Chapter 3

GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS

Alright, I confess, I totally ditched Grover right when we got to the bus terminal.

I know it wasn't smart, I was better than this. But Grover was seriously making me a little uneasy with all his muttering, things like, "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to be sixth grade?"

Funnily enough, whenever Grover got upset, get this, his bladder failed him. So, yeah, I wasn't that surprised when, as soon as we deposited from the bus, he ran to the bathroom like he was being chased by a demon. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing at him. Against my better judgment, as soon as Grover was out of sight, I collected my things, went outside, and caught the first taxi I could find.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I demanded of the driver, trying to get home as quick as possible.

There's something you should know about my mom, before you meet her.

She's the only person, besides Grover and Mr. Brunner, that I wouldn't punch in the face and could actually stand. Her name was Sally Jackson and she's honestly the best mom a girl could ask for. That just proves the world is cruel because she has the worst luck out there (which I think was passed down to me somehow). Her parents, my grandparents, died when she was only five in a plane crash, forcing her to live with a dead beat uncle that didn't give two shits about her. Her dream was to be a novelist, so she spent all high school working her ass off to raise enough money to get into a college with a great creative-writing program. But of course, good things never last and her bastard uncle got cancer, making her quit school her senior year and throw away all her dreams and aspirations for a shit head that didn't deserve it. So when he died, she was left broke, lonely, and had no diploma to get a decent job.

Apparently, the only 'good' thing that happened to her was my missing father.

I have no memories, but I kinda got this warm glow thing goin' on, maybe I've seen him smile. I don't know. But I hate him for making my mom so sad, he's the reason she has no pictures of him, she said it was too painful.

The thing is, they weren't even married, making me an illegal child (on both accounts, though I didn't know that quite yet). All she told me was that he was hella rich and super important, meaning their relationship had to be kept secret. Then the bastard set sail across the Atlantic one day and never came back. That's what got me, he knew the risks but he still went, that made me hate him even more. (Obviously before I found out about the Greek Gods).

Lost at sea my ass.

My mom had to work shitty jobs, anything to get us by; she took long ass night classes for her diploma, leaving me with Gabe for hours; and raising me on her own, which I had to give her props for, I was anything but easy. Somehow, she never complained or got mad! Even at Gabe! This woman I call my mom is a fucking SAINT!

I guess I should explain more about Gabe. My mom married him when I was three. He tricked us into thinking he was nice for the first thirty seconds of meeting my mom, then BAM! He becomes the doom of this family and became the biggest bastard I've ever met! When I was younger, four or five maybe, I nick-named him Smelly Gabe, with good reason too, he smelled like shit and dirty socks had a god damned fuck up child that's been rotting for the past decade in a locker room full of sweaty men. I'm fucking serious. You think I'm joking? I'm not.

Gabe and I never, ever, got along, and that made my moms life so much harder. She had to deal with Smelly Gabe's slimy ways, and the way he and I argued... let's just say it never ends well. When I got home is an example.

I walked into our tiny apartment, praying that my mom was home. I did not have the patience to deal with Gabe today. My prayers were not answered. I was greeted with the lovely sight of Gabe and his poker buddies on the couch doing, you guessed it, fucking poker. The television was blaring ESPN so loud I thought I'd go deaf. I had to fight my way through beer cans and chips to get even close to my room.

Gabe saw me and looked me up and down hungrily, to which I looked at him with a disgusted look, and said around his cigar, "Hey, babe, so you're home."

"Don't call me babe, jackass!" I yelled. "Where the fuck is my mom?"

"Working, babe," he said, completely ignoring my first comment. "You got a little somethin' for me?"

I was used to this, even though I shouldn't be. He never said welcome back and always tried to molest me, which I was pretty sure counted as pedophilia.

He had obviously put on tons of weight as he went from a baby seal to blue whale. His clothes were from a thrift store and were 3 sizes too small, showing of his huge stomach that made me want to gag. He had a total of three hairs, that I was about to pluck off, on his head, combed over his greasy as hell scalp. Psh! Like that made him handsome...

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart up in Queen, but he stayed home anyways. I don't get how they haven't fired that fuck up that society calls a man. So for the past year he's been sitting on his ass, collecting paycheck after paycheck, just to spend it on smelly cigars and beer. We actually had a whole refrigerator of beer. Whenever I came home from school, he expected me to put on a 'performance'. Meaning he wanted to eye-rape. I, of course, always declined and slapped him in the face. But if I told my mom he wanted me to do that, he said he'd do 'evil' things to me in my sleep. Let's just say that I don't want to lose my V Card this early.

"I told you a billion times! I'm not gonna give you a god damned performance, you fat fuck!" I yelled at him.

He look downright murderous at me by now.

Gabe was relentless, he would argue with me about this until mom got home if he had the energy to.

"You WILL give me a show, bitch! Right Eddie?" He demanded. (Like he could demand things from me! As if.)

Eddie looked a little disturbed to be brought into this and looked mildly uncomfortable while speaking. "Gabe, leave the poor girl alone will ya? She's only like, what, twelve? Thirteen?"

See, Eddie was a pretty chill dude. He always stood up for me and made sure I was okay. Without Gabe knowing of course.

"What was that, Eddie?" Gabe asked, a warning in his voice.

"I'm just saying that I don't feel like getting arrested if she blabbers her mouth! I got an apartment to run!

Gabe seemed to ponder this before reluctantly nodding his head. "Fine! Go then!"

I left the trashy living room with a triumphant smirk and mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Eddie, to which he replied with a short, barely noticeable, nod.

"Hey! Your report card came! Gotta give ya credit! You did average for once in your worthless life, Persephone!" Gabe yelled at me, successfully making his buddies, minus Eddie, laugh, and me, almost go back and punch him in the nose. I'll show him 'worthless'.

I slammed the door to my room shut and silently seethed to myself. If I could, I would totally murder Gabe. He was the whole reason I hated people calling me Persephone. It reminded me of Gabe.

During the months I was gone, my room turned from a little messy but tidy, to a fuckin' landfill. Gabe has supposedly turned it into his 'study', yeah ok, like the bastard even knows how to read. My unrecognizable room was filled with inappropriate magazines, muddy boots, and old cigars.

I plopped my suitcase on the musty bed. Sweet, sweet, home.

Gabe's smell was enough to block out the semi-terror I felt from Mrs. Dodds or the Fates, which is sayin' somethin'. All of a sudden, a cold chill ran down my spine, making me regret leaving Grover. It felt like something was watching me. Which, by the way, is creepy as hell.

Flashback

I was just walking in the apartment from third grade. Gabe and his buddies were there, but Eddie wasn't. Uh-oh.

As soon as I walked in, Gabe snapped his head towards me and a cruel smirk adorned his ugly face.

"So, you're home, Persephone," He said around his cigar.

"Yeah, what's it to you, Smelly Gabe?" I replied sassily.

That was not the right thing to say.

Gabe's face turned into an ugly frown as he stood up and stalked over to me.

"What'd you just call me, you little shit?"

"Uh-uh, no-nothing," I stuttered out.

Gabe was inches away from me now, his rotten breath invading my senses. Gabe slammed me against the wall, his forearm over my throat.

"Don't ever call me that name again, you hear me? I will completely destroy you if you do, do you understand?"

I rapidly nodded my head, too scared to say anything else. Gabe let me down, but before I could leave, he slapped me so hard my head turned. My fingers gingerly touched the already forming bruise.

"There's more where that came from, punk. Now leave."

I scampered up and ran to my room, Gabe and his buddies laughs taunting me.

I was snapped out of my flashback by the nicest voice in the world. "Percy?"

My mother opened the door and my disturbing thoughts went out the door she came in.

My mom can make anybody feel amazing just by walking in a room. The way her eyes sparkle and change to a beautiful bright blue in the light. Her warm smile. Even though she's got a few gray streaks in her hair, mixed with her long chocolate brown hair, I've never thought of her as old. She only sees the good in me, none of the bad. Like when I got my fifth ear piercing, or that one time I shaved half my head, she always supported me.

"Oh, Percy!" She hugged me a little too tight. "I can hardly believe my eyes! You've grown to be such a beautiful woman since Christmas!"

I loved when she hugged me, because then I could smell her chocolate scented uniform from Sweet on America, the place she works at. She always brought me a massive bag of 'free samples' that we munched on. Did I mention they were all blue?

We sat on the very edge of the bed, away from Gabe's junk. While I slurped the blueberry sour strings, my mom ran her hand through my long, half-shaved hair (see the cover image in desktop mode to see hair). She wanted to know everything going on with her 'baby girl' as she says. I know it sounds kind of old-fashioned, but I wrote letters to my mom because we didn't have enough money for a phone, wait, speaking of money...

"Here mom! I sold busted up electronics that I fixed, along with candy and made $2000!" I said, showing my rare smile, saved only for Grover and my mom.

My mom was slack-jawed. "Percy... you did this for us?" She asked, tears of happiness in her eyes.

I just nodded.

She threw herself at me and hugged the living daylights out of me.

"This'll last us 4 months!" She exclaimed, but quiet enough for Gabe to not hear.

Our beautiful moment was ruined when Gabe yelled from the other room, "Hey, sweet cheeks! How's about you get me some bean dip?"

I clenched my fist, no one, and I mean no one, talks to my mom like that. Just as I was about to give him a piece of my mind, my mom put an arm around me, keeping me from moving.

My mom doesn't deserve this fuck up. She deserves someone that would give her the time of day and treat her like the queen she is!

Anyways, we, of course, ignored him and kept talking.

When describing my year at Yancy, I told her everything. I even told her about Mrs. Dodds and the Fates because I trusted her and suspected she already knew about the whole mythology-coming-to-life thing.

Her eyes widened when she found out I knew, and she started packing our bags. I was confused at first, but helped her with no question.

"We'll stop by Montauk for the night. Then, I'll take you to a camp for people like you, okay sweetie?" She said patiently.

Just as I was about to respond, Gabe came in and said in his nasally voice, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me? Need me to knock some sense into you?"

"Say that about my mom again and you won't live to see the next day. I mean it," I said in the most menacing voice I could conjure up, while giving him my scariest glare.

I actually saw him take a step back before he looked around the room.

"Where ya think yer goin'," he said.

"Wherever the hell we wan-" I started before being cut off by my mom.

"We're going to Montauk for a couple days," my mom said evenly.

"Wait, you were serious about that trip?" He asked through beady eyes.

"Yes, we have enough money," she started, "and Gabriel"-I snickered a little at his full name-"won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guac. Sour cream. All of it."

Gabe softened a bit. "So this money comes from your clothes budget, right?"

"No you son-of-a—" I shouted before my mom censored me.

"Yes, of course."

"And you won't take my car anywhere else?"

"We'll be careful."

Gabe scratched his disgusting double chin. "Hurry up with the dip and have the kid apologize for something," he demanded.

Maybe if I castrate you, I thought. Make you sing soprano for the rest of your miserable life.

But I knew my mom wanted me to cooperate, so cooperate I did.

"I'm sorry," I snarled, forcing the words out. "I'm sorry for not giving you your oh-so-needed pleasure."

Gabe and my moms eyes widened. My moms demanding I talk about this sometime soon. Gabe's promising pain.

Gabe left anyways, but not without one last weak glare at me.

"Once we get to Montauk, you're telling me everything that's been going on with you and Gabe, okay?" She half-demanded, half-asked.

"Yea, sure."

Little did I know we'd never get the chance.

After a long hour, I was so ready to get out of this hell-hole.

Gabe took a break from his oh-so-important poker game just to gripe and groan like a little bitch about losing his '78 Camaro.

"Not one damn scratch on this car, babe," he warned me. "Not one. damn. scratch."

"Ok, yeah, like I'd be the one driving smartass. I be you'd blame me if a damn seagull pooped on your shitty car," I sneered at him.

He just glared and waddled back to the apartment building. When he reached the doorway, I did the thing that Grover did, the one that looked like he was crossing himself. I clawed my hand over my heart and shoved it towards Gabe. The door slammed shut right on his ass, shooting him up the staircase, making me smirk and head back to the car.

"Let's go!" I said excitedly.

Our rental cabin was way out at the very tip of Long Island. It was kinda beat up with its faded curtains that were always half-buried in the dunes; the sand in the sheets; and the spiders that were in every damn corner. The sea was always too cold to swim in, but that didn't bother me. I loved the place anyways.

Ugh, I'm being sappy!

Anyways, my mom and I had been going there since I was baby, my mom even longer. I knew this beach is where my mom and dad met, even though she never actually said it.

I loved going to Montauk for one reason only, and it wasn't for my dad. It was because my mom seemed to grow younger, her worry lines went away and her blue eyes sparkled. Overall, she looked so much younger and stress-free.

When we got there the sun was already setting. We went through the same routine every time we came here, we opened the cabin windows, swept out the spiders, and cleaned the beds. We fed, well I chucked, food at the seagulls while eating blue jelly beans, blue taffy, and other blue foods my mom had brought from work.

Fine, I'll explain the godforsaken blue food.

Gabe told my mom the blue food didn't exists when I was seven. They got into this huge stupid fight about it that was really small at the time. But ever since, my mom has made blue everything. Blue pizza, blue tortilla chips, blue candy, and even blue birthday cakes, officially making blue and black my favorite colors. She also kept her maiden name-thank god, I did not want to be Percy Ugliano-showing that she had a rebellious streak, like me (except mine is 1000 times bigger).

When the sun set, we roasted, you guessed it, blue marshmallows! Mom told me stories about her life before her parents died. She described the books she wanted to write when we had enough money to get by. At that moment, I swore to myself that I would help in every way possible, my mom would not go through this alone.

Then, I brought up my father, who just happens to be a god. Her eyes were misty as she talked.

"He was kind," she said. "Tall, handsome, powerful; but also gentle. You have his beautiful green eyes and jet black hair, you know."

My mom ate a jelly bean. "He would be so proud, you're so smart and independent."

I might have blushed a little at that. I ran through the description she told me of my father, thinking of all the gods it could be.

I finally came to a decision.

"My dad is Poseidon, isn't he," I stated bluntly.

My moms eyes widened.

"How did you know that?"

"Mom, you basically just described him to me, and like you said before, I'm not dumb."

"Well. I guess the cat's out of the bag now, huh?" She said sheepishly.

"So what about that camp?" I curiously asked.

"We need to get there first thing in the morning, monsters will be after you. We can't leave right now because of the ten o'clock parade going on. We'd get no where." She said, a little panicked.

"It's fine. Well just wake at the ass crack of dawn then, ok?" I tried to soothe her.

"Persephone Cyrene Jackson! What did I say about cussing?" She lightly scolded.

"Not to..." I said sheepishly.

My mom sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me like the great mom you are?" I cheekily answers. (If you can't tell, I'm great at sucking up to my mom)

She signed again, but this time with a smile. "I can do that."

LINE BREAK

That night, I had my most vivid dream.

A white horse and a golden eagle were trying to kill each other on a beach. As they fought, a creepy ass voice chuckled somewhere underground, baiting and goading them to keep fighting.

I wanted to see how this played out so I just sat and watched instead, sitting criss-crossed in the sand. Just then, the eagle swooped down, it's sharp-as-hell beak pointed at the horse's wide eyes. I was actually hoping the horse would win, but I guess I'm being a bit biased, huh?

I woke with a start. The clock read 2:00AM.

There was a severe storm outside, cracking trees and blowing down houses. The lightning created fake daylight and the waves pounded the dunes like an AK-47.

My mom woke up when the next huge thunderclap shook the cabin. She sat up, wide eyed, and said, "Hurricane."

I knew this was a gods work, hurricanes are never this early in the summer. Over the roaring wind, I distinctly heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made me say one, horrifying word.

"Monster."

Then there was a banging on our door, followed by a desperate voice-someone that sounded vaguely familiar.

My mom jumped out of bed and threw the door open, not the smartest thing, but what can you do?

There stood my best friend, Grover, in all his... NAKED GLORY! Holy SHIT!

Before I could get a word in, Grover said, "I was searching all night! Where were you?!"

"I told my mom about the camp and stuff and we were going to chill here before leaving in the morning to this camp thing," I said in the fastest voice I could.

"Percy, it's time! Come on! Get in the car!" My mom said, panicked.

"It's right behind me! Why did you leave?!" Grover yelled, sounding more panicked than angry.

"I wasn't in my right mind Grover! Now back off and get your naked ass to the car!" I yelled while packing my bags.

While we ran to the car, I noticed that Grover wasn't running, he was trotting. He wasn't naked, he just had the bottom half of a goat! What. The actual. Fuck.

There is another chapter!

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