Chapter Text
2023
Percy
Percy was not sure where the years had gone. He watched as his younger sister blew out the twelve freshly lit candles on her cake. The cake was chocolate flavoured, decorated with pale lilac frosting and white hearts. Percy had ordered it (under Estelle's strict instructions) from her favourite bakery downtown and picked it up on his drive to the apartment.
It was not a blue cake. But Percy guessed it would have to do.
It was a warm spring night, and golden sunlight soaked the kitchen and the freshly blooming hydrangeas on the balcony of the Blofis-Jackson apartment. A gentle breeze blew through the glass sliding doors, rustling the purple tablecloth which draped the kitchen table. Purple themed twelfth birthday cards were clumsily arranged upon the mahogany dresser. Like Percy, Estelle liked a strict colour scheme.
Paul was recording Estelle blow out her candles, after what felt like an agonising eternity of 'Wait, how do I record instead of taking a photo?' 'No, I've just turned on the flash. How do I turn it off?' 'Nope, I've turned the whole thing off'. Percy already knew that Paul was no son of Haephestus, but even so, he never failed to amaze Percy with his spectacular lack of ability to navigate simple technology.
Percy's mom stood behind Paul, clapping and laughing as Estelle blew out the candles.
Percy could feel a heaviness settling in his chest. He recalled the number of birthdays he had spent- either at camp half blood or almost dying on quests. He could see how important this day was to his mom- to spend his younger sister's birthday with her, and she did not get that with him. Not after his own twelfth birthday.
When Percy had returned home that evening from a long day of delivering newspapers and walking dogs, he found that his stepfather Gabe, and his poker friends had set up camp in the living room of their old apartment. Half eaten packets of chips were strewn over the couch and the table, and empty monster energy cans were left discarded on the floor. As he had walked through the apartment to find his mom, Gabe tore his eyes away from the television in the corner and said "Good, you’re back. Go grab us more chips from the kitchen, and do us a favour, hand over the cash you owe me".
All Percy had wanted that evening was a quiet night with his mom. And she had done her best. As he walked into the kitchen, he spotted her sat out on the balcony. He climbed out to sit with her, and noticed two small blue cupcakes, one with a blue candle stuck into the pale blue frosting. "I know it's not much. Happy Birthday" Sally said.
"It's perfect, Mom" Percy smiled. "Thank you"
Percy had never told Estelle about Gabe. He had never told her about his impressive ability to be expelled from every school he attended within a six-month window. He had never told her about camp half blood, or his father. He believed that she deserved to live a life free of the knowledge of vindictive Gods and sinister monsters. At least until she was old enough to see through the mist. She might not have divine blood like Percy, but he worried that she would one day inherit their mother's seer abilities.
Percy felt the weight as Annabeth gently rested her head on his shoulder. He turned his head to kiss her curls, and he could smell the familiar coconutty smell that he knew so well. Bianca had her curls. She was running around the kitchen table, bumping into cabinets, and knocking birthday cards onto the floor. She had her mother's beautiful curls, her intelligence (and her stubbornness). She also had her father's relentless hyperactivity.
Grover walked over to stand by Percy and Annabeth as he finished his can of coke. Percy could see the pained look in his eye as he crushed and threw the can into the recycling bin. "Such a waste of a perfectly good snack". Percy and Annabeth laughed.
"So" Grover said. "Twelve years old. Dude, I feel old.”
"You feel old?" Percy whispered with an exclamatory tone. "You look like you're still twenty-two years old!"