Estelle and Percy had always been very close since she was born when he was sixteen. He would babysit her when her parents went on a date. They played together all the time. However, as the demigod moved to New Rome, the two drifted apart, to the point where Estelle, who was very young at the time, forgot how they used to have fun together.
Estelle was used to be the little sister, the one everybody thought was cute, the one who got all the attention. She loved both her parents. Her mom, Sally, baked the best cookies in the world and was the greatest mom ever. Her dad, Paul, was also very kind and he loved her more than anything.
You could say all was well in the little girl's life, great parents, great family, really, great friends and an amazing school. Everything was well. That is until her big brother came from his school. Then, he would be the one to get all the attention, the one everybody loved.
That was why Estelle did not like Percy very much. She didn't hate him but didn't care particularly for him either. It all started when he came for her birthday, with his girlfriend.
Percy was never alone. He had these hundreds of friends who would come at home and whom Mom love. He also had a girlfriend, Annabeth. Estelle liked Annabeth because she teased her big brother: she was too small to understand she also loved him to the moon and back because if she did, she would have hated her too.
So, it was her birthday, her seventh birthday. Percy arrived with Annabeth, late, as usual, all messy and covered in dirt. Didn't he know what was punctuality and that it was possible to get cleaned before you got to someone's house?
Of course, when he knocked, Mom sat up and practically ran to the door and squealed when she saw Percy and her girlfriend, hugging them as if they were about to die. Then, she seemed to notice all the dirt and her face turned to ... worry?
He whispered something in her ear and waving at us ran to his room, the biggest one in the apartment although he didn't live here anymore, followed by Annabeth. He appeared seconds later all washed up and dressed in one of these horrid orange t-shirts with a horse on it.
Then, of course, that wasn't enough, Mom opened a box, which I was never allowed to open, and gave a piece of — something — to him.
Finally, we were able to blow the Candle on the cake and eat it up. During the whole dinner, all they talked about was Percy, his life in New Rome, his apartment, his school.
At the end of it, while we were talking about his friends, I couldn't stand it anymore and ran to my room. Dad came after me and tried to ask me to come to eat with the family again.
"He's not my family!" she cried out, trying to talk over the rain that was pouring furiously, frustrated. She heard her Mom come and soon she appeared next to her dad, putting a hand around his waist, trying to calm him up.
"He's your brother." Dad tried to explain as patiently as possible.
"No! He's my half-brother. He's not even your son, why do you even care? I hate him!" she accused. We heard the front door slammed. Good, Percy had left!
"Now that's enough Estelle!" Mom, usually so calm and gentle, screamed, her voice shaking with contained sobs. "Don't talk about him that way. You don't understand." she started to cry. I saw Annabeth come from behind her, hug her and tell her Something. A few second later, we heard the door close again, much more gently.
Her dad, however, continued to try to explain but Estelle covered her head with her hands. Sighing, he closed the door, and Estelle her mom sob from the living room. "Why can't she like him? They loved each other before. Remember? They played together all the time!"
"I know Sally, love. She's just jealous. It'll pass." She heard her mom sniff and then the door opened again, and two people came in, probably Annabeth and Percy. Estelle was too curious; she opened the door a little and poked her head out a little to see them. Percy was hugging Annabeth, both drenched in rain. His usually happy face was strangely sad, and he only did smile when he saw his Mom and when Annabeth came next to him, kissing her on the cheek.
He said something she couldn't hear but saw him smile while looking at his girlfriend, kissing her full on the lips. Gross! She heard Mom gasp in surprise and then Paul coming up to hug them both.
She saw Annabeth pass down the corridor, probably to dry off in the bathroom. Several minutes later, she came up and entered Percy's room. Percy too passed, looking more upset than Estelle had ever seen him. He entered the bathroom, only half-closing the door. Estelle couldn't keep it in anymore, she ran out of her room and hugged Percy.
She felt him go stiff and then relax, getting down to her height. "I'm so sorry Percy." she sobbed in his chest.
"Shhh, it's okay 'Stella" he consoled, using his nickname for her as a baby. "I forgive you."
"Sissy-promise?" she asked, using the term they had invented when she was three to make sure they were not angry with each other anymore: they each had to tell each other Something important.
"Sure." he laughed. "You go first."
"I have a boyfriend." she said importantly. "Your turn."
He seemed to think for a second. "What do you think about becoming an aunt?"