A/N: ... Yes, I'm aware it's been a while. I've been more active on AO3 than here recently. And yes, I'm aware that the Magnus Chase universe is technically another series, but I'm (a) too lazy to label this as a crossover for one damn chapter and (b) lumping it in with PJO because Magnus is Annabeth's cousin and that makes him technically part of that universe.

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse (it's brief), dysphoria (non-specific), transphobia and brief transphobic language, homelessness, hypothermia, frostbite, misgendering, mention of suicidal thoughts, mention of possible minor character death

When Sam was five, he cut off all of his hair and threw every clothing item with the word "girl" on it in the trash, insisting that he was a boy and should be called "Sam". His mother smacked him and told him he would always be a girl and that schools needed to stop teaching perversions of nature.

When Sam was twelve, he bought himself a binder in secret and threw all of his bras in the Dumpster at the mall. His mom eventually found out and burned the binder while he cried.

When Sam was thirteen, his mother threw him out and told him never to come back unless he learned to be less selfish and consider her feelings.

When Sam was sixteen, he realized he was going to be homeless forever.

No one wants to hire a homeless girl-boy. None of the shelters have binders that won't break his ribs. He congregates with a few other trans kids who were abandoned by their parents and resigns himself to his fate.

Street kids go missing all the time in Boston; Elle a few months ago, Magnus almost two before that, Carl and Stevie and Jay and Alexis all before them. No one ever comes back. Sometimes Sam just lays down and wonders if he's going to wake up.

He always does and he always hates it.

It's the middle of January and he's cold and wet and tired when a person in horrible neon green and pink leans down next to him. They look familiar – Alex or Ally or something. He can't tell.

"Hi, Sam," they say roughly, but their smile is genuine. "Do you remember me?"

Suddenly, he does. Alex, the fluid mostly-girl. She was gone a few months ago. She's here? Wow, he really is cold. He's never hallucinated before.

Alex's expression darkens. "Hey, Magnus?" she calls to someone behind her. "I think he's in shock. Maybe hypothermic. Get the first aid kit ready." Now his eyes are almost closed. Hmm, sleep…

"Hey! No sleeping," she demands, and he huffs a little. "Magnus! Hey, stay awake. Sam? Come on, dude, just a little longer. We'll take you somewhere nice and warm and you can sleep as long as you want."

"'S I want?" he slurs a little drunkenly. Then he frowns. "But I'm already warm."

She sighs. "Definitely hypothermic."

A blond boy kneels beside her – Magnus, his fuzzy brain produces. Apparently, today is Missing and Dead Homeless Kid Reunion Day and no one told me.

"Shit, man, are you okay?" he blurts upon grabbing Sam's freezing hand. "You're at least four degrees too cold and you've definitely got frostbite."

"Really?" Alex asks dryly. "Hadn't noticed."

"Right." He winces, and the last thing Sam hears before he finally goes to sleep is "Shit!"

xXx

When he wakes up, the first thing he knows is that he's mildly disappointed. The second is that he's under something warm and dense. A blanket? No, blankets. With that, his eyes shoot open.

His room is painted a soft green, and the curtains at the window are a light, springtime pink. He feels truly warm for the first time since early autumn, and then his higher reasoning kicks in and wonders where the hell he is.

As if on cue, there's a knock on his room door and a blond head is poking in to check if he's awake.

Magnus smiles awkwardly and gives a little nod, his hands preoccupied with a tray with a bowl, a book, and a small box.

"Hey, man," he says, setting the tray down on the end table. "So… how you doing?"

Sam frowns. "Okay, I guess. Not freezing anymore."

"Great." Magnus's speech is cut off and more than a little forced, and before Sam can help himself, he fills the silence.

"Where have you been?"

Magnus gives a little laugh. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Sam scoffs. "Yeah, right."

xXx

Eventually, Sam gets settled into Chase Place. The small box had a binder in it, and he attacked Alex with a hug when he saw him. He gets a job and goes back to school and makes friends. For once in his life, he has a home and he belongs.

Maybe he never learns where Magnus and Alex were, even if occasionally she thumbs her pottery wire and stares at nothing and he randomly leans in for hugs despite claiming to not be a big hugger and he knows then that something big definitely happened. Maybe he laughs when they tell him they're demigods. Maybe he laughs when Halfborn says he's from Viking times and Mallory says she's actually dead. Maybe he laughs at TJ and his civil war obsession. Maybe his new friends have strange inside jokes.

But maybe Sam finally knows something none of them do.

Maybe Sam knows that they are his family, and he loves them all.