Percy Jackson watched from the kitchen table as his mother slowly paced the hallway of the apartment. She had on her nightgown and robe. The ends of the robe's belt were tucked into the pockets of the garment so they wouldn't drag along the floor and get tangled around her feet as she walked the length of the hallway, breathing deeply and evenly and stopping occasionally to breathe through contractions. It had already been a long morning, and the clock was just then chiming five.
March thirty-first had started super early in the Blofis-Jackson household. His mother, who had been having light, inconsistent contractions since about ten o'clock the night before, had woke up at around three-thirty in the morning to her water breaking and contractions suddenly getting real. Percy had actually woken up on his own about the same time from yet another Tartarus-induced nightmare, and he had heard his mom and Paul up and moving around the apartment. He wasn't stupid. He knew that before the day – probably morning – was up, he would be a big brother, so instead of trying to get back to sleep, he got up, too. He wasn't sure that he would be able to help, but he wanted to be nearby and awake in case he was needed.
By the time he got to the kitchen, the midwife had already been called. She was planning on being at the apartment within a couple of hours, unless things really started to speed up with Sally's labor. Until then, it was all about trying to help Sally be as comfortable and calm as possible. As it turned out, there was something for Percy to do: set up the birthing area in the living room, so he went to work doing that while Paul helped comfort his mother.
Percy had to admit that he was crazy impressed with his mom. She had opted to have a home birth this time just like she had done with Percy. When he was born, she was too poor to afford a hospital birth and had gone with a midwife and home birth instead. This time, she just wanted the same experience. Apparently, she had gotten her fill of hospitals when she had been her uncle's caretaker during his fight with cancer. To this day, she avoided them if at all possible.
Nevertheless, she was trooper, Percy later thought from his place in the kitchen with a bowl of Frosted Flakes. He could see how much pain she was in. Years in the demigod business had brought him up close and person with pain – whether his own or someone else's – and he knew how to spot a hurting person. Sally had sweat beading on her pale face. She had already tied up her hair. Her deep, even breathing and whispered words (spoken only when necessary) told him all that he needed to know. When contractions came, she braced herself against the wall, closed her eyes, and would concentrate only on breathing through them. Paul would rub her lower back while she gripped his free hand tightly in her own. In a way, it reminded him of Annabeth and himself during a monster fight, how they worked together seamlessly, needing nary a word or even eye contact to communicate with one another. Paul and his mom were doing the same thing: working together to complete a monumental task.
Percy finished his cereal just as Paul called for him from the hallway. "Percy, could you get a hot shower going for your mother?"
"No problem," Percy answered as he made his way past his parents, his mom groaning mid-contraction, to the master bathroom. In no time, he had the shower running and steam was billowing over the top of the curtain.
Paul led Sally into the room just moments after Percy left it. "Thanks, Perce," his step-dad said. "Miss Waters should be here soon. Could you let her in when she arrives?"
"Of course. Do you need anything else?" Percy asked. His mother had removed her robe and had already stepped into the shower, still clothed in her nightgown. He heard her moan in relief.
Paul looked back towards the shower for a moment before turning back to Percy and clasping his shoulder. "I think that's all. Thanks, again, for all your help this morning. I'll call the camp landline when it's all over, yeah?"
Percy nodded and gave Paul a supportive clap on the shoulder. "Yeah, that'll be good. Annabeth should be there, too. She has her cell. Good luck with everything." Paul nodded, and Percy headed back to the front of the apartment to wait for the midwife to arrive.
About twenty minutes after five, the midwife buzzed up to the apartment for entrance, and Percy let her inside. It wasn't the first time he had seen the woman. In fact, he had met her a couple of times over the past several months. The first time had been just three days after he had gotten back home from the war. He hadn't been in the best shape then, still thin and pale from his trek through Tartarus and being poisoned by Polybotes. Not to mention the battles and sleepless nights and struggling with his heightened, raw nerves in one of the busiest and loudest cities in the world (something that had never bothered him before, being a native New Yorker). Suffice it to say that after a quick introduction, where he had learned her name was Nona Waters, Percy made himself scarce by trying to get a head start on studying for his placement exams for the new school year. He hadn't wanted the woman to come away with the idea that his mom would not be a perfect mother to the baby.
The second time he had met her, had been just before Christmas, and he had actually taken a few minutes to speak with her before excusing himself to let his mom and the midwife get on with the appointment in privacy. Granted, he wanted to know exactly no details as to what the woman's job entailed, but he came away from the conversation with the impression that she was someone who was skilled in her profession and could be trusted with the welfare of his mom and coming sibling.
This time, Nona was all business. Her short, spikey auburn hair had black tips, and she was wearing daffodil-yellow scrubs and a purple pair those weird toe shoes. The diamond stud in her nose caught the light from the apartment and shone like a tiny beacon. She unwound her scarf with one hand as she stepped through the door. "Good morning, Percy. Where is Sally?"
Percy took her jacket and scarf. "She's been in the shower for the past ten minutes. Paul is with her."
The woman nodded as she placed her bag on the kitchen table, glancing back to the living room where all the furniture had been pushed aside by Percy. In the middle of the floor, he had also laid out several blankets to create a soft pallet that was covered with a tarp and a sheet with pillows around the edge. There was a large tub, some towels, and blankets scattered around the area, too. Really, getting the whole room ready had taken him an hour of nonstop work, and he was a seventeen-year-old, strong demigod. He wasn't sure how his mother had done it on her own when he was born. She must have put it together ahead of time or something.
"The birthing area is set up, I see. Good. Now, is she in a lot of pain?" she asked, opening her own bag and taking out her stethoscope and other tools of the trade that he really didn't want to know about.
Percy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, it seems like it to me, but she swears that it's not nearly as bad as it will be and that everything is normal."
The lady smiled and nodded. "Good. Good. I'm going to go back and check on her. Sally said you planned on going somewhere until the baby is born. Everything should be fine now that I'm here. My assistant will be along shortly, so you can go on, if you want."
Percy all but sighed in relief. He had been becoming increasingly panicky and uncomfortable as the morning had worn on. He had managed to stay in control of himself, but it was getting too difficult to keep at bay. He needed to get to camp and take out some anxiety on some straw dummies or unfortunate demigods; he wasn't picky. "Thanks. Paul knows where I'll be at," he said as he pulled on his jacket and tucked his keys into his pocket.
Nona waved and walked down the hallway, and Percy walked out the front door, locking it behind him.
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Percy and Blackjack flew into camp about half an hour later. It was so early only a handful of demigods were awake and moving around the cabins and hearth. Percy got Blackjack to the stables where the Pegasus was rewarded with a couple of doughnuts and a nice rub-down. Percy chatted with the winged horse while he brushed Blackjack's hair and smoothed his feathers.
"I'm just saying, boss, there's no reason to be anxious. Your mom is great! She'll be fine and so will the foal – I mean baby." Blackjack, at least, had no worries about the baby being born.
Percy let the animal ramble some more assurances as he put away the brush. Then, he patted Blackjack's flank. "Thanks, old friend. I'll let you get some sleep. Sorry for the early morning call."
"Anytime, boss, so long as there are doughnuts involved!" called Blackjack.
Percy walked out of the stables and headed towards the arena. He waved to a few campers as they milled about, getting ready for the day. He didn't see Annabeth or any of his close friends, though, so he decided that dummies were going to be his victims. For all of Blackjack's assurances, Percy was still anxious, but not so much for the reasons that most people – and pegasi – would think. He wasn't all that worried about his mom and the baby. Sure, he knew things could go sideways during the birth, but there were back-up plans for the back-up plan. Not to mention, Nona was no rookie, and neither was his mom.
Really, he was worried about himself. He was Tyson's brother, but Tyson had come into the picture already a half-grown Cyclops. Percy may have been the older brother, but he sure wasn't the bigger brother. Then, of course, Tyson had probably kept Percy safe more often than Percy had kept Tyson safe. The only delicate, fragile thing about Tyson was his feelings, but even then, he was still a guy. Heck, these days, Tyson was asking more about girls and dating than anything else. Other conversations generally were centered around Tyson's work in the forges and with the Cyclops army and Percy's school plans and camp duties. A newborn baby sister was going to be a whole new world, one Percy was excited about, no doubt, but one he wasn't sure he was the most qualified to be part of.
Percy entered the arena. He noticed a handful of newbie demigods off to one side sparring and goofing around, so he set up several dummies on the opposite side from them. He didn't say anything to the group, other than to give them a friendly nod as he passed by, but he saw the looks on their faces. It was look of wary awe. He imagined he had worn a similar look when he was in the throne room of the gods.
He hadn't been at camp quite as much over the school year between the stuff with the Kanes, Annabeth's cousin Magnus, his mom's pregnancy and coming book, and his own over-loaded school schedule, so he wasn't all that familiar with the newer campers. He tried to be polite and friendly with them, but he had noticed that they all seemed to hang back from him. Annabeth had said it was because he was an enigma to them, a legend, even. She said she got the same treatment, but he was convinced that there was something different with him in their eyes.
Aside from being looked at almost like a celebrity, he could sense fear. These new campers were afraid of him. If he ever asked one to do something, they never hesitated. The cooperation was nice, but he knew that they were just trying to stay on his good side in the hopes that he wouldn't beat the crap out of them. Really, a little comradery would be better, in Percy's opinion.
Part of this fear, he knew, stemmed from his trouble with his temper since Tartarus. It seemed to always be brewing just beneath the surface, and he had been working hard to keep it in check. In all honesty, spending hours and hours in a classroom at school, followed by hours of homework and studying for college entrance exams had done more to help him in that regard than anything else. On top of that, he had the swim team. The physical exertion with that helped even more, and of course, the water was always good about calming him down. At any rate, he didn't like the campers being afraid of him. He wasn't going to run them through with his sword if they refused to do what he asked.
And that's what had him so worried about the baby. He was worried that she would be afraid of him, too. He was a trained, battle-hardened demigod. He had fought monsters, Titans, giants, and gods. He had faced down primordial gods, walked through Tartarus, and stood at the edge of Chaos. He had wrested control of a minor goddess's own element and body fluids in her home territory and nearly killed her with them. He had been possessed by an evil spirit and an Egyptian goddess. He had led demigods and ally monsters to their deaths in battle. He was a master swordsman and proficient in a number of other blades and weapons. He could control waters from the oceans to the plumbing. His hands were calloused, his body scarred, and his mind forever tainted by the evil he had struggled against for years. Even the toughest, hardest mortals wouldn't meet his eyes. What business did he have being near a perfect, innocent newborn baby girl?
In many ways, he was trained killer with instincts and reflexes that would make a ninja jealous. No baby should want anything to do with him. More than anything, that's what bothered him. He didn't want to hurt her. He didn't want to be the cause of her being hurt, either. Monsters didn't get into the apartment often, but it had happened. What if she was in the way when one came looking for him? What if he had to fight and kill one in front of her? What if she could see through the Mist?
Percy slashed and jabbed his sword at the dummies. He had no opponent, so he moved through his paces with unhindered speed. He was so lost in his thoughts and his efforts, he hadn't noticed one of the young demigods running off in search of Annabeth. The kid, however, a twelve-year-old son of Tyche, ran into Connor Stoll first – literally.
Connor grabbed the younger boy's arms to steady them. "Hey, Davis! Does this mean I'll have good luck for the rest of the day, then?"
The boy shook his head, confused. "What? No…I don't know…Maybe…Hey, have you seen that head camper, the Athena girl?"
"Annabeth?" Connor questioned.
"Yeah, her," Davis answered breathlessly.
Connor scratched his head. "I saw her going into the Big House a few minutes ago with some blueprints. Why? What's this about? Is everything okay?"
Davis shook his head. "I don't think so, but maybe. I don't really know. It's just that the big guy, Jackson, you know, he just showed up in the arena. He's wailing on some dummies right now, moving like a freaking hurricane. He didn't say anything…"
"Go tell Annabeth that Percy's here at the arena," Connor interrupted. "I'll go check on him."
Davis didn't ask questions as he headed to the Big House, and Connor took off to the arena. When he got there, sure enough, Percy had completely destroyed half a dozen straw dummies. His speed was unmatched, and he didn't look like he was even aware of anything else around him. Connor wasn't nearly the swordsman that Percy was, but he figured that someone had better engage him in a spar before he destroyed the arena. The other kids had long since crept into the stands to watch while being out of the way of Percy's sword. Connor grabbed a practice sword and a shield, shook out his arms and neck, did a little jog in place to get his adrenaline pumping (because no way was he going to jump into this without some kind of kick start), and swung his blade to meet Percy's in a match.
Percy's eyes darted up to see who was intruding. Connor Stoll. Percy hadn't sparred with him in over a year, but if Connor was up to the challenge, Percy was more than ready to give him one. All of this anxiety and worry had to go somewhere, and Connor had just volunteered. Without missing a beat, Percy swung again. Percy didn't hold back, and Connor could only just defend himself. It was no match for Percy, but it was better than going through his paces against the air. At least he was being met with a force, and he continued to dip, slash, and jab at Connor.
Percy wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but he could see sweat pouring off of Connor's face. His shield was dropping, and his defenses were weaker. Percy was just getting warmed up, however. He didn't want to hurt the prankster, but he had too much adrenaline pumping through him to stop now. He was almost giddy when he was met with another blade as he spun around, and even better, it was a drakon bone sword. He heard Connor run off behind him, but he didn't pause as he just laid into a sparring session with Annabeth Chase. She had on her armor and a dagger strapped to her waist and was more than ready to meet him in battle.
They were in the center of the arena, and basically all of the camp had come to watch what was happening. Percy didn't focus on the spectators, though. All of his attention was on Annabeth as they exchanged spars with lightning speed. She could take him, so he wasn't worried about having to hold back. His focus narrowed to the two of them. Their blades rang. Their feet danced. Their movements were smooth and fluid. Their skill and accuracy were precise and deadly.
At long last, Annabeth started limping, but she was still putting up a fierce fight. Percy had a river of sweat pouring off of him and was reminded of the Egyptian god Sobek. His breath came in short gasps. With one final burst of energy, he swung his sword and managed to capture Annabeth's sword with it and disarmed her in one swift movement. He held his sword tip to her chest. "Touché," she panted.
Percy dropped his sword, and they both collapsed onto the ground, chests heaving as they struggled to draw a full breath. Connor walked by, and Percy had just enough time to register who was standing over him before an entire bottle of water was dumped on top of each of their faces. Annabeth spluttered and sat up. "What the hades, Stoll!" She chunked a pebble at him, which he dodged and laughed about, which only led to her cursing at him in ancient Greek.
Percy just reveled in the cool water on his face. Connor continued to cackle as one of the kids that had been in the arena earlier, a boy about twelve years old, handed each of them another bottle of water to drink. Percy sat up. "Thanks, kid," he said as he twisted off the cap of the bottle.
The kid wouldn't meet his eyes. "You're welcome."
Percy drank down half the bottle in one go. He decided to try again to connect with the boy. "I don't think I've met you. What's your name?"
The kid still wouldn't look at him. "Davis Caldwell."
Percy stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Davis. I'm Percy Jackson."
The kid shook his hand weakly, shuffled his feet, and nodded. "Yeah, I've heard of you."
Connor clapped Percy on the back and laughed. "Davis here is a son of Tyche. You nearly scared him to death. He came running for help, thinking you were going to rip apart the arena with Hurricane Jackson."
Percy chose to ignore the part about scaring the kid, even if that's what the whole thing had been about in the first place. "Tyche, huh? The Romans have a festival for her in June. They call it the Feast of Fortuna. I thought they said 'for tuna' when they first mentioned it to me. I couldn't figure out why they would have a festival honoring fish."
Davis grinned a bit but still wouldn't look at Percy. "Well, I have to go…breakfast, you know."
Just then the conch sounded and the boy ran off with his buddies. Percy watched them leave. "That's my cue, too," Connor said. He walked off with a wave.
Annabeth, who had been trying to mop the dirt off her face with the end of her shirt, scooted over to sit beside Percy and finished off her bottle of water. "So do you want to tell me what that was all about?" she asked as he drank down the last swallow of his water.
Percy pulled his knees up and rested his forearms on them. He glanced at Annabeth's mud-streaked face, then looked back down at the dirt between his legs. "Mom's in labor," he finally answered.
"And that made you angry? I thought you were excited about the baby." He glanced over at her just so he could see her confused face since it was such a rare sight. Her lips were just barely pursed, her eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed. It was straight-up adorable.
He took a breath as he looked away. "I am excited about the baby. I'm just…worried."
She placed a hand on his arm. "About the birth?"
"A little, I guess, but not really. Just more about after, you know," he said.
Annabeth scooted around so she was facing him. "Okay, now you're just not making sense. What do you mean 'after?' Is this a jealousy thing or something?"
Percy jerked his head up at that. "What? No! No, of course not. It'll be an adjustment, but I'm not jealous of an infant."
"Then what is it?" she insisted.
Percy stretched his legs out, crossed his ankles, and leaned back on heels of his hands. "It's me, Annabeth."
Annabeth's eyes softened, and she leaned forward. "Explain," she demanded.
He nodded his head towards the entrance to the arena. "You saw how that kid acted around me. He wouldn't even meet my eyes. He was scared of me; Connor said so, and that kid isn't the only one around here who is. All the newbies around here are afraid of me. And it's not even just here!" Percy was really getting on roll now. He sat up and started gesturing with his hands. "The other day at school, this giant of guy, captain of the wrestling team, was bullying this freshman. They were right beside my locker. I swear I just looked at the dude, and he looked like he was about to pee himself. He let go of the other kid and took off without a backward glance, and what's worse, the freshman barely stumbled out a thanks before turning tail and running, too. Those are people that don't even know me. If it wasn't for the sports banquet that we had a couple of weeks ago, I wouldn't have even know that the big guy was on the wrestling team."
Annabeth scooted up to him. Her face just inches from his. "Is that's what bothering you? You think Hope will be afraid of you?"
Percy ran a hand through his hair. "She'd have a good reason, Annabeth. I'm trained to be scary and intimidating at just a glance. A sword feels more natural in my hand than a freaking fork. I've led people to their deaths and faced off against some of the biggest baddies this universe can cook up. I don't want to hurt her, but hurting things is what I do best."
Annabeth grabbed Percy's face and forced him to make eye contact with her. "Percy Jackson, you listen to me and listen to me well. You are good. Do you understand me? Good. And not just good at what you do – good to the core. You would never hurt that baby girl in any way. She will never be afraid of you. She is going to think you hung the moon. All those things you just said are not who you are. You, Percy, are a protector, a person who cares deeply for those around him, a person who would and has sacrificed everything for the good of others. You never go into a fight or a battle lightly, and you never expect anyone to follow you. In fact, you would rather if they didn't. You always give everyone ample opportunity to stay safe. Don't ever let me hear you say that stuff about yourself again. You are good, Percy Jackson. The best, and I should know because I never settle for anything less than that."
Without missing a beat, she pulled his face forward and kissed him. She kissed him as if she was trying to imprint the speech she had just given him onto his lips. When they pulled back, she looked him in the eye again. "I love you, Percy. Your mom loves you. Paul loves you, and that baby girl will absolutely adore you."
He leaned forward and kissed her, again. "I love you, too, Wise Girl. Thank you."
Annabeth stood and reached for his hand. "Come on, Seaweed Brain."
Percy held up his hand so she could help pull him to his feet. "What are we doing?"
She smirked at him as she sheathed her sword. "We're going to get showered and changed and eat breakfast. You're going to have a sister that I want to meet."
Percy laughed as they walked out of the arena hand in hand towards the pavilion where breakfast was waiting.
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After a filling breakfast of waffles, bacon, bananas, eggs, and milk, Percy hit the showers. Afterwards, he decided to tidy his cabin to kill some time, and then he went to feed Mrs. O'Leary. Somewhere along the way, he got roped into watching the campers from the Hermes and Hephaestus cabins climb the lava wall. Connor had made a big fuss about Percy owing him a favor from earlier that morning. Percy tried to argue that he didn't ask Connor to step into a fight with him, but after being threatened with shaving cream and Pop Rocks, Percy decided to just watch the kids. It wasn't like he had much else to do at the time anyway.
When the conch horn sounded for lunch, Percy started searching for Annabeth to head over with her. He had just spotted her coming out of Cabin Six when Nico called to him from across the courtyard. "Percy! Percy, wait up!"
Percy turned to see Nico trying to maneuver through the Ares campers, breathing hard like he had run all the way to Percy. By then, Annabeth had caught up to him, so they both jogged over to the son of Hades.
Nico met them halfway and bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. "Persephone's pomegranates, I should have just shadow-traveled," he managed to gasp out.
Annabeth put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Hey, what is it? Is everything okay?"
"Are you okay?" Percy asked, pointing to his friend.
Nico straightened back up, took one more deep breath, and smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine, just dashed over here from the Big House. Everything's fine, actually. I just have a message for you."
"Hope." Percy stated, his eyes wide. Annabeth gasped.
Nico gave him a weird look. "Hope?"
"The baby!" Annabeth offered, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Nico looked at her startled and nodded. "Yeah, the baby. Paul called while Will and I were talking to Chiron. The baby's here. They're waiting for you at home."
Percy jumped, punched the air, and whooped. "I gotta go. Thanks, man!" He and Annabeth took off running. Percy led them to stables, but Blackjack was gone, probably out trying to pick up a date. Nevertheless, there was Mrs. O'Leary. In no time, they had found her in the arena chewing on a giant Frisbee that they used for Ultimate Frisbee games.
Percy called the hellhound. "Mrs. O'Leary! Come on girl. You've got to take us home." Mrs. O'Leary was beside them in one bound, slobber forming a puddle at her front paws. Percy gave Annabeth a boost up before pulling himself up, and a few moments later they were standing in the alley beside the apartment building in Manhattan.
Percy helped Annabeth down, patted his giant dog and told her to get some rest before going back to camp. Mrs. O'Leary's answering bark echoed in the alleyway. Percy chuckled as he and Annabeth made their way to the front of the building.
Within five minutes, the couple was standing outside the front door to the Blofis-Jackson apartment. Percy knocked quietly as he stuck his key in the hole and opened the door. Nona and her assistant were the only ones in the living room, cleaning up the birthing area. Nona smiled as he and Annabeth came into the apartment. "You must not have been far away, Percy, but that's good because they're anxious for you to meet little Hope."
Percy smiled. "So everything went alright, then?"
"Everything was perfect. A textbook case, really. Of course, Sally ain't no slouch." Nona stated emphatically, and the assistant laughed quietly.
Annabeth squeezed his hand. "They're both doing well, I guess?" she asked.
Nona nodded. "Hope is healthy. Sally is doing great. Paul got a little pale on us. I thought we were going to lose him for a minute, but he pulled through. He'll make a full recovery." She winked at them. Percy probably shouldn't have, but he laughed. He wasn't about to let Paul live that one down. "Now, shoo!" Nona admonished, waving her fingers for them to go down the hallway. "There's a baby in there you need to meet."
Percy didn't have to be told, again. He pulled Annabeth down the hallway, pausing only to wash hellhound germs off their hands in the hall bath, and then stopping at his parents' closed door. His free hand was shaking with excitement and a fair bit of nerves. Annabeth finally knocked.
"Come in." It was Sally's voice, quiet, calm, yet full of love and overflowing with excitement.
Percy pushed open the door. His mother was situated comfortably in the bed, holding the baby. Paul was sitting beside her with one arm around her shoulder. He looked up as the pair came into the room and over to the bed.
"Oh, Annabeth, you're here, too!" Sally all but squealed with delight as she held out the baby. "Look, Percy. Isn't she beautiful?"
Percy looked at Hope and was mesmerized. He reached over to touch her tiny head that was just a bit bigger than a softball, but he stopped just shy of brushing his fingertips along her temple. "Yes, she is," he whispered. She was a rosy pink color with wisps of dark hair curling around her scalp. Percy couldn't really tell whose features she got, but he had heard that it sometimes takes time for all of that to develop well. Regardless, she was without a doubt the tiniest and sweetest looking person he had ever beheld.
"May I?" Annabeth asked as the two of them sat on the edge of the bed.
"Of course, dear," Sally replied, handing over the tightly wrapped bundle of a human.
Annabeth reached across Percy and took the baby, careful to keep her head and neck supported. She settled Hope between them on their legs before grabbing his hand closest to her in her free one. Gently she pulled his hand over and pressed the pad of his thumb on the baby's cheek. It was like touching the smoothest satin. "You won't break her, Seaweed Brain," she whispered to him.
He carefully curled his hand around Hope's head, lightly brushing his fingers against her downy hair and the smooth skin of her forehead. He looked over to his mother who had her fingers pressed against her mouth with tears of joy shining in her eyes, silently watching as Annabeth calmly encouraged Percy in his first interaction with his sister. "Can we unwrap her?" he asked quietly.
Paul beamed at him and nodded. "You don't even have to ask, Percy."
"Here," Annabeth started as she picked the baby back up and placed her in Percy's arms. "Let's lay her on the bed so it will be easier to swaddle her back into her blanket after we've counted her fingers and toes."
Percy felt his heart pick up the pace in his chest as Annabeth stood to give him room to lay Hope on the bed. His mother had moved her legs over to give them a bit more room, and Percy held his breath as he placed his sister on the mattress. He got down on his knees at the side of the bed, like Annabeth, and she began to unwrap the receiving blanket. All wrapped up, Hope had been the size of a watermelon, but once she was out, she looked half the size. Her tiny feet were no longer than Percy's thumb, and her ankles were about the same size around. If he had been confident enough, he could have held her in one hand, cradling the back of her head and neck in his fingers, with her ridiculously tiny torso fitting in his palm, and her rear and legs relaxing on his forearm. Looking at her tiny spindly form, he felt more sure than ever that he would hurt her with his big calloused, clumsy hands.
Annabeth cooed. "Look at her toes, Percy. They're like seed pearls on the ends of her feet. And those little precious legs…Can you believe that there was a time when your legs were that small? Oh, but she's got some cute pudge on those baby thighs. She'll be drop-kicking you before you know it. Ooh, and her hands. Look, uncurl her fingers." Annabeth placed Hope's unbelievably small fist on Percy's fingers, and Percy gently spread the infant fingers out. There were five on each wrinkly hand. He stroked the satin skin on the back of her hand as Annabeth pointed out a few more features.
After a minute, Percy's mom leaned forward, grabbed his free hand, and squeezed it. "She looks fragile, but she pretty much more cartilage than bone at this point. She's harder to break than she looks, I promise, sweetheart."
Just then, Hope's fist curled around Percy's pinky, and he felt his heart stop for a beat and then swell. She was sleeping. Her legs were drawn up as if she had never come out of the womb. Her other hand was curled up to her chest, and she was making sucking motions with her mouth. He could hear her quick breaths, and when he finally placed his hand on her chest, he could feel the rapid beat of her heart. Everything about her was soft, smooth, warm, and absolutely precious. Percy was irrevocably in love. He would do anything for this girl; he already knew it. Her fist tightened around his finger, and he felt a knot of worry loosen and dissipate in his chest. He laughed and a smile stretched across his face so big that he felt his chapped lips crack. He looked over to his parents and declared, "She's perfect. Just perfect."
Percy pulled his finger from Hope's grip and shuffled over to hug his mother. By then, she had given up all hope of keeping the tears at bay, and they flowed freely down her cheeks. Paul leaned over and joined the hug. When Percy pulled back, Annabeth had successfully swaddled Hope back into her blanket, and she passed the infant back to Sally.
Sally smiled up at them. "She's the luckiest girl in the world with you two in her life," she stated.
Her praise made Percy feel a little bashful, but he managed to respond. "Well, I'll do my best to be a good big brother to her."
"You'll do an excellent job, Percy," Paul assured him.
Annabeth wrapped her arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze just as someone knocked on the door. Nona peeked her head in. "Can we come in?" she asked.
"Oh, yes. Yes, come on in," Sally answered wiping the remaining tears off her face with one hand.
Nona and her assistant came into the room and stood at the foot of the bed. "Did you get to hold your sister, Percy?"
Percy nodded. "Yeah…" It sounded more like a croak, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes, I did for a moment. She perfect."
The assistant giggled. "I just love seeing big brothers when they get a baby sister. No matter how big and tough they are, they just turn into a puddle of protective goo."
Percy grinned while everyone laughed. "That basically sums it up," Annabeth agreed. "Now, come on, you puddle of protective goo. I imagine the midwife needs to give your mom one last check before she leaves." She pulled Percy to the door.
They entered the kitchen and began searching out sandwich supplies. They were halfway through their meal when Annabeth looked at him. She had her head cocked to one side with her eyes narrowed like she was trying to x-ray his thoughts.
"What?" he asked.
"I was just wondering," she began, "if you still thought that you will hurt Hope."
Percy chewed his bite slowly before swallowing it, considering her question. "No, I don't think I will."
Annabeth nodded once decisively. "Good. I'm glad to hear it."
They ate in silence for another minute. "But if anyone ever hurts her," Percy declared, "I'll hurt them."
Annabeth's eyes twinkled and she smiled wryly at him. "And I'll be right there to help you."
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Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, HOO, or TOA.