One-Shot: Baby Jackson

The Big House is quiet except for the sounds of my own feet pacing the floor. Every few seconds, my eyes dart to the door at the end of the hallway, which has been shut to me for hours. I tried listening in against the jamb, but could hear nothing discernible. I only hope she is all right. Please, let her be all right...

"Two clubs." Behind me, I hear Grover give his bid.

"Double," Chiron taps the table.

"Pass," Nico huffs.

Tyson scratches his head. "Uhh... what should I say?"

"Do you have at least fourteen points?" Grover queries his partner.

"...No?"

"Then say Pass." Tyson does, followed by two more from Grover and Chiron.

"Bid is four clubs. Tyson, you're the dummy." My Cyclops half-brother lays out his cards. I thought bridge was only for old people. I would tell my friends to find something better to do, if there was something better to do. But there isn't, especially when you're waiting for a new life to enter the world, so they've been playing endless hands for the last seven hours. At least Kevin Spacey isn't available as their creepy, illegal coach from MIT. I smirk when I think back to the movie Annabeth and I were watching just last night in Cabin 3...

Right before her water broke.

We had married young, right after we saved Olympus from Kronos. Sure, we were 16, but that's the age of consent in New York State. We finished out high school, then chose colleges near each other and Montauk, so we could be home at Camp Half Blood on the weekends. Annabeth is studying to be an architect; I've been majoring in beer pong. Fighting off co-eds is actually the easiest part of being an undergrad; all the sorority sisters seem shocked when I tell them I'm a happily married man.

The baby wasn't planned. It was a date night, and booze was involved. I was surprised that Annabeth decided to keep it, but if anyone could juggle redesigning the Empire State Building alongside home life, it would be my ambitious wife. We've been spending the last nine months as close to camp as possible, waiting for our little one. Annabeth made it very clear that she would not drop out of school, and I supported her in that, though I was afraid she would kill herself. She still plans to have her Master's by the time she is 25. Like I said, she's ambitious.

"Play the King of Spades," Grover orders Tyson. My brother is just lifting up the card when -

"GAHHHH!"

Tyson drops the card in fright, and five heads snap towards the far door. I sprint towards it, banging on the thing until someone answers. The scowl on her face is apparent, but I don't care. I don't even care that she's a Daughter of Ares.

"Clarisse: please let me in."

"Not until the kid is here, Jackson. Trust me - it's for your own good. You're lucky I haven't killed you yet. You really wanna run that risk with Annabeth?"

Despite my heart breaking in concern for my wife, I can't really come up with an answer, and Clarisse slams the door in my face before I can. I resume pacing the floor for the next hour. When Grover and Tyson lose out on points yet again, I wheel to them:

"Holy Hades, can't you guys play another game? Like, Solitaire?"

"That's for only one person," Nico points out.

Grover smiles. "Relax, Perce. Annabeth's gonna be fine."

As if on cue, Clarisse pokes her head out of the door.

"Baby Jackson is here. You guys wanna...?"

Chiron upends the card table as we all stampede for the door, me in the lead. Clarisse has to almost dive out of the way to let us in. I stop short and stare at the sight that awaits me.

Annabeth, my beautiful wife, is propped up on pillows, her hair matted, looking spent but happy. And there is a little pink bundle in her arms. I cross to her in a daze. I can't quite believe it. I'm a father. I have a family.

"Are you all right?"

She just smirks, grabs my chin and pulls me into a deep kiss. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Seaweed Brain. And now, Diana and I outnumber you."

"What? We don't count?" Grover cracks on behalf of all the guys in the room.

No, they don't, I decide. Because my girls are my world. I tenderly stroke my daughter's hair.

Diana. A Greek name. How appropriate.