THE SEA QUEEN'S PEARL
"You're getting what?" If the situation hadn't been so serious Sally would have giggled at her son's expression. He looked completely adorable in his shocked speechless expression, his mouth slightly open and his sea green eyes innocently wide. "I'm getting married," Sally repeated herself. "To Smelly Gabe?" Percy wrinkled his nose in disgust. Her sentiments exactly although she wasn't going to tell him that. If they were going to have a safe, quiet, and peaceful life then Percy would need to learn to respect his new stepfather. That meant no name calling, no little jokes or pranks, and obeying any little order. Sally hopes if she could drill this into Percy before the wedding then there would be very little to worry about in the future. However, Percy was Poseidon's son, and Poseidon is one of the most stubborn men she had ever met. "Don't call him that, Percy," she scolded him, "Gabe is a good man. Not many men would be this accepting of another man's child." "He isn't," Percy burst out, "he looks at me funny and is really mean sometimes. He has only ever been nice that one time when we first went out together. What if he makes you get rid of me when you're married." Sally sat down on the floor and immediately pulled Percy onto her lap. He struggled against her for a couple seconds after all it wasn't cool to cuddle your mother these days but he was then very quick to snuggle up against her and bury his face into her chest (there had been a day it was her stomach, my god, he was growing far too fast for her liking). "I will throw Gabe out first if he so dared whispered the idea," she promised fiercely as she run her fingers through Percy's lovely black silk hair. "You're my baby and that means you come first. Not me, not some random person on the street, and especially not Gabe, ok?" "Ok," Percy mumbled. He still looked rather upset so with a smirk Sally pulled his t-shirt up and started blowing raspberries and tickling him. The gloominess disappeared immediately as the room was filled with giggles and squealing. Sally nuzzled Percy's hair to hide a sad little sigh. The days where Percy could be this easily cheered up were soon to be numbered and eventually the days where he will be safe would be gone completely. This was why she had to marry Gabe, if only just to buy Percy some more time! PJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJPJ They were at Montauk again. The smell of the fresh salty sea air and the sight of its magnificent cerulean blue waves crashing against the soft golden sand was enough to make Percy forget about the wedding. Just for a little while. It also gave her that one last week where it was just her and Percy. Now that Gabe was going to be a permanent fixture in their lives it meant there would be less time where just the two of them would talk quietly over dinner or cuddle on the sofa to watch a movie or go out to the park or for her to tell Percy a bedtime story. Gabe had no problem about her and Percy going away for the week it had meant that he spent one last week as a free man and besides she promised it would come out of their honeymoon money. As if she really wanted to have a wedding night with the git let alone a whole honeymoon. She sat there taking in the sun while absentmindedly running a hand through the soft fine grains of sand. She was supposed to be reading or working on her novel as 'me time' but the sight of Percy running in and out of the sea while laughing was enough to distract her. It was endearing to see her son playing with sea nymphs and making a sea palace out of sand. It was enough to make her forget about her own wedding. Almost. There is a large crash of waves, so noisy and so sudden, that she wonders if Poseidon can hear her very thoughts of marrying another man and is showing his displeasure. She looks up to find Percy face first on the sand, he had obviously been pushed by the wave, and she stood up immediately to see if he was all right only to find him laughing delightedly by the time she reached him. "Let's get you dry and have some lunch," she decided once he stopped giggling. "I am dry!" Percy cried out indignantly. Sally laughed and went to run her fingers through his damp hair to make a point. However instead she felt his soft silky very much dry hair between her fingers. She ran her hand down his cheek to find the skin completely dry and soft as his hair. It must be part of his demigod powers it was the only conclusion she could come up with and she was very thankful it only seemed to appear now in the sea and not earlier in the bath. She would have never been able to get Percy clean if that was the case. "Well then, let's get some lunch and if you're very good I might get you blue ice cream later this afternoon," Sally said brushing the magical talent aside. She didn't want Percy to realise just exactly how special he is, not because she didn't want him to feel ashamed about his heritage but only because she wanted him to have a safe normal childhood for as long as possible. "And then we can go swimming together after an hour's rest if you like." Percy nodded excitedly and allowed himself to be led back to the cabin where he spent the next ten minutes fidgeting while Sally made some sandwiches. He took a bite, chewed slowly, and remained very quiet. Sally waited half amused and half tense usually this meant Percy had a very deep thought and wanted to ask some questions. It could be as silly as why isn't the sky green to a difficult emotional one like why don't I have a Dad? "Mummy..." "Yes Percy?" "Where you married to Daddy?" For the moment Sally briefly wondered what a wedding to Poseidon would be like. She imagined a very simple service on a beach as they were both dressed in light airy white clothing and pearls. She shook her head at the image and cleared her throat. "No Percy, I was never married to your Daddy," she said. Though the truth was, technically, she had been married to him. For centuries apparently but no matter how far she strained her mind she could never remember anything in her past life as a Goddess. Therefore she decided that she had never been married to Poseidon. It made life a lot easier. "Why?" "It was more of a summer romance than anything else Percy. He was gone before we really had a chance to think about marriage," Sally said struggling to explain, "I think he would have asked me, well I would like to think he would," he had asked her to spend all eternity with her that was close enough. "But he had to go out to sea and then he was lost." "What if Daddy is found again but you marry Smelly Gabe?" Percy asked. "Daddy won't be found Percy," Sally said gently but firmly. "He can't come back Percy so please don't pin your hopes on him coming back." "But if Daddy came back would you still marry Smelly Gabe?" Sally wasn't sure how to answer this one. She could tell the truth and risk a lot by telling her young son who didn't quite grasp the concept of secrets, or she could lie and begin to create distrust between the pair of them. It was obvious neither was a good choice. So she chose the third option – not answer Percy at all. "Eat your sandwich Percy." "But-" "Eat your sandwich Percy," she repeated more firmly. They didn't get to go for a swim and ice cream that day. Not long after starting to eat her own sandwich the sea raged angrily and it was deemed to be safer if they spent the afternoon and evening curled up in bed telling stories and drinking hot chocolate. She feared that Poseidon had become aware of her upcoming marriage she just hoped that he knew in her heart that she only ever loved him. That night she dreamt about Poseidon all night long, some were true memories, some were made believe, and others were those hopeful possibilities of raising Percy together.
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