Her days are at the cabin are always the best. Hanging out with Aunt Sally & her Mom. Roosting weenies by the fire at night, swimming and just having fun in the day. Usually at the cabin she would ask her mom the same question:
"Mom, can you tell me about my father, you know what he was like?"
"Alice, your father was the greatest man in the world to me. I loved him very much. He looked just like you, you remind me of him a lot. "
Then her mother would always smile and look out at the sea, and just look like she was daydreaming. But this time she was different.
"Mom, can you tell me about my father, you know what he was like?"
They were sitting on the small porch that looked out onto the sea. Her mother was looking at the sea with a sad gray gaze.
"I loved your father, so much he saved my life a couple times. He looked just like you. "
Her mother smiled, and kind of twirled Alice's hair and touched her cheek sweetly.
"You know he used to take me to the cabin all the time when we together. I used to sit here on the porch with him and stare into his amazing sea-green eyes. I felt like I could hypnotize myself just looking at them. You... have is eyes Alice. Her mother muttered to herself....
"His beautiful sea-green eyes.........."
"Mom, when did you meet him? And how?"
"Oh Alice I knew you'd ask me these questions some day. "
She smiled again. Alice realized she smiled a lot when she talked about her dad.
" We met at a summer camp, my favorite place in the world. I'd been going for a long time, just waiting for someone to help me find a way to get out into the world and have an adventure. And then he came along, it was so tragic what had happened. Sally lost; he had run all the way here being chased by a monster. I had been so jealous; we'd been training for so long, I wanted to fight something as crazy as he had. The Minotaur, that was a crazy battle, he was amazing fighting it and he hadn't even trained yet. That's when I knew he was going to be something special. "
"Mom, did you say Minotaur, like that bull-guy we read about in the history book. And you said something about a Sally, you mean Aunt Sally, knew my dad. ? I don't get it, what summer camp... Her mother interrupted.
"Well, lets answer that question about Aunt Sally. Hey Sally! Can you come out here; I'm trying to tell her. "
Her Aunt Sally came out from the kitchen with a huge smile on her face.
"Alice, have coarse I knew your father. He's my son. " She sat down with them on the porch.
"What, then that would make you my grandma. I don't get this. "
"I am your grandma, your father Perseus Jackson, was and is my son"
"Huh, his name was Perseus?"
"Yes, but we called him Percy. " Her mother added.
"Or Seaweedbrain. " Her "grandmother added"
"Hey, Sally that was my nickname for him, how did you know about that?"
"Oh, every year after camp he'd go on about you and Grover, and Thalia. And everyone else. But mostly you. "
"Who are they?" Alice asked kind of confused with the side conversation.
"Very good camp friends. I think about them sometimes. "
"Why did he leave you?" At that both women, stopped and stared at her with sad expressions, and looked out at the sea.
"I ask that sometimes about Percy's father, but both answers would be the same."
Sally looked sadly into her hands and turned to look at the sea. The sea almost looked like it was getting faster as she said that. Then she walked back inside.
"Alice he had to make a choice after the war, he and I, we realized our love for each other. But at the worst time possible, the gods they asked us if we wanted a gift, I was given the title of architect to the gods and Heroine of the Second titan war, a great honor. And your father was given, immortality."
"What war? I don't get it, wait what do you mean by immortality?
"Wait Alice did you hear that."
"Oh now… Alice! Run over that dune and don't leave until I tell you to. "
Her mother pointed to a dune next to the cabin that was big enough for her to hide behind.
Alice ran for her life
"Wait but mom what are you going to do."