And That, Seaweed Brain, Is Why We Leave the Singing to Others
Author's Note: I wrote this a while ago but I wanted to wait to publish it closer to father's day. I love it personally, but then again I wrote it.
Disclaimer: I own no rights to the characters or anything else.
Perseus and Annabeth Jackson walked through the front door of their house. Annabeth walked as if she was a zombie as Percy opened every door for her. After what Percy had just seen her go though, he did not want to be on her bad side. Percy had always known that Annabeth was tough, but he didn't know she was THAT tough. Hours of labor and not a single scream, though she did curse loudly in ancient Greek when it came time to push.
Annabeth stumbled to the nursery that Percy and she had put together, or rather the nursery that Annabeth planned and Percy carried the things that were too heavy or big for Annabeth to move with her swollen stomach. Still, the nursery was beautiful. As Annabeth looked around the room and leaned over to place the fragile baby into the crib that Leo had put together for them, Percy put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Annabeth," he hesitantly said, "you should go get some sleep. I can watch over the little one."
Annabeth looked up at Percy and mumbled "Are you sure? I mean what if-"
"Annabeth,' Percy cut her off, "I think I can watch for a while. You can use the rest."
"Okay then." Annabeth handed the baby, all swaddled in the hospital's provided blanket, to Percy and slowly walked off to the bedroom Percy and she shared, glancing back to check on Percy and praying to every god and goddess she could think of.
Percy watched the baby, all tucked in and asleep. Percy couldn't believe all the stories that his mom had told him about how much a newborn would cry. Right in front of him was his own flesh and blood, his baby, and this was a peaceful baby. Percy smiled at the newborn. Then the impossible happened.
The adorable bundle of joy started to change its facial expression to one Percy knew, but that he couldn't quite place. He recognized it as the look he got right before he exploded. Then the cry came. It was loud and seemed very out of place in the quiet peacefulness of the nursery. Percy was unsure what to do as the cry broke the silence. When his child had burst into tears at the hospital, he had always happened to be out of the room assuring what felt like millions of people that yes, Annabeth was fine along with his child. His only thought of how to deal with the squealing baby was to pick up the baby and cradle the bundle. Percy had been told that he would fall in love when he held his baby for the first time. He knew it wasn't true now, because as he held his child now he fell even more in love than when he held the delicate human for the first time.
Although Percy was content, the child in his arms wasn't. The child continued to shriek as Percy coddled the bundle. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and as the baby didn't need a diaper and Percy and Annabeth had somehow forgot to buy newborn size bottles (they only has six-month-old size), feeding and changing were out of the question.
Percy had no idea what his little one wanted. After bouncing, rocking, attempting to distract with toys, and talking to the child, Percy had only one idea left and he didn't really want to do it, but a father's gotta do what a father's gotta do. Percy cleared his throat and started to hum. The small child in his arms quieted, but still whimpered. Percy sighed and started to sing. Immediately his child was dead silent and looked at Percy the same way Annabeth looked at a blueprint that she couldn't get quite right. Then the baby smiled. Percy's heart felt like it had just grown three sizes as he saw the smile light up his child's face. Soon his baby had fallen asleep. Percy knew the right thing to do would be to lay down the child in the crib, but he couldn't bear to have the warmth leave him. He sat down in a rocking chair, also built by Leo, and dozed off with the bundle in his arm warming more than just his arms.
"Percy," Annabeth called out "Where are you?" Groggily, Percy raised his head and called out where he was. Annabeth saw the sleeping baby in his hands and whispered as to not wake the little one. "So, where you guys ok? I heard some screeching coming from here," she said with a smirk.
"Oh," Percy replied "This little one cried a little before falling asleep." Percy pointed at the baby in his arms.
"Oh no, this… racquet sounded less like crying and more like-"
"Off key singing?"
"Yeah."
"Well, this one seemed to like it. Put 'em right to sleep."
"Did it now? Well it woke me up."
"Oh sorry, I was hoping you could get some sleep."
Annabeth sighed. "Next time, just put on some music instead of singing, ok?"
"Ok."
Annabeth kissed her baby and then Percy, and made her way back to bed. Just as she left the doorway separating the child's nursery from the hall she turned with a smile and said, "And that, Seaweed Brain, is why we leave the singing to others."
AN: So as I was writing this I wanted to name the gender and the baby so many times. It was very hard not to name anyone. If you want to know, I think that the baby would be a girl because I can see Annabeth buying her one really fancy dress as a toddler and Percy taking her somewhere and destroying it with stains. It seems cute in my head. I hope you enjoyed and reviews are loved.