Instances of Parenting

by rachelanne716

Percy slumped into the couch, the knot of worry in his stomach finally loosening. He breathed out, "Kids are tougher work than I thought." Annabeth laughed settling down on the couch beside him, "Did you think it was going to be all fun all the time?" He scratched the back of his neck and said, "Well kind of yeah." (Or Percy's relationship with his daughter over the years)

Three Days

Percy set his newborn daughter down into her crib for the first time. Months of planning and decorating and finally, with a sleeping baby lying in the midst of it all, the nursery looked like it was finished.

He stepped back and put his arm around Annabeth. She leaned into him and for a while, they stood in silence, just watching their child sleep. "Can you believe how beautiful she it?" Annabeth asked quietly.

"No." Percy said. He took a deep breath in, feeling the happiest he had ever felt in his entire life. He looked down at his wife, "And she's ours Annabeth, we made her, she's ours."

Annabeth reached up and grabbed his hand on her shoulder. Standing beside her, the form of her body pressed into his side, her hand grasping his own, her hair brushing up against his cheek, Percy thought this is my home. This is my family.

He mouthed their baby's name, testing it out. Choosing a name had felt like something special, something sacred to him and Annabeth. Speaking it out loud made all of this finally real. They turned to leave the nursery, "Sweet dreams, Hannah Grace Jackson."

Eleven Months

"Oh gods, Oh gods." Percy was breathless, "ANNABETH GET IN HERE!"

She rushed into the living room from the kitchen, her hands still soapy from washing the dishes. "What? What's happen-" Annabeth gasped, a smile breaking out on her face as she gazed down at their daughter, standing for the first time on her own. Percy's grin was just as wide, his hands hovering near Hannah in case she wobbled and fell.

Her green eyes peered up at Percy, confused by all of the excitement. Her two tiny pig tails bounced as she wavered and tipped backwards, falling into Percy's hands. He propped her back up again and took his hands away. Annabeth knelt down across from Percy a few feet away. She spoke encouragingly, "Come on, try it again honey."

Upon seeing her mother's smiling face, Hannah made grabby motions with her hands, stretching her arms toward Annabeth. Percy nudged her gently, trying to get her to walk forward. Hannah had walked before, but always with the help of either him or Annabeth supporting the majority of her weight by holding her hands.

The right foot lifted from the ground, putting her off balance and Percy thought he might have to catch her again. She recovered by setting it down slightly in front of her. The left foot was now off the ground and then set down next to the right. It was a small step, but a step none the less.

Percy cheered and locked eyes with Annabeth. They shone with excitement and love, love towards their daughter and love towards him. "Go on, go to mommy." Percy said looking back down at the look of concentration on their daughter's features.

The next few steps were hesitant and small, her chubby arms held out like a trapeze artist. Annabeth opened her arms wide as their child toddled slowly toward her. Percy held his breath, watching in fascination as Hannah successfully walked for the first time. It was such a simple act for him and Annabeth, but to their daughter, this was a giant milestone. Just wait till he tells Jason that Hannah walked before their son did.

When she finally made it across the impressive distance of three feet, Annabeth scooped her up and showered her with kisses. Hannah giggled and squirmed in Annabeth's arms."Oh you're such a big girl now." She said with a smile on her face.

Percy scooted closer, his fingers splayed out and wiggling. Annabeth feigned horror and said to their daughter, "Oh nooo, daddy's coming for you." Hannah giggled again and slid down on Annabeth's lap, her feet touched the carpet, still supported under the arms by Annabeth's hands.

Her ladybug shirt had ridden up, exposing her bellybutton to the world. Percy took advantage of that and grabbed his daughter, his fingers tickling her sides as she squealed. He bent down and kissed her tummy, then filled his cheeks with air and gave her a wet raspberry. She laughed and pushed his face away with her hands, squeezing his lips in her fingers.

He went back to give her another one, but she had wriggled out of Annabeth's grasp and was standing again. Percy leaned back to give her room and held out his hands. She looked at them, then up at him, then turned and toddled in the other direction.

Annabeth laughed, "She's running away from you Percy." And she certainly was. One of Hannah's favorite games was keep away, which involved her crawling quickly around their apartment chased by either mom or dad. She thought it was hilarious in all situations, especially during diaper changing times. Pretty soon she would be able to run away from them instead of crawl.

Percy stood up and when Hannah saw he was following her she squealed, losing her balance in her excitement. He picked her up and held her to his chest; she bopped him on the forehead, angry that he ended the game.

Four Years

"Daddy, daddy, bath time?" Percy cracked open his eyes, the face of his daughter only inches from his own. She was standing tippy toed, hanging onto the edge of the rocking chair. He must have accidentally dozed off again while putting Alexander to sleep. Their almost one year old son was still lying fast asleep in his arms.

Percy nodded and put a finger to his lips. Hannah's mouth formed an O and she made the motion of zipping her mouth shut. Percy smiled and kissed her on the forehead before standing. Hannah followed him to the crib and watched as he lay Alexander down for the night.

Turning around, he exaggerated tip toeing out of the room. Each step was raised high and lowered slowly to the ground, making Hannah giggle as she imitated her father. Percy quietly shut the door behind them and went to the bathroom.

He sat down on the edge of the bathtub and turned on the water, pulling Hannah into his lap. As he started to undo her braids, combing her hair out with his fingers he asked about her first day at preschool.

"I got chased by monsters during play time!" Hannah said cheerfully. Percy's hands froze, but she continued, "Nathan was Kronos and I kill him just like daddy did. We made the playground O-lym-pus" She said it slowly, drawing out each syllable, "and the sandbox Tartris!"

Percy laughed, his worry sliding away. Hannah was just play pretending to fight monsters with Nathan again. She loved to wrestle with Jason and Piper's kid, the two of them taking turns on who gets to play the hero. He set her hair ties on the ground. "You mean Tar-ta-rus." He said, pulling Hannah's shirt over her head.

She practiced the word, "Tar-ta-rus."

"That's right!" Percy said, sliding her shorts off her legs and lifting her into the tub. "Did you learn anything today?"

"Nope," She said proudly, "The other kids didn't know the alphabet or how to count, but I already did cause mommy taught me."

Percy brought an orb of water up to Hannah's head and cupped his hand on her forehead, drawing the water back, wetting her hair. Bath time was always Percy's job. If their kids ever splashed, (and they did quite often) it was impossible for him to get wet.

"Make whirlpool Daddy!" Plus Percy could keep them entertained. Other parents complained about how hard it was to get their kids to cooperate for a bath, but Hannah enjoyed them so much thanks to Percy that he and Annabeth never had to worry about it.

Percy started a current within the bathtub, making it swirl around his daughter. Her bath toys bobbed as they were dragged along, circling round and round. Hannah grabbed her favorite, a small blue sailboat, and lifted it up.

"Tell me about Charbody again," Her eyes sparkled as she looked up, "Wait! Just Uncle Tyson saving you and mommy, that's my favorite."

Percy laughed as he scrubbed down her body with soap, how could one toddler get this dirty every day? "You already know that story so well Hannah, didn't you learn some new stories at preschool?" He asked.

She pouted and crossed her sudsy arms, "Yeah, but they aren't cool like what you and mommy tell. They're boring, about cookies and mouses and don't have any monsters in them at all!"

"I liked those stories growing up."

She looked up at him like he was crazy, "Really?" Her already high voice went up even higher in disbelief.

"Really." Percy said, "You might like them too the more you hear them." Hannah didn't look convinced. Percy started shampooing her hair, using the strawberry scented one that always reminded him of Camp Half-blood.

Hannah yawned, after the initial excitement of bath time wore off she was usually ready to go to sleep right after. He rinsed off her hair and lifted her to her feet, grabbing the towel as he did so. Wrapping the towel around her, he lifted her free of the water, hair and toes dripping on the floor.

Having had so much practice doing so, it didn't take Percy long to dry her and get her in her pajamas. He helped her brush her teeth and then it was off to bed. Tonight was Annabeth's turn to read a story and she was already waiting in Hannah's room. Percy gave his daughter a kiss and wished her goodnight. "I love you."

"I love you too daddy."

Eight Years

Percy waved at Hannah from the shore. She was unsteady on her ice skates, but managed to wave as she wobbled in the middle of the lake.

A winter retreat had been Annabeth's idea and so he found himself, freezing, standing on the sidelines watching as his family ice skated past him. He was absolutely terrible at ice-skating so he offered to watch their five-year-old son instead.

The day had started off cold and had only continued to get colder. Percy's breath left his body in tiny clouds, dissipating into the frigid air. At least it was a beautiful day. The sun shone down on the snow, making the landscape sparkle.

He was entertaining Alex by showing him how to pack snow into snowballs. The little boy loved it. Percy hadn't shown him what you do with the snowballs. He didn't want to be the dad with the kid throwing snowballs at strangers.

Percy glanced back toward Hannah and saw that his daughter's slow progress on her skates had distanced her from everyone else. Annabeth was taking a break off to the side to take the pressure off of her feet and ankles.

As Percy watched, the ice beneath Hannah's feet cracked, sending tendrils extending in every direction. Everyone else rushed to get to the outskirts of the lake, but she didn't move fast enough. No longer able to support her weight, the already weakened ice fell apart. Hannah disappeared from sight as she plunged into the freezing water.

Wasting no time, Percy ran to the middle of the lake, stripping off his coat and leaving it lying in the snow. He dived in after her.

He could tell the water was cold, but it didn't bother him. It was murky and dark all around; the ice only let a little light in. Although, that didn't matter for Percy, he knew exactly where Hannah was.

He swam down; the pond was deep.

Grabbing a wide-eyed Hannah around the waist, Percy shot back up as fast as he could. The ice parted for him at the tiniest of nudges, leaving a large opening. As soon as they reached the surface Hannah's hands tightened around Percy's neck. They weren't as cold as he thought they would be.

He hoisted Hannah back onto solid ice and pulled himself up by his hands. They were both soaking wet and Percy would have willed the water off of them if there weren't mortals watching from the edges of the pond.

Annabeth was yelling from the shore and holding onto Alex's hand. Percy scooped Hannah up in his arms and walked across the ice to his wife.

"Come on we'll get you warmed up," Annabeth said as she stripped off her jacket, intending to give it to Hannah.

Still in Percy's arms, Hannah said, "I really don't feel that cold mom, really."

Annabeth felt Hannah's face and hands then looked at Percy in surprise. "She feels fine, looks like she got some of your powers after all."

Hannah squirmed out of Percy's arms in excitement, "Powers! You think I have powers?"

Looking around at the anxious mortals watching from a distance Percy said, "We'll talk about this at home. Then we can really see what all you can do!" He smiled down at his daughter, suddenly giddy at the idea of teaching her and sharing with her.

Ten Years

Percy sat down next to Hannah in the sand. The sun had just dipped below the horizon and the light was fading fast. The ocean looked calm and inviting. It lapped up against Hannah's bare feet, but came no further. Percy could feel the pull of the tide in the ocean, he wondered if she could too.

"I thought I might find you here." Percy said.

Hannah sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand, "Go away dad."

Percy ignored her. "I always look to the sea when I'm feeling down too. It's comforting, never changing, absolute."

She turned away from him, "I said go away, I don't want to talk."

"You know my first summer at camp, pretty much the same thing happened to me." Hannah looked up at him, her eyes red from crying, her hair still in tangles from the forest. "I saw an opportunity and I went for it, and it ended up costing my team the game."

"Did you also get humiliated by an Ares kid who trampled you to the ground like you were nothing?"

Percy laughed, "Actually yeah I did, a lot over the years, but losing a game is nothing to be upset about Hannah."

"I just wanted to get the flag myself, you know?" Hannah looked off to the side, "Prove to everyone that I was strong enough."

"Strong enough to be my daughter?" Percy asked. Hannah nodded, she wouldn't meet his eyes. "You have nothing to prove Hannah, your mother and I already know how wonderful you are."

"Yeah but not everyone thinks that!" She threw her hands into the air, frustrated, "People make fun of me for being a second generation, they say I'm not as good as them and they're right." Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

"Hannah, you're ten years old. You can't expect to be better than everyone at camp when they've all had more years of experience."

"I can try." Her eyes glinted with determination.

"And look where that got you." Percy shook his head, "Trying to accomplish everything on your own won't get you very far, and it's why you weren't able to get the flag. Every time I won against monsters, against Kronos, against the giants, against Gaia, I had the strength of my friends backing me up. I didn't do it alone."

"Nathan got his team's flag all by himself." She pouted. Nathan was a bit older than Hannah, and had been her best friend their whole lives. It was easy for him to fit in, he took after his father, a natural leader, strong, confident, and easy going. Hannah had more of Percy in her than Annabeth. Her stubborn streak made it difficult for her to get along with others at the start.

"Nathan's been at camp longer than you have," Percy sighed, "Don't compare yourself to him Hannah, the two of you have completely different skills."

"No one makes fun of him for being second generation."

"Stop. Comparing. Yourself. To. Nathan. This is his second summer here and your first. He's had time to make friends and prove himself and you will too." Hannah opened her mouth, but Percy cut her off and continued, "And I know it's hard when no one likes you, believe me I know, but that will pass over in a week, you'll see. Your mother was furious with me for losing our flag and we stayed friends."

Hannah smiled, "Did she yell at you?"

Percy returned the smile, "One of the very first times she did."

"So it was hard for you, your first time here?"

"It was confusing," Percy ran a hand through his hair, "Everyone expected something from me, even your mother. I had just learned who I was and all of a sudden, I had this enormous responsibility, all these people depending on me."

"Depending on you?" Hannah repeated.

"Do you remember the story of the lightning thief?" Hannah nodded, "Well, all that happened my first summer at camp, when I was only two years older than you."

"It must have been tough."

"It was, grandma didn't know much about half-bloods so she couldn't help me. Your mom and I on the other hand are seasoned veterans," Percy smiled at her, "if you need help with anything, we'll be there."

They sat in silence for a moment, watching the water glisten in the dark. The sounds of the camp were far off in the distance. A large light was casting a glow and Percy knew the bonfire had been started.

Hannah picked up a shell and turned it over in her hands. She spoke quietly, "Are you sure I belong here at Camp Half-blood?"

He lifted Hannah's chin so she was looking him in the eyes, "I'm positive." Her smile was small as Percy pulled her into a hug. "If you want," He said, "I can give you separate sword lessons so you can improve and kick everyone's butts."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Hannah sighed into his shoulder, "Thanks dad."

"Any time honey," Percy pulled out of the hug and looked back toward camp, "Want to go to the bonfire?"

She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, "Alright."

So the two of them turned their backs to the ocean and walked together to the fire. Most of the campers were already at the bonfire, sitting around and singing the same songs Percy remembered when he was a kid. They passed kids with blue bandanas and Hannah shrank under the eyes of her bitter teammates.

Nathan came running around from the other side, "Hey! Where'd you go?"

Hannah gestured behind her, "Just down to the beach for a while."

"You waited too long, all the marshmallows have been taken!" Nathan started to pull Hannah along, "but don't worry, I saved a few for you."

Percy watched as his daughter's spirits were lifted. She smiled when she was handed a marshmallow and Percy thought she'd be just fine.

Twelve Years

Blackjack landed on top of a car, his hooves indenting the roof. "Aw come on man," Percy said, "I told you: never land on cars."

Sorry boss.

Percy sighed and dropped to the ground, uncapping Riptide as he did so. "Wait here Blackjack."

You got it boss. He whinnied, pawing the top of the Dodge Intrepid.

Unfortunately, Blackjack still insisted on calling him "boss". It annoyed Percy, but it was hard to break the black Pegasus out of years of habit.

All around him were signs of a monster battle. Cars were overturned, stores fronts shattered, and no mortals to be seen. Experience told Percy to go slow, to be careful, but his instincts told him to hurry. He ran in the middle of the street, his whole body a live wire, flowing with nervous energy.

The sound of claws dragging across pavement reached his ears and he broke into a sprint. Rounding the corner of a building he spotted the monster. Its wings were keeping it just above the ground as it chased after its prey. It would drop down and run a few steps, swiping its talons before taking to the air again. The back paws were large and formidable; the claws extended and ready to rip. The eagle head would screech in frustration as it was denied its kill over and over again.

Percy had fought griffins before, but this fight had higher stakes than the average one. Darting in between the cars, he finally spotted the black head of hair he knew to be his daughter. Hannah was moving, dodging, and staying alive just like he and Annabeth taught her.

Through training her, Percy knew her combat skills were impressive. She inherited his natural ability with a sword, but had also inherited his rashness. Annabeth was coaching her on strategy and she excelled at it when she was focusing. Put Hannah in a fight however and she would revert back to acting on impulse.

She was getting older, but Percy had hoped that they would have had a few more years before their first major monster attack. Sure, twelve was the age when Percy got attacked by Mrs. Dodds, but his daughter was a second generation half-blood. She shouldn't have attracted a monster this powerful. He was just glad he got here when he did.

Percy shouted at the griffin, "Hey bird brain!" It turned around and was about to come after him when his daughter jumped out from behind a car. She pulled a dagger from her boot and went to stab the feathery throat. The griffin noticed and launched itself into the air, its wings pushing down on Hannah, knocking her to the ground. Her dagger fell out of her grasp, clattering beside her.

The next few seconds felt like an eternity to Percy. He rushed to get to her side, to shield her. The griffin dove at his daughter, talons outstretched, glinting in the sun. Wide eyed she grabbed for her fallen dagger, her hands frantic on the ground.

Percy's heart felt like it had stopped, filling with dread and anticipation. At the last second she rolled to the side, tucking her arms into her body. The talons grazed her stomach, drawing blood, but not impaling her like they intended to. She gasped in pain, clutched her side, and stood up.

Percy was there before the griffin could attack again. Relieved that she seemed well enough to stand, he stepped in front of Hannah and stabbed Riptide forward into the chest of the monster. Ripping his sword out the side, Percy watched as the griffin dissolved, returning to Tartarus.

He turned to his daughter, grabbing her arms and looking her up and down. "Are you alright?" He asked, his eyes searching hers. They were almost identical to his own, a lighter shade of green, not quite the color of ocean depths. Percy never understood Annabeth's fascination with his eyes until he saw them in the face of his daughter. They were mesmerizing. Right now, they glistened with the beginning of tears.

"I'm fine dad." Hannah said, "It's a shallow scratch." He pulled her into a hug, clutching his daughter tight to him. She leaned into it for a moment then complained, "Daaaaaaad, stop I'm fine."

He released her from the hug and moved a strand of hair from her face. Then he said, "What were you thinking Hannah?!"

She was startled by the sudden change in her dad's demeanor. "Uh…"

"You were supposed to be home over two hours ago. Your mom and I were worried, we had to ask Nathan where you were."

"You asked my friend where I was then followed me?!" Hannah looked offended.

"Yes." Percy said, "And I'm glad I did. You could have died and all because you wanted to go on a date."

Hannah gasped, "Did Nathan tell you that too?" Percy nodded, "I'm gonna kill him. The next time I see him he-"

"You're missing the point Hannah." Percy did his best to look stern. Usually Annabeth scolded their kids so he was a little out of practice. He continued, "Your mom and I need to know where you are all the time, you can't just disappear for two hours and not tell us where you're going."

"No one else's parents are this clingy." She argued.

"No one else's parents have to worry about monster attacks." Percy countered. He looked around them, "So whatever happened to the boy you were with?"

Hannah scowled, "He ran away screaming when we were attacked. I don't like him anymore."

Percy chuckled, "Well alright then, let's go home."

Hannah followed, pouting behind her father and dragging her feet. Percy's disappointment and anger was nothing compared to how Annabeth would react. She was the enforcer in the house, nothing got past her and her quick grey eyes. Percy was amazed sometimes at how intuitive she was. Annabeth would be aware of what their kids would do before they had even begun to do it. She knew when to be firm, knew when to be yielding, and could tell when a hug would have more of an impact than yelling.

If anything, over the years, Percy had grown to love her more. To see this side of her, to see her being a mother, it wasn't something he would have imagined from Annabeth, but she was fantastic at it. He figured it had as much to with built in instinct as it did Piper's influence over the years. She taught Annabeth to trust in emotion as much as logic.

Blackjack wasn't where Percy had left him. Typical. He had wandered over to a planter and was nibbling on the leaves hanging down. As they walked up to him, his ears swiveled back and he perked up, becoming overly interested in a street sign. Percy decided not to pursue it; he was already dealing with one misbehaving child.

Hannah greeted Blackjack by stroking his nose; he leaned into, twitching his upper lip. Someone's in trouble. It wasn't a question.

"Shut up Blackjack." Hannah swatted his nose lightly then went to climb on his back. He whinnied, tossing his mane backwards. Blackjack absolutely adored Percy's kids and loved to push their buttons. Hannah was his favorite to tease because she was the easiest to get riled up and angry. Although, Percy knew she secretly loved the attention of the black Pegasus.

He hoisted himself up behind her, reaching around to grab Blackjack's mane. The long wings spread out on either side of them, the Pegasus running forward to gain momentum before jumping into the air. Buildings rushed past them as they made their way back to their apartment.

Annabeth was waiting when they arrived, their two youngest sons already put to bed. She rushed to Hannah, wrapping her tight in a hug and handing her a small amount of ambrosia, "I'm so glad you're alright honey."

"I don't need this mom, really." Hannah protested.

"Eat it." Annabeth said, her tone said she wasn't angry, but her eyes told another story. They were hard, daring their daughter to defy her. "Then go to your room for the rest of the night. I need to talk to your father."

Hannah opened her mouth to argue then thought better of it. She headed toward her room and turned around, "I'm sorry I made you worried." Percy thought that for once she did look genuinely apologetic. Maybe the attack had scared her as much as it did them.

Annabeth sighed, her voice soft as she said, "We'll talk in the morning." Hannah nodded her head then disappeared into the hallway.

Percy slumped into the couch, the knot of worry in his stomach finally loosening. He breathed out, "Kids are tougher work than I thought."

Annabeth laughed settling down on the couch beside him, "Did you think it was going to be all fun all the time?"

He scratched the back of his neck and said, "Well kind of yeah."

Annabeth rested her head on his shoulder. Percy grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. She said, "I think we should get Hannah a cell phone."

That was the last thing he expected Annabeth to say, Percy spluttered, "Are you kidding? This is your solution after a monster attack, give her a device that attracts MORE monsters? We should be punishing her not rewarding her with a cell phone."

"Oh she's still getting grounded, but the cell phone is a good idea, she would only use it to contact us in emergencies, it would give her more freedom and we wouldn't have to wonder where she was if she was late again."

"She was late because she snuck around behind our backs to go see a boy."

Annabeth repeated to Percy what he had said to their daughter earlier, "You're missing the point Percy."

"Yeah well I think we should give her less freedom, not more. Doesn't this monster attack prove we need to keep a closer eye on her?"

"If we restrict her freedom, she'll keep sneaking around." Annabeth said. She was making sense, but Percy still didn't agree with what she was suggesting.

"I jus- I just think it'd be better if she stayed close to us." His argument sounded weak even to him, but Hannah was their oldest, their only girl, he couldn't let anything happen to her.

"I want that too Percy," Annabeth looked up at him, "but Hannah is going to be a teenager soon. At her age, your mom let you navigate the city and you were much more at risk for a monster attack than she is. With the cell phone, she can go where she wants and we will still know where she is and be able to get to her if anything happens."

Percy sighed, he knew when he was beat. "You're right, of course you're right."

Annabeth kissed him on the cheek, "Then it's settled, we'll tell her tomorrow."

Percy looked at the clock, "It's not too late…the kids are all in their rooms…we have the apartment to ourselves…" He smiled at Annabeth and squeezed her hand. "You know what that means right?"

Annabeth kissed him on the lips, drawing his head toward her with her hand. It was familiar, it was comfortable, and Percy still never tired of it. He sighed into the kiss, turning toward her to rest his hands on her hips. She grasped his hair with her fingers before sliding them back down to settle on his neck as she withdrew. She said, "It means we can watch whatever we want on TV." He opened his mouth in surprise, his excitement crushed, and his eyes wide with disappointment.

Turning away and picking up the remote, Annabeth looked back at him and laughed at Percy's fallen face. Realizing she was teasing him, he frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. She stood up, still smiling and held out her hand. "Come on." He was determined to stay grumpy until she winked at him. He returned her smile and took her hand, letting her lead him into the bedroom.

Seventeen Years

"A table near the back please." The hostess nodded and lead Percy to the farthest table of the restaurant, it was slightly dimmer back here, but Percy could still see everything. "This is perfect, thank you."

She set a menu down on the table and said, "Enjoy your meal sir."

Percy set the menu off to the side, he wasn't planning on ordering any food. He drummed his fingers nervously on the table, where were they? What if the information he got from Alex was wrong? It is possible Hannah fed him false information through her diary, she'd done it before. They could already be at another restaurant by now.

When he left the house, Annabeth warned him that he would be caught. She didn't approve of any of this, especially the teaching-their-son-to-snoop-through-his-sister's-stuff part. Percy didn't listen to her so he really hoped this wouldn't backfire, she'd never let him live it down. Annabeth loved telling Percy, "I told you so."

His waiter came over and Percy ordered a beer. The young man looked at him funny and said, "Nothing else?"

"Just the beer, thanks." Percy knew he looked strange. A middle aged man sitting at a table alone in a fancy restaurant ordering only a beer kind of screamed: creep.

It didn't take long for the beer to arrive. Percy sipped on it, his eyes never leaving the doorway. An elderly couple had come in, a large family, and three young couples, none of them Hannah. He was starting to think that he did have the wrong place until he spotted a familiar dress walking past the front windows.

Hannah had shown him that dress last week after a shopping trip with Annabeth. She had been so excited about it, something about how great of a deal it was. If he'd have known she would have been wearing it to a date he wouldn't have paid for it.

The guy she was with had dark brown hair and was only slightly taller than her. Percy had never seen him before, but instantly hated him. He was dressed nicely and held the door open for his daughter, but you never knew with these young boys. He was obviously a jerk.

He spoke to the hostess and she started to lead them to the back corner where Percy was sitting. Uh oh. Leaving his half drunken beer on the table, Percy fled, hiding in the hallway that lead to the bathroom. After waiting a few moments, he tentatively peeked his head around the corner. Hannah's back was to him and she was looking down at a menu.

Percy flagged down the hostess after she left his daughter's table. She looked wary of him but walked over and stopped before entering the hallway. "Yes sir?"

"I'm going to need a different table please."

She raised an eyebrow, but remained polite, "Is there something wrong with the one you have?"

"Uh well you see," Percy was stammering, "uh that couple you just seated, well the girl is my daughter and I kind of don't want her to know that I'm here."

She smiled in understanding, "Tagging along on a date?"

Percy did his best to look offended, "I would never, I just happened to be here…bad timing really."

"Uh huh." She wasn't buying it, "Follow me and I'll get you another table."

"Thank you."

She nodded in return and began to walk across the room, heading to the opposite side of the restaurant. Percy followed close behind, keeping an eye on his daughter's table in case he needed to make a mad dash for cover. She looked so beautiful, even from behind. Her unruly hair had been tamed and pulled half back with bobby pins. Annabeth had helped with that no likely, having had twenty years of dealing with Percy's hair for formal occasions. He heard Hannah's laugh carry over the din of the restaurant. Just like always, it was music to his ears. Percy couldn't stand the idea of anyone turning that laughter into crying and so he was here, watching and waiting.

Because he was so busy spying on Hannah, Percy failed to notice the dessert tray in his path. The hostess stepped off to the side neatly, but he barreled head over heels right over the top. His collision set cakes and pies flying. A lemon meringue landed square on Percy's head and he was pretty sure he got some chocolate mousse up his nose.

He braced his hand on the upturned cart to his right and made to stand up. Unfortunately, his foot slipped on a – what is that? Banana cream? – smear of dessert. The force with which he landed on his rear would definitely leave a mark, but it would be nothing compared to his bruised ego. By now the entire restaurant had noticed his blunder and stared as Percy stood back up with the help the now laughing hostess.

She handed him a napkin and said, "You got a little something, well, everywhere."

Percy smiled sarcastically, "Thanks," and took the napkin, turning around as he did so. That was a mistake.

Hannah had stood up from her booth and was staring open mouthed at her father. He watched as she recovered from her initial shock and began to process the situation. There was about twenty feet between the two of them, but Percy could feel the rage rolling off of her in waves. He smiled sheepily at her and shrugged as if to say, "Wow what are the chances!?" She glared at him. Right now his smartest course of action would be to retreat while he still had some dignity.

"Would you mind ringing up my bill now?" Percy said to the hostess, "I think I'm done."

"Of course," The hostess replied straight-faced, "but before I bring the bill, may I interest you in some dessert?"

"No. Thanks."

"Alright then, I'll be right back." And with that she turned and walked briskly off into the kitchen, where Percy couldn't follow.

"Wait! Don't leave me he-"

"Ahem."

Percy didn't turn around.

"AHEM"

Percy slowly turned around to see his daughter doing an uncanny impression of his furious wife. Her arms were crossed tightly as if she was restraining them from strangling him and her eyes screamed MURDER.

"Hello Dad. What are you doing here?" As if she didn't already know the answer. Leave it to Annabeth's daughter to get him to admit what he did wrong.

"Oh you know, just enjoying a beer at my favorite place."

"You come to an Italian restaurant just to order a beer?"

Before Percy could say anything to that, Hannah's date had walked up, clearly confused about what was going on. "Who's this?" He asked.

Hannah gritted her teeth before she forced herself to smile, "Michael this is my dad, dad this is Michael."

Michael stuck out his hand, "It's nice to meet you sir, I've heard so much about you."

Percy shook the boy's hand, "Can't say I've heard anything about you."

Hannah narrowed her eyes at that then turned to Michael, "Why don't you go sit back down, my dad's about to leave, but I want to talk to him first."

"Uh sure, yeah."

Hannah pulled Percy into a nearby empty booth. "How did you know where I'd be?"

"Father's intuition." Percy shrugged.

"Bull." Hannah sighed in exasperation, "Gods I told Alex to stop looking through my damn stuff!"

"Language!" Percy scolded.

"Oh no! You don't get to lecture me right now, I can't believe you would – wait no actually I can. When are you going to start trusting me dad?"

"You I trust, of course I trust you." Percy rubbed the back of his neck, "It's just everyone else that I'm suspicious of."

"If you trust me then you can trust my judgment on who I spend my time with."

She had him there. Percy relented, "Alright, you're right. I'm sorry."

"Sorry you got caught?"

Percy reached out to grab his daughter's hand resting on the table. "No, genuinely sorry. I can admit when I'm wrong."

Hannah laughed, "Probably a useful trait being married to mom."

Percy laughed too and it was silent for a moment. He spoke again, "I just have a hard time stepping back. It's different for us, I have to worry about a lot more than just bad boys and smoking and drinking."

"So you don't worry about me drinking?" Hannah smiled.

"Oh no I worry about that too. Double the worry normal parents have to deal with."

"Well I can handle myself, whether it's regular teenage stuff or monsters. You and mom have been training me for ages. I think I'm ready to be trusted on my own."

Percy sighed, "Yes, yes you are."

"And I think I'm ready for a later curfew, you know Nathan doesn't have to be home un-"

"Don't push it."

Hannah shrugged, "Worth a try. This wasn't how I wanted you to meet Michael, you know."

"Oh really?"

"I was going to introduce him to you and mom at the same time."

"Sounds like you like him a lot."

"I do. I really do."

"Then go finish your date. I'll go home."

Hannah squeezed Percy's hand then slipped out of the booth. She smiled over her shoulder before returning to sit next to Michael. The boy had already ordered an appetizer, bruschetta, one of Hannah's favorites.

Percy left money to pay for his beer and a huge tip for all the desserts he wasted. Walking out the door, he saw he had a text from Annabeth. "Get caught?"

Percy texted back, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

A ding, "Mother's intuition."

Another ding, "Told you so."