Annabeth's outfit^^^

Okay wow this chapter is kind of ridiculously long, 5000 words, and I'm so sorry for the wait you guys (you always tell me not to apologize, but idc bc im sorry.) Anyways, I hope you like this chapter, I love all of you so much :)

Saturday, November 3rd
12:15 pm - Annabeth's bedroom
13 weeks and 3 days

"Thalia," Annabeth whined.

"What?" Thalia asked from where she was sprawled on Annabeth's bed. She didn't look up from her phone.

"We have a problem." Annabeth turned around to face Thalia. "My bras don't fit anymore."

That got her attention. "What?"

"I mean, I pushed it for as long as I could but now my bras really don't fit," Annabeth explained. "It's actually painful at this point."

"Wow." Thalia's eyes widened. "You are suffering some severe quadro-boob."

"I know," Annabeth whined sadly. "What am I supposed to do? I can't not wear a bra."

"Why not? I do it all the time."

"In case you forgot you're like an A and I'm a C. Probably a D now." Annabeth hung her head sadly.

"Then I guess we're going shopping," Thalia said, standing up. "But I have no idea what I'm doing, and neither of us have a mother figure in our lives. Percy has a mom, though," she pointed out.

"No!" Annabeth looked at Thalia like she was crazy. Partly because she was. "I don't want the first bonding experience I have with Percy's mother to be bra shopping!"

"Why not? She was pregnant at one point. I mean Percy's here now, right?"

"Thalia, no." Annabeth sighed.

"I'm gonna call him," Thalia said, sitting back on the bed.

"And tell him what?" Annabeth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That your boobs are bigger. That'll really get him over here fast," she said, laughing.

"Thalia! No!"

"Alright, fine," she relented.

Annabeth continued examining herself in the mirror. She was getting pretty close to coming out of school—her bump was getting bigger everyday. It was hard to think that she had just hit the three month mark. It was honestly slightly terrifying how fast time was going by. But oddly enough, she wasn't getting more worried everyday like she thought she would be. Instead, she was accepting things as they came. Just going slow.

"You think we still have some of mom's bras in the attic?" Annabeth asked Thalia. She often spoke to Thalia like she was her sister. Annabeth's mom had been a mother to Thalia as well, before and after Thalia's mom had died. While there are times when Annabeth misses her mother, she's still grateful that her mother was as incredible as she was. Thalia hadn't been so fortunate. Her mother wasn't home very often—she was always out for auditions, and getting mixed up with the wrong side of the fame industry. It wasn't a surprise when she passed, but it was still a difficult time for everyone. Thalia was only ten, and her father was barely ever around. That was when she and Jason spent a lot of nights at Annabeth's. It was fun for them, though. It was a good distraction for them from everything that was going on with their parents.

"I mean, probably. There's no harm in checking." Thalia shrugged and stood from the bed. Annabeth pulled on a shirt and they walked to the attic. The pulled down the ladder and climbed up, Annabeth following Thalia. She reached for the light, pulling the switch. Annabeth glanced around. The attic was still organized from when she had cleaned it years ago. She and her dad had fixed it up pretty nicely—shelves, new plastic bins, everything labeled. She walked over to where her mother's things were kept.

With Thalia's help, she pulled the box from its shelf. Annabeth pulled up a stool and sat down, pulling off the lid. Annabeth and Thalia began going through the clothes, all things Annabeth wanted to wear someday. In a separate box on that shelf was her mother's wedding dress. Even after about 20 years it was still as beautiful as it was the day she wore it. Annabeth planned on wearing that dress herself, so she kept it in pristine condition.

"Hey, look," Thalia said, pulling out a bra.

"And there it is. Now we can stop looking before I start crying," she laughed and Thalia chuckled, closing the box and putting it away. It really did make Annabeth miss her mother, looking through her clothes. Especially now, being pregnant and having no idea what she was doing. She would give anything to have her mother back.

"Alright," Annabeth said as they headed out of the attic. "Let me get dressed and to the store we go." She laughed when Thalia groaned.

~*~

Saturday, November 3rd
1:45 pm - Macy's

"Ugh," Thalia groaned. "This line is a million miles long."

"I know," Annabeth agreed, glancing down the line. She could barely see the registers. She had been able to successfully pick out a few bras, as well as some other maternity clothes—a pair of pants and this incredible yellow sundress she found. It wasn't a necessity, but the second she laid eyes on it all she could think was how badly she needed that dress. So here they were, waiting on a ridiculously long line.

"Oh, uh Percy just texted me." Thalia read her phone as Annabeth watched her. "He said he wanted to talk to you when we get home."

"Oh," Annabeth's face turned to a frown. "Do we know about what?" she asked.

"Nope. That's all he said." Thalia shrugged.

"Hm." That was odd. Percy usually just texted Annabeth, but he wanted to talk to her? Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to get home immediately.

Finally, they made it to a register. The employee began scanning her items and Annabeth pulled out her card. In about five minutes, they were out of the store and on their way home. Annabeth's leg bobbed when they reached a red light. She was anxious to see Percy. She continued driving.

When they pulled up to the house, she noticed Percy coming from the other direction. She also noticed her father's car in the driveway. She pulled in next to his and Percy parked in front of the house.

"Hey," Percy said when they all got out and walked to the door. The two girls greeted him back. Annabeth noticed the smile on his face and took that as a good sign; he probably didn't have anything bad to tell her. She decided not to worry, although she was still eager to talk to him.

"Dad? We're home!" Annabeth called as they walked into the house.

"Who's 'we'?" he called back from his office.

"Me, Thalia, and Percy." They all took off their shoes and jackets.

Her dad walked into the kitchen and Annabeth walked up to him, hugging her father. "Hey Pumpkin,"

"Hi dad. I didn't know you were gonna be home," she said walking to the fridge. She noticed Percy and Thalia whispering over by the door, but she thought nothing of it. After she and her dad talked a bit more, Thalia looked to Annabeth and her dad. "Um, Jason just texted me. I think he broke the toaster again. I should go help him," she explained.

"Oh alright," Annabeth hugged Thalia goodbye before she said goodbye to Frederick.

"What is with that kid and the toaster?" her father muttered.

Then, with one last smile to Percy, she walked out the door. Annabeth had a feeling that Jason hadn't actually texted Thalia, but she didn't bother questioning it. She continued eating the pickles she pulled from the fridge—Annabeth had never really eaten pickles before, but her cravings were a little crazy.

"Well," her father started, running a hand over his face. "I unfortunately have a ton of work to do, but I'm home for the next week. If I can finish everything tonight, I'm all yours the rest of the week, Pumpkin."

Annabeth smiled. She was glad that her dad would be home—she missed him. "Okay, well good luck." Then her dad disappeared into his study.

"So..." Percy prompted walking up to where Annabeth ate at the island. She suddenly realized how nicely he was dressed—a button down shirt, bomber jacket, khaki pants, and—her nose was crazy now that she was pregnant—cologne. Annabeth looked at him, showing her interest in what he had to say with her eyes, for she was still chewing. "Um... you're not doing anything tonight, are you?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Nope. Free as ever," she laughed. Percy chuckled and looked down at his feet. She realized how awkwardly he was standing.

"I-I was w-wondering if..." he stumbled over his words, then sighed. "I was wondering if you wanted to maybe, possibly go on a date with me...?"

Annabeth swallowed. This is exactly what she told herself everyday could never happen, but here it was, happening. She didn't know what to say. What if this date led to another, and another, and before she knew it, they were in a relationship and Percy would be throwing his life away on her? Then again... she really liked Percy.

No! her head chided.

Yes! her heart insisted.

Suddenly, she realized how long she was taking to answer, and how insane she was probably driving Percy right now. "Yes," she said. It was impulsive. It was dangerous. She knew she couldn't, but she had to. Her heart was outweighing her head right now, and her heart said fuck it.

"Really?" Percy's eyes got huge, and she thought how adorable he looked.

She smiled. "Yeah." She nodded and bit her lip.

Percy's face grew into a huge grin. Then, he composed himself. "Its a date," he said, his perfect teeth in a winning smile.

"So, where're you taking me, Jackson?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, dinner and a movie, if that's okay with you." He leaned over the island slyly, and it made Annabeth's stomach do a flip. She couldn't help but think how good he looked.

"Give me some time to get ready, and we can go," Annabeth said, closing her jar of pickles.

"Okay," Percy said, smiling.

~*~

Saturday, November 3rd
3:00 pm - Annabeth's living room

Percy sat on the couch, his knee bobbing up and down. While he waited for Annabeth, his ADHD sent his mind all over the place. He paced around the living room, looking at the pictures on the walls. They were all of Annabeth and her parents, obviously. There was one picture of two people who he assumed were her parents on their wedding day. They looked really happy. Looking at pictures of Annabeth's mom, he saw where she got her deadly stare and regal composure. Annabeth had her father's hair, but almost everything else about her was her mother.

Suddenly, he noticed Annabeth coming down the stairs. Her hair was down in its gorgeous, natural curls. With light blue skinny jeans and a flowy white blouse, she looked incredible, and way out of his league. With a fluffy cream colored coat and black purse, she definitely didn't look like she was seventeen. Percy watched her as she moved with such a subtle but powerful grace—it was mesmerizing.

"How do I look?" she asked, a sheepish smile on her face.

Percy swallowed. "You look amazing." It slipped out before he could stop it.

Annabeth chuckled, staring at the ground and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Thank you." She pulled on a pair of small black boots, which Percy wasn't expecting.

"I'm just gonna say bye to my dad, then we can go," she said, smiling before turning and walking into her father's office. Percy took a few deep breaths. It might be hard to get through this entire date without kissing her, but he knew that Annabeth's presence in his life was more important than how she was present. And if he kissed her, he could ruin everything. Yes, it was a date, but it was a friend date. Yeah, a friend date.

"Oh, my god, dad no!" Annabeth tried to hush her father, but suddenly she was following him and shaking her head as they walked to Percy.

"So where are you taking my daughter?" Frederick asked, crossing his arms. Annabeth rolled her eyes and hid her face in her hands. Percy suddenly knew what was happening—he was getting the traditional shake-down. He gulped. Percy didn't want to look stupid in front of Annabeth's dad. He did his best to keep his composure.

"To dinner and movie, sir," Percy said, standing up straight. Frederick's eyes bore into Percy's, a considerable look on his face.

"What movie?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Um," Percy paused. He kind of wanted to surprise Annabeth, but he thought that was unimportant now. She was going to see the movie anyways. "The Grinch. The new one." Yes, it was a kids' movie, but Annabeth had talked about how much she loved the Grinch when she was little, so he thought it'd be fitting—he also partly wanted to see the new one himself (and he found no shame in that).

"Okay." He nodded. "And where are you taking her to dinner?"

"This nice diner, about 15, 20 minutes away, called Linda and Jane's." Percy had found the place a short while ago and knew that was exactly where he wanted to take Annabeth—it was like those retro diners in old movies. They could share a milkshake and—he needed to focus.

"Okay." He nodded. "What time will she be home?"

"I'll be surprised if we can even get out of the house," Annabeth mumbled. Her father ignored her.

"10 the latest, sir."

"Hm," Frederick sized Percy up one last time. He hoped that his collar was straight. "Alright." And just like that, he was back to being the laid back, casual guy Percy had met before. "Have fun sweetie," he said, turning and kissing Annabeth's forehead. "You too, Percy." Then he walked back into his office.

Percy blinked, then remembered he had to breathe.

"I'm so sorry about him, he's just..." Annabeth started, trailing off.

"No, it's fine." Percy shook his head and smiled. "I get it," he chuckled. "Shall we, Miss Chase?"

"We shall," Annabeth said, looping her arm through Percy's. They laughed and walked out the door.

~*~

Saturday, November 3rd
5:30 pm - AMC Theater

"That was adorable!" Annabeth exclaimed, laughing as they walked out of the movie theater. Percy laughed as well, but at how adorable she was. "Ugh, Max was my favorite."

"Yeah, I liked him too." Percy smiled over at her as they fell into step next to each other. The sun had already gone down, but in the white light of the moon, she looked gorgeous. Her smile was perfect. Her laugh was one of the most amazing sounds he had ever heard. Everything about her was just so... beautiful.

"What?" she asked, her smile not wavering.

Percy realized he was staring at her. "Oh, uh, nothing," he stumbled over his words, shaking his head.

Annabeth chuckled. "Okay." Suddenly, just staring at the ground, their walking slowed to a stop. Annabeth looked into Percy's eyes. With her boots on, she was almost as tall as Percy. Almost. Staring into her eyes, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her right in that moment. To just pull her close to him and—he needed to stop. It was only the first date, and Percy knew she wouldn't appreciate it.

"What?" she whispered, a small smile still on her lips.

Percy stayed silent for a few more seconds, just taking in every detail of her face—the dimples in her cheeks that were so subtle, you could barely notice them, the spray of latte colored freckles across the bridge of her nose. He wanted to savor everything about her. He never wanted to forget her face. But Percy had a feeling he wouldn't be able to even if he tried. "Nothing," he whispered, finally.

"Okay." Annabeth said. They stayed that way for about three more seconds before Annabeth continued walking to the car, Percy following behind her.

They got in, Percy opening the door for her of course, and he put the heat on to warm them up, but he wasn't cold. After what just happened, he was warm from his toes to his ears. Annabeth connected her phone to his car and began playing her music. It was a lot of things Percy had never listened to before, but he liked it. There were some songs he knew, like ones by Post Malone—they sang those ones together, and laughed through the entire song. He just was so happy around Annabeth—she was like a drug. He could never get tired of her.

"Okay, if you don't know this song, we can't be friends," Annabeth said, turning up the volume.

Luckily for Percy, he knew exactly what song was playing—he was pretty sure everyone did. "Do you have the time," they began singing.

"To listen to me whine, about nothing and everything all at once." They laughed at each other. They yelled the rest of the song, and it was very funny. When they finally got to the diner, they were both practically in tears.

"Oh, okay, wow," Annabeth sighed, catching her breath. Percy opened the door for her and she thanked him. Then he walked up to the hostess, "Uh, Jackson, table for two."

"Ah, yes, right this way." The lady grabbed two menus and they followed her to their table. She led them to a table closer to the back of the restaurant, right in front of a window. There weren't a lot of people, and Percy could only think how much this was like the movies. He liked it, though. They pulled off their coats and sat down, the hostess saying a waiter would be right with them. Annabeth sipped her water and opened her menu.

"See anything you like?" Percy asked, looking through his own.

"Um..." Annabeth said, staring down at her menu, biting down on her straw. That shouldn't have made Percy smile, but it did. "I'm gonna do French toast."

"Breakfast for dinner," Percy noted, nodding.

"The best time to have breakfast is at dinner," Annabeth insisted. They chuckled. "How about you? What are you gonna get?" She leaned closer to him from across the table. Percy found himself leaning closer as well. It was like he was just drawn to her. "I'm gonna get... a burger with fries." He looked up from his menu and smiled at her.

"I might have to steal a fry," she admitted.

"Really, Chase? First my popcorn, now my fries?" he teased. In the movie theater, they shared a popcorn, and Annabeth really didn't eat anymore than he did, but Percy teased her anyway. At that point, she threw a piece of the popcorn at him, and they laughed. Of course, the older women sitting behind them shushed them, and they only laughed more.

"Hey, I'm pregnant," she argued.

Percy rolled his eyes jokingly, the smile spreading across his face. Annabeth laughed. "I guess I have no choice then. My defenses are useless."

Annabeth shrugged. "Sorry, bud." When they locked eyes, she laughed, her face spreading into a dazzling smile. Percy liked it when she called him 'bud'.

Just then, the waiter appeared and took their orders. When Percy asked for a blue coke, the guy looked at him like he was crazy and Annabeth laughed. He had already explained to her the whole, 'blue food' shtick, so she just shook her head and smiled. The guy was totally flirting with Annabeth, and Percy had to admit his slight jealousy.

"Looks like I got some competition," Percy teased, trying to push his jealousy away.

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah right. You'd beat that guy on a bad day," she mumbled.

"What was that, Chase?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking at her. He heard quite well what she said, and it made his stomach do a flip.

"Nothing," she said innocently, sipping her water.

Percy's smirk spread into a grin. "I think it was something."

Annabeth's cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink, and he bit his lip to keep from smiling. He swore that by the end of the night, his face would hurt. He didn't really care, though.

"Here's our food," she said, turning their attention to that. Their plates were placed in front of them, and the food smelled incredible. His coke, unfortunately, was not blue, but what could he do.

"Enjoy your meal," the waiter said more so to Annabeth than to Percy. As the guy walked away, Percy said, "Oh, we will." Annabeth laughed at that, and he followed.

"I'm glad that you didn't take me to some super fancy, crazy expensive restaurant where every dish is bite-sized," she said, eating a piece of her French toast.

Boy, was Percy relieved to hear that. "I figured you would like this more," Percy said, shrugging.

"Looks like you know me better than I thought, Jackson." Annabeth smirked, eating another bite of French toast. They continued to talk, back and forth, laughing all the same. About halfway through their meal, the waiter came back.

"How is everything?" Once again, he completely ignored Percy.

"The food is incredible. You have to try this," Annabeth said exaggeratedly, feeding Percy a bite French toast. It was funny, leaning over the table and eating from her fork, but he knew she was doing it to annoy the waiter. Still, it felt like there was something there—like for a second they really were together. Percy pushed it away.

"Mm, mm!" Percy shook his head, chewing the French toast, which actually was very good. "Delectable!" Annabeth bit back laughter.

The waiter's expression changed to something even more unpleasant than before. "Glad you're enjoying your food," he said annoyedly. Then he walked away. Once he was gone, Annabeth and Percy burst into laughter—bust-a-gut, struggling to breathe laughter.

"The look on his face!" Annabeth laughed.

Percy laughed harder thinking about it. Soon enough, they were able to calm down and catch their breaths. They continued to eat their food, and suddenly Annabeth was keeping her promise.

She slowly moved her hand across the table, humming the Jaws theme song. He knew she was heading for the fries. All he could do was watch, she when he started humming it with her, she laughed. She took a fry and ate it. They ended up sharing the rest of the fries, but Percy didn't mind at all.

Soon enough, their plates were empty, mainly finished off by the other, and they were just sitting, talking about everything and anything. After a little while, a plate came out from the kitchen, not for them, but for someone else. Unfortunately, on that plate were eggs. Percy had come to learn that now that Annabeth was pregnant, she couldn't handle the smell of eggs.

"Oh, god," Percy said. "Are you okay?"

Annabeth closed her eyes and hid her face. She stayed that way for a second before uncovering her face. "Yeah, I think I'm—nope." She shook her head and ran to the bathroom. Percy watched her with a sympathetic expression. He felt bad that she had to go through this still—she was just starting her second trimester, meaning her sickness should have been slowing down. It did, but not very much.

Percy wondered if he should go after her, even if it was into the women's bathroom. He thought he probably shouldn't, you know to avoid getting kicked out, but his leg bobbed up and down anxiously. He knew Annabeth would be fine, but he didn't like the thought of her being alone. Despite himself, he waited.

It had been ten minutes and Percy's anxiety wasn't going anywhere. He decided to go check on Annabeth. He glanced around the diner. Luckily, there were barely any other people at the at the tables around theirs. He stood up and walked towards the bathrooms. He realized that the bathrooms were individual, meaning no one else would be in them except for Annabeth. He knocked on the door.

"Annabeth?" he asked quietly.

Without a word, the door opened and Percy slipped inside.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked her. She was sitting in a chair that she pulled in front of the toilet. Her hair fell around her face, which looked a little pale.

Annabeth took a deep, shaky breath. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just," she paused, probably due to another wave of nausea. When she was okay, she started speaking again. "Those eggs were really just..."

"I know, don't think about it." Percy came to her side, and stroked her hair over her shoulder. "You wanna get out of here?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I'm sorry that I totally ruined this date." She put her face in her hands as she stood up.

"No, no, you didn't ruin anything." Percy pulled the chair back to the corner, where he assumed it came from.

"I did," Annabeth said, shaking her head. She washed her hands and then examined herself in the mirror. Even in the shitty, dim bathroom lighting she looked pretty. "I just, I'm so tired of doing this over and over again. We're having a nice time, but then my stupid pregnancy symptoms ruin it."

"Annabeth, that's not your fault. And you didn't ruin this date. It was whatever idiot decided to order the smelliest eggs on the planet," Percy pointed out, shrugging. "So its not your fault, okay?"

Annabeth chuckled at him. "Okay,"

"Now let's get outta here,"

~*~

Saturday, November 3rd
8:00 pm - Percy's living room

Percy led Annabeth into his apartment, leaving their shoes and coats at the door. While Percy walked to the kitchen, Annabeth made herself comfortable in the living room. To make her feel better, Percy decided to invite Annabeth to his place to watch a movie. He grabbed the Tupperware of cookies his mother had made this afternoon and walked into the living room.

"So, what should we watch?" he asked, placing the container on the table and sitting next to Annabeth.

"I don't know. Maybe... ooh, my favorite!" she said while browsing through the movies. She clicked on Mulan.

Percy raised his eyebrows. "I pegged you for a Pocahontas kinda girl, Chase," Percy admitted.

"Well, Pocahontas is my second favorite, so you weren't far off." She shrugged, clicking on the movie. Percy got up to turn off the lights and grab them both water. He came and sat down again, finding that he was closer to Annabeth than before. She didn't seem to mind, though. Percy bit his lip to stop from smiling.

"So, turns out we don't have popcorn," he started, clearing his throat. "But we do have blue cookies." He gestured to the container.

"That's even better," Annabeth said. Percy chuckled and they each took a cookie. Then the movie started, although Percy wasn't watching it so much as he was focusing on Annabeth. A third of the way through the movie, and her head was on his shoulder. He smiled the rest of the night.

~*~

Saturday, November 3rd
10:00 pm - Annabeth's front door

"I had fun tonight, Jackson," Annabeth said, turning to face him before she walked into the house.

"Me too, Miss Chase," Percy said. Of course, though, he missed a step, tripping and making a complete fool of himself.

Annabeth laughed. "Are you alright?"

"I think so," he said, standing up straight at the top of the steps.

"You're such a Seaweed Brain," she said, chuckling.

"Oh, really?" Percy raised his eyebrows, smirking. Hearing that nickname sent fireworks up his spine.

"Oh yeah, I'm bringing that back." Annabeth said, staring up into his eyes. Percy suddenly realized how close they were; he could feel her minty breath on his cheeks. Despite the cold weather, he felt warm and fuzzy inside, but he knew that was all Annabeth.

"Okay, Wise Girl," he said, his voice getting quieter as he smirked. Now they were close enough to hear every whisper. And even then, in that moment, there was no need for words. Percy didn't even know what he would say if he could find the ability to speak again. Annabeth was so many incredible things, it was hard to put it all together. She left him speechless.

Percy found himself involuntarily glancing down at her lips. Butterflies danced around his stomach, and every instinct he had told him to kiss her. But he hesitated. He was too nervous. What if she didn't want to kiss? What if he offended her and then just looked like an idiot? What if she ended up hating him? There were too many thoughts going through his head, but they all were about kissing Annabeth. He was surprised he hadn't already done it; his impulsivity was strong.

Annabeth bit her lip, and that only made things worse. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from trying anything. He didn't have the courage.

"Thank you," she whispered, her words like wisps of silk falling from her mouth.

"Of course," Percy breathed back.

Annabeth looked down at her shoes. "Well, I should go in," she said.

Percy tried to hide his disappointment. He didn't want her to go. He could have just stared into her incredibly gorgeous grey eyes forever. It was actually hard not getting lost in them. "Yeah,"

Annabeth turned and walked in the door, but just before she closed it, their eyes found each other. "Bye, Seaweed Brain."

"Goodnight, Wise Girl." They smiled before she closed the door.

Percy tried to keep his composure walking to his car. His grin was so big, his face hurt. But he didn't care. They almost kissed. No, they didn't kiss, but they almost did. And that was still something.

Percy smiled the entire way home.

~*~

Saturday, November 3rd
10:10 pm - Annabeth's living room

"So," her father started. "How was your date?"

"It was really fun," Annabeth said, her smile growing as she thought about the night.

"So why didn't you kiss him?"

"Dad!" Annabeth said, her eyes getting wide. "You watched me from the window!"

Frederick shrugged. "I'm your dad, I can't help it." He sipped from his mug.

Annabeth sighed. "I don't know. I mean, I wanted to, but I guess I felt like it was too soon...?" she said, unsure of herself.

"I'm not trying to pressure you into a relationship with Percy, but I'm gonna tell you something, Pumpkin," her father said, sitting her down. "You're five months pregnant. You've known Percy for five months. Now, that may be too soon for some people, but that doesn't really matter, because Percy has been here for you that entire time. He was the first person you told. He was here whenever you needed him. And I see how much you like the kid. And I'm not stupid—you're not the only one who feels that way. Even Thalia agrees—"

"You talked to Thalia?"

"The girl's basically my other daughter,"

"Fair,"

"But that's besides the point. I'm saying that if you really like him, go get him. Yes, me and your mom dated for a while before we got married, but the second I saw her, I knew she was the woman I wanted to spend my life with. I'm not saying that this is that," he pointed out. "But, you should go for it."

Annabeth considered her father's words—she knows what you're thinking. This is not at all the advice you were expecting from the father. Was he protective? Yes. But did he really want Annabeth to be happy? Of course. "Okay," she said, nodding. "Thanks dad."

"Love you, Pumpkin. Now go get some sleep." Her father stood and kissed her forehead before walking up to his bedroom.

But Annabeth couldn't sleep. Her head was running a million miles a minute with thoughts of Percy and their date. Annabeth knew that she was pregnant, and she knew that she would not let Percy jeopardize his future over her. But she really like him, and the thought of being with him—it made her feel warm inside and a little fuzzy in the head.

Annabeth laid in her bed, knowing that when she fell asleep, he was waiting in her dreams. But she was still buzzing with excitement. She smiled, warm with the greatest sense of content.

Percy just did that to her.

•••