If I had just one wish, only one demand
I hope he's not like me, I hope he understands
That he can take this life, and hold it by the hand
And he can greet the world, with arms wide open

With arms wide open, under the sunlight
Welcome to this place
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
Now everything has changed, I'll show you love
I'll show you everything
With arms wide open
With arms wide open
-With Arms Wide Open, Creed

**Note: This is going to be segmented, just specific scenes that I wanted to write. I will give a little note at the top of each one so that you do not get confused. This is all going to be in Annabeth's POV, and any scenes that you want to see in Percy's POV will be in the outtakes.

FIRST NIGHT HOME

After two days of monitoring in the hospital, Jules and I were cleared to go home.

Outside was a madhouse; somehow the news of the birth came out, and all of the photographers were clamoring for the first shot of Jules. Luke and Nico had put together a press release, giving name and weight and as minimum details as we could possibly get away with.

Percy had brought one of his zip-up sweatshirts to the hospital, and although I would be in the photos, I would hold Jules and keep him in the sweatshirt, both for warmth and to keep the flashing lights from freaking him out. Once I was in the limo - and for the love of God, Percy insisted on the limo bringing us home - I would put him in the carseat, and then we would be home free.

Jules snuffled a little when I picked his little burrito-wrapped body up from the small bassinet. Frigga smiled at me and whispered when she helped me settle into the wheelchair, "You did a fantastic job."

I smiled back at her and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you for being there all these months. I couldn't have done it without you."

Frigga pressed a motherly kiss to my forehead before Luke came into the room.

Luke had stepped into uncle-hood with amazing ease. He loved Jules, and Jules loved him, if the contented sighs were any indication.

Thalia was constantly hovering over Jules, always jumping at every little noise he made and hovering over me when I was holding him. Apollo joked that he would need to ply her with Xanax, but he was just as enamored with Jules as everyone else was.

I knew it must have been hard for her, having a baby around. Thalia hadn't spoken about her brother in years, and it was always going to be an open wound for her, but I hoped that being able to be around a baby she could hold and love forever would make it hurt that much less.

Percy appeared at my side and helped me zip up Jules into my sweatshirt.

"Come on, let's go home."

Frigga walked next to us as we made our way down through the halls of the hospital to the front, where the limo was waiting. We made it three steps outside the hospital before we were ambushed by flashing lights and screaming paparazzi.

"Annabeth, can we get a photo of the baby?"

"How was the delivery?"

"Does he look like his father?"

Jules shifted slightly in my arms, and I tightened my grip on him, keeping my head ducked. My "momma-bear" instincts were rising. I hated being photographed, I hated the questions that they were shouting at me, and I hated that they were making Jules uncomfortable just days after he was born.

Percy kept one hand on the back of my neck, his shoulders stiff and his stance protective. Thalia had laughed with me at how "cave-man-protective" he had gotten, but to be fair, the three of us had gone through some pretty heavy stuff.

But the light at the end of the tunnel was that our relationship was stronger than ever, and we were finally on our way to being a family after months of tension.

Getting into the limo was the best feeling I had ever had. Once the door was shut, the tinted windows kept the flashes out. Percy helped me maneuver a still asleep Jules into the baby seat that was sitting in between us. Jules didn't like being jostled, but he settled in as soon as the car started moving.

Percy let out a long sigh before letting his head fall back on the seat.

"That was horrible."

I laughed before reaching over to lace my fingers with his. We rested them at the edge of Jules' carseat.

"I know, but at least they didn't get a photo of him. We can release some later, when he's a little bit older to get them off our backs. I just…"

"Want to keep him to ourselves for a little while?"

"Yeah. I love Luke and Thalia and Apollo, but all I want to do is lock the apartment door and just have it be the three of us."

Percy smiled and lifted our entwined hands to kiss the back of my palm.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

The ride back to the apartment didn't take long. Once we got there, it was another mad dash into the lobby. There were some photographers there, but we covered up Jules' carrier so they couldn't see his face.

I almost collapsed with relief when we finally got into the apartment and locked it. I stretched a little, careful not to pull too hard on my stitches. They were healing quickly, but they were still tender. I was lucky though, I didn't gain that much weight from the pregnancy, and Frigga told me that with a couple of months of breast-feeding and working out post-stitches, I would be back to normal quickly.

Percy gently placed the carrier on the ground before crouching down to unbuckle Jules. I shamelessly watched as he cooed over our son, pulling him gently into his arms, tucking his small head into the crook of his neck before standing up.

"Come on. We can put him in his crib tomorrow. I just want to watch a movie, take a nap…but I want him close by."

Together, we laid down on the bed. Percy kept Jules curled up on his chest. It was a funny sight, since Jules was in a thick, long sleeved onesie that was blue with fluffy sheep on it. Jules looked perfectly content with his spot on his father's chest, so we just let him be, although it was comical to see how high he rose into the air whenever Percy inhaled.

I don't even remember what movie we started watching, only that I fell asleep quickly, one of my hands resting on top of Jules' back, my head on Percy's shoulder, completely content and full with my own little family.

.

.

.

Of course, those sweet feelings were gone the moment that Jules started crying at about two in the morning for food.

Percy was out cold, so I quickly took Jules from his grip and shushed him gently. He opened his eyes, and they latched onto mine before he quieted down a little. They were still a murky blue that most newborns had, but I imagined that months from now, they would be a sea-green color, maybe with a hint of gray in them.

Soon, he was eating, content noises going from his mouth. I was surprised at how easily I was able to slip into this role of motherhood, how instinctual it was.

Gently, I ran a hand over Jules' head, before leaning down and kissing the top of his head.

"Hey…"

I looked up and saw that Percy had just woken up, and his hair was sticking up adorably, his eyes lidded with sleep. He looked like a little kid, and I had to stifle a laugh.

His eyes softened slightly; he rolled over onto his side so that his head was level with my shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine. He's just hungry."

It was silent for a little while longer, but then Percy leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Jules' forehead before leaning up to kiss the underside of my jaw.

It was a peaceful night, our first night home. The three of us cuddled together on the bed, Jules didn't wake up (thank GOD) for another five hours, almost unheard of for a newborn, and when I woke up, it was to Percy cradling Jules' against his shoulder while he attempted to eat cereal one handedly.

Needless to say, it was a good morning after a great night, and a great beginning for us.

FIRST PHOTO SHOOT

"Do we really have to do this?" I groaned as I shifted Jules in my grip. He had gained a pound in a week, a good amount. He was sleeping almost entirely through the night, only waking up every five hours. Sally Jackson told me that it was so unfair because Percy had woken up every two hours like clockwork for the first five months of his life.

Jules was an easy baby. He was always so calm and content.

Nico just rolled his eyes as he made grabby motions with his hands. I wanted to roll my eyes as well, but I just handed over Jules to his grip. Nico smiled down at the baby and started swaying from side to side.

"Yes, because if you don't, the paparazzi are just going to keep hounding you for first photos of Jules. You can't even keep him near the windows because of those stupid zoom lenses they have. So you'll be posed here, take a couple of photos, and then we'll release it to certain magazines, and then the novelty will wear off."

Percy suddenly appeared behind me, a slight scowl on his face. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing at his grumpy expression. He looked too much like a pouting baby seal to be taken seriously.

Rachel and Silena appeared behind him, motioning me away from the little group.

"Come on, your turn. Don't worry, minimal make-up, a cute outfit that portrays some mom-ish-ness, but not too modest that you look like you're trying to hard, and you will be perfect."

After I was put into a cute white dress - there was a comical moment when I had to explain to Silena that, yes, I did have to wear that certain bra, because Jules needed to eat, and then another moment when she still didn't get it until I spelled it out for her - and a jean jacket, and a light blue scarf wrapped around my neck. My hair was curled even more, pinned up, and some light make-up applied before I was ready to go.

The photographer who was hired to work this little photo shoot was from the label that supported the guy's band. His name was Michael Yew, and he looked a little like a ferret if I was being honest. He was nice enough though, and he said that he was going to make this quick.

After I stole Jules back from Nico, Percy came over peered over my shoulder to Jules's small face. Jules gurgled, and Percy smiled before leaning down to bop his nose against Jules's.

There was a flash and we looked up to see that Michael had taken a photo of us.

"Good. Just be spontaneous like that and this will be over before you know it."

And so we did just that. We would play with Jules, laughing at his little faces and excitement, while Michael took pictures.

A few days later, we would see the photos go out to the general public; most of the commentary back was flattering. Many people thought that Jules was the cutest baby ever, an opinion I whole-heartedly agreed with.

The photo that they used was the very first one that we had taken. I was holding Jules to my shoulder, and Percy was leaning down to bop his nose against Jules's. We were all smiling, and it was a cute photo that showed just how happy we were to finally be a family.

RUNNING INTO DREW (this has been requested a lot and I am so happy to write it for you!)

You know how in those "teen-movies" when the underdog always had their shinning moment smacking down the head bitch?

You know how we all secretly want that said moment?

Well, I was one of the lucky ones that did get that said moment.

Jules was about four months old when Percy and I started going out in public on a semi-regular basis. For the first couple of months of Jules's life, we wanted it to be just us, so most of the time we would be in the apartment, only leaving to run errands or get food.

Jules was such a happy baby, and my days were always amazing with him, even when he was fussy and refused to be comforted.

But today was going to be one of our first outings as a family, and we decided that we would go to the mall. Jules was old enough now that he would not be at risk for getting sick as easily as he would have if he had been younger. Plus, I was in desperate need of some new clothing. Motherhood had changed my body a lot, and maternity clothes were too big and my clothes from before I was pregnant didn't fit either.

One of Thalia's gifts to me after Jules had been born was this sling-like material thing that would wrap around my shoulders and hang loose in the front. It was meant to help me carry Jules. I would tuck him in and support him with my arm, but my shoulders would be taking the bulk of my weight.

Percy just liked it because it was in a beautiful shade of blue, so he didn't feel weird wearing it himself.

He wasn't fooling anyone. I knew he would wear it even if it were hot pink.

Percy had taken to fatherhood like a duck to a pond. It was amusing and heartwarming to watch.

Percy would walk around the apartment with Jules tucked into the crook of his elbow, talking to Jules and explaining everything he was doing, even if Jules was asleep. Sometimes he would take a nap with Jules on his chest, his little hands clinging to Percy's shirt.

Best moment was when they were watching a baseball game together, both of them wearing jerseys and hats. That was a photo that had gone onto the band's twitter page.

We had just been walking around the mall, window shopping for a little bit when I stopped in front of Urban Outfitters. I had seen some band-tees on their website, and I was planning on buying a couple, including one of Chasing Waves, just to tease Luke, Apollo and Percy.

Well, Percy would love it. He was slightly possessive, he loved seeing me in his clothes. I assumed that it was some basic instinct of his to want to see me "belonging" to him.

"Hey, I'm gonna go in here. Do you wanna come, or do you wanna go get your own stuff?"

"No, I'll come with you. I saw a nice shirt in here from the window. I'll be on the other side of the store," Percy said, leaning down to give me a chaste kiss, before kissing Jules's head, and then disappearing to the guy's side of the store.

Jules's was content to just lay in the little sling, but I kept up commentary to him, asking his opinions on things just so he would hear my voice.

I was just browsing through the dresses when I hear a familiar snide voice say from behind me, "Well, look at you."

Internally, I groaned. I did not want to do this right now. Knowing Drew, it was going to turn into a bitch-fest and with my luck, it was going to be recorded by paparazzi.

Still, I turned around and pasted a fake smile on my face.

"Hello Drew."

Drew looked impeccable, as always, with her eyes lined in pink eyeliner and her hair perfectly done, dressed to the nines in heels and a pretty patterned dress that showed of her enviable figure.

Her eyes narrowed at Jules in my arms.

"So this is the bastard child?"

I stiffened immediately. It was one thing to insult me, I could take it, and I didn't really care what she had to say about me.

But she better not dare badmouth my precious baby boy.

"Watch it Drew," I snapped. "If you don't have something intelligent to say, and I'm not holding out hope for that, then leave me alone."

Drew snorted and rolled her eyes. She paced forward, leaning down so she could see Jules.

"He's cute. Must take after his father, god only knows who the hell that is."

I raised an eyebrow at Drew. She was definitely one to keep up with pop culture, she should have known that Percy was Jules's father.

Then I remembered that Drew hadn't gotten accepted into her top choice college, so she had decided to take a gap year and go around the world and travel a little bit. Maybe that would explain for her lack of knowledge.

"Drew, not that this hasn't been nice talking to you and all - "

"Hey, Annabeth, do you think this one is better in blue or green?"

Drew and I both turned to see Percy coming around a display, a pale blue button up in one hand and a bright spring green one in the other hand.

I wish I could have captured the expression on Drew's face when she turned around and recognized Percy.

Shock, amazement…it flashed across her face quickly.

Like a switch had been flicked, Drew's entire personality changed. She slunk over to Percy, running a hand over his shoulder before saying, "Well, I am one to wonder how the hell Annabeth here knows you?"

Percy shot me a confused look. I had to hold back laughter.

Despite the high-society life and all the girls who screamed their names at concerts, Percy really had no idea how to act around girls. It was easier with me, because we were close, we were friends before we got together, but other girls flirting with him? Uncharted territory.

Percy gently slunk away from her, coming over to my side.

Just at that moment, Jules looked around and spotted his father and started fussing. Automatically, Percy reached out and took Jules gently from the sling, bringing the baby to his chest. Jules gurgled contently.

Drew's eyes got bigger.

I smiled sweetly at her and said, "Drew, this is Percy. Percy, this is Drew."

Percy's eyes flashed dangerously. He remembered Drew from that awful day in the mall all those months ago, when I had ended up back at the apartment crying.

"Ah, this is the bitch that you were telling me about."

Drew looked like he had just slapped her.

"Well, that's not…well, yeah. She is. Anyway, come on, I want to get something to eat and maybe visit a few more stores before we have to get home for Jules's nap."

"I can just hold him while you go into the stores, he can sleep on me."

"Yeah, he inherited your ability to sleep anywhere."

"What can I say, like father like son."

Drew just stood there in shock, watching us banter back and forth, her eyes continuously getting stuck on Jules in Percy's arms.

I turned back around and smiled sarcastically at Drew.

"Well, bye Drew. And just a little piece of advice? Be careful what you say to people. You call my son a bastard again and I just might have to tell someone which one of us here is really the bastard child."

Low blow, but to be fair, Drew thought that I didn't know that her mother didn't know who her father was because her mother had slept around too much in high school. I think the last time I cared to listen to the gossip, her mother was on her third husband in as many years.

Drew's face went bright red, but I just tugged Percy out of the store, some strange sense of happiness coming over me.

I assumed that it was finally smacking down my high school bully…but I think a bigger part of it was being able to hold my own against someone who had previously made me feel so weak.

Percy leaned down and pecked me on the cheek as we walked, a silent support at my side.

Despite everything that had gone on with us, he would always be one of my strongest pillars of strength, and I was grateful for him being there.

(And of course, because Percy and I are just nerdy that way, we went into a photo booth with Jules before we left. Drew could eat her heart out, because I had a family that accepted me for who I am, who loves me for it, and that is something that she will never be able to have as long as she's as bitter and bitchy as she was now.)

BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS (NOTE: Remember, Jules was born end of May, almost June, so he will be about seven months old when his first Christmas rolls around)

"You know, I think we should relish this day because not only is it Christmas, it's also perfectly fallen that Jules really has no idea what's going on, and hence-therefor will not proceed to jump on us at five in the morning to wake us up and open presents."

Sally chuckled from where she was stirring the boiling vegetables in the kitchen.

"Percy, you woke me up at three in the morning one time when you were four."

I groaned from where I was mashing potatoes and leaned harder against the counter.

"So, we have that to look forward to."

Sally laughed lightly before handing me the vegetables to drain.

"I feel like your genes will temper down some of those more 'Percy' tendencies."

Percy chuckled from where he was sitting with Jules on his lap and said, "But this Christmas, do you know how many presents this little guy is going to get? Between us, Mom and Paul, Thalia, Apollo, Luke and Nico and Rachel -"

"Don't forget Silena and Beckendorf, and I think Katie, Travis and Connor sent something as well-"

"Not to mention all the gifts that are still being processed by the record label that the fans are sending."

"We are not keeping all of those," I shot to Percy.

"Nope, there would be no room in the apartment if we kept them all."

"We can donate them to a charity or something like that."

"Good idea."

"What's a good idea?" Paul asked as he walked in the kitchen, his face flushed from the cold.

"Just talking about how freaking spoiled Jules is going to be this Christmas."

"Oh, well that is a given."

Percy handed Jules over to Paul. Jules squealed with joy and gripped onto Paul's collar with chubby hands.

Sally smiled lovingly at her husband and grandchild.

Sally had insisted on Percy, Jules and I having Christmas Eve dinner with her and Paul. We had the plan to go home and spend the night in our apartment, then everyone would converge on us for Christmas present opening and Christmas dinner.

Dinner passed quickly, but it was full of laughter. It was interesting to try and introduce mashed potatoes to Jules's diet; the faces that he made were hysterical.

Sally shooed us off with a promise that she and Paul would be over around ten with toys in tow for Jules.

Jules passed out in his bucket seat on the way back to our apartment. Percy slipped him out of the seat which we were still in the car, tucking Jules into his thick winter jacket before booking it up the stairs, avoiding anyone who might want to take a photo of us.

Jules was put to bed, a blanket tight around his tiny form, and then Percy and I collapsed into bed, cuddling to keep warm and excited for getting up the next morning.

.

.

"Annabetthhhh…"

I groaned as Percy poked me in the side gently, tickling me to wake me up. I rolled over and buried my head in the pillows.

"No, let me sleep…"

There was a couple of seconds of quiet, and I thought that Percy would actually let me go back to sleep.

Should have known that he would just pull out the big guns.

Tiny hands were pressed against my shoulder and I was shaken gently.

"Wake up Mommy, Jules."

I cracked open an eye and glared at Percy, "Not fair."

Percy chuckled and leaned down to kiss me on the cheek, whispering back "I love you too."

I rolled my eyes but turned to look at Jules, who was smiling up at me. He had two teeth on his bottom jaw, and it was the most adorable smile I had ever seen. He was dressed in a Christmas themed sleeping onesie, his thick black hair in wild curls mussed from sleep. His eyes had settled on a pale sea-green, just like Percy's, but if you looked closely, there was a small ring of gray near the irises.

"Hi big guy. Excited for Christmas?"

Jules gurgled and cuddled closer to me, his tiny hands grabbing at everything he could get.

The three of us lay in bed and cuddled for a couple of minutes before Percy hauled me out of bed, holding Jules just out of reach to tempt me further.

Breakfast passed quickly. Percy put a tiny bit of maple syrup from our pancakes on his finger and let Jules taste it. I smacked him, not wanting him to sugar up Jules this early in the morning, and Jules just giggled in happiness.

The Christmas tree that we had decorated earlier in the week was glittering in the corner of the room, so many presents on the ground that it would be impossible to get within six feet of the tree. Most of the presents were for Jules, although there were also some in there for Nico, Apollo, Thalia, Sally, Paul, and various other friends that would stop in later in the day or week.

This was not even counting the hundreds of presents - almost thousands last time we checked - that were sent to the band for Christmas. Percy blushed whenever he thought about it; he had grown up in a poorer family, and had not been used to all the presents and wealth that was showered on him now.

Jules, the moment he was let free, scooted on his stomach (he had yet to perfect the crawl yet) to the presents. I had to smile at the amusement on his face.

Jules was getting such a little personality. He was more independent now. It seemed like just yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital, when he was so small I could hold him with one arm. Now he was seven months old, roughly, and he was eating more solid foods, he was almost mobile, and he was laughing and babbling, words soon to follow.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Thalia screamed as she burst into the apartment, pulling me out of my musings. Apollo was right behind her, dressed in one of the most hideous Christmas sweaters I had ever seen.

Jules maneuvered himself so that he was sitting on the ground and gurgled happily, raising his hands up in a request to be picked up.

Nico and Rachel came by soon after Thalia and Apollo arrived, and then Sally and Paul came as well. The apartment was packed, but it was a good kind of packed. When Luke arrived - ten minutes late and his cheeks flushed from running down the hall - he was swamped with hugs and a tiny toddler who was very happy to see his uncle again.

The day passed quickly. Jules was constantly being passed around or handed gifts to open, and he had more fun ripping the paper off of the boxes than he did actually playing with the gifts he had received.

He was very happy with the stuffed animal that Luke had bought him, a plushy panda bear that Luke had picked up after he had flown to China to do some promoting for the band's album. Jules kept it next to him the entire day.

And at the end of the day, when food had been consumed and presents opened and packed away and kisses exchanged under the mistletoe, when Jules curled up in my arms, exhausted from the excitement, I knew that I would not want to spend a Christmas any other way.

BABY'S FIRST WORD

"Come on buddy, say 'Daddy!'"

I peered around the couch while I braided my hair and smirked.

Percy was laying on the ground, Jules perched on his chest. Jules giggled, letting his head rest on Percy's collarbone.

Jules had turned ten months old a couple of days ago, and had been babbling in what was the start of words. Percy had been trying to get him to say "Daddy" for such a long time, but I kept thinking that the more that he tried to get Jules to say it the longer it would take for him to actually say it.

"You know the more you goad him into saying it, the more likely it is that he is not going to say it?"

Percy stuck his tongue out at me.

"I can try!"

I rolled my eyes before leaning down and picking up my squirmy toddler.

"Come on Buddy, you're coming with Mama today."

"Where are you going?"

"Thalia and I are going on a lunch date and she demanded that I bring Jules."

Percy smiled and stood up as well, dropping a kiss to my lips and then to the top of Jules's head.

"Be good for your Mama, okay buddy?"

"Mama!"

Percy and I both froze, staring in shock at the little baby in between us who looked entirely too pleased with himself.

"Mama, Mama, Mamamamamamama."

Jules babbled on like that, bouncing up and down in my arms.

Percy smiled and kissed Jules's head again.

"At least we know who is a Mama's boy."

"Mama!"

I laughed - even though I was tearing up a little bit. Jules kept on babbling in my arms, but I was beaming with pride and happiness.

I was his first word.

BABY'S FIRST BIRTHDAY

"Happy birthday Jules!"

Jules squealed happily as Percy swung him above his head, spinning him around in the air until Jules was nothing more than a giggly, air-dizzy mass of laughter and happiness.

We had held a little party for Jules with a whole bunch of family, but now it was time for just the three of us, something that we almost never had. Thalia and all the others loved being with Jules, and I found that I had to fight for time alone with my own son.

Percy and I hauled out some of the toys we had bought him, letting him play with the plushy animals and little cars that he had unwrapped earlier.

I sat back and watched as Jules played with Percy, making his car smash into Percy's. Percy was humoring him by making all the noises.

It was was so hard to believe that my little boy was a year old. It seemed like just yesterday they were laying him in my arms at the hospital and I was meeting him for the first time.

A year had made him even cuter, as if that was possible. His thick black hair had gotten crazier, my curls sticking straight up out of his head. His eyes were still the same sea green as Percy's, but close to his pupil was a small ring of gray from me. He was turning into a big boy, sturdy and determined to crawl and walk quickly.

Inwardly, I mourned the loss of his smaller toddler body, where I could just curl up with him in one of my arms.

He was growing so fast and I didn't like it.

"Mama, Mama!"

I was brought back to the present at the insistent calls of 'Mama!' from Jules and his small hands patting at my leg where he was holding himself up.

"Hey buddy, what's going on?"

"Mama, Mama, Dada, Dada."

Percy's smile got larger, just like it did every time Jules said 'Dada.'

"Yeah, buddy, we're here. Come here, give me a hug."

He launched himself into my arms, giggling and gurgling, half-formed words gushing from his mouth as he jabbered on and on in his baby talk.

Percy smiled and scooted over so that the two of us were sitting side-by-side, and Jules launched himself again so that he was laying half-sprawled over both of our laps, still laughing and babbling.

This past year had been crazy but happy.

When Jules was ten months old, we had taken him to the aquarium. The photo of him leaning against the jellyfish tanks, his little face amazed, is framed and sitting on my desk. Percy ended up buying him five stuffed animals during that trip, and I knew it was only a matter of time before we brought him back.

Tentative plans were made to go to Disney with him when he was three or four, but Percy was still fighting me to bring Jules to Sea World first.

Let's just say that Percy thought he was winning that argument.

And that I was secretly trying to teach Jules how to say "Disney" and "Mickey" to help my case.

But in all…a year had past. My baby boy was a year old.

It was surreal.

I mean, everything wasn't sunshine and roses. There had been bad periods, where Percy and I had both been sleep-deprived, when Jules had gotten so sick that he had ended up in the ER on a baby IV. There had been periods when Jules was having a lot of tantrums and I had doubts over if I was a good enough mother or not.

But Frigga and Sally would always pull me aside, share stories with me, make sure that I knew that as long as I loved Jules and tried my very best, I would never be a bad mother.

And honestly, even with all the drama and scariness and general craziness, I loved Jules more than anything else in the world. I wouldn't trade away this past year for anything.

So yeah, I think we would be just fine.

EXTRA: LUKE BONDING (Meeting Jules for the first time), LUKE POV

When the chance to hold the little baby - oh God, his nephew, he was an uncle - he jumped on it.

Percy was out in the waiting room talking to his mother and step-father, Nico there as well. Apollo and Thalia had gone back to the apartment, promising to bring Annabeth clothes and stuff the next morning. Annabeth was sleeping, labor and the subsequent drama of Jules's birth exhausting her.

The little cradle that was in the room next to Annabeth's bed held Jules, who was curled up in one of those baby-burrito blankets. A tiny hat was on his head, but wisps of black hair was escaping from it.

Carefully, Luke gently lifted the tiny baby into his arms, cradling him against his chest. Jules let out a tiny sigh before turning his head into Luke's chest, resting again when he heart the heartbeat underneath his tiny ear.

Luke slowly lowered himself into the chair by the window, keeping Jules tight to his body.

Gently, he ran a finger over the bridge of Jules's nose, smiling slightly when the little baby wrinkled his face at the touch.

"Hi Jules…I'm your Uncle Luke."

Luke made himself comfortable, leaning back and letting the comforting weight of the tiny baby calm him.

"We have been excited to meet you. You scared us that one time a couple months ago. I thought that I was gonna lose you and your mother. And then again today. You have probably inherited your father's ability to scare the crap out of people and take years off their lives."

He absentmindedly stroked the tiny wisps of hair away from Jules's face as he talked.

"It's a little strange for me though, because I took care of your mom when she was a baby, and now she has a baby of her own. But I'm excited that you're here. I'm going to be the fun uncle, no matter what Apollo says. There are a lot of people who love you already, okay buddy? And you're never going to be alone or without family."

Luke still hated thinking about how things were before he started the band.

He hated thinking about how no one had really cared about him and Annabeth, how it was the two of them against the world. How it felt to fight everything to try and survive, the fear that came from knowing that if anything happened to Annabeth or to him, there would only be one other person who cared.

There had been no other family for them to go to when their parents died, there had been no safe home for a long time.

Annabeth was too young to really remember the uncertainty, but he knew she remembered the times when it was just the two of them. She would crawl into his bed and just stay there, like she was afraid that if she slept in another room someone would come and take her away forever.

He didn't want that for his nephew. He would tear himself apart if it meant that Jules would never know the feeling of abandonment, never know the feeling of being alone in the world.

That was a good portion of the reason that Luke had been so pissed at Percy.

"I was mad at your father for a long time. Partly because he's an idiot sometimes - don't worry, your mom's brains will be dominant with you - but I had trusted him to be something stable for your mother. He made a mistake, and…I would never have forgiven him if he hadn't been there for you, buddy. I know the pain of being abandoned, albeit my parents really didn't have a choice, but I didn't want it for you. I didn't want it for Annabeth either."

He had to pause to gain control of his emotions. Jules kept sleeping in his arms, calm and content.

"But you…buddy, you're never going to have that happen to you. I promise. You're always going to have me, or your mom, or your dad, or your grandparents and aunt and uncles. You have so many people who will always love you and always be there for you and always protect you. But right now…keep on sleeping buddy. You have so many people to see again tomorrow."

Even though Luke knew that he should probably put Jules back in the little crib, he couldn't bring himself to move from the chair, or to move the tiny baby who was resting so contently in his arms.

"I love you buddy. And I swear, if I don't have favorite uncle status, I'm going to be mad, because of out of all those fools out there, I'm the only one blood related to you. Well, there's Nico, but he's technically your cousin. So be sure that you remember that," he teased lightly before gently leaning back even farther in the chair, keeping a firm grip on the newborn.

He fell asleep in that uncomfortable hospital chair, his head thrown back and his mouth open while Jules kept sleeping next to his heart.

And when the others came into the room and took photos, he pretended to be disgruntled, but he loved the picture.

When Jules was old enough, Luke would tell him everything that he had spoken in that hospital room hours after he was born. He would let his nephew know again and again just how much he was loved.

But for now, he was content with holding his nephew - now a toddler and growing up too fast - and letting the little boy giggle and bury his face next to his heart.

Part of it belonged to him anyway.

A/N: Literally, I am the worst author ever. Like, please, don't kill me even though I deserve it.

There are really no excuses for this late update, but some of the reasons that got in the way included health reasons, school reasons, and computer problems. I'm so sorry, but here we are! Please excuse any errors that you may see.

Well, here we are! We are at the epilogue! MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.

Anyway! I am going to try my damn hardest to get Percy's POV up, but they will be written in very much the same way as this, since I don't want to rewrite the entire story from his POV since I don't think I will do it justice and because I don't have the time. I will try to hit most of the main points from his POV, I promise!

Again, I am so sorry for this late update, but please, leave a review and tell me what you think?