I'm just starting to read the Percy Jackson books, so if I made any mistakes involving characters who show up later on, I apologize in advance. I do have a few major spoilers (like the Fates), but I'm sure there are far more dedicated fans out there who'll notice things I've missed… Please be kind!
Sandwiches, Lemonade, and School Troubles
Two six-year-old boys were in the front yard, mowing the lawn as part of their punishment. Both wore straw hats that were slightly too big for them and held tools that posed no real danger. From a distance, they looked like miniature farmers hard at work... or at least trying to look the part.
All the neighbors knew that, in just a few minutes, their mother would come out with fresh lemonade, let them wrap up the "punishment"... and then call the real gardener. Because, of course, trusting those two with the lawn was more of a parenting strategy than an actual landscaping effort.
After all, it was just another normal day at that house. A cheerfully chaotic home with two little troublemakers everyone on the block knew. It wasn't unusual to see them doing chores as punishment, always under the watchful eye of their mother, who made sure they didn't get hurt—or destroy anything important.
Every time someone passed by, they smiled at them warmly and waved with amused affection, as if the boys were the live-action version of a family sitcom.
Meanwhile, next door, a couple stepped out of their house with their son—a boy about the same age as the brothers, though noticeably chubbier. The father had a thick mustache and a permanently offended expression, as if the entire world was constantly doing something wrong. The mother was a blonde woman with a neck so long, one could swear she used it to spy over fences. Sally had already caught her more than once blatantly snooping toward her house without a hint of subtlety.
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley," greeted Harry and Percy brightly, waving innocently.
In return, they received nothing but a look of disdain from the adults… and a mocking smirk from the pudgy kid.
Vernon Dursley, the man of the house, barely contained a grimace of disgust upon hearing those two "weirdos" speak to him. He hurried his wife and son into the car with all the urgency of escaping a fire.
Any chance he got, he would complain about the neighbors. Even though they had already been living there for years, he always insisted that Privet Drive wasn't meant for that kind of people. What infuriated him most was that they had moved into the house right next door. Vernon was the sort of man who hated anything he couldn't explain with a spreadsheet and a neatly pressed tie.
Harry and Percy exchanged a knowing grin as the Dursleys sped off, leaving almost a trail of dust behind them.
Yes, Sally Jackson had moved to England. She had read the letter addressed to Petunia Dursley—the one that said Harry had to stay close to his blood relatives. But it never said he had to live with them. So Sally did the logical thing: she moved in next door. Harry's bedroom shared a wall with the Dursleys'… and that was close enough. No need to subject him to that dreadful family.
Percy, meanwhile, had stopped being chased by strange creatures. Maybe it was the magical protection that surrounded Harry, or maybe that mysterious woman had kept her end of the bargain. Whatever the reason, they now lived as brothers, raised by Sally with equal love. And they got along great… most of the time.
Of course, they had their moments. Like when they blamed each other for making the preschool sink explode. Or when the teacher showed up with hair so long it nearly touched the floor. The two of them were quickly labeled as "weird" by their classmates. But luckily, they were weird together. And that made all the difference.
Just then, Sally stepped outside with a tray in her hands. The boys, like trained actors, quickly grabbed their tools and pretended to be sweating buckets and working hard.
Sally shook her head with an amused smile.
"All right. Go inside and take a shower. And listen carefully: if you don't behave this week, we are not going to the zoo next weekend."
"Yes, Mom!" the two of them replied in unison, their faces lighting up with excitement before dashing into the house like the zoo was some hidden treasure waiting to be claimed.
Sally watched them with affection—those two little whirlwinds that filled her home with noise, chaos… and love. She gently closed the door behind her, with the kind of smile only a mother can wear.
…
At school… things weren't so easy.
Percy didn't do very well. He had been diagnosed some time ago with dyslexia and ADHD, which turned most classes into a slow kind of torture. Harry, on the other hand, didn't have any official diagnosis, but he was often caught staring out the window like he was waiting for a dragon to fly by. That usually meant the teacher had to scold them—again—much to the amusement of their classmates.
During recess, the two brothers sat alone on a bench off to the side, quietly eating their lunches: two exactly identical sandwiches, like culinary twins. They watched the rest of the kids run and scream like maniacs, while they just chewed in peace.
Until the peace was broken.
"Well, well, look what we have here… the neighborhood freaks," said a mocking voice as a group approached. Percy and Harry looked up at the same time, already wearing the weary expression of someone who knew exactly what was coming.
They were surrounded by Dudley Dursley and his inseparable band of misfits:
Piers Polkiss: skinny, rat-faced, gossipy, and mean—like an angry little weasel.
Malcolm: tall, quiet, with the personality of a shadow.
Gordon: big, clumsy, and so easily manipulated he probably thought being there was his own idea.
Dennis: thin, fast, and louder than a fire alarm.
"That's really mean to say… aren't they your friends?" Percy asked with the most venomous innocence he could muster, pointing to Dudley's gang.
That was more than enough to get under their skin.
"What did you say, you freak?" growled Piers, stepping forward with all the confidence of someone who thought backup made them invincible.
Harry's eyes widened. Oh no… he thought. Diplomacy had officially exited the scene.
"Do you really need this many just to face two kids? Can't you handle us on your own?" Percy said, fearless as always. Harry sighed, already preparing to either defend his brother… or suffer alongside him.
"Hey! You there! What's going on?" came an adult voice. A teacher was approaching with firm steps and a serious look.
All the boys immediately stood up straight, as if they hadn't just been about to start a playground brawl.
"Professor, those two are bothering us!" Piers shouted quickly, pointing at Harry and Percy like they were dangerous criminals armed with sandwiches.
"That's not true!" Harry and Percy said in unison.
"You two again?" the teacher said, giving them a look that practically screamed these two again, like they had VIP memberships to the troublemaker club.
"How can you believe two kids would pick a fight with five? Especially if we count the weight of two of them!" Percy quipped, glancing at Dudley and Gordon. That made both of them turn red with rage.
"It's because unlike you, who bring chaos wherever you go, they don't usually cause me problems," the teacher said, glaring at Dudley's group before turning back to Harry and Percy. "You two, go eat your lunch inside the classroom."
Percy opened his mouth to argue, but Harry gently placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Going inside wasn't the worst option—especially if it meant staying far away from Dudley's fan club.
As they walked toward the classroom, the group shot them mocking looks, as if they had somehow won something. But really, if being Dudley Dursley was the prize… it wasn't much of a victory.
…
"I'm pretty sure that teacher hates us," Percy muttered as soon as they stepped into the empty classroom.
"He wouldn't be the first… or the last," Harry replied calmly. "Remember the math teacher?"
Percy burst out laughing. "You're right. But just for the record: I had nothing to do with the pipe. I was just getting a drink from the water fountain."
Harry laughed too. He remembered it clearly—Percy bent down to take a sip and suddenly, BOOM! the faucet exploded, soaking the teacher from head to toe. Her books flew everywhere, and she slipped on the wet floor like a cartoon character.
After the laughter faded, Harry's expression turned serious for a moment.
"We promised Mom we'd behave. We don't want to get expelled."
"Yeah, I know," Percy said, sounding resigned. "But seriously, that fat guy and his gang deserve what's coming to them. They think they run the school. Dudley even wants people to call him 'Big D'! Probably for his big... belly."
"We can't win against him," Harry muttered, remembering bitterly. "If we even touch him, his parents start whining like he's some fallen angel. And then Mom has to deal with it all over again."
If there was one thing Harry hated more than Mondays, it was the Dursleys. They always found a way to spit poison whenever they talked about his family. They said he and Percy were "weird," that Percy had "mental problems," and that Sally was just a single mother with two kids and some silly dream of being a writer.
But Sally worked hard. She wrote with passion, published regularly… and even if she wasn't famous yet, her books were starting to sell. But for the Dursleys—especially Vernon, who thought he was king of the world because he worked at a drill company—anything that wasn't a "real job" was a waste of time.
Harry and Percy didn't need their approval.
They had lemonade, matching sandwiches, and each other.
And that was more than enough.