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He woke up to whispers. His eyes snapped open, but he didn't move because Luke was sleeping against his shoulder, his hand was still tangled into Luke's curls. He turned his head because whoever was whispering had stopped when he woke up.
Standing against the wall by the window, was mini him and Annabeth. They were almost pressed against it, as far from the bed as they could get.
Perseus took a deep breath, and tried to shift out from under Luke. He made one single sound of protest, his hand gripping Perseus's shirt tighter, and then he woke up.
Luke rolled onto his back and then shot up into a seated position as he noticed the kids.
Perseus sat up, throwing his legs over the side.
"What's wrong?" he said, and then cleared his throat, already running through his packing list in his mind. He had a go bag ready if there was something urgent.
Percy took a half step closer to the bed, Annabeth was looking at Luke behind Perseus, her eyes squinted at him. Perseus wondered if he had told her about them yet, and he guessed the answer was no.
"I had a weird dream, and Annabeth said I should come ask you about it." He sounded exasperated. Perseus made a motion with his hand, calming down. Demigod dreams he could handle.
"Let's hear it."
Percy looked to Annabeth, he still wasn't convinced. She raised a brow at him, her eyes tired. He sighed, really big, and turned back to Perseus, rolling his eyes as he did,
"Grover was asking for help. In a wedding dress."
Perseus blinked a few times, and then grunted, stretching his arms up above his head, deciding that the first time around Grover had waited weeks for him, and he could wait one night this time,
"Yeah, he created an empathy link to talk to you, yes he needs help. We'll have to tell Chiron in the morning."
Perseus was not looking forward to this trip. But he wasn't letting Percy go without him on this one.
Percy was blinking at him like he'd lost his mind, his brow raised, his hand on his hip,
"Grover actually needs help?"
Perseus nodded, "Yeah, and we can get the golden fleece. Probably should have done that already anyway."
He was muttering towards the end, and then he got up and walked across the room.
"You guys wanna sleep in here tonight, or risk sneaking back?"
"Sleep where?" Annabeth asked, and he could hear her arms folding though her tone was genuinely curious.
Perseus opened one of the drawers in the dresser he'd shoved into the closet, pulling out two hammocks. They where the sturdy kind, meant for lightweight camping trips.
"You guys ever tried hammock camping? I preferred it when I used to go out and bring demigods back to camp." He showed them the two bundles.
"Where are we gonna put them?" Percy asked, his voice was getting that edge to it that Perseus recognized as 'tired, frustrated', that Estelle used to sound like that when she got the same way. Good to know he could recognize it in Percy too, even as a pang of grief hit him from missing his sister.
He motioned to two sets of hooks in the walls. He had nights where it was the only thing he found comfortable still, and he hadn't wanted Luke to miss the experience if he wanted it. He also had had a feeling at least one of 'their kids' would need to sleep in their room one day, when they decided Luke and Perseus were the people to turn too.
It took him a little less than five minutes to get the hammocks hung up, and then he held out a hand to Percy. When he took it he pulled the kid closed and picked him up, placed him the hammock. He might be taller then Annabeth, and he might even end up taller then himself, the traitor, but he wasn't at the height to hop in it himself yet, the way Percy had it set up. Annabeth walked over to the other one, and put her hands on her hips expectantly. He walked over and held out his hands, asking permission. She nodded her head once, and then he picked her up and put her in the hammock.
Percy was already settled in, when Perseus handed him a spar blanket and pillow.
"Ok, this is great," he whispered, and Perseus grinned at him. He'd have to set one up in his cabin for him soon.
He handed Annabeth the other blanket and pillow, and she smiled softly at him. He didn't pat her on the head, even though he desperately wanted to. He hoped she didn't get motion sick from it, but she wasn't complaining.
"If you guys need anything, just throw a pillow at us," he said, getting twin grins from them, "good night you two."
"Night Perseus," Annabeth said, her eyes already closed.
"Night Pops," Percy said, his grin sharp.
"What?" Perseus said with a laugh, turning back to him and rocking his hammock a bit.
"Well, I'm not calling you Perseus," he said, his nose scrunching up, like that made any sense with calling him Pops.
"Dad's not gonna like that." He said, gently, though he was nervous. He didn't need the wrath of his almost father.
"Eh, but he's Dad," Percy said, still grinning even though his eyes where shut.
Perseus rolled his eyes fondly, then grinned, matching the kid,
"What does that make Luke then?"
Percy's eyes blinked back open as he thought about it, and Perseus could see Annabeth's eyes open. They where quiet for a little bit, and then Annabeth whispered,
"He's always been a mother hen."
Percy nodded, "Ma then."
"Hey," Luke said, a warning in his voice. Perseus had thought he'd gone back to sleep and was glad his back was turned so Luke didn't see his mouth force itself out of a smile. Luke couldn't see the evil grins stretching across sleepy faces either. Perseus raised a brow at them, but he knew their fate was sealed. He just hoped they didn't get the whole camp involved.
He rolled his eyes, messed with Percy's hair, and then turned back to the bed. Luke was still sitting up, leaning forward on his knees, watching him. Perseus almost flopped back into the bed when got to his side.
Luke laid back down, and didn't protest as Perseus got his hands on his arms, pulling him back firmly against his chest.
He woke up to a pillow being thrown at him, and Annabeth giggling while Percy said,
"Ma, Pops, its 7:45."
Luke rolled out of bed,
"Percy," he said his ton hinting at sharp.
Percy rolled out of his hammock, landed on his feet and was out the door in a flash. Luke rolled his head, and Perseus heard his neck pop. He grabbed the pillow from the bed that Percy had thrown at them and then was following him out the door.
Perseus got up. He walked over to Annabeth who was sitting up in her hammock, smiling. Perseus held out his hands to ask permission to help her down. She nodded, but instead of letting him help her down, she wrapped her legs around his middle.
"Can you carry me down Pops?" She asked as she tucked her chin over his shoulder. He sighed, dramatic and exaggerated, but crossed his arms under her, even though she was holding herself up well enough that she didn't need the support.
"This isn't going away, is it?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"Oh no. Luke is gonna point so threateningly at me when I call him Ma again. It'll be great." She said, and he could feel her kicking her feet. He rolled his eyes and walked out the door, grinning.
As they walked down the stairs he could hear Percy laughing, and hitting the bottom of them and turning into the sitting room, he saw Luke with Percy over his shoulder while Luke was still holding the pillow. Annabeth turn at the waist to see what they where up to.
"Ma, be careful with Percy." She said, somehow keeping her voice even.
Luke rounded on them, while Percy was still laughing. He scowled, and did indeed point a finger at her. She just smiled, and tucked herself under Perseus's chin. Luke sat Percy down on his feet, and he wobbled before dropping to the couch. Luke flopped next to him, and didn't protest when Percy plastered himself to his side.
Percy was breathless and still grinning. Luke's face had softened, though he was still refusing to grin.
Perseus sighed, and looked down at Annabeth.
"Well, you guys wanna go on this trial? Or would you leave it to the adults for once?"
Annabeth looked at him with a glint in her eye, like he couldn't keep her there if he tired. He sighed, and looked back to Luke and Percy. Percy was frowning, and Luke had his brow furrowed.
"But there's four of us," Percy said, his frown deepening. Luke hummed, and rubbed his arm.
Perseus grinned, smiling at him,
"Oh, I said a trial. Not a quest. We'll have Grover on the way back anyway, what's one more?"