A Magical Summer

Poodles

Paul's POV
Percy didn't sleep at all the night after his 'flashback'. I was frustrated, considering
progress he had made over the last couple months seemed to have just gone out the window. On the other hand, it could've been worse so I decided not to make a big deal about it.

"Percy, honey, are you ready to go?" Sally asked.

"In a minute, Mom," Percy said from the bathroom, "I just have to apologize to Grover for making him feel like Hade's Underwear."

I shot Sally a questioning look. Why did Percy need to apologize to Grover? I wasn't even going to question his use of that comparison.

"Empathy link," Sally whispered, as if that was the obvious explanation. She grabbed the first-aid-kit and I wasn't sure who this precautionary measure was for.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation. These 'little' secrets that Sally and Percy had were quite reasonable, considering I was new to the whole 'stepfather' thing. But, these secrets hurt since they reminded me that I was still an 'outsider' on their family. I would have to ask for an explanation later.

"Alright,"  Percy said a few minutes later after making his call, "I think we can leave now if you guys are ready."

"Mortal transportation or Pegasi?" I asked, trying to get over my hurt.

"Blackjack said that he needed a break, "Percy stated, "Said that he was going to look for British donut shops."

"We can walk, then," Sally decided,"It's not that  far from here."

   As we left the hotel, I grabbed myself another cup of coffee from the dining area. I had a feeling that this was going to be a long day.

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   The walk to No 12 Grimmauld Place made me appreciate New York City, which wasn't  something that I normally would say. The grid-system of New York definitely made it easier to travel through- though that could've just been Percy rubbing off on me. We talked about insignificant topics for a while before I decided to say what was on my mind.

"Percy, your mom said something about an 'empathy link'?"

"Oh! The empathy link- that's kind of like having a really strong emotional connection with someone..."

   I almost laughed at Percy's overexcited, almost 'mortal' explanation. He kept going; but I zoned out for a bit, looking at some of the other pedestrians. These people were much more 'normal' than those typically seen in New York. But, there was certainly some odd ones here, too. I saw a few people in cloaks walking in the same direction as us and some weirdly dressed teenagers talking. Sally was looking suspiciously at a fashionably dressed teenager walking a bunch of poodles.

"...Of course it only really works with a satyr and a demigod- I think. And there's the whole downside that if Grover dies so will I," . Percy continued his rambling, making me cringe at how casually he mentioned his own death.

"Percy, honey," Sally said with a worried expression,"Are those poodles?" She pointed at the teen and dogs which were now looking at us.

"Schist, Mom, that's Kelli!" Percy exclaimed before running off, taunting 'Kellie' and her poodles away from the crowd.

   I looked at Sally. She looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack as I guided her over to sit on a near by bench. I was also worried, Percy hadn't been attacked by that many monsters in a while. It was unnerving, but Percy could take care of himself. It was only a few minutes of sitting on the bench next to the busy London street for Percy to come back. It was still too long.

"Sorry," Percy wheezed, "That was Kelli, she's an empousae, and a couple of hellhounds," Percy trailed off, attempting to catch his breath.

That was unusual, since Percy didn't look too torn up and he usually didn't get so winded after an attack.

"She has-- a bit of a grudge," He paused,"Killed her again in Tartarus."

What did I say to that? Percy rarely talked about his visit to Tartarus, especially not now- so long after the fact.

I took a sip of my coffee and looked around attempting to think of a suitable answer to that comment. Sally was looking at Percy, inspecting him for injuries. A car with a broken exhaust pipe passed by, leaving a substantial amount of smoke in its wake. A young couple walked by. I could smell the perfume coming off the girl and I almost gagged at the fumes of smoke coming from the guy's cigarette as it blew directly into my face. Percy's breathing became strained and he looked panicked.

"Mom," Percy struggled to get out,"I can't breath!"

Sally began rummaging through the first-aid-kit. I had never seen Percy look so vulnerable or weak, which was saying a lot considering I had been him after a nightmare. 'What is going on?' I thought to myself as I watched Percy struggle to breath. It looked like an asthma attack, but Percy didn't have asthma. Right?

"Dad," Percy managed to wheeze out, gesturing to my coffee,"Annabeth-- says-- caffeine-- helps-" He broke off into a fit of couching.

"Here Perce," I said as I handed him the cup and began rubbing his shoulders calmingly.

   Percy nodded his thanks and started to drink the coffee between his shaky breaths. I relaxed a bit since I knew that would help. Annabeth has said it would work, and that girl was rarely wrong. Sally still had the first-aid-kit out, but had taken what I recognized as asthma medicine out. She was quickly setting up an inhaler for Percy.

   I found myself getting angry, as Sally passed Percy the inhaler. Why wasn't I told about this? What would've happened if he had an asthma attack and Sally wasn't around?

"Thanks," Percy said shakily as he stood up.

   I shot Sally an annoyed look as she packed up the first-aid-kit. She caught my eye and nodded. The discussion about the little 'secrets' in our family would be happening earlier than expected.

A/N - I apologize for the long wait. This chapter was originally much longer but I split it up so I could get this part out.
   Percy's whole 'asthma' thing has some basis in BoO "Percy doubled over, wheezing. Leo had noticed that Percy seemed to get winded more easily these days– probably because of the nasty acid air he'd been forced to breath in Tartarus."
Also, Percy calls Paul 'Dad' (especially when he's feeling vulnerable) because Paul is his closest father figure. He doesn't replace Poseidon, they're just different. Paul is going to be upset about being left uninformed in the next chapter though...

Thanks for reading!