She hated checking the messages on the machine. For the first few months she had hoped that the message would be someone tell her that they found Percy. Around April she stopped hoping. All she could do was wish that her son would come home. She couldn't even pray. Who would she pray to? The people —the gods— who took him away?

The red light telling her she had a message had been blinking in her home phone for days. She didn't want to listen to it ever. She wanted the cable company or the bank or the salesman to just sit there forever. They weren't bringing her son back.

Annabeth had told them that the ship was leaving and that they would find Percy where they were going. Sally didn't get her hopes up; that's what Annabeth said the last time.

Finally, after watching it blink for a week, Paul finally hit the button to play the message before they went to bed (with endless protesting from his wife.)

Sally listened to the message stone-faced. She didn't even blink. When it ended, she sat on her bed next to Paul, staring down at her hands in her lap.

"Tell me he's going to be okay." She demanded quietly.

"Sal, it's Percy."

"But is he going to be okay?" She asked louder, getting choked up, eyes blurring with tears.

"I can't promise, but it's Percy…" He tried to give her an encouraging smile.

"But tell me… tell me he's going to be okay!" She broke down into hysterical sobs. Paul wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. She cried on his chest until midnight.

She just needed someone to tell her that everything was going to be okay; that Percy was going to be okay.

Three nights later Sally was making pasta that she didn't even bother making blue. All of her hope was gone again. She hadn't heard from Percy since the message.

She made dinner completely focused on that and only that. Her mind had become very one-tracked to avoid thinking about Percy for as long as possible. Her attention was only diverted when the lighting in the kitchen, that came primely from the kitchen window, dimmed for a moment from the sun going behind a small cloud. The cloud must have moved fast,she thought because there there isn't a cloud in the sky.

Four minutes later, while Sally was making the pasta sauce, there was a knock at her door that she was going to ignore.

"Mom, I lost my key again, can you just let me in?"

Sally dropped the wooden spoon in the pot and ran to the door. She threw it open and grabbed Percy into her arms so quickly and fiercely he nearly fell over. It took a second to regain his balance, and when he did he hugged her back just as fiercely. Sally started crying into his shoulder and was surpassed to hear Percy doing the same.

They stood like that, under the door frame long enough for the sauce to burn. When they pulled away, Sally pointed a finger at her son. "You are grounded for the rest of your life."

Percy laughed and smiled, reaching up to wipe some of the tears off his mom's face. Sally hugged him again.

"Are you staying?" She asked, still holding him.

"No, I'm sorry, I want to, I want to more than anything in the whole world. But I need to go soon." He told her sadly. Sally thought he was going to cry again.

Sally pulled away and looked at her son. "Can you stay the night?"

"No, I'm sorry. There is a flying ship hovering over the building right now on it's way to Rome. I need to go." He told her.

"Can you stay for dinner?" She almost pleaded.

Percy was silent for a minute before saying: "Could I bring some friends?"

Sally almost laughed. "Of course."

An hour later seven demigods, one satyr, and two mortals were scattered around the Jackson's living room, eating Pizza out of the box (the burnt pasta having been disagreed,) watching Finding Nemo.

Annabeth sat on Percy's right and his mom on his left, arms over both of them.

Jason and Piper were on the other side of the couch in a similar position and Hazel and Frank were on the floor. Leo sat in the middle of the couch, surrounded by happy people with their arms around other happy people. As a joke, he wrapped his arms around himself, giving himself a hug. Sally rolled her eyes and smiled, draping her other arm around his shoulders. Leo smiled and moved closer to her. And for the first time in six months, Leo fell asleep.

Percy fell asleep next, then Hazel, then Jason. Soon seven demigods, one satyr, and two mortals were asleep sprawled across the Jackson's living room, surrounded by empty Pizza boxes, listening to Ellen Degeneres yelling at them to start the movie.

Everyone is like OMG Percy/Annabeth reunion! ALL THE FEELS!

Or OMG Jason/Reyna reunion! ALL THE FEELS!

And I'm just like: Percy/Sally reunion! ALL THE FEELS!

I had a lot of different ending to this, but I liked this one the best.

I didn't know what to title it so there you go.