Nicknames and spygames (Percy Jackson story)

The Begining of the End

October 1977

The rain was pouring around Grand Central Station in the City that never sleeps. The sky was as dark as the night sky despite the fact that it was noon. But the grey clouds invading the atmosphere did nothing to the one in Sweet on America, a candy shop requiring their employees to wear red, white and blue uniforms. Very cheery indeed. On this day, in the colourful store full of sweets and broken dreams, a content little boy was sitting on the counter, wagging his feet to the beat of the soft background music. He would have been humming along to if he had not had a mouth full of candy. They were all samples he used to 'taste' the different bonbons. His mother, radiant in all her three American colours, had a content smile on her face, watching him eat and enjoy himself. She couldn't really buy him anything nice or but she hoped it would change now that she had met a nice man who seemed to want to provide for her and her two-year-old son. Sally was glad she met Gabe Ugliano. He would help her and Percy, make their life better, she would be able to quit this day job and focus on writing the book she's always wanted to right though she hated to leave Scarlett, her co-employee, alone. She quite liked the young woman. She was very attractive and had a kind but protected heart. Percy loved spending time with Scarlett, she seemed to like him as well which pleased Sally. Soon, her little boy would have a loving father-figure.

October 1979

Although the sun was shining over the Big Apple, the mother and son were in a worse mood than they had ever been. Gabe's promise of being nurturing and kind to the Jacksons had been a total scam. He had turned ugly and fat the second he and Sally got married. That had been a year and eleven months ago. He had lost hair, gained weight and an attitude. His allurement had totally dissipated and now Sally regretted marrying him but she knew that Gabe was the only way her little Percy could ever survive. He smelled so bad it would mask his sent completely and he had the money she needed for Percy to survive. He could also spend more time with her because she had to quit her job to meet Gabe's requirements like cooking his meals and meeting his expectations. She was glad that he let her keep her job at Sweet on America. It was a little refuge for her and Percy during the days of torment. Scarlett was still there, working and happy to see Percy with Sally. Although her presence was a little wobbly. She would sometimes skip a shift or two or even miss a few days completely but Sally loved her like a sister and she would cover for her. Once, Percy had asked her where she went and why. She had responded with the truth (however Sally believes it is a story to entertain Percy): she told the four-year-old she was a spy and he asked her for her real name. She had responded that it was Natasha, knowing that he would either forget or that people would believe it was a story. Thereon, he called her not Scarlett but Tasha. She loved him more than she had loved any other in the world. He was so cute. He had been so carefree when she had met him but life seemed to have taken a toll on him. His bright sea-green eyes seemed to be shine a little darker and his should would slump down in defeat. So, when he came in the shop, she had a plastic bag full of blue candy ready for him to eat. Sally and Percy had become quite addicted to anything blue and Natasha suspected it was because of the male presence in their life. She knew that Percy's step-father treated him like crap, making him work even though he was four and using his room for storing his stuff. He smoked in it and left dirt and booze in it. He had told her. She also suspected that Smelly Gabe, as Percy called him, beat the Jacksons. He would hit them, jab them with sticks, he would threaten them with knifes and he would throw bottles of beer and of heavy liquor at them. She had confronted Sally about it but the mother had been very defensive of their situation and told the spy that she had it all under control. Natasha wasn't convinced at all and she knew that she should talk to her agency about it, but Sally had begged her not to tell anyone, saying that, despite the fact that it looked bad, it could be worse for Percy if he wasn't living with Gabe. And so she let it be.    

October 1984

Sally hadn't told the spy why Gabe was necessary for Percy's survival and now Natasha wished that she had asked, or even acted on her never-wrong gut feeling, because it was too late. Sally was gone. Gabe did it.