Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, or any other franchise in the Riordanverse. I do not own any of the characters from the Riordanverse or Greek Mythology. All bolded text is from the book and I do not own that either. I just own my writing and some of the reactions.
Please don't take down my story.
WARNING: Talk and memories of child abuse, it does get a bit graphic. If you are easily triggered by this, I have warnings in place of where to start and stop.
There is also some making out in here, but it doesn't go any further than French-kissing.
"3 GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS" Poseidon readout, the corners of his lips twitching up. He knew that probably meant Grover was a satyr, but still a funny mental picture.
Connor and Travis snickered to themselves. Beckendorf looked to be fighting a smile.
"Gee, Percy," Hermes grinned. "Didn't know you swung that way."
Percy turned red and made incoherent sounds. Future-Annabeth laughed and kissed him, like she did when he did something stupid.
Past-Annabeth and Luke rolled their eyes. Childish. They both knew that their friend did not need pants.
"Confession time:"
"What did we tell you about confessing," Travis sighed dramatically.
"I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal."
"Percy!" Future-Annabeth hissed.
Hestia frowned disapprovingly. "He was only trying to help."
I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"
"Fair enough," Clarisse agreed.
Past-Annabeth sighed but nodded too. She probably would've done the same as she hated not knowing things. Although, that probably wasn't the same reason Percy had.
"Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up,"
The Stolls snickered. Katie hit each of them over the head.
"so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.
"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver."
Travis' eyes lit up.
Percy rolled his. "I don't live there anymore."
Travis deflated but Connor grinned. "Then we'll just have to see when the time comes for you to move."
Percy froze. He really, really, hoped that wouldn't come up in the books. His mom didn't need more things to worry about, what with Estelle being a toddler. Yes, he loved her like no one else (except Annabeth and his mom), but she was a little trouble maker when she wanted to be. Honestly, he couldn't be more proud.
"A word about my mother, before you meet her."
"Awesome!" Percy yelled.
"So sweet," Future-Annabeth laughed quietly at her boyfriend's antics. "so kind."
"Amazing," Poseidon smiled wistfully.
The gods exchanged glances. Whoever this woman was, if she could make the god of the sea act like that then they all wanted to meet her.
"Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck."
"Definitely," Luke agreed, thinking back to his own mother. He vaguely remembered what she was like before she went mad but it wasn't enough for any real relationship.
Hermes smiled at him sadly as if he knew what he was thinking.
Well he didn't, Luke thought viciously, scowling. Hermes didn't know shit.
"Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five,"
Everyone glared at Zeus, who mumbled an apology.
Future-Annabeth frowned. "Does that count? With her getting with Poseidon?" She whispered thoughtfully, thinking aloud.
"and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program."
Athena's eyes widened in surprise. This woman was intelligent. She assumed all of Poseidon's flings would be bimbos, like Medusa.
"Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him."
Athena frowned, she couldn't believe she was sympathising with one of Poseidon's flings but, no one should not have access to education.
"After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma."
Artemis' hands curled into fists. She wished she could've been there. She could've taken Sally into her hunt when she was still a maiden. Rescue her.
"The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad."
Poseidon grinned, lost in his memories.
"I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile."
Apollo cocked his head to the side. "You were there when he was born?" He frowned. That went against ancient laws.
Poseidon shook his head, smiling mysteriously.
"My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad."
Poseidon's smile turned downwards. He missed Sally, he really did. He wished he could've done more.
"She has no pictures.
See, they weren't married."
"For good reason," Hera sneered. She ignored the glares. Really, why were they being sympathetic towards a mortal?! Hera despised mortals. They always ruined the family picture. Every. Damn. Time.
"She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey,"
"Yeah, to be with his family," Hera rolled her eyes. Percy turned his wolf stare on her and Hera shrank back.
"and he never came back.
Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea."
"Not lying, but not telling the truth," Hermes mumbled. He turned to Poseidon, speaking louder. "I like this one, Uncle P." Poseidon smiled but didn't say anything.
"She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid."
"Obviously," Clarisse snickered.
"Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano,"
TALK OF ABUSE FROM HERE
Percy's scowl deepened. His gaze dropped to the floor and his nails dug into his skin. His instincts were screaming at him to run run run, just like they used to do when he was young and Gabe was drunk. Percy felt the memories threaten to overthrow him and pushed them down into his gut. He hated himself for feeling like that. Gabe wasn't here anymore, he shouldn't be afraid of him.
Future-Annabeth looked ready to spit fire. That monster had hurt Sally Jackson, the woman Future-Annabeth considered her mothering figure, and Percy, her Percy. Future-Annabeth may have never met Lupa, but you mess with one wolf, you mess with the whole pack. She made a mental note to tell Nico about this and get a special punishment for him in the underworld, preferably with Thalia, Reyna, and the rest of the seven's help.
END OF TALK OF ABUSE
Everyone else frowned in confusion at the reaction. If this one mortal could make them react like that, they pitied to think what he did.
"who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts."
Future-Annabeth frowned at the thought. So Percy had some idea at how bad he smelled. She knew her Seaweed Brain was much more than anyone gave him credit for.
Athena's eyes widened. Was that the plan? Was... no. No one who had fucked Poseidon could ever have been that intelligent.
"Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard."
TALK OF ABUSE FROM HERE
Percy winced guiltily.
His Annabeth gripped his hand. "It is not your fault." She whispered in his ear, but everyone heard her.
"But I-" Percy tried to protest but his Annabeth cut him off.
"Percy," She warned.
Percy slumped down. He knew, deep down, it wasn't his fault, but he should've been there to protect his mom. She was one of his people. Percy should've tried harder.
His Annabeth, knowing she didn't convince Percy in the slightest, put her arms around him, leaned up against him, her forehead pressing against his, and the pair snuggled together, eyes shut, before his Annabeth ducked her head. His Annabeth's head always fit perfectly under his chin, their bodies practically moulding together. Not even Athena had the heart to break them up.
"The way Smelly Gabe treated her,"
Percy and Future-Annabeth growled deep in their chests. Poseidon went still, if that mortal put a hand on her...
"the way he and I got along..."
Future-Annabeth hugged her boyfriend tightly. Poseidon's pupils went small. Percy looked downcast. Artemis glared at the book. No child should be treated badly.
"well, when I came home is a good example.
I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet."
Percy's hands curled into fists, memories of different poker nights threatened to overtake him. He hated Gabe, hated him.
"Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home.""
Poseidon let out an animalistic sound.
""Where's my mom?"
"Working," he said. "You got any cash?""
Hestia's eyes widened.
Demigods sent Percy pitying looks that he couldn't see from where his nose was buried in Annabeth's hair.
The gods looked between themselves, were their children's home lives like that?
Artemis sighed, remembering all the abuse she had saved girls from. Now she was wishing she could save boys too. She was the goddess of childbirth. She was supposed to be the protector of children. Artemis should be able to save everyone in their youth. Maybe she could bring this up with father later.
Hera frowned, demigods may be awful, but no one should treat their family like that. That was why her family was the best.
"That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?"
Future-Annabeth held Percy tighter whilst Percy played with her blonde curls.
"Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something."
Aphrodite looked sick at the description.
His Annabeth gripped Percy even tighter of that was possible.
Percy's breathing shortened. His head went fuzzy. Sweat dripped down his forehead slowly. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt like he was drowning in his own mind.
Percy's thoughts flew back to when he was younger, when he was so naïve, thinking of superheroes and fantasy-lands, back when Gabe had put his hand on him the first time. Gabe looming over him like the devil, hands raised with a broken bottle in one hand, some alcohol (probably Heineken), the blood gushing down his face, tears spilling across his cheeks, the searing pain in his forehead (that he'd had to cover up with his mom's make up without her knowing)...
Percy thoughts were stopped by two fingers gently pressing his eyes closed and soft counting in his ear. Percy relaxed and let his breathing chime in with his Annabeth's.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
After a moment to collect himself, Percy felt a wave of exhaustion. He was glad this didn't turn out to be a full-scale fit.
Percy softly kissed his Annabeth on the cheek and tugged her warm body more against him, pulling her closer still. His Annabeth told Poseidon he could read on.
"He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer."
Dionysus frowned deeply. He may be the god of drinking but that didn't mean he liked drunks. Maybe he had cursed this mortal for being such a scoundrel subconsciously. He did that sometimes.
Demeter looked close to tears. This was the kind of guy she hated. To be fair, she didn't like most men. In a way, she thought, despite Hades living in the underworld and being a low-life creep and not being worth a quarter of Persephone's time, he really wasn't that bad to Persephone. She could've gotten far worse.
"Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds."
Hestia scowled deeply.
"He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out."
Everyone stilled.
Everybody quieted.
Everything stopped.
All Percy could hear was his and his Annabeth's hearts hammering in their chests together, both quite sped up.
He stoked her hair slowly, feeling the soft strands between his fingertips, distracting himself from the stares of pity and horror.
His Annabeth squeezed him softly.
One short. One long. Two short.
'Two short. One long
Three short. One long
There was a pregnant pause
Two short. One long'
After the pit, both he and his Annabeth had learnt morse-code (from Leo) as a way of telling the other they were uncomfortable, or panicking, or in danger, or anything really.
'Luv u'
That was all she said.
And that was enough.
She was reassuring him he was going to be fine. Showing him he had nothing to prove to these people. This was his life, his secret. They had each other. They would get through this, they always did.
It had a thousand meanings, and Percy concentrated on remaining calm and replying.
He squeezed her softly back.
'One long. One short. One long'
'K'
He wasn't sure about everything yet. He knew he didn't need to be. He knew they were together. He knew that was enough.
END OF TALK OF ABUSE
His Annabeth looked up at him and entwined her hands around his neck, pulling him closer.
She kissed his chastely at first. It may have been soft but Percy didn't need fiery passion right now.
He needed reassurance. And she knew that better than anyone.
Slowly as it got deeper, Percy found himself needing more than just touches. He needed promises. Hot, close promises.
And she knew that.
Her tongue lined the outside of his mouth and Percy allowed access quickly. Their tongues danced in their hot caves, squeezing and touching.
He mapped out her mouth, seeking promise that she really was there with him and no she wasn't going to leave, getting lost in the tastes and smells of his Annabeth.
Percy's hands, that had been resting casually on her waist, cupped her ass to lift her on him more, rather than offside like they had been snuggling.
Air broken them apart, flushed cheeks nearly splitting from big smiles, heaving panting as the two wrapped themselves together.
His Annabeth rested her head on his shoulder, breathing heavily. Percy dipped his head into her neck and pressed soft love bites and hickeys into her skin, snuggling closer.
A cough brought them back to reality.
Both he and Future-Annabeth flushed bright red and looked like deer in headlights, earning some snickers. Past-Annabeth was blushing like no tomorrow, hiding her face in her hands. Luke looked split between staring in horror like Clarisse and Ares and Hephaestus, frowning overprotectively like Beckendorf and Katie and Athena and Artemis, cackling and catcalling like Travis and Connor and Apollo and Hermes, or looking ready to burst like Silena and Aphrodite and Poseidon and Chiron. The rest of the gods looked indifferent or vaguely amused.
"Percy-" Poseidon tried once the laughter died down, looking at his son seriously.
"It was in the past," Percy cut him off. "I've been going to therapy about everything since it ended. Group therapy," He smiled down at Future-Annabeth. "I'm fine now."
Poseidon nodded slowly. "Still, we'll have Apollo check you over at the break."
Percy was about to protest but a look from Future-Annabeth stopped him.
He reminded himself Poseidon wasn't dong this for Percy's sake but Poseidon's.
Percy sighed but steeled himself, nodding in acceptance.
He told his father to read on.
""I don't have any cash," I told him.
He raised a greasy eyebrow.
Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else."
Athena's eyes widened again in realisation. Maybe one of Poseidon's flings actually know something? Wow. It was the only way a woman would put up with something like that.
Future-Annabeth smiled lightly. There it was again. Percy being smarter than people thought he was.
""You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. "Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change."
"Wow, he can do math," Connor mumbled sarcastically. Demigods knew better than anyone that they didn't want pity or charity, they wanted help and support. Big difference.
"Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"
Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here.""
"At least one of them is decent," Artemis muttered viciously.
""Am I right?" Gabe repeated.
Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony."
Aphrodite, who had been looking at 'Percabeth' with joy, squeaked out her disgust. Hephaestus ran a few fingers over her hand reassuringly, Ares doing the same to the other. Instead of glaring at each other and making this into a competition like usual, they worked together to calm Aphrodite down.
When Hestia wiggled her eyebrows at the two, Hephaestus flushed pink and shut his eyes, Ares gripped his throne slightly tighter and decidedly looking anywhere but Hephaestus. Aphrodite looked between them and let out a screech of excitement. That was her favorite ship. The three of them together.
""Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose.""
"Oh, he will," Dionysus murmured, making Percy looked at him in surprise. "What are you looking at, Perry Johansson?!" He snapped.
""Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"
I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer."
Apollo wrinkled his nose, imagining the smells.
"I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home."
"I love good sarcasm," Katie muttered.
"Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn."
The throne room shivered at the reminders. They had almost forgotten about that, what with finding out about the abuse and the different ships.
"But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic - how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone, something, was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.
Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"
She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted."
A big dopey smile crossed Percy, Future-Annabeth, and Poseidon's features. Everyone else leaned forward in interest.
"My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe."
Athena smiled at the description. Kind, smart, beautiful. This seemed like the dream woman. How did Poseidon manage to catch that? She herself wouldn't mind a brain-child with that saint. Athena immediately flinched back, reminding herself that this was one of Poseidon's flings.
""Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"
Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home."
The Stolls' eyes lit up.
Hestia laughed softly at the pair. "We will be eating after this."
"We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right?"
Artemis smiled. This woman seemed like a real saint. A pity she wasn't a maiden or Artemis would've had her in her hunt without a second thought. Lord knows Zoe needs some smothering.
"I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her."
"Fragile masculinity and all that." Future-Annabeth teased.
"From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?""
Surprisingly, it was Hestia who growled deeply in her throat. Her sibling looked at her in surprise. Hestia was usually so soft-spoken. Although, no one could blame her with that pig walking around.
"I gritted my teeth."
Along with just about everyone in the throne room.
"My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe."
Percy sighed dramatically. "I guess a teacher will have to do."
"Is he good enough for her?" Poseidon asked. Poseidon was happy if Sally was happy. He knew she needed a break, some more love in her life whilst she gave away hers like she gave away her blue free-samples to Percy.
"No one is," Percy snorted. "But he's good to her. He's good to me. I've got a little sister too. Estelle," A big dumb smile stretched his features. He loved his little sister. He really did.
"For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner."
Chiron sent him a smile.
"Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.
Until that trip to the museum...
"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"
"No, Mom.""
"Percy," Future-Annabeth chided.
"You shouldn't lie to your mom," Hera muttered viciously. Demeter and Hestia nodding along with her.
"I felt bad lying."
"Good," Demeter mumbled.
"I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid."
"Not to her," Future-Annabeth muttered.
"She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me."
"Best. Mom. Ever," Percy stressed.
Hera frowned. She was the best mom with the best family. Not some mortal.
""I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."
My eyes widened. "Montauk?""
Poseidon sat up excitedly. His eyes shined in remembrance, to back when he first saw Sally.
""Three nights, same cabin."
"When?"
She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."
I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money."
"More like he spent it all," Clarisse grunted, looking pissed.
"Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"
I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while."
"Nice tactic," Hermes murmured.
"Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.
"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."
Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?""
"Of course," Beckendorf growled.
""I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."
"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your step-father is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel"
"'Gabriel'?" Connor mimed puking.
"won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works.""
"I love this woman," Hermes decided.
"Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?""
Aphrodite gasped, tears springing to her eyes. That seemed to be the last straw. Hephaestus stroked her hair soothingly. Ares gave her a half-hug from his throne.
""Yes, honey," my mother said.
"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."
"We'll be very careful." Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."
Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week."
"Do it, do it!" Ares chanted, jiggling himself nearly off his throne. Hephaestus laughed softly, making Ares blush and mutter something.
"But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.
Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?"
"For you Perce," Future-Annabeth murmured in Percy's ear. "All for you."
"That just makes it worse," Percy smiled self-depreciatingly.
""I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now.""
"Nice," Apollo laughed.
"Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain"
"He has one?" Silena muttered viciously.
"was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.
"Yeah, whatever," he decided.
He went back to his game."
"That worked?" Demeter cried in surprise.
"Well he is an idiot," Hades sniggered.
""Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"
For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes - the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride - as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air."
Percy closed his eyes. He was so glad that was now again a rare occurrence. He had hated always leaving for a quest every year.
"But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.
An hour later we were ready to leave.
Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car."
"Probably enjoyed it," Poseidon muttered angrily.
"He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking, and (more importantly) his '78 Camaro, for the whole weekend."
Artemis' hands curled into fists. Nothing about the woman herself or the child. She hated men.
""Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch.""
Dionysus snorted disbelievingly. "Just jinxing it," He muttered.
Percy smirked at the thought of what happened to the car.
"Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve."
"You remember when Thalia drove?" Percy asked Future-Annabeth, grinning.
"...No? When did Thalia drive? Or get her license?"
"Oh she doesn't have her license. I forgot you had been kidnapped then." Percy mumbled the last part so nobody else heard.
"But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me."
"Much bigger than a seagull, much bigger than a poop, much bigger than the paint job," Percy snickered. The demigods and gods who had heard frowned in confusion whilst Future-Annabeth laugh lightly, thinking back to the remains of the Camaro the campers had found and the rumours of what happened along with Percy's spoils of war and Grover's account.
"Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain."
Past-Annabeth leaned forward in interest. She loved puzzles.
"As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe."
The gods and Chiron's eyes lit up and they laughed softly at what was about to happen.
Poseidon grinned wickedly. Finally the mortal was getting what he deserved. It was a small gesture, but it was a start.
"The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon."
The demigods laughed, all of them happy that karma was finally getting to the pig in the form of Percy Jackson.
"Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges,"
Both Annabeths gave Percy a look. He raised his hands in surrender.
"but I didn't stay long enough to find out.
I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it.
Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders"
Both Annabeths and Athena shivered.
"in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.
I loved the place."
"Of course you did," Future-Annabeth muttered fondly.
"We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad."
Surprised eyes turned to Poseidon, who was smiling dopily.
"So that's why we couldn't sense it," Hades murmured. "You were doing it on the beach."
Percy made a face.
"As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea."
Poseidon's smile grew. He remembered what Sally looked like all those years ago, he could picture her in his head perfectly.
"We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine."
"You actually cleaned?" Future-Annabeth asked in surprise. Percy scowled at her.
"What?" Silena asked. A few people jumped, she had been so quiet they forgot she was there.
"We share a dorm at college and it's a wreck, thanks to this Seaweed Brain," Future-Annabeth prodded Percy in the gut.
" We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work."
"Uh, what?" Apollo questioned, confused.
Zeus hummed in agreement. Blue was his color. Why was a son of Poseidon eating only blue?
"I guess I should explain the blue food."
"Please," Luke muttered.
"See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing."
"Yes there is!" Athena shouted suddenly. "Not only is there blue food dye, but there's blueberries, blue corn, blue potatoes, and those are just the natural ones!" She was spitting a few curses that had Luke covering Past-Annabeth's ears and Chiron flushing pink.
"They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop."
"I'm liking this woman more and more," Hermes grinned.
Luke felt a scowl growing. Maybe you should take care of your currents flings before knocking up some other woman, he thought silently.
Past-Annabeth from at Luke, who was glaring at the floor hard. She didn't know what had happened to him, but since his quest ended, he had been distant and bitter.
"This - along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano"
Percy looked green at the thought.
"was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me."
"I guess that means you have an obiedient streak," Apollo mused.
Demeter frowned at him. He shouldn't encourage bad behaviour.
"When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows."
The Stolls, Beckendorf, and Percy looked at Hestia hopefully, the girls muttered something about boys and their stomachs, Hestia gave a tinkling laugh before motioning for them to wait. The boys slumped down in their seats, pouting.
"Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop."
Artemis frowned. Sally should follow her dream. Whilst Artemis respected the woman for taking care of Percy, Sally shouldn't make herself suffer for it. Artemis couldn't believe someone could be so selfless. It wasn't the same as dying for someone. When you die, it's over. When you suffer, you never know when it will be over.
"Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk - my father."
Poseidon shot Percy a small smile, one he returned.
"Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them."
The demigods nodded in agreement they had all felt the same at one point.
Luke's lip curled. He just wished the gods would stick around, or visit, that was all. Why was it so much to ask?
""He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too."
The demigods turned to look at Poseidon, who was blushing lightly.
Future-Annabeth looked at Percy and laughed softly. That was also a pretty accurate description of him.
"You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes.""
The throne room turned to look at Percy, who shifted uneasily under all the attention.
"You do look like your father," Silena murmured.
"Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud.""
"I am," Poseidon muttered softly, but everyone heard him.
Most of the demigods felt a sting of jealousy that Percy was so loved by his father. Luke was feeling more and more like Poseidon should win the 'God of the year' award. Maybe if Poseidon was chill about the whole 'taking over the world' thing, they would leave him be. Bit doubtful, to be honest.
Percy flushed pink. Future-Annabeth gave the gods a look like 'that's how you do it'.
Chiron smiled happily at the attention his student was getting. He knew Percy was going to be the best of them.
Some of the gods felt a sting of annoyance at Poseidon. He always had to up the standards. The other gods felt regret that they couldn't be that easy with their children.
"I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me?"
"You have no idea how amazing you are," Annabeth huffed while she kissed Percy right below the ear.
"A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years."
"I don't care about any of that," Poseidon declared, frowning. He didn't know his son thought so little of himself. "It's my fault, to be honest. My genes making you a demigod."
Chiron shook his head at the sea god. "You are as bad as Percy."
""How old was I?" I asked. "I mean... when he left?"
She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin.""
Poseidon's face morphed into a sad smile before he turned to glare at Zeus for those ancient laws. Zeus shifted but stood his ground, glaring back.
""But... he knew me as a baby."
"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."
I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile."
"You visited him," Hermes realised.
Poseidon shrunk down in his seat while some gods yelled and Zeus looked ready to explode. He kept reading quickly.
"I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me...
I felt angry at my father."
Poseidon sighed warily, as if he expected this.
Percy shook his head. "I don't feel that way anymore."
"Maybe it was stupid,"
Luke hissed. "It's not."
"but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe."
Poseidon gritted his teeth at the name of the mortals before sagging into his throne.
"I don't feel that way anymore," Percy repeated firmly. "And it's not your fault. I was being a whiny twelve-year-old."
Luke's face etched into a frown. 'Whiny'. That's not what was happening here. The gods weren't like some absent parent, they were there, they just chose to ignore them. All those unclaimed kids in the Hermes cabin. All those youngsters across camp who were waiting for a chance to prove themselves. This was the cycle of life. Like the titans, the gods will crumble and the demigods will take over. It wasn't them being 'whiny'.
""Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"
She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.
"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think... I think we'll have to do something."
"Because you don't want me around?""
"Percy!" Most of the room protested.
Said boy yelped at all the glared thrown his way.
Artemis' was one of the strongest. This woman had sacrificed so much, and Percy was just going to be a brat about?! Who cares if it hurt him, if she was willing to put up with a pig to help him then he should be able to put up with some shit to return the favor.
"I regretted the words as soon as they were out."
"Good," Demeter mumbled. A child should never be like that to their parent.
"My mom's eyes welled with tears."
"Now look what you've done," Past-Annabeth fumed. Percy grinned at his girlfriend's past-self, making her blush and hide her face in Luke's chest.
"She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."
Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said-that it was best for me to leave Yancy.
"Because I'm not normal," I said."
"Not a chance," Travis quipped but was quickly hushed by Connor, who pointed out Poseidon, who was wringing his hands.
The tension in the room was thickening and no one wanted to break it.
"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."
"Safe from what?""
The demigods had to stifle their laughs. Literally everything wants to kill demigods.
"She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me, all the weird and scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget."
"All of which," Percy sighed, burying his nose back in Future-Annabeth's hair.
Poseidon's shoulders tensed.
"During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground."
A small smirk wiggled up Poseidon's mouth.
"When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head."
Zeus and Hera were glaring at Poseidon so hard, people were worried the water god was going to catch on fire. Hades sighed in exasperation, he would've expected this of his brother.
Poseidon was smirking wickedly. "No one said I couldn't send any one to check up on Perce."
"Before that, a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into."
The smirk slipped and Poseidon went back to being hunched shoulders and wringing his hands.
"My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands."
Incredulous eyes turned to Percy, who grinned sheepishly.
"Like Hercules," Hermes mused.
"Heracles," Hera corrected, glaring sharply at Hermes for mentioning her husband's bastard son.
"And I'm nothing like him," Percy snarled. He would never forget what that bitch did so Zoe and what he said to Piper and Jason whilst they were on their quest.
Artemis looked at him in surprise. She didn't realise anyone else knew the problems with Hercules, much less a demigod, much less a man, much less resent him for it.
"In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.
I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum,"
"Please," Poseidon begged.
"about my weird hallucination"
"It's nice to dream," Katie snickered.
"that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword. But I couldn't make myself tell her."
Future-Annabeth kissed Percy for being stupid.
"I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that."
"Of course that's your motivation," Chiron murmured, amused.
""I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could,""
Apollo shook his head. "That's how they die early, man."
"my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake."
"It is," Hera sneered. Just let the child go, not that hard.
"But there's only one other option, Percy, the place your father wanted to send you."
Demigods sat up at the thought of Camp Half-Blood.
"And I just... I just can't stand to do it."
"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"
"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp.""
"CAMP HALF-BLOOD!" The demigods cheered, Percy and Future-Annabeth joining in.
"My head was spinning. Why would my dad, who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born,"
Poseidon winced.
"talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before?"
Percy turned his curious eyes to Future-Annabeth.
"Because you'd want to know more," She told him.
""I'm sorry, Percy,""
"Don't apologise," Artemis muttered.
"she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good.""
"For good?" Aphrodite cocked her head to the side.
"It's because he's so powerful," Athena told her softly, regarding Poseidon (who had begun to nervously tap the book in his hands) warily.
""For good?"
"You think like Percy, dear," Hephaestus laughed.
Both Aphrodite and Percy made a face, causing them to glare at the other.
"But if it's only a summer camp..."
She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry."
"Don't do it then," Hestia warned.
"That night I had a vivid dream."
Future-Annabeth groaned. "You're dreams are the worst!"
"It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle,"
Everyone looked at Poseidon and Zeus, who weren't looking anyone in the eye.
"were trying to kill each other"
"Not again," Demeter moaned.
Ares lit up at the thought of a war between the gods before Hephaestus shut him down with a look. Apollo, being the only one who noticed this exchange, frowned deeply in confusion, and starting contemplating why that would happen.
"at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder."
The past demigods and gods' eyes turned to Hades, except for Luke who looked down to his hands and shivered at the mention of his master.
Hades rolled his eyes. Honestly, why would he do anything and make them hate him more? He thought bitterly.
"I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion."
"Hate it when that happens," Connor clucked his tongue.
"I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes,"
"I won," Zeus declared. Poseidon rolled his eyes at the childishness.
"and I screamed, No!
I woke with a start.
Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses. There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery."
Ares winced. So war was (maybe) not the best idea.
"With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane.""
"I'd never hurt her," Poseidon interjected, interrupting himself.
Percy smiled and nodded. "She knows."
"I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten."
"Damn, Uncle P," Hermes sighed in mock-disapproval.
"I'll have to get you checked over," Apollo agreed.
"Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end."
Poseidon stiffened and started reading faster, the words blending together until Hestia came over to his throne and rubbed soothing patterns on his arms.
"Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice-someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door."
Everyone leaned forward.
"My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.
Grover"
"Oh thank the gods," Poseidon collapsed back into his throne.
"stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover."
Connor frowned. "What? He get a make-over or something?"
"Or something," Percy agreed.
""Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?""
"He wasn't," Future-Annabeth sighed.
"My mother looked at me in terror, not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.
"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"
I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing.
"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me!"
"What is?" Poseidon demanded but Percy just waved him off.
"Didn't you tell her?""
"Nope, cos' he's an idiot," Past-Annabeth decided.
"I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly."
"Yer a demigod, Percy," Hermes exclaimed in a mock-gruff voice, making the demigods laugh at him.
Poseidon glared sharply at his nephew for interrupting when Percy was in danger. Hermes shrank back.
"I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on,"
"Oh," Silena realised. Beckendorf nodding along with her.
"What?" Connor laughed. "Did you get flustered or something?"
"Or something," Past-Annabeth decided, knowing Grover was a satyr.
Percy glared at him. "Best friend, nothing more,"
"and where his legs should be... where his legs should be..."
"Oh," The Stolls realised, they flushed slightly.
"Yes, oh," Katie huffed.
"My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!"
I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.
She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"
Grover ran for the Camaro, but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me."
"It's not a disease!" Hermes and Dionysus protested in outrage.
"I didn't mean it like that," Percy huffed.
"I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.
Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves."
"And here we were, thinking it was something weird," Travis commented, bumping shoulders with his younger brother.
"It is weird," Beckendorf sighed warily, like he was so done was the Stolls' bullshit (which he probably was).
"Not anymore," Silena disagreed. Her and Beckendorf's eyes linked for just a moment too long before they both quickly looked away, blushing.
"We'll have a break now?" Hestia asked, earning some agreement and grumbles. "Follow me to the kitchens," She lead the group of demigods, gods, and a centaur out of the throne room until only Poseidon, Apollo, Percy, Future-Annabeth, and Athena remained.
Poseidon gave Percy a look, to which he sighed and nodded warily. They were about to leave with Apollo and Future-Annabeth before noticing Athena lingering.
"What?" Poseidon questioned harshly.
"I wanted to talk with Annabeth," Athena defended. "Don't get any ideas."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Poseidon retorted.
"After, mother," Future-Annabeth called, breaking the staring contest. "I want to check Percy's alright first."
Athena grumbled something but nodded, and the group swiftly made their way to Apollo's quarters.
