Chapter Text
Sunday 21st December 2019
4.30pm
Annabeth’s brother’s hair was long and floppy, falling into his face as he frowned at his cracked phone screen. Annabeth resisted the urge to push it back and make a comment about how he needed to cut it. He’d already complained about his mother doing the same thing and although she and her step-mother had rebuilt the bridge between them, it was still a little rickety and she wasn’t overly keen to be associated with her, not least by her own brother.
The rest of their group were finishing up a late lunch, making pleased sounds as they finished off fries from each other’s plates. It was Percy and Annabeth’s favourite food spot in the city and she was glad that her dad and two brothers seemed satisfied with the choice.
To her right, her fiance was turning a small rectangle of card over in his hands.
“I can’t even read my own wedding invite,” he commented, his voice almost lost in the clutter of the restaurant.
“It’s not that bad,” Annabeth said, leaning over his shoulder. She rested her chin on the softness of his sweater and peered at the gold script imprinted on blue glossy paper. “Oh, hm.”
“Exactly.”
“It’s fine, Annabeth” her brother, Matty, assured them.
“What’s this?” her father intoned, sounding lost.
Annabeth took the invite from Percy and handed it to her father. “It’s a bit ilegible.”
He put his glasses on and widened his eyes in that way that people who wear reading glasses which probably need cleaning too. She felt a pang of unexpected affection in her chest.
“No, it’s lovely. I thought so when we received one in the post.”
“Legible?”
“Yes, it’s lovely.”
“It’s a bit slanty,” Matty commented.
Annabeth groaned. “Is anybody going to make it to our wedding?”
“You’ve received RSVPs haven’t you?” her father said.
“Yes,” she admitted.
“So I think things might be fine.”
Percy squeezed her leg under the table. “Last minute nerves?” he commented.
She rolled her eyes and linked their fingers together. “I might be a runaway bride.”
“I’ll runaway with you,” he said.
“I don’t think that’s how it works.” She tilted her head at him, smiling as she teased him.
“No, you’re mistaken. I’m very sure about this,” he said, leaning in all the while.
She was smiling when he kissed her and Annabeth felt like just about the luckiest person in the world.
“You might have other stuff to worry about than Annabeth doing a runner,” Bobby said.
They broke apart to look at him. “What?”
He turned his phone so they could all see the screen. Storms threaten to white out the east coast.
“Fuck,” Percy said. He made a point not to swear in front of her family, particularly her dad, but she agreed wholeheartedly.
“Flights into New York are grounded,” Bobby added with a grimace.
“Which means mom…” Matty said.
“She’s supposed to be taking off right now.”
Her dad made a Hm noise and pulled out his phone, taking some time to unlock it.
“I have a message from her,” he announced. “Yes, her flight has been delayed. She doesn’t know when it’s scheduled to take off.”
Annabeth looked at Percy, stricken. “Everybody is flying in this weekend. The wedding’s tomorrow.”
He rubbed his thumb over her leg. “It’s gonna be okay. Some people are already here. Piper, Grover.”
“What about the caterers? The flowers, everything?”
“They’re not being flown in are they?” Matty asked.
“No but if there’s a blizzard then they’re gonna struggle to get to the venue. The decorators are supposed to be going tomorrow morning,” she fretted.
She had been planning and planning for months. Since their flight landed in New York on Christmas Eve last year after Percy gave her a ring and asked her to stay with him, forever. She had never thought of herself as a bride with the binder of plans and something old kept from her childhood, or anything. As a kid, she had never draped a tablecloth over her head and pretended to be a bride. She had been too busy running around putting worms in the pockets of her dungarees instead, pretending she was a hero from one of the books in her father’s study.
But she had thrown herself into planning this wedding. She did love planning and she had only had a few disagreements with Percy about things. But she was specific about what she wanted, not in a bridezilla way, but in a confident way. And now all of that was about to be blown out of the water.
“We’ll figure it out,” Percy told her.
She wanted badly to believe him, but their wedding was in two days and a blizzard was about to close off the city for a week, so it was difficult not to despair.
Her father had excused himself and when he returned, he suggested that they make their way from the restaurant.
“What about the cheque?” Annabeth asked.
A small shake of his head. “My treat.”
She glanced at Percy who was shrugging his jacket on as he stood, seemingly unbothered by her father’s gesture.
“Thanks, dad,” she said.
On their way out of the restaurant, Annabeth’s phone started ringing. She answered it straight away.
“Hi, Piper.”
“Have you seen twitter?”
“Bobby did.”
“I don’t want to worry you but…”
“I know. It’s bad.”
“Okay. I’m coming over.”
“We just finished lunch. We’re with my dad and brothers.”
Said family members were navigating the busy street behind Percy and Annabeth as they lead the way back to their apartment, which would be too small for all of them.
“Come to mine,” Piper instructed. “I’ll call the others and we’ll figure out a plan. Don’t worry, we’ll sort it out.”
Annabeth sighed, taking Percy’s hand and squeezing it. “Okay, see you soon.”
She hung up and looked up to see which street they were on. “Change of plans,” she told them. “We’re going to Piper’s.”
“Should we go back to the hotel?” Matty asked.
Annabeth looked at him. “We’re gonna need all the help we can get, I think. If you don’t mind.”
“Of course not. We’re at your service.”
She managed a smile, looking at her little family and feeling gratitude towards them all. “Let’s go.”
By the time they arrived at Piper’s, Hazel and Frank were already there. Hazel wrapped her little arms around Annabeth and squeezed her like she was twice Annabeth’s size, rather than half of it. She felt moved and comforted by the warmth of her friend’s embrace.
They were set up in the enormous living room and Piper was pacing as she spoke into her phone when they walked in. They caught the end of her phone call before she hung up and Annabeth immediately envied her friend’s phone voice. She was firm and charming all at once. Annabeth made her make phone calls for her all the time; she managed to cancel their cable bill in under five minutes one time.
“Okay,” she said, pocketing her phone. “The venue is still good to go.”
“It’s just gonna be empty,” Annabeth lamented.
“Okay, what we’re not gonna do is be a negative nancy.”
Annabeth gave her a look. “The band have already cancelled and I got an email from the caterers advising that they might have to as well.”
She fell down on the couch and Percy joined her. He was looking at his phone. “Paul isn’t going to make it back.”
Annabeth looked at him with sympathy, leaning against him.
“Okay, well who is here?” Bobby asked, sitting opposite them.
“Including those present,” Piper said. “Leo, Grover, and Percy’s mom.”
“Who’s on her way over, by the way,” Percy said.
“So are the boys.”
“So the main people,” Piper said, not caring how rude that was to all those not present.
Hazel appeared with a cup of green tea and handed it to Annabeth who cradled it gratefully.
“My mom’s not here,” she pointed out.
She looked at her dad who looked like he wanted to run from the room at the mention of Athena. The doorbell rang and Annabeth’s dad went to open it, eager to remove himself from the situation.
Percy put his arm around Annabeth’s shoulders and kissed the side of her head. She wasn’t the closest with her mom, but she still wanted her to be there when she married the love of her life.
“I’m here, I’m here. Don’t worry.”
They all turned as Leo strode into the apartment, closely followed by a Hispanic woman wearing overalls and a colourful bandana wrapped around her hair.
“And I brought my mom,” Leo added.
Piper sprung up to hug the woman. “Esperanza! I didn’t know you were coming?”
She smiled. “I thought I’d surprise my baby. Managed to catch the last flight into the city, I think.”
The rest of them stood up to greet her properly with hugs, introductions with those who hadn’t actually met her being shared.
“Well,” Percy said. “You’re welcome to come to the wedding. There will definitely be space for you.”
She patted his hand where it was still clasped in hers. “What can I do to help?”
Piper put her hand up. “You could cook! Oh my gosh, Esperanza to the rescue!”
Esperanza shrugged. “Anything I can do to help.”
“Her enchiladas are to die for,” Piper promised.
“That would be so helpful,” Annabeth told her earnestly.
“Then I’ll cook up a feast, corazón.”
A few moments later, Percy’s mom arrived and she promptly hugged both of them tightly. Annabeth's mom might not be here, but the knowledge that Sally was here comforted her enormously. Her arms were a safe harbour in this madness.
“You okay?” she asked Annabeth, holding her cheeks.
She nodded. “I’m okay. What’s it like out there?”
Sally released her, grimacing. “It’s coming down pretty thick. The sidewalks are covered already.”
They all moved to the large floor to ceiling windows in the living room to watch the snow fall. It had gone dark outside but they could still see the blanket of white flakes torrenting from the sky. Annabeth wanted to appreciate the sight and get cosied up on the couch with a hot chocolate and a Christmas movie. But this blizzard was ruining her wedding.
Piper started ordering people around a moment later and Annabeth stayed by the window next to Percy. He turned to face her and held onto her hands between them.
“I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I need to say it. We could put the whole thing off, wait until people can get here and do it all properly.”
Annabeth was already shaking her head. “I want to marry you tomorrow. Whatever happens, I just want to be married to you.”
Percy nodded and tipped his head until his forehead was resting against hers.
“Me too,” he told her. “No matter what, I’m calling you my wife this time tomorrow.”
The certainty of his voice gave her comfort and she let herself remember that eventuality for a moment. No amount of snow would stop her from marrying this boy. Tomorrow, he would be her husband.