I learn to punch people and that rich people have horrible fashion sense
Okay, despite what I did earlier for the fates, I still do leave friends behind. That being said, as soon as the bus stopped next, I got off. To be fair, he was being a bit creepy with his muttering about how I am crazy enough to cut the string or something like that. Once he started looking at me like I was about to die though, then I started to get nervous and off the train.
He had to use the bathroom and asked for me to wait for him. Normally, I would but read the earlier explanation if you want to know why. I ran a few blocks away and hailed a cab.
“East one-hundred-and-fourth and first.” I told the driver and relaxed a bit, watching the blue clouds through the window.
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A word about my amazing mom beforehand. Trust me, you’ll want to hear this and I might even provide an explanation of my mother too.
My mom’s name is Sally Jackson and she is the best person in the whole world, somehow being able to handle me, Smelly Gabe, and her 3 jobs at once. She has rotten luck, which should have never happened, but it did.
When she was young, her parents died in a plane crash. She was going to be on that plane, but some bit of good luck made her sick and unable to board. After she got better, she was sent to her sick uncle and had to work extra hard to provide for them, selling almost everything they owned to afford for health care. She had to put her dream job of being a novelist and collage for her family, but when I asked her if she regretted it, she would always say that she would do it over and over again.
The only break she ever had in her life was meeting my mother. We don’t have any real pictures of mother, but I can remember bits and pieces of her and mom has some things she loved and created.
I should probably tell you about mother. Her name was Poseida Olympia, her name is so ironic because she loved the ocean and part time helped with water pollution and part time in the Navy. Mother was a fearsome woman, imposing even the best with her presence alone. I should know, I’ve seen the people she worked with come to the doorstep and she answered with an annoyed look and they stuttered over their words the whole time. It was funny.
Mother taught Mom how to do it too and I personally think Mom does it better, especially with her kick. I’ve seen Mother have bruises from it and they last for a few weeks longer than others did. I’ve overheard from Mom’s colleagues that Mother should have never taught Mom that, but I personally am glad for it.
Anyway, Mother had died in service saving her whole team from their blown submarine, drowning after she threw the last person onto the rescue ship. I still can remember her captain and subordinate’s faces as they came with the news of Mother’s death.
I was 2 when she died and the only things that we have to even show she was there physically were her old jacket I love to wear and a single picture from her service. From the picture and mom, she looks almost exactly like me. Black hair, sea-green eyes, strong, and kind.
Anyway, I now got out of the cab and paid the driver. I was glad to finally be home and near mom, hopefully Smelly Gabe’s horrific smell didn’t cover up the still lingering smell of Mother and blue candies that made it truly home.
Smelly Gabe is a huge jerk and only was nice the first 30 seconds we knew him, then being the biggest jerk in the world an I have met the bullies in each of my schools. And now he just lays around and plays poker like he has nothing else in the world. He somehow has a job as a superintendent for a electronic store, but never shows up for it all.
“So your home” He said around his cigaret and put down some cards and it became his buddie’s turn.
“Where’s mom?”
“Working, you got any cash?” I glared my best glare at him that usually made him cower, but luckily for him, he had his back turned to me. I took that time to see what kind of mood he was in.
Somehow he gained weight, so instead of a medium-sized walrus, he looks like an overweight one. His hair cut was the same, bald but 3 greasy hairs on his head that he thinks combing them might work. Burning will work better than that.
Anyways, he never really greeted me like a normal person, and if he ever did then the world was sure to be ending or something like that. I usually gave it to him with no fuss and never told mom because I didn’t want to make things harder for her already, that and it was our “guy secret” which means if I ever told, he would punch my lights out. Which I doubt because his fastest speed was slower than the slowest sloth, but better to avoid conflict.
“I don’t have cash. I used it all for the cab.”
“Don’t lie to me boy” Girl “You had a 20 and paid a taxi driver and got 6 or 7 bucks in change. You live under my roof and you should be expected to pull your weight, right Eddie?”
“Come on Gabe, the kid just got here” The man tried to stand up to me, but Gabe was not having it.
“Am I right?” The other two passed gas in harmony and did their turns as I tried to get the smell out of my memory.
“Fine” I threw the cash from my pocket on the table and turned, my temper almost taking over me. 10… 9… 8…
“Don’t act so snotty Brain Boy. I saw your report card.” I glowered and slammed the door to my room.
Well, it wasn’t really a room especially during the school year, because Gabe used it as his ‘study’. I doubt he ever studied in his life, so that was an obvious lie to cover up that he uses it to store his magazines and cigarettes and shoves to stuff the little stuff I leave into the small closet.
I flop on my bed, the obvious reminder that I was a female for the moment in a male body showing itself. I hate my body sometimes, don’t you?
My mind swirled with the Mrs. Dodds incident, the Fates greeting and talking to me, and Grover’s haunted face before Mom showed up.
“Percy?” She opened the door slightly and her slightly grey hair mixed with brown hair was shown as her eyes sparked in the light.
“Oh Percy, you’ve grown since Christmas!” She hugged me and brought out a bag of blue candy from the store she worked at today. I immediately attacked the blue sour strings while she ran a hand through my hair that I’ve been growing out a bit since Christmas and hoped to grow it a bit past my shoulders.
She smothered me for a bit before Gabe interrupted us with his annoying voice.
“Hey Sally- how about some bean dip, huh?” I wanted to punch his lights out, but mom put her hand on my arm and calmed me down.
“Hey, calm down Percy. Now, tell me about your year.” I then told her about the year up until the museum, then I faltered. Do I want to tell her about that if it could just be a figment of my imagination?
“What? Did something scare you?”
“No, mom” She didn’t seem satisfied, but left the subject alone and changed it.
“I have a surprise for you. We’re going to the beach” My eyes widened in surprise and happiness.
“Montauk?”
She nodded. “3 nights-same cabin”
“When?”
“As soon as I get changed.” She left as I smiled brightly and got packed once more. No more Smelly Gabe.
“Bean Dip, Sally. Did you hear me?” Smelly Gabe’s voice had to ruin my fun and I was so close to punching him so hard he would literally launch into next week. But Mom met my eyes and told me to be nice to him for just a bit. Fine, not that I was happy with it.
“I’m on my way Honey, I was just talking about the trip.” His eyes narrowed.
“You mean you were serious about that?”
“I knew it, he won’t let us go.” I left mom to bribe Gabe after that and hoped she did her magic.
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Mom is very good at convincing people, so we got to go and are now on our way.
“Hey Percy, what do you want to do this time?” Each time they went, Mom taught or told me something special and I love it.
“Can you teach me your famous kick? Oh, make it a punch.”
“Famous?” She asked in amusement and watched the empty road carefully.
“Yeah, everyone who has ever known you knows your kick, so it is famous and I want to have my own famous version of it to make everyone cower.” I laughed evilly and Mom rolled her eyes.
“Fine, I’ll teach you. You will truly be known as my child after this. I can’t wait to watch people when they are around us.” Despite her being so kind and smart, even my Mom has an evil side and I love when it comes out.
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We eventually got to the cabin and I took in the familiar spiders in the corners along with the cobwebs and old cabinets. The water was beautiful right now, calm and probably too cold for someone to swim in, but I did anyway. How could I not, it’s been a tradition since I first went here as a baby with both of my parents.
It was more special to Mom than me anyway. This was the place she first met Mother, who saved her from a riptide out of nowhere. Mom always seemed to be younger than her years here and her eyes changed to the color of the sea as she relaxed and watched the waves.
We cleaned and ate once at the cabin then got outside so Mom can teach me my own version of her famous kick until sunset, where she finally decreed that I was good enough to stop for the night. I felt exhausted and almost fell asleep while eating (blue) marshmallows and smores.
I fell asleep unprepared for the night to come.
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The dream was weird, an eagle attacking a horse. The sea and sky behind them seemed to strike each other as they did, which probably meant something that I couldn’t figure out over the instincts telling me to stop this. But there was one flaw in my instinct’s plan, I couldn’t move otherwise I would gladly have listened.
The eagle slashed the horse's muzzle with its talons and the horse retaliated by kicking the eagle’s wings. I woke up after a few more lightning strikes in the distance and blows exchanged by the animals to my mom saying. “Hurricane” and forcing me up out of bed.
We were both in our PJs as there was a thundering knock on the door my mom answered.
“Searching all night. Where were you?” Was that Grover? What was he doing out in the middle of a hurricane, and was that new pants? The rich must have weird fashion statements or his style got worse in the span of a day without me. Also hooves were not a good shoe choice, even I would know that and I don’t even care about that stuff.
“Percy, what happened.” Even with Mom wearing a pink nightgown, she still looked terrifying and terrified at the same time. “What happened at school you didn’t tell me?”
I was too frozen by shock by my dream and the hurricane and Grover to make a complete response or even tried to. Grover cursed in ancient greek like he does at times and said something that made everything oh so worse.
“It’s right behind me, didn’t you tell her?”
“I don’t know what is happening with everything conflicting everything, I was when I figured everything out, I swear, but I’m confused.” I cried out finally and could feel emotions choking me. Mom and Grover’s eyes softened and calmed down from the terrifying urgency in their tones.
“Just please tell me what you think may have happened Percy.” I managed to get out the story as Mom’s face darkened and she nodded gravely.
“What is happening? Mom, you seem to know, please tell me!” I asked her as she grabbed her purse and threw me a rain jacket.
“Grover will tell you in the car, now get in there now.” We ran to the car, lightning flashing anonymously and not making the situation better at all. I had a sudden image, like my life was flashing in my eyes.
I stood in front of the woman that looked so much like my mom, with her long black hair and sea-green eyes. She seemed to be saying something.
“Remember Percy,” Her voice was gentle and calm. “Don’t trust someone until you know what brought them to that moment.” She turned after and started to walk away and I swear I saw someone who looked like me with shorter hair walk beside her and she didn’t seem to notice. Why do I feel like I have a connection to them?