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Holy Water

Chapter 37: Daddy Issues

Persie blinked up at the ceiling above her.

Someone was holding her hand. She knew that much.

"Persie."

It was just a dream. She was awake, in the hospital, not back in the pit, not back there-

"Snap out of it, Persie."

She got out.

She's been out of the pit for a long time now.

Then why does she still feel it under her skin?

"Persephone."

Persie blinked again, and things started coming into focus.

Her hand was being held delicately, with a soft, loving touch. Hands that have held her since she was a child. She could smell the faint whiff of lavender in the air as someone shuffled closer to her side.

"Mom?"

A low chuckle, warm and comforting sounded at the croak in her voice. "Yes, it's me," Sally Blofis's voice caressed over her daughter, warming her from the inside out. "I've missed you."

Persie blinked a few more times, looking to where the voice was coming from, and sure enough this wasn't a dream. Her mom was there with her. She wasn't alone. "You came."

Sally's smile waned as tears welled on the bottom of her blue eyes. "I will always be there when you need me. I love you, Persie."

A small smile tugged on her lips. "I love you too, mom."

"And I love you both," another voice croaked from behind her mom.

Persie felt herself perk up at the sound. "Uncle Bobby?"

Sure enough, he was just behind her mom in another bed where he was hooked up to all kinds of monitors. He was looking a little pale, but healthy, as he was seated up and looking over at them with kind eyes. "Yeah, kid. I'm glad you're okay."

She let out a sigh of contentment and closed her eyes briefly. "Good." Suddenly, two other faces that she recognized from her nightmare made her pause. "Wait, is there a reason why I saw both Annabeth and Dean in my nightmare this time? I mean, sometimes Annabeth is there..." her voice slowly faded.

Sally squeezed her hand and ran a hand through her daughter's hair in comfort. Who it was supposed to comfort, the mother didn't know, but her anxiety softened as her daughter leaned into her touch.

"From what your mom has told me, they took some of that African Dream Root to free us from the nightmares we were trapped in," Bobby explained, before letting out a few coughs. "Lord knows what they saw or went through to get to us, but they did it."

"Annabeth called and said they were on their way here," Sally added, and Persie nodded slowly, though still a little confused as to what all happened.

A part of her still was in the pit.

She wasn't sure if she'd ever be free.

Sally squeezed her hand again, and Persie found herself looking at her mom's blue eyes again. "You okay, sweetie? You were gone for a second there."

She pursed her lips and nodded slowly.

Everything was happening slowly, like she was caught in some sort of time warp brought to her by Kronos-

"You'll never be free of me, Persephone Jackson."

She let out a gasp, and it was loud enough for her mom to call out her name in question.

"Persie, you're not there anymore," her mom spoke. "You're safe. It wasn't real. You're here in the hospital with me and your Uncle Bobby. Annabeth and the Winchester boys are on their way-"

"But it was real," Persie cut her off in a soft voice. "It was real."

It was real.

She was there.

Sally let out a faint whimper, and she could briefly hear Uncle Bobby moving on his bed. "Sal..."

Her mom ignored him and slowly moved to sit on the side of her bed and leaned in to whisper into her ear. "Persie, you're here with us, it's going to be okay." She took a deep breath and placed a grounding hand on her daughter's cheek. "Can you feel me? I'm here, baby girl. I'm not going anywhere."

Persie's eyes welled up with tears. "Mom?"

Sally used her thumbs to wipe away the few tears that escaped. "Yes, honey?"

"I'm tired, mom."

Sally closed her eyes briefly and took a small breath, gaining the composure she needed. "You can sleep now, Persie. The nightmares won't be coming back, not anytime soon."

Persie's sea green eyes welled up at her words. "They won't?"

"I'll make sure of it."

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Persie."

.

.

.

Her mom was right, she didn't have any nightmares. A part of her lowkey felt like her mom was always right, but she'd rather not admit to that just yet.

This time when she woke up, it wasn't just Uncle Bobby and her mom. It took her a few seconds for her brain to compute what she was seeing, but Dean and Annabeth were there, too. Real, in the flesh, and definitely not wearing those gods-awful ghoul disguises that nearly make her vomit.

"Hey, sweetheart," Dean's low voice cut through her sleepy haze. "You're finally awake."

Annabeth snorted. "It's only been a few hours, Winchester."

Dean smirked in her direction before sitting down at Persie's side and placed her left hand in both of his own. "It felt like forever," he told her, and she knew he wasn't exaggerating from the honesty radiating in his soft green eyes. "I'm so glad you're awake."

Annabeth smirked and placed a hand on Persie's foot. "I'm glad you're awake too, Seaweed Brain. I can't keep up with these guys all on my own."

Persie smiled at her friend. "Yeah, yeah. Love you too, Wise Girl." She looked at Dean with clear eyes. "We are gonna need to talk about some stuff, Hot Shot."

Dean's expression sobered. "Yeah, we're gonna talk. And I'm going to apologize until my voice goes hoarse because I'm so sorry, Seph. I was dumb, and-"

"And this isn't the place for chick flick moments," Persie cut him off with a small grin. "We'll talk later, okay?"

He let out a small sigh. "Okay. Sounds good to me."

Sally walked over to Persie's side and placed a light hand on her arm. "I'm going to go see what I can do about getting you some food, okay?"

Persie's grin widened. "That would be amazing." And suddenly, she started to feel very, very hungry. "And I think it is going to be very necessary. Even if there's nothing blue or any pizza I'm sure I'll still stuff my face."

Annabeth snorted. "If you think there will be blue food that's not jello or pizza, I think you're gonna be in for a shock.."

Bobby let out a cough from his bed. "If you could find some pizza, that would be best for us to heal, I think."

Persie looked over at her uncle and could see a familiar look in his eye. "Yeah, mom," she added. "I think it would be in our best interest if we got some pizza. And maybe some coke."

"Or beer."

Sally narrowed her eyes at Bobby. "Don't push it, Singer."

A faint blush crossed over his cheeks, disappearing into his beard. "Yes, ma'am."

She gave the others a wink before walking out of the room, seeming to take her vivacious energy with her. Annabeth visibly slouched and let out a long sigh before looking over at Persie. "I... I don't know what to say after..."

"Seeing it all again?" Persie guessed. Her lips pursed as she watched Annabeth's stormy grey eyes start to gloss over, and she reached out and patted her friend's leg in comfort. "Thank you for finding me again. I know it wasn't easy-"

"But I would do it again in a heartbeat," Annabeth cut her off with a small grin. "And I know you would do the same thing for me."

Bobby looked between the two girls with a certain uncomfortable gravity that Dean had a hard time processing. "I know I wasn't there and didn't see what you all went though, but if you need to talk..."

Persie gave her uncle a wry grin. "I'll talk to you if I need to, you know that Uncle B."

Dean looked over at his mentor grimly. "Sam... he told me about your nightmare, and what had been cooked up in your brain." He looked down, trying to piece the right words together before deciding to just bite the bullet. "With, uh, your wife... Did that all really happen?"

Bobby looked over at Persie briefly before giving Dean a small shrug. "We all had to get into hunting somehow."

Persie looked over at him with a sorrowful gaze. "Is... you saw what happened with Auntie Karen?"

He let out a small hum of acknowledgement, before looking down at some of the files that Dean and Annabeth had brought with them.

"I told you that she doesn't want you to blame yourself," she stubbornly told him. "I certainly don't, and neither does mom. Blame the demon, but don't blame you."

Bobby audibly gulped. "Persie-"

"It's not good to hold onto that after all these years, you know," she added, as she squeezed Dean's hand.

The words weren't only for Bobby.

She had her own daddy issues or whatever. But Dean... he had them too. And she knew how a lot of that had to do with some of his own regrets regarding a demon that had nearly destroyed his family.

Before any more sappy moments could happen, Sam chose that moment to walk into the door with what Persie thought was a slightly constipated look on his face. "So, uh, stoner boy's not in his dorm. My guess is that he's long gone."

Bobby looked relieved at the rapid change of subject, and quickly cleared his throat. "Well, he ain't much of a stoner," he said, before pulling out a picture from one of the files.

"No?" Dean asked as he gave Persie's hand another squeeze.

She definitely didn't blush at Bobby's knowing look.

"No," her uncle affirmed, "His name's Jeremy Frost, a full on genius- 160 I.Q."

Annabeth blinked. "Huh."

Bobby rolled his eyes at her. "Which is saying something, considering his dad took a baseball bat to his head."

Dean's eyebrows skyrocketed and he shared a look of shock with Persie who patted his hand as Bobby continued, handing over a photo to the older Winchester. "Here's father of the year, he died before Jeremy was ten."

Sam peered over his brother's shoulder at the scan of the driver's license Bobby had pulled. "Looks like a real sweetheart."

"Injury gave him Charcot-Wilbret, the kid hasn't dreamt since."

"Which is where the dream root comes into play," Annabeth deduced, taking a look at the photo herself with a grimace. "It certainly makes someone like to play god."

Sam looked down at her curiously. "Play god?"

She shrugged. "Part of the reason why it spread so quickly through our camp after the first war was it gave people the power to control their dreams, when they couldn't control reality. So... in a way, I'm not surprised that someone who was beat up as a kid became addicted to the dream root- not just because he could dream, but because of the control it gave him."

"Did any of them use the dream root to go into other people's dreams?" Sam asked her with narrowed eyes.

Annabeth's face scrunched before nodding her head slowly. "Mostly it was to help someone, to make sure their dreams weren't so horrible, but of course there were one or two people who decided to make it worse for others."

Persie blinked in shock. "Wait, who?"

"They're no longer at camp," Annabeth admitted. "It was a rough time."

Persie rubbed the back of her neck, or at least tried to, before the I.V. in her arm limited the movement. "Well, shit. Why did I never know about this?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "You were busy being kidnapped by Hera, Seaweed Brain."

"Oh, yeah. That."

Dean looked between Persie and Bobby curiously. "How did he know how to dig up your worst nightmare and throw it at the two of you?"

"Hey, he was rooting around our skulls," Bobby deadpanned. "Who knows what he saw in there."

Persie huffed. "He probably knows what I am." Her green eyes widened, before looking at Annabeth. "He knows what we are."

Annabeth blinked, before grimacing again. "That's not good."

"At least it wasn't information freely given," Persie tried, but couldn't help but wince. "The gods are going to kill me. I'm gonna be smutted."

Annabeth choked. "What?"

"Smutted," she repeated, before looking out through the window at the sky, just waiting for her good ol' Uncle Zeusie to turn her to ash with lightning. She already told the Winchesters, she told Bobby... and now this weirdo who was trying to kill her found out, and now she was likely done for. "I'm gonna die-"

"I don't think that's the word for it," Sam told her, though he sounded very choked with his words.

Persie just figured he must still hate her or something, instead of reality, where the younger Winchester was trying to not laugh. She looked over at Annabeth helplessly.

"I'll explain later," Annabeth promised.

Dean reached over and patted Persie's hair lightly. "We can include it in our talk later, Seph. It's gonna be okay."

Sam placed a hand on his hip as he seemed lost in thought. "How did he get in there in the first place? Isn't he supposed to have some of your hair, your DNA or something?"

"Yeah," Dean added, looking between Bobby and Seph with a raised brow.

"Before I knew it was him, he offered me a beer," Bobby admitted. "And I drank it. It was the dumbest thing."

Persie raised her hand that was not attached to an I.V. "I was offered bottled water. I think that's a little better than beer-" Bobby glared at her, and she held that thought. "Yeah, it was the dumbest thing."

Dean's face paled considerably before he nervously chuckled. "Oh, I don't know if that's the dumbest thing-"

Annabeth groaned.

"Dean, you didn't," Sam demanded.

"I was thirsty."

Persie squeezed his hand. "Nice going, Hot Shot."

He gave her a look. "Don't look at me like that Miss I Drank The Psycho Genius's Bottled Water."

She gave him a sheepish grin. "I was thirsty."

Both of Sam's hands were on his hips as he glared at them. "That's great. Now he can come after any of you."

"Minus Annabeth," Persie added. "She's too smart for this shit."

Annabeth was currently rubbing her temples in annoyance and didn't bother adding any commentary.

"We just need to find him first," Dean pointed out.

"We better work fast," Bobby said, "And coffee up. 'Cause one thing we cannot do now is fall asleep."

The door opened, and a faint breeze of saltwater followed. "I think I might be able to offer some assistance. But first, I would like to talk to my daughter."

.

.

.

Annabeth stood up, eyes wide, and bowed slightly to the god who walked in the door. She was no idiot, and ignoring the tension that he had with her own mother, she knew she had to pay her respect.

The dark haired man wearing a Hawaiian shirt and khakis waved a brief hand to Annabeth in acknowledgement before turning to the one he had been looking for.

Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, storms, earthquakes, horses, and many other things looked to daughter and something inside him twinge at the sight of her lying in a hospital bed. It was something his brother, Zeus, had patronized him upon. Caring so much for his child.

But Persephone was his daughter, and she was his hope.

He was no mortal. He had seen civilizations be born and crumble. But somehow, the day he visited his daughter when she was just a babe, she woke from her sleep to see him with eyes that were his own. And he knew then she held his heart in her hands.

It was the one time Poseidon ever regretted his immortality and godlihood.

All for that little girl.

But then, that moment passed, and he remembered his place. That did not change his love for the girl, however. And he knew it never would.

Persie grinned at him, and he was pleased to see the color on her cheeks. "Hi, dad."

Dean Winchester, who was still holding her hand, looked between her and the newcomer with wide eyes, before finally landing on Persie. "Dad?"

She squeezed his hand and gave him a small, sheepish smile before nodding once, and turned back to where Poseidon was eyeing their exchange with a curious glint in his eyes. "This is my father, Poseidon," she introduced them. "Dad, these are the Winchesters, Dean and Sam, and this is-"

Poseidon eyed the other person in a bed, and his eyes sharpened ever so slightly. "Robert Singer. It is a pleasure to meet someone who has protected my daughter so valiantly," he spoke, a slow grin crossing his features, reminding Bobby so much of Persie. "I am glad she has you."

Bobby looked at him with wide eyes, but after a moment he caught himself gaping and quickly returned to his normal steely exterior. "It has been the greatest pleasure of my life, to have her in it."

Persie felt her eyes start to prick from an onslaught of tears that threatened to break through.

Dean squeezed her hand, and smiled at her knowingly.

She squeezed it back.

Poseidon walked closer to Persie's bed, and stared down the man who was currently holding hands with his daughter. "Dean Winchester."

Dean could see the power the man held, witnessing it flicker in his eyes. "Lord Poseidon," he spoke, and Persie squeezed his hand when she heard the nervousness in his tone.

"Dad-"

"I see you are now... attached to my daughter," the god continued, narrowing his eyes at their joined hands before looking back at the young man. "I hope you know what kind of prize my daughter is. She is the greatest that this world has to offer, and her loyalty is unwavering. It would be a shame if you were to hurt her."

Persie rolled her eyes. "Dad-"

"I'm sure you know what will happen to you if you ever hurt my daughter," Poseidon continued, and Dean watched as his eyes became dark green hurricanes in front of him. "There will be nothing left of you for your brother to bury."

Sam stiffened.

Persie gripped Dean's hand before glaring at her father. "Seriously? You're giving him the shovel talk? Do I need to sick mom on you?"

In a moment, Poseidon blinked and the hurricanes disappeared, turning back to the serene green that reminded them of the calm sea. "I hardly think that's necessary, Persephone."

"Uhuh," Persie said, raising a brow at the god. "And besides the whole giving Dean the shovel talk and threatening to murder him what brings you here?"

Poseidon looked at the others briefly before giving her a small smile. "I have two things to give you," he told her. "Of course, you are no longer at camp and not on any sort of quest, so I am not directly interfering with any prophecy and not so openly breaking one of our most sacred laws. But even if I were in giving you these gifts, it seems I am not the only one who has been breaking our laws."

She smiled at him wryly. "Obedience doesn't come naturally to either of us."

He leaned down and placed a hand on her cheek with a knowing grin. "Of course, it does not, Persephone. Not with the sea in our veins."

As he pulled away, a vial of what looked like water appeared in his hand, and he placed it into her own. "This will allow you to control your own dreams, even amongst the onslaught they might have from the African Dream Root. It is courtesy of Morpheus, who owes me a few favors."

She blinked. "This will let me sleep without nightmares?"

He gave her a small smile. "It will only work for those of my bloodline, but yes. It will allow you to sleep, and you do not have to... remember, as it were."

Persie leaned back in the bed, and felt a weight leave her shoulders. "Thank you," she whispered.

Poseidon nodded, before opening up his other hand, where he held a necklace with a single pearl strung along a golden chain.

The chain sparkled as if it were charmed by Aphrodite herself. The pearl shimmered under the soft light in the hospital room. "This is for you, so that you will always remember who you are and whose daughter you are. Pearls are formed when a wayward particle finds itself trapped in a mollusk, and it is turned into one of the most purely beautiful things on this earth."

The room was silent as the others shamelessly listened to his words, ones that have only ever been meant for his Persephone. With a small wave of his hand, the necklace was now around her neck and the pearl above her heart. "No matter where you are or how you are trapped, there is always a way to emerge even better than before. Do not forget, you are my daughter. The sea is always with you, as am I."

She nodded to him, and felt a tear start to fall. "Thank you, dad."

He used one of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "You have always been my most beloved. The sea will always listen to your call, as will any in my domain. You will never be alone, my daughter."

Poseidon allowed himself a few more seconds of watching over his daughter before moving back to the end of the bed, before looking at the daughter of Athena. "Annabeth Chase, it is always a pleasure. Your mother sends her regards."

Her gray eyes, a carbon copy of her mother's, widened slightly. "Thank you, Lord Poseidon."

He paused for a moment, as if debating the next words he spoke. "It takes a great amount of courage and friendship to endure that place a second time when you know what horrors you will face," he looked into her eyes with a rare amount of care. "You have done well, daughter of Athena. I am most excited to see what you continue to accomplish."

She bowed her head slightly at his words. "Thank you."

Persie gave her dad a knowing grin, and he only winked in return.

Then, he disappeared into a wave of ocean breeze.

"So..." Dean started, but the words seemed to avoid him.

"That's your father, huh?" Sam asked, one of his hands rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Persie nodded. "Yup."

"And he just... disappeared like that. Into thin air?"

She nodded again. "Uhuh."

His eyes looked at her curiously. "Can you do that?"

She blinked. "Well... that's a good question. I never tried."

Annabeth's eyes widened as she looked at the new mischievous glint her friend was getting. "No, you won't be trying, because you're just going to accidentally turn yourself into sea mist and you won't be able to get human form-"

"This isn't like the little mermaid or whatever-"

Sam pursed his lips once Annabeth whirled around on him. "Why did you have to go plant such a stupid idea in her brain-"

"I-uh-"

The door burst open once more, and Sally came waltzing in, holding a stack of pizzas. "I'm back!" she exclaimed, then suddenly saw the looks on everyone's faces. "What did I miss?"