"Percy, wait!" Artemis called, "I need to ask you something."

"What?" Percy stopped and turned as they neared the Big House.

"Do you want the baby before or after we do this?"

"Chiron just got the papers to make it official, so we're doing it now." Percy resumed his walk to the Big House.

"You didn't answer my question!"

"I think the answer is obvious."

"I'm not bound by mortal laws. I can blitz through my pregnancy and have the baby now if you want."

Percy stopped dead, catching Artemis off guard as she walked right into him. He slowly turned to face her, his expression showing a level of agitation that sent a shiver down the goddess's spine.

"I probably should have mentioned that earlier," she tried to play innocent.

"You. Can. WHAT?!" Percy snapped, not at all in the mood for games.

As his agitation peaked, as well as his stress, Percy stormed off, not wanting to make a bigger scene than he likely already had. It wasn't her fault, she was just trying to help. The problem was that everything seemed to be moving so fast and he just couldn't keep up. As soon as Percy arrived at the Big House, he slumped down on the steps and let out a loud groaning sigh.

"Overwhelmed?" Chiron asked, looking away from some paperwork or letters, whichever one he did outside.

"A little," Percy admitted, "How do you do it? How do you cycle a personal life with all this responsibility."

"With practice and patience, something you'll learn to have as time goes on."

Percy sighed again and looked out over the camp. The older campers were going through their daily routines while younger campers were exploring the grounds. A notable sight was Nemesis playing with her brother's dragon, which had gone through a growth spurt in the past two days and was now the size of a great dane. They were playing games like fetch and tug-o-war with a training shield, showing how much like a dog Splitstream was. Speaking of dogs, Mrs. O'Leary bounded into view, wanting to play with the pair, prompting the dragon to hoist the girl into the air and fly to a different location. Mrs. O'Leary whined at the fleeing pair, then noticed Percy at the Big House, who figured now might be a good time to leave.

...

By the time night rolled around, everything calmed down, though no one had seen Percy all day. Everyone was getting ready for dinner when Mrs. O'Leary bounded into the dining pavilion, dragging her demigod owner along the way.

"Ow," Percy unenthusiastically groaned when his head hit a post.

Mrs. O'Leary skidded to a halt when a group of demigods blocked her path. She wagged her tail excitedly as she knew the humans to be her playmates when Percy was away. While blocked the hell hound's path, another demigod grabbed a relatively large steak off the buffet table and joined the group.

"Drop it," the demigod ordered, trying to coax Mrs. O'Leary with the food, "drop it," he ordered in a more stern voice, and Mrs O'Leary listened, dropping the appendage she had been using to drag her owner around, which happened to be Percy's leg. The demigod then looked to his right and shouted, "Move!" causing everyone in the direction he faced to dive for cover, clearing a path. He looked back at Mrs. O'Leary and shook the steak, "You want the treat?" Mrs. O'Leary got down on her front paws, ready to pounce after the meat, "You want it? Go get it!" He threw the steak and Mrs. O'Leary chased after it, hopping out of the pavilion and bounding off to enjoy her treat.

The demigods returned to their respective devices as Artemis entered the pavilion, cradling a bundle in her arms. She stopped when she reached Percy.

"You look like you've had a fun day," she smugly commented.

"Don't tell me you went ahead and did it?" Percy stared at the bundle.

"I wasn't about to wait forever for an answer," she told him, "and since the only alternative was a mortal childbirth, I'd say I picked the lesser of two evils. Are you still mad?"

"I was never mad, just frustrated."

"Aw," she teased, "does someone need a hug?"

"Not until I've calmed down," Percy crossed his arms in a huff and averted his gaze from Artemis. He stayed like that for a few moments as a couple of younger campers awkwardly stepped over him. He then sighed and stuck his arms up, "gimme my baby."

Artemis lowered the bundle into Percy's hands, who carefully lowered it so it was resting on his chest. He looked down at the infant's sleeping face. She was only a newborn and already had a full head of beautiful black hair. She was so tiny on his chest. He choked up a bit when she let out a tiny yawn and opened her eyes. She stared at him with big beautiful silver eyes, unsure of what to make of him.

"Hi," he greeted her with a gentle voice, trying to hold back his own tears, caressing her tiny cheek with his finger, "I'm your daddy."

He gasped when her tiny hand poked out of the blanket she was wrapped up in and gripped his finger. She continued to hold his finger as she drifted back to sleep, getting used to the sound of his heartbeat. Artemis knelt down as Percy started to tear up.

"It's a magical experience, isn't it?" Artemis asked.

"It would've been even more magical if the pain hadn't set halfway through," Percy groaned as quietly as he could, "please help."

The Goddess sighed and effortlessly lifted the man up.

"Is this embarrassing for you?" She teased.

"Not really. There are about ten girls in here who do this to me on a regular basis... give or take."

Artemis carried Percy out of the pavilion to take him to the infirmary. When the couple was out of earshot, all of the campers began murmuring excitedly over the baby.

...

So, what are we gonna name this baby. Before you start shoving moon and tide themed names at me, I already have a theme for the name. Well, two actually. This baby is Percy's little "Princess" and the "Light of his Life". Those are the themes. You're all a creative bunch, I know you'll think of something. Thank you for enjoying this story.