"Hey! Daddy, stop taking my candy!"
"I didn't take any of your candy, Nell," Percy Jackson mumbled through a mouthful of blue M&Ms, unable to keep the smile off of his face.
"Mommy! Daddy's stealin' my candies!" Penelope whined in the way only a six-year-old could.
Annabeth laughed, "Percy, leave her alone."
Penelope, the mini me of her mother, parroted, "Yeah! Leave me alones."
"Wow, mutiny in the Jackson home. I get it, I'll back off," Percy laughed, dropping his body onto the couch, and jostling Annabeth in the process.
"Percy! Theo's out cold, and if you wake him up…" she left the threat hanging.
"Right," Percy dropped his hand to his son's hair and stroked it gently, "I'm surprised he made it this long."
"Me too," Annabeth shifted her arm so the three-year-old's head was resting in the crook of her elbow, "I think it has something to do with the chocolate bars Frank and Leo were sneaking him."
"Probably. Do you think he'd be more comfortable if we took his costume off?" Percy looked at the red crab costume his son was wearing.
"I don't want to wake him up. He's sleeping pretty soundly, I don't think it's bothering him," Annabeth used her free hand to unsnap the back of the costume so there was more room at the neck.
"Mommy! Somebody put a toofbrush in my bag!" Penelope exclaimed suddenly, climbing up onto Percy lap to wave the toothbrush in Annabeth's face.
"Oh no," Annabeth feigned horror, "A toothbrush! Daddy, what should we do with it?"
Penelope turned to Percy, her red wig crooked and her green eyes wide with anticipation.
Percy pretended to think, he tapped his finger against his lip and made humming sounds, "Well, if you ask Papou, he'll tell you that mermaids do use toothbrushes. So, I think that just for today, we can throw that out!"
"Yes!" Penelope pumped her fist and jumped off the couch. Percy and Annabeth could hear her scramble into the kitchen and bang cabinets open and closed to throw out the unwanted treat.
"I hope you have a plan for damage control tomorrow morning when she won't brush her teeth," Annabeth said as she rested her head on Percy's shoulder.
"Come on, Wise Girl. You know me—"
"So you don't have a plan, and you're going to wing it, right?" Annabeth interrupted with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, pretty much," Percy admitted.
"Good, wouldn't want to think you're actually getting smarter in your old age."
"I leave being smart all up to you," Percy pressed a kiss to Annabeth's spray painted curls, "Yeah, that's gross. You taste like paint."
Annabeth winced, "Sorry, but you heard Nell, 'Momma can't be Ursula without grey hair!' It should wash out."
"I hope so. I really don't want to go into work tomorrow with this grey beard," Percy ran a hand over the beard he had grown specifically for Halloween.
"Or you could just shave it off," Annabeth suggested, silently hoping Percy would get rid of it.
"I guess. The kids were pretty freaked out by it when it was growing out," Percy chuckled at the thought.
"Well, his or her 35-year-old marine biology teacher coming in looking like someone straight out of Duck Dynasty has to be traumatizing," Annabeth wrinkled her nose.
"Daddy?" Penelope stopped sorting her trick-or-treat haul, and climbed up onto Percy's lap.
"Yeah, princess? What's wrong?" Percy gently pulled the red wig off of his daughter's blonde curls and set it on the coffee table. He smoothed a hand over the tangled hair and smiled as Penelope curled up closer to him.
"I think I wanna stop eating candy now," the little girl yawned and rubbed her eyes, "My tummy doesn't feel so good."
Percy and Annabeth shared a look. Annabeth lifted her head from his shoulder and Percy took his arm from across his wife's shoulders and wrapped it around his daughter.
"Does your tummy feel full?" Annabeth asked.
Penelope nodded.
"Do you think your tummy wants to be empty?" Percy questioned, the crease in between his eyebrows becoming deeper, as Penelope's face got paler.
She nodded.
"Okay, up we go," Percy lifted his girl onto his hip and quickly made his way to the bathroom.
Annabeth stood up and hurried to put Theo into his bed, before joining Percy and Penelope in the bathroom.
She handed Percy a damp washcloth, as he held Penelope's hair away form her face.
"It's okay, sweetie. You'll feel better in a minute," Annabeth scooted around Percy to sit on the edge of the bathtub and rub Penelope's back.
Ten minutes later, Penelope had been cleaned up, changed into her pajamas (which matched her Little Mermaid costume), and was tucked into her bed.
Annabeth followed Percy out of the room and shut the light. They both sagged against the wall.
"I knew we should have cut her off earlier," Annabeth grumbled, dropping her face to her hands.
"It's not your fault, Annabeth," Percy lifted his hands to massage her shoulders, "She's a kid. She has to learn."
"I just hate seeing…" Annabeth waved her hand in the air.
"I know. Me too. But it's all part of the job now," he laughed a little bit and pulled her down the hall to their room.
"Ugh, worst part. It's horrible knowing that she's going to be miserable for those few minutes and there's nothing I can do," she raked her hair into a ponytail and began taking off her costume.
"It's only for a little bit," Percy clambered over the bed to drop to his feet in front of Annabeth, "You saw her, she wanted to know if she could have a Snickers bar for breakfast."
Annabeth laughed, "I guess you're right."
Percy stuck his nose in the air and feigned superiority, "Of course I'm right. I'm always right."
Annabeth scoffed and dropped her head to rest against Percy's chest, "You're ridiculous."
"Yeah, I know," Percy's hands came up to rest on Annabeth's hips, "Now do you have something to tell me?"
"What?" Annabeth stepped back and looked up at Percy's face.
He smiled down at her, "Wise Girl, you're the most emotionally stable woman I know. Why the sudden outburst?"
Annabeth sighed, "Okay, fine. I was going to tell you later, and now it's all your fault that you ruined my big surprise. I'm pregnant, Percy."
Annabeth loved that way Percy's face lit up in complete joy, "Really? We're having another baby?"
She had barely nodded when Percy lifted her by the waist and swung her in a circle. He set her down on her feet again and grabbed the back of her head so h could pull her in for a kiss.
"This is great! Annabeth….Gods, I'm so happy," Percy was grinning little a little boy on Christmas morning. It was infectious, Annabeth could feel her own grin spreading.
"I'm just over a month. So we'll have another June baby," Annabeth stood on her tiptoes to kiss Percy again.
"I can't wait," Percy hugged Annabeth tightly, and then paused. He pulled back, holding Annabeth at arm's length.
His wife looked confused, "What is it?"
"This isn't a Halloween trick, is it?"
"Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth punched Percy's bare chest, "Do you really think I'm that mean?"
"Well there was the April Fool's Prank of 2015," Percy reminded her, "I'm not entirely sure Jason and Piper trust you completely yet."
Annabeth scoffed, "That's completely different. I would never joke about another baby."
"Oh, okay. Man this was a great treat then," Percy ran his fingers though the end of Annabeth's ponytail before kissing her again.
"You really need to stop talking in clichés like that," Annabeth shook her head before pulling an old Camp Half Blood shirt over her head.
"You love my clichés," Percy teased, pulling on a pair of fish print boxers and throwing himself onto the bed.
"I barely tolerate them. There's a difference," Annabeth smirked, folding her body close to Percy's and laying an arm across his chest.
"Nell likes them," Percy defended himself weakly.
"Nell is six. She doesn't understand that she doesn't have to laugh at everything you do," Annabeth yawned, pressing her nose into Percy's side.
"That was mean. Maybe our daughter really does think I'm hysterical," Percy grumbled.
"Keep telling yourself that, Jackson," Annabeth laughed softly and closed her eyes. She was snoring gently a minute or two later (even thought she'd deny it if Percy ever brought it up.)
Percy shook his head, and closed his eyes. Maybe he'd get Baby #3 to enjoy all of his clichés.
A/N: Sooo...this started out as a fluffy Jackson family story, got kind of emotional, and then became fluffy again. Not what I set out to do, but super happy with it nonetheless.
Note #1: Papou is Greek for 'grandfather.' I figured it would be easier to have the kids call Poseidon that, since they already have Paul as one grandpa and Annabeth's dad as another. Plus we're keeping with the Greek heritage thing here.
Note #2: I literally wrote this in a few hours during my break. If you have something nasty to say, don't say it here. I don't want to hear what you think about my characterization, my writing, my plot, anything. UNLESS, you're going to say it in a positive way that's more constructive than downright nasty.
Note #3: If it's not totally clear (but I think it is) Annabeth's dressed up as Ursula, Percy's King Triton, Penelope is Ariel and Theo is Sebastian.
Note #4: HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Enjoy the day and don't eat candy that's been opened ;D