Hope POV:

I couldn't believe it. A couple of hours ago, I found out that I was pregnant with my and Percy's child. And now, I don't even know who will raise it.

When we arrived back at the Abattoir, I kept thinking about that. Who would raise our child? Out of everyone that Percy and I both trusted, only one person kept popping into my head. I knew that Percy wouldn't want to ask her, but it made sense in almost every way.

As Percy and I were getting ready for bed, I announced, "I know who should raise our child."

Percy looked at me, shocked that I had thought of someone so quickly. He asked, "Who?"

I knew that the next two words out of my mouth would hurt him because this was a sore subject, but I had to say them. Not able to look him in the eye, I looked at the ground and said, "Your mom."

I was expecting him to react in some way, but he just stood there. After a few seconds, he said, "That's not happening."

I explained, "Percy, I understand why you don't want to consider her as an option. But there's no one else that can raise our baby. No one in my family can. They're all Supernaturals."

I saw tears start to form in Percy's eyes as I spoke. He then said, "Distancing myself from my mom was the hardest thing I've ever done. Estelle probably doesn't even remember me anymore. But I did it anyway. I did it because I knew that they would be better off without me. Estelle would be able to live a life without having to worry about whether or not her brother is going to be there for every important milestone in her life. So she wouldn't have to constantly look over her shoulder because of who I am."

I made eye contact with him and said, "You know I'm right. We have to do this."

He replied, "I can't put them in danger. Estelle is a mortal. Clear-sighted, but still a mortal. She deserves to live a normal life. Can we please just drop the subject for now?"

I nodded.

Time Skip

I woke up at around 5:30 am, before Percy. After our conversation last night, we both went to bed in silence.

Once I was done getting ready, I made my way to the bathroom. I summoned a tiny rainbow using a spell and Iris Messaged Poseidon.

I smiled, "Hey. Sorry for calling so early. Is this a good time?"

He said, "No worries, Hope. Congratulations again on the baby. I'm so excited to be a grandfather!"

I stopping smiling and said, "That's actually why I called."

I told him what the Fates told Percy and me last night.

Poseidon's eyes widened, "Who's going to raise the child?"

I explained, "I think our only option is Sally. She's the only person we can trust with our child that meets the Fates' requirements."

"I know Percy separated himself from his mom. What does he think?"

I said, "He thinks that Sally shouldn't even be considered. I was wondering if you would talk to him? Convince him to look at this from my perspective."

Poseidon nodded, "I'll try. I understand where he is coming from, but I agree. If you and Percy can't raise your baby, Sally is the best option."

I smiled, "Thank you, Lord Poseidon."

"Of course. I'll flash over soon."

I cut the connection and decided to make some breakfast.

Percy POV:

When I woke up today, Hope was already out of bed. I rolled out of bed and checked the time. It was 7:00 am. I then got dressed and made my way downstairs.

I hope Hope isn't mad at me because of last night. Looking back, I think I came off a little too aggressive with my response.

As I walked down the stairs, I could hear voices coming from the kitchen. When I walked in, I saw Hope talking to my dad.

Poseidon looked at me and said, "I heard about what the Fates said. I'm sorry to hear that, son."

I just looked at the floor.

My dad then said, "I understand where you're coming from, but I agree with Hope. Your mother is the best person to raise your child."

I looked at Hope, but she just looked down.

I looked at my dad and said, "I didn't just distance myself from Mom just because she would be in danger. She's been in danger ever since I was born. She knew the risks. I did it because of Estelle. She's a mortal. She deserves to live like one. She didn't choose to be my sibling. As her older brother, it's my job to keep her safe. Not being a part of her life is the best way I can do that."

My dad shook his head.

"What?" I asked.

He explained, "Percy, like you, Estelle is a witch. Like those that attend Hogwarts. And just like you, she inherited those abilities from Sally."

I was shocked, "What!?"

Hope then said, "Estelle isn't a mortal. Sooner or later, she will learn about you, and what you are."

My mouth was gaping like a fish. "Does Mom know?"

My dad replied, "No. But it isn't something that we have to keep from her and Paul."

"Wait," I said, "Wouldn't that make my mom not be able to raise our child?"

My dad said, "Knowing your mom, she will do her best to make sure that Estelle doesn't know about our world until she is at least a few years older than you were when you discovered who you were. And as long as Estelle doesn't know about it, she can raise your baby."

After letting that sink in, I knew what I had to do.

I looked at Hope and said, "I'll be back soon."

With that, I flashed to my mom's apartment.

I appeared in front of their apartment door and it took me a few seconds to build up the courage to knock on the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

After a couple of seconds, I could hear Paul say, "I got it, Sally."

When he opened the door, he froze. Once he gathered himself, he asked, "Percy? What are you doing here?"

I replied, "Long story. Is this a good time?"

Paul nodded, "Yeah. Your mom's in the kitchen. She's feeding Estelle right now. Come in."

I followed him inside and Paul said, "Sally, guess who's here."

When my mom saw me, she dropped the spoon she was using to feed Estelle on the floor.

Tears began to form in my mom's eyes as she walked over to me and gave me a bear hug.

As she began to pull away, she asked, "How has it been this past year?"

We sat down on the couch and I said, "It's been good. Hope and I got engaged."

My mom's eyes lit up, "Really!? Congrats, Percy!"

I smiled, "Thanks, mom. But that's not all."

I paused, letting the suspense build.

I said, "Hope's pregnant. We found out yesterday."

At that moment, Paul, who was cleaning up my mom's mess, dropped the same spoon.

My mom and I laughed at Paul's mess and she said, "Even though it makes me feel old, considering I have a one-year-old child, I'm excited to be a grandma."

I tried my best to look as happy as possible, but every time I thought about the baby, I thought about how Hope and I couldn't raise them.

My mom frowned, "Even though we haven't seen each other in over a year, I'm still your mother. What's wrong, Percy?"

I explained, "Hope and I can't raise them. The Fates told us that we can't be a part of their life until they learn of the Greek world on their own."

My mom pulled me into a comforting and said, "Oh, sweety, I'm so sorry."

After a couple of seconds of hugging, I confessed, "That's actually why I'm here."

I looked my mom in the eyes and said, "I hate to ask this of you and Paul, but could you raise the baby for us. The Fates said it had to be a mortal who wasn't actively involved in the Greek and Supernatural worlds."

Without hesitation, my mom smiled, "Of course we would. Isn't that right, Paul?"

Paul, who had just finished up cleaning the mess, replied, "Yeah."

He came over to us and sat next to my mom. He said, "Even though I don't know as much about the Mythological world as your mother, I do know that it's complicated. Much more complicated than the Mortal world. This was out of your hands, and I know that you and Hope would've been great parents. Plus, if it wasn't for you, the world would have ended at least twice by now."

I smiled. My kid will be raised in a good, loving, home. I said, "Thank you so much. This means so much to me and Hope."

As I got up to leave, my mom asked, "Percy, when's the baby due?"

I replied, "In early December."

My mom raised an eyebrow, "Hope's been pregnant for almost four months? How are you just finding out that she's pregnant?"

I shook my head, "She's only been pregnant for a month or so. But because of my godly genes and her fast healing abilities as a werewolf and vampire, it'll take less time for the baby to be born."

My mom nodded, accepting my answer. I looked over to Estelle and asked my mom, "Can I talk to her for a bit? Before I go."

My mom smiled before nodding. I stood up and walked over to Estelle. She was sitting in her highchair. I said, "Hi, Estelle. You probably don't remember me, but I'm your older brother. Percy."

I put my hand on the table, which she immediately grabbed. What she did next caught me off guard. She said, "Pwrcy?"

I gasped. I knew she could talk a little bit, but I didn't expect her to know my name.

Seeing my face, my mom explained, "Her favorite bedtime stories are stories of your quests."

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

My mom nodded, "We tried everything. All the little nursery rhymes, and things like that. But, your stories are the only ones that work consistently."

I smiled as Estelle tried to put my hand in her mouth. I pulled my hand back and placed a kiss on her head. I then looked at the time and said, "I have to go now. There's a new alliance that got formed yesterday between the Supernaturals and Olympus. I have to be there for the announcement ceremony."

My mom and Paul nodded, and we said our goodbyes. I then closed the door behind me and flashed back to New Orleans.