EVARA // wtm (DISCONTINUED)

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ɢʀᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴜɴᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅʟʏ ʟᴏꜱᴇꜱ ʜɪꜱ ᴘᴀɴᴛꜱ

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"Grover unexpectedly loses his pants" Ginny read the subtitle and a few laughs were heard around the hall.

 Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.

I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to he sixth grade?"

"So much for staying under the radar"

Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom. Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.

"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver.

A word about my mother, before you meet her. Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. 

"Awww Percy" Sally called out as she gave him a big mama bear hug.

"I want a hug too Mama" Aster pouted making grabby hands at the women who gladly gave her what she wanted.

Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn'tcare much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.
The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.

"She's the best parent in the world" spoke all the demigods who had ever met her 

I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.

See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.

Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea.

"You, Sally Jackson, are one smart woman." Athena smiled at her as she blushed. Not everyday the goddess of wisdom complements someone.

She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.

"You weren't, but you were the best thing that happened to me"

 Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed  his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nick-named him Smelly Gabe. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.

"Ewwwww"

Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.