A/N: This is me procrasinating when I should be writing Chapter 5 of 'Again'. Excuse any grammar errors and typos. :P This is basically a one-shot about Sally and Percy's life with Gabe. Could be considered a back-story for Percy in 'Again'.

Enjoy. :)

Firmitas

"Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid." - Franklin P. Jones

~o~

"Percy... We need to talk."

Eight-year-old Percy looks up from his math homework, which he's been working on for hours. His teacher just started giving out more work, and it's already taking it's toll on him. Rubbing his eyes blearily, he turns to his mom, who's wringing a faded dish cloth nervously in her hands. There's bags under her eyes and a stain on her blouse, all signs of utter exhaustion on her part.

The Jackson kitchen is dim today, the tiny apartment reflecting the mood of it's dwellers. The outdated dishwasher hums, making creaking noises every so often. The rain outside patters and the leak in the roof drips slowly. Sally had almost asked Percy to fix it, then decided against it. The last thing she needed was a demigod hurricane in their humble home.

Sally gives the dish cloth one more feeble twist, then walks over and sits next to Percy. She had held off telling him - but there's no choice, now.

"I... we... have some news for you." Sally says, her smile tight and her spine ruler-straight. Her heart's pounding and her head aches. She wishes she didn't have to do this. Sally takes Percy's hand, and he looks at her, adorably confused.

"What do you mean, we, mom?" he asks, scrunching his nose in concentration. His green eyes - Poseidon's eyes - blink at her. Oh gods.

Sally smiles again, trying her best to look positive. It's all for Percy after all. Right?

"Gabe, you can come in now, honey," In Gabe walks (waddles), and Sally fights back a wince. She can smell him. Percy whips his hand out of Sally's grasp, turning his head wildly in Gabe's direction. He wrinkles his noise. "See, Percy. You remember Gabe? We have news. We're getting married," she looks at Percy, waiting for the explosion. "Isn't that wonderful, sweetheart?"

Percy's mouth drops wide open, blatantly sharing his opinion about the idea. Sally reaches out to ruffle his hair, but he flinches back. His third grader eyes narrow, his fists clenched.

"What?" he whispers, looking up at her. He sounds devastated. Sally reminds herself that this is good. This marriage is going to protect Percy. "You can't mom. You can't," he's still whispering, like Gabe isn't two feet away. Sally bites her lip. "Think about it mom. What about dad?" Now his eyes are glistening, his cheeks stained red.

Sally smiles sadly, ignoring the hollow feeling pushing up inside of her. "Percy, your daddy's gone. I - I... love Gabe, okay?" she clenches her teeth and lies.

He throws down his pencil, giving Gabe an evil eye that could crumble a Titan. (Hopefully, he'll never get a chance to use it.)

"Liar! You don't love him. You love my dad! He's not my dad! My dad's lost at sea! So ha!" he stomps off, slamming the door of his room behind him. Sally sighs, exasperated. Gabe lumbers over to the table, popping a beer with those repulsive fingers of his.

"He's quiet a charmer, eh?" Gabe grunts, eyeing Sally in a way that sends shivers down her spine. "Ungrateful little runt." he adds as a side note. Sally glares at him. If there's one thing she won't tolerate...

"Don't you dare talk about Percy that way. Hear me, Gabe?" she's exploded without meaning to. And with having 'dated' Gabe for almost five months, she knows that she's in for a whole lot of screaming.

But then Gabe's hand comes out of nowhere, catching the side of her head and sending her flying off of her chair. Sally sits on the floor in shock. Zeus. He had hit her. She's numb.

Slowly, she stands, clutching the side of her head and shaking hard. Sally had always thought of herself as a brave person, but now, sobs are threatening to rack her body. She leans against the sink, closing her eyes for a second.

Gabe looks at her, a smug expression of satisfaction written across his face. He guzzles his beer, acting like he hasn't done anything wrong. Sally's whole being burns with hate. What is Gabe doing to her?

She looks down at her sorry reflection on the polished kitchen tiles. A bruise is quickly forming. Her mind races to think of the excuses she'll have to tell Percy. She's already turning into a spineless liar, and Gabe hasn't even moved in.

"Now that'll teach you to have some respect for me," Gabe says, finishing his beer. "Could'ya get me another one of these things, or what?"

Gods, help her.

~o~

The wedding takes place the next week in a quiet chapel, with Percy and the tired priest as the only guests.

Sally fiddles with Percy's bow tie, glad that she had managed to wrestle Percy into the pint-sized tux he's wearing. He's probably the best dressed. Sally's still in her Sweet on American uniform, because Gabe hadn't wanted to spend the money on a wedding dress. Gabe's in a wrinkled button-up shirt three sizes too small and worn cargo pants. He takes a sip of the beer hidden in his coat pocket and faces front.

Sally walks up the isle in the accompaniment of Percy's off-tune rendition of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow". It feels like a death march, like she's walking willfully off the top of a building. Gabe leers at her, and she gulps, dreading their "honeymoon". Fear bubbles up in her stomach, and the hollow feeling she had been getting so often reappears.

The priest looks, if nothing, bored, and maybe a little sympathetic. For that, Sally holds her head up high. She will be no one's pity-party, even that of a well-meaning priest. Gabe takes her arm and she flinches, remembering last night's seven-layer-dip-incident.

She looks over at Percy, who's slumped in the pew, messing with the flower on his lapel. Sally remembers why. Percy's nose gets a little too close to the flower, and he sneezes, a resonating Achoo! Sally smiles. She remembers why, and it's so worth it. Percy's worth it.

And the priest begins.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today..."

~o~

Percy's been acting weird all weekend.

It's been hard for him since he started fifth grade in the fall, but Sally had expected him to have high spirit's, on this weekend in particular. She had shared the news with Percy earlier in the week - they're going to the beach on Monday. It's November. But Sally knows that's the one place he loves.

At first, Percy's smile had been so wide it had almost split his face. But when she got back form her evening shift, he was sulking around.

Now Sally's in the kitchen, where she seems to have been finding herself more and more lately. She's working on some casserole for Gabe, which will earn her a whole day of pardon, tops. Sally won't have to skirt around him while packing for the shore - she knows how much he hates it when she leaves.

ESPN's top sports announcer screams from the living room, the loud sounds of the football game Gabe's watching taking over the apartment. Sally sighs as a piece of hair falls in front of her face. Gods, she's tired.

She looks up as Percy walks into the kitchen, shoulders slumped. He has a dark green sweatshirt on, the hood drawn up tightly around his neck. His mouth is set in a troublesome frown, his eyes stormy. Percy walks straight by her to the fridge, as if in a trance.

"Aren't you going to say hello to your poor old mother?" she teases, wanting to steal a smile from of him. He looks at her, blinking. Then seems to jump back into reality.

"Oh... mom. Sorry. I didn't... know you were here." Percy grabs a Coke, glaring at the rows of beer that dominate the fridge.

"That's okay, I'm just the meaningless slave." she jokes, smiling at him. She doesn't get one back. His frown deepens.

"Mm-hmm." he mumbles, glancing nervously at the living room. ESPN abruptly shuts off, and Sally notices her baby... flinch.

She's about to reach down, push the hair out of his scared (but pretending not to be) face, when Gabe storms in, face twisted into an ugly scowl.

Percy's teeth clench, his hand shooting to his neck. Sally looks at Percy quizzically, but he pointedly ignores her. Besides, they have much more threatening things on hand. Sally can tell Gabe's drunk - already. He's swaying.

"Kid," he sneers at Percy. "Go. To. Your. Room."

Percy's fist clench so tight, his shoulders stiffening. His eyes shoot sparks, and for a moment, he's four feet and eleven inches of pure fury.

"I'm not listening to anything you say, you... you... bastard!" he spits.

Oh Percy. You didn't.

"If any one's a bastard here, it's you, genius. Where's your precious little daddy?" Gabe slurs, taking too much pleasure in mocking Percy for it to be the first time.

Sally catches Percy's fist, which was aimed right at Gabe's gut. Her voice is deadly quiet, low and serious.

"Percy Jackson. Please go to your room. Now." she's staring her son in the eyes, practically pleading with him. He shoots her a fearful glance before turning on his heal, flipping off Gabe them slamming his door before Sally can correct him.

Gabe grabs her roughly by the arm, and she winces. She's saved by the bell, quite ironically. Sally never thought it would be possible to actually feel gratitude towards slime like Eddie, Gabe's buddy.

In minutes there's a game going on in the living room, ESPN back on at it's mightiest. That leaves Sally breathing hard in the kitchen. So close. She saw the hate in Gabe's eyes, and there's no doubt he was going to hit Percy. Really hard. Sally prays to all the gods she's heard of that he hasn't already.

Taking one more cleansing breath, Sally turns to the oven. It's time to get back to that casserole.

~o~

A/N: Why do you think Percy had a hood covering his neck? Maybe he had a bruise there, my lovely readers. (He's going to his shore house the next day... it's a couple years before my 'Again' AU... *nudge, nudge* Do you get it?)

So anyway, I hope you liked it. I whipped this up in about an hour, and I'm not sure. Review! :)

~Twix