Home.

(5.4) Harry

At home, Percy and I got ready for bed. We took our time and filled it with silence simply because we could. It was as I brushed my teeth and Percy tried to untangle his hair that conversation picked up again.

'I hope today was fun. Having a job now means no summer break, but you should enjoy it while you can.'

I could only nod since I still had toothpaste in my mouth.

'It was good to see Nico. Honestly shocks me every time he agrees to come.'

I rinsed with water before looking at Percy curiously. 'He's your cousin, isn't he?'

From how Percy prioritises family, I couldn't imagine Nico saying no. I mean, he vaguely told me they had a rocky history. But, like everything else about his demigod life, he says frustratingly little.

'Yeah, uh', Percy rubbed the back of his neck. 'There was this quest thing. Annabeth was in trouble. That's why I went anyway. But, er, Nico's sister was with me. And, um, he asked me to protect her. And I... well, I couldn't.'

The words echoed off the bathroom tiles. And I wasn't going to interrupt. It was one of the most straightforward answers I got from him. Ever. Even when he explained the gods to me he went in circles.

With a shuttering breath, Percy spoke again. 'He blamed me for a long time.' A derisive laugh escaped him. 'It took battling in Manhattan and ending war for us to reconnect. I didn't realise it at the time, but he had forgiven me and trusted me by the end. So much so that when he found his half-sister, Hazel, he told her she could trust me.' A tear slipped past his hard eyes. 'He sent his only sister off on a quest with me again. And he believed I would protect her as best I could. Honestly, I don't know what I did to earn that trust. So yeah, it shocks me every time.'

Out of all the things I thought I'd feel hearing this, guilt was not one of them. Yet there I was feeling extraordinarily guilty. His other cousins put more trust in him in a day than I ever have it seems. Nico trusted Percy to protect his family and do the right thing, but I won't even tell him my secret. Do I really not trust him enough to think he wouldn't abandon me? That when they all find out they won't hate me?

Maybe this was different. But by the gods, I felt like an arse. I knew I need to come clean. But not yet. Emotions were a little too high-strung at the moment. Tomorrow morning, though. The truth will out.

***

'Aunt Sally, Uncle Paul, can I talk to you for a minute?'

They both looked up from their respective activities. I saw concern under the smiles. I never really asked them to talk about something serious before. Not without Percy to help explain with me.

'Sure, sweetie. Do you want to talk in the kitchen or the family room?'

We were already in the family room, but Percy was cooking in the kitchen and I needed him there too. So might as well move to the food. Food always makes people feel better anyway.

'Can we have it in the kitchen? I'd like Percy to hear too.'

'No problem, kiddo', Uncle Paul said as he put down the papers he was grading.

We all walked in to see Percy dancing around a frying pan with his apron on. It cleared out the bitter air as we laughed at the sight. The sound was startling enough that he spun around, effectively shooting whatever was on the spoon at us. I got a wallop of sauce to the face. Aunt Sally and Uncle Paul didn't fare much better.

'What do you gotta sneak up on a guy for?  Can't he just cook in peace?' Percy's hand was dramatically against his heart, acting as if we startled him into a heart attack.

Uncle Paul lost it, his guffaw infectious. It only grew when Aunt Sally flung another spoonful at him. And the food war began. Soon enough, sauce was splattered all over the kitchen and Percy was practically rolling in it. I would need to deep clean my ears afterwards. But thanks to a little water manipulation from Percy, the kitchen was fairly easy to set right again.

'Oh wow', Uncle Paul said with a smile. 'I haven't had that much fun in ages.'

Aunt Sally chuckled next to him. 'Yes, but we came in here for a reason. Harry, you wanted to talk to us?'

I swallowed. I had momentarily forgotten why we were in the kitchen. It was too late to back out. The three of them took their seats at the table, looking up with open eyes.

'I didn't know how to tell you', I began. 'I wanted to, I swear, and I know it was wrong to keep this to myself for as long as I did.'

'Harry, you're starting to worry us', Aunt Sally interjected. A tiny frown on her face that looked so wrong. She should be smiling and laughing like she was a minute ago. I wanted to get out of there something awful. I put that frown on her face, and it felt like my insides were twisted in a knot.

'Why don't you sit down?' Uncle Paul gestured to the chair next to Percy.

I wasn't breathing as I sat down. I felt a hand on my shoulder, but I was still cold. I shouldn't have been this pathetic. It wasn't like it was the end of the world or anything. All things considered, they'd probably be proud of me or something. But the fear of abandonment ran deeper than I realised. Not only that, but I hardly wanted to face reality. It was hard to admit out loud that I was leaving.

'Well, in the wizarding world there are these people called aurors. They're our magical law enforcement. Wizard police. It takes years of training to become an auror, only the people invited or who pass rigorous examinations can apply. And, er, I got in.'

'That's amazing, Harry!'

'Great job!'

'We're so proud of you.'

With each bout of congratulations, it was harder to get air down.

'Yes, thank you. But there's something else.' I wrung my hands together only to flatten them against my trousers. 'The auror apprenticeship is a 3-year program over in Great Britain.' I let that sink in. 'Which means this is my last summer in America.'