For we once so loved the world by HowlingDarkness95

Chapter 28

Bruce tried not to laugh. Really, he did, but a chuckle escaped him anyway, though he tried to smother it with a coughing fit. The amused glint in the god's – a true god for goodness sake! – eyes told him that that particular endeavor wasn't exactly successful. Bruce knew he was in denial, but he couldn't help but insist to himself that Percy wasn't dead. It was too easy to lie to himself when he had no proof of a body and the spitting image of the boy sitting opposite him. If the god kept quiet and kept his head slanted to one side to hide his ponytail, Bruce could almost pretend that he was talking to Percy.

He closed his eyes at the reminder, swallowing nervously, "Triton was it? Uh, I mean Lord Triton – erm, are you – are you the god of the seas then?"

Triton smirked, though it didn't reach his eyes completely, "You mortals watch too much Disney." He shook his head, "I have absolutely no idea how you mortals could think that I was the god of the seas. It is a god thing that my father remains oblivious of that, he might have capsized a few boats if he knew. Though I think Uncle H might know, he's a bit affronted with you mortals."

The merman leveled Bruce with a serious gaze, "No, I am the eldest son of Poseidon, my father, the true god of the oceans. I am his heir."

Bruce blinked and smiled hesitantly, taking off his glasses and cleaning them nervously, "Right, uh, so is there a reason why I'm here sir...?"

Triton cocked his head to one side, observing the meek mortal in front of him, a truly deceptive front that hid the beast within. "I apologize for the earlier scare, we needed to make sure that your loyalties lay in the right place and that your faith not easily wavered."

Bruce grinned weakly, "R-right, I understand, just, please don't do that again?"

Triton nodded, "You are here because my uncle has deemed it fit for you to learn of us. This is a time of war, we cannot be keeping secrets from our allies."

Bruce swallowed noisily, "You uncle?" he racked his head for the little tidbits of mythology he had read up when he was looking up on Thor and Loki. "You mean, uh, King Zeus?"

Even this far underground, Bruce heard thunder rumble ominously, and he knew instinctively that it wasn't because of Thor.

Triton nodded sagely, "I suggest you don't use the names of gods so carelessly, names have power after all." He leaned back, "My uncle is not happy with your group, but specifically, he isn't happy with your own resident god of thunder."

Bruce frowned, "Thor? Why? I would have thought that Ze – he wouldn't be happy with Loki."

Triton smirked, "And that is where you're wrong. My uncle isn't happy with Loki's invasion, but we all know why he did it. He's more annoyed with the fact that Odin sent Thor down without asking for permission, using his powers here without any permission –"

"Wait what?" Bruce interrupted, his instincts rearing up at the flash of annoyance on the god's face, but he pressed on, "What do you mean that you know why Loki invaded? Why didn't you stop him then?"

Triton sighed, mortals, he had forgotten how inquisitive they were. "Believe me," he said dryly, "My uncle wanted to smite Loki when he opened the portal in the heart of New York, but Apollo and Hermes managed to convince him that he was doing so on purpose. You have to understand mortal, that we are bound by ancient laws, we cannot reveal ourselves so flippantly to any random mortal –"

"On purpose? You mean Loki brought the chitauri into New York on purpose?"

Triton pinched the bridge of his nose, evidently, this was going to take a while. "Yes," he hissed, annoyance coloring his tone, "He knew that New York was where we were centered and thus took the necessary actions to bring the aliens to our stronghold."