***Happy holiday season! Here's a PJO Christmas story. It's set after Percy and Annabeth's first semester of college in New Rome. This could almost have been a final chapter/epilogue to my story College Studying, but I liked the idea of it being its own one-shot. Thanks as always for reading! Hope you enjoy!***


Christmas Eve

Annabeth woke with a gasp. The nightmare clung to her, tendrils of darkness creeping through her mind and making her heart race. Her fists clenched in the sheets. When she opened her eyes, she was momentarily disoriented, because this wasn't her dorm room in New Rome. But after a moment, and a couple of deep breaths, her brain caught up with her eyes and she remembered that she was in Percy's room in his mom's Upper East Side apartment. It was Christmas Eve and they'd flown in yesterday for the holidays. That had been an interesting flight; Percy had gripped her hand so tightly every time they hit any turbulence that her fingers were nearly numb by the time they landed at JFK. But Zeus had apparently grudgingly kept his word and refrained from blasting them out of the sky.

Annabeth took another deep breath and rolled onto her back. The room was dark except for a faint orange glow from the streetlights outlining the window blinds. It gently highlighted a corner of one of the old photos still filling the bulletin board over Percy's desk. Annabeth stared at it, trying to focus and push the nightmares aside. They didn't happen as often as they used to, now that it had been a year and a half since the war with Gaea ended, but sometimes they still popped up, surprising her with cold sweat and a racing heart in the middle of the night. She gripped the sheets tighter, trying to marshal her thoughts, but it wasn't helping. She couldn't ground herself. Finally, giving it up, she kicked back the covers and stood up.

The hallway was quiet and velvety dark. Annabeth stood still for a moment, letting her eyes adjust. When they'd arrived yesterday, Sally had already pointedly made up the couch for Percy to sleep on. Which was fine, Annabeth admitted. But right now, in the middle of the night, having woken up from a nightmare for the first time in a couple of months, she really needed him. Nothing scandalous. She just needed to wake him up and they could sit on the couch for a while, watch TV, maybe turn the lights back on the Christmas tree, and he could just hold her until the tightness of residual fear faded from her chest.

But she didn't wake him up. Because when she went out into the living room, he was fast asleep, arm dangling over the side of the couch, face squashed against a pillow, just slightly drooling. Strangely, it reminded her of their quest in the Sea of Monsters, when they'd been sailing on the Queen Anne's Revenge and she'd gone to wake him up as they'd approached the island of the Sirens. His arm had been hanging over the side of his hammock, his dark hair was a mess, and, yes, he'd been drooling. And for some reason, she'd felt a surge of affection for her best friend in that moment. Which was complicated and problematic, since they were in the middle of a dangerous quest. So she'd shaken him awake and told him her plan about listening to the Sirens. Which hadn't quite worked out the way she'd actually planned. But Percy had been there. And she'd felt the same rush of affection for him when they'd finally made it back to the ship and he'd draped a blanket around her shoulders, sat down beside her on the deck, and tried to make her feel better.

Remembering it now, she smiled. And decided not to wake him up. Instead, she thought of everything that had happened since that quest and how good it felt just to be here now, in this warm, quiet apartment. Someone had left the Christmas tree on, so soft colors stained the walls and carpet. She took another deep breath, feeling better. Not completely relaxed, but okay.

She wasn't ready to go back to bed yet, though, so instead Annabeth went into the kitchen as quietly as possible to get a glass of water, then sat down at the table, the linoleum cold beneath her bare feet. Taking a sip of water, she studied the twinkling Christmas tree. It had turned out well, she reflected, analyzing the layout of ornaments. Sally had already put the lights on when they'd arrived yesterday, but she'd told them excitedly that she'd waited for everyone to be home before actually decorating. So today, Annabeth had found herself balancing Estelle on her hip while hanging ornaments, occasionally untangling the baby's chubby fingers from a ribbon or the tree's branches. Finally, she'd given up her strategy of specific decorating and just started helping Estelle randomly hang up ornaments, which made the baby giggle and clap her hands, and Annabeth had to smile. "It's fun, right?" she said, bouncing her gently and Estelle beamed.

Percy came out of the kitchen where he'd been setting the table while his mom finished making dinner. His eyes lit up when he saw the tree, even though they'd only added a handful of ornaments since he'd left the room. "Wow, looks great."

"Thank you." Annabeth smiled when he put a hand on her back and kissed her cheek. Estelle held out her arms to him, babbling excitedly. "Looks like somebody's happy to see her big brother."

"That's because she knows who's going to buy her all the candy once she has more teeth." Percy took the baby, then swung her up in the air, making Estelle squeal and kick her legs. When he settled her on his hip, he kissed the top of her head. The way his face lit up when his little sister gave him a two-toothed baby grin kind of made Annabeth fall for him all over again. He bounced his baby sister gently, then said, "Alright, Estelle, should we put the star on the top of the tree?"

Annabeth handed the star to him, then stepped back to watch as Percy stretched his arm up, talking to Estelle about the tree while she gurgled happily and patted his shoulder. Movement near the kitchen caught Annabeth's eye and she turned her head to see Sally standing in the doorway. The expression on her face as she watched her son and daughter putting the finishing touch on the Christmas tree made Annabeth's heart melt.

It had been a great Christmas Eve. And there was a surprisingly large pile of presents under the tree to be opened in the morning. Annabeth had added a few herself. Today had been great and she was looking forward to tomorrow. Everything had been good, but the nightmare had shaken her up more than she wanted to admit, especially since it was the first one in a while. So she refocused on the cheeriness of the Christmas tree as she took another sip of water, letting the peace and quiet of the apartment sink into her bones.

Down the hall, there was a creak as a door opened, then soft footsteps in the hall. They paused and a second door creaked gently—Estelle's door. Presumably one of her parents checking on her. The door shut softly and the footsteps started again, hesitating briefly at the open door of Percy's room before continuing down the hall. A few moments later, Paul appeared in the kitchen doorway, a terrycloth bathrobe over his plaid pajamas.

"Hi, Annabeth. Everything okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I just…had a nightmare. I was going to wake Percy up but he looked too comfortable, so I just thought I'd have a glass of water and sit here a minute, then go back to bed."

Paul studied her for a moment, a small frown of concern on his face, then said, "I actually came out here for a glass of water, too. May I join you?"

"Of course." She gestured to the empty chairs around the table. "There's plenty of room."

Paul chuckled as he fixed himself a glass of water. "That's actually a pretty accurate description of how Sally treats it. There's always room at her table."

Annabeth smiled. "That's true. Even before Percy and I were together, when we were just friends hanging out and I came over a few times, Sally was always welcoming. I think Percy started to worry I liked his mom better than him."

Paul chuckled again. "She is pretty amazing. I remember when we first met, in our writing class, she just had this aura about her. Just warm and kind and confident. It was very attractive." Paul looked slightly moony-eyed for a second, then blinked and gave Annabeth a somewhat bashful grin. "Sorry. I just love my wife."

"Totally fine," Annabeth said. "You two seem really happy together."

"So do you and Percy," Paul said. "I take it the first semester of college went well?"

"It did," Annabeth said. "I mean, it was definitely a big adjustment at first, but we've made it work. And it was so nice to be in a place that was bigger than just camp but was still protected from monsters."

"I can imagine," Paul said. Then, after a moment, he said, "Actually, no, I'm not sure I can. That seems like it would be very stressful to walk down the street not knowing if something might attack you or not."

Annabeth considered this for a moment. "I guess it is. Probably. But, I mean, that's been my normal since I was a kid, so I never really thought about it. It definitely makes a difference at New Rome, though, knowing I don't have to look over my shoulder. It's almost peaceful."

"Almost?"

"It's hard to ever completely let my guard down," Annabeth admitted. "Maybe eventually, but right now, especially after the last few years, it just seems too risky to completely relax. I mean, I do sometimes," she said hastily. "I'm not constantly on alert. But it's a tough adjustment to make."

"I'm sure," Paul said. "I remember when Percy and Sally first told me about the demigod side of his life. It was hard to believe at first. But then, the more I thought about it, a lot of things started to make more sense, especially about him."

"Like why he would jump out of the window of a burning band room at his freshman orientation?" Annabeth asked with a hint of a smirk.

"It definitely explained that," Paul said with a small smile. "But it also explained his maturity and this…gravitas is the best word I can come up with, that hung around him. Like he understood what it means to stand up and take care of responsibilities."

Annabeth's heart swelled at the warm way Paul talked about his stepson. "He does. Although I'm not sure 'maturity' is a word that most people, especially teachers, would immediately associate with Percy."

"Oh, he's still a normal teenage boy, don't get me wrong," Paul said. "But there's a lot more depth there than most people might see if they're only looking at the surface. Which was one of the reasons I told him I was planning to propose to his mom before I did it. Not to get his permission, exactly, but just out of respect. They'd been through a lot from what Sally told me and if he'd had a real problem with me, I wanted a chance to address that and work on it."

"But I'm sure he didn't."

"No, he didn't. He told me it was a great idea and to go for it."

That sounded about right. Annabeth smiled. "Percy's always been a good judge of character."

"It's a good family to be a part of," Paul said.

"It is," Annabeth agreed. Then, catching herself, she added quickly, "Not that—I mean, I'm not an official member or anything—"

"Yet," Paul said, possibly hiding a smile behind a sip of water.

Annabeth felt her cheeks heat up, but she concurred, "Yet."

When Paul set down his glass, he kept his eyes on it, his smile fading. "Can I share something with you, Annabeth?"

"Sure." She thought maybe it would be something about the first time Percy mentioned her, or something else related to how her boyfriend had originally adjusted to his new stepfather, especially after the experience he'd had with Smelly Gabe.

To her surprise, though, Paul looked up and said, "I just wanted to let you know how much it meant to Sally that you kept coming over while Percy was gone. I'm not sure if you know or if she told you, but those visits helped keep her going. I know he's been on quests and occasionally disappeared for a few days or a couple of weeks in the past, but this time, she said, was the hardest. And you spending time with her and giving her updates on the search helped more than you might know."

Annabeth swallowed hard, eyes dropping to her own glass. "It helped me, too. I knew she wanted to find him as badly as I did. And she missed him, too. Nobody else—nobody else really understood how it felt."

"It was hard," Paul agreed, his voice just a hint gravely, and Annabeth looked up in time to see him press his lips together tightly, then push his glasses up his nose. He cleared his throat, then said, "Every time you left, though, she said the same thing."

Annabeth tilted her head. "What was that?"

"She just kept saying, 'Annabeth will find him and bring him home.' She was very confident about that," Paul said. "And, not to doubt you, of course, but when I asked her how she could be so sure, she just said, 'Trust me.' So I did. And she was right. Naturally."

Annabeth traced her finger around the rim of her glass. "Except for the part where I was the reason he almost didn't come home."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Paul nod thoughtfully. "Grover and Rachel came over and told us what had happened, after they'd had some meeting with the Romans downtown. Obviously, we were both upset when we heard. Sally especially. After they left, she just sat on the couch with her head in her hands for a long time. I have to admit, I felt pretty helpless. I didn't know what to do for her. I may have said a few prayers…in a lot of different directions. But eventually, after a while, she lifted her head up. Her eyes were red, but there was this conviction in them and in her voice when she said, 'It's going to be fine. You'll see. They'll bring each other home.'"

Annabeth stared down at her water, eyes hot, throat too tight to speak.

"And you did," Paul finished simply. He took a sip of his water.

"We almost didn't," Annabeth said quietly, still staring at the tabletop. Paul stilled, and she knew he was listening closely. They'd never given too many details to Percy's parents about what happened in Tartarus, but tonight it felt close to the surface. Especially those last moments at the Doors. That was the nightmare that had woken her up. And so, in a quiet voice, she told Paul about the appearance of Tartarus and how he was going to destroy Bob and Percy saying, "I have to help him," and how she'd made the instantaneous decision to go with him. "And that would have been it," she added bluntly. "He would have crushed us. We wouldn't be here."

Paul, who had listened without interrupting, like any good teacher, said gently, "But you are."

"We are," she agreed. "Because another friend saved us." She described Damasen riding in on his dragon, and Paul's eyes widened with a glimmer of excitement. They softened to sympathy, though, brow furrowing, as she described Bob limping over to the elevator doors and agreeing to hold the button. "And so…and so we had to leave them down there. Tartarus and his army were going to win, that was obvious. The best they could do was buy us twelve minutes to get back to the mortal world." She bit her lip, blinking fast, hands clasped around her water glass.

Paul exhaled. "Well, Sally's right. You two are a good team." Annabeth managed a tiny smile at his attempt to lighten the mood. His voice turned more serious as he said, "I'm sure it was incredibly hard to leave your friends, though. But it's not weakness to admit that sometimes you need other people in your corner."

"Leaving them behind was the hardest thing I've ever had to do," Annabeth admitted. "And I hate that they had to make that sacrifice."

Paul studied her for a few moments, a slight frown wrinkling his forehead, as if he were thinking hard. Finally, he said, "You two have done so much, but you're so young. You've had the weight of the world on your shoulders…literally, I've heard. I know that's how this demigod thing works. But the truth is, you shouldn't have had to bear it. There should have been adults to handle some things and take some of the weight."

Annabeth opened her mouth and Paul held up his hands, saying, "I know, I know, it's not how it works. But as a teacher, I've seen so many kids be forced into responsibilities that shouldn't have been theirs but were because of adult failures or immaturity or irresponsibility. And from what you've just told me, the choice Damasen and Bob made was to help you and protect you. They're thousands of years old, making a choice to save a couple of teenagers. Their sacrifice was noble. Plus, they gave you a chance to win the war. Isn't that sometimes a terrible part of military strategy? You have to lose a battle in order to win the war?"

Annabeth nodded, feeling tears burning behind her eyes. She'd never really thought about it in the way that Paul was explaining the situation. But, somehow, thinking about it that way almost helped to ease the guilt, just a little bit.

"Sometimes it's okay to let someone else carry the weight for a while," Paul said, and Annabeth nodded again.

"It's hard though," she said, her throat feeling tight and hot.

"It is," he agreed, leaning back in his chair and tapping his fingers on the table. "It's very hard to watch someone you love struggle and sacrifice when you have no way of changing that or fixing anything for them."

And suddenly, as she recognized that he was talking about both Sally and Percy, she realized that maybe Paul did understand.

"Thanks, Paul," she said with a small smile.

He returned it with a slight nod. "Anytime, Annabeth."

There was a squeak from the couch. A few seconds later, a tousle-haired Percy stumbled into the kitchen, looking half-awake. He blinked several times in surprise, though, at finding his girlfriend and his stepdad having a late-night chat. "Uh, hey, what's up?"

"Half of the house, apparently," Paul said mildly. "Let me guess, you're looking for a glass of water, too?"

"Uh, yeah, actually." Percy raked his fingers through his hair, then stifled a yawn with his hand. "Didn't realize it was such a popular idea."

"I had a nightmare," Annabeth explained. "I was going to wake you up, but you looked too comfortable. So instead, I just got a drink. Paul found me out here a few minutes ago when he came out to get a glass of water."

"Huh, cool." Percy yawned, then lurched toward the sink to get his own drink. When he sat back down at the table next to Annabeth, he asked, "Anybody seen Santa yet?"

"Mmhm." Annabeth took a sip of her drink. "He stopped by a little bit ago. Coal all around. Except for Estelle of course."

"Obviously," Percy said.

His baby sister chose that precise moment to wail loudly.

"Speaking of…" Paul pushed himself to his feet. "I'd better check on that."

He disappeared down the hallway, leaving Annabeth and Percy alone at the kitchen table. Percy took her hand. "You had a nightmare?"

She nodded. "About the Doors."

"Ah." Percy nodded, then squeezed her hand. "You should have woken me up."

"I planned to," Annabeth admitted. "But when I came out here, you just looked so peaceful I couldn't do it." She leaned into him playfully for a moment and he cracked a smile. In a more serious tone, she added, "Honestly, I realized I didn't even need to wake you up. As cheesy as this sounds, I just felt better knowing you were right here."

"I'm not going anywhere." Percy kissed her cheek. "But if you need to wake me up, babe, wake me up. I'll be fine. Going back to sleep is one of my greatest talents."

She laughed. "That is so absolutely true."

"Hey, we've all got to be good at something." He kissed her cheek again as she laced their fingers together.

They sat quietly for a minute, just enjoying each other's company and watching the lights on the Christmas tree twinkle.

"The tree turned out great, didn't it?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh yeah," Percy agreed. "One of the best we've ever had."

"Good thing we had Estelle to help us."

"She was the secret decorating whiz for sure." Percy's thumb ran lightly across the back of Annabeth's hand. "You've got some skills, too, Wise Girl."

"We've all got to be good at something, right?" she mimicked and he laughed quietly. "Honestly, though, it was really fun."

"It was."

Paul appeared in the kitchen again, Estelle cradled against his shoulder. "Would one of you want to hold her while I get her bottle ready?"

"I've got her," Percy offered, holding out his arms, and Paul passed Estelle to him. She snuffled against her brother's shoulder, whining slightly, and Percy put his hand on the back of her head, holding her against him. "It's okay, Ellie. Your dad's getting your bottle ready. Midnight snack, coming right up."

Annabeth reached over to pat the baby's back, making tiny circles to try and soothe her. Estelle turned her face in Annabeth's direction, her chubby cheek still squished against Percy's shoulder. The baby was pouting, little nose wrinkled, but when she spotted Annabeth her expression lightened. Annabeth smiled, then traced her finger down Estelle's soft cheek and bopped her nose lightly, which actually drew a tiny smile out of the baby. Percy met her eyes over the top of his sister's head, and she suspected they were both thinking along the same lines. One day…in the future…

Sally stumbled into the kitchen in her robe and slippers as Paul was taking Estelle back from Percy, a warm bottle in his hand. She looked surprised to see them all up. "Am I missing the party?"

"Apparently everybody needed a glass of water," Percy said. "Or milk," he added, gesturing to Estelle, who was now happily drinking her bottle in her father's arms.

"I see," Sally said, then moved over to the sink to make her own glass. "Well, if we're all up anyway, who wants to watch another Christmas movie?"

So they all headed into the living room. Once Percy put in the movie and got the TV set up, he dropped back onto his makeshift bed on the couch, shifting his pillow so he could lean against the arm of the couch. Annabeth snuggled against his side, his arm dropping around her shoulders. Sally sat at the other end, next to Paul in the armchair, where he was feeding Estelle her bottle. The baby's eyes were already drooping. About a quarter of the way through the movie, Annabeth's were, too. The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was the comfortable feeling of being right where she belonged.

She woke up the next morning squinting at the sunlight pouring through the blinds. After a yawn and a few blinks, she took in the scene around her. The DVD home screen was still lit up on the TV. Sally was curled up with her head on the armrest at the other end of the couch, fast asleep. Paul had his head tipped back on the armchair, mouth open, completely out. Estelle was tucked securely in his arm, though, her little sleeping face peaceful and content. Under her own cheek, Annabeth could feel the slow rise and fall of Percy's chest. His arm was still around her, but had slipped from her shoulders to her waist. Annabeth closed her eyes again, just soaking in the quiet and the warm feeling of family.

When they all woke up a little while later, there was some definite laughter about the ridiculousness of them all falling asleep in the living room. But it truly wasn't a bad start to Christmas morning. They started another Christmas movie, then sat down around the tree to open presents. Estelle gleefully ripped apart wrapping paper, seeming more excited about that than her actual toys. Once the gift-giving was done, Sally headed to the kitchen to start on the blue pancakes. Annabeth offered to help her while Paul went to get Estelle changed and Percy cleaned up the mountain of wrapping paper scattered around the room.

While Annabeth was buttering toast—the one thing she was really skilled at in the kitchen—she remembered her conversation with Paul the night before. After giving Sally a few of the details, she asked, "How did you know I'd bring him home? I mean, I wasn't even always sure."

Sally finished pouring out the first round of pancakes onto the griddle, then turned to Annabeth with a smile. "Because I remembered a conversation I had with Percy, years ago. When you went missing, after the Titans kidnapped you." She smoothed Annabeth's hair back. "He'd been left off the quest, and he called me asking about what he should do. I told him he needed to do what he believed in his heart was right. And I told him I knew he'd do what was best for you. When he asked me how I could be sure, I said, 'Because she'd do the same for you.' That was true then, and it was true last year, and I'm pretty sure it's still true now." She squeezed Annabeth's arm as she turned back to the griddle and prepared to flip the pancakes. "You two have always looked out for each other. I hope you always will."

Annabeth blinked hard, trying to keep her attention on the toast. "I hope so, too. That's the plan, anyway."

"Sounds like a good plan," Sally said, and they exchanged a smile.

Later, after breakfast was eaten and the dishes were done, while Estelle was taking a nap and Sally and Paul were working on putting together several of her toys on the living room floor, Annabeth found Percy in his room—her temporary room—rummaging through his duffel bag. He'd left his stuff in here so he didn't have to get changed out in the living room. When she walked up and leaned against the doorway, he didn't appear to notice. So, after a few moments, she said, "What're you looking for?" They'd already done presents, so she didn't think it was that.

It wasn't. "This one t-shirt." He described it to her; it was one of his favorite band shirts. "I swear I packed it. But I can't find it."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "It's probably lying in one of the piles on your dorm floor."

Percy grinned sheepishly at her over his shoulder. "Maybe."

He kept rifling through the bag for another minute, then shook his head. "I give up. It's not here." He plopped down on the edge of his bed, looking mildly disgruntled. Annabeth thought it was kind of cute.

"That's too bad," she offered as she walked into the room and sat down next to him.

"Yeah." He gave her a sideways look. "You didn't steal it again, did you?"

She shook her head. "Not this time. I returned it last week, remember?"

"Oh yeah." He frowned, as if thinking, then shook his head. "Guess I'll find it when I get back to campus. It's not the end of the world. We've already been through that." He shot her a grin.

"Twice," Annabeth added, returning his smile. She took his hand. "And somehow we're still here. With some help from a lot of good friends."

"Definitely." Percy laced their fingers together, his palm warm against hers. The way his fingers curled protectively around hers triggered the usual happy shiver in her chest. He ran his thumb along the side of her hand. "I love you, Annabeth."

"Love you, too, Percy." She leaned closer and kissed him lightly. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas." His free hand slid to her waist, pulling her closer as he kissed her again, slowly and deeply. She slid closer, her free hand going to his neck, thumb tracing the line of his jaw.

Life was good.