In retrospect, hosting Christmas dinner at their new home in Half-Blood Village while she was heavily pregnant, at almost 31 weeks, maybe hadn't been Annabeth's best idea. Christmas Eve was only a few days away and Annabeth was on what was probably her third breakdown of the day. The cause of this breakdown was her dad calling her to inform her that things had worked out in his favor and he could spend that holiday with her after all. Meaning that not only would Percy's family be staying with them but her dad too, and they only had one guest room.
"We can change the fold-out couch from the nursery and put it in the studio and your dad can stay there," Percy said after they had been bouncing off ideas for a while of how to make the sleeping arrangements of their guests' work.
"But that leaves no place for Estelle to sleep."
"I can ask around if someone has an air mattress and Tellie can sleep on the floor of the nursery." Percy shrugged. "She's twelve, still not in her rebellious teenage phase, we can just throw her in any space of the house and she'll be chill with it."
"And if she's not?"
"Then it's the price to pay for being the younger child and she has to accept her fate."
"I guess."
Under different circumstances, Annabeth would have laughed at Percy's comment but instead, she took a deep breath. Even if this problem was almost resolved there was a lot to do, they still hadn't decorated the house or even gotten a Christmas tree. Between both of their jobs they had been incredibly busy and they just hadn't been able to find the time to do it. Construction at Half-Blood Village had been taking up most of her time and with campers arriving for the winter break, Percy had also been busy at camp. And with the holiday just a few days away she wasn't sure there were any decent trees left.
She knew her friends would be more than ready to come and help her decorate or Sally would have no problem hosting the dinner at her own place, nobody would be let down and nobody would be disappointed, except for herself. She wanted the dinner to be perfect and she wasn't sure how to explain that fact to Percy. How this Christmas in particular felt like everything she had ever dreamed of but never thought she would have and why she needed it to be perfect.
She had faint memories of Christmas from her childhood. Uncle Randolph's mansion wasn't scary and dark during those days, instead the home was filled with light and warmth and delicious smells of whatever aunt Natalie was making, her dad would actually pay attention to her and she could faintly remember the place filled with Magnus and her laughter.
Christmas at camp was not really celebrated. There were just a few-year long campers, and some would actually go back to their mortal families for the celebrations. And between the greek gods and some campers' religious views, there was not one holiday celebrated. There were fairy lights and food and it was mostly up to the campers to make their own celebrations. Annabeth spent most of those holidays drinking apple cider and sharing food. They didn't usually exchange presents, a small bunch of middle graders and teenagers with no contact with the outside world or money made it hard for them to buy stuff.
And then there were the holidays with the Jacksons. Something Annabeth had only experienced for the first time after two years of dating Percy. Even if he had told her his family traditions almost every Christmas Annabeth was still confused when she actually experienced them first hand. For them Christmas day was actually celebrated on Christmas Eve and the days leading up to it were filled with tamales that Percy and Sally spent the weekends making. They didn't hang stockings and the presents were opened after dinner on Christmas Eve and they spent Christmas day eating leftovers and doing nothing. The Jackson's had opened their door to Annabeth since the start and she would forever be grateful to them, she had loved spending the holidays with them. But as much as Annabeth loved it, part of her wanted her loved ones in Percy and her home, laughing and enjoying the celebrations. Her pregnancy had made that urge bigger, and now having a home big enough to have friends and family over, she had taken the opportunity to host the celebrations.
She hadn't been nervous when she brought the topic up with Percy, whose only concern was Annabeth overworking herself, but she had been a nervous mess when she brought up the topic with Sally. Sally's home was where they had spent Christmas for the past decade and she was afraid she was overstepping something. But her mother in law had been overjoyed with the idea, happily offering her help with the dinner, one that Annabeth gladly accepted. Cooking together was something Percy and Sally did every single holiday, Annabeth knew how much they loved it; she would never take that from them. Just like they would have the celebration on the 24th instead of the 25th, just like Percy and Sally had been doing their whole lives. Just because Annabeth and Percy were starting a family and their own traditions didn't mean they wouldn't keep some of his family's traditions.
"Do you know what you're going to make for dinner?" Annabeth was scrolling through the list she had started in November but had totally forgotten about until a few days ago.
"I thought that we had agreed on the ham glazed with pineapple?"
"Yeah but we also need a main dish that's not meat for Piper and Rachel."
"Leo said he would be in charge of that, and yes I have confirmed and re-confirmed with him that he is going to arrive early on the twenty-fourth to help mom and me cook."
"And what about-" Annabeth started to say but Percy interrupted her.
"Everything is already planned and bought for Christmas dinner." Percy rested his hand on Annabeth's hand. "What if instead of worrying about this we go and get a Christmas tree? I think it's overdue."
Annabeth sighed and bit her lip. "I think it's too late and all the good trees are taken."
"Maybe that's true in New York City, but not here." Percy examined her, curiosity filling his face. "Do you even know about the Christmas tree farm here?"
"Of course I know!" She scoffed, but in reality she only knew because she had heard coworkers talk about it, she wasn't even sure she knew where it was located. The smirk on her husband's face told her he didn't believe her.
"So you also know that all the trees they have are still growing and are replantable year after year, and there are lots of trees left?"
"How do you know that?"
"I've been keeping an eye on it, I was planning to kidnap you from work if it looked like they were about to run out of good trees."
"You have?" Her voice started to go high and tremble, she could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. Hormones, they had been making her cry almost daily lately over simple things and it was driving her crazy, making her cry even harder because she couldn't stop crying. Whoever said pregnancy was the best thing in the world had probably never been pregnant.
"Of course babe." Percy's voice was full of softness and adoration that made her lose the battle against her tears. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Picking out the tree together, isn't that our tradition?"
It was, ever since they had moved in together during their junior year of college over nine years ago, they had picked their tree together. The fact that Percy was going to make sure this year wasn't an exception only made her cry harder, she truly loved this man so much.
The little Christmas tree farm was located on the outside of the Village, closer to camp. It was run by Demeter children who had done an amazing job with it. Rows of Christmas trees of all sizes were in front of them, illuminated by Christmas lights and the last rays of sunlight. Light snow covered most of the trees making it look like the perfect winter wonderland, Percy had been right after all, finding a tree wouldn't be that hard.
The sky was painted with oranges and pinks and hints of dark blue, a cold breeze hit Annabeth making her wrap her jacket tighter around her. Her growing belly had forced her to get a new coat against the cold winter of Long Island, in fact, her growing belly had made her unable to fit in most of her wardrobe. She had been living in thermal leggings, maternity dresses, overalls, and Percy's sweatpants.
"Okay, how tall can we go?" There was excitement in Percy's voice and she could see the happiness on his face.
"Tall." Annabeth laughed happily.
"But how tall?"
Percy sounded like a little kid going to a Christmas tree farm for the first time and her heart started to fill with joy from seeing her husband so excited and happy. She couldn't blame him, she knew that for most of his childhood he barely had a tree, money had been tight for Sally and him (and for a while, it had been the fault of his ex step-father) and they usually could only afford small trees from the rejected piles. Once they moved apartments and with the help of Paul, the trees had started to grow, long gone were the days of having to look for the cheapest option. But his parents' apartment was still relatively small and their college apartment and their old apartment in the city had been even smaller. But now their new home had vaulted ceilings and a big open living room, Annabeth made sure to design the house to have as much natural light as possible and for the first time, they really didn't have a height or size limit for a tree.
"Frank has to carry you on his shoulders to put the star on the top tall, how does that sound?"
"Like an absolute dream come true." Percy offered his hand to her and she gladly took it.
For a while Annabeth forgot about everything she had been worrying about, for a moment her plans for the perfect celebration didn't exist. Only Percy and her walking hand in hand, surrounded by the wonderful smell of pines, while trying to find their favorite tree. She was sure she had a smile on her face the whole time, it would be the last time she and Percy would pick a tree just the two of them and she wanted to remember the moment forever. Her free hand went to rest on her belly, in just a couple of weeks they would welcome their baby girl and they would no longer be Percy and Annabeth, they would be Percy and Annabeth and their daughter. It was a scary thought, but one that also filled her with enormous joy and happiness.
"So it's settled then?" Percy asked her, the tree in front of them was a little bit taller than Frank, the branches weren't as full as other trees but the moment they laid eyes on it they knew it was the one.
"Yes!"
They looked around trying to find a worker. The sun was already gone and the farm was starting to fill with people getting a last minute tree, just like them.
"Do we have a winner?" Flor, the daughter of Demeter that had greeted them at the entrance, asked once they had managed to track her down.
"We absolutely do," Annabeth answered.
"Amazing!" Flor started putting some tags on the tree. "We'll drop it off before noon tomorrow, in a pot and ready to decorate, how does that sound?"
Annabeth and Percy looked at each other trying to remember their plans for the next day, while Percy still had to spend the morning directing Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth was off work until January.
"Yeah, that works for us."
"Then it's all done!" Flor nodded and started writing things down in a notebook before giving them a ticket. "You guys can pay at the entrance and feel free to check out our little Christmas market, we have hot apple cider and hot chocolate and more!"
Percy turned to look at Annabeth. "Do you want cider? Because I definitely want cider."
"A hot drink sounds perfect right now." Annabeth looked back to the tree. "And we definitely need to buy more ornaments too."
She hadn't meant to take a nap on Christmas Eve, but their baby had spent the whole night moving and kicking and Annabeth had barely managed to sleep. She could hear loud voices downstairs and the clock on her night table told her it was past five pm.
"Hey there, how are you feeling?"
Annabeth turned over to find Percy standing next to the bed. He was finishing buttoning his dark blue shirt. While Annabeth had tried to finish cleaning their home, a job that ended up going to her dad and Paul after claiming she should be resting not cleaning, Percy had spent almost all day in the kitchen with Sally, Leo and the occasional help from Estelle cooking.
"Hungry." Annabeth replied.
Percy chuckled. "Of course you are, Piper and Jason arrived a little bit ago and they brought brownies just for you."
"And this is why they are going to be the godparents of our child."
"Because they feed you?" Percy joked.
"Because they know my cravings." Annabeth stretched out on the bed before finally standing up. One day she would be able to see her toes again, but that day was not today. "And because they're also our best friends."
"Yeah, we're not telling Grover that last part." Percy mumbled and Annabeth snorted. Choosing the godparents of their daughter had been tough. They had both immediately agreed on Piper but Percy's first option for godfather had been Grover while Annabeth's had been Jason. The fact that Grover spent most of the time in forests in the middle of nowhere doing his job as Lord of the Wild and they barely saw him once a year if they were lucky had worked out in Jason's favor.
"Have you talked with him lately?"
"Not since my birthday." Percy had finished changing and Annabeth took a proper look at him. He was wearing dark jeans and a blue button up shirt, his hair was in its usual messy state and he looked absolutely handsome. "So? Did I clean up well?"
"I guess you did." Annabeth joked. She walked towards him and pulled him in for a kiss. If she was being honest she would sometimes feel a little self conscious with her pregnancy. She knew it was silly, but the clothes felt too restrictive, her belly so big that it entered rooms before she did, she had started having trouble getting up off the couch and sometimes putting her shoes on was an adventure. She knew part of it was her hormones taking a toll on her, but sometimes that's all she needed for some old fears to creep out.
She started to pull away but Percy wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a deeper kiss. It's like he knew what thoughts had started to plague her mind and he was trying his best to make them disappear. The sound of the doorbell followed by some cheers finally made them break off the kiss.
"That was probably Hazel or Frank," Percy mumbled against her lips, before sighing and resting his forehead against hers. "I can't wait until I have you just for myself."
Annabeth smiled at his comment and felt warmth fill her heart. Loving Percy was a constant surprise of thinking she couldn't love him more than she already did and finding out that she in fact could keep loving him more and more.
"Come on, let's go and be the graceful hosts we're not."
"Um," Annabeth looked down at her clothes, she was still wearing one of Percy's Ithaca College hoodies and some of his old sweatpants. "Let me change first."
For only decorating it a few days before Christmas Eve, Annabeth thought she and Percy had done a good job with it. They were also lucky to find decorations so close to Christmas, their old one room apartment had been small and cozy but the decorations they had owned for it had not been enough for their new home, the one she had designed. Following the theme of Camp and being a little mountain town in the New York forest, their home and most of The Village had been inspired by mountain lodges.
Their living room, with the tall windows and ceilings and the wooden rafters and pine garlands decorating it, was warm and homey. But most importantly it was filled with Annabeth's favorite people and her heart couldn't be more full. Paul and her dad were in a deep conversation with Frank near the big stone fireplace, while Jason and Hazel were playing with Estelle. Piper was looking with softness and happiness at her boyfriend while Leo probably teased her about it. Annabeth had been so happy for her best friend when Piper had told her she and Jason had gotten back together a few years ago and she had first hand knowledge that Jason was going to pop the question on New Years Eve. Percy and Sally were sitting on the couch laughing
This was her home, this was her family, these were the people that her daughter will be surrounded with. This was everything she, at seven years old, had dreamed about and never thought she would have. She wished she could show this to her younger self, to let her know that it was not an impossible dream, that she would be loved, so loved. She took one last mental picture before walking back to the kitchen to snack on some of the brownies before dinner.
She had popped one piece of brownie in her mouth when she felt arms wrap around her, gently caressing her belly.
"Rachel just called me, she's gonna arrive soon and then we will finally be able to start dinner." Percy kissed her cheek and Annabeth rested her head against his chest. "How are you feeling?"
"Happy," Annabeth said truthfully.
"Good, that makes two of us."
"Am I interrupting something?"
Annabeth and Percy turned to see Sally walking into the kitchen, a soft smile on her face and a small box in her hands.
"Just me eating more than I should." Annabeth smiled at her mother in law. "But then again that's nothing new."
"At least your cravings are sweet, with Estelle I just wanted to eat pickles." Sally sighed. "I don't think I've eaten a single pickle ever since."
"I know," Percy said. "You usually just put them on my plate instead."
"And in a few years you'll be able to put them on your daughter's plate," Sally replied happily. "Oh god, my baby is having a baby."
Percy chuckled. "Your baby is thirty mom."
"So? You're still my baby." Sally winked at her son. "I have a little something for you both."
Sally offered the box to Annabeth whose curiosity was starting to grow. All of the presents were under the tree, most of them belonging to Estelle, she wondered what Sally had gotten them that she wanted to give them in private.
"May I?" Annabeth asked, pointing at the box and Sally nodded.
She carefully unwrapped the box under the curious gaze of her husband, when she opened the box she couldn't stop the little gasp that left her mouth.
"Sally, I-" Annabeth said at the same time as Percy said, "Mom, are you sure?"
"Absolutely, it's time." Sally said to them.
As gently as she could Annabeth picked up the little crystal Star from the box. The one that had been resting at top of the Jackson's Christmas tree since Percy was born, the one Annabeth had the honor of putting on the top of the tree the first Christmas she had spent as a married woman.
"Sally, I can't accept this."
The older woman walked towards Annabeth and gently took her hands. "I got this star when Percy was only a few months old, this star had always followed him, and now that you have your own home and are starting your family, it's time to give it a new home."
"Mom." Percy's eyes were misty and he pulled her in a tight hug, they exchanged some words in spanish that Annabeth couldn't understand. She was still holding the star, a little treasure in her hands.
"Sally I have no words," Annabeth gently put the star back in the box and hugged Sally once she and Percy broke their hug. "Thank you so much."
"Feliz Navidad, mija." Sally told her, she gently wiped the tears from Annabeth's eyes. "I love you, I love you both so much."
"Well," Sally's hand rested against Annabeth's belly, she was one of the few people Annabeth didn't mind when they touched her belly. "More like the three of you."
"Come on," Percy said resting his arm around Annabeth's waist. "Let's put the star on its new home."
I hope you guys have amazing holidays and stay safe! Sending you all my love and best wishes!