Percy Jackson

Mom cried when she hugged me, and I've gotten a lot of hugs today, which was weird, but kind of nice. I didn't realize how much I missed the little physical stuff until I got back.

She let me help with dinner, though. We were having chicken wild rice soup! It's like, one of my favorite soups of moms.

"I just can't believe they let you go," Mom insisted as I was shredding the chicken and she was making the creamy part of the soup over the stove. "When I was there they mentioned holding you for a least a month but nothing was final, obviously. Just by like, projections and stuff, they figured a month. But you're home!"

"I mean, I complained to that therapist a lot about how much I didn't like how they ran the facility," I told my mother. "it definitely worked for some other people, but I wasn't a fan so I think that's why they let me go. After hearing that I was the kid of the prophecy and what not I think they also figured that I was going to be like, a lot. I'd rather just... Go back to my normal therapist. Maybe try a different antidepressant, I don't know. I called Apollo and he said he'd stop in tomorrow."

We finished making the soup, catching up on things we'd forget to mention when they be down to visit. They picked a wedding date so now Mom is getting excited about that. Both of them are. May 17, their original anniversary. Not wedding anniversary, but like, when they went on their first date ever. They just sent out invites and are confirming bookings and what not this month.

Mom publishes another book next month and they're hoping that royalties from that will pay for a good portion of the wedding. Whatever it doesn't cover, apparently my grandparents said they'd cover because they never got to pay for any of my mom's weddings.

None of mom's weddings have been super nice in the past, though. Usually really small, catered by a friend or restaurant, Mom made her own cake, and yeah. Money was a problem most of the times. I mean, Tyler's mom helped with their wedding, apparently, but she also had other kids in college so she had a limit to what she could help with.

So this was the big one for them. This is the one that they're spending however much they feel they need to in order to have it be amazing, same goes for their honeymoon.

They were debating in that short period of time between Christmas and when I lost my memory if they even wanted to do a honeymoon because they've been married before and their honeymoon was short then, because I was Estelle's age. Well, a little younger. I was like six months old and mom was anxious about leaving me alone with someone else for too long because what if I forget who she is in two weeks.

And they're still debating this.

The next day, they were planning stuff out after mom had a meeting with her publisher and I was in the living room, emailing my therapist that I was back and would like to set up an appointment. Waiting on Apollo before emailing my psychiatrist about changing my meds.

"I mean all we really have left is actually buying the stuff," Dad told Mom as I was just scrolling through Pinterest because I just really want a cat, okay? They're so fucking cute. "Unless we honeymoon, then we can plan for that. I don't know... You didn't honeymoon with Gabe or Paul, did you?"

"Paul and I went to a resort in Maine for a late honeymoon once Percy went to camp, but nothing fancy." Mom told him, sighing. "I mean, a honeymoon would be fun. I don't know how long we'd be gone. I'm not worried about getting time off from the bakery, I have a lot of vacation from over the years just waiting to be taken. But Estelle..."

It was silent for a moment.

"I mean, she'll be 11 months old," Mom went on, thinking out loud. "that's not bad, if my parents are willing... Or even your mom. Even though she's not your kid so it's not her grandbaby."

"My mom could deal with it for a few days because it is her grandbaby," Tyler insisted, which wasn't wrong. "just like Percy is, and Jace, and Andrea. We have three and a half months, we'll get babysitters. The question is where would we go? We can fly anywhere from New York."

Getting a knock at the door, I answered it and it was Apollo, thankfully. In mortal form, but restored as a god.

"Hey, come in," I said as he does so, taking off his shoes.

"Welcome back!" Apollo said as we walked to the kitchen and I got him a little glass of nectar to drink as I got myself some water and we sat down in my room. "I'm sorry that place didn't work out, homes can be hit or miss for people, but it was what I could do with what I had. I'm in much better shape to help now. I'm all powered up."

"Which means?"

"I'm not allowed to directly just cute you and get rid of the depression or anxiety or PTSD or any of that." The god of medicine clarified for me. "I can give you specialized medications and do evals to tell you how the best way to quote on quote 'cure' it will be for you, because people work differently. Whether that be consistent therapy, a certain medication, going for a run and doing stuff to clear your mind, it'll depend."

I just nodded my head because that sounds like a pretty good deal. I get why he can't just cure it. Even if he has the powers, being a demigod has some weird rules.

"So," Apollo started off. "What are you already doing to try and help your mental state?"

So I told Apollo about therapy and how that seems to help because I like my normal therapist and then I gave him the list of medications I take. When he asked about activities I do when I'm feeling depressed I told him that usually I'll take a bath or if Luke is home I'll go over there and watch a movie with him. Wear one or his sweaters because the smell is comforting, especially when he's working or something or if I just don't have the energy to go over there.

After the questions he did like this weird thing where I was asleep for a half hour or so and it was a nice little nap, I won't lie.

But when I woke up, he had a few things written down.

"Okay," the god told me, handing me a few different papers. "So here's what I got."

"Alright?" I responded.

"Therapy is still to do as you normally would, go as normal," he started off, motioning at a list. "I'm giving you a few different med changes because your antidepressants aren't doing shit anymore so your anxiety meds are just making you even more depressed. Take both of those twice a day, and once a week have a little shot glass worth of nectar and a cube of ambrosia. Same day every week, a week apart."

"Anything else?"

He pondered for a second.

"Does the apartment allow animals?"

We called my mom in, would know the answer to that. And according to her, they are allowed, we've just never had one because we couldn't afford one and then Paul couldn't be around animals that shed. He would break out from the fur.

"Why?" I asked him, out of curiosity of mentioning having an animal.

"I personally believe," Apollo told me. "that it would be good for you to have some sort of emotional support pet, maybe trained as a service animal, seeing how often you have episodes. If you need help paying for either the medication or a support animal, just let me know, I know a lot of medical insurance doesn't cover the medication because it's for demigods only. I know a pet, well, having an animal in the house is a big thing between Estelle being a baby and also planning for a wedding and what not. So just let me know what you decide on, and if nothing else, I'll be back in two weeks to make sure the meds are doing their job, okay?"

"Okay!" Mom and I both exclaimed as Apollo left through the window because who else my room normally anymore.

And I looked at my mom.

"What?"

"Can... Can we get a cat?"