Annabeth
Christmas Day
"Mama! Daddy! WakeupWakeupWakeup!" Luke chants outside our door. I laugh quietly against Percy's chest, him still trying to catch his breath from our early Christmas morning activities.
"We're coming, Luke!" I yell, Kissing Percy's chest as I get up and put my Christmas p.j.s back on. Percy picked out a perfect set of red silk modest enough to be around the house with Luke but sexy enough for Percy to enjoy it.
"I love those pjs." He mutters sleepily as he rolls out of bed and walks over to me. He smiles and puts a hand on my stomach, then gently but firmly kisses my mouth. "Merry Christmas, Wise Girl." He kneels down and kisses my stomach. "Merry Christmas, Charlie."
"Merry Christmas, Percy." I say, combing his hair with my fingers. With a small smile on his face, and Luke's excited hurryuphurryuphurryup outside, Percy goes over to get dressed in his green and black flannel pjs I got for him. He pulls the pants on but puts on a black V neck with it instead of the top it goes with, honestly looking much hotter this way.
"Ready to go let your brother know about you?" I say softly with a hand on my belly. "Let's go."
As soon as we walk out our bedroom door, I smile at how beautiful our house in New Athens is. The fact that Percy built it makes it feel even better, knowing it wasn't just my hard work poured into making this our home. We paid the movers extra to go ahead and set everything up and then we spent 3 days unpacking, so it's all put together. We also went ahead and set up the Nursery for Charlie when Luke was at Baseball. Everything is absolutely perfect.
Thank you, God, for this beautiful home and beautiful family.
Per Christmas tradition we started when we got married, I go and put the premade Breakfast Casserole in the oven while Percy makes pancakes and Bacon and we read the Nativity story out of the book of Luke and Watch It's a Charlie Brown Christmas while we wait for Paul, Sally, and Estelle to get here to eat Breakfast and open presents.
When they come through the door, Estelle runs to give Luke a hug and we all sit around eating before finally letting the kids exchange gifts. Estelle and Luke both get new silver pocket knives, Luke The Dangerous Book for Boys and Estelle The Daring Book for Girls, and Estelle lights up when she gets a trip to Disney World. Luke is jealous for a second before Percy shoots him a look telling him to not throw a fit.
"Here, Luke. Try this one." I wink at him and hand him a card. "Read it out loud."
"Yes Ma'am." He says, with a bit of a whine. "Dear Luke, Merry Christmas. We decided it's time you and Cody started riding together. Starting tomorrow, You'll take flying lessons from Lacey in the Aphrodite Cabin. When she says you're ready, you can fly whenever you want. We love you, Mama and Daddy." He finishes and looks up at us.
"Really? You're serious?"
"Yes, Honey, we are." I smile at him.
"ThankyouThankyouThankyou!" He says and runs over to us, almost knocking us down with his hug.
"I want to ride a Pegasus!" Estelle pouts.
"Honey, you got a trip to Disney World next week. Try to not pout." Sally gently chides her. "Besides, Percy takes you riding on Blackjack whenever he can."
"I know, but Luke is getting his Own Pegasus." She complains.
"Don't worry, Stell." Luke grins at her. "I'll take you riding with Cody and me whenever you want." He tells her, and her face brightens a bit.
"Thanks, Luke!" She says and hugs him. "I'll bring you back a Mickey Mouse hat."
When we clean up the wrapping paper, we go ahead and let the kids open their stockings and sort through the Christmas candy and smaller gifts we stuffed in there. The kids play with their toys the next few hours until the rest of the seven plus Echo, Reyna, her boyfriend Austin, Nico, Will, Grover, Juniper, Rachel and Thalia get here for the afternoon Christmas party. Lassa, Jesse, and Noah are even able to fly up on their Pegasi. Malcolm's family normally would come, but they're in Kentucky this year. Malcolm and Maryanne already know about Charlie, but we'll have to tell Max and Ella Claire later.
Everyone gets here and exchanges gifts and we eat a special Christmas lunch Sally and I make, then go downstairs to the screening room to watch Miracle on 34th Street. Finally, when I think I'm about to burst from excitement, we go back upstairs and I hand Estelle the clue card for the start of a scavenger hunt.
"What's this?" Estelle asks.
"There's one last surprise for everyone, Estelle. Read it." I tell her. She clears her throat.
"So you've opened your presents under the tree, there's one surprise left to set free. If you're sly like a Fox, you'll go check the mailbox!" She reads. Luke, Noah, and Estelle grin and giggle, running outside barefoot in the freshly fallen snow.
"What are you both up to?" Sally asks with a raised eyebrow when they're out the door. Percy just shrugs.
"Like we said, a surprise for everyone. You'll just have to wait."
Over the next ten minutes the kids rush from the mailbox to the game room to the kitchen and playroom, finally getting the last clue.
"You've reached the last clue, be ready now!" Luke reads. "Find the bedroom door with an owl!" "That's the one at the end of the hall!" He tells Estelle and Noah. "Let's go!"
They rush down the hall, to the nursery where we hung a picture of a snowy owl on the door. "It's locked!" Luke tells us as everyone walks down the hall.
"That's cause we have the key." Percy says and swings the keychain on his finger. We get to the door and Percy smiles, unlocking it. "Ready? One…two…three!" He says and swings the door open. Inside is a beautiful gray room with a crib, dresser, and changing table. There's canvas paintings of an owl, Pegasus, the sea, and an olive tree, and stuffed animals in a glider. Charlotte is painted in beautiful cursive on a canvas over the crib.
"Oh Percy." Sally says, immediately wiping away tears and putting her hands over her mouth.
"I Knew It! That's why you had me do those paintings!" Rachel exclaims with a smile.
"Really?" Piper asks excitedly. There's a general chorus of congratulations and That's Awesome and So happy for Y'all and Will's very loud Y'all have no idea how hard it was to keep my mouth shut for a week.
"Who's Charlotte?" Estelle asks, not getting it.
"Your niece." I tell her. "And Luke's new little sister. She'll be born in July." I tell them.
"I'm getting a cousin?" Noah asks excitedly.
"You're pregnant?" Luke asks to confirm.
"Yes, Sweetie. We're having a little girl. You have a little sister on the way." His face lights up and he runs over to hug me, pulling back to kiss my stomach.
"Hi Charlotte." He says softly.
"Grandkid number two." Paul smiles and walks over to pull Percy into an embrace and then me. Sally is still trying to stop crying when she comes and wraps me into a tight hug.
"I'm so excited for you both."
"Thank you, Sally." I tell her, hugging her back.
"July?" Piper asks. "That means you're only a couple weeks behind me!"
"How'd you pick a name so soon?" Jason asks. "We've been debating for weeks."
"Her name is Charlotte Isabella Jackson." Percy smiles. "Isabella was Bianca DiAngelo's middle name. Charlotte is for Beckendorf. We had a hard time narrowing it down." Out of the corner of my eye I see Nico smile. I make eye contact with Hazel and she's just smiling with one hand over her mouth and the other wrapped tightly around Frank, who's also grinning ear to ear. Thalia is smirking. Lassa's giving Jesse a look, and I notice he's standing behind her smiling with a hand on her stomach. I know Lassa told me they're trying again, wanting to give Noah a sibling. I hope it happens for them soon.
"New Hunter to recruit." Thalia smirks.
"Noooo." I say quick.
"I don't know. I'd never have to worry about boyfriends." Percy laughs.
"You won't have to worry about boyfriends anyways if you let me be the one to train her." Reyna smiles, leaning closer to Austin.
"Can I call her Charlie?" Luke asks. "I like Charlie." I laugh.
"That's just what your dad and I were thinking."
…
Next few months are rough. Caffeine is off limits, I'm so exhausted Malcolm cuts my work in half at the company, and Piper and I do pregnancy Pilates and yoga together to get ready for the delivery. Cravings hit so hard Percy sometimes has to go to the city in the middle of the night to get me Dominos lava cakes. Blackjack doesn't mind too much as long as Percy gets some Krispy Kreme for him while they're in manhattan. Despite the exhaustion, I need to make sure I'm still walking and exercising every day. When summer rolls around, I feel like a cow. A very hot and sweaty cow. I start to wonder if Charlie is ever going to get here, or if I'm stuck being pregnant forever. Piper feels the same way about her little girl, Selena Elizabeth Grace, they finally named her after months of debating back and forth. I almost cried when they told me they were using my middle name for her.
We have a joint baby shower at the park in New Athens a couple days before Piper's due, and a week before I am. Since we asked people not to buy us furniture, strollers, or car seats since we already bought those ourselves, we stock up on baby clothes, diapers, baby books, and cash. The games are hilarious and fun, and cake is delicious. I make a mental note not to mention the cake to Percy, who was already salty about not coming since Piper and I wanted it to be girls only. I'm flipping through the guest book in the front when I gasp, seeing Athena signed in golden cursive.
"Hello, Annabeth Dear." I hear and turn around.
"Mom?"
"You didn't think I'd miss your first baby shower, did you?" She asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I wasn't sure."
"I'm glad I was able to surprise you, then. I have two gifts for you I wanted to give you apart from everyone else. This-" She says and smiles as she takes out a dove gray baby blanket. "I crochet myself. It's made of magical thread and will grow with her until she's an adult and then she can wear it as a shawl, as well as serving as a shield if needed. It's as tough as the Nemean Lion skin."
"Thank you, Mother! I say. She smiles.
"My other gift is for you and Piper from both me and Aphrodite." She says and gestures behind her. I look over my shoulder to see Piper talking to the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, the goddess of beauty herself. "Our gift is keeping Hera away from this shower." She tells me with a trace of bitterness in her voice. "The Queen of Olympus was outraged at not receiving an invitation, despite all she's done to both of you. She was prepared to show up here and curse you both to miscarry."
"W-what?!" I exclaim, putting a hand on my stomach.
"Don't worry, Dear. Myself, Aphrodite, Poseidon and even Zeus found her far out of line. I told Hera if she killed my grandchild She'd have to do battle with me. This would cause a war between us all, taking sides one way or the other."
"Were you bluffing or being serious?"
"It was a calculated statement, but I was ready to follow through if I needed to. If it did come to war, it wouldn't last long. There are 5 Olympians who might side with Hera, but no one for sure."
"I-I can't thank you enough, Mom." I tell her. And I really can't . She saved the life of my daughter and Piper's, being willing to go to war over it. And I can't even imagine what Percy would do if Hera had followed through.
"You don't need to thank me at all, Darling. I love you. I need to go."
"Okay. I love you too, Mama." She kisses my cheek and leaves. I start walking over to the party again, seeing Aphrodite still talking to Piper.
"She was going to do what?" Piper yells. I guess her mom just told her about Hera.
"Not to worry, Dear. Athena threatened her with war, and I would back Athena, meaning Ares would back me. She won't dream of harming Charlotte or Selena now. Oh, Selena. How I miss her. I'm so glad you chose to honor her like this, Piper."
"Of-of course, Mother." She says. "Selena was a hero, she deserves to be remembered as one."
"I'm glad you see it that way, Piper." I say, coming up next to her. "Selena was one of my best friends. Believe it or not, she helped me get my first date with Percy to the fireworks when I was 13."
"She had a good eye for relationships, that's for sure." Aphrodite chimes. "Annabeth, Darling, I'm so glad you're here. I've already given my gift to Piper, but Time for me to give my gift to both of you."
"Really? What is it?"
"Your daughters will both be blessed with beauty and grace their whole lives. After all you've done for Olympus, it's the least I can do for you."
"Wow. That's very generous of you, My Lady. Thank you." I say respectfully. Isn't that up to Genetics? I don't know, but I'm not going to piss off a goddess by questioning it when my daughter may have to pay the price.
"You're Welcome, my Dears! Now, they both have fated Soul Mates apart from any of my own doing, and those two boys have already been born. I cannot wait to see how interesting their stories will unfold to be! I must get back to Olympus now, Goodbye my dears!" She says, then turns into a beautiful Dove and flies off.
"Wow. Two Olympian goddesses in one day." Reyna says behind me.
"Not as unusual here as it is in Rome, Reyna."
"Is there any cake left?" Piper wonders aloud. "It was really- Oh!" She bends over clutching her stomach.
"Piper! Are you okay?" I ask and rush next to her.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. But I need you to take me to the Hospital." She looks up and smiles. "My water just broke."
…
"Jason, stop Pacing! It's going to be fine!" Piper tells him with a smile, then grits her teeth as another contraction starts. Jason goes over to her bedside and gives her two fingers to squeeze.
"Few more weeks and that'll be your fingers getting broken." I whisper to Percy. He laughs.
"Maybe I should take another swim in the Styx beforehand." He jokes as the nurse walks in. Her name is Amy, and she's one of the transplants from New Rome who graciously offered Will to help get the hospital up and running.
"Alright, Piper, let's see how you're doing." She says and proceeds to give Piper a checkup.
"Good news. You're 8 cm dilated. Only two more until you can push."
"Sounds good." Piper says with a forced smile through gritted teeth. Amy laughs.
"Don't worry, as soon as you hold her you'll forget every bit of the pain.
"I hope so." Jason says.
"Oh? Your fingers hurting too bad? Next time, how about you carry and birth the kid." Piper says sarcastically. Jason wryly smiles at her.
"Would if I could, Pipes." He says and kisses her cheek. I sit next to Piper on the bed and wipe her forehead with a cold cloth.
"Thanks, Annabeth." She breathes. "Can't wait for it to be your turn with me dabbing your forehead." She tells me.
"Hopefully sooner than later." I laugh. "I'm tired of feeling like a cow."
"A very cute cow." Percy says, standing behind me with his hand on my shoulder. "One of those little fluffy ones."
"Alright, Piper, you're there." Amy tells her. Jason, Annabeth, get ready to brace her. Piper, get ready to push. Ready? One…Two…Push!" Piper screams as she starts pushing. "C'mon, C'mon you're doing great! That's it. Alright, another deep breath. Push!" More screaming as she squeezes mine and Jason's fingers so tight I wonder if they'll break off. "The baby's crowning! You've got this, Piper. One more should do it."
"I can't." She says, falling back on the bed. "I can't do it. I'm so tired." I wipe her forehead again, it's glistening with sweat.
"You can do it, Pipes." Jason tells her. "One more push and we'll have a beautiful little girl in our arms. "I'm betting she'll have your eyes and laugh, and I can't wait to meet her. Just one more push." Piper closes her eyes and nods.
"Okay. One more. Three…two…One!" She squeezes our fingers again and yells as she pushes the baby out.
"There you go, Piper!" Percy says, moving to the foot of the bed to move water over Selena and clean her up. Both Amy and Percy look up with a stunned look on their faces.
"What? Is everything okay?" Jason says, moving to where Percy and Amy are.
"Everything's good, Jason." Percy smiles at him. "Except Will's gender prediction. You've got a little boy here."
"What?" He exclaims. Amy wraps the little baby in a blanket and hands him to Jason. "A little boy?" His face lights up after a second. "Piper, we've got a son!"
"Don't…talk to me…yet." She gasps.
"Oh, I wouldn't count Will out just yet." Amy says.
"What do you mean?" I ask, stroking Piper's hair as she tries to catch her breath.
"I mean, did you two have regular checkups?"
"No, we just went the first time. Will said to come back if we felt something was wrong."
"Well, there wasn't enough development for him to sense everything. That little girl is about to be born now." She smiles. "You're not done just yet, Piper. Get ready for another round."
"Twins?" Piper exclaims, trying to sit up again. I help her and put a spare pillow behind her back. "We're having twins?"
"Yes you are. And I can't wait to tell Will. I'm tired of him being right about everything all the time. And I can't even be mad cause he's not even smug about it." She rolls her eyes.
"How could he not sense another Baby?" Jason asks, rocking his son as he cries. "Where is he anyways?"
"He was in New Rome when Piper went into Labor. As soon as we Iris Messaged him he hopped on a Pegasus to head back, should be here any minute." I tell him.
"Well regardless of how he missed it, I need to deliver the little girl now. Are you ready, Piper?"
"Just a second." She breathes, and I hand her some Nectar. After a couple of sips her color returns and I can see she feels stronger. "Alright. I'm ready."
"On Three." Amy says, and I brace while Piper gets ready. "One…Two…Three! Push!" Piper yells and pushes. After three more rounds, the baby is finally delivered.
"Piper, she's beautiful!" Jason tells her as Percy cleans her up. Amy wraps her up and hands her to Piper.
"I was right." He smiles. "Your beautiful Kaleidoscope eyes." Jason says, sitting on the other side of the bed.
"Worth the labor, Pipes?" I ask, getting up to go stand with Percy.
"Worth every second." She pants.
"Either Will or myself will be back in a few minutes to cut the cords. Get some rest, Piper. You've earned it."
"We'll give Y'all some time together with your little ones." I say.
"Can't wait to hear what the little boy's name is." Percy tells them as we head out into the hall.
"Twins." I laugh. "You don't think…" I start, but Percy shakes his head.
"Doubt it. We did regular check ups to be safe. Didn't see an extra on the ultrasound, although I'd love to be wrong about this."
"Wrong about what?" Will asks as he rushes in. "Is Piper still in Labor or did Amy handle everything already?"
"Oh I handled it, Will." Amy says from across the hall. "But you were a little off in what you told them when Piper first got pregnant."
"Off how?"
"Twins!" She exclaims with a smile.
"Twins?" Will asks, confused.
"Twins." Percy confirms. "A little boy and a little girl."
"You can go in to cut the cord and make sure the placentas are delivered okay." Amy tells him. "I've got other patients right now." She says and walks off.
"What the-" I start, my stomach cramping, making me bend over as I feel water soak my legs. I look up at Percy and Will.
"My water just broke."
"What?" Percy says in alarm. "You're not due for another two weeks!"
"Tell that to Charlie!" I say back to him. "She's coming now!"
"It's okay, Percy. Babies come early all the time, Charlie's developed enough that it's fine. C'mon." Will says and leads us into another delivery room, one with a water basin. "Y'all wanted a water delivery right?" He asks to confirm. I nod. "This is a salt water pool. Annabeth, get comfortable. I'll be back after I finish with Jason and Piper."
"Are you okay by yourself?" Percy asks. "I'll call Blackjack and go home to get your stuff. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes.
"Yeah. Go do that." I nod at him. "It's not bad yet."
"Back in a flash." He kisses my forehead and runs out the door.