Percy Jackson, the embodiment of hope.

Chapter 84: Family. (GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GAY)

Nico popped out of the shadows right in front of Reyna and let go of Jonathan's hand. She shrieked and jumped back, drawing her sword and pointing it at Nico's throat.

"Woah," he said, pushing the sword down. "It's just me."

Reyna turned her gaze. "And Jonathan, who seems to be skipping training."

Nico nodded. "Yeah. I'm making him."

She sheathed her sword. "I had to stay at the funeral, so I wasn't in the meeting. But Jason told me what happened. I'm sorry," she said to Jonathan.

"Thank you," he said nervously. "I-- it's been weird."

"I'm sure it has."

She turned back to Nico. "Why did you come to me?"

"I need to shadow travel," Nico said. "And Will doesn't let me do long distances alone."

"So you need me to give you some strength," Reyna said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Reyna sighed. "Alright. Where are we going?"

Jonathan explained to Nico where his parents' house was, and the three of them joined hands.

"Ready?" Nico asked.

His two companions nodded, and the three of them melted into the shadows. For a few moments, Jonathan was surrounded by complete and utter darkness. Things in the dark whispered to him, speaking languages he couldn't hope to understand and telling secrets that would obliterate his understanding of his world.

And then he popped out of a shadow with Nico and Reyna.

"Ugh," Reyna said, face slightly green. "I don't miss doing that."

"Yeah, well," Nico said, shaking off his nausea. "We aren't carting a marble statue across the Earth this time."

"I guess that's true," Reyna admitted, looking around. "Are we here?"

They stood in the driveway of a medium-sized house. A roundabout connected the driveway to others and other houses. The house in front of them was white, with a yellow slanted roof. A green Beetle sat in the driveway, and a red Subaru was parked next to it.

Jonathan stared at it. "That's... Ben's," he said.

"What?" Reyna asked. "Who's--"

Jonathan ignored her and walked to the door, his mind whirling. Ben was here? Was he still waiting for him? Were his parents okay?

He knocked on the door softly, growing nervous. Would his parents understand what had happened? His mom was a demigod, so... she should, right?

"I got it," a male-sounding muffled voice said from the inside.

"Look," he said as he opened the door. "We unsubscribed from the newspaper for a reason, we don't--"

He froze as his eyes landed on Jonathan, who stood in the doorway with a soft smile.

"H-- hi dad," he said, voice cracking. "I'm back."

Jonathan's stepfather, Caleb, a respected lumberjack and wood trader, was a very strong man. He had thick black hair that was almost always placed back in a bun, brown eyes, and no facial hair.

He stared at Jonathan for a few moments before bursting into tears and wrapping him in a hug.

"Honey?" A female voice said from inside. Jonathan recognized it.

"He's home," Jonathan's dad said. "Clara, he's home."

Jonathan's mother rounded the corner. "Are you--"