"What do you think?" Piper asked.

She was holding up two types of baby clothing - one in pink, the other in blue. Hera was on the other side of the aisle, sorting through several pairs of other clothing that the baby might need.

There I was, with one hand on my abdomnem and looking at Piper's choice of clothing for the kid that was growing in me. I was seriously wondering what gender the baby was gonna be, but Hera suggested I should wait another two months before I find out what the baby would be.

So I made the decision that we should get both pairs of girls and boys clothing - that way we can finally decide what clothes the baby should have depending on it's gender.

Hera overheard my suggestion and gave me an approving nod. "Good move - back in my day, all the baby could wear was a little strip of cloth and that was it until it needed new sized clothing."

Back in my day my ass, I thought to myself. I'm not that old! I was twenty one years old for Athena's sake!

It's been over two weeks since Percy left for Everest, yet I miss him so much it makes my chest hurt with wistful longing. I could still remember our last conversation we had before he left...

=========

We were both outside, waiting for Percy's taxi to come. We sat on the marble table that was outside the front of the house. The thing about the house was that it was my design - I personally asked Reyna if we could design the house from the blueprint that I made specially.

"I'm gonna miss you - you know that right?" I told Percy.

He looked at me, like he could read my thoughts instantly. Over the years, I've seen him do a lot of amzing things - he was more or less the hero at both camps. He's done so much for everyone and yet in truth, he just wishes for the day that he doesn't have to do anything for any of the gods or both the camps. I could see the toll it had on him - his eyes might be sharp focused but I knew him well enough to know that he was more tired than before; it made him think more clearly and has adapted him to be a true leader; and he really has grown stronger, even than Clarisse La Rue from Camp Half-Blood.

He reached over and held my hand. That gentle touch of his hand instantly made me feel calm. "I'm gonna miss you more, Wise Girl. But I promise that I'll be back." Then he looked at my stomach and knelt down until he was level with my midriff. He smiled. "Because I don't want to miss the chance to see you and your mommy again."

I laughed - my dad once told me that when his wife was pregnant with my twin step-brothers, he would talk to them by putting his head next to her stomach and speak gently. At the time, I thought it was so stupid and so crazy, thinking that an unborn baby could hear it's father's voice. But now I was wondering how different it felt for me - mainly because I was with probably the most caring and most incredible boyfriend a girl could ask for. I knew at that moment that he would be a great father.

A second passed and Percy's taxi came to pick him up. Jason came out and waited for Percy to come.

Percy stood up and I could see how tall he had gotten. His hair had taken on that grey shade that he recieved from Atlas's job of holding up the sky. It felt like I was seeing the old Percy Jackson again - still the same old Seaweed Brain that I fell in love with.

"See you soon, Annabeth," he smiled gently at me.

I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck. "See you soon," I whispered to him, kissing him on the cheek.

===========

Piper and I were back in my house and were sorting out how to build a baby's cot. Hera decided to go back to Olympus and rest before she came back tomorrow.

Piper was huge help, I'll admit that. Even though she happens to be the most beautiful daughter of Aphrodite at Camp Half-Blood, she ain't afraid of getting her hands dirty. She didn't have her hair in a ponytail and whenever I felt like I needed to sit down - I might be four months pregnant but I can still feel tired from walking or standing for too long - she would ask me to do anything that needed to be done. I told her she didn't have to but she pretty much insisted.

I sat there on mine and Percy's couch and started stroking my stomach, wondering if my baby could already sense me. Piper was at the table counter making a cup of tea for herself while I just had water.

"Hey, sweetheart," I said gently, hoping that I didn't sound crazy to Piper. In truth, I was speaking to the baby, in the same playful yet warm tone Percy talked in before he left. "You can hear me can't you? If you can, then let me tell you that you are gonna like it when you get to see the world. Your daddy's gonna be here waiting for you and he will be just as excited as I am when you come out."

Piper looked at me, smiling slightly. She knew for a fact that I sounded crazy - rubbing my midriff and talking playfully made me look like I was insane. But at the same time, Piper knew that I was doing this so the baby could remember my voice.

When I smiled, I started to cry. "Piper, please tell me that everything is gonna be okay."

Piper came over and sat next to me. "It will be okay. You're not alone."

Then her eyes widened. "Why don't we find out if it's a girl or a boy?"

I looked at her. "But Hera said -"

"Do you really want to listen to everything Hera teaches you?" Piper honestly asked me.

She had a point. Hera was one of my least favourite goddess and the one that causes all the trouble. I would rather do things my own way.

"Okay," I said.

==========

I was lying on a small bed, with Piper and Hazel at my side. The doctor - her name was Lizzie - was at a computer doing test's.

Hazel only came to see us for today but she gladly went along with us to see the baby. As I looked at her, I could see that she was smiling at me, letting me know that she was there. Over the years, her eyes had taken on a more lustful gold colour and her hair grew longer than before. I knew she must be worried for Frank but she still kept that quiet sense of calm. And she was only seventeen as well!

The whole room was filled with doctors stuff about parental guides and photo scans of other women's babies. There was a poster of a woman which showed the inside of her body - in the middle of where her stomach is, there was female baby that was posistioned upside down, which I knew was the way my baby would come out.

I had no clothes on, except a hospital gown and a single bedsheet covering my midriff and legs. It felt completely awkward to begin with...and yeah, I was a little worried about what Lizzie would do to me, just so she could find out what the baby's gender was.

"Okay," she said. "Annabeth could you please lift your gown so that it is above your stomach please?"

I was hesitant to do so but Piper gave me an encouraging look so I did what I was asked to do. As soon as my gown was above my abdomnem, Lizzie took out a large bottle. Inside was a type of clear gel.

"What is that?" I demanded in a worried tone.

"This allows me to read the sonogram image more perfectly," she said, applying the gel on my bare skin. The gel was slightly cold but bearible. "It helps me see the image of the baby, in other words."

As soon as the gel was on, Lizzie placed a small little machine onto the gel - the type of machine you might use to read the code off of a shopping product.

"Okay," Lizzie said in a formal matter. "This...is what the inside of your uterus looks like."

On the image of the computer, I could see a black and white image. I didn't know what I was looking at in general - all I was interested in seeing was the baby and just hope that I didn't have a miscarriage or something.

Please be there, I prayed to anyone of the gods. Please, please.

"And right here...is your baby," Lizzie continued.

The screen showed a grey and white image of a small little blob. As I looked at it more carefully, I could see the baby's head and I could see it's little arms and legs.

"Oh, my god," I whispered in a relieved tone. I was crying slightly.

Piper was rubbing and patting my back gently, a hige smile on her face.

"Could you please tell us what gender it is?" Piper asked, putting a dose of charmspeak into her voice, which wasn't really needed.

"Sure," Lizzie said, carefully reading the scan. After what seemed like five minutes, she faced us again, smiling happily. "Well, I think you're gonna be pleased when I tell you this."

I looked at her, waiting for an answer.

Lizzie handed me a photo of the baby. "You're gonna have a baby boy."

Piper and Hazel shrieked so loudly, it was like listening to a pack of squeling hyena's.

"Oh-my-gods!" Hazel screamed, hugging me. "It's a boy!"

"Annabeth," Piper joyfully wrapped her arms around my neck, "you're gonna have a mini Percy!"

I didn't exactly listen to them - I was more interested in the photo scan, though completely stunned. Inside, I was smiling and crying tears of actual happiness.

I was gonna have a boy.