Delta is a lot of things, but I'll be damned if the man doesn't have a way with his words. "Carcinus," I remembered from the letter. "That's the man who invited me. In the myths, wasn't he that giant crab who was turned into a constellation?"
"He was, for a period of time," Delta confirmed, sighing and pulling out two cigarettes. There was a small pop and the smell of sulfur reached my nose. The cigarette was sparking, a wisp of smoke trailing upwards. "Then, your father pleaded with Hera to remove him from the sky so that he could serve in his court. He's a shrewd businessman, the kind that can get all kinds of tariffs at a discount price."
"So, my father decided to bring him here for financial gain?" I wondered aloud, and Delta nodded, putting the cigarette in his mouth. The end of it burned. I felt a weird uneasiness. "He knew what kind of man he was, too?"
"He did. Sometimes, Percy, leaders have to hire not-so-great people to make the lives of those under them better," Delta confirmed, smoke pouring out of the side of his mouth. "It's a calculated risk. Sometimes, though, the risk outweighs the benefit, and things need to be… reevaluated."
"And, you need me to reevaluate him."
"I sure do," Delta sighed. "Normally I wouldn't mind giving you free rein and letting you choose how to deal with him, but the man, true to his name, is cancer. If you take him out right away, it could open a can of worms we're not ready to deal with."
"So, you need me to get some dirt on him?" I asked, even though I knew that was what I needed to do.
"Yes. You have to find some sort of incriminating evidence on him that we can then flip to your father and take legal action," Delta summarized. The side of his jacket flapped as a gust of wind rolled over us. "Your father has someone he wants to take Carcinus' place. We need a business justification to do so."
"Is that the easiest way to take him out?" I asked curiously, walking through the different ways I could incriminate him. "Won't it seem suspicious if I just so happen to find information on him after I go to his dinner?"
"Well, it would if he knew you were looking for it. The best way to go about it would be to avoid asking any questions to him directly." A small smirk formed on his face. "He just so happens to have a daughter around your age."
"How? Aren't we talking about, like, an immortal being, here?"
"Carcinus has many children. She isn't even the youngest. When you're a constellation, you don't get to do certain things," Delta rolled his eyes as if Carcinus' inability to keep it in his pants was a personal affront. He looked at me. "Your father had you, didn't he? Is the timing really that surprising?"
I couldn't argue with that logic.
"So, you think I should try to get dirt through her?" I asked, waving to some of the little kids that walked by. They jumped up and down excitedly. I think their parents knew Delta, though, because they pulled their children away quickly when they saw him.
"In a sense. You see, you're a big deal around these parts," Delta continued, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Most of the younger kids look up to you. And most of the females are smitten with you…"
"Oh."
Delta laughed loudly. I think that's the first time I've seen him so entertained by something—of course, it's my embarrassment. "Yes. Oh. Believe it or not, that would be the easiest and least suspicious way to do things."
"You know I'm like, thirteen, right?"
"I didn't say you had to sleep with her, although I would expect you to do as much if the mission required," Delta pointed out, and I grumbled to myself. "Talk to her, make her feel nice and wanted, and then subtly inquire about her father. That simple. Then, bring your stepmother home and mission over. Sound good?"
"Yeah," I said, stretching my arms out. "Sounds good."
"Good," Delta said plainly.
We stood around for another minute, staring at the beauty of the city.
"Well, kid, I'll see you tonight for debriefing," he said, offering me his hand to shake. I took it, noticing a small rectangular box that somehow made its way into my hands. I turned it over in my hands, and a green light glared back at me.
"Some insurance. I'm a dick, not an asshole." Delta offered me a wink before turning around and walking back toward the staircase.
I stood there for a couple more minutes, trying to piece together all the things I'd learned about Delta so far. I still had no idea who he truly was.
After meeting with Delta, I linked up with my dad and had lunch with him. It was a nice change of pace. In a way, too, it was the kind of thing I'd always dreamt of. When I was a kid, I was super jealous of all of the other kids when it came to times like Bring Your Dad to School Day. It was kind of funny to imagine now, though. All of the other kids had dads that were firefighters, or teachers. Poseidon would walk in and give all the children a sand dollar. I feel like the teachers at the schools I went to would think he was on drugs or something, and call the police. Maybe it's best he didn't show up.
The food itself was pleasant enough, but I didn't have too much of an appetite after my conversation with Delta. The lunch passed quickly enough. My dad took me to Amphitrite's quarters around evening time.
"Make sure to get home safe," Poseidon reminded me, the smile lines on his face crinkling. "I'll make sure to tell Triton you were busy."
"Thanks, Dad," I deadpanned, but the sarcasm went sailing over his head. He gave me a thumbs up and grin, and went walking down the hallway, whistling the start of Hey, Jude.
I knocked twice on the door, a little twinge of nervousness making itself known in my system. I felt like this woman was going to be looking for different ways to kill me on the spot.
"Come in!"
A sweet voice answered from behind the door, and I grabbed the handle and tugged it. The door disappeared as if it had never been there in the first place, and I stepped through.
The woman who I assumed to be Amphitrite was standing in the middle of the room, with nothing but a white robe on. The problem? That white robe was completely unfastened, leaving the entire front of her body completely visible. The entire front…
Worse, even, was the fact that when I walked in, she gave me a wink and slowly pulled out the strings that were fastened around her arms. The robe fell to the floor with a soft thud.
Zeus. Maybe the woman was trying to kill me.
Naiads bustled around her. I think there were five in total. One was shaving Amphitrite's legs (not that there was any visible hair to start with), while another was applying a pink balm on her arms. A third was tucking her hair into an ornate design, braiding flowers into her raven locks. A fourth was filing her nails while continuously applying polish to already completed ones. The fifth stood an arm's length away, holding up a rectangle with dozens of little shining fabrics on it.
She smiled regally at me. "You must be Perseus."
"Percy is fine," my voice suddenly rose more octaves than I'd like to admit. I cleared my throat, "Um, I can come back or something…"
"Nonsense," Amphitrite continued softly, the door somehow reappearing behind me and closing with a soft shink. "Come closer, will you? Let me get a better look at you."
I obliged, keeping my eyes directly on hers. I don't know why it is that every woman I run into in Atlantis has to put me in some weird situation, but I'm definitely not trying to get caught lacking by my own stepmom.
I cursed myself for jumpstarting my own maturity—an occurrence that seems to be happening all too often these days. Maybe being twelve, actually twelve, in these situations would've made them far more bearable.