Annabeth returned with everyone behind her.

Hestia had agreed to read near the tree, so everybody had to get together and come to the tree.

When everybody had sat down, Hestia said, "Who wants to read?"

Thalia put up her hand, "I do. I'm curious as to what goes on in Percy's mind." She went and collected the book from Hestia and sat down at the base of the trunk, everyone else went to sit so they could see, or at least hear her well.

"Grover unexpectedly loses his pants," she began.

Grover grumbled, while Percy looked sheepishly at his (goatly) friend.

Confession time:

"Piper stole a car," Leo confessed for her. When she shot him a dirty look, he backtracked. "I mean, she didn't — she talked him into giving her the car." It didn't sound believable the second try either.

I ditched Grover ... be sixth grade?"

"Ew, that's creepy." Annabeth jokingly said to Grover.

Whenever he got ... told the driver.

When the Stolls looked his way mischievously, Percy clarified that he 'didn't live there anymore'.

A word about my mother, before you meet her.

"Amazing."

"The best."
"She'll always be the most important person to me."

"Percy, that's way more than one word."

"Well, so is 'the best', Thalia. And anyway, I was right, so."

Her name is Sally ... and no diploma.

Percy looked somber at the mention of his mother having a difficult time.

The only good break she got was meeting my dad.

Aphrodite cooed.

I don't have ... no pictures.

The demigods nodded sadly.

See, they weren't married.

Triton snorted. Amphitrite looked at her son reprimanding.

She told me he was ... Lost at sea.

Hermes looked proud at the half-lie.

She worked odd jobs, ... as a world-class jerk.

Thalia read that part slower than the rest, thinking too deeply to care about the rest.

When I was young, ... in gym shorts.

Annabeth seemed to recall the conversation Grover and Percy had at twelve.

Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard.

Poseidon, who was sat next to Percy, looked sad at Percy thinking he made his mom's life harder. "Percy—" he started, but Percy just shook his head. He didn't want to interrupt — not even to whisper.

I walked into our ... all over the carpet.

Jason grimaced. He hadn't known much about living with his own mother, but Thalia had told him bits here and there. He didn't like where he thought this was going.

Hardly looking up, ... got any cash?"

Many gods looked upset over that. That was a demigod — a kid!

That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?

Thalia frowned.

Gabe had put on ... handsome or something.

Aphrodite mock-gagged, "Absolutely it didn't." Aphrodite reminded Percy a lot of his mother. He guessed he understood why. He absolutely loved his mom. Platonic love was also love — and that's what Aphrodite stood for.

He managed the ... Always beer.

Thalia's frown deepened, while Grover seemed to realise something.

Whenever I was home ... punch my lights out.

Thalia had almost been unable to get the words out.

Luke stilled in shock, "Did he ever actually—?"

Percy was trying not to look too shaken up. "What? No, of course he didn't." He leaned away from his father, further into Rachel on his right.

Not letting it go, but having seen his desperate look, Thalia resumed reading.

"I don't have ... everything else.

Annabeth now knew for sure why Sally had married that man.

"You took a taxi ... right?" Gabe repeated.

Many gods and demigods looked disgusted at the idea of the man.

Eddie scowled ... hope you lose."

Percy thought Thalia looked almost disappointed at him trying to set of Gabe. You try to live with him! He wanted to yell, but he knew it would be pointless. He'd seen Thalia's ghost — her mother — when he was fourteen and she'd been way too familiar.

"Your report card ... act so snooty!"

Thalia had a look of realisation on her face, understanding now why it had set him off when she had called him that during their fight.

I slammed the door ... Home sweet home.

Percy thought back to that apartment, it had been horrible but at least he'd had his mother.

Gabe's smell was ... long, horrible talons.

Percy's anxiousness in the book made some of the demigods fidget.

Then I heard my mom's voice, "Percy?"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief.

She opened the door ... of her as old.

Aphrodite was giddy at the love Percy had for his mother.

When she looks at me ... when I came home.

Some of the demigods sighed dreamily — mostly Travis.

We sat together ... boy doing alright?

Thalia loved Sally (she did) and these moments made her love her even more, but then she'd remember what Gabe had done to Percy while she was oblivious of it, and she felt herself romanticise the idea of Sally having been her mother a little bit less.

I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.

Percy looked at the book in Thalia's hands bitterly. He hated having his thoughts read out loud. He didn't mind them knowing about how great his mother was, he always talked about her anyway — instead of talking about himself, sure — but he secretly hoped that his friends didn't have to be there.

From the other room ... some jerk like Gabe.

He reflected on those thoughts; Paul was perhaps even better than a millionaire.

For her sake I tried, to sound upbeat about my last few days at Yancy Academy.

Sounding upbeat, he was good that that.

I told her I wasn't ... almost convinced myself.

Jason noticed Percy scowl slightly at the book.

I started choking up ... seem so bad.

Grover looked at his friend, who was sitting between the sea god and their oracle. He got up and gave Percy a hug.

Until that trip ... I would sound stupid.

Leo related to that. Maybe not the part about telling his mom, but he definitely held things back because he thought he'd sound stupid. Granted, his friends probably thought he was stupid. Even though he had made the Argo II all by himself — a fucking ship — in six months.

She pursed her lips ... "Montauk?"

Percy's friends all snickered, they'd heard so much about that place.

"Three nights ... there wasn't enough money.

The Grace siblings scowled at that.

Gabe appeared ... The works."

The Hermes kids — and Hermes himself, of course — whistled apreciatively at the bribery.

Gabe softened ... my poker game."

Will scoffed loudly at that, causing some faces to turn to him. He flushed and waved at Thalia to continue reading.

Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week.

The demigods nodded, agreeing fully.

But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.

Thalia narrowed her eyes.

Why did she ... care what he thought?

Why did she care more about him than me? He'd wanted to know then — he knew now.

"I'm sorry," ... went back to his game.

Annabeth looked surprised at Gabe's inability to detect the sarcasm.

"Thank you, Percy," ... must have been mistaken.

Grover thought about that. "She might have, but I wouldn't know how," he concluded.

She ruffled my ... the whole weekend.

Artemis and Aphrodite looked equally disgusted at that.

"Not a scratch ... find a way to blame me.

Even Triton was disgusted at the mortal's actions toward a child of the sea.

Watching him lumber ... to step on it.

When Percy noticed Thalia had stopped reading, he looked around. Everyone was looking at him with various levels of surprise and shock.

"How did you do that?" Grover asked.

Confused as to why Grover seemed so surprised, Percy replied, "I just copied what you did on the bus..." He trailed off as the looks of surprise turned into unbelief. "Can we just keep reading?"

Our rental cabin ... too cold to swim in.

Annabeth had shivered at the mention of spiders, resulting in Piper resting her arm over Annabeth's shoulder.

I loved the place.

Everyone of the sea chuckled.

We'd been going there ... she'd met my dad.

"I shouldn't have been surprised, actually." Annabeth murmured.

As we got closer ... the colour of the sea.

"Yours do that too," Rachel mentioned to Percy. "Any body of water."

We got there at ... had brought from work.

"You fed seagulls blue corn chips?" Nico questioned Percy incredulously. Percy simply nodded.

I guess I should explain the blue food.

The Stolls nodded enthusiastically.

See, Gabe had told ... a rebellious streak, like me.

The demigods chuckled. "You have an obedience streak, dude," Chris said to Percy.

When it got dark ... never got tired of hearing them.

The gods with kids looked around, shocked to see the half-bloods agreeing with the book.

"He was kind, ... and his green eyes."

Immediately, everyone began to compare the two. Percy was twenty-one, so he wasn't nearly as old as Poseidon, but they looked almost identical. The demigod had a very distinct godly look, making some think back, making sure he actually had rejected godhood — he had.

Mom fished —

"Wow, a water reference," Thalia interrupted herself.

Mom fished a blue ... in six years.

Poseidon looked sadly at his son. He knew that Percy wouldn't appreciate him trying to start a conversation about this in front of everyone.

"How old was I?" ... A smile.

Percy looked at his father with a clear question in his eyes, then he remembered his father was from before his time.

I had always assumed ... stuck with smelly Gabe.

Poseidon felt disappointed in himself too but knew that it couldn't be that way. Also, he wouldn't leave his wife, son, and responsibilities.

"Are you going to ... best to leave Yancy.

Chiron looked at his student regretfully.

"Because I'm not ... in the middle of his head.

"A cyclops," Zeus muttered. "Technically not interference."

Before that ... meaty toddler hands.

"Like Herakles," the king of the gods said.

Percy and his friends scowled, which Artemis noticed. While she pondered over the meaning of that, her lieutenant resumed reading.

In every school, ... and I didn't want that.

"That's kind of selfish, Percy." Remarked Annabeth.

Selfish, he thought with a wry smile. He had just wanted to spend time with his mother when Gabe wasn't there. He had wanted a normal childhood. He also hadn't known it was important, did that make him selfish?

"I've tried to keep ... ever mentioned it before?

"I'm wondering the same thing," Connor said. Percy told him that it would be explained soon.

"I'm sorry, ... I had a vivid dream.

All the demigods groaned, being accustomed to 'demigod dreams'.

It was storming ... I woke with a start.

Those that knew it was Kronos, shivered. The rest looked like they were ting everyone it could have been.

Outside, it really was ... hair stand on end.

Percy grimaced as he remembered the next main event.

Then a much closer ... wasn't exactly Grover.

"He had taken off his pants," the Stoll brothers chorused.

"Searching all night," ... Didn't you tell her?"

Thalia had to pause for a bit, before she continued.

I was too shocked ... There were cloven hooves.