I've Had Worse Reunions

Whoever was responsible for giving me my fatal flaw, I don't know if I should give them a handshake or slap them across the face. On one hand, loyalty is an absolutely massive obstacle to come over when you own a harem, though I think I've moved past that at this point. On the other, if mine were pride like Annabeth's, I would have died from shame by this point.

Calypso pretty much carried me the whole way to my apartment. Four city blocks suddenly becomes a massive undertaking when you don't have full function of your legs. The humidity certainly didn't help. As much as I tried walking on my own, it always ended with me nearly face planting myself on the cement.

"Ow... Ow... OW! Okay, that one hurt…"

"Sorry. Should we stop and rest?"

"No. Best we get out of the street before those guys realize where we are."

We shuffled along, continuing our way to my home. As we did, a small tinge of thought entered my sorry excuse of a muddied mind.

"Hey, you said you needed my permission to use your powers. What did you mean by that?"

Calypso grunted under my weight. "When a concubine leaves the location of the harem, in this case, Galínios, they are stripped of any supernatural abilities. Basically put, you could render a goddess no greater in strength than a mortal."

I grumbled from the sheer stupidity. "Why would they even come up with a law like that? And how did you know about it to begin with?"

Calypso huffed. "You're not the first harem I've been invited to. But as I would really not like to grace Heracles's bed, I chose to remain on my own island. As for why it exists, imagine if Khione were given the freedom to use her powers outside of the harem. Do you not think she could create havoc?"

"Yeah, but— ow! But there's difference between you and Khione. And you were given a choice!?"

"At the time, yes. I was asked, seeing as I was already a prisoner, prior to my induction. The same cannot be said for this time, though I'm not complaining. And while I might not be as aggressive as Khione, the potential to have anyone turn on their master or wreck havoc is not a risk the Titans were willing to take."

With that thought, we carried on for what seemed like forever. When we finally reached a familiar looking apartment building, I nearly cried at the next obstacle… Stairs.

Calypso huffed. Her face was caked in sweat by this point. "As much as I would be willing to do it, I don't think I can carry you up these."

I groaned out. "Ugh. I'll try my best…"

Her singing wore off at this point. My once numb ailments all started popping up like beatdown chicken pox. I looked up at the stairs and swallowed hard, which fortunately didn't result in me choking myself.

I leaned forward and crawled my way up the stairs, heaving and wincing every time my chest grazed the edge of the concrete. Calypso did her best to keep me from hurting myself further, but one thing has been well established. If I can do anything right, it's hurt myself.

After that excruciating ordeal of… five stairs?! Ugh, whatever. Anyways, Calypso helped pull me to my feet and I pressed the buzzer to my apartment.

BZZZZ!

"Hello?"

I wanted to break down in tears at the sound of my mom's voice. The sobs of so many months I would never get back began welling up in my throat. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I would have punctured my lungs if I did anything drastic. Namely cry.

"Hey mom," I said. "It's Per—"

The feed between us cut off instantly. Oh dear. This isn't going to be pretty. Within seconds, I could hear the sound of heavy footsteps inside of the building before the door was thrown open. I was greeted with the equally horrified and awestruck faces of my mom and stepdad.

My mom's hair had greyed a bit more since I could last remember. The worry lines on her forehead were much more deeply etched. Her eyes were in tears and her mouth trembled, trying to enunciate anything.

"Before you yell. Or scream. Or cry. Or try to hug me. Just please let me inside so I can actually heal myself. Paul, there should be a thick brown plastic bag on my desk. Could you get it for me?"

That took a lot out of me to say. My mom was still petrified. Not sure what was harder for her to grasp, the fact that I was back for the first time in months, or or me being covered in blood with a pretty girl in a torn up dress trying her best to keep me from falling over. It's sad, I still think the former was the cause of it.

Paul recovered long before my mom did and gave me a quick nod, though his face paled quite a bit when he realized how badly I needed a hospital.

"Need help getting up?"

"... Probably."

He then put his arms around my mom and led her back up the stairs. Calypso and I shuffled our way into the short hallway. A few minutes later, Paul came back down and picked me up, throwing me over his shoulder. Thank the gods he was careful not to touch my torso. My hips now rested uncomfortably on my step father as he hauled me up the stairs. Calypso closely followed, her face somewhere between worry and amusement.

We made it to the apartment and Paul set me down on the couch. My mom sat in an armchair with a cup of blue Coca-Cola in her hands… Wait. Was that the last thing I drank before going missing?... Creepy.

Calypso sat next to me and pulled out a handkerchief to start cleaning my face while Paul went over to my room. He came back shortly after with the bag and handed it to me. I wasn't in any shape to grab it myself, so Calypso took hold of it for me, thankfully understanding the contents inside of it.

I leaned back and opened my mouth as Calypso fed me a square of ambrosia. Then two. Then four. I nearly melted at the taste of brownie, but the sudden burst of energy almost left me in shock. My wounds began closing and my insides bagan mending.

I sighed in relief as I could now draw a breath without wincing. Calypso quickly left to get a glass of water from the kitchen before returning her spot on the couch. Guess she figured out how to use a sink back at Galínios. She dapped her handkerchief in the water and patted at the torn up tissue around my left eye. Oh yeah, I could now see out of my left eye again. Water certainly works miracles, even if it comes out of the tap.

"So," I finally said. "How've you guys been?"

Once my recovery was more or less evident, the waterworks were let loose. My mom surged forward and hugged me while screaming and sobbing about how much she missed her baby. Paul hugged me as well, but most of his time was spent trying to keep my mom calm. He managed it much better than I would have.

My ribs still hurt, but fortunately the aggressive hugging didn't crack anything… again. I hugged her back and tried to comfort her, but she sobbed for all it was worth. So many months of worrying were finally let go in one massive tidal wave of emotion. She had me in tears before too long. It never occurred to me how much I missed my mom.

"Seven and a half months," my mom wept. "You're gone for seven and a half months and now you just show up at the door covered in blood, barely able to walk!"

"I know," I said. "Trust me. I wanted to come back, but—"

"Don't," she said. "You're home now. My baby is safe."

If those lines didn't describe my mother perfectly, then I don't know what would. The world could have gone through an apocalypse but as long as I was safe, my mom was content.

She pulled away and rubbed her hands over my face. Even as old as I was, I would never get tired of her comforting touch.

"Are you hungry? Who's your friend? How about some drinks? I could make some pancakes or seven layer dip." Her questions fired off so quickly, I nearly had a seizure trying to keep up with them.

"Sally, let the boy breathe. Who knows what he's been through?"

I definitely owed it to Paul. He knew how to keep my mother from going overboard. It was one of the many things I appreciated about him.

My mom pulled back, but looked a little ashamed. She then sat herself back in the armchair and took a deep breath. After collecting herself, she leaned forward and looked at both Calypso and I.

"Okay. Tell me what happened."

It wasn't long before she was reduced to tears again. That could not have been healthy. Paul left his spot by the kitchen to comfort her as I continued the story. I tried to keep the dangerous details out, but most of the story wound up on the cutting room floor because of it. Just like I thought, she was sobbing into Paul's chest as I described my time in Tartarus.

"Oh Annie. I hope she's okay."

"She's fine for now. Busy, but fine."

When the story was all summed up, she calmed down. Once she came to her senses, she actually listened with relative ease. Though by the end of it, she looked ready to kick the floor.

"A nosebleed? Really? And all because of Gaia?" She huffed. "And here I thought my gardening was a good thing."

"That's right!" I exclaimed. "Where do you have it?"

She pointed to the window behind me. "Same as always."

I turned to see the flower bed. "Calypso, look."

Calypso turned to it as well and gasped. "You actually did it! There's so many!"

True enough. With all of the time passed, my mom apparently managed to expand the one moonlace flower to nearly a dozen. Every single one of them were beautiful. They were all closed because of the sun, but they still retained a faint glow.

I turned to Calypso and smiled. "I made you a promise."

Tears began to well up in her eyes. None of us could have guessed what she did next. She through her arms around me and kissed my new scar before taking a turn for my lips. My first real kiss from Calypso, and of course it had to be in full view of my parents. She pulled away after a little while and blushed, taking my hand into hers.

Paul cleared his throat. "So, uh. Who's your friend?"

"And what was that about?! Did something happen between you and Annabeth?"

I sighed a bit. This was about to get awkward. The moment I introduced them to Calypso, my mom recalled what I brought up about her before. Calypso was a little more than pleased to hear I actually talked about her after leaving Ogygia and didn't just forget about her.

"And in regard to her kissing me. Well…"

I told them about the Olympians' little 'gift' for me. With that, I explained the general premise of what was going on with the harem. I told them about the phantom island of Galínios and of the curse every one of the girls bore. Eventually I shifted topics to the trip Calypso and I took to get here and the events leading up to our arrival. I half winced and waited for their response. Hopefully Piper was right and they would be understanding about this.

Both of them looked visibly shaken.

"Eighteen," Paul muttered. "I can't even imagine."

My mom's face looked crestfallen. "And have you already… you know…"

My head dropped to my chest level. I couldn't meet their eyes. Calypso rubbed her thumb over my knuckles. So much of her comfort she provided me consisted of rubbing my knuckles.

"Yeah. I have. I had to. Otherwise… the curse would take effect…"

"And was Annabeth your first?"

If my head could sink lower, it would have. "I don't know. According to her, yes. But I can't remember. She said it happened between us before this whole debacle with the giants and Gaia."

"You didn't make sure?"

"Okay mom, seriously. Do you realize how awkward this is getting?"

She looked hurt. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to clear my own thoughts."

"Speaking of which," I said. I pointed at my mother's gut. I may not have been the most observant person, but a son knows when there's something different about his mom. "How far along are you?"

My mom looked back shocked and a little embarrassed. "Three months. I promise, we weren't trying to replace you or—"

"Mom, don't. I get it. Life goes on. I'd rather not know as much about that part of your life as you now know about mine."

She looked down. "Right."

"So have you guys decided on a name?"

She smiled. "We haven't decided on a boy's name. But if it's a girl, we wanted to go with Estelle."

I leaned back. "After grandma… I like it. A little old-timey, but I'm not exactly in a state to judge."

"I agree," Calypso said. "It is a very pretty name. Even if it is a little 'old-timey.'" She made a face and stuck her tongue out at me.

I laughed but then thought on the matter at hand. As much as I really wanted this topic to be over, I needed an answer.

"So… how do you guys feel about… the set up?"

My mom and Paul both looked pained. They seemed to share a silent conversation between them. Funny how I can pick up on small things like that. My mom finally sighed and spoke.

"I always hoped you would outlive me, as any mother would hope for their child. But this isn't quite what I had in mind."

"Oh, mom…"

I was really hoping she wouldn't bring that up. Some day I was going to see her funeral. Some day I was going to see all of my friend's funerals. Except for the girls at my harem.

"As long as you come and visit, I'm willing to accept everything as is."

I stared back, shocked. "Of course I'll visit. Every month. We can make a day of it every month. Would you prefer holidays or maybe just the first day of every month or—"

"We can get to those details later. Besides, I'm sure your… friends will want to spend some time with you on the holidays as well."

… Awkward…

She stood up from the chair. "Well in any regard, I have to get going soon. I have a meeting with my publisher in about an hour."

She turned and began making her way down the hall before stopping and looking back at us. "You will stay for tonight, won't you? You said you wanted to go shopping. It could save you some stress to just stay here for the night."

I shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Um. I don't know. Not saying I don't want to, it's just… you know. I have other responsibilities."

She frowned. "Are you sure? It would mean the world to me if you did."

"Sally," Paul chided, "don't pressure him. He's got enough on his plate as is."

My mom bowed her head and returned to her trip to her room. Paul looked back at me and sighed.

"You've no idea how much of a weight this is off of her shoulders. Mine as well of course, but she took it hard. When you sent us that message a couple months back, she recorded it and would listen to it every day."

He stood up and patted my shoulder. "Give it some consideration. Staying here, I mean. It would make these past several months worth it to her."

With that, he followed my mom to their room. I leaned back and sighed. Decisions, decisions. I did want to stay. To feel back at home for once. But even this place started to feel alien to me.

I turned to Calypso. "What do you think? Should we spend the night?"

She shrugged. "I don't see why not. It lets you spend time with your family and gives us some breathing room for time."

"You know, my bed is pretty small."

She smiled coyly. "Well, then I hope you enjoy the couch."

I tried to close my mouth, but I just couldn't.

She laughed. "Just kidding. I wouldn't mind sharing, even if it is a small bed." She leaned her head against my shoulder with her hand clasped in mine.

Oh boy. I can see where this will lead us. Well, it was going to happen at some point. I hoped it would have been nicer than an old apartment with a not so stellar bed. Still, keep your hands off the pretty girl for now, Jackson.

I looked over at the caramel haired beauty next to me. Her eyes were softly closed as she nestled up to me. As peaceful as she looked, I couldn't imagine her as some all powerful sorceress. Yet she was the one who saved my hide from those thugs. I'd never be able to repay that.

"Hey," I said. "Gotta get up for a minute. I'll go talk to Annabeth about us staying."

Calypso smiled up at me and pulled off. I made my way over to the bathroom as she strolled over to my mom's room.

I fished out a drachma. Fortunately, those thugs didn't try to rob me while pummeling my face into the sidewalk. I turned on the faucet and used my powers to make a mist appear. With the bathroom light and the mirror behind it, I managed to form a weak rainbow.

"Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, please accept my offering."

I tossed the drachma into the mist and it disappeared.

"Show me Annabeth Chase."

The cloud shimmered into an image of my Wise Girl sitting at a desk. Her head was buried in her work as she furiously wrote something down. I would never understand her penchant for studying.

"Annabeth," I called.

She jumped a bit and looked around before seeing me. "Oh. Hey Percy."

"Annabeth," a female voice hollered, "is that a personal call?"

She looked back at Athena. "It'll just be real quick." She then quickly looked back at me.

"Working hard?"

"Don't you know it. What's up? What did you need?"

I told her about my visit back home and about my mom's request for me to stay the night. I made sure not to say anything about us getting jumped.

"It'd be cool of she got to see you too. Maybe we could meet tomorrow morning for breakfast or something."

She pondered for a bit. "I'll have to push back my class with Hephaestus tomorrow, but I don't think he'll mind. Otherwise, I have no arguments. Though the fact you would ask me for permission to spend time with your mom seems a little redundant."

I looked away. "I don't know. It just didn't feel right not getting your input. Plus I was hoping you could let the others know where I am when you get back to the island."

"Huh. Well I can do that. So you and Calypso are going to be alone tonight?" The conviction in her voice did not go unnoticed.

I looked away and coughed. "Um yeah. Listen, I don't plan for this stuff to happen. It just does."

"I know. I know. Well either way, I've got work to do and so do you. Have fun on your date."

With that, she swiped her hand through the mist and broke the connection. I stared into the bathroom mirror and tried to take everything in. I was finally home. I was finally back with my mom. And I was about to go shopping with Calypso.

I left the bathroom and entered the hallway. Before my mom left for her meeting, I relayed the information to her, leaving her more than a little pleased.

"Don't you two eat while you're out. I'm making dinner tonight."

My stomach rumbled at the thought. A home cooked meal by my mother for the first time in almost eight months… wow that's sad.

She and Paul left to go to her meeting, but not before she handed me a significant amount of spending money. Paul also had some business to take care of at Goode High School before the year started back up, so he was going to be gone for a while.

I quickly met back up with Calypso, who was now dressed in some of my mom's clothes: a pair of skinny jeans and a beige v-neck tee shirt. The color actually complemented her dark eyes very well. The sleeves hid her fading bruises.

"So," I said. "How about we actually get to the shopping?"