Running Through Water (UNDER REVISION)

1| Home Sweet Home

A/N: I'll explain myself at the end.

In hindsight, maybe coming back this soon was a bad idea. And yes, being missing and on a quest for what, ten months was long, but not long enough for everything to sink in. Not long enough for everything to slow down and to give him a chance to take a breather. Maybe for everything to just give him a break for just a second.

It was a few days right after the Giant War and Percy found himself walking through Manhattan. His head hurt. It felt like torture. Not literally of course, but he felt as if his feet were dragging across the sidewalk pavement than actually walking. Percy was fit; he couldn't break into sweat even if he tried. (If he did, it would soon dry after. Son of Poseidon quirks.) But where he was going made him want to dive underwater and stay there. For like, all eternity. Or a month, at best.

Home. The apartment complex near Queensboro Bridge, in Manhattan, in the streets he's walking in and towards. Seven to eight months of comatose and two months of pure hell-or Tartarus, friendship, war, Jason getting knocked unconscious by anything that Gaea had to offer (Percy was never going to live it down much to Piper's amusement and Jason's suffering.); the usual stuff. But all of it meant something. Meaning missing.

To be honest, Percy loves his home. He loves his Mom and Paul. He loves the little garden in the fire exit. He loves the smell of blue chocolate chip cookies, begging him to come into the kitchen.

He misses the messy days and the neat days of his home. Messy being school, test, work, whatever kind of papers of Paul's sprawled all over his desk and the floor; messy being the ingredients of anything his mom was cooking or baking up being everywhere; messy being the room that he hasn't cleaned in days. (He blames monster fighting) Neat being everything in order, the smell of sea breeze, lavender, blueberry and honey, and the aligned bookshelf.

Percy missed everything. He wanted to run, to burst into his apartment with Mom and Paul's shock, and to hug them both, never letting go until a few minutes later. You know, like in the movies.

But each step, he was having...doubts.

He was missing. M-I-S-S-I-N-G. Another day in a life of a demigod, right? No. He was missing for 7-8 months. Kidnapped by Hera, leaving no trace except an empty bed and a kiss to Annabeth's forehead. It was only Jason that knew where he was, and that activated the prophecy that kept his family worrying for even more months.

And he'd only left a voice message. From the land where the gods never dared to set foot upon. That was it. He stopped.

How would they react? Yeah, with open arms. But would his mom doubt his existence? Would she sob and crumple to the floor in happiness? If worse, would she be captured, murdered or sick? Percy knew some demigods that had that happened to their family. And what about Paul? What would he say?

A rush of nausea came over him, and he tripped a bit, cluching his head. Weird. It's been going on since I stepped into Manhattan. Maybe I'm just tired. He waved it away.

What would they all say to the new person that he had become after...Tartarus? Did he even deserve any of their love after that?

Jackson, you're overreacting, he mentally scolded himself. Yeah, but-shut up, subconscious. You are going to be normal for once. Don't ruin it. Percy sighed and kept on walking. His head throbbed.

The weather outside was pleasant, even though Percy wasn't in a pleasant mood. It was five in the afternoon. There was no cloud or sun in the sky, which shouldn't be worrying to anyone else, but to him...Apollo. The last time Percy saw him was being scolded and sent away by Zeus. Percy hoped he was okay, even though he could be annoying at times. The breeze was light, though trees still rustled in the wind. The weather was nice 60 degrees since it was summer.