olympus."

He doesn't expect the reply to be: "Oh, no. Damn it." Alex turns to look at Percy. She's gritting her teeth (she's always cute when she's annoyed).

Before Alex can ask her what the problem is, the mermaid swims up to them, moving so fast she seems to materialize out of the water. "Perseuuuuuus!" she rings out in a high, girly voice that makes Alex wince a little. "You brought a visitor? Oh, he's a pretty one!"

Alex stares. He's never seen a mermaid in person before. She's all silvery scales and blue skin, with a head of seaweed-green hair floating down to the curve of her waist. He realizes that her features aren't fully human: her eyes are a little too round and bulgy, her lips puffy and almost translucent. Instead of armor, she wears a wrap of some silky material around her chest. It's billowy and loose, not the most PG-13 of underwater outfits, and Alex feels awkward.

She reaches one hand into the bubble and brushes his cheek, studying him with those fishlike eyes. It's unnerving, but he doesn't want to be rude. "Um-"

"I've heard about you!" she giggles. "You're Alexander, aren't you? The blonde one! You're Percy's little boyfriend! Oh my gods, you took a knife for her in the Titan War, right? That's so sweet -"

Alex's surprise is evident in his voice. "How do you know that?"

Teresa rolls her eyes and says, "I live under the water, not under a rock. My friends are going to freak—"

"Sorry, who are you?" Alex asks.

"This is Teresa," Percy interjects, and the mermaid's hand jerks suddenly away like something's pushed it out. "She lives at dad's castle. Don't know why he lets her hang around, but he does." Percy's arms are crossed squarely over her chest, and her full lips are turned down at the corners.

Teresa is pouting. "You don't want to share, Perce? Give him up for a day? Pretty girl like you, I'm sure you could find some other demigod up on land to play with." Alex must be frowning pretty hard at this, because before he can even object, she swivels to him and says, "Oh, don't look so glum! I don't bite. Why don't you come out of that bubble –"

"Dude, so not cool," says Percy. "Back off my boyfriend." She shifts closer to him and pins Teresa with a blazing look.

Percy doesn't usually get protective, and Alex is finding the whole thing kind of endearing. Gods, the cute-when-pissed-off thing makes it really hard to be annoyed.

Teresa's at least slightly more perceptive than she lets on, because she glances at Percy, says "Maybe some other time, Alex," and giggles before swimming back towards the castle grounds.

"Hope she doesn't come back," Percy grumbles.

"Scared I was going to run off with the mermaid?" Alex teases.

"Well, I'd understand if you did – I don't have a fish tail. That's every guy's dream, right?" she retorts. The bubble is slowing down, Alex notices, sinking to a courtyard entrance where two merman stand dutifully on guard. Now that they're closer, he can see the details of the castle beyond the gate, the mother-of-pearl sconces that decorate the walls. He's itching to get a closer look.

"No, I think every guy's dream is a girlfriend who can get them VIP access to Poseidon's castle."

Percy smiles again, and it's devastating. He kisses her instinctively and she sinks into him, though she breaks the kiss after only a few seconds. "Alright, no getting sidetracked, Wise Guy. I want to show you everything there is to see."