A/N: I forgot what I said during the last chapter, but if it said that this one was going to skip a lot of years (I think it did) then I was wrong. I'm going to do this one, a few months in to Annabeth's latest pregnancy. And then it skips a lot of time. I promise. ;)

Me: Feeling a bit better. Still a little hungry. I also watched a classic last night, and one this morning - Peter Pan and then Anastasia. Anyway, umm...today, for the disclaimer, perhaps another character of mine...Cassandra!

Cassie: She doesn't own PJO. Merely the plot, and the plot only.

Me: Thank you, and thank you Jesus that I do own the plot...*starts mumbling incoherent things*

Cassie: To the chapter!

PS, Also, this chapter is sorta like a fill-me-in chapter, so sorry if it's not as long as normal. I'll try my best to make up for it. ;D

Annabeth's POV

Today was it. The ultra-sound. To be honest, I had believed Hayley fully - it was going to be a boy. Of course, I never exactly said it out loud.

Moon bounced around that Friday, wearing her favorite piece of clothing - that grey dress. Her curly blonde hair descended down her shoulders, and caressed her cheeks. Her green eyes shown as she talked about what her baby brother would look like. What she would dress him up in, and how they would play Monster Vs. Demigods together. (Where she got that idea I have no idea, but it definitely didn't sound so friendly.)

"Mama?" She asked, looking at me as I sat on the couch. She twirled, causing ruffles in her dress.

"What, sweetie?" I stuck the one thing I had been craving ever since I became pregnant in my mouth - cereal. I'd swear I was turning into Demeter.

"Did you know that..." she stopped suddenly, and tilted her head as if hearing something. She shook her head, tilted it back upright and smiled at me. "Never mind." And ran off.

What was that about? I thought, eating some more Honey Bunches of Oats.

Percy, despite begging to stay home today, was at work until twelve, when we went to find out the baby's gender. He was buzzing with as much excitment as Moon. "Please let me stay? I can keep Moon busy while you decorate the - "

"No," I said, finally, smiling. "Perseus Jackson, there's no way you're getting out of work that easy." I flung the keys at him and shoved him through the door.

Hayley did the weird titlting her head thing again, then looked up to me. "Daddy says he can't believe you won't let him stay." She paused, as if hearing something else, then continued, "And then, he says that he isn't surprised, because you wouldn't be Wise Girl if you didn't." Moon smiled wide, and then pranced away.

Now she was seriously freaking me out.

"Brother is wondering when he finally gets to come out," Moon said, sitting next to me. Her head was tilted again.

"Your brother can't come for about five more months, Hales," I said, really thinking that she was just saying her "brother" for the fun of it.

She sighed. "He says he's cold. Are you cold, Mama?"

Strange thing was, is that I was. I was a little cold. Is she reading minds? The thought popped up suddenly.

Hayley studied my face, and nodded. "Yeah, Mommy. I am."

"You are what?" I asked cautiously.

"Reading minds. It's a lot of fun! You should try it sometime."

Is it wrong to be a little afraid of my own child? Because, at that moment, with her sweet face and golden hair cascading down her shoulders, she really looked like an angel gone wrong. (A/N: Why do I feel like this chapter is going downhill fast...and that she [Hayley] sorta seems like Angel from Maximum Ride?)

I was about to say something, when I glanced at the clock. It's was eleven thirty, about time for the ultrasound. Might as well leave now. I hurried out to the car, Hayley following behind me, looking as thoughtful as ever.

Maybe this day would be over soon.

Moon's POV

I think I was scaring my mom. I didn't mean to, but I was just telling her the truth. And it's not like I exactly asked to be able to read minds. It just sort of happened, when Mama found out she was having my brother. Something just started whispering in my mind, I'm a boy, I'm a boy, tell our mom I'm a boy! It honestly freaked me out, but as I spoke the words to Mama and Daddy, they sounded as strong and confident as ever.

Ever since then, for the last few months, I heard choice thoughts - things my daddy thought, things Mommy thought, things Brother thought. Even Ellis and Aunt Katie and Uncle Travis, and Ellis's little brother, Carter. She was two and a half, almost three, when Carter was born - just after I came along. And also her other little brother - not yet born, but soon to be. Like, in the next few days, Mama told me. What are they naming him? Connor, I believe Ellis told me, after her Uncle Connor.

I hoped in the car as Mommy eyed me suspiciously. Did I look suspicious? I hoped I didn't. We drove silently down the highway, until I cleared my throat. "Mo-Momma?" I asked.

"Yes?" She asked back.

"Can...can I listen to my CD now? Please." I added the 'please' hurriedly, in order not to look any more suspicious than I already did. At least that I thought I did.

To be honest, I wasn't even sure anymore of what I was.

"Oh, uh, yes," Mama sounded distracted. Was she thinking about Brother? I chose not to listen in on her thoughts right now; I didn't want her to be scared of me anymore.

She pressed the 'play' button on the stereo, and my CD came on. I hummed along softly to Folsom Prison Blues, and even started singing the tune in a quiet voice.

"I hear the train a comin',

It's rollin' 'round the bend.

And I seen the sunshine,

Since I don't know when - ".

"That's really good singing, M." Mom said from up front. I felt my cheeks go really hot - she had heard me? I was hoping she hadn't, but apparently she had.

"Oh..." I paused. "I guess thanks, Mama."

"You're welcome, sweetheart."

I smiled. "So...you're not scared of me any more?" I asked softly.

Mom looked in the window, wondering why I would think that. I could tell by the look on her face. "What makes you think that, baby?" But I listened in on her thoughts. How did she know?

"Why were you scared, Mama?" I sighed. "I mean, I'm not that scary, am I?"

"No, sweetie, no...Mama's just...she's not thinking straight right now. But I'm not scared of you - you're my daughter. I love you." She smiled, and I could tell she meant it, but I still felt bad. She had been scared of me. I was a scary person, which didn't make me feel any better. I didn't want to be a scary person.

We rode in silence again, until we got to the doctor's office. I saw Daddy's car in parking lot, and saw his nervously smiling face as he walked over to us. He got me out of the back while Mom got out by herself. She had already told Daddy that she was off limits, because she could do it by herself.

After we walked in, got checked in, and sat in the waiting room forever, they finally called us back to the ultra-sound room. When we got back there, Mama laid on a table, and looked like she was trying to get relaxed. Daddy kept wringing his hands, and I sat on his lap.

He looked at Mama, his eyes gleaming with happiness. "This is it," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist, holding on to me as he bounced his knee up and down.

"This is it," Mama smiled, but I could see the tension in her eyes. I listened in on her thoughts. What if Hayley's right? What if it is a boy? Then...then my daughter really does have special powers. She smiled wider at the end of her thought, but I wasn't sure.

At school, I was in the special classes because they said I had a hight "IQ" than everyone else. Ellis was in that class with me, along with a couple of others that I somewhat knew. I knew that by the end of our school years we'd all be good friends, but I was still pretty nervous when it came to school - I was always worried no one else would like me except for Ellis, and for Carter, who liked to somewhat talk to me every time I went over to Ellie's house.

Sorry. I'm getting off track. But, anyway, we also used "special" as a term for weird, sometimes dumb. Was I weird and dumb?

Suddenly I felt kind of sick to my stomach. If Mama thought that...it would kill me. Literally.

I was about to tell my daddy that I needed to go to the bathroom and puke when a pretty, dark-haired nurse came in. She was wearing pink scrubs and ugly white shoes. They couldn't have liked wearing those - they looked about as comfortable as sitting on a cactus. Her face was all too beautiful, and her makeup and jewelry matched perfectly.

"Everyone all set?" She asked, and her voice kind of caught at me - it drew me in, like every word she said meant something important. A certain mist seemed to dance around her, like sparkly glitter.

Mom narrowed her eyes at the woman, and mumbled, "You look familiar..." but she just shook her head. "Must be coincidence, but, yes, we're all set."

The nurse smiled, and pulled out this thing that looked like a fancy ketchup bottle dispencer. She squeezed something out from it, and it looked like...like whale snot. Icky, icky whale snot, except it was blue.

The nurse then pulled out a wand looking thingy, like in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and rubbed it on Mom's growing tummy. A tiny figure appeared, and I stared at it in awe.

"What's that?" I whispered in Daddy's ear.

"That's your baby brother," Daddy whispered back. He'd agreed with me right off the bat that I was right, and it was a boy. Me and Ellie had already picked out the name, too: Audrick Percival. When they had asked why, we merely said "Because it just sounds cool and is a mixture of all of our family names."

They seemed to agree with that, but Mom still didn't believe it was a boy. She was sure that it was a girl and was going to name her Chelsea Sophia.

"Here's the head," the beautiful woman pointed with a slender, all-too perfect finger at the screen, circling an object. She zoomed out with her computer and shown the full body. Daddy was smiling wide, and Mama just looked happy.

"What's the gender?" Mama asked, looking excited.

The nurse smiled and glanced at the screen. "Congratulations, Annabeth," she said, "it's a boy."

Daddy and I cheered, while Mama just had a wistful look on her face. So she was right, her thoughts echoed in my mind. My baby was right.

The nurse finished up, and assured that everything was okay with the baby. When she started to leave, Mama stopped her. "Excuse me," she said, "but we didn't catch your name."

The beautiful woman smiled. "Just call me Aphrodite." And then she was gone in a fume of pinkish-purple smoke.

Mommy and Daddy looked at each other. "Aphrodite," they repeated, almost stunned.

"That was Aunt Aphrodite?" I asked. They nodded. I looked at Mama. "Well, no wonder she looked so familiar! Do you think she blessed Audrick?"

"Who?" She asked, pulling her shirt back down and sitting up on the table.

"Audrick," I said. "Remember? You agreed with me and Ellie that if it was a boy you and Daddy would name him Audrick Percival. Remember?"

"Oh..." she said. She looked at Daddy and mouthed, Did we?

Daddy nodded and mouthed, We did.

Oh, she mouthed back, and sighed, almost irritably. "Fine, Hayley," she said, smiling slightly. "We'll name him Audrick Percival."

"Yay!" I cheered, and I cheered all the way home, even as I listened to Johnny Cash once again.

Today was pretty good after all.

Ugh...I feel like this chapter was horrible. Was it?

Hope you...enjoyed...?

~Future