The water surrounding them felt charged, electric with ancient energy. Percy, Nico, Thalia, Jason, Piper, and Will floated within the depths, the ancient ruins of Atlantis beneath them. The battle against Triton was over, and the tremors had ceased. But something more profound was happening now. The ocean pulsed, as though it recognized them, acknowledged their efforts in a way they could not yet understand.

Percy felt it first—a surge of power through the water, radiating out to his friends. He exchanged glances with them, the same unease mirrored in their eyes. The ocean wasn’t just calming—it was responding to them.

Jason, eyes wide with realization, asked, "What’s happening? I can feel the storm… the sea… it’s—"

"I don’t know," Percy said, his hand gripping Riptide, even though he knew it wouldn’t help. "But this feels big."

And then, the sea lit up around them. Not with a glow from the surface, but from within. The water shimmered, bathing each of them in an otherworldly light, pulling them gently upward. Percy’s heart raced. The ocean was giving them something.

Nico’s voice was tight with disbelief. "Are we… are we becoming gods?"

The light intensified, wrapping around them, cradling them in its power. Percy’s pulse thundered in his ears, but he felt no fear, only awe. They were changing—ascending.

Will was the first to fully transform. His body radiated a soft, golden light that reflected off the ocean, and the energy around him hummed with life. His hands glowed even brighter than before, radiating warmth and healing. "God of Healing," Will whispered, realization dawning on his face. "And light."

Next was Piper. A swirling mist of blue encased her, shifting and bending the water as though obeying her commands. Her voice took on an ethereal, persuasive tone, the air around her filled with a sense of magic and control. "Goddess of Charmspeak," she said softly, her voice now capable of weaving realities with mere words.

Jason’s transformation was sudden, powerful. His body crackled with electricity, lightning sparking off his skin and crackling through the water. His eyes shone with a deep, electric blue as the storm and sea converged within him. "God of Storms and Skies," he said, thunder rumbling even in the depths of the ocean.

Thalia’s transformation was subtle but intense. Shadows and silver light danced around her, the embodiment of the Huntress. Her connection to Artemis and the wilds had grown deeper, fiercer. "Goddess of the Wild and the Night," she declared, her spear glowing as the ocean seemed to darken with her presence.

Nico’s shift was different from the others, more subdued but no less powerful. Darkness surrounded him, the shadows coiling protectively around his form. The ocean seemed to bow to him, the power of life and death at his fingertips. "God of Shadows and the Dead," Nico murmured, his voice echoing through the water as though from the depths of the Underworld itself.

Finally, Percy felt the ocean swirl around him, faster and stronger, pulling him into its core. The waves responded to his every thought, and the sea creatures acknowledged him as their true master. His eyes burned with the intensity of the ocean, the connection more profound than ever. "God of the Sea," Percy said, the words resonating through the water, his voice now one with the very depths.

They hovered in the water, no longer demigods. They were something more now, something greater.

"This is unreal," Jason said, his hands still crackling with lightning. "We’ve actually ascended."

Will nodded, still processing the sheer magnitude of what had just happened. "Gods… we’re gods now."

Thalia’s eyes shone with determination, a wild grin spreading across her face. "This changes everything."

But before they could fully comprehend their new identities, a deep rumble echoed through the water. The sea parted once more, revealing a figure swimming toward them.

Aquaman.

He approached swiftly, his eyes sharp as they scanned the group of newly ascended gods. There was a sense of urgency in his movements, a deep concern in his expression.

"We need to talk," Aquaman said, his voice commanding but laced with caution. "Things have just become far more complicated than you realize."

Percy, now more in tune with the sea than ever before, nodded. His heart pounded, but his voice remained steady. "Then let’s get to it."