So all things being equal, it looks like the majority of you want to find out exactly what Athena said to Percy in his cabin. Jenson is pleased at your response! Also, it looks like I'll also be doing a few chapters up to the wedding! So thank you for your kind words and I promise that I'll put up the next chapter as fast as possible for all of you that didn't really want this chapter.

I watched Nico leave my cabin and sighed in relief. I liked the kid and all, two wars have a way of really bringing people together, but I think it'll be much easier to have a meltdown about this whole proposal thing if I'm alone. Seriously, what was I thinking? I mean, don't get me wrong I love Annabeth, in fact, she's sort of the best thing that's ever happened to me, but how could I… oh gods… I proposed. I, Percy Jackson, proposed. I'm young, financially unstable, a demigod… wow, when did I start sounding like an adult? Oh this is bad… just so bad. She's not going to say yes… and she'd be right. Oh gods, what was I thinking! Okay, let's be honest, I WASN'T THINKING… I guess Annabeth would say I never do, but this time… Okay this time I really messed up.

"My daughter might be upset to hear that."

I would love to tell you I handed Athena's arrival gracefully. That I looked up, saw her, and then greeted her calmly, politely, you know all those things that a potential mother-in-law would want from their potential son-in-law, but I didn't. Instead, I jerked so forcefully out of bed that I landed on floor with a loud thud. Take it from me, if I weren't invulnerable, my whole backside would be blue. When I looked up I saw the Goddess of Wisdom herself staring down at me. Her lips were pursed and for the most part her expression was stern, but I would have sworn I saw the hint of laughter in her eyes.

"I… Athena…" crap, I just called a goddess by her first name, "I, um… It's great to see you."

She sighed, "Well, if nothing else, I suppose my visits to you are amusing, though hardly intellectually stimulating." Her tone was completely expressionless. "So tell me, Perseus, are you going to stay on the floor all afternoon?" I winced when she said my name, there was something decidedly intimidating about the way she said it.

"I… Of course not…" I didn't need a mirror to know my face was beet-red.

"If I didn't know any better, Perseus, I would say I make you nervous." I glanced at her from the corner of my eye, she just laughed.

"Not at all, my lady, seeing you is a pleasure as always."

"Trying to… What is the phrase? Ah, suck up, yes… Trying to suck up, Perseus?" seriously, how did she make my name sound like a threat? Then she smiled, "I would think it might be a little late for that, hmm… yes, I would imagine it's much too late for that." She looked directly into my eyes and I gulped. Now I'm not really known for being cowardly you know, but I swear there is nothing scarier than Athena focusing all of her attention on you. When she does, you just get this feeling that she can see straight through you, that she knows everything about you and all that you are or were or will be, even worse, you just know she's disappointed.

"Is there a reason for this honor, my lady?" Okay that was a stupid question.

"Well, Perseus," she paused to watch me flinch, "is there anything you can think of that we might have to talk about?"

"Ummm…" Seriously, that's the best I could come up with?

"Well said. So nothing big has happened with regards to your relationship with my daughter?"

"Well, yesterday I… and then… see there was…"

"My, my, Perseus! Do you need some help?" My brilliant response sounded very similar to a squeak. A masculine, heroic squeak, mind you, but still a squeak. "Did you propose perhaps?"

"You… umm… you heard?" For the first time in my life I wish I could drown, the fountain in the corner was looking pretty good right about now.

"Well, despite what you might have heard, we gods do keep ourselves quite informed." She paused, hoping I might say something, but when she realized it was futile she continued, "So here we are, you a very young, very impulsive," she coughed, "hero and me the mother of the girl you proposed to. Yes, it's quite an interesting situation."

"Interesting," I repeated weakly. I avoided her eyes. My cabin suddenly felt very small. It was like her godly aura was overpowering the room. I don't know how much more of it I could take. Then, suddenly, the feeling receded. I looked up at her startled, but she wasn't looking at me. Instead, she stared out at the window, looking toward the beach. She looked pained.

"Why?" she whispered, "Why did you do it?"

"I'm not sure. It just… it just, I guess it just felt like the right thing to do at the time."

"And now?"

"Well I don't really regret it, not the intention behind it. I'm scared out of my mind that she'll say no, but I know I love her more than anything in the world, that she's the one, so in that way I wouldn't take it back." I was on a role. She looked directly at me, now her expression pensive, I took that as a good time. "Look, I've told you this time and again. I love your daughter. I want to build a life with her. I know that it was kind of crazy for me to ask her when we're so young, but with lives like ours, it seems crazy to wait. I didn't ask because I though marriage seemed like a fun idea at the time, I did it because… because," I faltered. She was looking at me with steadfast eyes, willing me to continue. "Because, the world is crazy. We have more and more kids coming here every day just so can get a slight leg up in surviving, not living well, not in being happy, but surviving. The youngest here are five, Annabeth got here when she was seven. Not to mention, in less than a decade, we have face two wars where the fate of the world hung in the balance. The entire world! And the thought of that… Well the thought of that makes me crazy. And the thought of living in this world, without being as bound as I possibly can to the person I love more than anything else… that just seems… I… there's not even a word," I glanced up at her, "well I'm sure there's a word, you probably know it…"

"Perseus."

"You probably know all the words. A lot of languages too…"

"Perseus," she said with more insistence. "You're babbling." I looked at her and she seemed paler than normal. I waited for her to speak. Nothing came. We sat in awkward silence. Finally she sighed, "I don't know what to make of you. I'm still not sure you're the best person for my daughter, but it seems she had chosen you and you have certainly chosen her," another sigh, "what's worse, I fear I can do nothing about it." I opened and closed my mouth stupidly.

"You are too young of course," she nodded to herself, "and impulsive, I've always thought that. And I certainly didn't envision Annabeth's fate to be that of a homemaker, but it seems…"

"What?" She stared at me. "Annabeth a homemaker?" I snorted, imagining Annabeth in a wide skirt and pearls. "She would never let that happen, I would never let that happen. It's never been my intention to stand in her way. I want her to build great things, achieve her goals. All this proposal was about is making sure I'll always have a permanent spot in the cheering section."

She tilted her head to the side, "You know, I think you mean that."

"I do," I affirmed, putting as much force and sincerity as I could into the words.

"I think we're done here," she proceeded to get up while I sat there stunned. "It was an interesting chat, Perseus," and for the first time it didn't sound harsh, "I think we will be seeing each other very soon." I nodded, still in a state of shock. A few seconds later my dad walked in.

"Percy, my boy, how are you doing?" his booming voice bounced off the walls helping to clear my head.

"Fine, I think," but I wasn't sure at all.

"You look a bit green actually."

"Do I?"

"Yes, now look Percy, I can't stay for very long, but I just wanted to tell you that you have my full support. Annabeth is an amazing young woman and I think the both of you are lucky to have found each other," he cleared his throat, "Either way, I have a gift for you. Even if it should happen that you can't use it now, I'm confident you will soon." He placed a small package on the desk that was pushed against the wall and then went to rest a hand on my shoulder. Then, quick as he had come, he was out the door and I saw a flash from somewhere outside. That was my dad's style, short and sweet.

I numbly walked over to the desk and picked up the package. It took me several minutes to open as my fingers shook so badly, but when I finally did I found three small items. They were rings. One was a simple silver wedding band meant for a man. When I looked at closely, I saw waves engrained into the metal, they almost seemed to move. The other two were obviously part of a set. There was what looked to be an engagement ring, also silver with a stone the color of the sea surrounded by silver stones at its center, and then another simple silver band that locked into place.

I swallowed and placed the rings down on the table. Then I stumbled over to my bed and ran a hand through my hair. I wasn't sure what to make of my conversations with either Athena or Poseidon, but I was fairly confident I would be getting my answer soon. I decided to lie back in bed and try for a nap, anything to take my mind off of Annabeth and the future. Just as I was about to drift off, I heard a faint knocking at the door. It was growing louder. I stared at it for a moment, too scared to move, but I finally got up and reached a hand out to let whoever it was on the other side in.

There you go, another chapter down, and I promise you an answer in the next chapter! Lots o' love, Jenson!