I'm so so sorry I know I haven't updated in about a week because I've been in an Honor Band and that took up so much writing time. But I'm done with that now, and I've posted some chapters to my story Mortal Friendships and I'm going to add to Heroes of Artemis so yeah.
Also, this chapter has a bit of a T rating for a few sexual implications, but nothing drastic.
Please review or PM with any comments or questions.
Their honeymoon was in Venice to start with.
Apparently Hazel, Nico, and Frank had a bad experience while Percy and Annabeth were in freaking Tartarus, so Percy didn't really think that could compare. They were just supposed to stay away from some black house and all the animals if there were any left.
Being married to Annabeth was great. He couldn't believe there was no longer an Annabeth Chase in the world and in her place was a smart, beautiful, kind, scary woman named Annabeth Jackson who was also married to him. He was pretty darn lucky since that was the case.
Annabeth had planned the honeymoon- first going to Venice, Italy for about four days, and then Paris, France, for three, and then to Athens- Annabeth wanted to see the Parthenon and Percy intended to get her there this time, with no nosebleeds this time.
The first night, they went on a romantic gondola ride with candles and a picnic Percy had picked up from the hotel place. Annabeth was loving Venice, and she smiled at him in the candlelight of the gondola, her long blond hair golden in the light and her gray eyes dancing.
"I love you," she said softly. The man rowing the gondola did not react, trying to give the two newlyweds some privacy, but what they said next piqued his curiosity and he listened in, confused at the things they were saying.
"Do you remember the night we fell asleep in the stables on the Argo II? And Frank found us and Hazel kept fanning her face and Coach Hedge grounded us? We were flying in a ship and he grounded us!"
"Shut up, Seaweed Brain. But yeah, I do remember. I miss the Argo II. I miss camping out in the zoo truck going to find Zeus's Master Bolt. I miss everything about Camp. I miss being a senior counselor of the Athena cabin. I miss Thalia and seeing her and the Hunters of Artemis. I miss redesigning Olympus, but now that I'm done with it all I can move on to other things." There was a smile on Annabeth's face that made Percy's heart skip beats.
And to think they were only twenty-six, only married for thirteen hours, and they'd have the rest of their demigod lives to spend together, the life they'd dreamed of on that night in the stables when Percy first told Annabeth about New Rome University. About the place they could grow up with children. He remembered when he'd thought about children in Tartarus with Annabeth, when the possibility of dying more than outweighed the possibility of even being able to try for a child. They hadn't really talked about children yet for they'd always put it off considering both had had such miserable childhoods they weren't sure about bringing a little kid into the world yet. He knew Annabeth was the one who would be sacrificing the most for that dream.
"Annabeth…" he began hesitantly. "Do you remember in New Rome, when we went to New Rome University, little Julia? The kid who assisted Terminus?" Annabeth nodded thoughtfully, and Percy tried to stay composed. This conversation was going to be a hard one if they didn't want the same thing, and though the prospect of becoming a father was terrifying to Percy, it was also an intriguing and compelling one- a little Annabeth Jr., a girl, running around a nice house in the suburbs calling 'Daddy! Daddy! Come see what I can do!' was an idea that he wanted to become a reality, but if Annabeth wasn't on the same page, their marriage, and/or happiness and friendship, may not last as long as he wanted it to.
"Julia was cute…I always thought if we lived in New Rome after we got married, if we had children, I'd want them to be like Julia- cute and helpful and smart and mischievous. Why?" so Annabeth had thought about kids.
"I was wondering where you were on having children one day," Percy said hesitantly. Annabeth looked surprised and amused.
"Percy Jackson, we got married thirteen hours ago and you're asking me this already? But I won't pretend I haven't thought about how we've put it off." She paused and took a breath nervously. "I think I want to have kids. I want a little girl running around our house trying to do a cartwheel and failing, I want to have someone besides you to come home to. But I'm not ready yet, and I'm so scared." That wasn't a no. "What if the gods come with another big quest and they ruin our lives again? What if Hera takes you away from me again?" Percy held her shuddering body, trying not to give off his own fears. "I think you would be a great father and you had such a caring mother in Sally. But myself…I ran away from a sucky relationship with my father that I never really repaired. I don't want to create the resentment my father and I created between ourselves and I couldn't live with myself if I did that. I'm not ready, we just got married a half day ago, but one day, I want to have a little kid." Annabeth smiled up at him- he was just a few inches taller than she was but she could still kick his butt in a fight. "And you, my Seaweed Brain?"
"I want kids, too. And I have the same fears. I'd definitely be ready to start at least trying one day in the future, but first we need to find a house to live in if we want a kid." He smiled back at Annabeth. Gods, she really was so pretty. Where had she gotten it from? He supposed, if she wanted to, Athena could be beautiful, but she was a virgin goddess and had forsaken men in that way, choosing to have children with her mind instead. And so, Athena didn't really do beautiful goddess looks like Aphrodite did. Perhaps she had the beauty and love goddess's blessing. That would make sense, but after everything Aphrodite had put the two of them through, it would've been the least she could've done.
"Where are we going to live?" Annabeth realized suddenly. "We can't stay in our little apartment forever, we've had it ever since we both got out of college years ago, and New Rome is definitely an option with its Roman protection. But I need to stay connected to Camp Half-Blood. I grew up there, I can't just leave it behind because I got married without a second thought for them." Percy chuckled and tangled his fingers in her blond hair, enjoying the gondola floating down the Venice docks.
"Wise Girl, we got married at Camp Half-Blood's beach. We're never going to lose the connection to them, it's your home, my second home. We've done so much there, we're never going to be able to fully leave it. But seriously, which is better? The crowded New York City, with Camp Half-Blood close, or New Rome's protection for us and our child?" Annabeth was silent, biting her lip, pondering.
"Reyna is gone from New Rome, but Hazel and Frank are still there. Leo and Calypso stayed in Indianapolis. Jason and Piper still live in New York, but I hear Jason's almost ready to pop the question…" Annabeth thought out loud, "and that's all of the seven. Nico and Will are still at Camp Half-Blood." Just then, though, an Iris Message shimmered into view with Piper's and Jason's faces in the misty image.
"Annabeth! How's it feeling to be a Jackson instead of a Chase?" Piper sang, unbelievably cheery today. "Guess what?"
"What?" amusement was bubbling up in Annabeth's voice and Percy wondered why Jason looked so unbelievably sheepish at the moment.
"Well…" Piper held her ring finger up to the screen of the message, showing the ring Jason had picked out last month with Percy- the two beautiful diamonds next to each other on the platinum band sparkling in the rainbow's light. "Jason and I are finally engaged!"
Annabeth's POV:
Annabeth recalled the talk she'd had with Piper when she'd gone wedding dress shopping and looked at the diamonds on Piper's new engagement ring. "That's great!" Percy offered his congratulations and Jason just looked miffed.
"Finally?"he asked. "What am I, your servant who you ordered to propose?" Piper stopped and apologized.
"Sorry, sorry, I just thought I'd never get married and Annabeth and Percy got married yesterday. Annabeth, you are going to be my maid of honor. Or is it matron? I don't know." Annabeth shrugged.
"I don't have kids yet," she joked. Piper's eyes sparkled mischievously. "So you and Percy haven't been taking advantage of your honeymoon yet?" she waggled her eyebrows and Annabeth blushed.
"No, Beauty Queen! Mind out of the gutter, jeez!" Piper raised an eyebrow.
"But that's what honeymoons are for!" she whined. "But, in all serious, congrats on your wedding, it was so beautiful my mother sobbed for hours later, good for us being engaged, the wedding's in six months because I can't wait for Jason to say 'Honey, I'm home!' when he walks in the door of our home, and we've got to go because I have to call Hazel and Frank, and Leo and Calypso, and I'm expecting a visit from my darling mother any minute now." Piper disconnected the message and Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Aphrodite's having a field day." He drawled. "Everybody's getting married and engaged." Annabeth nodded, sleepy from their talk and the lateness of Venice getting to her.
"I love you, Seaweed Brain. Maybe if Piper and Jason figure out where they want to live, we'll stay with them. But for now, let's go back to the hotel. Maybe we should take advantage of this honeymoon all to ourselves." She gave him a wicked smile and enjoyed his wide eyes.
Sorry again for not updating, and please review or PM with comments!
