Hello! Happy Sunday. Here is chapter 18!
Annabeth's family had a dog when she was little. A Doberman named Max. Frederick had adopted him years before she was born and the big dog had been her best friend as a little girl. Max was old though, and he died when she was four. It was devastating for her.
She hadn't owned a dog since, despite her fondness for Cerberus. Until now. And apprehensive as she may have been initially about adopting one into our family, she couldn't have convinced me she wasn't excited now if she'd tried.
Four days after first submitting an application for adoption, we were back at the shelter, filling out the last of the paperwork to bring Ollie home. Annabeth had spent the morning shopping for him, as we had still yet to tell the kids what was going on. They were in their last few days of school before winter break and we would all have the time off to spend with the dog before our normal schedules started back up again. My mom was with them now, having handled pickups for us today. She called a few minutes before we'd arrived, laughing at their collective cluelessness. The surprise seemed to be going according to plan.
Ashley was here again, helping us sort through all the paperwork—more than I was expecting honestly. It took more than a few minutes to get everything in order, but when finally the last form was signed and the check was written up, Ashley smiled. "Alright," she said, paper clipping everything together in a file, "I believe you guys are all set. I'll go get Ollie for you."
"Great," I told her, "Thanks a lot."
She smiled. "I'll be right back with him." She walked around the desk and disappeared down the hall she'd led us down a few days earlier. She was gone for a few minutes. An elderly woman walked in and was helped by another employee; he greeted her and led her back to look at cats.
We waited. I wrapped an arm around Annabeth's waist. She wore a small smile and had Olllie's new collar and leash in hand. "Someone's excited," I murmured, smirking.
Her smile grew. "A little."
"So this means you're not mad at me for bringing you here last week, right?"
Still smiling, she replied, "Ask me in a month when the kids lose interest in taking care of him."
I gave a laugh. "I think they'll be alright."
Ashley returned a minute later with Ollie's in tow. The little golden setter wagged his tail slightly as she walked with him. Annabeth's smile grew as they drew near. "Here he is!" Ashley sang, "All ready to go."
Annabeth crouched down before him. "Hi, boy," she said, scratching his ears. Ollie's tail wagged faster.
I bent down beside her and pat him too. "Ready to go home, buddy?" I asked. I highly doubted he understood anything, but he sure looked excited. Together, we clipped the new collar around his neck and hooked the leash to it.
"Is there anything else we need to do?" Annabeth asked Ashley, standing up now. I stayed on the floor for an extra few seconds, scratching Ollie's head. He licked my wrist and I couldn't help but smile.
"Nope," Ashley answered, "Your paperwork is all filled out and you paid already so you guys are free to go."
"Hear that, Ollie?" I said, standing up, "You ready to go home?" His tail wagged in reply. Smirking, I looked to Ashley. "Thanks for everything."
"No problem," she replied, "Thank you for adopting from us. Enjoy him."
"We will," Annabeth said.
"Have a good one, guys," she called after us as we made our way to the door.
"You too," I told her, holding the door open for Annabeth. Ollie followed her through it as much as the leash allowed.
It took a minute of persuasion before the dog complied and jumped in the backseat, but not long after, we were pulling out of the parking lot and into the New York traffic.
"So how do we want to play this?" I asked twenty minutes later, taking the highway exit in our town. "Do we just walk in the house with him?"
Annabeth, in the passenger seat, rested her elbow on the center console and scratched Ollie's neck. He stood in the space of floor between the front seat and the back, with his head up in between us. I highly doubted he'd be able to comfortably fit like that once he grew a little more, but for now he seemed quite happy with the arrangement. He panted regularly in my ear. "I don't know," she answered, "Maybe we should have your mom bring them outside. That way then can all find out together."
"Why wouldn't they find out together if we brought him in?"
"Well if they're not all in the same room…"
I considered that. "Okay, then maybe one of us goes in and rounds them up and then the other brings him in."
"Why don't we just call ahead and have her bring them all out when we get there?"
"Yeah, we could do that too."
Annabeth called my mom when we were five minutes out and asked her to bring the kids outside. We were in our neighborhood now and I was getting excited.
"Are you ready to meet them, Ollie?" Annabeth said to the dog. At the sound of his name, his tail began wagging, thumping repeatedly against the back seat, "Are you? They're going to be beside themselves. They're going to say we're the best parents ever and they're not going to fight with each other or misbehave at all while they're home on winter break. It's going to be wonderful."
I snorted. She lost it a second later and laughed. "Good luck with that," I told her.
She shrugged. "I can dream. Can't I, Ollie? Tell him. Tell Daddy I can dream." Ollie's tail thumped harder. He inched closer to her face, sniffing, she scrunched her nose adorably at the hesitant kiss he placed there. She turned back around in her seat as we neared our driveway, laughing lightly, and I knew the two of them were going to get along just fine.
As promised, my mom had all three kids outside and waiting when we pulled in. Even as I parked the car, I could tell they were studying us intently. They hadn't seen him yet. Ollie, however, had seen them. He moved away from Annabeth now and jumped up on the back seat to look out the window. He was far more obvious in that position and it didn't take long at all for the kids to take notice. I knew the moment it happened. Logan's lips formed the words, "No way."
Annabeth opened her door in time for us to hear Nicky's question, "Is that a dog?" Ollie moved forward at her movement, apparently anxious to get out of the car and meet these new people. Carly was already running over. The boys, an instant behind her, caught up fast.
Oliie jumped into the passenger seat once Annabeth stepped out. He stood on it now; tail wagging as they drew near. "Come on, Ollie," she said, holding the door open. Ollie jumped down. Carly squealed. She and Nicky rushed forward to meet him. The dog licked their faces in greeting. I got out and walked around to where my family stood on the other side of the car. My mom had followed the kids over and now stood beside Annabeth, smiling.
"Is he ours?" Logan was asking his mother.
"Yes," she told him, smiling.
He laughed in surprise, "No way," even as he moved forward to pet Ollie with his brother and sister.
There'd been some concern on the way home that Ollie might be overwhelmed with so many people gathered around him at once, but the golden-red dog seemed happier with the three of them than he had even with us.
"What's his name?" Nicky asked, looking over at us, "You said… Dolly?" I laughed and corrected him. Ollie sat in the middle of the three of them, basking in the attention. Unsurprisingly, our surprise was a hit. They spent a few minutes playing with their new pet. Ollie wagged his tail and offered wet kisses all around. Offhand, I didn't know the last time all three young Jacksons had smiled so wide.
"And he's ours?" Carly asked, looking at us with both hands still on Ollie's back, repeating her bother's earlier words like she didn't quite believe them, "Really?"
"Really," Annabeth answered, smiling beside me.
"We're keeping him?"
"We're keeping him."
She gave another excited squeal and hugged the new dog once more before standing and crossing to us. She threw an arm around each of us. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome," Annabeth answered her, smiling widely herself. I knew, even if she still did hold any reservations about bringing Ollie home, they were likely paling now in light of the kids' reactions.
"What changed?" Logan asked, looking up at us from his position, crouched on the ground before Ollie. Carly returned to her post beside him. "We've wanted a dog forever."
"Yeah, but you always said no," Nicky added, a slight accusation in his tone.
"Yeah, well," Annabeth said with a wry glance shot my way, "You're old enough to take care of him now. And Dad convinced me."
"Thanks, Dad," Logan said with a grin. Nicky and Carly nodded and agreed similarly.
I smirked but figured now was as good a time as any to lay down the ground rules. "You're welcome. Now, listen. You heard your mom. We got Ollie for you and you need to take care of him. That means feeding, walking, and cleaning up after him is on you, not us. He's your responsibility." Annabeth nodded beside me.
"We'll take care of him, Daddy," Carly assured me. The boys nodded in agreement.
"Okay," Annabeth said in a way that made me think she still didn't put a whole lot of stock in that answer, but she'd take it anyway. "Well, the trunk is full of stuff for Ollie. You can start by unloading it." My mom, standing on her other side, laughed.
The three stood obediently though and made their way around to the back of the car. Ollie followed behind them. He sniffed excitedly at the dog bed and treats as they were pulled from the trunk. "Look, Ollie," Nicky said, producing a blue rope toy from one of the bags. He held it down to him, "You want this? Look." Ollie sniffed the toy and gingerly took it from his hand. He played with it for a moment but quickly abandoned it in favor of rejoining the three at the trunk, very interested in everything else going on at the moment. Carly and Nicholas walked away with supplies in hand. Logan picked up a bag of dog food and, in stepping away from the car, walked backward right into him.
"Watch out!" my mom warned a second too late. Ollie slipped out from behind him with grace but Logan almost went down.
"Ollie," I called. The dog trotted over. I took hold of his collar, smiling in spite of myself. "You okay, Logan?"
He was laughing. "Yeah." He moved once more to carry the food inside. He made it this time with nothing to trip over. My mom took the opportunity to meet the newest member of our family for herself. She stepped closer and patted his head.
"Hi, boy," she crooned to the dog, who was pleased to be receiving even more love. He sniffed at her hand. "Oh, he's so sweet," she said, smiling.
"Yeah, he is," I agreed, leaving him with her and turning to retrieve the keys from the ignition and Annabeth's bag from the back seat, "He sure won his mom over quick." I grinned at Annabeth, who rolled her eyes but smiled.
"He just seemed like a good fit," she defended.
"I agree," my mom said, still scratching him while he panted happily.
Walking around the back of the car, I closed the trunk, which had been emptied but left open, and rejoined them. I handed Annabeth her purse and she took it with a "Thanks."
"What do you think?" I asked rhetorically as my mom straightened and we turned as one toward the front door, which had also been left open in the kids' wake, "Do they like him?"
Not a second later, Carly appeared in aforementioned open doorway and called, "Ollie, come here! Come see your new house!" Ollie perked up instantly at the sound of his name and now moved away from my mom, straining the leash still attached to him. It was plain to anyone that he wanted to go exactly where he was called. Still, my mom looked at Annabeth and me.
"He's fine," I told her, "Let him go." She did and Ollie instantly took off, crossing the yard in a dead sprint, the leash dragging limply behind him. He reached Carly in no time and slowed minutely. She turned and followed after him. The boys could be heard speaking loudly in the background.
"I think that answers your question," my mom said, smirking as we walked together toward the still-open front door.
"So we're not crazy for doing this then?" Annabeth asked only half seriously.
Her smile widened. "Well, you certainly have no shortage of activity in your lives, but I think it's a good idea. They obviously love him. I would have loved to have given Percy a real pet when he was little, but in the city like that, the best I could do was a goldfish." Her expression grew slightly teasing as she glanced at me, "Not that you ever minded."
I snorted, noticing Annabeth's smile. "Funny how that worked," I said and my mom laughed.
The kids were in the back yard with Ollie, throwing an orange ball around for him. Ollie chased it each time, but usually got distracted on the way back by some smell in this new place. He'd drop the toy and sniff around before being called back, and the scene would replay a moment later. Logan threw the ball again now and Carly turned away for the moment to approach the deck where we stood. "Can Ollie sleep with me tonight?" she asked.
Annabeth did most of the laundry in the house. I looked at her. She shrugged. "It's your bed," she said, unconcerned, "I don't care. But he might not sleep well tonight. He's at a new house and he doesn't know us yet. It might be scary for him."
"That's okay," she answered easily, "I'll cuddle him."
"Alright," Annabeth said.
"Yes!" Carly said. She turned around and ran back to the boys, calling, "Thanks, Mommy!" over her shoulder.
I looked sideways at Annabeth. "They have three more days of school left. You're not worried about her being up all night?"
She shrugged. "If he barks all night, we'll all be up anyway."
I considered that. "Great."
"You wanted a dog, Seaweed Brain," she said with a smirk, leaning into me.
"You did too," I countered, wrapping an arm around automatically her, "You just won't admit it."
She smiled, her eyes on the scene in the backyard. "No comment."
Thanks for reading. More to come soon.
