AN: Well, I have no excuse for dissappearing this time. Soooo *holds out a nearly 3000 word chapter on a silver platter* We good?

Iris
Chapter 6
Meeting the parents

By now Percy had gotten pretty used to Hermes popping in from time to time, for a casual chat when he was bored or to relax for a little while when the stress from his work got too much to handle. And when they were not talking, they texted through the phone he'd given her for Christmas. His obsession with funny cat videos was disturbingly endearing at this point.

It was perhaps a strange one, their friendship, even if it rarely felt so when they were together. It was so easy to forget how old he was, how powerful he was, when she was busy beating him at Mario Cart or dragging him to the nearest ice-cream parlor when he sometimes picked her up after school. Still, when she thought about it more deeply, Percy couldn't help but be flattered that it was her he would seek out when he needed distraction.

It was that feeling perhaps, the fear that they could lose that easy comradery, which had kept her from telling anyone about his visits. He was, after all, the only person she could relax with completely, without having to measure her words. He understood her and didn't shy away even when she confessed even the darkest parts of her character, which would have forced Annabeth and Grover to look at her differently.

Keeping the secret was difficult. It was often that Percy would start quoting something Hermes had said or begin telling a funny story about him, before forcing herself to stop and change the topic mid-sentence. Annabeth had noticed, she knew, as well as her mom, but while the daughter of Athena had tried – and failed – to get more information, Sally had left the matter alone, well aware Percy would tell her when the time was right.

And the time had come.

With the increased frequency of his visits, it would be only a matter of time before her mom met him accidentally. So Percy had decided to introduce them on her own terms. She'd told her mom she was bringing a friend home for dinner, but without naming exactly who the friend was. The last thing she needed was for her mom to be worried about the state of her food. Hermes, she told the truth, commanding him when and where to show up. Thankfully, he'd been a good sport about it – as she'd expected – only asking what Sally's favorite flowers were, much to the girl's confusion.

"Do I look presentable enough?" His question interrupted her inner musings and she forced herself to focus on the present, even if the thought of the impending dinner made her more nervous than she was willing to admit.

Hermes had dressed up for dinner, it seemed, switching the casual light colored jeans and T-shirt for a black pair and a button up shirt. Even the unruly curls on his head had been somehow tamed into an acceptable hairstyle, which made her keenly aware of her own wild tresses.

He looked… nice, Percy concluded. Very, very nice.

She told him so, basking in the smile he offered in her direction. "Though you know that my mom couldn't care less about what you look like, right?"

Hermes threw a scolding look at her as he brushed imaginary flecks dust off his shirt, one hand wrapped tightly around a bouquet of peonies – her mom's favorite flowers - and a wine bag. "First impressions are important, Perce." He told her tightly, though without heat. Thing was - Percy knew him by now. She knew the way he acted when he was nervous or the way he bounced in place when he was excited, as if he would break into a run any moment like an overeager golden retriever. "In fact, Plato once said-"

Her hand on his upper arm interrupted him, as well as the knowing twinkle she knew he could see in her gaze. "Stop rambling, Hermes." She told him, recognizing the long-winded poetic mouth-vomit he tended towards when he was nervous or unsettled. "It's just my mom. You've probably dated thousands of girls, I bet you've had had to meet the parents sometimes. And we're not even dating. There is no need to worry."

He stopped pulling at his sleeves and looked at her for a long moment, an intense look in his eyes. Percy both loved and hated it when he looked at her like that, as if he could see beneath the surface and right into her soul. It was unnerving but not necessarily unpleasant.

"Yeah," He agreed finally, taking a deep breath and tearing his eyes away from hers much to Percy's relief and disappointment. "You're right. There is nothing to worry about."

Steeling her own nerves, Percy nodded back resolutely, before pushing the apartment door open. The appetizing smell of her mom's cooking greeting her as well as the familiar footsteps coming from the direction of the kitchen.

For a moment, Percy had a brief moment of panic. What if her mom didn't like him? Or if they didn't get along? How would she bear it if the two most important people in her like couldn't stand each other?

Get a grip, Jackson! She ordered herself mentally, plastering a smile on her face, just as Sally Jackson rounded the corner, smiling warmly.

"Mom?" She started, smiling nervously. "This is Hermes. Hermes, this is Sally Jackson, my mom."

She knew the exact moment Sally realized who the stranger was. Shock and surprise washed over her mother's face and she bowed hurriedly with a quiet "Lord Hermes". The deference surprised Percy, as it always did when she was reminded that her laid-back, funny, grammar-Nazi of a friend was actually an ancient Olympian god.

"Please do not bow, Ms. Jackson." Hermes said hastily, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. "I'm here as Percy's friend."

Percy inspected her mom's face carefully, sighing in relief when she saw no sign of obvious disapproval there. Instead, Sally gave their guest a warm smile, slipping in her usual graceful hospitability.

Grateful that the awkward introductions were over and Hermes had gifted the beautiful bouquet and probably impossibly expensive wine bottle to her mom, Percy directed him to the seat next to her, hoping he would feel more comfortable. He was there because of her, after all.

But her worries seemed to be ungrounded.

After all, despite almost no one remembering – to which Hermes often voiced annoyance – he was the god of diplomacy and oratory. That, added to his natural charming self, kept the conversation flowing easily, with little input by Percy herself. He chatted easily with her mother, telling them stories of ages gone by, effortlessly filling what would have been otherwise an awkward silence. Even the demigoddess found herself relaxing, paying more attention to the actual conversation than her mother's reactions.

It felt so right to be there with him and Sally, having dinner, talking as if they were just normal people spending time together.

It was wonderful.

Percy found herself grinning and laughing, blushing dark red when her mom found it necessarily to share embarrassing stories from her childhood. Hermes had laughed heartily when he heard about her antics, looking her with shining eyes and suddenly Percy found herself not minding it that much.

Unfortunately, half-way through dessert, his phone rang. Percy needed just one glance at his face to know. Her heart fell, unwilling to let him go yet but knowing she had to. Their time together was over.

Hermes looked up at her and she read the apology in his gaze even before he voiced it. "It's Zeus." He murmured, tucking his phone back in the pocket of his jeans. "I'm so sorry, Percy. I swear I'll make it up to you." He told her, probably realizing how important this was for her.

The girl smiled at him sadly, her good mood evaporating as quickly as it had appeared. "It's alright. Duty calls." Hermes glanced at her face one more time, an unreadable look on his face as he rose to his feet.

"Thank you for the dinner, Ms. Jackson, it was lovely. I apologize for leaving so early."

Percy watched him vanish into thin air, her heart heavy. She always hated these moments when he had to go. But she understood. He had a job, a very important one at that. He couldn't spend all of his time with her, fooling around in the mortal world.

But, for some reason, it hurt to watch him go.

With a sigh, she looked away from the spot he had disappeared, raising to her feet to help her mom clear the table. They worked in silence for a while, each deep in their thoughts, moving mechanically around the kitchen with Sally washing the dishes and Percy carefully putting them away in their rightful places.

"You are different around him." Sally murmured finally and Percy looked up sharply, feeling confused. She had known her mom would want to talk to her about everything, would be worried about her, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Panic gripped her. She wasn't ready for this conversation yet, didn't want to hear the verdict. She didn't know what she would do if her mom didn't approve of Hermes.

"You are happy." Her mom continued. "Happier than I have seen you recently. I cannot dislike him when he makes you smile like that again. But I'm worried about you Percy." The girl felt her heart, which had been soaring just a moment ago, crash into the ground.

"He won't hurt me, mom." She assured; her voice surprisingly strong. It was the truth. The one and absolute truth she had realized that afternoon when he had gone out of his way to take care of her. It had only strengthened with each following interaction. She just hoped Sally would see it as clearly as she did.

"Perhaps not intentionally," Sally agreed softly. "But he is a god first and foremost. One day he won't come back."

Percy's back stiffened when she realized what this whole thing was about. Her heart pounded in her chest. She knew her mom still loved Poseidon and perhaps somewhere deep inside she still resented him for leaving her, but this was not the same situation. She wasn't in love with Hermes. They were just friends. And she had to make her mom see that.

"He's not dad, mom. And I'm not you." She whispered strongly. "I'm not in love with him. We're just friends, good friends at that. There won't be broken hearts in the end."

Wiping her hands on a clean towel, Percy turned around and marched out of the kitchen, successfully ending the conversation. As she retreated, she felt her mom's sad gaze on her back.

History would not repeat itself. She promised to herself. Not this time.

Through the eons, Hermes had gotten pretty used to muting the prayers of mortals. They all had, perhaps as the only defense of the absolute madness of having thousands of voices echoing in their heads.

Still when a familiar but an unexpected voice called out his name, he couldn't help but stop and listen.

Um, Lord Hermes? Sally Jackson's hesitant voice called out. Can we speak? The voice was accompanied by the scent of warm chocolate chip cookies – a sacrifice.

It didn't sound urgent, but Hermes could not help the sudden fearful tightening of his chest. What if something was wrong with Percy? What if she was hurt or missing or – Forcibly, he brought his thoughts to a halt. If something was indeed wrong, panicking would hardly help. Instead he focused on calling Iris to have her pick up on his work, before flashing to Percy's apartment.

Only, Percy was not there this time. Instead it was her mother sitting on the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a cup of what must be coffee or tea. She looked up once he materialized in the room and the golden light accompanying his godly form died down, and Hermes was relieved to see that aside some apprehension – probably from being in the presence of a god she'd met only once before – her expression did not indicate any tragedy.

"My lord," She stood up to greet him but he waved it away. "I apologize for the presumption but I-" She hesitated, before visibly steeling herself and meeting his eyes. "I want to speak about you and Percy."

Hermes felt himself stiffen, an icy feeling sinking to make itself home at the bottom of his stomach. Part of him – a part he had buried hundreds of years ago – seethed at the presumption of a mortal woman to question him – a god. But a bigger part, a more logical one and one who knew very well what it was like to care about the force of nature that was Percy Jackson, understood.

Percy cared for him, he knew. They were close and she would often admit things to him he was pretty sure she'd told no one else. But while she liked him, Percy adored her mother – with reason, he would admit, having heard a lot about the woman who bore Poseidon's daughter. If it came as a choice between him and Sally Jackson, Hermes a pretty good idea whom Percy would choose. He understood, but it still hurt and fed to the fear that he was going to lose her.

He wasn't sure what his face must have portrayed, but the woman in front of him visibly softened. "My lord-"

"Hermes," He corrected through slightly numb lips, taking her unvoiced invitation to sit. Restless, his fingers plucked at the sleeve of his postman uniform, before he forced them to still. Percy often made fun of his habit of fidgeting when he was nervous. "Call me Hermes."

Sally Jackson nodded somberly, staring at her hand around the cup. "I'm sure you can understand my worries."

He could. Of course, he could. They were nothing different than the thoughts he himself had. And yet he couldn't keep away. Percy had that ability, he'd noticed. She pulled people towards her with unquestionable gravity – he'd seen the way the demigods referred to her. Even most of his own family were soft on the girl. His father had spared her life after all, Hades respected her for keeping her word and returning his helmet. Poseidon was a given, even if he sometimes had trouble expressing how fond of her he was. Even Ares, who loudly proclaimed his hatred for Percy, secretly respected her prowess on the battlefield. Aphrodite, Artemis, Apollo, him. None of them could withstand the barrage of charisma that was Percy Jackson.

The woman was looking at him expectantly, awaiting his reaction.

"Percy and I," Hermes started, somewhat weakly before clearing his throat. "We are friends, Ms. Jackson. Nothing more."

"But that's not all you want, is it?" The eyes looking at him were different, the wrong shade of blue, but they held a familiar perceptiveness. They met his steadily and Hermes faltered, exhaling softly.

"No, it is not."

Sally seemed to deflate slightly, nodding. "I can't stop you." She told him quietly. "And I won't stop you if it's something that Percy wants and makes her happy. But I've loved a god, my Lord. And that was both the greatest and the most painful thing that has happened to me." Looking at her, sad but strong, it was easily to see why his uncle had fallen so deeply in love with this woman as to forsake his vow. It was also easy, the longer he looked, to see Percy in her - in the steady strength of her shoulders and the warmth in her gaze. "But she is young yet. Too young." Sally continued. "I won't ask you to leave her alone. But I'll ask – no, beg – you to give her time. Time to grow up, to date, to love without the looming shadow of a god's love."

Hermes exhaled heavily, leaning against the back of the chair, feeling as if he'd been slapped. He felt strangely vulnerable, raw like a bare nerve, at the same time angry and understanding. "I love Percy." He admitted finally, ignoring the sharp intake of air from the woman. "I want her, I'm not going to lie about that. But you must understand that she is first and foremost my friend, probably one of my best. There is nothing – nothing – in the world that would make me hurt her. There is a reason I haven't pursued her romantically."

"So we are in agreement?"

"I won't pursue Percy, not unless I have her specific indication that she wants it." He swore. "However, I will not – could not – refuse her if she wants me. I am too selfish a being to do it. But I will not act myself. That I can promise you."