Perseus "Percy" Jackson ♆ Son of Poseidon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
unrestrained) wrote2015-02-08 08:47 pm
unrestrained) wrote2015-02-08 08:47 pm
shard 3, "blue birthday cake"
Shard: 03
What it is: Sig. Negative, "IMPLIED CANON/HEADCANON: Blue birthday cake"
It's August 18th. The most important day of the year to any kid is their birthday, but you're kind of dreading it. Sixth grade would be starting soon. Another year of struggling, another year of trying not to get expelled.
Today is still summer, though, and you're doing your best to make what you can of it. You've tried staying away from home today. You did most days in the summer since your step-father, Gabe Ugliano, often skipped out of work and you don't want to be around for him. So you spent time wandering the streets of New York until the person who's dog you were supposed to walk came home. Once you walked it you finally went home.
Gabe wasn't in yet, to your surprise. To a much better surprise your mother was already home and she was putting a cake out on the table. When did she manage to do that? It's a question but you can't help but smile. She's still dressed in her All American candy uniform and next to the cake she places a thing of candy and some coke-- Coincidentally all of the food, including the coke, is blue. Somehow. Your mom was good like that.
You happily sit at the table next to her and she asks her how your day was as she brushes through your hair. You happily munch on the candy and cake because this is the moments you enjoy most.
...But of course, it can't last long as suddenly the screen door slams open and the stench of your stepfather floods your nose. He's loud and has obviously brought friends and quite a few drinks with him. Card night. Is it ever not card night? He comes into the kitchen where the two of you are at and slams himself onto a chair. He immediately glares at the food on it and openly complains about why your mother has to do this-- food isn't supposed to be blue. And for some reason she turns a bit defiant about this as she raises to move the cake away: anything can be blue.
Gabe brushes that aside and demands some food and you move to get away from the table. He notices, of course he does, and rounds on you. Did you get into some trouble today, punk? Don't get expelled this year. The same hostility as always and you try to grit your teeth. You can deal with it when he says it about you. But it's when he turns to your mom to start yelling at her again that you snap.
You yell at him as you always do and as he tries to grab for you-- rough-- by the shirt you back up. Your mother intervenes and he doesn't hesitate to grab her by the some way, but in her own way she bears it long enough to assure him she'll get him what he wants and make a nice friend for him and his "card buddies". She then asks if you'd go to your room, which you do.
You listen to the noise of your stepfather yelling at her more when you enter. There's a sinking feeling that's always there-- he does more than yell at her some nights. And there's nothing you can do about it, or nothing she'll let you do. You kick something and stub your toe, hard. It's as your prancing around holding your foot that she comes in and you sheepishly stop. The toe of you sit on your bed for a few minutes and you ask her, for what must be the millionth time, why she was still with Gabe. Like always she ignores the question until she gets up to leave.
"Try to bear it, Percy. Gabe's done more for us then you'll know."
The words were true, though you wouldn't know it for several months more, but she was the best person in the world and you didn't know why she put herself through this.
Well, happy birthday to you.
What it is: Sig. Negative, "IMPLIED CANON/HEADCANON: Blue birthday cake"
It's August 18th. The most important day of the year to any kid is their birthday, but you're kind of dreading it. Sixth grade would be starting soon. Another year of struggling, another year of trying not to get expelled.
Today is still summer, though, and you're doing your best to make what you can of it. You've tried staying away from home today. You did most days in the summer since your step-father, Gabe Ugliano, often skipped out of work and you don't want to be around for him. So you spent time wandering the streets of New York until the person who's dog you were supposed to walk came home. Once you walked it you finally went home.
Gabe wasn't in yet, to your surprise. To a much better surprise your mother was already home and she was putting a cake out on the table. When did she manage to do that? It's a question but you can't help but smile. She's still dressed in her All American candy uniform and next to the cake she places a thing of candy and some coke-- Coincidentally all of the food, including the coke, is blue. Somehow. Your mom was good like that.
You happily sit at the table next to her and she asks her how your day was as she brushes through your hair. You happily munch on the candy and cake because this is the moments you enjoy most.
...But of course, it can't last long as suddenly the screen door slams open and the stench of your stepfather floods your nose. He's loud and has obviously brought friends and quite a few drinks with him. Card night. Is it ever not card night? He comes into the kitchen where the two of you are at and slams himself onto a chair. He immediately glares at the food on it and openly complains about why your mother has to do this-- food isn't supposed to be blue. And for some reason she turns a bit defiant about this as she raises to move the cake away: anything can be blue.
Gabe brushes that aside and demands some food and you move to get away from the table. He notices, of course he does, and rounds on you. Did you get into some trouble today, punk? Don't get expelled this year. The same hostility as always and you try to grit your teeth. You can deal with it when he says it about you. But it's when he turns to your mom to start yelling at her again that you snap.
You yell at him as you always do and as he tries to grab for you-- rough-- by the shirt you back up. Your mother intervenes and he doesn't hesitate to grab her by the some way, but in her own way she bears it long enough to assure him she'll get him what he wants and make a nice friend for him and his "card buddies". She then asks if you'd go to your room, which you do.
You listen to the noise of your stepfather yelling at her more when you enter. There's a sinking feeling that's always there-- he does more than yell at her some nights. And there's nothing you can do about it, or nothing she'll let you do. You kick something and stub your toe, hard. It's as your prancing around holding your foot that she comes in and you sheepishly stop. The toe of you sit on your bed for a few minutes and you ask her, for what must be the millionth time, why she was still with Gabe. Like always she ignores the question until she gets up to leave.
"Try to bear it, Percy. Gabe's done more for us then you'll know."
The words were true, though you wouldn't know it for several months more, but she was the best person in the world and you didn't know why she put herself through this.
Well, happy birthday to you.