Don't Think So Much Annabeth
Chapter X: Plans

Week 13

If something ever happened between them, Annabeth was keeping Sally.

Granted, she didn't think Percy had the capability to ever hurt her, let alone do anything to cause them to separate on bad terms, but she still liked to entertain the thought that Sally would now be a permanent fixture in her life.

Everything she ever thought a loving mother would be, was embodied in Sally Jackson. True to her word, she was supplied with a container of fresh cookies weekly, and anytime she spoke on the phone with Sally she was invited to dinner that night. In the three weeks that had passed since their meeting she hadn't had the opportunity to go, but she looked forward to it. If Poseidon was anything like Sally or Percy, she knew he would be a big teddy bear and welcome her with open arms.

With her first trimester coming to a close, she figured it was about time she spoke with Percy about visiting for dinner one night this week and announcing their news. It made her heart beat hard to think about it, but Sally already knew and she took the news well. Plus, she didn't expect Sally to have to keep news that big from her husband much longer.

Annabeth observed Percy sprawled on the couch, legs dangling over the arm while he threw goldfish crackers into the air to catch in his mouth. She giggled a bit, making Percy tilt his head up to look.

"What?"

Annabeth giggled harder. "Nothing, just enjoying you being a goofball. I was thinking though, that maybe we should accept your Mom's dinner invitation? Maybe tomorrow night?"

Percy flipped around so fast the bag of crackers fell to the floor, but he paid it no mind as he ran and slid to a stop in front of her chair she'd tucked herself into to read. He grabbed the book from her, carefully placing the bookmark in it before laying it on the table.

"Are you sure? Dad's harmless but he can be a bit nosey. He's going to ask a lot of questions."

He didn't say it, but she knew he was asking permission to tell his parents. Percy knew that Sally was aware, but they were going to pretend like she didn't just to make it special. They couldn't exactly go over, introduce her, and keep silent about the fact he was going to be a grandpa.

"I'm sure. My second trimester starts next week, so now is traditionally the time to do it. I want to wait a bit longer before telling some other people, but I do want to at least tell your parents. I even got a cute gift bag with some clues in it to give them. Obviously your Mom won't really be guessing but—"

Percy caught her off guard with a hug, followed by rapid kisses all over her face. She started laughing wildly at his antics but didn't try to stop him. Once he finally did stop, she realized he'd finessed her out of her seat and onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing he face against his collar to breathe in his scent. Was it creepy? Possibly. Did she care? Nope.

"I have a serious question to ask you, but feel free to say no."

"Don't you dare propose again, not yet." She mumbled, not moving away.

"Noted. No, I wanted to ask about maybe telling my friends soon. At least Frank and Jason."

Irrational panic flared up at the thought, but she knew she would have to tell other people sometime. Thankfully he couldn't see her eyes widen or the way she started to nervously chew on her lip.

"Do any of them have any connection to my stepmom's hospital or my Dad's college?"

"None, and they won't say a word if we ask. I can even have an NDA drawn up if it'll make you feel better."

She pondered it for a moment, but relented to, "Can I meet them first, then decide?"

"Sure! Whenever you want, wherever. I will warn you though, you may end up meeting their girlfriends too, Hazel and Piper. Neither are connected anywhere to your family either."

Annabeth pulled away finally, trusting herself to be able to hide her insecurity about telling them now. Something else Percy said was more important. "Wait, wait. Wait. I've heard you mention Piper before, her Dad's Tristen McClean, right?"

Percy nodded. Piper was a well-known activist who famously rejected all movie and TV roles despite her beauty, choosing instead to use her fame to speak out for those who couldn't. While she would wait and gauge their interaction with each other, Annabeth definitely wanted to get her opinion about a new women's shelter she wanted to design in Manhattan. While she wasn't all that familiar with women's shelters, she knew they were in desperate need of a new facility and her company still had the funds to spearhead a civil service project.

"Annabeth, what are you thinking? Whatever it is, stop and take a breath because it's the weekend and you promised me you'd take it easy." He pouted as he finished his short speech, and she couldn't help but run a hand over his cheek.

"I'm filing it away for later, don't worry. Have your friends said anything about wanting to meet me?" A seed of worried started to bloom again, settling in her chest. She'd been seeing Percy for four months now, and only Thalia and Hannah knew. She hadn't bothered to tell anyone else, and honestly they only knew because Thalia was her cousin and Amanda watched Percy come into her office.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"You had a look on your face."

Annabeth sighed, but smiled and wrapped her arms around Percy to draw his head against her chest. "I only have two people in my life that aren't connected to you, and I'm being generous with Thalia because I knew her before I met you. I just…" She grasped for the words. "I had so many friends in college and now I've become such a recluse. Thalia had to drag me out of my apartment the night I met you. I'm too comfortable to just stay indoors all the time and that scares me."

Percy looked thoughtful, and she appreciated he didn't blurt out something just to make her feel better. She could see why his Dad put him in charge of PR events with reporters.

"You said you came to New York for college to get away from your family, right? When did they move here?"

"Right after I graduated." She muttered. It was a touchy topic, and she still believed her step mother convinced her Dad to move here just to piss her off.

"That's when you started staying in, right? Maybe subconsciously you're afraid to run into them in the streets or when you're out with friends. I think it's why you're afraid to tell anyone about the baby too."

Annabeth made a little 'hmph' sound, but knew he was correct. "Keep this up and I'll have to find a different nickname for you." She was deflecting again, and it was obvious Percy knew her game.

He tried to start conversations before about her family, asking specific questions, but the only one's she'd answered were about the twins. She loved her father dearly, but when he sided with her step mother over her, it really hurt her and she struggled to let that go. Certain aspects of relationships were very black and white in opinion, and the ability to listen and compromise was one of them. Her father failed in both of those, so it was easier to cut all communication with him off instead of getting her feelings hurts repeatedly.

Doing the same thing and expecting a different result was the definition of insanity. She would not put herself through that.

Percy pulled away to look at her. "I won't make you talk, you know that. Just let me know how I can help, and I will. Okay?"

Her heart beat a little faster at the sight and she couldn't help but return his soft smile. He was so genuine and everything he said or did reflected that. Maybe she could learn from him and follow his lead trusting people.

"Do you really think your friends will like me?"

"Are you kidding me? Piper will adore you and Hazel will want to pick your brain for trivia facts. Jason might make some comments that you are way out of my league, which is true, but Frank will keep him in line if Piper doesn't."

She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Should we invite them over here or do a big get together with your parents?"

"As much as they love my Mom's cooking, I think Jason, Thalia, and my Dad may be a bit much all together for an announcement like this. I know Thalia wouldn't have told Jason anything, so she would be all smug that she found out first."

"Only because she dug through my garage! Are they friends too?"

Percy looked confused. "Why wouldn't they be? They're half siblings."

"What? She mentioned a half-brother years ago, but rarely brought him up. I just assumed they didn't like each other."

"It was a complicated situation. When she first found out about him, it was messy. Her Mom was already on the verge of leaving, and Jason's Mom… I let him tell you about her when he's ready. Anyway, he had nowhere else to go. So when CPS showed up on their doorstep with Jason, Thalia's Mom left. Uncle Zeus was suddenly left with two kids on his own and it caused some tension. Eventually they realized they weren't so different and started to get along. They're not super close, but they do keep in touch."

She filed that information away for a later date. As far as she was concerned, Thalia was mostly an open book, so her reluctance to discuss Jason must have something else behind it besides her Mom leaving.

"Okay, so immediate family one dinner, and then what do you want to do for your friends? Should we invite them here?"

Percy laughed. "I don't think I can cook enough food to feed them. How about we rent a private room at a restaurant? There's an exclusive one we use for business meetings and anything they hear they keep to themselves."

That would work. It had been a while since she had a good meal at a restaurant, and she definitely would feel more comfortable in a public space. She was used to wining and dining her clients; how would meeting Percy's friends be any different? She just had to be herself and hope they didn't assume she was a gold digger who got knocked up just to take Percy's money.

No. She couldn't think things like that. Percy's friends would be wonderful and the dinner would go off without a hitch. For now, she just needed to focus on the dinner tomorrow night with his parents.