The trip really wouldn't have come off if Zeus, frankly, didn't owe Percy a hell of a lot more than he had requested. More so, the King of the Gods was fully aware as to the depth of which he was in Percy Jackson's debt, and it irritated him, to say the very least about it. It was embarrassing, the King of the Gods owing a mere demigod such an expanse of favour. Worst still it being his own brother's son meant he'd never hear the end of it. When it came down to it, allowing him safe passage in the skies for his Mother to take him on a trip to meet the British side of the family, well, it was simple enough to do. Which is how Percy Jackson found himself at London's Heathrow Airport with his Mom, and Paul, pushing the luggage cart along to where they would get their cab to take them to the motel that Sally had booked online.
Yeah, he wasn't entirely sure what to think of being in the United Kingdom. Annabeth had been excited for him to be able to go, going on about the buildings just in and around the capital of England that she'd like to see, and Percy got a little confused at her listing off all of these places. After all, the place looked tiny on any maps he squinted at, it couldn't contain all that much, right? (That had earned him a sharp look and a lecture on how the United Kingdom used to be one of the greatest powers in the world, and some of the most infamous demigods had come from its isles, and he sort of tuned out. It wasn't that he was trying to be rude, but when Annabeth got really on to a topic, she tended to go at a pace that was really hard for Percy to keep up with.) Anyway, he was in England, and he was there to visit relatives on his Mom's side that she hadn't seen since she was in high school, though they'd kept in contact via letters.
"My cousin Petunia has a son about your age, Percy," Sally smiled over at him, as Percy gazed drowsily out of the cab window. "You remember me mentioning him to you?" She pressed. Truth be told, she was a little concerned that his tendency to 'tune out' of conversations that were flowing too fast for him would mean that he had never really picked up on the name. And for a moment, it looked like her concern might be pertinent, considering that Percy screwed up his face in thought.
"That'd be … Harry, right?" he asked, blinking slightly, clearly hoping he'd gotten it right. Sally gave a small shake of her head, and Paul smiled over at Percy, in a shared gesture of having made the same mistake.
"That's Lily's son," he explained to Percy. "Dudley is Petunia's son, but since Lily … passed," Paul always felt like he had to be delicate around the subject of death, considering how close Percy often came to it. Percy personally wouldn't have cared if he was upfront about it, but he appreciated the effort to try to be aware of his feelings. "Well, Petunia and her husband have been looking after Harry as well."
"If her letters are anything to go by, it's a struggle," Sally added in a conversational tone. "Harry's, well, he's difficult. According to Petunia," she hastened to add. Difficult. Percy had heard that before. Usually being used by his guidance counsellors to describe him. Already he felt a bit of a connection with his cousin, Harry. Not so much with Dudley, but then the only thing he could dimly remember from any of the letters is that Petunia described him as her perfect little angel. That always made him squirm uncomfortably, he probably didn't give his Mom much to write praises about. Well, not much that she could actually expect anyone to believe, at any rate. The rest of the cab ride continued in silence, and it was a surprisingly slightly longer time than Percy had thought it would take. He hadn't really accounted for British traffic.
Checking into the motel was easy enough done, and Percy wasn't surprised when he was told they were in a family room. Come on, he could barely be trusted not to shove a javelin through the television – by accident! There was no way his Mom was going to trust him in his own room in a different country. Questing was one thing, and yes she knew he could take care of himself, but not when they were somewhere brand new. He flopped on the sofa bed that was to be his place of rest while they were here, and yawned. "So, when are we going to see them?" He got out through the yawn. "Your cousins?"
Sally smiled. "Not till tomorrow. You have a rest, sweetheart, I'll wake you when it's time to get something to eat." Percy didn't need to be told twice. He gave a tired nod, and turned over. Within a few minutes, he was fast asleep.
Apparently 'tomorrow' really meant later on the next day, more towards the evening. They had been invited round for dinner, and to stay the night so they wouldn't need to get a cab back to the motel, and could have a nice drink with their meal, Percy could hear Petunia say to Sally over the phone that morning. They hadn't spent all that long on the phone, really, but Percy could see his Mom wincing slightly from Petunia's slightly high-pitched tone coming from the speaker of the phone. He would have hung up by now, but there was a reason that Sally had all the manners in the family. He was sitting in the comfy chairs across the hall, and he could hear Petunia saw how much she was looking forward to meeting 'dear little Percy', and was sure she would be 'delighted' to meet Paul. He shared a look with his Step-Dad that said it all, really. If she was always this … insistent, they weren't much going to like her.
Still. At least it gave them most of the day to do what they wanted. Which, for Percy, meant sleeping some more. It was either jet-lag, or the Burden, probably a mix of both, but he was feeling very tried from the travels, and the sofa bed had actually been pretty comfy. Sally had been a little apprehensive about leaving him to his own devices for a few hours, but considering how quickly he fell asleep again, she felt that he would be reasonably alright left alone in a locked room for a few hours. Paul had pointed out that Percy was probably just going to sleep the whole time they were gone, which meant it was likely he wouldn't fall asleep during dinner that night. He was adapting well to his step-son being a demigod, Sally noted. He was a good man, and she was glad he was in their lives.
Their time out – which was mostly spent trying to find something to take to Petunia as a thank you for inviting them for dinner and letting them stay the night, but did also manage to include some time for lunch – took a little longer than Sally had initially wanted to leave Percy on his own for. She wasn't really sure what the monster state was like over here in the U.K., and she didn't want to return to the motel to find it destroyed, and then being presented with a bill for the repairs. She loved Percy dearly, and she could never hate Poseidon, but there were times that were more frequent than she'd like to admit that she found herself wishing that this wasn't the life her son was destined for.
And then there was also the worry about what to do if anything approaching the topic came up at dinner that night. Could she lie to the few living family members she had left? She supposed she would have to, even if the thought left a sour taste at the back of her throat. But she couldn't, no, she wouldn't risk anything that could lead to harm for Percy. His life was already filled with dangers, she wouldn't add to that. No, they would have a nice, quiet, family dinner. Percy would get to meet his two cousins who were ages with him – Sally wasn't entirely sure, but she thought Percy was about a year older at most – and she could reconnect properly with a family connection she thought she had lost years ago. Yes, it would be a lovely evening.
What was that saying again? The best laid plans o' mice and men...
Number 4, Privet Drive was actually pretty much all that Percy had thought a British house would be. The lawn was immaculate, if slightly less green than he thought, and there was a driveway and it looks a bit like something you'd see in a movie. "It's kinda … quaint," he commented to Sally and Paul when they got out of the cab. No wait, it was taxi over here, right? Sally took a brief moment to turn him to face her, worrying at his jacket.
"I wish you would have worn a shirt, Percy," she muttered, trying to get his shoulder seams to sit correctly. Percy looked, just silently, and Sally stopped. "I haven't seen Petunia since I was just entering high school," she said, pulling the strap of her bag up her should a little, fingers curling around it for comfort. "I can't help feeling anxious about meeting her again. It's been years and from her letters, well," she paused, and her free hand cupped Percy's cheek. "You're a good boy, and I love you."
"Love you too, Mom," Percy didn't even have to think on the reply. He gave a smile. "And I can... say I'll try not to cause some kind of incident." He shrugged his shoulders. "Can't make promises I can't be sure of keeping, but I can try."
Sally smiled wide, turning towards the house. Her smile tightened a little, and Paul took her hand. "I'm being silly," she said, looking between her husband and her son, "it's just..." she shrugged, not really knowing the words she wanted. "It's been a long time," she settled on. The front door opened.
"Sally!" Petunia was a horsey looking woman, Percy thought, then cringed inwardly as he could hear Blackjack saying he looked nothing like that matchstick thank you very much. There was something pulled around her face, like she was always annoyed with something, even with the big smile she was greeting his Mom with. "It's lovely to see you," Petunia was full of polite enthusiasm, Percy and Paul exchanging glances between Sally's head that went unnoticed by the two cousins. Okay, maybe they were just being cynical New Yorkers, but no one was that polite without reason. "This must be your husband," Petunia said.
"Oh, erm, yes, this is..." Sally started, turning.
"Paul," he introduced himself, holding out his hand, which Petunia took in greeting. She glanced once at Percy, and there was a brief flicker, the smile dropping for just a moment. Percy figured he must have imagined it. "And this is Sally's son, my step-son, Percy," Paul pushed Percy forward, not wanting him to be left out of the introductions that were taking place. Percy gave a smile, and held out his hand. The flicker returned, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
"Lovely to meet you," Petunia said. "Now, all of you, come inside. Dinner will be ready shortly." She moved to the side, hurrying them all inside. Out of their notice, she took a brief glance around the street. Petunia had spotted nosy Mrs Wilkins across the street peeking out from behind her net curtains – which sorely needed a good wash, but far be it from her to judge – and then there was Mrs Elliot, who ran the ladies guild, trying to act as though she was just trimming her brushes but kept glancing over. Petunia gave a sniff. Spying on neighbours was so gauche, in Petunia's opinion, and she shut the door firmly behind her.
Sally, Paul, and Percy had been taken into the living room, where they were being introduced to an overgrown walrus of a man who was apparently Vernon Dursley, Petunia's husband of nearly 20 years. Vernon spoke in a way that reminded Percy of this annoying teacher from when he was a kid. The guy always had the belief that his opinions were the best that could be found, and anyone who didn't agree was not all that smart. Percy was pretty much always in trouble with that teacher, and he never seemed to do well in his classes. "Pleasure to meet you, Paul," Vernon was saying, "Heard a bit about you from Sally's letters. I hear you're a teacher? Fine job, fine job. Must be hard to deal with the troublemakers, but inspiring young minds..." he trailed off, spotting Percy. "Oh, you'd be... Peter?"
"Percy," he tried not to roll his eyes. "It's Percy," he shook the man's hand. "Nice to meet you an' all that," he added with a grin. He did said he'd try to behave himself. Besides, the getting the name wrong thing, well, he was used to it. Every camper was. Mr. D really needed a new hobby.
"Ah, yes, Percy," Vernon gave a tight smile. "Well, the boys," there was that flicker again, "are upstairs, probably playing some video game; you're free to join them. Leave us adults to talk about the past," he gestured towards the stairs. Percy glanced over at Sally, who gave a nod. He shrugged, and turned, going out into the hallway and making his way up the stairs. He wasn't sure which room he was to go to at first, but the closer he got to them, the more he could hear the voices coming from within. He knocked on the door, and opened it.
"Uh... hey," he said, standing in the doorway. There were two boys in the room. One was tall and widely built, and kind of reminded him of some of the guys from the Ares cabin in the way he seemed to take up all the space at the end of the bed. The other was... pretty much a double for Percy himself. Apart from the glasses. And the scar. And, okay, so they didn't look exactly alike, but there was enough in the other boy that Percy was pretty sure he could see the family connection. "I'm Percy," he gestured at himself in introduction. "Vernon said I should come up," he explained. The widely built boy got up from the bed.
"Alright, Percy," he said, taking his hand in what Percy thought was meant to be a firm grasp and shook it. "Dudley. Been hearing a lot about you from Mum," Dudley glanced Percy up and down. "Thought you'd be a bit more... New Yorker," he said, waving his hand vaguely. Percy frowned. A bit more New Yorker? He glanced down at himself, then back up. Was Dudley expecting him to be dressed in Yankees merchandise or some kind of I (heart) NY t-shirt? Kind of a bit too tourist for his liking. Dudley jerked his thumb in the other boy's direction. "That git is Harry, I wouldn't bother with him, he's a bit of a freak." Harry, oddly, did not make any comment, but rolled his eyes, bringing his knees up to his chest as he leant back against the wardrobe.
"Hey, man," Percy nodded in his direction. "Not sure I know what a git is, but we're all a bit freakish, right?" He held his hand out, and Harry just stared at it. Percy frowned a little. There was something familiar about the expression Harry was wearing. Actually, it was extremely familiar and... oh gods, who had this kid seen die? He lowered his hand, and just looked, Harry meeting his own gaze. He couldn't say, not in front of them, but he did want to tell his cousin he wasn't alone. That... What could he even say? Dudley broke the silence.
"So, what's it like in New York? Never been. Keep saying to Dad we should go, but it's always a not this year. 'Spect I'll be able to wangle a trip out of him before I go to uni."
Percy, feeling some dislike for his blond cousin, began to explain what it was like to live in New York. He didn't mention about the monster attacks. There was no need to scare them.
Dinner was really kind of heavy and not exactly what Percy would have expected. Maybe he was just too used to the relatively lighter meals he had been eating pretty much all summer because of the war and just general camp related stuff. Well, apart from a weekend previous to the trip, where he and Annabeth went into the city with Rachel, taking Nico with them, and had a pig-out day. That was a fun day, and he was still surprised Nico had never been to the Central Park zoo. Anyway, not the point. The food was alright, but not really what he was used to.
"So, Percy," Petunia neatly arranged her cutlery on her plate, "you haven't told us, how are you doing in school? Our Dudley here is top of the boxing team, he's won a regional medal," the pride was very clear in her voice. Percy used his fork to poke at some of the remains of his food, giving a shrug.
"Uh, alright, I guess," he said. "I'm not so good at the whole reading thing, so it can take a bit, but I'm getting there. Dyslexia, y'know," he added in an off-hand manner. Petunia and Vernon exchanged a glance that Percy knew fairly well. Oh look, that glance said, they're just making excuses for their own lazy behaviour and inattention to studying. He looked down at his plate trying to count backwards from 10 in his head to keep himself from yelling at the relatives that his Mom wanted to make a good impression with. Speaking of Sally, she squeezed his hand reassuringly. Percy found his voice again, something coming to mind that would work for impressing these people. "Though my Dad arranges for me to go to this, erm, exclusive camp, and I'm doing pretty well in the stuff we study there. I mean, my Greek could use some fine tuning, but I can get by."
"You can speak Greek, can you boy?" Vernon grunted. "Preferred Latin myself. Dudley learns the same, at Smeltings." He huffed a little, smiling. "Fine school, that. Went there myself, you know. Only the best for my boy." He threw a proud look at his son, who gave a smirk in return. Harry, being at the furthest end of the table and thus not as closely under the scrutiny of his Aunt and Uncle, rolled his eyes. Yeah, wasn't Dudley failing Latin according to his last report card? Something about his teacher strongly recommending they get a tutor in over the holidays if they were going to insist in Dudley keeping on with the class?
"And, what school do you go to, Harry?" Sally turned, smiling sweetly at Harry. There was something about Aunt Petunia's cousin – his too, he supposed – that reminded him a bit of Mrs. Weasley. He opened his mouth to answer, but Petunia got in there first.
"He goes to St. Brutus' Secure Centre for the Incurably Criminal," she told Sally, quickly pouring her some more wine from the bottle that was being shared among the adults – Percy and Harry hadn't been offered any, and it was proudly announced that Dudley was avoiding alcohol while under training. "His grades were never good enough for Smeltings, sadly, and with his behaviour," she gave a look that clearly asked what else they could they have done? Sally gave Harry a sad smile, one that was – as far as Harry could tell – actually genuine.
"I'm sure you're improving," she said. "This one," she gave Percy a playful poke in his arm, to which he comically rubbed as if it was in a great deal of pain, "is forever having me being called into the principal's office. We manage though," Sally added. "The camp has helped with the dyslexia a bit, actually, and he's learnt some good study habits off of one of his friends there – Annabeth. Oh, you'd love her, Petunia, such a smart girl," Sally beamed. Percy grinned down at his plate. Yes, Sally knew he and Annabeth were dating, but it was good to hear his Mom bring his girlfriend up on her own, and just to praise her. Wise Girl would blush if she could hear it. "They make such a cute couple," Sally added, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Mom," Percy only half-groaned. There was polite laughter from the table, though it did sound a little irritated from Dudley. Maybe Percy was just imagining it. "It's no... we only started dating a couple of weeks ago," he added as an explanation. "We've known each other since we were 12, and... yeah," he glanced back down at his plate, feeling a little awkward at having to explain the nature of his relationship to these people. Yeah, they might be related, but that didn't mean they were family – that connection hadn't been formed yet. Actually, that reminded him, when he got back to the States, he'd need to see about dragging Nico out into the world a bit. Kid spent too much time down in the Underworld for someone who was still living.
"Yeah, well, I've got tons of girls after me," Dudley declared loudly to the table at large, a smug look on his face. "They all want to spend time with a regional champion." He puffed his chest out proudly – and it was a pity that Percy and Harry didn't realise they both had the same image of popping him like a balloon. There was a proud look from Vernon as well, who gave a hearty laugh at his son's words, clapping him on the shoulder as if to reward him. Petunia smiled, but it was a little more tight.
"But, of course, you're far too busy with your studies, aren't you Dudders?" she asked. It was clear to all the teens at the table that it wasn't a question though.
"Oh, uh, yeah, 'course, Mum," Dudley agreed in a rather hurried manner. "Got to keep up my marks to stay in the boxing club... stupid school rules." Harry allowed himself a small, private smirk at this. He may have caught more than a glimpse at 'Dudders' latest school report. Seems like Latin wasn't the only class he was having problems in. Not that the Dursleys would have cared, but Harry wasn't doing too badly overall himself. Well, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon didn't care, but Mrs Weasley did, and Harry was pretty sure that she had managed to convince McGonagall to send Harry's report card along to her. Ron wasn't the only one who got the occasional letter to keep his eye on his studies when it looked like he wasn't doing too well come the mock exams. Not to mention Hermione would have probably taken his broomstick off him long ago if she felt his grades weren't a good match to his capabilities. There was that time halfway through second year she'd taken away Ron's chess set until he actually wrote his essays to a better standard. Ron had hated it, but did admit in a grudging tone that he had gotten better comments on those essays, than any of the previous ones.
"What about you, Harry?" Paul asked. "How's school for you?" He was a teacher, Harry remembered from Aunt Petunia's coaching from the previous few weeks. She was so determined to make a good impression on the cousin she hadn't seen since before any of the teens were born; that was the only reason she and Uncle Vernon were treating Harry like family, even if it was clearly strained and distant. All things considered, Harry would have preferred to going back to being ignored. Having to make like he was friends with Dudders early that evening had been stomach churning. Petunia gave him a warning glance before he answered the question. Harry mentally rolled his eyes.
"It's okay," was his blithe response. "I'm on my … year's school team," he caught himself before saying House, a truly unintentional slip that had just wanted to come out of his mouth. Paul smiled gently, encouragingly, and Harry felt compelled to say a little more. "My marks aren't too bad," he said, "though I could do better in Chemistry." Referring to Potions as Chemistry always made Harry wonder if having the more up to date facilities that Muggle schools had for their Science classes would have made Potions any more bearable. It would, he decided, probably be more pleasant than being in a dark, dank dungeon. At least there would be more light, so less chance of exploding cauldrons. "The classroom is kind of outdated, so that doesn't help much," he added conversationally. Surprisingly, Paul nodded an agreement.
"Yeah, we noticed something similar when the Science classrooms had a refit at Goode – the school I teach in," Paul added as an explanation to the rest of the table. "A better working environment does have a slight tendency to get students a little attentive. I'm not really sure of the why, though. I expect some of the Psychology department could explain it." Psychology was an elective at Goode, and one Percy was steering far away from. He had enough counselling at Camp; Mr. D's being the God of Madness meant that even though he didn't like the majority of the campers, he wouldn't allow anything to fester in their minds. And yet, somehow, Luke... Percy moved that thought from his head. He couldn't deal with it, not here. "Some Alumni donations have really helped to bring all the needed classrooms up to beyond the expected standard. This was a few years back though," Paul added. "We're a good school – if you'll pardon the word play," he laughed gently, a laugh that was followed by everyone. Paul had that knack, Percy had realised, and Harry was starting to, of just being reachable.
"Couldn't teach myself," Vernon said, self-importantly, "never had the right temperament. Wonderful profession though, greatest of respect for teachers." This was added so quickly that anyone could be forgiven for thinking that maybe Vernon didn't have the respect he claimed. "I'm a manager, myself, at Grunnings. We deal in industrial tools, drills mostly. Landed a big contract just recently, managed to pay of the new car with it – did you see it on the way in, Paul? Rather proud of it." And yeah, there it was. Harry chanced a look at the clock on the wall. Huh. About an hour and a half after the guests had arrived. Uncle Vernon really had managed to keep his mouth shut for a change.
Talk continued pleasantly, and no one made anything that could be considered to be some sort of gaffe, or rudeness to either party at the table. Dessert was a simple ice-cream, and a cake which Petunia had claimed to have baked herself. Whether she had or not was not Percy's business, but it was a decent cake. Then a bit more alcohol for the adults, and more juice for the teens, and they were all allowed to go their separate ways. Dudley looked up at the clock, and turned to his mum. "Mum, since it's not too late, is it alright if I go meet up with Piers and the guys? I was supposed to be going for dinner at his tonight, after all." Then, he nodded in Percy's direction. "Percy can come along with, I'll show him around a bit."
"What a kind gesture, Dudders, of course you can go out," Petunia said. "I'm sure Percy will enjoy meeting your friends." At this, she glanced over at Sally, a smile on her face that was filled with pride at the kindness of her son. "They're such good boys, Sally, always helping out in the community. They even participate in the neighbourhood watch scheme we have, and make sure the younger children are inside before it gets too late." Harry did not snort in amusement, but it was a close call. Yeah, that was certainly one way of phrasing what Dudley and the others did at night. He wondered, just briefly, if his Aunt Petunia's vision of Dudley would fail even if he was escorted home one night by the police – not like it hadn't nearly already happened. Sally glanced over at Percy, who shrugged. A quick looked at Paul seemed to contain an entire conversation, before she turned back to the group.
"Well, then if it's fine by you and Vernon, Petunia, it's fine with me and Paul." Sally smiled. "You three boys behave yourselves, now," she said. And there it was again, that tiny flicker from Petunia and Vernon. It only seemed to come out around Harry, who either didn't notice it, or knew about it all too well, Percy thought.
"Yes," Petunia said, recovering quickly. "You keep an eye on them, Dudley," she added, "being so responsible. Did I tell you about the commendation he got at school for his work on the local volunteer scheme, Sally?" The adults' conversation faded into the background as the boys got ready to go out. There seemed to be some sort of silent conversation going on between Dudley and Harry, and once Percy said goodbye to his Mom and Paul, and walked to the end of the street with them, it wasn't long until the conversation became verbal again.
"Alright, Freak, this is where we part ways. You'd better not be home before me," Dudley said, in a bit of a snarl. Percy's eyebrows rose a little.
"Hey, man -" he started, but Harry interrupted with a simple shrug of his shoulders.
"Suits me," the other boy commented, and wandered off on his own. Percy watched for a few minutes, looking a little concerned.
"Shouldn't we like, go after him?" he asked Dudley, making sure to keep an eye on Harry's ever distant growing figure. "I know this is a quiet neighbourhood an' all, but you hear all sorts of crazy things happening." Okay, maybe that was a bit more of his own experience coming out there, but still. His Mom had expected them to be sticking together, and he didn't want it getting back to her that he just let one of his cousins walk off on their own; she would be pretty disappointed in him.
"Nah, the Freak'll be fine." That was a nickname Percy was going to have to get the story behind. "He's not really one for company anyway," Dudley shrugged off Percy's worries with too much ease for Percy's own liking. If the kid who went on life threatening quests and frequently made jokes about his own life span found the way you shrugged off worries too easy, Percy thought, then there's probably something wrong with that picture. Maybe he was reading too much into it, but at the same time, Harry had the look. "Anyway, Yank, want to see what real men do for fun in the evening? Or you want to run back to your Mummy?"
Percy just looked. "I'm game."