It was half an hour later when Annabeth came for me to get my ass over to the big house. And she has called for an emergency meeting... We counselors all gathered in the Big house, even poor upset Will.
Miranda was there too because Katie never wanted to lead them all by herself, Jason and Piper sat across from me, of course Leo was sitting there, Annabeth told him to do so. Why? Because it was Leo who really listened to no one but my girlfriend when it came to it...
Katie, Travis and Connor arrived just before Chiron entered the room.
"Anniebell has an important thing to say. Calm down!" Dyonisus growled, so obviously bothered.
I wanted to laugh in the moment, I felt twelve and almost resisting that man's attitude again.
Mr D. told Annabeth that if she figured out a way to build the city by herself and wouldn't bother him with anything he wouldn't care what she did. Or so Annabeth told me on the way over.
I think she took it as a challenge.
Annabeth stood up.
"I have um... A proposal? for all of you. Most of us either go to high school or college after this summer but what are we going to do after that? Move to mortal cities and fight the monsters for our whole lives, or just stay in a summer camp forever? We should get the chance to have normal lives and since the only place we could be safe is in California... I think that we should build our own city. Maybe city Half blood or something, I didn't think of a name as much yet."
No one said a word.
"O-kay," she laughed nervously.
"We would need help from the gods. And your siblings Lou. You would have to make the magic borders go a bit further on the west side and we'd build the city mostly there. All of my siblings will work on designing the place, of course with anyone else interested too, and Leo's cabin would lead the building of it. Every cabin would have to participate in it. We'd start with schools and we need a few houses finished as soon as possible, just so we can start it out for the oldest here." Annabeth swung from one foot to the other, she was breathless and slightly holding onto her stomach with her left hand.
The spunky little girl she was when I met her would be swooning right in the moment, however nervous she was.
"Why? Are you pregnant Chase?" Clarisse laughed, grinning from ear to ear.
Annabeth looked at me and rolled her eyes, probably not knowing whether to fight back or ignore her. She wasn't about to tell on Katie but Travis stood up and went over to Annabeth to be seen by all.
"Annabeth's not. At least what I know of." Travis tilted his head in a careless gesture. I glanced over the table, Katie looked like she was about to throw up.
"But Katie is."
Everyone in the room but me and Annabeth gasped, questions arose. I could see Annabeth mentally slapping him.
"Travis I didn't mean for you to tell them right now, I meant for us to tell them at a more peaceful moment, bringing cupcakes and sugar stuffed candy to soften them up, damn it!" Katie was mad at him.
"Well you should have been more specific love." Travis rolled his eyes.
Then Danny, Ilithyia's son, yelled "I knew it!" And I think he offed everyone with that line.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I just knew someone was pregnant in here. I only didn't know who. At times I thought I was going crazy... You're about 6 weeks by the way but if you want to know more you should go to Lily. She can tell you everything about this. I'm not that good as she is."
"6 weeks?" Travis asked and started counting on his hands, muttering to himself again. And it was just enough for me.
I started laughing hysterically to add to the chatter around. Annabeth glared the best she could but I knew she was cracking up on the inside just as well.
Chiron stomped his feet, sorry hoof, and everyone shut their mouths tight.
I was still bubbling, Annabeth pinching me to stop.
"Katie, Travis, you will stay here after the council. We have something to talk about. But for now let's go back to the original theme. Who votes 'yes' for Annabeth's plan for the city? And for the gods's sakes can you act your age Perseus?" Everyone raised their hands.
"Was that question really necessary?" Chris laughed. "I'm helping out with that." He added. What he was doing at the meeting was a mystery to me considering we already had two Hermes counselors there... And maybe like an offspring or two.
"Seems like you have a work for the whole summer Wise girl." I said mockingly.
"You know that it means me actually working on the project, right?" Annabeth laughed. "Less beach trips and sleepovers at your mom's."
"Dam! I didn't think of that." I hugged her closer to me and kissed her.
Jason tapped my shoulder.
"Get a room guys."
"We could go to college there."
"And have our own house!"
"And we could all work in the city."
"Make it ecological."
"You're a genius Annabeth!"
The leaving demigods kept on chattering.
Everyone but few left the meeting. Piper and Jason, Leo, Travis and Connor, Katie, Clarisse and Chris... We had all stayed. I kicked my legs up on the table but Annabeth hissed something and threw them down before landing next to me on the sofa.
Chiron raised an eyebrow.
"We obviously want to be here too," I said.
"This is about all of us," Piper hopped on the table to sit down. "Kinda," she smiled. "We're her friends."
Speaking of, Katie smiled too, hopefully relieved and knowing we were there to have their backs.
"Chiron, we're sorry if this dishonors you somehow," Katie almost whispered. "But we can't take it back anyway." She said more confidently. Katie looked like she was about to cry though. Which I'd completely understand... "And I wouldn't want to change it anyway." She shrugged slowly, turning to nod at Travis with a stupid sly grin plastered on her face.
Chiron tilted his head, probably thinking about what he should do now.
"I never had to deal with something like this in my entire life. To be honest, this era is wild. You two haven't done anything wrong, you're both adults and I have to respect that. Though yes, I'd expect anything from Travis but not you. Not this right now. It's a surprise."
Travis stared at Katie's stomach.
"But you're alive and well," he sighed. "You all know that demigods didn't get to live long enough to have children that often at all. Not many heroes lived past their twenties."
I could tell he was seriously honest in this moment. Stating the facts seemed to calm him down. And I've seen in his eyes the same sorrow as when he spoke of his former trainees and kids he knew hundreds and hundreds years ago.
"As to you Katie, I'm just glad you survived this battle in your state, it could have ended badly. And to all of you here... You are heroes, you proved it many times. And while it does offer you certain privileges, it doesn't mean that you're not finishing education or breaking curfews, and other rules." The man looked straight at me. I just rolled my eyes... Like if I had a choice anyway.
"I cannot let those of you who aren't of age to move into the city you're planning Annabeth."
"Don't look at me like that." I grinned. "We still plan to graduate at Goode this year." Annabeth said. "We're living at Percy's."
"Yeah, us too, if we don't burn it down or fail all the tests," Jason laughed.
The tension seemed to have disappeared.
"Calypso and I are going there too and once the school in Half Blood City is finished we'll transfer there, perhaps" Leo said.
I almost forgot he was only 15.
"I think that the one's who are supposed to go to college should stay here and help build the city. It's pointless to try it outside when we could start of safely next year." Chris said. "Maybe we just head on a mission to find the teachers for the school's, like satyrs, or the older demigods. And the minor gods could teach there too until we're able to do it by ourselves eventually."
Clarisse simply stared at him.
"What?" He laughed.
"Then I'll stay too." Clarisse announced.
"What about your mom?"
"She'll be fine." Clarisse said with a kinda girly smile that I've never seen on her. Then she kissed Chris.
After a while of chatting we had to go back to the infirmary though, fun was over, and me and Annabeth had to return.
Annabeth's hands were still like butterflies, giving out all the energy she could be using on drawing. She started reading some magazines and I sat next to her to read too but the text was too small and she read way faster.
"Oh my gods, are you sick Annabeth?" I asked as I noticed it was one of the teen magazines.
She laughed.
"I know, this is so stupid but I told Piper to ask her siblings for some of those. I don't want to look like a complete nerd in the school." She admitted.
"But that's why I love you Annabeth." I said. "You're my nerd and I don't care that you don't know who Edward Cullen is. Trust me," I laughed. "It's for your own good."
"You're right... Half of what's written here is making my head want to explode."
So she closed the magazine and I brought her the book she was reading before. And no, I never watched Twilight, but I suffered only as the mortals talked about it all the time in the year it came out.
"Thanks," Annabeth smiled.
We left the infirmary hours later when Apollo's kids finished dinner to finally eat too. Annabeth kept looking at me so pensively that I was afraid I forgot another anniversary or something like that.
"Today was really overwhelming. Don't you think?" I asked Annabeth, worried that I really forgot something and she was gonna kill me for it.
"Yeah," she muttered.
"Annabeth what are you thinking about?"
"Us," she grinned still in her I'm thinking voice.
I just grinned at her. "Oh. Lets go to bed, I'm tired."
Annabeth looked at me, then at the sky above.
"Percy, it's like 9 o'clock. Not even Rosie sleeps so soon and she's 7."
I shrugged, making the cutest face I could. It always worked on Annabeth.
"Fine," she sighed.
We didn't sleep right away, of course, hiding from the sight of everyone who could come but watching carefully we snuck a few well deserved moments alone, talking, kissing, making the other laugh.
Annabeth fell asleep about an hour after we got to our beds, not even finishing her chapter. I only pretended to fall asleep though which proved harder than I planned since I really wanted to drop dead onto the mattress. But I desperately needed to do something alone so I sneaked out of Athena's cabin once everyone was finally asleep. Or bribed someone to keep their mouths shut... Rosie was a light sleeper. I had to promise her to take her to an aquapark.
I ran to Poseidon's cabin because I had to Iris-message my father. Though I was surprised when he appeared.
"Hello boy, how are you?" My father smiled at me from under water.
"Great, I wanted to ask you something. Uhm..." I stopped myself to reevaluate my sanity. "Do you think Athena's gonna kill me if I ask Annabeth to marry me?"
Poseidon turned a shade too bright as he choked on a gasp.
"And what about my opinion?" He seeped out.
I paled.
"I- I thought you'd be okay with it," I stuttered.
"Just kidding Percy," Poseidon laughed. "I never know what to expect from that woman but if she let you stay in her cabin then I think she'll let you live. Serve it on a golden plate though. You're probably the first ones of your kinds who are not after each others' throats."
"Most of the time," I laughed.
But Poseidon looked back. I didn't see who was there but my father seemed really concerned suddenly.
"Perseus I'm really happy for you and I think you should ask Annabeth. I'm proud of you son but I have to go now. Something's happened."
He waved his hand through the mist, ending the talk.
"Thanks dad," I mumbled and walked to my bed.
After a few minutes I realized I didn't live there anymore and got up.
I opened the door to Athena's cabin to bump into Annabeth.
"Where were you? I was afraid when I woke up, you idiot."
She did look really worried.
"I'm sorry, I just needed to talk to my father."
"About what?" She asked as she walked back to her bed.
I lay next to her and kissed her forehead.
"You'll know soon enough," I snickered.
"Fine," Annabeth frowned. "Goodnight Percy," she yawned.
"Goodnight Annabeth," I whispered.
The next day I asked Piper to take Annabeth shopping or whatever she'd want to do. Piper had a good scent so she didn't ask and played it out as her idea. I only told her it was going to be an epic surprise.
I'd swear she knew what I had on my mind though.
Annabeth, much to my surprise, actually loved the idea of going to buy some clothes and things that she needed for school.
I went to bunker 9 with Leo afterwards and he made me the ring. It was a simple silver ring with a little stone I found in the sea. It was half grey and half green and it looked gorgeously convenient. I just couldn't wait to give it to my Wise girl.
Then I thought: What if she says no because we're too young?
Ever since we fell into Tartarus I realized I couldn't stand her truly leaving me ever again.
I'd go anywhere with Annabeth and I didn't care when we'd marry, I just wanted her to know how much I loved her. Even if it meant risking my life, theoretically.
I hoped she was going to say yes... And that Athena wouldn't fry me right when I finally pulled out the ring.