Danae

Jason was so sick of looking at that gods-forsaken boat. He spent most of his time in Bunker with Leo, Piper, Annabeth, and the rest of the Hephaestus Cabin working feverishly on the trireme. When Leo had first shown them the idea and they started building it he was like all for it. But it had been a couple months and he knew something this large would take awhile but he was still sick of it. He didn't understand how Leo could keep working on it.

There clomping noise as Chiron walked in. Everyone bowed respectfully. "You can all take this day off." He said.

All the campers let out relieved breaths. They were all tired from the non-stop work on the Argo II.

"But Chiron! The Solstice is coming; we need to finish the ship!" It was Annabeth who had protested. She was increasingly edgy every day that past without the ship being finished. Everyone felt sorry for her, but no one really felt like working anymore.

"My dear, nothing will be accomplished if all the workers are tired. Let them have one day off and a good night sleep and I assure you the quantity and quality of the work will improve." Chiron reasoned. Annabeth hmmphed and stalked out, Chiron looked at her retreating from sadly. "Everyone can take today off. Go get some rest." All the campers slowly filed out, their feet dragging, looking forward to a twelve hour nap. Chiron stopped Jason as he walked out. "Bring Piper and Leo to the Big House. There's something I want to discuss with you." He trotted off.

Jason was confused, but he did as he was told. Chiron had earned his respect.

"What does Chiron want with us?" Piper asked.

"I don't know Beauty Queen, why don't you ask him?" Leo said.

"Don't call me Beauty Queen!" Piper shouted. She was cute when she did that. Jason told himself to shut up. He wasn't sure about his feeling with Piper. On one hand she really was an amazing person, but he wasn't sure what Reyna, one of the few names he remembered, was to him. He didn't want to risk losing his friendship with Piper and he certainly didn't want to hurt her.

They had arrived at the Big House. They walked in and saw Chiron wave a hand through an Iris-message before they could find out who was on the other end. He turned towards them with a sad smile on his face.

"Children, there is someone I'd like you to meet. She would be beneficial for you to help get along, shall we say, with our new allies. She lives in Upper-East side Manhattan. I know you all must be incredibly tired and want know more than to sleep, but I think you'll like her. Argus will take you into the city."

Now, Jason was dead tired and imagined that Leo and Piper would be about the same. But if this would help… He glanced at Leo and Piper. They both looked tired.

"I'll go." Piper said.

"Me too." Leo said.

Jason nodded. "Very well," Chiron said. He was smiling faintly. "Argus, go prepare the van. You know where to go. It's his house."

They all piled into the back of the strawberry van. "Wonder who Chiron wants us to meet?" Piper asked.

"I don't know, but I hope she's hot." Leo said jokingly. Piper shot him a glare.

"Seriously though, I can't think of anyone, who'd be helpful to our quest outside of camp." Piper continued a trace of annoyance in her voice.

Jason stared out the window. He wasn't sure either and though he'd never admit it out loud, he needed as much help as he could get. If anything could help gain allies he would gladly take it. Argus stopped in front of an apartment building. He waved at them to get out. Argus never spoke and according to rumours it was because he had an eye on the tip of his tongue.

They walked up to the building. They exchanged glances when Jason reached out and rang the doorbell. Almost immediately it flung open. A woman stood in the doorway. She looked maybe in her forties, with brown hair with gray streaks in it and bags under her eyes. She looked tired and worn, but when she saw them her face dimmed for a second, like they weren't who she wanted to see, but then it brightened almost immediately.

"Oh, you must be the new campers! Come in, come in." she waved for them to enter.

The inside looked cozy. You could smell baked cookies wafting through the air. Leo looked like he about to sit up and beg. Now usually when this happens, you run like Hades. Nice house+ nice woman+ cookies= monster and/or trap with monsters. But Jason didn't think that Chiron would lead them into a trap. Argus probably would've sensed something as well.

The walls of the kitchen were a nice colour and there was a table of bright blue cookies on the table. Jason didn't quite understand but Leo sat right down and began to make himself right at home.

Piper smacked him and hissed, "Manners."

The woman turned and said, "Oh no, go right ahead. No one else is go to eat them, and it would be a shame to let them go to waste."

So Jason and Piper sat down in the seats next to Leo and warily took a cookie and nibbled on it. It was probably one of the best cookies Jason had ever tasted. He found himself reaching for more, same with Piper.

He was about to take another cookie when he saw something that stopped him. It was a picture of a green-eyed boy with black hair, his arm thrown casually around a happier looking Annabeth, with a young boy in a black aviator jacket next to them. They all were smiling widely at the camera.

"Lovely isn't it? It's hard to believe that was taken just a few months ago. It seems like an eternity." The woman said, smiling warmly.

Jason looked around at the kitchen in more detail. He saw more pictures of the same green-eyed boy at various ages. He had seen the teen before, in a picture hanging on the wall of the Big House. He stared at the woman in a new light.

"Your Percy Jackson's mother, aren't you?" he asked. Piper and Leo both looked up surprised.

The woman smiled sadly and nodded. "Yes, though I prefer Sally." She turned to Jason, "You can call me Aunt Sally if you want too sweetie."

Jason could feel his cheeks flare up. Leo snickered behind his hand, but he was too preoccupied with his thoughts to notice. He'd always figured that Percy's mom was dead, just like his mom. He'd never thought about what she would be feeling if she was alive. Her only son was missing, possibly in danger, and he wouldn't remember how to defend himself. Her only son had been exchanged with a stranger, an imposter.

He looked down "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Now don't be sorry. I know it wasn't your fault. I may not be happy with it, but it's no use dwelling on what's already happened." Sally said. "Now Chiron called me and asked me to tell you about my son." She seemed more tired when she said 'my son'.

Piper looked down as well. "You don't have to. Not if it makes you sad."

Sally patted her hand. "No, it'll make me feel better that more people will learn about what a hero my son is. Now look, I'm bragging."

Jason relaxed. This woman had a way of making you feel good. She was what he pictured an ideal mother would be like. He wished his mom had been like that, but if anyone deserved a mom like that, Percy Jackson did. After all, he did save the world multiple times.

Sally pointed to the picture Jason had first seen. "Now this one was taken in October. That's Percy and Annabeth, as you probably guessed. The boy is Nico Di Angelo, he's a son of Hades that Percy is friends with. He met him when he was thirteen."

She pointed to one with Percy, Annabeth and a satyr with curly hair, all looking about twelve. "Now this one was taken just after his first quest when he was twelve."

"He had went on his first quest when he was twelve?" Leo exclaimed.

Sally nodded. Jason was just as stunned. Twelve was really young. He couldn't imagine going on a quest as hard as his old one at the age of twelve.

"He had just discovered he was a demigod. He was accused of stealing Zeus's Masterbolt so he went to the Underworld and…"

Sally Jackson regaled them with stories of her son's brave deeds. Going into details that the other campers wouldn't have known and Annabeth refused to talk about. Jason, Leo and Piper listened with awed expressions. This was unbelievable. A boy younger than himself had held up the sky, had gone into the Underworld and came back with his body intact. He had been offered godhood and he refused! Jason's jaw was practically on the floor. You could've fit Porphyrion and Enceladus in there and had room to spare. Jason had no problem believing that Percy would prove himself at the Roman Camp. At the same time, he felt kind of threatened and intimidated. He had no doubt that he himself had probably gone on quests when he was younger, but he doubted it was of the caliber of Percy Jackson.

"That was it. All the danger was supposed to be over, well at least as much as it can when you're a demigod. But then he disappeared and was sucked back into danger." Sally sighed.

"Don't worry," Jason tried to comfort her, "he'll do just fine in the Roman Camp if the stories mare anything to go by."

She just smiled sadly. "That's what I'm worried about. Will he decide he likes it there better?"

Jason didn't have an answer for that. He looked helplessly at Piper and Leo. They looked just as lost.

Jason opened his mouth to say something when the phone rang.

"Oh just let it ring. It's probably Paul, Percy's stepfather. He went out with some friends. I'll callback later." Sally waved a hand.

Then the message started. "Mom-"Everyone froze. Sally had tears gathering in her eyes. "Hey, I'm alive. Hera put me to sleep for a while and then she took my memory, and…" There was a pause. Everyone was much too shocked to say anything. "Anyway, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest-"There was another pause. "I'll make it home. I promise. Love you."

There was a silence. Suddenly Sally dashed for the phone to call back, but it was too late. Percy had hung up and it was on a payphone. Sally was clutching the phone like it was a lifeline.

"Oh! He's okay and he remembers! Oh my gods! I need to, I need to…!" she collapsed into a chair, mentally and physically exhausted by what just happened.

Jason, Leo and Piper were exchanging incredulous looks. Jason approached Sally. "Sally?" he asked nervously.

She looked up at him, tear tracks on her face. She looked at the time. "Oh gods. It's late. It's almost midnight! You must be so tired!" she exclaimed.

Jason shrugged. He had forgotten his fatigue in everything that had just happened.

Piper started to speak, "We'll call Chiron for a ride back-"

Sally interrupted her, "Oh gods no! It's much too late. You can stay here for the night." She waved off any protests. "I'll IM Chiron to let him know. Piper you can have the guest room and Jason I hope you and Leo don't mind sharing."

Jason and Leo shook their heads. Who were they to refuse when she had so generously offered?

Sally smiled, not a sad one, but a truly brilliant one that made her seem years younger. She led Piper to a cream coloured room and handed her a pair of old sweat pants and a baggy t-shirt. She led Jason and Leo to a farther room. She opened it. Inside, the walls were an ocean blue with wave patterns. The bedspreads were blue as well. There were photos everywhere of Percy Jackson and Annabeth.

"I hope you don't mind sleeping in here." Sally said. Jason mutely shook his head. He couldn't believe how much she trusted them; she was offering her missing son's room for them to sleep in. Sally rummaged through his drawers and pulled out two pairs of pajamas.

"They might be a little big on you, but they should do." The pajamas were blue as well with little wave and fish designs on them. Jason nodded.

"Thanks…Aunt Sally." Jason said. She beamed at him then closed the door. Jason sighed and looked behind him. Leo had sprawled himself out on Percy's, big enough for two, bed and was snoring. He hadn't even changed. Jason chuckled slightly.

He changed into Percy's old closed. The pants were too long and the shirt was really baggy, but he appreciated the effort all the same. He lay down beside Leo and got under the blue covers. His last coherent thought was that Percy had one heck of a mom. He distantly heard through the door, "…he remembers Chiron! He remembers!"

Danae is the mother of Perseus.