Percy Jackson : ReLife

My Mother Dies - For Real This Time

P  E  R  C  Y

I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.

I sighed. I totally forgot this pain-in-the-ass abusive stepfather existed. I had gotten too used to Paul. I sniggered as I remembered the never ending stream of jokes on the surname Blofis, which people were determined to get wrong the first time, insisting they assumed it to be Blowfish.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's my mom?"

"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"

That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last few months?

The same old Smelly Gabe. This time too, I would let my mom turn him into stone. So, I'll be coming for you, Medusa. Better be ready. I need your head.

He looked exactly as I remembered, like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.

"I do, but don't even dream of taking it from me. I'll destroy you this time. I'm not the same old Percy Jackson you threw around. I'm much more dangerous. I could literally kill you in a few minutes with my hands tied behind my back."

Gabe and his friends looked shocked. Gabe's tiny brain seemed to work overdrive as he tried to actually understand what I had said. I simply rolled my eyes.

"Come in, Nancy. We'll wait in my room for my mother.

That snapped Gabe out of his stupor.

"Hey, punk. I thought I told you, none of your friends or girlfriends are allowed to come in here!"

I simply glared at him. In my nine years at Camp, I had developed my glare so much that sometimes even monsters ran away just from the look of my eyes when I glared at them.

I used the very same wolf-glare on him. He flinched, knocking over a bottle of beer. I smirked, satisfied of a job well done, and was about to leave when the faint smell of urine hit my nose.

I didn't expect my glare to be that powerful on the spineless Gabe. Well, who cares. He would probably take a bath for once to get the stink off him.

Nancy followed me to my room, apparently understanding what happened in the living room where no normal human could now live, and laughing to her heart's content.

"That was hilarious!"

I smiled. This was how kids had to be. Kids our age. Not bullies. Not broken shells of people, always on guard for the next attack, always paranoid about another war beginning.

I went into my room, Nancy following me. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.

I sighed. I couldn't be bothered to clean it, as I know very well what's going to happen.

I gestured for Nancy to sit on the bed. She did so, and I waited for my mom to come back. I wasn't disappointed; soon, I heard soft footsteps outside my door, and my mom's voice greeted me. "Percy?"