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“Shh, hey, it’s fine. See, daddy is here,” Percy attempts comforting his seventh month baby. She cries louder and harder, snot pouring out of her nose and drool dripping onto her chin. It’s gross but he’s too busy trying to calm her down to really care. “You’re okay. Stop crying, please,” he tries again, trying not to cry himself.
His baby wails and throws her head back dramatically, chubby legs kicking and arms waving in the direction of the apartment door. Annabeth had just left a half hour ago for a conference in Vermont, and their baby is having a difficult time with her mom being so far away. Babies are smart, Percy has known this since the moment their baby started crawling; he has no doubt she knows Annabeth isn’t coming back for another day. And she isn’t taking that well, hence the tantrum.
“Anthea, stop,” he tries to sound firm, but it comes out more a plea than anything. He’s tried almost everything to calm her down; rubbing her belly, lotioning her feet (don’t ask, Annabeth says its calming for babies), rocking her to sleep (that was a fail), changed her diaper and feeding her, but nothing had worked. All she wants is Annabeth- the one thing he can’t give her right now.
“Bath? Do you want a bath?” Percy asks over her cries, already making his way to the bathroom. His mom always said baths used to calm him down whenever he cried and wouldn’t stop. He can only hope it has the same effect on Anthea. But the moment he tries sitting her down in the small chair suctioned to the button of the tub, she’s wailing and reaching out for him. With a sigh, he lifts her out of the tub and wraps a towel around her shaking frame, carrying her down the hallway and hoping his neighbors can’t hear her.
Her little face is red and blotchy with tear tracks on her cheeks from crying for so long. Her blue eyes are bloodshot and crusty, and she’s rubbing snot all over his shirt. Her drool covered fist is clinging to the neckline of his t-shirt. Her limbs flail as he lays her down on the changing table, making it almost impossible to pull the cotton onesie over her legs and arms, but somehow he manages. She calms down for a second after being warm and comfortable before bursting into a fresh wave of tears when he mentions Annabeth.
He walks her up and down the hallway, bouncing her gently in his arms. And it’s only when she hiccups for the first time does he notice she doesn’t have her pacifier. He gently sets her down on the floor in the living room, which causes her to cry louder, but his arms are tired and he needs to rest his arms for a bit. He sets out in search for the pacifier, finding it in the nursery in her crib.
When he gets back to the living room, the sight in front of him breaks his heart. Anthea managed to climb up onto the couch and cover her legs with a blanket, rubbing her nose with the corner of it, but that’s not what caught his attention. She’d grabbed their family photo from the coffee table next to the couch and is holding it in her grubby hands, muttering “mama” over again. She’s sniffling and running a small finger over Annabeth’s smiling face.
“She’ll be home tomorrow, baby,” Percy murmurs softly, running a hand over her blonde curls and offering her the pacifier. He doesn’t dare take the picture away from her. He lets her hold it and hug it close to her chest as she looks up at him, crying softly behind her pacifier. He pulls her into his lap, heartwarming as she snuggles against them, holding the picture up for him to see. Eventually, she cries herself to sleep and he basks in the silence before going to make dinner for himself.
She doesn’t let him put her down in her crib when bedtime rolls around that night. She’s crying out to Percy to pick her back up while clutching her stuffed giraffe to her chest. So he ends up making a makeshift wall with pillows around his and Annabeth’s bed so she doesn’t roll off. Anthea lays on her side, pacifier bouncing, blue eyes wide as she stares up at him in the darkness. She’s holding onto her stuffed giraffe with one hand while the other curls around his pointer finger, and it’s only a matter of seconds before her eyes blink closed.
When morning rolls around, Anthea’s already up and asking for Annabeth, and he really doesn’t want her to cry again, but he has to tell her she won’t be back till later. She cries once she realizes in her own way what he means, and yesterday starts to repeat itself. He changes her diaper, feeds her, and walks her down the hallway until her cries turn to whimpers. She’s actually playing quietly with this bright flashy toy when he decides they need to get out of the apartment.
Percy gets Anthea dressed and bundled in the fuzzy pink coat. Her blonde curls stick out of the hat he’s pulled over her head- he doesn’t want her ears to freeze in the fall weather. After getting the stroller out from storage, he buckles her in and she whines, but falls quiet when he hands her a warm bottle and her stuffed giraffe. She’s quiet as he makes their way out of the building, gasping out in wonder when she spots a robin bird flying near the trees.
He decides to stop at a small coffee shop down the street where he and Annabeth used to regularly grab breakfast before Anthea came along. They got to know the owners pretty well since they were there so often- so often that they didn’t even have to voice their orders. Percy wedges the door open with his foot and pushes the stroller through the door before following. The bell jingles and one of the owners, the older gentleman, Louis, looks up from where he’d been polishing the counter, and his eyes brighten as he recognizes Percy’s face.
“Percy!” he exclaims, his new york accent strong. He moves around the counter and dusts off his apron before firmly shaking Percy’s outstretched hand. “Long time no see! No wife today?” He makes his way behind the counter, punching in Percy’s order; a caramel latte.
“She’s at a conference. We have a new passenger aboard,” Percy replies, leaning over and rubbing Anthea’s hat covered head. He hadn’t even noticed she’d fallen asleep until now.
Louis’s gaze moves to the sleeping baby. “Oh, she’s getting so big.”
“Don’t I know it,” Percy says fondly, handing him his credit card.
“Well, it was good seeing you again, Percy,” Louis says earnestly, handing him his drink.
Percy accepts it with a smile and glances at the door. “You too. Do you mind getting the door for me?”
Louis chuckles at the young father but holds the door open for him nonetheless as he maneuvers the stroller back outside. The older man waves until the door’s completely closed and Percy’s already turned the corner before turning back to the counter.
Percy’s cup has been drained for a while when Anthea finally wakes up from her slumber, the first sign being a whimper. He unstraps her from the stroller and holds her close before she starts another tantrum in the middle of Manhattan. Thankfully she doesn’t ask for Annabeth this time, just stares up at the cloudy sky, and she even giggles when a red leaf floats down from one of the many colored trees lining the streets.
It’s almost like a light bulb lit up in his head as he watches his daughter reach for the trees. With one hand he steers the stroller while holding Anthea with the other, knowing she wouldn’t let him put her down even if he tried. It’s only five minutes to central park, and another two to reach one of the many playgrounds inside. There’s dead leaves scattered across the wood chips and piled under the slides and behind the swings, and it's perfect.
Anthea’s wiggling in his arms, reaching for the baby swings. He parks the stroller next to the swing structure before lifting her into one of the swings, pushing her gently. She giggles and babbles in baby talk and it's so different from all the crying she did yesterday, but he’s not complaining. He’s definitely not complaining. All he wants for his baby is for her to be happy.
There’s only two other families there, one with older children who are climbing on top the monkey bars, and another with a toddler who just wiped out on the slide. He isn’t bothered that there’s other people, after all it’s a public space and they’re all obligated to share. He’s never been comfortable around people he doesn’t know, and he assumes it's because almost every stranger he came across as a teenager turned out to be a flesh eating monster. And it’s not just him he has to look out for anymore, he’s got a baby now.
Speaking of his baby, she squeals in delight and he feels his anxieties slip away. Percy pushes her again, a little higher this time, to hear her tiny giggle. He laughs along and moves to the front so he can videotape this happy moment for Annabeth. He knows his wife is missing their baby (and him) and she’ll appreciate this. Luckily she’ll be home tonight.
He snaps a couple pictures of her too, just for memories. And he may or may not have posted a couple on his instagram, rolling his eyes at Piper’s comments about stealing his baby. Tucking his phone away, Percy slows the swing, much to Anthea’s annoyance (no, seriously, she gives him the dirtiest of looks), but she cheers up when he brings her over to the slides. Annabeth would kill him if she ever found out he let her go down alone. She’s always been paranoid about that kind of stuff, worried she’ll fall backwards and hit her head. So he settles down beside Anthea, holds her tight, and pushes down the slide. Anthea makes him go about ten more times.
They stay for another hour or so, rotating between the swings and slides. He even lets her play in the sandbox, something Annabeth would never let her do because it’s “too messy”. She gets fussy though, when sand gets in her shoes, and he decides it's time to leave after that.
“How about we go meet grandma for lunch, yeah?” Percy mutters, kneeling to the ground as he straps Anthea to the stroller, kissing her nose before standing back up. She falls asleep again after finishing another bottle, and she’s still sleeping when he reaches the restaurant his mom requested.
He finds her at a table across the room, laughing at something Estelle said. There’s already a high chair sitting at the end of the table. His mom’s awesome. Estelle leaps out of her chair when she spots him, running over and throwing her arms around his middle. Percy chuckles and ruffles her brown curls and he follows her back to the table, parking the stroller next to the table and sliding in to the booth next to his mom.
“Thanks for coming, hun,” she says and kisses his cheek. “How’s the little one?”
“Sleepy.” He picks up his menu and flips through, already knowing what he wants but it's always good to browse. He and his mom have been going here since he was a kid. It’s a nice little cafe with rainforest decorations and sims (no, it’s not the rainforest cafe, but very similar). His mom started bringing Estelle when she turned two. It’s like a tradition for the Jackson (and Blofis) kids.
“How’s she doing without Annabeth?” his mom takes a sip of her water and swats at Estelle’s hands which are busy tearing up a napkin in boredom. She digs through her purse and hands her two quarters. “Go make a wish in the fountain, Stelle.”
“Yay!” she squeals and skips off.
“So?” his mom raises a dark eyebrow.
Percy leans back. “Yesterday… was not good. She wouldn’t stop crying.”
His mom gives him a sympathetic look. “She misses her mama, huh?”
“A lot. Yesterday, I found her crying over a picture of Annabeth.”
“Awe,” his mom coos, “that’s so sweet.”
“Yeah.” Percy smiles down at his sleeping daughter. “Today was better though. We went to the park. She really likes the swings.”
She smiles. “You should bring her around more often.”
His brows knitted. “You watch her everyday while Annabeth and I work?”
“Yes, but-” she’s cut off by Estelle’s guffaws.
“What did you do?” Percy accuses, flicking his sister’s forehead as she slides back into her seat.
She scrunches her nose and swats his hand away. “Nothing!”
“Mhm,” he hums, smirking. “What did you wish for, then?”
“For you to be gone,” she deadpans.
Percy scoffs, offended. “Rude.”
“Dada,” a tiny voice yawns.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” he greets with a smile, unbuckling Anthea from the stroller and pulling her up into his arms. She giggles and claps her hands when she spots his mom. She practically throws herself at her before he can even take her hat off. His mom takes her from him and he takes the hat then, smoothing out Anthea’s messy curls.
His mom kisses her rosy cheeks. “Oh I missed you!”
Anthea squeals in response.
“Why couldn’t you have been this happy for me, huh?” Percy teases, tickling her foot.
“Anthea!” Estelle exclaims, leaning over the table and gingerly touching the baby’s curls.
She laughs and tugs on Estelle’s in return, but much, much harder.
“Ow!” Estelle recoils.
Percy chuckles. “Annabeth usually has to keep her hair up in a bun. She can’t even keep it in a ponytail or a braid. Anthea always seems to find a way to tug on her hair, but so far she’s been unsuccessful with the buns.”
Estelle giggles. “She’s so cute though.”
“But a little monster on the inside,” he tells her, feigning seriousness.
“You look like a monster,” Estelle throws back smugly.
Percy splutters. “M-mom! Did you hear what she-”
“Don’t ‘mom’ me right now,” she says, “my granddaughter needs my attention.”
He rolls his eyes but agrees to play a game of tic-tac-toe with Estelle. One game turns into two, two turns into three, and he loses every. single. time. He doesn’t know how she does it. He forfeits after a while and settles into a conversation with his mom about her new book as Estelle keeps Anthea occupied until their food comes. They eat in mostly silence, save for the occasional grunt or gurgle of his baby as he spoons her strawberry yogurt. She’s a mess by the time they’re done. Yogurt is everywhere; on her cheeks, on her clothes, and even in her hair. It’s just time to go home.
His mom offers to pay, but he beats her to it. He hugs Estelle goodbye and kisses his mom’s cheek. They bid their final farewell outside before going their separate ways. They reach the apartment not much later, which is good because Anthea started to get antsy, probably because she’s covered in yogurt and hasn’t had a proper nap all day, not to mention it's probably catching up to her that she hasn’t seen Annabeth all day.
He gets her all washed up and in clean pajamas by the time the sun starts to set behind the horizon. They snuggle up on the couch and he puts in finding nemo, hoping she’ll fall asleep. He knows it's only a matter of time before she wants Annabeth and Annabeth only, but she won’t be home for another couple hours, and she won’t let him put her to bed until she gets here.
“Mama,” she mutters and he holds his breath, feeling her chest heave against his own.
“Mama will be home soon,” he promises, rubbing soothing circles against her back.
She rubs her head on his chest, settling her hand against the side of his neck, something she’s been doing since she’d been about three months. He and Annabeth assume it’s her way of showing she’s upset. He hugs his baby and whispers comforting words, wanting her to know mama’s okay and she’ll be home very soon. She clutches his shirt and softly cries for her mom, but at least it isn’t like last night, that had hurt too much.
He shuts the tv off and makes his way to the bedroom, rocking her in his arms like Annabeth does every night when putting her to bed. He also hums the sweet tune she does, and it seems to work. She’s stopped crying, now just rubbing her eyes and hiccuping. He lays her down on the bed and marvels on just how small she looks in such a large space. He rests next to her, holding her hand and trying to be as comforting as he can.
At some point he starts telling her stories of Annabeth and doesn’t even notice the apartment door open and close with a soft thud; or the jingle of car keys. The light tap of feet against the hardwood floor goes unnoticed too. He doesn’t notice the third presence in the room until Anthea’s sitting up from her seated position and clapping her hand happily as she stares at the doorway.
Percy follows her gaze and smiles at the sight of his wife. She’s leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest and a small smile grazing her features as she watches them. She pushes off the frame and walks across the room, reaching out for Anthea. Their baby kicks out her legs in excitement as she’s lifted into her mother’s arms, and the smile on her face is indescribable. Annabeth holds their baby close, cupping the back of her head and pressing kiss to her cheeks and forehead, all while whispering I love yous.
“What about me?” Percy says teasingly, standing up.
She laughs and opens her arm, allowing him to tuck her into his side. “I guess I missed you too.”
“You guess?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Okay, I did miss you,” she relents, leaning into him, “a lot.”
Anthea’s still leaning heavily against Annabeth, her forehead pressed into the crook of her neck, and her knuckles are white from the firm grip she has on Annabeth’s t-shirt. It’s obvious that she won’t be letting go anytime soon. Annabeth doesn’t seem bothered by it.
“She missed you the most,” Percy tells her. “She cried for the hours after you left.”
“Awe, did you?” Annabeth coos, lifting Anthea up and nuzzling their noses.
“Mama,” Anthea says softly albeit happily, pressing her small palms to Annabeth’s cheeks.
“She cried over your picture,” Percy says, gesturing to the frame laying on their bed.
Annabeth laughs. “Good to know she loves me.”
“She’s attached to you half the time. Following you around the house and everything,” he says in amusement. He slides his arm around his wife’s waist and kisses her temple. “There’s no doubt she loves you. You’re a great mom.”
“Don’t make me cry,” she says wetly, but she’s smiling.
“Sorry,” Percy says, smiling apologetically. He lets his arm drop as she moves away to slide onto the bed, settling against the headboard, keeping her baby close. He looks away out of respect for Annabeth as she prepares to breastfeed Anthea. He only returns his gaze once she’s covered with an old baby blanket. He hadn’t known Anthea was hungry, since she’d shown no sign of it, but he guesses she just wants fresh food, not a premade bottle. “Have you eaten anything? There’s pizza in the fridge I can heat up,” he offers, hovering near the door.
She nods and peeks under the blanket. “Yeah, I got something on the way back. Thanks though.”
He hums in response. “I suppose she’s sleeping with us tonight?”
“Why? You got plans?” She smirks.
“Oh shut up,” Percy mutters amusedly. He slides into bed next to her, giving her space until she’s done feeding their baby, looking away as she makes herself presentable. She taps his shoulder to let him know it’s okay to look. She laid Anthea down between them, the baby already sound asleep, and Annabeth’s propped up on her elbow next to her. Percy watches with a smile as she leans forward and kisses her forehead, nimble fingers twirling and untwirling her small curls. “I love you,” he says quietly, coming to lay down next to them.
Annabeth looks at him over their daughter’s head. Her cheeks are flushed and there’s a small smile tugging at her pink lips. “I never realized… how much I love my family until I was away from them, even if it was for only a day and a half.” She wipes at her eyes. “That probably sounds bad.”
Percy smiles. “No, it makes perfect sense. I kind of had the same realization. I think she did too.”
Her eyes dance across Anthea’s face and she leans down once against to kiss her, drinking her in, as if she can’t believe she’s really there. “I have a baby,” she says in wonder, “we have a baby.” She wipes at her eyes again and laughs. “I love her so much.”
Percy feels himself tearing up at his wife’s words. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen her so soft, not in a long time anyway. He gets she’s having a moment of realization, something everyone has at some point. Everyone stops and thinks at some point this is me, this is my life. There’s different reasons it happens, but Percy knows it’s because of their past. They never expected to make it this far, so it really is a miracle that they’re together, married, with their baby.
“Yeah,” he whispers, reaching over to grasp her hand. “We have a baby, ‘Beth.”
“It’s been seven months and I still can’t believe it.” She shakes her head in wonder. “Me, a mother.”
“It’s not that hard to believe,” he says, “I always knew you’d make a good mom.”
She swallows thickly. “Is it bad- Is it bad that I didn’t really feel that mother-child connection until after she was born? I mean, I was excited- ecstatic even- and I loved her, but I didn’t feel a connection until I saw her. Until I held her. And now I just- how is it possible to love someone this much?”
“‘Beth, it’s not bad. It’s normal. We never- we didn’t think this life was even a possibility a few years ago.” His eyes softened and he squeezed her hand. “So yeah, of course you didn’t feel that connection, especially considering you… never had one with your mom. It’s a foreign feeling.”
“When did you become so wise, Seaweed Brain?” she asks, laughing softly and stroking his cheek.
“Well, you may have rubbed off on me,” he admits, turning his head to kiss the sole of her hand.
Annabeth smiles and lets out a breath. “Sorry for getting all soft there. Being away just left me a lot of time to think and reflect and I guess, I just needed to get it off my chest. Leaving you guys here was the worst feeling, and it wasn’t even for two full days.”
“Are you in mama bear mode?” he teases and she laughs.
“Stop, I just spilled my heart out to you,” she says. “But now I just want a kiss.”
“That can be arranged.” Percy leans over their daughter, careful not to squish her, and presses his lips softly to Annabeth’s. Her hand slides to the back of his head, her fingers weaving into his dark hair. His hand rests against her neck, his thumb caressing the skin of her jawbone. They pull away, their foreheads pressed together.
Annabeth pulls away to look at him. “I love you too.”
“Hm?” Percy hums, a little dazed. What? He hasn’t kissed his wife in a day and a half.
She chuckles. “Nothing. Can you shut off the light? I didn’t sleep well in the hotel room.”
“Why?” he asks as he switches off the bedside lamp, their bedroom enveloping in darkness.
“Just missed my family. Next time, I’m bringing you both with me.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
They’re quiet for a while, and he thinks she’s fallen asleep when she says, “Percy?”
“Yeah?”
“Why is there sand in Anthea’s hair?”
Uh-oh.