Percy's POV
Finally, it was Saturday. It had been a long week at work and I was ready to unwind and spend some quality time with my family. Annabeth refused to let me take Zoe to work this week. She claimed that Zoe needed to stay home, but I think she was seizing the opportunity for some bonding time. Personally, I thought it was funny that Zoe was the only one of our kids who wasn't a momma's baby.
Zoe and Luke were so different it was a miracle they never fought. Zoe is rough and tough, but she knows when to be gentle. And Luke is soft around the edges and is anything but rough. Somehow, they're the best of friends and Annabeth and I never complain. Luke had started preschool almost a week ago and he loved every minute of it. He and Troy became better friends and as each day passed, Zoe was less and less emotional about Luke leaving. Charlie and Silena were almost ten months old, they were crawling all over the place. Those two would grab objects off every shelf in sight, nothing was safe anymore in our household.
I gave Annabeth the day off to go and spend some time with her friends because I knew she needed a break. She wouldn't admit it, but she was happy I suggested this. I invited Jason, Leo, and Frank over and to bring their kids as well. It would be one big playdate for us. Luke and Troy were great friends, since they saw each other everyday from at preschool. Zoe, Elliot, and Sammy got along very well together, even though they were only two. The twins, Charlie and Silena, played with Penny, Jason's eight month old daughter; and Frank's daughter Delilah, who was almost one.
They were all coming over around noon, and Luke and Zoe wouldn't quit asking. I told everyone to bring their swimsuits, there's nothing my kids love more than swimming, especially with their friends. Over the last few weekends my kids had somehow convinced me to make a waterside, a real one. Not the natural one I make whenever I'm with them in the pool. So last weekend, Luke, Zoe, the twins, and I went shopping for a slide suitable for our pool. They wanted a huge slide that was tunnel and was curly, but I told them just a simple steep one would be just fine. We picked out a sky blue basic, generic slide that Leo had helped me bolt down into the concrete foundation next to the pool. I hadn't let them use it, and they were eager to do so.
"Are they here yet?" Zoe asked from the kitchen, she was carefully eating her Cheerios, she hated making a mess.
"Not yet Zoe, they'll be here at twelve." I answered from the family room, watching Charlie try to stand up.
Charlie had been trying desperately to walk around like his older siblings. He could stand; with the help of either me, Annabeth, a table or a chair. But he couldn't walk around, and his crawling could no longer keep up with either of older siblings. Charlie would throw a fit every time they got too far ahead of him. Silena on the other hand, could care less if she could crawl or walk. She was perfectly happy being carried everywhere or crawling as fast as her arms and legs could carry her.
Charlie had all ready began to grow his full head of curly blonde hair like his mom. Silena had my hair, but it was wavy and almost reached her neck. Her grey eyes shone like Annabeth's and every time I looked at Silena I thanked the gods for her. We had almost lost her once, and I didn't plan on that ever happening again.
Just then the doorbell rang, "can one of you get that?" I asked Luke and Zoe who were racing their way to the door.
"Let me open it!" Luke shouted.
"No I want to, you did it last time." Zoe whined.
"Fine, but I get to do it next time." Luke gave in, as I heard the door open and the cool September air filled the house.
"Uncle Jason!" They sang in unison.
"Hey Jacksons! How are you two?" I heard Jason ask.
"Good." They barked in response.
"Elliot!" I heard Zoe say.
"Hi Zoe." Elliot answered quietly. He was always like this, super quiet in the beginning but then he would talk nonstop.
"Come on in Grace!" I called from the family room.
I heard the door close and Luke, Zoe, and Elliot thundered into the family room. Jason followed them and plopped down next to me with Penny in his arms. "How's it goin' man?" I asked him.
"Going well, lots of baby care." Jason sighed, as he set Penny down who crawled over towards Charlie and Silena.
"Yeah, you've got Penny who's crawling everywhere. At least you don't have another one to worry about." I teased.
"Ha ha, funny Jackson. But I've got one on the way." Jason half smiled.
"What? Congrats man, how far along is she?" I asked.
"Almost three months." He answered, taking a deep breath.
"You don't seem too thrilled."
"I dunno. I always planned on having two, but I'm not sure I can handle a third."
"Jason, you of all people can handle three kids, look at me! I've got four and I'm not even sure I'm doing it right." I threw my hands up in the air, as I watched Charlie attempt to walk but fall flat on his face. "Look, Jason I swear, I was so worried about having these two. But when I finally met them I knew that it would be hard, but everything feels the same and better when you finally meet them." I gazed down at Charlie who longingly looked towards the kitchen.
Jason sighed, "I guess you're right. I was nervous with the other two, but I wouldn't change anything. I think I need to apologize to Piper. I didn't react the right way when she told me a few days ago. I'll talk to her about it tonight. Thanks Perc."
"No problem." I clapped him on the shoulder just as the doorbell rang.
"I got it!" Luke announced as he and Zoe blasted out of the kitchen and raced to the door.
"Frank! Leo!" They chorused.
"Hey guys!" They stepped in with their kids in tow.
"Hi Troy!" Luke greeted.
"Hi Luke! Can we go swimming?" Troy asked hopefully.
"Daddy, can we go swimming?" Luke bellowed from across the room.
"Not yet son. Wait a little longer." I answered.
"Aww." I heard them sigh from the front door.
"Elliot! Sammy is here!" Zoe called from the front door. She and Sammy ran into the kitchen to meet Elliot before they began throwing Cheerios at each other. Soon Luke and Troy got into it too and Cheerios were flying all over the kitchen.
After the guys and I had caught up in the family room with our young kids, we walked into the kitchen to find it covered in Cheerios. "Luke, Zoe!" I groaned.
They poked their heads out from behind the countertop. "Yes daddy?" They quivered.
"All of you clean up this mess right now." I ordered. "And whoever cleans it up the fastest gets to go down the new slide first." I added.
Every one of their eyes lit up and they all frantically began to clean the kitchen.
I turned around to the guys and we all laughed in amusement as we watched our kids clean.
Troy had been the fastest so he got to go down the slide first. I waded in the water with my twins in their floaties as I watched each and every kid continuously zip down the slide over and over again. Penny, Charlie, Silena, and Delilah all stayed close by the adults. But Charlie still watched sadly as the older kids had fun on the new slide. "Ide." Charlie pointed.
"Yeah, that's the slide bud, you're too little."
"Ide." Charlie barked a little louder.
"No Charlie, you're too young to go on the slide." I told him again.
"No." Charlie whined.
"Charlie, you can't go down the slide. When you get bigger you can."
"Ide, ide, ide!" Charlie began to cry.
I sighed, I wasn't going to win this battle. I pushed his floatie over towards the slide and told the other kids that Charlie wanted to go down once. They sighed and Luke protested, but I won that argument. I set Charlie on the bottom part of the slide and guided him down a few times, before I turned the slide back over to the older kids.
---
After an afternoon of fun filled swimming the girls arrived around six o'clock, to find us all sitting around the fireplace. Luke, Zoe, Troy, Sammy, and Elliot were running around in the yard playing tag or something close to that. Annabeth pulled up a chair and took Silena into her arms. "How's my girl been today?" She whispered, kissing her head.
Silena laughed in response, Annabeth was in a very good mood today. I know she had been with her friends all day, but something else happened and I was determined to find out what that was.
Charlie squirmed and wiggled around in my arms, he kept looking over my shoulder to watch the kids running and screaming in the backyard. "Your son wants to grow up too fast." I told her, trying to readjust Charlie who squirmed in my lap.
"Then don't let him, he's my little boy." Annabeth answered, ruffling his soft, curly hair.
"What's going on with you? You're acting really weird. Did something happen today?" I asked her.
Charlie began fidgeting again, and began to whine. I bounced him on my leg. "Can you round up the crazy kids in the yard, Piper has an announcement." Annabeth said, standing up, still holding Silena.
"Luke! Zoe! Troy! Sammy! Elliot! Come to the fire pit please!" I bellowed, within seconds they appeared at their parents side.
"Piper, I believe you have an announcement." Annabeth exclaimed.
Piper stood up, I knew what it was. "Well, Jason and I wanted to let you know. That I'm expecting baby number three!"
A round of applause filled the fire pit, "is it a boy?" I heard Elliot ask, everyone laughed at his question.
"We don't know yet Elliot, we are going to find out soon." Piper smiled at him.
"I also have another announcement." Hazel jumped up. "Frank and I are expecting number two!"
Another round of applause, then Annabeth stood up. I figured she was just going to congratulate them. "Piper, Hazel, congratulations! I hate to rain on your parade but today, as you girls all know. I made a visit to the doctor. And I just found out that I'm three and a half months pregnant!" Annabeth gasped, she said the last part looking at me.
Pregnant? PREGNANT! Five kids? Five kids! I could hardly handle four! How could I possibly handle another kid! I now understood Jason's epidemic, how could Annabeth be having number five?
Our friends were clapping and our kids were cheering, but Annabeth still looked at me, the excitement was quickly draining from her eyes. I needed to stand up and say the right thing, I stood up and hugged Annabeth. "Wise girl, that's so amazing! I'm so happy for us." I whispered into her ear.
"Really? You are?" Annabeth whispered, still hugging me.
"Overjoyed. We'll talk more later, after everyone goes to sleep. I love you so much." I half whispered and pecked her cheek.
We sat down, and Calypso stood up holding Leo's hand. "Let's add to the news, we're pregnant too! Baby number three is on the way!"
One more round of hooting and hollering before all of us began to sing around the campfire until the stars shone brightly above us in the crystal clear night.
Annabeth's POV
Everyone had left about ten minutes ago, it was nine o'clock and Luke and Zoe were already in bed sound asleep. We needed to have more people over to tire them out quicker, it was kinda nice when they quieted down earlier than usual. Silena and Charlie however, were not quite ready to go to bed. Percy and I gave them their bottles and the two of us sat on the couch in the family room. "So, baby number five." Percy sighed.
"Yeah, it shocked me too. At first, it still is. Are you ok, you know, with one more?" I asked him, I looked him straight in the eye.
"Annabeth, I'd be happy even if you said we are having triplets...we aren't having triplets though, right?" Percy asked, his eyes widened.
"No, it's just one seaweed brain, only one. And please don't lie, are you happy?" I asked, still holding his gaze.
"Of course I'm happy. It's gonna be tough, but I've got you to help me get through it. And I'll be there for you too. Just promise me this...no more kids after this one ok?" Percy smirked, setting Charlie down on the floor.
"I promise, no more than five." I looked down at my stomach. I saw Percy's hand rest upon it.
"I promise you that I'm happy, we get to relive the anxiety and eagerness all over again, one more time. I can't wait to meet our new baby, boy or girl, I'll love it unconditionally, as you will. I love you wise girl." Percy kissed my lips, quickly and softly.
"I love you too seaweed brain. Thank you for reacting the way you did, that alone means the world to me." I smiled gratefully.
"Charlie is walking." Percy gasped.
"What?"
"Charlie, he's walking!" Percy repeated, I turned to see our son taking his first cautious steps with his chubby little legs towards the couch where were sitting.
"Charlie! You're walking!" I jumped off the couch and sat on my knees on the floor.
Charlie grinned at me and slowly made his way over to me. I extended my arms out and he tripped just as reached my legs. I caught him and kissed his cheek. "Oh, my little boy is growing up! He can walk!" I cheered, spinning him around in a circle.
"He sure is, good job Charlie!" Percy ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek. Percy looked down at Silena who was still sitting on the floor holding a rubber ball. "It's your turn Silena, come on over here." Percy squatted down.
As if on cue; Silena stood straight up and toddled over towards her father who wore a smile I've never seen him wear before. "That's my girl." Percy whispered and Silena toddled into his arms, he picked her up and we praised our twins. Percy and I carried them up the stairs and they crashed the second Percy and I laid them down in their cribs.