"Water names."
"Smart names."
"Water."
"Smart!"
"Water!"
"Smart!"
"Perseus Jackson, stop tickling me!"
"I am incapable of not tickling you, Annabeth Jackson."
"Put me down, Seaweed Brain!"
"Do you agree to name our daughter something that does not have to do with water?"
"No."
"Into the sea we go!"
"NONONONO!"
"LOOKOUT BELOW!"
With a triumphant splash, they tumbled from the swim-up porch into the warm blue waters of the Pacific. Annabeth shrieked with laughter as she surfaced, soaking wet. Percy did not surface, naturally. She swam leisurely around where the porch of the bungalow met the sea until she came to the soft sand of their small, personal beach. She waded on shore, enjoying the sun on her back as she wrung out her shirt. Actually, it was one of Percy's older, rattier t-shirts. Now it was salt-encrusted and would smell like ocean for weeks-not that he would mind. Her blue pyjama shorts, on the other hand, she had cared about. Ah well.
She sat down on the sand, careful not to plunk down too sharply. It had been three days since the wedding, and she was becoming increasingly aware of the fact she probably couldn't keep up her usual level of activity. Her normal brisk run was definitely out. She wouldn't be doing lunges or vaulting over monsters. She had Percy for that. She'd woken up late the morning before-she had never loved sleep so much in her life-to sun streaming in from the porch of the bedroom. The whole part of the bungalow facing the sea was rimmed with a giant swim-up porch. The rooms accessing it had three usual walls and one that was a giant glass sliding door. Her first morning there, Annabeth had slipped out of bed, walked three steps, slid open the door, and took another two steps out into the ocean. There was a near invisible meal service where someone from the resort proper drove up the only land-access rode to the bungalow, rang the bell to ensure he wasn't walking in on anything, and delivered a fantastic spread. They did, of course, have the option to walk up to the main part of the resort where all the restaurants and cottages were, but they were happy to be alone together. Anyway, Annabeth had woken up to find Percy sliding back into bed next to her.
"Did I wake you?" he whispered. She shook her head sleepily, resting her head on his chest. She sniffed. "You smell terrible," she exclaimed. "What happened?"
"Monster dust," he said apologetically.
"Percy, do not get monster dust in our amazing fluffy cloud bed!" She teased, but quickly scanned him for injuries, insuring that he was safe and well. None that she could see.
"Pregnancy had hardened you," he joked, slipping out of bed again and heading for the sea.
"Ha, ha. You okay?"
"Routine skirmish," he grinned. "Harpy gone ballistic. You sleep like a rock, by the way."
"Only in cloud beds." She looked up at him expectantly. He kissed her, then went out to swim while she slept some more.
She'd also been reading a ton, usually in a gigantic, submerged bubble in and around the coral reef. They swam constantly, sometimes in bathing suits, sometimes fully dressed. Not that she'd worn anything but pyjamas since she'd got here. Her hair had so much salt in it that it made a scrunching sound when she tossed it up on her head. Her skin was already dark, her hair sun-streaked, and Percy's torso was nut-brown from running around without a shirt. He argued that since he was always in a bathing suit or about to hit the sea, it made sense not to wear one, and anyway she kept stealing his. All of that was true, of course, but it didn't help the fact that it was extremely distracting.
She tilted her head to the sky and closed her eyes, soaking in the rays. She heard the sand shift as Percy emerged soundlessly from the waves and sat down next to her.
"Why won't you let me name our daughter something to do with water?" she asked good-naturedly, unmoving.
"I'd rather do something that reflects you."
"You're sweet." she opened an eye. His eyes were trained on the sea, water glistening on his dark hair and tanned skin. "Can I still use your mother's name?"
He grinned, turning to her. "That you can do." He kissed her, and she tasted salt from the water on both of them.
"This is paradise," she sighed, lying down on her back in the warm sand, heedless of the grains affixing themselves to her hair.
"How are you feeling?"
"Tired," she yawned. "I ache. This morning I felt a little n the sick side, and I could really, really use a giant spoonful of chocolate frosting."
Percy laughed, the sun sparkling off the water on his skin. He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "So long as you're okay. We'll set up a doctor's appointment when we get back, right?"
"I told Piper to book one for me. Did I tell you she and Jason were thinking of getting married in early January?"
"Jason did mention something about a winter wedding. They want something small, right?"
"They won't get it if Piper still wants me as maid of honour," Annabeth said ruefully, running a hand over her flat-but-not-for-long stomach. "I'll be massive by then. I'm supposed to have this baby by the end of February, so long as I can figure."
"I'd bet my life on your math. I have, actually." Percy flopped on his back next to her. "This is surreal."
"What is?" she asked blissfully, closing her eyes against the sun. The waves lapped over her toes.
"Everything. This place, us being married, us becoming parents especially—holy gods, imagine us as parents."
"It still hasn't really hit me," Annabeth admitted. "Probably because we've told nobody. I mean, Piper knows, but she guessed and we didn't talk about it all that much. It's still weird."
"It's a good weird, though."
"Yeah."
She must have dozed off, because when she opened her eyes she was stretched on the porch swing facing the sea. Percy must have decided leaving her out under the elements was hazardous to her health. Blearily, she lifted her head. The sun was already high in the sky. On the table next to her was a note and a bowl. She picked up the note.
"Gone 4 a swim. B back soon. Xoxo, Percy"
She looked into the bowl and grinned. Chocolate frosting.
She liked being married.
Short chapter for you! I'd tell you more about the honeymoon but you can imagine that that would change the rating. Bottom line is, they're having a lovely, lazy time. Also an important take-away: We have a tentative baby arrival date, and a potential date for the Jasper wedding. I'm also working up to a very sweet Frazel engagement. I will be skipping large amounts of time from here on out, don't worry, so we should have a Percabeth baby in the next seven or eight chapters. Keep reading, suggesting & reviewing!