Homecoming

Part III: Ghosts

Two days had passed since Paul and Sally's planned "date night", an evening of rejuvenation for the two parents that they desperately needed, and while Sally had fully returned from the experience, energized and refreshed, a certain glow seeming to radiate from her continence, the same could not be said for Percy and Annabeth. In many ways, the two teens had seemed to regress over the last week, sleeping little and eating less.

It wasn't an immediate shift however. When Sally and Paul had returned, they found Percy seated at the dining room table laying on his arm and watching the sleeping form of Annabeth who had fallen asleep in the recliner with a slumbering Estelle nuzzled against her. A small smile adorned Percy's face as he watched the two sleeping girls, his finger moving to his lips to signal his parents to be quiet as they entered. Sally's eyes filled with warmth as she watched them, her eyes going to Percy as he signaled the camera, indicating he had already taken pictures of them, to which Sally had ruffled his hair and moved to extract Estelle from Annabeth's arms and to relocate the baby in her crib.

Annabeth moved instinctively, her arms attempting to keep Estelle from slipping from her grip until her eyes focused on Sally and an embarrassed smile danced across her lips as she relinquished her hold on the baby. Percy had almost regretted watching Annabeth's face fall slightly as she watched Estelle taken to her room. When the two had begun watching his baby sister, she had wanted to spend as much time as she could cuddling the child, referring the action as "good practice", to which Percy could only knowingly smile. That 'good practice' however, apparently did not extend to diaper changing duties.

But that night however, Percy had startled with another nightmare, his voice a bare whisper, pleading with desperation to whatever entity haunted his dreams. When Sally had arrived, woken by his broken whimpers, she had already seen Annabeth sitting up in their bed, having pulled him part way onto her lap and holding him tightly, whispering into his ear that she was safe, he had saved her and not to worry, they were together. It was a scene that reminded her of the first time she saw Percy comforting Annabeth, holding her and whispering to ease her fevered mind.

"Sorry if he woke you," Annabeth whispered to Sally as the older woman turned to leave. Something about the young woman's voice stayed her retreat however as she turned and stepped further into the bedroom.

Shaking her head as to wave off Annabeth's apology, Sally looked at her son with a desperate need to protect him, yet not knowing what she could do. For a moment she ran her fingers through the mop of her son's hair while wanting to take his pain onto herself and spare him from this torment. "I thought the nightmares were getting better? Or not as often."

"They are," the blonde demigods stated, her voice quiet in the night as she squeezed Percy a little tighter while burying her face in his hair. "At least the ones about, well...the pit. But that just opened up space in our minds for other memories to flood in..." Annabeth's voice tapered off as though afraid bringing light to those issues would only plague her own mind. She stifled a sob as she listened to Percy whimper more, holding him to her while whispering, "I'm here baby, I'm right here. No one's going to hurt you and no one's going to hurt me. We're together, okay, so come back to me Percy. Follow my voice, cause I'm right here."

Sally sat on the bed and took her son's hand while Annabeth continued to speak quietly, her voice guiding Percy from the nightmares that tormented his peaceful dreams. After several minutes he had quieted, his body relaxing against Annabeth's warmth, his face seemingly finding peace, at least for the moment. As Sally sat on the mattress, she was grateful for the darkness that hid the tears sliding down her cheeks as she pondered how deeply the scars ran for these two, and not for the first time was she angry at the world that had mentally tortured these two young souls. They didn't deserve this.

Sally gently patted her son's knee before standing up, intent on returning to her bed before Annabeth whispered her name, causing the older woman to pause in her departure. As she turned her attention to the young demigod, Annabeth said, "I...I wanted to thank you, for letting me stay here. I don't know if I've properly said it or not but, I wouldn't have made it this far without him. And I know...this is hard on you, seeing him like this, but...he is getting better, I swear."

Sally offered a sad smile as she moved to stand in front of Annabeth and placed her hand on the young demigod's cheek. "It hurts me to see you both suffering like this sweetie. It may not be official, at least not yet, but, you're part of this family too." Sally pressed her lips to the top of Annabeth's head, much as she kissed her son and stared at her eventual daughter-in-law with a look that merely confirmed her affirmation.

"Thank you," Annabeth stated, her eyes shimmering with the acceptance she had received. Secretly she had been worried Sally would have seen her as a burden or that she was doing little to help Percy through these issues, but she chided herself for those thoughts now, because Sally wanted them both to get better, and in her wisdom, realized they could only do so together.

Sally offered a tired smile to Annabeth and patted her cheek before turning to leave the room, though the moment she found herself in the hallway, the feeling of how much more needed to be done to help these two left her staggered.

–

The next morning Sally was sitting at the dining room table, drinking her coffee while feeding Estelle her bottle. She looked up and smiled as Annabeth and Percy had entered the room, the two teens yawning with sleep as they each plopped down at the table.

"Good morning you two," Sally remarked, and though she was taken aback by the bags under their eyes, she attempted to hide it as much as she could. "Percy, I was hoping we could take a little walk today, maybe visit the park, we haven't done that in a while."

"Uh...I uh, I guess we could?" Percy said, his eyes looking to Annabeth for confirmation. At the same time, Sally turned her own attention to blonde demigod, her eyes expressive in her desire to only have her son on this outing. Annabeth smiled warmly at he boyfriend before looking to Sally, the look in her eye evident of Sally's intentions. Understanding quickly swam across her face, chasing away the smile she wore just a moment prior as she turned her eyes away from the older woman.

"Actually Percy," she said shakily, turning her attention back from Sally to the young man sitting across from her, "I've got a...paper I need to finish. You should go on, the fresh air will be good for you."

"Oh, well, if you're not going..."

"Percy," It was Annabeth's words that interrupted his pending rejection as she reached across the table and gripped his forearm. Again, a silent conversation was held, an act that amazed Sally given how well they could read each others facial cues, and all the unspoken things said within each others eyes. But within this moment, Sally could see plainly the fear in Annabeth's eyes of being separated from him, if even for a few hours, but she did her best to bury that fear, her stance firm that Percy and Sally needed some time together.

Percy pursed his lips and turned his attention from her, nodding his head in acceptance as he stood up and entered the kitchen to get some breakfast. As soon as he had left the room, Annabeth closed her eyes and took a few steadying breaths while biting her lip in concentration at the looming anxiety of being apart from her anchor within the chaos of her world. Sally felt guilty for her own part in the display that played itself out but reached out and gripped Annabeth's hand in thanks. The younger woman turned her watery eyes towards Sally but quickly lowered them, guilty at how selfish she was being at monopolizing his time.

Sally gripped her arm a little tighter in quiet gratitude, before standing and placing a kiss on Annabeth's head. "Don't worry dear, it won't be for long. I just...I need to talk to him."

"No, its fine...I'll be okay," Annabeth said, her words coming as a hollowed whisper. It was at this moment that Sally realized this would be the first time these two were apart since the agreement to have Annabeth stay with them. Even when at school, they were in the same building, and if they needed each other, they could find one another quickly. That sense of dependence had become a beacon for them, a means to stabilize their instability and guide them through this storm. Sally prayed to anyone who would listen that she was making the right decision in her need to speak to her son.

–

Thirty minutes after the decision had been made to have their little stroll through the nearby park, mother and son walked side by side along the mostly deserted walking trail. This early in the morning on a Sunday, very few people were taking part in the brisk, late fall weather apart from a few joggers and one couple who had apparently thought it would be a wonderful idea to take their baby out in this cold. Sally couldn't help but smile at the stroller as they passed, wondering how Paul was doing with Estelle.

The same thought seemed to be weighing heavily on Percy's mind as every few minutes he would glance over his shoulder towards the direction they came, as though desperate to return to the blonde demigod who had watched them as they prepared to leave before shutting herself in their room. The guilt seemed to be dragging on Percy as his steps before falling marginally slower with every inch that carried him away from her.

"Percy," his mother said, her hand gripping his arm to draw his attention to her, "We won't be long, I promise, but...we need to talk."

The tone, and more specifically the choice of wording did little to ease his apprehensions as he moved further up the trail, following his mother until they came to a duck pond in the center of the park. Sitting on the bench that overlooked the water Percy seemed to become agitated as his eyes would focus on anything but the water. The squirrel on the far tree to the right of the walking trail, the garbage can beside the water, the burned out light of the streetlamp...everything seemed to draw his darting notice...everything except the water.

The reaction brought a confusion to Sally, her brow furrowing in consideration of why Percy would avoid looking at the lake. She had chosen this place to try to get some answers from her son because water had always calmed him before, but now he seemed only more hesitant, almost angry even. "Percy," she said softly, hoping to draw his attention, yet he still moved his eyes frantically across the picturesque scene, as though trying to find anything to divert his attention from his thoughts. It wasn't until his mother captured his chin in her hand and turned his head to look at her that he could find something to focus on that wasn't the chaos of his crumbling life. "Talk to me Percy."

"What do you want me to say mom?" his words slipped passed his lips as a shallow whisper, but it was his eyes that caused the hurt to swell within his mother's heart. Red rimmed orbs swirling with hurt and betrayal, and the shattered sense of his own safety and security made Sally want to weep for her son in such a desperate need to save him from his pain that she had to take a moment to reel in the emotions that would not help to support him.

Choosing a different tactic for their conversation, she moved her hand to cradle the nape of his neck, her fingers moving to scratch his scalp in a gesture that always comforted him in his greatest time of conflict. "I'm sorry Percy." The apology caused a confused expression to crease across his face as he locked his eyes with his mother. "When Paul and I had our day out, it gave me a lot to think about, a lot to consider, and I realized I wasn't doing a good job helping you through this...I wasn't doing my job."

Percy's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he opened his mouth to protest, yet his mother placed her fingers over his lips to cut off any rejection to her words. "Let me finish sweetheart," she paused a moment as if considering how to phrase her next words. "For all this time, or...since you've been thrown into this world of gods and monsters, you've been expected to shoulder these burdens that are too heavy to carry. Maybe...I don't know, maybe I should have pushed harder to have you tell me everything, not just the condensed version of your quests. Because I realized it a little too late I think, that all the things you've never told me about your quests are still locked away in here," she stated, moving her hand away from his lips and placing it on his chest, over his heart. "And you don't have a way to get rid of that burden.

"I don't know if you remember the nightmare from last night, but I spoke to Annabeth, she told me something that I've missed somehow, about your state of mind...about both of your state of minds. She had said that the nightmares about...well, your time in, you know...that those nightmares have started to be less frequent, but that it's given room for other memories that you've been forcing yourself not to deal with to take its place."

"Mom," Percy's voice was small and brittle as he fought back the emotions of a lifetime of fear and loss, "I know what you're asking, but I can't do that...I don't want to deal with it all...it's too much, it'll hurt too much." His voice quivered in fear, as though he was unable to contemplate even facing even one memory for fear of the flood that would follow.

"It's hurting you now Percy," Sally replied, bringing her son close and resting her forehead against his. "I'm so thankful for Annabeth, because she's given you a sense of stability, at least emotionally, but you're still trying to shoulder your own burdens yourself. I understand it Percy, I really do. Neither of you are able to talk to each other about all of this because you have your own pain to shoulder, and its got no outlet, so it just stagnates.

"You may be able to hold up the sky sweetheart, or save the world...but you're still just a 17 year old boy. A boy whose biggest concern should be whether he's going to pass the next Algebra test, not if he's going to survive the next series of missions." Sally paused as she stared into her son's eyes, fighting her own tears as she watched the warring emotions that raged within his brilliant green irises. "Talk to me son."

Percy closed his eyes and swallowed hard, fighting the need to unburden himself, yet restraining himself from doing so, unable to pass that burden onto his mother. "I can't mom, you don't need to hear about..."

"And that's where I failed you," Sally said, her voice shaky in response to her statement as Percy's eyes flared open in confusion under his mother's admission. Before he could protest, reject this idea that his mother had been anything but the foundation of his unstable life, she continued. "You've spent so much time trying to protect me from all the horrible things you've faced, and I've just let it go without realizing the impact all of that has had on you," she took several steadying breaths before continuing. "I'm the parent in this relationship son. It's not your job to protect me, I'm supposed to be the one protecting you, and I don't think I've done a very good job at that."

Pulling him forward she held him to her, squeezing as though hoping she could provide some comfort to his tortured mind, she continued to whisper encouragements, asking him to unburden himself to her. While holding him, her eyes settled on the lake, recalling how Percy's eyes skirted its presence when they arrived and knowing that to help her son unburden his pain, she would start with the one aspect that bridged both their lives.

"Have you spoken to your father?" Percy shifted his head to bury his face deeper against Sally's shoulder and muttered something that was muffled against her clothes. Sally took a moment to just hold her son, such a small act that she realized at this moment how much she missed. "I didn't hear you sweetie."

"I said he doesn't care," Percy turned his head so the words could be spoken without restriction. He rested his cheek against her shoulder, holding her as though he were a five years old again, afraid of the shadows that crept around his apartment, back before he knew those shadows had names and malcontent and were hellbent on hurting him.

"How could you..." Sally began, pausing a moment as she realized the words that began tumbling from her lips would sound scolding or accusatory to her son. "Why do you say that?"

"Because its true," he responded, and despite his best effort, Sally could feel his body shake against her as he tried to hold it together, to restrain the emotions that threatened to swallow him. He held her just a moment longer before untangling his arms and sitting again, his head leaning against the park bench and eyes staring at the sky.

"Do you know, that when I woke up with Lupa staring over me, no memory of who I was or where I came from. All I could remember was Annabeth, and the desperate need to get back her. I remembered the way the sun shined on her hair, her eyes, how they sparkled every time her mind was calculating something extremely complex, her smile...the taste of her lip gloss, it was cherry." Percy smiled wistfully, remembering the one thing that kept him stable during those first weeks of his awakening.

But that moment of tranquility was short lived, pushed down by the bitterness that he felt now. "Anyway, I spent the next several days running through the forest, terrified out my mind, not knowing where I was going, but just guided by some instinct of where I needed to be. That's when I found New Rome, met Frank and Hazel. You know," he paused as another thought entered his mind, a slight smile tugging at his lips, "We should invite them to visit, you'd love them mom, they're great people."

"Sure honey," Sally smiled at her son and gripped his arm in agreement. "That sounds like it would be nice."

"Anyway, I made it into this camp, half-starved, terrified and no idea who I was or what I was doing, chased by Gorgons the entire way. After everything settled, Hazel took me on a tour of the grounds and brought me to the shrine of Neptune. I prayed to him, begged him for some guidance, pleading with him to show me what I was meant to do. Instead I got nothing.

"It wasn't bad enough that I was expected to save Olympus, to fight Kronos and save the world. But then I get kidnapped by Hera, get my memories stolen and used like some gods damned tool to do their bidding. Hera of all goddesses, patron goddess of family, rips me out of my life without any concern about how this would effect you, or...or Annabeth," Percy choked on her name, as though still holding back his deeper concerns.

Thunder echoed in the sky in response to Percy's slight, but a bitterness crossed his visage. "Oh SHUT UP!" He screamed into the air, as if challenging Zeus to strike him down. At this point Percy stood up from the bench and stepped onto the walking trail, his eyes glaring in rage at the unseen god who threatened him. At that moment, Sally felt Percy's anger wash over her, and she began to understand how deeply bitter her son had become with the life forced upon him.

"Oh you won't do anything will you?" Percy mocked with reckless abandon, as he began to pace a track of several feet. "No, you need the great Percy Jackson alive in the event some other world ending catastrophe rains down on your heads and I'm needed once more to drag your ass from the brink of extinction! Yeah, not bad enough I save Olympus from Kronos, you have to steal six months of my life, tearing me away from the only people who love me. How about Bacchus, turning our fight against the giants into a fucking spectacle for his amusement! While we're getting the shit kicked out of us, he's laughing it up and having a good old time, isn't he?" Percy paused to catch his breath, yet Sally's eyes were now fixed on the duck pond as the water began to sway violently in reaction to Percy's mood.

"What about making Annabeth fight her greatest fear to retrieve the statue of her mom. When we found her she damn near lost her mind from the terror she had to face alone! Or, you know, tossing Annabeth and me in that goddamn pit, making us see those horrors that shredded our minds to ribbons, because we were the only one's strong enough to survive long enough to seal the Doors. Oh, and lets not forget that Gaea was hunting us the entire time, wanting to sacrifice our blood to resurrect her.

"But do you want to know what the real kicker was mom?"

"Percy," Sally said in alarm, her eyes now shifting to the ground that began to tremble under his feet.

"The real cherry on top of this shit sundae was that when we were facing the giants, seven lowly demigods against more than a dozen 30-foot tall god killers, when the gods finally decide to get off their asses to help us, when we defeat our enemies, do you know what Poseidon said to me? Nothing...not a goddamn thing!"

"Percy!" she said with more urgency, breaking through his rant as he paused his pacing and his mind settled on his surroundings. In the distance, dogs were frantically barking, car alarms were sounding, and in closer proximity, the trees were heaving against the ground in response to his anger. He looked to his mother, her eyes wide with alarm as she gripped the bench to keep her from sliding off during the tangent.

"Son of the earthshaker," Percy said, the anger in his face crumbling in agony over his own powerlessness to express his frustration. "Great...just goddamn perfect, I can't even get angry without causing a natural fucking disaster." At this he collapsed to his knees and buried his face in his hands, letting his eyes bleed all the tears he tried so hard to conceal. All the fear, regrets, anger and humiliation he felt at being a pawn of the gods who seemed to consider Percy as one who should be thankful he was given the right to live, and thus gave no credence of the mental strain of the constant wars this would have on him or Annabeth. Instead, Percy could do nothing more than weep at the powerlessness of his own life.

Sally was immediately by his side, kneeling against the pavement while holding her son, pulling him close, hoping for some way to comfort him. Percy's body however was rigid, as if fighting to restrain his emotions, afraid of causing the duck pond to flood, or another earthquake to occur if he were to lose control once more. All he could do was cling to his mother and hope the pain would lessen.

She stroked her son's hair while hiding her tears from him. Listening to his pleas of forgiveness for things he had no control over, a laugh escaped her lips at his apology for his profanity. Of all the multitude of worries within his life, he apologized for cussing. It was so much like her son she couldn't help but hope the outgoing, mischievous little boy she had raised was still somewhere within the shell of the embittered, scared and angry young man she held in her arms.

After several minutes of holding one another, Percy's sobs began to taper off, settling into sporadic hiccups that took the place of the self-loathing wails that had ripped their way from his throat. Still kneeling on the pavement, caring little for the foot traffic that moved around them, Percy moved his head to rest his cheek against his mother's shoulder.

"We're not sleeping mom, either of us...and when we do, its minimal at best." He said, his voice shaky as he tried to restrain his emotions. He couldn't stand of the thought of showing his mother how fragile he was. He wanted to prove he was brave, that she didn't have to worry about him. It was ingrained in him to hide his emotions, to hide from his feelings lest those around him would judge him as weak, but here he was, clinging to her like some scared child, terrified of the dark. "I'm...so tired of being afraid."

"Percy," his mother spoke softly, as if understanding his need to distance himself from his feelings, to shut himself off from all the fears he experienced while on duty. Percy was their champion, their defender and their hero. He had led the defense of Olympus, he had been the pillar of strength the others leaned on during the battle. He had been one of the seven greatest heroes to lead the fight against all odds, to defeat a primordial being that dwarfed even the gods great power.

But just because the fear isn't shown to those who followed him, doesn't mean it didn't worm it's way into his mind until it festered. Percy and Annabeth both had those fears, and yet, before either could confront them, abolish them, they were separated, reunited and forced on another world saving mission. Despite it all, they were both but children. This was the point that Sally desperately needed him to understand. "Percy, look around you. Do you see any monsters or demigods here? It's just us, and believe me when I tell you sweetie, you never need to be brave in front of me."

Another sob ripped itself from his lips as he held his mother tighter. "She won't sleep through the night." He said, the fear he had for Annabeth's well-being the forefront of his mind. "She keeps waking up, checking to make sure I'm still there beside her. It all started on the Argo II, she'd sneak into my cabin to make sure I hadn't disappeared again. She's afraid I'm going to vanish and I can't do anything to say I won't, because I can't promise that. Gods, she must be going out of her mind right now..."

"It's alright Percy, she's strong, she'll be okay." But there was the underlining thought that neither was willing to voice, that she wasn't as strong she pretended to be. The truth was, she was strong, but the months of separation has shown Sally had fragile Annabeth had become in her tireless search for Percy. For one sparse moment, after the second Titan War, they were given the chance to live as normal teenagers, to date, to start exploring all those confusing emotions that they couldn't quite put to words, until it was all torn away from them and they were left with the reality that they would never be "normal". That thought tore at her, wondering how to save these two. "Let me ask you a question Percy. You said that she keeps waking up to check that you're still there. If you know she's waking up, does that mean you're not sleeping either?"

A simple shake of his head was the only answer he could muster for a few minutes before he whispered only a scant number of words. "They won't leave me alone."

"Who sweetheart? Who are you talking about?"

Licking his lips in an effort to stall, Percy took a shuddering breath before listing his tormentors, "Bianca di Angelo, Zoe Nightshade, Lee Fletcher, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Michael Yew...and," he paused to take a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "Dozens more. They're all standing there, all the friends I've lost. Lined up before me. Whenever I close my eyes I see them mom, they're staring at me, accusing me of being alive while they're all dead. And they talk to me, they want me to join them...and I'm so scared. I'm so scared."

Percy's body began to shake as he gripped his mother tighter, clutching the back of her coat as if she were a lifeline, begging her to make the ghosts go away. He was terrified. He and Annabeth, not only were they tormented and attacked by the visions of their time in Tartarus, but of all the pain through their lives. Peal back the skin of an onion, you're left with more layers, more membranes that only go deeper...that only bring more tears. "And that's not even the worst of it," Percy said shakily, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat as he leaned away from his mother. With one shaky hand, he reached into his left pant pocket and retrieved a piece of paper, neatly folded, but wrinkled and crumpled, as though folded and unfolded many times. He had it clutched in his hand, his eyes watering in the realization of what this confirmed. "This arrived Monday." Barely a whisper escaped his lips as he could not tear his eyes away from the sheet of paper clutched in his fingers.

Never taking her eyes off of her son, Sally reached her right hand to his, squeezing gently as she slid the paper from his grip. She took a moment to study her son's face before she turned her attention to the page, unfolding it and reading its contents. It was a letter, written by Hazel to let Percy and Annabeth know that Jason was dead.

Sally had no words to share, as she slowly folded the page and handed it back to Percy. "Annabeth doesn't know," he said quietly as he returned the paper to his pocket. "I don't even know how to tell her. He was there from the beginning, fighting for Camp Half-Blood while Hera still had me in a coma, or whatever she put me in...We lost Leo, but he came back to us...and now Jason's gone. He was part of the 'exchange' Hera called it, like we where exchange students. And he's dead and I'm still here...and now he's among them, telling me I should be dead like all the others."

There were no more angry tears, no more howls of agony escaping the young man's lips, only the expression of a lost, scared child who had nothing left to give. Sally pulled him towards her and he fell against her shoulder in a boneless heap. It was though this last admission, this reality of somehow outliving his friends had left him empty and hollow. Jason, among the strongest and bravest of them all, had fallen in battle, dead like so many demigods before him...and so many that were still to come. How much more loss was there to be taken from him and Annabeth?

They're entire journey into the park had been an emotional storm, and Percy simply had no energy left to express or feel anything. Running her fingers through his hair, Sally began, "You'll need to tell her, she needs to know."

"She's dealing with too much..."

"So are you," Sally whispered against the tears she struggled to restrain, holding her son a little tighter. "But she's a very smart girl, she'll find out eventually. I think it would be better to hear it from you, than to know you kept it from her."

The only response was a simple nod from Percy. For several minutes they remained as they were, mother and son, trying desperately to weather the maelstrom that had shattered so much of this young man, yet acknowledging that so many of those broken pieces of his crumbled spirit were blown away by that storm.

"Do you want to head back now?" Sally said after a while, only for Percy to respond by standing up, and holding out his hand to assist his mother in getting to her feet. She smiled lovingly at her son while resting her hand against his cheek. "You and Annabeth, we're going to get you through this sweetie," she said, her eyes moistened by the emotion of their time together as she patted his cheek.

Percy did not offer any further comment except to close his eyes and nod his head in blind hope that that was true. He opened his eyes for a moment and trained them upon the duck pond. There was no longer any anger or betrayal shining from his telling view, they simply held no emotion as he looked upon the water, before turning and making his way up the walking trail.

–

When Percy and Sally had arrived home, Paul was seated on the couch watching TV. "Welcome back," he said upon their entry, standing and moving to help his wife with her coat as he smiled at the two of them. It was only when he approached that they saw the bruise forming along his cheekbone.

"What happened," Sally asked, reaching up to gingerly touch his face, as Paul stared for a moment before realizing what had captured her attention.

"Oh, when the tremor shook the neighborhood, Annabeth was adamant about getting to you, she kept saying that you needed her" he said, his voice lowered so as not to alert the young demigod of his words while his eyes fixed upon Percy. "So, that earthquake, was that really was you?"

"Yeah," he said self-consciously as he lowered his eyes in shame over his actions and what they did to Annabeth. "Paul, I'm so sorry about all of this. You keep getting hurt because of..."

"Hey," Paul interrupted as he placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Trust me, this is just cosmetic...it'll heal. Besides, Annabeth was in tears and has apologized to me more than enough. It was an accident, it just happened, okay. Though I need to keep reminding myself not to underestimate a demigod's strength. Anyway, the important thing is, your mom and I want the best for you, for both you and Annabeth. We've kind of accepted that its a package deal at this point." He smiled, despite the obvious discomfort that resulted from the bruise on his face before pulling Percy into an embrace that took the young man by surprise, though he made no effort to escape the gesture and returned the hug.

"So where's..."

"She in your room," Paul responded knowingly as he released Percy. The young man moved passed his step-father and made his way to his room, pausing as his left hand went into his pocket and retrieved the letter. It seemed to weigh the weight of the world as, for a moment he turned his eyes towards his mother who nodded her head.

"So where's Estelle?" he heard his mother ask as he turned back towards the hallway. Learning his baby sister had slept through the entire thing, earthquake and all, Percy envied at how nice it would be to grow up without the fear of constant death. Some dreams were never meant to be realized. As he prepared to enter the room, he turned his attention back to his mom and step-dad who were both watching him. He was positive they would be discussing what had happened during their conversation. He was curious what his mother would say, but on further consideration, he probably didn't want to know.

As he twisted the doorknob and entered his room, his expression temporarily lightened as he saw his girlfriend curled on his bed. The moment her eyes fell on him, her expression reflected a sense of relief at his return that felt almost palpable to the young man. She rose to her knees, arms outstretched, and for a moment Percy was reminded of the time two years ago when Annabeth was leading the quest through the labyrinth and it had all become too much for her, and she had reached out, needing his support and comfort more than she needed the responsibility of her quest. Percy effortlessly stepped into her embrace, holding her to him, his body shaking with the understanding that he needed her as much as she needed him.

"I'm so sorry," she said as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "When I felt the earthquake I tried to get to you and Paul tried to stop me. It was only a glancing blow, I didn't even know I'd hit him until he backed away..."

"Hey I'm alright, okay? And Paul's fine, he's not the least bit angry, okay? He...him and my mom, they just want to keep us safe, you know?"

Annabeth's eyes reflected a glimmer of hope at the promise Percy's parents had made before she chose to ask, "What happened? I felt the tremor, I could feel your pain through it...what happened Percy?"

"I'm sorry," he said, his hold tightening as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "I couldn't help it, I was just so angry and..." Annabeth silenced him by pressing her lips to his, not in an effort to take his pain from him, but as a silent commitment to shoulder his pain.

Slowly, Annabeth began to relax in his arms as she lowered herself to lay down on the mattress, grabbing Percy's shirt and pulling him with her until they both laid on their sides, their eyes fixed upon the other as they held each other in the only comfort they had in this world. For a moment they stayed silent, lost in each others presence. Percy had moved his hand to sweep the errant curls behind Annabeth's ear before letting his fingers glide across her cheek.

"I'm so tired Percy," she whispered, her eyes drooping lower as she tried to focus on his face. "I'm tired of being scared you'll be missing when I wake up, I'm tired of closing my eyes and seeing the blood red world of sulfur air and fire water. Running until my lungs feel like they're about to burst."

"I know," he said softly, leaning forward and kissing her temple. "I'm tired of being played by the gods, like I'm some damn pawn on a chessboard. I'm tired of being afraid. And I'm tired of burying our friends. I see their ghosts every time I close my eyes Annabeth, they just stand there taunting me, blaming me for being alive while they're dead."

"Our friends would never blame you for living Percy, you know that," Annabeth said, her eyes piercing his green orbs with a knowledge that he would never tire of appreciating.

Percy licked his lips as his own eyes saddened, and opened his mouth to speak. "Gods Annabeth I don't even know how much more we can handle..." he said, his eyes shimmering with a sheen of moisture he tried so hard to hide from her. "Jason..." She stopped any further words as she placed her fingers to his lips.

"I know about Jason." She said, as fresh tears slid silently down her face.

"How?"

"You talk in your sleep," Annabeth stated, her eyes becoming distant as she recalled the memory. "You were having a nightmare, calling out his name, asking him to forgive you. What were you wanting his forgiveness for?"

He swallowed heavily as he moved to lay on his back, his eyes staring at the ceiling. As he stalled for time, Annabeth positioned herself to lay across his chest, her ear pressed against him to listen to his heartbeat, her hand resting on his stomach. "I was asking him to forgive me for not going to help Apollo. Maybe if I went, he'd still be alive..."

"And you'd be dead," Annabeth finished hauntingly, her words barely audible, as though contemplating the outcome was beyond her ability to rationalize. "We both loved Jason like a brother, hell, all the seven are family, but Percy, you can't take the responsibility of other people's choices. Jason chose to go on that mission, that was his choice," she paused to allow her breathing to calm enough to get the words past the lump in her throat. "Just as it was my choice to go off and find the Athena Parthenos, and..." she paused, pressing her lips against his chest, at the spot just over his heart. "As you have continued to remind me, it was your choice to let go of that ledge.

"We are going to spend the rest of our lives mourning him, but we both know he would never forgive us if we diminished his sacrifice by blaming ourselves."

Percy let out a small breath that passed as a light laugh as he wrapped his arms around Annabeth, his right hand gliding over the length of her back. For several moments he took deep calming breaths, trying to rationalize and understand all the grief he felt through all the friends he had buried. "I can't believe it, but I forget sometimes."

"Forget what?"

"How smart you are."

Annabeth smiled briefly at his pure answer before responding. "As long as you never forget how much you love me Percy, you're forgiven," she said, moving herself up the length of his body until she was in position to bring her lips to his in a tender kiss that lingered in the slow need of comfort they treasured within each others presence.

When at last they separated, Percy gazed upon her face as if drinking in every detail of her. The way her gray eyes gazed heavily through her lashes, the slightly swollen curve of her lips, the gentle slope of her nose, every detail of her was if she were sculpted as an absolute display of perfect beauty. "Even Hera couldn't make me forget that," he responded, bringing his hand to cradle her face, his fingers dancing over the subtle curve of her cheek before moving to brush some errant strands of hair behind her ear.

"While I was talking to my mom, it gave me a lot of time to think...you know, about all this stuff." He paused, as if trying to find the words to express his ideas.

Annabeth turned her face to look at him, waiting in response for him to continue. She smiled inwardly to understand how patient she had become, allowing Percy to take his time to gather his thoughts without rushing him.

"I've been thinking that it took us a long time for us to collect all these nightmares. I mean, we started this madness when we were 12, this stuff just doesn't show up all at once, it takes time, you know," he started, his entire attention fixed solely on her. "So then, it's probably going to take us a while to get out from under it all. I've been wondering, if we haven't been trying too hard to get rid of all this baggage all at once, when maybe, if we take it one at a time, in smaller bits, maybe we can put ourselves back together, the way we were, or as close as we can to what we were, you know, before everything went to hell...literally."

Annabeth's expression was thoughtful as she nuzzled herself against Percy's shoulder, placing a soft, loving kiss against the fabric of his shoulder before resting her head, allowing his warmth to comfort her. "You know, it's amazing, but sometimes I forget," she replied, echoing his own words.

"What would that be?"

"How clever you are."

"It's alright," Percy said, her comment drawing a soft smile to his lips. Tightening his hold on her while closing his eyes to relish her closeness, he said, "As long as you remember that you and I are forever, you're forgiven."

Smiling against his shoulder, Annabeth let her eyes drift closed as she snuggled closer to his body. "Forever huh? I can live with that Percy."

"Good, because I made you a promise," he said, allowing his mind to linger on the taste of her lips, the cherry lip balm that reminded him that, no matter how seemingly simple and insignificant some things may be, they can still be just...perfect. "We're staying together Annabeth, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that Percy, because I'm a wreck without you."

"Ditto," he responded. As the two young lovers lay in each others arms, they soon drifted to sleep, each praying that together, they could exorcise the ghosts of their pasts. Because together, they've never failed to keep each other safe, because together was all they ever needed. Because in this world that had turned so viciously against them, together was really the only thing that would save them.

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OC: I'm actually kind of happy with this one. I worked really hard, wanting to focus on Percy's struggles while Sally is working her best to try to get them through it. Next chapter will mostly be Annabeth and Sally. Anyway, as always, if you liked the story so far, drop a review, I'd love to know what I'm doing right and what you enjoyed about this. Than you for reading.