Sunburn- phoebus apollo

--xxi. they say home is where the heart is

AFTER HIS TALK WITH POSEIDON, Percy and Rhea went back to their apartment to see their mother alive --because the Lord of the Dead did hold his promises-- and with the smell of peppermint and licorice, and the weariness and worry evaporated from her face as soon as she saw Rhea and Percy.

"Rhea! Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh my baby."

She crushed the air right out of Rhea. They all stood in the hallway as she cried and ran her hands through her hair.

Rhea smiled softly when she saw her brother's eyes become a little misty. She could understand. They were both glad to see her alive.

She told them how she'd just appeared at the apartment that morning, scaring Gabe half out of his wits. She didn't remember anything since the Minotaur, and couldn't believe it when Gabe told her they were wanted criminals, traveling across the country, blowing up national monuments. She'd been going out of her mind with worry all day because she hadn't heard the news. Gabe had forced her to go into work, saying she had a month's salary to make up and she'd better get started.

Rhea swallowed back her own anger as Percy told her the story, trying to make it less scary than it had been, but she could tell it wasn't easy. Percy had just gotten to the part with about his fight with Ares when Gabe's voice interrupted from the living room. "Hey, Sally! That meat loaf done yet or what?"

She closed her eyes. "He isn't going to be happy to see you, Percy, Rhea. The store got half a million phone calls today from Los Angeles... something about free appliances."

Rhea gave her brother an amused look, making him scratch the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, yeah. About that..."

She managed a weak smile. "Just don't make him angrier, all right? Come on."

In the month they'd been gone, the apartment had turned into Gabeland. Garbage was ankle deep on the carpet. The sofa had been reupholstered in beer cans. Dirty socks and underwear hung off the lampshades.

Gabe and three of his big goony friends were playing poker at the table.

Rhea gagged at the sight of it all.

When Gabe saw them, his cigar dropped out of his mouth. His face got redder than lava. "You got nerve coming here, punk. I thought the police--"

"They're not fugitives after all," her mom interjected. "Isn't that wonderful, Gabe?"

Gabe looked back and forth between them. He didn't seem to think that their homecoming was so wonderful.

"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally," he growled. "Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."

"Gabe, no!"

He raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say 'no'? You think I'm gonna put up with those nasty kids again? I can still press charges against him for ruining my Camaro."

"But--"

He raised his hand, and Rhea's mother flinched.

For the first time, Rhea realized something. Gabe had hit her mother. She didn't know when, or how much. But she was pretty darn sure he'd done it. Maybe it had been going on for years, when she and Percy weren't around.

A balloon of anger started expanding in her chest. She clenched her fists at her sides, practically shaking in anger, her face red.

Percy had stepped toward Gabe, instinctively taking his pen out of his pocket.

Rhea's mom suddenly put a hand on her shoulder, snapping the girl out of her trance. She glanced at her mom, and her eyes flashed in surprise when she saw a look of urgency, as if telling her to stop.