What Happened After Happily Ever After

#7 - Six Years Ago

Chapter 7 - Six Years Ago
published: Wednesday, 13 January 2021

"They're tailing us. We need to lose them."

"I know," Annabeth managed through gritted teeth. "And stating the obvious is just so helpful."

"What would be helpful is if you drove faster."

"Aren't you not supposed to piss off the person at the wheel?" she demanded, swerving left down a fork in the road, trying to lose their stalkers.

Her heart was hammering madly enough to pump adrenaline around her body at light speed. Annabeth vision was shaky even as she gripped the steering wheel like it was a lifeline.

"How did I end up here?" she muttered, mostly to herself. "I'm a lawyer. I'm one of the good guys. I don't get into shootouts with strangers."

When Annabeth saw the guilt emerge in Percy's expression, her anger simmered down slightly. "Looking like a kicked puppy won't help anything," she said stiffly. "You could explain."

Percy looked down at his hands. The gun was at his side, lying on the seat like it was the most harmless thing in the world when Annabeth wished she was about fifty yards away from it at the moment.

Percy cleared his throat. "You've met my mum."

Annabeth nodded impatiently. "Yes, Sally. We go over to her house for holidays because I can't stand my parents. She makes the best cookies."

"Well, you've only known her while she was married to Paul," Percy continued. "Before...well. Her parents died in a plane crash when she was young, and then she had to drop out of college to take care of her uncle, who had cancer. And then he died too and she was all alone.

"And then suddenly, out of the blue, she had me. My dad and her met on a cruise. He was in the navy and she was taking a boat back to New York, using the time to think," Percy swallowed. "When she was pregnant, she tried to get in contact with him to let him know. But she couldn't. He was away at sea. Right after I was born, he got into a boating accident, I think, and died."

Annabeth winced. She'd heard about most of this before. Sally Jackson was one of those amazing people who simply had the worst draw in life. Tragedy chased her down everywhere she went.

Percy picked at his jeans. "I think I always resented him a little bit. My dad — my real dad, mind — because he left us. And for a few years it was just my mum working her butt off to raise me and pay the bills and make sure we didn't starve to death."

He took a deep breath. "Now, I don't remember this part because I was too young. But I basically grew up just knowing it. When I was about 5, she met this guy — Gabe Ugliano. He wasn't the best but he owned an IT store in Manhattan and he had money, and my mum was sure he would be decent enough to make a good husband." Percy sighed. "Probably the worst mistake she ever made. But she married him despite those doubts."

Annabeth blinked. "Sally was married?" She turned her head to give Percy an inquisitive look.

Percy shrugged. "Yep. For about 12 years."

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "What?" she snorted. "You had a stepdad and you never told me? I-I've never in my life heard of this Gabe guy."

Percy winced. "Yeah, well, you're about to find out why. Gabe was a massive jerk. And that is the understatement of the year. He treated my mum like crap — treated me like crap. I grew up just-just cowering in his shadow. He..." Percy trailed off, pursing his lips together.

Annabeth already felt that looming, sick feeling as she guessed what he was about to saying.

"He was an alcoholic," Percy admitted. "He-he hit me from the time I was 7. He didn't start hitting my mum till I was 15. We fought, me and my mum, about this. She was terrified of leaving him, afraid that I'd turn out to be just another grave like every other person she'd ever loved in her life."