"Do you think she ever regrets it?" Annabeth asks from her place on the floor. Piper sits on the bed above her as she braids Annabeth's blonde curls, Hazel lies on the bed beside her, feet kicking in the air, as she flips through a magazine that one of Piper's sisters left behind. "What?" Piper asks, gently pulling a strand of Annabeth's hair back. "Calypso," Annabeth elaborates. " do you think she ever regrets leaving all this, leaving Leo behind, Just for a life on Olympus with a bunch of Gods that never wanted her?" "I don't know," Piper answers quietly. "I don't think she ever could have been with Leo. Even if she loved him, she was still a nymph. Also, let's face it, she never would have really fit in. They were happy for awhile when they were traveling the world, but when they came back she had to face that part of him, the human part, and I don't think she could deal with that. Especially with Percy and everything. To be fair, she did try for a little bit."Grinning, Annabeth tilts her head back to look at Piper, "Careful Pipes, your Aphrodite is showing." Rolling her eyes, Piper bops her on the nose and nudges her head back into place. Hazel scoots forward and sighs. "I get what you said Piper, and maybe it's not fair for me to think this way, but I just can't get past the part where she broke his heart. She hurt him, and that will never be a forgivable offence in my books." Hazel's voice gets both angrier and sadder as she continues. Pausing, Piper turns part way to look at Hazel. "I'm not saying I don't agree with you, because I do, before Leo was your and Frank's, he was my best friend, and I would do anything to protect him, you know that." Hazel smiles and leans up to plant a kiss on the older girl's cheek before dropping off the side of the bed so that she can curl up next to Annabeth. "To be honest? I'm happy she went to Olympus. This is going to seem selfish, but Percy already has enough crap to deal with, and Leo is so much better off with you two." Annabeth shrugs and strokes the top of Hazel's curls absentmindedly. Piper snorts, finishing off the last of Annabeth's braid. "Okay girls, that's enough of that." Piper declares as she hops off the bed. "What movie should we watch?" And then the heavy atmosphere is gone, leaving behind the easy camaraderie of three girls who had been through everything together.
…...
Later that night, as Annabeth lies in bed, she begins to think. Well, begins is probably not the right word, these days she is always thinking, her mind constantly working. But, anyway, as she lies in the dark in between two of her best friends in the world she considers how lucky she really is. But then it's not just Hazel and Piper. It's Jason, Frank, and Leo always ready to give out a hug if needs one. It's Reyna, Clarisse, Grover, and Butch always ready to spar. It's knowing that no matter what, she has people who have her back both on the battlefield and off. Sighing, Annabeth turns over and presses her forehead against Piper's shoulder as she tucks her toes under Hazel's feet. Of course, it's not just her friends who made saving the world worth it, it's also her beautiful lovers. Briefly, she wonders what Percy and Nico have done while she was gone. Probably just watched tv and cuddled she mused. Never had Annabeth imagined a day where she would smile at the thought of Nico twisted up on the couch with her seaweed brain. But these days, it's all she can do not to propose on the spot. There are bad days and good days, and then there are the best days where she finds herself praying to every deity she knows of that this is the one thing she gets to keep.
…...
Like yesterday. It had a been a rough night, with Percy screaming himself awake from nightmares every couple of hours. It was just after 8, and Annabeth was lying curled around Percy, who'd finally fallen into an exhausted sleep a few hours prior. When Nico came back into the room, he held a tray full of pancakes. Setting them on the bed, he gingerly crawled up to settle back into his space on Percy's other side. Leaning over Percy, Annabeth leaned forward to kiss her other boyfriend. "I can't believe you made breakfast," she grinned against his lips. "You were up all night, I just thought you deserved a nice wake-up." He shrugged, smiling gently. "Gods, what were we even doing without you." Annabeth hummed, carding a hand through Percy's hair, and pressing another kiss to his cheek.
…...
Smiling at the memory, Annabeth sighs and burrows into the covers and forces herself to relax. She pulls her hands up and wraps her hand around her necklace. It's adorned with beads from her years at camp, but also her father's ring, a coral pendant from Percy, and a small ruby skull that Nico had given her on their two month anniversary. The she closes her eyes and falls into a light slumber.