Chapter Nine: Wife

Summary: Annabeth and Percy's long-awaited wedding day. Heart-to-heart conversations, big smiles, small appearances from some familiar characters, and fluffiness ensues. (:

Disclaimer: Hi. I don't own PJO. (Although there is a chance I may soon own the PJO DVD, if only for the chance to stare at the hotness that is Logan Lerman all day...sigh.)

Annabeth couldn't believe that in a mere half hour, she would be a married woman. In thirty minutes, she would belong to Percy Jackson. In thirty minutes, Percy Jackson would belong to her. The thought was surreal.

She stared blankly at her reflection in the oval-shaped full length mirror. Her golden curls were in a half-updo, with some of her hair piled on her head and the rest streaming down her shoulders. Her eye makeup was simple: some black mascara to set off her already luminous gray irises, and some soft glittery eyeshadow, which matched her skin tone. Her cheeks bore the tiniest bit of blush, and her lips were painted a pale, glossy pink.

Then there was the dress: an ivory colored silk number, shaped similarly to a Greek toga. It was pinned at the waist and fell in flowing heaps to the ground, where it trailed off into an elegant train. Annabeth had never been the kind of girl who enjoyed showy, spectacular things. She was more attracted to understated beauty, which was a quality that was embodied in her ensemble.

She exhaled roughly, her breath leaving a bit of moisture on the reflective glass. Her shoulders shook a little, and she wasn't sure if it was from nervousness, anticipation, or if she was just having an ADHD moment. She heard the door open behind her, and she resisted the urge to fall down onto the ground, grab at the knees of whoever had just entered, and have some sort of mental breakdown. No. This was certainly not the time. Thirty minutes - well, twenty-five minutes now - was surely not long enough a period of time to be having any panic attacks.

Instead, she turned her head toward the door, expecting to see Juniper, her friend Grover's wife, or perhaps Sally Blofis, Percy's mom, whom she'd enlisted to help plan the wedding (because while Annabeth was good at planning and mapping out things to be done, wedding planning wasn't really her strong suit). She hoped that whoever it was had her veil, as she didn't know where it was at the moment and was hoping that she hadn't lost it.

However, the figure standing in the doorway was definitely not Juniper or Mrs. Blofis.

"Hello, my daughter," said Athena.

Annabeth spun her whole body around and clutched at the corner of a small table in surprise. "Mother," she breathed. "What are you doing here?"

Athena smiled a little. "I figured that there was no harm in seeing my daughter, the architect of Olympus, get married." She held up the item Annabeth had been looking for. "Additionally, they needed someone to bring you your veil."

Annabeth smiled. "Mother...thank you." She took the veil from her and set it on her bureau. "Are..are there other gods here?"

Athena raised an eyebrow. "Quite a few, actually. Aphrodite is here, of course. She's been giggling practically the whole day. Ares is here, as Aphrodite's date, although he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself. Hermes and Hestia are here. Apollo is here, acting as minister - I think he just got his certification online- but his real motivation is probably just to scope out any attractive women or make up a horrible haiku for your wedding toast. Dionysus is here too, because there's sure to be some wine in the vicinity. I don't expect Zeus to show up, but Hera will likely appear sometime later. And..." A slightly sour look crossed her face. "Poseidon is here."

"...oh," Annabeth managed to squeak. "Well, I'm extremely honored that so many gods have decided to present themselves here. But...why? This is only a wedding. A wedding of two demigods, yes, but a wedding."

Athena smiled. "We gods try not to forget about those who have done us a great service. Also, Aphrodite has not stopped talking about this event since you two got engaged."

"Hmm," mused Annabeth. "I suppose that makes sense."

An uncomfortable silence followed.

Athena sighed slightly. "Annabeth."

"Yes?"

"I know I have not been a good mother to you. Far from one, in fact. I was never there when it mattered. It is a problem that afflicts all gods and their relationships with their children - we can never directly interfere with them. Even if we could, we would likely never have the time to. The gods are a busy group. I know you understand that, but I must still apologize for my shortcomings."

"Mother, it's okay. I know that you couldn't help it. You don't have to apologize for that."

"But I must. And also, I feel I must offer you something. It is little compensation for a lifetime of my absence, but I hope you will take it."

Annabeth was wide-eyed. "What is it?"

"It is my blessing. The qualities you have that come from me - your wisdom, battle prowess, strategic skills - those qualities will be magnified whenever you need it the most. It is not a great gift, but it is the least I can give."

"Oh, mother. Of course I'll take it. Thank you." A small smile spread across her lips. "I was never very fond of great gifts anyway."

Athena smiled. "I know." She placed her hand on Annabeth's shoulder, and for an instant Annabeth felt rejuvenated. She felt alive. Athena removed her hand a while later. "Well, then," she murmured. "I must be off. This will be the last time that I will get to speak to you in private before you are married, so I suppose this is goodbye for now."

"Wait," said Annabeth. "Mother. I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Carry on."

She looked down. "I'm not sure how to say this. But..." Annabeth trailed off with slight trepidation. She fiddled with her long, silky skirt. Finally, she built up the strength to look her mother in the eye. "Are you...okay with how things turned out? Are you happy with how I turned out?"

Athena looked straight back at her. "I will not lie. I cannot say that I am overjoyed that you are marrying this son of Poseidon. I cannot say that I approved of how close you two grew over the years. I will say, however, that he managed to defy the expectations I had of him." She smiled wryly. "That is not an easy task. I expected him to be the usual self-centered, dumb hero, the kind who thinks only for himself. But he managed to prove me wrong. I still do not completely approve of him - he is rash, impulsive, and reckless, all three of which are not superb qualities - but...I do believe he will take care of you. And as for your second question..." She paused. "I am very proud of how you turned out."

There were a few beats of silence. "Speaking of Perseus Jackson, I really ought to have a little talk with him," Athena mused.

"Uh, mother, that's not really necessary-"

Athena laid a hand on her daughter's arm. She smiled softly. "Farewell, daughter."

Athena left the room, leaving her awestruck daughter alone with her thoughts.

"Goodbye, mother," Annabeth whispered.

Clutching her veil, Annabeth quickly strode out into the hallway. She looked around at the people who were in the area - Percy's mom, her stepmother, Juniper (who seemed to be gulping water mixed with fertilizer), and Rachel (yes, THAT Rachel). They were all there, except for Athena, who was nowhere in sight. Besides her, the only other person missing was -

"Thalia!" Annabeth exclaimed when she saw the dark haired, blue eyed girl approaching her.

Thalia grinned. Despite the fact that everyone else was dressed in pastels, Thalia had opted for a navy blue dress, chain-link bracelets, and combat boots. "Well, hello there Annabeth." She clutched her chest dramatically. "Look at you, all grown up and getting married to Kelp Face. Who would've known."

Annabeth laughed. "That's my soon-to-be husband you're insulting there, Thals, and I do believe that I should be the only one allowed to insult him. By the way, how have things been going with the Hunters?"

"Oh, they've been going fine. Artemis wasn't too happy when I told her that you wanted me to be your maid of honor, though. I don't think she has anything against you or Percy; I think she actually likes him a bit more than most men, which is saying something. But she still didn't want me to be part of one of those tragic ceremonies in which several young ladies with such potential give themselves up to selfish pigs.' Her words, not mine."

Annabeth laughed. "Well, I don't think Percy is a selfish pig. And I'm sure Artemis likes him at least a little bit. If she didn't, she probably wouldn't have allowed you to be here at all."

"Point taken."

The duo glanced out the windows at the arriving groups of well-dressed people, which consisted chiefly of long-lost relatives that Annabeth couldn't quite recall meeting, coworkers, and a few old friends from camp: Clarisse and her husband Chris, the Stoll brothers and their girlfriends, and several more. Annabeth snorted a little. "There are so many demigods here. I wouldn't be surprised if my wedding day was crashed by an angry group of bloodthirsty hellhounds."

Thalia chuckled. "Silly Annabeth. Stop worrying. Monsters wouldn't dare to come here when there are gods around, and you know that Nico would take care of those hellhounds."

"I know, I know. It's just..." Annabeth cast her eyes towards the grandfather clock in the corner. "Ten minutes, Thals. I have ten minutes." The realization that she was this close to what she had been waiting for made her smile involuntarily. This was it. This was it.

"Ten minutes is right, Annabeth!" Sally Blofis exclaimed, rushing toward the bride-to-be. "Oh, Annabeth! You're beautiful! And I can't tell you how glad I am that you're about to officially be my daughter! But I'll save the emotional stuff for later. Right now we need to get everyone in place! And you need to put that veil on!"

With that, Sally Blofis rushed back in the other direction.

Annabeth and Thalia exchanged glances.

"Well, I guess I should go take my place now. I shall see you later, Miss Chase." Thalia bowed with mock formality, then laughed. "That's the last time I get to call you that, of course."

Annabeth chuckled, but she could feel her eyes watering a little as she stared at her friend, the eternally fifteen year-old huntress. Suddenly she felt nostalgic. It seemed like just yesterday when she, Thalia, and Luke were fighting their way across America in an attempt to make it to Camp Half-Blood. And now...things were so different. Luke, the boy she'd thought she loved, was now a thing of the past, though he would always be a part of her. She had met Percy, whom she had disliked, befriended, fallen in love with, and now was about to marry. She had gone through several cycles of loss and love and friendship and life, and now, she was starting a new one. She was getting older, constantly changing, but Thalia would always be the same.

Annabeth pulled her friend into a tight, wordless hug, probably wrinkling both their dresses in the process, but she didn't really care. When they finally broke apart, she thought she saw a few tears in Thalia's electric blue eyes. But Thalia blinked them back and managed a toothy grin. "Don't you dare cry, bride-to-be." She put on a mock pouty face. "You might mess up your makeup."

Annabeth giggled. "I'll see you in a bit, Thalia."

Thalia grinned, gave her a small salute, then trudged off to take her position.

Alone, Annabeth took a quick detour to the bathroom, where she could stand in front of the mirror and put on her veil. It settled against the tip of her nose, blurring her strong but beautiful features. She took one last look at herself, then walked off to join the rest of the people waiting to enter the chapel.

Her father was there, waiting for her patiently. When they saw each other, they both broke into wide grins. Frederick Chase gave his daughter a warm hug. "Annabeth," he murmured, "look at you. All grown up. About to get married." He sighed. "In a few minutes, you won't be a Chase anymore."

She smiled. "I'll always be a Chase, dad. Maybe not legally, but...you get my point."

He smiled back. "I get your point."

One by one, the people in front of them started walking through the chapel doors, casting grins at Annabeth before they left. Finally, the wedding march started. Annabeth took her father's arm, and together they walked through the doors.

There were quite a few appreciative gasps and murmurs. Aphrodite practically squealed in delight. Ares scowled. Hestia's eyes held a look of warmth and comfort. Hermes smiled politely. Dionysus was looking for wine. Hera, who, being the goddess of marriage, was entitled to come despite her slight dislike of the bride, managed something that was probably intended to be a smile. Poseidon grinned the tiniest bit. Athena did too, although she could not summon the same enthusiasm as the rest of the guests.

But Annabeth had eyes only for the man waiting at the altar. His black hair, although slicked back, was still somewhat messy. His bowtie was the tiniest bit out of place. He looked a teeny bit nervous. But his face lit up when she entered the room. His bright green eyes, so full of life, twinkled. She was pretty sure her own eyes were twinkling too.

And then she was there. She kissed her father on the cheek. He smiled at his daughter, then gave Percy a playful "you-better-take-care-of- her" look before departing. Annabeth took Percy's hands and looked around her at all the familiar, smiling faces. Grover. Nico. Thalia. Then finally, she met the eyes of the man who she was about to marry.

Apollo cleared his throat. "So, dearly beloved, we're gathered here today to see these two totally awesome individuals get married..." he began.

The ceremony went on. The pair said their vows (which they had written in Ancient Greek, since that would be a heck of a lot easier for them to read than English). They exchanged rings (which were custom-made and totally awesome, compliments of Hephaestus).

"...blah, blah, blah, sickness and health, blah blah blah...okay! Do you, Annabeth Chase, take Perseus Jackson to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Apollo inquired.

"I do."

Apollo peered at her. "You sure?" He winked, so that only she could see it.

She gave him a strange look, slightly repulsed. "Of course."

"All right. Just checking." Apollo cleared his throat, and turned his gaze toward Percy, who had a suspicious glare on his face. "And do you, Perseus Jackson, take Annabeth Chase to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," he said, a tad bit defensive.

"All right!" Apollo grinned and clapped his hands in the air. "I now pronounce you man and wife! Woohoo! Now kiss the bride!"

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other, grins spreading across their radiant faces. Annabeth pulled Percy towards her. Percy lifted her veil, then circled his arms around her waist. They kissed, to the sound of thunderous applause, a snort from Ares, and polite, slightly strained clapping from Athena and Poseidon.

Apollo cleared his throat again, and spread his arms wide. Annabeth and Percy broke apart and exchanged horrified glances. Oh no. They knew what this meant.

Apollo was about to make a haiku.

"I now present you

Mr. and Mrs. Jackson.

I enjoy weddings."

There was a lull in applause. The beaming Apollo didn't seem to notice though, because that haiku was pretty fantastic, if he did say so himself.

As the newly married couple stood beside the altar, facing their audience, streams of people started to come toward them. Percy and Annabeth were quickly swept up in tearful embraces, warm handshakes, and happy smiles. Laughter and jokes were exchanged, and soon the crowd started to dissipate, heading toward the hotel where the reception would be held. The room was now nearly empty, save for a few close friends and family, and a few ultra-powerful, highly revered gods. The usual crowd.

While most of the gods had already departed - Hestia and Hermes had already left for Olympus, and Dionysus and Apollo, who had been itching for a good party, were en route to the reception probably just to steal a bottle of wine or two from there and then leave - a few of the key gods remained. Hera approached the couple, taking large, graceful steps. Annabeth, aware of the fact that she and Hera had never quite been on good terms, examined the goddess' face. It did not appear kind, but it did not appear hateful either. Hera stopped in front of the pair. Her gaze turned to Annabeth. "I am aware that you still do not see things my way," she said. "I fail to see your point of view as well. However, I have found myself to be generous enough to bless your marriage and what future family you may have. Though we have differing views on certain topics, I believe that you are a couple well-matched. Consider this your wedding present."

Hera straightened up and arched an eyebrow, obviously expecting a sign of gratitude. Annabeth, while mildly irritated, managed to blurt out a word of thanks.

Next came Aphrodite. While Ares was sitting in the background looking as if he would rather be somewhere else, Aphrodite gushed endlessly over how she was oh-so-happy now that they were officially married, and she'd been waiting for this to happen for practically eons now, and she had lots of plans for them (this remark prompted Percy and Annabeth to exchange nervous glances), and oh! it was just so CUTE!, etc., etc. Once her tirade was over, she kissed them both on the cheek, leaving raspberry-colored lipstick marks (which both of them tried desperately to rub off), grabbed Ares (who merely scowled at them, but perhaps not as harshly as usual), and whisked herself dramatically out the door.

Neither Percy nor Annabeth had much time to recover from that encounter, however, for no sooner had Aphrodite and Ares disappeared when Poseidon and Athena started walking in their direction. The two gods maintained a cold and wary distance, occasionally shooting discreet glares at the other. Annabeth's forehead creased slightly in worry as she watched them approach, and Percy squeezed her hand, although Annabeth wasn't sure if he was trying to comfort her or if he was equally as apprehensive about the situation as she was.

Poseidon reached them first. With his twinkling green eyes and crow's feet, he wasn't nearly as scary as her mother was, Annabeth mused. However, his aura was so powerful that she found she could not completely let her guard down. Maybe it was a reflex reaction, as she was a daughter of Athena after all.

Poseidon smiled politely. "I just figured that I ought to congratulate you both on your marriage. Trust me when I say that I hope that it is a long and happy one. I have little doubt that it will be." He looked at Annabeth when he said that, and then smiled again, a real smile, one that Annabeth easily recognized from years of seeing the same one on Percy's. She summoned a shy grin in return. Then Poseidon's eyes traveled to Percy's. Father and son seemed to have a private exchange, and in that moment Annabeth saw the striking resemblance between the two, how alike they were. With a final hand on each of their shoulders, Poseidon left, leaving the tiniest hint of the smell of saltwater in the air.

And then Athena came. She looked both of them in the eye, and then said, "I suppose I shall wish you the same as Lord Poseidon did. For your sake-" and here she shot a glance at Percy, who flinched the tiniest bit "-I hope that your marriage is a prosperous one, full of love and affection." She looked at Percy again. "I trust that you will keep my daughter safe, Perseus Jackson? That you will give her what she needs in order to lead a happy and fulfilling life?"

"I-" Percy stammered. Then something in his eyes hardened with determination. He stood up straighter, and said, "I will do everything in my power." The sincerity in his tone was something that Athena seemed to notice, and she nodded briefly, seemingly satisfied. Then she turned to Annabeth.

"My daughter," she murmured. "I wish you the best." A half-smile grazed her lips, and Annabeth found herself mirroring the expression. With one last glance, Athena departed, leaving the new couple alone.

Annabeth looked around. The chapel had completely emptied out while she and Percy had been speaking to the gods; she could hear the voices of Percy's mother, her father, and a few more farther away down the hall. She looked up at Percy, who had a wry smile on his face.

"Well," he said. "That was only a tad more uncomfortable than I anticipated."

She giggled. "Just a tad?"

"Right."

The two were silent for a moment, briefly surveying the room, with its delicate flower arrangements, the yards of white linen and roses decorating the ends of the pews, the skylights that cast a warm glow about the room.

Annabeth looked up again at her new husband. "So," she casually began, "we're married now."

A small smile graced his lips. "We're married," he confirmed.

She raised an eyebrow. "You up for the challenge, Seaweed Brain?" Because, truthfully, married life was a challenge, and Annabeth knew that Percy was aware that it would definitely not be in his best interests to give it up. So this question was a small test to see if, indeed, he was ready. A small test to try to gauge if they could continue to be as happy as they had been for the past seven years.

So it was a relief when he bent down and kissed her again, their second kiss as man and wife. He pulled back and gave her that signature crooked grin, the one she'd come to know and love so well. "As ready as I'll ever be, Wise Girl...or should I say Mrs. Jackson?"

She couldn't stop the wide grin that spread across her cheeks. "Come on, new husband," she said, playfully grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the door. "I believe we have a wedding reception to catch."

"Thank the gods for that. I'm awfully hungry," he murmured, earning him a light slap from Annabeth. "Hey!"

So arm in arm, the duo walked out of the chapel doors and into their new lives.

A/N: OH MY GOSH, that took me the longest time to finish. But I hope you enjoyed! (: I know it's a bit too fluffy, and I apologize for that. :P But it's their wedding. Weddings are supposed to be nice and fluffy. Anyways, the next chapter will be about them having a baby, and dealing with parenthood. Then after that it'll probably be back to their good old teenage years and little moments during that period of time, because I like writing about teenage Annabeth and Percy best. (:

Just a warning: The next chapter probably will not be up for a couple of weeks or so. I know, I know, it's summer, I should be updating faster, blah blah blah, and I'm really sorry that I'm not updating faster. :/ But I'm going on vacation to Orlando, Florida next week (helllooooo, Disney World & Harry Potter theme park!), so I probably won't have a lot of time to write. Sooo sorry. But I hope you guys are having a fantastic summer. (:

Until next time!

- Alexa!

PS: I want you guys to get to know me a little better, and I want to get to know you guys a little better, so ask me a question or two in your review! (: Also, you can come talk to me on Twitter (Twitter . com / alexalovesyou) or Tumblr (heytherelexa . tumblr. com) :D

Oh, and let me ask you a random question: What was the last movie you saw? Mine was Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. It's a few years old, but I still really like it. (: