The Riptides: Percy's Sister (Percy Jackson And The Olympians)

Book One, Chapter Three 1.3

"East One hundred and Fourth and First." Percy told the driver.

Now, I'd like to talk about my mom for a bit.

Sally Jackson, daughter of Jim and Estelle Jackson. She's the bestest and nicest person in the world, which, according to Percy, proves his theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her parents died in a plane crash when she was five and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for college with a good writing program. Then her uncle got cancer and she had to drop out senior year to care for him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family and no diploma.

The only two good breaks she had was meeting my dad.

The weird thing is that Percy and I don't have memories of him. Just a warm glow and maybe the barest trace of a smile. My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She also has no pictures.

They aren't married either. Apparently dear ol' dad was all rich and important and their relationship was a secret. Mom told us he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey. He came back around Percy's second birthday and that's when I was conceived. And then he took another trip across the Atlantic and never came back.

Lost at sea, she'd tell us. Not dead, lost at sea.

My mom worked odd jobs, taking night classes and raised Percy and I on her own. She never complains or ever got mad. Not even once. Which is amazing since we're not easy kids.

I think I was eight when she married Smelly Gabe. His legal name is Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds. Then showed his true colors as jerk of the year. Still holds that award for two years now. Percy and I named him Smelly Gabe because he smells like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.

I still remember that day when we saw him. Percy held me close, "I'm not gonna let him hurt you."

Between the three of us we make my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated my mom and how Percy and I got along with him... well, not pretty.

Smelly Gabe managed the Electronics Mega Mart in Queens, but he hardly ever goes to work. I don't know why he hasn't been fired yet. Just keeps collecting paychecks, spending money on cigars that made Percy and I nauseous and on beer.

Whenever we came home he expected Percy and I to provide his gambling funds. Calling it "our secret." Meaning if either of us told our mom... well nothing good would come out of it.

So Percy and I walked into our little apartment and the wretched smell made me want to puke. So I went and opened all the windows and doors. I came back to the living room to find our mom not home yet and Percy and Smelly Gabe at each other's throats.

The guy had put on some weight. Looking like a tuskless walrus in thrift store clothes. With the three hairs on his head combed over as if it made it look like he had more hair.

This guy could sniff out money like a bloodhound which is confusing since his own smell would've covered up literally everything else.

Smelly Gabe raised a greasy eyebrow, "You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. "Picked up this troublemaker, both probably paid with a twenty. Six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, they ought to carry their own weight. Am I right Eddie?"

Eddie is the super of the apartment. He looked at us with the slightest bit of sympathy, "Come on Gabe, they just got here."

"Am I right?" Smelly Gabe repeated.