A/N: I do not, in any way, shape, or form, own the Chronicles of Narnia or PJO. However, my OCs and my plot are both mine.

Warning: mentions of character death, slight mentions of PTSD (one word: demigods)

Note: this is an AU of my other story "cursing my name (wishing I stayed)", so I would recommend you read that, at least until the part where James leaves for the flight. Otherwise, this may be a little confusing. Enjoy!

In the end, James decided not to go on the flight, saying he "never did like Uncle Arnold anyway". Susan just laughed, but she was relieved he didn't leave. Something just felt… off about the trip. Call it a hunch.

(She knew she was right when a week later, the headlines of the newspaper talked about a flight that crashed. The same one James was supposed to go on.)

In the end, she was happy that James was still there, and then Sally had a little brother.

Life continued in the Jackson household in the same animated fashion it usually did. There were monthly bouquets, but they included white daisies (for Sally) and orange tulips (Michael). Every other week, someone almost tripped before it was decided that nothing should be strewn carelessly on the floor (which was more difficult to enforce than it should be). Sally and Michael, surprisingly, fought rarely – something they couldn't have gotten from either of their parents' sides. Susan just counted her blessings.

They grew up, although, in some ways, they were still children.

("You stole my chocolate!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!

All this while, James was suspiciously hiding in a corner, eating chocolate.)

They weren't royals living in a palace, but they were a family, and they had a home. That was all that mattered.

Then Poseidon happened.

James peered at the tiny baby with a tuft of black hair and stormy sea-green eyes.

"So we're grandparents now?"

"Yep," Michael said. "I, on the other hand, will be the cool favourite uncle."

"You're… not wrong," Sally admitted. "Apparently, the other two will probably hate him. Or try to kill him."

"Do we have to count that side of the family?" Really, Susan thought it was a good option. After all, it wasn't like they were going to be there.

James tried to cover his laugh with a cough.

"Mom!"

"No, no, she's got a point," Michael supported her.

Then, Percy started wailing loudly. Michael and James covered their ears, Susan winced, and Sally immediately tried to shush him. It looked like they probably wouldn't be able to sleep well for a while.

They were right.

Once they got past his wailing infant stage, Percy was a darling. Probably one of the sweetest children ever, and Susan had taught multiple classes of kindergarten kids. His toddler years were far more manageable (and allowed for far more sleep), except for the snake in the cot incident. That was something no one wanted a repeat of.

At one point, Sally got an idea which was quickly shut down. Marrying that man – what was it? Gave? Grave? Gabe? – would only cause more problems than it would solve.

"And how are we supposed to protect him from the monsters?" Sally asked after she got very vocal negative responses to her option.

"We could always teach him how to fight the monsters," James offered.

"Great idea in theory, Dad," Michael said, "But how are we supposed to do that, exactly?"

"I can fight, a bit. So can your mom actually – that woman with a knife terrifies me," she hit him over the head, "Ow. I was just praising your skills! We can also sign him up for classes or something?"

That wasn't a bad idea. So, they employed it.

Turned out, Percy's archery was hopeless. But despite Susan preferring archery, all the four monarchs had been given lessons with every weapon. Which was how they learned he was passable with a spear and amazing with a sword.

He came out on top in his fencing competitions all the time (no, it wasn't cheating, why would you say that?).

One day, Susan had James, Sally, Michael and an eight-year-old Percy sit down in the living room.

"So, I haven't been very honest with you about something," she confessed.

Cue the Narnia explanation. And then came the questions.

"We're royalty?!" Michael squawked.

"When I called you a queen," James began, "I had no idea that was literal." Then. "I seduced a queen!"

Susan threw a book at him. "You did not seduce me!"

"There is a child here!"

"What does seduce mean?"

Michael guffawed.

"Stop laughing!" James whined. "Your father could be having a concussion right now, have you no shame?"

"Please," Sally scoffed. "Mom just threw a paperback of Wuthering Heights at you. That can't cause a concussion. Now, if she had thrown that hardback of War and Peace…"

James didn't say anything about a possible concussion after that.

"What does seduce mean?" Percy asked again.

Susan just sighed.

Soon enough, it was time for Percy to go to Camp. Much as they'd like to keep him with them as long as they could, they understood. Of course, Sally made sure to explain as much as she could.

"And my dad is…?"

"I'm pretty sure you're smart enough to figure it out," James told him.

"Poseidon?"

Sally nodded in agreement. "But don't say anything until you're claimed."

Percy agreed.

He came back home with the story of his quest, and the only thing stopping all of them from going into hysterics was the boy sitting – living and breathing – in front of them. It led to interesting discussions.

"Perseus Alexander Jackson! You do not just mail Medusa's head to the gods!"

"Ignore your mother, I found it hilarious. As your best and favourite uncle, I'd like to congratulate you on that."

And

"Just because we put you in fencing lessons does not mean you challenge the God of War, kid!"

"But granddad-!"

And

"No junk food for you for six months. Let's see how you go into another monster's lair without fast food craving in the first place."

"Susan, let the boy live a little. At least allow milkshakes."

And

"Percy, are you telling me that Greek is hardwired into your brain?"

"Yeah, Uncle."

"Well, at least we've decided what you're going to take for foreign language."

That had unanimous agreement.

Then, Percy came home with stories of a very dangerous game of dodgeball, and also a blonde girl.

"Oh, come on," Susan huffed. "Now you're in danger in schools too?"

"We could always homeschool Perce," Michael suggested.

"Absolutely not! He needs proper communication with people his own age!"

"Sally, kiddo, I'm pretty sure Camp has children his own age. And what about the neighbours?"

"James," Susan began, "We've had the same neighbours for the past thirty-five years."

"Oh right." And so it continued.

Annabeth just looked bemused. Finally, after much discussion that led nowhere, Sally had enough.

"Percy, dear, we'll have this sorted out by the time you come back home."

"Okay," she suspected her grandson was more than happy to let them continue the argument- ahem, discussion, without him. "Bye, everyone!"

Couldn't Percy have one calm summer? Was that too much to ask for? She swore up and down that the boy's luck was terrible. Still, Sally was the one who needed to be calmed down.

"What gave you the idea to go sailing into a place named the bloody Sea of Monsters?!" her daughter shrieked.

"Language," Susan admonished while rubbing circles on her back.

"I applaud you for breaking rules and getting rewarded for it," at his daughter and wife's withering glares, James added, "But next time, try not to jump into life-threatening quests at the first chance you get."

"So, you were a pine tree?" Michael casually asked the girl who looked suspiciously identical to Percy, but shorter, female, and with electric blue eyes.

Sally hit him over the head. Susan was rather certain she learned that from her. "That's highly disrespectful!"

Thalia cracked a small smile. "It's okay. A lot of people have that reaction," she paused, "I'm Thalia, daughter of Zeus, former pine tree."

Annabeth snorted.

"I don't like this," Susan murmured as said goodbye to Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover, who were going to be dropped off at Westover Hall by Sally.

Turned out, she was right, as James answered a phone call that said Percy was going on (sneaking into) yet another quest.

"Percy's luck is simultaneously the best and the most rotten," Michael sighed.

Percy came home with a grey streak in his hair, a haunted look in his eyes, and the nature of someone who knew they had to fight, that they had no choice. In those days, each of them took a turn in comforting him or cheering him up. Susan would tell him stories of Narnia, Sally would make cookies with him, James would take him grocery or flower shopping, and Michael would take him swimming.

Summer became a dreaded thing for their family, mostly because they knew Percy had to go somewhere again, do something again, because – in Susan's opinion – he's like Peter, too much like Peter, and he will never sit back and let others do the fighting by themselves. Michael said the gods might as well put Percy on speed dial.

He's not dead. He can't be dead. He told them he'd come back.

"And then he crashed his own funeral?"

"Yeah, Uncle Michael," Percy sighed. "Why is everyone so stuck on that?"

Nico snickered but quickly covered for himself by continuing to eat his blue cake.

"See, Kelp Head," Thalia said, "This was the experience of being asked 'You were a pine tree?' Enjoy the attention."

Percy pouted.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain," Annabeth smiled.

"Wise Girl," Percy retorted.

James caught her eye, then flicked them towards Percy and Annabeth. Susan remembered their early days and suppressed a laugh.

It was one of the lighter moments in the middle of a war that kids shouldn't be fighting. Susan tried her best to make sure their home was a safe place, a happy place for the children.

Then the missions began.

It was over. Finally.

One day, Hermes decided to visit alongside Poseidon.

"Alright, who does it?" Michael asked. "Personally, I'd like to-"

"Hey! I called dibs!"

"I'm usually peace-loving, but I'd like to make an exception for this."

James scoffed. "Peace-loving, my-"

She hit him over the head. "Language!"

"I didn't even finish that!"

Seeing his opportunity, Michael punched Poseidon in the gut (much to Hermes' horror). "That was for breaking my sister's heart."

"Well, if we're doing it like that…" James punched him in the gut again. "That was for touching my daughter."

Susan rolled her eyes but slapped Poseidon. "And that was for making my daughter cry."

Hermes looked vaguely scared. "Uh, Uncle P?"

"I'll admit, I deserved all of that."

That was when Sally and Percy came back, and everyone calmly had dinner without any mention of what had happened. Hermes, it must be noted, sat suspiciously away from her, James and Michael.

Percy Jackson was missing.

And the target practice at the Jackson home was extremely full every day.

Annabeth would come from time to time, with bloodshot eyes and an expression so haggard that everyone forced her to sleep and eat whenever she came. Thalia came with a few hunters sometimes, with the same verdict – no progress. Almost all of Percy's friends visited occasionally, if only to sit with them. The gods, it seemed, had shut themselves inside Olympus and were not contacting anyone.

"This is Jason Grace, my brother," Thalia explained, gesturing to the blond, blue-eyed boy. "Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite," the girl with the choppy hair and kaleidoscope eyes, "And Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus," the Hispanic boy with the curly hair.

"We went on a quest to rescue Lady Hera from captivity," Piper explained.

"I have an idea of where Percy might be," Jason said.

Sally was instantly more alert than ever. "Where?" she asked frantically.

"There's a Roman camp," Jason elaborated, "Like the Greek one. The gods wanted to keep them separated because Greeks and Romans are pretty much sworn enemies – the last time they clashed, the American Civil War happened." Michael's eyes widened dramatically. "However, there's a new threat, and according to Lady Ju- Hera," Jason hastily corrected, "According to Lady Hera, it can only be bested by Greeks and Romans working together."

"Do tell them about her marvelous plan," Piper inserted. It was obvious she didn't think the plan was very marvelous at all.

Jason winced. "She decided to switch the leaders of two camps, give them amnesia, and throw them into the other camp and try to fit in. I was the Roman Praetor, so here I am."

"And where," Susan inquired, "Is my grandson?"

"Roman camp," Leo threw in. "San Francisco, apparently."

Michael sighed. "Percy needs a break so desperately it isn't even funny."

"Hey, look on the less dark side – that boy has done a lot of tourism for free!"

"While his life was in danger, James."

"I said 'less dark', didn't I? I didn't say 'bright', did I now?"

"Mom, Dad, now is seriously not the time."

"Really Sally? I happen to like watching this free television!"

Annabeth sighed. "Meet the Jacksons."

"Oh, please, don't look so exasperated. You're practically one of us," Michael said.

Annabeth only pinched her nose.

The boy jumped into Tartarus. Tartarus.

What else did they expect?

"My brave, brave nephews and niece," Michael announced at the dinner table. "The wars are over, the battles have been fought, and now. Now comes the time for the greatest struggle of all time."

(Through what can only be called Jackson logic, it had been determined that the majority of the demigods were essentially Sally's children. And that was exactly how they were treated.)

"What?" Nico asked, through a mouthful of food.

"College. Academia." He shuddered.

"It's really not that bad," Susan frowned. "Don't scare the children."

It was then that James decided to put his two cents in. "I've never been, so I wouldn't know. But listen to your mother."

"James, what do you mean you haven't been?"

"To college. Don't you think if I had a college degree, it would be framed on the wall?"

He… had a point.

"Well, then, I suppose it's just as well that you could go with the kids and complete your education."

"Susan, I'm a grandfather."

"It's never too late to earn a college degree for oneself." And you hadn't been very subtle when you were ogling that History degree on the Internet.

"Fine!"

He'd thank her later.

Life went on. The children lived their lives, happily and to the fullest. Percy got Annabeth a dagger and monthly bouquets of purple asters.

The marriage was rather grand (Susan's fault, really, she had always loved planning big events) and there were quite a bit of guests. The children were troublemakers, but with high intelligence – which made them even worse troublemakers.

One day, she would go to Aslan's Country, happy and fulfilled; her siblings and friends would forgive her, and she would introduce James to everyone (he'd be best friends with Peter), and then her children would join, and so would her grandchildren and their families one day, and so on.

But for now, she was walking on the streets of New York, in the sweet spring breeze, enjoying the day with Anthea, Theodore and Lysander. Moving to America, she mused, was probably the best decision of her life.

Grief never truly goes away, but in the end, it is your choice whether you let it consume you or try to move forward and build a future with the pieces you have left.

And that brings an end to the happier AU of cursing my name (wishing I stayed), and I love it with my entire heart.

Also yes, I'm still here and active. It's just that I have back-to-back exams (prelims) and then have to take my GCSEs, so I can't be as regular as I'd like.

Adios,

~ Arty.