PERCY

"PERSEUS!"

Oh my Gods; I'm totally dead.

She never uses my full name unless I'm in major trouble. I mean, I really can't blame her. I haven't been the best son in the world recently. And I really should have called. But I mean, I was kind of out of cell service range…

But before I could react or brace myself for more yelling, Mom jumped me and wrapped me in her arms. She hugged me so tight it hurt; but it was the good kind of hurt.

"Hey Mom," it's lame I know, but Annabeth is the smart one not me. And even though I'm seventeen, even though I just helped save the world again, I realize that I had really missed my mom's hugs. She smelled like pancakes and that perfume that Paul bought her last summer that smelled like a clean breeze.

We stood there for a few minutes before Mom realized that Annabeth was next to me in the hallway.

"Oh, Annabeth," Mom kind of shifted me over and pulled my girlfriend in for a group hug. It was kind of awkward, but none of us seemed to care too much.

"Good grief, I step out to the balcony for one phone call and I miss the whole homecoming?" Paul chuckled from inside the apartment. Mom finally releases Annabeth and me, and I walk over to hug my stepdad. I realize that I've missed him a lot too.

Mom waves us into the little kitchen nook where that table is. She brings Annabeth and me a huge plate of pancakes each.

"Sorry they aren't blue; someone forgot to tell me they had finally gotten back into the country."

Annabeth snickers as my face gets a bit warm, "Sorry, Mom… for everything. It was kind of crazy. Wait… how did you know we were out of the country?"

"Oh, Chiron sent a few letters explaining what was going on. Nothing specific, but just informing us that the world was in trouble again, so you and some others from camp had to go save it… again." Mom tried to make her voice sound airy and easygoing, but the worry lines between her eyes kind of gave her away.

Paul took mom's hand and gave her an encouraging smile.

Annabeth and I filled my parents in on all the unbelievable events that had happened over the past nine months. I let Annabeth explain most of it since she's able to think and edit a bit faster on the fly then I am. We don't really need to tell my parents how many times we almost died.

I fill them in about Alaska and try to be vague about the monsters and giants. But I really lay it on thick when Annabeth and I start tell them about our new friends; especially Frank and Hazel.

We use our two Roman friends as an introduction to New Rome and all the benefits that the demigods have there… and how Camp Half Blood is now allowed full access to the college and 'demigod retirement' living arrangements.

I try to focus more on the college aspect; I know Mom and Paul will like the idea of me looking forward to more school since I'm not exactly the greatest student right now. And the automatic acceptance doesn't seem to hurt my argument. But Paul makes sure to point out that I need to buckle down for the rest of school still, especially since I missed a whole semester of Junior year.

"Crud, I forgot about that."

"You forgot you were missing for about six months?"

"Yup, forgot about the forgetting again too," I smile brightly at Annabeth before a sharp pain pierces my stomach. Amnesia about my amnesia… Annabeth and I share a look like she knows exactly who I was thinking about.

Paul looks at his watch and jumps from his chair. He excuses himself from the table and kisses my mom on the forehead, "Have to get to the school and get some lesson planning done. Let me know if you want any help with catching up on your classes, Percy." He gives Annabeth and me quick hugs, and insists that we better be here for dinner before he zips out the door.

"So, what was the look for?" My mom looks between the two demigods at the table and sips her lukewarm tea.

"We lost a few friends along the way. It could have been much worse; but that doesn't make watching funeral rites any easier," Annabeth locks our hands together under the table and I try to give her a supportive squeeze.

We tell Mom about Leo Valdez and the other Greek and Roman demigods we know and lost during the battle with Gaea. Annabeth describes the funeral shrouds and the ceremonial burning of the bodies that we had to conduct at camp last week. Mom nods her head and offers words of comfort as much as she can.

Then my amazing mother takes a 180 degree turn and tries to lighten the mood, "So, how is your relationship going?"

Annabeth's ear being to pink and she laughs nervously.

"Mom… seriously?"

"Well, I'm your mother Percy. I have a right to know," My mom can't seem to keep the smirk off her face when she notices how utterly embarrassed Annabeth and I both are. "And I had some things I needed clarification on…"

"What kind of clarifications?" I ask as I bite the inside of my cheek.

"Oh just a few dreams I think your father sent me to let me know you were okay during your quest," She continues to sip her tea in such a casual manner, it's horrifying. She knows something…

"Ok… ask away."

"Well, first of all… I think your dad was really angry when you were kidnapped. The dreams I had were all kinds of jumbled and spastic scenes; didn't make a lot of sense as a whole most of the time. But they always showed me you, almost always scrapped up, but still alive," Mom paused to examine my face again; I guess she was trying to make sure that I wasn't mangled anymore or maybe that I was actually even there.

"I'm ok Mom, I promise. All healed up, I swear." I gave her the biggest smile I could through the embarrassing feelings I was still trying to push aside.

Mom stretches her arm across the table and grips my arm; yup, she is definitely making sure I am real. I hate myself for making my mom doubt I was coming back.

More embarrassment.

"I saw some horrible things, Percy. I thought I watched you die a couple times. Paul almost convinced me to admit myself to a sleep study that was researching nightmares… but that's not the point."

She smiles and looks between Annabeth and me again, "You're alive… you're both alive and here. So, onto the fun part of being a parent," My mom looks giddy…

"How easy is it to fall asleep in a horse stable?"

I almost run for it.

Annabeth covers her face in her hands and begins making noises that are a cross between laughing and crying. I think I hear her mumble something about wanting her Yankee hat back. I just sit there stunned and feel my mouth fall open as I stare at my mom.

Yea… this is way worse than Frank catching us in the stables when it actually happened. Or even Coach Hedge yelling at me and 'grounding' Annabeth.

"Um… yea…," I decide to just go with it. "It's actually a pegasi stable, and when you're really tired it's pretty easy to fall asleep no matter where you are."

My mom just sips her tea again and smiles.

She asks us a little about kissing in Tartarus; it is mortifying. Then she asks about the time I saved Annabeth, Piper and Hazel from Octavian when Annabeth signaled me by tossing her dagger into the water; apparently Mom could lip read the end of that one, totally tomato red right now. And the last scene Mom had some questions about our kiss in Athens, which thankfully had more to do with our Godly parents' rivalry than Annabeth and me. I was really going to need to have a talk with Posiden…. I mean it did feel kind of great to know that my Dad was watching over me all this time, even with the split personality issues that the Gods had been having. But seriously… privacy man!

Annabeth came out from behind her hands and tells my Mom about how Athens, Greece was named and how a patron was chosen for the city. She explaines how Athena and Poseidon never really saw eye to eye on things and how their rivalry continues even today.

"Well, what do they think of you two dating?"

Annabeth and I glance at each other.

"Well, we're both pretty favored by the Gods… well, most of the gods anyway." I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell my mom that Athena blamed me for most of the trouble that Annabeth got into. But thankfully Poseidon didn't seem to have an issue with Annabeth. I think he just enjoys pushing Athena's buttons sometimes.

We sat there and talked for three solid hours. Annabeth and I told Mom about how we wanted to spend the rest of the summer in California visiting her family and visiting our friends in New Rome. Annabeth also tells my mom about the good news that she will be transferring back to the all-girls school in Manhattan to finish her senior year in New York so we can be together more. Her dad had called in a favor with the school. And apparently while Annabeth was doing mini quests and trying to find out what happened to me when I was kidnapped, she had completed her junior year through an online school.

"Huh, wish I thought of that… guess you are the brains…" I mutter to myself.

Annabeth snickers, "What did you just call me?"

"Nothing." I quickly slap on a wide grin.

I catch my mom watching us and smiling to herself, "Well I need to get some editing done down at the office." Mom just got a job as a copy editor for one of the local papers. She loves it and it gives her time to write her own novel too. "Are you guys going to hang out here until dinner or go out somewhere?"

She shook her head slightly, "Actually, no. I don't like the idea of two teenagers alone in the apartment. Go out somewhere." Mom smirks as she clears the dishes.

I am completely red again; so is Annabeth.

"Um, want to go to the Met?"

Annabeth's eyes light up little a Christmas tree. "Really?"

She sounds so skeptical, I can't help laughing. "Yea, they have a Greek and Roman section. We can go and make fun of how much they got wrong."

Annabeth's glares don't scare me as much as they used to.

"And you can give me an architecture lesson." Annabeth's eyes soften.

My mom gives me two thumbs up as she grabs her coat from the hall closet. Thankfully Annabeth doesn't notice even though I can feel my face get warm again.

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I'm going to try to update once a week with a new point of view.

Love you all!

-Misha