Chapter Text
Percy
It’s all my fault
That’s all I can think about as we pack our bags, as we leave the house, as we start driving.
And no matter how hard I try to make excuses I know it’s true. I do everything wrong. It’s my fault Gabe beats me up disciplines me.
It’s my fault Gabe is here,
It’s my fault mom had to work so long,
It’s my fault my real dad left me.
I’m always the problem. The troubled kid at school always getting bullied into fights, getting the lowest grades in my class because none of the teachers bother to help. Everyone knows it. My teachers, my classmates, Gabe and even I know it.
I barely notice that we’re halfway there. I’m too busy thinking about the last time Gabe hit me disciplined me. I’m lucky that I’m such a freak and my scars manage to heal quickly when I shower. Otherwise mom would definitely notice and then she’d be sad and upset, not at me, never at me. But I know it would break her heart. I can’t do that to her. This wouldn’t be a problem if I just behaved and wasn’t as dumb, annoying and weak as I am. If I was less me.
“Percy!” my mom calls out, jerking me out of my thoughts.
A wide grin spread on my face as I realised we were here. We were in Montauk. This was my second favourite place in the world only second to the actual ocean.
I help my mom with the bags and when we’re done we both head outside.
We played all sorts of games like tag, hide and seek and a few board games then we made some cookies and I made my mom a seashell charm. She goes into unpack our bags but I decide to stay out on the beach.
I walk over to the edge of the water and stare out into the ocean it was so beautiful and calm.
My thoughts wander back to what I was thinking about in the car. I’m determined not to ruin something for once in my life. We don’t have much money anyways so who knew when we would be able to come back.
I know mom’s been worried about me. So I have to pretend I’m alright, for her sake. She’s the best, I really don’t deserve her.
That’s why I made the deal with Gabe. Better me than her. I deserve to be punished anyway. Better me than her.
Sally
Better me than him.
He’s still so young. My baby boy. He already has enough problems with his dyslexia and ADHD. It’s even worse that people pick on him about it.
Anyways, I’m the one that brought Gabe into our lives so that’s why I made the deal it was only fair.
When I finish unpacking our bags, I go out and see Percy sitting by the shore staring at the ocean. He looks so much like his father it makes my heart hurt.
When I sit down next to him, he looks at me and grins. The same lopsided grin Poseidon had. And looking into his face I know I mad the right choice making this deal. Just yesterday a cyclops was stalking him. I had no other choice to protect him from the monsters.
That’s a lie and I know it. I could send him to Camp Half-Blood, where he’d be with others like him. But I’m too selfish for that. I can’t bear the idea of not being able to see my baby grow up.
Percy suddenly shoots up and for a second I’m worried but then he yells “You can’t catch me!” and bolts away. My heart melts as I jog after him. When I finally catch him, I pull him into a big hug and whisper, “Looks like I caught you and there’s no way I’m letting go.
An hour later, me and Percy are drinking hot chocolate and star gazing. I’m telling him stories from the Greek myths and when I finish the story of the Titan war, I realise Percy has fallen asleep. I pick him up and tuck him into bed. I light a candle and burn a few blue gummy bears to Poseidon. And before I can change my mind I go out and throw the sea shell charm Percy made for me into the ocean. Poseidon deserves to have a little piece of our wonderful son.
I hear the waves behind me as I head back into the cabin. Looking at Percy’s sleeping body I know that the deal was a good one if it let me stay with Percy a little while longer.