"Alexander Perseus Chase, wake up!" I said impatiently as I shook my son's shoulder. That boy of mine slept like a rock, not unlike someone else I had a date with today. "Time for school!"

That opened his eyes and he said brightly, "Really?"

I sighed happily and ruffled his hair. Alex thankfully hadn't inherited my ADHD or dyslexia, so he had no trouble at all at school. It was only kindergarten, but he was the top of his class.

I left the room so that he could get changed. Speaking of getting changed, I hadn't picked out what I was wearing to Starbucks. I ran to my closet and started shuffling through the clothes.

Red dress? No. Blue dress? No. Purple sweater? No. Then it caught my eye- the one thing I always wore as a teenager- my Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. Along with my T-shirt, I would wear my jeans and sneakers. No point dressing up, right?

My next stop was my mirror, to check out my hair. I finally settled on just wearing it down naturally. Then I decided on wearing no makeup, because in my eyes it was just a waste of time.

As I walked downstairs, I found Alex slurping down his Cheerios, inhaling them like a vacuum. I also had Cheerios, but I wasn't able to eat much out of nervousness.

When the time came, I drove Alex to school, checking three times to see if he had everything. He kept saying yes, so I believed him.

While I pulled into the school driveway, Alex yelped, "I forgot my lunch!" I reluctantly drove him all the way back home and to school again.

"Have a nice day," I told him as he walked up the stairs.

He called back, "You too, Mommy."

I drove myself home. The house was so much quieter without an active four year old in it.

I started reading my architecture book and got lost in the pages until I thought to look at the clock.

"Yikes!" I squealed. It was 11:45, meaning I had a whole fifteen minutes to get ready and get to Starbucks, which was a ten minute drive away. And I was never, ever late. Knowing Percy, he probably would be, but I had a reputation to keep up.

By noon, I was fidgeting in my seat at Starbucks, sipping my latte halfheartedly. Then Percy walked in, saw me, and waved. I waved back, which I immediately chastised myself for. Percy ordered hot chocolate and came to sit with me.

"Hey," I told him like we were still best friends.

"Hey," he smiled. I rolled my eyes. Still nothing original in that black-haired head of his.

"So, how have things been with you?" I asked.

"Fine. Nothing much has happened. But you should be proud of me! I'm going to college!"

"That's great! Which one?"

"NYU. I like it there."

"Cool. I'm at The Art Institute, for-"

"Architecture?"

"Yeah. What's your major?"

"Oceanography."

"Couldn't you just ask your dad about anything you want to know about the ocean?" I laughed.

"Yeah, but if I have a degree in it, it'll be easiler to get a job in it."

"Ah, I see."

"How have things been woth you?" he asked me. I sucked in a ragged breath. Confession time.

I took out my wallet and fished for the right picture. It was Alex smiling as he blew bubbles in our front yard. I showed it to Percy and watched his emotions.

"Who's this kid?" he asked.

"Look at his eyes," I said, closing mine to steady myself.

Percy dropped he picture after he did what I told him to. He obviously saw Alex's eyes. His eyes, reflected on a small child.

"No way," he muttered. Then he raised his voice. "Annabeth, why does this kid look like me?"

My hands tightened around my latte until my knuckles shown white.

"Annabeth?"

I opened my eyes and looked around, finally focusing on his.

"Because," I began weakly.

"Because why?"

"Because... Because..."

"Can I have a guess?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

He said, slowly and deliberately, "Is he mine too?"

I nodded again and a tear rolled down my cheek. Before I knew what was happening, Percy had leaned across the table and was kissing me again. Oh, how my lips had ached for another kiss of Percy!

He pulled away and said gently, "Why didn't you tell me?"

My voice rose in pitch and became almost hysterical. "Because I couldn't! It was hard enough as it was, trying to figure out what to do while my mom was unsupportive of our relationship before she found out! I was just so stressed out! No one to go to, no one to tell everything that had happened!"

"I was there."

"I just couldn't bring myself to tell you! You obviously weren't ready to be a father, I could see it! We had just had the adventure of our lives, and you were still preoccupied with sending all the monsters to Tartarus!"

"So that's what you meant, when you asked about little kids, on that day..." We both shuddered involuntarily.

"Sorry for not telling you."

"Sorry for not being there."

"You did nothing wrong!"

"I was too busy with my own life to even think of what was happening in yours. I saw all the signs, but I couldn't even consider the idea that we might be parents. So when do I get to see the kid? Well, more importantly, what's his name?"

"Alexander Perseus Chase, Alex for short." When I said "Perseus," I saw Percy smile. Without knowing it, I smiled too.

"I've always liked that name, Alex. Alexander Perseus. Wow."

"And you can see him whenever, except he's at school now."

"I'll stop by tomorrow for dinner, if that's okay." I nodded. "What's your address? I assume you don't live with your parents anymore."

I wrote the address of my house on a napkin, which I handed to Percy.

"Until tomorrow," he said, kissing me.

"Until tomorrow," I said as he walked out the door.