Sally hears about Annabeth long before meeting her—everything from casual “Annabeth emailed me!” to long disjointed explanations of their quest to Hades, how she saved his life, how amazing and smart she is. It’s obvious how much Percy cares about his new friend from how he talks about her. When he prints out the photo Annabeth emailed him and sticks it on his binder, Sally smiles knowingly to herself. Percy's never had a crush before.
When she finally meets Annabeth, the girl in front of her doesn’t match the descriptions Percy gave at all. The Annabeth from his stories is fearless and unstoppable, the smartest person in the room and she knows it. The Annabeth that Sally first meets is quiet and reserved and almost overly polite. She expected Percy was a bit biased, but not this biased.
Later, she needles it out of Percy: how Annabeth’s father and step-mother treated her like a burden, how she ran away when she was 7. Sally decides right then and there that Annabeth is going to be hers. She tells stories of her own brash youth, she extends all the care in the world to this girl. She does everything in her power to hammer into Annabeth's head that she has a home with the Jacksons, that she will always be not just welcome, but wanted here.
Slowly but surely, Annabeth starts to believe it. Of course, Annabeth has always thought Sally was a good mom, has always envied Percy’s relationship with her. But it takes her awhile to realize that Sally’s unconditional love could ever extend to her—she’s never had a parent or parent figure like that before.
But they really bond when Percy goes missing.
Annabeth goes to Sally's apartment to tell her, clearly expecting Sally to get angry, to blame her. Instead, Sally wraps her up in a tight hug, and they cry together, and Sally invites her back again and again the entire time Percy is gone for tea and cookies and comfort. They talk for hours at a time, about Percy, about the search, of course, but also about Annabeth's schoolwork and her parents, about Paul, and Sally's writing career. In truth, Sally needs the comfort and support just as much as Annabeth, if not more. They get through those eight months together.
And one day, years in the future, Annabeth and Percy come over for dinner, all sly smiles and conspiratorial glances, clearly holding back news, until after dinner, when Annabeth beams and shows off the shiny new ring on her left hand.
"Sally--" Annabeth starts to say. Sally cuts her off with a shake of her head, eyes full of happy tears.
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