Percy was out of breath as he ran into their warm apartment, feeling like he'd been frozen for years. He quickly rushed inside and away from the door. He quickly stashed the bag he'd been holding behind some pots and pans before taking off his several winter garments and started sorting through the mail.

"You know, I think it should be illegal to get bills this close to Christmas," Percy admitted as Annabeth rushed in after him, shivering and covered in snow.

Annabeth blinked at him. "You're just going to pretend you didn't just throw a snowball at me so you could rush up here and hide my gift?"

Percy bit his lip. "Yes...?"

Annabeth laughed and grabbed Percy's hands and smiled fakely. She lowered Percy to her level and whispered in his ear quietly. "You better watch out, Jackson."

A smile slipped onto Percy's face as he finished sorting through the mail. It was full of several Christmas cards, which he promptly placed on their refrigerator.

"You've got a letter from your dad," Percy called to Annabeth. He heard her stand up and rush into the room, her eyebrows furrowed. She snatched the letter from his hand and opened it hastily.

"It's probably just a stupid Christmas card or something showing how happy he is," she groaned. "It probably has a letter about how successful Bobby and Matthew are during their first year at UCLA."

Her eyes scanned the letter and her expression softened. "He...he wants to see me this Christmas."

She pulled out two plane tickets and immediately thought how stupid her father must be to mail something that valuable.

"That's...good....?" Percy asked cautiously, aware of how fragile Annabeth's relationship is with her father.

She nodded. "I guess I have to go."

"You don't have to do anything," Percy assured her. "Do what you want."

"Okay, but I think I should," she admitted. "I haven't seen him in two years...."

That part was true. After Annabeth graduated and moved back to New York, her relationship with her father grew dire. They only talked through brief phone calls on holidays and birthdays, and that was it. Now he wanted to see her?

"I think I need a nap," Annabeth said as she walked into their bedroom. The second she lay her head on the pillow she was out.

When she woke up, the smell of gingerbread immediately hit her, causing her to gag.

"What the hell...?" she muttered as she ran into the living room, only to see Percy dressed in a Christmas apron and covered in crumbs decorating their living room.

He turned to her, his face portraying a small grin. "Merry Christmas...?"

"It looks like Christmas threw up in here," Annabeth complained. "And Percy, it's December 17th. Chill."

Percy rolled his eyes and dropped his piece of tinsel. "Stop being such a grinch. And the 17th is close to Christmas!

"I'm no grinch. I'll celebrate Christmas," Annabeth responded, "when it's actually time to."

"Come on, Annabeth. We do this every year. You bicker about Christmas, I defend it. You get annoyed until it's over," Percy said. "Now let's break the tradition and actually celebrate!"

Annabeth laughed. "Alright."

Percy blinked. "Alright? You're giving up years of stubbornness over one lecture? You've really softened, Chase."

"Do you want to celebrate or not?" Annabeth asked, narrowing her eyes at him. He smiled and pulled her into a light kiss. "I love you."

"I have mistletoe I can put up if you'd like," Percy whispered as he dug into the supplies box, causing Annabeth to laugh.

Suddenly Annabeth's phone started ringing, interrupting their conversation. She sighed and pulled out her cell reluctantly.

"Hello, this is Annabeth," she said into her phone as she stepped into the kitchen only to see it full of crumbs and burnt cookies.

"Hey, Annabeth. It's, uh, dad," her father said timidly. "Did-did you get my letter? I was considering emailing you, but I know you're so busy you probably wouldn't see it until July!"

Annabeth shook her head. "Why didn't you call? Or text?"

"Same reason," he replied simply. "So I suppose you saw it?"

"Yeah, dad, it was hard to miss," Annabeth said as she started cleaning the kitchen free of crumbs.

He sighed. "And? What do you think?"

"Of what?" she asked.

"The letter, the trip!" he groaned. "Should I have Helen prepare the guest room for you?"

Annabeth blinked. "Uh, sure. I'll be there."

"And Percy?"

"And Percy."

"That's wonderful!" he said. "So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, huh?"

She frowned. "What do you mean tomorrow?"

"You didn't read all the letter?" he asked. She bit her lip. "The plane leaves tonight at ten, and it's almost nine."

"Nine?! Oh, schist!" she cursed. "I'll see you soon, dad."

"See you soon...?" he said, confused by her language. "Bye, Annabeth."

"Bye," she muttered as she hung up and ran into the living room. "We've gotta go! Get moving!"

Percy crossed his arms. "What?"

She explained to him what had happened and they both went into panic mode.

Getting off the flight (sorry for the long time skip)

"What are you doing?" Percy asked as he peered at Annabeth's phone, the opening page of the Lyft app on her screen.

She faced him. "What does it look like? I'm ordering us a ride to my dad's house."

Percy laughed casually and dragged her out of the waiting area. "I'm sure your dad will us up. Just text him or something."

"Oh, no, no, no," Annabeth replied horridly. "How dare I interrupt his work?! How would I even have the audacity to do so?"

"You're being over dramatic," Percy responded. "Before we call a Lyft let's just check to see if he's here."

Annabeth burst out laughing. "Percy, I do this every time I visit. I take a Lyft, then when I arrive he gives me like a dollar to refund me. It's pathetic, but it's a tradition. And Christmas is all about stupid and pathetic traditions."

"Annabeth!"

Annabeth blinked before turning to the familiar voice. Her father stood before her, a smile on his face and car keys in his hand. Percy smiled smugly as he wrapped his arm around her waist before walking over to Mr.Chase.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Annabeth asked as he lead them to his car.

He frowned at her. "What are you taking about? A dad can't pick his daughter up from the airport?"

Annabeth mumbled something before crawling in the back seat next to Percy. The ride was silent, as there wasn't much to talk about.

The sun was slowly setting in California, causing the temperature to drop drastically. It wasn't like a New York Christmas with tons of snow. It was warm, which both Percy and Annabeth disliked.

"Sure is cold out," Annabeth's father commented, causing Annabeth to snicker quietly. "For California, I mean."

"How long have you been living out here?" Percy asked as he turned the familiar corner to his neighborhood.

He sighed as he rubbed his temple. "Not long. I mean, it's probably been around ten years now. I've just gotten used to it."

As he pulled into the driveway the two demigods noticed how drastically the house was decorated. Every inch was covered in lights or tinsel. A fake plastic Santa sat on the roof accompanied by several reindeer.

Fredrick laughed as he noticed their expression. "With Bobby and Matthew being gone I have a lot of time on my hands."

He lifted their bags and showed them inside. The house was more pleasantly decorated than outside and was a lot warmer than outside.

"Frederick! Is that you?" Helen called as she bustled out into the entrance way. She was dressed in an apron and held a spatula in hand. "Hello! You two are just in time, we're about to start dinner!"

Annabeth tried to return Helen's smile, but failed. Despite her step-mother's positive attitude, Annabeth couldn't stop seeing the woman who had kept her in the room with the spiders and denied her claims.

"How about you take their bags up to the guest room for them, Frederick?" Helen suggested with a smile.

"The guest room?" Annabeth questioned. "What's wrong with my room?" Did they already turn it into a home gym?

Helen shrugged. "I just assumed you would be more comfortable in the guest room, but I suppose your room is fine."

Frederick nodded and started heaving the bags upstairs.

"I can help-" Percy suggested, but he was cut off with Helen laughing and dragging them into the dining room. There they were both sat down across from Bobby and Matthew, who wore watching awkward glances and MIT sweatshirts.

"Hey, Annabeth," Bobby said with a grin. "We've missed you. How did you even survive college?"

Annabeth smirked. "It's tough, but I know you two can do it."

"How's New York?" Matthew asked.

"Still there and functioning," Percy replied with a grin. "So, how are your-"

"I've got food!" Helen interrupted, bursting into the dining room with an assortment of food on a platter in her hands.

Bobby and Matthew immediately dropped all fake conversations and hollered in delight. Helen smiled and placed down the platter in the middle.

"I'll go see what's keeping Fredrick," she said as she bustled out of the room as quickly as she entered.

Percy turned to Annabeth and stared at her, his eyes wide open in surprise.

Is this how dinners are always like? He wanted to ask, but couldn't, so he made a mental note to himself to ask later. Maybe it was just the way they acted when a guest was around, but by the bored expression on Annabeth's face, he sensed it was normal.

Fredrick walked in, looking slightly pale and sick. Helen rushed in after him, already hyper talking and holding yet another pan of food.

"So, I didn't know what everyone liked, so I decided to make the works," Helen said. "I know Bobby avoids meat and Matthew despises lettuce, and Annabeth will eat anything she's served, but I didn't know about you, Percy."

Percy swallowed, realizing that she had addressed him. "Oh, I eat almost anything except sea food."

Helen groaned. "Well, our main course is salmon, but I'm sure you can fill up on potatoes and bread?"

"That'd be great, thank you," Percy said awkwardly as Helen rushed back into the kitchen. After she returned they all sat down for the huge dinner Helen had prepared for them.

Although Helen wasn't Annabeth's favorite person in the world, she had to admit that Helen made a wonderful and mouthwatering dinner.

"Thank you, Helen, this was amazing," Annabeth admitted as she finished off her plate. Then Bobby, Fredrick, Matthew, and Percy all followed with their own thank you.

More awkward conversation preceded dinner before Percy and Annabeth finally got to play the 'it's getting late' excuse.

Both of them were up in bed by seven-thirty, getting a lot of awkward glares from Helen, but neither cared.

"I'm sorry," Annabeth said the instant Percy closed the door behind them.

A smile crept on his face as he joined her on the bed. "For what?"

"The way she non-stop questioned you!" Annabeth exclaimed. "And oh my god-what was with my dad? Why was he so quiet?"

Percy just smiled at Annabeth while she rambled one. She's so cute when she does this.

"So, do I get to see your old room?" Percy asked suspiciously, arching an eyebrow as she asked the question.

Annabeth instantly blushed. "I mean, if they haven't completely destroyed it yet...."

Percy grabbed her hand and helped her stand up. "I'm sure they haven't!"

Annabeth groaned as Percy approached the door adjacent to the guest room's. Small metal plaques were attached to each bedroom of the children, so he knew which one was Annabeth's.

As he swung open the door he was instantly hit with delight. Her room was more than he expected.

Her bed was pushed against one wall near the window and was dressed in a fluffy gray comforter. Her window wore beautiful satin curtains that matched the plush rug that covered the cold oak floor. Her desk was piled with papers and books she'd carelessly left out from her last visit and pictures lined the walls.

"This is where the famous Annabeth Chase grew up?!" Percy asked as he rushed over to the window. He peered out and saw the beautiful red sunset.

Then he moved to the closest and threw it open. Old t-shirts and rejected piles of books sat there. "Wow, is this mine?"

He pulled a deep blue sweatshirt from within the closet and turned it around, revealing the word Jackson in bold letters on the back.

Annabeth immediately snatched the sweatshirt from him and placed it on, grinning at him as she did. "Maybe....It's not like it would fit you anymore!"

Percy huffed and rushed over to her. "Yeah, right! I'm going to search your room for anything else you've stolen from me over the years..."

After rummaging through Annabeth's old room, the two exhausted demigods headed back to where they were staying and immediately passed out.

Even though it was early, they had both had a long day of traveling and non-stop questioning by Helen. Annabeth could tell Helen was just trying to be polite, but she was a bit over the top.

~

Out of habit, Annabeth woke up when the sun did. She couldn't help it, it had been her routine for as long as she could remember. She'd probably developed the habit when on the run.

She pushed her messy nest of golden curls from her face and quietly climbed out of bed as to not disturb Percy, who was out like a light and was drooling tremendously.

Annabeth smirked at him and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing him to smile in his sleep. She located her old robe and wrapped it around herself, pleasantly surprised that it was still there and still fit her.

Then she walked down the oak stairs, praying that they wouldn't creak and wake everyone up. She knew Helen was a light sleeper.

When she arrived at the kitchen she noticed a fresh pot of coffee awaiting her, and she immediately recognized the brand. This was Helen's coffee, meaning Helen was awake.

Annabeth cursed under her breathe and turned to head back up the stairs, only to be caught by Helen herself who was creeping into the kitchen.

"I thought I heard someone up," Helen said sweetly. "How about you get a cup and join me? It's quite lonely out there."

Annabeth nodded reluctantly and fetched herself a cup of coffee as Helen watched her, her eyes burning her. "Of course."

Helen led them to the living room where she has apparently been reading a book.

"Sit, sit," Helen instructed as she patted the seat cushion next to her. She's treating me like a dog?

Annabeth obeyed Helen's wishes and sat next to her on the couch.

After eyeing her up, Helen spoke. "So, how was the guest room? I hope it wasn't too cold or anything."

"Oh, no, it was splendid," Annabeth replied causally. "Great decorations."

What am I even talking about?!

"Yes, I suppose," Helen said, her voice trailing off. Annabeth could tell she had something else on her mind besides her guest room's design. "Percy seems great. You two seem to really....hit it off."

There it is.

"I hope so," Annabeth said with a shallow laugh. "After all, we are married."

Helen nodded and considered her answer. "You know, when I was in your position-marriage wise-I had already had Bobby and Matthew."

No, there it is.

Annabeth sighed. She'd knew that this was coming, but she didn't know when. And now it had. Helen was asking her about kids, something she did not want. "I remember."

Helen smiled sheepishly. "You do? Well, I suppose you were around that age where you start remembering things. So, do you want kids? What's the hold up?"

"I-uh, I dunno," Annabeth lied, feeling as if her throat were closing. "We just-"

"Kids are great, you know," Helen interrupted. "Truly miracles. I see no reason against them. Uh, do you?"

Annabeth felt her face go red. Helen grinned at her menacingly, causing her to shiver. "Well...."

"I don't want them," a voice yelled, and Percy suddenly burst into the room holding a cup of coffee. "You see, Annabeth's been pushing me-"

"Percy, you don't have to-" she started.

Percy rolled his eyes and sat down by them. "I'm not ready. I mean, we just got married and all. And we have different priorities at the moment. And I think, frankly, that this is non of your business."

Helen stared at him, aghast. It's like she's never been interrupted before. And in her own home!

"Now if you would excuse us, I need Annabeth's help with something," Percy said and reached out for Annabeth's hand. She gracefully accepted and smiled at Helen as they left the room.

"Thank you," she murmured into his ear as they left. "I love you."

And suddenly, since he was there, the situation didn't seem that bad anymore.