Annabeth:

I looked through the wedding options and thought about what I wanted in a wedding, what Percy wanted in a wedding.

I never wanted a big wedding, not now especially. I just wanted to marry Percy, and he had already had his big wedding with Calli. There were really only two people who wanted us to have a big wedding, Sally and Sarah. The rest of us were perfectly fine with us just getting married.

I was trying to find some sort of middle ground, but it almost seemed impossible.

"Knock, knock."

Calli.

I looked at my cell phone.

It was rent day.

"Come on in. It's unlocked," I called out as I continued to look at wedding dresses on my laptop.

"Got it," I heard the door open, and Calli's heels clacked on the hardwood floors as she came in.

I smiled up at her before turning my attention back to the dresses, but Calli liked to make 'Entrances', so I could hear it all. She walked slowly but sat down beside me at the kitchen table, where she kicked off her shoes and looked over to my laptop.

"Oh right. Wedding dresses. Have you two decided what kind of wedding you want yet?" Calli began to massage her feet.

"No, our family wants a big wedding and everything. But I'm not sure I want that," I looked towards Calli.

"I'm surprised Percy doesn't want a big wedding. With all his family and stuff. That's what he wanted with me, and I had to have a big wedding. For my job and all."

I usually didn't like it when Calli brought up the fact that she used to be married to Percy, but I had gotten used to it by now. I was actually friends with Calli. When Sarah came to live with me, I stopped hanging out so much with my single friends. And my mom-friend, Gina, was getting to judgmental. And Calli and I had a lot in common.

We had daughters who had the same father, Sarah's adopted father Eric.

We had both been engaged to Percy.

We both had been single moms.

And we both had demanding jobs.

Though we still left some topics untouched, we were pretty close, and it felt nice to have finally buried the hatchet with Calli.

Or at least it was buried most of the time.

"He already had a big wedding with you," I shrugged.

"Then why not just go to City Hall and get the thing done with?"

"Family. Sarah. They want a real wedding, not City Hall," I closed my laptop.

"I guess I can understand that," Calli nodded.

I had to admit that she was pretty. She had been absolutely gorgeous when she was younger, but she was still beautiful. She had dark brown eyes, like chocolate. Her dark brown, almost black, hair went to her chin, and she had bangs to cover an odd scar on her forehead that she had by falling down. She dressed how you'd expect for her line of work.

Colorful yet professional.

She wore what I wore, in a way. High heels that can make your feet ache like hell. Black trousers or high waist-skirts. Silky tops tucked in, only hers were in all sorts of colors. And she got bangles, which Malcolm had banned me from ever wearing in the office.

"You know," Calli told me as she began to put her shoes back on, "One of my friends got married in Fiji. Took all of close family and a few really good friends, including me. It was pretty great. A combination of the big wedding but not a lot of people. I loved it."

"Fiji?"

"Yeah, totally loved it. You've never thought about it?"

"No, not really."

"Bring it up to Percy, maybe? I think he'd love it," Calli slid on her last shoe and put her check on the table.

"Maybe," I let the words wash over my tongue as I thought it all over.

"I have to get to daycare. They're already mad at me for being this late. And I'm already on their bad side," Calli told me as she left.

Percy:

"So, we tell Sarah when?" I asked Annabeth, and she shook her head as she continued to pick up plates for the pizza.

"You act like she won't like the idea of Hawaii."

"I don't know."

"You can make a pretty good guess."

I raised my eyebrows as if to ask.

"The good guess is that she'll love it, Percy," Annabeth laughed as she looked at me.

I nodded and picked up a breadstick.

"I have another good guess about how someone will take it," Annabeth continued.

"Your mother?"

"Not well. I mean, she would have taken it worse if I was pregnant or something. But it's not going to be a happy day when she finds out," Annabeth shrugged as she stared at the stairs, waiting for Sarah to finally show up.

"When is that day?"

"What day?"

Today apparently.

Athena stood at the top of the stairs, with our seven year old daughter beside her. She was in the form she always was with this family, which I had learned was different for Malcolm. But Sarah had seen her like this only. Though she knew about the gods and everything, Sarah didn't need too much confusion.

Why is it that I only see Athena unexpectedly

I hope this doesn't keep happening.

"Mom, you're here," Annabeth tried to seem like it was planned for the sake of Sarah, but her confusion was evident.

"Just came to see Sarah here," Athena ruffled Sarah's curly hair.

"Want to stay for dinner?" Annabeth finally asked, nodding towards the pizza box.

"Oh, I'd love to, but I've got to get to the Meeting."

That's what she called the meeting in Olympus when Sarah is around.

"I just came to see how Sarah was," Athena told us as she came down the stairs with Sarah, "Now what is this day you were talking about?"

Athena's grey eyes washed over Annabeth's hand.

Her eyes widened.

"Hey, Sarah, can you maybe change out of your uniform? I don't want to stain another one of your uniform shirts," Annabeth smiled at Sarah, and she nodded. She told her grandmother goodbye before running back to her room, and Athena stared at Annabeth's hand as she continued down the stairs.

She pointed to the ring.

Annabeth nodded.

Athena digested this.

"How long?" she finally asked.

"Not long."

At first, I couldn't tell who had said it.

Then I realized it was my voice.

"You didn't tell me?" Athena asked, waiting for us to explain the reason.

"I was going to tell you later," Annabeth smiled weakly.

"Who knows?" she asked.

Annabeth looked at me to fill in some of the dots.

"My parents. My step-dad. A few friends from work. Grover. And Chiron."

That was who I told at least.

"Dad and his wife. Their two sons, Bobby and Mattie. Malcolm and his wife. Rachel. Calli. Two other friends. And Sarah."

Athena nodded as she thought all of this over

"We've decided to get married in Hawaii, with all of our family and such. You're the first to know that," Annabeth smiled, and Athena let out a small laugh, as if it was a funny conciliation.

Finding out a big wedding detail in exchange for not knowing about her daughter's engagement.

It wasn't a deal I'd make.

"Well at least you're not pregnant," Athena laughed lightly, and Annabeth joined in, though I was too shocked to be alive to laugh.