Author's Note: Don't fight me on this, Percy and Annabeth have adorable twins and their daughter is Deaf. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns everything here, including my soul
Warnings: NA
Stacked with: MC4A; Shipping War; Summer Bingo; Tasty Yandras; Animal Verses; Seriously Important (Not)
Individual Challenge(s): Wise Seaweed; Seeds; Tiny Terrors; Mountain Dwellers; Old Shoes; Themes and Things A (Family); Themes and Things B (Reunion); In a Flash
Representation(s): Summer vacation; California; zebras
Bonus challenge(s): Enfant; Second Verse (Mouth of Babes); Chorus (Not a Lamp)
Tertiary bonus challenge: NA
List (Prompt): Service Prompt (Rescue)
Word Count:
Summer Bingo entry information:
Space Address: 4E
Prompt: Zoo
Shipping Wars
Ship (Team): Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase (Wise Seaweed)
List (Prompt): Summer Big List (Zoo Trip)
Long Lost Acquaintances
Percy slipped his hand in Annabeth's as the kids ran ahead. She turned to look at him and smiled from behind her sunglasses.
"I told you the zoo would be fun," Percy said.
"'Fun' on the verge of 'chaotic,' yes," Annabeth said. "Did you see Maggie try to tell Alec that because this zoo was for rescues, they didn't keep the lions in cages?"
"Nope," Percy grinned. "How close did she get to convincing him?"
"Far too close," Annabeth grumbled. "That poor boy, he's so eager to learn but so gullible. And that sister of his knows it… I suppose that's what I get for mingling my DNA with yours."
He laughed as the two kids circled back, running towards them. Maggie was waving for his attention and she stopped at his feet and signed so rapidly that he had trouble keeping up.
"Sign that again, please—slower, slower…"
Percy hadn't seen the sign many times before, but context was enough to help him register that his daughter was signing "zebra," dragging her hand over her chest, fingers spread as if she was painting stripes.
"Zebra?" he repeated. "Where? Show me."
She took his hand and dragged him forwards. Her brother grabbed Annabeth's hand and in a joint effort, they brought them to a zebra enclosure. Maggie promptly started regurgitating all the info on zebras that she'd read on the plaque and Percy nodded along. Annabeth chimed in with more zebra-related knowledge, because of course she had some laying around that mind of hers.
Percy tuned out and drifted towards the zebra, squinting as he looked the animal over. It wasn't that he'd never seen a zebra before or that the stripes threw him off. It was just that…
"Wise Girl?" he asked, turning back to her. "I… This will maybe sound crazy, but does this zebra look familiar to you?"
Annabeth arched an eyebrow and took off her sunglasses, but since weirder things had happened she approached the edge of the enclosure to watch the animal happily munching on its grass. She then investigated the sign their children had scouted out before them.
"Oh my gods," she gasped. She motioned him over.
Meet Eddie our zebra!
Eddie was saved from exotic animal smugglers in 2005 alongside two other animals in our care: Mufasa the lion and Audrey the antelope. We're not sure how the three of them escaped the van they were being transported in, but it's likely that animal rights activist or passersbys with impeccable timing were involved.
"No way," Percy gasped. He looked up at Eddie the zebra, just as the zebra seemed to look up at him. Percy swore he saw the zebra's eyes widen in recognition at the exact same second. He and the zebra, for that second, were one.
"He looks so much better," Annabeth gasped. "I mean, if it's the same…"
"Hey, my lord!"
Percy heard the zebra's voice, loud and clear in his mind.
"Oh boy," Percy said, as the zebra happily began to gallop towards him. "Yeah, it's him."