Chapter 13:

CHRISTMAS DAY

Percy POV

I woke up on Christmas morning the same way I wake up every Christmas morning.

With a huge smile on my face.

I immediately turn to everyone else in the room, all of them are asleep though. What party poopers.

I frown, but then figure that I have to wake them up, no one wants to sleep through Christmas morning.

So… I jump on all of their beds and scream for them all to wake up.

By the time that all of the boys were awake they were all glaring at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked innocently.

"It's 6 in the morning Kelp Head. That's what's wrong." Jason said, glaring harder.

"But it's Christmas morning!" I protest.

"Still 6 in the morning though." Frank reminded me, settling back in bed.

"NO! Don't go back to bed, we can go open presents!" I say, dragging Frank back out of his blankets.

They all sighed and, muttering some choice words under their breath, followed me out the door.

When I came in front of the tree, my jaw dropped. Oh my goodness. That was… A lot of presents.

I see everyone reacting the same way that I did.

"Are those-Is this-Huh?" Ron asked, his sleepy mind probably not comprehending what he was seeing.

Nico goes to the tree and finds one addressed to him and tries to open it, but it refuses to be opened.

Ron groaned. "Oh yeah, mum said she would put a spell on the gifts so we couldn't open them until everyone was here."

I exchange mischievous looks with Leo. "Until everyone is here?" I echo.

"Yeah." Ron mumbles.

"Okay then." I respond, and Leo and I race to the hallway.

"EVERYONE WAKE UP! PRESENTS! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" The two of scream in near-unison.

We heard thumps, cursing in Greek, and moans.

"Looks like we got them up." Leo whispered to me, and I grinned in response.

A few seconds later, Annabeth appears. Her hair is a whirlwind from sleeping, her eyes still kind of tired and her glare murderous.

"PERSEUS JACKSON." She shouts.

"Yes, Wise Girl?" I ask, wincing.

"WHY DID YOU WAKE US ALL UP?!" She screamed into my ear.

"Um… presents?" I said in a 'duh' voice.

"Seaweed Brain." She whined. "I got almost no sleep!"

I grew alarmed. "Why? Did you have a nightmare?"

She shook her head. "No, the girls just stayed up super late talking about stupid stuff and I just didn't end up falling asleep until around 3 or 3:30." She said, running her hand down her face tiredly.

"…Would a present make you feel better?" I asked hopefully.

She glared at me again, but then sighed. "Might as well wake everyone up all the way then, they're all just trying to go back to sleep, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have been awake making breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Ron repeated, scurrying to kitchen.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and called everyone else down. A group of tired girls, and tired (but still suspicious) twins followed them afterwards.

"You all have to eat before presents, it's a rule." She declared.

"Since when?" Fred asked incredulously.

She glared murderously at him. "Now you get to open your presents last." She added in a nonnegotiable tone.

The rest of us snickered quietly at the look of outrage on his face.

We all ate as fast as we could and raced back to the tree to open presents.

We all gathered our presents around us and went to town with ripping the paper and yelling happily as we opened the presents.

I had gotten so many random things-another sand dollar from dad, a few tins of blue cookies from mom, a scrapbook from Chiron of old camp memories, and lots more from friends. I noticed I had gotten nothing from Annabeth. I wondered if she realized I hadn't put anything for her under the tree. I wanted to give her her present separately.

The two of us made eye contact, and just like that, we had a mini conversation, saying that we would meet in the kitchen really quickly.

"Me first." she said, before I could say anything. She hands me a vial with something silvery inside.

"What's this?" I ask her.

"It's… Well memories. I asked Hermione for help with it. If I put them into a Pensieve, then the two of us can go in it together and see the memories. They're all my favorite moments with you." She said quietly.

I wrap my arms around her tightly.

"That's incredible Wise Girl." I murmured into her hair.

"Thanks, but like I said, Hermione helped a lot." She said, and I could feel her blushing.

I take a deep breath.

"My turn." I whisper.

I carefully hand her a large velvet box and she gives me a warning look.

"You better not have spent a lot of money on me." I just chuckle and motion for her to open it.

She does as I ask and her eyes widen.

"Oh my… Percy it's beautiful." Inside was something I had specifically asked both Hephaestus and Aphrodite to help with.

It was a perfectly crafted heart, made out of the purest diamond (courtesy of Hazel asking Hades.) On the very top, in perfect cursive, the words I love you were written.

Her eyes were wide and unbelieving.

"Pe-Percy." She stuttered. "It's gorgeous." She whispers.

"Not as much as you." I whisper. Cheesy, yeah I know, but it's Christmas and it's my girlfriend, so I think it's okay.

"You're the most incredible boyfriend ever." She said softly.

I laugh quietly at that. "Well you're the most incredible girlfriend ever, so I guess we match, huh?"

"Thanks. Really. Seaweed Brain, it's the most beautiful thing that anyone has ever given me."

"You deserve it Wise Girl. I love you."

"I love you more, Seaweed Brain."

"As long as we're together, right Wise Girl?"

"As long as we're together." She echos.

After a little bit longer, the two of us join everyone else back near the tree, where Annabeth's necklace immediately flashes in the light, catching the attention of everyone.

"It's beautiful!" Piper breathed.

"Smashing." Ginny agreed.

"Positively lovely." Hermione nodded.

All the girls complimented the necklace, and Annabeth smiled.

"I love you, Percy." She whispered again.

"I love you too."