May 15th. Holy Hades.

That was the only thing going through my mind as I made smiley face chocolate chip pancakes. Not 'Yay Double Digit Babies!' or 'Wow, you grow up fast!'. Nope, just holy Hades, they're ten. 

It wasn't that I wasn't happy for them- of course I was. But Taylor and Luke were my babies- they couldn't already be 10, right? 

It was hard enough that Sophia was 15, and Rion and Lena were 12, but my babies were now double digits? 

I paced thr kitchen floor as Percy flipped the pancakes, and after two minutes, Percy couldn't restrain himself from laughing any longer.

"Wise Girl, whatcha doin'?" He smiled at me, but I didn't return the favor. I just bit my lip and raised my eyebrows.

"Luke and Taylor are ten today," I whispered. Percy looked at me, completely confused.

"I know. Wait, am I missing something big here?" He went through a mental checklist, then his eyes opened. "Did we forget a cake?" 

"No! It's just that-" I was silent for a moment.

"That what?" Percy stepped in closer, his voice growing quiet.

"That they're 10. Doesn't that seem weird to you?" 

"I guess so, but at least they're ten, and we still have them with us. I mean, you've seen some of those stunts Luke pulled... And Taylor's voice may have shattered only one window, but you never know what will come in the future..."

It took him a minute to see that I was genuinely worried.

"Oh, c'mon Annabeth. It's good for them to grow up. They're just as scared as you are. Just take it easy- you'll be okay." A smile faintly appeared on my lips.

"Okay." 

Our moment didn't last long. Soon enough, Luke was barreling down the stairs screaming about how he's the greatest demigod ever, and Sophia was at his heels telling him that if he wasn't quiet, she'd slice her ears off, and Rion was telling her that that wouldn't make Luke stop, it would just make her a very unattractive teenager, and Lena was just sitting on the couch shaking her head at them. The chaos seemed endless until-

"Eh hem." Taylor cleared her throat, smiling. Everyone stopped for a moment, and then it happened.

"Oh my gods, you guys are ten today!" Then the mad dash began. Sophia ran upstairs for her phone, RIon ran for presents, and Lena ran for candles. 

A moment later, the entire family was gather around the youngest members of the family singing Happy Birthday. Alpha howled along, and Luke was ever so subtly licking the frosting off the cake. Sophia was filming on two iPhones, and Rion had arranged the presents all around them.

"Happy birthday, dear Taylor and Luke.... Happy birthday to you!" Taylor had begun singing to herself because it was far too hard for her to stop singing for ten minutes, but I had gotten used to it, and learned to love it. 

"Do you guys feel older?" Sophia asked. 

"Yes," Luke smiled, his mouth full of cake. "I feel like I'm an oldie now." He laughed, shoving more cake into his mouth. Then Sophia turned the cake to Taylor.

"How bout you, Tay?" Taylor shook her head.

"I won't feel ten until I'm eleven. I dunno why, I just won't." She daintly ate her cake, making faces at her brother as he squished the whole piece into his mouth. 

Luke yelled something that was probably supposed to to 'Rion Look!' but came out more like a series of grunts. Rion flashed his brother a big thumbs up.

"I still can't believe you're ten," I muttered to myself.

Of course, no Jackson birthday was complete without a party... it just so happened that the twins wanted EVERYONE there, and EVERYONE couldn't be there until the middle of November. That what you heard. NOVEMBER. Their birthday is MAY. But they were cool with it. 

So there we were, November 26st, snow and ice already coating the ground, on our way to the pool. There's a long story behind it that you probably don't want to hear, but you're hearing it anyway. So basically, back in May when it was the twins birthday, Percy had promised them a pool party. And not a pool party in our backyard, a pool party at a "special pool." Both of them had been siked, especially Luke. Taylor sort of just went with it. But then Taylor had decided that her conditions were that she'd only have a pool party if everyone was there. So that's what they agreed on. 

Month after month we tried to plan a party when it was still warm enough to swim outside- that had been part of the deal. But month after month, someone was in Europe, or getting their tonsils taken out, or staying at Camp Half Blood or Camp Jupiter for a while. So it was November. Thanksgiving Day. And we were off to the pool. 

Paige had sent Thalia a picture of Haleigh in her swim suit with gloves and a coat and hat on over top, and it had gone family-wide viral. Then the picture of Karrie and Toby in flippers and earmuffs floated around. Picture after picture got sent in the moments before the Polar Bear Pool Party.

There were ice cubes in the pool. Giant, ginormus ice cubes. They almost looked like matresses floating on top of the pool, but they were at least one hundred times colder.

Rion and Luke were the first to jump in. Curt and Toby followed quickly after, but the girls stayed huddled together. Steve tried to stay on the ice cube for a whole minute, but fell off after about 10 seconds. Then the rest of the gang headed in. Chloe, Ember, and Juliet (who looked almost startingly similar) pushed Max in, and then each other until they were all screaming their heads off. Taylor and Alexa held hands as they jumped in. Chase pushed in all the older girls: Sophia, Karrie, Lia, Julia, Paige, and Madison. Nick pushed in Abby and Scarlett, causing Scarlett to throw a fit. 

Once everyone had had their fair share of the icy cold pool, we gathered around for cake and ice cream. They were about 10 layers of people huddled together and singing, no matter how awfully off pitch (ehm THALIA) they were.

"Happy Birthday To You, Numbers Not One But Two, You Look Like A Harpy, And You Smell Like One Too!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hey guys! How's life? I'm really excited because we're writing short stories in English class and I'm in love with my plot. 

I just got back from rowing and my hands are killing me :( I have blisters all over them :(

But more importantly: THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS CAME OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IT'S AMAZING! I bought it yesterday, and practically haven't stopped reading it since I got it. I just wish Percy and Annabeth had POV chapters... But my friend who finished it aready guarenteed to me that I'll like the ending, so fingers crossed guys :)

I'm so sad that it's the last book, but it's been such an amazing era. Percy Jackson and The Olympians will always be remebered as my childhood, and Heroes Of Olympus as My Tween and Teen Years. I'm almost tearing up writing this, guys. I loved and still love the books so much, they're a huge part of my life that will never be forgotten. And yes, mother, I will name my children after the characters in Percy Jackson because THEY'RE NOT JUST CHARACTERS IN A SILLY BOOK. They're my happiness, my soul, my mindset, my drive, my inspiration, my goal, my hopes, dreams, and hopefully my future. I will never stop re-reading them, I will never stop celebrating birthdays with blue cupcakes and wishing my eyes were gray all the time instead of just sometimes. I will never stop thinking that they were just some idea, that they were just some series. They hold a special spot in the deepest reaches of my heart that will never be driven away. 

So don't tell me that I'm strange because I've connected with so many people over a BOOK. Don't tell me that I haven't overcome near-depression because of a BOOK. Don't tell me that my goals are stupid because I'm inspired by a BOOK. That BOOK has become my BIble. It has become ME. And no, I am none of those things, so neither are those books. :)

Love you guys to Olympus and down to Tartarus. 

XOXO

~PercyAnnabeth20owl