Perfect Little Blue Boy (Percy Jackson)

Chapter Forty Four

Percy

Three weeks later, I got a letter from my dad. And I almost burned it without even opening it. But my curiosity got the best of me. With Gordon and everyone else gone, it was quiet again at home. Nico has been... It's slow but steady. I opened up to him about my brother and my sister. What happened.

What I'd give to have them back.

I opened the letter.

Percy,
If you don't burn this before opening it, I'm already happy. Tyson told me what you told him in the hospital. About how everything I say isn't right. And when he told me this, he looked scared to death. He also came out to me as gay. That was the reason for him telling me.
After your little speech a few weeks ago, I've been trying to be a better person, I promise. More like your mom was the way I could manage to think about it.
And you are right to tell him that I'm not always right. Because I'm not. I haven't had kids in so long, I forgot what I was getting myself into when I had you guys again. I made a joke to Zeus and he made a law our of it. That's why we couldn't be around. I had made a remark that I had no idea how to raise kids. I've always been a deadbeat. So Zeus turned around and made all of us deadbeats.
I'm sorry that it took me so long to actually realize what you were telling me is that you wanted a real dad. Not some guy who came into your life here or there when he needed you for something or when he had something to give you. You needed the dad who would show up to your meets, who would bring you to the zoo, and play a game of catch with you. And I'm sorry I put you through so much without saying anything. I was totally closed off from you until you were about 11. When more monsters were attracted to you. Then I kept tabs. Made sure you weren't dead. Tell your mom it was close to your due date to get to camp. So really, I don't know you that well, Percy.
I know that you have depression and anxiety that developed as a child because of your step dad. You get the ADHD and Dyslexia from me. You've always had problems with school. With the work and the kids. Tyson told me all about that before you ever said anything about school. You have trust issues, kind of like your mom. You have a really hard time opening up and being honest.
That's what I know. That and you're dating Nico. Nico told me that while you were in the hospital because I thought you guys still hated each other. If you ever really did.
But that's about it. I'm here anytime if you're ready for the whole father son thing. I've started doing small stuff with Tyson and I've been meaning to write this for a week now. I finally got time to do it.
If you never read this or never reply, that's okay. I get it. I'll give you until graduation to respond. If you don't respond to this by then, I'll assume that you either just don't care or never read this.
-Dad

I was in tears for over half of this letter.

After showing it to Nico and talking to him about it for a while, I debated back and forth a lot. I had called up Tyson and asked him what was going on and he filled me in on what I didn't quite get.

But after a few days, I just called him. It was on our landline, so he didn't know the number.

"Hello," Dad answered his phone. "Poseidon speaking."

"Hey, Dad..."I started off. "I read the letter. I got it a couple days ago. I couldn't write for shit so I figured I'd call."

"You did?" Suddenly he sounded really hopeful, and I felt like what I decided wasn't a bad decision.

"Yeah," I assured my dad. With Mom and Paul away on a business trip for Mom, and Nico was going to visit his dad today, I figured why not see mine. "Would you be willing to come over for dinner? I'm home alone today, just watching Susan. Just you."

"Just me?" He repeated and I confirmed that I meant just him and him alone. "I, yeah... I don't have plans. When do you want me over?"

The Chinese food guy came at 7:20, Dad showed up at 7:30, like I told him to. He seemed a little nervous. Which seemed about right.

Of course, Susan ran up to him. She always runs up to dad when he's been here. She loves him to death.

Dad picked her up and took off his shoes. We both headed into the dining room and dinner was small talk. Dinner was okay. It went fine.

"If you wanted small talk, we could've done that over the phone." My dad told me.

"I know," I assured him, opening a drawer in the living room. Where we keep photos. Photo albums. "I didn't have you come over for small talk. I just didn't want you to choke on an egg roll."

Looking through a few albums, I finally went far enough back to find photos of when this family still had triplets.

I sat down across from him again.

"So I know that I kind of acted out more than most demigods." I admitted to my dad, who found that confusing. "I actually said I didn't like you to your face. Most kids just faked enjoying their parents. And I know that it kind of frustrated you that I never explained why I was ever mad at you aside that you weren't there."

"At least you were honest with me." My dad insisted. "I should've been there, you're right. I regret not being there. What about it? Is there another reason you were upset with me?"

"Well, sort of." I went on, putting my hands on the photo albums. "Because myself, I didn't care that you weren't around. I just assumed you were dead and said that's how life goes, I have to live with it. But Paige and Patrick didn't take the same route."

That's threw him through a loop hole.

"Who and who?"

"Paige and Patrick." I repeated their names, realizing how much I haven't said it. "Mom never got to tell you that she had triplets. Two boys and a girl. Paige, Patrick, and Percy."

That terrified him. Which I either expected him to be dumbfounded or terrified. So this was going as expected. Which was good. I was hoping good things came from this.

"I have two others kids that I never knew about?"

"Maybe," I tried to explain. "It's... Well, you knew about Gabe. What he did to Mom, he also did to us. We just never knew he did it to Mom, she didn't know he did it to us. And it was the 5th grade. Were 11 years old and we got home from school. Mom was gone. Gabe was in a mood. So he took Paige and he beat her so bad and she thought that he might've gotten her pregnant or something. And he kept using her for sex and pleasure when Mon was gone and when we'd get to step in he'd knock us out. So after a couple weeks of this..."

I stopped.

"After a couple weeks she was desperate, Dad." I recalled. "And she never told us anything. We knew something was wrong. We knew what was going on. But we didn't know to do. My depression wasn't bad at the time, but Patrick's anxiety was terrible. And after a few weeks of Gabe doing this, we woke up and she was fine. She was dead. She killed herself. Her funeral was three days later and I haven't seen Patrick since the funeral. He slipped out and I don't even know if he's alive. So you might have another kid. I don't know. But I thought you might want some photos of us."

I slid the photo albums over to him.