Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians

A/N: Probably OOC, and I'm not even sure if I should've published this in the first place...

There was something wrong with his mother. Percy could tell when he came home to a peculiar smell (like Luke Castellan's former household) and complete and utter silence.

Throwing his bag down somewhere unimportant he ran to her bedroom only to see no one there.

So he carefully uncapped Riptide because the sword could cut anything in half, and he made his way to the living room.

No one.

And the smell came back to him. Something was burning, and all he could do was yell for his mother, because where the Hades was she?

The fire alarm sounded.

It rang, loud and wailing and he shut his ears because the noise reminded him of those screams of the dying soldiers, but he kept on going.

Of course he should've checked the kitchen first.

Sally Jackson was slumped on the floor, eyes closed and breathing so raggedly, any idiot could tell that she wasn't sleeping. He checked for a pulse, thanked all the gods that she was alive, before dialing 9-1-1 and taking the charred cookies out of the oven.

"Its a heart problem," the doctor said, looking at his clipboard. "Too much stress."

Then those condescending brown eyes of Dr. Who-Cared-About-His-Name-When-Sally-Was-Sick? stared at Percy's green ones, taking in his appearance of his scruffy camp t-shirt and ripped jeans before the doctor shook his head.

And Percy could feel a fresh wave of guilt wash over him like a harsh tide.

Too much stress.

Caused by him.

The doctor patted Sally's back who kept on repeating that she was fine, but he merely shook his head. "Counseling sessions perhaps? Your stress problems will only get worse, Mrs. Jackson- your silent screams of anxiety cannot be kept to yourself."

Sally pursed her lips. Percy could see that her eyes were troubled because money, money, money. He considered asking his father for some money as a small thank you gift for saving Olympus, or even better, ask Apollo for a cure.

But even with all the money in the world, he knew that trouble would always find him and he would always find trouble.

Although for the next few weeks, he did try desperately to stay out of it.

Regular visits to the doctor. Pills. Naps. Percy took all of that information in as he stayed home just for her, ignoring the fact that camp was out there and it was the summer vacation.

IMs came and went. He didn't feel like talking, and it was as if he wanted the demigod life cut out completely because it was because of that where his mother got ill.

Percy ignored the fact that he had missed Capture the Flag three times that month- or the fact that he missed his friends and his girlfriend and camp in general.

Because the woman who had taken care and nurtured him since he was a baby, and kept on caring for him now that he was a teenager was sick, and if he didn't take care of her who else would?

He claimed that he didn't need any help. Not from Annabeth, or Grover, or Thalia, or Nico.

Of course Paul Blofis was on a vacation somewhere to visit his old man, and they didn't have the money for two people, so he went by himself. He never called, and Percy was wondering his absence.

The next day, the phone rang. A smile graced Sally's face as she put the casserole dish in the oven while Percy eagerly ran to get it.

"Is this Sally Blofis?" a voice, unfamiliar and sympathetic asked.

The voice sounded like those tones Percy heard other demigods used when they explained that their son or daughter had died.

"No," he replied, his voice rougher than it should've been. "This is her son."

"I regret to inform you that Paul Blofis has passed away. According to the reports he was in a taxi before it got smashed to pieces by a massive truck-"

He could only hear about death so many times.

But he gritted his teeth and hung up the phone and gently told his mother the news.

The smile disappeared along with the dish and tears streamed down her face and she stood there, frozen in agony.

Percy could do nothing but hold her hand, wishing that Paul could hold the other one.

But Paul Blofis was dead.

It was a few more days before Percy IM'd Annabeth and told her everything. Her face grew pale- nothing like the tan she always seemed to have- and her expression subconsciously changed to one of pity.

This was why he didn't call before.

Suddenly he didn't want to talk to his girlfriend anymore. (Though he had been away for so long, he wondered if the feeling was still mutual.) He mumbled a quick excuse to get away from those sympathetic eyes and slashed at the image.

A knock on the door. Three times before Percy got it. His mouth gaped when he saw Annabeth there but she didn't do her usual smirking. Her eyes drank in his appearance: baggy eyes, same scruffy clothing, and broken green eyes.

She hugged him, and that was all that needed to be done.

Sally was getting better. Percy made sure she stayed home instead of working, and now that Annabeth was there for most of the week, he found a job and payed off the bills for her.

It was a glimpse of the mortal life- such a simple thing of getting a job to get money, and using that money for something else.

And he found himself missing the demigod life because the sea cannot be controlled and this everyday life thing didn't suit him like he thought it would.

He came home to the smell of freshly baked cookies, much like those of his younger years, and he smiled, feeling that same, giddy happiness and he sprinted towards the kitchen to see his mother.

She hugged him tightly, and whispered a soft, "thank you."

Annabeth left. Sally told him, and merely pointed to a piece of paper where she had scribbled a note in Ancient Greek.

Hey, Percy,

Sorry I couldn't say goodbye. There was a camp emergency and I didn't have time to visit you in your workplace. But anyways, I called the doctor and he said that Sally is getting much better, which is great news.

Hope to see you soon,

Love, Annabeth :)

And usually she wasn't one for text talk or slang lingo but she left a smiley face, and Percy smiled right back at it.

He saw her sooner than he thought he would. Dinner. Her face appeared worriedly, both ashen and pale. She told him that this was a camp emergency. As in, level five urgency that needed all the demigods because the borders were somehow falling again and monsters would storm their front and trample the weak and attempt to kill the strong.

He was the most powerful demigod, she claimed. And they needed him.

But my mom needs me too, he screamed in his mind, but Sally merely raised her eyebrows as if saying 'well?' and he knew that if he didn't go it would disappoint his mother much more.

So he went. Got the job done. Fought monsters. Found the mystery of the failing borders and restored them right back.

And then he went back home for a checkup to find out that suddenly his mother wasn't breathing and her heart wasn't beating. A note was scribbled so hastily in English that his eyes squinted and his mind got dizzy and usually he would've given up by now but...

Percy, you've been the best son I could ever have asked for. I'm with Paul now, don't worry about me anymore. I love...

And that was all she had been able to write.

"No," he breathed.