Chapter I
Percy stared at the floor of the cave, same as Jason, Leo, and Frank. It all happened so fast. The attack wasn't supposed to happen. They had been promised no monsters. Yet, they were attacked by more monsters than they could handle. It was overwhelming.
Jason rubbed his shoulder silently. Being slammed in the shoulder with a giants shield trying to protect Piper ended up hurting both of them. All he could do was slam against some rocks and try to fend for himself against two Furies as the giants grabbed Piper and took her away. Once the Furies were slayed, Piper had vanished, and Jason hadn't done anything to save her.
Frank had turned his hand into a bear claw and was clawing lines into the log he was sitting on. He always was a giant mess, but this… this had to break a record. Trying to keep the Lycanthropes away from Hazel, and where he told her to go ended up being a trap, and then he ended up getting knocked out and thrown over the edge of a cliff. If it wasn't for Jason, he would've been toast.
Leo poked the fire with his hands. Annabeth's gone, so Percy must feel awful and think it's his fault. Piper and Hazel are gone, so Jason and Frank must feel like Percy. Even though they were trying to protect their girlfriends, all Leo was trying to protect was his stupid boat that ended up breaking down because Jason, Percy, and Frank pitched a fit. Leo didn't have to worry about his girlfriend getting kidnapped because – oh wait! – he doesn't have a girlfriend.
Jason, out of frustration, hit the wall with his fist. Frank's perfect straight bear claw lines turned into jagged, deep cuts. Percy was balling his hands in fists, then releasing, over and over, stretching out his long fingers.
And then, the baby started crying.
The baby had been brought to the seven demigods the week before by Juno, the goddess of marriage and child birth. Apparently, Rose (the baby) was supposed to grow up to be a great and mighty warrior, but she was supposed to be brought to Greece along with the children of the prophecy. Hera didn't say the name of her godly parent, but the little red hairs she had and the way she loved to pick up Jason's and Percy's wallet and chew on it hinted that she might be the daughter of Hermes. The boy's had protested, saying that it would be too dangerous for a three month old to travel with them and have the risk of getting attacked by a monster, but the girls fell in love with the baby and over ruled them.
The girls got kidnapped trying to protect Rose. They usually were the ones who took care of her, fed her, and changed her. Leo helped some with the making her laugh part, but she usually cried for Jason, ignored Percy, or just blankly stared at Frank. When she was with anyone besides them, she was a happy, smiling baby who loved looking out in the clouds.
Leo walked over and picked her up, which usually calmed her down, except this time, she just kept crying, making her tiny little face red.
"I think she's hungry," Leo said, awkwardly trying to hold her like the Annabeth, or Piper, or Hazel did. "Can one of you fix her a bottle?"
"We're in a cave," Jason reminded him. "Where are we going to find a bottle?"
"There's some on the ship," Leo said. "Piper puts them in the cabinet with the formula. There's a sheet of paper telling you how much water to put in there. It's not rocket science."
Jason walked out to go find a bottle while Rose screamed a little louder. Frank turned himself into a bunny and she stopped, blinking like she was confused. For some reason, Frank had a strange urge to eat a carrot…
He turned himself back into a human and Rose began screaming again. Jason walked back in a minute or two later with a bottle four ounces full. He handed it to Leo and Leo put it in her mouth, making her stop crying and drink the bottle.
Percy paced the cave. "What are we going to do? I am not changing that diaper!"
They others hadn't thought of that. Leo would feel wrong changing the diaper, only because it was Rose's diaper, the baby girl. It would still be awkward if it was a baby boy, but not as awkward in some man-to-man kind of way. Then, it hit Leo.
"We'll take shifts," he said. "She likes me, so I can take over for the rest of the day and until the morning. Then, it can be… Frank's turn until the next morning. And then Jason, and then you, Percy, and then it starts all over again."
"Do we have to give her a bath?" Jason asked, not on board with the I-have-to-hold-her idea.
"Of course," Leo said as he burped her. "Piper and them do it at night before they lay her down."
"Why are you watching my girlfriend?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't get your panties in a wad," Leo said as she burped. "She's my step sister, since Hephaestus and Aphrodite are married."
Leo picked up Rose's blanket and wrapped her up in it where she was snug and warm.
"So, Leo's Mr. Mom?" Frank asked, trying not to laugh.
Leo's face turned red. "Shut it, you're next."
A few minutes later she was asleep, and Leo laid her down. "See?" he whispered.
They stayed in silence for a few minutes. They only left the Argo II because they needed fresh air after the monster attack so they could all pitch a fit. Jason glanced over at the rolling make-shift baby bed Leo had made the first day out of spare parts and swallowed hard. The four of them, who had no experience and didn't even have a girl to call to get them to help, had to take care of a three month old beautiful baby girl.
Jason prayed when he became a daddy, it wouldn't be anytime soon – like in ten years or more.
