Hey guys! I'm back with another story!

So the idea for this one-shot just kind of popped into my brain a couple weeks ago, and I decided I really liked it. I decided to give it a go! Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO/HoO!

Nine months. Nine long, dangerous, painstaking months.

That's how long it had been since I'd last been in New York; since I'd last been at Camp Half-Blood; since I'd last been home. It had been nine months since anything had been even remotely normal (which, for me, wasn't really saying a lot, but still). Nine. Months.

I could honestly say that I'd never been so happy to be back at camp, back in familiar territory where it was safe, and friendly, and familiar, and, for the first time in a very long time, where it was peaceful. And this time, the peace would last more than a few months. Not I hoped it would, or maybe it would, or it should; it would. I wouldn't allow it any other way (and I'd made that point very clear).

We had made it back early the night before, all seven of us, battered, bruised, and a little broken from the war with the Giants, but alive and happy nonetheless. Fortunately, Reyna, Nico, and Coach Hedge had made it back in time with the Athena Parthenos, and had been able to settle the dispute between the camps before anything significant could happen (much to Octavian's dismay).

Needless to say, we were heroes (Again.). The campers, particularly the newer ones, pretty much worshipped the ground we walked on, especially Annabeth and me, which had been slightly gratifying for all of ten seconds, and had become very annoying, very quickly after that.

All quest members had been directed by Chiron, due to a very concerned Will Solace, that we were to spend the night in the infirmary while our injuries were tended to. I hadn't listened. The rest of the Seven's injuries had been worse than Annabeth's and mine, either that, or Tartarus had made us more resilient, but either way, everyone else had done what they were told. I hadn't, but no one had really seemed to care either, or if they did, they hadn't acted on it.

I stood on the familiar beach, staring out at the Long Island Sound as the waves washed over my feet, sending the familiar strength surging through my body in a comforting manner. I had been there most of the night. Many emotions swirled inside me, all fighting for dominance of my thoughts at once. It was really surreal, more than I'd expected, to be back here; to finally be safe and happy. It was all over and I was finally back where I belonged, after so long of being away. The relief was overwhelming, but I hadn't quite relaxed yet.

I watched as the sun rose over the water and let my mind wander, as I'd been doing for a while now. My thoughts always seemed to come back to one thing. Well, one person, actually. Sally Jackson, my mom. And Paul. I hadn't seen them in nine months. I hadn't spoken to them in nine months, except for the quick thirty second voicemail message I'd left on their machine back in Alaska a few months ago, and I didn't know if they'd even gotten it. They had no idea where I was, if I was okay, or if I was even alive. For what it was worth, I didn't know those things of them either, but I was fairly certain they were fine, physically at least.

I needed to see them.

I'd wanted to go the second I stepped off the Argo II, but there had been important matters that needed to be tended to before I could do anything or go anywhere, and, being the de-facto leader of Camp Half-Blood that I was (not necessarily by choice), I had a responsibility to see to them first, no matter how much I didn't want to.

But everything was sorted out now and my injured friends were on the mend. I was so done with waiting.

I turned and started walking back up the beach. I was going into the city and I was seeing my mom, and I wasn't taking no for an answer. I'd heard all the names, from "prissy" to "Momma's Boy" (mostly from the Ares cabin), but I'd stopped caring a long time ago. There's just something about falling into the utter pits of hell with little hope of ever seeing the light of day again that really reinforces what's important in life. I hadn't seen my family in way too many months, and every minute that I stood around here was another minute too long.

I stopped by the infirmary, where everyone, including the on-call Apollo camper, was still asleep. I approached Annabeth's bed. She looked to be sleeping rather soundly, for which I was very grateful. I kissed her forehead gently, and left the hastily written note that I'd scratched in my messy sprawl, telling of where I was going. She could tell Chiron later. Annabeth probably wouldn't like it, but she would understand. I needed to go alone.

I walked through the empty camp, toward the Pegasus stables, praying Blackjack was there. He wasn't supposed to leave, but he was a bit of a free spirit, and didn't really like to stay put. Thankfully, he was there. When the Pegasus saw me, he did a horsey double take, his eyes wide. Boss! he neighed, sounding astonished. "Hey, Blackjack," I greeted him, "How's it going?" When'd ya get back? He demanded, Last time I saw you, you went all crazy on me, trying to kill that Jason guy, and then you guys and that giant flying boat of yours went and flew off to the ancient lands, so I turned tail and went home, cause no way was I following ya in there!Then, I hear that you and that Annabeth girlfriend of yours fell into-! "Blackjack!" I interrupted the horse's rant, "I'm good. We're alright. We got back last night. Everyone's fine. Chill out." Oh, good. He said simply, and then in the same breath, Got any sugar cubes?

I couldn't help but laugh. That was definitely the last thing that hyper horse needed: sugar. I reached into my pocket and pulled them out. Blackjack ate them so quickly, I wondered if he'd even tasted them. Alright, boss. Ready to fly! Where we goin'? "My apartment," I told him. "You remember where it is?"The Pegasus scoffed. Course I remember, boss! "Just checking," I told him with a laugh and climbed on.

Blackjack got us there in record time, landing in the back alleyway to hopefully avoid curious mortal eyes. I told him to wait for ten minutes before flying off, so I could see if my mom and Paul were even home or not.

When I walked in, the doorman, who must have came after Hera had kidnapped me, because I'd never seen him before, was a little suspicious, but let me up after I told him I was the Blofis' son. I rode the elevator up to their floor, our floor, and followed the familiar hallway. I took a shaky breath and knocked. No answer. I tried three different times, determining, rather unhappily, that no one was home. I was about to turn and leave, when our neighbor, Mrs. Davenport, a little woman of about seventy or so, stepped out. She locked her door and turned to leave, when she noticed me. She stared at me incredulously for a second, blinking a few times, as if to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "Percy?" she asked skeptically.

I tried to hide my frustration and smiled kindly at her. "Hi, Mrs. Davenport," I replied.

"Percy, dear," she said, "Where have you been? Your parents have been so worried! Oh, your poor mother-"

"Yeah, I interrupted her, "Sorry, but, um, you wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"

"Yes, I do. Percy, your mother is in the hospital." Fear encased my heart, weighing it down like an anchor. No.

"What?! Where?!"

The old woman pointed to her left, in the direction of the hospital. "Mt. Sinai, just a few blocks from here. She's-"

"Thanks!" I called to her, already running.

"Wait-Percy!" she called after me, but I didn't stick around to listen. My mind was flooded with a million possibilities, all of them terrible. I should have known. All those years of stress, worrying about me, they had finally gotten the best of her, hadn't they? That had been it; I'd disappeared without a trace. That had been the icing on the gods forsaken cake. My mom was sick, maybe even dying, and it was because of me.

I fought those thoughts, trying to stay rational and thinking clearly, but I couldn't. I'd been through way too much to have it end this way. I'd fought and fought and fought, I'd done everything I possibly could to protect the world and those stupid, undeserving gods, and all I got in return was pain, on top of pain, on top of pain. Would it ever end?

I ran into the alleyway, where I'd left Blackjack, nearly running into him. Whoa, boss! he whinnied in alarm, and then saw my face, which must have been fifty shades of miserable and fighting tears. Hey, the Pegasus asked slowly, you okay, boss? "No," I told him as I climbed on his back, "Mt. Sinai Hospital, Blackjack. That way," I pointed, "Fly!"

Blackjack took off so fast, I almost fell off, but I didn't protest, holding on as tight as I could, and praying with everything in me that my mom was okay.

I had him drop me off in front, not even caring what the mortals saw. I leaped off, calling a "Thanks!" over my shoulder at him, and rushed through the doors and to the reception desk.

"Good morning," the young twenty-something receptionist greeted me in a voice much too cheery for the current situation, "Can I help you?"

I took a deep breath, clenching my teeth and trying to refrain from stabbing her with my sword. Granted, she was mortal. It wouldn't do anything to her, but she was really annoying me. I was on the verge of losing it, and she was worrying about "Good morning?" Gods, mortals could be seriously irritating.

Though, as I stood there for that half second, trying to calm myself down while all these things ran through my mind at once (ADHD), I could suddenly see why loyalty was my fatal flaw. The receptionist hadn't done anything wrong, and she really wasn't that annoying. I was being stupid and irrational, and I needed to calm down.

I took another deep breath, more obvious this time. "Yes," I told her, "I'm here to see Sally Jackson. I don't know what room."

"Okay," the receptionist said pleasantly as she typed into the computer, "What wing is she in?" Another question I didn't know the answer to.

"I don't know," I told her honestly.

She raised an eyebrow slightly, but hit enter on the keyboard, narrowing her eyes at the results. "Um, there are no current patients here by that name."

"Oh, um, try Sally Blofis."

The lady, whose ID badge, which I'd somehow managed to decode, read Jessica, looked at me suspiciously, but typed the name in. "Alright, I found her, but she's only seeing immediate family members, for obvious reasons."

"I am immediate family. I'm her son," I told her, tapping my foot anxiously on the floor.

Jessica raised an eyebrow at me again, and looked overall unimpressed. "She's your mom, and yet you don't even know what section of the hospital she's in?"

I sighed and leaned forward, looking her in the eyes. "Look, I've been away for a while, out of the country, and I've had very little contact with my parents. I just got back, just in time to find out my mom was here. I don't know any details. I came straight here. Please, I just want to see my mom."

The story must have been believable enough, because Jessica sounded convinced. "Okay," she said, looking at the computer. "She's on the seventh floor, room 714."

I breathed out. "Thank you," I told her gratefully, and made my way to the elevator. I pushed the button and waited, patting my fingers against my leg anxiously before deciding it'd be much quicker to just take the stairs. Besides, the doors of death had been elevator doors… Stop. I told myself, You're out of there. It's just a regular elevator.

I reached the stairwell and began making my way swiftly up, taking the stairs two at a time. A few people looked at me strangely, but at the moment, I couldn't have cared less. As I climbed, it briefly crossed my mind that maybe I should have asked Jessica what exactly my mom was hospitalized for, but I blew it off. Surely there'd be someone up there who could tell me that. Otherwise, Paul surely would.

I made it to the seventh floor, my destination, and was on the top step, about to step off and make my way into the hallway, when something caught my eye. Under the plaque with the floor's level, was a small directory. It was the single word printed below that caught me up, the wing of the hospital that was the seventh floor. I stopped short in total shock.

It was the maternity floor.

Oh gods. It all clicked suddenly, and I wasn't sure if I was more relieved, excited, horrified, confused, or some strange, overwhelming mixture of all of them. Jessica's earlier comment suddenly seemed less terrifying, "…but she's only seeing immediate family members, for obvious reasons." I'd been gone for nine months. "Oh my gods," I breathed, staring, wide-eyed at the sign.

My mom wasn't sick. She wasn't dying, although she probably felt like it right about now, or recently had. She was okay. She was… having a baby? The thought was so strange, so foreign, so completely insane. But was it really?

I mean, yeah it was crazy, but not necessarily in a bad way. My mom was only thirty-seven (she'd had me when she was twenty); Paul was only a year older. Normal couples had children around that age all the time. So maybe the only thing that was actually crazy about it was that I hadn't known.

Despite everything, I found myself smiling, slightly awed, as I continued into the hallway and to yet another front desk.

"Can I help you?" the lady asked, again smiling way too happily, but this time, I could tolerate it.

"Yeah," I answered, "I'm here to see my mom, Sally Blofis, room 714."

"Okay," she said, checking with her computer, "Do you-"

She was interrupted by a familiar voice to my left and my heart skipped a beat. It was a voice I hadn't heard in person in so long, sounding somewhere between shocked, incredulous, and amazed. "Percy?"

I turned toward the voice. Standing at the end of the closest hallway was my stepdad, Paul Blofis, gaping at me with wide eyes and seemingly frozen in place with shock. I glanced at the receptionist in front of me one last time and made my way quickly over to him, trying to keep from full out sprinting there. I was suddenly holding back tears and I didn't even know why. Well, actually, I had more than a few reasons to cry at the moment, I just couldn't decide on one.

I was halfway there, before Paul seemed to come out of his astonished reverie and began walking to meet me. He pulled me in a bone-crushing hug, which, yes, was a tiny bit painful, being as I wasn't completely healed yet, but at the moment, I didn't care. "Percy," Paul said again quietly, like he was trying to convince himself that I was really there, "Oh gods."

When we let go, at least thirty seconds later, Paul just stared at me for another few seconds, still looking awed. "Paul, what's going on?" I asked.

My stepdad blinked one more time and instead of answering, said, "Gods, you have so much explaining to do." Then, he grinned broadly, as if purposely leaving me to dwell in my ignorance, swung his arm around my shoulder, and began leading me down the hall. "Come on, your mom's this way."

I blinked, and then smiled. "Okay." I didn't press the issue. Now that I knew my mom was okay, the more finite details could wait. I just wanted to see her again.

He guided me down the hall, and then directed me to a door on the left, room 714. "Hey, Paul," I said quietly, just before he opened the door. My stepdad looked at me. "Um, maybe you should go in first. You know, to make sure she's, er, decent." Paul smiled slightly and nodded understandingly. He opened the door and walked in. I followed and closed the door, but didn't go in further, so I was still out of view behind the partially closed curtain. Paul continued in without me, obviously careful to stay in my line of sight.

"Hey," he greeted, talking to my mom "You have a visitor."

"Paul," my mom responded weakly, sounding utterly exhausted, "I don't want any visitors right now."

"Trust me," he replied, "You want this one." He discretely signaled me forward with the hand facing me. I took a deep breath, suddenly oddly nervous, yet extremely excited, and began forward.

"Why? Who is it? Unless it's-" My mom's voice cut off when she saw me. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open a little. She looked, well, about as good as she sounded, which is to say, terrible. She looked weak and pale, with bags under her eyes and pieces of uncharacteristically messy brown hair sticking to her forehead. She looked absolutely exhausted.

In other words, after nine months away, she'd never looked better. "Percy," she murmured quietly, in total astonishment, her eyes filling with tears.

She moved to sit up, which seemed to require much more physical strain than it should have. I quickly moved forward. "No, it's okay," I told her quickly, rushing over to her, "Don't move." When I got to the side of her hospital bed, I sat down on the edge and enveloped her in a hug, trying to be gentle on her temporarily fragile frame.

For someone who looked like they'd recently gotten run over by a truck, my mom's grip was certainly unaffected. She hugged me so tightly; it hurt my still tender ribs, which caused my breath to hitch slightly in pain, not that I cared. I hugged my mom tighter as sobs wracked her body. "Percy," she repeated over and over through her tears.

"Hi, mom," I replied, fighting tears myself and failing quite horribly.

My mom held me for at least another minute. "Oh, you are in so much trouble, young man," she told me, tears still in her eyes. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"I know."

She took a shaky breath. "Do you have any idea, I-we heard you, you and Annabeth, you fell into-"

"Yeah," I told her, looking down, "I'm really sorry, Mom."

She was quiet for a second. "Percy, look at me." I did. "Are you alright?" I blinked and then nodded. "Then it's okay." She hugged me again, like she still couldn't believe I was really there.

I took a deep breath and, for the first time in a long time, I relaxed. This was where I belonged, here, with my parents, in my mother's arms. I didn't care that we were currently in a hospital, and I didn't care that I still didn't really have a clue of what was going on. I was home, I was safe, we all were, and everything was finally starting to seem okay again.

When my mom let me go, I looked at her, then at Paul, who had been standing against the wall, watching the whole time with a smile on his face and what looked like the beginnings of tears in his eyes. I stood back up and looked at both of them again, my eyes finally settling back on my mom. "Do you want to tell me why you're in the hospital?" I asked desperately, "Why you're in the maternity ward, and why you're the one who looks like you just fought in a war and not me?" I really needed to know what was going on here, and I needed to know now, whether it was blatantly obvious by this point or not.

My mom blinked. "You don't know," she said. It wasn't a question. She glanced at Paul. I just looked between the two of them, waiting for an answer. My mom took a deep breath. "Percy, I found out I was pregnant about a week after you disappeared. I asked Annabeth not to tell you. I had hoped you'd be home sooner and I could tell you for myself, but…"

I was about to ask, but I stopped myself. Of course Annabeth knew. She had been at the apartment with my mom multiple times a week during the months I'd been away. The pregnancy had to have become obvious at some point, even if my mom hadn't told her before that. "And you had the baby," I guessed, though it was very apparent.

My mom smiled slightly, though she looked a bit nervous, as if I'd be mad at her or something. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a knock at the door. Paul answered it, and in came a smiling nurse in baby blue scrubs, pushing one of those wheeled plastic hospital cradles. Inside, was a tiny bundle. I looked from it, to Paul, to my mom, and back again. "Here she is!" the nurse declared, oblivious to the atmosphere of the room or the stunned expression undoubtedly on my face, and handed the baby to Paul. She smiled at my mom, then at me, and left without another word.

Paul walked toward me, glowing with pride like I'd never seen before. "Percy," my mom said, "Meet Maya." I stared at the sleeping baby in my stepdad's arms with mesmerized curiosity. She was easily the tiniest human being I'd ever seen. She had coffee-brown hair and light blue eyes, like my mom's; though they were barely open, so it was hard to tell.

Paul came closer still. "Do you want to hold her?" he asked. "Um," I said uncertainly, looking back and forth between my parents, "No?"

To be completely truthful, I didn't know that I wanted to hold that little baby girl. I was honestly afraid I'd hurt her. She was just so small and delicate, and I didn't necessarily trust myself. I had been trained to fight and kill since the age of twelve. My hands were hard, and calloused, and scarred; used to wielding a sword and dodging attacks left and right. I'd fought in wars and I'd hurt people (evil people, but still). I was a skilled warrior and, in essence, a trained killer. The last thing I ever wanted to do was risk the possibility of hurting my little sister (gods, those words sounded strange).

My parents eyed me strangely. "Why?" my mom asked gently.

"I, um, I don't want to… to hurt her."

My mom sighed; looking pretty tired again, like the shock of finally seeing me again was wearing off and leaving her on empty once more. Although she was smiling a bit, which helped a lot. "Percy," she said in mock exasperation, "Stop being so futilely concerned and hold your baby sister." I looked at my mom, trying to decide whether further protest would really get me anywhere. I ultimately determined it would not.

Plus, I kind of did want to hold her. I just didn't want to hurt her.

"Alright," I said, giving in. Paul gently handed me the bundle of blanket that was my sister. I gingerly leaned against my mom's bed, not wanting to jostle either of them, and stared down at the baby in my arms.

She definitely had Paul's nose and mouth, but the shape of her head was more like that of my mom. Going by that, and her eyes and hair, she seemed to be a pretty good mix of the two of them. In other words, she and I looked nothing alike, not at all.

I could feel my parents' eyes on the two of us but I wasn't paying them any attention. I was too busy gazing down at my baby sister. The second I'd taken her from Paul, all my unnecessary fears of hurting her had vanished, replaced only by a sense of overwhelming love and protection toward her. Yes, I was trained to fight and kill and destroy, but I was also trained to protect, and from that very second, I knew that that was exactly what I would do for that little girl in my arms. I would give my life for her in a heartbeat if need be. I instantly loved her, a love only surpassed by my love for one other person: Annabeth Chase. It was the same kind of love I felt for my mom, that familiar, pure, familial love that nothing could ever take away.

"How old is she?" I managed, though my voice sounded strangely constricted and emotional.

"About an hour," Paul answered with a smile evident in his voice. Wow, I must have gotten here just minutes after she'd been born.

"We named her after you, you know," my mom added wistfully, "'Maya' means water."

"That's… that's pretty cool," I admitted with a proud smile, and then a few seconds later, added, "Mom, why don't you get some sleep? You look beat."

She started to protest, but Paul beat her to it. "Go ahead, Sally. You've been up for hours. You're exhausted."

She made a face at him, the telltale stubbornness I'd inherited showing through. "So have you." He shrugged, grinning.

They stared at each other, waiting for the other to give in, which probably pretty much resembled Annabeth and me, like, every five minutes. "Why don't you both get some sleep?" I suggested, "Because, honestly, you both look ready to drop."They both turned to me, both looking reasonably concerned and skeptical. "I'll still be here when you wake up, I promise."

"What about Maya?" my mom asked.

I did my best to shrug with a newborn in my arms. "She's fine," I assured her, gesturing to my sister, who was now asleep. "She'll still be here too," I added with a smirk.

"This coming from the guy who, five minutes ago, didn't want to even hold her for fear of hurting her. Now you're gonna babysit," my mom said with an amused expression, but she didn't protest. I just grinned back.

Not five minutes later, my mom and Paul were both asleep; mom in bed, Paul in the reclining chair in the corner. I settled down in the hard chair beside the bed, which admittedly wasn't very comfortable, especially with my still healing injuries, but I didn't care.

I sat there for maybe an hour, holding the sleeping baby. Not once did I get bored, despite being an ADHD demigod. I was so completely in awe. It didn't seem real. This little, tiny human in my arms couldn't really be here. She definitely couldn't be my sister. It didn't seem possible. I was a demigod, and a powerful one at that, whether I wanted to be or not. I wasn't supposed to be this happy; home again, in love, reunited with my family, and the proud big brother of a little baby girl. Heck, I wasn't even supposed to be alive.

Yet, I was, and she was, and it was seriously the best thing I could ever imagine.

A few minutes later, Maya stirred slightly and I caught my breath, wincing in anticipation of the inevitable crying that would surely start within seconds. It didn't. The baby girl just opened her eyes and stared up at me with her crystal blue orbs. She really was adorable, despite being just over an hour old.

"Hey, Maya," I murmured quietly. I shifted her position in my arms. She might as well have weighed nothing for all the effort it required.

It still hadn't quite hit me. I had a sister, a baby sister. I was a demigod son of Poseidon. I'd turned seventeen a few days ago. I'd spent most of my time since the age of twelve, just trying to stay alive. I'd never expected to be a big brother. I'd never even thought about it. I'd never had a sibling, not even at camp, and had pretty much written it off. Until now. I had a sibling, a little sister, and I loved her already.

The best part: she was fully mortal. She'd never have to deal with monsters, or prophecies, or the fate of the world resting solely on her shoulders. She could just be a normal, happy kid with a normal, happy life. She would never have to deal with any of the things I'd had to deal with, and I was determined to keep it that way.

After all, I was her big brother. It was kind of my job to protect her, whether she wanted me to or not.

My eyes snapped open. I hadn't realized I'd fallen asleep, or how long ago that had even been. What I did know was that Maya was still in my arms and she had started crying. I stood up, rocking her gently, trying to calm her down.

My mom stirred groggily and opened her eyes. She sat up a bit and looked at me, seeming slightly relieved to see me standing there. She glanced at the clock and held out her arms. "Here, Percy, give her to me," she told me, "She's probably hungry."

I gratefully handed the crying baby to her. Maya quieted almost immediately. I stood there for a second, awkwardly averting my eyes as my mom began to breastfeed my sister (I'm sorry, but I did not care to see that.). Thank the gods, her cell phone rang right then, from atop the table beside her bed. "Can you get that?" My mom asked me.

I met her eyes questioningly. "Are you sure?" Demigods and technology generally equaled monsters, and I definitely didn't want a monster coming here.

My mom glanced at me, understanding, then at Paul sleeping across the room, and then back to me, and nodded. "Just make it quick."

I nodded and grabbed the cell phone. "Hello?"

"Percy?" Annabeth's concerned voice replied from the other end, "Where are you? I heard Sally was in the hospital. Is everything okay?"

I glanced quickly at my mom, who was watching me. "Yeah. Where are you now?"

"Outside Mt. Sinai Hospital. Blackjack-"

"Alright," I told her, "Stay there. I'll meet you."

Annabeth, probably not wanting to be on a cell phone for very long herself, seemed to understand. "Okay. See you soon."

"Alright, bye." I hung up and put the phone back on the table.

"Who was that?" My mom asked.

"Annabeth. She's outside. I can have her-"

"No, it's okay. She can come up. Then, the both of you can explain to me what on earth happened during that quest of yours."

I blinked, and then smiled. I knew I wasn't getting out of that one that easily, new baby sister or not. "Okay."

Annabeth was sitting on a bench in front of the hospital. When she saw me, she stood and walked toward me. "Hey," I greeted her nonchalantly.

Her tone was nowhere near as calm. "Percy, what's going on?"

"How much do you know?" I asked.

"Next to nothing," she answered. "First of all, you're lucky I found your note when I did, Seaweed Brain. I was about to send the search parties out all over again!"

I couldn't help laughing there. "Sorry," I told her when she glared at me.

She continued, "Then, after breakfast, Blackjack swooped down right in front of me and was nudging me and tugging on my clothes, and gesturing with his head, and I had no idea what the heck he was trying to tell me other than that it probably involved you. Thank the gods Tyson was at camp today. He translated and told me that Sally was hospitalized and that I had to go with Blackjack. He, by the way, is waiting for an update. So I climbed on Blackjack, and he took me here. Chiron doesn't even know I left, unless Tyson told him." She finished and looked at me expectantly, obviously worried.

"Wow," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "Sorry. I probably should have called or something. I-"

"Percy, I don't even care. It's fine. Just tell me what's going on. Is your mom here? Is she okay?"

I nodded, trying to keep from smiling. Annabeth didn't usually worry this much about anyone, but my mom was pretty much the closest thing she had to a mother so I suppose it made sense that she'd be worried. I certainly had been. Not to mention, we had survived Tartarus recently. Her nerves were probably just as frayed as mine were. "Yeah," I said, grabbing her hand, "Come on."

Annabeth looked like she was going to say something else, but she apparently decided to just cooperate. I led her inside the hospital and to the elevator. I pushed the button and a few seconds later, the doors opened and we got in. I pushed the "7" button, the doors closed, and up we went.

When we reached the floor and stepped out, of course the first things Annabeth noticed were the giant words one the wall facing us: Maternity Floor. She froze and turned to me, eyes wide. "Percy, your mom…?"

I couldn't prevent the giant smile that spread across my face. I nodded. "Yeah."

She laughed once, shocked, the smile plastered to her face. "Oh my gods. When?"

"This morning," I replied, still smiling, and led her down the hall to room 714. I knocked quietly three times and opened the door, leading Annabeth inside. "Mom?" I called softly, before coming into view.

"Come on in, you two," my mom answered. I glanced at Annabeth with a smile and continued inside with her right behind me.

Needless to say, Annabeth loved Maya, and I could honestly say that I'd never seen my mom so happy to see the both of us together.

My mom and Paul did end up hearing about our quest to defeat Gaea; the shorter, simpler, much less dangerous sounding version, and about our trip through Tartarus, which was harder to play down, but we tried.

After two hours or so, Maya had again been fed and was sleeping soundly, and my mom didn't look very far from following suit. Annabeth stood up. "Well, I should probably get going and leave you guys to get some rest," she said.

My mom looked like she was about to protest, but I beat her to it. "Do you want to get dinner first?"

"Where? At the cafeteria?" Annabeth asked, sounding unsure.

I scoffed. "No. I mean real dinner. At a restaurant. We haven't done that in, what, nine months? Way too long."

"Don't you want to stay here, though?" she asked quietly, glancing at my mom, who looked like she was already asleep, but with her, one could never really be sure.

I shrugged. "I'll come back later," I answered in the same tone, "Besides, the food here is terrible. I'll have to go somewhere anyway. I might as well go with you."

She smiled, convinced. "Okay, sure. Why not?"

I smiled, and then turned to Paul, who was sitting in the corner, absorbed in a book and paying us no attention. "I'll be back later, Paul," I told him.

He looked up. "Alright, have fun you two. Good seeing you again, Annabeth."

"You too. Congratulations again," she replied. My stepdad nodded, smiling at us one more time, and then we were off.

It was still surreal, being home again, safe and happy. It was something I'd been away from for so long, it was almost foreign, and yet, it was the most familiar thing in the world. Being back home, with the ones I loved, it was almost enough to make me forget those long months I'd spent away, to make them almost worth it all.

I was alive, I was home, I was with my family, I was in love, and I was happy-something I hadn't truly been in a long time. There were no more quests or prophecies (that I knew of, at least). Peace was finally a possibility. After everything we'd been through, after all the years of unrest, fear, and war, it was all over now. I had a life spread out before me and I finally had the chance to live it. I could spend it with the girl I loved. I could see my parents. I could watch my baby sister grow up and be the good big brother I was determined to be.

For the first time in a long time, nothing was standing in my way. Everything was more or less going right. For the first time in a very long time, I didn't have a care in the world.

It had taken seventeen years, but everything had finally worked itself out. I had friends and family, and Annabeth, everything I really ever could have wanted, and even something, or rather someone, that I hadn't even known I'd wanted until after I had her. I had a sister; a baby sister, and she was already one of my favorite people in the world.

And the gods help anyone that ever tried to hurt her.

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