DA : Chapter 117: Turn On Each Other I

His eyes watching, unblinking as her breathes came softly, little bubbles puffing out each time within her tank. Her dark hair streaked with blue, her green tinged skin carrying a healthy glow unlike when they rescued her.

And yet, his eyes moved down to her body covered by a specially made gown meant to suite her within the watery confines of her 'bed'. More like tank, specially filled with mineral waters, sea salt, and nectar to help her recover the fasted possible.

Jason's eyes returned to the soft and gentle smile of Amphitrite's sleeping face, her head leaning slightly in his direction. He sighed as he straightened up in his chair, groaning slightly as his back popped and he put away a small book he'd been reading on Norse lore and tales. Just as he was thinking of leaving he heard the door to Amphitrite's room opening and glanced over to see a near look-alike of Percy stepping in, save for the sharper features, teeth, and blue tinged skin.

"Triton," he greeted with a nod.

"Lord Grace," the sea god returned getting an annoyed frown from the primordial.

"Come on, I'm a stickler for decorum and all but right now shouldn't be a time for formality. Just Jason is fine," he said, catching the slight amusement in Triton's gaze before the sea god turned his eyes to his sleeping mother.

"How long was she up this time?" he asked softly as he walked closer to her tank.

"About two hours or so before she started to get tired and I told her to rest… that was an hour ago," he replied as he looked at her sleeping face again. "Still, Will didn't even expect her to regain consciousness for a week and she pulled it off in a few days. Managing to stay up for a few spare hours after only a week or so of treatment is pretty good, especially for how bad the damage was."

At the mention of the state his mother was brought in Triton clenched his fists, the knuckles cracking as Jason turned his attention to him. Though his face was rather blank, the rage in the sea god's eyes was almost otherworldly, an aura of power briefly flashing around him.

"Triton, reign it in," Jason warned, catching the slight stirring of Amphitrite.

Triton caught the movement too and took a deep breathe to calm down before he slowly relaxed. The silence continued afterwards for some time, neither really feeling like speaking. Jason sat, his arms crossed as he continued to study the face of the goddess that had been the focus of his thoughts ever since he rescued her with the others. The one that triggered his wrath at the sight of her broken form, the one that made his own goal at the time conflict against his own morals. The goddess that possibly stole his heart without him realizing it until now.

"I'm gonna kill him."

The statement drew Jason's attention as he looked at Triton, the sea god's eyes moving from his resting mother to the winged god.

"He's not my father, not after he dared do this."

"But are you truly ready to try and cut down your own father?" Jason asked while looking at him intently. "I get your anger, I do, but does that really translate to you coming out and joining us out on the battlefield? You could just stay here safe with your mother and no one will fault you for it. You didn't start this war after all."

"Maybe but I can't remain doing nothing," Triton retorted while looking at his own hands. "I already stood by doing nothing once and look what happened."

"But you couldn't have done anything at the time. You would have been alone against Oceanus and Poseidon while trapped in the barrier set up by Pontus," Jason replied intently. "And even then, in the end you acted and thanks to you, Amphitrite is safe and now Pontus is down one of his stronger soldiers."

"Yes, and what about the rest that he has at his disposal?" Triton asked making Jason frown.

"The new Council is blind to anything happening under the oceans right now and Pontus has an entire kingdom now at his disposal along with several ancient monsters and old titans that were always loyal to the original children of Gaea.

Even with the likes of you, my brother, Nico, Thalia, and the other more combat oriented members, you still need more forces capable of acting on their own to fight down his armies," Triton argued as Jason blew a puff of air. "Yet my brother still tells me no even when he knows I'm capable and a dangerous fighter in my own right."

"It's not about your ability," Jason said after a pause, thinking over his words. "I think it's more about risk being there and not wanting you to shoulder a responsibility that isn't yours." He then looked Triton in the eyes.

"You are strong but just the same, there are true powerhouses on Pontus' side that could show up anywhere near a body of water and ambush at their discretion. It's the possibility of you actually being blindsided, of losing you that Percy doesn't want to risk." He then glanced at the sleeping goddess. "You or Amphitrite."

"Why go so far?" Triton asked as he furrowed his brows in thought. "The only time I officially met him when he was a demigod I blew him off and mother didn't even acknowledge him. We are family only by the most stretched terms."

"Maybe …" Jason sighed. "But at the end of the day you are all relatable and have the possibility of growing closer this time around. Family is a big thing to us, especially Percy, so having the chance to add to this odd little family the council has started is something he would definitely go for. He already lost his godly father through betrayal, then his mother and step-father, and nearly lost his sister.

Then he lost Nyx who'd become his mother in the decades they were together along with the rest of the elder primordials. He just doesn't want to have to lose anyone else and that includes you and Amphitrite."

As Jason spoke Triton became silent as his eyes became unfocused, the god in deep thought. Seeing this Jason stood and clapped a hand on Triton's shoulder making the sea god jump slightly.

"Look, just because Percy's being stubborn about it doesn't mean he can't be reasoned with to have you become part of the war effort. Just sit down and talk it out of him rather than just request or demand to fight, even if at the end of the day he wouldn't actually stop you but I can see that you still want to join as part of us rather than strike out on your own." Jason then smirked slightly.

"I could even help get through that frozen skull of his if you want. Goodness knows he would have rather fought this entire war alone just to protect the rest of us."

Triton shared an amused smirk, knowing that Percy would do something like that. Skilled and powerful he may be but hindsight is 20/20 at times. The pair then turned their attention to the sleeping goddess, a more comfortable silence coming between them for a time.

"You know," Triton started up as he leaned on the edge of his mother's tank. "It's been a long time since I've seen anyone make mother smile the way you do."

"Oh?"

"Mhm," Triton hummed as he glanced at Jason. "The small little smile that I remember when I was just a godling whenever I did something she thought was silly and would tease me about." Triton's smile then fell slightly.

"It was the early years that she was the happiest, at least, as far as I saw anyways but then I grew up and we really didn't spend as much time alone together. Rarely did we have the time for mother-son bonding with my responsibilities in the army and traveling across the sea kingdoms all the time. But when I walk in on you two just reading together, she always has that same smile on."

Jason chuckled with the faintest blush of embarrassment making his cheeks shine slightly. He then noticed as Triton glanced to the book left on the stand beside the tank.

"Norse mythology and lore though," Triton said in, clearly amused with the topic. "Any particular reason you're reading on a pantheon that doesn't exist?"

"Not on this planet at least," Jason murmured but Triton caught it, his raised eyebrow asking enough.

"We had short conversations with Cronus and Lady Chaos and though we haven't gotten a definite answer, some of us on the council suspect that there is far more than what's beyond this single world."

"Maybe," Triton said with a shrug before a tiny smirk played on his face. "Still, you two seem pretty cozy together, her leaning over your shoulder as you read to her."

"What are you, a stalker?" Jason teased with a faint chuckle before sighing.

"Just an overprotective son looking out for his dear old mom," he replied getting both to laugh lightly.

"What's this about old?" asked a sickeningly sweet voice making both shut up and look with a start to the tank.

It seemed that at some point their talking had woken Amphitrite up and she had sat up, holding onto the edge of her tank as she looked at them with a worryingly warm smile, her eyes nailing her son to the spot.

"N-nothing mom," he replied shakily, paling until his skin was more of a baby blue.

"So you weren't insinuating that I'm getting old?" she asked as her smile grew.

"Urk!" was his reply, choking on air as he backed up out her reach.

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Don't forget to throw some power Stones, to keep the story going.

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