She sat on the small couch, a look of worry hung over her face like a veil. It had been hanging there for months, ever since her son first disappeared, a worry that could only be satiated by his return, by his physical appearance in her arms. And then he was there. In the room. He moved forward until he stood before her, and she could've sworn he had grown a whole foot since she had seen him last.
He towered over her now, and he so closely resembled his father it was shocking. Not that he didn't have any of her family's features, of course. His hair was the same, though it had become unkempt in his time spent battling. He gazed at her expectantly, his expression mournful and guilty. Her vision blurred with rapidly shedding tears, and she was surprised to see that his eyes were glazed as well, although it seemed that he was trying to conceal them.
"Mom, I'm so..." he began, but Sally cut him off, reaching up and touching her palm to the side of his freshly shaven cheek.
"Shh," she murmured, looking into his eyes wistfully, those eyes that seemed to have changed since the last time she'd looked into them. Definitely, they had definitely changed. A new resilience shone in them, a tolerance she'd never remembered seen in his devoted, willful personality. There was also a sign of defeat that hadn't been there before, though this did not replace his determination, but accompanied it instead, a perfect imperfect combination. She hastily gathered him in her arms, and he she in his, and she could feel his tears, finally shedding, damp next to her cheek. Her face slowly went slack, worry regressing into a deep corner of her mind. It did not completely disappear, but it left her alone, at least for that moment. Her son was back. And that was all that mattered.
"Percy?" Sally murmured, taking a step back and pushing her son's long, tangled hair out of his face.
"Yeah?" he answered softly, a tone she hadn't heard him use in a long, long time.
"Don't you ever do that to me again," she stated affirmatively, and both of them laughed halfheartedly, though they knew she was serious. Percy pulled her into a quick hug for a second time.
"I can't promise you I won't…" he murmured, sounding troubled. "But I swear to you I will try my hardest to get back to you sooner next time…"
"It's alright, Percy," Sally spoke, tenderly grazing her fingers along his back. "It's okay."
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you, too."
(A/N) Just a short, bittersweet drabble about Percy's reunion with his mother, maybe after the war is over or maybe just after the Argo II lands. My headcanon is that the Romans would allow Percy's mom to come visit and he would see her then. It would be too cruel for them to not let him see her until the end of the books! Named Ohana because I had a Lilo and Stitch song stuck in my head.
Also, I know the ending's a bit cliche, but I don't think Percy ever overtly tells his mom that he loves her in the books, and it seems like it would definitely be something he would tell her. I adore how he's so close with her, I went through the times he reunites with her in the books, and he always regards her adorably. "My beautiful mother..." SO CUTE.
Anyway, Percy Jackson (c) Rick Riordan
Thanks for reading! Please take the time to review if possible and feel free to check out some of my other PJO drabbles. Have a marvelous day! 3
