Homecoming

Chapter XIII: Family Matters

Twenty minutes after setting to their task, Annabeth and Percy had settled into the Chase home, their clothing placed in their designated drawers and their travel bags with their toiletries and supplies placed out of the way in the closet. The left the bedroom that would be theirs for the duration of their visit, descending the stairs hand in hand before making their way to the kitchen where Annabeth's parents waited to discuss their plans for the week.

The Chase family home was certainly accommodating in size, yet still felt cozy. When entering the front door, visitors would find themselves in the living room. A staircase against the right wall led to the second floor bedrooms and study that Dr. Chase used to investigate much of his research. This room also doubled as a spare bedroom, with the foldaway couch providing a guest bed when needed. Behind the staircase was a hallway that led to the first floor bathroom and master bedroom. To the left of stairway was a doorway that led to the kitchen, and the young couple's destination as Annabeth guided her fiance to the room.

Percy had only ever been in this house once before, three years ago when he, Thalia and Zoe Nightshade were on a mission to rescue Artemis and Annabeth, though, Percy's intentions were solely on the rescue of his best friend. Regardless, the black haired demigod could help but feel comforted at how 'lived in' this house felt. When he had last visited, his attention was solely on gaining the assistance of Annabeth's father to help in her rescue. Now that his attention was not so focused on his best friend's abduction, he took the opportunity to really gauge the décor and interior of the home.

A satchel with papers spilling from its opened compartment lay on the coffee table amongst a collection of gaming magazines that, in Percy's assessment, likely belonged to the twins. This was one exampled of the organized chaos within the room, and while the area was certainly tidy, the home was not the sterilized cleanliness Percy had expected from a world-renowned historian such as Dr. Chase. In a way, it made Annabeth's family seem more, real, or perhaps genuine would be a better word. They had not gone out of their way to make the house spotless for their arrival, rather, they simply showcased that they were a family, and this was who they were, organized, with a touch of chaos.

Percy could not help but feel comforted by that.

As they made their way to the kitchen however, Percy paused in their trek, his eyes focusing on an old clock positioned over the couch. It was a beautifully crafted, ornate centerpiece of the room that seemed to draw everything together, from the color scheme to the couch and recliner that sat within the room.

Noticing her fiance's halted steps, Annabeth turned her attention to him, before her eyes followed his to see what had caught his attention. A small smile danced across her features as her expression softened in reflection of Percy's interest. Before Tartarus, the son of Poseidon would have never paid any interest to something like that, he was too busy fighting and trying to stay alive to appreciate the subtle beauty of everything around him. But after escaping the pit, he had developed an interest in art and craftsmanship he had so often taken for granted. Annabeth could only assume this was born of the need to appreciate and absorb the beauty they both found in the world, as opposed to the ugly horrors of that hell that so often visited their nightmares. As of yet, she could not decide if that was a good or bad outcome of their time in Tartarus.

"That clock actually belonged to Winston Churchill," Annabeth said as way of explaining the beauty of the clock's design as Percy turned his attention to her. "My dad found it at a Christie's auction, bought it and had it restored. Cost quite a bit, but he's really proud of it."

"That...no, it's an awesome clock," he stated in response, his attention turning back to the polished mahogany of the intricately designed clock.

"Glad you like it," she said softly as though appreciating the need to explain the importance of the piece. "My dad promised that to me as a wedding gift."

Eyes growing wide with the words she had shared, Percy turned his attention to his beloved fiance. "Is this before or after we…?"

"This was before we even started dating," she laughed, nudging his shoulder with her own. "I was fourteen when he had bought it and was having it restored when you and Thalia were looking for me, so you wouldn't have seen it then. It's funny though," she said, her eyes focusing on a memory that seemed a lifetime ago. "I never really thought about marriage and relationships much. Not that I didn't want one, it's just, emotions aren't the easiest expressions for a child of Athena. I already told you, if we're not careful, we get lost in our own minds.

"Gods, before you came to camp, I would spend days studying and researching, I'd even forget to eat sometimes. Luke would have to come and drag me out of my cabin to make sure I didn't starve myself, that's the way we are, more often than not." She continued, her fingers twining with Percy's as he stood transfixed solely upon Annabeth. "I honestly think all demigod children are burdened by their parents, and what do we get for our trouble? Prophesies, wars, death, all for the tribute of the gods that don't care about us.

"How did you put it Percy, build a weapon for war and cast it aside when it's no longer needed, leave it there to rot, wasted and forgotten. Yeah, that about sums it up. I can't help but think that Luke was right...I just think he went about it in the worst way." Yet no sooner had the words slipped past her lips than her eyes opened in stark realization of what she had just said. Immediately she turned to the young man who held her heart, preparing to reject everything that she had just said for fear of his reaction, yet he placed his fingers over her lips to stall any forthcoming denial of her deepest fears.

"You're not the only one who's doubted the gods' kindness," Percy said, pulling her into an embrace as he ran his hand soothingly up and down the length of her back. "Everything we've been through...I wasn't lying when I told Thalia I had nothing left. Tartarus took everything from me...everything but you."

A soft smile formed on Annabeth's features as she rested her head against Percy's shoulder. "Am I enough?"

"Gods, don't even ask that," he replied, his breath shaky with emotion, yet, which emotion within him that sought dominance, even he wasn't certain. "You're my everything Annabeth, you always have been." He sealed his declaration by cupping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting her face towards his as he kissed her softly.

A slight clearing of the throat brought the kiss to a sudden halt as the pair turned their attention to Dr. Chase who stood awkwardly in the doorway leading to the kitchen. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, appropriately embarrassed for his intrusion to such an intimate moment, "I just wanted to let you two know that we have lunch ready if you're hungry."

The mention of food caused a rumble in both of their stomachs that seemed to awaken at the prospect of being fed. Percy was slightly confused as the clock he had been admiring read 10:30, before realizing he was three hours behind the schedule he had woken up to. It was genuinely appreciated to know that Annabeth's parents were accommodating the time difference for their meals.

Smiling encouragingly at him while offering a modest shrug, Annabeth took his hand and further guided him into the kitchen where the pair were greeted by a lunch meat tray setting on the table. Dr. Chase and Helen were seated, each with a cup of coffee in front of them as Percy and Annabeth moved to join them at the table.

"I wasn't sure what you'd want for lunches while you were here, so I thought this would give a variety of choice. I hope it's okay."

"No, this is great Helen, thank you," Annabeth said, smiling at her step-mother, who visibly seemed to relax at the words of appreciation. The four seated at the table however fell into an uneasy silence as Percy and Annabeth prepared their lunch from the selection of meats and cheeses on the tray and Helen and Dr. Chase seemed to hesitate, as though not sure how to broach a conversation. For Percy, the entire situation seemed weird. He was so used to easy conversations and familial banter that the forced silence seemed deafening to the young man.

He turned his eyes to Annabeth, who seemed to be picking at her sandwich, pulling apart small pieces before putting those fragments in her mouth. Meanwhile, Dr. Chase focused his attention on his coffee, only periodically glancing at either his daughter or wife. For her part, Helen nervously chewed on her bottom lip, offering only an uneasy smile to Percy when his eyes met hers.

Percy could not wrap his head around how a family could be so awkward and unsure how to even talk to each other. Yet, the moment that thought had breezed into his mind, he scolded himself for comparing every family to his. Not every mother was Sally Jackson, not every step parent was as understanding as Paul Blofis. Here, Percy saw the naked truth of the Chase household, at least in relation to Annabeth and her parents. They were all scared. Annabeth had already run away once when she was seven, and even though she had spent time with them since, the relationship was tense at best. Dr. Chase, fearful of saying the wrong thing and causing his daughter to flee once more, Annabeth, eternally guarded from what might be said, and Helen, not sure if she had a right to say anything at all. Three people walking on eggshells, desperately wanting a relationship that neither knew how to facilitate or even nurture.

It was perhaps the most awkward moment Percy had ever witnessed.

"So," the young man said, breaking the building tension in the room as he turned his attention from Annabeth to Dr. Chase to Helen, "I think you mentioned something earlier about our plans for the week?"

Three pairs of eyes found their way to Percy, yet he could not bring himself to feel self-conscious as he fixed his attention on Annabeth, who offered him an expression of absolute gratitude.

"Right," Dr. Chase said, clearing his throat and smiling encouragingly at the young man. "So, Annabeth forwarded the plans to us already, but just wanted to go over some details with the two of you. Now, Helen and I do have this week off, so we can do some sightseeing and take in some of the attractions. Obviously we can see Golden Gate Bridge as we're traveling to some of the locations."

"Yeah," Annabeth replied, pulling the list from her pocket and putting it on the table. "So, today I was thinking we'd mostly stay in, get us a chance for our bodies to adjust to the different time zone, maybe play some board games or watch TV, whatever we feel like. Anyway, was hoping tomorrow we could visit Alcatraz Island and then maybe the Legion of Honor Museum, though depends on how long we'll be at Alcatraz. Oh, and I'm giving you full veto power on anything I'm suggesting Percy," she said as she turned to look at him.

He only offered a slight smile in return before shaking his head, "We've already gone over this, what you planned sounds great. I'm just happy to spend the day with you wherever we go."

Despite how long they've dated, how much time together they spend, the comment still made her cheeks color with a delicate blush regardless of how common such sentiments were. Forcing herself to return to the itinerary, she attempted to ignore the proud look on her fiance's face while allowing a pleased smile to part her own lips. "Wednesday, I thought it would be nice to tour Chinatown. I've always found their architecture fascinating and just think it would be amazing to tour of that part of the city.

"Thursday's a surprise," she said, smiling to Percy who arched his eyebrow in suspicions, only for her to ignore him and go back to her list. "Friday, didn't really have anything concrete, thought maybe touring the city, just seeing some attractions. Oh, but we have to ride the trolley while on tour. Saturday, and maybe Sunday, depending on how much we see, Six Flags, Bobby and Matthew won't have school, so was thinking, you know, if you were okay with it, we could make it a family day," she said, looking to her parents who seemed to smile in appreciation of the consideration of wanting to do something with her step-brothers.

"Then, Monday, we'll just stay in," Annabeth remarked as she set the paper down and looked to Helen and Dr. Chase. "We're going to need to do laundry, we only brought a week's worth of clothes, so that's pretty much Monday. Then, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we'll be in New Rome, touring the college on Tuesday, then spending time for Frank and Hazel and looking over the city. Obviously it's not as big as San Fran, but still more than can be seen in a couple of days. Then Friday, maybe anything we didn't get the chance to see, and we'll be heading back Saturday night, give us Sunday to recover from the time change again."

"Sounds like a busy couple of weeks," Dr. Chase stated, his eyes crinkling warmly in response to the light smile that tugged at his lips. "but it sounds quite entertaining."

"Well, I wanted to mix in some educational vistas with fun ones too, so hopefully this will go off without a hitch."

"Yeah, emphasis on hopefully," Percy replied as he offered a teasing smile and pulled Annabeth into a one-armed hug. At this point Helen excused herself and returned with a collection of family games to choose from, at which Percy and Annabeth were given the choice of which to play, Percy picking Life, and Annabeth choosing Clue. With neither relenting on their choice, the decision was made via Rock-Paper-Scissor, to which Percy won when he made his hand do a waving motion and claimed water beat everything. Annabeth, amused at his antics, relented and allowed the choice to fall to Percy, who smiled gently at his fiance and selected Clue in spite of his original selection. This of course earned him a sweet kiss from Annabeth, so regardless, he still felt he won.

Though, it wasn't as much of a game as it was simply Annabeth analyzing all the cards and locations, determining the weapon most suited for the deed and making quick assessments to determine the murderer, location and instrument of murder in each of the three games they played. At the end of which she had smiled triumphantly, knowing she had used everyone's playing style against them. Her father tended to over-analyze everything, taking too long to come to conclusions on the answers while Percy would randomly blame anyone and everyone figuring if he cast a wide enough net, he'd catch them eventually. Helen was meticulous with clues, and expertly viewed everyone's actions to draw her own conclusions, forcing Annabeth to cast some uncertainty on her selections to lead her step-mother to a wrong answer.

But much of the tension that had existed began to slowly dissolve during the course of the games, driven mostly by Percy and Annabeth who teased each other mercilessly as to each playing style. Minutes after finishing their third game however, Matthew and Bobby had returned home from school, dropping their school bags by the front door and rushing into the kitchen to grab an after school snack.

While the twins were not nearly as uncomfortably awkward in their interactions with Annabeth, they were hesitant in speaking to the pair of demigods. In truth, since the age of 12, Annabeth had only been home little more than 18 months, and much of that time had been devoted to her studying and preparing for the war against Kronos. As for Percy, they had only known him by name, and the one time he had visited had been three years ago, which neither remembered.

Percy however smirked as he pointed to the gaming magazines on that rested on the coffee table and challenged them to a video game tournament. While they had homework to attend to, Helen smiled at her boys and allowed them to take Percy up on his challenge while she prepared dinner. It had amazed Annabeth as she followed Percy and the boys into the basement where the gaming system was positioned, how easy he was with her brothers to get along with. The thought sent a flurry of nerves twirling in her stomach at the realization that Percy would be a wonderful father, a realization that drew a blush to her features.

She had Percy has spoken of raising a family before, yet it all tumbled down upon her, the realization that she was truly in a situation where she could not only see herself having children, but to be with someone she'd want to have children with. She was uncertain how or even when that ideal had become such a foundation to her future. Generally demigods rarely live long enough to graduate high school, yet she was fantasizing about spending the rest of her life with the man she loved, raising a family and having a true future. Hope was dangerous, she learned that the hard way, but now, as the end of high school approached and the prospect of living safely in the walls of New Rome seemed more than a possibility but a reality, she could not help but cling to that future that had seemed so far in the distance.

That future she had never dreamed of before existed right in front of her, in the body, heart and soul of the black haired demigod who was every bit her other half. While it was cliché and a somewhat overly romantic sentiment, it was no exaggeration that Percy completed her, in the same way she did for him. For just this moment, as Annabeth sat and watch her fiance play her brothers in whatever first person shooter the twins were currently obsessed with, she felt the hope of her future drown out the fear of her past.

Part of her was terrified that this too would be ripped away from her, that the gods would not be kind enough to give her and Percy their well-deserved, happily ever after. But still, she buried those doubts, if for no other reason than to believe that the worst was behind them, that they would be free of the meddling of the gods, that the fates would at last let them live their lives.

If anyone deserved to be happy, to be free of the interference of the Olympians, it was them. Sure, it was a selfish belief, but for just this moment, Annabeth would let herself be selfish; because she and Percy had sacrificed too much of themselves for everyone else. If for no other reason than to just be selfish, they deserved it. And she would be okay with that.

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A/N: Originally this chapter was actually going to be a lot longer, with a conversation between Frederick and Percy that would actually give some light on Frederick's struggles to be, in his mind, a good father to Annabeth. It was going to be a really strong conversation, but...saving that for next chapter, which will also include Annabeth's surprise day for Percy. Also, this just felt like the right place to end the chapter, a glimmer of hope that started, mostly last chapter and will still carry them forward, but their struggles are far from over.

Now, referring to Frederick as Dr. Chase through the entity of this chapter, I intended to add a bit of awkwardness in how Percy and Annabeth see him, hope it worked.

Have to say, this is hilarious as I only intended this to be a three-part story and here I am, 13 chapters deep and still more to come. Wasn't expecting this to blow up on me like this, but I'm liking the story and having fun doing a deep dive into the psychology of PTSD and how this effects demigods really.

Anyway, as always, if you're kind enough to read, please be kind enough to drop a review if you like, favorite, follow...whatever. Just like knowing readers enjoy what I write. Any thank you. And for those curious about Recipe for Disaster, it's coming.