AN: When I finished writing The Daughter of Athena I really never thought I would write anything else in this verse since I was completely satisfied with how I concluded it. Many of my readers complained that they wanted to know whether Percy and Annabeth had a boy or a girl and I got to thinking about what it would be like to show another snippet on their lives in the future. So without further ado, I hope you like the next chapter in Percabeth's life together.
FYI: Pater is ancient Greek for Father and Meter is ancient Greek for Mother.
Strength and Wisdom
"Can you believe it has been ten years?"
"Yes Percy, I can definitely believe it has been ten years."
Percy looked at his wife and smiled at her lovingly, "You are still just as beautiful as the day I met you."
Annabeth's eyebrow twitched, "And you are still just as corny as you were then seaweed brain."
"I feel like we were such kids back then," Percy remarked.
"We WERE kids back then," Annabeth told him. "And now I'm a mother with one overgrown child, and two smaller but slightly smarter children."
"Hey!" Percy exclaimed, but his wife moved forward and kissed him so quickly it left him breathless.
"You know I love you Percy," Annabeth said seriously. "I would never change my life for anything."
Percy smiled, "I love you too Annabeth, I thank the Fates for every day you are still with me."
As the couple gazed lovingly in each other's eyes, they were about to kiss again when a loud sound suddenly ruined the mood.
"Meter!"
"Here we go," Annabeth muttered.
Percy sighed, and turned as two small children ran towards them followed by an out of breath satyr.
"Sorry," Grover yelped. "I'm not as young as I once was."
"We've got this," Annabeth replied, before turning her steely gaze on the children.
Looking at the little boy and girl was almost as if looking at a young Annabeth and Percy. The girl was shorter than the boy at six years old and she had her mother's blonde hair but her father's green eyes. The boy was going through a growth spurt at eight years old and he was his father's spitting image except form his grey eyes that were identical to his mother's. Annabeth always figured that the Gods had a good laugh about that.
"What is going on Sophia?" she asked the little girl. "We told you to listen to Grover."
The girl burst into tears and while Percy immediately jumped to comfort his little girl, Annabeth could spot crocodile tears a mile away.
"Alcaeus pushed me!" Sophia wailed, burying her face in Percy's shoulder as he tried to sooth her.
"Well?" Annabeth asked looking at her son.
"She's lying," Alcaeus argued. "She took my book."
"Is that true, Sophia?" Annabeth asked the little girl, but she only cried harder.
"Which book is this?" Annabeth asked calmly.
The little girl buried her head further into Percy's chest, but he put her down and looked at her sternly, "Answer your Meter."
Sophia sighed and pulled out a small book that she had been hiding in the shawl she was wearing. Annabeth gasped when she saw the cover, and she and Percy shared a meaningful look.
"Where did you find this?" she asked, taking the book in her hands.
"In the library," Alcaeus said.
"Do you know what this is?" Annabeth asked them.
Both children shook their heads.
"It is the story of how we met," Annabeth said. "My father, your grandfather wrote it down for us as an anniversary present a few years ago."
Both children were suddenly very interested and watched their parents will rapt curiosity.
Percy smiled, "It is a pretty crazy story."
Annabeth nodded, "And Athena and Poseidon pretty much forced us to marry."
"Really?" Alcaeus asked curiously. "Will you tell us the story Meter, Pater?"
"We don't have time since the feast is tonight," Percy explained.
The children frowned because they hated sitting through long dinners where they were expected to sit quietly and respectfully as any young prince or princess should.
"But, I think we can tell them a few things," Annabeth smiled at her husband. "What do you think?"
"Please Pater!" the children chorused.
"I don't know," Percy mused, though Annabeth knew he was joking.
"Please!"
Percy laughed, "How can I resist that?"
"Yay!" the kids chimed as they drew in close to hear.
"First of all do you know about your names?" Annabeth asked.
"Our names?" Alcaeus asked in confusion.
"Your name means strength," Percy told the boy. "And Sophia your name means wisdom."
"You see children, when your father and I met we brought our own gifts with us, and our own challenges. What won the battle of Corinth ten years ago was a combination of strength and wisdom," Annabeth explained.
"Exactly," Percy replied. "Neither one alone could have won the battle, but together they were invincible. "
As Annabeth and Percy looked at each other, they couldn't help but think about how lucky they really had been in life. When the Gods forced them together they couldn't possibly see a way out that would bring them happiness in life, but here they were ten years later and more content then they ever imagined.
"Your father and I are strength and wisdom," Annabeth said. "And that is our biggest gift to you Alcaeus and Sophia. Love each other and grow up well, and you will both go far in life."
And as the two children tried to work out their parents words, they couldn't see what was destined for them in the future, and they couldn't see how Athena and Poseidon were smiling down at them.
The End
AN: Yes Sophia really means wisdom in ancient Greek and Alcaeus means strength. Percy and Annabeth both have so many unique qualities but I think that at least in this verse they would name their children after the two things that separate them but also combined are great. I really hope you enjoyed this little fic, and I would truly be grateful to hear any feedback! Thanks again to all you amazing people who inspired me the whole way through The Daughter of Athena, this fic is dedicated to all of you!
There is another reason I posted this today because today is my 10th Anniversary writing fanfiction on . When I started writing fanfic I was a senior in high school (yes I'm old) and my writing was so awful that I shudder even looking at my earliest works (For a prime example look up Harry and Frodo's Big Switch, but I warn you it isn't for the faint of heart) and there were many times I almost gave up writing when someone flamed me. Over the years I've written over 100 fics ranging in fandoms from my earliest Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter stories, to other fandoms like Star Wars, Merlin, and most recently Percy Jackson and Glee. Writing for such a great community has taught me tremendously about writing, and I've truly enjoyed every step of the way. I may be an adult with an adult job and life, but I will never take for granted the joy that fanfiction has given to me over the years. So thanks to all of you who have made it such a fun ride over the last decade and I hope there will be many more to come!
