(A/N So sorry I've taken so long to get this here. I have an overarching goal with this piece, but the chapter by chapter is very dependent upon a fickle muse. I continue to make not promises in the frequency of my updates, but still apologize.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy a little heartbreak!)
Being able to rewind live TV was not always a good thing.
15 seconds of the news was on repeat in Brooklyn House. The news anchor would say how they couldn't pinpoint the cause of the disturbance. She would cut herself off and gasp at a kid in an orange shirt teetered on the edge of the platform and then several screams from the background could be heard as the dark haired boy fell to the river below.
As Percy fell to the river below.
As Amos' heart broke over and over and over, watching his son for that 15 seconds.
.
Another newsreel was being recorded close enough for Percy, the very alive and somehow dry Percy, to overhear.
"That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that the boy who may have caused this explosion fits the description of a young man wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. For our viewers at home, here is a photo from the security cameras in New Jersey. If you have any information on the boy, please contact the police."
The trio stealthily got out of the crowds and onto a train headed west. As they slumped in their seats, mentally and physically exhausted, Percy cursed.
"Dad is going to kill me when he sees that!"
"Are you...close to your dad?"
"My adoptive dad? Yeah, we're pretty tight knit. Po-uh, my dad I'm not sure. I guess. I mean he did save me, but I don't really know him. It'd be nice to know him I think."
Annabeth looked at him like her heart was breaking and he remembered her talking about her dad, and how a lot of kids didn't know their godly parent, and those that did weren't always cared for, and how those who were in the system didn't often get adopted.
He felt kinda cruddy as he remembered.
He didn't want to feel guilty, though. He wished everyone could have an amazing dad like him, but wouldn't for a second give him up to create an equal footing with others. Musing about providing them better parents was a lot more healthy than being sorry for having a good dad himself.
.
Carter had mixed feelings about visiting London. On one hand, he could deliver his picture to Sadie without using snail mail. On the other hand he had to pretend they were short on time and that was the reason why they couldn't visit with the Fausts. It wasn't like they hated his guts or anything.
Carter sighed, and finished filling out his letter.
He told Sadie where the picture came from, he hadn't seen Percy, Uncle Amos was really stressed out, and he missed her. There were a few other points about where they'd been and what he hoped to do when they saw each other again, but mostly he missed her and Percy and wished they were a family again.
He slid the letter through their mail slot and returned to his dad.
.
Pink. Sadie wanted pink in her hair. Her grandparents didn't want her to color it at all, so she decided on a light color they would barely notice. She couldn't exactly buy a dye and get it done without them knowing, so she used highlighters. Everyday she would stain the strands that framed her face with a pink highlighter. It wasn't noticeable, not really, but it gave her a little sense of rebellion.
She hated how trapped she felt. Sure, she loved her grandparents, but she missed her dad and her brother. She wanted to visit Percy and Uncle Amos; she barely remembered them!
Her morning ritual of rebellion finished, she headed down the stairs and noticed a letter by the door. It was addressed to her.
It didn't take long to read it, and she was openly crying as she clung to the picture that was in it. Her grandmother was displeased to see her letter and picture and the grief it brought.
.
Percy ached for Carter while at the Lotus Casino. There were so many cool games and co-ops that the two could have done together! And Sadie! She would have been impossible to keep tabs on as she bounced from one area to another. He sighed dejectedly, glad to be out of the trap, but severely missing his cousins.
It was like that every now and then; all the anger and pain from that unjust separation would boil up to the forefront of his mind and he'd be an absolute disaster for a few days. His temper would be out of check and he rarely escaped the funk without at least one visit to the principal's office.
He had plenty to occupy his mind on the trip through the Mojave Desert. He told Annabeth and Grover about his latest dreams and the characters in them. He nearly worked up his nerver to ask if dreams in his past could have had similar significance as the ones he was experiencing now, but decided he needed to stay focused on their quest.
He made a point of picking on Annabeth. She already hated his guts for no real reason, so calling her 'Wise Girl' semisarcasticaly and elbowing her ribs as he'd repeat the cabby's 'Your Highness' seemed pretty harmless. If she really despised the nicknames at least now she had grounds for her severe dislike of him.
They made it to Santa Monica, and Percy remained less than happy that they were going into the Underworld.
Pushing such thoughts from his head, he contemplated the ocean. It was so vast and he'd always been drawn to it-to water in general really. Was it truly possible for one being to control all of this? Could that being actually be his father?
He waded into the water, not really thinking about anything.
He heard Annabeth's protests, but they didn't really reach him.
Once underwater he adjusted to the idea of breathing in water. It was disorienting, but he continued on.
He met a Nereid and received a gift and a warning. He was grateful, to be sure, but he was also reminded of the harshness of having an Olympian as a father, and dispaired at the distance between him and Amos.