#riordanreads

[kanechroniclesgraphicnovel]

Percy Jackson, we have to stop meeting like this.

Battle of the Labyrinth Graphic Novel coming to the rest of the world October 4th! 

[van-del]

Sally Jackson And The Return Of Perseus

Percy Jackson One Shot: After HoO

Somebody without the decency to ring a doorbell was knocking ferociously on their door.

“I got it!” Paul said, waving a hand to her to sit, ignore the distraction. He yanked it open and -

“Percy!” He yelled.

Sally later wondered how she got to the door so fast but at that moment, all that mattered was her son, her son, her son, her child. Percy. In her arms, after so long.

They stood there, the three of them, sobbing and hugging, Percy saying “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” over and over. But he didn’t have to, shouldn’t have to apologize, and she kissed his head, held him tighter and he was thinner, much thinner and she couldn’t hold him any tighter.

“Percy, oh, Percy.” Sally cradled his face in one hand not even minding his snot and tears. She felt Paul back away, and her heart felt gratitude for how he always knew when to let the two of them be.

“Percy.” She held his face in both her hands now and looked into his eyes and hers burned even more and the tears came faster. His eyes. Every time he left, they got a little darker, a little harder, and now ... now he looked shattered.

“Percy, what happened?” But she felt, before he shook his head, even as she said the words, that he won’t tell her. He never told her, not everything anyways.

“It doesn’t matter mom, none of it matters. I’m -I’m here and I’m okay and you guys are okay and that’s it.”

Packed into those two words, all the anguish he would never lay bare to her.

Ever since Sally began writing, she had found ways to put her observations, her sense of the intangible into words. She would've described the condition of her family as ignoring the elephant. All normalcy, but they tried to act as if nothing changed, walking on eggshells, never confronting the big hunky elephant of Percy’s pain.

He just wasn't the same anymore. That ducky, stupid sense of humor was still there but his smiles, if they came at all, were less often, his posture always rigid, his fuse much shorter. And sometimes he’d just stop and stare at nothing, gripping the edge of his seat while his mind replayed things he would rather forget. 

Paul kept trying to hold things together, help in his own way,. He’d tell corny jokes, try to spend more time with Percy and Sally noticed he hugged Percy more and told him he loved him. Percy just wasn’t as… open,trying to close the distance between them, expressing what he was expected to. And she could practically see the weight of all his stress, trying to catch up with his classes, using studying of all things as a way to hide, to escape.

Sally had suggested he’d take a year off school, get himself together and try again but Percy refused. He wanted to get to New Rome University as fast as possible. After some prodding, Sally let him go. When Percy set his mind to something, he usually succeeded.

Plus Annabeth was helping, coming nearly everyday. And his friends Jason and Piper visited twice before they had to leave for LA.. At least, their visits seemed to make Percy happy. But it wasn’t enough for Sally, she wanted her son whole again. But she didn’t know what to do other than be there for him.

There was nothing else she could do for him or her, not even write. That would involve feeling. Her best lines, well according to Paul and her editor, where the ones she’d felt with her core as she’d written them. But now she couldn’t even touch that core for fear of what she’d find.

Paul was about to do something father-and-head-of-the-home-ly. She saw it in the firm determination of his face as he called them into the living room.

“I’ve called you both,” he said wiping the blue cookie crumbs off his face, “because I love you two so much and the way we’ve been… relating is not the best. Percy,”

Percy looked up mid-chew

“You’ve been through a lot and I know you don’t want to tell your mother and I everything because you don’t want to burden us and I can tell that haven’t processed everything but… but you can’t just bottle it all up inside, it’s not healthy. There should be - isn’t there like some sort of demigod therapist or someone you can talk to? I mean, you guys can’t go through everything you do with no help.”

Percy shrugged. “If I were a therapist, and a demigod came to me, I’d flee.”

“Okay,” Paul intoned “but, how can we help? How were you dealing with this before?”

Percy shrugged again. “You guys are doing fine, I just ... I need to figure things out, that’s all.”

“Yeah, but…” Paul sighed and rubbed his face. Percy shrugged, sighed and took the last cookie.

“Percy, sweetie, maybe you should try to get sleep. You look tired.”

He always looked tired.

Percy seemed like he would protest but he said, “Okay mom.”

He hugged her, then Paul and went to his room.

Sally moved closer to Paul and held his hand.

“What are we going to do? He needs help.”

“You need help too.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. You aren’t sleeping well, and you barely tell me how you feel. You’ve been dealing with this longer than I have and since Percy came back, you’ve clammed up.”

Sally shrugged.

Paul held her closer. “Talk to me,” he said in a voice so soft, Sally’s throat ached.

“Not here, in the room. So he doesn’t hear us.”

As soon as they shut the door Sally let out a loud sob. As Paul held her, she felt water dripping down to her face.

They’d climbed into bed, holding each other as Sally let all her fears and anger come out. As Paul talked, Sally realized how unaware she had been of her husband’s pain. She cried even harder, but Paul told her it was okay, they were both wrapped up in their own hurt. And as they let it out, the hole in Sally's chest began closing.

The floodgates of her core were open and Sally wrote and wrote, unafraid of what came rushing out and the hole was mending, slowly but surely.

This. This is what Percy needs she thought.

She picked out a few notebooks, grabbed two pens and went to Percy’s room, knocking softly on the door in case he was asleep even though the lights were on.

“Come in.” His voice sounded thick.

He was at his desk, reading a textbook. “I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d try to study.” He closed the book “Emphasis on the word try.”

“Did you have a nightmare?” He hesitated, then nodded.

She dropped the notebooks on his desk and bent to kiss his head. “I love you.”

“Yeah, I know.” She pushed his shoulder.

“Thick notebooks,” he said, flipping the edge of one of them.

“They’re for you. I figured you can’t tell us everything, maybe you should write it down. Your feelings, experiences and all that. You don’t have to show anyone and I promise Paul and I won’t even look at it..”

Percy played with the edge of the notebook, “So, like a diary?”

Sally laughed, “No, a man journal” she said deepening her voice. They both laughed.

“You can start now,” she handed him a pen. “It might help you sleep.”

Percy regarded the pen for a moment then brought out Riptide from his pocket (Was it always in his pocket?)

“Watch this” he uncapped it, the blade sprang out with a shink. Then Percy placed the cap at the end of the handle. Instantly, Riptide became a pen again, this time with the nib showing.

“Wow.”

“Yeah. Annabeth figured it… out… “He gripped Riptide so hard, his knuckles were turning white.

“Percy?” Sally rubbed his back. “Percy?”

Suddenly, he took a sharp breath, took another deep breath in and exhaled through his mouth. He took more slow, deliberate breaths.

“I’m, I’m okay.” He said finally.

“Okay. I love you.” Percy nodded. He opened one notebook and on the first page wrote in faintly glowing bronze ink: Percy Jackson’s Man Journal. Do NOT Read.

“So cool.” She said. Percy grinned and nodded.

Sally hugged him and left the room.

“Hey, mom.”

She turned

“I love you.” he said, the smile reaching his eyes for the first time in days.

[uneditedbookreview]

#throwbackThursday to probably my favorite read of 2019. Dragon Pearl combines space opera, sci-fi, and Korean mythology in a fierce combination of sheer awesomeness. From the Rick Riordan Presents imprint, Aru Shah is my favorite series, but this has been my favorite standalone by far. You can see reviews for Dragon Pearl and more on my Goodreads (link in bio!). . . . #dragonpearl #yoonhalee #middlegrade #riordanreads #rickriordanpresents #mythology #sciencefiction #spaceopera #bookblogger #bookreview #bookstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/B-fFsJKp7Lz/?igshid=yfyp7e3011sw

[uneditedbookreview]

New post! Link in bio! . I've read most of the Rick Riordan Presents books so far, and while this one wasn't one of my favorites, it was a fun read. . . . #racetothesun #rebeccaroanhorse #middlegrade #riordanreads #riordanpresents #bookreview #bookblogger https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KM_wJJ1n6/?igshid=1pre2ibgzgzy