Percy stood staring at the blue door in front of him. He had stood in this spot countless times looking at the same door, yet he never noticed the long silver scratch in the corner or the way the handle hung crooked.

It had taken Percy a long time to convince himself to come home. The war with Gaea had ended two weeks prior, but repairs around Camp Half-Blood had kept him busy. He'd been recruited for most of the heavy lifting activities, and he was happy for the distraction and tiredness that followed. He welcomed exhaustion; it kept the nightmares away. Nothing could stop the flashbacks he experienced, but they were few and far between as he didn't allow himself to stop and rest. He figured he'd keep working until he couldn't anymore. Any other option was unbearable.

After two weeks, Chiron had kicked Percy out, forcing him to go see his parents. Percy had feebly provided reasons not to go, but Chiron had been unrelenting. Percy knew he needed to go home, but he didn't know how he could. Things had been so abnormal for so long, Percy was afraid that going home would taint the few good memories he had. He was afraid that if he went home he would have to face how much the past few months had broken his mom. He was afraid.

After Annabeth had joined the argument, Percy had agreed to go home. His mom knew that he was safe at camp, but he knew he was hurting her by staying away. So he had agreed to return.

Now, as Percy stood looking at the door of his parents' apartments, he forgot Annabeth was beside him. The longer he stood, the more the tremors in his hands became visible. He saw a hand reach for him, and he flinched away. Only when he remembered the hand belonged to Annabeth did he turn to face her.

"I'm right here, Percy," she said. "We do this together."

Percy nodded, more to himself than anything. He could do this. He needed to do this. After taking a deep breath, he shakily raised the key to the lock on the door.

"Mom?" he called as he stepped into the living room. "I'm home." The end of his words pitched upwards, almost in question.

The rapid thumping of feet could be heard coming down the hallway as Sally shouted her son's name. Out of nowhere, Percy was engulfed in Sally's arms as she broke down crying. "Percy, you're really here, I can't believe you're really home, I'm so glad you're home," she whispered as he pulled her head into his shoulder.

Percy couldn't stop the torrent of tears that fell from his own face. His mother's hair was getting wet, but he couldn't bring himself to care. After several minutes, the air heavy with the choked sobs of both son and mother, he managed to choke out, "I'm sorry mom, so sorry."

At this, Sally let out a miserable huff of air and pulled away to examine Percy. He felt her hands feel his strong muscles, and he watched her eyes take in his height. He noticed her gaze lingered on his overgrown hair, and his sunken cheeks. Sally pressed her warm hands to his cheeks, and he couldn't help but chase that comfort. He closed his eyes and pushed his face into her hands. "Percy," she murmured. "Look at me."

Oh, how he missed that voice. How he missed the feel of his mother's hands, and the smell of her floral perfume. How he missed how he always felt safe when in his mother's presence. He slowly opened his eyes, and looked at her through his tear-clumped lashes.

"I need you to listen to what I'm about to tell you," his mother said softly, but with conviction. He noticed the crow feet that now continued from the edges of her eyes, and the streaks of silver that glinted in her hair. "Don't you ever blame yourself for the actions of the gods. Annabeth told me all about Hera's little plan, and I will never allow you to blame yourself for what she did."

Percy couldn't answer for a few moments. He wouldn't be able to put together a coherent sentence that perfectly explained the gratitude he was feeling. "I'm still sorry, mom," he finally managed to whisper.

At that, Sally broke down into a set of fresh tears and gripped Percy even tighter. "I know," she said. "And I wish you weren't."

Percy then heard a sob to his right and he looked up. His mother pulled away to search for the culprit as well. The sob had come from Annabeth, who was standing against the wall, violently wiping tears from her eyes. She was smiling, though. Percy thought she looked proud.

"Annabeth dear," Sally said as she pulled his girlfriend into a hug. "It's so good to see you, I'm so glad you made it home safe."

Home. Annabeth. This is Annabeth's home, Percy realized. He felt a small smile tug at the corners of his lips, the two most important women in his life were safe under the same roof. Safe in his home. "Thank you for bringing my son home to me," Percy heard his mother whisper.

"Of course Sally," was all Annabeth said in response.

When the two women eventually pulled apart, Sally waved the two demigods towards the kitchen. "Come, come," she said. "You both must be starving, let me make you some food."

"Thanks, mom," he croaked. He hated how vulnerable he sounded. "I am starving."

"You always are," she called, attempting to keep the tone light. Whether that was for her sake or Percy's, he did not know. But he was grateful for it all the same.

As he and Annabeth sat down at the kitchen table, his mother set to work in the kitchen. Percy noticed the mug with leftover coffee on the counter that read, World's Best Husband. Percy let out a huff of amusement. It was real cheezy, but that was his mom.

"Where's Paul?" he inquired.

"He had some back to school preparations he had to take care of today, he said he would be coming home late," his mother replied.

Percy nodded in acceptance. He watched his mother pull out the bread and meat for sandwiches. As she started to assemble the pieces, she caught Percy's eye. She smiled. And for the first time in a long time, Percy felt like smiling too.

Later that evening, when Paul arrived, he basically tackled his stepson as soon as he noticed him. "Percy!" he exclaimed in apparent relief. "You're home!"

"Hi," he whispered into Paul's shoulder. Percy and Paul had never really had a relationship, but Percy blamed that on not really being home. He just felt glad that Paul was treating his mom well. "It's good to see you guys safe and healthy."

Paul pulled away and smiled. "Only the best for my queen," he said, reaching for Sally's hand. She chuckled and kissed her husband on the cheek. "Hello dear."

"Have you guys already eaten?" Paul asked. "I hate to know that I kept you waiting."

Percy shrugged playfully. "Sorry, we already ate. We were pretty hungry, and didn't know when you would be home."

"Don't worry about it," Paul said as he took off his shoes and hung up his coat. "You all can just join me as I make a quick plate of something."

Annabeth spoke up. "It's good to see you, Paul, but we should really get back to camp, it's already past curfew."

"Oh, you were planning on going home tonight?" Sally asked, sounding a little hurt. Percy knew that Annabeth had only said that to calm his own fear. Percy really didn't want to have to stay at home for the night, especially when he knew that nightmares were sure to plague him. His mother had suffered enough, and Percy couldn't imagine how she would feel if she had to hear his fitful sleep as well.

"Oh, no Sally-"

Percy interrupted her. "It's okay, Annabeth, we can just message Chiron to let him know we'll come back to camp tomorrow morning."

Annabeth quirked her head to the side in question. Percy refused to meet neither his mom nor his girlfriends' eyes. "Okay," he heard Annabeth say, a bit unsure. "we'll stay the night Sally."

"Okay!" his mom started, clapping her hands. "I put fresh sheets on Percy's bed last week, so Annabeth, you should be good to stay there. All of your old stuff should still be in the bathroom." Percy flinched at her words. It seemed his mother had continuously cleaned his room, even in his absence. And Annabeth had stayed at his apartment when he went missing. Those thoughts sent a flood of fire through his veins; the thought of the pain they felt for him was crippling. It was his fault. "Percy, you can take the couch, is that alright?"

All his fault.

"Percy?"

"Yeah mom, that's fine."

"Okay. Annabeth, do you need an extra pair of clothes? I'm sure we can find something in my closet you can wear," his mother continued.

"I-"

"She can just wear something from my closet mom, it's not like she hasn't before," Percy forced out. He felt heat settle behind his cheeks, but he didn't mind. Sometimes he forgot that being a teenager was more than just running from death. It felt almost good. It felt normal, like this was the way things should be.

His mom started laughing. Percy spluttered. "What in the world is so funny, mom?" he asked.

"Percy, I just thought that maybe Annabeth would like some clothes that were meant for a woman, so that they would fit in the right places," his mother explained through a smile.

Percy's blush spread to his cheeks.

Annabeth touched Sally's arm, in presumably a gesture of gratitude. "Thank you, Sally, but I think I'll be able to find something to wear in Percy's closet."

Sally nodded. "Okay, dear. Just let me know if there is anything else you need."

Annabeth nodded and turned to walk to the bathroom.

"Oh, and Annabeth?" Sally called.

His girlfriend turned, eyebrows raised in question.

"Please call me mom."

Annabeth stood in the doorway of the hall, rapidly blinking back the tears that had started to pool on her bottom lashes. She looked to Percy. He smiled and tipped his head in encouragement. Annabeth turned back to Sally.

"Thank you...mom."

His mother smiled and blew them both a kiss as Percy watched his parents turn to enter their bedroom. He heard Annabeth turn to go to the bathroom, so he followed. As Annabeth started digging through drawers in the bathroom, Percy leaned against the frame. "You okay?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of his parents' room.

Annabeth nodded as she continued to sort through sanitary supplies. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Percy shrugged in answer. Annabeth was never too good at putting her emotions out in the open, but Percy could guess at what she was thinking. He caught her arm, and she looked up. He then pulled her into his chest, tucking her head under his chin. "I'm glad that we're a family," he said.

He heard Annabeth huff against his chest. "Is that a promise for the future, Seaweed Brain?" she teased. "Are you planning to ask me something?"

Percy chuckled. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Oh really," Annabeth said as she pulled away. This was the comfortable banter that Percy had missed so much. The comfortable banter that meant they would be okay. Because they would be okay. They had to be okay.

"I'm going to go find us some nightlights," Percy told her, changing the subject as his thoughts turned to the night ahead of him. She nodded.

Percy walked down the hall to their supply closet, and started to pull out all the boxes marked with Percy, age _, from when he was younger. This was the only place he thought to look for a nightlight. Afterall, it wasn't likely his mother would have bought anymore while he was gone. As he rummaged, he found an old light with the Disney Pixar Nemo character in front. He smiled, remembering how much he had loved this nightlight. He hoped it still worked. He continued to rummage through the boxes, but felt familiar panic rise in his chest as he realized he only had one nightlight. He shoved that panic deep down; now wasn't the time to acknowledge it. It was stupid that he was getting so worked up about a damn nightlight. Percy had faced worse monsters than the dark.

Right?

With a sigh, he walked back to the bathroom to deliver the news to his girlfriend. "I only found one," he explained. "But you can have it, I'll just leave the kitchen light on or something."

"Are you sure, Percy?" Annabeth asked.

He nodded. There was no other choice in his eyes.

Percy saw Annabeth's mouth twitch, so he figured she wanted to say more. But instead of giving her a chance to speak, Percy took her hand and led her to his bedroom. "Let's find you some clothes, shall we?"

Annabeth smiled as she entered his room. "I love your room," she murmured as she looked around. Percy had too, but he hadn't lived here in so long, it almost felt like his room belonged to someone else.

He turned to face her as he backed up towards his dresser. "Really? It's all so blue," he said with a breath of amusement. His curtains were blue. His sheets were blue. His rug was blue. Even his walls were blue.

"I did always wonder about that," Annabeth said with a small laugh of her own. "I really liked the color grey as a kid, but I don't think it was the only color I decorated my room with."

Percy shrugged. "What can I say? I was a very petty twelve year old."

Annabeth's smile seemed to sag as she remembered Smelly Gabe. Percy turned to face his dresser. He didn't want to talk about Gabe. He didn't want to think about Gabe. He didn't want to remember Gabe. And then Percy felt cool, slender hands reach from behind his back and rub his chest. He flinched slightly, but paid little mind.

"You've grown a lot since then," Annabeth whispered as she placed a kiss into the crevice between his shoulder and his neck. He shivered as goosebumps erupted all the way down his arm. He smiled softly as he started to search through his clothes for something for Annabeth to wear.

"Yeah, well, I would be pretty worried if I was still the same kid after all this time." Percy finally found the t-shirt and sweatpants he was looking for. They would still be quite long on Annabeth, as he was a lot taller than she was, but he figured they would work. He handed them to her. "Here, I think you should try these on, they're the best I've got."

Annabeth nodded and turned into the corner to take off her clothes. Percy averted his eyes. He had seen Annabeth almost naked before when caring for her wounds, but this was a different kind of intimacy between that that was still new and unfamiliar. He grabbed another set of clothes and set off towards the bathroom. "You don't have to change in the bathroom Percy, it's fine!" Annabeth called after him.

"I know," he said. "I just have to brush my teeth and go to the bathroom, so I figured I'd just change in there."

Percy didn't hear a response, so he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He glanced at his reflection on the way to the toilet, and he didn't like what he saw. His normally fluffy, raven black hair was matted and overgrown. His eyes had large, dark eye bags under them, and his cheeks caved in. He noticed he had gotten so tall, his head reached the top of the bathroom mirror.

He averted his eyes and finished his business.

When he reentered his room, he found Annabeth dressed and sitting on his twin bed with her back against the wall. She had her eyes closed, but she opened them and moved to stand up as he entered. He didn't fail to notice the way his shirt was almost falling off her shoulders, or the way his sweatpants sagged down her waist. And this wasn't simply because she was wearing his clothes. The clothes fell off him in the same way.

"We have some weight to gain back, don't we?" Percy asked, tone light.

"Yeah," Annabeth said, straining her voice to match his tone. "But I bet with all the cookies your mom makes, it won't be that hard."

Percy laughed and pulled his girlfriend into a hug. He breathed in the scent of lemon that was present in her hair. "Goodnight, Wise Girl."

"Goodnight, Seaweed Brain," she said quietly. Percy could tell that she was hesitant about going to sleep, but the nightlight was plugged into the corner and Percy would just be in the next room. He told her as such.

"I know," she said into his chest. "But I also worry about you, are you sure you will be alright?"

"Mhm," he hummed. "I'll be just fine."

Later that night, Percy sat on the floor of the bathroom, simply staring at the bathtub. The living room had felt too dark and too cramped. He had sat on the couch for a time, but he didn't want to sleep. Percy refused to sleep. Especially in his own house where his mother would surely hear him wake up from his nightmares. So after a few minutes of sitting in the suffocating darkness, Percy had made his way to the bathroom.

Now, as he sat on the cold tile floor, staring at the bathtub, his eyes watered and his vision began to blur.

Strong emotions flooded his thoughts. He was scared, more than anything. No, he was terrified. Terrified of the darkness he fought so hard to keep from invading his every thought. Terrified of what Tartarus had done to his mind. Terrified of what he was becoming.

Everytime he thought of that place, he felt disgusted with himself. All his memories from there were equally terrifying, but their encounter with Akhlys replayed itself the most. He hadn't meant to enjoy what he had done to the goddess, he had just been so angry. Sometimes he wondered if he could have killed her if Annabeth didn't stop him. He wondered what would have become of him then.

His fear turned to anger as he sat in his bathroom now. Percy clamped his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists. The fear was worse than the anger, but the anger was always more overwhelming. He was furious with the gods for being so selfish, furios with the fates for being so cruel, and furious with himself for being so scared. He folded his hands towards his chest as they started to shake and he opened his mouth in a silent scream. Sometimes the mental pain he experienced made him miss the physical pain he experienced over the years. That latter type of pain was easier to bear, in a twisted way.

At around three in the morning, he heard what sounded like the rustling of sheets coming from his room. Assuming Annabeth was the one making the noise, he tiptoed quietly to his room. He knocked softly on the door, and then entered the room when there was no reply. Percy quickly made it to the bed, and found Annabeth, covered in sweat, brow furrowed, and legs twisted at odd angles. If Percy didn't wake her soon, he figured she would either cut off blood circulation to her legs or scream herself awake. Percy leaned down to shake her arm. "Annabeth," he whispered softly. "It's ok, I'm here."

As soon as Percy made contact with Annabeth, her whole body went rigid and she shot up. Percy noticed too late, the arm that shot out to punch him. He doubled over in pain, wheezing from the unexpected blow.

"Oh gods, Percy!" Annabeth whisper-screamed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

He raised a hand to stop her frightened whispering. "It's fine, Annabeth, I'm fine. Don't worry about it, just give me a second to breath."

"I'm sorry," she said again, voice heavy with regret.

Once Percy had caught his breath again he straightened and looked at his girlfriend. "Are you alright? I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to try and wake you."

Annabeth shut her eyes. "I'm okay," she whispered.

"Wanna talk about it?"

The shake of her head was slight.

Percy nodded in acceptance and started to walk out the room to let Annabeth sleep. He didn't know if the nightmare she had was of him, or of Tartarus, or of him in Tartarus. If Annabeth needed space, he would give her space. He could never forgive himself if you widened the crack in their relationship that going through Tartarus had created.

"Stay," came a plea from his bed, sounding awfully small. He turned to see tears forming in Annabeth's eyes.

He let out a sigh of guilt. "Yeah, of course Annabeth."

As he climbed into his bed, now too small for his lanky body, he rested his back against his headboard and pulled Annabeth into his arms. He cradled her, afraid to ruin such an intimate moment. He wiped the sweat from her brows and kissed her softly on the forehead. Percy mindlessly ran circles up and down her arms, a habit he had adopted on the Argo II when they had spent many restless moments with each other. "You know I love you, right?" he asked. Needing to hear her confirmation for his own sake.

Percy couldn't really see her face in the dark, but she sounded like she was smiling when she replied. "Yeah, I know. I love you too."

Percy let his head fall back to rest on his headboard. "I'm never letting you go," he murmured into the dark.

"I know," she whispered back.

Eventually, Percy felt Annabeth settle completely into his arms as her breathing evened out. She had fallen asleep. He relaxed.

At around 6:30 the next morning, Percy untangled himself from underneath Annabeth and made his way towards the living room. He didn't want his parents to find out he hadn't slept a wink, much less spent the night with his girlfriend in his room. A little while later, when he heard his parents' door open, he rolled to face the back of the couch, effectively pretending to be asleep. He heard his mother's light footsteps walk towards him, and he was just barely able to keep himself from flinching as she ran her hands up and down his arms to wake him up. Percy was grateful he had put on a thick sweatshirt last night, otherwise his mother would have felt a few of the scars that littered his body.

"Percy," she murmured. "It's time to get up. Annabeth said that Argus is coming to pick you up in about an hour, so you need to be ready."

"Okay mom," he said through a mocked yawn. He lifted his arms, pretending to stretch. It was terrible acting, but Sally didn't seem to notice. For that, Percy was grateful. As she walked away, presumably towards the kitchen to start making breakfast, Percy started to walk down the hallway in search of his girlfriend.

"If you're looking for Annabeth, she's in your room getting ready, I believe," his mother called after him with a playful tone. "I want you to keep your door open, I don't need any funny business this early in the morning!"

He groaned. His mother thought she was so funny.

He found Annabeth in his room, pulling her golden hair back into a ponytail as she stood in front of his mirror. Her hair wasn't really golden anymore; it was more of an ashy color, as most of it's color had faded. Her hair was also thinning, with obvious split ends, but he still thought she looked beautiful. She looked like Annabeth. And to Percy, Annabeth was the definition of beauty, whether her looks were conventional or not.

"Hey," he said as he leaned against the doorframe, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "How'd you sleep?"

Upon hearing his voice, Annabeth turned to face him. She smiled. Percy thought she looked brilliant. "Really good, once you came in. "How'd you sleep?" She asked.

Percy shrugged. "I didn't, but I'm okay."

Annabeth sighed and made her way over to where Percy was standing. She stared at his hands as she took them in hers. "You can't stay awake forever, Percy. You're not a god."

"I know," he chuckled. "I was the one who turned down that opportunity, remember? That ship has sailed."

Percy watched Annabeth rub her thumb over his. "I'm glad you're not a god," she murmured.

"I know."

"Did I ever tell you how much I like your hands?" Annabeth asked, still determinately avoiding his gaze.

Percy smirked. "I was under the impression that you liked much more than my hands."

Annabeth gasped and playfully slapped his chest. "I'm being serious! They're beautiful, but they also mean a lot to me. They have saved me many times, they've cradled my face. They mean safety to me," she said. Then she awkwardly cleared her throat. "I mean, have you ever considered wearing nailpolish, or wearing metal rings-"

"Annabeth!" Percy cried. He was happily surprised to see this side of her.

"What?" She exclaimed. "I was being serious, but you should probably shut me up before I embarrass myself even further."

"Is that an invitation?"

Annabeth's blush was so rich and so deep. Percy loved it.

"You're mom said no funny business."

"Just shut up and kiss me, Chase."

Without further talking, as if accepting the challenge, Annabeth got on her tiptoes and pressed their lips together. Their kiss was searing, desperate to communicate the love and need they felt for each other.

"Kids!" Percy heard his mother yell.

He and Annabeth jumped apart at the same time. He wiped his lips on his sleeve and whirled around. He expected to find his mother right behind him, but she was nowhere to be found. "Yeah?" he called down the hallway.

"Time for breakfast!" came the reply.

Annabeth laughed, and Percy joined her a few moments later in relief.

"No funny business, huh?" he teased.

As the two demigods were stepping through the doorway later that morning, Percy pulled his parents into another hug. "I'll come visit, yeah? Maybe for a day this weekend?"

"Sounds good. Then we can give you a haircut," Paul joked.

"I love you, Percy," Sally said as he turned to go. "Please be careful."

"Always, mom," the young demigod replied.

But as he left, he couldn't help but wonder if he would be able to keep that promise.