Praetor's legacy

Chapter 16

Percy never feels more alone then he does when he is surrounded by a big group of people.

He likes smaller, quieter groups of close friends than hanging out with a big group of strangers. His friends actually know him, and care for him, and know what to do if he is a wreck.

When he leaves his cabin for activities or meals, and he is surrounded by strangers that he's never said a word to, and they offer their condolences or give him claps on the back or they smile at him, he just feels secluded and alone. They don't know what is going on, or how he's feeling. They don't feel his confusion or sadness, because they don't know him.

Grover and Nico listen to him when he rants and cares about him, but they're never at camp when he needs a guy's advice. Grover's responsibilities as Lord of the Wild keep him from keeping in touch, and when he is back, he spends as much time with Juniper as he can. Nico's always been on the quieter side. He's younger than Percy, but it always seems like he's older and wiser and seen worse things than Percy. Maybe he has.

But they're just never there.

Lately, it seems like the only people he can count on are girls. That isn't how he planned it, but it sure seems that way.

Hazel's always there to talk, listen, joke around, and make him feel better. She's the little sister he never had. She cares and understands, and isn't overly girly about it. She gives the advice that he needs and makes him feel a little bit better in the process.

Thalia's more of a tell-it-like-it-is type of person. She doesn't discourage hiding what you're feeling, but she doesn't encourage it either. She sits there, sometimes in silence, and just offers up her company. She can be outspoken sometimes, and sometimes she makes you feel worse than you did before, but mostly she makes you feel better. She'll never lie, and she'll always be honest about what she's thinking about. She's just always there. She's one of the more constant people in his life.

Piper is different from both of them altogether. She's the love expert, in a more tomboyish kind of way. She gives great advice and is always there to catch him if he falls. She's also a person that has to be in contact with you at all times. She has to always in some way be touching you. If you sit next to each other, your thighs have to be touching. If you lay next to each other, your arms have to be brushing against theirs. If your lounging next to each other, then your arms have to be around each other. When you sit together at dinner, your ankles have to be hooked around each other's.

And the touches brings him some comfort. It reminds him that she's always there for him.

But he enjoys Reyna's company the best. He doesn't know if it's because she badmouths everything that is making him feel upset, or just the way that she's always knows what to say in all situations (unless she's embarrassed, because he's seen her speechless before.) He just knows that she's always going to know what to do.

So when he sees Reyna's smiling face when he looks up from his messy bed that he was trying to make before she IM'd, he grins back at her.

And when she lifts Aidan up so that Percy can see his baby boy, his face lights up with a full, mega-watt smile reserved only for his son.

He clears his dry throat and looks up at his perfect little son. Sea green meets sea green and Aidan reaches his hands out as if to touch Percy.

His chest clenches painfully when he realizes that Aidan wants him to hold him.

"Hey buddy," whispers Percy.

Aidan tries to reach farther to try to touch Percy. He then starts screaming, "Dada, Dada, Dada!"

A tear falls from his eyes as he looks at his son. "I'm sorry I'm not there with you and your mom and Gwen, but I promise I'll be back soon to see you, okay?"

Aidan's small head nods as though he understands.

"It's just that there's a really big war that's coming, and I have to fight in it, even if I don't want to. I just can't be with you right now. I miss you so much, buddy. So, so much. I hope you're behaving for Gwen and your mom. We shouldn't make it harder on them than it already is."

Aidan gives a big, toothless smile to Percy. " Mama and Dada!"

Percy quietly sobs, "Yeah, Aidan, Mama and Dada are here. I'm not leaving you. I'm never going to leave you. I think about you and your mom all the time. I love you so much buddy. Never think that I don't."

Aidan's head bobs up and down again, as if he's nodding along and understands. Aidan gives another small little smile, quietly says "Dada," and slowly reaches out his hand towards Percy.

Percy mirrors his movements and holds his hand out right him front of the Iris Message.

Reyna lowers Aidan and looks at Percy sadly. "Come home soon. We miss you." She then slashes her hand through the rainbow, making him lose sight of his son.

He then starts to think that he likes talking to Aidan the most. He's a really good listener. Maybe it's because he can only say three words.

He looks out the window and sees the campers leaving the dining pavilion. He must have missed dinner. He wasn't very hungry anyway.

The sun was setting over the camp, leaving everything either shaded in grays and blacks or lit up with red, orange, and yellow. He stares at the beautiful sight of Camp Half-Blood without truly seeing it's beauty. Because he doesn't want to watch the sunset. He wants to watch Aidan as he grows up, and he wants to watch Reyna go from being a strong and powerful leader to becoming a loving and caring mother.

But they're on the other side of the country, and he's stuck here staring at a beauty that he can't see.

Things were much less complicated in California.