|| Wise Girl ||

“That’s true and there hasn’t been that many supplies lately, so people are used to sharing things, even if they aren’t meant to.” Lina pointed out, having seen quite a few people move into allowing some of their electronics to be shared. “Either way, I wasn’t going to steal it, I was going to move it, since I also have to use this public table for work.”

Annabeth picked to box up herself and set it on a different nearby table. If Lina wanted to use the table, she could go right ahead. “What are you working on?” Annabeth asked, curiosity getting the better of her. 

“Well it is always such an absolute pleasure for her to come and visit, I just love feeling on edge the entire time.” He laughed gently. Neither of their relationships with their celestial parents had ever been easy. Raising an eyebrow gently, he laughed and shrugged. “I can’t help that I look good in plaid…” he smirked for a moment longer and shrugged. “I’m not sure that I believe you.” 

“I know that it has to end sooner or later, but I’m new to this world…” Bobbi hadn’t admitted this to many people, Leo probably knew but he knew her better than anyone else in the world, “Leo, Percy, you, even some of the younger Greeks and Romans have lived through two wars, this is there third, I’m not sure that I’m cut out for this sort of life.” She laughed it off, hesitant to really admit how difficult this was. “There isn’t anything that you can do, unless we’ve got some powers that you forget to tell me about…” 

“You know that I always love it when your mother decides to visit us…” Percy smirked a lopsided grin, scratching at the beard he’d grown since he’d left his razor and 21st century life behind him because a war had started. “If she can prove me wrong and bring me a blue cheese pizza then I think I’d die of happiness.” He laughed gently and shook his head. “Infamous? I’m not that terrible of a cook…” 

“To be fair, anything left on a public table seems to be fair game now.” Lina was quite nosy at times herself, her curiosity often getting the better of her. “I don’t really know why else it would be so important not to touch it unless it was actually going to harm me.” She shrugged,“Curses are cool. Not when we’re cursed, but it’s important knowledge to have.”

Annabeth shook her head in disagreement before saying. “Nearly every table is now a public table around here.” The Greeks were practically living on top o one another in their little encampment. “That doesn’t mean the stuff on them is public.” 

“I don’t know,” Percy said with a sigh as he adjusted the small pot full of stew that they’d been cooking, “I think we’ll be fine, I saved us, no need to thank me it’s all part of the job.” Smirking gently, he laughed. “I don’t think that even your mother, queen of wisdom would be able to make something like that happen, I’m not convinced that there are even any pizza places still open. Besides, traffic is too bad to head to Berkeley.”

“I understand,” Bobbi replied quietly, smiling gently at Annabeth. Pausing for a second, she shrugged as she tried to work out exactly how she was. “I’m okay, I guess, this war is starting to take it’s toll on me. Leo too. He seems to believe it’ll come to an end soon but I don’t really believe it. I can’t see an end in sight…” she sighed and shrugged. “But we’re fine, as well as anyone could be.”

Lina stopped her movements, her eyes cutting towards Annabeth sharply. She took her hand back,“Maybe put a sign on it.” She replied, as she moved away from her, to avoid being grabbed. “What is it anyway?” With a glint in her eyes she asked,“Is it cursed, is that why I can’t touch it?”

“Maybe I just assumed people wouldn’t go around touching things that aren’t their’s,” Annabeth countered. Nevertheless, she was relieved to see Lin cease and desist. “Why would you assume it’s cursed?” Annabeth asked. “And if it was you shouldn’t want to touch it more.”

“You’re going to burn it if you don’t turn down the heat,” Percy replied with a shrug not making a single move away from the small camping stove that they were sometimes forced to use if they didn’t want to eat in a mess tent. Percy would’ve done almost anything for a pizza right now. “I normally would let you burn it and we’d order takeaway, but sadly we’ve not got any spares this time and our favourite takeaway place is in Roman occupied territory.”

In truth, Annabeth had gotten distracted and lost time of how long she’d had the stove on for. “How long as it been?” she asked in some confusion, feeling a little bad for having snapped at Percy. But a moment later a playful little grin was on her lips as she rose from her seat to approach him. “What ever happened to love? And grand romantic gestures? My husband won’t even go into enemy occupied territory on an impossible mission to risk his life getting takeout for me? Mother told me Poseidon boys were no good.” 

“It’s a nice laptop, and from what Percy’s told me about it, it may be one of your more valuable possessions.” Bobbi herself was somewhat protective of the things that she owned, she didn’t want to worry Annabeth, especially not with her own sister. “At least you don’t personify it, that sounds … uncomfortable.” She giggled gently and shrugged. “How are you?”

“Yeah, Annabeth works too. I simply meant, Congratulations.” He said with a smile in response to Annabeth’s dry response. Connor was 24, about to turn 25, by now, he was used to people always assuming he was stealing something. Of course, it made things harder when he actually was taking something that wasn’t his, but sometimes when the object belonged to him, he didn’t like people assuming he was stealing, it left him always having to prove that the object was his to start with. 

“Actually,” He said, now reaching for the box anyways and opening it, revealing it’s contents. “This is mine, so that innocent act, wasn’t an act.” He tilted the box towards the daughter of Athena and revealed a mess of party supplies. “I’m throwing a party, a birthday party, or maybe it’ll be a pity party, depending on how many people attend.” He knew that having a party during a war wasn’t a great idea, but with his birthday on the 13th, and Travis not being here, he had never felt so alone, thus, the idea to have a party. “I don’t know if I should have asked someone first, but I figured if I ordered the decor from Hermes Deliveries, those in charged couldn’t say no, especially due to the no return policy.” 

A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, still getting little butterflies of her joy in her stomach when people congratulated her and Percy on their marriage. It hadn’t been ideal, per say, but it had been perfect. “Thanks, Connor.” Annabeth had known Connor for what gelt like a lifetime at this point. Camp Half-Blood and his arrival felt like ages ago. But she’d quickly learned not to leave things lying around anyone that was a child of Hermes, especially Connor and his brother. Guilt wasn’t something she felt whenever she wrongly accused him of stealing something, for perhaps she wouldn’t assume wrongly if he hadn’t made a reputation fro himself. 

“Mhm,” was all she said in reply to his correction, not giving him an inch. “It could be a birthday party and a pity party,” she teased lightly. “Why limit yourself?” Nevertheless, she was glad he was celebrating despite the current climate. People could use something to lift their spirits. “So are you ready to be an old man?”

 Bobbi laughed gently and moved away. “And I thought I was highly strung,” she teased with a shake of her head and a smirk. “I was just moving it away from the edge,” she said glancing at Annabeth’s laptop. She understood why her sister, half sister, she wasn’t quite sure which worked yet. They hadn’t exactly had any real bonding time with everything that was going on.

Connor pulled his face as someone screamed in his ear not to touch the box he was about to move. When the ringing in his ears stopped, he realized who the woman was. Now, with a gigantic grin, he shoved his hands in his pocket and casually greeted her. “Hello Mrs Jackson, it’s a pleasure to meet you again.” He paused, “Or is it Jackson-Chase? Maybe Chase-Jackson?” He was genuinely pleased to see the daughter of Athena again, they had almost known each other forever, which was an exaggeration, but basically true. 

Annabeth couldn’t help the eyeroll that pulled at her. But she’d known Connor for far too long to be truly annoyed with him. “Or you could just call me Annabeth like you always have,” she offered dryly.” She gave him a sharp once over, as if searching him for anything remotely suspicious. “But don’t give me the innocent act, Connor. We’ve known each other far too long for that.” She couldn’t deny that she had a sneaking suspicion he’d been going for the box simply to steal it. 

Smiling gently, he slumped down onto a small rock and took a seat. Taking up a spoon, he swallowed some of his cooking. “I’m a domestic goddess actually chica, much like everyone’s favourite goddess, Hestia.” he shrugged and made a face, “though my cooking could do with more spices.” Making do was something that he’d simply forced himself to get used to. They’d not really had another choice after all. 

Her shoulders relaxed a little as Percy sat next to her, his presence having a rather soothing effect on her, and letting her muscles take a moment of rest from their tensed position. She chuckled lightly before flashing him a smile, though there was still some tiredness behind the expression. “I don’t know, Hestia might have some competition for my favorite goddess though if you’ve been entered into the mix.” Annabeth was certain Hestia would understand that she was joking. “I like it. And either way— it’s just cute that my husband thought to bring it in the first place. Though I’ll deny ever saying that.”

He waved the bread off, he had eaten enough for himself. Annabeth probably needed the food much more than he did, if she had been analyzing for as long as he thought she had been. He didn’t really believe her words, people tended to feel bad for him and try to lighten the blow when he called it out. “It’s really alright, Annabeth. I know it wasn’t personal.” He had been around thinkers like her often enough to know that. “Either way, I’ve probably been in your hair long enough? Let me know if you need anything.”

Annabeth’s lips pursed as Leo went to leave, guilt still filling her rather rapidly. She hadn’t wanted to upset him, especially when he meant so much to Bobbi. “Really, Leo. I didn’t mean it against you.” Was there some way to fix the little damage she’d already seem to have done? She wasn’t entirely sure. Percy was much better at making people feel liked that she was. “Thank for the stuff. It was very thoughtful.”

Caspian lent into the embrace and let out a soft smile. He wasn’t himself lately. His nightmares had returned, he had terrible recalls of waking up in distress after the war and falling out his bed. Not only that, but Kol had left whilst he was out. Of course, he wasn’t going to let that dictate how he moved forward, but it still hurt really badly. “I haven’t been awake long, I just– I just needed some air.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, we were all worried sick.” He said with another faint smile. He remembered the days just after Annabeth was taken and the worry it struck into everyone. 

Annabeth withdrew from the hug, her hands travelling south to hold Caspian’s elbows in her hands, still holding him in that small sense as she fixed him with a concerned look. “Definitely. It can get very stuffy in those tents.” Her own nightmares had peaked during her time in the prison, and continued to plague her.

She tried to shrug off his words of worry, though she appreciated them. “You didn’t think they’d be able to keep me for good, did you?” she tried to joke, though it wasn’t the jolliest of teases. It wasn’t very fun to speak of her prison cell and separation from Percy. But then she thought of her and Percy’s impromptu wedding just before she’d been taken. “So I guess— I’m officially your aunt now.”