Author's note: Huh. So I wrote this. Not going to lie; the premise has been in my head for a while but it exploded into all kinds of new characterizations I haven't played with before. It's different from my usual Percy/Annabeth future fics and fluff, but I'm not mad at myself. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the bulk of the characters and setting of the fic below!
Content Warnings: Character death (OC); underage pregnancy; grief; battle scene; references past canon abuse and trauma (Gabe, Tartarus, Annabeth's childhood, Sally disappearing in TLT…)
There's More Than One Way
Percy should have known things were going too well. They were driving with the windows down, Long Island's landscape passing by, the songs on the radio were all good, the iced coffee they'd picked up on the way was particularly cold and sweet today…
"Hydra, ten o'clock," Annabeth said lazily before looking back down at her book.
"What's it doing way out here?" Percy asked. Because college terms ended earlier than high school, they were a few weeks ahead of most campers in returning to camp. The monster traffic around camp shouldn't be that bad.
"No idea," Annabeth said.
"I'll speed up," he said. "Wait a second—no I'm not. There are hitchhikers over there."
Annabeth sighed and put her bookmark in before looking up, sensing that the peaceful portion of their drive into camp had officially come to an end.
"Styx—that hydra's moving fast," Annabeth said.
"It must have locked in on a smell," Percy said.
"But I don't think it's us for once…" Annabeth said. Percy looked at the two people walking on the side of the road; they were weighed down by backpacks and gear, and wearing more layers than anybody should on a beautiful spring day like this. Obviously, they were carrying everything they owned. And if they were this close to camp…
Percy pulled the car into reverse and backed up, driving stupidly on the country road.
"We're picking them up," Percy said.
"Naturally," Annabeth said, reaching into the glovebox where she'd popped her knife when Percy had picked her up from her boarding school's dorms. She unsheathed the blade and gripped the knife's handle between her teeth as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, which objectively may be the hottest thing she'd ever done but Percy couldn't think of that right now. He turned the car around in the kind of driving manoeuvre that would have given his mother a heart attack and he stepped on the gas to reach the hitchhikers just as the hydra in the distance broke into a run.
Annabeth lunged back to unlock the back doors.
"Hey!" Percy called. "Hey, you're being chased! We're going to Camp Half-Blood, get in!"
"Where?" one of the backpackers asked. He was a tall boy, built like a wall, with skin the colour of brass and black hair pulled into a stubby ponytail. He stood defensively in front of the other hitchhiker—a girl wearing twice as many layers, with unwashed hair braided out of the way
"Camp! There are magical borders, no monsters," Annabeth said. "Please, get in, the hydra's going to catch up."
"The strawberry farm," the girl said, eyes wide with realization. "Go, go—Mateo, get in!"
The boy dove into the car and then turned around to help the girl step inside—and Percy and Annabeth noticed it at the same time and exchanged a look. She wasn't wearing extra layers; she was very pregnant.
"Go, Percy, go," Annabeth said as soon as the girl reached to shut the door behind her. Percy slammed on the gas and sped off, the Prius kicking dust. He kept one eye on the road and one eye on the rearview mirror as he drove, watching the hydra speed up.
"Is that thing catching up?" the boy, Mateo, asked. "June—tie your seatbelt."
"I'm fine," June said, twisting back so that she could look out the back window. For a second Percy was caught off guard by her eyes' familiar shade of grey. Even if he'd known some of Annabeth's siblings as long as he'd known her, sometimes he forgot that the shade wasn't hers alone. He could tell Annabeth had noticed too—Athena rarely needed to claim her kids, since they usually claimed each other.
"How far are we?" June asked, trying to scan the countryside.
"Too far," Annabeth said under her breath. "Damn it, how is that hydra so fast?"
"Might be one of those monsters that got a weird burst of energy when the Doors of Death closed," Percy said, eyeing it in the rearview mirror even if there was no way to tell.
"The Doors of what?" Mateo asked.
"Don't worry about it," Percy said. "Wise Girl?"
"Yeah," she said, reaching into the glovebox again. She pulled out one of the glass orbs the size of a tennis ball that the Hephaestus cabin had made. "Don't slow down."
"I'm going to slow down—"
"I said don't," Annabeth said, propping the car door open. She kept one foot in the car but perched her other one on the open window to give herself some height. Then she twisted around and aimed for the hydra.
"Relax," Percy told the two demigods in the back. "We've done this before."
"Goddamn," Mateo said. "Yeah, you two definitely have the same issues as us."
Percy grinned and watched as Annabeth threw the explosive. It arced through the air and crashed down a few feet away from the hydra, blasting dried grass and dirt into the air.
"Nice babe," Percy said. "Did you get it?"
"Smoke's still clearing," Annabeth said, swinging back into the car and shutting the door. "I told you not to slow down."
"Now that you're back in the moving vehicle, I won't."
"Is that what you learned in driver's ed, Seaweed Brain?"
"It's still there," Mateo piped up.
"You're kidding me," Annabeth said. She called it something unpleasant in Ancient Greek.
"Do you have another one of those?" June asked.
"Unfortunately not, I had to use my others last week," Annabeth said. "Why is it so fast?"
"How much farther are we from your magical borders?" Mateo asked, his hand clutching June's knee.
"A few miles, hold on," Percy said. "Ideas, Wise Girl?"
"There's something else," June said.
"Another Hydra?" Percy said.
"No," June said. "No, it's up in the—"
In the second that he checked in the rearview mirror to see what else had crawled out of Tartarus to follow them, the Gryphon ducked down from the sky. It must have wanted to snatch the Prius off the road but had underestimated its weight—maybe it hadn't been around for the last century or so and wasn't familiar with cars. Either way, it was like running into a moose: nobody won. Even if the Gryphon definitely died on impact, it crashed through the Prius and shattered the windshield. Percy shielded his face just in time to spare his eyes from a shower of glass. The Prius swung around widely and the world went upside down.
Out of all the things Percy had done to Paul's car, this was the worst—but he didn't have time to process that now. He didn't even have time to check in on the other passengers; he just kicked the barely-hanging door off its hinges and jumped out of the car, drawing Riptide. The Hydra was coming at them quick, and there were two other Gryphons hanging out in the sky above them, circling like… like they were hunting together.
Gods help them. Was that what monsters were doing nowadays?
"Annabeth?" Percy called, opening the back door of the car. June looked shocked, but she took the hand he offered her and got out of the car in one piece. Percy kept an eye on the sky in case one of the aerial predators decided to try them again.
"I'm alright, just give me a sec…"
He heard an unpleasant metallic sound as she kicked the door down and jumped out of the Prius. Mateo hopped out right after June, who Percy now noticed was holding a mortal camping knife in her hand tightly.
"Camp's this way—let's go," Percy said.
They left their things behind and scrambled away from the car—but June wasn't the quickest and Mateo was limping. They only had two miles to go, Percy could make out Half-Blood Hill in the distance, but they were the longest two miles. If they'd all turned up in a few weeks, there would be plenty of other people around. Extra security, extra eyes on the road, demigods circling overhead on pegasi just in case… but there was none of that today.
"Do you see that pine tree?" Percy asked June and Mateo. "Run to that pine tree, and then run down the hill and tell the first person you see that there's a Code Mayday."
"Where?" June asked.
"They can't see the border, it's too hidden," Annabeth said.
"Fuck," Percy said, heart beating in his throat. "Wise Girl, go with them—"
"You can't hold that thing alone!" Mateo objected.
"Well you're un—"
Before Percy could finish his sentence, Mateo twisted a metal cuff on his wrist and out sprang a crossbow.
"Oh," Percy said. "Well…"
"June, go!" Mateo said. "Get to the strawberry farm!"
"Your leg—" June protested.
"Your everything," Mateo said. He said something in Spanish too quickly for Percy to catch a single word.
Meanwhile, he and Annabeth looked at each other. Mateo would be slow on his feet either way; they might as well get June to camp and come back with reinforcements, that way they'd buy Mateo the time to limp back to camp. Annabeth nodded.
"Come on June, we'll get reinforcements," Annabeth said, tugging her sister away towards the border. "Percy—be smart!"
"My specialty!" Percy said, raising Riptide.
"Duck!" Mateo cried. Percy didn't question it, just fell to the ground as the Gryphon swooped down. Mateo shot at it and missed its flank entirely, but nailed the creature in its wing. It was now angry, but on land and not in the air—but that also meant that Percy could behead it with a single swing of his sword.
"Get off the road," Percy said. "Go left—get a head start on me. There's a stream there I can use."
"For what?"
"You'll see," Percy said. He looked over his shoulder quickly, as Annabeth and June hurried away. They were making good time; they'd be okay. Especially since Mateo and Percy had just made themselves much more irritating and ergo interesting targets.
Mateo limped off the road, so Percy turned to focus on the Hydra and, to keep the promise he'd made his girlfriend, raised his sword and charged at it.
He was a far better swordsman than last time he'd faced a hydra, which also meant that he knew better than to slide its heads off. Unfortunately, that would have been the easiest thing to do—and someone, somewhere, at some point had already had a go at it, so this particular hydra already had five heads on it.
Percy's plan was essentially to keep the thing busy and not die while simultaneously hoping that Annabeth dispatched the Ares cabin as soon as possible. He and Mateo were steadily moving closer to camp, along the stream, the whole time which would make it easier. He heard Mateo's crossbow fire again behind him, although he didn't hear the sound of the second Gryphon going down. Then again, maybe he just wasn't hearing it properly over the sound of these five snarling, mean, and ugly heads.
He wished he'd gotten to finish his iced coffee, at least.
He knew it was stupid, but he cut off one of the hydra's heads—just to buy himself a second as the creature recovered to run to the stream. He'd be stronger in the water, and better armed. While the creature recovered, he turned and ran. Mateo hadn't gotten much further, limping as he did, so Percy slipped an arm under his shoulders and helped him scramble away from the Hydra.
"Where did the girls go?" Mateo said.
"If you can't see them, they're past the magical barrier," Percy said. "It means they're safe and we're going to get you there too."
"Yeah," Mateo said. "Yeah—argh."
He tilted to the left as his leg collapsed under him.
"What happened to it?" Percy asked, eyes flitting back towards the Hydra. It was recovering from the shock of its decapitation too quickly…
"Got bitten—a week ago—something venomous I think… don't tell June," Mateo said.
Percy looked at the hydra again and back at Mateo. He tried to pull him back to his feet but Mateo cried out in pain again and his leg gave out once more. The hydra's heads were all turning on them.
"Crawl to the creek," Percy said. "There are water nymphs that live in there—I know it sounds insane, but trust me. Tell them you're with Percy, tell them he'll pay them back for keeping you safe."
"What—alright," Mateo said.
"Go, go, go," Percy said before raising Riptide with both hands and charging again. He lost track of Mateo in the blur of the fight and had to assume that the other boy could take care of himself—he and June had obviously been capable enough.
Somehow, he got onto the hydra's back, one arm wrapped around a trunk-like neck while he tried to stab down into its abdomen with the other. Be smart, Annabeth had said. Whoops. The hydra tried to buck him off like a bull, and Percy looped his legs around its neck stubbornly, staying as low and close to the beast as possible so the other heads couldn't strike down willy-nilly.
That was when he heard Mateo scream. He looked over his shoulder and saw the Gryphon's lithe bronze body, swooping back up to the sky with its talons…
"NO!" Percy screamed.
He jumped off the hydra, sinking Riptide into one of the thing's necks and ran towards Mateo's crossbow. His aim had never been anything to write home about, but Apollo did owe him a favour so there went nothing…
Percy followed the Gryphon's arc into the sky until it was almost over the stream. Then, he fired the crossbow. The weapon didn't feel like any of the ones he'd played with at camp, as if it had been homemade. That was when he realized why Mateo felt familiar; he reminded Percy of Beckendorf.
The arrow found its way into the Gryphon's flank and its talons released Mateo. Mateo screamed as he plummeted, and Percy closed his eyes and called out to the water in the stream—every single drop that he could reach. A wave shot up from the ground and caught Mateo in the air. Instead of splatting against the ground, he crashed into the wave which lulled him back down as it returned to the creak's bed.
Percy was about to turn the crossbow against the hydra and hope that Apollo owed him two favours when he heard someone barking orders in Ancient Greek. The Ares cabin came roaring down Half-Blood Hill and the hydra, realizing its mistake, turned to retreat. Percy let it go—it was good for the Ares cabin to let out steam sometimes and Riptide would come back to him later. For now, he dropped the crossbow and ran to where Mateo was laying, soaked to the bone in the stream whose water was darkening with blood from where the Gryphon had sunk its talons into his shoulder and upper chest.
"MEDIC!" Percy bellowed, kneeling at Mateo's side and pressing against the wound as hard as he could. Mateo's eyes were glossy.
"Hey," Percy said. "Hey, Mateo, look at me. Look at me, Mateo."
Mateo did. He looked at Percy as if he'd realized exactly how much trouble he was in and how bad his chances were. That reminded Percy of Beckendorf too; the last time they'd seen each other...
"MEDIC!" Percy bellowed again, grabbing Mateo's hands and holding tight.
She refused to even look at a medic until they'd dealt with Mateo's injuries.
"Will is with Mateo, he's our best healer," Annabeth told her. "Becca's here to check you out, to make sure you're okay. She's really good; she's starting pre-med in the fall…"
"Well if she's really good she should be helping them with Mateo's injuries," June insisted.
"June—" Becca started.
"Don't," Annabeth said. "Let her wait if she wants."
They were sitting in the Big House's rec room, sunken into the couch. Annabeth had set up June with a cup of cold water and had forced her to drink, but she wouldn't push anything more than that just yet. She recognized the look in June's eyes, harsh and hyper focused and stubborn. It was not the look of someone who would budge. It was, however, the look of someone who was scared and grasping for something familiar or controllable.
When Will came in, Annabeth knew it was bad. If Will had good news, he came right away—as he pulled the gloves off his hand or lowered his surgical mask. If he cleaned up before turning up… well…
"Hey, you must be June," Will said with a voice and a smile soft as flower petals.
"You're Will, the healer right?" June asked. Her arms were wrapped around herself tight. "Oh God. Why aren't the first words out of your mouth that he's alright?"
Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip. She put a hand on June's arm.
"I am Will," he nodded. "I was one of the healers who worked on Mateo. There were a few of us in there."
"No," June said. "No, someone's still in there, right? Keeping an eye on him, after you stopped all that bleeding and—and if there was internal damage you… you…"
"We tried really hard to do those things, but he was very hurt," Will said kindly, straightforwardly, and patiently. This was a boy who'd had practise with bad news, after all. "The Gryphon punctured one of his lungs. It tore some pretty important arteries, and he lost a lot of blood before getting to the infirmary. His body was already dealing with a really nasty infection in his leg."
The sound June made sent a chill up Annabeth's spine and she saw Percy wince too.
"Come on," Annabeth said gently, putting her hand on June's shoulder. "We're going to get you cleaned up."
"I don't…" June stared at the floorboards, pale.
"I lost someone coming into camp too," Annabeth said bluntly. "My cabin councillor made me shower even if I didn't want to, and it was way easier to deal with the rest when that was done."
"Cabin councillor?" June echoed. "What—what kind of place is this? A summer camp? We came all this way for a summer camp?"
"It's complicated," Annabeth said. "I grabbed some fresh toiletries for you, and I think I found clothes that will fit."
June looked at her suspiciously. One of her hands was hovering over the swell of her stomach, the other was still gripping the camping knife—she hadn't let go, even when Will had broken the news to her. Annabeth's entire brain fogged over when she tried to imagine what June was going through; it was too… too much. The best she could do was recall how much more protective and on-edge she was on walks through Central Park when she and Percy had Estelle with them—and that couldn't possibly even come close.
Focus, Annabeth, she told herself.
"Mateo would want you to get cleaned up, have something to eat, and get checked out," Annabeth said.
June's face hardened.
"Did your 'head counsellor' use that line on you too?" she asked.
"Yes," Annabeth said. "And it was cold, but she was right—which is why I'm using it on you now. You can bring the knife if you want."
June swallowed and then pushed herself up slowly and awkwardly.
"Chiron said we could use the Big House shower," Annabeth said. "It'll be more private."
"Alright," June said quietly. She followed Annabeth after that; which Annabeth suspected was because she'd explained herself sufficiently and clearly enough. She'd never admit it to anybody else, since the other campers would have a field day with that confession, but Athena kids were basically all hardwired the same in that way.
Annabeth stood guard outside the bathroom while June showered.
"Take your time," Annabeth had told her—and so June did. She emerged significantly cleaner, her hair clean but immediately rebraided and pinned down against her scalp. Her nails were trimmed and her teeth were brushed.
"Are the clothes alright?" Annabeth asked. Marie had had trouble finding clothes small enough for her on her first night at camp, and it had made her feel so out of place. It was why Annabeth had been willing to barter chores with Cabin 10 to acquire the long green skirt June had now. Now that June wasn't absolutely buried under layers of clothes, Annabeth saw a tiny Star of David pendant hanging around her neck.
"They're fine," June said. She scowled at the t-shirt, though. "What's Camp Half-Blood?"
"It's the name of this place," Annabeth said. "Earlier you called it a strawberry farm."
"My dad died before he thought I was old enough to know about my mother. I broke into his office and found the journal from the year I was born. There was this clipping in it about Delphi Strawberry Farm's prize-winning berries—it was the only thing there. I was so angry with him. But then Mateo's mother…"
June's voice cracked a little bit so she closed her eyes, cleared her throat, and started again.
"Mateo's mother told him that if he was ever in trouble, for any reason, he should go to Delphi Strawberry Farms too. It… it didn't feel like a coincidence, to me."
"You were right," Annabeth said. "The strawberries are real, they're delicious, but they're a front for what this place really is; a sanctuary."
"From monsters," June said.
"From monsters," Annabeth nodded.
June took a deep breath, burying her face in her hands as she processed. Then she ran a hand down the curve of her belly.
"I need you to explain that to me," she said. She swallowed, hard. "But first… first, can I see one of those medics? Maybe Will? And I… I should probably eat, too."
"I can do all of that," Annabeth promised. "Let me get Chiron to keep you company while I go sweet-talk the kitchens."
The fact that Percy didn't worry when his cabin door was opened in the middle of the night probably wasn't one of his greatest or sharpest survival instincts, but what could he say? He was used to Annabeth sneaking in.
"Hey," he said before she took her Yankee cap off. He'd expected her tonight.
"How's June?" Percy asked, sitting up.
"Sleeping, at least," Annabeth said, crashing into him for a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and she wrapped her arms around him. He buried his nose in her hair and her face was pressed against the University of Berkeley t-shirt he slept in.
"I'm sorry," she said. "We barely knew him, but that was… that was rough."
"I'm sorry I couldn't keep him safe," Percy said.
"It wasn't your fault. We had no idea how hurt he was, and the Gryphons…"
"I know," Percy said. "But I'm still sorry. For your sister, too. Did Athena claim her?"
"Athena never claims demigods if her kids have figured it out," Annabeth said.
Sounds about right, Percy thought but cleverly did not say.
"How's June taking it?"
"She's skeptical. Processing quietly," Annabeth said. "I got her to eat at supper, but I think that was more for the baby than it was for her."
"Right," Percy said quietly. He chewed on his lip. "So..?"
"Yeah," Annabeth said. "I don't know much. She's not talking about it, but I know… well, I think that she and Mateo ran away when their foster parents found out and tried to have them separated. She told me they always stuck together, because unless someone else was seeing the monsters it was impossible to tell what was real or not."
Percy shook his head. There was always some new little cruelty or hardship with demigods, wasn't there?
"She's super pregnant," Percy said. "Like, Mom was at least seven months pregnant with Estelle when she was that big."
"Yeah," Annabeth said. "She got jittery after spending too much time in the Big House, but she seems to trust Will and said we could try again tomorrow."
"Of course she trusts Will, who doesn't trust Will?" Percy asked. "That would be like not trusting the friendly labrador at the park that brings everyone sticks and pinecones as gifts."
Annabeth laughed, but she didn't say anything more. Just leaned on him.
"You alright?" Percy asked quietly.
"It's been a… a long day," Annabeth said. "I don't really want to talk, I just want to curl up and listen to your heartbeat."
"That can be arranged," Percy said.
June was more focused on scanning the Dining Hall than she was on her bowl of oatmeal, which was topped with raspberries and slices of peach.
"How much do I need to care about all these people staring at me?" she asked Annabeth quietly. Annabeth scanned the Dining Hall.
"I'm going to be honest with you," Annabeth said. "I've been here so long, I don't care what any of these people have to say about me—or anyone else for that matter."
June actually smiled at that.
"Thanks," June said.
"Don't think the worst of them," Annabeth said. "A lot of them just feel bad for you."
"For getting myself knocked up?" June asked, arching an eyebrow. "Because I've already dealt with enough of that and I've made my choices, so I don't have any patience for—"
"No, I think it's for losing someone you cared about," Annabeth said. "We've had a few years of peace, but before that… well, we get it. As a group."
June relaxed a little bit and nodded.
"I've noticed there's a nightlight in the cabin," June said. "And some people have bad dreams and wake up a lot, in the night. I didn't mean to pry, I just can't sleep…"
"No, it's alright," Annabeth said. She took a deep breath. "The night light is mine. It's a really long story."
Paul had no business being as cool about the Prius as he was when Percy Iris Messaged his parents.
"I made peace with never seeing that car again every time I lent it to you," Paul said, bouncing Estelle on his knee. His little sister had said hi and tried to hug him through the Irish Message when he'd first called, like she usually did, but now she was very focused on a cardboard book she had taught herself to read. "The important thing is that you got to camp safe."
Percy swallowed hard. He hadn't told him about the hitchhikers they'd picked up—about Mateo's fate and the look in June's eyes and their baby. Mom seemed to know that something was up though, because she usually did when Percy wasn't telling her everything. Still, she smiled at him.
"Are you and Annabeth going to stay awhile?" Mom asked.
He thought about June and the way that Annabeth had slipped back into her head counsellor role so intensely.
"I think so. Maybe until her internship in the city starts," Percy said. He had trouble imagining Annabeth leaving camp anytime soon, since June was still so cautious and careful and hesitant. She didn't trust the safety of camp and its people yet, and Percy couldn't blame her. At least she trusted that Annabeth was on her side.
"Just let us know," Mom said with a smile.
"I love you guys," he said. "And Stella? I love you most."
His little sister looked up at the sound of his voice and grinned. She was missing a few front teeth, which was adorable. Percy wished he was home to slip some quarters under her pillow and play Tooth Fairy.
"I love you mostest," Estelle said.
"You don't get to make up words, nice try," Percy said.
"I do cause I love you mostest," Estelle insisted.
"Alright, I'll let you have this one," Percy said. He blew her a kiss through the IM and she blew one back.
June was quick enough to notice that the rest of the Athena Cabin was following a schedule, even if she and Annabeth had mostly been hanging back and keeping to themselves as June took in camp. The campfire really gave it away, but Annabeth had a feeling she'd been suspicious for some time.
"I want to follow along," June said. "I want to learn how this place works for myself and see what happens."
Typical, for an Athena kid.
"There's some things you may want to avoid for now," Annabeth warned her. "Not because you're not capable, but because they involve spears of lava pouring down a climbing wall."
"I want to follow some things along," June amended. "I'll at least watch."
Today's schedule lended itself to that nicely, since they were starting with one of Chiron's Ancient Greek lessons. Except, of course, Chiron was actually teaching Latin today. Their teacher had decided that it would be an important addition to Camp Half-Blood's activity roster now that they were dealing with the Romans more frequently, but he'd learned that nobody turned up to Latin lessons that were advertised as such. It just didn't come as easily or as nicely as Ancient Greek did.
Katina, their youngest full-time camper, was the only one truly trying—everyone else was lost in their own thoughts and current special interests and plans, or was hyperfocusing on a totally unrelated spec of dust floating around the room. That's what Annabeth was doing, anyways. That and trying to figure out how they were going to go about their capture-the-flag strategy since the Apollo Cabin joining the Ares Cabin would inevitably lead to them losing Nico di Angelo as well. But fuck, anything was better than Latin verbs—this was not what Annabeth left college to come to camp to do. That was when June spoke up, out of nowhere.
"I thought 'to bear' was an irregular verb," she said. Annabeth hadn't even known that that was the current topic. "Fero, ferre, tuli, latus."
Their other siblings started paying attention again, since this was new and interesting.
"Thank you June, you're quite right," Chiron said—pleasantly surprised. "Have you taken Latin before?"
"I would have to, to know that," June said. Then she read the room. "Wouldn't I?"
"Ancient Greek and Latin comes naturally to many demigods," Annabeth filled her in.
"Oh," June said. She shifted awkwardly. "I've always been good with languages. My dad—he was a big software developer for education apps. I used to blast through all the language ones they made, and from there..."
Again: typical Athena kid.
"Do you know Russian?" Katina asked, hopefully.
"Da, no ya ne mogu eto prochitat'," June said. Katina squealed with delight but before she could ask more, Stef jumped in.
"German?"
"Ya."
"Canotonese?"
"No, but my Mandarin is alright," she said.
That was when Chiron really gave up on Latin for the day—and when the rest of the siblings stopped being their usual awkward selves around June. Until someone asked her about Spanish, and then she chewed on her lip. Annabeth remembered Mateo's cadence and the quick exchanges she'd overheard between them in the backseat of the Prius.
"I want to hear more Hebrew," she said to steer the conversation away. "It's a language I know nothing about."
"I'm not much for company," Annabeth said, as if he cared.
He kissed the top of her head.
"That's fine," he said. "Did Chiron let you use his computer to check your emails?"
"Yes," she said. "They officially sent me my contract. I printed it out and signed it, Argus will mail it in next time he goes into the city."
He frowned. She was saying this as if he'd asked if she'd picked up milk on her way home, not as if they were talking about an actual pad internship at an actual architectural firm she'd worked her ass off to get. She should be overjoyed.
"You okay?" Percy asked.
"Just tired," Annabeth said. She snuggled into the bulk of his hoodie and took a deep breath. "Happy to be with you, though."
"We've got our ways," Will shrugged, before Annabeth could even ask him where he'd gotten the portable ultrasound.
"Being?" Annabeth asked.
"I've been pestering Chiron for years and now we had a very good reason to buy one," Will said, offering June a smile. She shifted on the infirmary bed they'd set her up on. Will noticed.
"Do you want to take a minute, June?" Will asked.
"No, it's alright," June said quietly. "I just… I know it's overdue, but this is the first time I've gotten one of these. And I can't believe he's not here."
She shut her eyes tightly, as if she was trying to will something out of existence so it wouldn't be there when she reopened her eyes. She took a shaky breath.
Annabeth rested her hand next to June's, just so she'd know it was there if she needed to take it. That had been one of the things Marie had done when Annabeth had gotten to camp, small and feral and grief-stricken about losing Thalia and confused about why Luke was slipping away as if she'd lost him too. June didn't take it, but that was fine.
"It's alright," June said. "I'm alright. We're alright."
"You're alright," Will said kindly. "And so is the baby, from what we can tell so far. Do you want to see for yourself?"
June nodded and reopened her eyes.
"I don't know if I'd believe it," she confessed.
"What's been up with you?" Percy asked, propping himself up on his arm so he leaned over her a tad. He brushed some stray curls away from her eyes. "You know I so don't mind you sneaking into my cabin to cuddle every night, but there's got to be something else going on."
Annabeth chewed on her lip before sitting up again.
"It's… it's June," she said. And then she told Percy about what had happened with the ultrasound today. "Her face, when it really sunk in for real that Mateo wasn't there, that she was doing this alone, that she'd lost him that the baby had lost him…"
Percy wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer. It was his absolute worst nightmare, losing her. One that they were both familiar with and that they had talked about before, but that was still chilling to be confronted with.
"It's a lot," Percy said—which felt lame, because it was so much more than that, but yeah it was a lot. So much that he couldn't really think it through.
"It wasn't just that," Annabeth said. "It's not just that… that the worst thing that could possibly happen to us had happened to her. I mean, that we've faced before. That we've… My gods, it's not something we're prepared for but it's something we understand."
"So what else happened?" Percy asked. "Please tell me the baby's okay."
"Yes, yes, the baby's absolutely perfect. When Will asked if she was ready for the ultrasound, he asked if she was ready to see that the baby was alright for real, and she said she wouldn't believe even if she saw it and… and I got that, Percy. It had nothing to do with me but I got that," Annabeth said. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Because if I was making a baby and if it was my job to keep it safe in the world I would never believe it either. It would be too much. I mean, kids are already so small and so breakable. And you can hurt them, really hurt them, so badly without even meaning to—without even knowing that you're hurting them. And demigods having children? I mean, we're barely able to make plans a week in advance and promise that we'll be there, and kids—well that's a promise that needs years, they deserve years of promises. Not to mention scents, and…"
"Annabeth," Percy said, before her rambling really took off and he got lost forever. "Focus. What are you saying?"
"I'm watching June handle this awful hand of cards and I don't know if I want to have kids," Annabeth said. "Not now, and maybe not ever."
Percy looked pretty still. She knew that his face was only blank because he was willing it to stay that way.
"I…" Annabeth didn't know what she was going to say. "We're out of college now. We've talked about getting married before. I… I wanted to say it."
"Yeah," Percy said. "Yeah, that makes sense. It makes sense."
"Percy?" she asked.
"Can we talk about this later?" Percy said. "I'm pretty tired."
And I need time to think this over, he wanted to say—except he didn't want to say that, because what was there to think about? It was more like he needed time to process that, not that he knew what for. They'd never talked about having children, per se. Not outright, anyways. But it had been clear for a long time now that, whether they said it or not, they were tied together. They loved each other in a hundred different ways that twisted together and criss-crossed like a tapestry, they needed each other, and they leaned into that need because they were better with each other. They'd spent the last two years living in a rickety apartment on campus, and they'd talked about getting married after graduation. When Annabeth had taken the internship, they'd talked about it and about how they'd move back to New York together because, whether they said it or not, they understood that their futures would be together. It wasn't her fault that Percy had kind of just imagined a family coming with all of that, in the background and in the future.
"Percy…" she said.
"I love you," he said. He leaned forwards and kissed her forehead, one of his hands cupping her cheek. "Honestly, I'm just tired and I rather talk about it in the morning. Not that there's anything to talk about since you've thought about it and decided."
"Percy, I didn't mean to—"
"I love you," he repeated, because he really didn't want to talk about this right now, when his brain was still foggy.
"I love you too," she said. He pulled her closer and they curled up in his bunk.
"Where do you go at night?" June asked.
"I don't go anywhere," Annabeth said.
"I get up to pee a lot," June said. "Sometimes your bed is empty. I never see you leave but I go somewhere."
"She goes where she always does," Mason said cheekily. Some of the other siblings giggled, but Annabeth rolled her eyes. She was two prophecies deep in the game. She was the Architect of the Olympians, Slayer of Arachne, Mind of the Seven, and she held more capture-the-flag victories than any other camper. She had a degree now. She was unclockable at camp and so beyond being teased by her siblings about this.
"My boyfriend, Percy, is the only child of Poseidon at camp," Annabeth said. She wasn't quite confident calling him the only demigod child of Poseidon in the world anymore, since the gods tended to be—well—productive. "He has a cabin to himself and, unlike Malcolm, doesn't snore."
"I don't snore," Malcolm said defensively.
"You snore so much," Azadeh jumped in.
Annabeth smiled at Malcolm sweetly as the topic of his snoring took over the table.
June was grinning next to her too.
"You're good at this," she said quietly.
"At throwing my baby brother under the bus?" she asked. "Yes, I am."
"No, I meant… at camp," she said. "You're good at managing things, keeping things running, making sure everyone is involved and on track."
"I grew up here," Annabeth said. "It comes with practise."
"Oh," June said. "Sorry. I thought you said you had family in California."
"I do," Annabeth said. "It… it was rough for a few years."
She chewed on her lip. Was that her problem? That her dad had never wanted her, never asked for her, and hadn't known what to do with her or how to make her work with the rest of his life for so long? Well, maybe. It made her away of how badly it could hurt, how badly it could mess with a person, to have parents who didn't have the capacity to be there for you. But this ran deeper than that. It just had to. She'd dealt with trauma before and this wasn't it. This was something she'd be sure of, if it weren't for Percy.
When he'd first talked to her about how safe and peaceful New Rome was, it was the fact that there were families with kids that had stuck with him. And when Estelle had been born, it had been clear as day that he liked little kids and was good with them too. When he'd been hired at the college pool as a lifeguard, they'd put him in charge of the little ones' swimming lessons. So no; they'd never talked about having kids, but Annabeth had known that it was in the back of his mind. And she loved Estelle with all her heart and liked taking care of her siblings, too. She was fascinated by how little kids discovered the world and learned and grew up. She'd always figured that she would want children one day, when she was grown up and had a stable career and a good house and the right partner. She'd never said yes, but she'd never said no. She had never not wanted kids before. Not until now.
"I don't think mine wanted me either," June mused. "I think he did his best with me, but… wow, Athena sure knows how to pick them, huh?"
Annabeth laughed at that.
"Excuse me, mister."
Percy turned around, not sure who at camp would ever think of calling him mister. Turns out he didn't recognize the kid, but he was pretty small—maybe seven? His curly hair looked as light and fluffy as dandelion seeds, and his camp t-shirt was too big on him.
"Hey," Percy asked. He looked around the sword arena, which he was cleaning up after his class had destroyed a dozen of straw dummies, but there was nobody else around. "How'd you get here?"
"I snuck in," he said.
"Huh," Percy said. "What for?"
"My sister says I'm too little to go to your class but I want to learn how to swordfight the bad guys," the kid said.
"Alright," Percy said. "Who's your big sister?"
"Miranda Gardiner."
"Ooh, I don't know about that," Percy said. "She's kind of scary. I always listen to her."
"You're supposed to be scarier," the kid said.
"Am I?" Percy asked with a grin. It was always fun to see what rumours about him were circulating around camp from one year to the next. It was nice that this kid was shameless enough to just outright say it.
"Yeah," the kid said. "Is it true you killed a dragon?"
"Which one?" Percy asked. The kid's jaw dropped and he grinned. Getting to tell stories was the only thing that made a life of monsters worthwhile.
"Ever kill a green one?" the kid asked.
"Tons," Percy said. "I'll tell you about it if you help me clean up."
The kid nodded and got to it, and Percy hoped that this would be close enough to an actual sword fighting class to appease him—because yeah, if he was a child of Demeter, Miranda would not be budging on the issue.
They were just about done sweeping up the straw from the dummies that hadn't survived today's class, and the kid was buzzing with questions about the Minotaur, when Percy noticed Annabeth leaning in the arena's doorway, watching them.
"Well, thanks for your help," Percy told the little kid, shoving the last of the practise shields into the shed unceremoniously and slamming the door shut.
"Will you tell me about the Nemean Lion later?" he asked.
"Sure," Percy said. "Come find me tomorrow morning, I don't have any chores or anything."
"Cool! And will you talk to my sister about letting me swordfight?"
"I'll try but no promises," Percy said.
"Yeah, she's pretty strict," he admitted.
"It's because she loves you a lot and wants to keep you safe," Percy said.
"Whatever," the kid said, rolling his eyes. "See ya!"
He ran out, darting past Annabeth who gave him a smile before looking up at Percy, her smile totally gone this time.
"You made a friend," she said.
"I did," Percy said. "The little kids tend to be both scared of me and really curious. It's fun."
She chewed on her lip when he said that.
"You're really good with them," she said. She pushed her hair back. "Look, Percy, we never really got back to talking about…"
"We don't need to," Percy said. "You're allowed not to want kids."
"I know," Annabeth said. "But I know you do, and that's allowed too."
"I want you," Percy said. "That hasn't changed."
"That's a lot of pressure," Annabeth said. "Being the only thing you want."
"Sorry about that," Percy said. She picked at her cuticles.
"You're allowed to want more," Annabeth said. "We're allowed to want different things."
"I know," Percy said. "But there's nothing I'll ever want more than you."
"You can't be sure of that," Annabeth said.
"You're right," Percy shrugged. "But I've made that wager and passed on immortality before. And I've never regretted that."
Annabeth nodded, but she still didn't look sure.
"I've thought about this a lot," Annabeth said. "Just… think about it too, okay? Think about it too so you're sure and I know you're sure."
Percy chewed his lip. She was heading back into the city days from now. This wasn't the note he'd wanted them to part on.
"I will," he promised.
"Thanks," she said. She swallowed hard before slipping away.
"I'll be back at camp every weekend," Annabeth promised June, holding onto her hands. "And I made Will Solace swear on his scrawny little boyfriend's life that he'd let me know if you went into labour so I could come back."
June nodded. She'd looked a little shaky at first, when Annabeth had told her that she'd be leaving camp, but had mellowed out as Annabeth described the internship and explained that she'd be staying with Percy's parents, who they knew all about the demigod world and were just in the city…
"I'll be fine," June said.
"And I've already told Chiron that he needs to talk to you about a room in the Big House, for you and the baby once she's born, that way you don't have to deal with everyone—he'll get to it once he's sorted out the new baby campers, I think."
"Okay," June said. "I'll be fine."
"And Percy's staying here as the sword fighting teacher, so you can go knock on Cabin 3's door at absolutely any time and track him down if anyone gives you trouble. I told him to look out for you too," she said. "Although Malcolm's going to do more than enough of that—"
"I can look out for myself too," June reminded her. "I've done it plenty of times."
"I know, but you're at camp now, which means you get other people looking out for you too," Annabeth said. "Welcome to living in a cabin with your half-mortal siblings. I don't make the rules; this is what it is. It's easier if you learn to accept it."
June smiled and looked down at her shoes.
"You're right. You were here for me, even though I didn't ask. That's something I've never had," she said.
Annabeth's stomach coiled in on itself. That was… that was the sweetest thing June she'd ever heard June say, and maybe the only sweet thing she'd ever heard June say come to think about it.
"That's what having a sister is," Annabeth said. "Trust me. I've had a few. And I like being yours, so you won't be getting rid of me."
June smiled.
"That's all it takes, isn't it?" she asked. One of her hands was resting on the baby. "To make a family?"
"Yeah," Annabeth said. "Yeah, I… I suppose that really is."
He'd driven into the city with Annabeth to help her lug her stuff up to their apartment. Besides, he'd never miss an opportunity to go eat his mom's food and spend time with his little sister. He tagged along as Paul walked Estelle to a birthday party at a friend's house. Estelle made him carry the present until they got off the subway.
"Are you going to be there for supper or do I gotta hug you extra hard cause goodbye?" Estelle asked him. She'd insisted on getting dressed up for the occasion which, in her world, meant wearing her yellow rain boots, sparkly tights, a baseball cap with some diner's logo on it she'd found on the sidewalk once, her green dress, and a little jean jacket she wore to match Mom.
"I'll be there for supper," Percy said.
"I'll hug you regular," Estelle decided—which made Percy's whole entire heart melt because how could it not?
He and Paul took the long way home, wandering Central Park as they made their way back to the subway lazily.
"You alright?" Paul asked about ten minutes into a quiet walk.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Because you didn't comment on that pigeon eating a hot-dog back there," Paul said.
Percy looked over his shoulder, but he'd missed it.
"Right," he said. "I…"
"You don't have to tell me, I just thought I'd ask," Paul said. Which was exactly why Percy told him everything—about Mateo and the Gryphon, about June and the baby, about the conversations he and Annabeth were having…
"That's a lot," Paul acknowledged.
"Yeah," Percy said. "I… I don't really know what to do about any of it, and I don't want to freak Annabeth out."
Paul nodded along.
"Did you always want kids?" Percy asked him. "I mean, you inherited me because Mom made me a package deal, and you obviously love the crap out of Estelle."
"True," Paul said.
"But did you always know or not know or..?"
"I always knew I wanted to be happy," Paul said. "And that can look like a lot of different things. You've met my parents; they're profoundly unhappy people despite the perfect life they'd tried to build, so I didn't really feel the need to plan myself."
If nothing else, this explained a lot about how Paul had managed to roll with the godly world's punches.
"Annabeth's a planner," Percy said.
"She is," Paul said. "And she's often had to plan for the worst. Or felt like it was her fault that she hadn't, when the worst hit and caught her off guard."
Percy chewed on his lip. He knew Paul must be talking about the time he'd disappeared. Annabeth had spent a lot of time at their apartment, with Mom especially, but Paul had been there too and he and Annabeth had always gotten along well. They'd probably talked, while he'd been gone.
"That's what she's worried about," he said. "Worst-case-scenarios are actually pretty run-of-the-mill for demigods. And she had a strange childhood, she'd been left behind a lot, so I think she just… she just doesn't want to even so much as risk doing that to a kid."
"That makes sense," Paul said.
"Yeah," Percy said. "Not to mention a whole-ass climate apocalypse. I think she's afraid I'll change my mind later and hold it against her or try to change her mind, but… I mean, I don't know why I don't feel the same way as she does. Between the two of us, I'm the one with the scent. When we last counted, I'm the one with the most near-death experiences."
"Well, think back to when you were growing up," Paul said. "I know Gabe was there, and I know he was just… just an atrocious human being in every way. But you had your mother. She always took care of you and I know for a fact she'd move the world with her bare hands for you. She's an amazing woman, and she's also a good example."
"Yeah," Percy said. "Yeah, I guess so. She made a lot of shitty situations good and alright."
Gratitude flared up in his chest, as it often did when he got older and thought about Mom. He was older now than she'd been when she'd had him, but she'd always found ways to take care of him. Maybe that gave Percy a little too much faith in the world.
"There was one time where I lost Mom. For a bit. During the whole lightning thief debacle, you weren't around yet. I… I felt like I didn't have any family in the world," Percy said. He swallowed hard. He didn't like thinking about that, even now when the list of things he didn't like thinking about was quite long. "It was awful. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. I wouldn't… I wouldn't want to put anyone in a position where they felt like that. So I get what she's saying. But I still… I still want a family."
"Family looks like a lot of different things," Paul said. "Before I met your mother, my family was three housemates and a dog. You know that; your own family is a little difficult to keep track of."
Percy grinned. "Yeah, it is."
Except Annabeth, he thought to himself. That's easy.
She'd been with the Jackson-Blofises for a week—going to work early, working stupid hours, calling June in the bathroom at lunch, getting home, eating dinner, and changing into her sweatpants to play on the living room floor with Estelle. Today Estelle wasn't feeling great, so they were sitting on her bed and Annabeth was reading her some picture books.
Sally came to check on them and checked Estelle for a fever again, kissing her forehead and bringing her a spoonful of bright pink children's Tylenol.
"Why don't daddy and I come sing you goodnight after Annabeth finished this story, that way you can get some sleep?" Sally asked.
"Okay," Estelle agreed, snuggling into Annabeth's side some more.
They finished their book and Annabeth hugged Estelle goodnight and gave her a hug from Percy too—since she'd told Estelle that Percy had left some extra hugs with her.
"Can I get two cause sick?" Estelle asked.
"Sure," Annabeth said. "Percy gave me some for a rainy day."
She retreated to the living room to check her phone for updates from camp while Sally and Paul put Estelle to bed. Sally joined her in the living room soon after, bringing her a brownie.
"Here you go, sweetheart," she said.
"Thank you," Annabeth said, accepting it gladly. "How's Estelle?"
"Just a bug, I think," Sally said. "When kids are that young, it's more likely for them to be sniffly than not. She'll be fine by morning, I think."
"That's good," Annabeth said.
"Any news from your siblings?" Sally asked.
"Yeah, they're all doing okay," Annabeth said. She was going to set the cabin on fire if they ruined her Capture-the-Flag streak, but they were okay.
"You know, I was looking through our storage locker in the basement and I noticed some of Estelle's baby things that I hadn't gotten around to giving away yet," Sally said. "I just hadn't gotten around to giving them away, yet. Do you think June would need anything?"
"I'll ask her, but we don't have anything right now," Annabeth said. "Well, except a crib that Cabin 9 is building. We… We'll probably never know for sure, but we think the baby's father was a son of Hephaestus. June doesn't talk about him much, but she says he was good with his hands."
"Oh dear," Sally sighed. "Well, Paul and I can bring everything up and you can send her pictures to see what she might like."
"Thanks Sally," Annabeth said.
"Anytime," Sally said, letting herself sink into the couch. "I can only imagine…"
"I can barely do that," Annabeth admitted.
Sally reached over and squeezed her hand.
"How do you handle it, Sally?" Annabeth asked.
"Kids?" Sally asked.
"Demigod kids," Ananbeth said. "Kids who are in danger every minute of every day of their lives."
Sally gave her a tight smile.
"You don't," she said. "Your job isn't to handle it, it's to do your best. What comes after that… well, when you're only mortal there's not much more that you can do. I suspect no parent is powerful enough to do more than that."
Annabeth chewed on her lip and looked at the pictures hanging over the TV—pictures of Paul and his goddaughter, baby pictures of Percy, baby pictures of Estelle, school pictures, pictures of Estelle and Percy together… there was even a picture of Annabeth up there now—at she and Percy's graduation. She'd made it on the wall.
"It's such a big risk to take," Annabeth said.
"Terrifying," Sally agreed. She squeezed Annabeth's hands. "That's why nobody should be forced to do it."
"Hey," Percy said. June looked up from the book she was reading—something in Russian another camper had lent her.
"Hey," she said.
"I imagine watching archery practise must be pretty boring," he said. "Want to go for a walk?"
June nodded and he offered her his arm. She paused for a second before accepting his help to get up.
"I hear Annabeth told you to keep an eye on me," she said as they walked towards the lake.
"Annabeth tells me to do a lot of things," Percy said, so June wouldn't feel babysat.
They went to the lake and he helped her stay steady as she stepped out of her shoes and peeled off her socks to wade into the canoe lake. She closed her eyes and breathed out.
"You know, that was one of the last good days Mateo and I had," she said. "Before we wrecked the pickup truck and started hitchhiking and he hurt his leg. I was at a wheel and took a wrong turn, and we ended up in Sherando Lake, in Virginia. There was nobody there—no cops, no random bystanders who may recognize us from missing kid posters, no potential monsters, no judgemental stares from absolute strangers... we were totally alone. It was the first time we'd been able to relax since we left Texas. We just waded in the water and cleaned up and sat in the sun and felt the baby kick around, because there was nothing else to do. It was… it was so good."
"It sounds good," Percy said.
"Mateo said it was the second best proof he had that a wrong turn could be good," June said.
"Was the baby the first?" Percy asked even if he probably had no business asking. June didn't know him that well; he was at best some guy Annabeth had told her she could trust, and at worst the guy on whose watch her boyfriend had died.
"Yeah," June said. "I mean, I knew pretty immediately that she was an accident but not a mistake. He got that pretty quickly too."
"That's what my mom says about me," Percy nodded.
"Mateo's mom called him that too," June said. "I never really got it until… well, until I got it. And I can't really explain it, which is why I don't like talking about it. It's not like grammar or syntax, where you can break it down for people. Especially not people who are already so… rude."
"That makes sense," Percy said. "You're such a daughter of Athena."
"What do you mean?" June asked, looking at him over her shoulder.
"All of you hate not being able to explain things," Percy said.
June grinned.
"You'd be the expert I guess," she said.
"That sounds like a lot of responsibility," Percy said.
"Well, I hear that you don't get to choose your family in the demigod world, you just get stuck with it," June said.
"That's… that's accurate. Who did you hear that one from?"
"Annabeth," she said.
"Of course."
After two weeks in the city, Annabeth hitched a ride with Argus when he came into the city at dawn to drop off a shipment of strawberries. He seemed happy to see her, but didn't say a word obviously. She wondered if one of June's many languages as ASL—that way she and Argus could chat. She was sure the giant would like that.
Percy was waiting for her in the parking lot, wearing his usual camp uniform: flip flops, swimming trunks, an orange t-shirt, and a hoodie since it got chilly and dewy before breakfast.
"Hey," she said jumping out of the passenger side of the truck. Percy swept her in his arms and kissed her and she faltered for a second before her brain kicked in and she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back.
"Hey," he said when he pulled away. He kept her close and tight.
"I missed you too," she said.
She didn't want to swing by Cabin 6 before her siblings had woken up and gotten themselves together for breakfast, so she and Percy went to sit on the canoe lake's docks. She grilled him on June, he grilled her on Estelle, then he asked about work and she talked until the conch horns sounded and campers started rolling out for breakfast.
"I'm sorry, I didn't even ask how swordfighting teaching was going," she said.
"It's alright, we'll talk tonight," Percy promised. "We… we should talk tonight."
"I'll come over," she promised.
And so she did, after spending the day with her siblings—mostly preparing for a game of Capture-the-Flag. June somehow looked even bigger than the last time Annabeth had seen her in person, so she obviously wasn't playing. Instead she sat in the Big House and played pinochle with Mr D—which was something of a shock to Annabeth, who hadn't seen Mr D willingly engage with campers in her fifteen years at camp.
"He's still calling me April, but I'm trying to grow on him," June said. "I figure if Percy can teach sword fighting, I can teach Greek and Latin—take that off Chiron's plate, maybe save up for school if they'll pay me…"
"Wow," Annabeth said. "You've been busy."
"I told you I could look out for myself," June had shrugged.
Annabeth hadn't doubted that—Athena always has a plan, and all—but this was good news. It meant that June had decided she trusted this place and the people in it; it meant she'd decided that she could keep it together and trudge along. So between that and the fact that Cabin 6's team had handed Cabin 4 their asses once again, she was in a relatively good mood as she slipped on her cap to walk over to Cabin 3—despite the churning in her stomach.
Percy was wrapped up in a hoodie she might steal on her way back to the city and in a pair of soft, flannel pajama pants. His hair was still damp from showering off all the sweat and dirt of Capture-the-Flag. He'd produced some snacks—two cans of coke, a package of Cool Ranch Doritos, and a bag of mini Oreos.
"Fancy," she said as they plopped down on one of the empty bunks where the snacks were arranged.
"I thought we should celebrate your first two weeks of working as an architect," Percy said.
"Architectural assistant."
"Close enough," he said. "Plus, it's nicer to talk things over when there are snacks involved."
Annabeth nodded.
"I've been thinking…" Annabeth said.
"Can I start?" Percy blurted. "Because I've been thinking too, about what you said about how you didn't want to be the only thing I wanted in life. I get that. I do. And I get what you mean, about bringing kids into a world you can't protect them in or promise you'll stick around in. But you're not the only thing I want, I want a family. I want you, I want my mom, I want Paul and Tyson and Estelle and whoever else joins in. And I don't care what our family looks like Wise Girl, I just want it to be ours."
Annabeth felt the blush on her cheeks before she could formulate an answer.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you too," he said.
"We'll have a family," Annabeth said. "We can kidnap Estelle. And I'm going to have a niece soon, probably more. Who knows what the mythological world will throw our way. And we can get a dog."
"We already have a dog," Percy pointed out. "I know Mrs. O'Leary doesn't visit as often anymore, but…"
"Well, we can get a second dog," Annabeth said.
"Done," Percy grinned.
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