DICLAIMER: All the characters belong to Rick Riordan.
A/N: Today's Summer Solistice. The day the Argo II sails towards camp Jupiter. Annabeth and the trio meet Percy's parents once before they leave for Greece.
Chapter Thiry two
Annabeth woke the next day, feeling refreshed and energetic. She peeked out the window of Cabin 3; the sun was rising just above the lake, and she could already hear the sounds of the camp beginning to stir. Mainly, she heard the sounds of Katie Gardiner cursing the Stoll brothers as she tried to remove the literal rat's nest from her hair.
Today's the day they're leaving on their quest to save the western civilization, again.
Even though shouldering the responsibility to save the world, yet again, all Annabeth could feel at the moment was jubilation. The anticipation for her missing stupid-good-looking boyfriend.
It's been more than six months since she'd last seen him. It's more than the time they'd gotten together. They'd started dating in August, just after a world ending catastrophe, before her boyfriend got thrusted into another one. Even with her spunk for adventure, she's starting to develop a little resentment for her situation.
Shaking out of her stupor, she got ready to face the day. When she got out of the cabin, the camp was just starting it's day. It's too early for anything. Her legs took her to the beach for one last visit before their departure.
Jason woke up in a sweltering heave, his body covered in a layer of perspiration, and his fists clenched tightly. Another nightmare in his already confused and messed up life.
Jason threw his blanket off of him, and went to rinse his face. Images from his dream still flashed in his mind, and he didn't know what to make of them. The best he could tell, the camp Jupiter is in imminent crisis. He just hopes he'd be on time and the legion would hold until reinforcements. For now, there's nothing he could from the other side of the country.
He decided to find Piper and prepare for the day. They're going to the city for an appointment.
Breakfast was almost peaceful, he caught a glimpse of Piper, who was surrounded by her siblings, and she met his gaze, giving him a playful smirk. After their meetup, they were joined by a hyperactive Leo, who looked like he'd a little more intake of caffeine.
The three made their way towards the Poseidon cabin, in search for a scary blonde daughter of Athena. There had been no answer when he had knocked on the door, so the three of them had let themselves in, hoping they didn't get impaled by a flying dagger for doing so.
Jason wished he could be a son of Poseidon, instead of a son of the king of the gods. Cabin 3 just seemed a bit more… welcoming, and a lot less intimidating to be in. He was hit with the scent of saltwater and the ocean, which he didn't mind nearly as much as Leo.
As Jason glanced around the room, he noted a couple strange objects that sat next to one particular bunk. There was also what looked to be a horn, and not just any horn, the horn of a minotaur. There was a shield, that reminded Jason a lot of his sister, Thalia's, shield— Aegis. It had some scenes that were emblazoned on it, and Jason was actually able to recognize some of them. He had heard a few stories about Percy and Annabeth's trip to the Sea of Monsters, and it appeared that a few of those stories had been captured right here, on this shield.
There were a few pictures hanging on the wall, but Jason didn't feel comfortable imposing on this guy's privacy like that. He knew that this must have been Percy's bunk, and by the looks of it, if you didn't know better, you wouldn't think its owner was missing. The sheets were crumpled, and the blankets a bit off, as though it had been used recently, and then fixed rather hastily.
"She isn't here," Jason announced to Piper and Leo, "This is his bunk. If she wasn't here—"
"The beach." Piper announced.
They spotted the mess of blonde curls, standing shin-deep in water, her gaze pointed directly away from them, out at the open ocean. As the trio drew closer, Jason couldn't help but notice the way the water seemed to swirl around her legs, like it was happy to see her. He wasn't sure if he was just seeing things, or if the water was actually appearing to embrace her presence.
Jason may have been a Roman, but he had spent enough time at Camp Half-blood now to know the basic ins and outs of the Greek Olympians. And one of the first, and most important things he learned, was that no two Olympians hated each other more than Poseidon and Athena. The feud between those two was in every sense of the word, a rivalry, and one that had not been bridged ever since it had begun ages ago. Children of Athena and Poseidon hated each other, and always had, and it was assumed they always would.
Annabeth Chase was supposed to have been no different; she was after all, said to be her mother's favorite. But Percy Jackson had been the exception apparently. It only took one quest, and despite Annabeth's best efforts, she allowed herself to grow close to the son of Poseidon. And then of course, there were the things that happened over the course of the next three years. Most notably, Percy taking the sky from Artemis in his quest to save Annabeth, she then taking a knife for him at the battle of Manhattan, and then finally, Percy giving up immortality for her.
Stuff like that wasn't supposed to happen for a daughter of Athena and a son of Poseidon. They were supposed to be the practically enemies, nothing more than rivals who detested each other. And yet, here they were, the strongest pair of demigods this camp had probably ever seen. And they were strongest when they were together. Annabeth being the brains and Percy, the brawns of the duo.
All of this to say, Jason was quite sure you would ever find another daughter of Athena who could step into the ocean, and have it be friendly to her. The ocean seems to encourage her on her journey to find her boyfriend. It's like she has the blessing of two rival gods. He hated to have to ruin Annabeth's moment, but he figured she would forgive him once she heard what he had to say. He cleared his throat in an attempt to get her attention.
The blonde girl straightened at the sound, and then turned her head slowly, her expression serene from her time at the beach.
"We've an appointment" Jason calmly stated.
She nodded. "Come on, let's head to the big house. Let's inform Chiron before we leave."
After dicussing the details of their journey, the centaur added a chaperone to the mix. He said they are to be under supervision during their journey to the Greece, and he's not going to let them leave without one to keep them under control.
"Chiron, do you really believe that we need a chaperone to look after us. When did the quests need a chaperone? Or don't you trust us enough to let seven demigods on their own to one of the most difficult adventure yet to take place." Annabeth question, her voice hard.
"Do you need me to remind about you and Percy before he went missing, my dear? What about other couples?" the centaur asked, his hand running through his beard, glancing at Jason and Piper.
She blushed at the mention of her getting caught with Percy. She huffed at him. "Fine. Who's going?"
"An elder with enough capacity to keep you all in order. A saytr named Gleeson Hedge. We figured a satyr you all recognized will make things easier."
She relented at the addition of another member. She glanced around the room, thinking about a way to tell the centaur about her visit to the city.
"Annabeth?" was all he said, making it sound like he was waiting for her to say something.
The blonde girl didn't say anything for a moment, until she shifted in her seat, and looked back up at the centaur. "Can I take the morning off?"
Chiron did not seem to be caught off guard or surprised by this. In fact, he looked like he had been expecting it. "Of course, my dear. It's not like you'd listen to me anyways if I'd told you no." Annabeth just shrugged at this.
The centaur then turned to Jason and the others, "You three go on about the rest of your day as scheduled; we will discuss things once more before you depart in the evening."
Jason began to speak about their plan, but Annabeth beat him to the punch with her own statement.
"Actually," she began, causing the centaur to pause, "I would like for them to come with me. They want to meet Sally." Annabeth gestured to the trio as she said this, and Jason saw that now, Chiron had been caught off guard.
"Really, Annabeth?" the centaur replied, his voice indicating how puzzled he was.
The daughter of Athena nodded, and Chiron, appearing to think about it for second, eventually nodded too. "Very well, then. Jason, Piper, Leo," He pointed at each of them. "You go with Annabeth today."
This would be the first time Jason had been outside of camp since he had gotten back from his quest. Piper and Leo went out to the city to get supplies or building material for the Argo II. Needless to say he was excited. Annabeth had told them to meet her down at the Pegasus stables in half an hour, while she went to change and grab some things. That was half an hour ago, and the trio were now making their way down to the stables, with a little bit more of a spring in their step.
Annabeth was already there when they arrived, and she was currently feeding what looked an awful lot like a donut to a sleek black Pegasus. She gave a soft smile to the three demigods as they entered the stables, and then turned back to the winged horse. Jason have spent a bit of time in the Pegasus stables, but he didn't seem to recall ever seeing this particular pegasus at any point.
As if reading his mind, Annabeth gestured with her head to the winged horse. "Yes, it's him. This is Blackjack, he was… is Percy's pegasus."
"I've never seen him before in the stables," Piper noted.
Annabeth nodded in response, "He typically only lets Percy ride him, or whoever Percy asks him to carry. Ever since Percy went missing though… I've been his closest friend. He lets me hop on every other week or so, and you can bribe him with donuts pretty easily."
"Blackjack" Leo interjected, his expression turned into fascination, "you're my favourite pegasus. You've got yourself an awesome sense of humor." The horse neighed at the complement.
Annabeth pointed to a couple pegasi in the other stalls, "I'll ride on Blackjack; you guys can grab Guido and Porkpie."
As Jason moved to one of the indicated stalls, he asked Annabeth, "So where exactly are we going?"
She just smiled softly as she swung up onto her black steed, "New York City, Percy's apartment."
Jason really couldn't figure out why Guido kept doing random dives before surging back up to level out with Blackjack and Porkpie. Piper wasn't a fan of the ride either, as she kept her arms tightly wrapped around Jason's waist. Leo didn't seem to mind, but he had gotten used to riding a large mechanical dragon, so at this point, a pegasus wasn't going to bother him much, even if it wasn't a machine. They trailed behind Annabeth and Blackjack, as they soared over the New York City skyline. Jason wondered exactly what the mortals saw; did the mist make them look like large crows or pigeons?
It wasn't long before Annabeth looked back at them, and then pointed down. Jason wasn't sure what she meant by this, but he found out soon enough when Blackjack went into a virtual nosedive, with Guido and Porkpie following immediately after. Jason decided he would prefer flying by his own methods from now on. They soon leveled out again, and he saw where they were headed towards, an apartment building.
The three pegasi landed on top of the building, and all of the riders dismounted. Piper was a little wobbly on her knees, and even Leo looked a little green.
"Annabeth, do you think we can possibly make that trip a little less exciting next time?" Leo held his hand over his mouth, like he was afraid he was going to throw up at any moment.
"Talk it up with Blackjack," Annabeth said, before she made her way to the stair entrance.
"Oh well alright then," Leo said sarcastically, "Let me pull out my horse dictionary or get my own son of Poseidon chaperone."
She stopped in front of a door, and then looked behind her to make sure her companions were still there, before she turned and knocked on the door softly. Jason was a bit surprised when she immediately went to open the door after knocking, instead of waiting for someone to answer.
"Sally," Annabeth called into the apartment as she walked in, and then she turned and gestured for the Jason and the others to follow. Jason stepped into a small hallway. The walls were a soft blue color, instead of being covered with tattered orange wallpaper, and the overall feeling of the place was welcoming. Suddenly, a voice called out from a room on the other side of the apartment.
"Annabeth? Is that you, sweetie?"
The voice was kindly sweet and melodic that gave him a warm feeling inside. And despite his shock, it made him feel at home, all of a sudden.
He continued to follow Annabeth down the hallway, and into what looked like a living room, furnished pleasantly with a couch, some chairs, and a coffee table in the middle.
Jason took this opportunity to take a closer look about the room, and apartment in general. Off to the side was the kitchen, and it looked like it had been used recently, as there were baking utensils and ingredients all over one of the counters.
"Oh my good mother," Leo said softly, "What is that heavenly smell?"
Jason could smell it too now, and he figured that this must be what Elysium smelled like. He saw Annabeth's lips curve up a bit, as she also took in the scent.
"Sally makes the best chocolate chip cookies," the blonde girl said.
Jason continued to scan the room, and his gaze eventually fell onto the pictures that were lining the wall, and he stepped closer to get a better look. The first picture was of a young boy. This boy in the picture seemed a bit younger, he had wild, black hair, and he was giving a big toothy grin as a cake sat in front of him, nine candles burning brightly. There were several pictures like that; it seemed to be a tradition to replicate that picture on his birthday every year, and Jason couldn't help but notice that the cake was always blue for some reason.
Jason had already begun to piece together who he might be, but his suspicions were confirmed when he saw the picture that was placed in the center of the mantle. In the picture, Jason saw what he assumed to be the same boy, a few years older, standing with his hands in his pockets, his face turned slightly towards the camera, and a soft smile on his face. But that wasn't what tipped Jason off about who this guy was. instead, it was the girl with long blonde curls, who stood directly in front of the boy, and had her hands placed on either side of his chest, right below his shoulders. Her eyes were closed, and she was kissing the guy's cheek, which was the reason his face was turned towards the camera a little bit.
Jason immediately recognized her as Annabeth, despite the fact that this girl in the picture looked way happier than he had ever seen her in person. So this is Percy Jackson, Jason said to himself. He then took notice of the boy's eyes; so that's how he gets his way sometimes. Not many people could refuse those sea-green eyes, he figured, not even Annabeth.
"Oh my, this is a surprise. what do we have here?"
Jason whirled around to see the owner of the voice walking out of the room on the side of the apartment. She was indeed the same woman from the pictures, albeit a little bit older, but she still had the same loving look in her face as she did in the photos. Her long brown hair was ruffled a bit, and she still had a smudge of flour on her cheek, but it only made her look even more friendly and kind. The one made people feel at home.
Annabeth was giving her a bright smile, almost matching the one Jason saw in the picture earlier, and he thought she looked a lot nicer when she was smiling, not her scowling look, angry glare or taunting smirk, less threatening overall, though he wouldn't dare say that to her out loud.
Annabeth walked over and gave the woman a gentle hug, and Jason now saw that the lady was beginning to show a little bit. "How's the baby?" Annabeth asked.
"It's doing well, I think." the woman, who Jason now presumed to be Sally, ran her hands over her belly.
"That's great to hear," Annabeth replied, before she turned and gestured towards the others, specifically in the direction of Jason. "There's some people you should meet."
Sally Jackson… or Blofis, as Jason soon discovered, was the absolute nicest lady he had ever met. The kind woman had demanded that all of them to call her just 'Sally'. She brought out a tray of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven, and even though they were blue for some reason, it didn't stop any of the demigod visitors from scarfing down as many as they could fit in their mouths. As they ate, Jason and Piper told their story of how they found out they were demigods; Leo was too busy eating to bother saying anything. They also told her about the quest that they undertook to save Hera. It seemed Sally already knew about how Jason had been switched with Percy; Annabeth probably already filled her in on all of that.
Jason was a little nervous that Sally was going to hold a grudge against him, since he was the one who essentially 'replaced' her son. But she showed no signs of impropriety towards him; in fact, she regarded him with a fascination of sorts.
"We're leaving in the evening. I came to pack a bag for Percy." Annabeth stated as she stood to move towards her boyfriend's room.
The trio watched as the blonde strode over to the room at the far corner from the hallway, with Sally seemed nonchalant.
"Oh, don't mind her. She used to visit all the time during her school year, she's family at this point. I doubt another girl would go to lengths as her for my son." Sally waved her hands. Before focusing on Jason.
"Jason, you don't have that many similarities with Thalia, do you?" The older woman pointed out some features the siblings shared, while the other two looked on in fascination.
"Wow, Sally, you could point that many. I only noticed the same eyes." Piper pointed out, with Leo nodding his head, stuffing his mouth with cookies.
"Yeah, after becoming a hunter, Thalia used to visit me to get away from the monsters and godly side of her life. She spends a couple of days everytime she visits. She used to talk about the hunt, her sisters. Then slowly she began speaking about your mother, her past life, about you, her reason to runaway, everything." Sally trailed off.
Jason listened with rapt attention, remembering every single word to learn more about his sister. If Thalia could trust Percy's mom to even confide in about Jason to her, how much of mother figure she's been to his sister.
"Don't worry about it Jason. She's doing fine. She visits whenever she wants to. She's taking care of the entire hunt. You too could call me aunt if want to. Thalia and Nico have no problem with it, and I'm sure Percy wouldn't have any too." she offered.
Jason nodded mutely, not comprehending the emotions he's currently feeling. Piper took his hand in hers.
Annabeth entered the room that was filled with so many memories, that she could hardly stay in without feeling both peace and hurt at the same time.
Blinking back her tears, she took out his duffel bag from the closet and filled it with his clothes and other essentials. She took a picture of them both and placed it inside the bag.
She hefted it to her shoulder, took one last glance at the room that became her solitude during his MIA, promising herself that she'd come back with its original owner in tow the next time.
By the time she returned to the hall, everyone was laughing about something Leo joked about. She went and sat beside the older woman.
"Percy is incredibly lucky to have you, Mrs. Blo… Sally. It's obvious that other demigods at camp would kill to have a mother like you."
"We used to only have each other; you know?" Sally replied, "He was my whole world for so long, and I was his. I was the only one he ever worried about protecting…" Sally sniffled a little bit, then turned to look at the blonde girl beside her on the couch. "Well, that is until he met this girl." Sally grabbed Annabeth's hand, and everyone could see the blush that had appeared on the blonde girl's cheeks.
Sally eventually retold all Percy's childhood and his antics around the house to the demigods. They all learned that Percy became what he's today was soley because of his mother's upbringing.
Sally stood up, went to her room only to return with two envelopes. She handed the envelopes to Annabeth, who looked just as confused as the trio.
"It's for you two. From us. As a departing gift, you can say." Sally shrugged and plopped beside the blonde.
Annabeth eventually relented and opened the enevelope, to find mortal cash in big denominations. She furrowed her brows in deep thinking about the gift she was handed and what could she do with it.
"It's for both of you. It might come in handy during your travels, and camp doesn't provide mortal cash, do they?" Sally answered.
Annabeth simply did nothing for a couple of seconds before slowly hug the kind woman beside her. Her body quietly shivered at her agitated emotions and the concern she was showed.
For a long time, she thought that Percy's parents welcomed her into the house to get updates on thier missing son. But the doubt quickly faded away when she was asked about her well being and the concern showered upon her by the couple everytime she visited. They genuinely cared about her, missing son or not. They had accepted not because she's Percy's girlfriend, but becaue of who she is and let her into the family. Even her father never showed this concern over her.
Eventually, Annabeth announced that they had to leave, and so they all said their goodbyes to Sally. The older woman made sure to give each of them a warm hug, and a Ziploc bag of blue cookies. Sally hugged Annabeth last, and Jason could just make out a few words that she said to the girl, "Remember your promise?" Annabeth nodded, a few tears now threatening her own eyes by the looks of it.
"You'll get him back, Sally. I'll make sure of that" she promised.
The older woman frowned, shook her head. "I just don't want him back, my dear. I want you to bring him back. I want you both to make it back home after all of this. After that, you're grounded." she responded seriously.
Annabeth openly cried then. This was the most motherly affection she recieved in her whole life. The belonging she yearned for, she not only found it with Percy, but Sally too, after he went missing and they grieved together for him. Only they knew what it feels like to miss the boy most important in their life.
As they left the apartment, the group was silent, making their way up the stairs, where their pegasi awaited on the rooftop. As they reached the roof, Jason let Piper and Leo go ahead, and he hung back, tapping Annabeth on her shoulder to stop her. She turned to look at him puzzlingly.
"Thanks," Jason blurted out, "For bringing us… for bringing me here, with you. It… It's nice to have something bright in all the darkness surrounding us. For something to return to."
Annabeth nodded and they all made it to camp at lunch time.
Everyone went their ways to pack their stuff and check one last time before thier departure.
Annabeth already had her belongings stuffed into her bag and all the extra material was already arranged in her room in the Argo II. She went to the Poseidon cabin for one last time check. She stuffed some of Percy's clothes that she used to wear into her own rucksack.
She took a quick glance around the cabin, feeling a little nostalgic that she doesn't get to stay here anymore. She promised once again, this time to herself, to get him back to the cabin after the quest. She turned on her heels and walked out of the cabin.
Here I come, Percy.
xXx
A/N: Here it is people. Our journey has come to an end, while the journey in the story has just began. What do you think about it? Good? Bad? Tell me about. Happy reading.
