*Hello all! I am new to the PJO fanbase, and this is my first fanfiction of this category. I do hope you like it! Feel free to leave reviews, even if just saying hello. I do not own PJO. All rights go to Rick Riordan. ~Tardis*

Sally

It was silly really. Why on earth couldn't she go through her daily schedule without dissolving into tears? It had been almost nine months now, and she knew that logically it meant that her chances of seeing her son again were very slim. Still, she couldn't exactly let go either.

It was particularly bad whenever she tried to do the dishes. Something about the warmth, the undeniable presence of water, that made her always think of her little hero.

It had been two weeks after he failed to check in that she was told that her son was officially lost. About a week after that, she got a call from her son's best friend that he was probably stumbling around somewhere without any knowledge as to who he was.

That was what scared Sally Jackson the most.

Memories flashed through her mind like a movie she couldn't look away from. Her little boy was safely tucked in her arms for the first time, the absolute tantrum he threw when she told him she was getting married to Gabe Ugliano, his first day back from school when he realized his best friend had goat legs. And then came the other stuff: the letter she got from him before the end of camp his first year, the smile he wore when he told her about his new friend Annabeth and he outsmarting Polyphemus, the nervous car ride to Westhover Hall, and the look of absolute horror when Paul had asked him if his "date with Annabeth" had gone alright.

The memory of last summer came swift and silent into view. The night Percy and Nico broke into their house with a dog the size of an armored car, or the day she saw her baby boy become a man right before her eyes. Her favorite by far: the day she caught Percy and Annabeth holding hands on the couch.

She couldn't control it anymore. The tears streaked her already worn face. A few minutes later, Paul came in. She silently thanked the gods for Paul, or she'd never had made it. He wiped her face and led her to their bedroom, tucking her in and allowing her to take all the fear and frustration and sadness pent up inside her out on her pillow. She fell asleep crying, like most nights recently.

With each passing day, her hope began to fail.

The next morning, Sally woke late as was usual for Saturdays. Out of pure habit, she found the phone and listened to the answering machine.

"Hey, Sally. This is Annabeth. We're leaving pretty soon, but the Argo II wouldn't run this morning. As soon as it works, we're going to get Percy. Hope to see you soon. Bye." Click.

"This is City Dental Service reminding Mr. Paul Blofis that his appointment is set for Monday at four ten. Thank you." Click.

" …Mom?" Her heart skipped a beat. "Hey, I'm alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while, and then she took my memory, and… Anyway, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest… I'll make it home. I promise. Love you." Click.

It was simply amazing how one's life could turn so drastically around with one little click. The millions of things she wanted to say, to hug and beat her son all at the same time. But hope wasn't lost yet; her boy was coming home. After all that, it was seriously going to happen. No more guessing—she would know at least what was going on again. And she couldn't wait to tell a certain blond…