"This isn't anywhere near my mom's apartment." Percy frowned, glancing around them. Nico merely grinned and gestured for him to follow. "Where are we?"
"Your dad bought them a house," Nico responded as he led Percy up a path to a blue front door. "Said that it was something he should have done years ago. Paul is still at Goode, but your mom is a full-time writer now."
Nico didn't have to knock, producing his own set of keys from his pocket, all attached to a goofy looking killer whale charm.
"Nice whale." Percy laughed, still not fully processing how much had changed in five years. "Very you."
"Your dad gave it to me after he took me to a protest at SeaWorld." Nico grinned in response and Percy just stared at him for a moment.
"I have no words." He finally settled on his response.
"The whale is called Felix," Nico informed him before unlocking the front door. He stepped inside before looking at Percy with an embarrassed blush as he called out, "Mom, I'm home!"
"We're in the kitchen!" Sally called in response.
"She gets upset if I call her Sally," Nico muttered in explanation as he kicked off his shoes. "Sorry if it weirds you out, I should-"
"Nic, I'm not bothered by it," Percy assured him. "I swear."
"I hope you don't mind, but I brought a guest," Nico informed Sally as they neared the kitchen.
"You've finally brought a boyfriend to breakfast?" Sally laughed.
Percy faltered in the doorway of the kitchen, nearly gasping at the sight of his mom stood by the counter. He had been used to leaving for extended periods of time due to attendance at boarding schools when they ran out of schools in the city that would take him, but nothing had prepared him for leaving her for five years – not even the time stolen by Hera.
"Not exactly," Nico responded to Sally's question. "He arrived at camp yesterday with a very interesting explanation as to where he has been for the past five years."
"Hi, mom." Percy managed to choke out, the words catching slightly in his throat.
Sally spun, hands flying to cover her mouth.
"Percy?" Paul's stunned tone drew his attention over to the table where his step-father was sat.
The little girl sat across from him twisted in her seat and looked at him with wide eyes. "Percy!" She let out a delighted squeal. "Like my big brother Percy?"
"I figured that your mom should get to tell you about the little one." Nico murmured softly.
"Hi sweetheart," Percy greeted faintly. "You weren't here last time."
He didn't get to say anything else, swept into a tight hug by his mom. All he could do was return it, suddenly overwhelmed by emotion. When he'd left camp, he'd reconciled himself with the fact he was losing all of the people and the friends he had made there. When Chaos had made his offer, he'd accepted, only thinking of the people at camp. It was only later, when everything had started to sink in that he had realised in a panic that he wouldn't be able to tell his mom and Paul where he was, what he was doing. Not without leading Chaos straight to his weak point.
"I'm so sorry." He whispered, repeating it several times, hoping that she realised swiftly that he truly was sorry for leaving without a trace.
She lightly slapped his shoulder after releasing him, shaking her head. "I can't believe you let Hades tell us that you had disappeared off with some god, and then not even call." Sally scolded.
"Wait, Hades told you what?" Percy frowned.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw an expression of disbelief, shock and anger flash across Nico's face as the boy had to reconcile with the fact that while his father had watched him struggle with Percy's disappearance for years and had never said a thing, his adoptive parents had also known.
"The day after you left, before your father came and told us that he thought you were dead, Hades dropped by to tell us that you'd gone gallivanting off with the creator of the universe and that we'd probably be informed of your demise. He made us swear an Oath not to tell anyone, not even Nico or Leo. It wasn't until I realised that he hadn't told them that I turned furious." Sally huffed. She turned to address Nico, "I didn't know he didn't tell you, darling, and it almost killed us both having to keep it from you. If I knew how, I would have gone to the Underworld myself to give him a piece of my mind." She turned back to Percy, "and you, Mister, promised after the Hera incident that we'd never go too long without seeing you."
"I'm sorry, I didn't think," Percy admitted. "I was just so focused on getting out of camp, getting away from everything that was going on, I didn't think."
"You know what breaking an Oath does." Nico shook his head, obviously trying to quash the tears that were forming in the corner of his eyes. They all decided not to bring them up. "If I'm mad at anyone, it's my dad."
"Nico told us about Nathan too." Sally shook her head. "Why didn't you say anything to us?"
"I didn't want to make a fuss." Percy winced. "I was just going to leave quietly, lie low for a while and then come home when anyone who bothered to look, stop looking. Instead, I got wrapped up in universal politics and lost track of how much time was passing."
"You've missed a lot." Paul clapped a hand on his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug. "We've got someone who we want you to meet." He stated as they parted.
"I'm Estelle." The little girl had moved from the table and suddenly she was stood before him, staring up at Percy with a determined expression on her face. "I'm going to be a wolf when I grow up."
"I've gained a baby brother and sister then?" Percy laughed, gesturing to Nico and Estelle. "Hi Princess, I'm Percy."
"I know, silly. There's pictures of you everywhere!" Estelle giggled. "Hug!"
He lifted her up, pretending to groan and struggle before she playfully hit his shoulder and slung her arms around his neck.
"Have you told Poseidon that you're back?" Sally asked.
"Uncle Don!" Estelle cried unexpectedly, sounding delighted.
"Nic, tell me that it's just Estelle that calls my dad 'Uncle Don'." Percy looked at Nico with wide eyes. "And no, mom, not yet. I will be though, shortly."
"He visits quite often," Paul admitted. "He's rather attached to Estelle and Nico."
"And no, I don't call him Uncle Don." Nico shook his head. "He's just Uncle Poseidon."
"This is too good." Percy couldn't help but laugh, gently setting Estelle back on her feet as he did. "Gods, I expected you'd be family when I brought you home and mom refused to let you leave, but I didn't foresee this."
"Good thing that you aren't a son of Apollo, or I think he'd be forced to consider disowning you." Nico teased.
Percy opened his mouth, about to make a sarcastic comment about maybe still being Nico's type if he was Apollo's son before reconsidering. It wasn't exactly the best time and though he may have seen the picture on Nico's wall, Nico hadn't exactly said anything to him, so he didn't want to make an assumption in case he was wrong. The picture had been dated to the summer after he had left, very close to being four years previous. Instead, he just laughed. "Good thing indeed."
"What time do you have to head back to camp?" Sally asked as she turned back to the hob, focusing on the sausages in the frying pan. "Nic, check the bacon for me."
"Perce has to pay a visit to Blackjack at some point, and I have a Head Counselor meeting at four, but we're yours for as long as you can put up with us," Nico responded as he did as instructed.
"Have you heard from Leo?" Sally nodded, taking the information in her stride. "He sent us a postcard from Sydney, I was wondering if you'd had anything?"
"You know what Leo is like." Nico huffed. "I got a postcard from one of the Lord of the Rings filming locations in New Zealand along with a full set of the Fellowship in Lego characters the other week."
"Leo likes to send Nicky silly things." Estelle informed him, talking just as fast as Leo. "He sends Lego to Nicky and I get things that he's made. He made me a little wolf out of silver, he's just like Fessy! Mom says that Geralt isn't allowed bacon so he's in the living room at the moment so I can't let him in, but look! Leo made me a necklace that matches him. Leo called him Geralt, I call him Gerry sometimes but he's programmed to answer to-"
"Little Star, you need to breathe as you talk." Nico laughed, sweeping Estelle off her feet and carrying her over to the table where he deposited her into her seat. She promptly darted beneath the table, around Nico's legs and ran to grab Percy's hand.
Percy allowed Estelle to tow him over to a seat at the table beside her, unable to stop the stupid grin that was spreading on his face.
"You're a menace." Nico informed her, taking the seat across from Percy. "A little monster."
"Nope, I'm your Little Star!" Estelle grinned, curls bouncing as she moved her head.
"Remind me to send Nico to check the food again in a minute." Sally sat down beside Nico, a warm smile directed at Percy. "Gosh, I can't believe this is happening."
"It feels very surreal." Paul agreed from Estelle's other side. "I didn't expect this when I woke up this morning. I had hoped that Nico would have shown up with Leo in tow as a surprise, but this... It's so good to see you, kiddo."
"It's so good to see you all too." Percy grinned. "And to meet this one!" He ruffled Estelle's hair and she giggled.
The feeling he'd felt before he had fallen asleep returned, joining the warmth that the feeling of home caused. He didn't want to leave and lose it. He was surrounded by several of the most important people in his life and all he wanted was to bring in the rest and merge his family and his found family and never leave either again.