~ * Chapter 10 ~ *

Percy had never thought of change as frightening; in fact, if anything, he once welcomed change. A new school? Sure, school itself still sucked, but he looked forward to the opportunity to meet new people and explore a new place. Sally got a new job? Awesome, he couldn't wait to meet all her new co-workers and see what free samples she would sneak home. Percy used to try and find new pathways to their apartment, take shortcuts through roads only taxi drivers dared to veer down, or attempt to find a new favorite hotdog vendor, or a new tree in the park with higher branches sturdy enough to hold his weight.

Change meant adventure and pre-accident Percy coveted adventure with the excitement and innocence of a naive child, unaccustomed and unaware of the harsh cruelties of life. Post-accident Percy knew better; change wasn't always kind. It had the power to utterly destroy and desolate his life, and only occasionally relinquished frivolous and fleeting joys. So maybe Gabe would come home late one night, but it just meant that he drank up all their money and Percy would have to go another day without food. Maybe his mom had enough money to afford a cab, but then a drunk driver took her and Percy's sight away. The joys in life never were enough to balance the pain. Percy hated change, it could stay away all the way on the other side of the planet as far as he was concerned; he didn't want it.

Poseidon Olympian was an anomaly in Percy's new understanding of the world. The man constantly defied his expectations and did things so unexpected it left Percy dazed. Sometimes, he almost made Percy remember the thrill of adventure, the excitement of change. It scared him sometimes, but it was the moments when he was unafraid that Percy thought actually might be the most frightening of all. Which didn't really make any sense and it all made his brain his hurt. He wished the Olympians made more sense.

Percy wasn't afraid.

It concerned him, this strange state of being unafraid and almost excited, but less than it did the day before, which should concern him even more, but it was hard to think through this dizzying paradox without wanting to bang his head against the wall. He doubted it would make his headache go away, but the temptation was great. The anomaly himself reached a warm hand out to squeeze Percy's shoulder and it brought him out of his musings. Percy's head tilted up as if unseeing eyes could look at the man to whom the hand belonged.

"Stay here and keep Mindy company. I'll go greet our guests and help them with their equipment," Poseidon said.

"Okay," Percy said, curling closer to the manatee in question.

Mindy had grown since the first day he – well not saw her but met – since the first day he met her. She used to be small enough for him to run his hand from the tip of her wide snout to the end of her broad tail without even stretching his arm. Now, even if he stretched his arm out as far as he could, he barely reached the middle of her back. Mindy was growing up; Mindy had grown up. It was time for her to go.

Percy would be lying if he said he was okay with it. Mindy was special. She was, for all her wildness, his. His responsibility, his friend, his confidant, his first stop in the morning and his first encounter at the aquarium. His first chance to get to know the man named Poseidon Olympian. The childish and selfish part of him wanted to keep her. He could take care of her, he would look after her.

But in his heart, Percy knew it wasn't about him; this was about Mindy and her chance to be free. To return to her natural home and live with her own kind.

He leaned in close, relishing the soft splashes she made as she turned to nuzzle against him. He ran his fingers over her rubbery skin, taking in the bumps and contours he came to memorize in the last few weeks.

"They're going to take good care of you," Percy told her. "Poseidon wouldn't let them take you otherwise. They're going to make sure you're okay and then release you back into the wild. In Florida. I've been told it's real nice down there. I wouldn't know, I've never been, but Poseidon said it is. He says it's just perfect for a manatee like you. You'll be okay."

Percy tilted his head thoughtfully as he considered his own words, realizing that he honestly believed Mindy would be okay. He could hear Poseidon's footsteps returning, accompanied by several others and the running of a hose. He pressed forward so his forehead rubbed against Mindy's.

"Maybe you'll find a Poseidon of your own," Percy mused softly. "I hope so. I think I'd be kinda lost without mine. I'm going to miss you." He pressed a kiss to her wet snout, "Good luck Mindy."

He hugged the manatee one last time and climbed out of the pool. He could hear the other scientists, the ones from Florida who brought Mindy here in the first place before Poseidon even knew Percy existed, get to work. He was forgotten, or perhaps ignored, in the excitement. He fidgeted nervously, feeling lost and exceptionally blind as he was unable to decipher the chaos around him. What were they doing? Was Mindy okay? He calmed a little when he heard Poseidon's voice rise above the noise, directing the chaos.

He followed the noise when it left the terrace, his bare feet finding the trail of water left behind by their transportation of the manatee. He could hear the whirl of a helicopter, people shouting… He wondered if Mindy was frightened. In his mind, he heard somebody knocking on a door, loud, sharp knocks.

"Percy," Poseidon's voice was oddly gentle and maybe a little bit sad. "We just finished getting Mindy comfortable."

Before Percy could respond, another voice, low and gentle, said, "We're all set to go - Mindy's in wonderful condition. Once we get back to Florida we'll make sure the transfer didn't stress her out too much and then release her back into the wild."

"Good," Percy said, and he meant it. It was time to let Mindy go.

Poseidon draped his arm around Percy's shoulder and he only hesitated for a moment before leaning against the man. He smelled like fish, which really ought to be more disgusting than it was, but Percy found that he didn't mind. He listened to the rumble of the helicopter. The blades began to spin faster, the whirl speeding up until it was a loud, steady buzz in his ears and his hair was blown about his face. The sound grew louder...and then softer, the wind dying, and Percy strained to listen as the sound of the helicopter started to fade.

Goodbye Mindy, he thought.

"She'll be alright," Poseidon said in the silence the helicopter left behind.

"I think you're right," Percy agreed slowly. "It'll be new and frightening for a while..." he heard the knocking again, laughter ringing in his ears. His eyes were half closed; the whirl of the helicopter was far enough away now that he could hear his father breath. In, out. "But she'll be with her own kind and they'll look after her. Keep her safe."

"That's the spirit. Now, we have a conference to get ready for." Poseidon energetically replied, ruffling Percy's windblown (helicopter blown?) hair.

"I get to sit in right?" Percy asked, turning his head as his father moved away.

"Yes, I think it'll be very interesting for you. Not to mention for us, we don't often have children sit in on these things."

There were no stipulations to that, no 'yes, but you have to be quiet'; Poseidon thought it would be interesting for everyone. He wanted Percy there.

And that's why you need to find your own Poseidon, Percy thought to the absent Mindy.

"Is that allowed?" Percy asked, not worried.

He rubbed his temple, willing his earlier headache away as he tried to focus on this conversation. Poseidon broke any rule he saw fit, so Percy would be there one way or another.

"It's my conference, it's allowed," Poseidon said, and was he speaking loud or was Percy's headache getting worse? "Now, we have a few errands to run before everyone arrives. We'll grab a bite to eat, stop at a store real quick, and then head back to the aquarium to set up okay?"

"Okay," Percy agreed, allowing the man to drag him out to the car.

They stopped at a Subway because Poseidon was very good at remembering to feed him no matter what Gabe thought. With a few hours to kill before the conference and supplies to pick up, Poseidon carted him off to the grocery store. The dull pounding in his head had grown through lunch and by the end of it Percy had only finished about half of his sandwich. He didn't want to follow Poseidon into the store, sitting in the car with his head against the cool window sounded like a better plan.

"I'm blind," Percy bemoaned because the blind card usually worked like a charm to get people to listen to him. "What good is taking me into the store? There will be nothing for me to do, I'll just stay out here."

Correction: the blind card worked like a charm on people whose last names weren't Olympian.

"Why, to keep me company of course!" Poseidon replied cheerfully, manhandling him out of the car and towards the dreaded store. "I would be terribly lonely if I were to leave you in the car. Besides, who's going to push the cart for me?"

"I'm blind," Percy sighed, exasperated. "Do you really want the blind kid pushing the cart?"

A moment later, Percy found himself behind a rickety cart with a wheel that liked to stick, trying valiantly to keep a smile off his face because Poseidon was being ridiculous and it wasn't funny.

"Perfect, think of it as practice for when you learn how to drive," Poseidon said cheekily as Percy gave in and started to push the cart. Poseidon had one hand on the front, Percy knew, so he probably wouldn't run into anything.

"Only if I get to practice with Zeus' car," Percy deadpanned.

Poseidon laughed, a deep rolling sound almost like the waves late at night. Percy knew he would never be able to drive, duh blind, but joking about it didn't hurt as much as it once did. Sure, it still hurt a little, knowing that in two years time kids his age would be getting their permits and giving their parents gray hairs as they took off down the road too fast and slowed down too late while he sat at home. But it hurt less, a twinge of disappointment that was chased away by Poseidon's laughter and a shared joke Percy hadn't even hesitated to make.

They bickered over what food to get because Poseidon seemed to think that bread constituted as a meal or something ("Toast Percy! And sandwiches – " "you need something to go in the bread to make a sandwich Poseidon how are you even an adult?").

Percy let his head fall against the cool metal bar of the cart in an attempt to soothe his growing headache as Poseidon debated on which brand of bread to buy. Apparently he took the 'adult' comment to heart and was going above and beyond to prove he was a Responsible Adult. By reading the nutrients labels on bread because apparently that made sense to him. Percy had given up trying to figure the man out – his head hurt too much for that.

"I think that covers it," Poseidon said, tossing something (Percy hoped it was the bread) into the cart. "Do you want anything else?"

Percy lifted his head, hesitating. Poseidon caught his uncertainty and locked onto it.

"Don't be afraid to ask for something Percy, it's fine. You just have to let me know."

Percy felt his face grow warm and it had nothing to do with his persistent headache. The warmth spread to his chest and his throat felt oddly tight. His useless eyes stung as he angled his face down, as though there was something super interesting on the ground he couldn't see. As he shuffled his feet, he thought that, a month ago, he would have denied it immediately – he didn't need anything, Poseidon shouldn't have to buy him things, Percy could take care of himself…

"Could we get some Motrin?"

Percy expected the words to taste bitter. They didn't. They didn't feel right either, and part of his mind still protested, but the words were out and he couldn't call them back. He didn't have time to regret them as Poseidon moved closer, his voice low and concerned:

"Motrin? Do you not feel good?"

Scratch that, he regretted speaking.

"I just have a little headache," Percy tried to backpedal, ducking his head even more in the vain hope that Poseidon couldn't see his humiliation.

He almost jumped when, a moment later, Poseidon's hand was suddenly on his forehead. It was cool, like the metal of the cart or the window Percy wanted to lean against earlier. He could feel Poseidon take another step forward, the slight rustle of clothes brushing against the cart, his breath ghosting across Percy's face. Percy wondered what they looked like, standing in the middle of the bread aisle, next to their cart overflowing with snacks and cookies and other stables of a dubious diet, with Poseidon's hand on Percy's forehead.

He wasn't prepared for the wave of pain and longing that crashed into him at the thought. The desire to see was so strong it literally took his breath away. He didn't know what his father looked like and that was a thousand times more painful than the thought of never learning to drive a car. Nico's words from the beach echoed in his head and he wanted to know. He wanted to know what his dad looked like. Was his brow furrowed? Was he frowning? Did Percy really look like him? His chest constricted and he fought back the strange new hurt.

"Alright, we'll get some," Poseidon promised, dropping his hand from Percy's forehead. Percy fought the urge to tell him to put it back.

They dropped the groceries off at home and Poseidon forced a Motrin tablet on Percy before banishing him to the couch while he put away their food. Percy curled up on the couch, his head throbbing dully. He felt exhausted and wrung out, his limbs heavy, as if he'd done something exceptionally strenuous which was ridiculous because Percy had done nothing all day. Still, his body felt like lead and his face oddly taunt and all he wanted to do was sleep.

A hand dropped onto his forehead and Percy didn't flinch. In fact, as he heard Poseidon's footsteps draw closer, he almost expected it.

"Percy," Poseidon called softly, "how are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," Percy mumbled, nuzzling his face into the couch which caused the words to come out slightly muffled. "Is it time to go back to the aquarium?"

"Yeah, but if you really don't feel good I can stay," Poseidon said. There was no hesitation in his voice, or irritation or any other negative emotion that expressed dissatisfaction with Percy's inconvenient state. Nope, the only emotion that rang through his low tenor was concern.

"I'm fine, go ahead. I'll just stay here and sleep," Percy immediately replied, turning his head just enough so the couch didn't distort his reply. There was no hesitation in his voice either; Poseidon could go, Percy would be okay. He would be more than okay.

"Are you sure?" Poseidon asked, his hand carding through Percy's hair. The motion was soothing, familiar.

"Yeah."

"Because I can – "

Poseidon concern was touching and cute and made Percy feel warm and fuzzy in a way that he hadn't in what felt like a lifetime…but there was only so much he could take. Percy grunted and threw his arm over his head, making a shooing motion as he exasperatedly cried;

"Dad! I lived in New York all by myself for a whole year, I think I can handle a little headache alone in your isolated house for a few hours. I stayed home alone all the time when I was sick before. Mom had to work during the day so I'd take care of myself until she got home. I'll be absolutely fine here for a few hours."

Percy smushed his face back into the couch, waiting. Poseidon didn't grace him with a reply, however. Percy waited a few more heartbeats, listening to the sound of Poseidon's carefully controlled breathing before he frowned. He tried to mentally go over what he said – had he offended or upset Poseidon somehow? But his brain was only kind of working and his headache made it hard to think. Percy didn't think he said anything wrong, but then again Poseidon got weird about the strangest of things.

Percy tilted his head upward so his father could see his frown. "What?"

"Nothing," Poseidon said too quickly. "That sounds alright. Just make sure to have your phone nearby so you can call me if you feel any worse. The Motrin container says to take one tablet every four to six hours, so if you feel any worse after that time is up go ahead and take another one. You took the first one at eleven-ish so wait until at least four-ish if you feel like you should take another. I don't really know when I'll get back, it might be pretty late."

Percy let his head fall back onto the couch as Poseidon babbled, only idly listening and humming in response.

"Got it," Percy mumbled, nuzzling back into the couch.

He could hear Poseidon shift above him, the creak of the floor as the man moved. Something heavy and warm draped over Percy and he sighed, half amused and half exasperated, as he felt himself being tucked in. Honestly, he wasn't a baby.

But he felt warm, and it had nothing to do with the blanket.

"Oh for heaven's sake just go," Percy said, or at least he tried to, but his body felt heavy and distant and he wasn't entirely sure if the words ever actually left his mouth. Poseidon's hand gently ruffled his hair again.

"Have a nice nap," his father whispered. Percy was smiling as he drifted off into sleep.

The steady pounding in his head grew worse. Percy squeezed his eyes tightly shut, curling so tightly into himself that he could tuck his head between his knees. He drifted in and out of consciousness, shivering and clutching his head when he was awake and trapped in restless, colorless dreams when he wasn't. The blanket Poseidon draped over him seemed a flimsy barrier between him and the cold, but he tugged it tighter around him, desperately hoping to cling onto the warmth he felt when his father was there.

He slept.

He didn't remember waking, only that sometimes he was awake and everything hurt, he was cold; maybe he fell back asleep the next instant or maybe he'd been awake ever since Poseidon left. It was hard to tell. He thought that he should go get another blanket, but sitting up was a herculean effort and his head spun sickeningly. He felt like he was on a ship, being carelessly rocked back and forth by the waves. The dizziness only increased when he stood, his body swaying dangerously and the force of the ocean knocked him back down again; down, down, down until his head was back on the couch and the waves were pulling him under, under, under.

The world was red.

Percy barely remembered color anymore, they seemed too bright or too dull in his fading memory; but he remembered red. Red against what might have been a yellow background, or was it black? Red spread against something beautiful and important. Red burning and destroying, filling his throat and mouth.

Warmth. A hand on his cheek, a kiss on his forehead. A gentle voice, filled with love and tinted with sorrow, that was almost painful to hear;

"You feel warm dear, here let's go lay down."

Percy's headache was almost a tangible thing, pounding against his head. His harsh, uneven breath seemed to conform to its cruel cadence, one pound against his skull for every drawn out breath. His fingers twitched; there was something cool and smooth beneath them. He tried to concentrate on that, curling his fingers around the object and pulling it closer. He accidently pressed something and winced as a loud voice called out;

"Please say a command."

Oh, it was his phone. Poseidon must have left it beside him. Percy pulled the phone against him, finding an almost warmth in the cold metal. Which didn't make any sense, but few things in Percy's life ever did.

The shivering got worse.

"I got out of work early and brought you some soup. Do you think you could eat some?"

The blanket wasn't enough, Percy was freezing. He sat up again, fighting back the wave of dizziness that threatened to pull him back under. His entire frame was trembling, violent tremors that painfully shook his body. He pulled the blanket around him but like before it offered no relief from the cold. More blankets, he needed more blankets. The cold felt as if it had seeped into his very soul.

"Look, the store only had one bottle of blue cough syrup left and I managed to get it. Come on now, I went out and got you this special medicine and its blue, Percy, look it's blue. You have to take it now, hm? Come on Percy, how can you get better if you don't take your medicine? Will you drink it, please, for me?"

Blankets weren't enough. He was too cold. He needed heat, he needing searing, scorching hot heat to combat this cold. The blankets-just-out-of-the-dryer heat wouldn't even be enough, a trick Percy recalled from when he was younger. No, he needed something hotter, much, much hotter. He didn't remember getting to the bathroom, only that suddenly he was there and a hot shower sounded good, maybe the water would be hot enough. The air was painful on his bare skin, cold, too cold, but he didn't want to get his clothes all wet because what would Poseidon think?

He turned the water up as high as it would go. He was trembling too violently to stand, his legs folded in on themselves and he sank onto the shower floor. Water poured down on him, he could feel the droplets pelt and bounce off his skin. He tried to turn the water up some more, he was cold, but it was already up as high as it could go. Percy tried not to scream in frustration. It wasn't fair.

"Here, why don't we sleep on the couch tonight? You can pick out a movie if you finish all your soup alright? Look, you don't even feel as warm as earlier. You should be right as rain in the morning, just wait and see. Hush, it's okay, I'm here. I'm here Percy, I've got you."

Except it wasn't okay. He was cold, the water wasn't helping, his head pounded terribly and now his chest was starting to hurt and she wasn't there. She wasn't going to come home early and ruffle his hair. She wasn't going to bring him soup or blue cough syrup that she had to go five blocks over for. She wasn't going to wrap him up in blankets, kiss his forehead and sleep on the uncomfortable couch just because he didn't want to be alone.

Percy.

He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them, silently willing the water to get hotter, to chase away the cold that settled inside of him.

"Percy?"

She wasn't there. It was just his mind playing a cruel trick on him. But maybe if he closed his eyes, he could pretend, if only for a moment…

"Percy!"

The shower curtain was suddenly torn back and if Percy weren't so exhausted he might have flinched. He didn't feel cold anymore. He didn't feel warm either. He just felt kind of empty.

"Dammit Percy, what are you trying to do, burn your skin off?"

He knew that voice. It wasn't hers.

"Poseidon."

"Yes I'm here," Poseidon's voice boomed back.

The sheer volume of his voice seemed to take up all the space in the room. Percy listened to him, the words themselves washing over him in irrelevant waves, but the voice itself was strong and powerful and… And Percy didn't know what to think.

Poseidon kept talking. There was a towel being wrapped around him and then Percy was herded into his bedroom. Poseidon left and Percy couldn't even find the energy to ask him to stay. It turned out he didn't have to because a moment later he returned. Percy sat on his bed, clothed in only his pajama bottoms as Poseidon smoothed something over his back, which was apparently sporting a large burn from the supposedly scorching water he was under.

"What were you thinking?" Poseidon demanded, his voices harsh but his hands gentle as he patched up Percy's back. "Couldn't you feel how hot the water was?"

"No." Percy honestly replied. His voice sounded hoarse, almost disconnected from his body.

"No?" Poseidon repeated incredulously.

Percy tried to shrug, feeling for the first time a stinging sensation crawling up his back. It helped to ground him, to remind him that he was here, that this was real. Poseidon was real. Poseidon was here.

"I turned the water up as high as it would go, but I couldn't feel it." And because it was suddenly important that Poseidon understood he added, "I was cold."

"How long were you in there?"

"I don't know." An eternity. A second.

"Alright, alright. But hey, next time you're cold just wrap up in a blanket okay? Stay away from things that could burn you, got it?"

He ran the towel through Percy's still dripping hair, gently drying the unruly strands. Percy's throat seized and before he could stop them, the words were spilling out of his mouth;

"I thought you were my mom."

Poseidon froze and Percy knew he should stop, he should let it go. Poseidon had a long day, and hadn't he already done enough for Percy? The words kept falling from Percy's lips though, a stream he couldn't seem to hold back.

"Which is stupid because she's gone…but I thought you were her. She'd always try to come home early when I was sick. And then, I heard someone calling my name…and it was stupid and impossible but I thought it was her."

Percy didn't even realize he was crying until Poseidon whispered, "Percy" and wrapped his arms around him. Percy was shaking again, little streams of silent tears running down his face and he didn't know what to do. It was stupid, so stupid. Sally was gone. His mom was gone and she was never coming back. Poseidon tightened his arms around him, pulling Percy closer. His chest was warm, and at this discovery, Percy didn't hesitate to bury his face against Poseidon and cling on for dear life.

"I miss her so much," Percy hiccupped, his voice breaking. "I miss her so much."

He sobbed in earnest now, his body heaving and aching as he broke apart. Poseidon held him tightly, soothingly whispering in Percy's ear and gently rocking him. Through the great sobs that shook his body, Percy spared a moment to be grateful; he didn't know what would happen to all the broken pieces of his heart if Poseidon let go.

A/n Merry Christmas my lovelies! Or if that's not your thing, happy winter holiday of your choice. (I'm sorry it's a sad chapter and not a fluffy one.) Believe it or not, this chapter actually turned out shorter than I thought it was going to be, even though it's the longest chapter of this story. Although, that might have to do with the fact that the sick scenes are broken up. I found this chapter easier to write and I had a lot of fun with it. Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers and everyone who's supported this story. I love each and every one of you. I hope you enjoyed ~ *