December 24-25

Annabeth

The sunlight coming in through her windows hit her square in the eyes causing Annabeth to groan and pull the blanket over her face. After the long tiring day she had yesterday filled with tours of New Rome, the University, the dorms and the events her family held in the evenings, she had been spent. She had practically plopped down onto her bed once she had changed into her pajamas last night.

She stayed under the covers for another minute, taking in the morning ambiance. Today was Christmas eve, today was also their third day staying at her parents' home. Today and tomorrow she would spend the entire day at home bonding with her family. Things with her family had so far gone great. Sure, there was still some awkwardness around her dad and Helen and the boys were annoying as ever, but overall things were great.

Her phone buzzed from her nightstand. She picked it up a second later and noticed she had gotten a message.

11:53 AM- Percy

Hey, are you awake now?

Your brothers are taking me

To play basketball with them now

The first thing that popped up was the time. It was nearly noon, and she was still in bed. She didn't have many plans for today, but it still felt unproductive to wake up so late. She started scrolling through her messages.

11:25 AM- Percy

Bobby fell off his skateboard and scraped his knee

I fixed him up by using

Water bending healing from the show

Cool right?

11:00 AM- Percy

Hey you awake now? It's getting late

No?

ANNABETH! WAKE UP!

10:17 AM- Percy

Your brothers dragged me to the skatepark

9:12 AM- Percy

You better wake up soon before I

Eat all the breakfast

8:06 AM- Percy

I'm watching the Last Airbender and

Legend of Korra with

your brothers. They keep asking if I can

do the same things Katara/Korra can…

Probably. Never tried-we'll see

6:21 AM- Percy

Your brothers dragged me out of bed

to watch cartoons with them

it's way too early for this shit

She threw her phone onto the nightstand and threw the covers off herself. She made her way to the bathroom where she brushed her teeth and brushed her hair. Afterwards she went back to her room where she made the bed and grabbed her phone before heading downstairs to hear some kitchen commotion.

As she made her way to the kitchen, the TV was playing Home Alone, a Christmas classic for all ages. She entered the kitchen where Helen was starting the prep the Christmas meal for later tonight.

Helen spotted Annabeth coming in. "Good to see you finally join us," she said with a slight bite in her voice.

"Good morning to you too Helen," Annabeth responded.

Annabeth poured herself a glass of water. After a few seconds Helen spoke again. "Are you hungry? I saved you some leftovers from breakfast. You can put it in the microwave to heat it back up."

"Yeah, thank you."

After gathering her food, Annabeth made awkward small talk with her stepmother.

"Any plans for today?" Helen asked as she continued cutting vegetables.

Annabeth sighed. "No, today and tomorrow are supposed to be slow days."

"I see," she responded. "The boys are out right now, and your father is in his study like always."

"I see," Annabeth offered as her response.

After that there were seconds of awkward silence. She could practically hear the seconds passing by. She wondered if she should offer another speaking topic or if her stepmother would do so. After a couple more moments of silence Annabeth placed her plates in the dishwasher and was going to leave until her stepmother spoke again.

"Annabeth…" she said. She took a deep breath and then walked to the table and beckoned her to take a seat. Annabeth did as she was told but couldn't help the feeling of uneasiness in her stomach. There were a few more moments of silence before Helen spoke again. "Thank you, Annabeth."

"...What for?"

Helen took another breath. "Thank you for deciding to spend the holidays with us. It means a lot to us and thanks for giving us a second chance." She poured them tea and handed the demigod a mug. "I know that I have made your life difficult, and I was not a proper mother figure to you all those years ago. I was ignorant and I still am about the many hardships you have faced but that's still not an excuse for the way I treated you all those years ago. No child should have been made to feel unsafe around their parental figures." She took a sip of her drink. Annabeth felt her palms feel sweaty. "What I'm trying to say Annabeth, is that I'm sorry. I don't expect you to forgive everything that happened, but I hope that perhaps maybe the two of us could make a new path."

Annabeth was conflicted. She and Helen had a couple conversations in the past about the same subject since they reconnected. Things were extremely awkward and explosive at first, but she could tell that her stepmother was making a genuine effort. But all of that did not erase the damage that the woman had caused her when she had called Annabeth a 'freak' and to stay away from her family. Annabeth wondered if she would ever be able to forgive Helen, but then she saw the older woman's eyes. They were filled with… regret, guilt perhaps. Annabeth thought for another moment. Things would take time, but her stepmother had given her an olive branch and maybe one leaf at a time they could come up with a new path.

Annabeth took a sip of her drink. "Helen, I want you to understand that the damage you've caused me may never be forgiven. I ran away from home when I was seven because I didn't feel welcome, and I lived on the streets for many months afterwards before I made it to camp. The people I met at camp were more of a family to me that you or my father were. They made me feel safe and didn't shun me away."

She kept eye contact with her stepmother. "Many times, I considered never coming back and forgetting it happened all together. Even when my father would send letters to me and his college ring I never really felt like coming back." She took another sip. "But I think life is about second chances and acknowledging the mistakes that you've made. Please understand that I am not forgiving you for what you've done, but I am willing to accept the olive branch and as you said, come up with a new path."

Helen nodded. "Thank you for your time, Annabeth. Please know that you're welcome here anytime you're in need and your father feels the same way as well even though he's stuck in his study most of the time."

A small smile crossed Annabeth's face. Things were getting progressively better, but it would be years until she felt like she belonged properly into the Chase family.

After finishing their drinks, Helen asked if Annabeth would like to help with the cooking. They started up a conversation about the merits of cooking.

"That camp of yours never taught you how to cook?" She asked inquisitively.

Annabeth shook her head. "There really wasn't much need. Food just magically appears on the plates and the camp focuses on combat and survival."

"Cooking seems like a good survival skill to have though."

Annabeth shrugged. "I thought so too so I asked Sally and Percy to teach me some basics but I just have a special talent of turning anything I try to make inedible," Annabeth admitted. It wasn't just her. All her siblings in the Athena cabin were terrible cooks. Maybe it was a trait that was passed on to all Athena children like fear of spiders or maybe Athena had a feud with the god of cooking.

"Well, how good are you with a knife and planning?" Helen offered.

Annabeth smiled. "I can work with that.."

"Well then, maybe you can help with cutting some vegetables and getting things organized."

"I think I can do that."

The next couple of hours were spent helping Helen organize the kitchen, and keeping track of food and times. Annabeth also organized the table and hung up some additional decorations inside the house.

When she went back to the living room the TV was playing some of those cheesy Hallmark movies.

Annabeth turned to admire the Christmas tree and couldn't help but snoop at the presents underneath. She had added the present for the twins last night but was keeping Percy's present on her person so she could hand it to him. She noticed several boxes addressed to the twins as well as a single box addressed to her and a single one addressed to Percy.

"Admiring the presents Annabeth?" A voice called from behind her. She turned around to see her father standing while sipping a cup of coffee. "Any guesses as to what we may have gotten you?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I'll find out tomorrow anyway. There's no use in guessing what it could be." That was a lie, Annabeth was seething with curiosity. "I see you're out of your study."

Her father looked uncomfortable with that last sentence. "Yes, you know how things are. You get hyper focused and lose track of time. I'm sorry."

"I also get like that sometimes. I get so focused on something that I don't listen to those around me and next thing I know it's night."

Her father cracked a small smile. "Perhaps you got that trait from me." He motioned for the couch. "Why don't we sit and talk for a bit? The boys are out right now so it's quiet."

Annabeth took a seat next to her father. "What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

He placed his mug on the coffee table. "I'm open to anything you're willing to share. School, quests, relationships, hobbies, health, whatever it is you want to speak about."

Annabeth debated telling them about the summer quests with Gaia. It was a difficult subject to broach, and she had really only talked about it with Percy, Sally and Paul and her therapist. She had given her father an overview of the quests but never specifics. She never mentioned that she fell into Tartarus or the Mark of Athena. She took a breath and started telling him from square one. After she was done, her father pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh, my little girl," he whispered while rubbing circles on her back. "I wish I could have been there to protect you."

"It was pretty bad and everything happened so quickly that I'm still processing some of it even now."

"I wish I could lock you up in a box and keep you safe," he joked lightly.

"You couldn't if you tried. I would have found some way out."

"You're right," he chuckled. "I just wish the gods wouldn't force these dangerous quests on children. You're all still so young."

"That's just the way it's always been," she tried to explain lamely, knowing that it was completely unfair.

"Yes, but it doesn't make it more ethical."

Annabeth laughed lightly. "There was a time when I was 12 that I would do anything to go on a quest and prove myself. That's the reason I joined Percy's quest when he arrived at camp. It's been almost 6 years since then and now I want the opposite. I now want a quiet life free of quests and monsters."

He patted her back. "It's funny and fascinating to see how time changes our lives and how we change along with it.

"It is," she breathed. They sat together as they continued watching the Hallmark movie marathon. Helen came in and sat with them minutes later and brought them lunch.

After more moments, the front door opened with overenthusiastic twin brothers and a worn out Percy coming in.

"The way you fought those shop ladies was so cool," Bobby waved enthusiastically. "Your sword just went like whoosh and you killed her."

"Especially the one with all the free samples," Matthew added. "The way you used the water like Katara was incredible."

Her father was the first one to greet them. "You kids alright?"

The twins responded in unison. "We're great Dad! We went skateboarding, then we played basketball, then some soccer, then Percy took us to lunch and were attacked by these weird shop ladies handing out free samples."

Helen quickly made her way to the boys; she leaned down to take the two boys in tight hugs. "Oh my babies. You're not hurt, are you?"

They both shook their heads then pointed at Percy. "No, we're ok. Percy protected us and he healed my scraped knee with the water." Bobby showed them his knee which only had a small red mark on it.

Helen stood up and hugged Percy. "Thank you for keeping our boys safe."

Percy awkwardly put his arms around Helen since she was so much shorter than him. "I think they were only in danger because I was there," he said.

Helen shook her head. "No, I won't make the same mistake that I made in the past. I know you can't help attracting monsters but thank you for keeping them safe."

"Ah… you're welcome," he answered. She let them go and shortly announced that she would keep working on the food and could use a bit of help. Her father volunteered while the boys shook their heads vehemently and said they would rather play video games.

Percy pointed upstairs. "I'm just going to head upstairs and get cleaned up. It's been a long day."

Annabeth followed him to his room to ask how things went. She closed the door to his room once they were both inside. "You were attacked by shop ladies?"

Percy was rummaging through his suitcase, pulling out some clean clothes. "Yeah, Stheno and Euryale. Guess they're not my biggest fan after I killed them multiple times."

"You ok?" She asked. She got closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He smelled of the ocean with a slight undertone of sweat.

"Yeah, nothing I couldn't handle." He continued taking clothes out. "How about you and your parents? Anything happen?"

She shrugged. "Just talked with Helen and my dad. Helen wants to make a new path and I told my dad more about the Gaia quest."

"Oh...what did they say?"

Annabeth then told him about her earlier discussions. "I don't think I'm ready to forgive her, but I can see that she's trying to change. She didn't yell at you for putting the boys in danger and my dad is well like always. I'm not ready to fully forgive him either."

He turned around and wrapped his arms around her, pushing her head onto his chest. "It's all up to you to forgive them or not. I can't tell you what to do. It's like your own quest that you must face and only you'll know when you're ready."

She raised herself up on her tiptoes and kissed him. He pulled her in tighter as he deepened the kiss. Once they separated, she leaned onto his chest. "Thank you," she whispered. He didn't tell her what to do, just to take her time and use her judgment.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Anytime." They stayed together for a bit longer. "Oh, I want to show you something cool the twins wondered I could do."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is it dangerous?"

"Umm maybe. Let me explain. So, in this TV show one of the characters controls water and does all these cool things with it. They can use water to heal others." He began. "The twins asked if I could do that which I can with myself, but I wasn't sure with others since I've never tried. Then Bobby scraped his knee, and I healed him with the water. It was insane!"

"So…you're saying you're a healer?"

He shrugged. "I guess. Here let me show you. He uncapped Riptide and the sword sprung up." He looked her in the eye. "Do you trust me?"

She nodded. She hoped she didn't regret this. He held out his hand which she took. He used Riptide to make a small gash across her palm. The wound stung, but it wasn't anything she couldn't deal with. He put his sword away and held her hand. With his other hand he summoned a small sphere of water. He moved the sphere to her palm, feeling the coolness on her skin. Percy took a deep breath and the water started glowing a soft blue.

Her eyes widened when the wound started healing. The skin and tissue repairing itself until only a small faint mark was left. The water dissipated once it was done and she moved her hand around, testing it out and it felt as good as new.

She kept staring at it. Amazed by the healing, it had healed even faster than nectar and ambrosia! She then looked at Percy who was smirking. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Percy… that was incredible." The implications of this power were incredible. She started wondering how much he could heal? How much time would it take? Would saltwater make a difference?

"You have your 'I'm planning something face,' Percy commented.

"I'm just wondering about all the possibilities. It's really helpful."

"I don't doubt it, but right now I need to lay down in some water and rest. Too bad the ocean's too far away. It would have been nice to lay in it for a couple hours."

"You'll have to settle for the bathtub."

He shrugged. "That will have to do." He grabbed his clothes and kissed her on the forehead. "See you in a bit." Then he left the room.

Afterwards Annabeth headed downstairs where her brothers were playing Mario Kart still thinking about the healing. Her pondering was interrupted when her brothers asked her to join the game.

"Do you have any cool powers, Sis?" Matthew asked as they were playing.

"Don't try to distract me," Annabeth scolded. "And no, children of Athena have our wits, strategy and combat abilities. We don't need powers to win battles."

"Lame," Bobby deadpanned.

Annabeth beat them both by a wide margin. "Like I said, I don't need powers," she winked.

"She's like Suki from the Kyoshi warriors or like Mai and Ty Lee," Matthew supplied as he crossed the finish line.

"Or Asami," Bobby added, getting a disappointing 7th place.

Annabeth had no idea who those people were. She had spent almost her entire childhood in camp, so she wasn't up to date with recent pop culture phenomena. "Yeah, just like them," she agreed noncommittally.

They continued playing for the next hour until the sun started going down. Annabeth decided now would be a good time to take a shower. She headed upstairs to gather her clothes then went to the bathroom. Before entering she knocked to make sure no one was there. After not getting a response for several moments she went in.

The bathroom was large, having both a bathtub and a shower. It was warm and steamy, and she suddenly came to the realization that Percy hadn't come out of the bath yet. As she looked around, she noticed that his clothes and toiletries were still in the bathroom cubby. That told her that he had to be somewhere in here.

She neared the bathtub, looked over the edge and there he was underwater and sleeping.

Now normally this kind of sight would cause a normal person to freak out and pull the drowning person out of the water. Fortunately, she wasn't a normal person and he could breathe underwater. The shallow rise and fall of his chest confirmed that he was fine.

She considered waking him up, but he looked so peaceful and was probably tired from being woken up so early and everything the twins dragged him to. She decided to let him rest while she began removing her clothes so she could shower.

She let the warm waters caress her skin.

After she was done she wrapped a towel around herself and her hair. She went back to the bathtub where a sleeping Percy was still there. She knew she couldn't let him continue to sleep here. He was naked for one and two, someone might think he's drowning if they walked in to see him submerged in water.

She sat on the bathtub's edge and gently poked his shoulder a couple times to bring him out of his sleep. He groggily opened his eyes and smiled once he saw her, sitting up and poking his head out the water.

"Hey," he greeted as he stretched his hands above his head.

"You shouldn't sleep in the bathtub. People will think you're drowning."

He yawned. "But the water was so nice, and I was so tired."

Annabeth began drying her hair. "Dinner's soon. I don't think you want to miss it."

The promise of food always got him excited as he got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. "How long was I out?"

"About two hours. Feeling better now?"

"Definitely." He got behind her and wrapped his arms around her chest. He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Five more minutes," he whispered tiredly.

She poked him. "Come on, hurry up," she implored. He started rubbing his chin on her shoulder in protest. She tried to ignore the way his stubble scratched her shoulder. He hadn't shaved since the break started. "You need to shave too."

"Mmmhh," is all he said as he continued rubbing his chin on her bare shoulder.

The hairs were prickling.

"Percy! Stop that!"

He stopped for a second then started again. "No!"

"Excuse me?"

"You're excused."

"Ugh, you've been hanging around my brothers too much. You're acting like them."

"It's fun, you should try it sometime."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on. We really need to get down there."

He reluctantly split away from her, but not before he pressed a kiss on her temple. "Have I told you you're beautiful?"

"Not today."

"Huh, then you're beautiful."

Despite being together with him for over a year, he could still get her to blush profusely. She grabbed his clothes and handed them to him, hoping it would distract from the heat on her face. He willed himself and herself dry before he dropped his towel. She tried to respectfully keep her gaze above his waist. He quickly put his dark blue boxer briefs (he told her he bought more pairs ever since she told him she liked when he wore those, and she did like it when he wore them). This time she ogled his nice ass and his... well... the organ between his legs with those boxers on. He pulled his pants up then he went to his bag and pulled out his razor and shaving gel.

Annabeth started dressing as he shaved. She didn't miss the way that he kept glancing at her as she got dressed. She made sure to dress as slowly and as sensually as possible. She put on her jeans, a t-shirt and the Christmas sweater Sally gave her before she left. It was white with a blue snowflake pattern. Annabeth fixed her hair then headed out the bathroom back to her room to put her clothes away.

Before she left her room, she took a small box wrapped in blue paper that read:

To Percy

From Annabeth and Tyson

Her family usually did the gift exchange at midnight so she would bring it with her. There was a knock on her door. She quickly stuffed the box inside her sweater. Percy leaned against the door frame. He was wearing dark jeans and a blue Christmas sweater with a snowflake pattern that Sally had given to him as well.

"When do you guys exchange gifts?" He asked.

"At midnight."

He nodded. "I need to get your gift then so I can give it to you at midnight."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll wait for you downstairs" He left soon after. Annabeth had to find a better hiding spot for his gift than inside her sweater. She rushed downstairs and placed the box behind the tree where hopefully no one saw it.

He joined her downstairs a couple minutes later. Matthew and Bobby at some point left to shower and get dressed as well leaving the living room empty. Helen and her Dad were in the kitchen setting up the table. All the while Percy and Annabeth sat together on the couch and leaned against each other as The Polar Express played.

Her father came into the room shortly after the movie began. "Oh, there you two are. Dinner's almost ready. You two can come in if you'd like."

They both nodded and made their way to the dining room where Helen was placing the last of the food. The table had practically been filled with honeyed ham, mashed potatoes, all types of casseroles, and cookies.

It didn't take long for Matthew and Bobby to come in as well and together, the six of them sat at the table. Her father was the first to speak. He poured champagne onto his and Helen's glasses and poured Christmas punch into the remaining glasses.

"I'd like to propose a toast," he began. He looked around the table and held his glass to the center. "To new beginnings, peaceful times and happy futures."

They toasted and then began eating the meal. Helen had outdone herself this year. The food was delicious. All throughout the meal they made all sorts of talk. Her dad discussed new projects he was working on, Helen brought up some neighborhood gossip, Matthew and Bobby talked about the tv shows they were watching, and Annabeth and Percy bought up some of their quests (not all the dangerous details of course).

After dinner was over, everyone crowded into the living room where they watched movies until midnight where they could open presents. The movie of the moment was It's a Wonderful Life because of course it would be. She leaned against Percy's side as they watched the movie. The twins were buzzing with excitement as midnight neared while her parents were peacefully watching the movie.

"Can we open the presents now?" Bobby complained.

"We have to wait until midnight. It's not Christmas yet," Helen said gently.

"Come on mom. It's only like five minutes away," Matthew argued.

"Boys, listen to your mother," her dad chided. Both boys crossed their arms and grumbled under their breaths.

She looked back at Percy who was observing the scene with a smile.

"So, what did you get me, Seaweed Brain?"

He grinned; sea green boring into gray. "Wait four more minutes and then you'll know."

"I won't tell you what I got for you," she countered.

"Oh, you got me something?"

"Of course I did. You were kidnapped by Hera last year so we couldn't celebrate our first Christmas together." She rested her head on his shoulder. "I wanted to make this a bit special."

He kissed her head. "It's already special just having you here with me."

The clock finally struck midnight and the boys were the first ones to raid the Christmas tree. They started gathering and distributing presents to everyone.

'This one says to Mom.'

'This says to Dad.'

'This says to Bobby.'

'This one says to Annabeth.'

'This one's for Matthew.'

'This one's for Percy.'

The boys were the first to open the gifts.

"No way!" Bobby exclaimed. "Annabeth got us the latest video game with all the DLC."

"Thanks sis! We love you," Matthew added.

Annabeth smiled, finally getting a little appreciation from her brothers."You're very welcome."

Annabeth looked at the box on her lap from her parents. Her parents told her to open it after the twins were done unpacking their gifts. There was another box also sitting on Percy's lap as well.

"Who should go first?" Annabeth asked.

Percy shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Ladies first I guess."

"Ok then." Annabeth began removing the wrapping paper. Her eyes widened when it revealed what was inside. Her parents had given her a new laptop. It wasn't Daedalus' laptop but they had given her a high end laptop.

"You told us how you lost that laptop during your quest, and we wanted to give you something to replace it. We know it probably doesn't compare to what you had before but I hope you like it," her dad told her.

"We also thought you could use a higher model for all the architecture programs you'll be using during college," Helen added.

"Thank- Thank you guys so much," she stammered. She reached out and took them both into a hug.

"You're very welcome, Sweetheart. Hope it serves you well during college."

Percy whistled next to her. "Nice gift. Now I'm curious to see what I got."

"Go on, let's see what you got."

Percy started unwrapping his gift which revealed a plain white box underneath. He looked intrigued for a second then opened it. Inside was a suit. A neatly folded suit. Black jacket, black slacks, black vest, white button down and light gray tie. In another compartment were the shoes that went with it.

"Every man needs at least a good suit," her father spoke with a grin. "We thought it would be fitting."

"We weren't sure about the sizing, but you can always get it tailored when you get home," Helen supplied.

Percy looked like he was at a loss for words. "Uh… thank you," he finally managed. "It's- wow it's incredible."

"We hope you like it, son," her father winked. "Perhaps you could use it for special events such as prom."

"Yeah Percy prom would be a nice place to debut the suit," Annabeth teased.

"Definitely."

After the presents were said and done. The twins went to their room to play with their things. Frederick and Helen retired to their room to sleep leaving just the demigod pair in the living room, watching another Christmas movie.

"Well, that was exciting," Percy commented. He stretched his hands over his head. Annabeth was toying with her new laptop.

Annabeth closed her laptop and placed it on the coffee table next to the suit box. "You know, we haven't done our gift exchange yet."

He tilted his head to the side. "Umm you're right. Who wants to go first? Me or you."

"I'll go first," she offered. From her pocket she pulled out the small box and handed it to him. "Merry Christmas Percy."

He carefully took it from her hands. He looked at it for a second and gently shook it as if trying to figure out what was inside. "Umm what could Wise Girl have possibly gotten me? Is it an engagement ring? Are we getting married?" He gasped dramatically.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, open it. I spent a lot of time on it."

"Oh, you did? Well that just makes it extra special." He looked at it. "From Annabeth and Tyson." He looked at her. "Wait Tyson too? Were you conspiring behind my back?" He accused lightheartedly.

"Well, I designed it and Tyson built it."

"Ok, now I'm really curious about what's inside."

"Open it then."

He removed the wrapping paper to reveal a small white box, gasping when he opened it. Inside was a beautiful silver watch reinforced with celestial bronze and imperial gold for durability. The watch face was a beach with actual moving waves (some godly magic was used). The watch could also turn into a shield like his old watch that he had lost all those years ago.

"Gods fucking dammit Annabeth," he cursed.

Shit, did he not like it? Was it too much?

"You don't like it? Was the design too much? What don't you like? I can fix it." She desperately asked.

He shook his head. "No, no, I love it. It's just…" he paused for a second. "This makes my gift look like shit."

"Percy, it's fine. I don't care what you got me," she said, trying to reassure him.

He looked at her a second, trying to take in her expression. He set the watch down on the coffee table. "Promise?"

She nodded. "Promise."

"Ok," he took a breath. Out of his sweater he took out an envelope. "I remember you told me you really wanted to see her but couldn't get tickets so I…" he paused. "That doesn't matter, but here I got these for you." He handed her the envelope.

Her hands were trembling as she took it. Could it be? Did he get her tickets to what she thinks he got her tickets for? And if he did, how did he manage it?

She opened the envelope and took what was inside. She nearly dropped them from the surprise. There were two tickets.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour

Along with two lanyards with VIP passes.

"I know compared to the watch it's not much. I tried ok. And I know how much you like her and couldn't get tickets and I'm sorry. You gave me this incredible watch and I got you…" She shut him up by pressing her lips to his and kissed him, hard. She practically tackled him onto the couch where she was kissing him like never before. He was shocked at first but he relaxed, allowing her entrance into his mouth.

When they split apart, he looked completely satisfied. "So, I'm guessing you like it?"

"Percy how did you even?... They were all sold out and the VIP passes. Oh gods." She stopped and kissed him again, not as hard as the first one but much slower and pouring all her love into him. She only released the kiss once she had to come up for breath. She rested on top of him, hearing his steady heartbeat.

"Well, it's a long story," he said. "Maybe you can catch reruns of it on Hephaestus TV."

She looked at him skeptically. "What did you do?"

"Like I said, long story." He turned his attention back to the watch. He gently picked it up and put it on his left wrist. He stared at it for a second before bringing his gaze back to her, green eyes shining. "I didn't thank you for it. It's beautiful Annabeth. I love it. I'll message Tyson in the morning and give him my thanks as well."

"Yeah, you're always late to things so maybe that will help you." He chuckled underneath her. "And you can also wear it with the suit."

"I guess you're looking forward to it."

"Oh I am. It's not every day I get to see you in a suit." She shifted on top of him to get in a more comfortable position. "Merry Christmas Percy."

He laid a hand on her hair and started playing with it. "Merry Christmas Annabeth."

December 26

They spent the rest of Christmas day and the 26th lazing around the house and with each other and Annabeth's family. The evening of the 26th, her parents and the twins went out for a gathering, which left the two of them alone in the house.

This of course meant they went into her room, locked the door, started innocently kissing, which then evolved into a full on make out session. Two minutes later Percy hoisted her up on her desk, threw her pants off and practically ripped her panties off (again, good thing she bought extras) and pressed his head between her legs hitting all her sensitive spots, melting her into a pleasure filled puddle.

After he was done pleasing her with his mouth, he pressed her up against the wall, his large hands tangled in her hair whispering all sorts of filthy things into her ear as he slowly slid inside, stretching and filling her, repeatedly hitting her deepest recesses as he made mad passionate love to her.

Then he pressed her up against the bookshelf. Half the books got knocked out the shelf due to their activities.

Oh, and she couldn't forget the desk round two where she laid on her back as he delved back in.

After that godly sex, they gathered some clean clothes and cleaned themselves up in the bathtub… That's when she remembered she may have made a small, tiny… hardly noticeable mistake.

In her defense, after that sex the synapses in her brain might have fried because she forgot the water revitalized him and increased his libido. So suffice to say, he showed her more of those earthshaker genes.

Annabeth was brushing her hair after dressing in her pajamas. Percy came from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pressed a kiss on her temple.

"You owe me," she said.

He put his chin on her shoulder a smirk on his face. "For what exactly?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't play dumb. You know what."

"I'm a Seaweed Brain, you'll have to spell it out for me."

"I'm not spelling it out for you. You know what you did."

"No clue." There was a moment of silence as his smirk shifted to a softer grin. "Alright, so what do you want me to do?"

She looked at him. He was wearing his sweatpants and a t-shirt. Despite seeing him naked half an hour ago she wanted to make him her personal eye candy. "I demand some shirtless time."

"You'll get shirtless for me? How sweet of you. I love your boobs."

"For me Seaweed Brain! Not for you. Not after what you did."

He pressed another kiss on her temple. "That's reasonable. Anything else?"

Annabeth tried to walk but realized she couldn't walk straight after their entire ordeal. "You'll also have to carry me around."

His smirk came back but now it was insufferable. "Any particular reason why?"

She faced him, her hands going to the hem of his shirt and starting to lift it up. "I just like ordering you around." She took his shirt off then he leaned down to kiss her softly.

He knelt down in front of her, thumb pointing to the broad expanse of his back. "All aboard the Percy express."

She got on his back and mumbled "dork," then pressed a kiss between his shoulder blades.

Annabeth wanted to take advantage of this position so she made him carry her all around the house and for good measure made him go up and down the stairs multiple times.

"Why do we need to go up into the attic for the fifth time?" He complained. "There's two flights of stairs just to get there."

"Because I said so. Now so as I say."

"You're really enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yep. It's not every day I get a piggyback ride from my boyfriend."

"You could have just asked, you know," he argued with a smug tone. "You didn't need me to throw out your back."

"...Shut up and go up those stairs again!"

December 27

On the 27th, the Chase family took them out for dinner for their last night in San Francisco as the demigod couple was flying out the following morning. Thankfully the restaurant didn't have a strict dress code and the weather was on the warmer side. That meant that she could wear the dress that Paul and Sally gave her.

It was a knee length length pink dress with floral patterns. Since it was a bit chilly, she threw on a light pink blazer and topped off the look with pink heels that gave her about two inches of height. She spun around in the mirror admiring the gift from Paul and Sally. She hardly ever wore something this 'girly', so she felt a bit awkward and out of the place.

"Damn you look cute and beautiful," Percy spoke from her doorway. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a large grin on his face. He was wearing light blue jeans, and a grey sweatshirt. He had a long khaki coat draped across his arm.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she countered with a smile.

He broke the distance between them, wrapping his arms on her waist as he pressed a kiss on her forehead. "Last night huh?"

"Yeah, we'll be flying out tomorrow morning."

"Do we really have to?" He complained. "I could call Blackjack or Mrs. O'Leary and get us there instead."

"I'm not arguing again with you Percy. We'll be fine."

He pressed another kiss on her forehead. "Promise?"

"Promise."

December 28

Dinner had been great the night before. After they got home, they finished packing the last of their things for their flight back.

Right now, Annabeth and Percy were waiting at the terminal with Bobby and Matthew clinging onto Percy and crying their eyes out saying they were going to miss him.

"Don't I get a goodbye hug?" Annabeth complained to her brothers.

Bobby sniffled. "I think I can hear that ghost again."

"Me too Bobby. Me too," Matthew cried.

Annabeth was on the verge of strangling these kids out before her father and Helen embraced her in a hug.

"Thank you for staying with us for the holidays," Frederick said with a gentle pat on Annabeth's back.

"Thank you for having us," Annabeth responded cheerfully.

"Don't hesitate to call or come over if you're over in town," Helen offered. "We'd like to have the two of you again."

"Yeah, we will."

Her brothers eventually split from Percy and gave her a goodbye hug as well.

"Thank you, sis," Bobby breathed, still calming down from the crying from earlier.

"We love you sis. We just love messing with you too," Matthew teased.

"I love you little twerps too," she said as she embraced the two of them in a hug. "I'll come visit again."

Once all their goodbyes were taken care of, Annabeth took Percy's hand and they boarded the plane. As luck would have it, Percy's 'new' girlfriend Betty the old lady was on their plane back to New York.

The older woman's face brightened once she spotted them. "Oh dearie. How were your holidays?" She beamed.

Percy's face brightened as well. "Oh, hi Betty, great to see you again. They were great. How about yours?"

"My grandbabies sure are getting big," she gushed. "Before you know it they'll be bigger than me."

The plane ride back to New York was uneventful aside from some minor turbulence. Percy was well distracted by Betty telling him all about her life while Annabeth dozed off onto his shoulder.

"Your girlfriend is really pretty," Betty whispered. "I'm sorry I never asked for her name."

Percy gently kissed her forehead. "Annabeth, and she's the prettiest girl in the world."

"That's sweet Percy. Hope the two of you have a long happy life together."

He kissed her forehead again. "Thank you." He wrapped an arm around her and she leaned further into his side. It had been a great trip and holiday.

AN:Regarding Annabeth's parents, based on the 'Titan's Curse' it appears they both care for Annabeth but made mistakes in the past. That doesn't invalidate Annabeth's feelings towards them (she did run away after all) and she should be allowed to take things at her pace and open herself up to her parents when she's ready. That's why I put some general awkwardness between Annabeth and her parents as she's figuring things out. As for her brothers, I made them annoying little siblings. I apologize to anyone that came into this chapter expecting Chase family drama but for the life of me I can't write angst and drama to save my life (probably because I'm very non-confrontational so I have hard time with conflict).

Also head cannon that Percy could do everything a water bender can (water control, change state to ice and steam, heal, extract moisture from air, blood bending [only under very extreme circumstances like Akhlys]) plus all the additional Poseidon stuff. In the PJO movie Percy healed Annabeth using water so there's some precedent for him being able to heal others with water.

Still dealing with writer's block rn. Sometimes I love writing and other times I despise it, depends on my mood I guess. Luckily chapters 18-21 are mostly written, as well as 23 and 24(really wanted to write that smut scene for 24 lol) Also almost done writing my other fic (on AO3) so I can focus more on this one but I'm also writing my mortal AU fic so...

Anyways, thanks for reading and see you all in the next one!