Annabeth,

"Hey, Noah, do you want some help with your homework?" I asked, smiling as I put my blueprints back into my briefcase.

I did have a desk and my own little nook at the edge of the living room that everyone left alone, but it wasn't long before I ended up at the kitchen table. Since we usually used the barstools, I didn't have to share it much, and I could spread all of my work out.

Percy had really used my nook for his work, but we pretended it was still mine and that the table was just a table.

I would just get it over with and accept the switch, but I was too busy worrying about what Malcolm was doing.

As I progressed father and farther into my pregnancy, he slowly lessened my work load, and my other half-brother came in and took care of most of the work I was no longer allowed to. Malcolm tried to make it inconspicuous, but I wasn't stupid.

It had been driving me insane, so insane that I hadn't been able to join in with Percy going crazy as we waited for the big ultrasound.

He brought it up so often that it was amazing that I had forgotten that. He came back telling me that half of the class was torn about whether he was going to have a girl or boy and that it was cute/annoying since they were always doing that when he was trying to teach. And he was talking about names a lot, too.

But Noah's excitement for the baby had suddenly disappeared.

He didn't talk about it much, and he didn't suggest names when we talked about it at dinner anymore. Instead, he just took a big bite of dinner and stirred it around with his fork or took a long sip of his drink. It didn't take much to tell that he was upset.

When Percy told me about what happened with Noah being scared of having another boy, it wasn't exactly shocking.

"Nah," Noah told me, hurrying to his bedroom while adjusting his heavy green backpack, and Percy smiled at me weakly from the kitchen.

Noah had spent the day with his new friend, Aiden. He was the new student, and Noah was supposed to show him around. While they were friends after all, I could also tell that he also really just wanted to be somewhere else instead of with us right now.

And now he was going into his room.

The door was closed normally, I guess, but it felt like a slam and a slap in the face.

I looked to Percy, who looked up from his laptop on the couch where he was writing an email about someone's latest test to their parents.

"I'll talk to him."

I shook my head.

"No, I think I should do it," I stood, and Percy nodded.

I wasn't sure if it was because he believed I really could do better with this conversation or if he just didn't want to do it.

Making my way to his bedroom, I tried to plan what I would say to him, but nothing came to mind. I kept trying to think of something so much that I ended up staring at his bedroom door, biting my lowerlip.

The sudden pain of biting my lip for too long brought me back, and I hesitantly knocked on his door.

"What is it?"

"I'm a who, Noah, and I want to talk to you."

I could hear Noah grumbled as he stomped over the door.

You knew this would happen someday, I reminded myself, You couldn't expect to be the idol forever, Annabeth. Kids grow up, and they don't want to talk to you.

But this early?

He was only five!

We were still supposed to be super-star parents for a while…

Noah opened the door, and I expected for him to look like the teenager he was acting like.

But what I saw was a sad little blue-eyed boy crossing his arms.

I could suddenly remember this in my own life.

I remembered sitting in my room, hugging my old favorite toy owl. My mother had given this to me when I was three years old, and my step-mother had often tried to get rid of it since. But I was determined to keep it, no matter what happened. Maybe her telling me to throw it away made me want it even more, or maybe it was just seeing my dad shaking my head at my step-mother and telling her to let me have that doll. Or maybe it was even hearing her ask what was so special about it and my father and I having a secret together. But I liked it, so I kept it.

My step-mother knocked on the door, and I didn't answer. So she knocked again, more forcefully, and I moaned but let her in. She was heavily pregnant with my two little brothers, and I didn't care if she was pregnant with twins. I still thought she was fat, and I had almost told her that once before my dad stopped me.

She sat down on my bad, sitting beside me, and she gave me a long lecture about how it would be alright and how she would still love me when she had the twins, even though they were her own DNA.

By the end of it, I hated her more and I had learned to hate my two half-brothers.

Suddenly, Noah's fears made sense, and I couldn't figure out at all what I should say.

"Can I talk to you for a second, Noah?"

He nodded, and he awkwardly sat down on the bed. I sat beside him, hating this new resemblance I had to my step-mother.

Noah took a deep breath, blowing out a deep sigh.

"I'm scared you'll have a boy because I don't want to be replaced like you were replaced with your brothers. And my mother is horrible! But you're great really great, and Daddy loves you," Noah blurted it out so fast I could barely hear, but his voice got quiet all of a sudden. He choked out the last bit, "What if you and Daddy love the new little boy more than me?"

My eyes watered, and I hugged Noah tightly, kissing the top of his head.

"That could never happen, Noah," I told him, brushing my fingers through his hair as guilt hit me hard.

"You may not mean to, but-but it could happen! You may not even realize it, your dad didn't mean it to happen!"

"Baby, it won't happen!" I kissed the side of his head, "I promise you."

"But-"

"Noah, listen, that happened because my step-mother didn't see me as her daughter. And then she had her own children, and I was that kid. But, Noah, I didn't even think we were having another child. I didn't even think I could get pregnant. I may not be your mom, but," I brushed his hair out of his eyes, "but you are my son."

Noah smiled, and he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I love you, Annabeth. And you're my mom."

I began to cry, and Noah laughed at me.

"Daddy was right. You are emotional."

I laughed and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

"Now, get off your butt. Go do something cute and watch Spongebob or something with your dad. It'll make him feel better."

"And Annabeth is back."

"Love you, too, Shorty."

I ruffled his hair.

Percy,

"Are you guys excited?" Ansley smiled at the two of us, and Annabeth eagerly nodded, wanting to skip the small talk.

This has been our topic from the day Annabeth found out she was pregnant.

Were we having a Sophia or a Charles?

Everything had been based around this day, this giant thing that would suddenly change today.

Our white walls in the nursery would be painted pink or blue. Either those cute little pink baby dresses or the blue outfits would be returned. That doll house or train set would be sent back to Toys-R-Us, and either Grover and I could try to set our kids up or try to get our daughters to become friends.

Last week, Grover and Juniper found out they were having a daughter.

We had listened to them pick out names this entire time, and it was slowly driving our anticipation up.

By the time they decided between the names Emily-Rose and Daphne (they chose Emily-Rose), I was going insane to find out if I was having another son or my first daughter. And Annabeth was even worse, pacing the floors all the time and trying all those wife's tale's tricks.

So far, three of those tricks said she was having a boy. Five said a girl.

She clung to the girl results.

And I wasn't sure which one I wanted.

I had always wanted a daughter, and I had been hoping Noah was a girl when I was sitting at the ultrasound. Though I had loved going through raising a boy, I still thought about what it would be like to drop my daughter off at ballet instead of boy scouts.

But I also don't think I could handle having a daughter.

Especially when she is a teenager!

Suddenly, guilt flooded me for everything Annabeth and I had done when we were teens.

What if some guy did that to my daughter?

"Final bets anyone?" Ansley asked as Annabeth pulled up her shirt to show her growing stomach for the cold blue jelly she said she hated.

"A girl," Annabeth smiled, not even having to think about it.

"And I'm guessing you think it will be a boy?" Ansley smiled at me, and I shrugged.

I honestly wasn't sure.

"As long as it is a perfectly healthy baby, it could be boy or girl."

Both of the women smiled at me, and I let this moment set in.

Everything of this room became imprinted in my brain.

The air smelled of the Jasmine tea Ansley loved so much, and it mingled perfectly with Annabeth's soft floral perfume. Ansley had a picture of her with her own daughter on the little desk area, a cute little blonde toddler with a wide smile. The walls were painted light blue, and the room was empty but not barren except for the ultrasound. Even the city seemed to become quiet for us.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

What if I couldn't do this?

Yes, I had raised a perfectly fine boy even with a crazy JoJo sharing half of his DNA. But maybe I had just gotten lucky that time. I knew I was blessed with Noah and that he had just been an easy child, but could I handle a child not like him?

Am I too old to chase around a toddler and wake up in the middle of the night?

Every possible problem blinked through my mind in an instant, and I was almost trembling.

As Ansley turned to turn on the machine, Annabeth glanced back at me, and that glowing smile turned into a worried frown.

"Are you okay, Percy?" Annabeth wrapped her hand around mine, and I smiled.

"I'm fine."

She could tell I was lying.

"What's wrong?"

I hesitated, but I knew her.

I wasn't getting away with this…

"I'm just…" I admitted, "nervous."

"Nervous? About finding out if the baby is a girl or boy?"

"No, not that. Well, yes. But that's not what I mean," I nervously ran my fingers through my hair, still holding her hand with my other hand.

"Percy, what is it?"

"What if I can't do this?"

She looked at me as if to ask what I was talking about.

"Annabeth, I was young when I had Noah. I didn't have a demanding job, and I had the energy to run after a baby. And, anyway, until he was three, JoJo had him half of the time! I really don't know how to do this."

"Well, neither do I," Annabeth smiled that gentle calming smile she had recently perfected, "We'll learn along the way."

"But… what if it takes too long? We've seen first-hand how bad parenting can screw up a kid. We're the proof."

"Well, I'm not sending our child out on crazy quests or ancient prophecies to prove something to the gods, if that is what you mean."

"You know that's not what I mean, Annabeth."

"We're going to be fine, Perseus," Annabeth smiled reassuringly, and I felt some sort of confidence.

"Here is the baby," Ansley's voice brought us back from our conversation.

Our eyes flew to the machine, where there was a small image of a tiny growing baby.

My smile widened, and I lost my breath.

There my little baby was…

I almost started crying, and Annabeth did.

A tear of happiness slid down her cheek, and she laughed happily with a wide smile as she looked at our child.

That small ounce of confidence Annabeth had given me was now consuming me, and I suddenly felt like I could do it. I could raise another baby.

I could get up at two in the morning to change his or her diaper. I could chase the baby around, making sure it was alright as it first learned to crawl or even walk. I could take them to their first day of school and smile, while having a meltdown all day during work. And I might even be able sending them to Camp during the summer.

Ansley moved the device around Annabeth's swollen stomach before stopping, and she took a good look at the baby on the screen before turning to us with a sweet smile.

"Are you sure you want to know the sex of the baby?"

Annabeth nodded like an eager puppy waiting to get a piece of bacon.

"Well then, you better tear up that list of boy's names."

My heart skipped a beat, and Annabeth squeezed my hand.

"You're having a girl."

Out of happiness and excitement, I kissed Annabeth, and she couldn't contain her happiness.

Annabeth smiled and started laughing, telling the baby how she knew she was a girl and how "Daddy was a total Seaweed Brain not to listen to his Wise Girl" and so on.

But I was thinking about other things.

I'll have a little princess to spoil rotten, I smiled, She'll be just as beautiful as her mother and as smart as her, too. And she'll be funny like me. And one day a Seaweed Brain like her will come around and…

My breathing stopped and I froze.

Oh.

My.

Gods.

I'm having a daughter.

And-and, one day, she'll date!

My world began to spin as I thought about everything Annabeth and I had done together.

Suddenly, I felt like my lunch was about to crawl up my throat.

Oh, I'm not going to be not into this, I told myself, I am going to be into this! Way too into this! My daughter will want me to be less into this!