Hey Brother
Summary: Sometimes you don't have to have the same parents, the same background, and the same adventures to be siblings. Annabeth has known Malcolm since he was seven, now at twenty-four, she says goodbye. Mentions character death.
A/N: If it doesn't say different, then it's in Annabeth PoV.
Present Day
Annabeth hung up the phone much slower than normal, and collapsed on the couch silently. She really didn't know what to do, they were having enough trouble with Bianca, and now…. How was she supposed to be okay, her family, well at least she had Percy, who was now coming down the stairs telling her something, but she only really caught the very end.
"…he's due in two weeks and we still don't have a name, Annabeth? Annabeth are you listenin-" She wasn't, though he was quite a sight, with both Bianca and Lucas on either of his sides, Bianca's new black hair swishing from side to side as Percy moved.
"My sister Cara just called from camp, Malcolm…" she trailed off, she was too shocked to say much more, but who would really blame her.
"Malcolm, Malcolm what? He's on his way isn't he?" Percy asked, she shook her head, as he set the two littians on the ground, they ran off to find their oldest brother Charles.
"Cara just told me that their van was attacked, he saved the others, but he-"
"Annabeth you don't need to say anymore, I-I understand."
She was grateful for his interruption, she needed to hear those words, 'I understand'. Percy was the only person who she wouldn't snap at for saying that, especially after Nico.
"Malcolm Finn."
"Okay. Okay, I-I can live with that. It's a good name and I don't think Frank will be able to come up with a nickname for him," said Percy, laughing to himself, more so to try and keep himself from going into shock, Annabeth's favorite brother was gone. His one inside to Annabeth's head was gone forever, after their wedding, he had even begun to feel like a brother to him.
"I remember when he came to camp, it was just the summer before you," she said, Percy, unable to help himself, reached out and rubbed her stomach, trying to not only soothe Annabeth, but also the baby and himself.
12 Years Ago
It was the second to last day of camp, and I woke up with a start. Someone was always in trouble, this was camp, but I knew that this was different. The screams of whoever it was, could be heard ringing through camp.
I jumped up and grabbed my knife, then started up towards the hill. A lot of other campers were following my lead, most of them were only Summer Warriors, that's what we called the summer session only campers, the ones that had a home to go to once the summer ended.
There were even more campers on top of the hill, surrounding Thalia's tree and laughing at whoever was trying to get up the hill. Almost all of them were dressed similar to me, pajamas.
"Help me! Please, they won't leave me alone!" a little boy yelled, he couldn't be older than seven. "I need help!"
Whatever had a hold of him was invisible, as every time he tried to move up the hill, take a step or crawl, something grabbed a hold of his feet and made him fall again.
I ran down to him and cut at the grass by his feet, he scrambled up the hill with me pushing on his back.
"Thanks a lot for just watching!" I yelled at the others campers, Mark, who was head of my cabin –Athena- stopped laughing and told me, 'to get my knife out of my ass.'
"Chiron-"
"Isn't up here Annabeth," said Mark, "now why don't you help this kid out and show him around camp and leave the rest of us alone."
With that, everyone left, leaving me with the new kid. I turned to him and noticed that his legs had quite a few cuts and there was a bad one right along his jaw.
"Here kid, eat this," said Lydia, she belonged to the Apollo cabin.
"Is this a blonde brownie?" he asked, but before I could answer he shoved it in his mouth.
"Hey, be careful with that!" I yelled at him, he looked up at me, slightly shocked.
"Sorry," he said threw his mouthful of Ambrosia.
"It's okay, we just don't want to tell your mother or father that you burned up once you got to camp," I told him, his eyes grew big.
"Cool, but mom would be disappointed," he said, as I lead him down towards the cabins.
"What's your name?" he asked, I stopped in front of cabin one.
"Annabeth, yours?" I asked the small boy.
"Finn Malcolm, but I like to be called Malcolm," he said, I nodded and then went into the crazy explanation that was Camp Half-Blood.
The young dark hair Filipino boy with bright eyes and a smile too big to be considered trustworthy continued to smile on as I told him everything that I knew about his new home.
Twelve Years Ago – Winter Solace Meeting
"Wow, it's so big," said Malcolm as I held his hand through Olympus, Luke was at the front of the crowd and I was trying to keep up with him, but Malcolm was being dead weight on my arm.
"Yeah, well that's Olymp-"
"Do you think I'll see my other mom?"
I turned to him, I had never heard of any demigod having two parents of the same sex. "What do you mean?"
"Mom told me that she had never given birth to me and that I just appeared one day, after her friend Thea disappeared. I came with a letter and that's it," he said, turning to look at me.
Every time I looked at Malcolm, I was shocked by his eyes; they were a startling bright gray.
"I think you will, Malcolm, but not if we don't go up to the throne room," I told him, he nodded and squeezed my hand.
Then we raced up to the top of the hill, to the centerpiece of Olympus.
Ten Year Ago
"Annabeth, your back!" said Malcolm, crushing me into a hug. He was really all I needed right now, after fighting the boars and dealing with a Cyclopes and Chiron's leaving and just, everything that was today.
"I've missed you Malcolm," I told him, squeezing him tighter than I should have but, this was my little brother.
"Don't worry Annabeth, we'll heal Thalia's tree, I promise."
His eyes were bright and his smile lite up his whole face, just like whenever he believed his schemes would work.
"I know," I told him, pulling him close to me once again.
Eight Years Ago
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed at my siblings, three of which were still older than me, but most were younger. Percy had been missing for days and days, and I had no idea where he was.
"Annabeth." It was Malcolm, no surprise; he had seen me in worse situations. "It's Percy, knowing him, he'll be back tomorrow."
"Chiron said the funeral was tomorrow and that we've wasted too much time waiting for his return," I told him, he wrapped one of his arms around me; it was hard to believe that he was already ten years old, almost eleven actually.
"Like I said, he'll show up tomorrow, probably right before we burn his shroud," said Malcolm, I smiled and he wrapped his arms even tighter around me.
"Thanks Malcolm."
Seven Years Ago - Malcolm
"Okay, on my command, we pick them up and dump them into the lake," I said, the Stoll brothers both laughed and Clarisse actually nodded along to what I was saying.
"Well hurry up them Bird Brain," she snarled, I rolled my eyes, and turned my attention back to Annabeth and her soon-to-be boyfriend Percy Jackson.
He had turned down godhood for his sister, which may not seem like a lot to the Gods, but to Malcolm, it meant quite a lot.
"Okay, now," I said and our small crowd went after my older sister and her now boyfriend Percy.
I realized after we had waited a few minutes too long for them to come out of the lake, that I really hadn't thought this through as well as I should have. Percy is the son of Poseidon after all.
Mitchell of Aphrodite walked over and clapped me on the shoulder, "you really didn't think this out Wise Kid did you?"
"Umm, not as well as I should have, I guess."
Seven Years Ago – Christmas Break
He was gone; it's been two day, ten hours, and sixteen minutes since I last saw him.
"Annabeth, you need to do something, we need to call his parents," Malcolm said, dropping a coin into my hand as he sat down beside me on my bed –or was it Olive's? "They may be able to help and not telling them is only going to make it worse."
I turned to him and placed the coin back into his hand, "I'll need to go into the city then. I'm not going to do this to Sally."
"Do what?" he asked, and then as the realization caught up to him, he stood up. "I'm not letting you go into the city by yourself, not in this state, Annabeth."
I nodded as he pulled on his shoes, I couldn't believe that he was almost thirteen. Six years ago I had half dragged him into camp, and now he was actually at camp age.
"Okay, let's go then."
Six Years Ago
NYU, the University of New York had accepted him –us. Percy and I were going to school, to college. Nothing seemed to be able to stand in our way, friends, family, a trip to Tartarus.
I was just finishing packing up the trunk that Rachel had bought for me –a graduation present- when Malcolm stumbled into the cabin. He was very red and upon seeing him most of our older siblings left the cabin, pulling the younger ones out with them.
"Malcolm, are you okay?" I asked him, leading him over to his bed –we knew it was his because of all the chemistry equipment covering it. "Did you and Mitchell finally 'talk'?"
He nodded, "for a son of Aphrodite, he's not very forward…but he is good at kissing."
I laughed and hugged him to me; he was only fourteen, but a good four inches taller than me. I was starting to worry about when he was going to hit his growth spurt.
"Congratulation Malcolm, I hope the two of you are as happy as Percy and me."
"Thanks Annabeth."
Five Years Ago
It had been Percy's idea, a sibling dance. The only problem was Percy didn't seem to realize that I had at least thirty more siblings than him. Though it was Maxwell that seemed to say what all the others were apparently thinking.
"Annabeth, the only one here that will dance with you is Malcolm."
I sighed as Malcolm had disappeared about five minutes ago with Mitchell and I wasn't planning on seeing them for at least another hour.
"Annabeth! Come and dance with me," he yelled a cross the reception area.
I turned on my heel and ran to him; he laughed and spun me around. This was my Malcolm, my baby brother.
Four Years Ago - Malcolm
"Malcolm just sit down already!" said Mitchell annoyed, I rolled my eyes. "She'll be okay."
I sat down in my seat next to him. Percy and Sally who were coming out of the room every ten to fifteen minutes haven't come out in the last half hour, I had reason to worry. It also wasn't helping having the rest of the Seven around, along with a few other stragglers from camp.
"She's my sister Mitchell, just because you're not close to any of yours it doesn't mean I don't worry about mine," I told him, knowing too late that I said the wrong thing.
He pushed me onto the ground and stormed away. I sighed and rubbed my arm while climbing back up into my seat.
"I don't need a lecture; I'll apologize to him later. Give him time to calm down," I said the last part more to myself, but Piper who had been sitting by us just sent me a glare.
"You should apologize to him now," she told me, I jumped up from my seat.
"No, stop Malcolm, don't listen to Piper," said Jason, he grabbed my arm and pushed me back into my seat, a feat that must have been hard while holding onto an eight month old baby.
"He's been having a rough time at camp, actually. No one's taking him seriously, Aphrodite's cabin has traditionally been led by a girl, and even with Drew gone it's been hard for his siblings to listen to him," I told Piper, more than anyone else. "He didn't want to come out here, with the summer session in its first week and all, but I begged him so he did. He understands what Annabeth means to me, he used to be really close to Silena, before-"
"She died, I know," said Piper bitterly, "everyone in that cabin loved Silena."
"It's also his first real summer being in charge and he's too stubborn to ask me for help," I told her, "he doesn't understand that I'm not trying to tell him what to do, I just want to help him, though I guess nothing I will ever say will help because I don't know the dynamic of the Aphrodite cabin."
"I don't either to tell you the truth," she said and smiled at me, I smiled back.
The door to Annabeth's room opened and Sally stuck her head out, "Malcolm, Annabeth would like for you to come in."
I walked into the tiny room with the mindset of she's having a baby. But upon walking in, I noticed that it was very calm and quiet, Percy looked tired and proud and happy. Annabeth though, was staring down at her child with deep concentration.
"Malcolm, come here," said Percy, Annabeth looked up at the mention of my name. "Here, sit."
I took Percy's chair and Annabeth handed me the baby.
"His name is Charles Perseus, what do you think?" Annabeth said, I looked from the baby to her, her worry and stress finally showing.
Charles was quite small, I would later be told he weighed almost eight pounds, but I'm only sixteen. He looked just like Percy, same face, same long and lanky body, and the same dark hair –only his was thin and wispy and slightly curly, though I was sure the black would grow out to be blonde.
"Annabeth," I said and then paused, hoping to somewhat freak her out by thinking about what I was going to say, "he's prefect."
"I told you he would say something like that," said Percy laughing.
"Shut up Seaweed Brain," was Annabeth's reply.
"We want you and Grover to be his godfathers," said Percy, putting a hand on my shoulder, "Thalia is going to be godmother if we ever get a hold of her."
"I feel honored, but uncle is already too much responsibility," I told them, handing the baby back to Annabeth. "You understand, right?"
"Malcolm, you don't have to say that. Charles already has two uncles, Percy and I thought really hard about who would be his godparents. You, Grover, and Thalia were always our first choices, the three of you have been there for us in every situation that we've needed you for," explained Annabeth, I shook my head.
"Annabeth, I love you, you will always be my older sister. In a few years' time, I'll be in the city all the time for school, and expect me to be the free babysitting live-in uncle that you can't get rid of. Do you want to add godfather on top of that?" I asked her, she thought for a second and then nodded.
"Okay, but you need to promise me something, alright?" she said, I nodded, "for every celebration, every great moment that happens in any of Percy and I's children's lifetimes, you will be there for them, you promise?"
"I promise, Annabeth."
Present Day – Two Weeks Later
"Malcolm Finn Jackson," I told my newest son, "you were named after my favorite baby brother. He always promised to be there for you and your siblings, and he tried and did a really good job for the last five years." I kissed his forehead. "You have a lot to live up to, but you'll be able to do it, no worries."
"Annabeth."
I looked up; expecting to see Percy, but it was Mitchell instead, Malcolm's first and only boyfriend.
"Malcolm would be really proud Annabeth, and I promise to be there for them like he was, if you'll allow?"
I stared at Mitchell, he had changed so much in the last few years, ever since he and Malcolm became a couple, I would get random Iris messages, from eight in the morning to way past midnight when I didn't even bother to look at the clock.
But one that I would never forget was the call a month ago, one that only contained excitement and happiness and promises that I was sure would never be broken.
"You're a few hours late," I told him, "you'll have to try harder on your timing, Uncle Mitchell. But now it's time for you to come here and hold your newest nephew."
A/N: So the story of Annabeth and Malcolm's relationship. I know I probably made him a little too young, but it works for this story. If anyone has any questions, comments, or complaints please review, nicely though.
