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When Paul Blofis first met Sally Jackson, it had taken him all of five minutes to become enamoured. Sally was clearly beautiful, but she was also funny and smart and extremely kind. Paul, on the other hand, felt like one of the teenagers he taught, a blushing, stammering mess, when he asked her if she wanted to get coffee together. He thought his heart might have stopped when she gave him a radiant smile and gladly agreed.
Paul learnt about Percy during their very first date, if that first coffee could be called a date (he really hoped it was). They'd been doing the usual small talk, trying to get to know each other, and Paul had asked her what her favourite food was. Sally had laughed, eyes shining, and teasingly answered “Anything blue.” At Paul's confused look, she'd explained, “blue food is an inside joke between me and my son.”
Paul won't deny he'd been a little shocked at the mention of a son, and he knew that Sally had been watching him closely to see how he'd react. It had been a test, they both knew. He'd glanced surreptitiously at her hand when they'd met, and he hadn't seen a wedding ring, nor heard any mention of a boyfriend or husband. And he was pretty sure they'd been subtly flirting since they sat down for coffee, so Paul thought it was probably safe to make the assumption, at least for the minute, that she was a single mom. So ok, he was a little surprised, but also, he liked kids and Sally was great, so really, what was the big deal? And truthfully, his respect for Sally rose at the way she introduced that detail straight away, it was a clear message ‘I have a son and if you want to be involved with me you accept that now or we don't waste any more of our time’. She was obviously protective of her boy, he didn't know her very well yet, but he could tell she was a good mother.
So Paul relaxed into his chair and grinned at her. “Well, blue is a great colour. What's your son's name?”
And Sally smiled in a way that told him he'd passed this particular test.
“Percy, he's fourteen.”
Okay, Paul could admit that when Sally mentioned a son, he'd assumed she'd been talking about a young kid. She didn't look very old, Paul placed her in her mid thirties at the latest, probably a few years younger than him. Meaning that she must've been pretty young herself when he was born.
Obviously sensing his surprise again, and probably able to follow his train of thought, Sally's lips twitched. “I was nineteen,” she said.
“Oh,” Paul said, feeling momentarily uncomfortable, not because he was feeling judgemental in any way, but because he hadn't been expecting her to share that information and he wasn't entirely sure what the correct response was. He felt again like he was being put on the spot.
“Well,” he said, trying to gather his wits, “I don't have any kids myself, but the ones I teach are usually fourteen or fifteen, and I know for a fact it's a very interesting age.”
Sally laughed, a sweet musical sound Paul would gladly listen to for the rest of his life.
“Oh, it's interesting all right.”
Sally didn't talk much about Percy for the rest of the date, instead they ventured back into the usual ‘getting to know each other’ topics, but every now and then she would drop his name in mention, like when he said something about going on a field trip with his students to the Smithsonian, Sally casually said she'd brought Percy there when he was little. It seemed to Paul that Sally was making a point to show how important Percy was to her, while also letting Paul know that he'd have to prove himself before getting to know more about the boy. She was protective of him, and Paul could definitely respect that.
It was a few months later, after Sally and he had been officially dating for a while (he felt like a giddy teenager whenever he thought of her as his girlfriend) that Sally broached the topic of him meeting Percy.
Paul had gotten to hear much more about the boy since their first date, and Sally spoke of him so highly, it was hard not to picture a little angel. Yet, Sally also told him of all the difficulties Percy had with school, his ADHD, dyslexia, penchant for detention, and yes, the fact that he'd been expelled from every school he'd ever attended. These facts, which brought to mind a borderline-criminal delinquent were such a contrast to the way Sally spoke of her sweet, kind boy, that Paul honestly had no idea what to expect. There was a part of him that was apprehensive that Sally would turn out to be like one of those mothers he dreaded meeting at every parent teachers meeting, the kind who could find no fault in their angelic children despite the fact their kid was obviously a brat.
So, it was with great trepidation that Paul approached the Jackson's door when it was finally time for him to meet Percy.
He hesitated, took a deep breath, and knocked firmly. He hadn't been to their apartment yet, since Sally had not wanted him to visit before he met Percy. She hadn't said it outright, but the implication was that this was their space and no one would be entering it without prior approval from both of them.
He heard voices inside and a moment later the door swung open to reveal a lanky teenager with a shock of black hair with a strange streak of grey in it. Piercing green eyes met his and studied him for a moment. Paul, caught off guard, felt like he was being assessed in the way an enemy was before a fight, like the boy was trying to see through his defences and decide how he'd defeat him. The green eyes narrowed, then Percy nodded, as if making a decision, and stuck out his hand.
“You must be Mr. Blofis?” he greeted, polite, respectful.
Paul took the hand and shook it, noticing the boy had what his grandfather would've called a ‘good, strong shake’.
“That's me,” he said, as Percy opened the door further to invite him inside, “but please, call me Paul. Only my students call me Mr. Blofis and I don't want to feel like I'm still in school.”
Percy laughed loudly. “I can relate to that.”
Sally poked her head out of the kitchen then, her long hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing a green sundress under a blue apron and smiling widely.
“Paul,” she greeted, “I'm so glad you could make it. Dinner is almost ready.”
“Want some help, mom?” Percy asked her, going to look over her shoulder at the sauce she was stirring.
Sally narrowed her eyes at him playfully. “Is your homework done or are you just looking for an excuse to procrastinate?”
Percy sighed dramatically. “So little faith. Yes, I've finished it.”
Sally tilted her head. “Even maths?”
Percy nodded. “I called Annabeth to help me with those questions I couldn't do. I was able to finish the rest myself.”
Sally smiled at him proudly. “Great. In that case, check the lasagne then set the table.”
“Sure, mom,” he said, going to do just that.
Sally came over and kissed Paul on the cheek in greeting, who'd just been standing at the edge of the kitchen watching the interaction between the duo. So far, Percy seemed the polite boy Sally had told him about, nothing like the bratty delinquent his school record would make him out to be.
Paul offered his assistance but Sally waved him off and it wasn't long before the three of them were sitting down for dinner.
“So, Percy,” Paul began, searching his mind to remember the list he'd made of small talk topics that he could use to get to know the boy. Sally hadn't told him that school was a sore topic but from what he knew about the boy he figured it probably wasn't the safest one to bring up. Finally he settled on “your mom says you go to a summer camp?”
Percy's eyes lit up. “Yeah, I do. It's the best place there is. I go with my best friends, Grover and Annabeth. Most of my other friends go there too.”
There was a lot for a teacher to pick up on in that sentence. He recognised the name Annabeth as the person who had helped him with his maths homework. He said the two names so enthusiastically it was obvious that both people were very important to him, and he mentioned other friends too which would imply Percy was neither antisocial nor lonely. But the way he said that most of his friends went to this summer camp made him wonder if he had any friends at school. Then again, if Percy was so used to changing schools it probably wasn't a surprise if he didn't put much effort into making friends there, maybe assuming he wouldn't be around long enough to keep the friendships. The thought made Paul sad, though he didn't dwell on it, instead deciding to focus on keeping the conversation going.
“What about any sports? Hobbies?”
Percy shrugged. “I skateboard a bit. There's a climbing wall at camp that's pretty good, and we play capture the flag a lot which is awesome. Oh, and horse riding,” at this he got a glimmer of amusement in his eyes that Paul didn't understand, but he continued before Paul could question it, “and canoeing too. I'm good at that, anything that involves water, really.”
Sally and Percy shared a smile, like they were thinking about some inside joke.
“You like the water, huh? Are you a swimmer?”
Percy nodded. “I haven't competed or anything, but yeah, I spend a lot of time in the water. I get it from my dad, I guess, he's kind of an ocean guy.”
Sally coughed, and when Paul looked at her in concern, she waved him off, gesturing at her water to say it had just gone down the wrong way. He saw her narrow her eyes slightly at Percy, who just blinked back at his mom innocently.
He was a little surprised at the casual mention of Percy's father. He'd gotten up the guts to ask Sally about him a few weeks ago. Sally had told him that she had had a brief relationship with the man when she was nineteen, resulting in her becoming pregnant. She hadn't seen him since, and Percy's father hadn't been present in his life, up until two years ago, when Percy had first met him. She told him it was a complicated situation and that had been it, and though the explanation had answered some of his questions, it had also left him confused. What type of man leaves a nineteen year old to raise a child on her own, and doesn't bother to enter his son's life until he is twelve? Sally had spoken of the man with a small hint of fondness that had shocked him given the story, and now, where he expected Percy to be resentful of a father who’d barely been in his life, the boy instead seemed, not fond exactly, but warm, towards the man.
Paul cleared his throat and tried to reach for something else to say, but Percy beat him to it.
“Mom says you're a teacher?”
“Yes,” Paul said, relieved to have something familiar to talk about, “an English teacher.”
Percy made a face and without thinking Paul raised an eyebrow, the same way he did when one of his students said something in class. Percy gave him a sheepish grin in response.
“Sorry,” he said, “it's just, dyslexia and all, English is not my favourite subject.”
Paul nodded, humming in understanding. “I can understand that, a few of my students have dyslexia as well, I know it can be a struggle. Do you have any methods that help?”
Percy looked a little uncomfortable at the topic but didn't try to change the subject.
“Yeah, I guess. When we have to read books and stuff sometimes mom is able to get them as an audiobook, which helps, and for some of my homework that I don't have to hand in I write the answers in Greek so that when I have to read it out in class it's easier to read.”
Paul frowned. “Greek?” he asked.
“Percy is half greek on his fathers side,” Sally explained, “his dyslexia doesn't bother him as much when he's reading and writing in Greek so he tries to incorporate that into his homework and notes as much as possible.”
“Oh,” Paul said, wondering how that worked. How could Percy read and write fluently in the language if he'd only known his dad for two years? He didn't think he spent that much time with his father to be taught a whole other language fluently. But he had a feeling the Jackson's weren't going to be too forthcoming with answers, so he let the conversation continue, deciding not to dwell on the parts he didn't understand. He was sure things like this would be explained with time.
By the end of the meal, he really wasn't sure what to think. Percy seemed as kind and polite as Sally had said he was, offering to do the dishes without Sally even having to ask. He was funny, cracking a few jokes throughout the meal, but the way he watched Paul occasionally, like he was studying him, unnerved the man a little, and made him wonder just how observant the young man was.
It was while Sally was getting desert and Percy and Paul were sitting in the living room, that Percy leaned forwards, elbows resting on his thighs and regarded Paul seriously.
“My mom is awesome,” Percy began, and continued before Paul could agree, “and she deserves to be happy. You seem like a cool guy but I want to make sure you understand just how well my mom deserves to be treated.”
Paul studied the boy for a moment. He wasn't surprised exactly, at getting a warning from the boy, he had even prepared himself for it, but he hadn't been expecting it to be delivered in such a way.
“In my experience as a teacher, I think most teenage boys would be a lot less welcoming and a lot more threatening about someone dating their mom.”
Percy shrugged. “My mom deserves to be happy. If you're someone who makes her happy, then I'm cool with you being around. It's if that changes…”
Percy trailed off, not finishing that sentence with a threat, and if Paul was any less perceptive he might have left it at that, assuming it was just a normal teenage boy being protective of his mother but not really having anything to back up that threat. But Paul was perceptive, so he noticed the hardness in Percy's eyes, the hard set to his jaw, and something, some instinct, told him that if he wanted to, this boy could be very dangerous.
“Okay,” Paul said, “I hear you, and I can't promise you that I won't ever hurt your mother, because unfortunately real life and relationships aren't always that easy, but I can promise that I'll never deliberately hurt her, that I'll always treat her with respect and for as long as we're together I'll always be there for her. Can you accept that?”
Percy sat back and nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. “Yeah, Paul, I think I can.”
Sally appeared with desert and the rest of the evening passed peacefully. Paul had to admit, as strange and confusing as the boy seemed, Paul liked him.
The first of Percy's friends he met was a blonde girl with grey eyes so intense they put Paul instantly on edge.
He'd been spending more and more time at the Jackson apartment. Most evenings he had dinner with Sally and Percy and they watched a movie or Sally and he talked while Percy did homework. When Sally opened the door of the apartment for him that evening, he hadn't expected it to be any different, until he noticed that Percy wasn't sitting alone on the couch. He sat beside a girl his age and the two of them were so focused on the game of Mario Kart they were playing neither had even noticed his arrival.
“Percy, Annabeth,” Sally called, garnering their attention, “Paul is here.”
The two kids looked up at Sally's words, Percy offering Paul a lazy wave and a smile, but the girl's eyes narrowed assessing him. He'd thought Percy's gaze was intense when they'd first met, but it had nothing on this girl.
Paul considered himself an intelligent man, but he knew with one look at those eyes that this teenager could outsmart him in any situation. And, by the way she sat and considered him, something told him she'd also be able to take him, and any man three times his size, down in a fight, probably with little effort. He gulped.
“Oh, Paul,” Percy said, as if only remembering they'd never met, “this is my friend, Annabeth.”
“Hi,” she said, suddenly looking a little shy, though still assessing him.
“Annabeth, I've heard about you, you go to summer camp with Percy, right? It's nice to meet you.” Annabeth nodded, smiling politely as she rose to shake Paul's hand, grip firm. “Thanks, it's nice to meet you too, Mr. Blofis.”
“Just Paul is fine,” he assured.
Sally smiled, taking Paul's arm and guiding him to the kitchen, telling the kids, “you guys have fifteen minutes until dinner, then you need to set the table.”
A “Sure, Sally,” and “Okay, mom,” was the response as they went back to their game.
During dinner, Annabeth was polite and a confusing contrast of shy yet bold, seemingly unafraid to make eye contact or voice her thoughts, yet also hesitant as if worried she would be told she was saying or doing something wrong. He couldn't help but wonder about the girls life, as to what could make her act this way. Neither Percy nor Sally seemed to find the girls demeanor strange, but Sally was hugely affectionate to the girl, brushing her hair off her face, squeezing her shoulder, filling her plate with seconds before the girl was even finished eating her first portion. Percy and her sat next to each other and they way they interacted spoke of familiarity. They playfully fought each other to get to the food first, and Paul saw them kick each other under the table at least three times during the meal. He wasn't sure if the way they called each other ‘Seaweed brain’ and ‘Wise girl’ were supposed to be insults or nicknames.
They also seemed to have a whole arsenal of inside jokes that made absolutely no since to Paul, though it seemed as if Sally followed at least some of them. They mentioned a boy named Grover a lot, who Paul learned was the third member of their trio but was busy at the moment, though no one said why.
Annabeth also had the same strange grey streak in her hair that Percy did. He'd wondered about that since meeting the boy, and now he imagined that it must be a friendship thing, though why they'd dye their hair grey of all colours he didn't know.
Unknown to the two kids, Sally watched them closely, every now and then smiling at the way they interacted. It took him a while to catch on, but eventually he saw what she was looking at, the faint blush that would appear on one or both of their cheeks every now and then or the way they stole glances at each other out of the corner of their eyes. Ah, he'd seen this plenty at his school, the signs of a teenage crush.
After dinner, the group moved to the living room, and Sally suggested a movie.
“Not Nemo again,” Annabeth pleaded, looking at Percy in a way that suggested he'd made her watch it more times than she'd wanted, “or the little mermaid,” she added when he opened his mouth to speak, to which he shut it again.
“You guys like Disney movies?” Paul asked, a little surprised given how old they were. They shrugged and exchanged a look and Paul figured this was another one of those inside jokes he wouldn't understand.
“What about Hercules, then?” He suggested, but immediately both teenagers scowled.
“No,” Percy said, “I hate that guy.” The vehemence in his voice surprised Paul, but before he could question it, Annabeth added “besides, it's so inaccurate.”
“What about Jurassic Park?” Sally suggested, changing the subject too quickly for it to be entirely casual, but as the kids agreed and Sally went to get snacks, and told Percy to grab blankets, any opportunity to question the whole thing was lost.
Before Paul knew it, he was alone in the room with Annabeth. He expected it to be awkward, but she didn't give him any chance to try and make small talk, instead she glanced at the door quickly as if checking that neither of the Jackson's were there and then leant forward, eyes narrowed.
“You seem like a nice guy,” she began, “and both Sally and Percy obviously like you, but just be warned, they have a lot of people who care about them and if you ever hurt either of them, it will not end well for you.” It should have been amusing, a teenage girl threatening him, but as those grey eyes fixed on him, Paul couldn't for the life of him, find anything funny about the situation. Then she smiled sweetly and leaned back into her seat just as Sally and Percy came in with snacks and blankets.
Paul blinked away his shock, glancing at the girl who was now fighting with Percy for the fluffiest blanket and wondered if he'd just imagined that. But he knew he didn't, Annabeth was too scary for that to be anything but real.
When Percy didn't show up after school one day, Paul was surprised by Sally's reaction. Where most parents would be freaking out, Sally looked a little worried but unsurprised, like she'd been waiting for something like this to happen. He wondered if Percy was off getting into trouble, maybe doing something that would get him expelled from his latest school, yet even as he thought that, he shook his head. He'd gotten to know Percy over the last few months and while he knew the boy wasn't some perfect angel, he also knew he was no delinquent. Paul still didn't know the circumstances surrounding each of Percy's expulsions but he did know the boy was a good kid. Whatever he was doing that made him late, it wasn't something illegal or immoral.
When Percy did show up, four hours later than he should have, he was trailed by a big, buff girl around his age, maybe a little older, who Paul had never seen before.
“Percy,” Sally said, jumping off the couch and rushing to her son in relief, as Paul too rose and took in the state of the two teenagers. He blinked, shook his head, and looked at them again. They both looked as if they'd been in a fight, their skin scratched, clothes dirty and destroyed with feathers of all things sticking to them, and the girl was soaking wet, like she'd gone for a swim fully dressed.
“Um…” Paul said, unsure of what else to say.
“Mom,” Percy said, momentarily ignoring Paul's presence. “This is Clarisse. From camp.” He said from camp, like it was a code with some special meaning and the way Sally nodded she obviously understood it.
“Okay,” Sally said, “most importantly, are you both okay?”
The two teenagers nodded.
“I told Clarisse she could come and get a change of clothes and have something to eat before she went back. It's been an… eventful afternoon.”
Sally nodded. “Of course, sweetheart, any friend of Percy's is always welcome here.”
The two exchanged an awkward look and Paul got the feeling neither were exactly comfortable with the word friend. They reminded him of when he paired up students for a project who didn't exactly get along but worked together because they had to.
“Thanks, Ms. Jackson,” Clarisse said gruffly, looking at the floor as if embarrassed.
Sally's expression softened. “Percy, go change and get yourself sorted, I'll find something for Clarisse to wear, you can take a shower if you want dear, then I'll get you both something to eat.”
Sally bustled around, looking after the kids, and none of them paid Paul much mind until they were sitting down and Sally had placed heaping plates of food in front of them.
Paul was surprised that Sally hadn't once asked what happened or scolded Percy for worrying her. Maybe she was just waiting for the two of them to be alone to speak to him about it, Paul figured.
“Who's that?” Clarisse asked Percy, gesturing at Paul, rather rudely, he thought.
“Oh,” Percy said, looking between them, “this is my mom's boyfriend, Paul. Paul, this is Clarisse.”
Paul didn't offer to shake her hand, somehow knowing it might end with his fingers broken, given the way the girl was looking at him.
“Does he know..?” Clarisse didn't finish the question but Percy obviously knew what she was talking about because he shook his head. “No,” he said.
“He cool?” Clarisse asked Percy, before Paul could ask what they were talking about. She asked it without taking her eyes off Paul.
“Yeah,” Percy said, looking a little amused, “he's good.”
Clarisse nodded like this settled matters and went back to eating in silence, leaving Paul utterly flabbergasted. She didn't stay long once she'd finished her food but as she left, she looked at Paul again and said, “Prissy says you're cool, so I'll go with that, but that ever changes, you'd better watch your back. Cus I'm not the only one who'll pulverise you if you ever hurt the Jackson's.” Then she left, closing the door behind her, leaving Percy blinking at her in shock.
Paul was just as surprised, because he'd assumed the two teenagers weren't close and the way she'd called Percy ‘Prissy’ spoke of some level of antagonism between the two, yet he fully believed that she'd meant what she'd said. If Paul ever hurt them, she'd be out for his blood.
When Paul opened the door to a strange boy wearing a rasta cap, Paul assumed it was one of Percy's friends, and his assumption was confirmed when Percy greeted the boy with an enthusiastic “Grover!” and the two boys tackled each other in a hug.
“Hey, Grover, this is Paul, mom's boyfriend,” Percy introduced, and as Grover greeted him politely he couldn't help but categorise this kid as one of the ones who were always bullied in school, no matter how much the teachers tried to stop it. He just had that sort of awkward personality, and Paul couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
“I was wondering if you're free for a while, Percy?” Grover asked, and though he didn't say why, the two boys exchanged some looks that had Percy's jaw tightening before he nodded. “Sure, let me just grab my jacket.”
Now, as a newcomer into Percy's life, Paul really didn't want to overstep, but Sally was still on her way back from getting the groceries for dinner and he wasn't sure if she'd be happy with him telling her Percy had just left without permission.
“Er, Percy,” he started, “should you wait for your mom to come home?”
He shook his head. “She won't mind. Can you just tell her I'm with Grover?” before Paul could answer, Percy went into his room, leaving him momentarily alone with Grover.
“So,” Grover said, “you're Paul.”
Paul nodded. “Yep, that's me.”
“Percy said you're a nice guy.”
“Well,” Paul said, a little uncomfortable, “I'd like to think so.”
Grover nodded, and while he wasn't as scary as Annabeth, Paul suddenly wondered if he'd misjudged the boy. He met his gaze fully and spoke very clearly when he said, “Good, because I prefer peaceful conversations, but Percy is my best friend, and if anyone hurts him, I've no problem letting peace go out the window.”
Then Percy was back and the two boys were gone, leaving Paul to wonder just how many of Percy's friends were going to threaten him.
As it turned out, he only had about a week before the next one showed up. Someone knocked on the door while Paul and Sally had been sitting on the couch with a book each, while Percy had been doing his homework at the table.
“I'll get it,” Percy said, looking relieved to have a reason to take a break.
He opened the door and they heard him say, “What are you doing here?”
Sally's head shot up at her sons rudeness, and Paul turned to look at the door in curiosity.
A girl he'd never met shoved passed him, rolling her eyes. “Good to see you too, Kelp head.”
Percy grinned shutting the door. “Yeah, yeah, Pinecone face, I'm just surprised.”
“Thalia,” Sally greeted, shooting to her feet and embracing the girl, “how have you been?”
“I'm great Sally, thank you. I hope you don't mind me stopping by.”
“Of course not dear, it's a pleasant surprise.”
“Thanks,” Thalia said, her gaze fixing curiously on Paul. “You must be Paul,” she said.
Paul took her in, noticing her intense blue eyes and choppy black hair. She looked a little like Percy, he realised, other than the eyes. She was dressed all in black except for a silver jacket .
“Yeah,” Percy said, “this is Paul. Paul, this is Thalia, um, she's -”
“- his cousin,” Thalia said, a spark of mischief in her eyes.
“Cousin?” Paul asked, glancing at Sally.
“On our dads’ side,” Thalia said, before Sally could respond.
“Right,” Percy said, shooting Thalia a strange look, “our dads.”
Sally looked amused.
“What brings you here, Thalia dear?”
“Lady A has a meeting at Ol- in the city,” sbe said, glancing at Paul, “She said I could have a few hours to visit camp but there's not really enough time so I figured I'd come bother the Kelp Head instead.”
“I'm honoured,” Percy grumbled at her, then stuck his tongue out at her causing Sally to laugh.
“Well, you're in luck,” she said, “I've just put a batch of cookies in the oven.”
Thalia grinned. “Score.”
Percy scoffed. “Sure, that's why you really came here, for my mom's cooking.”
She grinned. “Well it wasn't for your company.”
Percy rolled his eyes, then looked at her seriously.
“So, how's everything with… you know.” He waved his hand vaguely but Thalia obviously understood.
“I have news,” she said, then glanced at Paul. She turned to Percy and spoke in a language he didn't understand. Greek, he figured. Percy replied in the same language and Thalia nodded, and replied again, causing Percy to snort in amusement.
Paul looked at them in confusion, though Sally didn't seem bothered by the sudden change in language. If he'd understood Greek, he would have known Thalia was asking Percy if Paul knew about their world, and Percy had replied that he didn't, so she should be careful what she said in front of him. Thalia had nodded and told Percy they could catch up after the cookies.
They both sat at the kitchen table, watching eagerly as Sally took the cookies out of the oven. “Ah ah,” she scolded, as they each reached for one, “you know they have to cool first.”
Both teenagers sighed dramatically. Thalia picked up Percy's homework that he'd left on the table when he'd went to answer the door.
“Ugh,” she said, looking at the maths he'd been doing, “that looks painful.”
“Yeah,” Percy nodded, “it sucks, I have to message Annabeth all the time to help me with it, no way I'd manage otherwise.”
Thalia snorted. “Sure, that's why you message her, to help with maths homework.”
Percy turned red, and started spluttering something and Paul noticed Sally trying to muffle her laughter from where she stood at the kitchen counter. He felt his own lips tip upwards in amusement.
“You know Annabeth as well, Thalia?” Paul asked her, “do you go to summer camp with them too?”
Something flickered over Thalia's face he couldn't identify and he saw her exchange a look with Percy before she forced a smile. “Kind of,” she said, “I've known Annabeth a long time, I spend some time at camp every now and then, but I'm not a regular camper anymore.”
He didn't really know what that meant, but Sally interrupted before he could ask for more details, directing them to move to the living room and telling them she'd follow with the cookies.
Percy and Thalia shoved each other as they moved to the couch, and when Sally placed the cookies in front of them they slapped each others hands as they grabbed for them.
“Kids,” Sally said, reprimanding them, and they both sat back with a cookie, shooting her apologetic grins.
Their contrite behaviour only lasted as long as the cookies. Sally had passed the plate around and eventually there was only one cookie left. Sally had gone back into the kitchen, so it was just Paul left with the kids, who watched in amusement as both teenagers sat up and looked at the cookie then at each other. The amusement soon changed to shock as they both lunged for the cookie, Thalia tackling Percy and sending them both to the ground, where they started wrestling, both trying to get the upper hand. Paul heard Percy yelp and Thalia swore. He was glad that the commotion got Sally's attention, because he honestly wasn't sure how he should've handled it.
“Guys,” Sally said, not shouting but loud enough to get their attention. The cousins both froze, and Paul couldn't help but find it a little comical, they looked as if they'd been playing an intense game of twister.
“Seriously?” Sally asked, looking between the two of them. “You're really fighting like this over a cookie?”
They both looked sheepish as they untangled themselves and moved to sit back on the couch. “Here, Thalia dear,” Sally said, as she handed the cookie to Thalia, who thanked her with a grin.
“Mom,” Percy whined, but Sally levelled him with a look. “Percy, you're here all the time for me to make you cookies, we barely see Thalia. Besides, I raised you to have better manners than this. Thalia is a guest.”
“No she's not,” Percy grumbled as Thalia snickered at her cousin's misfortune.
“Yeah,” Thalia said, “cus we all know fish and guests stink after three days, and Percy's the only one that smells.”
Paul didn't get the joke, but Sally rolled her eyes fondly and Percy said “Hey,” all offended so Paul figured he was the only one who was lost.
Rolling her eyes Thalia broke the cookie in half and handed the smaller piece to Percy with a sigh, who grinned brightly. “I knew you loved me,” he said happily, taking the cookie.
“No,” Thalia said, “I just don't want to listen to you complaining all the time.” But Paul noticed there was a small smile on her face.
“Paul, why don't you come help me in the kitchen and we'll let the kids catch up. Will you be staying for dinner, Thalia?”
Thalia shook her head at Sally's question. “Not this time, Sally, but thanks, I'll have to head back soon.”
Sally nodded. “Okay, well, make sure you say bye before you leave.”
An hour later, the two came out of the living room, Thalia wearing her jacket and looking ready to go.
“Heading off?” Sally asked her.
Thalia nodded. “Thanks for letting me come by. And for the cookies.”
“Of course dear, you know you're always welcome.”
“Take care, Pinecone face,” Percy said, causing the girl to grin.
“You too, Kelp head. If I'm around during the summer, we'll grab burgers with Grover and Annabeth, yeah?”
Percy smiled. “You've got it. Though not burgers for Grover.”
Thalia nodded. Just before she left she turned to Paul, who held out his hand to her again.
“It was nice meeting you, Paul,” she said, then her eyes narrowed and she said, “look out for them, and I know you've met Annabeth, but just to remind you, if you do anything…” she trailed off, maybe not wanting to blatantly threaten him in front of Sally and Percy, but Paul definitely got the message. And as she let go of his hand, he could've sworn he felt a shock go up his arm. Before he could react, she was gone. That made her the fourth teenager who had threatened him over Percy and Sally, and the third teenage girl he'd met who was scarier than he wanted to admit and who he genuinely believed could beat him up without effort.
When Paul answered the door a few weeks later, he didn't know what to expect of the two boys standing on the threshold of the apartment, grinning mischievously at him, but he imagined they were more summer camp friends of Percy's, given those were the only sort of teenagers who seemed to come to this apartment.
“Percy,” he called, “I think some of your friends are here.”
Percy came to the doorway beside him, and when he saw the two boys the look on his face was a strange mix of apprehension and excitement.
“Connor, Travis,” he said, “come on in, what are you guys doing here?”
The boys followed Percy inside, as Sally came out of the kitchen.
“Hey mom,” he said, “this is Travis and Connor. Guys, this is my mom, Sally, and her boyfriend Paul.”
Sally smiled, “Oh I've heard of you two. And about all your pranks.”
The boys’ grins grew. “You talk about us, Perce?” the one Percy had called Travis asked, putting his hand on his chest dramatically.
Percy rolled his eyes. “I complain about you. Like that time you guys dyed all my camp shirts purple.”
They snickered. “Yeah, that was a good one," Connor said.
“I wouldn't have minded if it was blue,” Percy said, “but Purple? Not my colour.”
“To be fair,” Travis said, “we did intend for them to be blue, we just messed up.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Percy said with an eye roll. “Just be warned, if you try and steal anything here, I'll flood your cabin.”
Paul had been exposed to enough weirdness with the Jackson's now to figure he was better off not even trying to ask.
The boys put on identical looks of affront, but Paul had been teaching long enough to see right through them. He couldn't tell if the boys were twins or just brothers who looked a lot alike.
“So little faith in us,” Connor said.
“You guys want some cookies?” Sally asked them.
“Yes please, Ms. Jackson,” they said in unison, causing Percy to snort as he followed them to the kitchen.
“So, what's up guys?” Percy asked as they each took a cookie.
“Can't we just stop by our friend's place to say hi?” Connor asked him.
“You can,” Percy said, “but I don't think you did.”
The brothers exchanged a look and sighed. Travis tilted his head at Paul. “Does he…?”
Percy shook his head. Connor cleared his throat. “There's a slight thing that's up that we need your help for. Shouldn't take long.”
Sally frowned. “At camp or in the city?” she asked, seemingly unbothered by the lack of further information, though Paul couldn't help but find the whole thing kind of suspicious. You'd have to be blind not to see the troublemaker glint in these boys’ eyes.
“The city. We'll have Percy back before it's dark, promise.” Travis told her, to which Sally just sighed and said okay.
“Alright,” Connor said, grabbing another cookie as he stood, “let's get going then.”
“Wait,” Percy said, as if suddenly realising something, “Chiron let you two leave camp alone?”
“Well,” Travis said, “Annabeth's in San Fran, and Clarisse is grumpy, and he probably would've sent Katie but we sort of accidentally set some of her plants on fire so she wants to kill us and Malcolm is in the middle of some project so-”
“Okay,” Percy said, “I get it. Let's go.”
They were just heading for the door, when Percy turned as if remembering something else.
“Oh, guys, Paul's pretty cool, so can you give him back his keys and wallet please?”
Paul jumped, patting down his jacket and realising both items were in fact, missing. How had he not noticed?
“Fine,” Travis sighed, handing over the wallet while Connor returned the keys, “but only because Percy likes you,” he said with narrowed eyes.
Connor nodded. “Yeah, if that changes, just be warned, we can steal a lot more than your keys and wallet, so don't even think about messing with the Jackson's.”
“Guys,” Percy said, looking embarrassed and giving Paul an apologetic look, “he's already met Annabeth and Thalia.”
“Oh,” Connor said, “they must've terrified him.”
“He's met Clarisse too,” Percy said as he opened the door.
“Clarisse? Seriously? When was she at your place?”
“It's a long story,” Percy said as he shut the door, cutting off the rest of their conversation, and leaving Paul once again wondering just how many teenagers were going to threaten him.
Still, he thought as his fingers brushed over the ring box in his pocket, it wasn't like it was going to scare him away, it just reassured him that Percy and Sally had so many people to look after them.