Claimed by Twelve

10. Memory

      They had cut the ropes restricting me to the chair but they still wouldn't let me leave. I didn't blame them. Piper had wanted to leave me in the chair but Jason argued against it. Annabeth hadn't said anything the whole time; she just stood there and glared at me. I had nearly killed two of the Seven and pissed off another two. I was doing great.
      I paced for a little bit. When I got tired of that I sat down against the wall. I ran my hands through my hair. I grunted as I pulled knots out. I wanted a shower. I needed to go home. Not Camp Half-Blood. No. Home. In New Jersey. I closed my eyes as my thoughts strayed to my mom.
      She was always happy, on the outside. She would smile and laugh with people, but when no one was looking she was sad. She would look at the sky or watch the waves that crashed gently over the beach. She rarely talked about my father. I smiled as a memory of her came back.
      "You know he loved you?" My mom's voice startled me. I had been sitting on the beach by myself, watching the moonlight reflect off the softly rolling waves.
      "Hi Mom. Feeling better?" She had stayed home from work sick. She smiled as she sat next to me.
      "Out of all the doors in the world, he came knocking on mine." She smiled sadly at the waves. I hesitated, unsure of how to continue the conversation. Luckily, I didn't have to. "He was so nice, you know. You look like him. You remind me of him. A lot."
      "Mom, you don't have to–"
      "No." She cut me off. "Julian, you deserve to know about your father. He was loving and sweet and kind. He didn't want to leave."
      "Then why did he?" I whispered. My mom had always struggled after he left.
      "He had to." She had taken her eyes off the water. "He loved the water, too. He wanted to take you down there when you were old enough. But he never came back." Her eyes glazed over and a single tear slid down her face.
      "Mom?" I gently shook her arm.
      She shook her head and gave me a weak smile. "Goodnight Julian. I love you." She kissed the top of my head before getting up and walking back to the house. I sat on the sand and stared at the waves. It was true that I had always loved the water. I taught myself to swim. I even started surfing.
      I stood up and brushed the sand off. I looked out at the waves once more. I squinted. Was there someone standing on the water? I blinked. No. There wasn't. I shook my head and turned to the path the led to our house. I was just tired.
      I hadn't realized that tears were sliding down my face. I wiped them away quickly. I paused as a thought crossed my mind. The figure on the water that night. I thought I'd seen him a few times but I always chalked it up to the fact that it was almost always midnight by the time I went in. Maybe not. What did I know about the Gods? I closed my eyes as I started making a list in my head.
      Zeus. Roman counterpart: Jupiter. Powers: Sky, wind, lighting.
      Hades. Roman counterpart: Pluto. Powers: Underworld, earth, death.
      Poseidon. Roman counterpart: Neptune. Powers: Sea, water.
      My eyes shot open. Poseidon. The trident. I had always had a thing for water. My blood raced. Was I actually a son of Poseidon? I hesitated again. Was I related to Percy? No. No way. Not possible. But something in my gut told me it was true. Almost. Another thought crossed my mind.
Neptune. The feeling clicked into place. I looked at the door as I ran over the words again and again.
      I am a son of Neptune.