Percy
The phone started to ring.
Mom wasn't home yet, Paul was at work. Mom was issued home either tomorrow or Friday. I was online schooling. The others at Goode, I was home alone.
I take the risk and answer the phone to an unknown number from Washington.
"Hello."
"Hi," it was a male voice, probably around 30," is this the Jackson household?"
"What Jackson's are you preferring you?"
"Sally, Percy, Gabe."
So they're a little out of the swing.
"Gabe is no longer around," I confirmed, " but yes, this that family. Why do you ask?"
"Percy?"
"That would be me. And who are you?"
For a moment it was silent.
"Its me," he thought I knew what that meant.
"Well of course, who are you?"
"It's... It's Daniel."
If I hadn't controlled my impulse to throw my phone at that very moment, I would've broke the phone.
Because what is that?
My older brother leaves 14 years ago for college. Never calls. Never writes. Never texts. Never stops in.
But hey, what's up?
I was speechless. I tried to talk and I couldn't manage it.
My dad is a God.
I have seen the dead come back to life.
I have fought Titans and giants.
Yet this is what terrified me.
I always thought when he called I'd be so ready to yell at him and ask him who was he and what right did he have to do what he did and to just be mad and make him feel like crap.
But I couldn't do that.
I was at a loss of everything.
"Percy?" Daniel asked over the phone, "did I lose you? Are you still there?"
I let out a breath. So he knew I was there. Just kind of unable to speak.
"Hey, I know how it seems," he tried to reason to me," I left and never came home."
"Never came home?" I got a little upset by that," Daniel, I thought you died! You didn't communicate with us at all! You didn't even know that Gabe died like 6, going on 7 years ago!"
I quickly calmed down and we talked and we talked more and he told me he was in the city. He just moved here for a job. I had a nephew and a niece, twins that he wanted me to meet. They were adopted. Both 18 months now. He easily figured out we moved so he gave me his new address and I left a note saying I'd be back before leaving.
As soon as I walked through his apartment door there were two kids running up and hugging my legs. Yelling uncle Percy, uncle Percy!
It didn't take them long before they ran back to their room and played in there, which was when I actually saw Daniel for first time that memory can count on.
He was my height, dark brown hair with blur eyes. Like Mom.
We sat down and continued talking. I explained what happened to Gabe, how Mom remarried. In the hospital right now with a baby girl. How they've been doing. I didn't say much about myself, avoiding that as much as possible because dammit as great as it is with siblings and a baby sister now and with Nico...
