I Get My Favorite Dessert
Annabeth dropped by early to help make dinner with my mom, my stepdad, and me.
Grover and Juniper showed up about an hour later. Being thoughtful, Grover brought my mom a potted orchid. Being a dryad, Juniper brought a juniper seedlingโmeaning part of her life-source. I hoped we wouldnโt get confused and end up planting Juniper in a pot by mistake. Otherwise, sheโd end up having to live at the Jackson-Blofis apartment. If the orchid had a name, Grover didnโt introduce them.
I hadnโt seen my stepdad Paul all week, so he filled me in on what was happening at his high schoolโall the funny stories about his colleagues and his students. The only thing I regretted about having Paul in the family was that Iโd never gotten to have him as a teacher. I suspected I wouldโve enjoyed his class. He cracked us all up talking about his friend Mr. Bigly (yeah, real name), who got halfway through his PowerPoint presentation on the periodic table before realizing he was showing the kids a slideshow of
his family trip to the Grand Canyon.
โAnd I heard you saw ChโMr. Brunner,โ Paul added.
โYou can call him Chiron,โ I said. โEverybody here knows.โ
โOh, right.โ Paul grinned sheepishly. It was sometimes hard to keep track of who knew about who in Greek Mythology World. โWell, Iโm glad he finished up at Alternative High. Heโs supposed to sub for me next Thursday when I have jury duty.โ
I tried to imagine Chiron teaching Paulโs class. It was almost as weird as imagining Paul on jury duty. If he got impaneled, Paul would probably have the whole jury performing scenes from Shakespeare within a few days.
Chiron would have Paulโs students sparring with swords, which Paul would probably be fine with.
โJuniper, dear,โ my mom said, โis salad all right for you? I didnโt even think to ask what dryads find appropriate.โ
Juniper grinned. โThat is so thoughtful. Iโm fine with salad, Sally, but thanks for asking. Dryads will eat just about any nutrients we can absorb.โ
Leave it to my mom to ask. Iโd never even considered whether dryads ate. I shouldโve been more sensitive, I guess. Sometimes folks at camp asked if I avoided eating seafood because I was the son of Poseidon and could talk to fish or whatever. I always answered that no, I ate fish. Have you ever talked to one? They donโt have a lot to say. Mostly it boils down toย Are you food? Am I food?ย Eating them is the only way to answer the question.
Obviously, I donโt consume the smart species like octopuses, dolphins, sharks, and manta rays. Dude, if you ever need an animal to help with your physics homework, manta rays are geniuses.
Grover and Juniper set the table. Usually that was my job, but it was fun watching them being domestic together. Can nature spirits be called
domestic? Whatever. They were cute, nudging each other and giggling and making moony eyes.
Annabeth got the casserole out of the oven as she chatted with Paul about her latest architecture assignment. Paul seemed to find her schoolwork fascinating, though he didnโt know much about design. My mom just hummed to herself and smiled, happy to be surrounded by positive energy.
Once at the dinner table, we dug in. Grover, Annabeth, and I recounted the adventures of the week, trying to focus on the stuff that was funny in retrospect, not the stuff that almost got us killed. Sometimes it was hard to separate the two, but my mom was in tears laughing when I recounted my wild ride through the lingerie department with Hecuba, a detail I had previously omitted.
โI shouldโve had you pick up some things for me,โ she said. โDonโt make it weirder,โ I grumbled.
โAnd this recommendation letter,โ Paul said. โDid it really just say Hecate recommends you forย things?โ
โWell, yeah.โ
โSo we donโt get to help you write your own letter this time,โ my mom said. โThatโs a shame.โ
I shuddered. I did not want team-writing my recommendation letters to become a tradition.
โDoes well with animals,โ Grover volunteered. โIs widely traveled,โ Annabeth added.
โWears a bra on his ankle,โ Juniper offered, then frowned. โSorry. I have trouble with human jokes. Was that too much?โ
Everybody laughed. Even I smiled.
โOkay, ha-ha,โ I said. โWe can add those to my third letter, if I ever get it.โ โOh, you will,โ Annabeth said.
โWeโll be here to help you!โ Grover promised. โEven if it means that you two have to leave for California afterward.โ
โHey, now,โ said Juniper, squeezing Groverโs wrist. โI told you, donโt worry about that. Because no matter where you go, your roots are where youโre planted. And this right hereโโshe gestured around the tableโโthese are Percyโs and Annabethโs roots.โ
That stopped us. Sometimes the greatest wisdom comes from a juniper bush.
โOf course,โ Grover said. โAnd my girlfriendโs roots are literally right here.โ He nudged the juniper clipping she had brought.
We all laughed, but Juniper was right. Looking around the table, I knew I was where I belonged, and even if we moved across the country, Annabeth and I would always have a home here. We wouldnโt be leaving anything behind. Weโd just be spreading out our branches.
โWell,โ I said, โin that case, whatโs for dessert?โ
โHow โbout this?โ Annabeth kissed me, which was better than any dessertโ andย a whole lotย better than candy corn.