Much Needed Family Reunion

MALIAH

He's a little taller now, his brown hair freshly cut. He smiles at me and it's the smile that tells me he's right. It's been too long. His hazel eyes are bright with this emotion of his and I find myself staring at them while I wrap my arms around him. Perry. I missed him so much.

Perry and Harvey had returned to L.A. after summer ended. They knew I was remaining at camp so they wanted to spend time with our parents, and I thought it was a great idea. Harvey was a senior this year, Perry a junior, and they were completing school at my old high school, Fair Bay High. I was still considered student there, only all of my classes were online.

The school believed that I was taking a year off to travel and focus on my mental health, but supported my want for further education. Props to them, I guess. My brothers were loving the school, though. They'd adjusted very well and even made a few friends. At least that's what I thought I heard when Perry received my IM at his first high school house party.

"I've missed you so much, Perry." I tell him, tightening my hold.

"We've missed you. We're coming back for break in a few weeks. Not that I'm not overjoyed to see you, why didn't you wait?" he asks.

I thought about lying, but I hated lying. Instead, I say, "I ran. Tyler came back and I couldn't face him."

"Did he find his sister?" he asks me, still holding onto me.

"No. He made a detour to bring another demigod to us. I'm assuming he'll continue his search for her soon, though." I say, sighing.

I pull out of the embrace and he side steps, gesturing for me to come into the home. I smile at him and walk in, hearing him shut the door behind me. I hadn't been home since I left months ago. Six months had passed so quickly. I touch the leather sectional I'd lounged on so many times. I look around the living area, seeing that nothing's changed.

He follows me up the stairs and stays behind me while I walk to my room. I run my hand along the door and open it, walking in. My room had remained the same, as well. I still had a light, steel grey paint on my walls, and a large king sized bed with a black comforter. I walk over to my bed, Perry following me, and sit down.

"Why don't you stay tonight? Mom, dad and Harvey will be home soon. It's pizza night, I know you still love pizza. We've all missed you," he says.

I nod, the offer actually sounding amazing, "Yeah. I think I will. I deserve a break, right?"

He holds me and I think about everything I've endured in the last half year and I allow myself to cry again. I can't even understand why, but I just know that I'm emotionally exhausted. Having my older brother hold me makes me feel better, it brings me a sense of assurance that I hadn't had in a while.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asks.

"Yeah," I say, sniffling and wiping my face, "I do. Thank you."

"You've changed a lot, Maliah, but it's for the best. We don't grow by staying stagnant. We keep moving, learning, changing, growing. You're on the right path." he says.

I nod. I know he's right. Perry had done nothing but protect me since I met him. That's all any of my brothers had done since I met them. I didn't know how I'd gotten so lucky, honestly. I didn't deserve them. I was just going to lead them into this war where they could all die, but they were never going to stop protecting me.

I hear the door downstairs open and shut.

"Perry, we're back! We got pizza!" Harvey calls out through the house.

I sit up straighter and smile at my brother. We'd never had a family dinner with all of us here. In fact, I had only met them months ago so this was something I had only been able to imagine up until this point. He stands up, offering me his hand. I reach up and take it, allowing him to help me up.

We walk out of my room and downstairs together. Harvey is the first to see us, and his blue eyes widen when he runs to me, embracing me in a hug. I hug my oldest brother back, burying my face in is chest. He had to be over six feet tall now. They'd both changed in such a short time, I was almost in shock. I'd let so much time pass between us. Once we finish our embrace, I hear movement behind me.

"Baby girl," my mom's voice calls, "welcome home."

I race and hug her and my step-father, both blonde-haired and graceful individuals. They wrap their arms around me and I feel better, safer. I pull away from them.

"Is it okay if I stay tonight?" I ask.

"Yes, of course," my step-dad says.

While we eat, everyone makes small talk about how their day went and the current plans they had for the week or so. It turned out that Harvey was coming out of his shell a little, even joining the debate and basketball teams at school. Perry was also playing baseball and soccer. Listening to them talk about their friends and sports teams, it made me realized how much I missed actually going to school. I didn't get any of the fun parts of high school, I only got the work. It wasn't fair.

I told them about what had been going on at camp and my task. I told them how I was planning on going to Olympus to train.

"You sure that's what you want?" Harvey asks.

"I think so. It just makes sense, right?" I ask.

"It sounds like you're running again, Maliah." Perry points out.

"Maybe, but is that really such a bad thing?" I ask.

"Promise me one thing," he says, "if you do decide to leave, you have to talk to Tyler before you go. You two need to have an actual conversation and get on the same page with each other. After that, it's all up to you."

I sigh. I nod my head but that doesn't mean I can do it. I could lie.

"I want you to swear it," Harvey says.

Oh, well shit. I sigh, "I will talk to Tyler before I leave or I won't go. I swear it on the River Styx."

"Good." Perry says, going back to eating his pizza.

We finish up our dinner in silence after that, then I head up to my room. I go into my bathroom and shower, relaxing for once. I spend way too long in there, just taking my time. When I finish, I go back to my room and dig through my closet. I find an old long sleeved sweatshirt, some underclothes, and shorts. I get dressed and lay in my bed, thinking about everything that had happened to me. I caught myself reminiscing a lot these days.

I wake up in the morning, before the sun rises. I go downstairs and find my mom cooking breakfast. I'm glad to see that things don't change that much. I go to the coffee pot and pour myself a glass, adding sugar and creamer. I take a seat at the island and sip my coffee while I wait.

"I didn't know you drank coffee," she says.

"Yeah, ever since I started online school and training. It's hard to keep up with all of it sometimes. I exhaust myself. The coffee helps a little." I tell her.

"Are you okay? You're resting enough, right?" she asks.

"As much as I can." I tell her, it's not a lie.

That still doesn't mean that as much as I can get is enough.

"I'm glad you're staying for breakfast, I know they feed you there and take good care of you but I'm happy you're getting a home cooked meal."

I smile, "I missed your cooking."

She doesn't respond. She just continues scrambling the eggs while the bacon sizzles. I hear my brothers coming down the stairs and I know that my step-dad is getting ready for work. He always gets ready, eats for ten minutes, then dashes out. He'll be down when the food is ready, always perfectly on time. I was sitting in the middle, my brothers taking their own spots beside me. I had never understood why we had five settings here and at the dining table, but it made sense when I met my brothers.

Soon after, my mom finished breakfast and we were all sat with our own perspective drinks after she filled all of our plates. My step-dad walks down, taking his own seat, his coffee already made. We all eat in silence. It was Sunday now and I would have to get back to doing my school work tomorrow. I sighed. I never had a break. This was nice while it was lasting, but I would have to leave soon.

"I'm glad I got to spend time with all of you. I've missed you so much." I tell them.

"We've missed you, too, Maliah," my mom says.

My step-dad finishes up quickly, kissing my mom on her head. He ruffles the boys' hair and kissing my head. He's gone after that. I finish up my own meal and help my mom wash the dishes. I couldn't stay much longer.

"I have to go now, but I'll try to be back soon," I assure her.

"Okay. I love you, sweetie," she says.

I blow on the whistle and Elysium appears. I hug my family and bound my pup. An awkward wave goodbye later, and I'm engulfed in the darkness.