Emmily is back! This is a new story I am going to start about Paul and Percy's moments… We will see how long it becomes, probably ten chapters max, but who knows. Sorry for not posting or updating as much- I rarely have wifi. L But I did get around to posting Absence of Love, so please go check it out and tell me what you think!
Disclaimer- I don't own RR's characters. But I do love and ship them.
Paul had been dating Sally for roughly a month when he officially met her son. He knew that he shouldn't have been intimidated by a 14 year-old but… this was Sally's son. If he didn't approve, Paul would be out the door. And honestly, standing here, in front of their apartment door, was downright sad.
Come on Paul, be a man, he thought. He sighed and knocked on the door. Sally opened it with a wide grin, which relaxed Paul instantly. He could smell the cookies baking, and even spaghetti cooking, from the smell of it's sauce.
"Hi Sally," he said with a mild blush. He felt a little naive to be so excited about seeing her, he was in his 40's for God's sakes. He's dated before.
"Hello," she said while kissing his cheek. She invited him in and called for her son, Percy, while they stood in the living room.
Paul tried to stop from being nervous. Not only was he scared of what Percy would think of him, but Percy himself. Sally had told him of his record with behavior and schooling. He'd never met someone that had such a bad record and had been expelled every year of his schooling, which is saying a lot; he had been a teacher for over 20 years. Plus, he had ADHD and Dyslexia, which Paul had only worked with few times, he didn't think he worked too well with children with attention disorders. A child of Sally Jackson couldn't be a delinquent surely? She seemed too kind and motherly to raise the children Paul had seen with a record like Percy's, or close to it rather. Those children had multiple piercing, a rebel personality, and felonies…. Just like Percy's nationwide manhunt when he was 12.
And then Percy walked out of the small hallway.
But this boy was not a delinquent. This boy was well put together, with a bright smile on his decently clear face. When he smiled his front teeth weren't aligned properly- they stuck out a little more- and his deep black hair, which had a gray streak, was unruly and everywhere. He must have his father's looks, because Paul could only see hints of Sally in the boy. The green eyes were the only thing Paul was even remotely nervous about. The child wore a smile, but turned into a smirk as he saw Paul's face.
"Not the pierced punk you pictured huh?" He said as he held his hand out. Those were the first words he heard from the boy- the epitome of a boy judged through-out his life, and pretty impactful with alliteration, the teacher side of Paul noticed. Paul blushed lightly and returned the shorter boy's handshake firmly. Percy knew about the judgment, but his mother had told him of Paul. He wanted to laugh at the salt and pepper haired man standing in front of him.
"Um," Paul muttered. He was trying to think of an excuse for his judgment.
"I'm Percy by the way. Paul," Percy said with a smile. Percy didn't trust this man, but his first impression was what he had expected. Paul was trying to ignore his natural judgment, and was doing a good job until his jaw dropped slightly. He certainly was no Smelly Gabe, and his mother nagged him not to be mean.
"It's nice to finally meet you," Paul said.
"I've heard about you," Percy said with a scary look on his face. He didn't say 'I heard a lot about you' and he didn't know if he said it that way to confuse him or not. And the look wasn't a glare, but a calculating stare. Percy was obviously contempt with keeping Paul on edge, because he wanted him to know that 'hey man if you screw with my mom I will mess. you. up.'
Sally caught on to Percy' scare tactic and asked him to finish setting the table. Sally looked to Paul for a check on his sanity. Percy, being Poseidon's son, naturally had a scary cold stare.
"He's lovely," Paul said, still stunned. He respected how protective of his mother Percy was, but still willing to except a new man in the house just so she could be happy.
"Of course he is," she said fondly. "Why don't we talk over dinner?"
They all sat down and ate as Percy constantly kept an eye on the couple in front of him. He observed everything they did, and even what was around him carefully, but with a quick glance. Paul started to wonder about the boy more and switched his conversation to involve him more. He asked Percy directly what he wanted to know about him, opposed to going through his mother and making him uncomfortable.
"Which school do you go to?" The way Percy looked at him cautiously alerted Paul right away to not ask about school to much. It seemed the boy was weary of it.
"A military reform school."
"Where?" Percy thought for a while and answered. But then he nodded his head no, as if to say 'wrong one.'
"That was where Yancy was…. I don't remember." Sally answered this blank for him and Paul was surprised how far away it was. He must take the subway to get there.
"You don't like it?"
"I don't like any type of school, Paul." Percy said in a serious tone, almost in a 'duh' manor.
"Ouch. I'm an English teacher at Goode."
"Yeah, I've heard of that one. Real fancy and such. However, my Dyslexia and ADHD often puts English at the top of my… ' I hate classes,'" he said sheepishly. Paul was surprised to hear him say 'however' in a sentence and the way he blushed easily when he realized he could have offended Paul. He didn't know the only reason 'however' popped into his sentence in because Annabeth had given him a small lecture on why the word was important in everyday use.
"No worries. I hated school when I was your age." The boy didn't know how to exactly react to a good conversation with an adult he didn't know too well so he asked a question before the adult could, as Sally looked on. His ADHD caught onto the stare.
"How did you meet Mom?"
"Oh, um, I started helping her with he papers because I attend the same night school she does- to renew my degree while I teach." Percy thought of another question so fast he asked it right as Paul finished.
"How long have you been dating?"
"About a month." Percy had a questioning look on his face before something remorseful flashed in his eyes.
"Sorry I haven't met you earlier," Paul said.
"You couldn't have, I was too… busy."
"With school work?"
"Well can we just say it was so stressful it was like having the weight of the world on my shoulders?" Sally gasped and it looked like she kicked Percy's leg under the table.
"Sorry Mom. Uh… What do you like to do?"
"I read a lot, though I'm sure you wouldn't want to talk books. Correct?"
"Correct," he agreed.
"What was the last book you read?" Paul grinned.
"Actually I read the Odyssey by Homer a month ago. Forced to actually. I enjoyed it enough." Sally chuckled as Percy grinned like it was an inside joke.
"Percy I swear," she mumbled through a chuckle. Paul wondered if he wanted in on the joke.
Paul didn't peg Percy for a epic poem reader. But he also didn't expect the firm hand shake and smile as he left the apartment. He and Percy enjoyed talking once they discovered they both had a love for mythology, and they both fed off what the other knew of it. The boy collected a few skateboards and had a half brother from his father's side, but more importantly he was a good kid.
They all talked for a good hour and they helped clean up dinner. Percy's only response about the dinner was him responding to his mother: "He's cool enough."
"Trust me Paul, he likes you," Sally said as he took her home from another night class.
"I don't think that it's all about liking me Sals," he said using his short name for her. "I don't think he trusts me."
"He will soon enough. He knows how I feel about you… he will accept it."
"I hope so." I really want this to work out, he thought as he turned into her apartment complex. He kissed her goodbye with a blush and pondered what the boy thought of him.
The boy of Sally's was dreaming horrible things and worrying about saving the world.
Next chapter is Paul meeting Annabeth!
