Percy just can't hold it in anymore, but she deserves a pat on the head for lasting so long ;) 

WARNING: smut again. Yeah I know, back-to-back smut! Who knew I was capable of doing that?? 🤭 Anyway, it's nothing big. Just expect a slight dash of masturbation with a hint of voyeurism! Oh, and shame. Lots and LOTS of shame 😃

THE NIGHT BEFORE HER DEBUTANTE ball was on a weekend, which meant there was no Beelzebub for her to use as a shelter from her father's... less appropriate advances.

Whenever Beelzebub wasn't around to shield her, she would use her dance lessons as an excuse to keep herself busy, even going so far as to beg Proteus to make the lessons last longer because "I'm sure I can get this move down, just lemme practice a few more times, pleeeaaase?". Luckily for her, Proteus was so enthralled by her 'dedication to work hard' that he would agree and they'd spend a few more hours practicing in the new dance room they were transferred to (the ballroom was undergoing decorations for the upcoming ball).

But unfortunately for her, that excuse wasn't going to work today.

"My lady, I insist we stop! Tonight's the night before your special day, and I won't have you tired! I know exhaustion lasts so long for mortals and we can't have that," Proteus chided her with a laugh. "And I've told you before, you've practiced so much that everything's perfect! You'll do wonderfully!"

"Oh, yay...!" She cheered weakly, when what she really wanted to do was yell out "nooooo!".

"Go freshen up, dinner's about to begin soon and I'm sure your father would love to hear about all the progress you've made!" He beamed.

She forced a smile on her face as she trudged out of the room.

It'll be just a quick dinner, she thought as she changed out of her practice clothes in her room. And then after that I can go to bed early under the guise of wanting to wake up with enough time to prepare for the ball.

Her face fell when she remembered the times Poseidon would pull her onto her lap after dinner was over. More shame filled her.

Honestly, how did this happen? She racked her brain in an attempt to find the moment Poseidon crossed the line between familial and romantic, but she couldn't piece it together. All she could think about was how good things were between them before this horrifying realization came to her. Poseidon loved her, but when did that love become so wrong?

Was this all her fault? He had been doing such a good job being a father, but he was still so new to it... maybe he just... didn't understand that what he felt was wrong and she had unknowingly enabled him? Should she have spoken up about it? Educated him? What should she have done—what could she do right now—to fix this?

A knock came to her door, followed by a servant's voice, "My lady, dinner is ready. Your father's waiting for you at the Great Hall."

"Coming," she called back.

Just like the servant said, her father sat at the head of the table waiting for her. His plate of food was already filled, as was his goblet, but he didn't care for any of that. The second she entered the room, he was out of his chair and striding towards her.

She stiffened when he tilted her chin up so she would look at him, but all she could see was concern on his face; his brows were turned down, he was frowning, and she could see worry swimming in his usually stoic face.

"You are troubled," he said. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Oh, it's nothing," she lied guiltily. His care for her was so genuine she couldn't help but feel conflicted. On one hand, he did actually love her, but on the other hand...

When it was obvious he wasn't buying it, she said, "I'm just nervous about tomorrow."

"Ah," he released her chin. "Your debutante ball."

She nodded.

"There is nothing to worry about. It will be perfect, I will make sure of it," he swore seriously. "As for your dancing, I'm fully aware of how hard you've been working. You needn't worry about that either."

It wasn't what she was actually worried about, but she could feel her heart begin to warm at how sweet he was being.

But then—

"And if someone dares to give you any trouble," he went on, his face and voice taking a dark turn. "I will rip their head off and display it for everyone to see. It will act as a reminder for them to be on their best behavior."

"Um, hopefully you won't need to do that," she replied, holding back a nervous shudder because she knew that he was serious.

"We shall see," was his response, which wasn't very reassuring.

Despite the ominous end to that discussion, dinner was a pretty light occasion that night.

In an attempt to keep her mind from worrying so much, Poseidon told her a funny story about what his own debut was like—or more importantly, the time baby Zeus waddled over to the ballroom and pooped so much that it leaked through his diaper and caused their father, Kronos, to slip and fall onto the refreshments.

The night was full of Percy's snickers as he recounted the story and even had a big laugh when he told her what he had done as retaliation; he had been so furious at his little brother for nearly ruining his debut that he actually tried to sell him online to a bunch of cannibals (he was worth a whopping one drachma).

It was pretty ironic to her, considering that back in her universe Zeus was the only one who was spared from being eaten unlike the rest of his siblings.

By the end of it, all the fear, shame, and anxiety was completely drained from her. It was as if the past events had never happened, that Poseidon was back to his normal fatherly self, and she could enjoy being his daughter without having to feel so disgusted with herself.

"I should get to bed," she said with an easygoing grin. "Big day ahead of me."

She pushed her chair back and rose to her feet, but Poseidon suddenly called out to her, "Wait a moment, daughter."

She looked at him questioningly. He beckoned her closer.

"Yeah?" She asked as she approached his side.

"Kiss me," he demanded bluntly.

It was so sudden that it took her several seconds to actually register what he just said. When it finally clicked, she could feel her heart stop.

"W-what?"

"I said kiss me," he demanded again.

All at once every horrible feeling she previously felt came flooding back to her as if a dam had broken inside her mind. But instantly, she tried to fix it all by thinking rationally.

Because surely he meant a kiss on the cheek, right? That was what she always did and what he always wanted. There was nothing wrong with a kiss to the cheek. Kids did that with their parents and vice versa all the time!

Heart still racing, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his cheek.

When she pulled away, she could see him deadpan at her.

"Don't be a coward," he said flatly before grabbing her by the jaw and yanking her lips to his. Then it slithered down her back and pulled her onto his lap. His other hand grabbed her by the back of her head and held her in place.

She should've refused, should've pushed herself away, and ran—it would've been the right thing to do. But the second their lips pressed together, she threw all caution to the wind and melted right into his embrace.

The kiss was forceful, dominating, and messy. Poseidon kissed her as if he wanted to devour her whole, as if he wanted to leave his mark for the whole universe to see. If it hadn't been for the Curse of Achilles, her lips would've been bruised by how harsh he was being, and the very thought made her body hot all over.

His hands roamed the sides of her legs, leaving a trail of goosebumps on her skin as he slowly pushed the skirt of her dress up. This time, she didn't stop him.

You're sick, you're so fucking sick, the voice in her head hissed venomously. The worst part was that she didn't know who it was directed towards—her, or Poseidon.

It wasn't until his tongue met hers did she finally remember how wrong this was. Her eyes snapped open and her hands—which were desperately clutching the back of her father's head—immediately tried to push herself off of his lap.

Poseidon clicked his tongue in annoyance. She could see a flash of his lust-filled eyes glaring at her before he forced her back into another messy kiss. He nipped her lower lip like he wanted to punish her for trying to get away from him before shoving his tongue back into her mouth.

There was a breathy moan building in the back of her throat. He let out an appreciative groan before stroking her tongue with his. She could practically feel her eyes roll to the back of her skull at how good this all felt.

Weak. She was so fucking weak.

First her uncle and now her father. Someone might as well throw her into Tartarus at this point. She felt like she was taking all the pure and tender love her parents and friends back home gave her and stomping all over it.

Her mom, her dad, Paul, Anthonius, Nico, Thalia, everyone she knew and loved—they were all going to hate her if they knew what she had done.

As if sensing the emotional turmoil she was going through, Poseidon finally stopped.

The two of them were breathless once they pulled away, a messy trail of saliva forming between them until it snapped. This was the hottest she had ever felt before—and she had nearly been burned alive by lava. When she looked down, she could see her fingers trembling as they held onto Poseidon's shoulders for dear life.

Poseidon wasn't any better. Despite gods not needing to breathe, he was just as breathless as hers. And his face—Percy felt like she could stare at him all day. His once stoic and cold expression looked so debauched. His perfect blonde curls were a mess from how much she grabbed at it, his pupils were blown wide from lust, and his cheeks were flushed a beautiful shade of gold. It reminded her of the way Hades always looked after he kissed her.

It made her want to throw up. As much as she wanted to deny it, she no longer could: she was attracted to her own family.

"We shouldn't have done that," she whispered hysterically. She hastily scrambled off of him, but before she could flee, he grabbed her arm.

"Is it not normal for daughters to be affectionate with their fathers and vice versa?" He asked challengingly.

"Not like this..." She said shakily. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and her thighs were rubbing against each other before she even knew it. The second she realized what she was doing, she put a stop to it, but a shameful part of her begged for the friction to return.

He arched a brow. Despite his face being almost as flushed as hers, his expression remained unbothered.

"Oh? Is that so? But you seemed to enjoy it," he pointed out, and she turned away in shame.

He clicked his tongue and held her chin, forcing her to face him. "Honestly, what a stubborn child you are. But..." He trailed off, a smirk crawling over his handsome features. "I guess you got that from me."

What used to be a trait he despised about her, was now something he grew to love and accept. As his mother and Hades pointed out, stubbornness was one of the few traits they shared and Poseidon was beginning to realize that he very much liked it when there were similarities between them—however little they may be. It really cemented the fact that she, his only daughter, was all his.

"There's no need to be ashamed," he murmured, his voice the softest it had ever been. She would be the only one to earn his soft side. He pulled her closer to him. "I quite liked it as well. In fact, I want you to kiss me like that every day. Would you do that for your father?"

It was too much for her to handle. At once, she burst into tears and pulled away from him.

His face quickly fell. "Percy—" He tried to reach out to her but she was already running out of the Hall and to her room.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

The next few hours were tense. Rather than chase after her, Poseidon decided it was best to let her have some space away from him—despite every inch of him wanting to burst into her room to comfort her.

He tried to keep himself busy by overseeing the last of the preparations for her ball, but it was pointless. While he ordered servants to move around this and that, he kept his Sight on his daughter. It was already past midnight and she should've been asleep by now, but she wasn't. Instead, to his absolute dread, she spent the entire night crying in her bedroom.

For the second time in possibly his whole life, he felt guilty. This was the second time he had made his daughter run away in tears.

Surely she didn't hate him now, right? No, no, she couldn't hate him. Percy loved him, she could never hate him.

She was just... confused. That was all. She was lost. And that was perfectly understandable given that she was just a child who didn't quite understand her emotions just yet.

Nevertheless, there had to be something he could do. Something he could say to comfort her, something to get those silly ideas of right and wrong out of her head.

He still didn't know how exactly they got into her head in the first place. So what if they were family? She was loved by him in more ways than one—the very prospect of that should have her rejoicing. And he knew that deep down she actually loved it too. She wouldn't have responded so well to his ministrations if she truly despised it.

And yet she felt ashamed.

He racked his brain trying to think of any god or goddess that would've felt ashamed by this and came up with none. Incest was prevalant in every pantheon to certain degrees. The only group of people who would put their foot down to this were... humans.

Just the thought of them made his ichor boil with fury.

At that moment, a group of servants approached him warily, each holding a golden vase filled with blue flowers—but to his annoyance, it was a shade of blue that clashed garishly with the rest of the decor.

"My lord, the floral decorations from Lady Demeter have arrived. Where would you—"

"—This is not the shade of blue I wanted you to get, can you people do anything right?" He snapped.

The color drained from his purple tinted skin. The other servants who came alongside him all shifted nervously.

"My apolo—"

Poseidon turned them all into a puddle of seawater before he could even finish.

"Proteus! Clean this up and get me the right shade of blue flowers," he demanded.

"Already on it, my lord," Proteus replied, dutifully removing the seawater with a wave of his hand before teleporting away to get the correct flowers.

After watching that terrifying display, the servants were moving around more quickly than ever, not wanting to be on the other end of his growing wrath.

Poseidon's patience was thinning as he watched them scurry around. He rested his cheek against his knuckles and continued to watch over his daughter, only to pause.

Percy had stopped crying, but her face was still soaked with tears and her eyes were red. She still wore that expression he didn't like—fear, shame, and doubt. He wanted to teleport himself into her room to make sure she never had a bad thought about herself ever again, but then she did something that made his mind absolutely crash.

She had thrown the comforter off her body, revealing one of her usual night dresses. The bottom of her dress had bunched up to her hips but she quickly hiked it up to her waist to get it out of the way. His Eyes zeroed in between her legs. Her underwear was completely soaked.

He straightened up. "Everyone leave. Now." He commanded.

Without another word, the ballroom was empty in less than a second.

He continued to watch her.

It was as if she was aware that he was watching her, because the time it took for her to peel off her underwear was agonizingly slow like she was trying to tease him. Legs still squeezed shut, she dropped it to the floor beside her bed and for a few seconds, sat there like she couldn't believe what she had done.

She bit her lip nervously, breathing in and out deeply like she was trying to prepare herself. Then, she began to part her legs open.

Poseidon's breath hitched once the sight of her cunt came into view. He could feel his mouth begin to water. She was all pink and tender, and he could catch the glimpse of a tiny hole peeking at him. She was absolutely—

"Perfect," he said breathlessly. His hands immediately went for his pants, shoving the front of them down so he could pull his already hard cock out.

Percy began to lay herself down on the bed, dark hair splayed around her head like a halo. Her chest was heaving up and down and he could see her nipples poking through the thin fabric of her dress. He wished she would take it off too, but he could wait. The scene playing before him all but guaranteed that he would see the rest of her lovely body eventually—if not today, then certainly another.

Come on now, he thought darkly, his hand lazily pumping himself up and down. Touch yourself at the thought of me. I know you want to.

Her hand trembled as she lowered it down. Tentatively, she touched herself. He wondered if she had ever done this before—he doubted it. She looked too nervous and hesitant, like she didn't quite know what to do with her fingers. He had half a mind to go in there and assist her.

Her fingers started to rub at her folds and he could already see her slick building up around her digits. She was wet even before she had started, and now she was practically dripping onto the bed sheets underneath her. It was a mouth watering sight; he wished he was there to lap it all up.

Tiny whimpers escaped her lips as she rubbed herself faster. She quickly covered her mouth to hide the sinful noises she was making, unaware that her own father was watching her.

From her frantic rubbing, she accidentally slipped her finger past her folds and judging from the way her body jolted like she had undergone an electric shock, she must have found her clit.

"Oh—!" She gasped, eyes widening.

She kept her finger in there, rubbing at her clit some more. She clenched her eyes shut, toes curled as she whined from the pleasure.

Poseidon's breath was going ragged at this point. When she finally slipped her whole finger into her pussy, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he slipped out a small groan.

A second finger slipped in. She started to thrash on the bed, her legs trembling. The room was full of tiny gasps and mewls. If just two fingers were enough to send her to this state, a real cock would've ascended her to heaven.

Her movements were getting more desperate now. Her breasts started to jiggle with every squelching in-and-out of her fingers. He could tell that she was getting closer to her release.

"Mmm... Daddy..." She moaned into her hand.

He threw his head back into his throne, moaning out loud. "Fuck...!"

"Ah... ha... ha... daddy...! Oh! Oh, daddy!" She squealed, squirting all over the bed. Over at the throne room, ropes of cum shot out of Poseidon's cock as he moaned her name.

That night, father and daughter came together.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

The next day, after waking up bright and early so her maids could tend to her, the only thing going through Percy's head was a never ending, AHHHHHHHHH!

She kissed her dad. She touched herself to the thought of him.

She couldn't believe she just did that. Actually, wait, she could believe it because she was fucked up like that, but holy shit she didn't expect to be that depraved.

I'm a horrible person, I suck, I'm the worst, I'm disgusting, I hate myself, I hate myself, she thought repeatedly. She wanted to drive a sword straight into her mortal spot—maybe that would make her feel better.

"How are you feeling my lady?" The nymph curling her hair asked eagerly.

I feel absolutely horrible, thanks for asking!

"I feel amazing!" She said cheerfully. "I'm so excited! I can't wait for the ball to start!"

"It's your first birthday too!" Another nymph cooed. "I bet you'll get so many presents tonight!"

I don't deserve them, she thought miserably, but on the outside, she was clapping her hands. "Oh yay!"

The nymphs cheered alongside her before resuming their work. Meanwhile, Percy stared at herself in the mirror, trying to find any sign that the old her was still there. She looked completely unrecognizable. Her hair had been curled to perfection with not a single strand out of place. The maids had her bathe with some sort of glittery concoction so when she came out, her skin had a glimmery sheen (she was just glad she wasn't as sparkly as the vampires from Twilight).

And her gown was... she didn't think there were enough words to describe how gorgeous it was. She wore a long flowing gown that would've made the contestants of Miss Universe cry with envy. It consisted of layers of deep oceanic blue that looked heavy to wear but was actually almost watery to the touch. There were fine golden embellishments on the skirt, her bodice was lined with gold along with golden that fell delicately around her upper arms, and trails of priceless white pearls dangled around her hips. It was breathtakingly beautiful—and it also came with pockets! 

Overall, she almost looked like a goddess. Almost. Because no matter how many pretty clothes she wore or how many nymphs did her hair and make up, it would never change the fact that a part of her was still human. And she clung desperately onto that piece of her. She may have been reduced to this disgusting, horrid version of herself, but at least she still had her human identity.

"Just one more thing," a nymph approached her, carrying a royal blue pillow. Atop of it was her tiara. She still couldn't believe she had one—or many, in this case because apparently members of the royal family normally had more than one crown (maybe it depended on the occasion?). This particularly tiara was made of gold and decorated with ocean diamonds and strings of pearls that draped around her head.

Percy stayed still as she allowed the nymph to fit it on her.

The nymph pulled away, beaming. "And there! You needn't worry about the tiara toppling off, my lady, it's been enchanted to stay on you until you're ready to remove it."

"Cool," was really all she could say, she was still in awe that this was really happening.

Another nymph suddenly gasped. "Oh! We forgot the necklace!" She held out a blue diamond necklace that probably weighed a ton. She was just about to clasp it around her neck until—

"There is no need for that."

Percy's breath hitched. Her father had entered the room.

"Lord Poseidon," the maids murmured reverently, bowing low.

He ignored them. Their eyes met through the mirror.

"Leave us." He ordered.

The nymphs were out in a flash.

The two of them were alone now. She gulped audibly, trying to forget the memories of last night. The kiss and what she had done afterwards.

He started to walk towards her. She watched him through the mirror, as if he was a predator waiting to lunge. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest.

Did he know what she did? She had cleaned up as much as she could without alerting a maid to clean up—too embarrassed to really explain what had happened—but it didn't dawn on her until afterwards that he could've been watching her from afar. He was all-seeing and she was right in his territory of all places. She could feel her face burn with humiliation. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This was the price she had to pay for letting her sick desires get the better of her. She deserved this.

Finally, he was standing right behind her, his eyes traveling from her to the mirror. Slowly she watched as his face began to soften the way it usually did around her. His lips curled up into a small smile.

"I would say that you look beautiful... but alas, even that is not enough to describe the perfection I see before me," he murmured, hands grasping her shoulders.

She said nothing, choosing to stare back at him in the mirror. He was impeccably dressed as always. Whoever picked out his outfit must have coordinated with her stylist because they complemented each other perfectly. He wore a deep blue blazer that matched with her dress. It had golden buttons that were shaped like miniature seashells and on his shoulders were golden epaulettes. His blazer was left wide open, leaving only strings of black pearls holding onto both sides. Underneath it was a skin-tight black top that looked to be made out of fish scales that was also embellished with gold. It reached up to his neck like a semi-turtleneck, topped by his usual radiant golden choker.

He wore a crown as well. Far grander than hers and fit for an emperor. It was taller and with more points, made out of gold and decorated with the same ocean diamonds as hers, but with black pearls that suited his outfit more.

She gulped again, forcefully prying her eyes away from his form and cursing herself for staring at him like an idiot.

"I know you said you didn't need a present from me, but I wanted to give you this," he said. There was a faint glow, and suddenly he was holding something in his hands.

It was a necklace—a choker to be more specific. But it wasn't just any piece of jewelry, it was a choker exactly like his. But there was one thing that hers had that his didn't. The choker was made out of a radiant gold that shined so bright it could probably be seen from miles, no different from his, but at the very center of it was a single pearl that sat between two tidal waves. She was no pearl expert, but she had a feeling that this was no regular pearl that could be found in Midgard.

"I made it. The pearl," he said softly. "Rather than summoning one, I crafted a new one by my own hands. I admit, it took me awhile—I wanted to make sure it was absolutely perfect for you—but... it was worth it. You are worth it, my daughter."

Ever so carefully, he clasped it around her neck.

"A pearl for my pearl," he murmured, kissing the side of her head.

It took her a while to speak up. She could feel herself getting emotional already, and through the mirror, she was pretty sure her eyes were watering too. There were probably a hundred types of pearls in the universe, but instead of just giving her one, he created a whole new pearl into existence. There was no other pearl like this in all the three realms.

She didn't know how long it had taken him to make it, but she didn't care. The fact that he had given her a present so personal, so meaningful, was enough to make her tear up.

Finally, she spoke, "Thank you..." She breathed out, reaching out to tentatively touch the present her father had so carefully crafted for her.

"Do you like it?" He asked her.

"Of course I do," she exclaimed. "This—this is the best present ever!"

"You haven't even gotten the rest of your presents yet." He pointed out.

She shook her head. "I don't care. Nothing they give me can beat this."

The Poseidon of her universe had visited her on her fifteenth birthday. He had given her a sand dollar as a present, but she didn't really count that as a gift. It was the fact that he went there in person that she counted as a present. Poseidon rarely interacted with her directly, too wary of Zeus and his Ancient Laws, and yet he had come to her on her fifteenth birthday. A part of her had a feeling it was to see her one last time, there was a war coming and the Great Prophecy decreed that she might die on her sixteenth.

Despite the threat of Zeus' rage, Poseidon had come to her, wanting to see her alive and happy, knowing very well that a year from then that all that might change.

The Poseidons, regardless of the universe, were pretty damn good at handing out birthday presents.

At her words, her father's smile became more noticeable now before he schooled his expression.

"I am glad to hear that," he said, but she could tell he felt super smug about it. "The ball is about to begin any minute now. Shall we?"

She nodded. He offered his arm and she took it. Together, they walked out of her room.

(He hadn't once mentioned about what she had done last night.

She could feel her shoulders sink in relief. He didn't know.)

They reached the second floor and stood before the grand doors that led to the ballroom.

Poseidon patted her hand, sensing her nerves.

"You will be fine," he said soothingly.

"I think I might throw up." She blurted out.

"Don't," was his helpful piece of advice.

She swallowed thickly. Proteus had already told her how this would go. At the start of the ball, their names and titles would be announced and the doors would open. Then, they would walk to the bottom floor and do the First Dance together for everyone to see.

For everyone to see. Those words alone were enough to make her anxiety skyrocket.

Look, she was no stranger to attention. Back in her universe, she had plenty of it. Mortals would stare at her because "hey isn't that that Jackson kid who's wanted by the FBI?", and don't even get her started with the demigods and gods who all knew her name thanks to the whole "savior of Olympus" thing. She practically grew up with attention. And most of the time, it was... manageable.

But this was different. She was a princess now—an imperial one, to be more precise—and she still wasn't used to the whole royalty thing. She would be dancing in front of a bunch of strangers and people she knew, with her father. Most debuting young goddesses didn't perform the First Dance with their father. Would people think it was strange? Would they get weird looks? Would they think bad of her for choosing her dad?

(After what had happened between them last night, could you really blame her for feeling a little paranoid?)

Suddenly, the doors began to open and she could hear the herald on the other side loudly announcing, "All hail Their Divine Imperial Majesty, Emperor Poseidon, God of the Seas! And Her Divine Imperial Highness, Princess Percilla of the Atlantean Empire!"

Not divine, she wanted to correct, but remained quiet.

Poseidon held her hand and gently pulled her into the room.

She hadn't been in the ballroom for the last few weeks since everyone was so busy with the decorations, so the sight of what it looked now left her shocked.

This palace was situated on land, but it had been decorated so well it almost reminded her of their underwater palace back at Atlantis. The columns, walls, and railings were either gold or white marble. The blue and golden chandeliers had strings of pearls hanging from them. The floors that were so shiny that she could see her reflection on them were now covered by what looked to be a layer of water. She didn't think that would be practical for dancing. Off to the sides where the tables were at, at each table was a centerpiece that consisted of an aquatic flower that was encased in a floating water-filled sphere.

She and Poseidon approached the round balcony that overlooked the ballroom. She froze at all the faces that stared back at her. She could see her family, and much to her delight, Adamas (who was wearing a helmet to cover his face), Shiva and his family, the Asgardians, and a bunch of other important looking gods she hadn't met yet. They were all dressed to the nines, representing their respective pantheon.

They all bowed down to them.

You can do this, you can do this, she chanted to herself. She had defeated countless monsters, pissed off a number of gods and titans, and even led a war. She should be able to handle a little dancing!

"You are nervous," Poseidon noted, looking down at her.

She was pretty sure it was the sweaty palms that sold her out, but she was just glad he didn't mention it.

"Kinda," she admitted.

"I can have them keep their heads bowed like this if you prefer," he offered.

"No, no! It's okay," she laughed nervously, trying to look calm and casual in front of all these gods. They had inhuman vision, so they could probably see every flaw on her right now.

"I never thought you would get nervous over something like this. Considering you shamelessly spat a soggy meatball at me less than a year ago, dancing in front of a crowd should be much easier for you." He said bluntly.

She blanched. "O-oh, you still remember that?"

"It was a very memorable moment in our lives." He said with a blank expression.

Ah yes, the day you tried to kill me with a fork. Good times.

Swiftly, he led her down the steps. They went to the center of the ballroom. Percy immediately noticed that there wasn't actually a huge layer of water on the floors, it just looked that way. Another thing she noticed; with every step she took, ripples would appear under her feet. Cool.

Poseidon released her so he could stand a few feet away.

Over at the stage, the Nine Muses—Mnemosyne's daughters—began to play a song.

Here it goes, she breathed in.

They bowed to each other.

Poseidon gave her a brief reassuring nod before reaching out for her hand. The song increased in tempo once they linked hands and began dancing. She tried to ignore the way he pulled her in closer—she was pretty sure this was too close, Proteus had always told her that there should be a particular amount of distance between the partners.

But she pushed that to the back of her head. Now wasn't the time for her to freak out over how close they were. She had to focus! She had practiced this over a hundred times already and Proteus always told her how she got better after each repetition. She could do this. She could DO THIS!

But in the middle of hyping herself up, she did the unthinkable: she stepped on his foot.

STOMP.

Time slowed down. She could feel herself tipping back from losing balance. Oh gods. Oh gods. She was about to fall in front of all these people!

The color drained from her face. She could hear several people gasp quietly in the background. Off to the side, she managed to catch a glimpse of several gods even gnawing on their nails in fear of Poseidon's reaction.

But before she could fall any further, Poseidon grabbed her by the waist and effortlessly lifted her up and twirled her in the air. Then, he set her back down, grabbed her hand, and resumed dancing.

"You stepped on my foot," he deadpanned, as if it wasn't already obvious to everyone in the room.

"I-I didn't mean to!" She whispered, heart pounding in her chest. "I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. I hardly felt that."

But she was still so embarrassed that it even happened in the first place. "I'm so sorry, daddy, I promise I won't do it agai—"

STOMP.

Her face paled a second time. OH NO, I DID IT AGAIN!

Swiftly, he pulled her in close so they would be chest-to-chest and did a fancy whirl before pulling away and spinning her under his hand.

"How odd," he drawled when they were close again. "I could've sworn you told me how Proteus complimented your dance skills every day after practice."

This time, her face went red. "H-he did!" She squeaked. "I'm usually really good, I swear, I'm just nervous!"

Oh my gods, I'm gonna cry, when the fuck is this song gonna end?! She internally wailed.

To her horror, the song kept going and going. Was it just her or did ten minutes already pass? How long did Proteus say this was gonna last? Her mind was too frazzled to recall. But after stepping on her father's foot for the seventh time, she started to wish he would just smite her to save her from this humiliation.

"Daddy, I'm so sorry, that was an accident—oh gods, I think I might throw up," she warbled. It was taking her all her will to not burst right now. She felt like screaming, crying, and throwing up all at the same time.

He whispered to her, "Are you aware that everyone in this room is able to hear you?"

She lifted her head up to give him a horrified look, "Why are you just telling me this now?!"

Rather than gracing her with an explanation, he let out an amused snort before twirling her in his arms once more.

After stepping on his foot a few more times, the dance finally finished. They separated at last and stood at their respective spots before bowing. Instantly, everyone broke out into loud applause. She was just glad none of them burst out laughing at her—though that was probably because they were too scared of angering Poseidon.

"Do not look so upset, you were perfect," Poseidon told her as he held her hand to lead her to their table.

"I stepped on your foot like ten times..." She said miserably.

"It was twelve," he corrected, which didn't make her feel any less awful about herself. "And I don't mind."

They headed to the table. Hades, Zeus, and Adamas were already seated, and standing beside them was Rhea who was still clapping as they approached.

"That was a very... interesting dance, you two!" She commended them. "Well done!"

Percy let out a moan of despair as she collapsed on a chair Poseidon pulled out for her. She buried her face in her arms.

"That was so baaaadd," she moped.

"If it makes you feel better, this idiot," Adamas jabbed a finger towards Zeus, who was in his younger form, "Was even worse durin' his debut. He partnered up with Hera but he never even bothered practicin' the dance as seriously. Hera was so pissed she stopped dancin' to smack 'im in front of everyone," he sighed fondly as he reminisced.

"But I was dying out there and you all heard me too..." Percy despaired.

"Kid, gods have superior hearing, you'll get it one day." He clapped her on the shoulder.

"Oh crown up, Percy!" Zeus laughed boisterously when it was clear that she was still down. "How about some food, hmm?"

He snapped his fingers and a platter of cheeseburgers appeared in front of her. Poseidon lips curled in distaste.

"Are you serious? You dare to feed my child this filth—" Before he could snap his fingers and summon more appropriate and nutritious food for her, Percy had already snatched up the closest burger and began scarfing it down.

"Thanks," she said through a mouthful of food.

Hades wanted to chide Zeus for giving her something so unhealthy... but then again, it was Percy's first birthday so she should at least be allowed to eat whatever she wanted. Sighing in defeat, he snapped his fingers and a goblet of blue cherry coke appeared before her.

"Oooh, thanks!" She grinned at him, which made him smile. He also felt pretty smug when Poseidon shot him an annoyed look for that.

Sure enough, the food was enough to make her feel better about her many... many mistakes. As she sipped on her coke, she surveyed the room, trying to find a certain face amongst all the gods that came.

Where was Beelzebub...? She knew he had been invited, yet he wasn't here.

Frowning slightly, she pulled out her phone and tried to text him.

Yoooo dude r u coming???
:( where are youuuuuu

While Percy stared sadly at her phone, a certain pink haired god was staring at her.

Apollo smiled widely once he caught sight of her. He was dressed his absolute best and had actually spent the last ten days preparing for the ball—four days designing his outfit, three days on his hair, two days on his makeup, and one day fantasizing about their future dance together. It was a shame she hadn't picked him to be her partner for the First Dance, though it made sense considering Poseidon's... less than favorable opinion on him, but that was fine! He could snatch other dances with her anyway!

"Brother, what are you doing?" Artemis asked, frowning when she noticed that he was literally glowing as bright as the sun.

"If I make myself more radiant, surely she'll notice me and be so awed by my brightness that she'll request a dance!" He beamed, quite literally. Then he gasped, "Artemis! She's looking my way!"

Artemis looked over and sure enough, Percy was looking at his direction, but she certainly wasn't reacting in the way he hoped. Rather than her jaw dropping in awe, the second she saw him, she cringed and looked away, covering her eyes.

She sighed and took a sip of her drink. "I fear it's not working, brother."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Percy was groaning in pain.

"What is it, daughter?" Poseidon demanded, catching her rubbing her eyes.

"What's that light over there? It hurts to look at, can you turn it off?" She complained, motioning over to Apollo who was radiating so much that he looked like a giant column of light. To a god, it was harmless, but to a mortal, it probably wasn't safe to look at, hence why her eyes were hurting.

Poseidon's eye twitched. "Gladly."

He started to approach the foolish god. Artemis quickly nudged her twin to alert him. Apollo let out a tiny squeak and scurried away.

Over at the side of the room, a certain trickster god perked up the second he realized Percy's overprotective father had left her side. Even better, she was alone at the table. Adamas—and yes of course he knew he was alive this whole time, please, he wasn't stupid—was gone, Zeus had already left to annoy Hera into dancing with him, Hades had left to get more drinks—he was becoming quite the alcoholic nowadays; if he had a liver, it would've burst!—and Rhea left to join her other children.

Loki smirked widely as he approached her.

"It's been a while Percy!" He greeted her from behind.

Percy craned her neck to look at him.

"Oh, hi, Loki," she greeted him casually.

Like most of the Asgardians, his outfit was a fusion between armor and high-class aristocracy. He looked like he was ready to go ballroom dancing at nine and battle at ten. She figured it made sense; during her lessons she learned that Asgard had a pretty prevalent warrior culture.

He wore a long dark purple coat and a pair of black metal gauntlets over his hands. The front of his coat was lined with white fur—she wondered what poor animal he skinned that from—and on his shoulders were a pair of spiked shoulder plates. If it weren't for the fur, a head tilt could've impaled him. Underneath it she could see a pair of dark pants and dark chest armor.

"You look good." She complimented him like it was nothing.

Loki almost choked on his spit at how casually she said it, but kept his mischievous grin on (and he ignored the way his cheeks started to fill with ichor).

"I see you're all by your lonesome. Beelzebub isn't here either, hmm?" He crooned. "Did he not want to come?"

Oh this was just perfect. He could feel his face practically splitting from how wide he was grinning. Not only was she all alone, but her main protector was nowhere to be found.

She rolled her eyes. "Dude, I know what you're doing and it's not gonna work on me. I don't know what kinda beef you guys got going on, but Beelzebub said he's got you handled and I trust him, so I don't try to drag me into it."

"Oh, you trust him, huh? That's funny." He snickered. Oh he couldn't wait to see the look on her face once she knew the truth...

"I'm ignoring you now," she said bluntly, going back to her fries.

"Let's have a dance together," Loki exclaimed, pulling her up to her feet. Fortunately, he was wearing gauntlets so he couldn't feel her greasy fingers.

"My dad hates your guts," she reminded him.

"And I shall have fun running away from him afterwards," he grinned. "But for now, let's dance."

He led her over to the dance floor and spun her under his hand before pulling her in close. He motioned over to Nine Muses to up the tempo and the music's rhythm sped up.

He let out a grand laugh, "Now this is much better!"

He and Percy began to dance, much to the growing ire of a particular Norse god.

Odin could feel a headache building up in his temple—which shouldn't even be possible for a god, but Loki was always the type to accomplish the impossible. He watched, groaning internally, as his nephew danced with the girl he specifically ordered him to keep away from lest Poseidon blow a gasket again.

"I thought I told you to keep an eye out on him," Odin said to Thor.

A low rumble was all he responded with. Odin glanced over to see that Thor was too busy staring daggers at the god his daughter, Thrud, was dancing with.

Fine then, he decided.

"Go peck that fool's eyes out," he ordered his ravens.

Huginn and Muninn, always eager to give Loki his comeuppance, were more than happy to oblige. They flapped their wings, ready to take flight until—

"Before you do that, Lord Odin, care to hear us out?"

Two Grecian goddesses stepped into view.

"Aphrodite, Hera. What is it that you want?" He asked, feeling his mood sour even more. Mingling with Greeks was the last thing he wanted to do right now. "And make it quick. Loki is currently meddling with the youngest of your pantheon."

"Oh we're not too concerned about that," Hera waved a dismissive hand before plopping down next to Thor with Aphrodite on her other side. She quickly cast an enchantment to prevent any eavesdroppers. "How do you feel about a marriage between Loki and Percilla?"

He stared at her. "...Have you finally lost your mind?"

She gasped in offense, but before she could start spewing curses, Aphrodite patted her hand and took over, "Lord Odin, Loki has particular... feelings for her. Feelings that we believe to be love."

He scoffed. "So you can't even tell?"

"Your nephew's mind is full of twists and turns. It's practically a labyrinth," she defended herself.

"Loki's previous marriage ended in a divorce!" Huginn squawked.

Muninn chimed in, "Yeah! Lady Sigyn is the most patient person in our entire pantheon and even she had enough of him!"

"My ravens are right," Odin rumbled. "And I am not blind to my nephew's many, many, many faults. His children love him, but he was not a good husband. Tell me the truth, are you doing this to punish the girl?" He jutted his cane over to Percy's direction, who was currently being whirled around by Loki so fast she was probably dizzy by now.

"Of course not!" Hera was affronted by the accusation. Why did everyone seem to think she liked to punish people? "And Sigyn's marriage, while unfortunate, was expected. Sigyn and Loki are complete opposites and it was an arranged marriage against their wishes. This is different. Loki actually likes Percy."

Odin thought about it. They did have a point. Loki had always been against his marriage to Sigyn since day one and never bothered to keep it hidden from everyone. He had multiple affairs and sired multiple children while Sigyn stayed loyal and tended to Narfi and Váli—the two sons they had together. While he wasn't exactly cruel to Sigyn, the marriage did put a damper on her spirits until she finally snapped and demanded a divorce.

But Percy, however... Odin glanced back at the pair. Loki must have cast an enchantment over them too because he couldn't hear or read their lips, but from the way they looked, they were in the middle of shooting playful jabs at each other. The two of them looked happy. Plus, there were the other... incidents that occurred between them. Loki had kidnapped Percy numerous times and even infiltrated her slumber party. She had never minded it once and even requested a light punishment for him when anyone would've been more than happy to request a horrid torture...

Aphrodite smirked, knowing that he was finally seeing what they were seeing.

"And that's not all," she purred. "Every time she's around, he's always quick to latch on to her. Isn't that nice? I'm sure he'd be more... well-behaved if he was too busy being by his wife's side. You and Thor wouldn't need to watch over him as often."

Now that got him to perk up. Thor even pried his eyes away from his daughter for a quick second before resuming his job as a protective father.

"...Poseidon would not be pleased by this." Odin warned.

"Let us handle him," Hera said.

"And what does Rhea feel about this?"

"My mother doesn't mind, she just wants more babies in the pantheon," Hera replied, though it wasn't fully the truth. As much as Rhea adored her eldest son, Hades, and her grandson, Apollo, she leaned more towards Poseidon due to this being the first time he was ever in love.

And as for babies, well, who could blame her? It was so rare to see a baby walking around the streets of the divine side of Valhalla. Aside from the monsters and nature spirits, the gods had already been married to their partners eons ago and had children back then. Most families were content with the children they had now, and the only other kids being spawned were bastards who were usually kept hidden by their nature spirit mothers (or were killed off by furious scorned wives *cough cough* Hera).

"One more thing," Odin narrowed things. "Why are you both so invested in this?"

"Percy has an interesting love life," Aphrodite sighed dreamily. "And she has more than one suitor, so Loki's not the only one after her heart."

"I don't mind who gets her in the end, as long as it's not Apollo," Hera sneered. "I just want to make sure to remove any obstacles in their way."

"So you are meddling," he gave them a disgusted look.

"It's fun," Aphrodite said brightly. "So, are you going to get in the way or not?"

Odin stayed quiet for a few moments. He really didn't want to partake in their meddling, but by the gods, did he want a break from having to deal with Loki all the time. Even with Sigyn he was still a constant headache so if Percy could really reel him in... then—

"Fine." He decided.

The goddesses grinned at each other.

‧₊˚✩彡𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝 𓆟‧₊˚✩彡๋ ࣭ ⭑ ࣭ ⭑

Back with Loki and Percy:

As he spun around, he cast an enchantment around them to make sure nobody could overhear their conversation. "So," he started. "I heard you've been spending a lot of time with Beelzebub."

"Jealous?" She couldn't help but tease, still 100% certain of her theory that he had a tiny crush on her. It wasn't very nice to tease someone over that, but this was Loki she was dealing with, he deserved to be teased now and then.

"No," he scoffed. "I'm worried for you, Percy. Beelzebub's been made your caretaker. I don't know what Poseidon was thinking, but that god is dangerous." And then, much more slyly, he added, "Don't you know what he did to his friends?"

Instead of leaning forward and asking, "what happened?" like he expected most curious individuals to, her face hardened and she shot him a glare. "That's none of my business nor is it your business to tell me."

She's quite the loyal friend, he noted. A noble trait indeed, but it irked him that Beelzebub was the one who got that loyalty. Didn't she consider him a friend too? A scowl was beginning to grow, but he quickly schooled his features to keep his grin up.

"Aww, well fine," he sighed in disappointment. But then: "Do you like him?"

"Hmm?"

"Beelzebub. Do you like him?"

"'Course I do."

He was getting annoyed now, "I meant romantically."

"Oh," she blinked. "No, why?"

He tightened his grip on her hand. He scanned her face up and down. He couldn't detect a lie from her; she wasn't purposely trying to deceive him but it was the way her heart skipped a beat just from the question alone. She wasn't even aware of it.

"You're lying." He hissed.

The song started to slow down. Just as it finished, Loki twirled her one more time before lowering her in a dip.

Percy let out a sharp gasp. She could feel the cold metal of his gauntlets press against her mortal spot through her dress. The tips of his fingers were pointed like claws, making it feel like she had miniature knives threatening to stab through her only vulnerability.

Loki noticed it immediately. He pulled her back up. "What was that?" He demanded.

"What was what?" She asked.

"You just—" And then it hit him all at once.

He found her mortal spot. 

— author's note —

Dun, dun, DUNNNNNN 😈

Poki fanart from idkwhattonamemyself-00:

The Loki Percy wanted:

The Loki she got:

Poseidon snooping through her phone:

Beelcy in New York!

Percades and Beelcy kids! From Nobodyunimportant:

Percy fanart from stormystorms!

Percy fanart from dorothyaeone:

Honeydew-mint drew traumatized Percy back in pjo! verse trying to cope: