Hi, Innoverse here! Here's a little short one-shot that floated into my mind today. It's another kind of 'edited scene' from the Son of Neptune where Percy figures out who his mother is before he starts getting memories back.
By the way, no chapter of Determination today. Sorry! I'm still coming up with ideas for that story... and since I'm starting school I didn't have time to write a chapter anyways. So, expect less updates and stories because of school. *sigh*
Anyways, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own PJATO
- That Woman: Percy's POV -
Frank, Hazel, and Percy stalked into the library, looking around for any places that Ella might have decided to fly off to when she made a break for it. A library wouldn't have been Percy's first choice—he hated reading. He didn't know whether it was just because of the dyslexia, or he just because he didn't like it in general, but an entire building full of books? Torture.
There were words everywhere, swimming around his head and circling around the shelves. Percy got dizzy just looking at them, so he tried to keep his eyes on the floor where there weren't any words to slide around. But then he kept bumping into shelves, so he had to look back up again and try not to throw up. Gods, he hated books.
As his eyes swept over the rows of books, one caught his eye. Not because he wanted to read it—gods forbid—but because of the author. It was an adult mystery book, sitting on the top of the shelf for new books, so it must have been recently published. He walked over and picked it up, inspecting the author's name suspiciously.
Sally Jackson. Why did the name feel so familiar? Sure, they had the same surname, but Jackson was a popular surname. He'd met several people with the same last name, and none of them were related to him. But he felt drawn to this person...
"Uh, Percy?" Frank's voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up from the book. "Now isn't really the time to be browsing."
"Sorry," he muttered, frowning at the book. "I-I just thought I recognized the author's name. Like... it feels familiar. Is that crazy?"
"Well, you do have amnesia," Hazel reasoned.
Percy flipped to the back of the book, looking at the author's information. Sally Jackson is an aspiring mystery writer from Manhattan, New York. She's wanted to write books her entire life, since the young age of five when her parents were killed in a tragic airplane crash. She continues to...
Airplane crash. Percy got a piercing pain behind his eyes. He looks down at the head shot of the woman. She has long, brown hair, and light blue eyes. Something about looking at the woman's face makes him feel shaky, almost like he wants to cry. He squints a little, and realizes she looks kind of... like him. He absent-mindedly ran a finger over his eyebrows as he inspected hers, and found they were the same. So were their noses...
"She looks kind of like you," Frank said, frowning a little. "That's creepy..."
A memory flashed over Percy's eyes. He saw the same woman, hugging him as he hid inside of a closet when he looked about five or six. There was a thunderstorm outside, and someone was yelling and breaking things in other room. Percy was crying into the woman's shirt, but she continued holding him and running her fingers through his hair.
Percy almost dropped the book.
"Percy?" Hazel asked worriedly. "Are you okay? You just got really pale..."
He ignored her, and flipped to the front of the book—where the dedication was. It took a moment for him to decipher it since it was in italics, but eventually he managed to make out: Dedicated to my son Percy, who is one of the greatest joys of my life and gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams.
He made a choking sound, and pressed his hand over his mouth. Hazel and Frank's eyes got wide when they read the dedication for themselves. Percy's hands were shaking, and beads of sweat rolled down his face. He did know this woman.
"Whoa," Frank said. "That woman—"
"Is my mother," he finished hoarsely.
I kind of like this, even if it's short. I don't remember how this idea popped into my head, but I kind of like the theme of it. I think it would be kind of weird if Percy had found one of his mother's books in SoN.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading! Reviews are appreciated. :)