Author's note: Happy Christmas! This gift was for my friend Hummus and Peeta, go check out their work if you too want to give them a Christmas present :P Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to Rick Riordan and this story derives from his original works, storylines, and world. I am doing my best to stay informed, as a fan and creator, about the critical readings on PJO/HoO and appreciate any feedback on those topics about my work so that I can continue to grow and make fandom a safe space.
Warnings: NA
On the Christmas List
The bed dipped next to her and a kiss landed on her shoulder.
"That took you less than thirteen minutes in the middle of a week of colic," she mumbled sleepily. "Well done."
"Estelle and I had a talk," Paul said, nuzzling into his pillows. "She can be reasoned with, you know—she's not just adorable."
Sally would have laughed if she weren't so tired. The best she could do was smile into the sheets. They were taking turns waking up to soothe their teething baby, which was the democratic thing to do even if it left them both exhausted.
"Do you have any idea if she woke up Percy and Annabeth?" Sally asked.
"No, they're still passed out in the living room," Paul said. That was there the two of them had claimed the pull-out couch since coming back from California for the holidays, driving the poor Prius cross-country in some of the worst winter storms there had been in years and giving them heart attacks.
"A semester living in dorms has made them heavier sleepers than they've ever been," Paul said. "I think they were watching some Christmas movie."
"Probably Elf," Sally said.
"Yeah, I think Will Ferrell was there," Paul said. Hopefully not in our living room, she could have told him—had she not known that he was just as tired as she was. Colic was fun.
"That's Percy's favourite," Sally said. "He says that ADHD makes Christmas Eve the day you actually get everything you need done for Christmas done, when it's just starring you in the face, and so December 23rd is for watching Christmas movies."
"I can follow that logic," Paul said.
Sally chewed on her lip. Usually Percy would drag her into his festivities—he'd pull her away from work, edits, bills, cooking, or whatever she was up to so she'd come laugh at Will Ferrell or indulge in a soapy Hallmark Channel movie with a sickly sweet comfortably familiar and predictable ending. Sometimes he would oh so subtly pop a bag of popcorn, dump in a bag of red and green M&Ms, and stare at her with those big green eyes until she'd come bundle up on the couch. But today she'd been with Estelle all day while Paul's students wrote their last exam, trying to convince the baby that she needed to eat and sleep instead of just giggling away with her big brother and winking at Annabeth endlessly. Babies were a handful. So were eighteen-year-old demigods, but they had a few basic skills that made them easier to put down. Maybe to neglect, too...
"I hope this Christmas isn't too different than the ones he's used to," Sally said.
"You worried?" Paul asked around a mouthful of pillow.
"Sometimes," Sally said. "I was barely older than he was when I had him. I put him through Gabe to get him to camp alive. I've done a lot of things to keep us going, and changed his life again and again. He's so good at keeping up, but I always worry about him."
A beat passed.
"Can I show you something I'm not supposed to have but that I do have and that might help?" Paul asked.
"When you dress it like a mystery, yes," Sally said.
"It involves turning a light on," Paul said.
"Hmmm… In that case..."
"I think it'll be worth it."
"Alright then," she conceded.
Paul reached over and turned on the lamp on his nightstand, yellow lamp flashing across the bedroom. She heard him rummage in his drawer and she turned around to see him lay back down and hand her a piece of paper. She recognized the round handwriting, peppered with inverted letters, random abbreviations, switched out homonyms, and capital letters mixed into words as Percy scrambled to write out his list, as fast as the ideas would come to him.
To-Do For Estelle's First Holidays
Take a picture with Santa (not at Macy's because hydras)
Find cutest Christmas pajamas possible
Help her practise unwrapping presents and ripping wrapping paper for the big day
Read her that Night Before Christmas book even if Mom probably will
Hang non-choking-hazard decorations on her crib
Make her touch snow and see how she feels about it
Tiny snow angels!
Find out when babies are old enough for gingerbread cookies
Bring her to Blofis family Hanukkah
Bring her to boring Blofis family Christmas party
Go to Grand Central Holiday Fair and make her pick out a baby's first Christmas ornament
Put extra cool shit in her first stocking
Can she meet a reindeer somehow?
Are reindeer enough like horses for that to be safe?
Ask Annabeth if reindeers are related to horses and if so can I talk to them and tell them to be cool
Figure out which Christmas carol is her favourite
Make hot chocolate with baby formula and see what happens
Show her Elf
Bring her to see Rockefeller Center lights + skate with Annabeth
Put her in the little tobogan and pull her through Central Park
Get presents from Estelle to Mom and Paul
Show her holiday train at the botanical gardens
Take lots of pictures to update dorm room photo wall
Paul kissed the top of her ear when she was re-reading the list for the third time, a goofy smile on her lips.
"It fell out of his coat and I read a bit when I was trying to dry it out," Paul explained. "I haven't found a way to sneak it back into his pocket yet. But, yeah. I think you're okay, love. I think you've given Percy an incredible life, I think you're going to give Estelle one too, and so I think you can leave Christmas to them."
She smiled and looked at the list again, smiling just a bit wider.
"Was there anything not on the list you wanted to do for the holidays?" she asked him.
"No," Paul said. "I'm good right here. Actually, maybe I want to sleep."
"Oh, that's a good one," Sally said, twisting to put the list down on her nightstand before turning back to Paul. "Bring me with you?"
"Of course," he said, pulling her closer and closing his eyes, letting himself sink in his pillows.
Which was naturally when Estelle woke up again.