Annabeth:

"Mommy," Luke started to shake me, and, as soon as I woke up, I felt a sharp pain in my head. The light stung my eyes, and I couldn't help but notice my shirt was on backwards.

"Hey, Luka," I pretended I didn't feel like dying and sat straight up to swoop the little four year old in my arms. I kissed the side of his head, knowing he would complain soon enough. I really miss the days when I could hold him in my arms, and he wouldn't screech 'Mom!' at the top of his lungs. I miss how I was his hero. But when Percy came in the picture, he became the big hero. Of course he loves me. He always will. I'm his mother, but Percy is his father. He wants to grow up like him. I love how much he basically worships the ground Percy walks on, and how Percy loves Luke so much.

I still regret not telling Percy. I was just so selfish. I didn't want to be blamed. I just wanted everything to work out differently. I wanted to be able to go to work every day and try to move on. Seeing the test didn't feel real. It was like I was looking at… I don't know what it was like, but it didn't feel real. I didn't feel pregnant. I felt like the love of my life had just gotten on a plane and left. It was only when the baby was born that I realized it was really happening. I wanted to tell Percy, but it was too late by then. I couldn't hop on a plane and introduce Percy to his son. I was stuck in quicksand, the only place to go being down. So, I raised him for two years. Then I finally fessed up. It only got easier after that.

Now, two years later, I'm married to Percy. I have a beautiful baby girl, Sophie. I have the perfect job. The only problem being a bad hangover right now.

"Daddy said not to wake you up. But, I didn't feel good, and he and Sophie went out. So, Mommy, where's the Motwen?" Luke asked me, making me smile. Well no, I was mad Percy left me with a sick toddler when I was having a hangover, but the way he said 'Motron' made me want to kiss his little chubby cheeks.

"Come on. Let's go get you some Motron, Baby," I picked him up and walked him to the bathroom where I sat him down on the countertop as I went through all of the bottles in my medicine bag. I had everything from Aspirin to Z-Pack. I suppose there are some perks to being a neurotic mother. I'm always prepared, right down to my cell phone packed with cartoons to fill long trips.

I fished out Motron and an Advil. Luke sat there, not saying a word, and, for a moment, it felt like old times. It felt like we were in California and Luke had a cold. I found that I liked standing here with him. I love Percy and Sophie so much, but I got so used to it being just being me and Luke. Sometimes, I wake up and expect to have to have my father calling me to tell me that he was coming over or something.

"Alright," I smiled as I poured us both a glass of water and handed the one with the least water to Luke. I downed my pill and handed him the little cup-thingy of Motron, "Luke, now swallow this for Mommy."

Luke downed doubtfully at the purple liquid like it was poison. 'For Mommy' sunk in, and he downed it reluctantly. He cringed, and Luke downed the glass of water. He still looked like he was going to be sick from the awful taste.

"That's my boy," I smiled and kissed his head. I stood up a little straighter and looked down at him, "Lucas, you feel a little feverish. Let me take your temperature," I smiled at him, feeling weird about how I sounded like a little housewife from the sixties or something, and Luke nodded. It was then that I realized that he really did feel bad. I took out the thermometer I kept with me (Remember what I said about always being prepared). He took it willingly, and I waited a few moments until I heard the beep.

"Luka, you're a hundred and one. Let's get you to bed," I took him in my arms and held him tightly as I took him to the bedroom he and Sophie were sharing down at the beach. By the time I put Luke down in his bed, he was basically asleep.

"I love you, Mommy," Luke groggily told me, making me grin.

"I love you, too, Lucas."

"I love you, too, Lucas," Sadie smiled at him, and I felt like dying. I knew shouldn't have been spying, but Luke had told me to come meet him in his cabin so he could give me some extra help in the arena before breakfast. And here I was, late actually, and Sadie was here, too. I was eleven, and he was fifteen (I didn't know how old he would be. So, whatever). I know how crazy it is, but there really are some moments where I think he really could love me, but right now wasn't one of those moments.

Luke had been dating a beautiful Aphrodite girl, Sadie, for about a month now. His relationships never lasted very long. So, a month was a miracle to him. I guess it's because he's too picky. I mean seriously, once we got bored and started rattling off what we wanted in a love interest. I named off just about everything about him, and he said he wanted a girl who could understand him like I do, which was pretty hard to do.

And I knew Sadie wasn't like that.

She barely understood him one bit. She didn't get why he liked to take care of the new kids, and I know it's because he didn't have a good time when he first got here and wants to give them a break. Sadie wonders why he hates the gods, and I know he sees them for all of their faults, not pretending they're perfect. It's a miracle she knows what his favorite color while I even know the story as to why it's his favorite. What does she have that I don't?

I knew the answer immediately. She was beautiful, popular, and actually his age. Everyone loved her. Everyone but me.

About fifteen minutes later, I decided to pick up my phone and call Luke. I really didn't want to talk to him, but I knew he'd track me down to see why I didn't come earlier if I didn't call him. The ring made me impatient and reminded me of how I felt when I heard 'I love you, Sadie' come from his lips. I was about to hang up when he finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Luke, sorry, I can't come today, but I really need some help. So, maybe you could help me later?" I pretended I didn't feel like rolling up into a ball and dying, though it seemed really tempting.

"Oh, yeah, Annabeth, that's fine," I could tell by his voice that he had forgotten, and that probably hurt the most, "Uh, I have to help Sadie with something at lunch. Can we do it at around two?"

I cringed at the word 'Sadie', but I knew he wouldn't have noticed if he had been standing beside me, much less on the phone.

"Sadie, again? When are you going to run her dry and find a new one?" I smirked as if I didn't already know that he had just told her that he loved her.

"I don't about this one, Annabeth. This could really work, you know," he told me, and I could picture him smiling like he thought he knew something I didn't know. It's easy to know when he's hiding something. Luke becomes a little smug that he knows something I don't, which is hard to come by, and his the worst liar sometimes. I know that if it was important enough, he could hold it in, but he couldn't do a white lie if his life depended on it. I love him to death, but it can be a little annoying, like when I was trying to sneak out with him to the city to celebrate Thalia's birthday. When we almost got caught by Chiron, he blushed to the shade of a tomato and started blubbering like an idiot. It only took about fifteen minutes of Chiron asking him repeatedly what we were doing, and he went against my cover story and confessed what we were doing, getting us grounded.

"You said that about Miranda, and Annie, and Abigail, and Caitlyn-" I started to name off his past flings when he cut me off.

"Annabeth, I know, but… I meant it this time. I really like this girl."

That made what sort of a grin I had fall into a deep frown.

"Well, congratulations, Luke. I have to go. See you at two," I hung up abruptly because I didn't want him to know that I was about to cry. I took a long, deep breath and banged my head against the Athena cabin wall behind me.

I looked into Luke's eyes, and there was something there. It was like a gleam in Luke's eyes that told me he knew that I was thinking of the original Luke. I know it sounds stupid, but it's like my son was the original Luke. The memory of him saying he'd reincarnate three times haunted me, but I shook it off. What was I saying? My four year old son is a boy who died when I was sixteen? Now I've finally lost my mind.

XXXXXXXX

"Where the Zuessin' Hades are you?" I whisper hissed into my cell phone, careful not to wake Luke who was asleep in the room next to me. After I gave myself some time to get over my hangover, I remembered how Luke had told me Percy had left earlier, leaving his asleep wife alone with a sick four year old, and there was no way in Tartus that he was getting away with that one.

"We're leaving later today, and Luke didn't feel good. So, I took Sophie out to see the water. Why?" Percy asked as if it were no big deal.

"For the last two hours?"

I knew I had Percy there.

"Lost track of time. What's the big deal here?" Percy asked in the same monotone he had been using earlier, making me want to bang my head on the wall.

"I was calling to tell you that Luke has a fever of a hundred and one," I wanted to add 'and that I'm pretty pissed', but I think it went without saying.

"You gave him Tylenol?" Percy tried to sound like he knew what to do, but it was obvious he didn't. It's a miracle he even knows how to change a diaper. I don't even think he remembers what he should do whenever he gets sick, much less either of our children.

"Yeah, listen, I'm going to go ahead and pack your and Sophie's stuff so that you can go ahead and leave. I don't want Sophie to be around Luke when he's sick," I took control of the situation and waited for him to respond. We can handle having Luke sick. He just sleeps it off and asks for Gatorade a lot, but we couldn't handle having a eight month old baby sick, too.

"Alright, when do I need to get back?"

"How fast can you get here?" I tried not to smirk, and Percy let out a long sigh. I had to admit, I was right there with him on that one.

We've spent the last week on a peaceful beach where we could just be together, but today, we're driving back to a crowded city where it'd be a miracle to get some peace. I go straight back to work, as does Percy. Luke goes to day camp until school starts up soon, and Sophie goes to daycare. Rachel doesn't get back for another few weeks, and I'll be busy with getting ready for his birthday and helping Sally with Cally now that Paul and Sally are going on a 'vacation'. For a month, Paul has to go to Maryland, and Cally is staying with us. So, it'll be a baby, a four year old, and a thirteen year old all trapped in one house. As for sleeping arrangements, I had no clue what the heck to do, but how am I supposed to cope with having a packed house being that crazy?