Hey guys! Sorry for the longer than usual wait for this update. I had AP tests this week and my mom was in the ER last night (Everything's fine now).
PLEASE READ!
A few people have commented with questions about things I will/won't include in future chapters. I figure they are not the only ones wondering, and I thought I'd clear some stuff up.
First concern: Nico. The truth is, I haven't really been sure what to do about him, given his unique situation. I've given it some thought though, and you will get an update on him at some point, though I haven't decided if I will have him actually in a chapter or if I will have someone, like, talk about him or something. I'm working on it.
Second, I've had a LOT of you ask about powers for Logan as a legacy and such. I'm pretty sure the books said something about legacies not being as powerful as demigods, which makes sense. And if it didn't, I'm sticking to that anyway, because it just makes sense. A lot of you have mentioned that both Annabeth an Percy are very powerful and therefore, Logan should also be a bit more powerful than normal. I am also working on this. I haven't officially decided yet what I will do for him, but I have an idea. But, for demigods, they are usually older when they start discovering monsters and the truth and all that anyway. Logan's only 2 right now. Stuff will happen with him, just not right away. I've got you covered, don't worry. :)
Finally, just so you know, after the next chapter or two, things will start to speed up a bit, just so we can move along in the story. I know the last 10 chapters or so have moved pretty slowly, but there's been a lot going on, so they had to.
END OF IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS.
This chapter is a bunch of little snippets, as you will soon see. I wanted to cover a lot of stuff about their time with the Chases, but I didn't want it to take like 6 chapters. Hopefully you like this. I actually do, so that's a start, haha.
Anyway, thank you for reading all that. Hopefully I answered any questions you may have had. Enjoy chapter 49! :D
Re-edited: 5/20/17
I sat beside Annabeth with Logan on my lap, watching the twins' high school graduation ceremony. It was, thankfully, almost over.
I'm sorry, but I was bored. And Logan clearly was too. He kept squirming on my lap and looking at me with an expression like, Can we go now? I would make a face at him, which would elicit a smile and keep him entertained for another 5 seconds or so before he was bored again.
Finally, 500 caps flew up into the air and cheering erupted from all around. "Yay!" Logan cheered, though I didn't know if he was cheering for the graduates or for the fact that he could get up now.
"Congratulations!" Annabeth said to Matthew and Bobby with a smile a few minutes later, after Theresa had finished hugging them. She embraced the cap-and-gown-clad twins herself then and they hugged her back.
"Thanks," Matthew replied, grinning.
"Alright," Frederick said, camera in hand, "The three of you, get close and smile." They did as they were told.
"Okay," said Theresa, grabbing her things, "Let's get you two home. We have a party to get ready for."
"Think Theresa will let me get out of this dress?" Annabeth asked from the passenger seat of our rental car.
I glanced at her and chuckled, "Probably not."
She sighed and then smirked. "I might do it anyway."
I laughed again. That was my girl. She hated dresses normally. And now approaching her seventh month of pregnancy, she really hated them. Getting Annabeth to do something she didn't want to do was no easy task, even for Theresa Chase.
Even so, I wished her luck.
As it turned out, the boys' graduation party consisted of about ten teenagers, most of them fresh from the ceremony, crashed in the living room, playing video games, talking loudly, and eating junk food.
So pretty much all the things I used to like to do with my friends when I was their age. When I wasn't off saving the world, that is.
Annabeth and I had retreated to the back porch a while ago, and watched now as Frederick played in the yard with Logan. It was a sight I hadn't really been expecting to see, but was glad I was.
He stood in the yard, a few feet away from our son, tossing a green ball to him and instructing the toddler to throw it back. And he did, with surprisingly good aim and distance for a two-year old. Frederick caught it and tossed it again.
Annabeth watched them with a contented smile on her lips. I leaned back and put my arm around her. She allowed me to pull her close. "How are you?" I asked her. Between Tyson, and the trip, and everything going on recently, it had been a while since we'd slowed down.
She smiled and leaned into me, still watching her dad play with her son. "I'm alright," she answered lightly.
"Just alright?" I countered, smirking.
Her smile grew, "Really alright."
I chuckled, "Okay."
"What about you?"
I squeezed her lightly. "I'm good," I said, "Really good."
"Oh yeah?"
I kissed her forehead, "Yup," I said. She moved a hand to rest casually on her protruding abdomen. "And Baby?" I asked her.
"Beating me up, as usual." She gently took my hand in hers and pressed it to her belly to prove her point. It didn't take long for our unborn son to kick back.
"Does that hurt?" I asked. I'd never really thought about it before, but I supposed it was a valid question.
She laughed. "No. It's just annoying right now. It'll hurt more in two months."
I didn't know what to think of that, but my expression must have been interesting because Annabeth laughed. She turned in her chair to face me and wrapped her arms loosely on my shoulders, clasping her hands behind my neck. "It's fine, Percy. I've had way worse. Seriously."
"I don't doubt that," I told her, grinning crookedly.
"Good," she said, and paused for a second before smiling. "You're still cute when you're worried, you know that?"
I laughed. "I didn't know that, but it's good to know."
She smiled, leaning a little closer. "Well—"
"Hey!" We heard from behind us. We turned as one to see Matthew standing in the sliding glass doorway that separated the kitchen from the porch, an empty chip bowl in his hand. "Oh, whoa! What are you doing?" he demanded, as if he'd walked in on something scandalous.
Annabeth sat back, returning her hands to her lap. "Talking," she answered coolly, "It's how people typically communicate with each other."
Matthew gave her a deadpan look. "Ha ha," he said sarcastically.
"Did you want something?" she asked him.
"Uh, yeah," he answered slowly, "We're having cake. Dad already brought Logan in. Mom told me to come get you guys. Unless you have other things you'd rather be doing…"
Annabeth rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep from caving to a small smile in the end. "Shut up, Matthew." She stood though and proceeded to follow him inside, glancing back and smiling at me once before shaking her head at her brother.
"You ready for this, Logan?" Bobby asked excitedly, holding the giggling toddler sideways against him.
"Yeah!" Logan yelled in reply.
"Take off in 3… 2… 1…" Bobby yelled, "Liftoff!" He spun in circles, playing Rocket Ship with his nephew, which had become his favorite game to play with the twins over the last couple days. An hour earlier, it had been Matthew playing it with him.
Logan squealed and laughed loudly as he did so. He had warmed up to them quite a bit.
Five days after arriving in California, it was time for us to head home.
Our group of seven stood by the front door of the Chase residence. All of our things had already been loaded into the car. All that was left for us to do was say goodbye. That was always the hardest part.
"Well," Frederick began, breaking the silence that had settled over everyone, "It was great having the three of you here." He placed a hand on my shoulder, as I was the closest to him, "Maybe we'll have to make the trip to see you next."
"That'd be great," I told him.
We began exchanging our goodbyes. The twins hugged Annabeth first; genuine, loving, I'm really going to miss you hugs. While Frederick said goodbye to Logan, Theresa hugged me, wishing us well and a safe tip home.
Then he shook my hand in farewell, and ended up pulling me in for a hug. "Take care of them," my father-in-law said, referring to Annabeth and Logan.
"Of course," I promised.
The twins each shook my hand and I congratulated them again on graduating.
Theresa hugged Annabeth goodbye. "Good luck," she said, "Keep in touch, okay?" She promised, and when they pulled apart, Annabeth had tears in her eyes.
"Annabeth, are you crying?" Bobby demanded, sounding incredulous. And admittedly, Annabeth crying wasn't something they would have normally seen.
"I'm pregnant," she explained with a laugh, "It happens." The boys both nodded, but they looked amazed and slightly concerned still.
Annabeth looked at her father than and her tears didn't show any sign of stopping. "Bye, Dad," she said and hugged him.
"Bye, Angel," he told her quietly. He had called her that when she was little, before everything had gotten complicated. Annabeth had told me about it.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too. I always will." I wondered vaguely if anyone else was watching their interaction and found that Theresa was with a smile on her face and tears forming in her eyes. The twins didn't notice, or if they did, they didn't care. They were saying goodbye to Logan, getting in a last minute of playtime.
After a minute, Annabeth and her father separated and, composing herself, she stepped back to stand next to me. She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I looked at her questioningly. She nodded that she was fine.
"Have a safe trip," Theresa said, "And good luck with everything. I expect a phone call and pictures as soon as that baby's born." We both smiled. Annabeth nodded.
I took a deep breath and glanced at her next to me quickly before looking around the room one last time at the Chase family. I couldn't help noticing how comfortable I now felt here as opposed to how uncomfortable it had been only a few years ago.
"Alright," I said, "C'mon, Logan. We have to go back on the airplane." I squeezed Annabeth's hand one more time before letting go to pick our two-year old up.
And then, with a last round of spoken goodbyes, we stepped outside and were on our way back home.
Because, whether I liked it or not, we had a plane to catch.
Thanks for reading!
Please review with any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns. :)
