A/N: hey guys! This is my second PJO/HOO story I'm working on. Hope you enjoy it!

Premise: When a war calls their husbands to duty, five very different wives are left behind. There's Hazel, newlywed, pregnant and terrified of what the future might bring. Annabeth, who is struggling to raise a pair of twins and is descending into a deep depression. Calypso, who is having second thoughts about marrying her husband in the first place. Thalia, emotionally wrestling with a rebellious teenage daughter. And Piper, the one who is taking care of her terminally ill father.

The husbands want the wives to support each other, so each week they meet at a restaurant to discuss their lives and share burdens, and as their personal struggles build the wives begin to form deep bonds of trust. And when tragedy and disaster strike, they face the painful realities of life and war that pull people apart and bring friends together.

The Wives:

Hazel Zhang (20):
Husband: Frank, Captain

Annabeth Jackson (27):
Husband: Percy, Major
Children: twins Laurel and Miles (3)

Calypso Valdez (18):
Fiancé: Leo, Private First Class

Thalia di Angelo (35):
Husband: Nico, First Lieutenant
Children: Maria (15), Irene (11), Tyson (8)

Piper Grace (22):
Husband: Jason, Colonel
Children: Felix (6 months)

Hazel: A Family?

Hazel Zhang pulled into the Red Lobster parking lot, anxiety tearing at her heart. She bit her bottom lip for the millionth time, nearly drawing blood. She proceeded to put her car into park and stared at the windows, trying to get the courage to go inside. Based on her husband's emails, the other wives would be older than she is (with the exception of the 18 year old named Calypso) and have much more experience with…well, everything.

Hazel shook her head, her cinnamon curls bouncing. She shouldn't be thinking like that; Frank wanted her to get along with the other girls. In the most recent email he sent, Frank said he and the other soldiers were already the near best of friends. Hazel was certain they would be as close as brothers when they got home; her common sense told her that five men don't just go to war together and face danger and death without bonding.

Hazel pulled down the visor and checked her appearance. Bright golden eyes stared back at her. She touched up her lipstick and took a deep breath. She could do this – more importantly, her husband wanted her to do this. Hazel took the key out of the ignition and opened the door, warm summer air fanning her face.

Another young woman was ahead of her, holding a little boy's hand. She yelled, "Laurel Jackson, get back here!" a young girl with flyaway blonde hair and green eyes that looked three years old pouted and walked back to her mother. "Thank you. Now hold my hand, it's easy to get lost."

That's gotta be Annabeth, Hazel thought. Annabeth sent an email earlier saying that she might have to bring her kids if she couldn't find a babysitter.

Hazel pulled her voice out of her throat. "Annabeth?"

The young woman turned at the sound of Hazel's voice, tightly gripping the children's hands. She blew a strand of curly blonde hair out of her face. "Hey there; you must be Hazel." She smiled as Hazel nodded. "I'm Annabeth Jackson. I'd shake your hand, but…" she nodded toward the little boy and girl, who both stared at Hazel.

"That's okay," Hazel said, smiling at the kids. The two women walked together in silence toward the double doors that Hazel opened. They walked toward a nearby booth, where three other women sat: one sitting next to a car seat, the one next to her silently sipping lemon water, and the one on the end had dark, thick hair.

Annabeth sat down in the booth opposite the other woman, scooting to the edge so her children could sit next to her. Hazel sat next to the little boy.

"Sorry I had to bring these two along," Annabeth said. "the babysitter fell through."

"That's perfectly alright," the woman who was sipping the lemon water said, smiling at the twins. She had a soft, kind voice. Hazel liked her right away.

"Anyway, I'm Annabeth." Annabeth extended her hand across the table and shook hands with everyone. "I'm 27 and my husband is Percy. And this is Laurel and Miles, my fraternal twins." She laid a gentle hand on each toddler's head as she introduced them. "And I am an architect."

"I'm Piper," the girl sitting next to the carseat said. She had choppy, uneven brown hair and kaleidoscope eyes. Hazel guessed she had some Native American in her blood due to the shape of her eyes and the way her cheekbones were placed. "I'm 22, a stay at home mom, and this," Piper continued, turning the carseat toward the women, "is little Felix, my son. He's six months old. My husband is Jason, this is our first deployment and I am scared to death." Piper let out a little chuckle at the last line, which caused an awkward silence.

Everyone's gazes glanced to the woman next to Piper, who had long, beautiful chestnut hair and round eyes. She looked very young, not even twenty. She looked startled when she noticed everyone staring at her. "Oh, hi. I'm Calypso, and I'm 18 years old." She let out a small smile when she saw everyone's eyes widen in surprise. "I don't have any kids, Leo and I aren't even married yet; we decided to postpone the wedding until he gets back. That is…if he gets back." Her voice trailed off for a second, but she brought herself back. "I'm currently going to school to be a midwife." Calypso got a far-off look in her eyes and twisted the engagement ring on her finger. Hazel guessed she wouldn't say anything more, so she turned her gaze to the last woman in the row.

"I'm Thalia," she said, smiling at everyone. "I'm 35, so I guess I'm the oldest which makes me the grandma of the group." Hazel laughed; Thalia hardly looked like the "grandma" type with her leather jacket and black eyeliner. "Nico is my man. We've got three kids: Maria, Irene and Tyson and I'm a stay at home mom, too." Thalia and Piper shared a smile.

While Annabeth asked Thalia how old her kids were, Hazel's thoughts consumed her. Both her and Frank wanted a family, but things had happened so fast: marriage, settling into their apartment and then Frank getting deployed. They both agreed when they got married that they wanted kids, at the most maybe four or five. But now the very concept of a child made her stomach turn, especially when she found out she missed her last period. She couldn't have gotten pregnant that fast…could she?

Hazel snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed everyone staring at her. She cleared her throat. "I'm Hazel, and I'm married to Frank. We just got married last winter, so no kids yet. I train and break horses for a living."

Oh, and I think I'm pregnant.

Sooooo, what do you think? Please review!