“She’s my daughter,” Percy insisted as he stormed into Pallas’ bedroom, “I can read her diary if I want.”
Annabeth walked in after her husband, arms crossed as she leaned on the doorframe to watch his frantic movements, “She’s five. Her diary is a glittery Cinderella notebook filled with drawings and fake menus from when you two play restaurant.”
“Yeah, well she calls it her diary, so somewhere between those drawings has to be something about a wedding- ah ha!” Percy yelled as he dug out a bright blue Cinderella notebook from beneath some stray papers laying on her dresser.
“You do remember that part where it was a fake wedding, right? Between two five year olds.”
“It was real enough for Rudy’s parents to call us gushing about the whole thing,” The father grimaced while flipping through pages of the little diary, “‘It was so cute, you really should have been there.’ Disgusting. I knew we shouldn’t have let her go on that play date with him.”
“Well, Pallas, told me that the ceremony was being officiated by her Stitch plushy,” A teasing grin began to form on the woman’s face, “So, unless he was ordained during his time in Hawaii, I don’t think you have to worry too much about Rudy calling you dad anytime soon.”
“Pallas told you about this?” His frantic voice came out quiet and the grumpy expression that had overtaken his face before had fallen. She watched as her husband took a defeated breath and sat down on the small bed. Annabeth didn’t hesitate to move over and take a seat beside him, “Why didn’t she tell me? She tells me everything. I mean, she used to.”
“Oh, Percy, she still tells you everything,” Annabeth placed one hand on his shoulder and used the other to move his head to face her, “Every day after school, or a play date, she’s always so excited to fill you in on every single detail. She even makes up new things to tell us during dinner. Pallas adores you.”
“I still don’t think she made up that story about a myrmeke stealing her lunchbox.”
“She traded it for Taylor’s water bottle and you know it!”
“You can’t prove anything,” Despite his efforts to continue his pout, the crooked smile that Annabeth loved seeing on both Percy and her daughter’s face was beginning to form, “Fine, but I still feel like I should have been informed about my own daughter's wedding.”
Annabeth couldn’t help but laugh at the bottom lip her husband managed to poke out, “Maybe because she didn’t want her daddy getting jealous about the other man in her life.”
“Man?” Percy scuffed at that, “More like dirt eating, daughter stealing, do-“
Annabeth gasped and used the back of her hand to whack her husband's stomach, “He’s five!”
“I was gonna say dog!” Percy laughed out. He wrapped his arm around Annabeth’s shoulder and rested his head against hers, “Besides, he’s stealing my daughter, I can call him whatever I want.”
The blonde just leaned into him and started playing with his fingers that hung over her, “You are so dramatic.”
“Promise me you won’t replace me with another man like Pallas did.”
“Hm, I’m not sure if I can make that promise.”
His green eyes scrunched up in confusion as he leaned back to look down at his wife, “What? Why not?”
Annabeth had a smirk on her lips as she stood up from Pallas’ bed, one hand resting over her stomach as she did. Her eyes avoided his stare as she started out of the room, “Because I don’t know if they will be a boy or a girl yet.”
“Wait- Annabeth! Why are you smiling like that?” The words didn’t fully process until his wife was well out of their daughter’s room. With wide eyes now gleaming, he rushed after her, his own grin forming on his lips, “Does this mean- stop walking away!”
Mattie Jackson and Hayley Chase meet at the start of summer and discover that they are each other's identical clone. With a little more investigating, the two girls discover that they are, in fact, twins. Things only get crazier when they find out that their adoptive parents were once in love. Now, they have to work together to reunite Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase before Mattie’s dad ends up dating the new camp counselor and Hayley’s mom gets married to a kid hating, gold digger.
And what better way to do that than to switch places?
or
i rewatched It Takes Two and decided to make it percabeth :)
chapter two
start from the beginning
*******************************
After Percy was done unpacking, he started his walk to the Big House. There, he would pick up his cabin schedule and campers list. As head of the Triton Cabin, it was his responsibility to watch his kids and make sure they kept curfew, did their chores, and basically stayed alive. But it wasn't just his cabin that he looked out for. As one of the camp social workers, it was Percy's job to be there for all the kids when they were going through any type of mental or emotional problem that weighed them down. He also made it a point to look for any kind of sign relating to any form of domestic violence. Percy knew what summer camps meant for a lot of kids. He knew because, at one point, it meant the same thing for him.
When Percy first came to camp, everything was all so surreal to him. It was the first place where he didn't feel on edge every five minutes. No teachers yelling at him or blaming him for things he didn't do. No Smelly Gabe to mock him or punish every little thing he did. Percy would have even commended them for their lack of obnoxious bullies if not for Clarisse la Rue, but even she had eventually grown to be his friend. Yes, believe it or not, Percy was friends with more than just the girl he was in love with at camp. In fact, one of them was exiting the Big House just as he reached the steps.
Annabeth could hear Percy’s laughing before she saw him walk in. Partly because her eyes were closed, as she was attempting to feel even the slightest bit of comfort.
“This is your fault you know,” She groaned out, finally opening her eyes just to glare at her husband, who was currently leaning on the bathroom door.
“You’re right,” He grinned down at her, “It is my fault that our baby gives you special healing powers.”
So far, thanks to Hera, Annabeth’s pregnancy has been shit. Every morning consisted of non stop nausea and headaches. It wasn’t so bad in the beginning, but it only ever got worse. There wasn’t a minute that went by where the woman didn't feel tired, or sore, or just overall disgusting. Now, eight months in, Annabeth felt like dying every time she so much as moved her pinkie. Her only real solace came when she was in the water.
One of the benefits to having Percy’s baby inside of her -along with the overall joy she felt when she imagined their family- was that their kid had inherited his powers before ever even being born. And by extension, Annabeth was granted with little perks like water healing. Whenever she felt particularly more grotesque than usual, all she had to do was fill the bathtub with water and lay back.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” The woman huffed as she crossed her arms, “This sucks.”
“I’m sorry, baby,” Percy pushed himself out of the doorway and took a seat beside the bathtub. Reaching over the edge, he untangled her arms and held her hand, “How about next time, I get pregnant, yeah?”
Annabeth tried her best to keep her eyes narrowed and her expression somber, but his words mixed with that crooked grin she loved forced a smile to form, “You promise?”
He laughed and brought her hand up to place a kiss on her knuckles. Percy then moved his hand to rest on Annabeth’s -his- t-shirt covered belly as he leaned his head on the tubs rim, “So, how is daddy’s little girl doing today?”
“Other than causing me unbearable pain, he’s doing great. Thanks for asking,” The smirk that followed Annabeth’s smug words was inevitable. The two had decided to wait until the baby was born to find out the gender, but that didn’t stop their bets.
“Well, whoever they come out as, I’m sure they will be very sorry for hurting their mommy,” He cooed, “Isn’t that right, Percababy?”
“Would you stop calling them that?” Annabeth laughed out, “You’re giving Piper too much power by using her nickname.”
Percy hummed and began to rub her stomach, “You’re completely right. Sophia Jackson is a much better fit for her.”
Annabeth flicked her hand and splashed her husband with the water from the bath. Thanks to his powers he was dry merely seconds later, but the act of retaliation alone was enough to satisfy her.
“What? Don’t like that name?” He laughed, “Okay fine. How about Marisa? Or Pallas? Ruth? Sa-“
“Pallas?” She questioned, “Like Pallas Athena? We’re already married, Perce. There’s no need to try and impress her now. Not that there ever was before.”
A blush formed along the man’s cheeks as he looked down at her baby bump, “Actually, I meant Pallas as in Pallas. You know, Triton's daughter and Athena’s friend. She was like the last neutral ground between our parents and their feud- well, before us, of course. I don’t know, I kind of like how full circle it would be. Plus, it’s a pretty badass name.”
Pallas. Annabeth had forgotten about the actual legend that went behind her mother’s name, but Percy was right. She had been living proof that the blood of Poseidon and Athena could get along. It seemed fitting that the two should honor the first symbol of peace their parents had together. Her husband refused to face her, but even with his attention focused on her baby filled belly, she knew Percy’s sea-green eyes were sparkling at the thought of their unborn child. It was endearing how much thought he seemed to have put into the gesture behind the name.
Plus, is was a pretty badass name.
“I like it.”
Percy’s eyes -gleam and all- finally found hers again, “Yeah?”
Annabeth smiled, “Yeah.”
Percy raised up onto his knees as he leaned over and kissed his pregnant wife.
*
*
*
Three weeks later, Pallas Jackson was born... and Annabeth owed Percy five bucks.
i blame @deepestempathllamalawyer and @zitzboy for this but this post got me thinking about malconnor and now i can’t stop i’m sorry
malconnor headcanons
they had always been friendly with each other bc of connor and annabeth but nothing worth calling an actual friendship
they never really talked unless annabeth was around until one day after the battle of manhattan
so connor had a bunch of summer assignments he has put off for the last minute bc a.) there was a fucking war going on and b.) procrastination is a curse
he went to the athena cabin hoping to find annabeth for some help but when he got there the only athena kid in sight was malcolm (annabeth was out with her new boyfriend percy alhdkjdk)
so it would be awkward at first but basically it would go something like this
“hey, annabeth isn’t here.” “oh sorry, i was just gonna ask her about some homework, i’ll come back later i guess haha.” and like right as he turns around connor hears malcolm say, “i mean, i could help you, if you want. annabeth isn’t the only smart kid in this cabin, you know?”
and connor is FLUSTERED bc 1.) him and malcolm have barely said three words to each other alone before and now he’s offering to spend gods know how long trying to explain algebra to him, 2.) he’s pretty sure he’s just offended him and if there is one thing connor knows, it’s that you should never, ever, make a child of athena think you doubt their intelligence, and 3.) well, actually, he ain’t sure what else is making him nervous
so after that it gets to the point where connor starts to seek malcolm out for help on all of his assignments, and once they are done with that, connor starts to look for new ways to spend time with him
this boy has no idea how to make friends without pranking them but for some reason connor can’t talk himself into doing anything that may embarrass or hurt malcolm (he tells himself that it’s probably bc he feeling indebted to him but...)
not to mention the last child of athena he became friends with was basically desperate for attention at the time, it was easier back then. but malcolm is new territory, and just like annabeth, most of her siblings are intimidating.
obviously he knows that malcolm is willing to help him so connor decides that the best way to insinuate friendship is by making a mountain out of anthill problems just to ask for the son of athena’s help
and this works. malcolm was willing to help connor with almost all of his minor inconveniences.
one time, connor “dropped” his lucky ring during a volleyball match. thankfully, malcolm just so happened to be there
“mal! hey sorry, but my ring fell off during the tournament. i think it’s in the sand somewhere, do you care to help me find it before your cabin starts the next game?”
it was a while before malcolm found the ring. the ring that just appeared out of nowhere at his feet after about thirty minutes of searching, cracking jokes, and avoiding the gaze of the demeter cabin glaring at the two boys to hurry up.
(needless to say, the ring was in connors pocket the whole time)
another time was when connor snuck out of camp with travis to go to the 7/11 down the street and couldn’t decide which snacks to get for the bonfire that night
this resulted in the first of many iris messages to malcolm
“flaming hot cheetos or takis?” “why not both?” “you’re after my own heart, pace.”
connor did not see the other boy blushing at his words (and he did not spend the rest of the night overthinking about that sentence thank you very much)
travis did end up teasing his little brother about it though
“what’s with you and children of athena?” “dude what are you talking about?”
but the best incident was when one of connors problems involved annabeth- or rather, finding annabeth. and he didn’t even have to make that one up
he and annabeth were supposed to train that day, but she was late. normally he would be worried, but a part of him was glad that he had an excuse to go talk to malcolm.
turns out, he didn’t have to.
right as he walked up to the cabin, the boy in question opened the door.
the two bumped into each other and connor wasn’t sure why his face started heating up or why malcolm was looking anywhere but his face.
the blonde boy stuttered out how he was just on his way to the arena to meet him.
“wait what? i just came here to ask you about annabeth.” malcolm’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink and connor doesn’t know why he finds that so endearing, “percy planned a surprise picnic for the two of them, so i offered to spar with you in her place so she wouldn’t feel bad.”
when i say this boy was blushing-
so they spar together and then decide, hey why not hang out for the rest of the day?
and oh boy when the day came that malcolm started coming to connor for help
let’s just say that he was beaming
not to mention it was something that connor was more than happy to help with
apparently some kids of hephaestus were being dicks to one of the younger athena kids and malcolm was pissed, so he asked connor for some pranking tips
they ended up sneaking into the cabin, sabotaging the campers newest projects, and covering all of their tools with honey and feathers
after spending all night hearing malcolm’s laugh and seeing his pale blonde hair in the moonlight as he dropped him off at the athena cabin, connor was sure that friendship wasn’t all he wanted with the boy now
one day, while connor was trying to think of a new excuse to talk to malcolm, the boy walked up to him and asked if he wanted to pick strawberries with him
“yes! i mean- yeah, yeah sound fun”
the two spent the day at the strawberry field picking -eating- strawberries while they talked and laughed with each other
at some point during the evening, connor started retelling a story about him and annabeth from their youth at camp. it involved a prank against clarrise and some glue, and it had both boys cackling by the end of it
then malcolm said “i’m sorry that you got stuck with a walmart annabeth that day, but i’m kind of glad that my sister wasn’t in the cabin when you were looking for help with your school work. i’m not great with getting to know people but i liked how easy it was with you.”
connor would have taken the compliment in stride if it weren’t for malcolms first comment “what do you mean walmart annabeth?”
the boys stopped and looked back at connor “just that, i know you and annabeth are really close, and she’s been busy recently. i understand that you would want to hangout with someone who reminds you of her. i’m okay with it, really. i like spending time with you.”
connor felt his heart simultaneously swell and break at the same time. not once had connor thought of malcolm as an annabeth replacement, nor would he ever. the two children of athena were similar yes, but a lot of siblings are, it doesn’t mean they are the same, and connor definitely never associated them as being such. so he told him that
“i like spending time with you, too. you as in malcolm pace, not an annabeth replacement. i’ve never seen you like that and i never would. plus, you’re not walmart anything, you’re full channel baby. children of hermes only steal the best of the best.”
“what exactly would you be stealing?”
connor just smiled and grabbed the boys hand.
that night, connor stoll made a list including all the things he liked about malcolm pace. he made sure to add the things he liked that he knew differentiated the boy from annabeth as well
some things on the list include how his hair was a more pale blonde compared to his other siblings. connor liked how it certain lights it looked white.
the fact that he was the same height as connor, which made it easier to look him in the eyes
his eyes which were a dark grey and could be considered scary if it weren’t for the gleam they always wore
the way that he always blushed when romantics were involved, no matter how innocent
or how loud he laughed at a joke that he found funny, despite how he tried to muffle it into the collar of his shirt
connor likes how willing malcolm is to help people and how brilliant he is
he likes that malcolm tries to follow the rules but still knows how to have fun and let loose
connor stoll likes malcolm pace
but it’s even better when annabeth finds out
“you and my brother?!”
“you liked luke for who knows how long, i don’t wanna hear it chase!”
okay so we all know annabeth can’t cook right? like this girl ran away at 7 and was raised at a campsite there’s just no way-
and we all know that sally jackson is the best cook?
you see where i’m going with this i’m sure
so one morning after a sleepover, percy wakes up and annabeth is gone so he kind of freaks out a bit because usually he’s the morning person if the two (and depending on what era you set this in, he could be worried about an uno reverse hera trip)
so he’s awake, he’s over thinking, but he also smells his mother’s pancakes from his room so he immediately jumps out of bed and goes to the kitchen where he sees yes yep you know, i know you know, but i’m gonna say it anyway
sally jackson teaching annabeth how to cook her famous blue pancakes (see i knew you knew, you’re so smart)
she has stains of blue on her face from the dye but she’s smiling and laughing with his mother and even from a distance he can see her eyes sparkling
(and needless to say his heart grows three sizes)
to literally anyone else, they wouldn’t have been anything special, mainly bc it was her first attempt, but percy ate almost every single one of annabeth’s pancakes that morning
(not to mention the mother-daughter bonding between sally and annabeth akjhskgagsj)
“So, Annabeth, are there any cute boys at your school in San Francisco?”
Percy was choking on his drink before Annabeth even had the chance to consider his mother’s question. He felt the hand of Sally Jackson patting him on the back as he practically coughed up a lung. The only sound louder than himself would be the obnoxious laughter of Grover from right beside him. Percy managed a glare at his best friend, but he didn’t dare look towards Annabeth.
Annabeth finished school a week before Percy, so she was able to come to New York and spend some extra time with him before camp started. She had arrived that morning and spent the whole day with Sally while Percy was in class. He would have assumed that all the girl talk would be over by now. He would be wrong.
“Percy! Sweetie, are you okay?”
What’s more embarrassing? Surviving hundreds of monsters only to let a sip of Coke choke you to death, or having your mom call you sweetie in front of her boyfriend and your two best friends?
With one final clearing of his throat, Percy was able to answer, “Yeah, I’m fine. I uh, think it just went down the wrong pipe s’all.”
Much to his annoyance, Grover was still laughing, “Bhahaha! Sure, buddy. Can you imagine? The son of the sea- ow!”
Percy kicked his friend’s shin -do satyrs even technically have shin’s?- to shut him up. Grover looked back at him with soft bewildered eyes that could make even the cutest of puppies pity him. Still, Percy stared back with a hard look and subtly moved his gaze in the direction of Paul who was sitting on the other side of his mom. Grover seemed to understand where he’d messed up when he noticed everyone but the man in question staring back at him with nervous anticipation. Paul himself just looked confused, obviously waiting for Grover to elaborate on his last comment.
The relationship between Paul and Sally was still a new one, but from the very beginning, the mother-son duo thought it would be best to keep everything demigod related on the down-low. Percy was hesitant to invite the man over for dinner tonight, not because he didn’t like Paul, or that he was scared the truth would come out -although, that was definitely a rational fear now. No, Percy was just nervous about introducing Paul to his friends. Somehow that made things seem more real. Percy didn’t know if he was ready for real yet. He didn’t know if he could trust real with his mom yet.
Percy wasn’t even sure whose idea it was. He remembers a vague conversation between himself and his mother. Sally had been planning for Annabeth to arrive for weeks. Some things in the woman’s schedule had to be tweaked a bit, including her date night with Paul. Date night was usually on Thursdays, but the two teenagers had made plans to spend that Monday together after Percy was let out of school. Grover had even agreed to take the night off from his search for Pan to get dinner with them. Percy remembers suggesting they change their date to Monday this week so that Sally wouldn’t be stuck home alone all afternoon. However, it seemed that his words gave the woman a different idea. Maybe if he hadn’t mentioned that they would all be together, then her eyes wouldn’t have perked up, and the thought to have them all over for dinner wouldn’t have occurred to her. Then maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess.
“I mean, the uh-” The satyr stammered out, “Y-you know, I meant s-son of the sea as in… as in like uh, figuratively! Cause, he swims- on the uh, swim team, that is! Of course, I mean where else would he-?”
“Grover, honey,” Sally came to the rescue, pitcher of water in hand, “Would you like some more water?”
“Yes, please,” The boy practically begged as he held out his cup.
“You didn’t tell me you were on the swim team, Percy,” Paul spoke up after Grover regained his composure.
“That’s because I’m not,” He muttered sharply, all the bitterness aimed towards the goat sitting beside him who was currently wearing a sheepish look.
“He isn’t, but it’s all he’s been talking about over the summer,” Annabeth’s voice broke him out of his bitter state. Had it not been for the pink shade on the blonde girl’s cheeks, Percy would have forgotten all about his mother’s previous comment. It was obvious that she was just as flustered by the question as he was. And yet, here she is now, acting as calmly as ever, getting the two boys out of their -Grover’s- mess. Although, that was nothing new for the trio, “I think he wants to join the swim team at… what’s it called again? Goode High School?”
Paul nodded at Annabeth, as both an answer and encouragement to go on, “You should really talk to whoever the swim coach is at the school, Mr. Blofis. Percy is a talented swimmer, I’m sure they’d be lucky to have him.”
“Oh, Annabeth, that’s a wonderful idea!” Sally gushed over the girl, causing her blush to return.
“Well, I’d love to introduce you to the coach at orientation,” Paul offered, eyes bright as he talked about the school. It was obvious the man was passionate about his job. That was something Percy liked about the man. He didn’t spend his life laying around and complaining about the world around him. Paul actually had a life, a career, hobbies- things that he was excited to share with Percy, and anyone willing to listen, really, “Goode has an incredible athletic program, I know you’ll enjoy it.”
And maybe Percy would enjoy it, but he was barely listening as his mom’s boyfriend went on about the school. His sea-green eyes were too busy staring at Annabeth, who was now wearing a soft smile as she listened attentively to the man. Like most days, Percy dreaded being at school, but that morning he was even more anxious to get out of class. Right when he got home, the boy was greeted with blue cookies and a pair of sparkling gray eyes looking back at him. At the time, Percy wasn’t sure which of the two he was more excited to see. Looking back now, he realized that the hug Annabeth gave him made Percy feel warmer than any plate of fresh cookies ever could.
"So, Annabeth, are there any cute boys at your school in San Francisco?"
Percy was choking on his drink before Annabeth even had the chance to consider his mother's question. He felt the hand of Sally Jackson patting him on the back as he practically coughed up a lung. The only sound louder than himself would be the obnoxious laughter of Grover from right beside him. Percy managed a glare at his best friend, but he didn’t dare look towards Annabeth.
Annabeth finished school a week before Percy, so she was able to come to New York and spend some extra time with him before camp started. She had arrived that morning and spent the whole day with Sally while Percy was in class. He would have assumed that all the girl talk would be over by now. He would be wrong.
“Percy! Sweetie, are you okay?”
What’s more embarrassing? Surviving hundreds of monsters only to let a sip of Coke choke you to death, or having your mom call you sweetie in front of her boyfriend and your two best friends?
With one final clearing of his throat, Percy was able to answer, “Yeah, I’m fine. I uh, think it just went down the wrong pipe s’all.”
Much to his annoyance, Grover was still laughing, “Bhahaha! Sure, buddy. Can you imagine? The son of the sea- ow!”
Percy kicked his friend’s shin -do satyrs even technically have shin’s?- to shut him up. Grover looked back at him with soft bewildered eyes that could make even the cutest of puppies pity him. Still, Percy stared back with a hard look and subtly moved his gaze in the direction of Paul who was sitting on the other side of his mom. Grover seemed to understand where he’d messed up when he noticed everyone but the man in question staring back at him with nervous anticipation. Paul himself just looked confused, obviously waiting for Grover to elaborate on his last comment.
The relationship between Paul and Sally was still a new one, but from the very beginning, the mother-son duo thought it would be best to keep everything demigod related on the down-low. Percy was hesitant to invite the man over for dinner tonight, not because he didn’t like Paul, or that he was scared the truth would come out -although, that was definitely a rational fear now. No, Percy was just nervous about introducing Paul to his friends. Somehow that made things seem more real. Percy didn’t know if he was ready for real yet. He didn’t know if he could trust real with his mom yet.
Percy wasn't even sure whose idea it was. He remembers a vague conversation between himself and his mother. Sally had been planning for Annabeth to arrive for weeks. Some things in the woman's schedule had to be tweaked a bit, including her date night with Paul. Date night was usually on Thursdays, but the two teenagers had made plans to spend that Monday together after Percy was let out of school. Grover had even agreed to take the night off from his search for Pan to get dinner with them. Percy remembers suggesting they change their date to Monday this week so that Sally wouldn’t be stuck home alone all afternoon. However, it seemed that his words gave the woman a different idea. Maybe if he hadn't mentioned that they would all be together, then her eyes wouldn't have perked up, and the thought to have them all over for dinner wouldn't have occurred to her. Then maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess.
“I mean, the uh-” The satyr stammered out, “Y-you know, I meant s-son of the sea as in… as in like uh, figuratively! Cause, he swims- on the uh, swim team, that is! Of course, I mean where else would he-?”
“Grover, honey,” Sally came to the rescue, pitcher of water in hand, “Would you like some more water?”
“Yes, please,” The boy practically begged as he held out his cup.
“You didn’t tell me you were on the swim team, Percy,” Paul spoke up after Grover regained his composure.
“That’s because I’m not,” He muttered sharply, all the bitterness aimed towards the goat sitting beside him who was currently wearing a sheepish look.
“He isn’t, but it’s all he’s been talking about over the summer,” Annabeth’s voice broke him out of his bitter state. Had it not been for the pink shade on the blonde girl’s cheeks, Percy would have forgotten all about his mother’s previous comment. It was obvious that she was just as flustered by the question as he was. And yet, here she is now, acting as calmly as ever, getting the two boys out of their -Grover’s- mess. Although, that was nothing new for the trio, “I think he wants to join the swim team at… what’s it called again? Goode High School?”
Paul nodded at Annabeth, as both an answer and encouragement to go on, “You should really talk to whoever the swim coach is at the school, Mr. Blofis. Percy is a talented swimmer, I’m sure they’d be lucky to have him.”
“Oh, Annabeth, that’s a wonderful idea!” Sally gushed over the girl, causing her blush to return.
“Well, I’d love to introduce you to the coach at orientation,” Paul offered, eyes bright as he talked about the school. It was obvious the man was passionate about his job. That was something Percy liked about the man. He didn’t spend his life laying around and complaining about the world around him. Paul actually had a life, a career, hobbies- things that he was excited to share with Percy, and anyone willing to listen, really, “Goode has an incredible athletic program, I know you’ll enjoy it.”
And maybe Percy would enjoy it, but he was barely listening as his mom’s boyfriend went on about the school. His sea-green eyes were too busy staring at Annabeth, who was now wearing a soft smile as she listened attentively to the man. Like most days, Percy dreaded being at school, but that morning he was even more anxious to get out of class. Right when he got home, the boy was greeted with blue cookies and a pair of sparkling gray eyes looking back at him. At the time, Percy wasn’t sure which of the two he was more excited to see. Looking back now, he realized that the hug Annabeth gave him made Percy feel warmer than any plate of fresh cookies ever could.
did we ever see percy confiding in anyone about his mothers new relationship?? i thought not
okay what if percy and annabeth had a sleepover set after ttc -obviously as friends they are children ya nasties- cause sally would be worried about annabeth after the whole disappearing thing just like percy and would want to see her, especially before she goes to san francisco
and while annabeth is staying over, she and percy get to talking about paul, and percy is like “idk how i feel about it, i just hope he treats her like this and that”
and annabeth is like “yeah sally deserves that and this”
(*cough* the best *cough*)
and they’re just sitting there and they both realize oh i’m talking about what i believe a romantic relationships should consist of with the person who i may or may not have romantic-ish feelings for and they quickly change the topic because there’s no time to unpack all of that
Mattie Jackson and Hayley Chase meet at the start of summer and discover that they are each other's identical clone. With a little more investigating, the two girls discover that they are, in fact, twins. Things only get crazier when they find out that their adoptive parents were once in love. Now, they have to work together to reunite Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase before Mattie’s dad ends up dating the new camp counselor and Hayley’s mom gets married to a kid hating, gold digger.
And what better way to do that than to switch places?
or
i rewatched It Takes Two and decided to make it percabeth :)
read on ao3
chapter one here!
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The faded white stone was the first thing Annabeth Chase noticed when she and her daughter pulled into the driveway of their summer house. Well, summer house was a loose term now. Annabeth had been living here all year while working on a new project. One that was very near and dear to her heart. When Chiron called and asked if she would be willing to redesign the old camp, she was more than happy to. She even threw in a family discount, because that's exactly what he was. Family.
Annabeth Chase was a very famous name in the architecture world. She graduated top of her class at Berkeley and quickly got a job at Medusa & Co. Architecture. Her coworkers were somber, but the work was good. Working for a big company like Medusa & Co. brought on a lot of challenges, but that's what drew her in. Annabeth loved a challenge. What she didn't love were the rumors and scandals constantly going around about faulty cement, old metals, and rickety wires being used to create their buildings in an attempt to make more money. When she decided to investigate and learned that the rumors were true, Annabeth just had to leave. Creating her own Architecture Company took some time, but the exposure and resources she acquired while at Medusa & Co. helped her along the way. And the money she got from her tip to the media about what was really going on at her old job didn't hurt either.
Now, she was the proud owner and head architect at Parthenon Architecture. Having expanded her company to five different states all over America, Annabeth was a busy woman. So busy that she never really had time to think about her life outside of work. She knew she wanted to get married and have a family. Something permanent. But even with the casual dates, her friends insisted she go on, Annabeth never felt that spark that she knew made something worth pursuing. She knew what that felt like. She'd experienced it before, with-
"Woah," The sweet voice of her daughter broke Annabeth from her thoughts, "Remind me why we don't stay here more often?"
Annabeth didn't have time for romance, but she wanted a family. Thanks to adoption agencies, she could have that. But honestly, Annabeth wasn't even sure if she was ready to be a mother when she went in for a consultation with the agency. Her parents divorced when she was young, and due to her mother's career in government at D.C., Annabeth was left with her father. Eventually, her stepmother came into the picture and the blonde little girl was pushed into the background. The woman wanted absolutely nothing to do with Annabeth and her father did nothing to help. Things only got worse when her little twin brothers came into the picture.
Annabeth's mother would come back every other month and the two would spend the day together, but she couldn't be there every time the girl needed her. The best thing her mother did for her was sign Annabeth up for Camp Half-Blood when she was a seven. That first year at camp changed her life. She made friends who became family and finally found a place that felt like home. People who felt like home. A boy who felt like home.
"Remind me how often we come to Rhode Island?" she teased the ten-year-old.
The girl turned back to her mother and responded with a straight face, "Ha-ha."
Annabeth laughed at that, "Come on, Hayley, let's unpack. I wanna show you something in the house."
Despite her estranged relationship with motherhood, Annabeth never had to think twice about adopting Hayley. Before adopting the girl, she did her research. Apparently, Hayley's birth mother moved to California a week after she was born, hoping for a fresh start with her new child. Unfortunately, her new life didn't have room for a baby. The woman tried for about two months before abandoning the little girl at an adoption agency. Annabeth knew what it was like to feel abandoned, so she was happy to claim the two month old as her own.
She tried her best to be an attentive and caring mother, and being her own boss helped make that possible. Still, with Annabeth being so busy with the camp reconstruction plans, she and her daughter hadn't been able to spend as much time together this year. Hayley had spent the greater part of last year begging her mom to let her join them in Rhode Island, and as much as Annabeth wanted her around, she wasn't about to pull her daughter out of school for a whole year. Especially with everything they've gone through at past schools.
Much like Annabeth, Hayley Chase is a famous name. Hayley wasn't a problem child. She is a good kid. A good kid with bad luck. Getting her daughter into schools was the easy part. As the granddaughter to a Congresswoman, an American and Military History professor at West Point, and the daughter of the third most famous Architect in the United States, schools were eager to have Hayley in their programs. And having an eleventh-grade reading level didn't hurt either. It was when the school year began that things usually went south.
Wrong place, wrong time basically sums up Hayley's life. Nothing too crazy happened, but it was usually enough to ensure that the girl wouldn't be getting an invitation back. So far, she had been kicked out of three schools. Once for getting too many detentions due to 'continuous disrespect,' which is just a fancy way of saying, "You're child pointed out too many of my teaching mistakes and I'm sick of being contradicted."
Another time was when a nasty girl in her class tripped Hayley in the lunchroom. The girl's tray went flying, and the food fight that ensued was blamed on her. The last incident was the result of a classroom fire, but there's really no time to unpack that. Hayley never meant for these things to happen. She knew how hard her mother worked, and she admired her greatly for that. The last thing she wants is to add stress to her life.
What Hayley didn't realize, however, was that she made Annabeth's life anything but stressful. The woman couldn't be prouder to have a daughter as clever, kind, and patient as Hayley. Annabeth spent her whole life wanting to build something permanent, but when she finally did, she looked around and realized that it's wasn't worth much without someone permanent beside her. She wants to do right by her daughter, and that's one of the reasons why she was so excited to finally have Hayley over at the summer house with her. Not only would she get to spend time with her daughter again, but Annabeth would get to show Hayley where she grew up. Her home.
Camp Half-Blood.
Hayley was now carrying a backpack over her shoulders and tugging a suitcase behind her as she walked up the steps to the giant house, "What is it?"
"It's a surprise," The woman answered, simply. Annabeth had just dropped her bag onto the porch and was currently scrummaging in her bag for the door keys.
"What kind of surprise?" Hayley pressed while admiring the exterior of the house. The two story mansion had once belonged to her great-grandmother, but it hadn't been used in years. The green-eyed girl suddenly found herself hoping that the surprise wasn't spiderwebs and dust. Then again, her mother had been living here on and off again for the past six months. If there was even a hint of spiders, the house would have already been hosed down by exterminators, "Surprise like, 'I'm doubling your allowance for not causing trouble this year!' or surprise like, 'Grandma's coming to visit'?"
Annabeth had unlocked the door but held it ajar, "Actually, yes, your grandma is coming in a few days to visit."
A grim look overtook Hayley's face. It's not that she didn't like Grandma Athena, it's just that she was very... controlled. Hayley always assumed that it was the Congresswoman in her that made the old lady so uptight. Every time she came to visit, her mom would get anxious and start to stress work. The little girl knew all about her mother's upbringing. The mother-daughter pair were very close, and Hayley was protective of the people she loved, so she never enjoyed seeing the effect her grandmother had on Annabeth.
"Why is she coming here?" The young girl asked, trying her best to hide her disapproving tone, "The only thing she does when she comes over is stress you out and give me passive-aggressive looks for not indulging myself in nonfiction books."
"Hayley, if you want to read Agatha Christie, read Agatha Christie. If you want to read Marvel Comics, read Marvel Comics. Don't let her make you feel bad about your interests," If there was one thing Annabeth was willing to face her mother for, it was her daughter. It pissed the woman off to no end when her mother, the one who had basically abandoned her as a child, tried to tell Annabeth how to raise her daughter.
That's another thing Hayley loved about her mom. No matter what she did, her mom was right behind her with unconditional support. When Hayley entered the Spelling Bee, her mother stayed up the night before and helped her practice, even though she had scheduled an early meeting the next morning to ensure she would be off on time to attend the contest. When the girl wanted to join an art class, Annabeth went out and bought her a whole new art supply kit. When, at the age of four, she decided that blue and yellow were magic colors, and her mom decided to make blue cookies for her. She only made them once, and Hayley was young when she did, but the girl still could have sworn she remembers her mother tearing up when her daughter took her first bite of the blue food.
And there was the time when she was three, and Hayley had her first asthma attack.
Annabeth had been a wreck for the entire process. Of course, Hayley had recovered quickly, and thanks to her Flovent medication, she hasn't had a major attack in years. All thanks to her mom. If Annabeth Chase was anything, it was a planner. Hayley was on a strict schedule when it came to taking her medication. Even though her daughter's asthma hadn't acted up in years, she wasn't going to chance losing her ever again.
"Rebel against Grandma?" Hayley joked, "Sounds like a plan."
Annabeth huffed out a laugh, but Hayley could tell something was off. She just now noticed that her mother hadn't been looking her in the eyes and that she was still standing in front of the cracked open door, blocking the girl from what's inside. She also noticed that her mother didn't answer her question about why Grandma Athena would be visiting.
"Why don't we go inside? I may have lied about the surprise- or rather, the extent of it. There is actually more than one."
Hayley's confusion must have been very noticeable, because right as she was about to ask more questions, Annabeth opened the front door to reveal two people waiting inside.
"Piper! Leo!" Hayley dropped her bags onto the porch and ran to her godmother and honorary uncle. The two dropped down and hugged the little girl with just as tightly as she did them.
"Hey, Hay!" Leo teased the girl as her arm wrapped around his neck.
"Oh my goodness, there is no way you got this big over one school year!" Piper exclaimed as she pulled back from the girl's other side, "You get any taller and you're gonna outgrow Leo."
While that was definitely an exaggeration, Leo still scoffed at the girl. Watching as the three got reacquainted, Annabeth picked up her daughter's bags that were abandoned on the porch and laid them inside. After she placed her own bags on the floor, Piper's dark eyes shot up and reached Annabeth's gray ones.
The woman smiled down at Hayley before walking over to give her mom a big hug. Piper McLean and Annabeth had been friends for years. The two met in the third grade. They bonded over daddy issues and a mutual love for Skittles. You know, normal kid stuff. After decades of sleepovers, secret handshakes, bad haircuts, and One Direction phases, the girls were still inseparable. If anyone could read Annabeth like a book, it was Piper. They were a fantastic duo. So much so, that Piper was her personal assistant. Technically, she was here for work, but Annabeth was just grateful to have her best friend here for the occasion.
Annabeth met Leo Valdez in college. He was the smartest person on the robotics team and the two shared many classes together throughout the years. They became fast friends, bonding over conspiracy theories and arguing over who was the better Property Brother. When Annabeth needed a Head of Construction at her firm, she knew exactly who she wanted by her side. Leo was more than happy to accept.
Leo and Piper were great employees and even better friends. They were supportive when she told them she wanted to adopt. They were always there to remind her that it's okay to take a break. And whenever one of them decided to take her out and let her live a little, the other would watch Hayley. And they both loved Hayley.
"Glad to see you're still alive," Piper's tone was flat and quiet against Annabeth's ear. She knew her friend didn't want Hayley hearing what she had to say, and honestly, neither did Piper, "Oh, and look at that. Is that a phone sticking out of your back pocket? A phone that I have been trying to reach you on for the past hour?"
Annabeth pulled back from the hug and Piper could finally see the guilt written on her face, "I know. Look, I'm sorry I didn't answer, but I knew what you would be calling about. I couldn't exactly have you yelling at me with my ten-year-old in the passenger seat."
"So, she doesn't know then?" The black-haired woman knew the answer, but the way she was now staring Annabeth down -arms crossed, eyebrow raised- made her realize the real question she was asking went along the lines of, what the hell is your plan here?
"No," Annabeth sighed out, "I was going to tell her on the drive over from the airport, but there was just so much to catch up on-"
"Yeah, Annabeth!" Piper whisper-yelled as an exasperated look took over her face, "There is so much to catch her up on. Starting with-!"
"Hey, you two," Leo coughed out, loudly. As the girls turned their attention back to him and the little girl, they saw Leo motioning to Hayley. Annabeth's daughter sent confused glances to the three adults, "Annabeth, why don't you show Hayls what's outback?"
Annabeth clasped her hands together and moved past Piper, who was now giving Leo the death stare, "That's a great idea, Leo. Come on, Hayley, there's another surprise waiting for you."
Hayley loved a good surprise as much as the next girl, but she was very aware of the mumbled bickering going on between Piper and Leo as she and her mom walked to the back of the house. That kind of put a damper on things. There was definitely something being kept from the little girl, and she had an idea that whatever it was wouldn't be found outback.
"Come on, kiddo," Annabeth said as they reached a little study. Hayley almost missed the door as they walked up to it. The wood of the door matched the wall around it, and a few strayed out plant decorations hid it even more. It was like the room was intentionally being hidden away. Once her mother opened the door, Hayley could see why. It appeared to be a private study- a homey, little room. There was a desk that sat in the middle, surrounded by comfortable looking chairs and giant bookshelves. To the side, there was a giant bay window that let the sun in and overlooked the coastline. A telescope stood off to the right of the window and a globe of the world to the left.
"Wow," The girl breathed out. Hayley stepped into the room and heard her mother chuckle from behind her.
"Just wait," Annabeth took her daughter's hand and lead her to the giant bay window. Annabeth sat down on the cushion while placing the little girl in her lap. She pointed out towards past the water and to an open area that was covered by what looked like to be a camp.
"Is that the camp you've been working on up here?" Hayley asked, eyes still set towards the campground, "It looks beautiful."
From what she could see, the cabins were beautifully designed with different symbols on each building, "What do the different symbols mean?"
"Each camper is placed in a certain cabin based on what you designed your schedule to look like. For example, if you wanted to spend the majority of your summer in the gardens, you could request to be placed in the Grain cabin. It's just to help to keep campers organized," The woman explained, "Obviously you could still participate in the camp singalong with the Lyre cabin, or go swimming with the Triton cabin, but this way you could be focused more on your interests and be surrounded by people who shared them."
"You said you went there, right?" Hayley turned to look back at her mother, "What cabin were you in?"
"I was always in the Owl cabin," Annabeth grinned at the memory, "We spent a lot of our time in the arts and crafts department. We also held the highest number of wins in Capture the Flag."
"Capture the Flag?" The girl stared at her mother with an amused expression, "What's that like?"
Annabeth grinned down at Hayley, "Well, I guess we'll have to go over there one day and let you find out for yourself."
Her daughter's green eyes widened as she jumped from her mother's lap, "Wait, really? I get to go?"
"Well, since we won't be here the whole summer you're not an official camper, but yes. I talked to the activities director and he said they would be happy to have you come down and join in on the fun," she explained, "My only condition is that you aren't allowed to ditch me when your grandma get here. THAT, and I want a ceramic mug."
Hayley wrapped her arms around her mom's neck, "I will, I promise! It'll say Worlds Best Mom and everything."
There were many surprises in store for Hayley Chase this summer, but her daughter finally getting to experience Camp Half-Blood was Annabeth's favorite. With the architect's demanding schedule and her daughter's extracurriculars, the two didn't have a lot of extra time for just them. Summer was when they could be together the most, and no matter how much she wanted her daughter to experience the same joys she did at camp, Annabeth didn't want to send Hayley to the other side of the country without her. And there was no place for Annabeth at camp now.
However, due to her new project being Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth had the perfect excuse to bring her daughter to the place most special to her. She wanted to share her experiences with her daughter. Show her the giant pine tree right at the camp entrance where she would sit under the shade and read. Tell her about the firework show that the camp would have every year. Share every strategy she helped come up with to win almost every game of Capture the Flag. Bring her to the dock where she spent almost every day with a boy. A boy with messy hair and sea-green eyes. Green eyes that Hayley's own resembled. Annabeth wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse. Looking into those eyes remained her of the boy she loved. The boy she wanted to build something permanent with. The boy who teased her, encouraged her, and stuck by her no matter what. Her best friend.
The boy who she tried to keep. The boy who she couldn't keep. Annabeth thought fate was a cruel being. For years, the blonde girl just wanted someone who would stay. Someone who wouldn't leave. And when she finally found that someone, life forced the two apart. Although she hadn't seen him in years, Annabeth would still think of that boy and wonder about the man he became. While working at camp, the woman was reminded of him more than ever. The memories -and feelings- they shared.
Yes, Annabeth wanted to share her experiences with her daughter, but she could not share him. Annabeth could not tell Hayley about the boy who was shorter than her for a majority of their youth together, and how he would glare at her when she teased him about it. She could not tell her daughter about the boy who would sit through every one of her architecture rants with a smile. She could not tell her daughter about how he could coax the truth out of her with a single look, and hold her when it hurt too much to talk about.
Annabeth could not tell her daughter about her first love, P-
"Annabeth!" A voice shook the woman from her thoughts. As Annabeth's daughter pulled away from her, she noticed that her once ecstatic expression was now replaced with a look of confusion. And it wasn't hard to figure out why.
When she turned her head towards the voice, Annabeth came face to face with Luke Castellan, her fiancé.
damn sophi, back at it again with the pjo headcanons:
okay someone explain to me why we never saw a reunion scene between percy and annabeth during ttc? sure we saw them after the fight and on mt olympus together and we saw them dancing, but like percy was a wreck worrying and missing her that whole time
surely after all the hype died down he just took a minute to be with her and to appreciate her because he missed her so much
i wanna see percy going to talk to annabeth and make sure she’s okay after all this time but when he sees her he just grabs her and hugs her because wow he didn’t realize just how much he cared about this girl until he thought he’d lost her. and he never wants to loose her again
but of course he doesn’t know how to communicate this so he’s just hugging her and shyly telling her he missed her (and you already know some teasing from thalia and grover would be involved)
It had been four months, five days, and twelve hours since Percy Jackson disappeared. Four months, five days, and twelve hours since he kissed her goodnight and went off to his cabin. She was supposed to see him the next day. They had planned to eat breakfast together and then go to the stables to hang out with Blackjack. It was meant to be normal day, and yet, it ended up being the beginning of Annabeth’s worst nightmare. She thought he’d be back by now. She thought she would have been able to find him at this point.
One week, she would catch herself thinking, He was able to find me in barely one week after Atlas captured me. Why can’t I find him?
The last four months have been hard, but Annabeth had recently fallen into a new kind of despair. Something more than an ache, more than a sinking feeling in her chest. The feeling made her physically ill. Over half of the time, she wanted to scream, and her siblings encouraged it. They tried to convince her that it could help, but she was too numb to ever put in the effort.
The past week had been her worst one yet. Annabeth barely left bed, let alone the Athena cabin. She spent every day staring at Daedalus’ computer looking through missing people’s reports, searching for strange happenings around the world, and trying to come up with new search plans. She hadn't eaten in days and it was beginning to be noticeable.
Her brothers and sisters tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't budge. Piper tried to comfort her, but Annabeth didn't want pity. The Stoll’s stopped by and tried to make her laugh, but she barely breathed out a chuckle. Even Will Solace made an appearance and tried to convince her that she needed to be taking better care of herself.
“Percy wouldn't want to see you like this,” he’d said.
But how would he know what Percy would want? She was his girlfriend. She was his best friend. She was the one who felt like she was dying every morning when she woke up and realized that this wasn’t all a big nightmare. Annabeth was the one who’d lost someone she loved, again, and couldn't do anything about it, again.
She didn't even have Grover to lean on. If she were to let anyone in right now, it would be either him or Thalia, but they were both off leading the satyrs and hunters in a search party. At least they were doing something. Chiron hadn't let her leave the camp in who knows how long. Apparently, she was too big of a risk in her present state. Annabeth thought that was bullshit.
Somehow, the girl had managed to feel more weak, useless, and alone then she ever had before, and yet, at the same time, she felt nothing.
A knock on her cabin door pulled Annabeth from her computer screen. She assumed it would be one of her siblings trying to coax her into coming to dinner again, but she was surprised to see none other than Clarisse la Rue leaning against the door of her cabin, hands behind her back.
“What are you doing here?” Annabeth’s voice came out croaky. She hadn't spoken all day.
“Could ask you the same thing,” Clarisse replied as she walked further into the room towards where Annabeth sat on her bunk, “It’s dinner time, princess.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes at the big girl looking down at her, “I’m not hungry. And I’m busy.”
Clarisse scoffed, “Yeah, and I don't buy it. You missed breakfast and lunch today, and dinner last night. And the night before, and the night before that.”
“Like I said, I’ve been busy.”
“Annabeth,” The end of the bed dipped as Clarisse took a seat. The blonde didn’t want to look up from the laptop, but there was something strange in Clarisse’s voice. She still sounded annoyed, but it was almost comforting, gentle even.
When she looked at Clarisse, she was met with an expression she’d never really seen on the girl’s face before. It could almost be described as a mix between an aggressive don't bullshit me and a gentle I know. Annabeth hated it.
I know.
I know this is hard for you. I know this hurts. I know things will turn out okay.
For some reason, everyone assumed that they knew what Annabeth was going through. That they knew what she was feeling. But how could they possible understand what she was feeling when she couldn't put it into words herself? Annabeth was no stranger to loss, but this? This was different. She’d always been a tough girl. She’s always been the one who was able to hold herself together and put on a brave face for the sake of doing what’s important. But this? Loosing Percy? Her Seaweed Brain?
They had been through so much together and so far they’d survived. Together. And now she's facing all of this alone. Annabeth isn't some damsel in distress. She survived without Percy before, so she wasn't sure why she suddenly feels like she can't breathe without him.
She didn't want to be reminded of those stupid words ever again, “Don't.”
Annabeth was surprised that Clarisse even heard her. The word came out in a harsh whisper and the waver in her voice didn't help.
Rather than give her the typical pity look, Clarisse just sighed and brought her hands out from behind her back. In her right hand, she was holding a water bottle, in the left, a piece of pizza wrapped in a napkin, extra olives. Annabeth just stared at it.
“Who sent you?”
“Believe it or not, I come by my own free will,” Clarisse placed the food and drink down in front of Daedalus’s computer, “You’ve been ignoring everyone. I think Malcolm was about to send out an Iris Mesage to Thalia and have her bring the hunters back so she could try her hand at talking to you. Figured I’d give it a go before we resort to that.”
“Why do you care if the hunters come here?”
Clarisse got quiet and looked down at the food she’d brought in. There was a look on her face, it almost as if she was contemplating what to say. It took a moment before she finally let out a sigh and spoke up, “Those hunters jump back really quickly. They were back to the hunt in no time after the Titan War. And it’s tradition to have a game of Capture the Flag every time they visit. We haven’t played since before, well, everything-“
“And you don’t want to loose to them again,” Annabeth scoffed. Of course Clarisse would have her own agenda in mind right now. The blonde had half a mind to throw the pizza into her face and-
“No,” Despite Annabeth’s rude tone, Clarisse remained calm, “I just don’t want to fight. Not for a little while longer at least.”
Annabeth wasn’t sure how to react to the confession. She’d never heard an Ares kid say they didn't want to fight. Especially Clarisse. The other girl must have sensed Annabeth’s confusion, or read it right off of her face, because she explained further, “The um... the last time I was in an actual fight was right after Silena... you know.”
This time it was Clarisse who was avoiding eye contact. Of course Annabeth knew, she was right there when it happened. She witnessed first hand as Clarisse’s tough walls crumbled at the sight of Silena’s death. No camper was excited about training after the war was over. A majority of the summer had been spent as if they were kids at a normal summer camp and not a bunch of demigods who had just fought in a giant war where half of their friends had died. For a moment, just moment, they were normal.
But training would have to start again eventually. Wars come and go, but monsters will always return. However, no one was eager to jump back into making a game out of war when they had just barley survived a real one.
“Yeah...” I know.
Annabeth stopped before those cursed words could slipped through her lips. She and Silena were very close friends. She missed her all the time. She would be reminded of her when she walked past the Aphrodite cabin, or when she went to see Backjack, or, even worse, when she hung out with Piper. Annabeth loved and missed Silena so much, but she didn't know what Clarisse was going through.
When Chris came back to camp, Clarisse and Silena became closer than ever. The daughter of Ares found someone she could confide in and trust. A person who she could let her walls down with, but it was more than that. At least, that’s what Annabeth was starting to believe.
Looking back at the days after the war, Annabeth now realized how familiar this all must be for Clarisse, because she was the exact same way. Well, maybe not the exact same. The daughter of Ares didn't spend her time searching news reports or making up search plans, but she retreated in her own way. It wasn't until Chris intervened that she started to get back to her old self.
“Clarisse,” Annabeth asked, gently, “How did- I mean, with Silena- you-”
Clarisse snickered, but it wasn't harsh in any way, “I think this is the first time I’ve heard an Athena kid sound so unsure. Just ask.”
“How did it feel?” the blonde was straining not to let tears fall from her eyes, “When she- when you lost her?”
“It felt like...” Clarisse bit her tongue and leaned her head back, as if she were trying to hold something back too, “It felt like I’d just lost what made me whole.”
“Why?” the question came out softer than she’d intended.
Then, for maybe the first time in her life, Annabeth saw a soft smile appear on Clarisse’s face, “Because I loved her. Just like you love Percy, just like he loves you.”
Love.
Annabeth didn’t know when she stopped trying to hold back her tears, but by the time she realized her cheeks were wet, it was too late to do anything about it.
“I don’t know how you feel, but I know what you’re going through. Though, hopefully, not completely. Jackson is still out there, I know because that headache he always causes me to have is still here,” Annabeth laughed for the first time in months, “Look, I do intend to help you find him, and I will hit him over the head for leaving, whatever the reason, I don't really care. But you have to start taking care of yourself again, Annabeth. What you're doing, it’s dangerous and stupid. Believe me, I know. And we don’t call you Wise Girl because you’re stupid.”
Then, Annabeth did something she never thought she’d ever do. She shut her computer then reached out and gave Clarisse la Rue a hug. Just as Annabeth was sure she was about to get body slammed, the other girl hugged her back.
“No offense or anything,” Annabeth said, pulling away from the girl and wiping tears off of her face, “but this all seems very un-Clarisse of you.”
The girl chuckled at that, “Silena taught me to open up about my feelings. I’m beginning to realize that I wouldn't be honoring her if I decided to backtrack into my old secluded ways just because she’s gone. However, that being said, if anyone asks, I came in here, yelled some sense into you, and you don't know about my mushy side.”
A small smile appeared on Annabeth’s face, “Deal.”
“Good,” Clarisse said, leaning back onto the bed post, “Now, I'm not leaving until you drink your water and eat your pizza. After this, you're going to the bonfire and having one night off, and if you argue I will go all Ares on you. We have every resource available out there looking for Percy. I know it’s your specialty and all, but you shouldn't be stressing yourself over things you can't control. He’ll come back to you, he loves you too much to stay away much longer.”
After that, there wasn't much more convincing to be done. Annabeth ate her food and drank her drink while having a civil conversation with Clarisse. She’d gone back to talking and teasing like the Clarisse Annabeth knew, but now she was someone else. The last thing the blonde girl ever imagined was to have Clarisse la Rue, daughter of Ares, help her sort out her feelings, but now she knew.
Annabeth knew why it hurt so much that Percy was gone. She knew why no one was able to comfort her, not in the way that he did, and she knew why losing him hurt so much more than anyone else. She knew why she had this dark feeling surrounding her, even still now, because one heart-to-heart over a piece of pizza won’t just take that away. But she knew it was possible. Clarisse was proof. Annabeth can come back from this and find Percy. She knew she could. She knows she can.
Mattie Jackson and Hayley Chase meet at the start of summer and discover that they are each other's identical clone. With a little more investigating, the two girls discover that they are, in fact, twins. Things only get crazier when they find out that their adoptive parents were once in love. Now, they have to work together to reunite Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase before Mattie’s dad ends up dating the new camp counselor and Hayley’s mom gets married to a kid hating, gold digger.
And what better way to do that than to switch places?
or
i rewatched It Takes Two and decided to make it percabeth :)
Percy Jackson had just finished packing his last duffel bag when he heard a very familiar voice yelling outside his apartment window. A voice that belonged to someone who was supposed to be in the next room over packing her own bags. A frustrated sigh left his lips as he opened the bedroom window looking down towards the street. Just as he suspected, a crowd of children were scattered on the road, some taking up the spaces around the chalk-drawn diamond, others sitting on the sidelines. And right there on the makeshift home plate stood none other than...
"Matilda Sally Jackson!" Percy yelled down from the fourth floor to his daughter, "If I were to walk into your room right now, would your suitcases be packed?"
The ten-year-old girl turned and gave her dad an exasperated look, "Ah come on, dad! Ten bucks say you only just got done!"
"Thankfully, I'm not raising you to be like me," He teased, leaning on the windowsill. He was very much aware of the red tint on his daughter's olive cheeks, even from the distance between the two, "I'm hopefully raising you to be better. Now come finish packing, we're leaving in two hours!"
Percy and his daughter had a great relationship, unlike Percy and his bio-dad or first stepfather. Yeah, he didn't have the best luck in the fatherhood department, but that was why he wanted to do better for his daughter. And he was. Percy spent every day trying to be a good dad to Mattie. He taught her his mother's famous cookie recipe, braided her hair every morning before school, and attended every single swim match she had. Granted he was also the coach, but still.
Mattie didn't have a mom. Well, not one that she remembered anyway. Percy and his ex-wife, Lydia, were on thin ice for a long time. One of their main arguments being, Percy wanted kids, she didn't. Percy knew from a young age that he wanted a family, so there was no use trying to argue that. Somewhere along the way, they had reached an agreement and Mattie was on the way. Halfway through the whole process, Lydia changed her mind. This lead to the fifth argument of the month and to their inevitable divorce.
This also lead to the decision that would change the rest of Percy's life. Would he still adopt baby Mattie?
Yep, adopt. Lydia didn't want to go through the whole pregnancy ordeal and Percy was more than happy to adopt. He knew what it was like to grow up in a tough home and if he could prevent that from happening to another kid, he wouldn't hesitate. Mattie’s birth mother was a 19-year-old girl who was apparently going through a hard time. Truthfully, Percy didn’t know much about her, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort. When bio-mom picked Percy and Lydia to be the parents of her unborn child, she was in the final stages of her pregnancy and she didn’t want to meet them. The only thing Percy heard about her was that she moved out west somewhere only a week after Mattie was born.
As a social worker employed at Goode Middle School, Percy had the advantage of being college friends with many of the adoption agents. This helped speed up the adoption process tremendously. At first, he saw that as a blessing, but after the divorce, it seemed that Percy was under even more pressure to make his decision.
It took some long talks with his mom to convince Percy that he could still do this; be a single dad. But it was his little sister, Estelle, who convinced him he would be great at it. After all, he had partially helped raise her and she turned out okay. She ate all of their mom's blue cookies, but she was okay. Plus, his family would be right by his side. So, Percy went along with the adoption. He hasn't regretted it once.
Yes, Mattie was adopted, but two you could never really tell. Mattie was daddy's little girl from the very beginning. From their beach days together to their daddy-daughter dates to get cheeseburgers at the local diner, the two were inseparable. By some twist of fate, the baby girl had even grown up to have a shade of green eyes like her dad's.
And that wasn't where the similarities stopped. Mattie was a rambunctious and sarcastic kid. There are times when Percy isn't sure what to expect from her, but more often than not, Mattie was the most helpful and patient kid a single dad could ask for. Still, as easygoing as she could be, Percy knew how proud his daughter was. After being embarrassed in front of her friends, Mattie Jackson had something to prove.
"Just let me hit this ball downtown! Grand slam, home run, guaranteed," Mattie was a lot like her father, but she had ambition. She was a tough girl. A smart girl. She reminded Percy of-
"Okay, fine," He started, "but if it's anything less, you're making me a mug at camp."
The girl shuddered at the idea of having to participate in her least favorite camp activity but nodded nonetheless. She stepped back up to the plate. Mattie was athletic. She hopped around from sport to sport, mainly just for the experience, but there was nothing she loved more than swimming. Her father's love for the water was one of the many things the girl had picked up from him.
But right now, Mattie's focus wasn't on the water. Percy watched as she scrunched her nose up, waiting for the pitch. The boy at the pitchers' mound, one of Mattie's friends, Cody, was taking his sweet time with the ball. Right when it looked like he was about to throw the pitch, he instead turned to his team and signaled for them to back up.
Percy couldn't help the smirk that formed on his lips. He wanted a World's Best Dad mug, but at that moment, he wanted his daughter to show those kids who's boss more.
The ball was pitched and the next thing Percy knew, he was hearing the sweet sound of a crack made from the balls' contact with the bat. He cheered as his daughter took first, and again when she rounded the corner for second. The ball had landed somewhere far down the street and the rest of Mattie's team were assuring her it was safe. She made it to third and right when Percy was sure he wouldn't be getting his mug, a car pulled up and parked right over home plate.
Mattie slowed down and stopped right in front of the old car. A confused look was shared between the other kids, but she knew exactly who the vehicle belonged to. And while she was happy to see it, Mattie was pissed that she couldn't reach home from under the car.
"Mattie, your dad called me half an hour ago telling me that you two were just now starting to pack. What are you doing out here?"
Before the girl could answer, Cody's voice rang out at her side.
"Loosing," The boy mocked as he tagged the girl out with the ball.
Mattie turned towards him and glared, "There is no way this counts!"
***
"I want my mug to be blue," Percy teased his daughter as she walked back into their apartment, "with World's Best Dad written in big letters."
"You and I both know that you don't need a mug to know you're the best dad. Plus, I suck at clay molding," The girl complained, "Not to mention that it's the most boring activity at camp."
Her father smirked, "Well you should have thought of that before you agreed to the bet."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Mattie grumbled, "Can I just pay Rachel to do it for me?"
"No," He laughed, "and don't even try to go behind my back and do it anyway, because I will find out.”
"Okay, you two, settle down," Sally Jackson-Blofis' laughter rang out in the small apartment. As much as Mattie was a daddy's girl, Percy was a bigger mama's boy, "I came by to see you before you leave and drop off some cookies for the trip."
Mattie's eyes couldn't have bulged out of their sockets more when her grandmother pulled out the plastic tub of blue cookies. Just as she went to grab the box, it was pulled out of reach by her father, "Oh, no you don't."
"Oh, come on, dad!" Giving the best puppy dog look she could muster, Mattie looked up at Percy, "Just one?"
Percy had to look at his mother for support. There was little that his daughter couldn't get away with when that look was thrown his way, "Nope. Not until you're done packing."
"Seriously?" His daughter whined, "Wasn't calling me Matilda in front of all my friend's punishment enough?"
"You know, I was this close to naming you Janet," He mocked, holding his pointer finger and thumb so close they were barely touching.
Mattie's big eyes narrowed into a glare as she stuck her tongue out at her father, "Fine, but don't be surprised if your mug doesn't have a handle."
"I think you're just doing that to make the sculpting easier for you."
A small grin appeared on her face and she shrugged, "Maybe."
Percy rolled his eyes at the girl and chuckled as she walked back to her room. He turned back to his mom and saw her wearing the same endearing look she always has when she watches the interactions between her son and granddaughter.
"You've definitely raised a little you," Sally laughed.
"Well, in that case," Percy grinned and opened the Tupperware container holding the cookies, "I'm sorry for hogging the shower as a kid."
Sally took the container out of his hands before he got the chance to pick out a cookie, "And I'm sorry for not allowing you to be a hypocrite."
"What? I'm done with my packing!" Percy promised as he reached for the container.
"Even the extra blankets? You know how cold the bunks can get at night."
Percy was quiet for a moment before letting out a defeated groan, "You know, I was really proud of myself for a moment there."
"You should still be proud of yourself, honey," Sally grinned, "You're a great dad, and you and Mattie are going to have a great time at camp this year, just like you always do."
Camp Half-Blood was a summer camp that Percy had been attending since he was nine years old. His bio dad had attended the camp in his youth and it was one of the few things that Percy had left of the man after he died. When his mother remarried, it was a safe place away from his first stepfather, Smelly Gabe, a man that Sally Jackson only married because, at the time, she didn't have the funds to properly provide for her son. The camp had a big influence on the man Percy became. The experiences he had, the friends he made, the place where he felt closest to his father.
The girl he fell in love with.
Even years after he grew too old to be a camper, Percy found himself volunteering every summer as a camp counselor. A few years later, he was offered a paid position as an official counselor and the camp social worker. Chiron, the camp activities director, was more than happy to have him back. Especially, when he started bringing his daughter with him.
He couldn't help but smile at that, "Thanks, mom. I'm really excited about this year. You know, Camp Half-Blood was remodeled this past fall. Everything has been upgraded, I can't wait to see it."
"I'm sure it will look great. You've been complaining about the faulty flooring in the pavilion for years."
"There's been a giant crack going down the center of that thing ever since the earthquake back when I was still a camper. That's completely dangerous!"
His mother laughed and raised her arms in defeat, "Trust me, I agree. Still, with all the changes, I'm surprised that the camp could afford all the modifications."
"Yeah, I think the head of the architect company in charge is an old friend of Chiron's. Apparently, they will be coming down and checking out the camp, you know, to see how their work panned out, I guess."
"Well, you'll have to thank whoever they are for fixing your pavilion," Sally teased him as she grabbed a cookie out of the container and took a bite. Percy's mouth fell open as he stared at his mother with a look of betrayal, "What? I don't have to pack anything. Plus, a made them, I don't need justification."
"You are a cruel woman."
***
An hour and a half later, Percy and his daughter were packing their bags -and the extra blankets- into the car and heading towards Long Island Sound. With barely thirty minutes into the trip, half of Sally's cookies had been devoured and they had played a very enthusiastic game of Eye Spy.
"So," Mattie started as she reached for her fourth cookie, "is this the year you finally tell me who A.C. is?”
When Mattie was seven, during her first year at camp, Percy was adamant about showing her everything from his time at camp. Including all his favorite spots and activities from his time there. They visited the horse stables, where Percy told his daughter stories about his favorite horses and how he was one of the best riders. He took her to the strawberry field where they picked strawberries with her uncle Grover, just like the two had done when they were boys. But he was most excited about taking her to the dock and swimming in the water. Some of his most precious memories were made at that beach, on the dock. It was a special place for him. A place where he used to sit with her and escape from the world. A place where a first kiss was perfect under the Fourth of July fireworks. A place where carved initials still stood to this day.
When Mattie first found the letters carved at the end of the dock, she knew immediately that they weren't new. The marks had faded with time. When she realized that the first set of letters in P.J. + A.C. looked familiar, she decided to ask her father, Percy Jackson, if he knew who made the marks. Percy had never been a good liar. That was the day Mattie found out everything about her father's days at Camp Half-Blood. Everything, except who A.C. was.
"Mattie," Percy sighed, eyes staying on the road, "I've told you a thousand times, she's just an old friend. I haven't spoken to her in years, since before you were even born. I don't understand why you're so interested in this."
"Because friends don't carve their initials together on a dock for the world to see," The young girl persisted, blue crumbs falling from the side of her mouth, "That's what couples do in movies and stuff."
"Well, that explains it then. This isn't a movie, T," Truthfully, Percy wasn't sure if he was trying to convince her or himself more, "Besides, the camp went under construction this year, I'm sure the old dock was torn down and rebuilt. It was old."
Although, he would never admit this to his daughter, Percy was hoping, and wishing, and praying to anyone who would listen that the dock stayed the same. Percy would be lying if he said that he wasn't anxious about seeing it again. The thing was old, and he knew that the safety of the campers outweighed the feeling he still got in his stomach when he saw their initials carved together.
Maybe he could have called Chiron. Asked him if the new camp architect would spare that last plank of wood at the very edge of the water. Asked if he could keep it. One last memory of the childhood love he would never admit to never getting over.
What a ridiculous idea, he thought. Still, he always got like this in the summer, especially at camp.
Despite the fact that he was avoiding eye contact and staring towards the road, Percy could feel Mattie's frustrated gaze staring him down, but he held his ground. He was never going to see her again. The last time he saw her gray eyes staring back at him was at eighteen years old, their last summer as campers. She lived in San Francisco, California and would be going to UC Berkeley in the fall. He wasn't surprised, she was a genius. But Percy? He would stay in Manhattan and go to college on a swimming scholarship. They would try and stay in touch like how they did growing up. Busy schedules and adulthood would cause them to fail. Percy would still think of her, but he'd still get married to another woman. Percy would try to make it work, but he would still find himself wishing Lydia were her, and hating himself for it. So he tried to stop, but he couldn't help wondering. Wondering what she was doing. Wondering what could have been. But they hadn't spoken in years.
There was no point in telling his daughter how wonderful she was, because he knew Mattie would fall in love with her, just as he did. And they would never meet.
So, no. Percy would not tell his daughter about the girl he spent every summer with. He would not tell her about the girl who made fun of him for drooling in his sleep. He would not tell her about the girl who would sit with him at the dock and draw building structures while they talked about nothing and everything all at once. He would not tell her about the girl who's comfort book was Matilda, and that she made him read it, and that him joking about how she probably had superpowers like the character, because she too was a genius, made her blush. Percy would not tell his daughter because it would hurt too much.
Percy would not tell his daughter about his first love, Annabeth Chase.
let me set the scene: it’s some time pre ttc, thalia is alive, percabeth is still cooking
either way, i know annabeth likes percy, you know annabeth likes percy, but who else knows annabeth likes percy?
thalia fucking grace.
you’re gonna look at me and tell me that i’m wrong?
you’re gonna look at me and tell me that when thalia came back to life annabeth didn’t fill her in on everything that has happened in her life the past six years?
you’re gonna try and convince me that a whole semester as roommates in a boarding school together didn’t consist of nights spent reliving their favorites memories and confiding in each other their biggest fears and greatest hopes?
show me that scene!!
i wanna know how a young annabeth, who is finally starting to feel comfortable being vulnerable again, a girl who is just how beginning to realize her feelings for percy are changing, also gets to share all this with her best and oldest friend!!! tell me how that young bright eyed annabeth got to feel like a normal teenager just sitting with her best friend while she tries to explain how this wild haired, reckless boy makes her feel, even if she doesn’t know how to describe it or what it all means
show me thalia, who is the definition of a supportive mom friend, giving her advice, maybe it’s a foreshadow idk man. honestly tho, thalia has been a tree for the past six year, she has no idea how to handle these types of things, but in that moment annabeth needs her and she’ll be damned if she doesn’t try!! i mean she was living under a tree, not a rock, surely she can’t give terrible advice on romance.
omg and that conversation can lead into the hunter’s conversation can you imagine!!!
ugh thalia and annabeth’a friendship is underrated
like percy has never really had a good father figure in his life and then paul, this dorky, lovesick, english teacher shows up and marries his mother. suddenly there is a permanent male figure and he doesn’t really know how to feel about it, but at the same time neither does paul.
the big difference is that paul is trying. that’s what really throws percy off. paul tries. like a lot. and while percy really appreciates it, he also finds it funny at the ways his new step father is trying to bond.
for some reason paul believes that since percy is a son of the sea, he would love fishing. so he offers to take him on a boys day fishing trip. i mean that’s what paul’s father did for him. he never really had a whole lot of fun, but he figured it would be worth a try.
percy is trying his best to be sensitive and nice about the whole thing, but he can’t just go fishing. it’s completely insensitive. imagine the gossip that would spread throughout the sea.
“did you hear? the son of poseidon is killing fish!”
yeah, no thanks. but sally makes him go, hoping it will bring the two most important men in her life closer. and of course percy goes because he’s a momma’s boy, but he refuses to even pick up the fishing rod. after a few minutes of small talk (or girl talk perhaps 👀 aka teasing percy about annabeth) paul notices this and suddenly feels super embarrassed, except he thinks it’s because percy isn’t having a good time and doesn’t like him.
percy just laughs because of course he likes paul! it’s just that considering he can hear the fishes crying for help under the water as they are being reeled in kind of takes the fun out of it. once everything is out in the open, paul tells percy that he doesn’t even like fishing, it was just something his father insisted they do together so he thought, percy having a connection to the sea and all, he would enjoy it.
this obviously makes percy feel special because paul is trying to pass a family tradition down to him. but of course no matter how much he appreciates it, he still can’t be seen killing fish. paul completely agrees and the two of them think of a new thing that they can do together and idk what it would be but percy would finally have a good father figure who stays around and estelle wouldn’t be paul’s first child 🥺
