*Annabeth's POV*

We walked back to the car and I clicked the button on my key to unlock it. I opened the door and waited as Em climbed in and grabbed her backpack. I smiled at her as she climbed back out, then shut the door and locked the car again. We walked back in the shop to see Hazel, Reyna and Piper sitting around the table, the candies picked up of the ground and back in their bowl.

"Guys, I told you I'd pick them up!" I told them, "You didn't have to do that."

"Eh, it's fine. Didn't even take that long." Reyna told me with a smile.

"Ok, Ok! Hazel- go look for a dress! NOW!" Piper said loudly and Hazel scampered off to look.

*1 hour and 6 dresses later*

Hazel came out of the dressing room wearing the 7th dress of the day. When she walked out, we all gasped. It was perfect: old fashioned and beautiful. It was made of white lace, with tight, long lace sleeves, a lace collar, a beautiful straight lace skirt, and a thin layer of tule on the back that matched the veil.

"Oh my Gods Hazel…" I started.

"It's perfect," she finished with a perfect grin, and I knew she'd found her wedding dress.

"You look beautiful." Reyna said quietly, which pretty much summed it up.

She twirled a bit and Emily looked up from her coloring and said, "Wow Auntie Hazel, you're very pretty."

That made Hazel smile even bigger, and she leaned down next to Em and told her, "Thank you very much. You know what? I think you're the only one left who needs a dress! Let me go change and we'll find you one."

Em smiled and nodded in response, then Hazel stood up and walked back to the changing room. I sat on the couch, simply watching my brilliant daughter, the light of my life. She finished her picture and wrote a big 'E' in the corner, kind of like a signature. She pulled the page out of her book and ran over to Piper. I saw her sea green eyes sparkle as she handed Piper the picture, which was four fish. I saw, scrawled in her kindergarten handwriting, four names: Pyper, Jayson, Terver, and Bayby. I stifled a laugh at the cuteness of her bad spelling. I would have to work with her on where to put 'y's. Piper face glowed as she looked at it, then pulled Emily into a hug. Em reciprocated the embrace then ran back to me and jumped onto my lap. I pulled her in for a hug and she gladly cuddled into my shoulder. I stared into her eyes as smiled and hugged me, then started giggling. When I looked up, Reyna, Hazel, and Piper were all watching our cute mother/daughter moments with small smiles. I tucked a curl behind my ear then plopped Em onto the ground.

"Come on then, didn't Auntie Hazel say you needed a dress?" I asked and she jumped up and ran to go with Hazel to the kids section at the back. We walked through and Hazel pulled out three dresses to look at. When we reached the waiting area in the back, with funky futuristic chairs and a dollhouse in the corner, she held them up or us to see. One was a light sunset orange one with a flowy skirt that had a layer of chiffon on the outside. The top was plain with thick straps and a ribbon belt with a chiffon flower on it around the middle. The next was white with puffy sleeves and pastel purple and orange swirls in the fabric. The last was another light orange one, with one sleeve. There was a large orange and purple tiger lily on the belt and the skirt was a circle skirt. Hazel laid them down on a loveseat behind her, and turned to Em.

"Which one's your favorite, Emily?" she asked her, "because I'm good with all of these."

"Ummm…" Em looked carefully at them and walked up to the first one. "This one!" she said excitedly.

"Ok then!" Hazel lifted it up and handed it to me.

"Let's go try it on then Em!" I said as I led her into the kids dressing room. I closed the door, unzipped the back and waited as she took off her yellow dress, leaving on her leggings. I held it out for her to step into and she did, putting her hand on my shoulder to steady herself. I pulled it up and she put her arms through the straps, then turned around for me to zip it up. I did, and we walked out of the dressing room.

"Awww you're so adorable Emily!" Hazel squealed, "I love it so much!"

"I like it too," I responded and Emily's grin so big I almost ran up and hugged her right then, because when she smiles as wide a she can, she looks so much like Percy I can't even handle it. I teared up a bit until Piper put her hand on my arm, reminding me to calm down and be a mother.

"So we've decided on this one for Em? That seems to be the general consensus." I asked regaining my composure.

"Yes indeed!" Hazel responded.

I took Emily back to the chnging room and helped her change back into her yellow dress. When we came back out, Hazel started walking back towards the front of the store, giving us the signal to gather all of our purchases. I picked up my dress and Emily's, let her walk in front of me and started after Hazel.

We bought our dresses, and decided to go out to lunch. The five of us sat at a round table in a bakery nearby and talked for the rest of the afternoon, Emily sitting next to me busily filling in her coloring book, until me and her had to leave and get home. We said goodbye, and Hazel walked us out to our car. When I'd helped Em get in her seat and closed the door to the backseat, Hazel stopped me.

"You're my maid of honor you know." she started.

"Yeah… and?" I replied.

"Well traditionally the maid of honor and the best man walk down the aisle together. And Frank's best man is Percy." she said, and I realized why she was reminding me. "I want to have a good wedding Annie, and I'm sorry, but you're going to have to see Perce again. So I'd really, really appreciate it if the first time you see eachother isn't at the rehearsal dinner or, Gods forbid, the actual wedding day. Please Annabeth, do this for me. I want you to go to Percy before my wedding, and talk to him, introduce him to Emily, tell him about her. I'll send you his address and stuff. Just please do this. I can guarantee he won't shut you out, he still loves you too much. But please, don't be a stranger that he sees gain for the first time at my wedding, and don't let that be the first time he sees his daughter, EVER, either. Please." she finished.

I was almost crying, but I knew she was right, and I couldn't do that to her wedding, not after all her hard work. I hugged her and sobbed into her shoulder saying, "Okay Hazel. I will. I promise." Just that. She knew I wouldn't go back on my word, and she returned my hug and said goodbye again before turning to go back into the bakery. I stepped into the drivers seat after I'd stopped crying enough and told Em, "Okay Starfish, we're going home now." and started the three hour drive back to Boston.