All of our friends finally came. Spencer, Kat and their daughter Ariel came at the same time as Carter's family and mine showed up. The Chris Clarisse and their son Eric came followed by Sadria, Connor, their twins Charlotte and Duncan, and Thalia Nico and their daughter Jade.
Ariel would be a freshman at Bama in the fall and Brady, Eric, Charlotte, and Duncan would be seniors at Goode in the fall. Remi, Jade, and Dallas would be juniors and Kylie, Liam, Blair, and Diana would be freshman.
It was nice that we all had kids in a 5 year period of time so they were all so close. I had sent all of the kids up to the bonus room to watch a movie so all of our friends went outside to the patio couches and chairs around the fire place. Carter came out with a bottle of champaign and poured everyone a glass. Everyone their was between the ages of 43 to 45. Everyone had aged so gracefully. The girls were still all skinny but had a maturity that radiated from them. I was jealous of their wrinkles. Now being in their mid forties there weren't many but they still had a few. Carter had a few on her forehead along with Spencer and Chris. Both Max and Thalia had some lines around their mouths. Kat had two small ones around her nose and Sadria and Nico had some around their eyes and Clarisse had some frown lines. These annoying little things that they probably tried to hide made me so envious. They had something to show, to prove how long they had been around and how wise they had become and had the wrinkles to vouch for them. What did I have, the appearance of a 24 year old. I could be 1000 but I would never get the respect of it.
Percy must have noticed that I was thinking about this and wrapped an arm around me. I had told him about the sadness this brought me and the unbearable things that I would have to bear. I would have to watch my friends, my best friends all die of my kids would all grow up and we would slowly have to detach ourselves because we couldn't look younger than our kids. Percy had seen me cry over this but I always had to pull it together in front of the kids, they could never know about this and they especially could never know how much I feared it.
"Annabeth how's work going?" Max asked from the couch across from me. A champaign glass in one hand and his free arm around his wife.
"Busy as usual." I said then taking a sip of my glass. The raspberry at the bottom rolling around. They must have caught on to my unattached attitude.
Carter got up and walked over to me sitting down next to me and wrapping her arms around me. "what's wrong?" She asked.
"Just thinking."
Carter and Thalia just nodded. They both knew what my worries were I had talked to them about it many times.
Everyone dropped the subject.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST A CASUAL LINE BREAK~~~~~~~~~~~~
Percy's POV
All the adults kept talking for about an hour but Annabeth stayed tense in my arms and I couldn't help blame myself. I would live with the guilt of making her so unhappy with this for literally the rest of eternity.
Spencer was talking about how Ariel was going to be going to Alabama in the fall for business school when he glass patio door opened. All the kids piled out onto the patio. They all awkwardly stood there glancing back and forth at each other.
"Can we talk to you guys?" Brady asked rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"Sure ya can honey and you guys can all sit down you don't have to stand." Annabeth said smiling to them.
They all squeezed onto the only open couch and one chair.
"Um so this is kinda awkward for us and don't get mad but..." Brady started.
All the adults nodded for the to continue.
"But all of the parents look wrinkly and old except for you mom and dad." Kylie said bluntly.
"Well wasn't that nice." Sadria mumbled.
Annabeth's mouth opened and closed I could practically see the gears turning in her head trying to form an answer.
"What were trying to say is that you tell us that you guys have never had Botox but you look really young," Remi said, "Like the people I babysit for who have a 5 year year old and are 34 look older then you."
"And we found a box in the entertainment center that had photos from your guy's high school years to your wedding and you guys haven't aged a day since your engagement photo was taken." Dallas said.
Carter shot Dallas a warning look as if to say "your treading on thin ice."
Annabeth still hadn't said a word, So I did.
"Doll we have to tell them..." I whispered in her ear.
Annabeth swallowed and sat up straighter.
"Okay you want the truth," Annabeth said, "You know the Greek gods well I'm a daughter of Athena goddess of wisdom Your dad, Aunt Kat and Aunt Sadria are all children of Poseidon the god of the seas. Carter, Thalia, and Spencer are children of Zeus king of the gods and ruler of the skys. Max and Clarisse are Children of Ares the war god. Chris and Connor are sons of Hermes the god of thieves and travelers and Nico is a son of Hades ruler of the underworld. We all went to a camp where demigods, that's half human half gods go to train to be heros. We've fought in two wars and defeated Kronos and Gaea. Oh ya and Piper is a daughter of Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty and her Jason is a son of Jupiter the Roman king of gods and ruler of the skys and Leo is a son of Hesphestus the god of the forgeries and Reyna is a Daughter of Bellona The Roman war goddess. Your dad took a swim in the river sticks to be able to fight Kronos and became invulnerable except for one area and he was offered immortality when he was 16 but turned it down to be with me. I became the official architect of Olympus and rebuilt all of it after the second titan war. Yes, we are all related in some way. no, it is not gross because gods don't have DNA you are half demigod and a quarter god. When Percy was 24 The olympians told him he had to become immortal and they gave him a vial and said I could either stay mortal or drink the vial and be immortal and live forever. I drank it we are eternally 24 and will never die." Annabeth told them with a straight face.
To say they were shocked was an understatement.
"Honey I think you just killed the kids." I told her.
The adults look pretty stunned to I guess they expected us to lie.
Then they all started to talk at once.
"Okay one at a time." I said holding up my hand. "Brady go."
"Okay so are we going to age?" Brady asked.
"Yes you will die," I said "Next" I pointed to Kylie.
"So grandpa is a mermaid?" Kylie asked.
"I am not answering that." I said then pointed to Remi for her question.
"You gave up immortality when you were sixteen to be with mom that is the sweetest thing i've ever heard." Remi gushed.
"I know I'm a stud." I said. Carter rolled her eyes at my response.
I pointed the Liam.
"Can we go to camp?" Liam asked.
"Maybe." I responded.
The night pretty much went on like that until it got late and We all decided to turn in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LINE BREAK~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Annabeth's POV
Percy and I were in our bathrooms brushing our teeth. I spit my tooth paste into the sink and leaned under to get water from the faucet swished it around and spit it back out. I grabbed a towel off the rack next to me and wiped my mouth.
"Well that was interesting." I said to Percy leaning back onto the counter.
"But we got through it and now no more secrets." Percy said with all the tooth paste in his mouth.
"Spit that out it's gross." I told him smiling.
"Really this is gross." Percy said waling towards me with his lips out.
"Oh no spit that out." I yelled running away.
"NOPE" He yelled.
"I ran out of the bathroom into our gray and blue bedroom. one of the walls was a Large floor to ceiling window that over looked the sound. I ran and jumped onto the bed. Percy followed and jumped onto the bed pining me down.
"You can't escape now." He said and leaned down and kissed me on the lips toothpaste and all.
"You're so gross." I said getting up and going to the bathroom to wipe off the toothpaste.
"But you love me." He said wrapping his arms around my waist.
"I really wish I didn't but I do for some unknown reason." I said with a smile spinning around to face him. I was between him and the bathroom counter his hands were leaning on the counter trapping me in.
"I think I know those reasons" He smiled and leaned down to kiss me.
"I love you Percy Jackson." I said pulling away leaning my head on his chest tracing his trident tattoo that was on his right pectoral that he got in college.
"For eternity?" He asked.
I could feel his chest move up and down with every breath that came in and out of his lungs.
"Well I don't have much of a choice do I?" I told him leaning up to give him a kiss.
He chuckled his deep husky voice vibrated against my head as he said "no you don't and I don't either but if I have to spend eternity with one person I thank the gods and my lucky stars that it's an amazing women like you."