"I'm home!" Yelled Percy as he stepped into the living room of the apartment. The familiar scent of the vanilla candle his mother enjoyed wafted out of her room, and he could hear the faucet in the kitchen turning off.
"Percy! You're finally here! I have your favorite blue cookies out of the oven just a few minutes ago. Wait here, I'll bring them out," said Sally enthusiastically. She pulled him into a tight embrace, before hurrying into the kitchen, and bringing out a plate of her amazing cookies, while Percy made himself comfortable on the couch.
"Hey mom, how's everything going? And where's Estelle and Paul?" He asked her. She smiled at him, handing over a cookie.
"Paul is picking Estelle up from school. She still hates walking from school with her friends. The little cutie, growing up so fast!" She said smiling fondly at the thought of her second child. "Are you staying for dinner?"
"Unfortunately, no. Annabeth has a conference again, so I have to watch Zoë. I can stay for about 30 minutes though." He told her, biting into the delicacy, letting the chocolate chips melt on his tongue, savoring its bittersweet taste. "Mhhhm…after all this time, I still enjoy these cookies."
She nodded, satisfied. "Seems like the chocolate chips are good. This is a new kind I bought from Walmart. If it's ok, then I can buy these next time," she informed him.
"Sure," Percy told her, chewing on the delicacy. "How are you three doing? Anything new with Estelle?"
"Oh, we're doing great. And by the way, Paul got promoted at Goode! He's now the head of the English department!" She said, beaming. "And Estelle made some new friends. One of them is coming over for a sleepover this weekend. How about you and Annabeth?"
"Pretty much the same. Nothing new, which is, in a way, disturbing. We are still unused to the peace and the silence. It's a good thing though, I suppose," he told her, sighing. Sally looked at him seriously.
"The peace is very important, especially now that you have Zoë to take care of. How is she doing?"
"Oh, she's doing fine. Except for growing up so fast, nothing much has changed. In a few years she'll go to kindergarten." She smiled at him.
"You grew up this fast too. I remember your first day at school, wailing at me to not leave you there."
"Mommmmm..." Percy moaned, stuffing his head into the pillow. "Don't embarrass me like that! Thank gods no one is here with us."
"You were cute," she replied shrugging.
"But anyways, Jason told me that they'll be coming over to New York next week, and they want to meet you. You have time for that?"
"For those two? Of course I do! Tell them they can stay in the guest room and I'll prepare everything by tomorrow so they can come anytime!" Sally brightened at the thought of seeing the two again. Jason was such a polite young man, and Piper was absolutely enjoying to be around. "I still wonder why they love visiting me that much though…"
"Isn't it very obvious mom? They grew up neglected by their parents. You were the first ever motherly figure in their life that actually cared for them. Of course they adore you!" Percy exclaimed, looking over in surprise that she never figured it out before.
"Well, nice to know that people appreciate me I suppose." Percy nodded at that.
"The feeling is very nice, I agree. But I'm afraid it's getting late, and I have to head home soon," he told her regretfully. Sally stood up, grabbing his jacket for him.
"Go home quickly then, you wouldn't want for Zoë to be home alone. Do visit more often!" She said, ushering him out the door.
"You know I will. Love you mom!"
"Love you too Percy. And remember to give the box of cookies to Zoë and Annabeth, and send them my love as well!"
"You know I will," Percy told her, before waving and disappearing down the staircase. Sally smiled at how much he grew over the years, eventually creating his little family as well…