A/N: GUYS! SERIOUSLY! Calm down! It's not the end! As I explained to Mrs. Percy Potter, this story is far from over! I had no idea how to end that last CHAPTER so I did THAT! Goodness gracious! Also, I know it may seem a little unbelievable for a six month old to walk, but I mean - it's Hayley! She's the granddaughter of Athena, daugther of Annabeth Chase, and started talking at TWO MONTHS OLD! So, it makes sense to me, and I hope it'll start making more sense to some of you who said so. Not that I'm mad or anything. I'm just glad I'm able to clear stuff like this up...

Anyway! I just thought I should say this so you would all stop freaking out. Sheesh, guys...:D

Also, Di? Gah, stop beating yourself down. It's fine, you weren't late! I am. Just getting your review makes it seem like I did at least ONE thing right, not that I don't also love the others! They keep me going! That and God, of course. :D

Me:...Okay, that's the last time I type that for the end of the chapter. I will not type that until the TRUE end of the story.

Choco: ...Ohhhkkaaaayyyy...

Me: You've had sugar, haven't you?

Choco: YES! She doesn't own PJO.

Annabeth's POV

I was freaking out. I was literally freaking out. Had it seriously been a year since she was born?

Truth was, it had.

It was late November, and I was running about the house, trying to get things in a straight order for the party. Thalia, sitting on the couch and sipping on a coke, looked up at me as I started fidgeting in the living room, looking over my long list of things I had to do that day.

"You need to take a break," She said, patting the cushion next to her. "You're gonna work yourself to death and to be honest, it wouldn't be too much fun."

"I am not!" I said, biting my nails as I went back over the list in my head. Toys, a room, present table, cake, chips, music - music! I still hadn't got the music. Of course, it was a simple thing, I'd just have to go get her Johnny Cash CD and -

SNAP! The sound was as loud as day. My head snapped around to see Ellie, holding a broken disc in her three-year-old hands. "Whoops," she mumbled, her cheeks flarring. She looked straight at me, and saw how I was about to explode.

But instead I just sighed and ran a hand through my curls, pulling my hair up in a ponytail so I could think clearer. I guess I'd just have to run to the store to get a new CD. It shouldn't be too hard, right? Anyway, I had to go get some balloons and a few more party decorations.

I walked swiftly past Ellie, picking up the two seperate CD parts and throwing them in the trash as I left. I got in my car, put the key into the ignition, and turned it forward. The Honda made some strangling sounds, before sputering out. I huffed in irritation and tried again. Same result. I groaned, and tried one more time, crossing my fingers in hopes that it would work.

It started to shake a little, and I think I heard it catch, when it sputtered out again. I tried and tried and tried. The result? Nothing. After three more trials, I realized nothing was going to happen.

"Ugh," I said, laying my head on the steering wheel. Why was today not going at all like I'd planned?

The plan was, simply, to make the best one-year-old party in the world. I know, I know, she probably wouldn't remember this and all, but I had this terrible desire to make it all perfect.

I glanced up to see if Percy was home from work yet. Nope. What now? Thalia didn't have a car, Nico wasn't here yet, nor were Katie and Travis, as they had left Ellie here so they could go buy a present for Hayley. Turns out Ellie can't keep a secret. I found that out myself the hard way. This was all going down hill fast. Very, very fast.

I started praying that maybe if I tried one more time that it would work. I cranked the car, and, much to my amazement, it started. "Thank you," I breathed, backing out of the driveway and pulling out into the highway. I got my cell phone out, remembering that I had forgotten to tell Thalia where I was going.

"Yeah?" She asked into the phone once she picked up.

"Thalia!" I nearly screamed.

"Yes, that's my name. What is it?"

"Listen, I need you to watch Hayley and Ellie for me. I'm heading to the store. I'll be back in a few."

"Okay...wait, you need me to wh - ! " I didn't wait for her full response. I just shut the phone, and turned it off, because I knew how Thalia was. She would try and call me back to argue about it, but once she saw that she couldn't reach me, she'd give up and do as I'd...somewhat asked. Oh, you know what I mean!

I started humming along to the radio as I drove down 2-80, when I heard that sputtering sound again, like something that was going out of loosing steam. "No," I said, as the car started to slow down. "God, no..." too late. The car litterally stopped in the highway, and it took everything I had in me not to scream my lungs out. So much for a "perfect" day.

I got out of the car and slammed the door, taking the keys and my bag with me. Using my iPhone, I figured out where I was as I stood on the side of the road, getting questioning looks from all the other drivers. I just smiled and waved sarcastically if they did so, and found that I was about a mile and half from Wal-Mart. Not too long a jog, or a walk. I could make that, and still make it back in time for the party. Right?

I started jogging down the road line of 2-80, this time getting some serious cucko looks from the drivers and their passengers. I just went right on jogging, smiling as I did so. Nothing else was going to ruin this day. Nothing at all.

Wrong.

It's just my luck, is it not, to be stopped by a monster in the middle of my jog down the highway?

It is.

You would aslo think that dracnae would learn when and when not to show up to a mad Annabeth, right?

Right.

One of them cackled. "Well lookey here. It'sss a daughter of Athena. Annabeth Chassse."

"Oh, no!" The other cooed. "Ssshe got married! It'sss now Annabeth Jackssson!"

"Let usss quake in fear then! Ssshe's a Jackssson!" The first one laughed. With each comment my temper only rose higher and higher. I was at my boiling point, and I was sure they could see the steam lifting off from my head.

"Oooh! Ssshe's angry! Pleassse ssspare usss, daughter of Athena!" the second one pretended to cower in fear.

"Oh, yesss, pleassse, daughter of Athena! Do not ssstare at usss, we aren't worthy of your intelligence!"

They were joking. About my intelligence. That's a bigger insult to a child of Athena - no, that's the biggest insult to a child of Athena. I pulled my dagger out from its sheath, and they started for a moment, before laughing again.

"Look at thisss, sssissster!" the first one said. "Being a mother hasss made her even more vicious!"

"Oh, yesss, her daughter! I bet the brat can't even talk! How old isss ssshe? A year?"

Okay, I was wrong. Now they were insulting my daughter. That's the biggest insult to anyone. As they closed their eyes and laughed at my furry, I ran straight ahead, and killed them both in a matter of seconds, spraying monster dust all over myself, and managing to cut my forehead from swining my knife around.

Once again, how bad can my luck get?

Pretty bad.

I kept jogging, then tripped over a stick, and twisted my ankle on the fall down. I laid on the ground for a moment, before pushing myself up and limping to the Wal-Mart. After minutes and minutes, maybe even an hour of this, I saw Wal-Mart straight ahead.

I did what any woman trying to get back to her daughter's first birthday party in pain would do.

I ran. I ran into the parking lot, across it, into the store, and to the back, where the music was.

I scanned the music shelves, and none of them held a single Johnny Cash. What? I checked again.

Nothing. Not a one.

I cried out in rage, and ran my hands through my curly hair, which was falling down after everything that had happened that day. And it wasn't even three 'o clock. A clerk woman came up behind me, and tapped my shoulder.

I turned around, and probably scared her, my eyes tense with anger, and my face redder than a tomatoe. "A-are you okay?" she stumbled out.

I tried to hold back all that I wanted to say, but I couldn't. "No. No, I'm not okay! It's my daughter's first birthday, I wanted it all to be perfect, but of course, nothing goes perfect for me! My daughter loves Johnny Cash, and has a special CD she listens to, and my goddaughter broke it! So, I went out to my car, tried to get it started, it wouldn't start! Then it did, and I started driving, and I thought it would finally work, but it didn't! It stopped in the middle of the freakin' highway! Then I joggged here! But, on the way, I got attakced by dr - I mean, rabbid dogs, had to fight them off. That's how I got this gash up here!" I pointed to the point where I'd gotten cut, and sighed mentally. I almost said dracnae. That would've made me look practically insane, not that I already wasn't.

"I then fell and tripped on a stick, twisting my ankle. I limped here, ran across the parking lot to get in here to find a new Johnny Cash CD, there's not one, and I have to be at the party in..." I checked my watch. "Fifteen minutes!" I paused. "Not to mention I've had to pee since a half-hour ago and I feel like my bladder's about to explode!"

I could tell that last comment really freaked her out, but I just needed to vent everything.

But she smiled kindly at me. "Come with me. I think I can fix all of this. I'm Anne, by the way."

"I'm Annabeth," I said, following behind her as she led me into places I didn't think normal people were supposed to be in. Not that I was normal in any way. "And...I'm sorry about that back there. Today's just been rough..."

"I know what you mean," Anne said, taking me into a back room full of new shipping supplies. "It's always tough with the first birthday. My little girl just had her second last Tuesday."

"Really?" I asked. "What's her name?"

"June," Anne replied, digging through a box marked, MARK DOWN CDs! "June Catherine. She's a sweet little thing. What's yours named?"

"Hayley...Hayley Moonlight Jackson. We call her Moon."

"Moon, huh? Sounds like a precious name."

"Thank you. And, she is. But I think every mother thinks that about their children."

Anne shrugged as she yanked a CD from the box and handed it to me. It looked exactly like the one Ellie had broken. "Some do, some don't." She replied.

"Thank you, so much!" I sighed, holding the CD tight.

She smiled. "No problem. I could aslo get you a cold pack for your ankle, if you'd like."

I smiled back. "No, ma'am. I think I'll be fine." She grinned and nodded, leading me back out of the back rooms. "I'll just eat some ambrosia and drink a little bit of nectar later..."

"What was that?" Anne asked sweetly.

"Nothing." I said, as she led me back out into the aisles of the Wal-Mart. "Thanks again."

"Not a problem. Send Moon a birthday wish for me."

"I will," I promised. "And tell Miss June I said I hope she had a wonderful birthday."

"I will," Anne said, walking away to go back to her job.

Smiling, I went to the bakery, and got a cake. It wasn't exactly what we had in mind, but it was better than nothing. In fact, it was a Finding Nemo cake, so surely Hayley would enjoy it.

I got in line for paying, and saw two people that made me sigh in relief. "Travis, Katie!" I said, hugging them both, though it was really unusual for me.

"Annabeth?" They both asked.

"W-what are you doing here? I thought you were watching Ellie." Katie said, though she looked quite happy to see me.

"You'll never believed what happened." I said, and told them the entire story as we both paid for our purchases and left the store.

"And, in conclusion, I seriously need a ride, Katie. Can I have one, please?"

"Of course!" Katie said cheerfully, opening the trunk to their car and putting the bags in.

"If it's a ride you wanted, you could've just said so," Travis mumbled. Katie hit his shoulder.

"Be nice, Travis Stoll." She said, getting in the passenger seat. He rolled his eyes and said something that sounded like, "Yes, Katie Stoll," as he got in the driver's seat. I sat in the back, and waited patiently as we all pulled out. We were back at the house in less time than it took me to leave it, and we went in. Ellie, Hayley, Nico and Percy were all sitting in the floor, playing a game.

Thalia sat on the couch, for some reason covered in glitter and something sticky, like syrup.

Ellie gasped, "Mommy! Daddy!" as she ran over to us and hugged her parents.

Hayley coppied her gasp,"Mama! Aun' Katie! Uncle T'avis!" and then ran over and hugged us all, too.

Ellie smirked, now seeing this as a game between her and Hayley. She gasped, "MJ!" and hugged her.

Moon gasped. "Ellis!" Shouted Hayley, hugging Ellie.

Ellie smiled, while Katie and I looked at Hayley. "Ellis?" we asked in unison.

Ellie and Hayley nodded. "Ellis," Hayley said.

"It's my name. My nick name, Annabef. Duh."

"Elizabeth Stoll, you need to be nice, too." Katie said, nudging Travis in the shoulder, who just rolled his eyes again.

Ellie sighed. "Sorry, Mommy. Sorry Annabef."

I laughed and picked them both up. "It's okay, Ellis."

Ellie laughed, but Hayley frowned.

"What's the matter, MJ?" Ellie asked.

Hayley's frown deepened. "I call you d'at. Mommy should not call you d'at."

I started to say something, but Ellie beat me to it. "It's okay, MJ. Because I'll always call you MJ, so you're unique, making anything you say unique, of course!"

Hayley furrowed her brows for a second, thinking it all out as if she would come up with some intelligent saying to go along with that.

And then -

"Yay!" Hayley cheered, literally almost jumping from my arms to the ground and running off with Ellie. Katie and I started laughing, smiling like idiots. They were so funny - funnier than I was at that age, that's for sure. They must have both inherited their fathers' genes.

I looked over at Thalia, whose eyes were wide, and she tapped her fingers nervously on her thigh. "You okay?" I asked, coming and sitting next to her while Katie went and sat in the kitchen with Travis.

She turned her head slowly toward me, her blues eyes as electrifying as ever. "D-don't you ever leave me alone with children. Never again." she said, brushing glitter out of her choppy hair. "I might never get this stuff washed out. I can just imagine the girls laughing at me now - 'Look at the lieutenant who's hair is covered in glittered and uniform in maple syrup!'. How did Hayley and Ellie even get a holt of that."

I surpressed my smirk and chuckle. "They're two very intelligent girls."

"More like two little children looking for World War Three..."

I nudged her shoulder. "Be nice. One is your goddaughter, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..."

A little while later, Nico showed up, along with Rachel and Malcolm. Dad, my step-mother, and the twins arrived a little after that, with Connor and his girlfriend Shelby in tow. Sally and Paul showed up, and we all figured the Olympians wouldn't be coming. We were wrong.

The doorbell rang and I went to get it, thinking that maybe we had forgotten someone who said they were coming.

I jumped a little when I saw Mom and Poseidon in the starts of an argument at the door. "M-Mom?" I asked. "Poseidon?"

"You seem bemused, Annabeth. Did you honestly think I wouldn't be here for my granddaughter's first birthday?" Mom asked.

"Well, I, uh - " I took a deep breath and sighed. "Yes, Mother. Please, come in."

She walked in without another word, and Poseidon smiled kindly at me before coming in. The rest of the party, amazingly, went as planned. Athena only tried to kill Percy twice, to which he kept smiling and replying with nice words while Hayley and Ellie were present. But I knew in his mind he was wishing he could say something very insulting.

We sang happy birthday and gave Hayley her cake. But she couldn't have cared less, as her eyes kept drifting towards to presents. She got to them eventually. Nico gave her a shield made of stygion iron, which I was skeptical about.

"What?" he asked, holding his hands up defensively. "She'll need a shield one day. Why not now?"

"She's one!" Katie said, seeming appalled. "Thank Zeus you didn't give Ellie anything like that. She'd go nuts over it and use it to play some prank on the boys at her day care."

"She is her daddy's girl," Travis smiled wide as we pushed the next gift over to Moon's open hands. She ripped the silver paper off, and looked at it questioningly.

"Air-row?" She asked, holding up the silver bow and arrow set Thalia had given her.

"Thalia, seriously." Percy said. "A bow and arows?"

Thalia shrugged. "Eh. It seemed to fit her fiesty personality. Plus, it doesn't get real tips until she's at least eleven. Magically enchanted. She can play with them and not get hurt until then."

I thought about it for a second. "I think it's a wonderful gift." I said, and nudged Moon. "Go tell Aunt Thalia thank you." She bounced up and ran over, hugging Thalia and then running back and pulling another present to her. It was sea green, blue wave designs on the front. Percy's gift. She tore the paper off, and inside was a cardboard box.

Before I could even think to help her open it, she had the top off and was holding up a turtle-shaped Pillow Pet. She smiled wide and stood up, jumping up and down. "'ook, 'ook Ellis! I gots a pi-whoa pet!"

"Awesome!" Ellie said, jumping around with her. "Mommy, I want a pillow pet, too!"

"Maybe for Christmas, Ellie." Katie said, looking as the girls jumped around until they could hardly catch their breath. Katie and Travis had bought her a baby doll that could really swim, and I had gotten her a cute grey dress and the new CD. Dad got her a stuffed plush duck, and Malcolm a Fisher Price cell phone. She loved it all, and hardly even noticed that she still hadn't gotten one from her Olympian Grandparents.

Poseidon presented his gift first. "Hayley, I want you to have this," he held out a pencil in his hand, which made a questioning look come over both mine and Hayley's faces.

Poseidon smiled cheerfully. It's a magic pencil, much like Anaklusmos. Except this turns into a dagger, like that of Annabeth's. I hope you don't mind, but I figured she'd need a weapon eventually, as monsters will always be on her trail."

I nodded in agreement. "Makes sense," I looked to Percy. "Right?"

He seemed to be lost elsewhere, watching Hayley with careful eyes as she experimented with her new dagger; turning it from pencil to dagger, to pencil again. She and Ellie found it quite comical. He nodded, though, and I took that as his answer before he got a chance to change his mind.

Athena cleared her throat, which immediately got everyone's attention. "I'd like to give the child this," a book suddenly appeared in her hands - a picture book on the great Greek myths and gods/goddesses.

I smirked. "Eager for her to learn, Mom?"

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Yes, I am. She does need to know her heritage, does she not?"

"Well, yes..." I suddenly felt really stupid, even though I knew I wasn't. I guess it was just the presense of the goddess of wisdom there or something like that. Or maybe it was because my day was bad enough already, and it needed something else to add on to it.

Mom smiled at me, though, and I couldn't help but smile back. When she was trying to be nice, it was hard not to, because she could make anyone smile.

The party was over shortly after that. Everyone left, leaving only Percy, Hayley and I. Moon started to cry when Ellie left, but we managed to get her to calm down by letting her play with the remote.

It's amazing, really. Little kids like things that seem so ordinary to us - don't give them something in a big box, just give them the big box. They'll be a lot happier.

I let out a deep breath, collapsing on the couch. Percy sat next to me, looking at me worriedly; his eyebrows were scrunched together again like they were that day I took the knife for him. I smiled tenderly. "You still look so cute when you're worried."

It made him grin, at least. "Are you okay?" He asked. "Thalia told me it had been a rough day before I got here."

"Boy, has it." I said, sitting up and tucking my legs underneath me in a criss-cross position. I rambled off my story of everything that had happened that day, about everything that went wrong, and how I was possitive that it couldn't get any worse, when it did. And then I told him about the woman at the store. He smiled when I told him about her little girl, and what amazing friends you can make in just one instant.

"And I still have to get Moon to go to sleep." I concluded, standing up and cleaning up the small remainder of mess from the party. It was about seven, eight o' clock now. Wouldn't be too much longer until all of us would be out cold.

I walked in to the kitchen, when I felt someone sneaking up behind me. "Perseus..." I started slowly. "What are you - ?" he wrapped his arms around my waist and picked me up, causing me to drop the paper plates and red cup I was holding.

"Percy!" I shouted. "What are you doing? !"

"Relax, Annabeth." Percy smiled at me as he continued to carry me throughout the house. We ended up in our room. Percy practically tossed me on the bed, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was up to as he walked into our (and by that I mean my) walk-in closet.

"Perseus Jackson, what are you up to?" I called in there, when he didn't come out after a few minutes.

"Close your eyes!" He called back, as I heard something fall down in a crashing form.

"...What was that?" I asked rather calmly for how I was worrying what he might have broken."

"Nothing, nothing." He said dismissively as he walked in the room with something behind his back. "Close your eyes."

I gave a Okay, okay, whatever sigh (A/N: Haha! Got that from Paranormalcy. Oh, Raquel...) and closed my eyes tight. I heard him moving things and pushing something around. "Okay..." he started, "...and..." he paused once more, fixing something, "...look!" Percy sounded excited as I opened my eyes.

I was only aware of gasping. It was all amazing. He had practically recreated the night where he had proposed - a fake picture of the ocean - at night, of course - with a sand colored blanket on the ground. He had about five stuffed turtles on the ground crawling towards the fake ocean, and a blue flashlight casting a ray of light down on the "sand". A paper ball spray-painted dark grey was hanging by a fishing pole line (which he had tried to hide behind the "ocean", though I could still see it.), which was supposed to represent Hayley's commet. (A/N: I am aware now that this is not how you spell the true commet's name, but I was trying and that's how it's going to stay)

"Percy..." I said, marveled at the sight. "Why...why did you do this?"

"Happy Anniversary." He said, matter-of-factly. It was only then did I realize...he was right. He proposed two years ago on this day, November 17th. We got married one year ago, on this day. Hayley was born one year ago...on this day. Did we have something for the month of November or what?

"Oh, Percy." I said, and then realized also that I had forgotten what today was. "I...I forgot."

He shrugged. "So? Who cares?" He sat down on the "sand". Percy held his hand out to me. "Will you join me, though, Mrs. Wise Girl Jackson?"

I grinned, and took his hand. "Most definitely, Seaweed Brain."

You know, for such a bad day...it wasn't so bad afterall.

YES! ! ! ! ! ! I finally completed it! Dear goodness!

Did you miss me? Now, I'm not going to make any excuses - I don't have one. Not one at all. On the bright side, SON (The Son of Neptune) comes out in...*checks clock*...3 hours and 18 minutes.

The taunting is getting worse...

Hope you enjoyed.

~Future