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He jumped at the smallest of things.
That was what first gave Paul the clue. The clanking of metal across the street. A dog barking outside.
And it became evident when he went to wake him up and was pinned to the ground with a sword at his neck seconds later.
Percy blinked at him a couple times, then stood up, retracted his sword, and offered him a hand. "Gods Paul, I'm sorry!"
The older man just shook his head and took Percy's hand. "Nah, I'm fine. Maybe I should just knock on the door next time?"
For having been asleep, Percy looked like exactly the opposite. His eyes were red and puffy, with dark circles ringing them, and he was already yawning. "Maybe." The boy-well, honestly, after that "quest" he'd been on, he resembled a man- said. He had burdened eyes and often spoke of things with more wisdom Paul would ever think a 17 year old-hell, a 70 year old- could.
"Your mother made pancakes. She told me to come get you."
"Thanks."
"No problem," Paul nodded, leaving and shutting the door behind him.
- - - -
It was time to talk about it, he knew. Sally was out with friends and had left the two the tv and a "rent whatever" tossed over her shoulder as she left.
Paul was reading the paper now as Percy scrolled through the titles.
He set it down hesitantly. "Percy, is there anything bothering you?"
The man didn't meet his eyes. "No, not really."
"Percy."
He didn't answer. Paul scratched his head. "Look, I know you don't want your mother to know or to worry about it. But I'm here, and if you don't want me to tell her, I won't. We can talk, man to man."
Percy sighed. "Look, Paul-"
"I don't know much about this 'quest' business, but I know enough to see that the ones before this last one weren't as bad. Come on. What happened?"
Percy finally turned and looked the man square in the eyes. "I don't mean to be rude, but we've gone through things and done things that make your worst nightmares seem like child's play. I don't want to talk about it, if you don't mind."
With that, he went to his room and shut the door.
The 'we' did not go unnoticed.
- - - -
"I'm sorry about last night," Percy said gruffly the next morning, picking at his food. "That was uncalled for."
Paul nodded. "I shouldn't have pried. Not my business."
They don't talk about it after that.
- - - -
Paul woke up to a panicked yell.
"Percy!"
It was Percy's girlfriend- Annabeth, who was staying the night in the guest bedroom before she went back home the next day.
He glanced over at his wife, who was still snoring gently, and slipped out of bed.
As he neared the room, he could hear murmuring.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm fine, Annabeth. It's okay." His stepson soothed.
Paul peeked in the doorframe. Annabeth was sitting on the bed, arms around Percy. Tears were running down her face.
He didn't know her all that well, but from the times she came to comfort Sally over the summer he knew she was a good girl. She'd updated them with any information she got, and often cried with Sally over Percy over cups of coffee. He hadn't seen her cry since Percy had come back.
She took several deep breaths and let go of him. "Sorry-I just- you know. Nightmare."
Percy nodded. "Yeah. They haven't been so great for me either."
Annabeth ran a hand across her eyes, averting looking at him. "Ever since you left camp, they've-well, they got worse."
"You too?"
She sniffed and nodded. "I see Tartarus, or you fighting a giant, or-or just you laying there all bloodied up," She hesitated, "and I'm terrified."
Tartarus? Paul had researched a little into Greek myths when he found out exactly who Percy's real father was. Dreaming about the Pit of Damnation probably wasn't going to make anyone feel warm and fuzzy inside.
His step son- ever chivalrous, draped an arm around her. "It's okay. The war's over. No one will hurt either of us again." He pressed his palm to her cheek. "We're gonna be fine, yeah?"
"Percy-" Annabeth hesitated, "would you stay with me? It worked at camp, maybe-"
"Yeah, 'course." Paul heard the rustling of fabric. "It helps with mine too."
- - - -
The next morning, Paul awoke to an empty spot beside him. He stretched, then got out of bed.
"Percy, I know, but what would her father think?" His wife was saying as he walked down the hall.
"It's just-mom, neither of us would be doing this if it didn't help us sleep. She came at night at camp-Tyson was there," Percy added, "and we both got good night's sleep."
Paul walked into the room, sliding a hand around Sally's waist and pecking her on the cheek as she continued to stare at the two teenagers on Percy's bed.
"I'm glad, honey. I just don't want her father thinking I'll let you two do whatever ," At this she sent a pointed look their way, "you like while under my roof. I do have certain-"
"Mom!" Percy's face flushed. "You know I wouldn't- we don't-"
Annabeth's face was just as red. "Sally, I can assure you-"
His wife sighed and pushed a hand through her hair. "I don't have a problem with it, as long as no funny business goes on. We'd be more than happy to have you. But I can't let it happen until this is all explained to your father, dear. Understood?"
Annabeth nodded. "Yes ma'am."
"Alright. Who wants blue pancakes?"
Everyone in the room promptly raised their hands.
Sally left Paul with them, walking to the kitchen.
He cleared his throat. "So you're moving in? Until you graduate?"
Percy seemed surprised at his deduction, but Annabeth just nodded. "If you don't mind. Sally doesn't want him to leave, and I wouldn't want to make him do that either. It's just.."
"What do you think your dad will say?"
She shrugged. "Not really his decision. He may be older than me, but he wasn't in my life a lot before a couple years ago. And with everything we've gone through-well."
There it was again. The 'we'. Annabeth was there, with Percy, with this thing that had happened to him. Paul had thought about this option before, when thinking about his step son's words on the matter, but it was just a guess. Now...
"So you were there with him. In Tartarus?" It was a wild guess, Paul knew, but if they corrected him he'd at least be closer to the truth.
Both demigods stiffened. Annabeth clasped Percy's hand. "I thought we agreed not to tell our parents?" She said quietly.
"I didn't tell him." Percy stared at him. "Paul, how did you know?"
"Lucky guess. You two get ready for breakfast. We can talk about this later."
- - - -
Annabeth did end up moving in. She had the guest bedroom for her things, but most of it seemed to migrate into Percy's room until the only things left in hers were clothes and a couple of unpacked boxes. When her friends came over, they went to his room to chat, not hers.
The two still slept in the same room, but he was never woken up by a scream again. True to their word, they'd never been caught in a compromising situation, either. Besides kissing. They did a bit of that. In fairness, they didn't do a lot of it in front of Sally and Paul, so they were trying. And, okay, there was a time when he went to put Percy's bookbag in his room after they'd gone to bed that he noticed his hand resting on Annabeth's chest. (But they were asleep, he'd told Sally. It was nothing to be worried about.)
There were other things he noticed, too. Percy and Annabeth were a team. How he hadn't been able to tell earlier was beyond him- it was incredibly obvious. They complimented each other, worked in harmony. They did, of course, function without the other. Percy was an incredible hero without Annabeth, and Annabeth was one of the most intelligent people on the planet with or without her boyfriend. But together... together they lifted each other up, used each others strengths, worked in unison. Not that he'd actually seen them in battle or anything when it was imperative that they could work as a team. But the simple things. Social situations, working in the kitchen, even studying.
One night, though.. one night he really saw it.
About a month after she moved in they had went out to a local pizza place to celebrate Percy's first B in a class since- well, since longer than any of them could remember. They were walking to get some ice cream afterwards (what was the point of a 'treat' if ice-cream wasn't involved? Percy argued).
It happened suddenly- Paul had no idea it was coming until they were surrounded and Annabeth had a knife held to her neck.
The men were large- there were five of them, a small gang, surrounding them, some with knives flicked out. The largest man, who stood at least a foot a half taller than Percy- and Percy was pretty tall, examined his blade. "What's in those bags, ladies?"
His stepson and Annabeth exchanged a silent conversation with their eyes, then nodded simultaneously. Seconds later, the man who had held Annabeth was on the ground and Percy had knocked the leader's knife thirty feet away, now exchanging blows.
Annabeth was engaged with some other member of the gang, ducking a blow he sent her way, then kicking him in the knees and punching his jaw so that his head snapped quickly to the side. As quickly as he was down, another replaced him.
Percy was still fighting hard- punching, swiping, and trying to catch the other man by surprise and knock him off balance. In one fluid motion, the teenager turned, brought a swift elbow up into the other man's gut, and when he clenched his stomach, straight into his face.
"Percy!" Annabeth grunted. Paul whipped his head to look at the girl.
She was caught in a headlock, twisting and maneuvering, but the brute strength of the man holding her made it impossible for her to get out of it.
Percy took down the last man in his way easily, then approached the man holding his knife to Annabeth's throat.
"I'll cut her open," He threatened, but was backing away. "Come on, hand me the bags, now."
Just as Sally stepped from behind Sally, hand extended, Annabeth slammed her head backward into the man's nose and twisted his arm when his grip lessened. At the same time, Percy grabbed his knife, pulled his arms behind his back, and shoved him against the nearby wall, metal against the side of his neck. A line of red trickled from where it made contact.
As Sally tended to Annabeth- she was grimacing- Paul stared at the boy.
"I should kill you," Percy was whispering quietly, mouth set. " You're lucky I don't want my family to have to see someone's throat being ripped out." After a moment, he lessened his grip and shoved him towards the street. "Get out of here."
The teen turned back around, finally noticing Paul's gaze. He lowered his eyes and rushed to Annabeth.
She had a cut on her side- it was difficult to tell the depth, but it stretched all the way down her abdomen. "Oh my gods," Paul exclaimed as his wife fussed, "We need to call an ambulance. Sally, where's your-"
"No, no," Annabeth protested, "I've had a lot worse. I'll be fine. I just need some ambrosia."
"I don't have any on me." Percy looked guilty.
"Hush, of course you don't."
"Alright, let's get back to the apartment. Here," He moved to place an arm around her back, supporting her.
"It's a shame. I wanted ice cream." Annabeth sighed.
Even as she joked, Paul could tell she was in pain. They kept a slow pace, but she winced with every step.
When they finally got back-what would've normally taken them five minutes to walk ended up taking more than twenty, Sally hurried to get bandages and ambrosia.
"This has to be cleaned," Percy murmured, examining the cut. "And you're loosing a good bit of blood. Can you-" He looked awkward.
"I don't think so." Annabeth winced as she pressed her hand tighter over the red splotch on her side. "I can't move my arms far enough. Will you grab some scissors?"
"Yeah, of course."
Moments later, Sally returned with the bandages and ambrosia. "You need to cut it off?" She murmured, worrying her lip as she kneeled beside Annabeth.
Percy nodded, slowly cutting into the fabric of her shirt.
"You really don't need to worry, Sally. I've had much worse- this is like a scratch." Annabeth tried to reassure her.
"I can't say that's making me feel much better," Paul hurried in, holding a handful of different creams and a wet cloth. "Honestly, do you ever have adult supervision at camp? I thought the whole point of it was to protect you."
"The camp's been too busy protecting the world to worry about- Ow!" Annabeth yelped as Percy dabbed at the wound.
"Sorry. I thought it'd be better if you were distracted." The other demigod carefully finished cleaning the cut, gingerly placing a bandage over it as she grit her teeth.
Sally grabbed a blanket for the girl while Paul observed the two again. It was amazing, to see them in action in the fight- he wished he didn't have to, but nonetheless- two young teenagers, to be able to fight with such skill and ferocity, and in perfect harmony with each other? It was quite impressive. When they fought, they fought together - taking down the crooks one by one, never getting in the other's way. And now, Percy caring for Annabeth when she was hurt, holding her hand as she drifted off to sleep- well.
It was obvious that Tartarus had changed them drastically. The boy Paul had met before was, granted, more responsible and older in mind than those his age, but now?
Paul had fenced all through college, and the last year he'd taught it as an elective. He'd always been pretty good, and he'd had years of practice. He'd thought of offering to fence with Percy one day, but hadn't mentioned it (his haunted eyes had told him that he'd fought enough for a lifetime). He'd never seen the man in battle- nor had Sally, not really. Of course, he'd heard vague stories about fights in quests and outlandish tales that he wasn't sure he even believed, but he'd never seen him in action.
But that night- that night Paul understood. Percy Jackson was incredibly skilled and powerful. The grace with which he'd handled his own body was astonishing- he had exchanged blows quickly, fluidly, making a bloody street fight look like an intricate dance- one only he knew the steps to.
Annabeth was much the same, but Percy- he'd been ready to take that man's life. He'd held a knife to his throat, watched blood flow, and had only spared him because Paul and Sally were there.
Though now, the son of Poseidon was running his fingers through his girlfriend's hair, Paul was struck by a sense of both well earned respect- and fear.
--------------
Annabeth healed at a remarkable rate. The cut was half its original size in a week, and diminished to a scar in two.
Things were somewhat normal. Everything was turning out well- both Annabeth and Percy had been accepted at Goode and had been attending classes for a few weeks. Annabeth, predictably, had a 4.0 GPA, while Percy was doing his damnest to keep at a 3.5. Even with Annabeth's help and Paul's tutoring, he struggled to read his English assignments and study properly.
The one thing he did excel at was fencing.
Paul had taught the class last year- he'd fenced all through college and decided to offer it as an elective. This year, instead, he'd taken up teaching a journalism class and an older teacher had taken up the class.
Mr. Finch was quite good at the sport- he had taken it up when he was much younger and gave classes on it a few streets down the road. He'd won multiple competitions, and probably could have gone to an incredibly high level if he'd have abandoned his teacher career. Whenever he and Paul sparred he won every time without fail. He had a way of anticipating your next move that was simply amazing.
But Percy.. Percy beat the man in four of their spars in the first week. The only reason he didn't win the last time was because Annabeth had warned him against seeming too knowledgeable in the art. Unfortunately, Finch was smart enough to notice.
Paul had been watching that day- he had been trying to see what Percy could do with a sword. So far, he was very impressed.
Percy fought gracefully for the first two minutes- then made an obvious mistake and left his left side open. Finch's eyes narrowed when he saw Percy do it- but nonetheless, he swiped it out of his hand.
"See me after class," He said in a low voice, before loudly calling, "Next!"
Apparently he'd told Percy not to fake losing- it was beneath him. If he couldn't learn anything from the teacher, the teacher would learn from him. And was he sure he didn't want to enter the competition in Maine?
Percy had given a firm no on the last point, but had agreed to spar to the best of his ability.
The other thing he was really good at was swimming- and this Annabeth agreed he could show off. Paul had never seen anything like it. He had seen him control water a few times (it was very handy when cleaning up spills), but the way it seemed to bend to accommodate his strokes and propelled him forward at the same time- well. If anything, Percy was wasting his talent on the team- he should've been at the Olympics.
Now, this wasn't to say that Annabeth wasn't talented. Her sharp mind and affinity to math quickly got her a place on the math team, and after trying several sports, she decided on tennis and softball- both of which she learned very quickly.
Sometimes, Paul forgot that they weren't normal teenagers who were just very athletic. They won games, ate pizza, and had friends over. Occasionally they even attended parties.
And then Apollo showed up.
------------
He had wondered who was at the door, but it didn't seem urgent enough to get up. He was content reading his section of the newspaper and sipping his coffee. He hadn't heard the man buzz in, but Percy evidently had and was now talking- okay. Scratch that. Arguing with whoever had decided to show up.
His interest piqued, Paul set down his crossword and walked over to the door.
"Is there a problem?" He asked, attempting to make his voice as threatening as possible (even if Percy was bigger and good bit more intimidating than he was).
The young blond at the door beamed. "Oh, you must be Paul!" He stuck out his hand. "Great to meet you. I've heard a lot- Uncle P yaps about you all the time." At his confused look, the man added, "Oh, no. Mostly good things. He finds you tolerable."
"Uncle P?" He glanced at Percy, who's face had hardened.
"Don't worry about it, Paul. Apollo was just leaving." The younger man threw in a glare for good measure.
"What? Oh, no," The- apparently-god chuckled, "Don't worry. I'll be here for a few more minutes. I am, of course, gracious enough to allow you time to collect some things."
"Gracious enough-" A noise escaped Percy's throat. "I don't think you understood. We aren't taking you anywhere. You're leaving. Now."
"Come on, show a man some love! I know the whole Tartarus sha-bang sort of threw you two off, but you were chill! Come on, I taught you everything. You can't do me one favor after everything I've done for you?"
"Percy? Paul?" Annabeth's yawn came from behind. "Who's at the door?"
Apollo brightened. "Hey, Athena's kid! Annabeth, right?"
The blond demigod exited the kitchen, looking annoyed. "Apollo?"
"Long time, no see, am I right?"
With one look at Percy, she groaned. "Paul, would you excuse us while we speak in private?"
"Uh- yeah. Sure." With one last glance at the god of poetry, Paul returned to his room.
---------
Annabeth and Percy left an hour later, each carrying a duffel bag and wearing matching scowls.
Sally bit her lip as she hugged them both, making them promise to call once a week.
---------
A month later, after another almost-Armageddon and several near death experiences for the young couple, they were all back in the Jackson living room. This time, however, ten other gods were in attendance.
Zeus was arguing heatedly with Annabeth. "You insolent girl, thinking you can just tell me that-"
"Oh, shut up!" Percy sat on the couch beside his girlfriend, glaring at the god. "She is not in the wrong. She did not begin yet another war. She did not almost wipe out everyone, including her own children because of her hubris and hot temper. That was all you, buddy."
Lightning crackled outside, and all the gods spectating looked around nervously. "If you believe that your actions will go unpunished-"
"You'll do what, exactly?" Percy stood again, eyes dark. "Pray tell, what will you do? I think you're forgetting who you're dealing with."
An unnamed emotion flashed through the god's eyes.
Annabeth grabbed his arm, but the other halfblood simply squeezed her hand. Percy approached Zeus where he stood, arms folded behind his back, stopping until their faces were inches away.
"Annabeth and I traveled the whole of Tartarus, where even you fear to go. We defeated the pit of damnation, massacred the giants, and I spared Night herself from her demise. We vanquished the very earth, and you think you can threaten us?" He chuckled, a low, terrifying noise. "Go home, Zeus. Fix this mess you've made."
The two stared at each other, the tension between them so thick Paul almost thought he could see it.
The god lowered his gaze first. "This meeting is over. Return to Olympus."
All nine of the other Olympians, including Apollo, vanished. Only Zeus remained.
The god of the sky looked at Percy thoughtfully. "You have just humiliated me in front of my family, my subjects." Paul held his breath, terrified that a bolt of lightning would strike the apartment. "You may be willful, but you have earned my respect. Daughter of Athena," He walked around Percy to stop in front of Annabeth, who had stood when the other gods vanished. "Your wisdom may match that of your mother. I will trust that you will keep your partner in check."
Zeus' eyes flashed, and he was gone.
-----------
Thankfully, Sally hadn't been there to witness that particular event. Paul had to admit that he was terrified of Percy for a couple of months afterward. After all, you didn't just learn that your stepson and his girlfriend had defeated the embodiment of death itself and treat them the same way.
---------
By the time the couple graduated, Paul had grown very close to them. He played chess with Annabeth on weekends (he always lost) and Percy taught him how to sail when summer hit. They all went on family vacations over school breaks, went to the movies when the new Marvel ones were released, and had a game night once a month.
Paul had long since accepted Percy as his own son, but he soon did for Annabeth as well. Their situation was strange, but it was also oddly wonderful.
Sally was crying as she hugged Annabeth goodbye, and Paul's own eyes were watering slightly as he faced his stepson. "You're a good man." He said to Percy. "And I'm proud to call you my son." He stuck his hand out.
Percy hugged him instead.