Enjoy chapter two! Hopefully this is very satisfactory (:

~Happy Reading!

PERCY

It has never felt better to be back home.

When thinking back, Percy reminds himself that he hasn't been at Camp Half-Blood for a mind boggling year. He didn't realize how much he missed the place. He missed home more than imaginable. He missed the sights, the sounds, the smells, the food, and most of all his friends. He got to see all his old friends such as Grover, Travis, Conner, Juniper, Chiron, Mrs. O'Leary, and heck, he even missed Clarisse. His heart was pounding, his stomach churning; he'd never felt happier. Well, except for the time he and Annabeth had their first official kiss but this came pretty close.

At the dinner a few days ago, when Chiron gave a toast to the new friends the Greeks had made, Percy's smile was gleaming. He was so happy that the start of something new was beginning, and that an old grudge against each other would finally be lifted off the shoulders of one another. Hopefully, the Romans were as happy as the Greeks were, since they were so serious most of the time. Still, it was nice to see them finally come as one.

Some of the Romans stayed around for a while longer than intended. Hazel and Frank stayed longer after an outrageously long begging session. It was good to know at least some people couldn't resist Percy's seal eyes. Hazel, Nico, and Frank say together at the Hades table, despite Frank being an Ares kid. Reyna had to return to New Rome, or else the whole city might have burned down to flames if there was no leader. Nico wasn't too keen about her leaving, since they shared a tight bond now, though he promised he'd visit New Rome more often. She also promised him hot chocolate days.

Unfortunately, even due to their success, Percy sat alone at the Poseidon table, since he was still the only Poseidon kid. Tyson was over at another table, sitting with Ella, and occasionally Percy would catch them sharing a quick kiss. Percy smiled, happy that they were doing well. Speaking of kissing, Annabeth was over at the Athena table, chatting away with her siblings. All of them were huddled together, listening to her story intently. Malcolm, who was sitting at her right, scooted real close. Those two have always been inseparable, considering they are siblings, and Percy was happy there was someone else looking out for her. There was also a new addition to the Athena cabin: a little girl who just about seven years old, which did shock Percy. She had long auburn hair, piercing gray eyes, and Percy recalls seeing Annabeth braid it before dinner, and he was again happy to see Annabeth smiling as she chatted away with the little one.

Annabeth has always been good with kids, no matter what age. Sure, they seemed kind of scared of her at first, mainly it was because of her eyes (the fierceness of them are intense) and the fact she had a battle face on most of the time, but they'd soon break out of their shell when the learned how nice and kind she was. In this case, the little girl was practically glued to Annabeth. Her slender, tan arms wrapped around Annabeth's torso, and Annabeth put an arm around her gently. This made Percy sure of the future. She loves kids (most of the time), and it'll be perfect when they have their own.

Percy couldn't hear their conversation, but he sensed somebody asked something wrong. He saw Annabeth tense, cupping the little girl's shoulder. Percy furrowed his eyebrows in concern. She turned her head to the Poseidon table, her eyes nearly pleading for help. Percy stood up from his seat, then Annabeth calmly gestured for him to sit back down. Stubbornly, Percy obeyed as Annabeth told her siblings she was going to go sit with Percy. Annabeth stood and made her way to the Poseidon table, and Percy made room for her even though there was plenty. She sat down next to him, so close he could hear her breathing. He wrapped an arm around her waist, holding her close. He whispered in her ear, "What's wrong?"

A strand of hair fell in front of her face and she pushed it behind her ear quickly. "Kyle asked if we really fell into Tartarus, and I just couldn't help but reminded of what we went through..." She whispered. Annabeth pursed her lips, trying not to show how terrified she was. Percy held her tighter. Even though they knew they were out, and they were never to go back, the memories still followed them like shadows, and eventually the darkness would wrap around them and pull them in. Percy knew how she felt. He'd been having nightmares recently, and he didn't want to admit it to Annabeth but he'd been unable to control them, and he was terrified most nights. He didn't want to tell her how scared he was when he slept because it'd scare her. He couldn't afford it.

"Now why would someone from the nerd cabin ask a dumb question like that?" Annabeth chuckled, managing a small smile. She sighed deeply, burying her face in the crook of Percy's neck. Percy kissed her forehead, rubbing a hand up and down her arm. "We're okay, we're together." He reminded her. He buries his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of lemons.

She hugged him with one arm, smiling lightly. "Yeah, we're okay."

"Annabeth?" A high-pitched voice squeaked. Annabeth untangled herself from Percy's embrace looking over to find the little girl who she was hanging out with. The girl looked worried, her eyes large and face in a pout. Percy's heart practically melted. "Are you okay? Did Kyle do something wrong? Kyle is always mean. He took my books last week and put them on the top bunk where I couldn't get them." She made an angry face, crossing her arms over her chest. Annabeth chuckled, patting the space between her and Percy she made so the girl could squeeze in.

Happily, she took the seat between them. She looked at Annabeth, then at Percy, then back at Annabeth. "Is this your boyfriend?"

Annabeth nodded her head. "The one and only."

The little girl's jaw dropped, staring at Percy in amazement. Either from hearing stories about him or just the fact he's Annabeth's boyfriend. "You're Percy Jackson!" Bingo. "Wow! I'm Lily!" She stuck her hand out, and Percy accepted it shaking it gently.

"Hey, Lily. And as you seem to already know, I'm Percy. Nice to meet you. How old are you?"

"Seven! I will be 8 in approximately 3 months, 18 days, 9 hours and 25 minutes!" She smiled widely, showing off her teeth and proud of her calculations. Percy didn't do or say anything but raise his eyebrows. Holy cow.

"No wonder she's your sibling," Percy mumbled, taking a sip of water. Annabeth glared at him like she was gonna punch him, but Percy gave her a look as though saying, OOP! Careful! In the presence of a child!

"Is it true that you're a son of Poseidon?" Lily asked anxiously. Percy gave his famous troublemaker smirk, lifted his hand and the water danced its way out of the cup, doing loops and twists and everything. Lily watched in amazement, her eyes following the pattern, and pouted once Percy returned the water to his cup. "Can we be friends?"

"Of course!" Percy have her hair a good ruffle. Being ten years older than her, he has the right to do that.

"Yippee! See, Anna? I'm making more friends already!" Lily turned back to Annabeth, who was clearing some strands of dark hair that fell in front of Lily's face from Percy's ruffling. Annabeth smiled proudly at her.

"You'll make many more later, just trust me!" Lily smiled wide, but that smile faded when she remembered the reason why she came over. She wrapped her around Annabeth, again.

"So, why were you sad?" She asked softly. Annabeth sighed softly, and reached across the table to hold Percy's hand. Percy laced their fingers together. He rubbed his thumb over her skin, hoping to give some extra comfort. It took Annabeth a few seconds to cook up an appropriate answer for her.

"Kyle wasn't being mean. He was just, um, curious. He asked me a question that made me feel a little scared."

"Then why were you scared?" Lily made puppy dog eyes at the both of them, turning her head back and forth alternating between them. She looked worried, perhaps hoping that her big sister wasn't scared of something.

"Percy and I-" she took a deep breath before continuing. Annabeth looked at Percy for encouragement, and Percy nodded his head, telling her it was okay. "L-Lily do you know what Tartarus is?" Lily nodded her head gravely.

"It's the scary place where monsters go when they die." Her eyes widened in shock. She was very smart, figuring it out so quickly. "Did...did you and Percy go there?"

Annabeth pursed her lips, and returned to fixing Lily's hair. "Yes. And that's what Kyle asked about, and that's what made me scared."

Lily's jaw dropped. "That's...that's awful." She concluded.

She was giving the most sad, scared eyes Percy has ever seen. Percy wanted to tell Lily that there was nothing to be afraid of, but he'd be telling her a lie. Living their life, there always something to be afraid of, guaranteed. Percy put an arm around her, comforting her even though she wasn't the one who needed to be terrified. If she was Annabeth's little sister, then she was his little sister. "Hey, you okay?" He asked softly.

She nodded her head in response. "Yeah, it's just...I can't believe it. I've read that demigods barely survive in there. And to see that you two are okay," she looped her arms with theirs. "It makes me want to be as brave as you guys."

Lily looked at Annabeth with admiration, an expression that Percy could tell was making her heart jump. "Especially my older sister."

Annabeth gasped softy to herself, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and hand in front of her mouth and blushed. Percy couldn't help but smile. He knew that her half-brothers in the mortal world would never say anything like that to her.

Bobby and Matthew Chase never really gave her a chance. All they could make of her was a teenage girl who is supposed to be their older sister, despite looking nothing like her, acting like her, and they grew up believing she didn't belong in their household no matter how much Fredrick and her stepmother tried. They were supposed to act like she's a freak. She's a stick in the mud, not even fully human. Now, with Lily fawning over Annabeth as an idol, Annabeth didn't know what to say. Percy couldn't be more proud.

"You're so sweet, come here," Annabeth hugged her tightly, and Lily buried her face in Annabeth's shoulder. Annabeth pulled away gently, looking Lily straight in the eye with her hands on Lily's shoulders. "I'm going to teach you everything I know so you can become just like me."

Chiron rang the meeting bell, signaling all demigods for a short announcement.

"Heroes! May I have your attention, please!" The centaur declared to all the demigods in the pavilion. Everyone turned their heads to give their undivided attention. Annabeth told Lily they should return to their table, said goodbye to Percy and hand in hand they made their way back to the Athena table to join their siblings. "Tonight we will be having a campfire, but before the campfire there is nothing planned so you all can do what you wish! See you at eight o'clock!"

" "

It's always the creek with Percy. Sometimes, he believes it's just because they're tied together. This was the very spot where his first capture the flag victory happened, where Annabeth managed to kick his butt, and most importantly the very spot where his father claimed him. Percy smiles at the memory. After all he's been though, that moment feels so much longer than five years ago. If he thinks really hard, yeah, five years seemed like the right amount of time. However, he's seen as many thing as an old Greek soldier had ever seen and done.

The rushing water calmed his nerves from the jitters that were a Tartarus aftermath factor. Actually, the water wasn't even flowing very fast, being a creek, but Percy could hear the gentle rush of the water flowing downstream. It cleared his head of any thoughts that were wandering, with peace washing over him.

"Hey," a gentle voice called over. Percy turned to find Annabeth standing at the entrance, digging her hands in her pockets, and the sun gleaming against her long, blonde hair. It tumbled past her shoulders, and made it's way curling perfectly. Percy smiled gently at her, acknowledging her presence.

"Hey," Percy went back to staring at the creek. He didn't mean to be rude, he just wanted to be alone, even if it was his girlfriend coming by. "Sorry I seem a bit rude at the moment, but I kind of want to be alone for a while. Don't worry, I still love you."

"Aw, well I love you too, bro." What?

Percy turned and found not only Annabeth standing there now, but his best friend on the side, furry legs, rasta cap, acne and all carrying a tray of blue cupcakes. "And to show just how much I love you, I brought cupcakes!"

Percy started laughing in amazement, and so hard that his stomach was close to being in pain. It wasn't that he hasn't seen Grover yet, it was the fact they haven't had a proper hello. "DUDE!"

"DUDE!" Grover shoved the cupcakes to Annabeth, who knew nearly lost balance when given the platter, and ran down to him. Grover threw his arms around Percy, and Percy lifted the goat into the air. "Pe-er-cy!" He bleated happily.

"Grover!" He buried his face into his shoulder, and he actually felt like he was going to cry. They've been through so much together, so shouldn't he have the right to feel that urge to cry? Annabeth cleared her throat, which was a sign that she felt awkward.

"Okay, break it up, break it up, we've had enough 'bro' moments on the Argo." Annabeth chuckled, and the three of them took a seat on the pebble beach. She placed the platter of cupcakes in the center, and she closed the tight circle. Annabeth smiled widely, taking one of their hands into both of hers. "This feels so good."

Grover smiled, giving her hand a good squeeze. "We're reunited-"

"-At last," Percy's bottom lip trembled, nevertheless he smiled it away. Annabeth rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand, telling him silently that it was all okay. "So, cupcakes. What's with the cupcakes?"

"Since we weren't sure when I'd be called for another wild exploration or when Annabeth would be called back to Olympus, we figured we ought to celebrate your birthday," Grover answered with a smile plastered on his face. Percy was a little confused, though the thought warmed him from head to toe. "And before you get kidnapped again or something."

"But Annabeth's-"

"Percy, I don't matter right now." She smiled kindly at him. Percy furrowed his eyebrows at her. They were in Tartarus when her birthday passed, and he felt guilty they had to celebrate his two years in a row without celebrating hers. He just feltbad. Suddenly, a bright idea popped into his head. "Well? Are we gonna sing? Happy birthday to-"

"ANNABETH!" Percy grabbed a cupcake, shoving it into her face with sky blue frosting and funfetti spreading all over her cheeks and nose. There were a few bits in her hair, and she remained motionless, as though trying to conjure up her sanity again. Percy backed up quickly, scooting closer to Grover. He wasn't even scared; he thought it was hilarious with a grin so bright it could light up a planet. Grover could not contain his laughter, holding his stomach as his shoulder quivered with shrieks and giggles. Annabeth reached up to her face, swiping off the frosting on her nose and her stormy eyes glared at Percy with rage. That's when Percy got scared.

"So you wanna play dirty, huh Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth picked a cupcake up, took a bite out of it, and tossed around in her hand like a baseball. Percy had the nerve the smirk. "Bring it!"

She threw the cupcake pokeball style, hitting Percy square in the face. Frosting covered his nose, lips, eyes and even a bit of his hair. Grover and Annabeth exchanged high fives, till she threw on in his face too. "Don't think you've been forgotten, goat boy!"

"Yeah? Well taste this, sister!" He smashed one onto her hair, and Percy smashed another on Annabeth's nose. Annabeth laughed till it turned into cackle, giving Percy a secret look he knew meant to both smash on Grover at once. They took one more for each of them, and pressed them onto his rasta cap. "No! My baby!"

All three of them busted out laughing, howling, giggling until their stomachs hurt and their cheeks sore from the smiles on their faces. They threw their arms around each other, heads in the middle, happy that they had one another once again, and they were never to be separated again. Percy's heart pounded, the blood flowing fast from excitement, but slowed when remembering he and Annabeth were planning to move to New Rome. Still, just for the moment, Percy held the happiness of the moment close to him, smiling the night away.

"I love you guys."

"We love you, too." Annabeth pressed a kiss on his cheek, and Grover pressed his head on his shoulder.

For this moment, everything was absolutely perfect.

Oh man, that took way longer than intended, sorry gang. Happy holidays guys! Early gift from me to you. I'm personally not a huge fan of Christmas, but I do love gift giving.

Next chapter should be up soon, since it'll be a shorty, and I'm already working on the one after.

Hope you're all having a good break so far!

Review this maybe? Thanks!