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Out of all the Gods that promised him recommendation letters, of course, it was Mr. D that backed out at the last minute. Percy ran his fingers through his hair and flopped back onto his bed in Cabin 3, exhausted from the two quests he’d already completed. At least Mr. D had the decency to back out before sending him off on a meaningless errand.
At least Annabeth’s grades meant that NRU waived the recommendation requirement so only one of them was shit out of luck. You would think being kidnapped by a Goddess for several months, a former Praetor, and the savior of Olympus would allow for similar leniency but the admissions officer had just blandly smiled at Percy’s complaints and directed him to the admissions guidelines portion of their website.
So here he was - one week out from the application deadline and short one godly recommendation.
Ultimately, it was Grover who came up with the idea to ask Poseidon at dinner that night.
“Have you tried asking your dad? I know he can’t actually write the recommendation but he could probably get one of the minor sea gods to do it.” Grover said in between bites. It was so obvious that Percy immediately jumped up to make an offering with that request in mind. What’s the worst that could happen? Poseidon says no? It was only after sitting back down again that Percy realized he probably should have been more specific with his request. The last thing he needed was to be sent on a world-spanning quest and Gods aren't exactly known for being reasonable.
He finished his dinner with the feeling of dread hanging over every bite.
That feeling was proven correct when walked into his cabin only to find Triton leafing through his NRU application materials. Triton spoke before Percy had a chance to question his presence.
“Father says you need a recommendation.” He said, not looking up from the University’s information booklet.
“Yeah,” Percy nods, “They require three godly recommendations.”
“And you’re short how many?”
“I had three lined up —” Percy tried to explain and Triton looked up from the glossy pages of the booklet, “Just one.”
“My conch shell trumpet is missing. Return it to me and I’ll write this recommendation for you to attend this university.”
“I need more information than that.” Percy said and he could feel the waves of irritation rolling off his godly half-brother, “Where do you think it is?”
“If I knew that, Perseus, I wouldn’t be here asking you to find it for me, would I?” Percy rolled his eyes at Triton’s tone, “My guess is Kymopoleia stole it.” Triton admitted after a moment.
“Do I even want to know why?” Triton didn’t respond, “Ok - I’ll go to Kymopoleia, get your conch back, and you’ll write me my recommendation. Easy. Anything else I need to know?”
“Father can’t know about this,” Triton looked pained as the words left his mouth but it quickly passed, “Do whatever it is that you need to do so that I can take you to Atlantis and we can get this over with.”
After hastily explaining the situation to Annabeth and Grover and a quick roundup of everything that he thought he could possibly need to pull off a secret undersea heist on the Goddess of Violent Storms, Percy was finally ready to go. Triton gave him an unimpressed once over before grabbing his hand and they disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Atlantis was as Percy remembered it. Glowing pearl-lined paths, gigantic doorways, and buildings reflected all the colors of the rainbow. Before Percy had the chance to really take it all in, Triton was already pulling him along inside to their Father’s throne room. Various Merpeople and Sea Creatures tittered quietly amongst themselves as they navigated their way through the halls. Triton’s grip on Percy’s arm tightened until they were outside the throne room doors.
“When Father asks why you’re here - I’m teaching you how to fight with a Trident,” Triton said before the double doors opened revealing Poseidon’s throne room. Their Father sat on his coral throne, trident in hand, and dressed in an old Hawaiian-style shirt. Triton bowed briefly to greet him before putting his hand on Percy’s back and forcing him to do the same.
“What brings you two together here in Atlantis?” Poseidon asked.
“I’m teaching Perseus how to use a Trident, Father,” Triton answered and Percy nodded sharply.
“Wonderful! About time he learned.” Poseidon laughed, “Make sure his stay is as comfortable as possible.” Triton smiled in agreement and pushed Percy back out of the throne room before Percy could say anything. It wasn’t until they arrived in one of Triton’s rooms that the god relaxed slightly.
“Kymopoleia is staying in one of the palace outbuildings. It’s highly guarded and won’t be easy for a mortal like yourself to enter.” Triton pulled out a map and laid it out on a table, “The best way in is through this back servant's entrance –”
“She’s here? In Atlantis? And you need me to go get your conch back for you?” Percy couldn’t stop the words from leaving his mouth. Triton pursed his lips and crossed his arms. “No, you need to tell me what’s going on.”
“I will not.”
“Then I’m telling Dad.”
“Then you won’t be getting your recommendation from me,” Triton said and Percy groaned. Triton had him and he knew it. There wasn’t enough time remaining for Percy to secure another God willing to write him a recommendation and do whatever ridiculous quest they would send him on to earn it. He blamed Hera for all of this.
“Fine. Just tell me whatever it is I need to know to get your stupid shell back.” Percy said, resigned to his fate as a half-sibling mediator. Triton glared at Percy before gesturing back to the map of the palace grounds.
“As I was saying - Kymopoleia is currently staying in one of the palace outbuildings. The best way in is through the back servant's entrance. You’ll need to stay hidden as you are -” Triton waved his hands in Percy’s general direction. Percy reached for Riptide in his pocket before taking a deep breath as Triton continued talking, “Once you have my Conch, get back here as quickly as possible.”
“Do you know where she could be keeping it?” Percy asked, looking over the map.
“Do you need me to do everything for you, Perseus?” Triton replied, “To answer your question, no, I don’t know.” Percy shook his head and went back to studying the map.
“What can you tell me about Kymopoleia that I don’t already know?” and Triton started talking.
An hour later and Percy found himself standing in front of a locked door with no way to unlock it. Triton was nowhere to be found and none of the things Percy brought from camp were suited to picking an Atlantean lock. He put both hands against the door and pushed as hard as he could but the door barely moved. He tried again, still nothing. Percy fished around in his bag until he found one of Annabeth’s bobby pins. It slid into the lock and Percy jiggled it around while trying to open the door. Nothing.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to beg Thanatos or Iris for a recommendation.
Then, as if by magic, the door opened and a small Dolphin swam out. Percy jumped towards the door to stop it from closing. He was in. The hallway inside was dark and the glow from the pearl-lined path was the only light for as far as Percy could see. He moved quietly from room to room, trying to find anything that looked important. Luckily, most of the rooms were fairly empty and he was able to move quickly throughout the building.
If Kymopoleia was anything like Triton, the Conch Shell was kept near to her, if not on her person, at all times. If he wanted to take it, he was going to have to get close to her. Which, if Percy was being completely honest with himself, wasn’t something he was particularly looking forward to. So he kept searching each room, hoping that the Conch Shell would be inside.
“Well look who it is,” Percy heard from behind him, “An uninvited guest,” Kymopoleia said, leaning against the doorframe of the room Percy was searching. “Can I help you with something?”
“No, just looking around, you know how it is.” Percy tried to say calmly as he slipped his hand into his pocket to grab Riptide. Kymopoleia raised an eyebrow and she looked unimpressed with Percy’s answer. She moved further into the room until she was barely an arm’s length away from Percy.
“So you aren’t here for this?” She asked as she pulled Triton’s Conch Shell out of the folds of her dress. Percy stilled and Kymopoleia smiled slowly, “You are.” She turned the Conch over and moved it back and forth from hand to hand. “Did he tell you why I have it?” Percy shook his head, “Of course, he didn’t. See, listen, Perseus. Triton lost a bet and now I get to try his sea-calming duties for the next decade. However, Father asked Triton to run some errand for him and Triton doesn’t want to admit that he lost the Conch in a bet.”
“Which is why he asked me to steal it back from you.” Percy thought out loud. Kymopoleia nodded in agreement and Percy let out an exasperated sigh. “Can you loan it back to him on a short-term kind of thing? I need to get it to Triton so he’ll write my recommendation letter.”
“How are my action figures coming along?” She asked, and Percy looked at her confused, “The ones your friend Jason is working on.”
“Fine, I think? He was working on some sketches when I last spoke to him.” He replied and Kymopoleia hummed in thought. She brought the Conch Shell up to her mouth, as if to blow it, but kissed it softly instead. In one smooth motion, she tossed the Conch to Percy and he caught it with both hands.
“Triton gets it for a year and then I want it back.” She said, “If he doesn’t give it to me, I’m taking it with force.” The water around them swirled dangerously with her last words. Percy quickly agreed and the water around them calmed. “Perfect. Then you can go out the front door instead of sneaking around through servants' doors.”
He left as fast as he could.
Triton was, predictably, right where Percy left him.
“She wants it back after a year,” Percy stated in lieu of a greeting. He placed the Conch Shell down gently on the table in front of him. Triton said nothing, just ran his fingers gently over the grooves and swirls in the Conch. He picked it up and turned it over in his hands multiple times, as if checking for any damages that may have occurred during their separation. Finding none, he returned the Conch to its place on his hip.
“I’ll return you to Camp now if you’re ready,” Triton said and Percy agreed. All he wanted to do was take a hot shower and pass out in his bed for several uninterrupted hours. Triton put his hand on Percy’s shoulder and in a flash, they were back in Cabin 3. Triton stood there awkwardly for a moment before speaking, “Thank you.” It was so quiet, Percy almost missed it. “I’ll get the letter to you later today.” He said louder before disappearing in another golden flash, leaving Percy alone in his Cabin again.
He sat back down on his bed and was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
When he awoke several hours later, there was a blue envelope with his full name on it sitting on his desk with the rest of his NRU application materials. Inside - his final letter of recommendation.