After Camp Half-Blood: The Prequel

9. A Day with Ronan

So, I think we will do a quick Annabeth P.O.V. then we might go into Percy and Hesti's P.O.V or the other way around. I don't know. We'll see.

_______________________________

Annabeth's P.O.V.

Everyone was exhausted today from the fireworks last night. It was an amazing show that the campers put on and everyone loved it. Now everyone had to help with the bathrooms on Saturday. "Fun" as some of the campers would put it.

I woke up bright and early, we had a capture the flag game today, and I would be helping out my cabin.

I was up and about, Percy and Hesti were off doing cabin inspections this morning. Even though she was eight, you'd think she was thirteen, between her intelligence and her maturity. She caught on quickly with almost everything she learned.

I tidied up as there was a knock on the door. "Come in!" I called. The door flew open with an exhausted Piper and screaming Ronan.

"Piper!" I said in shock. She looked like she was going to collapse on the spot. "Please sit down." I loudly instructed her to a chair.

"Please Ronan." She begged. Her charmspeak obviously wasnt working on Ronan. Looking up at me she looked desperate. "I can't get him to sleep! He won't stop crying and I think I might just leave him outside!" Tears were pouring down Piper's face. I know she felt terrible about that last thought, but exhaustion drives everyone to a point.

"Piper, let me hold him!" I yelled over his wailing. She hesitated, "Let me help you!" I urged her holding out my arms. She gently placed him in my care and I began to rock him. I don't know what I'm doing, I thought, But she just needs a break. What about this? I turned on a sound maker that Percy's mother had given us from when he was little. There were multiple sounds and options, but Percy's favorite was the ocean. Obviously.

I turned the dial to White noise and increased the sound as loud as it could go.

"Piper, do you have a blanket for him?" I asked, she shook her head, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She is just really tired, she can't process very easily. "Go get a blanket from your cabin. Hurry." I told her, and she walked out.

"Alright Ronan. You're over exhausted. So why don't we get you to sleep." I sat down near the noise machine, which seemed to calm him down a little. Piper came back in with a blanket and I told her to sit back down. I took Ronan over to a bunk and laid him down flat on his back, his pudgy arms and legs kicked from frustration.

"Annabeth," Piper was by my side, "I already tried that. He won't stay still long enough to swaddle him!" Piper was crying. I could tell she felt horrible and like a terrible mother for not being able to calm her own child. I tried to comfort her and swaddle Ronan. But I needed two hands for each, and I wasn't a monster.

"Piper, please sit back down." She obeyed and I focused on swaddling Ronan. After helping her with Lily, I had learned to swaddle a baby, nice and tight. I tucked his arms away and wrapped his legs, he almost immediately calmed down and stopped his fussing. I picked him up and cradled him letting him take in the white noise.

"Piper, let me take him for the day. You deserve at least a day off." I said, now with Ronan calm, I worked on his mother. I laid him in a sort of nest of blankets on a nearby bunk as I talked Piper down.

"No, I can't ask you to do that Annabeth." She said still sniffling and sobbing profusely.

"Piper, I'm not asking." Well, I tried to be gentle, "I'm going to take him. Use the day to get some sleep. I might also suggest a visit with your siblings. I know they would love for you to come and hang out with them today." I rubbed her arms and handed her a tissue.