"He's your brother?!" Annabeth exclaimed as she slammed a bowl she was getting ready to put macaroni n' cheese in on the counter.
"I know, right? It's ridiculous!" Piper answered. She was helping Annabeth prepare a lunch for her three kids: Nick, their boy and the eldest; Rachel, their middle; and Jack, the youngest.
Piper was trying to cut an orange into small slices for them, but she was still fuming about the night before. "I—can't believe—it!" She screamed and stabbed the orange in between the words with her steak knife. The blade had even reached the cutting board underneath. "It's just unfair and disgusting!"
Annabeth had been shocked, but wasn't mad like that. She slowly took the knife away from Piper, who easily let go so that Annabeth could take it away from her. The blonde-haired woman took the orange and started peeling off the skin.
"Why don't you let me handle the food?" Annabeth suggested.
Piper exhaled and nodded. She lifted herself up onto the counter. Rachel looked up at her in amazement. Piper smiled down at the little girl. Rachel was only two, maybe—a year or so younger than Nick, who was about three or four. Her hair had a tint of red right now, but Piper could see the blonde starting to peek through.
Annabeth walked around Piper's swinging legs and put the macaroni into the microwave. "So what'd you do about it?" she asked.
"Well, we both just started freaking out and gagging because it's just so gross to even think about," Piper put her head in her hands and her tummy was doing flips and twisting into a sickening knot. "And then I left him. You know, he was in the mortal world for so long that he didn't know that we had a war against Gaea."
Annabeth's brows furrowed and she gave Piper a look as if saying: How in the world is that possible?
"Yeah, I know, that was my reaction too." Piper said.
Annabeth shook her head and continued to cut the orange into small slices. "That's just..." she trailed off and then took a deep breath. "I don't even know what to say about that."
Rachel wobbled up to the counter, which probably seemed like a mountain to her seeing how she's so tiny, and stood on her toes to see what her mom was doing.
"Wow, she can already walk?" Piper asked softly.
Annabeth chuckled and looked down at her daughter and picked her up. "Well, she does have the blood of two demigods."
Piper laughed. "That's true."
"Here, you wanna hold her?" Annabeth said.
Piper hadn't ever really held a kid before and she was about to protest but Annabeth was already putting Rachel on her lap. Piper stuttered and fidgeted around Rachel's small body, not sure where to put her hands. She awkwardly put them on her sides.
Annabeth chuckled again. "Have you ever held a baby before?"
"No," she admitted.
"Wow, you and Percy are alike. He almost dropped Nick the first time he held him."
"Really?" Piper questioned, a little astounded. "I mean, I knew he was awkward with holding him the first time but I didn't know he almost dropped him. He looked like he was a professional baby-holder when I came over a while ago."
"Well that's because since he almost dropped him, he kept holding him more securely because he didn't want to drop him or any of them again." Annabeth looked over at Nick.
The little boy was sitting in front of the TV with a sleeping Mrs. O'Leary, watching an all-time favorite: Scooby-Doo. He looked so much like Percy, it was scary. He had the black hair already fully matted on his head and it was ruffled, sticking up in different directions. He wore a blue shirt and shorts and he suddenly stood up. He had the same, kind-of crooked nose and his sea-green eyes were dazzling.
He walked to the coffee table and ate some blue jelly beans that were in a small bowl.
"Nick, don't eat, okay? Lunch is almost ready," Annabeth called.
"Okay," he said back but his eyes were still glued to the TV screen and he still put the jelly beans in his mouth.
Annabeth scoffed and rolled her eyes, but Piper could see the smile tugging on her lips.
"Same attitude as Seaweed Brain, too," Annabeth said.
Piper laughed and then watched Nick again.
Jack started crying in his bundle of blankets on the couch. Nick looked back at him and slowly walked back towards him. He jumped and landed next to Jack on the couch. His skinny ankles and barefoot feet dangled over the edge of the cushion.
"You wanna jelly bean?" He asked softly and reached forward and fed it to Jack, who then stopped crying.
Piper blinked as a smile started to grow on her. Rachel giggled and Piper looked down on her. The little girl looked back up and stared at her eyes.
"You have pretty eyes," she mumbled.
A small blush creeped up on Piper and her heart fluttered. She gave Rachel a sweet smile. "Thank you," she said, "you have pretty eyes too."
The little girl grinned sheepishly and her gray eyes twinkled.
"What do you say, Rachel?" Annabeth asked softly.
"Thank you," the little girl responded.
Annabeth nodded and went to take the macaroni out of the microwave. Steam came out of the bowl and she blew on it a little. She took the cheese pack and put the powder into the cooked noodles and stirred it with a fork.
Nick ran over and said, "Can I put the blue in?"
Annabeth gave him a look. "Maybe. If you promise to do what I say, unlike last time," She started to grin and tickle him.
"Okay, okay! I promise!" he said.
"What happened last time?" Piper asked.
"Nicky put too much blue in it and the whole thing almost exploded," Rachel said.
"It did not almost explode," he said to her.
"Yeah, it did,"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did—"
"Hey," Piper said, putting a little charm speak into her voice. The two looked up at her.
"It didn't explode," Nick said quickly. "It was just really gooey. Blue dye can't make something explode, Rachel."
"It can if you put it in money at the banks for when a robber comes in and takes it. It can explode and that makes it easier to see who the—"
"Honey, that's red dye." Annabeth said.
"Oh." Rachel said in a small voice. "Well, I was close,"
"No because the macaroni didn't explode. It just made us have blue—"
"That's enough, Nick. Piper doesn't need to know those details." Annabeth said. "I'll let you put the blue dye in—but only a couple of drops, okay?"
"Yes!" Nick exclaimed and Annabeth took the blue dye packets from the cabinets. She gave it to him and he picked the lid off and put in a couple drops into the macaroni.
Piper wrinkled her nose. "Blue dye in cheese? Doesn't that taste kinda bad?"
"Not really," Nick said. "It's just the color that changes, not the taste. It's still cheesy," He grinned at her wildly. He had tiny teeth, like they were just growing in.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Annabeth ushered. "That's enough; maybe a little too much,"
Nick giggled mischievously.
Annabeth tickled his sides again. "Okay, mister, go help your brother wash his hands."
The little boy nodded and ran off. He picked up Jack in his arms and then carried him into the bathroom with his arms wrapped under the little boy's rear. Piper let Rachel down to go wash her hands as well.
Annabeth had also made little triangle sandwiches and put two little triangles on each plate. She then put two orange slices on two of the plates but only one on the other—for Jack, Piper guessed.
Jack looked like a mix of the two. His hair was vibrant bright blonde and his eyes glowed green. He was about to turn one in the next couple of months.
"You want a plate, Piper?" Annabeth asked.
"No, thanks," she answered. "I'm not really hungry."
"I don't blame you," the other girl said. "So what are you going to do now?"
"I'm not sure. I haven't talked to Jason since we left from my office,"
Annabeth didn't answer.
"I can't believe how much this turned out to be like last time." Piper said softly. "That was a mess."
Annabeth abruptly turned around. "Piper, there's something I have to tell you."
Piper blinked. "What is it?"
Annabeth exhaled through her nose. "Last time…I know you've let it go, but you let it go for the wrong reasons."
"What are you talking about?" Piper slid down from the counter.
The kids ran back in again and they pleaded to eat in the living room since Scooby-Doo was on. Annabeth, after a moment's hesitation, carried their plates to the coffee table while telling them to be careful.
Annabeth sat next to Jack and helped feed him the tiny amount that she had given him. Piper sat next to her.
"You guys were going to move into an apartment together," Annabeth explained, "and Reyna came back and offered him praetor again—because they offered it to her again, too, we know that part well. It caused a lot of trouble because Jason didn't know what to do. But, listen, he wanted more than anything to start his life with you," she looked up at Piper.
Piper looked at the table. "Yeah, I know," she said softly, "I wanted that, too."
"He ended up turning it down, as you probably already figured out. And I guess Reyna turned it down, too."
"I know. What's your point?"
"And you left when he said that maybe all of you guys needed some time. Maybe that it wasn't the right time to start something yet; that it was a little too early." Annabeth said.
"And then he went off to be a basketball player, out of all things."
"Alone." Annabeth said. "He did that alone."
Piper looked back up at her, whose eyes were storming with seriousness. "No, he had Leo."
Annabeth gave her a look. "Yeah, because he definitely wanted to start a romantic relationship with Leo,"
"Oh,"
She fed Jack a couple pieces of macaroni. He ate it with his eyes still looking at the TV screen wondrously.
"What I'm trying to say here, Piper, is that while you guys were at your separate ways, he came to us, asking for advice. He told us—" Annabeth took a deep breath. "Well, he told us that he still loved you even though you guys broke up."
Piper's heart fluttered. There was a sharp pang that pierced it and made it beat faster, that it hurt. She couldn't help but smile.
"Eww!" Nick exclaimed. "Cooties!"
Rachel lightly punched him in the arm. "Be quiet, Nicky! It's so sweet!"
Piper and Annabeth began laughing.
"Well, if you think that's cooties, you should hear your father and I's story." Annabeth said.
"No, thank you," Nick said and turned back to the movie.
"Aw! I want to!" Rachel said, though as she nibbled on an orange slice.
Annabeth laughed. "Maybe later, it's too long of a story."
Piper snorted. "That's an understatement."
Annabeth smiled. "Anyways—" she managed to glance back at Nick's plate. "Nicholas Beckendorf Jackson, eat your orange slices!"
He looked at her with a pouty face. Now that really scared Piper because he also looked like a baby seal—just like Percy.
"But—"
"No but's, Nick. Eat it. It's good for you." Annabeth said with her stern tone.
"It tastes good, too," Piper added on with a tint of charm speak.
With that, Nick looked at the orange slices and then hesitantly picked it up and began to chew on it. Before he could respond, he looked back at the Scooby-Doo movie while gnawing on it.
Annabeth murmured to Piper under her breath, "I wish I could charm speak. It'd make dealing with them much easier,"
Piper and Annabeth began to laugh.
"Anyways," she began again while feeding the last bite to Jack. She stood up with his plate and the two women made their way to the kitchen. "I'm telling you this especially after hearing what happened with you and Chris and what Aphrodite told you about Jason and Reyna. Now that you guys have cleared all this up, and that Jason has loved you all along, I'm telling you: you've got nothing to worry about now except for being with him now."
Piper rested her elbows on the counter and put her chin on her fists as Annabeth quickly rinsed off the plate and set it in the dishwasher.
"I know. I just don't know how—"
"You need to forget about what happened with Chris." Annabeth smiled. "Jason has been waiting for this, and you have, too. And, well, Jason did come over last night too. He said that he kind of needed to cool off a little. And try to calm down; get his mind off things."
Piper's eyebrows knit together but then a memory came to her. It was when she and Jason were sitting in the empty basketball stadium and it was right after she broke up with Chris. While she felt kind of bad and confused with her thoughts clogging up her head, he had told her that she needed to get her mind off things. Even though they had played some basketball, he had at first offered to go to camp and do some sword practicing. Jason had probably said it to crack a small joke, but Piper knew that he had meant it.
Piper knew where he was.
"I think you guys are done with other people interfering with your relationship." Annabeth said, "Trust me, I know how it feels. I know how love feels and you need to go and live the life you both wanted with each other. You guys finally deserve it."
The grin on Piper's face spread. She nodded. "Thanks, Annabeth,"
Before Annabeth could reply, the door opened and Percy walked in wearing his work clothes, which was as a gym teacher. Annabeth was here because she had to stay home for now until they could find a babysitter.
Percy's eyes lit up when he saw his kids and heard them screaming out, "Hi, Daddy!"
A grin immediately came to him and he set his jacket and bag on the counter and he walked over to them saying a little too enthusiastically—but enough for a couple of little kids, "Blue mac n' cheese?! Oh, my favorite!"
He leaned down and hugged Nick and Rachel, whose voices overlapped talking about their day and wanting him to sit down and watch Scooby-Doo with them. They pulled at his sleeves and pleaded.
"Okay, okay, give me a second," He kissed their cheeks. "I need to go say hi to your mom and her friend,"
They let him go but before he went to the two women, he stopped at Jack who giggled and smiled as he held his feet. He looked so excited and a little sheepish as his dad bent down and smoothed back his close-cropped blonde hair and kissed his forehead. Percy then scratched behind Mrs. O'Leary's ears, and even though she was asleep, her tail thumped against the floor.
Annabeth chuckled and her eyes twinkled. She always thought it was so cute how they lit up when their dad came home, just like everyone else did.
Percy finally came over to his wife and he hugged her, planting a kiss on her lips. He gave Piper a hug with a small kiss on her cheek and greeted them with a "Hey".
He wrapped his arms around Annabeth again as she explained, "So I was just telling Piper about Jason,"
"Oh, really? Are you guys finally together?" Percy asked.
Piper crossed her arms and her ears burned. "Yeah, hopefully,"
"You guys need to just stay together. You're causing me to lose my sleep, coming here at night and asking for advice."
Piper snorted. "Sorry," she mumbled.
Percy gave her a smile and a laugh bubbled from his mouth. "It's fine, but I seriously don't understand—you guys are taking forever. It's not that complicated, you just"—he shrugged—"get together."
"You're the one to talk." Piper scoffed. "'It's not that complicated'."
"Hey," Percy pointed a finger at her. "If anything, I've got experience."
"Which is why I come to you for advice," Piper countered.
Percy hesitated. "Yeah, okay. I'll accept that," he shrugged and it caused them to share a short laugh.
Annabeth was about to say something else but then Nick and Rachel cried out in unison, stretching out the word, "Daddy!"
"Okay, I'm coming. Just give me a second," He said over his shoulder. He kissed Annabeth's head and asked into her hair, "Hey, Wise Girl?"
"Yes, Percy?"
"Can I have some blue macaroni and cheese?"
"Of course, Seaweed Brain,"
He took a small bowl and as he put some spoonfuls in it, he looked Piper in the eye and told her good luck and then smiled.
"Okay, I'm coming!" he said as he made his way back into the living room with his kids. "So what are we watching?"
"Scooby-Doo!" They screamed happily and Jack started laughing.
"All right! I love Scooby-Doo!"
Annabeth and Piper smiled at them.
So I realize that I might've made Percy and Annabeth's kids in here a little older than how they sounded in chapter two. Let's just say they grew up really fast. Which, little kids bodies do kind of grow fast.
I tried to make it to where Piper realizes that she now needs to forget about the whole incident with Chris and just get with Jason completely and fully already because of our Wise Annabeth:3 I apologize if you think I kind of moved things on too quickly it's just that the main thing was not to dwell that Chris was her half-brother, but more to the point that Piper doesn't need him anymore and that she has to move on from him.
I am proud to say that this is also my favorite chapter:) Especially with the Percabeth life/kids going on. I loved writing this chapter.
And - for a heads up - next chapter will be the last of this story! :) I hope you guys enjoyed all of it!
Please review!