Maternal Instinct
Title: Maternal Instinct
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Annabeth Chase, Sally Jackson
Summary: Sally will always be there.
“Hey!” Sally greeted cheerfully as she answered the door, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Come on in. Percy’s not home from practice yet, but I was just getting dinner started. I could use a hand, if you don’t have any homework you wanna get done.”
“Sure,” Annabeth answered quietly, smiling at Sally’s buoyant mood. “The homework can wait. I’m sick of school, anyways.” Dropping her bag in the hallway, she followed Sally through the living room, where she got an absent-minded “hello” from Paul (who was grading papers), and into the kitchen. The smells of pork roast, rosemary and dill permeated the warm air, and Annabeth instantly felt a little better.
Not better enough to fool Sally, though, who had picked up on the girl’s downcast mood the instant she’d opened the door. “Everything okay?” she asked, checking the potatoes boiling away on the stove while trying to remain nonchalant. Annabeth was prone to clamming up if she thought someone was worrying about her.
“Fine,” Annabeth said tersely after a brief pause. “Everything’s fine.”
School, Sally guessed. Usually Annabeth jumped on her homework - and finished it in record time - but today she was avoiding it. It had to be school.
“You don’t sound so sure,” Sally said gently, not wanting to press Annabeth, but still worried and wanting to do something about it.
Annabeth was quiet for a moment, standing at the sink with her hands unmoving under the running water. She was looking down at them but not really seeing them.
“I know I’m not your mom,” Sally said, when Annabeth remained silent. “I just… I worry sometimes. I can’t help it.”
Annabeth turned to look at her then, a shy little smile on her face. “I know,” she said softly.
“I mean it,” Sally continued earnestly. Now that she had Annabeth’s attention, she couldn’t stop the words from just pouring out of her. “If there’s ever anything you think I can help you with - if you need an advocate, or advice, or just a friendly ear…”
Annabeth made no comment, but by the look in her eyes Sally could tell that her words were having some effect. The girl had turned away from the sink, and was leaning back against it with her arms crossed defensively over her chest, not quite meeting Sally’s gaze. Whether Sally was scaring her or comforting her, she couldn’t tell yet.
“I know what it’s like to be young and think you don’t have anyone,” she said after a moment of silence, “and I just want you to know… you’re not alone. If you ever need me, for anything, I’ll be there. No matter what happens - how things turn out between you and Percy - you can come to me. If you ever want my help, I promise you’ll have it.”
Annabeth looked like she was close to tears, and Sally still couldn’t tell what the girl was thinking. She ran a shaky hand through her blonde curls before uncrossing her arms and scrubbing her hands together in an unconscious display of anxiety. “Okay,” she said finally, voice small and choked. She paused to take a shaky breath, before continuing, “Maybe I should do that homework after all,” and all but fleeing from the kitchen.
Sally caught her up in a hug before she’d taken two steps, arms wrapping tightly around her shoulders. She held her breath until Annabeth, stiff as a board, finally relaxed and, after a few moments, hugged her back tentatively.
“Thanks,” Annabeth murmured, voice muffled, her arms tightening almost imperceptibly around Sally’s waist. Her eyes were wet when pulled away.
***
Annabeth was in the hallway, collecting her book bag, when Percy came through the front door. He dropped his duffel when Annabeth flung her arms around him in an unexpected show of affection. Before she closed the distance between them, he caught sight of her red eyes.
“Wow,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her back, resisting the urge to give her an awkward pat. “You okay?”
She replied, “You have the best mother in the world.”
He didn’t know why she’d said that, but he couldn’t help agreeing.
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Annabeth Chase, Sally Jackson
Summary: Sally will always be there.
“Hey!” Sally greeted cheerfully as she answered the door, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Come on in. Percy’s not home from practice yet, but I was just getting dinner started. I could use a hand, if you don’t have any homework you wanna get done.”
“Sure,” Annabeth answered quietly, smiling at Sally’s buoyant mood. “The homework can wait. I’m sick of school, anyways.” Dropping her bag in the hallway, she followed Sally through the living room, where she got an absent-minded “hello” from Paul (who was grading papers), and into the kitchen. The smells of pork roast, rosemary and dill permeated the warm air, and Annabeth instantly felt a little better.
Not better enough to fool Sally, though, who had picked up on the girl’s downcast mood the instant she’d opened the door. “Everything okay?” she asked, checking the potatoes boiling away on the stove while trying to remain nonchalant. Annabeth was prone to clamming up if she thought someone was worrying about her.
“Fine,” Annabeth said tersely after a brief pause. “Everything’s fine.”
School, Sally guessed. Usually Annabeth jumped on her homework - and finished it in record time - but today she was avoiding it. It had to be school.
“You don’t sound so sure,” Sally said gently, not wanting to press Annabeth, but still worried and wanting to do something about it.
Annabeth was quiet for a moment, standing at the sink with her hands unmoving under the running water. She was looking down at them but not really seeing them.
“I know I’m not your mom,” Sally said, when Annabeth remained silent. “I just… I worry sometimes. I can’t help it.”
Annabeth turned to look at her then, a shy little smile on her face. “I know,” she said softly.
“I mean it,” Sally continued earnestly. Now that she had Annabeth’s attention, she couldn’t stop the words from just pouring out of her. “If there’s ever anything you think I can help you with - if you need an advocate, or advice, or just a friendly ear…”
Annabeth made no comment, but by the look in her eyes Sally could tell that her words were having some effect. The girl had turned away from the sink, and was leaning back against it with her arms crossed defensively over her chest, not quite meeting Sally’s gaze. Whether Sally was scaring her or comforting her, she couldn’t tell yet.
“I know what it’s like to be young and think you don’t have anyone,” she said after a moment of silence, “and I just want you to know… you’re not alone. If you ever need me, for anything, I’ll be there. No matter what happens - how things turn out between you and Percy - you can come to me. If you ever want my help, I promise you’ll have it.”
Annabeth looked like she was close to tears, and Sally still couldn’t tell what the girl was thinking. She ran a shaky hand through her blonde curls before uncrossing her arms and scrubbing her hands together in an unconscious display of anxiety. “Okay,” she said finally, voice small and choked. She paused to take a shaky breath, before continuing, “Maybe I should do that homework after all,” and all but fleeing from the kitchen.
Sally caught her up in a hug before she’d taken two steps, arms wrapping tightly around her shoulders. She held her breath until Annabeth, stiff as a board, finally relaxed and, after a few moments, hugged her back tentatively.
“Thanks,” Annabeth murmured, voice muffled, her arms tightening almost imperceptibly around Sally’s waist. Her eyes were wet when pulled away.
***
Annabeth was in the hallway, collecting her book bag, when Percy came through the front door. He dropped his duffel when Annabeth flung her arms around him in an unexpected show of affection. Before she closed the distance between them, he caught sight of her red eyes.
“Wow,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her back, resisting the urge to give her an awkward pat. “You okay?”
She replied, “You have the best mother in the world.”
He didn’t know why she’d said that, but he couldn’t help agreeing.