written 07 February 2011

Title: Kindred Spirits

Word Count: 1600+

Rating: K+

Characters/pairings: Sally/Chiron

Summary: Three times Sally and Chiron saw each other in person, featuring licorice, drachmas, and of course, Percy Jackson. Pre-series to post-series.

Author's Notes: Hmm, so this is what it feels like to post fic again! Written for the crack!pairing challenge at demigod_elite at Livejournal, and although it's one of the most crack!pairing pairings around, it's strangely plausible. Read for yourself...

The first time they meet is in August 1997, and Sally Jackson isn't ready to give up her son.

Four-year-old Percy bounces on his chair as his mother takes two pieces of licorices from the jar she holds, and she tucks her brown hair under her Sweet On America hat. "Percy, calm down, honey," she says as she screws the jar's metal lid back on. "There's someone coming to meet us, any minute now, and he used to know your daddy."

Percy stops bouncing. He takes the piece of licorice Sally offers him and begins to gnaw on it thoughtfully.

"Thank you, buddy. Now stay quiet, okay?" She straightens and starts to untie her red, white, and blue-striped apron as the bell announcing a new customer rings. The door opens slowly, letting the dark, cold night swirl into the candy shop. A bearded man in a wheelchair, about forty-five years old, wheels himself in.

"Ms. Jackson, am I correct?" The man smiles. "And little Perseus, I am sure." He waves at the little boy sitting at the counter, and Percy grins and waves back.

"That's right," Sally says with a sort of breath of relief. She shivers slightly, then recovers herself. "You're…Chiron? I guess I imagined you differently."

Chiron chuckles. "Do you allude to the fact that I am purported to be a centaur? Don't be fooled, my dear," he says, winking at her, "indeed I am. But in order to stay unnoticed, I make use of this wheelchair whenever I am in the eye of the public."

Sally nodded seriously. "Just in case there's a monster around…or maybe someone like me."

"In part, yes. I prefer not to startle too many young ladies on my way to the supermarket, as it were." Chiron smiles gently. "But in addition, there is something unwise about flaunting the unusual. Indeed, why must I take an unnecessary risk by defying the Mist so powerfully? And, conversely, why must we withhold those who truly belong elsewhere?" Chiron looks pointedly at Percy, chewing his second piece of licorice.

"I assure you, Ms. Jackson, I do not mean to imply any negativity in my spoken thoughts. There is, however, a customary way to do these things, and your son would surely benefit from an early start at Camp Half-Blood." He glances solemnly at Percy, and then at Sally. "I do not doubt that you have suspected the reason for my need to meet you and your son so soon, and your suspicions were correct. If you so allow, I will take your son back to camp with me this very night."

"No. No." Sally looks surprised at herself for talking so loudly, and her knuckles are white against the countertop, but she says it one more time. "No."

She clears her throat. "I'm sorry, Chiron, sir, but I just can't give him away right now. He's all I have, really, and when I told his father that I was going to keep him, I meant it. I appreciate the time you've taken to come all the way into the city and to meet me and Percy, but I don't care how hard it'll be – I have to keep Percy." She sighs and rests her elbow on the counter and her head on her elbow. She gazes at Percy, sitting across the

counter and licking his lips.

Chiron looks at her for a few more seconds, then sighs. "Truthfully, I am not surprised. I see the love in your eyes, Ms. Jackson, for your son and for all the life around you. I fear that not even my best argument could sway your decision, and in all honesty, I admire you for this great loyalty. I would be honored if anyone felt that way toward myself, for example." He closes his mouth, then begins again. "I must warn you, though – if you really wish to protect young Percy, you must take on an extremely draining burden."

She purses her lips, then nods.

"You must marry." Chiron pauses. "You must find the most repulsive man you can, a man who smokes and drinks and smells. He must be greedy, selfish, and aggressive, and you must marry him." Chiron grimaces upon seeing Sally's horrified expression, but continues. "If my suspicions are correct, just as yours were, Percy is the son of a very powerful god, and therefore he will attract some very powerful monsters. That which causes monsters to find children like Percy is their demigodly scent, and the older he grows, the stronger it will become. However. In marrying the most base, revolting man that you could, you would counteract this scent – mask it, perhaps. Apart from this, your son has no chance of survival living in the mortal world."

Sally's eyes are wide, her shoulders limp. "That's…that's terrible," she says, hardly able to take a breath. The world spins around her, jars of gummy worms and nighttime and bags of malted milk balls all blending together in a muddle of emotion. It's overwhelming to her, insane, this idea of throwing her life away so her son, her poor, little, helpless son could mask his…scent…and not get eaten. She moans softly, but something distracts her.

"Mommy?" A voice says. "Okay, Mommy?"

Her son hops off his chair and walks around the counter, holding his arms out so she can pick him up.

"Yeah, baby. Thank you," she says into his ear, and she turns to face the man in the wheelchair. "Thank you for coming here, sir," she says, resting her head on her son's, "but I'd like to keep him."

And they don't see each other again until Sally returns from the Underworld.

- - -

It's twelve years later, but Chiron still remembers the unassuming grace and gentle charm that Sally Jackson had exuded. That kind of humility in mortals is too rare, he ponders, but surely it holds a large share in the fact that she is about to escape the horrors of the Underworld alive.

Chiron wheels himself off the subway train when the doors open, wrinkling his nose at the stench that betrays the presence of the monsters it belongs to. He waits his turn at the elevators, and soon is able to smell the grassy scent of Central Park.

He knows the way to where he's headed – after all, he has lived in New York for centuries, and he never forgets anything about it. When he gets there, he pulls out his bow and quiver, glances around to ensure that the nearest mortal is a quarter of a kilometer away, and shoots an arrow right into a chink in the boulder nearest to him. He waits, and the rock begins to crumble, large pieces of stone crashing into each other to reveal a woman standing behind them.

"You made it," she says breathlessly, emerging from the darkness to join him. She squints. "Is Percy here? Where's my son?"

Chiron shakes his head. "No. At this moment, he is resting in his cabin." His eyes pierce hers. "He saved the world, Sally."

She sinks to the ground, pressing her hand into the dirt below her, and lets out a breath. "I knew he could do it, Chiron. I remember him coming into the Underworld after me, and when he made the choice to leave me behind, I just knew. My boy is a leader. My boy is a hero."

Chiron wheels himself nearer and takes her hand. "That he is, my dear. He never ceased in his thoughts of you. Indeed, were I to find myself in his place these last few weeks, I doubt that I could stop myself from doing the very same thing." He shifted. "But he made the choice that brought peace to our world, and for that we are all grateful, yes, for his selflessness and yours."

Sally smiled and squints up at the sun. "Thank you, Chiron, for being here to bring me back. I'll never forget that horrible darkness –" she shudders and glances behind her into the tunnel. "But I'll never forget your thoughtfulness in offering to escort me back to my home, either. Thank you for taking care of my son."

Chiron opened his satchel and pulled out a bag of drachmas. "In case it is ever necessary to contact Percy or myself," he explained, handing it to her.

"For Iris Messages," Sally finished. "Thank you again." She slid a few out, admiring them as the sun glinted off their ridges. "I'll be sure to keep in touch."

And although they communicate through Iris Messages often enough after that, the next time they meet in person is at the end of Percy's 2010 winter break.

Percy and Chiron wait outside the Jackson family's front door, listening as the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs gets louder and louder. Sally opens the door, and doesn't bother with pleasantries before capturing her son in a hug tighter than a dracaena's grip. "I missed you, Percy," she says, her arms still wrapped around him. "My son is back."

"Mom, you're choking me!" Percy protests, but he can't keep the smile off his face. "But it's good to be home."

Chiron watches in the background with a smile, just like he always does, but suddenly Sally pulls away from Percy. She's so full of joy that she hugs Chiron too, and she's giggling and laughing and grinning like she's still that girl who made the decision to stay with her baby boy, so many years ago, and all three are clustered on the front porch, nothing but content.