Percy Jackson: 10 Years Later

Lauren dashed across the kitchen floor, Evan close at her heels. Percy was somewhere, but honestly, he should have been helping with the kids. He promised. I had to get to work, and today there was an important meeting for the higher-ups in the architecture firm. I was hoping they were meeting to talk about promotions- namely mine. The alarm beeped on my watch, signaling that I had to go.

"Perseus Jackson! Where on earth are you?" I looked at my eldest, Lauren. "Laurie, sweetie, can you and your brother turn on the TV for a little? Mommy's got to go to her work, and your daddy should be back soon. Ok?"

"Ok," the sweet brunette said. It was probably illegal to leave two kids, seven and five no less, home alone. Especially in our circumstances. Don't worry, I told myself. We haven't had a "problem" in years.

"But Mommy, what if the bad guys come," Lauren asked. Percy and I had run her and her brother through the whole procedure. They would hide in Evan's closet, and call us once in there. And if we arrived before it was too late, Percy had Riptide, and I always had a dagger hidden under the couch cushions.

"Don't worry honey; the bad guys won't come today. Now let me kiss you and your brother goodbye, so I can go to work. Your father will be home soon, and everything will be just fine."

At the time, I had no idea how wrong I was.

When I texted Percy asking where he was, the only response I got was an "Almost home." This would have reassured me, had I not looked out the window of the bus. My gods.

It was a Dracanae, a half snake, half woman. And she was headed towards our block. Infuriatingly, the bus didn't stop for another mile, and I was in no place to tell the driver my predicament. I picked up my phone, and called Percy. I was answered by a bubbling noise that told me he was in the ocean. Typical. Being the son of Poseidon, the Greek sea god, he could just wander around in the sea, hunting for pearls to sell to local jewelers.

"Perseus Jackson! I left the kids back at the apartment, thinking you'd be home soon. And guess what I saw, of all the things on Gaea's green earth, a Scythian Dracanae heading toward our building!"

"Wait, WHAT?" Percy's voice was muffled, since he was at least 30 feet under water. "But Annabeth, we haven't had a monster problem since our honeymoon!"

Ah, yes. Percy's dad, being the lord of the seas, gave us a boat so we could travel the ocean together. Thankfully, he put great stabilizers on it, so I wouldn't get seasick. That was his wedding present to us, and it was nice, until we figured out that a nasty-tempered sea monster was following the scent of the boat. Regardless, we put it in storage. But that was at least eight years ago, and we hadn't seen a monster since. To our kids, said abominations were the 'bad guys.' They probably thought they were ninjas, like in those TV shows they liked to watch. As soon, as the bus stopped, I hung up on Percy, and began the two-mile dash back home.

I may be the daughter of the goddess of wisdom, but I am no athlete. Over the past few years, I had exercised less and less frequently, until I was completely out of shape. So the run was torture, but even Hades couldn't have stopped me. When I arrived back at the apartment building, the third floor was smoking ever so slightly. Oh no. I saw a slim figure racing towards me, and I took off into the building, not stopping to talk to Percy.

We arrived at the room at the same time. Steam leached from under the door out into the hallway. Percy cursed under his breath, and I realized just as I opened the door, that the monsters had been lulling us into a sense of security. That was their plan. To make us comfortable, and then kill us off; starting with the kids. But when Percy and I peered into our living room, expecting the worst, we found Evan sitting on the floor, playing with my dagger.

"Evan, what happened," Percy asked. "Where's your sister?"

"Cleaning up," the little boy said. "The bad guy came, but then I found this sword, and so when I poked it, it went POOF! And then it turned into sand. Bad guys aren't fun anymore if they turn into sand."

I ran into the kitchen, to see my little girl sweeping up disintegrated monster off the floor. As soon as she saw me, she ran and leapt into my arms. "Mommy! A lady came, who had snake legs, and she said she was here to get us, and then Evan found a knife and stabbed her! And then she exploded, and now I have to sweep her up! Why shouldn't Evan do it? He killed her, not me! Who was she anyway?"

Percy and I shared a look. He said, "Kids, your mommy and I have been thinking, and we need to talk to you. You two are going to a summer camp for a little while."