Previously: "Percy! Annabeth! Guests are here!"

Annabeth's POV:

"Bobby, where's Luke?" I asked as we walked into the living room. 

"In the basement with Matthew. They're playing with dinosaurs or something." He waved his hand around. 

"Okay." I said. Matthew was really good with little kids while Bobby was good with kids who were older. I sat on the couch with Percy next to me and I laid my head on his shoulder. I heard the door open then a person walking and the squeak of wheels. My head shot up as my grandma and grandpa walked into the room. "Grandma! Gramps!"

"Annabeth!" They said. I ran over and hugged my grandparents.

"How are you, Dear?" My grandma asked.

"Never been better." I said. Then I lowered my voice to a whisper. "I have been better. When I'm away from Helen."

"I know. I still don't approve of her. Treating my granddaughter like trash when you have saved the world twice." She whispered.

"Annabeth, how are you?" My grandpa said.

"I'm well, Gramps. You?" 

"Much better knowing you're here." He said.

"Now, where's that handsome husband of you?" My grandma asked.

"Right here." Percy said as he walked up behind me. He hugged my grandma.

"Hello, Percy. You're looking as handsome as ever."

"Thank you." 

"Percy! My boy! How's it going?" My grandpa asked as he shook Percy's hand.

"I'm doing well." He replied. Percy wrapped an arm around my waist. 

"Mommy!" Luke yelled as he ran into my legs almost making me fall over. 

"Whoa!" I said as Percy caught me. "Thanks." 

"Mommy!"

"What?" I asked.

"Matty has this many dinosaurs!" He exclaimed as he held up ten fingers.

"Really? Better go back and play with them." I said. He smiled.

"Otay! Bye Mommy and Daddy!"

"Bye, Lukey." Percy said as we watched Luke run towards the stairs then walk down. I turned back to my grandparents to see big smiles and widened eyes.

"My, my, my. He has grown. He's what now? Three?" My grandma asked.

"Yeah." I asked.

"Are you thinking about having another one?" My grandpa asked. My eyes widened.

"Uh we've talked about it once and decided to let fate decide that for us. We want to focus on Luke for a while." Percy explained.

"Good plan." She lowered her voice. "Any monster attacks lately?"

"Uh, no. There was one when Luke was two weeks old and when he turned two." I said.

"That's good. We're going to go say hi to Frederick. See you around." She said as she wheeled my grandpa out of the room.

"Your grandparents are the best." Percy said.

"I know. They've been with me since the monsters started coming." I said.

"I just like that they approve of me." Percy told me as he planted a kiss to my forehead.

"I don't know why people don't." I said. "I mean you do have a tattoo."

"Oh come on! That doesn't count. I got it for saving the world."

"Yeah, they don't know that, Seaweed Brain." I joked as I poked his side. He moved away and giggled. I stared at him. "Did you just...giggle?" 

"Uh.....no." He said as he looked away and whistled. I laughed.

"Let's go see if anyone else is here." I grabbed his hand and we walked towards the kitchen. On the way there we ran into my dad.

"Annabeth! Can you open the door for people? Thanks!" Then he walked upstairs.

"Uh, yeah. Sure dad." I muttered as I walked towards the door. I turned around to see Percy. "You just follow me around like a lost puppy don't you?" 

"Uh.. Not sure what to say to that. I guess I just don't really know anyone."

"I'm kidding. I don't care." I said as I pecked him on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you too." Then the doorbell rang. I opened it and Helen's parents walked in.

"Still together. No child. Sad. I knew they weren't ready. Next is their relationship." I heard Helen's mom mutter as she and her husband walked past us. I looked up at Percy. He shrugged.

"They just assume that?" I asked. 

"I guess so." Percy said back. The doorbell rung again. I opened it to see Helen's brother, his wife, and their 18 year old son. 

"Hi. Merry Christmas." I said.

"Merry Christmas." Then she turned to her son and whispered something. Then they walked inside and passed me.

Lora POV:

My husband, Carlos, knocked. The door opened and revealed... Annabeth and her husband. How the freak got a husband I will never know. Our smiles dropped.

"Hi. Merry Christmas." She said.

"Merry Christmas." Then I turned to my son, "This is why you are just now allowed to date. She was allowed to date at 16. Now look at the mistakes she made. She will have her heart broken." I whispered. He nodded and we walked into the house, passed Annabeth.

Annabeth's POV:

"Okay then." I said as I wrapped an arm around Percy's waist. 

"They don't have to like you. Just remember, your dad, Bobby, Matthew, Luke, my mom, Paul, and I all love you." He said. I looked up at him and smiled.

"You always make me feel better." I said. The doorbell rung and I opened it. Loren, Mark, and Sophia were all standing there. They all walked passed me. I opened the door when the doorbell rung... again. Teresa, Justin, and Kade were standing there.

"Annabeth!" Teresa squealed. "How are you? How old are you now? How's Luke? Where is Luke? How old is Luke? How's Percy?"

"Whoa. Slow down." I laughed. "I'm doing well. I'm twenty-two. Luke's well. He's playing with Matthew. He's three. And Percy is doing well and is right behind me." 

"Uh. Sorry and no he's over there." She said. I turned around and saw Percy putting food on a plate. I chuckled.

"Of course he's getting food." I said. Teresa nodded.

"And... there goes Justin." She laughed. "Kade, Honey. This is Annabeth." He came out from behind Teresa's legs.

"The one you tell me stories about?" He asks.

"Yup." Kade smiles and hugs my legs.

"My Mommy tells me how you saved the world and I want to thank you!" He exclaimed.

"Aww. Your'e welcome! I have a son that's your age. Do you want to play with him?" I asked. He looked at Teresa.

"It's okay, Kade. Luke's friendly and-" She was cut off with a giggle.

"Mommy! Look!" I turned to see Luke running towards me.

"Lukas Charles! Slow it down! Don't run over Mommy again!" Percy said while walking up behind Luke.

"Sorry. Mommy, look! I drew a dinosaur! You think Auntie Rachel will be proud?" He asked. I looked at the paper and saw green scribbles. 

"She would be very proud." I said. He smiled.

"Good because I want to give it to her when we go to camp." 

"Okay but first can you meet someone?" I asked. He nodded. "This is my Aunt Teresa and my cousin I was talking about, Kade."

"Hi." Luke said.

"Hi, Luke. I saw you when you were a baby!"

"Really?" Luke asked.

"Yup and you have grown to a handsome little boy." Teresa said. Luke giggled. "This is Kade. He's a little older than you. Do you want to play with him?"

"Uh sure. Only if he plays with Matty too." Luke said. I chuckled. 

"Matty?" She asked me.

"Matthew." I explained.

"Oh. Kade go play with Luke and Matthew."

"Okay." Kade said. Luke patted Kade on the shoulder.

"You are going to have lots of fun, Man." Luke said. Teresa, Percy, and me burst out laughing.

"He gets that from Percy." I laughed. 

"That's funny. I have to find Justin. See you guys around." Then she walked away. I turned towards Percy and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Merry Christmas." I said. He wrapped his arms around me.

"Merry Christmas, Wise Girl." The doorbell rung several more times after that and I opened the door any more times. There were many toddlers and younger kids which is good for Luke. 

LINE BREAK---

Percy and I were sitting in the living room with all the other adults. Percy was sitting on the couch and I was sitting between his legs on the floor as Percy twisted a curl around his fingers over and over again. 

"So, shouldn't you kids be with the other teenagers in the 'Hang Out Spot'?" A woman with blonde hair and brown eyes asked. The Hang Out Spot is a room where the twins and their friends hand out and where teenagers hang out on holidays.

"Before I answer that may I ask who are you?" I asked.

"I am Helen's cousin, Olivia Williams ." She said. "I have a four year old named Caleb. And who are you and why aren't you with the other teens?"

"Oh, okay. I'm Annabeth Jackson and I'm twenty-two so no I should not be with the other teenagers." I said.

"What about the teen behind you?" She asked.

"That's Percy Jackson and he's twenty-two as well." 

"Are you two married?" She asked.

"Yes." Percy answered

"That's nice. Married recently I'm guessing?" She said.

"No. We've been married for about four or five years." I said. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, I was not expecting that." She said.

"No one ever is. No one can ever respect us. No one can ever support us." I said as I stood up and stormed up the stairs.

Percy's POV:

Annabeth stood up and stormed up the stairs. 

"Is it something I said?" Olivia asked.

"No. She's just been through a lot. She'll be up there a while." I said.

"Well I've got time." She said. I sighed.

"Alright. I have to whisper them though and you can't tell anyone. Swear on the River Styx."

"I swear on the River Styx." She said.

"No if you break that promise something bad will happen I don't know what but something will happen." I said.

"Okay." She said. I told her our lives and the reunions. After I was done she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh. That poor thing. That's awful. Now go be with your wife." She said. I nodded and ran up the stairs. (She may be a little OCC) I heard sobbing coming from our room. I pushed open the door and the sight made me want to cry. Annabeth was laying on her stomach on the bed, hugging a pillow as she cried into it, her hair was everywhere, and she was UGLY crying. I shut the door and quietly made my way to the bed. I laid down on my stomach next to her and rubbed her back. She calmed down and now had a bad case of the hiccups. She turned her head to the side and looked at me. I looked down at her with a saddened expression. She let out a whimper. I rolled on to my back and pulled her on top of me. She buried her face in my chest and cried a little. She wasn't sobbing though. I rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head. 

"Hey, Annabeth. What's wrong?" I whispered. She shook her head. "Talk to me." She shook her head again. "Annabeth, please. What's wrong?"

"Everything." She mumbled. 

"What do you mean?" I asked as I rubbed her back. 

"Just everything crashed down on me. Luke, the wars, tartarus, your disappearance, the mark of Athena, people don't support and respect us, reunions just everything. I'm sick of it." She said. 

"I know, Wise Girl. I know." I whispered. She stopped crying and I sat up with her in my lap. She took her face off my chest and looked at me. He eyes were poofy and red so was her face and her hair was a mess. "Geez, Wise Girl. Is it the time of the month?" She hit me in the face with a pillow.

"Shut up. I just had an embarrassing melt down and that's what you say?" She asks.

"I'm sorry." I wrapped my arms around her waist and buried my face in the crook of her neck and let a tear fall. She ran a hand through my hair as I silently cried. 

"Why are you crying?" She asked. 

"I-I don't know. Just like you said but mostly the Tartarus and mark of Athena thing." I said.

"Yeah? Why?" She whispered.

"I-I still have nightmares. Nightmares that I didn't catch you in time or that I let you fall. Or that when you were blind one of the curses killed you. Or when you left for that quest I never saw you again. That was the worst nightmare. In that dream I waited for years but you never came back." I cried.

"Shh. I'm here right now and we should get back downstairs." She said. I nodded and sat up. We looked at each other, our read eyes and messy hair, and laughed. "What a Christmas." 

"Yeah." I got off the bed and held out my hand which she took. I pulled her off and she fixed her hair before we went back down stairs. Olivia looked at us when we entered the room and jumped up. She ran over and hugged Annabeth. Annabeth hesitantly hugged back.

"I am so sorry. Percy told me everything and I won't tell. I support everything okay?" Olivia asked. Annabeth pulled away and smiled.

"Thank you and okay." Then there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Frederick said. I heard whispering from the entryway. Then I heard footsteps. I looked over and saw Magnus and Alex. I was going to say something when Magnus put a finger to his lips. He snuck up behind Annabeth and wrapped his arms around her. She let out a little shriek and turned around.

"Magnus!" She shouted. She threw her arms around her cousin, hugging the life out of him. I hugged Alex.

"Girl today. I'm a girl because whenever I' around you Jackson's I act like a girl." She whispered. I laughed. 

"Hey, Annabeth, I'm glad to see you too but you kind of are killing me." Magnus said.

"Who is that?" Olivia asked.

"Her cousin. He's a demigod too. Son of the Nordic god Frey. And Alex, green hair, is a daughter of Loki. Though tomorrow she'll be a son of Loki. She's gender fluid." I whispered.

"Ah, I see." Olivia walked away and sat down on the couch. I walked over to Annabeth and Magnus.

"Hey, um, Percy? Could you pry her off me." Magnus asked. 

"Yeah sure." I laughed. "Annabeth, you need to breath, you're going to kill him and he can't come back to life unless he's in Valhalla." Annabeth reluctantly let go and wrapped an arm around my waist.

"What are you guys doing here?" Annabeth asked.

"Your dad invited us." Alex said. "Now where is the little man?"

"In the basement. I'll go get him." Annabeth said. I looked at all the people in the living room and saw them all looking at us. Annabeth walked to the staircase leading down stairs.

"Lukas Charles Poseidon Jackson!" She yelled.

"Coming!" Came the reply of said boy. "Yes, Mommy?" 

"Alex and Magnus are here." She said as Luke grabbed her hand. 

"Really? ALEX!" Luke yelled and ran into Alex's arms.

"Hey little guy! How's it going?" She asked.

"Good! I was playing dinosaurs! Wanna come?" He asked.

"OH sure, why not." Alex said. She looked at us. "See you later folks." Then she disappeared down stairs. We sat down on the floor in the living room.

"Y-you still have the child!?" Helen's mom asked.

"Yes." I said.

"W-why?"

"Because we love him and it was our choice to have a child. If we didn't want him we would have never tried for him." Annabeth said.

Annabeth's POV:

"Dinner's ready!" I heard Helen yell. Magnus, Percy ad I stood up. I stood a little shakily and Percy grabbed my right hand and Magnus grabbed my left. Together we walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a plate for Luke and put a small piece of ham on it, some mashed potatoes, jello, and bread. I grabbed a knife but Helen grabbed my wrist.

"No, I don't think so. Remember last time?" She said loudly so everyone could hear. All heads turned towards me and I faintly heard Percy and Magnus whisper,

"Oh no."

"What are you talking about?" I asked as I tried to remove my wrist from her grip. Her grip tightened.

"Why you almost dropping it on your child and harming him." She said. There were a few gasps. I moved my wrist but her grip tightened even more.

"Ow! I dropped it but not near Luke." I said. 

"Oh yeah? There's a scar on his shoulder. Could've been made by a knife. SO you did harm your own child!" She said as her grip tightened even more.

"Stop! You're hurting me." I said. "And that was not me or Percy who did that to him."

"Then tell me why it's there." She tightened her grip. I shook my head. "Tell me." She tightened it even more if that was possible. 

"I can't." I said as I tried to move her hand off of me. "Let go." 

"Not until you tell me." Her grip tightened even more. 

"Ow! Let go! It hurts!" Tears sprung to my eyes. Then a hand grabbed my arm and Helen's arm and pulled us apart. I rubbed my wrist as I stepped behind Percy.

"Don't touch her." He growled. Then he turned around and looked at my wrist where a bad bruise was forming. "I'll go get some ice." He then walked out of the room. I turned back to Helen.

"Why do you care if I use a knife or if I harmed Luke?" I asked as I glared.

"Because I don't need you harming one of our children." She said. I stepped closer.

"What do you care if I harm a child. You just harmed someone" I yelled.

"No I didn't!" She yelled back.

"You just harmed me!" I yelled. "I never forgot those nights as a kid. When I desperately need Dad's and your help. When those spiders would come and bite me until I was raw. When I woke up crying from a nightmare. When I was hurt or sick. And do you want to know what I got? All I got was you screaming at me to shut my mouth because I'd wake up my poor little brothers that didn't even know me because I wasn't allowed by them. Those nights when I'd say I didn't feel good and you tell me to go to my room and lock myself in there so I didn't get your precious family sick. When I got hurt you'd tell me to take care of myself. It got to the point where you wouldn't even make me a meal! I'd come down for dinner to see my plate empty! I'd ask where my food was and you'd lie saying that I said I wasn't hungry! And you wonder why I ran away!" I screamed.

"You put danger upon my family!" She screamed back.

"I risked my life from the age of seven to now keeping you and your family safe. I lived in an ally for two weeks and lived on the streets for weeks! I went through hell! I've been through wars. I've protected your family since I was 12. And I can't even use a knife to cut my child's food." I said.

"Oh stop over exaggerating about all of this!" She yelled. "We all know it's your fault that Thalia girl died and that Luke boy died."

"Don't talk about them like that. You never knew how to care. Do you know how hard it was watching when Bobby or Matthew had a nightmare you would comfort them? How when they were sick you would nurture and care for them? When I saw you guys eating a home cooked meal and I was starving in my room? On holidays when I would walk downstairs to hang out you would tell me to go back to my room but Bobby and Matthew having the time of their lives downstairs? All I wanted was a mom like Bobby and Matthew had! But I never got that! All i got was a stepmonster!" I screamed. Then a hand made contact with my cheek then another hand made contact with my other cheek. 

"HEY!" Magnus yelled. He ran over and stepped in front of me. "Do not touch her."

"Magnus I can handle myself." I whispered. He took a deep breath and stood next to me. 

"That's what I was talking about, you abusive monster." I said dangerously calm. She raised her hand again but Percy caught her wrist.

"Don't. You. Dare." He said. I looked at everybody who was watching. My dad's side was glaring at Helen or my dad and Helen's side was glaring at me. 

"You talk to your mother like that?" 13 year old Sophia asked.

"She's not my mother." I said.

"She's not?" She asked.

"No she's my stepmom. My mother lives in New York and y mother figure also lives in New York." I turned to my dad. "We'll stay the rest of the night but only because Luke is having fun." Then I walked to the living room, Magnus and Percy on my heels. I sat on the couch and Percy handed me the ice. 

"Thanks." I said as I set the ice on my wrist.

"Did she do anything else?" Percy asked Magnus as I stared into the distance.

"Just slapped her twice." He said.

"Okay." Then Luke ran up the stairs. 

"Mommy, Daddy? I'm hungry." He said.

"Okay lets go get some food." I stood and Percy grabbed my arm.

"You sure?" He asked, standing up and picking up Luke.

"Yeah." Then we walked back to the kitchen.