Who: Triton, open to Amphitrite, Triteia and Amaterasu What: Bad decisions, good decisions. When: Sunday Where: NYC, Hawaii
Leaving the city was at once both incredibly difficult and far too easy. Triton had not made the decision lightly. He’d been asking himself if being in New York was really the right course before he’d even left in the first place. He’d been told by his father to stay with his mother, and leaving meant he was going against what his father asked of him. It meant he was leaving his mother when she needed him, it meant leaving his family in a place that Cronus knew about. Leaving was wrong.
Staying, however, felt just as wrong. He’d waited, hoping to hear that something was being done. He did not, and speaking to Athena had confirmed it. His father had been taken from Zeus’ home, and not a thing was being done to get him back. Knowing this, he couldn’t stay where he was and leave his father to his fate….except in the end, it turned out he had to. After leaving his daughter, his mother, and Amaterasu, he had accomplished nothing.
His last effort had been to contact Iris and have her send word to Zeus that if help was needed, Triton would give it. Such an offer had been unthinkable, and Triton was full of self-loathing for having made it. He couldn’t bring himself to admit he’d done so to either Triteia or Amphitrite. He had only told Amaterasu, unable to keep it to himself with her listening on the other end of the phone.
He was tired, tired of fighting endlessly with himself, of questioning every decision he’d made and every action taken. Tired of searching and worrying. He worried for his father, for his mother, for Triteia, for Athena, for Amaterasu. He missed them all.
Amphitrite had woken up, and he hadn’t been able to call and tell her that he’d failed, that he couldn’t bring Poseidon back to her. His absence had been for nothing. Still, she hadn’t said she was disappointed in him, hadn’t chastised him. Instead she had only reminded him of what he should have already known and told him to come home.
So, finally, he made arrangements to do so, wanting to be home so badly but feeling torn apart at having to leave his father behind. While on his way, he had heard from Iris, only instead of bringing word from Zeus, she brought him a message from Athena: Zeus was dead, killed by Ares. Ares. Triton had almost called him when he’d first arrived in the city - in fact, he’d brought up the number and had only to press ‘send’. Instead of doing so, Triton had closed his phone and put it away. Ares was Zeus’ son, and Triton could not possibly have asked him for anything.
Now, to hear what he’d done…..Triton was glad, savagely glad. Not for what Ares had potentially done to himself, not out of any hope that this would help to resolve anything….but just for the pleasure of knowing that Zeus had suffered one small bit of what he deserved. If it had been possible, Triton would have taken Zeus’ life long ago, and so the thought of how unpleasant Ares might have made it gave him one small, bitter amount of consolation. It didn’t last long, in the face of Triton knowing he would return, in his sadness for Athena, and in his worry for Poseidon, but in the few moments it did, Triton took what joy he could. Questions of what it would mean for the pantheon soon took over, and lasted until he was off the plane and in a taxi, headed toward those he’d missed.
It was only thoughts of seeing them that finally distracted him and encouraged him to draw himself up straight, ignoring the fatigue and weariness trying to pull him down. Dismissing the taxi, he didn’t waste a minute in taking his bag and walking up the path to the front door. He was so close, and for the first time in weeks, he thought maybe he’d finally made one right decision.