#halley writes

“It’s going to be okay,” Annabeth said reassuringly, her voice quiet as she spoke so only he would hear her words. “Your mom is going to be so happy to see you.”

Annabeth had told Percy about the times when he was missing that she would always travel to Sally Jackson’s house. It was an everyday commute to see how the older woman was doing and according to Annabeth, Sally was even pregnant. Percy had never felt worse when he had heard that piece of news, because that meant he had missed when his mother had heard the news for the first time. He had missed seeing her excitement and Percy had missed his time to be excited for this moment. He would be having a younger sibling to care for, to love, and he had missed that news.

Percy nodded his head anxiously. “Yeah. I know it is.”

Together, the couple began walking up the steps towards Percy’s apartment. With each passing step, Percy felt his heartbeat going faster and more rapidly that by the time he got to the door he thought his heart was going to explode out of his chest. His grip on Annabeth’s hand was tight but the girl didn’t seem to be complaining; either way the blonde girl had a high pain tolerance.

Shakily, Percy knocked softly on the wooden door and heard muffled voices behind the door and the locks behind the door being unlocked. No more than a couple of seconds passed when the door opened to reveal Paul Blofis standing there looking no different then when Percy had left him. Percy felt his throat tighten up upon seeing his step father and his grip on Annabeth’s hand loosened.

“P-Percy?” Paul stuttered out, his eyes widened in surprise. “What are you-?” He looked surprise to see his step-son standing there in the doorway after months of being missing and Percy almost could have sworn he saw tears threatening to leak out of the older man’s eyes.

“Hey, Paul,” Percy greeted with a lopsided smile, his own tears threatening to spill out. “Been a long time, huh?”

Paul didn’t give a response and pulled Percy into a tight embrace and Percy felt his breath catch. Percy hadn’t known Paul all that well, Percy was a bit awkward unsure how to act around him half the time, but he was his step-father and someone he had grown to care about during the time that he had known him. He protected Percy like father should have and he showed him the love that Gabe Ugliano had never been able to give Percy as a child. Percy wrapped his arms around Paul and returned the embrace, his heart in his chest slowing down.

“Paul?” the other person, who also lived in the house, called out from inside the building. She had a confused tone upon hearing the silence at the doorway, silently the woman scuffled over to see who was at the door. Percy looked up from over Paul’s shoulder and he felt himself flush upon seeing his mother and the tears that he’d been trying to hold back spilled out. Paul and Percy retracted from their hug and Sally Jackson continued to stand there just staring at her son, the boy she hadn’t seen for nearly nine months. She inhaled sharply and shakily; Percy just smiled at his mom as the tears continued to fall, because here was his mother alive and well.

“Hey, ma,” he greeted with a laugh of pure joy upon seeing her.

“Percy?” Sally’s voice was soft as she walked over to him, her own tears falling down her face. Gently, the woman took her son’s face in her hands. She was only a couple inches shorter than he was but she looked no different then when Percy had left her. Other than the small bump that was already forming on her stomach where the baby was starting to take form. “Is that you?”

Percy unable to respond upon hearing her just say his name and he broke into a sob and pulled his mother in for a hug, broken desperate noises rising out from the boy. He had been deprived of the one person who had believed in him since he was a child and the one person who had helped him grow into the person he had become today. Someone who was so strong willed and brave and just in a flash he had disappeared from her life and he had just forgotten her, like she wasn’t someone so special to him. Nobody, not even the worst monsters, should ever have to go through the same experiences Percy had to go through.

Sally rubbed her son’s back. “Percy… It’s okay. You’re home now.” Sally looked over at Annabeth and she let a small sob be released from her lips and she gently shook her head and smiled at the daughter of Athena who just stood there with her hands behind her back and watching as everything unfolded. A silent thank you for keeping her son safe. “We’re home now.”