The Battle for Olympus

Percy

Percy muscled the car through mid-morning  traffic, the white New York plates on the cars around him strangely comforting. Nico rested his head against the window and stared up the buildings while Thalia and Clarisse tossed a knife back and forth.

"Almost there," Percy announced. His heart fluttered in his chest. It had been so long, the thought of seeing his mom again made him strangely nervous. All he left was the voicemail from the pay phone in Alaska, six months gone and that was all.

Thalia grinned at him in the rear view mirror. "I love your mom. Remember when she pulled out that shotgun?"

"Wait, yeah!" Clarisse said. "That was totally badass. You know. For a mortal."

"She makes good birthday cake," Nico offered.

Percy put the car in reverse, glancing behind him as he parallel parked outside the apartment building. He gripped the steering wheel for a moment to steady his hands. Why am I so nervous?

Nico glanced over at him. "You good?"

"I'm, um, yeah. I just haven't seen her in forever and I..."

"You don't have to explain. Just get up there, yeah?"

"Right." Percy smiled awkwardly over at him. "I'll come back for you guys in a sec."

He hopped out of the car and slammed the door behind him, taking a moment to crane his neck up at the building. His mom and Paul moved out of their old apartment, and as Percy reached in his pocket he realized he didn't even have a key. At least he knew the apartment number.

Percy took the stairs two at time, then walked down the long hallway to the bronze 412 above the doorway. He wiped his hands on his pants, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.

Footsteps and muffled voices approached, and the door flew open to reveal his mom, drying her hands on her apron. Her blue eyes were blank for a moment, then her eyebrows drew in and her mouth fell open.

"Percy!" she gasped, pulling him forward into her embrace. She squeezed him tight, and in the hand that stroked his hair Percy could feel the slight tremor.

"Mom," he choked out, and buried his face in her shoulder.

She smelled like cinnamon and felt like home.

His mom finally broke their embrace and held him at arms length, her eyes traveling across his face. Percy imagined he looked older, more worn down, and she seemed to sense the cloud around him.

"Percy," she breathed, like saying his name was a privilege. "I have a million questions, but they don't matter anymore. Are you okay?"

Percy blinked back the moisture gathering in his eyes. "I'm- I'm hanging in there, mom. I'll tell you the whole story, I promise. But first, is it okay if my friends come up to? This could take a while."

"Of course." His mom straightened, still drinking in Percy's presence. "We'd be happy to welcome them in. But first, you should see Paul."

Percy grinned at the mention of his stepdad. After Smelly Gabe, his mom deserved the world and she found that in Paul. It was Paul who taught Percy to drive, who offered him girl advice, who didn't run when he learned who Percy really was.

"Paul, honey!" his mom called back into the apartment, "come see who's here!"

"In a sec!" he called back, the oven door rattling.

"Are you making cookies?" The thought nearly made Percy weak in the knees. What he wouldn't give for one of his mom's cookies after all this time.

His mom smiled, passing a finger in front of her lips. "You have to wait for the second batch to come out before you start on them. Will Annabeth be joining us?"