So this takes place a few months after Annabeth's dream in Dreams Do Come True. I'm still working on sorting out a basic timeline for this one-shot series, for now if you're confused feel free to leave a Review and I'll do my best to explain. Otherwise, enjoy!

For hproxx1999. Thank you for putting up with my seemingly-endless thoughts on stories and story ideas, for the amazing discussions we've had so far (plus some great holiday and/or recipe ideas), and for... well, just being generally awesome and a fantastic friend. Happy birthday.

Disclaimer - I don't own PJO.


~December 21st, 2019~

"Mrs. Jackson?"

The woman's voice on the other side of the phone is calm and completely casual. The blonde-haired woman pauses for a couple of seconds to consider her approach carefully, and then speaks. "Yes, that's me. What can I do for you?"

"This is Dr. Serena Benson. You came in to see me about a week ago, you'd been feeling strange for a few days and you asked me to take some blood samples and see if I could figure out what it was that was affecting you?"

Annabeth nods, remembering making the trip to the hospital herself just 8 days before. Though Percy had practically insisted that he accompany her, as he usually did, she had turned him down, telling him that it was something she needed to do by herself. And if the news the doctor had for her is anything along the lines of what she was expecting, then she'll be glad of the opportunity to surprise him. "I did, yes. Did you find out what it was?"

"We did. Your tests showed a higher than usual count of HCG in your blood. It's a chemical produced by the…"

The doctor is interrupted mid-sentence by the blonde woman's response. "I know what HCG is. Just… please, tell me what you found out".

"Very well, then. Congratulations, Mrs. Jackson, and an early Merry Christmas. You're definitely pregnant. You'll also need to schedule a follow-up appointment in a few weeks, just to make sure things are progressing as they should be, but that's about all you need to know, really".

Annabeth smiles slightly to herself, and her voice is soft when she responds. "Thank you. Percy and I have been trying to give our daughter Zoë a sibling for a while now, so he'll be really pleased when I tell him".

"I'm sure he will be. Alright, Mrs. Jackson, I'll see you in a couple of weeks. Have a safe Christmas".

"You have a safe Christmas too, Dr Benson. Bye!"

She hears the click of the phone on the other end of the line as it is set down, and taps the end call button herself, smiling as she does so. She pauses for a couple of minutes to think about how she's going to break the news to Percy, and then grins as a sudden idea comes to her, standing and heading to the door. She has the perfect plan for how to break the news to her husband and their daughter. She just needs to do some shopping first…

~Christmas Day, 12:00 pm~

She allows herself a gentle smile at something her husband says to Zoë, as well as to Sarah, their daughter's best friend (and Jason and Piper's daughter). Piper, Jason, Reyna and Thalia are involved in a seemingly-deep discussion on the nearby couch, the raven-haired huntress making gestures that Annabeth is almost certain indicate embellishments to whatever monster-hunting story she's telling. Nico and Will are sitting on one of the chairs together, with the son of Hades practically curled into his fiancé's side, their joined hands resting on one of Will's legs, the son of Apollo leaning slightly over Nico's shoulder to press a chaste kiss to the olive-skinned boy's forehead every couple of minutes. Hazel and Frank are sitting around the nearby table along with Calypso and Leo, and Calypso is telling them stories about her past. Or at least, that's what it sounds like. She feels a strong pair of arms slip around her waist, and she smiles, relaxing slightly into her husband's embrace. It really has been the perfect Christmas so far. She just hopes he likes the surprise she's got for him…

~Five hours later~

She stands in the doorway that leads from the lounge into the kitchen, a smile on her face as she watches her husband and their friends interact. Her five-year old daughter tugs on Percy's sleeve, and her husband crouches down to the girl's height, pulling Zoë into a hug and kissing the girl gently on the forehead before picking her up. Reaching into one of the cupboards above the sink, one of the few that she knows Percy seldom, if ever, looks in, she takes out a couple of carefully wrapped boxes and pauses for a couple of minutes to imagine how the two most important people in her life are going to react, before shrugging to herself and deciding just to get it over with. "Percy".

Her husband pauses in the middle of whispering some secret or another in Zoe's ear, smiling at her. "Annabeth"

She can feel her smile widen in anticipation of his response as she holds the boxes out towards him, as well as to their daughter who he is still holding. "Merry Christmas, Percy. And to you too, Zoë"

Her husband carefully sets their small daughter down on the ground, handing the girl the box with her name written (in Greek, thankfully) on it. Annabeth watches as they excitedly tear the wrapping off of the gifts and quickly remove the contents of the cardboard boxes inside. Zoë holds up a small black shirt with the words 'I Am Going To Be A Big Sister' written in white, and Percy raises an eyebrow at his blonde-haired wife as he holds up a similar-looking shirt, which is in green with the words 'Here We Go Again' written on it in white. By this point, Annabeth is practically bouncing up and down on the spot with excitement, and can barely restrain herself from blurting out the news already. She really, really, wants to share the news with her family, she'd just prefer it if he put it together himself. "Daddy, there's another box in there" Zoë whispers, pointing to the corner of the box his shirt had previously been in, and Percy crouches down next to his daughter, quickly noticing the small box.

Picking it up, he opens it, and his green eyes widen as he sees the small white stick nestled inside it on a bed of grey tissue paper. He glances up and towards his wife, a question already forming on his lips, but it dies immediately when he registers his wife's sparkling grey eyes and the smile on her face. He indicates the small box in his hand, mouthing the word 'really?' and she nods wordlessly. Within seconds, he's standing in front of her, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her into a tight hug. "This is fantastic, Annabeth. We've been trying to give Zoë a sibling for weeks now, this is absolutely brilliant news"

"And the perfect Christmas present" Annabeth points out.

"I could not agree with you more" her husband whispers, before pulling slightly away and picking up Zoë to better allow the little girl to share in their joy.

Annabeth smiles again, watching them interact, one hand resting, though she doesn't realize it, on her still-flat stomach. Percy's right, she thinks to herself. It really is the perfect Christmas present.


I've got a few ideas for where to take the series after this, but if any of you have any scenes from Percy and Annabeth's (as well as their children's) lives together that you would love to see, then please let me know and I'll be more than happy to see what I can do to fit them in!
Disclaimer - The above promise does not include smut/lemons.

So there we go. I'd love to hear your thoughts, please leave a Review?