Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Heroes of Olympus series, or the song Summer Girl. All rights go to those deserving.

Chapter I: I Will Learn to Love the Skies I'm Under

PERCY

Percy really hated airplanes.

The woman sitting next to him watched warily as his leg bounced up and down, slowly shifting further away in hopes to avoid the spew that was sure to come bursting from him. He groaned as he held his flipping stomach.

Deep breaths, he reminded himself as the ground came closer into view. The window was lined with dust and dirt and he could barely see a thing through the grimy glass, but what he could make out was a blur of vast, green landscape. His hands started sweating and dread gripped at him hungrily as his eyes became acquainted at the sight, because he was seriously worried at how much flat space he was seeing out there.

Manhattan had a skyline. Apartments buildings, alleyways, skyscrapers. There were people and crowds and sidewalks and concrete—the staples he'd gown up with. But as the airplane descended from the sky into a small rundown airport, (which looked something more like a crop-duster barn) Percy got a good look at his temporary home.

And he wanted to turn around already.

Arkansas was spacious, he'd give it that. Towering pine trees broke out of the tall mountains far in the distance; wide blue sky spread along the expanse of land, contrasting with the pale green grass of rolling hills. There weren't many people on the plane with him. From what he'd cared enough to notice, there was an elderly couple behind him who snored very loudly, a woman to his left, paranoid that he might get sick on her (with good reason), and a family of four about two rows ahead.

There weren't many people boarding this trip into a tiny town in Arkansas. Who would willingly travel here? The town looked like it might have been settled by farmers and cow herders with a little free land on their hands. When the flight attendants finally called the okay to start getting off, Percy was the first one standing up. Shooting out of his seat, he let out a shaky breath as he quickly grabbed his backpack and pushed through the slow moving crowd toward the doors.

He was less than excited about his move to the southern US. As a born and raised New Yorker, the very thought of all this farmland made him feel nauseous. But there was no way for him to turn his luck around; as much as he wanted to drop his suitcase and hide in the plane's tiny bathroom until they agreed to bring him back to Manhattan, his mother wouldn't allow it.

There had been a bit of a misunderstanding between his stepfather and himself. Percy had never liked Gabe; the man was volatile and hot-tempered, but most of the time he was able to keep his distaste for the stinky guy under control. He never meant to sock his stepfather in the face. If he had known the punishment resulting from that small slip of control, he probably would have bent down and kissed Gabe's hairy toes in submission.

But he hadn't known. No one in a million years could have convinced him that his own mother would ship him off to what he considered the anus of America, to live with his aunt and cousins for a whole summer.

Sally had always taken his side in the past, that was why it came as a shock when she told him he would be leaving. She had said something about it being safer, the distance being good for them. Gabe and himself had needed some time apart or whatever. Percy really hadn't been listening on account of the fact that his mom had said he was leaving to Arkansas and he couldn't even spell that word in his head.

There was an unspoken rule in the Jackson home that made it pretty clear no one was supposed to talk about Percy's biological father. He wasn't sure about the whole story of the man and his relationship to Percy's mother, but he had an idea. His dad walked out on their family after just one summer, and Sally had been left heart broken. The topic was sensitive and most of the time, they all had enough tact to leave it alone.

That could have been why Percy snapped when Gabe made a nasty comment about the man. Thinking back on it now, it really hadn't been worth the trouble of picking up and leaving his home. Especially for a man whose honor wasn't worth defending in the first place, though Percy could say finally landing a fist on his stepfather's nose felt kind of good.

He sighed as he made his way onto solid ground, trailing the path into the dusty old station. The air inside the airport was warm and stuffy, not at all refreshing like it should have been. New York was still getting further away, along with its A/C systems and general lack of dust and heat.

Many people stood around with wide grins, their eyes jumping over all the departing faces as they searched for their loved ones. Percy frowned as he squinted his eyes against the throngs of people that all looked pretty similar to him. Soon he caught sight of a middle-aged woman with light blonde hair. She was smiling, her arms spread out in front of her with her eyesight trained on the teenager himself, waiting for a hug.

Letting a small smile spread across his lips, he approached the woman, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "Hey, Aunt May."

"Percy! So good to see you," she greeted warmly, her hand around his back coming up to ruffle his unruly black hair. "You're so big now, I hardly recognized you."

A boy who stood to the side stepped up as Aunt May pulled back. Percy blinked at him, almost turning away from the stranger before gasping in recognition. "Jason?"

He grinned and the little scar that danced above his lip was a dead giveaway. "Percy, it's been years." He stepped forward, shaking his cousin's hand and pulling him into a hug.

As much as Percy thought he would hate coming to this place against his will, he really did love his family. They were good people and he could respect them for that. However, he might not be able to say the same for any other southern hick in this town. He just wasn't in the mood to deal with the abundance of rednecks he would soon become acquainted with.

"How've you been?" Jason asked, clapping him on the shoulder. Surprisingly Percy found himself suppressing a wince under the action, stiffening his face like he hadn't felt that hit down to the bone. He had almost forgotten all these southern kids had grown up hauling hay and driving tractors. Surely, any one of them could tear Percy apart with their bare hands, including his darling cousin.

Percy nodded. "Good." Then he blinked, shaking his head and deciding to tell the truth. "Actually, not good. I punched my stepfather and now I'm living in some junky town in Arkansas. No offense, but I am not good at all right now."

Aunt May and Jason shared a look, raising their eyebrows. "This place isn't so bad," Jason convinced, hefting one of Percy's suitcases off the rickety luggage claim. "It'll grow on you. I'm sure you'll forget about New York in no time."

"I highly doubt that," he disagreed while he tightened his grip on his backpack. The scalding air was getting to him. Strands of hair were matted to the damp skin at the nape of his neck, and his fingers came up to pull the collar of his shirt away from his heated skin; a hopeless attempt to fan himself.

His aunt sighed, ushering the two boys toward the dirt road parking lot. The sun was uncomfortably bright on his face, beaming down in what was sure to give him a tan deep enough to change his race. One good thing that would come out of this was that Rachel would love his new color.

Rachel was his girlfriend.

Well, ex-girlfriend.

After they learned he was being shipped off for a whole summer, they decided to put their relationship on hold until he returned. She hadn't exactly been a fan of that decision at first, but Percy wasn't digging the idea of a long distance relationship or the obligations that came along with that. They weren't anything too serious, anyway. Since the ninth grade, they'd been the best of friends. They'd met at a senior party, mutually hiding behind a ficus plant in the corner of the room while their boredom led them to people-watching. The two had talked as they avoided the crowds of teenage horn-dogs. He asked her out only a few weeks ago, finally having given into his curiosity. He wanted to know what it would be like to date his pretty best friend with the bright red hair and colorful personality.

She said yes, so he didn't regret it.

They had just been getting out of that awkward stage as a couple when Percy had to leave. The separation didn't hit him hard, being that they weren't totally mooneyed over each other in the first place. They were friends before anything else. It was okay. Percy wouldn't be too messed up if they never did end up getting back together romantically. Rachel probably agreed.

Maybe they would see how things turned out once he came back. For the time they had, they'd given it a decent run. She was fun—and still his best friend. They'd always be together in some context, at least.

Out in the parking lot, Percy could make out four cars. Actually, one car and three pick-up trucks. Aunt May jingled the keys in hand as she made her way to a baby blue rust bucket of a truck. The windows were down, as if they didn't need to worry about someone breaking into their car. He groaned when he realized they didn't.

New York was too far away.

After Jason loaded his belongings into the trunk, they were off to Percy's new home. Driving in this town was definitely weird. The roads were narrow and winding, not even having two lanes of traffic. Warm air shot into the car from the open windows, the air conditioner apparently having broke back in '93.

Deep breaths, he reminded himself.

When they finally made the turn onto a long, gravel driveway, Percy spent a good five minutes sitting in the truck and gawking at the land around him. Grassy hills spread out for what looked like miles around. In the distance, he could see woods with tall trees separating them from the more public portion of the town. His mother definitely wasn't kidding when she said the family lived rurally.

The Grace house had two stories and an attic. The horizontal wood paneling was colored a dingy yellow with a wraparound porch coated in chipping white paint. Mud caked shoes sat in front of the screen door, propped open by a white and red cooler. A ways off to the side, he could make out only one other house in sight. It was a tiny white home about a football field's length away from the edge of the rocky driveway, resting on a hill. Wooden fences seemed to spread along forever, boxing off their blocks of land into sizable chunks. A man stood on the porch and sent over a wave.

"Hello, Mr. Chase!" Jason called, throwing back the friendly gesture.

Aunt May smiled, pinching her son's cheek as she pulled Percy's bags from the trunk. "Oh, I can get those," Percy told her, stepping up and flinging his arms out, ready to catch any of his stuff she might drop.

The woman only chuckled. "I'm not helpless, boy. Most of us aren't women aren't as incapable as you think." She winked.

Shrugging, Percy backed up, letting her take his things. The strap of his backpack was heavy against his shoulder as he adjusted the piece, following his aunt up the creaky porch steps and into the house.

It had two rocking chairs in the front, but off to the corner of the wraparound porch, there was a loveseat swing, floral throw pillows tossed carelessly on top. As soon as Percy walked through the front door of the house, he knew he was in for one hell of a summer.

Not only did the sun seem to be a thousand times more powerful here in this town, the place didn't have air conditioning. Ceiling fans lazily spun from the air, and there were about three strategically placed Lasko floor fans spread along the house. The old carpet smelled of cat pee and cigar smoke, some parts of it directly under the windows were bleached a lighter color from the exposure to sunlight.

Aunt May lead him up the stairs into a narrow hallway with old wooden doors. One was left open, and inside he could see light pink walls, marred by ripped wallpaper and heavy metal posters.

Thalia. He smiled a little as he remembered the last time he'd seen his cousin. When the Grace's visited New York and the family all went to the beach together. She had made fun of him for getting sea grass tangled into his hair, but he'd gone around throwing odd objects he found laying around at her face in return. It was especially funny when he tossed a mangled pinecone at the back of her head and she promised revenge for years to come.

At the end of the hall, his aunt swung open a door, the wood squeaking in protest. A little, office-like room was revealed. Percy shuffled in, dropping his bags onto the floor and finding a twin sized bed pushed into the corner, striped cotton sheets wrapped tightly around the mattress, and very little walking space.

"It's not much, but we don't have a guest room," she explained, spreading her hands and gesturing to the makeshift bedroom.

"No, it's fine," Percy reassured her. Mattress springs gave off a high pitched creak as he sat on the bed. "It's... comfy." If there was anything Percy could empathize with, it was a tight financial situation.

She smiled like she appreciated his effort, ruffling his hair again. "I've got a pot roast to cook, so I'll leave you to unpack." She closed the door behind her as she walked out.

From a window behind him, he could hear the sounds of gravel crunching beneath tires. Jason backed the truck out of the driveway, dirt and dust clouding behind his wheels as he sped out. Percy wondered where he was going for half a moment, but decided not to pay much mind as he shoved the glass closed. The room was hot and the walls were covered with peeling wallpaper. There was a dresser to the side of the small room, cluttered on top with useless objects and trinkets. But one thing he would come to appreciate about this room would be its location. It was off the end of the hall, providing enough privacy for Percy to be comfortable crying himself to sleep at night.

Over the next twenty minutes, he unpacked his bags, not bothering to fold his clothes as he shoved them in the drawers of his dresser. His deodorant and razors were tossed on top, not having been shown the bathroom yet. He wondered who he would have to share with.

He obviously wasn't rich at home. Not by a long shot. But being an only child did have its perks—one being that he didn't have to share. He had his own bedroom and bathroom and he didn't have to worry about Gabe stinking up the place with his stale beer and empty cigarette cartons. Living in this small town would be an experience like he'd never known, he knew. Although his mom thought it would be good for him, he didn't know how that could possibly be proven true. All he was thinking was that he'd have to travel to send a text message.

His thoughts were disturbed as he heard his aunt call up the stairs. "Dinner!" Sighing, he got up from his bed, his knees cracking as he stretched them out. A new scent pervaded the air of the home, one that actually wasn't as repulsive as the rest. Home-cooked dinner smelled like warm ground herbs and buttery biscuits.

Licking his lips, he made his way down the stairs and into the dining room. The house was certainly bigger than his New York apartment, but by any standards, it didn't exactly surpass his old home in quality. Even if his flat was small, and Gabe radiated a pretty foul smell, he'd take those memories over this any day—solely due to the fact that the apartment was in Manhattan. Not this town with a population of around ten and a half people.

Aunt May had set up a full dinner on her dining room table. He could see bowls filled with mashed potatoes, green beans, and a plate stocked with sliced pot roast. Golden baked biscuits laid in a cloth covered wicker basket in the center. The woman was pouring lemonade into a few mismatched glass cups from a pitcher.

"Take a seat, Percy," his aunt told him as she pulled out her own chair. Percy heard the engine of the truck pull into the driveway again and he wondered if Jason had some kind of psychic power to know exactly when his mom would be done cooking dinner, because the boy's timing was impressive.

The sounds of teenage laughter echoed from the front porch. Percy's eyebrows scrunched as he saw Jason and two other girls walk in through the front door. "Mmm," Jason moaned loudly, earning a shove from one of the girls. "Smells great, Ma!"

As they walked into the room, Percy got a good look at them. One girl was tall, spiky black hair sticking out from the top of her head. Little freckles splayed across her nose and danced as she wrinkled it at the sight of him. "Ew. Cousin's here."

Percy rolled his eyes, but offered a laugh as Thalia approached him, wrapping him into a hug. "'Sup, Kelp Head."

"Same old, same old, Pinecone Face," he responded, one of his fists flying into her hair for a noogie. "Missed you."

"Jackson, you ass-basket!" She tore away from him, punching him hard in the gut. He was briefly reminded about farmer kid's strength again, grunting as he keeled over in pain. "I thought I missed you, too. But now, I've changed my mind."

"Thalia, you best watch your mouth," her mother chastised, wagging her fork at her from the dining table.

In the midst of all the chaos, Percy had forgotten about the second girl. Briefly, he let himself wonder if he had another cousin. Last time he checked, it had only been Jason and Thalia, so that idea spoiled. The quirky girl definitely had that southern look to her. Frizzy blonde curls fanned out over deeply tanned shoulders. She was sort of short, standing next to Jason, at least. Thicker than Thalia, curvier. There wasn't a visible gap between her denim clad thighs, but at the same time, her legs looked strong enough to outrun his mile time in gym class.

Her eyes were sort of freaky.

Gray, the stone cold color contrasted severely against her more or less warm complexion. She wore no make up on her face, only a natural blush dusting her cheeks from the heat of the day and laughter with her friends. Percy wasn't used to girls seemingly not caring about their appearance. He scrunched his nose, confused why she didn't seem to bother.

The girl smiled when Jason leaned down and whispered something in her ear, turning back and shoving him in the gut. Percy figured she must have been his girlfriend or something.

Jason plopped down at a chair by the table, beginning to fill his plate with food. "So hungry," he muttered.

The strange blonde girl rolled her eyes, taking a seat next to Thalia on the other side of the table, across from where Percy had seated himself. "You're always hungry, Jason." Her voice had an accent, it was subtle, just a slight twang to the way she formed her words.

Making eye contact with her from across the stacks of food displayed in front of them, Percy had to force himself not to look away. He was trying not to cringe away from the girl's intimidating gaze as Thalia introduced them. "Percy, this is our friend, Annabeth. She lives next door."

"Best friend," Jason corrected, stuffing a fork full of potatoes into his mouth. "We all grew up together."

Percy nodded at the girl in greeting, and she waved a little. A small freckle above her jaw distracted him. "Hi, I heard you were moving in for the summer."

"Yeah," Percy sighed, grabbing his cup and swishing the liquid around before taking a sip. He grimaced and placed it back down, forgetting he didn't like lemonade. "I guess so."

Annabeth arched a blonde eyebrow, amusement clear in her expression. "Don't seem too excited about it," she pointed out.

"I'm not," Percy said bluntly, leaning back in his seat. "I don't wanna be here at all."

Thalia chuckled under her breath. "Here we go," she breathed, sitting back like she was about to watch something good on TV.

"Yeah?" Annabeth questioned, narrowing her creepy eyes by a fraction of an inch. "Is there something wrong with this place?"

Percy's forehead crinkled in confusion. "Are you kidding? It sucks. This hick town doesn't even have a Walmart." He wondered if she knew what that was.

The girl scoffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, what? We need a Walmart to be civilized like you city folk? That is such typical ignorance I'd expect from a yankee."

"Whoa there," Percy defended coolly, raising his hands in a placating gesture, but not doing anything to bite back his last statement. "Chill out, squirt."

"Percy, you're about to get a foot stuck where the sun don't shine," Jason laughed as he clapped his cousin on the back. Annabeth rolled her eyes before sending him a glare that admittedly had a shiver knocking down his spine.

"Whatever," he muttered, secretly intimidated by the short-tempered girl in front of him.

"Awkward," Thalia sang, chuckling like she was beyond used to her friend's ways.

Percy ignored Annabeth for the rest of dinner. And she did the same.

Once the girls stood up to clear their plates, Annabeth passed by him, offering a distasteful look as she said, "It's been a pleasure to meet you." By no means was Percy under the impression that this girl actually enjoyed making his acquaintance.

With the same false sense of politeness, he responded, "Likewise."

"Are you headed home, sweetheart?" Aunt May asked, standing up from her seat, apparently not sensing the oncoming feud between the two. "Here, let fix you some leftovers."

"Thank you." Her smile was sugar sweet, cheeks lifting up to reveal little dimples.

"I'll walk you home," Jason offered, getting up from his seat and dabbing at his face with a napkin.

Annabeth shook her head. "I'll see y'all tomorrow morning, alright?" Turning to Thalia, she raised her eyebrows, seemingly communicating silently, before walking into the kitchen to retrieve her doggy bag.

He heard the screen door swing shut a few minutes later and looked up to see his cousins staring at him. "What?" he asked, biscuit crumbs falling out of his mouth.

"Nothing." Jason shook his head like Percy was a lost cause.

"Seriously, what?"

Thalia punched him in the shoulder as she turned to walk out of the room. "Welcome to your home for the next three months. Maybe try a little respect."

"What'd I do?" Percy asked, confused as Jason sighed and got up, too.

"You know, you can't be choosy around here. Annabeth's the only teenager for at least six miles. If you go fighting with every new person you meet, you'll end up pretty lonely in this town."

Percy scoffed. "I'm not here to make friends, guys. Especially with redneck teenagers. I plan on serving my time, and getting the hell back to New York as soon as possible."

His cousins both rolled their eyes, Thalia scowling at him. "That's no way to go about this. You might as well try not to be miserable here."

Blinking boredly, Percy just nodded to get her off his back. She huffed, leaving the room.

"Girls," Percy muttered, frustrated. He'd successfully pissed off two of them in one night. "How do you even put up with them?"

"Well," Jason started, heaving a breath. "One of them is my sister. And the other one is Thalia."

Percy let out a laugh at that one. Jason chuckled, "But seriously. I love them both. They mean the world to me."

"You're not dating Annabeth?" he asked skeptically. "You guys look pretty close."

He shook his head. "Annabeth means a lot to me, but I don't think of her that way. She's one of my best friends."

"Is that, like, code for something? Friends with benefits or whatever?"

"No." Jason was looking at him like he was crazy. "Why would it be code for something? I said what I meant. You city kids sure make things complicated."

Percy's eyebrows pulled together again. "She just didn't seem that pleasant to be around."

Jason pursed his lips. "Annabeth could start an argument in an empty house. She's stubborn and passionate. But that's just who she is."

"Whatever," he mumbled, picking up his plate and bringing it to the kitchen. Aunt May stood in front of the sink, washing each dish by hand. No dishwasher. He really should have been expecting this stuff by now.

Night had fallen, and had thankfully brought a cooler breeze throughout the house. All the windows and doors were left open, which was such a grave difference from New York. He could never imagine going to sleep with his door left open to any old straggler or passer-by.

But that was how it was here. That night, they went to bed completely trusting that they were perfectly safe in their home.

At this point, Percy was keeping count of the things he'd just have to get used to.

Hopeless Wanderer – Mumford and Sons (chapter name creds)

Cover photo by Fred Huning

(Summer Girl is by Family of the Year and you should definitely listen to it because it feels like eating glass but in a good way.)