⋆˖⁺‧₊☽[Songs of Shadows]☾₊‧⁺˖⋆
Underneath darkened skies, There's a light kept alive
- Warrior by Aurora
OR
Callisto Jackson always felt... different. ADHD, dyslexia, weird family.
It was quite a shock to find out she and her brother are demigods...
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After her mother's shift ended they drove back to the apartment.
As much as Callisto wanted to be home, the apartment wasn't it.
Callisto told you during her chase something about a smelly Gabe, let her introduce him. Sally Jackson married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds they knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When Percy was younger, he nicknamed him Smelly Gabe. Neither she nor Percy were sorry about it, it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts. Between the three of them - Gabe, Percy, and Callisto -, they made her mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and the kids got along...well, when she and Sally came home is a good example.
They walked into the little apartment. Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet. Callisto holds a hand up to her ear, not liking the noises.
Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.
Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "Sally. Callisto."
As much as Callisto hated smelly Gabe, he seemed to like her. But not in a way a father loved his daughter, more in a way the weird p.e. teacher loved his underage students. It always made her uncomfortable. That's why she used the fire escape when she entered and left the house, as soon as she knew that smelly Gabe was awake and/or at the apartment.
"Brain boy is in the study." He grumbled and then turned his focus back to the game. The other players ignored them—all but Eddie, who sent Callisto and Sally a small nod.
As Sally stayed behind to talk to Gabe about something, Callisto bolted to the "Study" / Percy's and her room but it really wasn't theirs. During Percy's school months, it was Gabe's "study" and my bedroom. He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines. Still, he loved shoving Callistos and Percy's stuff in the closet - each of theirs in a small box, leaving his muddy boots on the windowsill and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.
Callisto thought about knocking but instead just opened the door - she didn't notice how Percy seemed tense - and ran towards he brother nearly tackling him with her hug.
Percy hugged her back as soon as he came back to his thoughts, "Hey there, Marie" It was a running gag, because for whatever reason Callisto loved Aristocats, and especially Marie. She didn't have a lot of nicknames, so she loved Marie.
She hid her head in his chest, enjoying his warmth. "I missed you, Nemo." It was a childish nickname, but it came from Percy's favorite movie and person, so he always let it slip.
