This Christmas

Prologue – December 24th

Annabeth

"NO!"

"What do you mean no?" I shot back, trying to find my courage, but under my step-mothers glare, I was faltering.

"I mean no. No, we will not be coming back to spend the holidays with you and Percy. You know your father and I do not approve of your whole situation and in light of this new issue with the two of you, we really can't be a part of your life."

"You are crazy, you know that, right?" I hollered back at the woman. I didn't want to yell but she was literally driving me insane and I knew that I would never get my point across to her if I didn't. "Dad has absolutely no issue with Percy and if he did, he would have told me himself! Why do you have to ruin everything for me?"

I could feel the tears swirling in my eyes as I tried desperately to blink them back. It was rare that Helen could make me cry but she was in fine form tonight, coming at me during the holidays which were already hard enough on me since my mother passed away.

"You know, despite what she told you, your mother didn't approve either," she yelled back, stepping forward in an attempt to intimidate me, and one that was working.

"You liar! You have no clue what my mother approved and didn't approve, and you are the reason I didn't get to see Dad that often growing up. You could control me to some extent then, but not anymore Helen. Honestly, I don't have a clue why Dad is even still married to you!"

Arms wrapped around my waist and began pulling me out of the large family room. "Stop it, Bobby! Let me go!"

"Bobby, you let her go now!"

"No Mom, I am tired of you arguing with her. Why do you have to make her feel like such crap when she comes to visit?" My half-brother demanded, authority in his voice for once, standing up for me when he usually stood by and watched, much as my father was doing from upstairs as he paced his study.

"She hates the fact that I was first, that Dad had a life before she came along," I bawled as my brother continued to attempt to remove me from the situation.

"Annabeth, shut up! You aren't helping any! Now go to the car. Matthew packed all of your stuff for you and is waiting, you have a flight to catch."

"And thank god," Helen retorted, arms across her chest as she tried to main in control. "And we won't be coming out for New Year's until that damn living situation has been corrected."

"Mother, shut up! Beth, go to Matthew, now," Bobby screamed at us as he shoved me toward the front door.

I walked out of the house, trying to curb my tears as I reached for my phone. It had buzzed several times during my 'talk' with Helen and I managed to ignore it as I knew grabbing it would infuriate her even more.

Percy
The phone rang annoyingly in my ear as I waited for Annabeth to answer. I had already called twice; hoping she would answer before she left her father's home. This was the first Christmas in a decade that we hadn't spent the entire holiday together and I was beginning to wallow. I was also beginning to worry. I had an entire twelve days set up just for her. Well, the two of us. I had our lives completely planned out, and perfect for the next twelve days.

Rolling my eyes, I slammed my thumb into the red end call button and released an angry sigh I didn't realize I was holding.

She left my apartment on the seventeenth for her father's in California in a less than stellar mood and I had barely heard from her of the past week. I knew things were bleak back on the west coast, but I had no clue the nature of things because she refused to answer the phone most of the time.

I closed my eyes and threw myself into the sofa, allowing the darkness of my place to fall over me. I wanted to be with her. In fact, I begged her to let me tag along. I knew that she was going to need a buffer between her and her step-mother, but she insisted that she didn't need me, that she could handle things.

Shadows suddenly lurched across the living room ceiling as my phone lit up in my hand. I slowly lifted the device and quickly answered, "Hey babe. How are things in your neck of the woods?"

There was sniffling on the other end and I instantly sat up. I wanted to wrap her in a hug, but she was across the country and I wasn't exactly sure when she would be back in my arms.

"Annabeth?"

"I'm here," she whispered, sniffling once again.

"What happened?" My defensive side was coming out and I knew her step-mother had a hand in her current state.

"She is awful, Percy! Why did I even come out here?"

"Your father and your brothers asked you to. You obliged."

"I should have let you come. I should have listened to you," she whined to me, her voice cracking here and there as she tried to remain in control.

"Will you come get me?"

"Of course I will. Just tell me when."

"Flight lands at one-forty-five. I should have my bags and be out front by two."

"I will see you then. Your place or mine?" I was secretly hoping she would say mine. It would make Christmas morning that much easier on me but right now, I was all about whatever she needed.

"Yours. I don't even want to bother going home right now. We can just pick my car up after lunch, drop it off and then go straight to your mom's."

She started sniffling again and my heart broke. "Don't let her get to you and sounds like a solid plan."

"I will see you in a couple of hours. Bobby and Matthew are currently fighting over who is driving me to the airport and the witch is screaming at them that they aren't going. My father is in there somewhere pacing, which in turn is making my head hurt more."

The sad part in all of this was that I could picture the entire scene. Her half-brothers being the wild brats that their mother allowed to happen and yet at the same time, big kids who adored their big sister. I still played video games with the boys online. I knew where their allegiances lied and for that I would always love her brothers. Her father, her poor father. What Frederick Chase ever saw in his wife was beyond me. I thought Annabeth's mother was intense until I met Helen Chase for the first time. That was an experience I would rather not relive. The man spent more time pacing and trying to keep the peace in the home whenever his first born was brought up and heaven forbid her mother find her way into the conversation: all hell broke loose.

"Take some Tylenol and go sit in the car. They will get their shit together and get you back to me in one piece and if they don't there will be hell to pay."

I could almost see the slight grin on her face as she snorted through a sob. "I love you."

"I love you too. See you soon."

She hung up without another word and I tried to calm myself. My girlfriend would be home in about five and half hours and then our Christmas would begin but the little voice at the back of my head started messing me with. 'She is going to lose her mind when she realizes what you are doing Percy!'

I shook my head and immediately called her father.

"Hel –"

"– Frederick! What the hell is going on over there?" I didn't want to lose it on her father, but he was not supposed to be sending her home to me in a mood.

"Percy, you know how Helen can be and you know how stubborn Annabeth is . . ."

The man faded away for a moment as we both sighed. "What was it this time?"

"Let her tell you. This one was pretty bad, and I don't feel comfortable getting into that without knowing if she wants you to know or not."

"You aren't helping me any here."

"I know, I know. I just really think you need to talk to her."

"Is this going to affect her twelve days of Christmas at all? Do I need to rethink my entire plan?" My voice was panicked, and my heart dropped as he didn't answer immediately.

"It shouldn't. She is more upset with Helen than anything. I am praying that everything goes off without a hitch for you. You two deserve every last bit of happiness this world has to offer you."

My heart soared for a moment, I just had to pray that he was right. Helen once broke us up for two months, so I wouldn't put anything past her at this point in our lives.

"Just get in the car with Bobby and Matthew and get her to the airport. I already sent her out to the car."

"Will do. I will see you on the fifth, Percy."

"Goodnight Dad. See you in a few days and I expected better of this trip."

The man groaned on the other end and a smile graced my face. I quickly hung up and set the alarm on my phone, just in case I fell asleep. I found myself praying that everything I had set up for the next twelve days would work out just as planned and she would love every gift.

My eyes closed in the dark of my apartment, visions of Annabeth swirling in my head and I succumbed to the need of sleep.

"You're late, Perseus," she droned, throwing her bag in the back seat, before I could even get to the other side of the Explorer to open the door for her.

"Annabeth, I am sorry." I knew better than to argue with her right now. My alarm went off, but apparently my running around and planning the next twelve days was more work than I thought and I turned it off instead of hitting the snooze button.

I pulled her to me the moment I was within reach and she immediately collapsed into my arms.

"Not your fault. I'm sorry," she whined as tears began to soak through my jacket and to my shirt.

I left a kiss on the top of her head and she exploded into sobs.

"What is wrong with you? I have never seen you come back from your father's this upset before."

"I don't know," she wailed, burying her head into my neck. "Helen got to me and I just lost it on her!"

I left another kiss on the top of her head and ushered her into the car. "Buckle up. You need sleep and I am not going to let that woman ruin our Christmas!"

I didn't wait for her to answer, it was plain to see that this trip could easily ruin everything I had planned if I didn't play my cards right with her.

"When you're ready to talk," I replied quietly, climbing into the driver's seat, "just let me know."

She nodded at me, sucking in several quick, deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. "Sleep," she mumbled sadly was all she replied.

"Sorry, I am such a mess."

"No need to apologize to me babe," I responded, pushing loose curls out of her face as she leaned back into my shoulder.

"She just . . . just . . . made me question everything," she exploded as more tears began to fall.

"What do you mean?" I didn't want to force her into telling me anything she wasn't ready to but at the same time, I needed to know, because, curiosity. Plus, I needed to know why I was going to be chewing Helen out here shortly.

She shrugged her shoulders and shoved her hands to her face. "She told me that Dad doesn't approve of our living arrangements nor the way we live our lives."

I straightened behind her, rage coursing through my veins. I knew that her father didn't mind. This was all Helen trying to get a rise out of Annabeth, and she knew exactly how to do it.

"There is nothing wrong with our living arrangements. There is also absolutely nothing wrong with the way we live our lives!"

"Percy, we are twenty-seven years old! We can't seem to decide on a place to live and bounce from my place to yours –"

"– let me cut you off right there! That absolutely has no bearing on how I feel about you. So, we don't have a place to call our own yet. We will get there! Right now, this works for us and why should your step-mother or father have any say in that?"

She sucked in several more breaths between the sobs as she tried to look at me. "It doesn't. She just made me question everything is all, and she is good at planting that seed of doubt."

I placed a kiss on the tip of her nose and turned her back around so that I could massage her shoulders. "Don't you ever doubt me, Annabeth Chase."

Her sobs slowed as I continued digging my thumbs into her neck and eventually she calmed, relaxing into me as we both watched the lights on my Christmas tree twinkle, lulling us to sleep.