Found Family (HoO, Mortal AU)

PERCY JACKSON

CW: mentions of physical abuse, drugs & alcohol

It was lunchtime when Percy got the call. Rachel was throwing food into Grover's mouth, Grover trying and failing to catch it. He looked at his phone.
Momma 🥰

It wasn't often Sally called Percy, especially not when he was in school.
"I'll be back in a minute," he said to his friends, leaving the lunch room and answering the call down a quieter corridor. "Hi, mom. Everything okay?"
"Hi sweetie. Sorry for ringing you during your lunch break, but I'm coming to collect you."
"Huh?"
"Gabe was arrested last night. I got a phone call this morning." Sally sounded a little worried, but more scared than worried.
"Huh?"
"I'll explain everything when I get there. See you at reception."

Percy ran to his locker, picking up his school bag. He wasn't going to wait to tell his friends the good- maybe bad- news. He didn't know what was going to happen. His stepfather, the jerk Gabe, had won a big sum of money in a poker game. He went out to the bar to celebrate, obviously not planning on using the money on his wife or stepson, then apparently got arrested. He waited at reception for his mother. When she arrived, he got into the car.

"What happened?" He asked before even greeting her.
"We're going to the police station."
"You're bailing him out?!"
Sally pressed her lips together and began driving. Percy wasn't surprised, to be honest. Sure Gabe was a drunken asshole who spent most of the money both him and Sally earned on alcohol and drugs, but Sally didn't know about the physical abuse. At least, Percy thought she didn't.

"Last night," Sally began explaining. "He was at the bar, as you know. Obviously he drove the car there, so I didn't have any way to collect him. I told him to call a taxi on his way back, but he didn't. He was pulled over for speeding and they did a breathalyser test. He was caught drunk driving and was taken to the station."

"So you're telling me you're still bailing him out when he's putting people in danger! Using all the money he just won, then he's going to use your money on something illegal instead?!"
"Percy, honey, calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down." Percy didn't know what he was thinking. Usually he'd smile through it and let Gabe walk all over him. He just wanted his mother to be happy, he'd caused her enough trouble. This time was different. He couldn't control his anger.

"Percy."
"Mom, don't."
"When did I say I was bailing him out?"
Percy paused. "You're not?"
"Of course not. I'm going to the station to talk to the police, which is why I pulled you out of school, Percy. I need to ask you something and you need to tell me the truth and nothing but the truth, okay?"
Percy looked out the window. He didn't like where this was going. "Okay."
"Has Gabe ever hurt you?"

The world felt like it stopped. Did she know? Did she find out? How did she know?
"That's a yes." Sally said. Percy looked over to his mother, who had tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"Mom- you don't have anything to be sorry for."
"I should've known- I should've left him long ago." Sally was gripping the steering wheel.
"How did you know?"
"I started suspecting during the summer-" Sally didn't look at Percy, but he knew exactly what she was talking about. He wished he didn't.

It was his birthday. Sally promised she'd be home for it. Just the two of them. Then Gabe decided to take the day off work to do absolutely nothing, meaning Sally had to work. It ended up in a fight between Percy and Sally. He hated the memory. He'd always struggled with anger management, he was a troubled kid to say the least, but the morning of his eighteenth birthday was the first time he raised a hand to his own mother. It was instinct. Gabe had done it so many times to him, it was almost natural. Percy had stopped himself, before running to the bathroom and crying until he got sick.