Chapter Text
June 21, Summer Solstice
Have you ever had the strange, uncomfortable feeling that life has stopped for you while everyone else around you has carried on? Have you ever wanted to rage at the rest of the world in those moments? Scream and go mad with the feeling that your world has ended while everyone else seems unaware of it?
No?
Well, Annabeth Chase knew that feeling perfectly well.
It was true that she would rather never have known about this feeling, this despair, but life had never been the most fair to her anyway. Annabeth knows that she sounds like a whiny little girl at these times, that she sounds bitter and like a young fool who hasn't yet understood how the world works, but she doesn't care.
Being on the Summer Solstice on Mount Olympus after more than a decade since the war had ended was completely different from what the 16-year-old Annabeth would have expected. When the daughter of Athena was chosen as the architect of Olympus, she really thought that walking through those hallways would be a source of pride for her, that she would look around every corner and recognize her designs and for a moment forget the brutality that had already adorned the same corridors years before. This was not the way it happened.
Annabeth actually recognized every part of those works so proudly exhibited on Olympus, every monument passed through the careful hands of the Architect of Olympus, the pride of Annabeth. She remembers spending countless sleepless nights thinking carefully about how each temple, each sculpture, each marble should look, entire days immersed in the computer that Daedalus had left for her, thinking about the smallest details she wanted to add to her work given to her by the gods themselves.
A decade later, she looks at her younger, somehow more innocent and foolish self and wants to put her hands around her throat, gray eyes meeting gray eyes, and take out all the fury stored in her head for so many years on the only person she can.
She spent so much time fixated only on her work, on what she would like to leave permanently in the world, that she let her be taken right before her eyes. In the solitude of her mind, never silence, only solitude, Annabeth wondered what might have been if she had been a better friend, what might have happened if she had not only stepped out of her own ambitions a little but also controlled her own sharp words better.
Leaning slowly against a marble pillar, one she recognized all too well from her countless projects, the daughter of Athena couldn't take her grey eyes off the scene that was being exhibited in front of her. At that particular moment she felt as if she was going mad, was it normal to see someone you care about, someone you love, being completely and undeniably happy and feel the pure and most unquestionable urge to throw everything away and just go mad?
It was impossible not to look at Percy. In the midst of so many other gods, gods many millennia older than her friend dreamed of living, the daughter of Poseidon stood out in a painful way. It wasn't just Annabeth who found it difficult to take her eyes off Percy; in the short time that the daughter of Athena took her eyes off her friend, she noticed that there wasn't a single being in all of Olympus who could remain immune to the feeling of magnetism that the goddess of loyalty inspired.
(And how repulsive it was to call Percy Jackson a goddess, it was like a whole different reality. Percy Jackson was the girl she had seen drooling on her first day at camp, the girl she had hugged countless times, the girl she had cried with, fought with and lived with. Percy Jackson was the girl she had loved with all her heart and now Percy Jackson was the goddess who held the love of all the gods in her golden hands).
It occurred to Annabeth that being under Percy's attention was more magnetic than when she was under the spell of a bunch of sirens at the age of 13. An affectionate smile, a warm touch or even a simple welcoming glance and Annabeth would throw herself into a deadly sea, onto a poisoned knife or into the darkness of Tartarus itself, to remain in Percy Jackson's sweet graces.
(She knew very well that she wouldn't be the only one)
Time had been incredibly kind to her friend, if time was indeed counting her as a goddess, but what mattered was that it never failed to impress Annabeth.
The daughter of Poseidon kept getting older, which was probably completely calculated and chosen by Percy, but it suited her adorably. Annabeth spent years of her childhood believing that she would never have the chance to see Percy grow old, the prophecy was almost too clear, her best friend would die before she had the chance to fully age as Annabeth knew she wanted to, so seeing her face as she matured was a shock every time.
In a way she was right, the daughter of Athena never had the chance to see the daughter of Poseidon grow old.
Looking at Percy Jackson was like nothing Annabeth could describe, seriously, she had already tried it the one time she tried to give a psychologist daughter of Apollo a chance. There was something about her face, her eyes, her whole personality that made you want to do everything in your power for her. Annabeth often struggled with this, especially in the first summer of the clumsy daughter of Poseidon, but it was almost inevitable. She would be bold enough to say that not even the titans were completely immune to the unique vision of Percy Jackson in all her glory. Even from a distance, Annabeth could feel Percy's laughter calling to her like the song of the sirens.
There she was, in the midst of a crowd of gods, nature spirits and demigods, Percy Jackson, her laughter echoing in Annabeth's heart even louder than in the great hall. Her face was glowing with the purest joy Annabeth had ever witnessed, her eyes focused on the three newest gods of Olympus, as she was wont to do.
The joy and pride of Persephone Aligena.
Hector, Milo and Luke already looked much bigger than the last time Annabeth had seen them. It never failed to take her breath away that these were her best friend's children, those three little gods with big eyes and cheeks, and an even bigger power inside them, born from the same girl she saw being dragged to a toilet on her first day as a camper.
Completing the little family was Apollo, one hand on his imaginary heart as he laughed happily and the other on Percy's waist. Even Apollo couldn't take his eyes off Poseidon's daughter, which shouldn't have been a surprise, after all.
The five of them seemed out of place, their images too full and peaceful, even compared to the other gods, to be in the same room as Annabeth. Looking at them felt wrong, not only because a large part of her wanted to simply shout at them without the slightest provocation, but also because, ironically, they seemed too pure and divine to be looked at by everyone in the room.
It honestly reminded Annabeth a lot of when her stepmother reached the peak of her denial and started taking her and her siblings to church. There was one particular Christmas when she took them there, the ceremony itself wasn't memorable, most of what she could remember was the large church and its beautiful architecture, but she did remember seeing a huge stained glass window near the exit, one depicting the birth of Jesus. Annabeth had never thought about that day again — to be honest, she had never believed anything that was being said and, after all, her architectural style was more Greek anyway — but years later, she finds herself remembering how looking at the family of the five gods was what that stained glass window was trying to portray. The divinity, the superiority at once mixed with the approachable appearance, the almost illuminated essence was what Annabeth saw looking at the five.
A soft clearing of throat brought her out of her thoughts, and Annabeth reluctantly took her eyes off Percy and her family. Next to her was Will Solace, one of Apollo's last mortal sons, the now blond man had survived not only the war that took most of his siblings lives but also the new phase his father was going through, the phase without demigod children.
For the sake of her friend's heart, or whatever was left during the transformation to divinity, Annabeth hoped that Apollo would never be inspired by their father.
For the sun god's own sake too, after all, Annabeth knew she wouldn't be the only one who would do what Zeus did to Kronos small compared to what they would do to Apollo if he hurt Percy even in the slightest.
“Annabeth,” said Will, softly.
“Will,” replied Annabeth, her gray eyes having already turned back to Percy in time to see her giving Apollo a light passionate kiss on the lips, eyes shining like little suns. At the sound of the disgusted noises coming from Hector and Luke, Annabeth felt the childish urge to echo them, and from Will's shudder she wasn't the only one.
The silence that followed was slightly awkward, but nothing Annabeth wasn't already used to. At times like this, the daughter of Athena found herself remembering a girl, her best friend, who was never intimidated by Annabeth's heavy silences and how she was always ready to talk about anything if it meant a smile from the blonde. Briefly, she thought about how everything had changed in the blink of an eye.
“Nico didn't show up today,” wasn't a question. Annabeth knew that the son of Hades didn't show up for most solstices, but it was a good place to start a conversation with Solace, after all, the son of Apollo could talk endlessly about his husband if you let him.
“Oh, no. He preferred to stay at Mrs. Jackson's place,” Will replied with a bright smile on his face, just as Annabeth knew he would.
“If Sally were here, she'd ask you to call her Sally,” Annabeth commented with a blonde eyebrow raised playfully. It was strange in a way, it wasn't often that she felt playful, especially in the presence of so many gods.
“But she's not here, is she?” added Will in a slightly less radiant tone than usual, and the reminder caused any spark of happiness to fade from Annabeth's body.
Don't get her wrong, Sally was all right, it was just... complicated. The mother of Percy Jackson was loved by all of Percy's friends, especially after her daughter was taken by the gods just as her name had predicted. Talking about her on Olympus seemed wrong, Annabeth couldn't explain how, but it seemed to... dirty the pure name that was Sally Jackson, but the fact that she wasn't there to celebrate the Summer Solstice and, even more importantly, her grandchildren's birthday made something ugly in Annabeth go up in flames.
A new blaze began to burn in her stomach, and this time it had nothing to do with any kind of positive feeling. It was fury.
Annabeth didn't know exactly who she was angry at, angry no, furious, but she did know that the feeling didn't seem to want to go away any time soon. What she did know was that thinking of Sally Jackson in her apartment and seeing those gods celebrating like there was no more tomorrow, seeing Percy Jackson, the said woman's daughter, in full joy surrounded by gods as if her life had always been like that made the ugliest feelings in Annabeth bubble up.
Unfortunately, at that very moment Percy's green eyes met Annabeth's gray ones. A smile soon appeared on the already glowing face of the daughter of Poseidon, the daughter of Sally Jackson, and Annabeth's heart warred between her anger that wanted to be transferred to her friend and the natural instinct to just relax at the mere sight of Percy's smile.
Something in her warmed at the thought that looking at Annabeth still brought a smile to the goddess's face, that not everything was over.
Then Percy bent down slightly and called to his children with what seemed to be the purest affection and adoration in her eyes. Maybe, and just maybe, the feeling came back more strongly with that little interaction, what certainly didn't help was the little clasp of heads that Percy and Apollo exchanged as if separating for just a few moments was an excruciating challenge for both of them.
Slowly but surely, the four deities came up to where Annabeth and Will were, and the closer they got, the more the daughter of Athena could feel her friend growing tense at her side. The child of Apollo glanced around the party as if looking for a way out, but, like everyone who knew her, Will probably thought of the disappointed face Percy would make when she saw her old friend running away from her, those green eyes had the power to change the world long before she was a goddess.
That or Will also thought of the face his father would make if he knew his son had upset his beloved one. It never ended well for whoever was on the other side of his wrath.
In the blink of an eye, the little family left the other side of the hall to stand in front of the two demigods. Maybe it was their divine powers or maybe it was just Annabeth's thoughts. It wasn't something she particularly liked to think about.
In the time it would have taken Annabeth to see her old friend more closely, she was too busy lost in thought, so finally seeing Percy Jackson up close after more than two hours of festivities was a shock. Like her personality, the beauty of the daughter of Poseidon was not something anyone could get used to, at least Annabeth didn't know any demigod who had ever reacted completely normally to Percy's arrival. And if the daughter of Athena had to guess, the gods weren't much better, perhaps even worse.
The sight of the goddess of loyalty up close was breathtaking, she had always been beautiful but after becoming a goddess she had acquired an almost hypnotic aura around her. That's why Annabeth almost didn't notice how artificial the aging former demigoddess looked up close.
Almost.
Her skin looked too young, her eyes less tired than when she was a teenager, no sign of gray hair to be seen, no marks from having triplets at seventeen or from the war her body had endured, except for small scars that looked more artistic than anything else. Perhaps if Annabeth hadn't been a demigoddess herself and Will hadn't been by her side she might have overlooked these particular aspects, but putting the three of them face to face was like tracing their differences with a neon yellow highlighter.
“Annabeth! Will!” exclaimed Percy with a beautiful smile on her divine face. The way her eyes lit up left no room for doubt as to whether or not she was happy to see them, but was it enough? “How are you? I've missed you so much!”
The sharp answer was on the tip of Annabeth's tongue. After all, if her friend missed them so much, why not get more in touch with them? But, as usual, Annabeth couldn't get the words out of her mouth.
It was strange, a decade ago the daughter of Athena wouldn't have hesitated to make her feelings clear, especially when it came to Percy, even if it broke her own heart to see her friend saddened by her choice of words. Now? Annabeth couldn't bring herself to waste those precious moments she had with the girl she loved on quarrels and arguments.
“We're fine, Percy, thank you,” replied Annabeth calmly. She was pretty sure she saw Luke's eyebrow spasm when he heard 'Percy' come out of her lips, which only made Annabeth want to let out a long, tired sigh. “And you? How have you been? It's been... a very long time.”
“I'm wonderful, actually we are. Aren't we, my boys?” said Percy cheerfully as one of her hands ran lightly through Hector's dark curls. “Be polite and say hello to your aunt and uncle.”
“Hello, Annabeth, hello, Will,” Hector and Luke replied softly, even though their hearts weren't really in it. Their blue eyes were looking at them, but at the same time it was as if anyone else could have been standing in front of them and the response would have been the same.
“Hello, Annabeth. Hello, brother,” said Milo a little more joyfully, his eyes like his mother's shining in a very similar way to Percy's. However, Annabeth knew those eyes better than she knew her own gray eyes, and she knew that the twinkle in them was trying to be genuine, but it simply wasn't the same as his mother.
No matter how hard Percy tried, her children were simply different. Not that Annabeth thought Percy loved the triplets any less because of it. In fact, the daughter of Athena firmly believed that there were no more beloved beings in the world than the children of Percy and Apollo. It was just a fact that all of Percy's friends noticed each time they met Hector, Milo and Luke.
It was at times like these that Annabeth remembered that her nephews were gods, born and raised as gods.
“Hello, boys,” said Will, a little embarrassed but still with all the light he had in him at that moment. Honestly, that was a trait Annabeth had come to admire in her friend, especially considering how much he was around Nico, it was a miracle he hadn't absorbed all that negativity for himself. “You've grown up a lot since we last saw each other”
With this comment, the mortal child of Apollo got three different reactions from his siblings. Hector tried to make himself bigger as if he was proud of the observation, but at the same time he turned his still round face towards his mother as if he wanted her approval; Milo gave one of the brightest smiles Annabeth had ever seen on his face, finally the light that had been missing in his eyes returning to where it belonged; while the little Luke, the smallest of his brothers, twisted his face slightly and practically hid behind Percy's clothes, even though he had previously given a small smile to his older mortal brother. For some reason, the little scene eased some of the tightness in the daughter of Athena's heart.
They were still just children, gods or not.
“Thank you!” replied Milo, his dimple appearing as he smiled happily. Annabeth honestly didn't know if that smile was more his father's or his mother's, but perhaps that was why the boy seemed to radiate joy, light and divinity every time he opened his adorable smile.
“I told you we were bigger, Mama! I told you,” Hector complained happily as he continued to stare at his mother, his dark eyebrows raised as he looked at Percy in a happy, smug way. The boy, whether he noticed it or not, attracted not only his mother's full attention with his cheerfulness, but also that of Apollo, who was on the other side of the room, talking to his twin sister.
“But you'll always be my babies to me, sweetheart,” Percy replied, looking directly at her miniature copy. Hector just stuck out his little tongue and perhaps that proved the point that her friend was trying to make, only for the little god to receive a smacking kiss on the cheek.
“One day I'll be bigger than you, Mama. I'll be bigger than you and Dad all together, I'll be even bigger than Grandpa!” exclaimed Hector excitedly, his blue eyes sparkling as he dreamed of the future he was building in his head. “I'll be big enough to protect you from everything and everyone, you'll see. The best of your protectors.”
“ Yeah, as if,” Luke replied, his little face wrinkling up in a funny way as he looked at his older brother. Quickly Percy's eldest son's neck turned towards his youngest brother, his once high eyebrows now furrowed in indignation. “First of all, you can't become bigger than Mom and Dad combined. It's impossible, Hector. And secondly, everyone knows that I'm going to be Mama's greatest protector.”
“You? Mom's greatest protector? You're not even the greatest of the three of us, let alone the greatest protector,” Hector mocked Luke playfully, both of them now staring at each other. On Hector's side, Milo just rolled his eyes as if this was the most common occurrence in the world in their little family.
“My dears, don't fight,” Apollo added as he approached and quickly put his arms around his beloved's waist. Once again that cursed feeling seeped through Annabeth's entire body, it was almost unbearable to look at that sunny god, that cursed god. The god who took everything away from her. “When the time is right, each of you will be a great protector of your mother. But not now. And stop talking about growing up, you're breaking your mother's poor heart,” finished Apollo as he pressed a sweet kiss to the golden cheek of the goddess of heroes, his beloved lover.
Were the words spoken simply bitter or did they feel that way because they were uttered by Apollo? Annabeth didn't know, but there was something about the god of plagues' statement that made Annabeth's mortal heart wrench in the worst possible way.
Listening to Apollo talk like that, talking so easily about his children growing up, was just ridiculous. Listening to the triplets talk about training and being warriors in such a relaxed, almost satisfied way, while standing in the same corridors where Annabeth's friends had suffered, fought and died for the gods, was bitter like nothing the daughter of Athena had ever tasted. Luke had died more than a decade earlier at a ridiculous distance from where they stood, and now another Luke was talking about being a warrior as if it was the best thing that could happen to him. It made Annabeth want to laugh like a madwoman, and maybe that was what she had become after so many years.
How could the years of peace have a worse effect on her mind than the years of war? How could the absence of a single person weigh more painfully on her heart than the death of hundreds? A person who hadn't even died, she was standing right there in front of Annabeth, just a step away.
But was Percy really that person? Annabeth was afraid that she wasn't. She didn't want to find out if she was completely honest.
While Annabeth was lost in thought, she could see the three little gods throwing themselves at Percy at the mere thought of her having her heart broken by the three of them. Even Milo, who hadn't made a single rude comment to any of his brothers present, was clinging to his mother as if she was going to disappear at any moment.
Annabeth hoped for his own good that it wouldn't happen, she knew more than well the hole Percy Jackson could leave behind, whether she was a mere mortal or a powerful goddess.
Looking at that happy family was so... embarrassing? Maybe that wasn't the right word, but Annabeth honestly couldn't find a word to describe her feelings. It seemed that the English and Greek worlds were failing her at the moment.
How could those five seem so happy while Annabeth's world seemed destroyed? How was it fair that Annabeth had given everything to the gods, her childhood and her youth, her joy and her tears, and this was what she got in return? Why did everyone else manage to move on while the daughter of Athena seemed like she would never do the same? What was the criterion used by the Fates to decide that the happiness of that small family of gods was more important than hers?
Why did the three ladies of the fates consider the gods, of all beings, worthy of living in Percy's company for the rest of eternity while her real family wouldn't be able to enjoy it even for the rest of their incredibly short lives?
Why did Percy's happiness have to be so intrinsically connected to that of her children? And why did their happiness have to be found so far away from Percy's real family? How was that fair?
It was driving Annabeth insane how she was so focused on rebuilding Olympus the way she had always dreamed of that she didn't notice the differences her best friend had shown. Or had it started much earlier than Annabeth could have imagined? The daughter of Athena had always known that the immortals around them were anything but normal when it came to Percy, even an ignorant person could see that. She knew it from the first time Dionysus saw the daughter of Poseidon and Sally, from the first challenging conversation between Percy and Ares, and it only became even clearer during Percy's interaction with Hades. The gods were like flies and Percy the brightest light ever to be seen.
Annabeth preferred to put it to the back of her mind. She was a fool. She thought that Poseidon, with all his reputation for being terribly protective of his children, would have protected his daughter from the filthy fingers of the gods. But apparently, the temptation of having his precious daughter by his side for the rest of eternity was too much for the lord of the seas to handle.
Now Annabeth was paying the price.
The gods had won their prize, the only price Annabeth had never been willing to pay. Percy had a perfect new family and Annabeth wasn't part of it, even though she knew that if she asked the goddess of loyalty she would say that Annabeth had always been part of her family. It simply wasn't the same.
She had experienced it before, this dark and horrible feeling, more times than she would have liked. She first experienced it when she kept getting the scariest spiders in her room when she was just a little girl, and then she saw her mortal family living totally in peace as if it had never happened. Annabeth's little world was falling apart, but it was as if her father, stepmother and siblings were still perfectly well and truly at peace. When she realized this, her heart ached for the first time like that.
After that came Thalia and Luke. Seven-year-old Annabeth could never have imagined that her small but true family would fall apart. But then Thalia was gone, not dead but gone, and Annabeth felt as if the world became a little darker. Apparently it didn't matter, as the new camp seemed to think it was the most ordinary thing in the world, and soon Luke seemed to have forgotten about Thalia too. But how could Annabeth's world go on without her older sister?
As if the Fates weren't satisfied with her suffering, Luke abandoned Camp Half-Blood, leaving everyone behind, leaving Annabeth behind. Everyone moved on, they still talked about Luke but always in a negative way, as if he wasn't Annabeth's whole world, as if he wasn't the last remaining person of her little family.
But then Percy was there, and even though she should have known better, Annabeth truly believed that she had found the one who, given the choice, would stay. At fifteen, Annabeth firmly believed that she had found her soul mate, not that she was ever going to say it out loud, even if she ended up dying. When, against all odds, Percy survived at the end of the war, Annabeth really thought that would be it. Percy would stay with her until death parted them, but not for long, only until the moment they both found each other in the underworld.
How naive she had been.
Percy had left her behind.
For the first time, she saw the effects of the collapse of her world on others. Everyone who knew Percy had suffered from her leaving them as she had, even if she had never actually died. Annabeth would even go so far as to say that there were others who had suffered more than her from the absence of Poseidon's daughter, even if there weren't many of them.
Seeing her best friend after a long time disappeared as a goddess was a shock.
Annabeth was ready to go to Olympus and tear it apart brick by brick until there was nothing left, nothing that was holding her best friend back if she was suffering even in the slightest. Deep down, Annabeth could admit that she was sure Percy had been transformed against her will into a goddess. That, in a way, she hoped to be reunited with her best friend through tears and hugs. It would be a more emotional moment than Annabeth would normally allow herself, but she was ready for it.
That's not what happened. Not even close.
Percy looked far more complete than Annabeth could ever remember seeing the daughter of Poseidon in all the time they had known each other. Her hair was braided in the same way Annabeth had seen Amphitrite's on the few occasions she had met the queen of the seas, and she looked healthier and happier than Annabeth had thought possible. She was even pregnant.
It was ridiculous that this was one of the things that had shocked Annabeth the most in the whole meeting. Everyone knew Percy was pregnant, it was one of the only things Poseidon said at the Winter Solstice before he and his siblings took Percy away, Annabeth remembers hearing it and almost fainting from shock, it was just that... in the middle of so much madness the daughter of Athena didn't think about it anymore.
But there it was, Percy's almost imperceptible belly was accentuated by the way her friend was always touching it in one way or another.
That day, Annabeth discovered that yes, Percy was pregnant, she was dating Apollo and she was now officially a goddess. She doesn't think she's recovered from that particular meeting to be completely honest.
At that time, the only person who seemed to mock Annabeth's suffering through her happiness was the one person Annabeth never expected: Percy. Every time the two of them met, it was as if their worlds were drifting further and further apart. Annabeth sank deeper and deeper into her personal misery, never able to get over the loss of her best friend, the one she had given her heart to, while Percy seemed more and more at peace with herself, her children and lover healing every one of her scars, be they mental or physical.
It seemed unfair that the happier Percy seemed, the unhappier Annabeth became. The more Annabeth saw Percy, the less she wanted to see her again, but at the same time, Annabeth felt as if her heart would rot in the complete absence of her friend.
And while Annabeth was furious with the world, with the gods, with Percy, how could she not truly love Percy Jackson? She knew she never could, no one who knew Percy the way Annabeth did could not love the daughter of Poseidon. It was the cruelest of curses, the most torturous of feelings but also the most beautiful of gifts.
“—beth? Annabeth? Annabeth, are you all right?”
Suddenly, Annabeth was pulled out of her thoughts by Percy's worried voice. The daughter of Poseidon was closer to Annabeth than she remembered the brunette being before the daughter of Athena was lost in thought. Her green eyes shone with genuine concern, and it almost brought her to the brink of an emotional breakdown that had been building up for more than a decade.
Almost.
“I'm fine, Percy,” Annabeth replied, even though her voice sounded broken and distant. “I just got lost in thoughts,” finished the daughter of Athena with a clearly forced smile.
It was obvious that no one there believed what Annabeth had said, least of all her smile. Percy in particular looked as if she might cry as she locked eyes with Annabeth, and that had been the most sadness or any less than positive feeling Annabeth had seen on her friend's face in over a decade.
For a moment it seemed that the goddess of loyalty was going to say something, that maybe she was going to pull Annabeth into a tight hug and they would have the conversation they should have had years ago. Annabeth knew that look on Percy's face, it was the same look she had given Annabeth countless times before taking away whatever truth was choking Annabeth. The daughter of Athena could practically feel the words pouring out of her wildly in a corner of the sun palace, the warm arms around Annabeth and both of them finally getting back to being what they had been so many years ago.
“ Mama! Mama! Look, Grandma's here! Let's go and talk to her,” exclaimed Hector excitedly as he pulled Percy's blue gown in the opposite direction of the hall.
Foolishly, Annabeth hoped that Hector was pulling his mother towards Sally Jackson. That, somehow, Zeus had granted special permission for the mother of the mother of his grandchildren to take part in the joyous festivities of the day, which mainly involved celebrating the ten-year birthday of the triplets, their grandchildren.
Quickly turning her face towards where the small, young god was pulling his mother, the daughter of Athena began to crack an honest, rare smile, hoping to find the mortal who meant so much to so many demigods, but especially to Annabeth, only to close it almost automatically at the sight she saw. Where Hector, and now Milo and Luke too, were pulling Percy was Lady Amphitrite, wife of Poseidon and queen of the seas.
Apparently the grandmother of Percy's children.
As she watched her childhood best friend being dragged to where her stepmother was, any sense of hope was drained from Annabeth's mortal body. Percy's green eyes still gazed briefly back into Annabeth's gray ones, her eyes counting thousands of unspoken words, guarded feelings and silent tears, it was for just one last instant before they returned to her precious children.
The world seemed to slow down as Percy approached Amphitrite. Unlike what Annabeth might have expected, the smile on her face was practically automatic as the two goddesses finally crossed eyes. There was no flicker of disappointment in her eyes when Percy saw that it was the queen of the seas who was there and not the previously proclaimed queen of Percy Jackson's heart, not as she felt or even as Annabeth could see that Will felt too.
Amphitrite's slightly blue hands went to her stepdaughter's face with more love than Annabeth had expected, both cradling the golden cheeks lovingly, her pointed ears curving as she looked at the young goddess with love and pride and her red lips curving into a smile too perfect to be human. The goddess of loyalty practically melted into her touch before receiving a kiss on her forehead and the queen of the seas' attention turned to the three eager gods who were practically jumping on their heels to show off for their grandmother.
Watching this seemed like a betrayal of the mortal who was probably baking blue cookies for the son of Hades in her apartment in the middle of New York.
(Annabeth didn't know how Percy Jackson could bear the mere thought of doing that. Maybe it was that, maybe the loving goddess in front of her wasn't Percy Jackson. Persephone Aligena. That was her name, wasn't it?)
“Come on, Annabeth,” said Will as he lightly tugged Annabeth's tanned arm.
Looking away from the scene where Apollo's mortal son was pulling her, she noticed how she seemed to be shivering like a leaf in winter. The daughter of Athena tried everything she could to stop it, but nothing helped, so she turned her eyes to Will's blue ones — so similar but so different to Hector's and Luke's — only to find pure concern stamped on them.
Not just concern; understanding.
Will's soft and mortal sweet blue eyes showed that he understood what was going through Annabeth's turbulent mind. Perhaps it was the fact that he lived with Nico — not only lived with him but was married — Annabeth was sure he had heard about it more times than they could both count on their fingers. Or perhaps he thought of the mortal woman who opened her home whenever any demigod needed it, who was like a mother to most of his friends.
Or maybe Will Solace was thinking of the girl who won everyone's heart at Camp Half-Blood, only to take them with her when she left them behind. The girl who always brought light wherever she went, who was his friend, who looked after him and his siblings as if they were her own.
(Annabeth wondered if Will had ever thought that perhaps all that care was motivated by the fact that she was dating the father of cabin seven, of her friends and of the younger children who looked at her as if she were the best person on the planet. Who still looked at her like that.
Annabeth knows she's thought that more than once)
“Let's go home, Annabeth,” Will asked once again, his eyes begging her, making it clear that he wouldn't go anywhere without his friend but that he also desperately wanted to get out of that place. “Please,” and for a moment his voice became watery. That was all it took for Annabeth to make her decision.
She wouldn't fail another friend.
“All right,” replied Annabeth, her still trembling hands reaching up to grasp Will's freckled arms. “Let's go home. Let's find Sally and Nico”
And then, at the mention of Will's grumpy husband, the two demigods turned to leave that place full of gods and unwanted memories.
Just before they both crossed the threshold of the huge hall, Annabeth could hear a sweet laugh, albeit low and distant, coming from behind her. The daughter of Athena didn't have to turn around to know exactly whose laughter it was. Only one being could light up the place with the simple act of laughing, and even if Annabeth couldn't feel the sun itself giving way so that his beloved's light could illuminate the hall, she knew that laugh as well as her own.
So she wondered what could make the goddess laugh like that, so happily. Her mind wandered to various possibilities, hypotheses and more hypotheses about who could have made her friend laugh so happily. With a pause in her steps, she realized that she didn't know. Annabeth had no idea what Persephone Aligena was laughing about with her new family.
She had become a stranger whose laugh Annabeth could recognize anywhere.