Archive of Our Own ^beta

The sea crashed against Montauk beach, its waves clawing at the shore like restless beasts. Sally Jackson stood on the sand, clutching a tattered copy of a book on Greek Mythology, her eyes fixed on the man before her.

His name was Julian Solo, but he was also Poseidon, the sea god from another reality. He grinned like a child who had just won a bet. His blue hair shimmered under the moonlight, and his divine aura made the air hum with power. Unlike her own Poseidon, this one didn't bother hiding his presence. Monsters fled Manhattan, demigods whispered in fear, and even the Olympians and other gods in America trembled just by sensing him. At least no monsters were around; her baby was safe.

Sally sighed. "Is there a problem with it?" She gestured to the book, knowing from her Poseidon that 90% of its tales were true, give or take a poet's embellishment.

“Problem?” Julian laughed. "This is the best day of my life! Just look! Here, Zeus, my perfectly good and flawless brother, is a bumbling tyrant. And Athena, my enemy and his precious daughter, is a scheming disaster! This Trojan War? A comedy! In my world, Paris slept with Helen, claiming it was Aphrodite. The Trojans believed him, and Apollo laughed for a century as he allowed them one chance to kill Achilles without being punished. Here? What a mess!"

His eyes gleamed with glee, but beneath it, Sally sensed his genuine love for Zeus, tinged with a sad sibling rivalry. The Olympians of this world were a mockery of his own, and he relished it.

Sally raised an eyebrow. "You're barely better. You wanted to drown humanity before you sensed Percy on this beach."

Julian’s grin softened, but his voice carried the weight of the deep sea. “Not humanity, Sally. The unworthy. Like Noah’s flood in my world. But you—” He stepped closer, his Cosmos flaring. "You're worthy of Atlantis. I'm certain the Gates of Elysium would open for you. If my brother Hades met you, he’d agree with me. When I return, my Mariner Generals will build a temple in your image: Sally Jackson, Goddess of Motherhood, Love, and Nurture. Queen of Mortals.”

Sally’s tired look mirrored that of every mother who’d heard such nonsense before. Her Poseidon had said nearly the same thing once, minus the temple. "Yeah, that's Poseidon, all right," she muttered.

Since Julian had crashed into their world, life had grown impossibly complicated. Yet Percy had never been safer. No monster dared approach Manhattan, where Julian’s unchecked power radiated like a beacon. Even the gods kept their distance, their pride bruised by this foreign deity they couldn't dare to attack or touch.