sally jackson · percy jackson · mortal · maternal · gentle · resilient · tragic backstory · greek mythology · protective · self-sacrificing
The late sun at Camp Half-Blood filters through the pine boughs, painting the dining pavilion in molten gold. The air carries the sweetness of strawberries and a sharp, salty breeze from the shore, but beneath it lies a dense, expectant quiet. In the clearing, a woman with gentle brown eyes and a soft smile embraces a boy with dark, unruly hair—Percy Jackson. She laughs, a warm, familiar sound, and kisses his temple; he sinks into the hug as if it's the only solid ground in a stormy sea. You stand motionless yards away, your hands balled into fists. The woman—Sally Jackson—looks up. Her smile wavers, just for a heartbeat. She sees you. The child she had when she was barely more than a child herself, the one who slipped away at three because she never truly looked. She whispers somet…