𝑻𝑶𝑮𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹 ⁽ᵖᵉʳᶜʸ ʲᵃᶜᵏˢᵒⁿ ˣ ᵒᶜ⁾

𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙠𝙖𝙮. 𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚.

PERCY

"Alright, we're here." Sally said as she moved the gear shift to park. "Home sweet home."

Percy looked towards Lana and saw that she was still in the same position she was in the whole car ride. Her body leaning against the car door, head propped up on her hand, and her eyes focused on what was outside.

Throughout the drive, Lana hadn't spoken a single word. Percy was concerned about her. He wanted to talk to her and try to make her feel better, but understood that she needed time to herself. That didn't stop him from looking at her from out the corner of his eye to see how she was doing.

Lana needed someone.

And Percy wanted to be that someone.

The three of them disembarked from the car.

The two demi-gods grabbed their own bags before following after the old woman through a set of stairs.

"I tried to clean up a little bit, but it's not perfect. I hope you don't mind, Lana." Sally said sheepishly as she approached the apartment door.

"Oh, I really don't mind. Trust me, you haven't seen anything messy until you've met my brother. He's the human form of a pig." Lana joked, but her smile faded as fast as it had come.

Percy saw the expression on his mother's face change from a smile to a frown.

From behind his friend, he shook his head at his mom to silently tell her to not ask. Sally decidedly closed her mouth and opened the door.

First thing Percy noticed was that the putrid smell of beer and cigarette smoke was mostly gone. That alone instantly made his mood ten times better.

Trash had been picked up from the floor and Gabe's reclining chair was gone. It was almost as if he hadn't lived there at all.

The apartment itself looked warmer and more comfortable.

A beautiful pot of flowers was proudly sitting on a small table by the front door. Fuzzy blankets and decorative throw pillows were neatly placed on the couch in the living room and the smell of vanilla wafted through the air.

"The place looks great, mom." He commented.

His mother smiled shyly. "I tried. Oh, by the way, I threw away all of Gabe's junk from your room. Why don't the two of you get settled while I get some hot chocolates and snacks going?"

Percy felt slightly vulnerable taking a girl, Lana for that matter, into his room. He wasn't sure what he was going to find in there and was scared a pair of his used boxers were going to be lying around.

But he wanted a moment alone with Lana and that was the best opportunity he was going to get.

"Sure." He turned to look at his friend. "Just down this hall."