Chapter 7- The Waystation
Hey guys it's been a few months. Thanks for being patient. I've been busy. My new baby brother was born and my family is all hectic getting stuff ready to move to the grand state of Texas. Anyways enough about my life, thank you YesThatIsMyUsername for reviewing. Perlia isn't what I initially had planned, I didn't even have a couple planned for this story, but I did have one planned for an eventual sequel. Perlia does appeal to me though, but maybe not in this story. You'll have to keep reading to see. Also thanks to HellRaiderS for reviewing, means a lot that you support me. Warning! Typed on phone.
Me and Thalia pull into the supposed location of the Waystation. I'm still not really sure what it is. A building that switches around its rooms according to your needs? Sounds strange. Of course the demigod world is a little strange. I'll need to see the building to understand it though.
"It is right next to Union Station, Percy. Leo and Calypso's shop is just down the road that way. But they are closed Saturday and Sunday, then leave it to their employees to run the shop on Monday so they can have an extra day off for family." Thalia explains to me.
We walked up to Union Station, which she referred to. The walls are made out of brick. And I see no doors labeled 'Waystation' on them. I stop and look around, but Thalia just keeps on walking straight at the wall.
"Thals?" I question, "where- oh." The wall opened up for her and she strode in, then the wall closed behind her. This was a magical building. I follow suit and walk up to the wall, and then into the wall. "OW!" I shout. A random kid sitting outside the Waystation laughs out loud. "Not funny." I say to the kid.
"You're f*cking retarded." The kid says to me.
"Thanks for that." I say sarcastically, then I give him the finger. He just makes a face. I didn't get to finish my retort because the wall opens up again, and Thalia grabs the back of my neck and throws me inside of the magical building. Before the wall closes the kid slips inside the opening. He looks to be about 11. I smack Thalia on the back of her head once she lets me go for making me look like a fool.
"Hello Aunt Thalia." The kid says to her. A look of shock comes on my face, and I look at Thalia. She is still giving me the stink eye for slapping her.
"What's up J.P! Where are your parents?" Thalia responds and gives him a fist bump.
"They're playing CLUE in the game room with Jose and Britomartis." J.P says back.
"Britomartis is here?"
"I have no clue what she is doing here. I guess she does pop by every once in a while."
"Yeah, but not to play board games." Thalia looks at a doorway that's to the left of us. I didn't even get a chance to take in what room we were currently in, although it was a big room with many doors and lots of comfy looking couches and chairs. She then drags me by the back of the neck again and throws me in the direction of the door.
"Gods, Thals stop doing that! You're like an abusive spouse!"
She scoffs. "I'm not even a man, seaweed brain so I can't be abusive."
"Not true. Women can be abusive to their partners too, you are proving this statement."
"So we're partners now?" I stuttered, and then I stopped talking. She laughed and walked past me and opened the door. I followed inside the room behind her.
The room was a game room. There were pool tables and ping pong tables on the right side of the room. The wall at the other end of the room had a TV with gaming consoles hooked into it and a couch opposite the TV. And in the corner of the room to the left of us when we walk in was a table meant for board games with couches and chairs spread around it. Sitting in the furniture were 4 people, one kid about 9 years old in a chair way too big for him, a middle aged couple sitting snugly on a small couch, and one who was obviously a goddess. Britomartis. I don't know much about her. She was sitting in a chair of the same size opposite the kid.
The middle aged woman who was obviously Calypso put her hand to her face in shock upon seeing me. I guess they weren't warned. Which would make the middle aged man Leo. I didn't recognize him at first. He put on some facial hair, and some weight. He was no longer short and scrawny. Now he was short and stout from a life of hard work. He was seriously packing. Leo took off his glasses and rubbed them, I guess he wears glasses now, then he put the back on and looked at me real hard. I could see his pupils the size of the moon itself.
"Percy?" Calypso says first. I grin a little bit at her.
Then Leo starts talking, but with an angry look at Britomartis. "What kind of little trap have you set this time goddess? You've gone too far several times but this is above them all!" Leo shouted angrily. I think I could count on one hand how many times I've seen Leo get angry, or serious.
"Oh? You didn't like the other ones? Never mind those, but this one isn't some lifelike Percy that turns into a net and traps you when you get close to it. No Leo Valdez, that is the hero of Olympus right there." Then she giggled. "I didn't like the tone you took, but I'll let it slide." Then she leaned across the table and grabbed Leo's jaw and wriggled it a bit before sitting back down in her chair. I've still only seen the back of her head. Leo stared at me in a look of wonder the whole time.
I thought I should talk now. I moved closer until I was behind Britomartis' chair. "Leo, it's me! I've come back. We're not sure how, but I've come back."
He stood up out of the chair, and inched closer to me. He was still wary of it being a trap. He got closer and grabbed my muscles forearm. To show him it was really me, I grabbed his muscles forearm back. He looked at me, smiled, and then grabbed me roughly and hugged me. I hugged him back. He hugged me hard and it actually kind of hurt! Good on you Leo. I could hear him silently crying into my chest. A few tears of my own leaked out. I looked to my side to see that Calypso and Thalia were together. Thalia had her arms crossed, but she was smiling a bright smile. Calypso had her hand on Thalia shoulder, and she was also smiling.
The kid, who was only curious, he spoke next. "Wait, you're Percy? Aren't you dead?" He said bruntly.
"Yes he is, baby. Now shush." Calypso said in a motherly tone.
"I am Percy Jackson." I said looking at the kid.
Leo broke off the hug, and grasped my elbow. "Haha! Charlie, my boy, this is him! This is Percy Jackson! The-"
"Hero of Olympus! You're sidekick!" The kid shouted, finishing Leo's sentence.
"Sidekick?" I questioned out loud. Leo smacked me on the back and winked.
"Please sit down! Welcome to my home!" Leo shouted and pointed to the couch that he and Calypso weren't sitting in before. He also motioned Thalia to sit in it with me.
I didn't get to enjoy the comfy couch for long because Thalia had to go and kick me in the calf. "Stop man spreading jack*ss." She half whispered. I groaned and tucked my legs back together.
J.P walked in while we were doing this and attempted to liberate his seat from Charlie.
"Move Charlie, I want to sit there." J.P said rudely.
"I was here first, Jasper." Charlie sassed.
"Don't call me that! And get out of the chair!" Then he attempted to manhandle his brother.
"Hey! Let me go! Stop!"
"Jasper! Leave you're brother alone! He was there first! Pull up a new chair!" Calypso intervened.
While Calypso dealt with the never ending duel between brothers who are of similar age, Leo spoke to me. "They are my only two sons. Jasper, although he much prefers to go by J.P, is the older one. Jasper is a mix between Jason and Perch. Caly came up with it. And Charlie is the younger one. He's in his question asking stage right now. It gets quite annoying. But I love them."
"That's sweet Leo." I said to him.
"I have 7 children. Can you believe that! 5 of them are girls."
"I'm sure Calypso is happy about that."
"She loves them all, Perce. They are our world. All of our children. The other day we talking about what you and Annabeth's-. Er…" He stuttered.
"It's fine Leo. Thalia told me about Annabeth. Also, Jason and Piper. I'm glad you guys are doing so well."
"I will be honest. It's been hard over the years Percy. Especially since nearly everyone is dead. My only old friends from my teenage years are Thalia, Reyna, and Clarissa. But they weren't even friends at that time. We became friends because everyone else died."
"That's awful."
"It is. I used to be so energetic. Well, I still am, I just have different priorities. I would have become depressed long ago without the love of my life in Caly, this place and the guests we always have coming and going, and my children."
"What you have going here is amazing Leo. I envy you." Leo made a curious face at the envy comment, which will come into play soon.
Calypso had calmed the kids down, and got an extra chair for J.P from somewhere else in the room. She sat down next to Leo.
"I love children." Britomartis said. I forgot she was there. Which I'm pretty sure was the point. She just wanted to remind us she was still there.
Thalia leaned back into the couch, because she knew a long story (which she has heard), was coming next.
"Percy, tell us what happened to you. How are you back? How are you still 18? It doesn't make sense." Leo questioned.
"Well, I was at camp on the lake with Annabeth and-" I started the story.
So as to not bore you again, I will leave out this part. It went similarly to the other times. Leo and his family listened intently to me speaking. I told them how I woke up 26 years in the future and found out almost everyone I loved was dead.
Britomartis was quiet the whole story. Then she left when I was gone. Which is odd for a god or goddess. Most of the time they can't keep quiet about themselves.
The night went on. All of Leo's kids went to bed. I reconnected with Leo and Calypso, and Thalia was there too. It was nice. This place was nice.
Leo brought up something again, when Leo and Calypso were drinking wine and me and Thalia had some nice water. "So you envy us Percy?" Leo said. His wife looked at him strangely.
"Uhh- yeah. I wish I had had the chance to settle down with Annabeth. Have a career and a family."
"Why don't you work for me and Caly? The Waystation is amazing. It provides for us, and we have a good shop going here in Indianapolis."
"That's very generous Leo." I looked at Thalia. She knew what I was going to say. "But my life is at a different stage than yours. My girlfriend is dead. My life was taken from me. I still need closure on all of this. I still need to hunt down whoever did this to me. Whoever ruined my life." Thalia put her had on my shoulder.
Leo looked down. "It was worth a shot. I'd hate to see you die now after I just got you back."
"He won't. I'll be with him." Thalia stated strongly.
"Thanks Thals."
I hope this was worth the wait. I think Leo is a great dad. Anyways, until next time, peace.