Money Isn't Everything

Hospitals and Mothers

This Chapter was Beta read by @mimi123meg. She goes by the same name on Ao3 so check her out. HUGE thanks to her.

Thalia POV

The only thing I can really think is that we should have known. Honestly, Leo's attacks have always had a schedule. We should have been expecting it, there are of course many things we should know are coming that we don't because we're too busy waiting for other things happen. We're expecting Hazel to get better, so we forget to foresee Leo getting sick. That's how the human brain works, everything has to get better and if you don't think about it getting worse then maybe it won't.

I need to call Percy, he's better than me under pressure. Better at looking after the kid's emotions too. I can't call him though, because I'm still on the phone to Sally Jackson, Percy's mother, and she's not freaking out but I have a feeling if I stop telling her what to do she might. She doesn't know that Percy is way better at that than me. I doubt she'd ready to talk to him anyway. Maybe later, but she'd not ready to face him.

My foster parents are panicking, Lacy called them when I started talking about taking someone to hospital. Apparently, that's weird.

"Is my son okay?" Sally asks suddenly.

"Percy? So far as I know he's fine. I haven't talked to him since yesterday, but even he can't mess up too badly in that amount of time," I really need to tell him what's happened soon, though, or he might just kill me.

Sally sighs, "Is he really okay, though? I mean, honestly?"

"The streets aren't fun Sally, but Percy's strong. He's been in this game for a long time, none of us would be alive if it wasn't for your son. He's a good person, thanks to you. He loves you very much," I say, running a hand through my hair absentmindedly.

Sally sighs, "He shouldn't, I accepted that he was dead. I didn't look for him."

"Most people don't. He thinks you're dead but he's always said if you weren't that he hoped you'd let go. Accepted that you weren't getting him back, believed he was dead because if you did get him back he wouldn't be an innocent kid anymore." I'm not sure I'm helping but it's true. Percy didn't want his mother to suffer, because even if he came back he wasn't coming back the same.

She's silent for a while then she says, "We're here, you should phone him and tell him what's happening."

"Yeah, are you going to be okay with Leo?" I ask, nervous to leave her alone even though I'm not actually there.

"Yes, I've looked after children before Thalia. Don't worry, I'll keep your baby safe," Sally Jackson has a smile in her voice as she answers and I have to hand it to her, she's perceptive.

"Okay, I'm gonna call Percy," I reply, I'm still nervous but she'd right. She did raise Percy for the first eight years of his life.

I hang up on her and the moment I do I remember I am in the Samuels sitting room and everyone is panicking. I tell them I'm going to my room to call Percy and leave before they can say anything. I need to call Percy, but I'm not sure how much to tell him. He needs to know about Leo of course, I'm just not sure I should tell him about Sally.

I sigh and decide to get it over with, Percy doesn't like being caught unaware. He's still in the hospital with Nico and Hazel, and I only got back an hour ago so this day is just one disaster after the other. He picks up on the first ring of course, he's Percy.

"Hi, Thals. What's going on?" he sounds tired but cheerful, which is good.

"Leo had an attack," I say, no point in pleasantries.

"Is he okay?" he asks immediately, worry coating his words.

"I don't know, the Blofis' have taken him to the hospital. You should see if you can find them," I rub my eyes, "I'll find a way to come to you guys."

"Will your foster parents bring you?" he asks, "And do we trust the Blofis' with Leo?"

"I don't know. Also, Jason is with them and, well-" I hesitate, he needs to know but I don't really want to tell him.

"What?" he prods, confused.

"Well, you trust Sally Jackson, right?" I wince the moment the words leave my mouth, wow Thalia, sensitive reveal.

He's silent for a few moments, "I do, I'll see you when you get here. Hurry please."

"Okay," I grin then, because that went better than I thought, "I'll see you soon Kelp Head."

"Oh, shut up Pinecone Face," he snaps, but I can hear the smirk in his voice.

We haven't used the nicknames in a long time, but they're still comforting. They're from stupid things that happened a long time ago, the time I fell asleep under a pine tree and woke up with a pinecone stuck to my face. I hadn't noticed it until I got back and Percy pulled it off my face, shaking with laughter. His comes from when he fell into a bin and came out covered in seaweed. For a week after he stank of the sea and kept finding pieces of it in random places, mostly his hair.

I laugh quietly to myself at the memories, sometimes it's hard to remember all the good things that came from those years. I hear a quiet knock on my door and Jasmine asking if I'm okay, and I remember that I have other things to deal with. Like getting to the hospital and calming my foster family down. It never really stops. You deal with one crisis and the next one comes knocking.

Percy POV

My mother is still alive, it's hard to believe. I spent so long thinking that Gabe had killed her. She wasn't there when they gave me back to him, but she hadn't divorced him either so she had to be dead. It wasn't even the most important thing Thalia had told me, Leo was sick and I had to find him.

I rub my face, I haven't slept in a while, and push myself out of the chair by Nico's bed. He stirs and blinks questioningly at me, not entirely there. I stroke his hair and tell him I'll be back soon. He seems satisfied with this.

I make my way to the waiting room, where I'm sure Jason and the Blofis' are bound to be. On the way, I peek into Hazel's room. She's sleeping peacefully, her machines are beeping quietly. Her favourite doctor, Smiley Simon as she calls him, has fallen asleep next to her bed. He has a book resting on his chest and it's clear he was reading to her. I leave him there, I just hope he doesn't have other things he needs to do.

I'm right, the moment I enter the waiting room Jason launches himself at me. I need to sit down because he's heavier than the last time I held him. He buries his head in my shoulder and starts crying, I rub his back and whisper comforting nothings in his ear but my attention is on the women rising slowly from her chair. She still looks exactly like I remember, if a little older. Her eyes are still kind (a bit shocked at the moment) and her hair is still the same brown and seeing her face still immediately makes me feel better.

"Hi Percy," she says, her voice quiet and unsure.

"Hi, mom," I whispered back, tears spilling out of my eyes.

It doesn't help to comfort Jason but I can't hold them back. Sally Jackson, my mother is standing barely a metre away from me. I haven't had time to process what Thalia said yet. There are so many thoughts and feelings swirling around inside my head, because she's my mom and it's been years. I don't know what to do or think or feel. She falls to her knees beside us and pulls us both into a hug. Maybe I should be angry or I should stop crying and focus on Jason or I should think about Leo, but I can't because my mom is hugging me and it feels exactly the same. It makes me feel warm and safe and invincible just like it always used to so I let go. I stop being strong and brave, I cry and shake and cling to my mother and my brother like a child.

For the first time in years I let the scared eight-year-old boy running away from everything he's ever known out and I let myself be comforted.