-Another Two Months Later-
I was sleeping peacefully until Annabeth called my name loudly from somewhere downstairs.
"PERCY! WAKE UP, YOU LAZY LUMP!"
Apparently I was a lazy lump then. I rolled over to look at my alarm clock and read the time: 10:52. In the morning. Uh-oh. I was late for tea with Mommy-kins. That would make Annabeth annoyed.
I ran down the stairs and found Annabeth tapping her foot.
"Percy, what the Tantalus took you so long?! We're four hours late!"
"Um, yeah. About that..."
"You can't even stick with waking up at a normal time-"
"I know!"
"And you insist on calling her Mommy-kins?!"
"Annabeth-"
"Do not interrupt, Perseus."
She gave me the hand and for a second she looked and sounded just like her mom. That was not a good sign.
"But I-" I protested.
"NO BUTS!" she roared. "I ask you one little thing and you don't do it! This has got to stop, Seaweed Brain."
"Annabeth-"
"NO! I'm sick of you not doing things!"
"But, Annabeth! I just overslept! It's no big deal! Sheesh, don't get so worked up!"
Annabeth quickly started sobbing, like when I rescued her from the wrath of the Sirens. Wow, that part about me sounded heroic! I rule!
Anyway, I started comforting her. "It's okay, Annabeth. Just stop crying. It'll all be okay."
"Oh, Percy. I feel like I'm not living up to expectations!"
"Whose expectations?"
"Mine! And if anything ever happened to me, how would you survive?"
"I would never let anything bad happen to you! And you know I'd fade away from existence to save you!"
She continued to cry until I told her that it was 11:45 and we had better get going.
Like someone had turned off a switch, Annabeth stopped crying and turned back to normal.
"Let's go and drink that tea!" I yelled in fake happiness.
"Okay," Annabeth agreed.
After we had come back from tea, we sat down and decided what to name our triplets. Annabeth told me I could name our son.
I suggested, "Alexander William. I've always liked that combo."
"Good choice, honey," approved Annabeth.
"Now what to name our daughters?" I asked.
"I like the names Amelia and Lucy."
"What about middle names?"
"Lucy... Lucy Marie and Amelia Anne."
"Sounds great! But for Amelia, can we call her Mia?"
"Sure. It's settled, then!"
"What should we do now?"
"Watch TV?"
"Do you pick or do I?"
"Me, of course! I want to watch that new special on the History Channel!"
"Congratulations. I'll be at my dad's house watching the football game."
"You do that."
"I will."
"See you in a few hours?"
"Deal."
We kissed good-bye and I went to my dad's awesome underwater palace. Athena's paled in comparison.
Now, if you have never watched sports underwater, you should try it sometime. Especially in a ginormous puffy couch.
After my favorite team won, I poofed back to my house to find Carrie interacting with another minor goddess her age, one named Lizzie.
"Carrie, did you ask Mommy if you could invite a friend over?" I asked my little, 3-year-old daughter.
"No," she said guiltily.
"Where is Mommy?" I asked suspiciously.
"With Granny Uh-thee-something!"
"When did she leave?"
"Exactly 22 minutes ago, right... wait for it... wait for it... NOW!"
Did my daughter have a clock in her head or something? Just the thought creeped me out.
I went to find Annabeth and found her mom teaching her how to knit.
"Annabeth? Carrie has a friend over, without our permission. We both go running off like this, and we can't keep asking my mom. She needs a baby-goddess-sitter!" I blurted out.
"Mom? Have any ideas?" Annabeth asked her mom.
"Yes, a few actually. You could hire a half-blood, a satyr, or a naiad," breathed Athena.
"Do you have any recommendations?" Annabeth asked.
"Yes, a few actually. You could hire Bobert, Grover, or Caterina."
"Who's Caterina?" I asked.
"A naiad," said Annabeth like it was obvious.
Annabeth said in my mind, What do you think, Percy?
Bobert's usually busy. Grover's making wedding plans, and I don't know this naiad.
Yes, you do.
How, then, Wise Girl?
When you cleaned out the stables. The naiad who wouldn't let you use her stream.
How do you know that?
I can read memories, too. I didn't know you liked me when you were 12!
That's private! Anyway, Caterina had an attitude. What about Rachel?
Rachel? As in Rachel Elizabeth Dare?! I don't think so!
Why not?
She's a mortal.
So?
I know you liked her.
Read my memory!
Three seconds passed.
Okay, I was wrong.
What was that?
"I was wrong, Percy!" she blurted aloud.
"About what, dear?" asked her mom.
"Nothing, mother. Anyway, Percy and I have a different babysitter in mind."
"Who?"
"A mortal who can see through the Mist!"
"You would trust a mortal?!"
"Percy does, and that's good enough for me."
"I wish you would make your own decisions. And Perseus, your father talked to me. Or shall I say, tried to no avail. He told me I'm being too harsh on you. I could not agree less. So from now on, I expect you to handle your own battles and not bring your father in."
"That was the nicest thing you've ever said to me!" I said in shock.
"Don't get used to it," she warned. "Good-bye, darling daughter. Good-bye, maggot dung."
"What'd you call me?!" I yelled.
"Good-bye, children," Athena said, ignoring my question.
We were pushed out the door and onto the pruned hedges outside of the boring house.
"That went well," I said sarcastically.
"Percy, at least you two aren't trying to hurt each other anymore."
We walked along until we reached our house. I dialed Rachel's old number, barely noticing that she probably didn't live there anymore. But I was wrong, as usual.
"Hello?" asked a deeper tone of a recognizable voice.
"Rachel Elizabeth Dare?" I asked.
"Yeah. Whadda you- Hey, is that Percy Jackson?"
"Yeah. Anyway, I have a lot to explain."
I explained everything to my friend and ended with, "So can you babysit Carrie on weekdays from 8am to 5pm?"
She replied tonelessly, "Sure. I've been looking for a little excitement."
I had hired a babysitter for Carrie! Yay!
I told Annabeth and she said that it was great.
I kissed her again and we stayed like that until we were interrupted by Grover barging through the door.