Thanks again for the comments. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story. The day is winding down, but I've been thinking about the happy couple living together at camp this summer. Especially since Tyson will now be in cabin three with them. Can't wait for Percy to remember to tell his bride about that.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Sally says calling everyone's attention to the bride and groom, "Percy and Annabeth are going to cut the cake now."
Sally starts to hand Percy the cake slicer, but he holds his hand out to his wife instead. She gives him a funny look then whips her knife out of its sheath and hand it to him with a smile. He kisses her then places their hands so his is over hers to cut the cake together.
"Oh man, I hope you washed that good," Travis yells.
"Especially since we know where it's been," Connor agrees.
Percy gives them a shush look then they cut a slice of the cake. Sally helps them get the piece of cake on a plate then Annabeth straps the knife back on her arm, icing and all.
Once the bride and groom each take a piece of cake and pose for pictures, as they prepare to feed one another, Annabeth and Percy then sidestep each other. Annabeth shoves a face full of cake all over Grover while Percy smears Thalia's face but good.
"What the…" Thalia yells as Percy, along with everyone else, starts laughing hysterically. "Why you little…Kelp Head…I swear to dad," she says then grabs a handful of cake and takes off after Percy who decided he might need to run. He's laughing too hard to get a good head start and since she is a hunter, it doesn't take much for her to catch him. "You're a jerk," she says then pounces on him knocking him to the ground. She shoves the cake in his face so hard it goes in his mouth, up his nose and all in his eyelashes.
"OK, OK Pinecone Face," he says still laughing so hard he's having trouble breathing. It doesn't help that his cousin is now sitting across his chest.
Everyone, except Grover, who is too busy licking icing from his face and Juniper who is helping him with that, is now watching Percy get pounded by Thalia.
Zeus pats his brother on the shoulder, "Even my daughter can best your son," he says.
"Only because he's letting her brother, only because he's letting her," Poseidon says laughing then walks over to break up the action.
Iris and Sally quickly serve the cake to everyone else while Percy and Thalia try to get cleaned up with Annabeth's help.
"You've got a little right there in your hair," Annabeth tells her best friend.
"You'll pay for this Kelp Head," Thalia says, as Annabeth fishes icing from her hair. Percy just snickers.
"Here blow your nose," Annabeth now tells her husband, as she hands him a napkin.
"Just so you know," Percy says blows his nose then continues, "it was her idea."
"What?" Thalia says now looking up at Annabeth, "But you're my oldest and dearest friend. How could you do that to me?"
"Come on Thals, it was funny. Even your dad laughed," Annabeth defends.
"My dad laughed at me?" she asks since she was too busy to notice.
"And my dad, and Uncle Hades, and…" Percy says going down a list.
"Oh gods, I'll never live this down," Thalia says.
Annabeth, seeing that Thalia is pretty much cleaned up, takes her friend's face in her hands and says, "We love you."
"I love you too," Thalia says then puts her arms around Annabeth's waist. When Percy walks over and starts to put his arms around both of them, Thalia punches him in the gut then pulls him into the hug.
"Annabeth, we need to get all the available ladies together for the bouquet toss," Sally says breaking up the group hug.
"Are you coming?" Annabeth asks Thalia.
"Hades no," Thalia says.
It takes a while to locate all the available ladies at the wedding. Iris insists that even though she is not married, she is not available, as does Athena, Hestia, Rachel, and Thalia. They get Fleecy, Katie, Juniper, Hazel, and Piper rounded up, but they have to pull Clarisse into the group.
"Where's Reyna?" Annabeth asks, as she gets ready for the toss.
"I'm coming," Reyna yells, as she runs from the cabin while adjusting her dress.
"Little girl's room," she says taking a place right next to Katie.
"I bet," Katie says, as she sees Apollo now coming from the cabin as well.
"Get your hands out of your pockets Clarisse," Chris yells from behind Annabeth.
"Why," she yells back, "If you want me to be the next one to get married, you just have to get off your ass and ask me."
"Clarisse, will you marry me?" he yells back.
"You can do better than that," she yells back just as Annabeth throws the bouquet through the air. Annabeth was actually aiming for Piper, but since she had to turn around to throw it, she missed her mark a little. It was headed straight at Clarisse who batted it away. It bounced off of Fleecy's head and right into Juniper's hands.
"Great God Pan," Grover says with a gasp, "Now what am I supposed to do?"
"I think you need to go propose," Percy says with a chuckle, as he claps his best friend on the back.
"Grover, look!" Juniper says running toward him.
"Blahhhh," Grover says then slaps his hands over his mouth, so Juniper won't hear him.
"You know what this means don't you?" Juniper asks, as she jumps into Grover's arms.
"Dessert?" he says hopefully.
"No silly, this means we're the next to get married," she says.
"Oh."
"Oh, that's all you have to say is oh?" she snaps at him.
"What do you want me to say?" he asks.
"I want you to say, Juniper you're the tree for me. Please be my wife," she says giving him the eye that says NOW SAY IT.
"Um, Juniper you're the tree for me. Please be my wife," he squeaks out.
"Yes," she screams loud enough to rival Zeus on a bad dad. She kisses his face several times then jumps down and goes running to the other girls. "We're getting married!"
"Congratulations G-man," Percy says, as Juniper runs off.
"Thanks, I think," Grover says.
"Look, if you don't want to marry her…"
"No, I do, I love her," Grover says then the other guys crowd around to congratulate the satyr.
The excitement of Grover and Juniper getting engaged lasts for several minutes while everyone takes turns congratulating both of them. By the time Paul tries to get everyone back together for the garter toss, it again becomes a scramble to round everyone up. Like the ladies, Apollo insists that he's not going anywhere near that, and Grover decides that it's now in his best interest to sit this one out as well. Jason, Leo, Nico, Dakota, Will, Frank, Tyson, and the Stoll brothers are all ready, but no one can find Chris until Tyson, who now towers over everyone, spots him and Clarisse sitting in chairs where the ceremony took place.
"Hey, Rodriquez," Percy yells in that direction them motions for him to come on, when he looks up and sees who yelled.
Chris and Clarisse get up and walk over to everyone gathered around.
"Come on man," Percy says you need to get in there.
"No he doesn't," Clarisse says then smiles, "He did it better."
"You're getting married?" Annabeth asks excitedly.
"Yeah," Chris answers.
"Can we get this done before everyone here gets engaged," Percy's stepdad now asks.
"Yeah," Percy says then leads his bride over to a chair.
Annabeth lifts her dress, and of course half the guys whistle, even though every one of them has seen her in shorts a million times. Percy starts to reach in with his hand, when his wife grabs his head and pulls it to her leg.
"Use your teeth," she says, as she leans over and whispers in his ear.
"You don't have to tell me twice," he says with a grin then grabs the garter between his front teeth.
The truth is he could have easily gotten it off of her leg, but he was enjoying himself way too much to do this fast. It takes him about three minutes to finally clear her foot. Once he does, he stands up and takes a bow with the garter still hanging from his mouth.
"Nice job cousin," Jason yells.
"Thank you, thank you," he says and bows again to their clapping.
"Now let's see," he says, as he glances over his single guy friends.
"Jason, Jason, Jason," a chant now comes from the ladies standing behind him.
"Jason, huh," Percy says with a smile, as his cousin's face turns beet red.
"No, Frank," Zeus shouts.
"Oh no you don't," Hades yells, "Nico!"
"Dad!" Nico yells embarrassed.
"Better you then your little sister," his dad yells back.
"So I am older!" Nico shouts looking at Hazel this time. Hazel makes a motion with her hand that says whatever.
"So many choices," Percy says then turn his back to the guys. Annabeth now steps up in front of him, or is pushed by Thalia would be more accurate, then she kisses him, as he throws the garter. The garter starts doing loops in the air then it suddenly looks like a laser guided missile instead of a lace covered piece of elastic. It smashes right into Jason's face.
"Nice shot," Dakota says in shock.
"I didn't do that," Percy says then a very familiar goddess of love can be heard laughing from somewhere far away.
"Mother!" Piper yells looking toward the sky.
"Come here you," Jason says pulling Piper into his arms then kissing her, as everyone else gathers around Clarisse and Chris to congratulate them.