Chapter Text
If she were married to anyone else, Annabeth would feel a bit more anxious watching the waves get rougher and feeling the wind pick up. She could see dark clouds on the horizon, headed their way. There would be a storm tonight, but she knew they’d be fine. Annabeth’s biggest worry was keeping the kids and the dog calm through the thunder and rain.
Percy turned from the grill and caught Annabeth’s eye. His jaw was clenched. She knew he was thinking the same as her.
On the deck in front of her chair, their toddler, Chase, was holding two of his toy dinosaurs and roaring as if they were roaring at each other. Their black lab, Bo, was lying next to him, watching with one eye open. Annabeth stood and scooped Chase up in her arms. He lifted a dinosaur up to her face and roared. She kissed his cheek. He giggled. “Let’s go inside,” she told him.
A few yards down from the house, Gracie and Penelope were attempting to cover the latter in sand. They were both still in their swimsuits, hair wild from playing in the ocean all day. They were true water babies. Sally often called them mermaids.
"Come inside with me, girls,” Annabeth called down to them. They looked up at their mom with matching frowns.
“Why?” Gracie pushed.
“Because it’s almost time for dinner and I have jobs for you,” Annabeth told them.
They got up to join Annabeth, though Penelope fell a bit behind when she stopped to wipe sand off her legs. When they got to the deck Percy asked them if they wanted cheese on their burgers. Gracie yes, Penelope no. Bo was eager to go in with them, and Annabeth figured he also knew a storm was coming.
Annabeth led them inside the house. It was the same cabin Sally had always taken Percy to. They were here for a few days for Percy’s birthday, which was tomorrow. He said that was what he wanted, to go to his favorite place with his favorite people.
Annabeth ran a quick bath for Penelope so she could get the sand off her. Penelope argued that the ocean was her bath, but Annabeth reminded her that if she played in the sand she had to take a real one. Penelope glared at her little brother, who was trying to climb all over Annabeth while she bathed Penelope, and asked why he didn’t have to take a bath. Annabeth told her he already did. Annabeth washed Penelope’s hair and then it was over. She helped Penelope into her pajamas, quickly brushed her hair, and hung her swimsuit on the faucet.
In the doorway, Gracie was waiting for her turn to shower, her pajamas and towel in hand. At eight, she was much more independent than her five-year-old sister. Annabeth showed Gracie where to hang her swimsuit when she was done and reminded her to brush her hair.
Annabeth went to the kitchen with Chase and Penelope. The first job she gave Penelope was to fill up the kids’ water bottles. She stood on a step stool in front of the counter and Annabeth helped her pour the water filter pitcher into each of their bottles. Chase was ecstatic when Annabeth handed him his water bottle.
Penelope’s second job was to feed Bo his dinner. Annabeth had packed his food for their few days in Montauk in a bag, and together they poured it into his bowl. Bo ate with his tail wagging, and when he was done, Annabeth let him out. The third and final job Annabeth gave Penelope was to pick a bag of chips to have with dinner. Gracie did this too when she emerged from the bathroom.
Percy came inside with Bo at his heels, and he and Annabeth put everyone’s plates together. Gracie wanted lettuce, tomato, and ketchup on hers, while Penelope just wanted ketchup. For Chase’s plate, Percy cut up a burger patty, squeezed some ketchup on the side, and gave him a bun.
“Bedtime as usual?” Annabeth asked him under her breath.
Percy nodded. “Maybe they’ll sleep through it.”
Annabeth found that very optimistic.
They sat at the table, Chase in Percy’s lap. It wasn’t practical to bring his high chair, but Chase clearly didn’t mind being on his dad’s lap. He was trying to reach for Percy’s burger, but Percy redirected him to the plate he’d made for him instead. Chase went for the bun first and held it with both hands to gnaw on it.
While they ate their food, Bo lay at their feet under the table. It was abnormal for him, as he usually sat next to the kids and begged for food during meal times. Annabeth felt him against her foot and hoped there wasn’t too much thunder tonight for his sake. He’d always been terrified by loud noises. As a puppy in their little New Rome apartment, fireworks and thunder would send him running to his crate and he would cower and shake until Annabeth coaxed him out with treats and soft words. He was much older now, but he still shook at loud noises. She hated to see him distressed.
The kids on the other hand were oblivious to the weather outside. The sky was darkening, but they hadn’t seemed to notice.
After dinner, the girls wanted to play Go Fish. They had a deck of cards with cartoon sea creatures on them instead of the classic card deck, which made it much more fun for them. They played a few rounds sitting in the living room while Chase did his own thing around them, playing with his toys or climbing on his parents.
The rain started during their last game, so Annabeth picked Chase up and took him to the bedroom where his portable crib was set up. She turned on the white noise machine and hoped it would be loud enough to block out any external sounds. Annabeth gave him a pacifier and sat on the edge of the bed to rock him. Fortunately, he was wiped out from playing on the beach all day, so he went down fairly easily.
Annabeth quietly left the room and stepped back out to the main area. Percy had gotten the girls to brush their teeth so they were both ready for bed. It felt like they were rushing through bedtime, but they wanted to beat the storm. Percy and Annabeth said good night to their daughters and made sure they were settled in the bunk beds. Gracie had claimed the top, since she was the oldest, and Penelope had begrudgingly taken the bottom.
Percy and Annabeth headed to the kitchen to quietly clean up dinner. Percy stood at the sink with the dishes while Annabeth put leftovers away. When the first distant boom of thunder was heard, they froze and looked at each other. No sound from any of the kids. Bo trotted anxiously over to the bedroom door and plopped down in front of it.
“We’re safe,” Percy muttered for the sake of both of them, turning back to the sink.
Annabeth nodded. She went back to transferring the leftover burger toppings into bags. They had enough for sandwiches for lunch tomorrow, she figured.
A flash of lightning struck over the water and a few seconds later, thunder again, a bit louder this time.
“Maybe he’s wishing me a happy birthday,” Percy joked quietly.
Annabeth snorted. Zeus always knew how to make his existence known. Ringing in Percy’s birthday with a thunderstorm seemed ridiculous but plausible.
With everything cleaned up, they went to sit together on the couch. Percy slipped his arm around her, but then Bo got up to join them, hopping up and wedging his way between them like he used to when he wanted attention as a puppy. Annabeth wrapped her arms around him and petted him gently. He was shivering.
“It’s okay, Bobo,” Percy told him softly. “You’re safe in here.”
Annabeth had been thinking a version of that. That this cabin had been standing for years, presumably long before Percy was even born. Montauk was in the path of hurricanes, floods, and storms. And yet this house was here on the beach. Still, Annabeth felt apprehensive about the Zeus of it all. But Percy could control the water if needed. Poseidon wouldn’t let his grandchildren be harmed. They would be fine.
The storm drew closer. The increments between thunder and lightning were smaller and smaller each time. Annabeth and Percy comforted Bo while he shook between them.
“Let’s go to the room,” Annabeth suggested. “The white noise might help him.”
“I’ll stay out here,” Percy said.
Annabeth looked at him. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” Percy glanced out the window. “Just to keep an eye on it.”
“Okay.” Annabeth kissed him good night. “Love you.”
“Love you.”
Annabeth led Bo to the bedroom. He curled up on the floor by Chase’s crib. It was quieter in the room, the white noise masking the sound of the rain. When the thunder sounded again, it was muffled by the white noise. Bo seemed much more comfortable in here. For a second, Annabeth worried the power would go out and they would lose the white noise, but then she remembered it had been charging all day. She let out a breath.
A part of her felt like she should stay with Percy, but she knew if she left Bo in the room, he would panic and wake up Chase.
That thought was short-lived. Thunder shook the cabin, and Chase startled awake. He began to cry, so Annabeth picked him up and sat back down on the bed with him. She rocked him like she had when she’d put him down earlier. He started to calm back down, and then thunder hit again, shaking the walls. He buried his head against Annabeth and started to cry again. She could feel his tears soaking through her shirt.
She rubbed his back, rocking back and forth. “It’s okay,” she assured him softly. “You’re safe, I’m here.”
Outside of the bedroom, Annabeth heard a shriek. One of the girls.
A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened and the sound of the rain rushed into the room. Percy was holding Penelope, tears streaking down her face. “It’s quieter in here,” he told her gently, setting her down on the bed next to Annabeth.
“It is,” Annabeth confirmed, wrapping an arm around her daughter. Penelope pressed herself against Annabeth’s side, shaking like Bo.
When Percy shut the door again, it was quieter, like they’d promised her. Chase had gone from crying to whimpering. Annabeth kept one hand steady on his back, rubbing slow circles. Her other hand was on Penelope, keeping her close.
“I’m scared,” Penelope said, her voice small.
“I know, Nellie,” Annabeth acknowledged softly, smoothing down Penelope’s hair. “Storms can be scary. But it’s just loud noises.”
“But it was shaking,” Penelope said, sniffling.
“Loud noises can do that. It doesn’t mean anything bad’s going to happen.”
Penelope was quiet for a moment, thinking. Another boom shook the cabin. She flinched.
“Mommy?”
“Yeah?”
“Is lava real?”
Annabeth wasn’t fazed by the question. Penelope always had things like that to ask her. It was how she made sense of her world, and Annabeth had the answers.
“Yes,” she confirmed. “But lava comes from volcanoes, and there aren’t any near us. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“Are dinosaurs real?”
“Yes, they were,” Annabeth said. “But they went extinct millions of years ago.”
“Why?”
“Remember I told you about the asteroid?” Annabeth reminded her. This was a conversation they had had before.
“Oh yeah.”
The thunder boomed again, though Annabeth noted that this time it was quieter. Chase whimpered. Penelope snuggled closer.
“The storm is moving away,” Annabeth told them. “It’s almost over. You’re very brave.”
It got quieter until it stopped completely, or at least Annabeth couldn’t hear it anymore over the white noise. The kids both calmed down. Chase fell asleep against Annabeth’s chest, and Penelope followed close behind. Annabeth listened for the storm, but heard nothing. All she heard was Bo’s soft snoring from the floor.
Eventually, she managed to drift off, her two youngest children glued to her and safe.