Author's note-
Welcome to my Christmas one-shot story. I hope you enjoy! Chapters will probably be posted every day, hopefully.
-SOS
1. Tree
"Okay, crew!" Annabeth yelled, her intention to wake her family up working as a groggy Percy, wearing his usual winter pajamas – an old blue shirt and green pants covered in little crabs, matching Annabeth's outfit (which consisted of blue leggings and a "Crabby but Cute" sweatshirt that Percy had jokingly bought her, but she actually loved due to it being super comfortable) stumbled out of his room. Annabeth called again, "Time to wake up!"
"Mommy!" seven-year-old Ethan cried from the room he shared with his five-year-old sister Bella. "Mommy, how do you put this shirt on?"
"Hold on, sweetie," Annabeth shouted back. "First let me put on my own clothes," she said, walking back into her room to throw on jeans and a long-sleeved maroon shirt.
"I'd rather have them off," Percy whispered softly as he kissed her good-morning, making her shiver at his tone.
"We have kids in the room next door," she hissed. "Now, go get ready. It's the first day of December. Time to go pick out a Christmas tree."
She rolled her eyes as Percy pouted playfully, and then went to go help her son with his shirt.
Once the whole Jackson-Chase family was ready, they ate some blue pancakes, warmed up from the box that Sally gave them every week, and drank orange juice to wash the delicious food down. Annabeth also made some healthy toast, but no one ate that except for her.
They walked through New Athens to the camp store. It was a pretty long walk, but Annabeth bought them all some hot chocolate, so it seemed shorter. Once they got there, Juniper was waiting for them, dressed in an elf costume. Grover was standing awkwardly next to her, wearing a reindeer outfit.
"Are you looking for a tree on this fine December morning?" Juniper started, smiling in a welcoming kind of way. "Well, look no farther. We have some beautiful artificial trees right here," she said, leading the Jackson-Chase family into the store.
"We were looking for a real tree," Bella said loudly. She was only five, so she didn't know any better. "We want a real tree!"
Ethan joined in. "Real trees are prettier, and they smell better!"
"I am flattered that you think my siblings and cousins are beautiful, but you have gone around smelling them?" Juniper looked flabbergasted. "Well, that's all very nice, but I would not like to see my relatives being chopped down," here she shuddered a little, before continuing, "just for a month of Christmas. I advise you to buy an artificial tree."
"Okay, kids, which artificial tree do you want, kids?" Percy said, giving in to Juniper's request.
After a tall tree had been picked out and brought back to the house, the family was content. Christmas was in twenty-four days, and the holiday season had begun.