I looked up at my boyfriend in bewilderment. How could he have know?
"Excuse me," I said raising a brow; the others seemed just as confused as me, well except Annabeth. Will looked at me and gave me a cocky smile.
"When we first saw her," he started to explain, "I knew she was pregnant."
"But how," Percy asked.
"I could hear two heartbeats," Will said this like it was obvious and normal. We all just stared at him. Annabeth smiled and placed her hands atop her stomach.
"You could hear the heartbeat?" she asked in amazement. Will nodded his head and smiled.
"Yes, and your child has a very strong heartbeat, very healthy. Are you takin any vitamins?" Will asked in his 'Doctor Solace' voice. I found myself smiling at him. Annabeth nodded her head.
"Yes, the doctors here are excellent," she said reassuring. Percy put hand on one hers. He looked at her with so much more love in his eyes than I remember, there was more now, not only for her, but for the growing child within her womb.
"How far along are you?" Piper chimed in.
"I'm just past my first trimester, so a little over three months," Annabeth responded.
"Dude, why haven't you told us?" Jason asked looking at Percy.
"It's wise to wait until after the first trimester to start telling people," Will said knowingly. "The risk of having a miscarriage isn't as likely," he finished. Jason nodded his head.
"Boy or girl," I asked.
"Not sure," Percy answered, "too early to tell."
"We have an appointment set up in three weeks," Annabeth added.
"I's bet good money that it's a boy," Will said. Again we all looked at him.
"Let me guess, you can sense it or something?" I said sarcastically, while also giving him a smile.
Will rolled his eyes, but returned the smile.
"No you mean little gecko, I just have a hunch that it's a boy."
Percy smiled at the thought of having a son. I myself could picture the image that was in his head. A dark hair boy with grey eyes, and a goofy smile. Percy and Annabeth would make good parents, Annabeth would certainly make sure that the child was the best at all his classes, Percy would make sure he could swim as soon as he could walk, and both would love the child and make sure that it never went without. I felt Will's warm hand grab mine and squeeze. I smiled.
"So when's the wedding?" Piper asked before placing a forkful of noodles and sauce in her mouth. Both Percy and Annabeth sighed, it wasn't a sad sigh so much as it was a 'wow, good question' sigh. Annabeth was the first to speak.
"It probably won't be until after the baby is born. I mean Percy and I are pretty much already married, we're living together, we're having a baby," she smiled as she said that, "I wash his dirty underwear."
We all laughed, even Percy. The two of them were practically married. They'd known each other for so long, been through so much, which only made they stronger. Even know Percy and Annabeth couldn't be more than a few inches away for each other, their hands intertwined. Years ago this sight would've cause me so much pain, I would've looked at Annabeth with envy. I would've let myself be filled with anger and hatred at the knowledge that Percy would never look at me, the way he looked at Annabeth.
But all the hostility was gone. I now saw them and wished them the best. There was no more jealousy, no more loathing. The reason for this was sitting right next to me, his hand around mine, his smile spellbinding, his eyes so clear and full of life. He had saved me from my fears and had shown me that the world was not just a dark, cruel place. I raised my glass of water high in the air and smiled even wider.
"Too Annabeth and Percy," I said as the others raised their glasses. We clinked the glasses together and took a sip. Jason raised his glass, and smiled.
"And to their unborn child, may it have Annabeth's brains!" he said loudly. Percy laughed,
"yes, let's hope," he agreed. We clinked out glasses again.
Just as Reyna had promised at precisely seven-thirty she, Frank and Hazel arrived at Percy and Annabeth's. Hazel had cut her hair; it now only came past her shoulders. Her eyes and smiled filled me with even more happiness than before. As I hugged her, felt her body nearly melt into mine, I was overcome with a wonderful realization. I had a family.
I had Hazel, my sister who I loved so much; she and Will were the most important people in my life. I had two older and very annoying "brothers". I had Reyna, and Annabeth, and Piper, and Frank. I was no longer alone, and I never would be again. This realization made me feel like I was flying.
When Hazel and I parted from the hug she looked over my shoulder. She walked over to Will and held out her hand.
"I know we've meet before," she said as she shook his hand, "but I'm Hazel. It's nice to see you awake and healthy." Will smiled at my sister.
"It's nice to be awake," he replied. Reyna put a hand on my shoulder.
"So, Percy, Annabeth, have you told them the good news yet?" she asked smiling. I turned my head towards her.
"You knew?" I asked.
"We all did," Frank said wrapping an arm around my sister. I turned my head to Percy and Annabeth.
"How come they got to know before us," I asked fanning hurt. Percy was the first to answer.
"We had to tell Reyna, she could suggest a good doctor."
"And I accidently overheard everything," Frank said guiltily, looking down at his feet.
"And you know, Frank, can't keep anything from me," Hazel added.
"And when we were about to tell you all, Will woke up. We didn't want to overshadow that by giving our big news, so we decided to just wait until you all came for a visit," Annabeth finished.
I nodded my head, all good reason.
Since New Rome was protected from monster, using technology was no longer an issue, we were free to watch TV. More specifically movies. I had not seen too many movies, and so I was in no position to pick. Piper however was. She looked through the library of DVD's owned by Percy and Annabeth. I saw a sly smile spread on her face as her finger landed on the spine of one. She pulled it out and looked over at me.
"I think we should watch this," she said as she revealed the one she had picked to all of us. My mouth dropped as I read the title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers' Stone. This was it. I was finally going to see the movie version of the book.
Annabeth and Percy fell asleep midway through the movie, Jason and Piper, Frank and Hazel followed. It was only Will and I, and Reyna that were up. Her eyes were glued to the screen, Will's were glued to me. I saw him staring and smirked.
"Movie not interesting enough for you," I whispered. Will's smiled grew.
"I've seen it before," he whispered back leaning in closer to place a kiss on my neck. I had to stifle back a moan. I looked up at him, and kissed his lips. I then looked over at Percy and Annabeth, the latter snoring.
"I can't believe they're going to be parents," I said to Will. He nodded.
"It crazy," he replied, smiling. He looked at me with a curious look on his face. "Nico, do you—I mean have you ever thought about the future," he mumbled out low enough so that Reyna wouldn't hear. I looked up at him, slightly confused.
"What do you mean exactly?" Will let out a long sigh.
"I mean, like marriage and children," he said.
It took a moment for what he had asked to fully sink in. Marriage, children, he wanted to know if I had ever thought at that. I looked at him, sky blue meeting chocolate brown.
"No," I said simply. Will bit his bottom lip, nodded, and shrugged.
"Yah, neither have I," he said turning his attention back to the movie. Harry and Voldemort were talking.
"You didn't let me finish," I said gaining back his attention. "No, in the past I have not thought about marriage or children. Those things were not possible for me. I didn't think that I was worthy of those things. Marriage and children—those belong in fairy tales, and I lived in a horror novel. But things changed," I said smiling at him. He smiled to. "A very annoying and stubborn blond boy came into my life and made me see that maybe happy endings were possible for people like me." Will smile grew even larger. I placed both hands on his cheeks and kissed him. When we pulled apart I could see it. I saw me and him on the beach somewhere, exchanging vows, become one. And then somewhere down the road I saw us watching at night as our child slept in his or her own bed.
"Now I believe anything is possible," I said before kissing him again.
"Ugh," I heard a female voice moan. It was Reyna. She was looking at us with squinted eyes. "Get a room," she finished her sentence before turning back to the movie.