Percy Jackson

Eventually, I calmed down and had some water. Tyson apologized, which was nice.

My anxiety was kind of fucked, though. We had lunch together, which was quiet, but fine. Maybe a little too quiet, but I was just focused on eating.

After lunch I took a nap with Estelle and she woke me up after like, an hour and a half. And she was hungry.

So I got up and brought her out to the kitchen. Triton was sitting at the table, doing something. I couldn't tell what. I couldn't see anyone else, though.

"Hey, you're awake," Triton remarked as I grabbed a bottle from Estelle's baby bag, and I just nodded. "Dad and Sally went to the store, they should be back... Soon? Tyson and Grover are just outside. You feeling alright?"

"Oh, okay," I said and grabbed the formula powder. "And yeah, I'm good. As long as I don't get another hug, I'll be fine."

Triton nodded his head.

"I thought you used to like Tyson's hugs," he remarked and shrugged. "But maybe now, it's not you were ever in the kingdom that often."

I shrugged.

"I mean, it's not like I was ever really invited or anything," I figured, "and I used to. It used to be nice, but like... Stuff happened recently."

"Stuff?" But he didn't believe that shit whatsoever. "Like what?"

Again, I shrugged, shaking Estelle's bottle to make the actual formula. She was trying to grab for it, though, which made it a bit more difficult to actually mix up before I could give it to her.

"I mean, I don't know," I didn't know how much I wanted to say. But then again, if Mom and Dad stay together, he's going to find out eventually. "I was raped, I feel like that's a pretty valid reason."

I gave Estelle her bottle and saw the slight shock on Triton's face. I don't blame him.

"Uh, yeah," my older brother agreed, slowly nodding his head. "That would be a pretty valid reason."

Estelle finished her bottle and I washed it quick before seeing that she had crawled all the way to the door, which was partially open, and I panicked and ran over because there's a drop at the stair and I don't want her to hurt herself.

Picking her up, I placed her on her feet, holding her hands, and brought Estelle outside. She was in her swimsuit, they swam earlier today.

She was ready for the water.

Not too far away I could see Grover and Tyson. Tyson was building a sand castle as Grover was playing his Reed pipes. He's been getting pretty good at them the last year or so. Or, compared to what I can remember, he is.

My memory is still a little fucked up, and I'm missing things here or there, but it's not too bad. Most of it is there.

"Surprise attack!" I yelled out and put Estelle on Grover's shoulders. Which made for an interesting sound out of the Reed pipes.

"Estelle!" Grover exclaimed, playing along with it. "how'd you get all the way here so fast?"

"Stealthily." I responded and both of them laughed again.

Mom and Dad pulled up, though, and Estelle is bound to be a daddy's girl. Because every time she sees him get back from somewhere, she just about falls off of somebody.

She just about took out her and Grover when she tried to go over his head because she saw Dad and that's her dad. She wanted her dad.

Tyson offered to help her over to dad once they finished getting the groceries inside, and once they had wandered off, I wrapped my arms around Grover's waist.

"How was your nap?" My boyfriend asked me, putting his pipes down and leaning back against me. "you seemed really tired when you laid down."

"I was," I agreed, nodding my head. "It was a nice nap. I'm feeling a lot better now. It's really nice out."

"Uh, you're welcome," he responded jokingly. "No, it is. Probably until Zeus finds out your dad is here."

"Oh, Zeus can shove it up his ass," I insisted and sighed. "He'll be fine."

The two of us stayed there for a few minutes, just taking it in. We're both still alive, which is a miracle in it of itself. But we're together, and even though it's been almost a month, that's still wild to me.

One of these days we will come out at camp. Like, together. I'm not out at camp, and I don't think people figured it out. My dad doesn't know yet, either, about me being gay. And obviously, Grover, too. It makes me nervous for some reason.

Like, I know he wouldn't care that much. A little, because he's my dad. It wouldn't upset him. But he's my dad, so I'm nervous. He's bi, I'm 99% sure, but it still makes me anxious.

Then again, who knows. Mom might have told them. They've been together for like, the same amount of time as Grover and I basically. So maybe Mom mentioned it to him already and he just knows. Or maybe he just figured it out somewhere.

Tyson definitely wouldn't, though, I'd have to tell him.

After a minute or so, we headed back inside the cabin and I helped my mom with dinner. I missed doing that. Paul was always on me about getting homework done before homework, so during swim season and when I'd have off season practice, which is most of my year, I couldn't help with dinner that often.

But I can do that now! Or at least, this week.

So, in summary, it's going to an anxious and exciting week.

•••

Grover Underwood

I really didn't know how I was supposed to converse with Poseidon.

Like, I've had to go to meeting on Olympus that the gods are required to go to because, technically, I took over for Pan. I don't contribute much, but it's just like keeping them in touch when they want to do something that would obliterate a bunch of nature because fuck you, I was fixing it. I'm not immortal, though.

So I've talked to him one on one a few times, but it was always more professional. I'm here as his son's best friend / boyfriend.

I don't think Poseidon even knows that Percy and I are dating. So like, I'm not sure what we can talk about.

After a good five minutes of silence, I went over and talked to Tyson while Percy had been helping Sally with making dinner.

"Grover!" Tyson exclaimed, flashing me a smile that I returned. It's absolutely wild to think back to when Tyson used to scare the absolute shit out of Annabeth and I.

"Hey, Tyson," I said, "what's up?"

He shrugged.

"Waiting for dinner," Percy's younger brother told me. "Is Annabeth coming here? I thought Daddy said she'd be here, too?"

I shook my head.

"Nope! She isn't coming, from what I've heard," I clarified for him. "he probably assumed it would Annabeth when he heard that Percy was bringing somebody with. She might be able to come for a day, though! We could call, if you want to."

After that, though, he talked about Ella a little bit and their relationship seemed to be working out pretty well. He told me about a date they went on the other day to a little cafe in the city and then did some stuff down by the kingdom.

But he got really excited when he got an idea.

"We could... We could do a triple date!" Tyson said, and I know for a fact that Percy heard it because I saw him pause for a second. Probably trying to figure out how we got to this topic. "Ella and me, you and um... Juniper? Yeah, you and Juniper, and Percy and Annabeth! That'd be so fun!"

Nervously, I chuckled.

"Yeah, we could do something like that."

I broke up with Juniper a while ago. Percy and Annabeth broke up like almost as soon as the Giant War was over. A day or two after it, before he turned 17.

But I saw the side eye Sally gave Percy because we're here for a week.

Eventually, people will find out. Whether it be because we tell them or they walk in on us cuddling is the deal breaker here.

Hopefully Percy's gets a bit more confidence so we don't have to deal with the awkwardness of the latter.