Homecoming

Chapter 18: Mothers and Fathers

Upon returning from their trip to San Francisco, Percy and Annabeth had been filled with a source of excitable energy at the prospect at moving into a safe haven for demigods and living their lives without fear of attacks or missions that was the daily course for their lives. However, despite the promise of a future neither were naive enough to believe they could ever have until they saw it, there was a sense of conflicting hesitation within the two young demigods.

For Percy, his emotional conflict was easy to identity. New York was his home, it had been since his birth, and the idea of moving to the other side of the country terrified him, not only because it was three time zones away, but because for so many years it was just him and his mother against the world. She had been his safety net so many times when the world dropped out from under him, and he wondered if he could cope without her ever-present compassion and gentle wisdom to guide him through the worst of it. Certainly Annabeth filled much of that role, but his mother was always a stabilizing force within his life, and not having her warm embraces and blue chocolate chip cookies when he needed them most terrified him.

Then there was Estelle. He adored his sister, and some part of him recognized that this move might result in her growing up without him...that she might not ever know him except as a face and a name. As someone who had grown up never knowing his father, he did not want his sister to grow up not knowing him. As the end of school approached and the realization of his and Annabeth's journey to New Rome became, not so much as a very distant dream but an ever-approaching reality, it left him uneasy about those he would leave behind.

Annabeth however was torn for a different reason. For so long, her home had been Camp Half-Blood, until it wasn't, until it felt suffocating and restrictive. Having run away at such a young age, she had never nurtured the roots of family that so many others took for granted. At camp, she would badger and pester Chiron repeatedly, demanding to be allowed to go on a quest, to be—released so that she could prove herself—as though she were some prisoner. She had never considered how claustrophobic the open fields of camp had felt until she had gone on her first quest with Percy. She had gotten to see the world, to test herself as being among the greatest demigods alive, and had lost count of the number of times she had nearly died.

As she had gotten older, she began to understand the anger of so many rejected demigods who were shoved in the Hermes cabin, the ones who joined Luke on his mad mission. How many demigods betrayed their fellow campers? How many were dead because of it? The gods overall dismissal of their lives only solidified that feeling of disenfranchisement with the gods who sired them, but provided little else.

So when Percy had disappeared, Sally had been Annabeth's refuge, and for the first time in her life, she understood what it meant to be part of a family. Sally had welcomed her into her home, comforted her when the worst fears left her in tears; so scared and confused she was unable to apply her brilliant mind in the hopes of devising the next steps to find her precious boyfriend. Sally had been the mother she had never felt worthy to have. Likewise, Paul had treated her like a daughter, offering moral support and a calm perspective that made Annabeth envious that Percy had this sort of support structure in his life, and humbled to know that it extended to her as well.

The love and support Annabeth had received from the Blofis family was such that the prospect of their eventual departure left a vacuum in the young woman, and she, like Percy, felt an unnatural chill within their lives at the mere thought of their eventual relocation. It was not that were not excited about moving to New Rome, far from it, but for Annabeth and Percy, who had left behind so much of themselves, so many people, this felt like much the same, more pain of leaving more people behind.

Since it had been agreed upon for Percy and Annabeth's cohabitation within the Blofis household, the parents had been ever watchful for any signs of tension or stress that might impact or hinder the healing of the two, still, emotionally fragile demigods. There were days, so many in fact where Sally would discretely hide herself away in her bedroom and cry in anger or frustration on behalf of Percy and Annabeth. Growing ever bitter that they were made to suffer so. Even after so long, there were still so many hurdles to overcome.

And so, when they had returned from their trip out west, Sally and Paul had corresponded with Frederic over the events of their visit. Of particular interest to the parents was Annabeth's assessment of Percy's fear that they had not made any further emotional progress beyond the lessening of their night terrors. There were still the occasional panic attacks, still the emotional distancing when speaking to others, and of course, the crippling anxiety when one or the other was out of each others sight for more than a few seconds. It had gotten so bad that Percy and Annabeth had taken to sitting outside the bathroom when their partner was taking a shower.

So when the pair had returned, and it was evident some, as of yet, new emotional tension surfaced within the two demigods, the parents had immediately set to work on their own intervention. Their plan was quite simple, divide and conquer. With their new place of residence being in the suburbs, Paul had bought a new barbecue grill while the teens were in California. He would coax Percy to help him grill some beautifully thick steaks, while Sally would encourage Annabeth to share her own anxieties while looking over some photos in the photo album and talking about plans for their future.

At around 3:15 pm, the day after their return, Paul and Sally covertly put their plan into action. "Hey Percy," Paul began, drawing his stepson's attention as he was currently sitting on the couch, leaning on Annabeth's shoulder while she was reading 'The Importance of Being Ernest' by Oscar Wilde, the last reading assignment she needed to complete for her senior English class. "If you have a minute, could you give me a hand?"

Raising his head from its resting place, he stole a look to his fiance, who merely nodded as he stood and followed his stepfather out through the sliding patio door. As he had left, Annabeth's eyes remained fixed on the retreating form of her fiance, determined to keep him in sight, lest the uneasy nervousness swelled within her center. As Annabeth closed her book and put in on the coffee table, Sally entered the living room and, offering Estelle for Annabeth to hold, before leaving the room with a smile and returning with a box of photo albums and unmarked pictures.

To Annabeth's surprise, Sally had placed the box on the floor at the teen's feet and moved to sit beside her, a nostalgic smile forming on her features. "Paul bought a new grill and needed Percy's help to drag it out of the garage before grilling the steaks. But, while our boys are working on that, I was hoping you wouldn't mind helping organize some photo albums..."

For several minutes the blonde demigod stared at the box while Estelle continued to swipe at her hair. She was not the least bit fooled by the ploy of what Sally and Paul had intended, knowing this was a precursor to a conversation she would likely not want to have. Regardless of her hesitation, Annabeth had learned not to dismiss the woman's concern. With the exception of Percy, Sally had done more for her than anyone else in her life, and she deserved the right to initiate those conversations, despite how uncomfortable they would be.

For a while however, Sally simply continued to pull out photo albums and flip through the pages, showing various pictures of her and Percy's past memories. Annabeth had nearly fallen into a fit of hysterics at the captured image of Percy with his head stuck between the rails of a banister.

"Oh gods, please get me a copy of that," she gasped between hiccuping fits of laughter.

"Of course," Sally chuckled, a wistful smile adorning her face as she slid her finger over the image, tracing the contours of her son's face while her eyes moistened at the silly smile he wore in the picture. "He was four when he did this. He was so proud he could fit his head through the railing, I don't know what ever possessed him to try, but...I think I went through a whole tub of butter to lather his head enough to slip him back through the rails. Took me a week to get all the oil off his head..." Sally paused for a moment, her attention fixed upon the picture before she said softly, "I miss that smile..."

A tightness had settled in Annabeth's chest as she focused her attention on the older woman who merely remained starting at that singular picture for several minutes before she finally pulled her focus to the teen seated beside her. Eyes swimming in unshed tears, she offered a sad smile to Annabeth before looking back at the picture.

It was at this moment the demigod realized what Sally was doing. They had done this numerous times while Percy was missing, an activity that had forged the parental bond she felt so deeply attuned to the mother of her boyfriend, now fiance. However, this was the first time Sally had shown her this picture, it was a special memory for her and her alone, and yet now she was sharing that with eventual her daughter-in-law.

"We're not getting better are we?" Annabeth blurted, her voice a bare whisper as she sat in the silence the fell between the two women, her arms moving to snuggle Estelle a little closer, as though she were a source of comfort for the young demigod. "We haven't really talked about it, but we both feel it...this idea that we've done all we can and this is just the new normal for us.

"Everyone who knew us before we fell into that damn pit..." she said, her words startling her as she looked at Estelle, realizing belatedly she had cursed in front of the toddler. "Sorry," she replied simply as she tapped the youngster on the nose before kissing her forehead. "You heard nothing baby genius.

"But, anyway, it's just...everyone looks at us different now, like we're a puzzle spread out over the floor without the box to know what the picture is supposed to look like. And then, trying to put the pieces together, some are missing, and some don't even fit at all...and I hate it. All the people from camp, Frank and Hazel, my father...you and Paul, everyone looks at us like we're different, fragile, broken and I can't pretend like its my imagination, or I'm reading too much into it any longer."

Annabeth took a moment to concentrate on Estelle while she collected her thoughts, her fingers toying with the long strands of the baby's brown hair, so similar in color to Sally's. As she marveled over the child, her thoughts were interrupted by the woman beside her.

"How much do you know about Gabe?" Sally asked, flipping another page on the photo album, her attention fixed to the images before her. The question had effectively distracted the daughter of Athena, as she frowned in response. In truth, she had only known him by name, had only known that he was a horrible experience for Percy to have handled, though she had never before heard Sally bring up his name. On top of that, the sudden change in direction of the conversation caused the teenager to struggle to keep up.

"Not much," she had responded. She had known he was horrible to her fiance when he was his stepfather, knew that he had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and while she never had proof, nor did she want it, she did have her suspicions as to what had happened. Still, she had known very little about the man. She had never had reason to bring it up to Sally, and Percy was less than keen to even mention his name.

"He was a beast of a man," she said, a sad smile tugging at her lips before shaking her head, "well, if you could even call him a man. He wasn't an alcoholic, but he was a mean, stinking drunk. The first time I ever saw him go after Percy, I threatened to kill him. Percy was only seven, and Gabe brought the back of his hand across his face. Percy ran out of the apartment in tears, and I went after Gabe. He beat me so bad I lost consciousness. It was the first time in my entire life I was afraid I was going to die." Sally paused, her breath hitching in her confession as she took several minutes to restrain her emotions.

"When I came to, Percy had my head in his lap and was petting my hair." a soft smile born from the memory of her loving son brought a measure of peace to the remarkable woman as she continued. "I told him I had slipped in the tub. I don't know if he ever believed it, but we both accepted the lie.

"Things were different after that. I was terrified he was going to kill me, and who knows what he would have done to Percy if I wasn't around, so I became meek and submissive, I buried who I was under the veneer of a doting and supportive wife to a man who was little more than a pig in human skin. Percy doesn't know, and I trust you not to tell him this, but there were several times when Gabe was in one of his drunken rages, Percy would run out of the apartment in fear, and I'd provoke Gabe to keep him from going after my son when he returned..." a sob tore itself from Sally's lips at the memories she had repressed for so long as she moved her right arm to pull up the fabric of her shirt to show an ugly, jagged scar against her side.

"Gabe gave this me one night when he was in particularly bad mood, broke a beer bottle against my ribs. This was just the worst of them, a lasting reminder of what he left me with. But something I've come to realize is that, the emotional scars cut much deeper than the physical ones. Even after all this time, I'll occasionally wake up in a cold sweat, terrified the arm draped over me is his and not Paul's. God bless that man, let me tell you, he has the patience of Job. He made it possible for me to trust in people again, and other than my children," she paused again, fixing her eyes upon Annabeth, making it clear that she was included among that number, "I have never loved anyone more than him."

Feeling self-conscious at the admission provided by Sally, Annabeth lowered her eyes as she digested the information she had given her. She understood fully how painful it was to disclose the knowledge she had surrendered, and felt that this information was given in complete confidence, but had also bonded the two women further in a shared pain. Yet, there was an unresolved issue within Sally's past that only drew more concern and fear to the blonde demigod; that after all these years, the fear had never fully abandoned the older woman, it lingered and festered. If Sally still struggled under the trauma she experienced with her previous husband, and considering what she and Percy had been through, what chance did they have?

"How did you get over it?"

"I didn't," Sally replied honestly as she looked at the younger woman, a sad smile dawning upon her lips. "But you learn, over time, the good things outweigh the bad.

"When Percy went missing for those six months, it was the hardest time of my life, even worse than all my years with Gabe, because I felt helpless. I knew why I married Gabe, to protect Percy from being detected by monsters, but, with Percy's abduction, it didn't make sense, and I didn't know what to do.

"But you helped me through some really, really dark times Annabeth, and, maybe it's selfish, but it did give me the opportunity to get to know the amazing young woman my son was so much in love with," Sally turned a loving smile in her direction, as her hands flipped the pages of the photo album. Overwhelmed by the maternal support Sally offered, she turned her eyes to the intended page Sally had turned to, her breath catching in her throat.

There, centered and the only picture on the page was an image of a 12-year-old Annabeth, standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial with her arms crossed in a show of cocky pride. For several moments, she could not register what she was seeing. She had thought that picture had been destroyed years ago, and more than that, it was a photo of some significance to Sally as it was the only one on display. It was not a picture of Percy and Annabeth together, but of just Annabeth, and she could not understand why it would be relegated to its own page.

"I...I thought this picture had been lost..." she stated, stumbling over her words and remembering when she had snuck into Percy's school and had seen the picture torn up.

Smiling at the realization she had stumped the daughter of Athena, Sally could not help but feel a little pride in her own sentimental display. "Percy might think it is, he never looks in these albums, but you emailed him a picture, I just...happened to make a copy of it," the mischievous smile she provided reminded Annabeth so much of her fiance's expressions that she could not help but recognize the similarities between mother and son. Additionally, it was such a stark contrast of emotions from what Sally had only recently shown, that Annabeth could not help but wonder if she was putting on a front to distract the demigod of her pain filled past and focus on Annabeth's issues. But then, Sally's words came back to her, 'the good things outweigh the bad,' and she was again overwhelmed by the understanding that Sally fully confirmed she was one of the many good things to help ease the pain of her past. That realization was truly humbling.

"I wanted to make sure I kept this picture because, even at the age of 12, I knew you were going to be the one for my son."

"H-how?"

"Call it mother's intuition," Sally answered mysteriously as she fixed Annabeth with her piercing hazel eyes. "Percy had taped your picture to the inside of his notebook. I swear, I've never seen that boy open a book more in my life than he did to look at that picture taped to the front cover.

"I couldn't resist teasing him about it, but I only did so a couple times. He used to blush and stutter some nonsense about just wanting to make sure everything really happened, but he couldn't hide the hopeful little smile he always had when he talked about you, or the way his eyes lit up when your name came up in conversation. I knew immediately that, to Percy, you were someone incredibly special."

Annabeth eyed the photo taken so long ago, the confident stance and smile on the girl she had once been, and wondered how weary and worn down by life she was now. Much like Sally had echoed about her son's missing smile since his return from this last war, Annabeth felt bitter at the lost, innocent child staring back at her. How she wish she could tell her to steel herself against the world, and to stay close to Percy, because he would see her through, but he would her to see him through as well. But she couldn't, because the eagerly confident young girl was gone, and this hollowed young woman, aged beyond her years was all that remained.

In contrast to the defeated morose emotions warring within her, Annabeth raised her eyes to look once more out the patio door to see Percy staring fixedly at her. When he he caught her eye, he raised his hand to her, an action she mimicked before they both returned to what they were doing previously. 'Focus on the good,' the words came unbidden to her as she looked back at the picture in the album.

Sensing her own thoughts on the matter, Sally reached out and pulled Annabeth to her, allowing her to rest her head against the older woman's shoulder, much as she would let Percy do when he needed that extra sense of comfort, when the world seemed to spin a little too fast for him to rationalize his life.

As she lay there against Sally's shoulder, a thought emerged of how much she so desperately loved Percy, and how very thankful she was that his family was so warm and welcoming to her, as though she always belonged here. And as her eyes drifted back to the photo of herself standing before the Lincoln Memorial she realized that, in a very significant way, she had, and it was as if, in that moment, one of those missing pieces of her puzzle had somehow found its way back into the pile.

-0-

"Alright, so let's get this thing started," Paul said, placing the covered plate of steaks on the patio table before leading Percy to the outside garage door. As he entered, he began wheeling the large grill out of the enclosure and, with Percy's help, lifted it to the raised patio. Setting it in the designated placement, Paul ignited the grill, standing back to wait for it to reach its designated temperature.

As the stood in silence, Percy furrowed his brow about the recent acquisition, "When did we get a grill?"

"While you and Annabeth were in California," Paul said as way of response, his eyes twinkling with a sense of excitement, "Been meaning to get one for a while. Since moving here, the weather's been a little too cold to think about buying one, and well, Frederic had told us you seemed to enjoy grilling, so, while I may not be the connoisseur of ribs Frederic is, or at least how he described it, I do grill a mean steak."

Percy had immediately fallen silent at the mention of Annabeth's father. It was no surprise the historian had talked to his parents about their time in California, and his own observations about the state of mind of the two demigods. For all his best efforts, he could not help but feel he was still under a microscope. "What else did Frederic say?" he asked, and though he did not mean the words to sound accusatory, they did come out harsher than intended.

Paul only looked over his shoulder at his stepson before turning his attention back to the temperature gauge. "He said that he thought the two of you had a great time in San Francisco; though he doesn't know much about visiting New Rome. But he said you were practically in love with Golden Gate Park..."

"Paul..."

Allowing his shoulders to slump a little, the teacher turned to fully face his stepson. "In his extremely experienced though non-licensed opinion, we've still a lot of work to do."

"Just perfect," Percy breathed in exasperation as he slumped into one of deck chairs. Placing his elbows on the table while letting his forehead rest against the palms of his hands, Percy seemed to deflate upon himself, as if he could no longer hold the illusion of confidence he tried so desperately to retain. "I'm so tired of this shit Paul. I'm tired of being looked at as if I'm a crazed animal, or something in a zoo to gawk at. I'm tired of feeling like I just don't relate to anyone anymore. I'm so tired of knowing that after all the work we've done, telling you and mom about our quests, our missions, just like you two asked, no filter, nothing left out, we're still left with all this goddamn fear and anxiety and everything. It's just so exhausting..."

"I, well, while I can't say I know what you're going through, I can definitely sympathize. And before you say anything, sympathy isn't a bad thing Percy, it means you're important enough for people to care about you," Paul said, moving to the table and retrieving the steaks. "So, how was New Rome anyway?"

"Oh, well, it was, you know, okay I guess," he said, though the tone revealed he did not wish to disclose everything. The biggest issue was learning that one of their companions on the mission to Greece had become so disenchanted with her life as a demigod, that she used her powers to wipe any knowledge of it. He still wasn't sure how that worked.

But beyond that, there was an underlining fear that he could not wrap his head around. Could he function without the support of his family so close at hand...did he want to? He knew this would be a question he would have to find an answer for, however, before any internal analysis was interrupted by Paul's voice.

"Percy?"

"Huh, sorry, what Paul?"

"I was asking how you liked your steaks."

"Oh, medium," the teen said, his eyes working toward the sliding glass door where Annabeth was seated. A simple raise of his hand when her eyes met his elicited a soft smile from his treasured fiance as she returned the gesture.

"Good man," Paul smiled, positioning the steaks to accommodate the temperature. "How about Annabeth?"

"She likes her steaks medium-well."

Paul made a face as he shook his head. He respected the daughter of Athena for a lot of things, but her selected choice of steak preparation was not one of them.

"I know, right," Percy said, laughing lightly at Paul's reaction.

"Still better than your mother I suppose, she likes her steaks well-done. Do you know," Paul said, turning his attention to his stepson as he held the grilling fork in his hand, waving it as he would a lecture pointer. "I once tried to give her a medium steak, to show her the glory of what it should really taste like, and she microwaved it..."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was,"

"What is wrong with that woman?" Percy asked teasingly as he finally stood and walked over to where Paul was tending the grill. At some point, they had traded places, Percy taking the grilling fork while Paul directed to keep special notice on each steak to ensure they were properly cooked. For several minutes they stood over the grill, watching the meat sizzle and the flames flare as the grease dripped into the pit of the grill.

"You know, I was terrified of marrying your mother," Paul said, breaking the silence, yet his attention remained fixated upon the grill. "Here I was, planning to marry a woman who had a teenage son. It's intimidating to say the least, not knowing if I would be accepted. I never wanted to overstep my bounds, heck, I didn't even know what those boundaries were.

"And then your mother tells me about your past, your history with your various schools, a school record that looked like you had a real problem with authority, and I went from intimidated to...pretty scared..."

"But you didn't run," Percy said, his eyes focused on his stepfather, appraising the man before him in new light.

"No", he said, shaking his head simply as he offered a warm smile. "I knew from the start, your mom was something special. She can light up any room just by entering. And it wasn't just that she was pretty, I mean, she is, but it's her personality and charm and...really, everything about her and well...you know how it is, when you love someone so much it's impossible to put to words, and I'm supposed to be an English teacher," he laughed lightly, checking the meat grilling on the rack.

"Anyway, you were a different matter. So many of your past records had focused on only the negative, but I began reading deeper into your file. Fights that you would get into to protect kids from being bullied, you seemed to want to help people, but everyone wanted to write you off without putting any effort in saving a possibly troubled kid from feeling rejected by a system meant to support him. It just didn't sit right for me, and not because I was dating your mom, but, I've always felt every kid needs their teacher to be their advocate. It doesn't always happen, but that's what our job should be.

"Anyway, as your mom and I got more serious in our relationship, I got to know you Percy, who you really were. Before you ever told me about being a demigod, I got to know who you were as a person, and I'm not lying when I say I was impressed by your values, and what shaped you. Your mom deserves all the credit in the world for how you turned out, but you deserve a lot of it to, because despite how strongly parents want to raise their kids right, it's up to those children to abide by those values."

"And now that you got to see the real me, bet you wished you'd turned and run for the hills, right?" Percy asked, his face notching his crooked smile he so often used when attempting to deflect or, in so many cases, shield himself from his fears.

What he didn't expect was for Paul to pull him into a crushing embrace and hold the young man in a comfort Percy had only ever felt from his mother. "That had never crossed my mind Percy, ever." He emphasized the point by holding the young man tighter, hoping he understood how much he was loved by the people under this roof.

When he pulled back, Percy was met with Paul's crisp blue eyes, misted with emotion as he stared at the young man. "That doesn't mean I wasn't scared out of my wits. It's one thing to know you're in love with a woman with a 15-year-old who, for all intents and purposes, may resent your place in his mom's life. It's a completely different matter to learn that your soon-to-be wife's ex-boyfriend is a literal god. I mean, talk about intimidating.

"At first, I thought, I don't know, maybe she was delusional. I mean, what she was saying didn't make sense. But I've met enough people with narcissistic tendencies to realize some people like to inflate their sense of self-worth by boasting about past loves or accomplishments, but that wasn't Sally, she humble and honest, not someone seeking attention.

"Then, one day she brings me to the apartment to have you prove. You took the water out of the faucet, and forged it into a sphere that you used to play basketball with. After that, I really wished your mom was delusional. Firstly, it turned everything I thought I knew about the world on its head. I was, or, still am, Orthodox Christian, I never believed in the pagen gods. But now...it shook my entire belief structure to its foundation.

"Then of course, there's the knowledge that your father..."

"He's not a father," Percy corrected, his jaw set as he looked at Paul before lowering his eyes. "He's a sperm donor, nothing more. He only claimed me when he needed me to stop a war between himself and Zeus, which, if anyone would have paid attention, they could have known I didn't steal the Master Bolt, I had never been to Olympus but..." he paused as he looked at Paul who just studied him. "Sorry."

"It's alright, but, well...Poseidon, being, you know, the REAL Poseidon, and here I am, just a normal, mortal man wanting to marry his ex. I mean, how can you ever measure up to that? It puts a lot of doubt in your mind," Paul said softly, taking the turning fork from Percy's hand to turn the steaks, mostly to give himself something to do, some distraction from his thoughts, before handing it back. "Then there's you, my soon to be stepson, a demigod who had accomplished more in one summer than I ever will in my entire life. It all makes you feel indescribably inadequate. For some reason, that was enough for your mom, and hey, who I am to question what she want? If I did, she might wise up." Though Paul's words were spoken in jest, there was an undertone of vulnerability that Percy had never known existed before.

As he stood, listening to his stepfather, wondering what point was to be made from all that had been revealed. He knew Paul well enough to know there was more to what he was saying, but he did not say any more, simply remained quiet, letting Percy work it out on his own, as though he were in Paul's class, and expected to find the answer for himself. Percy hated what he called 'Paul's teacher mode,' but he never the less wanted to answer, wanted to make him proud that he was paying attention.

When he could not come to a conclusion to the point however, he simply stated, "You said you were terrified of marrying my mom, but you did it anyway."

"Of course I did, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat," he answered, smiling at the puzzled look on Percy's face. "Just because your scared of something, doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Every decision and every change in your life, every adjustment, new beginning, it's all scary, sometimes its even terrifying. But it can sometimes be the greatest choice in your life. You can't let fear hold you back from what makes you happy Percy."

"Yeah," he replied half-heartedly as he turned to Paul, while the older man began taking two steaks off the grill and setting them on the side of the plate. After a moment of contemplation, he removed a third steak that was decidedly cooked medium as well. "But does that include moving cross-country to go to college? To abandon the city of my birth, the only home I've ever known?"

Getting to the heart of what was bothering Percy, Paul smiled gently to the young man. "What's holding you back from doing that?" Paul asked, again, not giving a straight answer, but simply guiding the young man's thought process. "Okay then, pros and cons list. Let's start with the good. What are some of the pros?"

Thinking about it, Percy began counting off on his fingers, "Being with Annabeth, in a city with no monster attacks. And not that I want this, but, as one of the heroes of the Great Prophesy, Annabeth and I have pretty much been told we'll never have to pay for anything ever again. We both can actually have a career inside the city..."

"What about friends, people you know?"

"Well, there's Frank and Hazel, Gwen, pretty much anyone in the Fifth Cohort…, and maybe more as they're setting up a whole Greek neighborhood."

"Not to mention Frederic and Helen are only what, 20 minutes away? Sounds like a pretty good set up, so what about the cons," Paul said, removing the last steak that was well charred and obviously for Sally.

"Besides you, mom and Estelle, not much really..."

"And that's it?"

"Those are some pretty damn big cons Paul."

"Of course they are, and I'm sure that would be a problem for a normal kid that doesn't have access to a magic mirror face time window...thing..."

"The Iris Message?" Percy said, laughing at Paul's failure to remember that IM in demigod speak was Iris, not Instant Message. "Sure, when it works."

"Okay, but then again, you also have a dog that can teleport you across the country in the blink of an eye," Paul stated, placing his hand on his stepson's shoulder. "You're kind of running out of excuses Percy. Face it, just because you're scared, terrified even, of the change, doesn't mean you shouldn't embrace it.

"Sometimes, you'll find its the best decision of your life," he said, turning to look through the sliding glass door to where his wife was seated beside Annabeth, his daughter nestled in his eventual daughter-in-law's arms. As Percy followed his gaze, he felt his whole body release the tension he did not even know he was holding.

Turning back to his stepson, Paul offered an encouraging smile. "Come on," he said, nudging his head in the direction of the door and the women of their lives sitting on the other side. "These steaks aren't going to eat themselves."

As he moved towards the entry, Percy called out to Paul, his voice, grateful, yet uncertain how to proceed. "Hey Paul, um...thanks. I've never really had a dad I could get advice from, so...you know, thanks for that, and, well, taking care of my mom and bringing Estelle into the world and...I guess, you know, just...thanks for being you."

The expression upon Paul's face slide from admiration to pride as he offered his own generous smile to the demigod. "Well, thank you for being the type of son that makes me want to be a father."

One last smile shared between them, and the pair walked into the house together to join their family.

-0-

A/N: Okay, a lot to unpack with this so this may be a long A/N, so if you don't want to listen to me ramble, I understand. First, it's really odd to me that this story was only intended to be three chapters long and here I am on chapter 18. So weird, but the more I started writing and the more ideas kept popping into my head. I hope you haven't been bored with this. Though, I am coming to the end of this story, so there is that.

Next, this story went through numerous changes. I won't bore you with the details, but I decided to have this conversation with Paul and Percy / Annabeth and Sally because neither Percy or Annabeth had ever really experienced what it's like to have a father/mother influence respectively, and thought it would be a sweet chapter to focus on concerns, but issues in Sally and Paul's lives as well, and how that can relate to Percy and Annabeth. Also, I recognize that it would make more sense for Sally to talk to Percy about his moving to California, but, in my head canon, she's not ready for that without breaking down into tears, and Percy doesn't need any more emotional stress at the moment.

Also, if anyone gets the reference to the book Annabeth was reading, you get a cookie, but you'll have to pay for it...and go get it. Anyway, as always, if you are kind enough to read, please be kind enough to review.