Nyctophilia

3| GROVER UNEXPECTEDLY LOSES HIS PANTS(pt3)

We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but we knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.

As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.

We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

I guess I should explain the blue food.

See, Gabe had once told our mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This-along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano-was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like us.

When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told us stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told us about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk-my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them. Celeste got up and left as she did whenever the topic was mentioned.

Celeste wasn't moms biological daughter see when was 18 months she had been left at our doorsteps with a letter and a box with a pair of earrings, a necklace and a ring. Mom tried to search up her parents when but turns out they were dead. When Este was about 9 mom had asked her if she wanted to be adopted by her. Este didn't say yes right away but asked if it would be a problem for us if she was adopted by mom as she didn't want to be a burden she was mature even as a kid.

"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud."

I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.

Annabeth was in shock so were the wixen and some of the other demigods.

"Six schools in six years?" asked the stoll twins in awe not sure whether to be proud or horrified.

"What's not great about you percy? Your literally the chosen one of the demigod world only demigod child of Poseidon" Celeste says in the mind link

"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when he left?"

She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."

"But... he knew me as a baby."

"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."

Molly weasley mumbled something about irresponsible parents ignoring the glare sent to her by Celeste well she tried but flinched.

I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.

Zeus narrowed his eyes had his brother broken the ancient laws and went to see that brat.