Annabeth
Piper picks me up from the airport and I climb into her car. She gives me a hug and has a mischievous smile.
"Annabeth!" She exclaims. "I've missed you!"
"I've missed you too, Pipes." I laugh. We drive from the airport to my new place, a beautiful new gated apartment complex that we helped design. Driving through, you can clearly see the Greek and Roman architectural influence. It has a mediterranean style pool, both indoor and outdoor, the buildings have arches and columns, and there's a beautiful courtyard park in the center. A twinge of sadness pains me and I unconsciously move my hand to my abdomen when I see all the kids having a snowball fight. Piper notices and squeezes my hand.
"Still hurts?"
"Anytime I let myself think about it."
"I'm sorry."
"Me too." We go quiet for a minute as she parks in front of my apartment. Ground floor with its own private patio and backyard.
"Need any help unpacking?" She asks.
"No, Malcolm already furnished it and I just have the one duffel. Let's go check out the inside." I say and we head in. I smile when I open the door, seeing a small but beautiful one bedroom apartment. It has a stained but smooth concrete flooring, a brick accent wall in the kitchen, and furniture that's nice but minimal. Malcom had it set up just the way he knows I like it.
"Wow, Annabeth, this place looks great!" Piper exclaims. I smile and head to unpack. It doesn't take me long, and while I'm putting stuff away Piper goes to see what Malcolm stocked the fridge and pantry with. While she breaks into the Oreos, I take a quick shower and change to get the airplane smell off me.
"So what are you doing the rest of today?" She asks me, mouth still full.
"I'm going to see Malcolm and Maryanne, plus my adorable niece and nephew. And I think Malcolm told me they're babysitting for a friend of theirs today, a little boy named Lukas." I tell her. She flashes a trademark Piper Mischievous McLean smile. "What?"
"Nothing. I just know Luke. Cute kid."
"I like kids named Luke. Reminds me of Luke Castellan. Want to come?"
"No thanks, I'm meeting Jason for a date. Between the two of us, I think he's proposing soon." She says with a smile. I try to return it, and block out thoughts of my own wedding.
"Oh?"
"Yes. And, well, if he is, I was wondering if you'd please be my Maid of Honor?" She asks. I smile and take a deep breath and am about to say yes, when a thought occurs to me and I frown.
"I'd love to Pipes. But I don't think so. I'm sure Jason's going to want…well, him, as a groomsman. I can't be there."
"You'd seriously miss our wedding just so you don't run into Percy?"
"You'd honestly expect me to come if he's there? Look, Piper, I don't understand why everyone seems to have taken his side in this, but I don't want to force anyone into a formal choice of me or him. So I'll do what I need to and bow out."
"If you'd let us talk to you, you'd know why."
"It doesn't matter. Nothing matters. Nothing could make what he did okay. Please stop before this turns into a fight."
"Fine. But one day, you're going to learn the truth, and you'll have years wasted that you can't get back." She says and gets up, grabbing her coat and bag. "I love you, Annabeth, but I need to go. I'll see you later." She walks out the door and almost slams it behind her. I let out a frustrated mix of a groan and a scream. Why does everyone keep taking his side? Then I grab my bag and hunters parka Thalia gave me and head over to Malcolm's.
…
"Aunt Annabeth! Aunt Annabeth!" I hear when I knock on the screen door, then see a mop of blonde hair and gray eyes run towards me. He unlocks the door and throws it open to cling to my legs.
"Max!" I say and pick him up, then make him laugh by giving him a buzzard on his soft neck.
"He's been talking about you all day, excited to see his favorite aunt." Maryanne says as she walks up, wiping her hands on her apron before taking it off to give me a hug.
"It's so good to see you, Annabeth."
"It's good to see you too, Maryanne. Where's Malcolm?"
"He's on his way home. Been setting up the new office Y'all are leasing. Max, I know you're excited to see your Aunt Annabeth, but you still have company over. Go play with Luke and Ella Claire."
"Yes Ma'am." He says and kisses my cheek before I set him down and he runs back to the playroom.
"He is absolutely precious."
"Well thank you. I take half credit." She laughs. "He's sweet with you, but he's an absolute devil child. Is cute and knows it, and will use it to his advantage in every way he can. Ella Claire's the angel. And normally she would have followed Max out here, but she's always enraptured with Lukas."
"I guess I need to meet this little boy." I smile.
"You will. His dad's working a 24 hour shift, so we're keeping him overnight. But first, come get something to eat. I know you haven't had anything since you got off that flight."
"True. And who could turn down your Kentucky cooking." I admit with a smile.
"You flatter me." She smiles. We get to the kitchen and Maryanne fixes me a plate of Hot Brown with cornbread and pours me a glass of sweet tea. We chat as we eat, her telling me about how much she loves being a stay at home mom and how fast the kids are growing. I talk about my career and our company, most of which Malcolm has already told her I'm sure, but she's a fantastic listener all the same.
"And I can't believe how smart all of them are. Luke included. While they all clearly have ADHD, none of them have dyslexia. I guess that's the benefit of being farther removed from the godly side. They get the benefits of the faster and stronger development without as many drawbacks."
"Is Lukas a demigod?"
"Legacy." She says.
"So he's a Roman's kid?" I ask.
"His dad was in the legion at some point."
"I probably don't know him then. I didn't spend any time at the Roman camp, just in the city." Just then a timer dings, stopping her from saying anything else.
"Oh! That's the kid's chicken nuggets." She pulls them out of the oven, and I smile seeing that they're homemade instead of frozen. She then pulls some glass Tupperware of Macaroni and Cheese out and heats it up before fixing three plates. "Cover your ears." She says. I smile and do as she puts two fingers in her mouth and lets out a shrill taxicab whistle. A couple seconds later three toddlers come running down the hall and sit at the table.
"Aunt Annabef!" Ella Claire lisps when she sees me, running to cling to my leg. I hug her tight and pepper her face with kisses, making her laugh.
"How's my favorite two year old niece?"
"Two and a quarter!" She protests.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Two and a quarter!" I say and do the calculation in my head ofHer birthday until now. "That's right! Only 9 months until your birthday! Your Athena blood's already kicking in, isn't it Claire Bear?"
"Hey!" Max shouts, offended with his mouth full of chicken. "I'm an Athena kid too! I'm smart! And my birthday is just next week!"
"You sure are smart! And is it? I'd completely forgotten. It's a good thing I had an extra birthday present lying around." I say, and he smiles. Sitting next to him, I'm taken aback at the kid I see. He's a little boy around 3, and very rarely can you say a kid is handsome or gorgeous. You use words like cute or adorable. But this kid already just has this look about him. He has olive skin, black wavy hair, and piercing blue eyes.
"Hi." He says and waves. "I'm Lukas. I'm Max's best friend."
"It's very nice to meet you, Lukas." I say and put Ella Claire down in her booster seat so she can start eating. "I'm Annabeth Chase." I say. He smiles.
"Chase is my middle name!"
"It's a very good name to have." I say. A second later I hear the screen door open and slam.
"Hello?" Malcolm calls. Max and Ella Claire jump down giggling and run towards their dad. He picks them both up hugging them tight, and Maryanne goes over and gives him a soft kiss making all 3 kids in the room go ewwwwwww. I smile at my brother, but feel a pang of jealousy at not having this myself.
"Hi Malcolm." I say. He smiles at me.
"How's my favorite baby sister?" I roll my eyes.
"I'm younger than you by 2 weeks. Hardly a baby sister."
""Eh, all the same." He says and comes over to give me a hug. "I'm glad you got here safe. Now I smell Maryanne's cooked some chicken and some Hot Browns. Let's eat and then we have a lot of business to go over."
"Sounds good." We all sit back down and Luke smiles seeing Malcolm. "Here again, little man?" He asks. Lukas giggles. "We ought to just give you a room and make it permanent."
"Luke's dad works 24 on 48 off. His mama, bless her heart, is a bit of a mess and doesn't have the rights to see him a lot, so we take care of him a lot when his dad works. Sometimes he's with his aunt, sometimes his grandparents, but often here. He's practically part of the family."
"Got it."
We sit and eat, talk, and laugh until everyone is finished up with lunch, then Malcolm shows me to his home office.
"So. I know it was a hard choice, but I'm so glad you decided to move back to New York to work on this project. I wouldn't be able to pull it off by myself, and this is what's really going to skyrocket our company."
"I agree. You couldn't pull it off yourself." I smirk. He snorts and lightly throws a hacky-sack off his desk at me.
" Anyways, I got the office we're leasing setup today. The project will take up to 8 months, but if we're efficient may be done in six. Here are the preliminary designs that I've worked on by myself so far. I'd love to see what you add." He says as I study the sketches.
"And what about press?"
"Have you seen our magazine yet?"
"I did!"
"Well then you know, as of right now, press is positive. But we're going to be under extreme scrutiny from the press, our investors, clients, and competitors because of our ages."
"Naturally." I mutter, picking up the pencil and begin erasing and editing his sketches. We stay in his office for the next hour and a half or so sketching and re-sketching, talking strategy, and creating a business plan and timeline. Spending time with my brother who was my number two for so long at camp half blood puts me in a state of easy peace that I silently thank God for. I haven't felt it in a long time, but planning for this project reminds me of the hours upon hours we spent planning for battles. I never thought I'd look back at those days with nostalgia, but now I do. I was surrounded by my friends, and while I had felt abandonment before, at camp I had friends I trusted and siblings I loved. Feeling that familiarity with Malcolm brings a calm to my ever present internal storm. I probably could have worked with him all night, but around an hour and a half after we start, Maryanne rushes in.
"Malcolm, I'm sorry to interrupt but we need to head to Kentucky now. My sister just went into Labor and her husband is still overseas, She's all alone."
"Okay, Maryanne, settle down. Would it be quicker to drive or fly?"
"I already called Percy and asked him to summon a Pegasus. Blackjack's waiting outside. We just need to pack our bags." I wince hearing Percy's name. And Blackjack's, too. I've missed the black Pegasus. Malcolm notices me and gives me an apologetic smile, which honestly makes me inwardly fume. Even my closest brother is still friends with Percy? Did no one other than me cut him out like the cheating bastard he is?
"Let's get packed, then. Annabeth, I hate to ask, but can you keep the kids overnight? Luke and his dad live in the same complex as you, we were going to meet him at the park there at 9 tomorrow."
"Can I watch my niece and nephew and an adorable child? Absolutely." I smile.
"I'll text his dad and let him know, and I'll text you a detailed list of their routines." Maryanne says. "Now Malcolm, come on!" They rush out the door and upstairs, so I take a deep breath and steady myself before going to the kitchen to grab a donut and then heading out the back door and seeing Blackjack. He's as beautiful as ever, and picks his head up when he sees me. I smile as he neighs and trots over, prancing like he's doing a happy dance.
"Hey, Boy!" I say and stroke his neck before offering him the donut, which he takes readily. He snorts his thank you. "It's been a long time, huh? Almost three years. Or maybe a little longer. I've missed you." I say quietly. He nuzzles me. "Keep a secret? I've missed Percy too. But I'm still so angry at him, I can't let myself even think about him. But moving back here doesn't give me much of a choice. Here, everything is going to remind me of him." I tell him gently, for once letting sadness in the way of anger. "I don't blame you for being loyal to him. But I just don't understand how he could do what he did after everything we've been through." Blackjack lets out a snort that sounds like a sigh. "Don't tell Percy you saw me, okay?" I pet his nose one more time and head inside.
The sleepover is great. I get to be fun Aunt Annabeth and let the kids stay up with me watching Madagascar 3 and pump them full of sugar in the form of Chocolate chip cookies and lemonade. Other than it starting to storm around 5 and scaring Luke a bit, it couldn't have gone better. I look at the three adorable kids sitting with me and my heart flutters before sinking.
Lord, if I love these three so much, one who I just met today, how much would I have loved my own son? I pray. We never even named him. God, please let him know even without a name, we loved him so much.
Despite all being under Just under 3, Just as Maryanne said they're all smart as a whip. Good manners and can speak complete sentences too. Matthew and Bobby couldn't do that until they were almost 4. For all the drawbacks that come with being a halfblood, we do have the advantage of faster development to protect ourselves.
When the movie goes off I check my phone and see it's almost 9:30, wayyyy past their bedtimes.
"Alright, Y'all. Time for bed." I announce to a chorus of half hearted mostly yawned awwwwes. "No arguing. I let Y'all stay up an hour and a half past bedtime." Around 15 minutes later, all the kids are situated. I kiss each of them on the head and start to head out the door when Luke calls to me.
"Wait!"
"Yeah?"
"You forgot nighttime prayers! My dad always does nighttime prayers with me." He says. My stomach twists.
"You can pray to the gods if you want, Luke. I don't pray to them anymore though. I pray to Jesus now."
"Me too!" He says and I look at him, surprised.
"Your dad is a Christian? And a demigod?"
"Yeah. I mean, Yes Ma'am." He answers. Strange. I don't remember any of the Romans converting to Christianity.
"Yeah his dad's-" Max starts, but then pauses and closes his mouth. "Never mind."
"Luke, is there a special prayer you like to say, or do you just pray what's on your mind?"
"I do both. But tonight I want to do Now I Lay."
"That's a good one." I say and go over to kneel at his bottom bunk. "Start whenever you're ready."
"Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. When in the morning light I wake, teach me the path of love to take. Your angels watch me through the night and keep me safe until morning light. Should I live for other days, I pray the Lord to guide my ways. But should I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take."
"Dear Lord, I pray for Luke, Ella Claire and Max tonight. I ask that you protect them from any nightmares and give them sweet dreams, and despite the late bedtime I ask you give them plenty of rest for them to be ready for the day tomorrow. In your name I pray, amen." I finish. "Goodnight, Y'all." I say and head to the guest room and get some sleep.
…
The next morning, my alarm wakes me up at 7. Groaning and rolling out of bed, I stumble in the kitchen and fix a black cup of coffee before throwing yesterday's clothes in the washer on the quick clean setting. I take a shower and get ready for the day and toss my clothes in the dryer. Since it's still snowing today, I go ahead and dry my hair and French braid it to keep it out of the way. After a quick quiet time I get dressed and head to the kitchen to fix breakfast for the kids. I decide to make pancakes and bacon, getting frustrated when I remember they were Percy's favorite. Does everything have to remind me of him? I push the thoughts aside and finish cooking before pouring orange juice for everyone and going to get the kids up.
I grab Ella Claire first and help her get dressed and brush her teeth then tell her to head downstairs and play while I get the boys. After some grumbling about getting up, arguing about getting dressed, and complaining about brushing teeth, I finally get them downstairs too and serve the pancakes.
"Are they blueberry?" Luke asks hopefully.
"No, honey, I'm sorry. Just regular."
"That's okay. I like regular too." He answers. Max groans and dramatically lays his head on the table, making it clear how he feels about mornings. Ella Claire giggles.
When we all finish up I quickly clean up, telling the kids to get ready to go. Once we all have our coats, hats, gloves and snow boots we get in Maryanne's car and head to my apartment.
"So, Max, what do you want for your birthday?" I ask as we drive.
"My first magic weapon!" He says. "Daddy said he thinks I'm finally old enough to handle a dagger."
"Really? You know, I fight with a dagger."
"That's so cool! Dad told me only the bravest and fastest fighters could use a dagger."
"He's right. But I think you're brave and fast enough. But if your dad's getting you a dagger, what do you want from me?"
"How about a new Baseball glove? Or bat? Luke and I are playing T ball in the spring."
"My mom signed me up." Luke says proudly. I get a lonely feeling in his words though, so I guess he really doesn't get a lot of time with her.
We get to the park right at 9. I hoist Luke's bag on my shoulder, and we walk over to the playground. I stand there watching the kids when I see Luke's face light up and he runs behind me.
"Daddy!" He squeals. I smile at how much he loves his dad. When I turn around, I see Luke hugging a man who's burying his face in Luke's coat. Despite the cold he's just wearing a NYFD T Shirt and Jeans, and I see black hair like Luke's with a high fade cut.
"Hi. You must be Luke's Dad. I'm Malcolm's sister, Annabeth Chase." I say and he looks up quickly. Green eyes catch my stare, making panic and anger build everywhere in my body. "Percy?"
"Wise Girl?"
"Don't call me that!" I snap, trying not to yell in front of the kids.
"Luke, why don't you go play on the playground with Max and Ella Claire. We'll go inside for hot chocolate in a minute." He tells Luke gently. I remember Luke's three, and the anger turns to fury boiling inside me.
"Yes Sir."
"You're an even bigger piece of shit than I realized." I snarl.
"Listen, Annabeth-"
"Shut up! Just tell me this! How long were you cheating on me before you finally left?"
"You're the one that left! What do you mean How Long? There was one time! One mistake I'll be paying for the rest of my life."
"Yeah, Right, Percy." I roll my eyes. "Stop lying! I can do the math if he's three!"
"He's two, Genius!" He yells at me. "His Birthday is June 14!"
"That still puts him being conceived before I left!"
"Yeah, and I told you when that happened! That's why you left! And you left so fast you wouldn't let me tell you everything. There's more you don't know, and you owe it to me to listen!"
"And why do I owe you anything?"
"Because I'm still your husband!" He yells. Other parents are starting to look at us now.
"Nothing you tell me will make the slightest difference." I Spit at him. "Max! Ella Claire! We're leaving, Now!" I say. The two kids give Luke a hug and run over.
"Us too, Luke!" Percy says when Luke comes over with them. He hugs me tight around my legs.
"Bye Annabeth!" He says. And he and Percy walk off. I see him go into his apartment and mutter a Greek curse under my breath. Malcolm put me right next door to him. Only thing separating my back yard and his is a short white picket fence.
"Malcolm Pace I swear to every god there is I'm going to kill you." I mutter, then lead the kids back to the car.