Homecoming: Chapter 7

The Longest Night

As December rolled into the lives of the inhabitants of the Jackson-Blofis household, many factors had become increasingly evident. With Paul's support, a meeting was called with the school administration, regarding the removal of Percy and Annabeth from the standard class format to a home schooling environment for the upcoming spring semester. Dr. Chase's letter of acceptance to allow his daughter to be home schooled, as well as the doctor notes supporting the proposal from one Dr. Apollo Sol, proved all the required documentation needed to implement the plan.

So it was, two days prior to the start of Winter Break that Percy and Annabeth were given permission to conclude their senior semester from home, with the added advantage that if they wished to participate in school related events such as prom and graduation, they would not be restricted. With that settled, the demigods could work to focus on their mental health and stability from the relative safety of their home, while still completing their education. Additionally, the knowledge that they had already been approved to attend university at New Rome, the proverbial light at the end of their long, dark, seemingly endless tunnel was at the very least, now visible. This had greatly elevated both of their spirits, not that they were concerned they would not be accepted, after all, two of the heroes of the Great Prophesy as well as the designated Heroes of Olympus, their placement was all but assured, but it gave them something to strive for, a fresh start from all the battles and trauma of their lives.

However, while Christmas was something they were all eagerly anticipating, there was a monumental obstacle laid before them. For reasons not fully evident to Percy's parents, the 17th of December was a day dreaded by both teens, until it was shakily revealed by Annabeth that it would be the one year anniversary of Percy's abduction. And despite the fervent efforts to stave off the building anxiety associated with the date in question, it was fast approaching with all the courtesy of a wrecking ball.

To circumvent the anxiety of the upcoming date, Sally had presented a number of activities, mostly centered around the decorating of the home for the upcoming holiday. While this of course was not nearly enough to keep everyone's mind from the upcoming date, it did provide an adequate distraction from what was likely to be an unwanted day for all involved. Setting up and fully decorating the Christmas Tree was a day unto itself, and when they had finished, they spent the afternoon watching Christmas movies and drinking hot chocolate. Other days were spent with decorating the rest of house, setting out a manger scene that had belonged to Sally's parents, or placing a nutcracker on the mantle, old and beaten, but given to Paul by his favorite aunt when he was five. On other days, Sally would drag Percy and Annabeth into the kitchen to bake cookies and other festive treats. Anything that she could think of to distract the pair was brought into play in an effort to keep their minds off the upcoming day that loomed heavy over all of their heads.

And of course, true to Sally's commitment that the two demigod teens did not fully withdrawal from the world, they had spent one day per week, first going ice skating and then walking the neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights. The next week, they went to the mall to finalize their shopping. While Annabeth and Percy had completed all of their preparations early, they did enjoy their time simply people watching, looking upon small families with toddlers and young children in tow, or couples walking the floors, lost in each others presence. It was modest and humbling to observe that, despite all they had been through, life did continue. Perhaps it was just small moments like this that reminded them that, had they not sacrificed so much of themselves, none of these people would be able to enjoy these quiet moments.

But equally, that left a sadness within each of them as well. Much like their experience in the hallways of their schools, they could not fully relax among the crowds of people flurrying from store to store while doing last minute shopping. While Sally was scurrying into a nearby story, they had positioned themselves in a bench, back against a wall, with Percy's right hand in his pocket, his fingers never releasing its grip on his pen, while Annabeth sat beside him, right leg crossed over her left and her hand palming the hilt of her dagger strapped to her thigh.

While they both smiled at the sight of the three year old child attempting to throw a penny into the fountain, the expression never reached their eyes. Too much pain and hurt lay buried within them, but sitting together, arms touching each other was a sanctuary for them, a reminder that they were both still there and together. Because while it was unspoken, Annabeth's great fear of Hera again ripping Percy from his life, that fear was equally felt by Percy, as though uncertain that he would be the one targeted by Hera, or any other god for that matter, if she chose to call upon another hero without their consent.

While he had never fully revealed the depths of his anxiety to her, it was implied readily enough that he was equally terrified of waking up and finding her missing and taken from him. For while no one would deny he was the strongest demigod alive, she was the smartest, and they had together walked the path of Tartarus. For that reason alone, she was every bit as capable as he was to fulfill whatever arrogant whims the gods called upon within their schemes.

And there was another component to their discontent as well. Somewhere within their lives, and certainly this had occurred at different points of their lives, but they had grown bitter with the treatment they received from the gods. Annabeth, the young 12-year-old eager to prove herself, to prove she was capable of saving the world and earning her mother's respect, and Percy, defiant yet loyal, who never wanted to be a hero yet was thrust into the world he did not understand. Now however, he understood it and could not help but see how ugly it all was; and Annabeth, fighting all these years for her mother's approval, only to realize the cost was not worth it.

Strangely, these two had come to understand, though they never spoke of it, that those two idealistic kids sent out on their first quest to retrieve the Master Bolt, had died in the pits of Tartarus, and all that remained was the broken pieces of who they were. Everyday was a struggle to hold themselves together, to fight off the fear and panic and terror of all they had endured, and the gods seemed disinterested in what their decrees had cost the two heroes.

Thus, December 17th was fast approaching, moving forever closer like a funeral march upon their unstable lives. And it was therefore agreed upon that they would not sleep, keeping a constant vigil for each other until the day had passed. Percy and Annabeth both knew it was irrational. If the gods wanted to steal them from their lives, there was nothing they could do to prevent it, nor was there any justification to assume it would happen again on the same day it had prior. Though, nothing about their current state of mind was rational when concerned with the puppet master treatment they received from the gods.

So, on the sixteenth, the pair sat on the couch, snuggled against each other and holding desperately to one another. They had only moved from the couch for restroom breaks, choosing to eat their meals on the sofa and never letting each other be alone. And as night fell on the eve of the unwanted anniversary, Sally had joined them on the sofa, her hand resting atop Percy's wrist. Paul too, was seated on the couch, moving occasionally to collect snacks and munchies as they watched whatever movie they had in their collection, and of course attending to Estelle's needs. At around 3:00 am, when the infant had awakened, Percy insisted on feeding her her bottle, his features soft and loving as he looked at the fragile life in his arms. It gave him focus, and for a moment, the strain of the day fell quiet within his mind.

It seemed such a simple act that held so much meaning for his life, a promise to see her grow, and, despite his unwillingness to voice his hopes for the future, to care for his own children one day. That thought brought a gentle smile to his face as he turned his expression to Annabeth, who seemed to understand his thoughts and took the opportunity to thread her fingers through his hair and lay a kiss upon his forehead as a confirmation of all his hopes.

As time continued to wind forward however, Paul had taken Estelle, snuggling her in his arms, yet seemed reluctant to put her in her crib. Some unspoken bond was forged in that moment between the residents of this cozy home, a need to protect each other in the most fear inducing moments. So as the minutes continued to draw ever closer to the designated moment, they busied themselves, watching movies, playing board or card games or just talking about different topics both great and small.

Fifteen minutes before the moment they were all counting down however, it had all become too much for Annabeth. For some time she continually shifted her attention from Percy to the digital clock, her eyes rimmed red as she fought the panic she knew was irrational, yet could not exercise from her fear. She rolled her position on the couch, her legs straddling Percy as she gripped him tightly, holding him to her in a protective embrace as if her will alone could stave off any godly abduction, all the while, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Percy in turn, wrapped his arms around her, crushing her body against his as he buried his face against her shoulder, holding her desperately, for she was his lifeline and the knowledge was simple, yet concise; if he were to lose her, he would drown in his own grief. They both knew this was ridiculous, the probability of his disappearance happening again was non-existent, yet regardless of knowing that simple fact, it did not stop the fear within them.

Nor did it stop the uncertainty in Sally and Paul. Each had taken their position on either side of the embracing couple, twining their arms around the pair and holding them in silent support. Sally was startled to feel the two teens quivering in grief and fear and panic; and not for the first time was she angry at the gods for punishing these two so grievously that they now lived, buried under their fear of everything around them.

School, friends, even going to the summer camp they had so loved was all stripped away from their sense of security. So many times she had seen it in their eyes, either from Percy's or Annabeth's, sometimes collectively, how very old and tired they appeared. The result of the wars and prophesies, the missions and quests forced upon them had taken a toll that burrowed deep within their psyches. Soldiers on the battlefield would take years of effort and hours of counseling to overcome even a fraction of what these two heroes had experienced. At times, Sally could not help but wonder, even if these two, by some miracle, lived to be elderly, would they have the time to work through all the horrors that plagued them.

They had made it so far...and yet the anniversary of one of the most unfair events of their lives could send the entire family spiraling into this moment of anxiety. It just didn't seem fair, but then again, when had the gods ever involve themselves with the concerns of mortals, when had they ever cared about fairness? Sally paused in her own anger. This was not what was needed, and it would not help anyone. Rather, she redoubled her efforts to focus on these two shattered kids who, for the moment, needed her to be their support structure. So often they were strong for the world, it was only fitting that she be strong for them.

Paul had briefly untangled himself from the smattering of compressed bodies in their tight embrace as he turned his head towards the clock on the wall. "7:32," he responded, his voice sounding relieved as he slowly pulled away. It had been six minutes since the exact minute Annabeth had learned Percy was missing...they had made it.

"Okay," Sally said as she untangled herself from her position on the couch, "I'm going to make the best breakfast we've ever had, and then, we're...we're going to go to the park and make a snowman," she said with a breathless laugh before turning her watery eyes from Percy and Annabeth to her husband who offered a hopeful smile in return. The pair of demigods however had not moved from their position, their bodies still pressed together and silent whispers slipping past their lips.

As she moved to place her hands on the napes of each of their necks, Sally felt the shivering had not subsided, the fear was still omnipresent within the two terrified teens. Still, she leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss, first against the side of Percy's head, then Annabeth's before righting her posture and biting her lip at the desperate display of these two. "Then," her voice slipping past her lips in a fragile whisper, "we're going to drink hot chocolate until we pop, and watch movies, and listen to Christmas carols," her voice hitched slightly as she could not overcome everything they had just endured. She herself had no compunctions that Percy would be abducted again, the idea seemed impossible that the gods would do that on the same day to these two again, yet, the ever-present reality was that they could do it at any time, best to focus that fear, if they had to, on a single day than wait for the panic to consume them every day of their lives, never knowing if that would be the day the gods would swoop in and again ruin them.

Once more Sally felt bitter and angry at how unfair the gods were to their children. Yet, she would bury that anger for the sake of the suffering children before her.

December 17th would, from this day forward, be a day that scarred them all. But damn it, she was not going to let the fear and memories of eight months of not even know where Percy was, let alone if he was alive, dictate her life, or the lives of anyone else in her family. If for no other reason than to throw it in the face of the gods that they would not break her, she was going to make every effort to celebrate this day, not as a reminder that Percy had been taken, but that he had come back.

Kissing each of them once more on the tops of their heads, she embraced Paul and kissed him deeply, thanking him so very much for his love and support during all of this. While wiping away the tears with the backs of her hands, she maneuvered her way to the kitchen to start making blue pancakes.

For today would be the day she would start a new tradition.

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A/N: Not sure how this went, I was planning to do a seen where Percy had a panic attack, where he fell asleep and dreamed Hera had taken Annabeth, but kind of iffy on another panic attack scene. Anyway, this is a shorter chapter but debating about continuing this...the story hasn't gotten a lot of traction and can't really tell if it's good or just whatever….

Anyway, if you were kind enough to read, please be kind enough to review.