Annabeth's POV

It seemed to me, Reyna was always available at the perfect time, whenever I was in need of some sisterly advice. Right now was no exception. As we sat across from each other, I felt like she was peering into my heart, trying to assess how I was doing. Finally, she just asked.

"I'm alright," I responded.

"Really?" she questioned, calling me out on my bullshit.

I shook my head. There was no point in lying to her. I clearly looked distraught.

"You know," she said, delicately tilting her head, "I didn't want to come back and act like Percy's spokesperson again." She was referring to the last time she convinced me to go back to him. "I just wanted to tell you a story about me and Nico."

"Okay," I said warily.

Where was this going?

She launched right in. "Years ago, when I first met Nico, he had just gotten out of a relationship with his college sweetheart. They were together five years, and he was absolutely heartbroken when she left him."

It was hard to imagine a time before Nico and Reyna were an item. They fit together so well. But everyone has a history, and every couple has an origin story.

Reyna's POV

I saw I had Annabeth's full attention, and I wasn't going to waste it.

"Her name was Daisy. His parents knew her and loved her. They were friends with all the same people. But after a while, the romance died."

"Why?"

"Who can ever say? When we met, he still thought he would never fall in love again. He couldn't let go of hope they would find their way back together."

"I never heard the story of how you met!" she exclaimed.

"I'll save that for next time." I winked at her, letting her know I hoped we would continue to stay friends.

"Sounds good."

"Anyway, Nico and I started dating, and it was magical. We had a long and perfect honeymoon phase. But it ended abruptly when I realized he never stopped talking to Daisy. They were still frequently talking on the phone and over text. They would even see each other at events with mutual friends."

"And he hadn't told you about any of it?"

"No. He thought I would be upset."

"Which you obviously were."

"Duh," I laughed. "I think anyone would be. I felt so duped…like the whole beginning of our relationship had been built on a lie. He tried to explain to me that they had been friends since they were nineteen, that he couldn't possibly throw her out of his life with yesterday's trash."

I shook my head as I reminisced about this difficult time. "That there was still a part of him only she could understand, because she had watched him grow up. I couldn't hear him. I was too furious."

"So, what did you do?" Annabeth's eyes were lighting up. She was obviously starting to connect the dots of why I was sharing this story with her.

"I ended things with him." I enjoyed the look of shock spreading over her face. After all, we presented as such a united front now. "I didn't talk to him for two excruciating months. The worst of my life. But I couldn't get over him, no matter what I did. And he didn't get over me, either."

"What about Daisy?"

"It took a long while for the jealousy to go away, but I finally realized their relationship had nothing to do with ours. She was a big part of his life, and that would always be the case. It took him a while to build something completely new with me. Even now, they still meet up sometimes and trade stories. I'm friends with Daisy, too."

I desperately wanted her to understand what I was saying.

"Annabeth, love is not a perfect science. It was hard and messy, but he was the only person that could have helped me through those bad times. We figured it out, and it made us stronger. We have a life together, and soon, we'll have a family."

I put my hand on my bump. She reached out and rested her hand on it, too. When I looked up at her again, something in her expression had shifted.

I did it! I got through to her!

Annabeth's POV

I had been waiting for Reyna to mention Red's name. Or even Percy's anime. But she never did. She just left me to put the pieces together. The truth of the matter was, Red would always be in Percy's life. They had a history that fused them together. And, of course, they had Thalia. Sweet Thalia. It wouldn't be easy for Percy to get Red out of his psyche, but that didn't mean he would never be able to have a healthy new relationship. It also definitely didn't mean he wasn't in love with me. After all, he'd said he was. He wouldn't just say that to keep me from leaving. I saw a smile creep over Reyna's face as she watched the wheels turn in my brain.

"What?" she asked me excitedly.

"I think—" I hesitated.

"Yeah?'

"I think I need to go."

"Yes. You do. Go get him."

"Where? Where is he?"

"He has Thalia today. They usually go to the park at the end of his street."

I rose from my seat and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thank you, Rey," I said, and before she could respond, I was gone.

Percy's POV

I sat on the park bench listening to the sweet symphony to the sweet symphony of children laughing and playing. I was so thankful I still had partial custody of Thalia. I didn't want to miss out on any more precious moments. There was only one thing that could have made this moment better, but—

No. Control yourself.

I tried to drown out any thoughts about Annabeth. They were too vivid. Too real. It almost felt like I could reach out and touch her, feel her, smell her intoxicating scent as though it was right next to me. I took a deep breath and her scent hit me even harder. But how was that possible?

Wait. That can't be my imagination

I took another deep breath and there it was again.

Could it be…? No way.

"Is this seat taken?"

I turned in the direction of the sound, hoping it wasn't me finally going crazy. Moments later, I felt a perfect, familiar hand resting on my shoulder. I shuddered under the weight of her palm. I was at a complete loss of words. Remembering her question I quickly snapped out of my shock and immediately shifted over on the bench to make room for her.

I managed to move my gaping mouth enough to form some words. "What are you doing here?"

"To be honest…I missed Thalia."

Just as she said that, Thalia came bounding over toward us.

"Annie, Annie! Hi!" She shrieked.

"Hi Thalia!"

"I have a present for you at Daddy's house."

"That's nice. I can't wait to come over and get it."

She's going to come over?

"Thalia, honey," I said. "Can you go play for a little while longer? I need to talk to Annabeth alone for a moment."

"Okay, Dad!" And she was off, leaving me alone with—

"Annabeth. Seriously, what is going on?"

"I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing here, except that I can't get you out of my head. And I'm starting to think I don't want you out of my head anyway."

The sound of her voice combined with the words she was saying was like listening to my favorite song. But that didn't change the face I had hurt her, and she might grow to resent me again. Against my every desire, I voiced my concerns.

"But Annabeth, how can you forgive me for what I did? Red will continue to be in my life. And she will take any opportunity to remind you of the mistakes I have made."

"Red is your history, and I respect that. But I want to be a part of your future." She brushed a piece of my hair behind my ear. "If you'll let me," she added.

"Let you? I shook my head. "I have no choice. I need you."

"Let's start over. We need a clean slate."

"Of course," I said. "I already threw away my contract. We don't need to make a new one if you don't want to."

"Who said I don't want to?" she giggled. "You still want to, right?"

You bet your sweet ass.

But instead, I said something more civilized, like, "Of course."

"We'll just have to write our own rules. Together."

I took her into my arms and kissed her like I thought I would only be able to do in my wildest fantasies. But it was real. She was sitting next to me, flesh and blood, kissing me back. I clawed at her ribs, and she dragged her fingers across my chest. Quickly, my thoughts became a little too dirty for a children's playground. I pulled away before it really became an issue. But she was also clearly getting hot and bothered. This perfect, romantic moment needed to be consummated.

"So," she whispered close to ear, "is Thalia staying the night?"

"She supposed to."

"Right," was her disappointed response.

"But Nico and Reyna always offer to take her, as practice for when their little one arrives."

"Yeah?"

"I'll give them a call. They can probably be here in an hour… Can you wait that long?"

"Yes," she breathed out. "If I have to."

I squeezed her close to me, the anticipation mounting. For the first time since she walked away from my apartment, I felt complete.

Please give feedback and tell me what you think of the story so far.

P.S Yes Reyna is also very different but I don't know who else would go with Nico.