A/N Sorry! Sorry! Things just got so busy and hectic and uggggggg. Well maybe this will make up for it!

Annabeth's POV:

Percy's hand was clammy. I brought it to my lips and kissed it softly. His wrists were bandaged, because they had been rubbed raw from the handcuffs. His fever had gone down since he was brought to the big house, but he was still asleep. Will Solace, as well as some of the other Apollo children, had been in and out of the room for the past hour or so. Claire's arm was definitely broken. Will said that despite the nectar she had taken, it would need to be in a cast for a week in order for it to heal properly. She now sported a white cast that went all the way up to her elbow. Thalia and Clarisse had taken the twins and Zach to Clarisse's cabin until I came to get them.

"Hey, Annabeth," Will said as he entered the room, interrupting my thoughts. His younger sister, Sage, was trailing behind him. They looked almost identical with the same sky-blue eyes and lemon-blond hair. Sage was sixteen, and was well on her way to being a talented healer. Will was teaching Sage to be the year round healer at camp. Will was typically only here during the summer nowadays (he lived in Florida with his family), but he decided to spend the winter here teaching Sage. Sage's mother sort of lost it when she found out Apollo was her father (not that she was very sane to begin with), and ending up taking it out on Sage. But despite her troubled past, Sage was one of the sweetest people at camp.

"Hey Will, Sage, " I greeted, glancing at him briefly before turning my attention back to Percy's sleeping form.

Will knelt on the opposite side of Percy's bed and began examining him. "Any change?" he asked. They had both been in about an hour ago.

I shrugged. "His fever went down a bit."

Sage nodded. "The gash on his side was infected, but luckily it wasn't too bad. Hopefully, his fever should be completely gone in a few hours."

I pushed Percy's hair out of hie eyes and desperately wished they'd open. "Okay." I looked up at will. "He's going to be okay though, right?"

"He should be." Will hesitated. "He— he lost a large amount of blood and he was dehydrated." He ran a hand through his hair. "What I don't get is how he wasn't able to use the water to his advantage. I mean, the water should've almost completely healed him.

I shook my head. "We'll worry about that later. Is there anything else?"

Sage tugged off the sheets, lifted up Percy's shirt and began unwrapping his bandages. I cringed when I saw the blood seeping though one. "These two slashes are pretty deep, but the infections pretty much gone at this point. They may need stitches." Sage pointed to two large cuts across his stomach. She looked questioningly at Will. "What do you think, Will?"

Will frowned and examined Percy's side. "Hmm. Possibly. It depends on the amount of nectar and ambrosia we have to use."

Sage nodded. "And then there's his leg."

I began rubbing circles on the back of Percy's hand with my thumb. "He'll be able to walk, right?"

Will nodded. "Oh gods, yeah. He just needs to stay off it for a while. You know, take it easy and what no."

"Percy, taking it easy? Yeah, that'll happen." I laughed at the thought.

Will chuckled. He gently ran his hands over Percy's left shoulder. "His shoulder's healing nicely."

I frowned. "What's wrong with his shoulder?"

"It was broken pretty badly, but it'll be fine."

I nodded.

Sage smiled. "Pretty much everything else is minor. He's pretty bruised and cut up, and he'll definitely be sore when he wakes up. But other than that, he should make a full recovery."

Sage nodded, then she turned to Will. "We should probably go, Will."

Will stood up and nodded. "We'll be back in an hour or so, Annabeth. Send for me if you need me." He leaned down and hugged me.

I hugged him back. "Thanks Will."

"Anytime, Annabeth." Will and Sage left the room, leaving me alone with Percy.

I pulled the blankets up to his chest and took his hand again. "You really need to stop doing this to me Seaweed Brain." I stroked his cheek.

He groaned softly and frowned, the skin between his eyebrows crinkling in protest.

My eyes widened. "Seaweed Brain?"

He took a sharp breath, as if he were in pain. I moved my hand to touch his cheek.

"Honey?"

He groaned and then coughed. I stood up and leaned over him, stroking his hair, moving it out of his eyes. "Please open your eyes," I whispered, worry flooding my lungs so quickly that I could barely get the words out.

He grimaced, but his eyelids fluttered open to reveal the sea-green color I loved so much. Without thinking, I leaned down and kissed him. He hesitated for a second, but then kissed me anyway, a soft kiss. I figured that was all he could manage. Slowly, I pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Hi." His voice was hoarse and quiet.

"Hi," I whispered back.

Percy's eyes got big. "Where is everyone? James, Claire... Are they okay?" He tried to sit up, but I pushed him back down.

"Relax, Percy. Please. They're fine." I sat back down in the chair.

He groaned again and closed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked, putting my hand on his forehead. He was still hot.

"Headache," he mumbled. He opened his eyes again and then turned to look at me. "I missed you."

I smiled. "I missed you, too." I bit my lip, contemplating whether or not to tell him right then. I placed a hand on my stomach and thought that yes, I had to tell Percy, and I has to tell him now. I swallowed the lump in my throat and almost groaned out loud when it settled in my stomach, making a wave of nervous nauseous flow over me. "Listen, I have to tell you something."

He frowned. "Is everything okay? I thought you said everyone was safe..."

I shook my head. "No, no it's nothing like that. It's just…" I bit my lip again. Here goes nothing, I thought. "Percy, I'm.. I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "W-what?"

I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and hoped that he didn't notice my hand was shaking. "We're having a baby."

His look of confusion turned into a wide smile. He tried to sit up again.

"Oh no you don't," I protested, pushing him down gently.

He frowned. "But I want to hug you."

"You need to rest, Percy." I shook my head, but I couldn't keep the smile off my face, so my words weren't as effective as I hoped.

He took a deep breath and then moved over a little bit, wincing as he did so.

"What are you doing?" I asked, concerned. Just that small movement had drained him. The color was completly gone from his face and his eyelids were drooping.

He pat the space next to him. "Lay with me," he mumbled. "Please?"

I shook my head. "Percy, you can barely move. I don't want to hurt you."

He shook his head. "You won't." His eyes closed and he smiled slightly. "Besides, it would be worth it. "

I rolled my eyes, but carefully climbed into the bed next to him. I rested my head on the pillow with his, careful not to lean on on him. Percy put his hand in mine and a small smile crossed his face. "Love you…. Wise Girl," he mumbled.

I kissed his cheek. "I love you too Seaweed Brain."

He turned his head and rested his cheek on top of mine. When his breathing evened out I waited a few minutes to make sure he was definitly asleep, then I carefully slipped out of the bed. Percy didn't move.

I left the infirmary and headed toward the family cabins. It was snowing, but the borders around camp kept out the cold and the snow. While it was still colder then it would be in the summer, I was still able to walk around outside without a winter coat. I ran into Sage on the way to the cabins. I told her Percy had woken up, but that he had fallen asleep again. She said she would get Will and go check on him.

I walked over to the family cabins and knocked on Clarisse's. Silena answered the door. Her dark brown hair was pulled up into pigtails and she was still wearing her pajamas.

"Annie-beth," she smiled. Silena turned around. "Mooooooommmmyyy!"

Clarisse came to the door. "Stop screaming, baby girl." She smiled at me. "Hey, Annabeth, come in." I walked inside the small cabin and she closed the door behind me. Thalia was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed. She smiled at me when I entered to room.

"Hey, Annie."

"Hi Thals." I turned to Clarisse. "Where are the kids?"

Clarisse pointed to a door that led to one of the bedrooms. "They're all in there. Why?"

I sat down next to Thalia and smiled at her. "Percy woke up."

Thalia smiled back. "Really?"

I nodded.

"That's great, Annabeth!" Clarisse said sitting down across from me. "How is Prissy?"

"He's okay, Iguess," I sighed. "He's still in a lot of pain though. I talked to him for a little while, but he fell asleep again."

"Did you get to tell him about the baby?" Thalia said quietly.

"Yeah." I laughed. "Seaweed Brain was so excited, he tried to get up. That's what exhausted him."

Thalia laughed with me and Clarissa rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, I wanted to take the kids to see him."

"I'll come too," Thalia said.

"Okay, thanks Thals. Are going to come too, Clarisse?"

She shook her head. "Chris headed home already; he had work. I told him I would bring the kids home as soon as possible. Unless you need me to stay, I'm gonna head home."

"No, that's fine Clarisse. Thank you for everything."

"No problem Annabeth. Anytime."

"Well, I'm going to go get the kids. I should probably tell May, too. Where is she, anyway?" I asked.

Thalia shrugged. "I haven't seen her since they got back. Her and Ryan disappeared." Thalia wiggled her eyebrows and we all laughed.

"Okay, I'll find her after I bring the kids to see Percy." I stood up and walked over to the door.

I knocked on the door. "James, Claire, Zach?" The door opened immediately and I was tackled by my three children.

"Mommy!" Claire said, hugging me with her good arm.

"Where were you?" James asked, hugging my other side.

"Where's daddy?" Zach demanded, looking up at me with wide innocent grey eyes.

I smiled at them. "Daddy's in the big house. Do you want to go see him?"


"He's awake again," Will said as he walked out of Percy's room. "You sort of freaked him out a little."

I frowned, a new flood of anxiouty washing over me. "What did I do?"

"He woke up and you were gone," Sage shrugged. "He got really scared. He needs you, Annabeth."

"Can we see my daddy now?" Claire asked, staring up at Sage with big green eyes.

Sage smiled. "Sure."

I turned to my three children. "You three wait here with Aunt Thalia and Bianca. I'm going to go in first and just make sure he's up for visitors."

All three children seemed upset, but nodded in agreement. Thalia led them over to the couch and sat them down to wait. She walked over to the door with me.

"Call for me when you want us to come in," Thalia said, leaning against the wall.

I nodded and entered the room that Percy currently occupied. The lights were dimmed and the room was slightly colder then it was before.

"Hey," Percy said, his voice raspy. He still looked tired, but he was now sitting up. His leg was propped up on pillows and he had an ice pack on his left shoulder. His shirt bulged over the bandges.

"Hey yourself," I grinned, rushing over to him. I sat down next to his bed and felt his forehead. He still had a fever, but some of the color had returned to his face. I smiled and kissed his lips soflty, glad that they were almost at normal tempature. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged with his good shoulder. "Better, I guess. Still tired and pretty sore, but better."

"Good to hear."

He place his hand on my stomach. "How are you feeling?"

I put my hand over his. "Pretty good."

He smiled. "Good to hear," he echoed.

"Are you up for some visitors?" I asked, taking his hand in mine. "I have three children who really want to see you."

He smiled. "I'm always up to see them. "

"Are you sure? I mean, Thalia's here so we can have one come in at a time or-"

"I'll be okay, Wise Girl," he promised, squeezing my hand slightly. "I want to see them just as much as they want to see me."

I squeezed his hand back and looked over my shoulder. "Thals, they can come in now!"

The door opened and my children ran in, followed by Thalia and Bianca. Zach immediately tried to jump on the bed. If it hadn't have been for Thalia's quick thinking, he would have succeeded. She snatched him up around the waist. Percy chuckled, and winced slightly. Thalia place Zach on my lap.

"You have to be careful baby, Daddy feels icky right now."

Zach frowned. "Is daddy sick?"

I laughed and kissed his forehead. "Sort of."

Thalia laughed as well and picked up Bianca. "Hey Kelp Head. Good to see you."

He smiled. "Thanks Pinecone Face."

Claire went to sit at the end of the bed. It dipped slightly, jostling his bad leg, but Percy hid the pain well. James knelt down next to me and leaned on the bed. Thalia went to the other side of the bed and sat in the chair that was positioned there. She had Bianca on her lap in a similar fashion that I had Zach on mine.

"Are you okay, Daddy?" Claire asked quietly.

Percy smiled and nodded. "I'm fine baby girl." He readjusted the ice pack. "Are you okay?"

Claire smiled widely and held out her casted arm. "I only hurt my arm. Will you sign my cast daddy?"

Percy smiled and tried to move to reach the marker on the bedside table his face scrunched up in pain.

He sighed and smiled at her. "I'll sign it later baby girl."

Her smile fell a little bit, but she nodded. Percy must have felt bad because he extended his good arm to Claire. Claire crawled carefully next to him, keeping her bad arm close to her. When she was close enough to him, Percy wrapped his arm and her and kissed her forehead. "I am so proud of you." He smiled at James. "Both of you."

"Thanks, daddy," James said quietly, staring at the floor. I could tell he was uncomfortable seeing Percy like that.

Percy looked over Claire's head at me. "Where are May and Ryan?"

I shrugged. "They went off somewhere as soon as they were sure you were in safe hands."

Percy began to panic. "You'e sure there okay? I mean, they're not, like, gone or something, right?" He tried to sit up farther, but ended up crying out in pain.

"Daddy!" Claire said, moving away from him a little bit. Beside me, I felt James wince.

"Percy, relax!" I said. "They're fine."

"They weren't hurt or anything right? Someone checked them out first?" He still sounded panicked.

"Of course, Kelp Head." Thalia said rolling her eyes.

Percy still didn't look one hundred percent convinced, but he sighed and lead back against his pillows. He looked exhausted again.

"Maybe we should let Daddy rest. What do you think, Thalia?"

Thalia studied Percy for a minute and then replied, "Yeah, we should."

"But-" James began.

"No 'buts,' James. Daddy's tired," I said, putting Zach on the floor and standing up. A wave of nausea rolled over me, but I recovered quickly. Or at least I thought I did. Percy looked at me questioningly, but didn't actually say anything. "Kids, go wait outside with Thalia. I'll be there in a minute." Claire pouted, but carefully got off the bed and walked out of the room with James, Zach and Bianca.

"Don't be too long, Annabeth," Thalia said on her way out. She closed the door.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked as soon as the door closed.

I shook my head. "Just a little nauseous."

He nodded. "Okay." His eyelids began to droop.

I smiled. "You'll hurt your neck, if you fall asleep like that." I carefully helped him lie down. He held his breath the entire time, only releasing it when he was lying down completely.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"Anytime, Seaweed Brain."

"Hey, Wise Girl?" he asked. His eyes were closed now.

"Yeah?"

"When are we going to tell the kids?"

I frowned. "Tell them what?"

"About the baby."

"Oh," I said. "Soon. I promise." The truth was, I wanted to get him home first.

"Okay," he breathed, before falling into a peaceful sleep.


May's POV:

Ryan and I had went to our secret spot as soon as we were one hundred percent sure that Percy was going to be okay. It was a nice day at camp, albeit a bit chilly. While everyone else in the city was dealing with heavy winter coats, Ryan and I were content with wearing jeans and sweatshirts. Ryan was lying on his back, using my backpack as a pillow, his hands stretched above his head. My head was on his stomach. He made a pretty decent pillow, I decided. I was content lying here, watching the trees dance in the wind and listening to Ryan's even breathing. I liked the feel of that; it was comforting.

"May?" Ryan asked, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Yeah?" I said, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

"How long have we been here?"

I frowned. "I don't know. An hour, maybe?"

"Check your phone."

"Can't."

He laughed. "Why?"

I rolled my eyes, though I knew he couldn't see it. "It's in my backpack, which you are currently using as a pillow."

"Well, we should probably go back. People will be wondering where we are."

I sighed and sat up. "Yeah. And I do want to see Percy."

Ryan sat up and cracked his neck. He laughed when I winced. Yeah, that too."

He stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. I smiled when he didn't let go, enjoying the warmth and the feel of his skin so close to mine. He picked up my backpack for me and slung it over his shoulder. We walked back towards the big house hand-in-hand. When we got the point where we could see the Big house, Ryan let go of me and passed me my backpack. I groaned interinally but complied, knowing what the Aphrodite girls would say if they saw us holding hands. We headed over to the Big House entrance. As we approached, Annabeth, Thalia, and the kids emerged from the entrance.

"Hey!" I said, waving a little.

Annabeth frowned. "Where were you guys?"

I shrugged, staring at my feet. "We were….. around."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. I hoped the heat in my face was just because the sweatshirt was suddenly really, really hot.

"Can we go see Percy?" I asked.

Thalia and Annabeth looked at each other, but before either could say anything Zach crossed his arm and said, "No, daddy's asleep."

Ryan chuckled, but didn't say anything. I looked at Annabeth. "I should be able to see him anyway. He's my brother."

Annabeth nodded. "Yes, he is your brother. He's also my husband." She pointed to James, Claire, and Zach. "And he's their father. But he's resting right now, May."

Thalia chuckled a little. "Come on, we were just going to the dinning Pavilion to get some lunch."

I sighed. "Okay, whatever." We started walking. Zach and Bianca ran in front of us, playing tag. James and Claire were talking quietly to one another.

I turned to Annabeth. "I'm seeing him later."

Annabeth nodded. "Of course. I'm going to bring him something to eat after we have lunch. You can come too if you want."

"Yeah, thanks."

Annabeth turned to Thalia. "I don't think I'm going to bring the kids back until tomorrow. Having all of us in there really did take a lot out of him. Besides," she lowered her voice to a whisper so I had to strain my ears to make out what she was saying, "I know Percy doesn't like the kids seeing him like that."

"Do you want me to keep and eye on them?" she asked.

"Could you?"

Thalia laughed. "Sure."

"Did you tell Percy?" I asked, suddenly remebering about the new baby.

Annabeth looked at me and smiled. "Yeah, I did."

"Tell him what?" Ryan asked. He was so quiet I almost forgot he was there.

Annabeth bit her lip, but Thalia shrugged. "No use keeping it a secret now, Annabeth."

Annabeth sighed. "I'm pregnant, Ryan."

Ryan smiled. "Really? Congrats, Annabeth."

Annabeth smiled. "Thanks." She turned to look at us, completely serious. "Please don't mention it to the kids. They don't know yet and I really want to tell them with Percy."

Ryan nodded. "Of course, Annabeth. No problem."


"When do you think Will's going to let Percy go home?" I asked Annabeth. Lunch had been a quiet affair. The Jackson children were pretty upset that they weren't going to see their dad, but none of them really complained about it. We were walking to the Big House to see Percy. Annabeth had a small paper bag in one hand that held a water bottle and a sandwich and her other hand rested on her slightly swollen stomach. I wondered how she kept it hidden so well. I mean, I guess large sweatshirts could hide it pretty well, but was that really all she wore these days?

Annabeth shrugged. "Not sure. Why?"

"I just wanted to know. I have to get back to school." I looked at her questioningly. "Did anyone call Sally?"

She nodded. "I called her while Will and Sage were doing their initial examination on Percy. I told her you would Iris Message her before you went to bed tonight. She was worried about you."

I smiled at the thought. "I'll IM her as soon as we're done talking to Percy."

Annabeth nodded and we entered the big house. We walked into Percy's room. Chiron was standing by the bed helping Percy sit up. Percy smiled when he saw us.

"Hey guys," he said. He looked better then he did when we found him, though he was still pretty beat up and tired. No surprise there. He still looked pale, but there was a flush of color in his cheeks that wasn't red, which I took for a good thing. Chiron put a pillow behind Percy's back and placed an ice pack on his shoulder.

"Hey bro. Hello Chiron," I greeted, walking up to the bed.

"Hello May. I was just talking to Percy about your quest." He smiled knowingly. "I understand you had a stowaway."

I blushed. "Yeah, um…. Ryan sort of… hid on the boat."

Chiron nodded. "We will talk about it more tomorrow. From what I gathered, a new threat approaches that is much more serious than I thought. You have much to tell us."

I nodded. "Yeah."

Chiron turned to Annabeth. "And from what I understand, a congratulations is in order."

Annabeth smiled. "Thank you, Chiron."

Chiron smiled, and walked out of the room. Annabeth went over and sat down next to Percy. She pulled the water bottle out of the paper bag and handed it to him. Percy smiled and took it with his good arm. I sat down on the floor next to Annabeth.

"Are you hungry?" Annabeth asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really."

Annabeth sighed. "Can you try to eat something? Please?"

Percy grimaced, like the idea of food made him sick. Still, he replied, "Okay." Annabeth handed him the sandwich and he began eating it slowly.

"Hey, Percy?" I asked.

"Hmm?"

I bit my lip. "Can I ask you something?"

"You sort of just did."

I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean."

He smiled. "Sure."

"Well, it's sort of been bothering me since we found you. If you were in a cave full of water... why didn't it heal you?"

"Yeah. I've been wondering that as well," Annabeth agreed, moving from the chair to sit on the bed next to Percy.

Percy sighed and put the sandwich down on the side table. "It was Kenna."

"Who's Kenna?" Annabeth asked.

I frowned at her. "No one told you?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No. No one's told me much of anything about the quest, really."

"Kenna's a daughter of Oceanus. She's the one who took Percy," I explained.

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Daughter of Oceanus? But why-"

"Annabeth," Percy sighed. "It's a really..." he struggled to find the right word, "complicated story, and I will tell you, but I really only want to tell it once."

Annabeth bit her lip, but nodded in agreement.

"Anyway," Percy continued. "The cave we were in must have been Oceanus's territory. It canceled out a majority of my abilities. I'm just lucky I was able to breath underwater."

"Oh," I said. I thought Dad had control over the entire ocean, but I guess I was wrong.

Annabeth sighed, obviously not happy about the fact that she didn't know the entire story. She put her head on Percy's good shoulder. Percy put his arm around her and pulled her close.

I smiled. "Um, I'm just going to go…. IM Sally or something." Percy kissed Annabeth's cheek. "Or possibly throw-up. You guys seriously need to learn to refrain from the PDA. Actually, any disply of affection, really. This is, like, what, your fourth kid? Jeez, guys. Control yourselves."

Percy rolled his eyes and Annabeth laughed. "Right. Like you and Ryan haven't been more than a little friendly lately?" she taunted.

I blushed. "That's different."

"Sure it is, May. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

I smiled. "Okay, well, I really should go IM Sally. I'll see you later guys. Feel better bro."

They smiled and I left the room. No one else seemed to be in the big house. I went into the bathroom and manipulated the water until I had a rainbow. Soon enough, I was staring at Sally Jackson baking something in her kitchen.

"Um, Sally?" I asked.

I had to give her credit. She didn't even jump. She just turned around and smiled. "May! I'm so glad you're okay." She wipped her hands on a towel. "How was your quest? When do you think you'll be coming back?"

I shrugged. "The quest went great. Ish. And you know I really don't like missing school, but we have to talk about the quest, and I really should be there."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes, probably." She was quiet for a minute. "How's Percy doing?" Her voice was soft.

"Better. He looks so much better than when we first found him."

Sally looked extensively relieved. "My son does have a habit of getting himself into trouble."

I laughed. "I guess it's just a children of Poseidon thing."

She sighed. "I guess so." Sally looked over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, May, but Madison just got home form school. I have to drive her to her friend's house for a project."

"Okay. I'll see you in a couple of days. Tell Maddie I said hello."

She nodded. "Will do." She disconnected the message. I turned to go back into the room were Percy was staying, but the quiet talking behind it stopped me. I peered into the room through the small crack in the door.

"I'm okay now, Wise Girl," Percy whispered. He kissed the top of Annabeth's head.

"I know." Her voice was shaky, like she had been crying.

"Then why are you so upset?"

She lifted her head from his shoulder. "I don't know. I just… I want to go home. I want things to go back to being normal." The thought of a demigods life being normal was actually laughable. "I'm just so... so tired of all this, you know? Haven't we been through enough already?

"I know, Annabeth. We can go home tomorrow if you want."

Annabeth put her head back on his shoulder. "Maybe."

I stood up and left the Big House. Annabeth needed time to be alone with Percy. I walked to Thalia's cabin and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Thalia called. I walked into the cabin, Thalia was sitting at the table on her computer. She looked up. "Oh, hey May. Where's Annabeth?"

"With Percy."

She laughed. "Isn't she always?"

I sat down across from her. "Where is everybody?"

"James and Claire wanted to go down to the beach. So of course Bianca and Zach wanted to go with them. Ryan volunteered to watch them while I attempted to get some work done." Thalia worked as a secretary at some company.

"Ah."

"You can go find them if you want. You don't have to sit here and watch me work."

"Do you want me to leave?"

She shrugged. "I don't mind if you want to sit here and watchme type. Nico does it all the time."

I frowned. "Where is Nico, anyway?"

Thalia sighed. "His dad wanted to see him."

"Ah." I stood up. "I'll go check on them."

She laughed. "I know, it's pretty boring. I don't know why Nico likes it so much. But okay, May. Have fun. See you later."


Somehow Bianca and Zach had convinced Ryan to let them burry him in the sand. The sight of two small children burying my almost-fourteen-year-old best friend in the sand was probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

"Way to go, guys," I said, kneeling next to Ryan. I held both of my hands out to them for a high-five.

They giggled and high-fived me.

"You're so not helping," Ryan complained, holding back laughter himself.

I looked at Zach. "Where're your brother and sister?"

Zach pointed to the water. "They went swimming."

"Why didn't you go with them?" I asked as I began digging Ryan out of the sand. Zach had been the only Jackson child so far to be born with the ability to breath underwater and speak to fish. The other two had been given their abilities by their grandfather.

Zach shrugged. "I wanted to play with Bianca and she can't breath underwater. We tried."

"Oh... okay?" I really didn't want to know more about that. Bianca and Zach were about as close as Ryan and I were. The only difference was that Bianca and Zach had known each other for pretty much their entire lives.

I had finally gotten Ryan out of the sand. "Thanks, May," Ryan said, then he turned to face Bianca and Zach. "Now for you two."

Bianca and Zach squealed and ran. Ryan chased after them, definitely not as fast as he could be. He allowed the two small children to think that they were succeeding in escaping him. They circled around and ran towards me. I jumped up and captured both of them in my arms. They started giggling and squirming. James and Claire chose that moment to emerge from the water. They looked at each other, confused.

Claire giggled. "What's going on?"

"Ryan was chasing us!" Bianca giggled.

"And May captured us," Zach added.

James laughed. "Way to go, Aunt May."

The six of us spent the rest of the day running around the beach, making sand castles, and splashing each other in the water. We played and laughed until the sun was low in the sky and the temperature began to drop, but none of us noticed. We just lay in sand laughing and staring at the sky, waiting for Thalia and Annabeth to come and get us for dinner, just like how it should be.


So I read the Mark of Athena the day it came out and I had and this sudden need to write some Percabeth. I'm really upset that I have to wait until next Fall for the next book. For the most part my story is not really effected by the book (except for the obvious unanswered questions) and I can still keep it pretty much within the story. We just have to wait and see if that changes :). Well Until my next chapter, please remember to Review and tell me what you thought! And don't forget about the poll on my profile! -LunarWhispers.