Swimming too far from your pod definitely wasn't a good idea, but, you were found before it was too late
And surprisingly, you were saved by a child of King Poseidon ; Percy Jackson
You weren't exactly sure why he seemed to be hiding you when he gently wrapped a wet bandana around your neck over your gills to help you breathe and tucked you in a sling he me made for you
Every so often, Percy had to either find a spot with water to re-hydrate you or wet the bandana, or, just pour what he had of his water over your gills
You two did eventually make it back to Camp Half-Blood, and the Naiads / Water Nymphs living in Canoe Lake had agreed to watch after you and keep you hidden
He had been returning from a quest when he found you, and at the time, he didn't even know why he took you with him
He guessed it was because he knew what it felt like to be a lost kid.
And so he reacted with his heart, not with a plan
He knew it would be better than searching for your pod who he was sure already forgot about you
He had begun sneaking out of his cabin at night to hang out with you and give you food, but…
His friends caught on.
Specifically his girlfriend, Annabeth.
It all started with her noticing the small things - The Naiads acting weird and protective of the lake - little shed scales that look to be too small to belong to a Naiad on the dock or inside Percy’s cabin - Percy randomly leaving during the night to “get some fresh air” - And finding small bits of dried seaweed, crushed coral, or kelp snacks in the hoodie of his pockets, which immediately let her know he was feeding something
Annabeth let the others know about the suspicion
You had just surfaced, happily chirping at Percy’s presence - you not exactly being able to speak yet with your age - and as Percy was quietly speaking to him
Percy: ”Hey bud.” he starts, tilting his head slightly with a smile as you peer at him from the water ”You hungry? I got you the good stuff. Just don’t tell Annabeth, she says I'm not supposed to be hoarding the stuff.” He says with a soft chuckle, offering you some of the kelp snacks
then he heard a soft crack form a stick
He got caught
Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, Nico, Will and Leo stood there, most looking shocked while Leo and Tyson were already freaking out about how damn cute you were.
After some vile eye contact, Annabeth spoke Annabeth: “You’ve been hiding a baby? Percy, what if someone saw - what if monsters caught wind?” She asks, being more worried about security, Percy’s stress, and the baby than being mad
Will then spoke, immediately going into medic mode
Will: “Percy. A baby. With gills. And you didn’t think to come to the healer?” He asks in a scolding tone, Percy still in a stunned and slightly embarrassed silenced, Will immediately walking over and kneeling by the water to try to get a closer look at you
Leo seemed.. Excited to say the least, bouncing up and down on his feet as he watched the interaction
Leo: “Bro. You adopted a sea baby. A baby. You're a fish dad. A fish daddy.” he says, finding this hilarious and amusing