My very first Percy Jackson fanfiction. I'm very depressed that the series has come to an end and just could not get out of the world or over the characters yet, so I decided to write and here we are. Thoughts and constructive criticism will be highly appreciated, so please review. Blood of Olympus spoilers and much, much more Percy and Annabeth POVs! ;-)

Happy reading …

Quest for Happiness

I

.ANNABETH.

Annabeth Chase rummaged through her evening purse for her car keys as she walked the paved sidewalk towards her vehicle. She was running late, nothing unusual there, because she hadn't the heart to leave her precious blueprints on a multi million dollar structure unfinished when she was at the final stages of design.

She knew Jason Grace and Piper McLean would kill her if she missed their rehearsal dinner, after numerous reminders, and so Annabeth had dressed in her office as best she could while fiddling with the designs on her laptop. The blonde haired demigod thanked the Gods that she was blessed with the wisdom to carry her change of clothes for the evening to work that day.

However, trying to dress herself while her grey eyes were focused on her laptop and her mind was thinking about structures ahead of where her one unoccupied hand was, proved to be a difficult feat for Annabeth.

Which was probably why she had shimmied half way into her dress before it stuck around her hips and she realised she had put the damn thing on the wrong way. Annabeth's dressing disaster also included falling when the wheeled chair she had been leaning on while trying to put on her ridiculous heels decided to roll away from her, no doubt finding her flailing hilarious.

Annabeth had then lost most of her hairpins while trying to coax her tresses into a half decent style, something she had never been good with, and so her blonde hair was now a mess of waves curling all around. The worst thing for the demigod Architect though, was sloshing a cup of stale coffee all over a document that Jason had already signed for her. An important piece of paper she needed to send through first thing tomorrow morning. So she had to re-print the document so she could get Jason to add his signature to it.

Annabeth knew Piper would not be pleased that the blonde demigod was bringing over work to the rehearsal dinner, however, considering she and Jason were getting married tomorrow, Annabeth couldn't afford for the document not to be signed. Graceful Architecture was a high standing, professional business after all and they never wavered. Besides, Piper should at least appreciate Annabeth not slotting in the document for signing while Jason was busy on their marriage licence tomorrow.

Annabeth's smirk faded on her lips as she cursed, "Shit."

There was paper, half eaten snack bars, gum wrappers, a dozen different coloured pens and even an imperial gold dagger sheathed in her bag, but no car keys. The grey eyed woman sucked on her upper teeth as she took in a deep breath and tried to find the damn thing.

"Gotcha." Annabeth crowed in victory as she happily made her way towards her car.

For a well organised mind, Annabeth struggled to keep her handbags or purses in order. They were her Achilles heel, unfortunately. Also, ever since opening up Graceful A with Jason, she had become so obsessed with her work that she barely had time for anything else now.

So, she also wasn't very pleased to be attending another wedding. Those things always made her feel as if she was a workaholic – which she was, but she didn't appreciate it being unintentionally rubbed in her face – and that she hadn't had a proper date in years. On the bright side, logic never failed her, so the daughter of Athena told herself that this upcoming nuptial was killing two friends with one stone.

Upon pressing the opening lock on her keys, Annabeth looked up and her eyes caught a sight of untidy black hair and broad shoulders across the street. Her heart immediately started to pick up speed and her stomach started to feel like lead had dropped into it. Annabeth's steps faltered slightly. The man across the road lifted up his dark head from staring at his mobile and she released a breath she had not realised she had been holding.

Chastising herself, Annabeth jumped into her car and locked the doors as was her habit now. She gripped her steering wheel with both hands and leaned back against the car seat.

She told herself that not everyone with black hair was her ex boyfriend, but she also knew why her mind – and unfortunately her heart – was reacting to every dark haired man she saw this week. Because he would be there tonight. Jason and Piper were just as much his friends as they were hers. The engaged couple would kill him if he didn't show as well. Although Annabeth knew that for all the occasions that he had missed, he would not be absent from an event as big as this. She may not know much else about him of late, but she knew that much for certain.

While busy in her office, as always, lost in her work, Annabeth had been able to forget her nerves over seeing him at the rehearsal dinner tonight. Now however, just a mop of black hair had her acting like a doe caught in head lights.

She, a daughter of the Goddess of wisdom, an independent woman of twenty-six years old. Annabeth who had defeated giants and crazy Goddesses, a young girl who had drank form the Phlegeton river and was blind for a period of time, should definitely be able to deal with seeing her ex boyfriend.

Even if that boy was Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, idolised hero, slayer of titans, her first love, etcetera, etcetera …

Annabeth closed her haunted grey eyes for a moment as she leaned her blonde head back. She felt emotions well inside of her, ones that she had not felt for a very long time since pushing them away. The last time she had seen him had been at another wedding, four years ago.

Percy had been scruffy and looked like he had lost a lot of weight. All the muscles that had been worked unasked into him at sixteen, from all the battles he had been in, seemed like it had been eaten away.

His hair had been shaggier than ever and she had not once seen his lips curve into a real smile. Again, Annabeth knew that had it been anything but a wedding, and not that of Frank Zhang's and Hazel Levesque's where he was asked to be best man, Percy would have not attended.

She herself had managed that wedding because a part of her had been longing to see Percy. Her wounds had still been fresh, bleeding, her anger still raw and directed solely at him, but the guilt had been all hers. For that alone, accepting her part in it, she had desperately wanted to run to him and hug him. Just to assure herself that he was fine. However, pride – her fatal flaw – and stubbornness, combined with Percy's indifferent attitude towards her that evening, had fiercely held Annabeth back.

After he had left New Rome, following their graduation from senior year, and after their nasty break up, no one had seen Percy for years. Annabeth knew that he kept in contact with Jason, Hazel and Frank, yet she had been hurt that he had not once tried to contact her. Or even replied to the message that she had sent him.

When Percy had only given her a perfunctory greeting, so cold even the ice goddess Khione would have been proud of it, Annabeth had been crushed. She was not able to tell, even today, how she had managed to blink back her stupid tears and give him a restrained smile.

"It's good to see you." That was what she had said to him. After which she would kick herself for days, for that stupid line.

It had seemed polite and friendly at the time, something that didn't mean "I missed you so much" or "Where have you been?" or worse, "Why haven't you replied to my message?" Instead his green eyes, once so warm and glowing, pierced her, icily and shuttered. So closed of was Percy Jackson, her friend for eight years, her boyfriend for three, that he became a stranger to her.

His reply had strangled Annabeth's heart. "Is it?" He had asked and Annabeth would forever be grateful for the demigod who had unintentionally bumped into her from behind that day.

While she had been jerked forward, it had caused her to spill her drink on Percy's rumpled shirt. Annabeth had tired to apologise to him, but for some reason she hadn't. She had been internally pleased that she had mistakenly thrown her drink on him while he stood so casually and unmoved before her.

Standing there as if they hadn't been through Tartarus and back together, hadn't saved each other on numerous occasions, dealt with deadly monsters together … as if they had never meant something to each other before. As if all their problems were entirely her fault.

Annabeth shook her head in the present. Giving herself a stern "no", she reminded herself that dwelling on things which had already past only kept her from moving forward. She would not be sucked into that crushing vortex that no longer held a place in her life.

She wished that she could renege on being Piper's bridesmaid, she hated that she had no choice but to be paired with Percy. Frank refused to take his eyes off a very pregnant Hazel, ever the doting husband. If it wasn't so romantic, Annabeth might have rebuffed that kind of behaviour. Thalia refused to swap Leo for Percy with her.

"They're not Mythomagic cards, Anna banana." Thalia had said sternly when Annabeth had spoken to her best friend last. "Besides, I can't go the whole torturous event would out being able to laugh."

"Percy has a sense of humour too." Annabeth had said, his name still having a bit of a sticky effect in her throat.

Thalia had laughed. "No, he doest. Have you seen him lately, all dark and brooding."

"No, I haven't actually." Annabeth felt the familiar sting of knowing that one of her friends had seen him when she hadn't. That was the downside of sharing all the same friends. Friends who had become family, and you couldn't stop being family with friends.

The awkward silence that followed was enough to make Annabeth bid Thalia good bye. Now Annabeth was stuck with standing directly opposite Percy throughout an entire wedding ceremony.

She would have to walk down the isle with her hand in Percy's, be close enough to smell him again …

Annabeth would have to sit next to him through an entire five course meal and worse … dance with him.

"Stop it!" Annabeth chided herself sternly.

She opened her eyes again and vanished all images of Percy Jackson from her mind. She placed her keys in the ignition and started her car, making sure her lights were on and herself safely buckled in. Annabeth drove off, using the drive to don on the mask she wore with employees now.

A detached air surrounded her, like the expensive perfume she wore, strength poured into her as she pictured going into battle against a six foot tall giant, her nerves started to relax as she reminded herself that it was only two evenings. It was simply another clash that she could get through.

As it happened, Percy had not been present at the rehearsal dinner that night. While Piper and Hazel gave her side long glances of concern, which made Annabeth grip her fork tighter and suck on her upper teeth to avoid snapping at them, she heard Jason reassure Frank that the wonderful Percy Jackson had promised he would be at the wedding.

Her nerves were wrought. Annabeth was as tightly wound as a spring and she knew she had to wait to get home to rid herself of all the anger and hurt surrounding her. She tried to remember that she had vowed never to let a man affect her the way Percy had. And the way he had, had been a long time ago.

Annabeth moved the floaty organza to the side so she could peep past it and admire the décor that made up the garden venue for Jason and Piper's wedding.

Blood red organza draped thick stone pillars of deep brown, glowing gold roses bunched together to accentuate the rich colours, holding the magnificent décor together as it sat upon healthy green fauna and bathed in the orange dusks of the day.

"Annabeth." The blonde haired demigod looked over her shoulder to see the groom's sister wearing an exasperated expression as the girl called to her. "We need to get dressed before the guests arrive." Thalia reminded her.

Annabeth nodded. "I'll be right there." She said as she made a shooing gesture with the back of one hand. The dark haired hunter huffed, shook her head and ran off.

Annabeth was still in a pair of old jeans and faded t-shirt, her hair and make-up not yet done, but the temptation of getting a sneak peak into Piper's wedding décor was too much to resist. When the grey eyed woman took in her fill, she turned around hurriedly and made to dash back to the lodge the bridal party was situated in, when she ran smack dab into someone.

Strong hands steadied her. The smile on her lips faltered and the apology she was about to spew died on her tongue.

Of all the people in the world, she just had to run straight into Percy Jackson. Annabeth pictured how the three old fates must be laughing at her now. Annabeth regained her bearings as Percy helped her stay on her feet. While she looked at him, she realised that he had changed. If it hadn't been for those sea green eyes, his familiar sea scent and the way his hands made her skin tingle, she would almost not have guessed it was him.

He had changed in the four years since she had seen him last. He was slightly taller, broader, and … different.

His thick black hair was cropped short, settling around his head in silky strands that looked more fashionable than unruly now. Annabeth could see the few strands of grey hair he had been awarded for carrying the sky at fourteen. Yet it made him look all the more distinguished and not weird.

Annabeth realised she was marvelling at him as if he were some complex but beautiful architectural design. Her eyes met his and his warm breath fanned across her face making her realise that she was still standing with his hands around both her arms. Close to Percy.

She immediately stepped back from his hold. He released her and Annabeth felt an odd sense of bitterness wash over her at this. Percy didn't speak, his eyes simply staring at her, but she caught the way his fists clenched at his sides, obviously wishing he was anywhere but there, with her then.

"Sorry." Annabeth muttered, unsure what exactly she was apologising for.

"At least you didn't spill wine all over me this time." His voice was deeper but still his. His sense of humour still present but neither of those made Annabeth any less confused and tense.

"I have to go." Before he said anything else, she dashed off. He didn't try to stop her and she was a little disappointed that he hadn't. Then she scolded herself for feeling so inappropriately.

In a way, she was pleased that she had bumped into Percy before the ceremony began. Or she might have been so startled by his change of appearance that she would have tripped with her high heels and the ridiculously long train to her bridesmaid dress. Once safely beside Hazel, Annabeth studied him further, surreptitiously beneath a hooded gaze.

The cut of his suit hugged his body perfectly and Annabeth could not deny that Percy had grown up into a devastating man. He had been scruffy and unkempt at Frank and Hazel's wedding, but still with his underlying power that always made him seem formidable when he wanted to be, now though, he seemed like a completely different person.

There was a hint of a smile on his firm lips yet she could see what Thalia meant when the hunter had said that Percy was all dark and brooding now. He was more composed, more masculine and Annabeth didn't know how she felt about that change in him. A transformation she had not been apart of.

A resounding sound, like a call to something great resounded around them and the voices became louder as all the guests looked around. Annabeth was no exception and she gazed down the isle to see Piper on the arm of her father. There was something entrancing about the moment.

Piper was a vision. Annabeth realised that no words could truly describe how the daughter of Aphrodite looked on her wedding day. She glided down the isle like a beautiful swan, her slim fitting ivory dress moving hypnotically with every step she took. There were blazing red Cherokee designs around the waist and train of Piper's dress though and it was a spectacular addition to an otherwise simple ensemble. Annabeth felt silly for thinking that her own train had been too long. Piper's could have easily made a second dress, with some to spare.

Annabeth's friend was gorgeous. Her dark locks were swept up with one thick, red and gold feather in the centre of it all. Piper's smile was so radiant that everyone present could not help but react positively to it. Like a happier emotional reaction to Charmspeak.

The ceremony was somewhat exotic and truly engrossing that Annabeth was thankful for it. Her eyes rarely strayed to Percy.

That did not last long however. Jason gave Piper a leg popping kiss that had everyone cheering and white doves soaring into the sky, seemingly out of nowhere. Annabeth smiled hopelessly as she realised that that must have been Aphrodite's doing. As if conjuring the goddess from her thoughts, Annabeth's gaze caught a human sized Aphrodite at the back of the crowd, winking at Piper, who mouthed a teary thank you to her mother before the goddess of love vanished.

When Jason escorted his new wife down the raised stage, Annabeth carefully stepped towards the middle, where Percy stood waiting for her. Even after all the years gone by, he still made her heart gallop like a wild Pegasus. It was silly and it frustrated her to no end.

They stood face to face. After what seemed like sometime too long, Annabeth felt strange, awkward before him now. She realised belatedly that it was because she hardly knew him any longer. He had changed, not just physically, but in a way that even Annabeth couldn't explain. And as much as it hurt her, it also left her feeling a little less tense at their situation. As if he was nothing but a passing acquaintance now, her past with him non-existent. Annabeth idly wondered if that was how Percy saw her now as well. If that was what made him so immune to her.

"Hi." He said softly, as if there wasn't a swirling storm brewing between them.

"Hey." Annabeth managed and apparently he needed no more. He offered her a crooked arm and Annabeth nodded, unsure if she was telling him that she accepted his hand or if she was bracing herself to take it.

Her palm felt tiny and inconsequential nestled in the crook of his arm, and even through the stiff well tailored suit, she felt his muscles flex beneath her hand. Annabeth resisted the urge to clench her fingers and lifted her head high, walking swiftly down the isle towards the dinning area for the evening.

Percy pulled out her chair for her on the main table and Annabeth was almost about to say, "Never thought you could be such a gentlemen, Seaweed Brain."

However the amused glint – the first sign of any kind of emotion Percy had shown her for seven years – in his flinty green eyes, as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking, made Annabeth bite her tongue and sit down with a polite thank you.

It was torture. Sitting next to Percy, the cool scent of the sea invading her senses, his cheerful conversation with Frank and Hazel made her feel ridiculously left out. Even though Hazel and Frank involved her in their conversation Annabeth wanted to churlishly demand that Percy be the one to enquire about her well being. It stung that he hadn't even gazed at her since they had sat down.

Leo Valdez' speech was a reprieve. "Jason and Piper have been two of the best friends we could ever have asked for. They were understanding, always there for us and everything a hero should be like."

Many of the demigods in attendance smiled broadly at the pun. Annabeth felt the tension ease from her shoulders as Leo's humour washed over her as well. Leo always had a way of lightening up even the dreariest of situations. She was eternally grateful that she and all her friends had not had to mourn him forever. Leo had built his way to them before a year of his "death" had passed and it had made the heroes of Olympus feel whole again. United, no longer with a gaping chasm hanging between them, restricting them from moving forward.

Yet his return with Calypso in tow, had only given Annabeth a flitting feeling of relief as her problems with Percy slowly started to eat away at her and eventually at her relationship with him. They were young and naïve, thinking that real life could not be as difficult as killing monsters and defeating psycho goddesses. It had turned out to be worse, more difficult, leaving them helpless with no proper way of dealing with what had happened.

"It wasn't always easy for Jason and Pipes." The amount of emotion in Leo's voice touched all their friends. Annabeth realised then that it hadn't been easy for any of them. As couples they had all had their fair share of overcoming and dealing to do.

Hazel and Frank, the most stable couple anyone knew had had issues. Piper and Jason had come close to splitting apart once, but had found their way back to each other. Leo had to die before he met Calypso again, and even then they had had adjustment to make. Tonight though, seeing Calypso sitting across from Leo, her normally withdrawn eyes glowing with pride and love for him, spoke volumes to Annabeth.

They had worked past their issues and yet Annabeth and Percy, of all the couples, had fell part. They had crumbled from the inside out, tearing each other apart and leaving the other to cope in the wake of the destruction alone. This made the blonde daughter of Athena faintly envious over her other friends. She and Percy hadn't made it.

"They would never have made it without the great Valdez between them, of course." Laughter followed this as Leo mock bowed. His expression took on a rare moment of mature seriousness then, something he had grown into. "There were times when everything they had shared seemed like it had never really happened in the first place." Annabeth focused on Leo's words again. "Like it was nothing but a lie, a fleeting memory that you weren't allowed to keep." She frowned as Leo looked pointedly at her for a moment, but told herself that he was merely addressing the entire crowd.

"However, they never gave up on each other, they always stood by one another and here they are." Everyone lifted their glasses to this and Leo nodded his dark head before holding up his free hand to show that he wasn't yet done.

"I'm not saying that marriage ensures happy every single day, or that their wont be any problems in the future, but what I am certain off, is that these two, they can overcome anything now. To Jason and Piper Grace."

Short and sweet but to the point. Everyone stood and cheered for the newly married couple.

Annabeth knew that she could not not dance with Percy, as he was her partner for the evening but she consoled herself with the fact that as long as she did her one obligatory dance with him, she would not be asked to torture herself any longer.

When he stood up tall, looming over her, Annabeth immediately rose, not appreciating feeling small compared to him. As if reading her thoughts he gave her one of his indecent smirks, those lopsided grins of his that had always made him so attractive and endearing.

Annabeth placed her palm in Percy's large one, his long and strong fingers curled around hers, green eyes staring right into hers. He tugged her forward and when they were on the dance floor, he curved his arms around her. Embracing her with warmth and a familiar, nostalgic feeling.

For a brief moment she felt sixteen again. Sure in Percy's feelings for her, loved and happy. Even with all that they had been through, even while awoken from nightmares in a screaming, sweaty disoriented mess, Percy's warm arms were always strong and reassuring, his whispers against her temple making her feel loved – unconditionally.

Annabeth wanted to weep for her past but that wasn't really her style. She always bore her burdens all on her own. For a short time she had trusted that she could lean on Percy, they would help each other, but it hadn't lasted. They had drifted apart, forgotten how they were, how they should be, could have been and instead, pushed each other away.

They had been dealing with demons. Some shared, some of their own. It hadn't been an easy time. The feelings Tartarus had burdened them with had only bubbled and boiled inside of them, pushing its way up until they could no longer contain it. At first they had stifled the experience to fight in the final battle with Gaea. Then there had been the stress of making decisions and completing their senior year.

Again everything was pushed aside. Until New Rome. Until homesickness and fear came forth at the place where both their journeys had begun at. Threatening to swallow them whole. In turn, they had sacrificed their relationship. They had let go of each other to carry themselves ashore, to safety.

In hindsight, maybe it had been for the best. Annabeth had refused to examine everything that had gone so badly wrong between Percy and her before, but maybe letting go had been the best thing for them both. Annabeth hadn't realised that she had relaxed in Percy's hold until he stiffened. Her cheek was pressed intimately against his chest and immediately she whipped her head away.

"The song's over." He told her and Annabeth concluded that he was right, it was over and maybe this was just the closure that she needed.

She nodded and watched his jaw unclench as she stepped away from his hold. It seemed like Percy couldn't quite hide every mannerism that gave him away to her after all. Giving him a full, if somewhat rusty smile, Annabeth walked away from him … again.

.PERCY.

Perseus Jackson watched as Annabeth Chase walked away from him. Again. The sight of her graceful back presented to him stirred up something in him that he refused to identify.

He walked back to his table, choosing to sit and watch the people he hadn't seen in a while, as he kept one eye on Annabeth. She had changed, physically the differences she exuded were very visible to him, yet they also seemed to highlight how much she was still the same as well.

Her steely eyes, lemony scent and thick blonde hair were all the things that had haunted his dreams for years. It had been worse than his nightmares about monsters or raving goddesses. However, he had persevered, moving away from the one thing that had made him the happiest and unhappiest all at the same time and Percy always came back to Reyna's words, the advice she had given him, taken from the hunter Orion.

"No one can hate you with more intensity than someone who used to love you." Reyna had explained.

He hadn't understood it until Annabeth had began to push him away. Until he had allowed her to do just that. He had failed her and she had walked away from him for it. They had hurt each other, something Percy had never thought they would do to one another.

Yet life had never been easy for him and he had been naïve to think that just because he had fought evil giants and raging monsters in a war, just because he was a demigod, that he could handle normal life easily. That all his human troubles would be nothing compared to what he had already been through.

Percy had been wrong. He couldn't slash through his problems and vaporize them with out thinking twice about it, there were dastardly after effects to feel, to deal with. He wasn't able to run from them either, and for the first time he had been overwhelmed, lost. He and Annabeth had had no logical solution to any of their issues back then. The pain, the guilt, the want to always help – his fatal flaw – had eventually overtaken him, consumed him and left him feeling helpless.

He had never felt that way before. Not until Tartarus. He should have listened to Sally Jackson. His mother was one of the wisest people he knew. Annabeth and he had needed counselling, they had needed someone else to talk to. However they had been teenagers, thinking that they knew everything now that they were invincible, that they had seen it all.

And maybe they had, when it came to monsters and battle, they were physically strong and built well, yet emotionally … emotionally they had not been prepared to deal with the onslaught of post traumatic stress that eventually caught up to them. There had been no easy escape from that.

At first it had been easy to push it away, focus on being so busy at rebuilding, yet when it came time to settle down, time to let go, they hadn't known how to.

Percy had learned better though, even Annabeth had, that much was clear to him. They weren't children anymore. They were grown adults, and yet there were some things that you could not go back from.

Some distances were too far to bridge, some wounds ran too deep to heal. In trying to come together, Percy and Annabeth had only ripped each other further apart. For only the second time in his life, he had been drowning, struggling to keep afloat, unable to breathe underwater. And just like the first time, it was because of the bitterness and poison of the water he had been surrounded in.

When Percy had left, that had been the breaking point that both he and Annabeth had needed to become better people. To build themselves into whom they really wanted to be, who they were meant to be. Something they had never been able to do while demanding more from each other, a more neither was able to give without personally falling apart.

"You okay?" Percy only nodded as he had already sensed Frank pulling up a chair next to him. He kept his green eyes on Annabeth as she danced with Chuck, or more like as she gently swung Chuck's hands from side to side while she stepped in circles with the hidden hoofed satyr child.

"Thanks, man." Percy said sincerely. He may not want or need to talk about the past any longer, but he was still touched that Frank could tell how much it still affected him. Most of his friends could, Percy was fine with that, as long as Annabeth couldn't see it.

Their separation had been hell, worse than walking through Tartarus. Percy did not want to think what a second round of that pain would be like. He would not stand by and watch Annabeth, the strongest girl he knew, break apart in front of him again.

"Hazel and I have wanted to do this for a long time, Percy, but I wanted to do it in person. Not via Iris message."

This got Percy's attention. "Yeah?" He turned around in his chair to look at his friend.

"Hazel and I want you to be our baby's Godfather." Frank was not short of confidence in himself any longer, yet he was still somewhat of a shy man and he always thought of other peoples' feelings first. He would never want to inconvenience another or put anyone in an uncomfortable position. "Only if you're alright with that I mean."

Percy found himself genuinely smiling after a very long time. "Of course, man. I'll be honoured." He swung his arm around Frank's shoulders and they embraced each other like brothers.

That was when Hazel waddled over. Her large belly only made her look more like a woman though. There was nothing unattractive about a pregnant Hazel – which was lucky for Frank, Percy had heard that pregnant woman could be drakon scary. Hazel placed her hand on Percy's, the one around Frank's shoulders. Percy stood and embraced her, kissing her cheek as he whispered his acceptance to her as well.

Percy had not felt this invigorated in years, as if he had a new purpose now. "I'll teach the kid lots of things." Percy said proudly, already feeling an overwhelming amount of love for the unborn child.

It was strange that Percy wasn't in the least burdened or fearful about being given such a huge responsibility, but he suspected that being a cool uncle would be an experience he could handle.

"Which means you'll have to be around more often." Hazel said sternly but slyly and Percy grinned at her.

"Actually, I plan on moving back home."

"You're coming back to New Rome?" Frank could barely contain the glee in his voice, as he shared a shocked but hopeful look with Hazel.

That was when Percy truly realised that he had made the right decision after all. Frank assuming that Percy meant New Rome when he spoke about home instantly sealed his decision for him.

He felt lighter than he had felt the entire evening. As if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Percy didn't think it would be very easy to face all his demons back at New Rome, but he knew that he was ready.