He was grateful when he heard Percy speak rather than leave, and even more so when he felt him move closer. Hesitating for a moment, he finally looked up at him, wishing he'd know what to do.
'I don't have all the answers, or even enough of them, but I know in my heart that giving up just isn't the right one.'
He paused, a bit surprised that Percy wanted to meet his mum. It hadn't occurred to him that he might see it as he was preferring Susan, though when he looked at it now he guessed he could see the point.
'Percy, I-' he sighed. 'If I could, I'd take you to meet her now, only-' a flicker of pain crossed his face as he left the sentence unspoken. 'I do wish you could have met her, she would have liked you, I think.'
He let his hand glide over to where Percy's fists were resting, the movement small enough not to bring him pain as he covered on of Percy's hands with his. 'Susan found out about mum when Fenrir and his pack attacked the area she lived in. I went there first, before joining the battle, to get her out to safety. Susan caught me trying to sneak off and wouldn't let me leave unless I took her with me. She wouldn't even have known of her otherwise, let alone met her.'
'She only met her again because mum invited her over my head, not because I brought her there or initiated it. You can even ask her of that.' He paused, trying to read the expression on Percy's face.
'You were the one I told. The one I chose to trust, not because I had no other choice but because I simply trusted you with what at the time was most important secret in my life.'