Annabeth

A week later we stand in our new apartment surrounded by the full furniture set gifted to us by the Hephaestus cabin, duffle bags of clothes, boxes of my books from my dad's house in San Francisco, Percy's skateboards, and the various wedding gifts we were given. Percy and Paul work on putting together our bedroom suit while Sally and I sit at the round kitchen table, sipping lemonade and eating blue cookies.

"This is beautiful, Annabeth!" She tells me. "Such a view, and an amazing location. I wish I could have had something like this earlier in life."

"I feel spoiled." I admit. "This is all too crazy to be true."

"It's true, sweetheart. Your father sure does love you. And after all you and Percy have gone through to get here, it's hardly spoiling. You two deserve a lot more." As she's speaking Percy lets out a Greek curse that Sally would probably be happy she can't understand if she knew what it meant. She smiles and rolls her eyes. "At least he doesn't have to take a foreign language." She laughs.

"I'm just glad I get to go to school with him. None of our classes overlap except PE, but lunch does too. I think it's better, so we don't get tired of being joined at the hip. I'm nervous though. We've been joined at the hip since Tartarus."

"That's probably why he opted to take PE instead of letting swim team get him out of it. So he could be close to you."
"I'm glad for it."

A second later Percy comes out of the bedroom with Paul behind him.

"All set up." He smiles at me, then walks over and takes the blue cookie in my hand and eats it.

"Oh you little-" I glare at him. He just gives me his troublemaker smirk.

"I guess we'll get out of here and let you two unpack. Will both of you be coming over for dinner Sunday night? I'm making my seven layer salad."

"Of course. We'll see you then." She kisses him on the cheek and gives me a hug. Paul and him shake hands, I hug him, and they head out the door. I look at Percy with a smile and bite my lip.

"Unpack?" I ask. He smirks.
"That is what my mother left for."

"Okay, Seaweed Brain. But we'd better make this fast." I tell him.

"And why's that?"
"Because of what I'm going to do to you only after we're done." He closes the distance between us and kisses me deeply.

"Let's get started." He tells me when he pulls back. I have to catch my breath and stare at his mouth, suddenly wanting more.

"Or we could have sex now and unpack after." I suggest, a little breathlessly. He smirks at me.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He whispers, then picks me up and tickles me. I start laughing and shrieking as he carries me to the bedroom.

…..

Six long hours later, the apartment is completely put together. We have everything unpacked and put away, books on the shelves in the office, the desk put together, all of our kitchen appliances under the counter. And after Percy and I test the water pressure of the shower together, It feels like the apartment is all broken in. I sit in his t-shirt with him in a pair of boxers as we curl up on the couch to watch Titanic.

"You've seriously never seen it?" I ask him.

"Nope."

"You're going to cry."

"Not likely."
"I'll bet on it." I singsong to him. He kisses my temple.

"So." he starts as we look for the movie. "Excited for high school? First day back tomorrow."

"I'm excited for normal. Or a sense of it, anyways."

"Going to High School as a married student?" He laughs. "Not quite normal." I roll my eyes and lean into his shoulder.

"Normal enough. Classes, schedule, routine, applications for New Rome University. I've been thinking about trying out a sport."

"Goode doesn't have Archery, Judo or fencing." He comments.

"Not a combat sport, Seaweed Brain. A High School sport."

"What? Like cheerleading?" I roll my eyes

"A real sport, Seaweed Brain."

"Softball? I'd love to see you in those pants."

"Maybe. I was also thinking about Volleyball, maybe Cross Country."

"Not the swim team though?"

"No" I laugh, "wouldn't want to distract you."

"Fair enough. You are really really good at distracting me." He finally finds the movie and clicks it.

"Maybe track. I think Track would be fun. I've always been a good sprinter."

"Whatever you decide, I will be at every single game. That doesn't overlap a swim meet." He smirks and kisses my forehead.

"I love you."

"Love you too. Now, let's watch a movie that I will not be crying in."

END OF PART I