AN: So, here is the next chapter. It's mostly a filler chapter but there are some important parts in it.
Next chapter Hera gets in a little trouble, and baby Castellan is born. But I think we all knew that was coming soon. Eventually, she'll head off to Camp Jupiter.
Anyways, enjoy!
One More Day.
Chapter 8: Where We Belong.
Annabeth sighed as she sat on the docks at the canoe lake.
She remembered this place was where she'd had one of her first talks with Percy, back when she was a new camper.
She'd been thirteen then, the same age as Annabeth, yet she'd turn fourteen a few months before Annabeth would the following February.
She'd always found it hard to believe the girl could be a year older then her when she seemed so...childish at times. She was lively, like nothing could bring down her spirits.
Yet, at the same time Annabeth had seen Percy in the face of real danger. She'd seen the differences between Percy when she was in a fight and when she wasn't.
"Drachma for your thoughts," a familiar voice said from behind her and she looked over startled.
She blinked and smiled.
"Only a Drachma?" Annabeth asked and Will chuckled and sat down beside her.
"I guess for the daughter of wisdom you expect more?" he asked, smirking slightly.
She flushed a little in embarrassment.
"It's nearly April," Annabeth said. "Leo is working as fast as he can on the Argo II, yet it still doesn't seem fast enough. Sephie is out there, pregnant and alone. Who knows if the Romans will even accept her!"
Will rubbed her arm hesitantly, sighing.
"I know, I worry about her too. The whole camp does, she's our Leader. Whether she knows it or not."
Will looked over the lake which wasn't as calm as it usually was – it hadn't been since Percy had gone missing.
"We have to believe she's alright."
"I know, but..." Annabeth began, turning to face Will but to her surprise she was cut off by the son of Apollo's lips on hers.
Slowly, once she'd gotten over her surprise, she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss. It was the first real kiss she'd ever had.
When they broke apart, Annabeth opened her eyes and stared at Will in a mix of emotions she wasn't completely sure of.
"Wow," she muttered, and Will scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Okay, um before you hit me or something..." he trailed off and smiled before he began again.
"I really like you Annabeth. I have since the war, or well before the war. But it really hit me when you took that knife for Percy. I almost thought you were done for and it scared me...a lot."
Annabeth smiled, and chuckled.
"And now your laughing at me," Will said, and Annabeth laughed harder for a minute.
"No, I mean...I like you too. It just never really seemed like the right time," Annabeth said.
"Well, being as we are demigods, I don't think there will ever be a right time," Will said, and took a hold of her hand.
"Annabeth Chase, will you be my girlfriend?"
Annabeth smiled.
"As cheesy as that sounded, yes I will," she said, and leaned over pecking him quickly on the cheek.
"By the way, you owe me two drachmas," she said, as they stood up to leave.
Will groaned.
"You can't be serious," he said.
Annabeth smirked, laughing as they walked back towards the cabins.
xXx
Reyna groaned as she tossed and turned in her bed at Camp Jupiter.
She'd been at camp for four years, ever since her home had been destroyed by two girls, Persephone and Annabeth. She would never forget their names, they had been the cause of so much pain for her and her older sister.
Yet at the same time it allowed them to leave Circe's island and become the people they were today.
She, Praetor of Camp Jupiter, a Senator – a warrior.
Her sister, much the same, but instead of coming to Camp Jupiter she'd fallen in with the Amazons, and soon became their queen.
Positions their mother – who'd come to them in a dream when the Pirates had them captive – would think befitting of her daughters.
Her dreams lately had been disconcerting to be blunt. At first there was just a girl in her dreams, a girl who looked very familiar. Lightly curled brunette hair and tanned skin, along with bright sea green eyes.
In some of these dreams the girl had a sword which seemed to have an aura of power, or maybe the aura was from the girl herself.
The first few dreams she was fighting different monsters or what seemed like gods or Titans – but that couldn't be right...could it?
Recently they were of her and a boy, a boy that looked so much like Lord Lucian that she was sure it was him. But how could that be? Even more recently the girl was in a more familiar setting, but she was very obviously pregnant.
The dreams made no sense to her.
'You have a choice to make, Reyna, both you and Persephone,' a feminine voice said, but this one was much kinder than the one who'd spoken to her once before in her dreams. 'I just hope it will turn out well for both of you in the end, child of Bellona.'
Reyna jerked up in her bed, her dark eyes wide and comforter clutched to her chest.
She wasn't surprised to find the purple top she had on was wet with sweat from her dreams, and sort of nightmares.
Usually that only happened when the other woman came into her dreams, she had no idea who either were though.
Both wanted something from her, the not so nice one more so than the other.
'Soon she will come, and my plans will be set into motion,' a deep feminine voice, so unlike the one from her dream echoed in her mind. Like it came from deep within the earth.
'Soon, you both will be my very important little pawns. But I wonder, which one?'
Reyna took a deep breath and swung her legs over the side of her bed, and got up. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep now, there never was after nights like this.
xXx
"How is she?"
Lupa looked beside her at the sudden appearance of the god of demigods (among other things). The god was once again in his Greek form, probably in case his wife woke up from her sleep on the cot and furs she slept on.
"She's pregnant..." Lupa said, her left eye twitching. "I was pretty sure the emotions were pretty stable after the first few months, but I've never had to consul a demigod on whether they were fat or not."
Luke couldn't hide the twitch of his lips at the wolf goddesses words.
"Better you than me," he said and he flinched some at the harsh wolf glare the mother of Rome sent him.
"I hope she breaks your hand when it's born," Lupa snarled, and Luke laughed nervously.
"But, back on topic. Persephone seems to be getting a lot more movement from the baby lately. If Diana and Apollo are right, then she'll have the baby within the next two weeks," Lupa said and Luke smiled proudly.
"Hard to believe it's almost..." Luke's words trailed off and he turned serious. "And Hera?"
"You'll have to find a way to distract her," Lupa said.
Luke frowned.
"That won't work, once she'd realized it's a distraction or the distraction ends," he began. "She'll come here and find...her plans have changed."
Lupa frowned.
"Just be here, we'll worry about Juno when she arrives. I don't think Percy or you would allow her to take the child away."
"And when Percy must travel to Camp Jupiter?" he pondered. "I know my wife, she won't leave our child behind."
"There are ways," Lupa said. "I think the answer may lie in Ops. As her Champion, Persephone is allowed certain things. Perhaps an easy way to Camp and protection for the child can be arranged."
Luke frowned but nodded.
"I will be back, Artemis and Apollo both have a close eye on Percy," Luke said. "They've also talked to their sister, Eileithyia."
"Lucina," Lupa said, nodding in her understanding.
Luke nodded, knowing Lucina was Eileithyia's Roman form.
"Yes, she's agreed to help pinpoint the exact time Percy will go into labor. So we can get me down here without alerting Zeus right away. Apparently she sees it as a way to get back at her mother for something she did a few decades ago."
Luke frowned, he hadn't asked what Hera had done to her daughter for the girl to still have a grudge against her, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
"And Zeus doesn't realize you've not been there full time?" Lupa asked, and Luke shrugged.
"I think he has realized many of the gods have been going between the mortal world and Olympus, but I think he's beginning to realize what a ridiculous idea closing off Olympus was," Luke said.
"Athena's work, her and Artemis have been trying to get Zeus to realize this fact for months."
Lupa nodded.
"If anyone can make Jupiter see reason it would be his two favorite immortal daughters," Lupa mused.
Luke nodded, and sighed.
"I should go now," he said. "I don't want to push my luck. I'm not sure Zeus is fully aware yet, but considering what could happen if Hera does come for Maeve...well he'll know soon enough."
Lupa nodded and moments later there was a flash of light and the god was gone.