Percy POV
The taxi pulled up to the Blofis household.
Percy grabbed the luggage from the trunk as Annabeth paid the driver up front. Within a few minutes, the taxi sped off, leaving the two of them alone on the cold street. Percy looked up at the house with a giant smile.
"Mom's going to be so surprised." he mused in delight.
Annabeth nodded. "Well, let's not keep her waiting then." she grabbed her bag, and Percy his, and together they walked up to the door; Percy putting his luggage down for a moment to ring the doorbell. A few seconds passed before sounds could be heard from inside the house. Someone stumbled, cursed, then shouted "Coming." and Percy had no doubt it was Paul.
He was correct as said man opened the door with a warm smile. "Yes?" His eyes instantly widened when he saw Percy and Annabeth standing there and the smile broadened, "Percy!" he turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth! Oh, my go- How are you? We didn't know you two were in town."
"We wanted it to be a surprise," Percy grinned, eyes bright with humor. "Surprise!"
Paul rolled his eyes but his smile never fell. "Well come in then! It's cold out here," he opened the door wider and stepped to the side to make room. "Sally is in the kitchen making some lunch." Percy and Annabeth quietly shuffled in the house where the heavenly smell of cookies greeted them with a warm hug. As Annabeth took her coat off to hang on the coat rack - as polite guests did - Percy dumped his own on the floor and silently stalked toward the kitchen. He peeked inside, watching a middle-aged woman as she made sandwiches on the counter with a sheet of freshly baked cookies behind her and a half-completed pitcher lemonade to the side.
Grin widening, Percy crept forward till he was close enough to take a cookie off the tray. Instantly though, he winced and dropped it on the counter when the heat bit at his fingers. Sally tensed where she stood.
"Hey," she growled, "What did I say about getting into the cookies? I swear, your just as bad as Percy when he was-" she turned and the sentence instantly dropped. The butterknife in her hand slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor as she blinked in surprise.
Percy gave a short wave. "Hi mom," he said. "What was that about being as bad as Percy?"
"Percy!" she shouted, surging forward and wrapping him into a giant hug with a hearty laugh. "My goodness, why didn't you tell me you were coming!" she pushed herself away, hands still on Percy's shoulder as she looked him over, the way she used to when he was a little boy. "Oh, you've grown so much since you were last here. Where's Annabe-"
"Hi Sally," Annabeth unwittingly interrupted as stepping into the kitchen. "It smells amazing in here."
"Oh, Annabeth!" Sally swept her into a hug too. Once she let go, she looked at them with bright eyes. "Why didn't you guys send an Iris Message?" she demanded, wiping her hands on a drying towel. "I would've dyed in the cookies blue."
Percy picked his targeted cookie back up with an unimpressed purse of his lips. "They're fine, I suppose," he said. Annabeth rolled her eyes and smacked him on the shoulder. Percy grinned and bit into the cookie.
"Would it be alright if we had lunch with you and Paul?" Annabeth asked.
"Of course," Sally beamed. "Paul," she gestured to him, who was leaning against the doorway of the kitchen watching the reunion in pleasant silence. "finish up this lemonade, would you? Percy, take cookies into the living - and don't you dare pick in them. Annabeth, would you help me make some more sandwiches?"
"Sure." Annabeth grabbed a piece of bread and began arranging meat and cheese on it. Paul returned to his task of making lemonade, making quick time of it to walk with Percy into the living room where a game of football had been left running on the TV.
"Who's playing?" Percy asked as he set the plate of cookies down.
Paul glanced up, squinting at the screen. "Oh, uh, the Giants and the Titans I think."
Percy wrinkled his nose in disgust. "The Giant and the Titans? Jeez, where does a guy have to go to get away from all of that?"
Paul blinked before it clicked and he laughed. "It is quite ironic, isn't it."
"You mortals are weird."
"Hardy har," Paul said, flicking him in the head. "FYI, you're mom is mortal which makes YOU half mortal."
Percy rubbed the assaulted spot on his head, "Alright, touche."
Back in the kitchen, Annabeth was finishing up the sandwiches when Sally turned toward her with a look of interrogation on her face. "So Annabeth," she started out slowly. "how have you and Percy been doing?"
Annabeth eyes narrowed at the suggestive tone, but she shrugged innocently and said "Just fine." as she placed the sandwiches on a plate.
Sally wiped her hands on a towel again as a smirk directed itself at Annabeth? "Just fine?" she questioned.
"Yeah, what else would we be?"
Sally shrugged her shoulders not so subtly. "Oh, I don't know. Is there anything you guys want to tell us?"
Annabeth upon realizing where this was going found a sudden interest of the crumbs on the counter as a blush painted her face. "C'mon Sally, nothing like that is going on," she said. "Percy and I are taking it slow now that we have time too - you know, with our lives not in constant peril."
Sally, with no argument to that, sighed in defeat. "Oh, fine." but a smile still crept on her face as she added, "but I do want grandchildren before I get too old and wrinkly."
Annabeths blush intensified in color as she sputtered, "S-Sally! We're still kids - young adults - and the thought of having children..." she trailed off uncomfortably. "I-I don't know-it...it sounds weird."
"There's nothing weird about it," Sally assured. Two hands were placed on Annabeth's shoulders. "But I understand, I won't push you two...for now."
Annabeth sighed in relief at the humor in Sally's eyes. "Thanks."
Together, they carried the sandwiches into the living room, where Percy and Paul seemed to be engaged in a heated argument.
"The Titans are gonna win!" Paul was saying.
"Puh-lease," Percy snorted, "have you seen the size of Giants? They're huge! Besides the Giants are stronger and more powerful than the Titans."
"But the Titans are a better team," Paul remarked.
Percy scoffed. "Please, they fight with each other more than they do their enemies!"
"E-enemies?" Paul sputtered with a frown, "Come on, that's kind of intense."
"Yeah, well, they're intense."
"No, they are not! It's just a game. Sure the teams can be a bit competitive, but it's not like they're fighting for life or death!"
Percy paused, mouth hanging open. "Wait..." he scowled. "You were talking about the Titan football team?"
"What else would I be talking about?!"
Percy chuckled wryly as he scratched the back of his neck, suddenly uncomfortable. "Oh. I - uh, I thought you were talking about the mythical Titans. Like, the ones I fight." the two stared at each other. After a moment, Paul chuckled which morphed turned into a laugh, which drew its own laugh from Percy.
"No wonder you weren't making any sense," Paul said heartily, in which Percy agreed. Their laughter was interrupted, however, as Sally set the first plate of sandwiches on the table. Instantly, eyes widened and lips were licked in hungry fascination.
Annabeth set the other plate near Sally's and took a seat next to Percy as Paul said to Sally, "This looks delicious." and gave her a peck on the cheek.
Percy, on the other hand, licked his lips eagerly and reached for a sandwich. But Sally was faster and swat his hand away. "Percy; manners," she scolded. "Be a gentleman." she looked pointedly between him and Annabeth.
Percy sighed but nodded. "Of course..." he picked up a sandwich and turned to Paul. "Paul would you like a sandwich?" both Paul and Annabeth chuckled as Sally flicked Percy on the head.
"Ow-ow, okay fine," he turned to Annabeth and presented her with the food. "For you, M'lady."
Annabeth nodded her head in acknowledgment. "Thank you, kind sir."
Percy gave her a small wink before reclaiming his spot on the couch, taking with him a glass of lemonade. From the other side of the table, Sally rolled her eyes in hidden amusement. "Sometimes I wonder what I did wrong." she mused.
Percy merely grinned from the rim of his cup.
