Percy

Percy Jackson hated family reunions. Well, hate wasn't exactly the right word. More like he despised them. It wasn't that he didn't like his family. In fact, he loved most of his relatives. It was his dad who he didn't like. Poseidon and his mother, Sally, didn't get married. So, when Poseidon left Sally for a different women, even though Sally was pregnant at the time, he didn't feel the need to help support his son.

No money came to help pay the bills or buy clothes for the two of them. Sally and Percy Jackson were on their own. That was why Sally married Gabriel Ugliano. She needed help supporting her son.

While some people might say that is a terrible reason to marry someone, it was the only way for Sally and Percy to keep their home. Sally was barely making enough money to pay the rent with what she got from working at Sweet on America, a small candy shop. So, yes, she married someone she didn't love so her son didn't have to suffer.

However, Gabe used most of the money he made for himself. The only money that wasn't used for his own benefit was used to make sure Percy got an education, and that clothes were provided for Sally and Percy. That was it. The rest went to Gabe so he could buy beer and cigarettes.

The only time Percy really ever got away from Gabe was during family reunions, and Percy hated them. Sure, Gabe smelled horrid and would occasionally hit him, but Percy would rather spend time with him rather than his father.

Poseidon and his wife, Amphitrite, where on the top of Percy's People I Dislike list. Its not that they were bad people, it's just that they tended to put their needs above everyone else's. Way above. If Percy's dad and his wife didn't go to family reunions, Percy would have a nice time. He would get to see his cousins, who he secretly loved a lot more than he let on, and he wouldn't have to be stuck in a crappy apartment building for the summer.

Of course, if Poseidon and Amphitrite didn't go, Percy wouldn't get to see Tyson. His step-brother was someone who Percy held close to his heart. Tyson and Sally were the two most important people in his life. Although Tyson was nine, seven years younger than Percy, they did almost everything together during family reunions.

So the only thing that ruined Percy's family reunions was his dad. Well, there was also Amphitrite, but still. Percy could manage being around Poseidon's brothers just fine. He tolerated them, sometimes even respected them, but not Poseidon himself. He wouldn't yell at his dad, or openly be uncivil towards him, but rather kept all that inside. His friends didn't understand how much he didn't like his father. Not even his mother knew the full extent of his dislike.

Almost everyone close to Percy, however, could tell there was tension between the two of them. At least there was tension on Percy's side. Poseidon has happily ignorant, along with his wife. Even Tyson knew Percy didn't like Poseidon, no matter how hard Percy tried to keep it hidden from him.

Percy knew that the family reunions had to be worse for his mom. While everyone loved Sally and she loved everyone, she didn't like to be around Poseidon and Amphitrite. Sally only came because she didn't want to be alone with Gabe, who never came to the family reunions. Though Percy's relatives knew Sally remarried, they didn't know who she was married to. Or why he never came to their family reunions. No one had yet to work up the nerve to ask why.

Not only did Percy not like family reunions, it was hard to travel budget wise. The Big Three, as Percy's family called Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, liked their family reunions to be anywhere but close to New Work. Gabe would always yell at them, Percy and Sally, for using so much money to travel, but would eventually let them go.

The major reason for this was because Gabe got all the money Percy earned for his gambling funds. Sally didn't know this, of course, but it was true. Percy and Gabe made the deal back when he was twelve. Percy was pretty sure his mother thought that Percy was saving the money he made for college. And, though it pained him to lie to his mother, he let her believe that.

Percy knew that, even though the family reunions were uncomfortable for his mother, they were the best part of her year. She didn't have to work or put up with Gabe, she was free to be herself. So Percy didn't care if he didn't get to go to college, as long was his mom was happy. An escape, that was what the family reunions were to Sally. An escape from pretending everything was fine into believing and feeling everything was fine.

However, this family reunion was not going to be that way.

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"What do you mean the family reunion is going to be in California?! There is no way we can afford that!" Gabe exploded, waving his arms frantically as if that would help prove his point. Yeah right.

My mom, seeing that things could get even uglier, tries to calm him down. "Gabriel, I am sure that Poseidon will help us get there. He wants to see his son, so he will most likely help pay for the plane tickets."

I clench my hands into balls and grind my teeth. Like Poseidon would do anything to help me or my mom. He probably likes seeing us suffer for all the things he gives us. My mom knows that, obviously, but doesn't want to believe it. She wants to believe that he is still the kind-hearted man she fell in love with all those years ago.

For a second, the slightest second, I think what my mom said calmed down Smelly Gabe. It didn't. No, it seems like what she said only made him angry. His face gets as red as a tomato and his hands twitch by his side. I recognize the signs of when he might start hitting things, and twitching hand is one of them. So is going red in the face. I jump out of the hallway, trying to act like I wasn't spying on them.

Luckily for me, neither of them notice me. Yet. All I need to do is make sure Smelly Gabe doesn't hit Mom. Make sure that I will be able to stop him if the blow does come. Mom sees the signs that Gabe might hit her also, so she does the only thing that might calm him. She makes a deal.

"Well, you know how much California is like New York, only better...How about you come with us? You can go shopping at all the nice shops."

As soon as she says this, my blood goes cold. Why would she invite Smelly Gabe? A small part of me knows that it is smart. That he won't go into one of his frenzies, destroying everything in his path, causing Mom and me to hide in the closet. The other, bigger part wants to crawl away and die. If Smelly Gabe comes, I will have to deal with two terrible 'dads'. Also, all my relatives will figure out why we don't bring Gabe along to family reunions.

If possible, my blood goes even colder when I hear Smelly Gabe's answer: "Well, I guess I always wanted to go to California. And, just to be sure, most of the money for this trip comes out your's and Percy's clothes budget for the summer, right?"

Mom smiles, though it doesn't reach her eyes, and it looks more like a wince. "Of course, Gabriel. Now, why don't we all pack. It is going to be a little, ah, pricey for the plane tickets. So, if possible, try to only pack enough to fit on a carry-on bag."