Don't Think So Much Annabeth
Chapter XI: Meet the Parents
Week 13
"Are you sure I'm not underdressed?"
Annabeth plucked at the soft cashmere sweater, wondering if she should have went for a button up blouse or nice dress instead. It took her an hour to pick this out, and another twenty minutes for Percy to convince her a pair of jeans and flats would be perfectly acceptable with the sweater. She hadn't been this nervous since she presented her master's thesis for her degree.
Percy reached over the console to grab her hand, pulling it away before she could make a spot on her shirt from tugging at it. "You look beautiful. Honestly, if my Dad isn't wearing a Hawaiian shirt I'll be surprised. Mom had to convince him to wearing something else the first charity ball he hosted."
"You're joking, right?"
"Nope. Dead serious. She ended up hiding them until it was over so he couldn't sneak a shirt in and change."
She knew what Percy's father looked like thanks to photos, but she could still picture him showing up to a black tie event with a bright shirt and cargo shorts on.
"Okay, that makes me feel better. Do you think your Dad will be angry?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure how he'll react but I don't think he'll be angry. If anything, he might jokingly accuse you of being an infiltrator from a competitor company. Just remember, if you decide you don't want to do this tonight, you don't have to. If you want me to tell him alone, I can do that too. It's whatever you want."
"I want to do it. I'm terrified of people knowing beyond us, but eventually we'll have a baby and that's a bit harder to hide."
"My parents will be a good warm up. Mom figured it out, immediately went into 'adoring mother-in-law/grandma' mode, and I can guarantee Dad will be the same way once he wraps his head around the idea. Then once you're ready, you can tell whoever else you want to. And if anyone has a problem, I'll be right there with you to deal with it."
"Thank you, Percy. I love you."
"I love you too, and our little dot."
She raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but chose not to comment on it for now. Instead she asked how work had been that week, and they made idle chatter for the rest of the drive. Just like the night they met, conversation flowed easily between them and she started to relax. By the time Percy turned into the driveway her anxiety was replaced with excitement.
The home was gorgeous, and not only from a designers point of view. Architecturally, it was a masterpiece. Just from the outside, she estimated it to be at least 6,000 square feet with two interlocking rectilinear sections making up the majority of the house's shape. A waterfall accented the front of the house, pooling into a shallow pond with gorgeous aquatic foliage. There were more floor-to-ceiling windows than she could count at a glance, allowing in what she imagined to be a great view of the sunrise into the living room and kitchen. She was willing to bet the back of the house was the same.
She wanted to meet the architect who designed this house and have a long conversation.
"Did you grow up here?"
"Kind of. They had it built when I was around 13. It was actually a surprise for Mom, but also kind of for Dad so that we would be closer to the ocean."
"I bet the view is amazing."
Percy nodded, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the small walkway leading around to the back of the house. Just as she thought, large windows allowed a stunning view of the sunset dipping into the ocean. She stopped in her tracks to stare in awe. A large in-ground swimming pool sparkled in the dying light, overflowing into what she assumed was an eco-friendly salt water recycling system. The overall effect was breath taking and she had to look to Percy to confirm it wasn't all a dream. He grinned shyly, running his free hand through his hair and messing it up.
"Usually I'm afraid to bring anyone here, but I know you would appreciate the design more than the cost behind it."
Annabeth remembered his shyness discussing his family's wealth before, and nodded. "Let's be honest, if I weren't already in love with you, I would definitely stick around for the blue pancakes."
He laughed, and she pulled him in for a tight hug.
"Ah, young love. Remember when you used to make me blue pancakes, Sally?"
She recognized Percy's father from the photos she'd seen online, but just as Percy predicted he was wearing a Hawaiian style button up shirt with cargo shorts and sandals. Personally, she didn't have a clue how he could stand the cool weather, but it made her smile to think Percy knew his Dad so well.
"I made you blue pancakes this morning." Sally teased, swatting his bottom with the tray in her hands. "Honey, this is Annabeth. Annabeth, this is my husband Poseidon."
"It's nice to meet you." Annabeth stuck her hand out to shake his, but gasped as he pulled her into a firm hug.
"Sally and Percy have told me so much about you! You're even more lovely than they let on, and you have such a keen eye— I'm thinking about doing a new project over on Westfield Drive and I was wondering—"
"No, no work!" Sally scolded. "Come on and let's enjoy dinner and get to know her. Are you from New York, Annabeth?"
Sally gently took her arm and led her to the table filled with snack foods. It look delicious, especially the large charcuterie board with cheeses and meats.
"No, I'm from California. I came here for college and never left."
"Oh, it's so beautiful out west, but New York definitely has it's charms as well." Sally glanced over where Percy was talking with his Dad, seemingly about the meat on the grill. Annabeth caught what she was hinting at and smiled softly.
Percy really had changed her life, and in more than just the surprise baby way. He was so funny and always knew how to cheer her up after a bad day. His sense of duty and love of his job matched her own, so he never complained when she chose to work on blueprints over watching a movie together or if she worked late at the office. Not to mention he dutifully listened to her ramblings on whatever subject she was stuck on that week aside from her usual fixations.
"Yeah, charm."
Sally didn't respond, and Annabeth looked up to see her looking at her with a soft smile and a glimmer in her eyes. She smiled back, and to her surprise Sally wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a side hug.
"I'm very happy Percy found you, and I'm happy you found him. Even if something were to happen between you two, which I doubt very much, you will always have a place here."
Tears welled in her eyes and she quickly swiped at them before Percy could see and come running. "Thanks Sally, that means more to me than you realize."
Sally just smiled again, kissed the top of her head, and moved towards the kitchen to grab some more food to bring out. Annabeth stood to the side for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She'd struggled with physical affection for most of her life since her parents weren't particularly affectionate in physical ways. Thalia, bless her heart, understood when they met and helped her get over that bit by bit until she met Luke.
Then, all of the progress she'd made was undone by him, and it had taken her forever to not flinch when someone moved to even shake her hand. There was something about the Jackson family that she found comforting to the point she didn't mind Sally's hugs and even found herself craving them. Even Poseidon, despite only meeting him, gave her a sense of calm and comfort to be around. It was no wonder Percy was such a relaxed person.
Once she was able to gather herself without busting into tears, Annabeth moved to help Sally bring everything else out and even get the fire going. They ate quickly, all of them apparently saving their appetites for dinner. Desert followed quickly, and Sally gave her another wink as she placed the plate of cookies closest to Annabeth. Conversation was easy, and both Sally and Poseidon questioned her about her job, how she met Thalia, and other easy topics.
She wondered if Percy had given them a list of topics to avoid, but she appreciated it if he did.
"I think now would be a good time, if you still want to tell them tonight." Percy whispered in her ear, covering it by making it look like he was fixing her hair.
"Yeah, before I lose my nerve."
Percy cleared his throat and grabbed Annabeth hand for a quick squeeze. "Mom, Dad, we have some exciting news for you."
Sally and Poseidon put their plates down on the small table to the side of their chairs and gave Percy their full attention. She had to fight the urge to make an excuse and run while Percy told them, and chose to keep her eyes on Percy's hand that was still holding hers.
"What is it, kids? Annabeth, you look like a kicked puppy."
She glanced up to see Percy's Dad staring at her with concern. She felt her shoulders relax a bit and gave him a small smile. "It's nothing bad, just something that might seem a bit sudden is all."
"Are you two engaged?" Poseidon jumped up from his seat, looking excited.
Annabeth panicked, not wanting the conversation to spiral out of control, and blurted, "I'm pregnant."
Percy squeezed her hand and gave her a loving look, as if he was trying to tell her the worst was done and he was still here. She braved a look at Poseidon, who seemed to be frozen in shock, and then at Sally who had calmly picked up her tea and was sipping it cooly.
"Huh?"
Not the response she was expecting, but it was better than yelling. Figuring he might want something visual, Annabeth dug in her purse and pulled out the ultrasound to hand over. Sally took it and stood to show her husband, tugging on his sleeve. He blinked a few times, squinted at the photo, looked up to them, back at the photo, and back up again before yelling,
"I'M GONNA BE A GRANDPA!"
Before she knew it, she was being swept up in another hug, but this time she was sandwiched between both Poseidon and Sally with Percy. In her own shock, she could vaguely hear excited chattering about a nursery, something about a new fishing buddy, and even talk of rewriting wills.
Percy had been right, not only were his parents not angry, they were ecstatic to have a grandchild on the way. She'd been so worried about their reactions that she didn't even take a moment to consider how amazing they might be. Well, she already knew Sally was excited, but hearing her planning to put in a nursery here for when they visited really hit it home.
Once everyone calmed down, Sally and Poseidon sat back and examined the ultrasound photo a bit closer and cooed over it.
"This was a while ago according to the date. How far along are you now?" Sally asked, still staring at the photo lovingly.
"I just hit my second trimester."
Percy's parents nodded with understanding, and finally passed the photo back. "Do you have any plans to find out the gender, or do you want to be surprised?"
Annabeth looked at Percy for an answer. They hadn't really discussed anything like that, since Annabeth had been too stressed about keeping it a secret from everyone. Percy just shrugged, leaving it up to her.
"I'm not sure, but I kind of like the idea of letting it be a surprise."
"You can bet Thalia will have a betting pool going once you two announce it to everyone." Poseidon remarked.
Annabeth groaned and placed a hand on her stomach. "You're telling me, she's already got a betting pool ready for a baby shower game."
Sally gasped and clapped her hands in excitement. "I didn't even think of a baby shower! Please let me throw one for you?"
Annabeth smiled and nodded, not having a problem with that. She hadn't thought of a baby shower either. Besides her step mother when she was pregnant with her younger brothers, she'd never really been around expecting women. Even then the party was smaller since they already had her.
Eventually the sun dipped below the shoreline, and after several back to back yawns Percy suggested they head home. Sally gave them both tight hugs once again, and made Annabeth promise to stop by soon so they could shop for baby things. Poseidon gave her a hug as well, but this time much more gently than when they first arrived.
"Annabeth, whether you and Percy decided to get married or not is completely up to you two, but you will always have a place in this family."
Tears welled up again before she could stop them, and she choked out, "Thank you, that means the world to me," and made sure to give him an extra tight squeeze to show she meant it.
Once they were in the car, Percy immediately grabbed her hand again and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "That wasn't so bad."
"No," she agreed. "It wasn't. Now if telling everyone else was this easy. I feel like a pregnant teenager telling people, even though I'm an adult with a good job."
She knew it was her own expectations that were hindering her, but even her past work with a therapist hasn't been enough to fully get past her perfectionism issues. Add in her people-pleaser tendencies for her family and it was no wonder she about had a nervous breakdown at the positive sign on the test.
"I know it's not as good as everyone being happy, but I'm really happy— happier than I've even been possibly. I never really thought about having the big house with the white picket fence and kids playing in the yard, but the longer I'm with you the more I want it."
She launched herself across the console to give Percy a tight hug. He always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. No matter what happened, she'd knew he would stand by her side. Even his parents had made that clear to her, that the entire family was with her.
"I love you Percy, so much. Thank you." She pressed a sweet kiss to his lips before settling back in her seat so they could go home.
"I love you too, wise girl."
