he ain't heavy, he's my brother

Chapter One

He's a god. Percy reminded himself sternly. Literally a god. He could easily turn me into a krill or something.

It didn't help. Triton was just infuriating. The much older son of Poseidon hated him, and made no effort to hide that fact. Percy had tried, damn it, tried to be civil, to make Triton like him. He'd been polite even when Triton had been cold or outright rude to him, had never snapped, and had remained on his best behaviour.

His mom would be so proud of him.

But he was nearly at his limit.

He loved being in his father's palace in Atlantis, he really did. It was absolutely beautiful, and (besides two very obvious exceptions) the people who lived and worked in and around the palace had been nothing but kind to him. They even seemed excited to have him among them! All the servants and nobles had taken to calling him 'Little Prince' or 'Little Lord' and while part of him was a bit offended at being called little, he did get it. He was a lot smaller than most merpeople. And ichthyocentaurs were massive compared to him. Then there were the shark people... Well, lets just say he understood the name and wasn't offended by it. Also, most people in the palace were considerably older than he was. He was just lucky that they didn't treat him like a child. Well, he reconsidered, some of the older females did. But most seemed interested in stories about his quests, about the monsters he'd slew, life on the surface...

It would be great, if Triton and Amphitrite didn't hate him so much.

The Queen of the Sea was at least quiet about her feelings. She glared (and wow, it was a terrifying glare) at him at times, but seemed to have decided to pretend he didn't exist unless she had no other choice. His father was clearly annoyed at this, but even he knew when not to push. He'd privately told Percy he was working on it, but not to hold out hope. Percy didn't mind. He was the product of an affair. He'd be surprised if she welcomed him with open arms.

Triton though... he was a little more obvious in his feelings.

He'd been pretty subtle at the beginning, Percy would give him that, but his taunts and insults had been getting crueler and crueler as time went by. Percy had let it roll off his back, not wanting to anger his father and get sent away. The logical part of him knew his father loved him, and that he spent more time with him then most gods did with his children. But the larger, more dominant part of him still wanted nothing more than his father's love and attention. Now that he had it, he didn't want to give it up a second before he had to.

He stared at the glittering wall of the palace over Triton's left shoulder, trying to listen to the ocean currents rather than his half brother's taunts. It wasn't easy, but Percy managed somehow. Mostly he just let his mind wander. He had a math worksheet he'd been avoiding for weeks, and knew he should probably ask someone for help. Maybe his dad knew someone who was good at calculus?

"...Jackson," Triton was saying with a sneer. Percy thought he looked like he was done. Finally.

He smiled, though he knew it would look more like a grimace, and bowed his head slightly. It hurt his pride to show the jerk any form of respect, but it was better than being sent away. His father's people seemed to like him, but he was new and only a demigod. Triton was like... super old and the heir to the throne. They'd definitely take his side over his if he blew his temper.

Triton's sneer deepened and he swam off. Probably to go do something boring. Percy didn't think he'd ever seen his half brother so much as smile, even when at dinner. He himself had expected dinners at a palace to be boring, but they were actually a complete blast. So far there had been some sort of party or banquet at least once a week, and Percy had had the time of his life at all of them. He didn't drink (seventeen, and memories of Gabe made him never want to try it) but watching his father's subjects have fun, listening to their stories, and being included in games and revelries, made him more happy than he could properly express. He felt as accepted here as he did at camp, but here nothing was expected of him. They respected him because he was Poseidon's son and because of what he'd done, but most seemed to remember that he was still basically a kid, and let him behave like one.