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May’s hands trembled as she picked up the two mugs. The hot chocolate within threatened to spill onto the floor but May focused on making her hands work. She felt a brief longing for her youth - and the really terrible thing was that she wasn’t that old, she would be fifty-three this year - but it was useless to hope for things that wouldn’t be. May shuffled toward the back door, taking slow and careful steps.
On the porch outside was an old double rocker. May used to sit on it with Hermes while he was courting her and later with Hermes and her sweet little son. She shook the memory away. Hermes still visited once a week but Luke was dead; their beautiful son claimed by the Fates.
The rocker moved forward and back but it wasn’t Hermes who sat upon it. The woman who rocked on her porch was a recent acquaintance by the name of Sally Jackson. She had brown skin and dark brown hair that was streaked through with gray, though she was only thirty-eight. This was the burden of demigod children upon their mortal parents. Sally turned at the sound of the porch door swinging shut and she smiled at May. Her eyes were a kaleidoscope of blue hues, shifting constantly, a subtle hint that though she wasn’t a demigod, she was a legacy. “Thank you, May.”
May handed Sally her mug of hot chocolate. “Careful now, it's very hot.” May sat down beside Sally and after a moment, she fell into the rhythm of the rocking chair.
Sally sipped her hot chocolate. She hummed happily. “Is there peppermint in this?” She asked.
“Yes,” May said with a smile of her own. “Today’s flavor was easy. Everyone recognizes peppermint.”
They made a game of Sally guessing what extra flavor May put in the hot chocolate. She was very adept at guessing and it was very fun when May could surprise or stump her.
The women drank their hot chocolate. It was cool outside in Connecticut just a week before Christmas and their breaths came out as a fog. May unobtrusively watched Sally from the corner of her eye.
As per usual lately, Sally looked worried and unhappy for all that she tried to hide it.
May suspected that she knew why. “Have you heard from Percy?”
Sally stiffened. She held her mug closer to her chest. “He said that he won’t make it for Christmas,” her voice was equal parts sad and angry.
May’s memory of Percy wasn’t a pleasant one. She only met him once and she’d spent over half that time thinking that he was Luke. Praying that he was Luke come home to her after so long. He had been kind, despite how scared of her he’d been.
“He sounds like he wants to come home,” Sally said roughly. Her frustration was clear. “I shouldn’t have let him leave with that girl.”
Sally didn’t know it but she sounded very much like Hermes in that moment. Hermes refused to say the name Annabeth Chase, only referring to her as the girl. May only remembered Annabeth as a tiny little thing in the company of a fierce older girl and Luke’s desperation when he met Hermes for the first time. The brief meeting hadn’t been enough to leave much of an impression for good or bad. But May trusted that her lovers had good judgement and if they said that Annabeth was bad, she believed it.
May glanced at Sally, caught her eye. “You know Hermes would be happy to go get him for you.” For May, and for Percy himself because her lover had a soft spot for the boy. She wondered if Hermes would like Sally.
Sally shook her head. “He would be so angry if the gods butted in. I just have to keep telling him that he’s still got a place at home.” She reached out with one hand, resting it on May’s thigh. “Thank you for the offer.” A small, sad smile was aimed at May.
May needed to hold her mug with both hands or she would drop it. She set it down on the table beside the rocker and put her warm hands over Sally’s. “Anything I can do to help.”
Sally’s smile lost some of its sadness. She brought May’s hand to her lips and kissed her knuckles. “I miss Percy so much. Sometimes I even miss Poseidon. But even as much as I miss them, being with you makes it hurt less, May.”
Warmth filled May’s chest. She could relate to Sally’s sentiment. She had Hermes still, but not Luke. Not her precious baby. May could never repair their broken relationship. But being with Sally eased some of the ache, filled her up with warmth and love. “I feel the same about you, Sally. I’m less lonely with you.” May leaned across and kissed Sally. “You’re welcome to stay here for the holiday.”
“Thank you.”