A/N: Much thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! :D Sorry for the long delay between chapters!
Annabeth's hand was shaking as she held the coffee mug, and it hit the counter with a resounding slam. "Percy!" she snapped, bristling. "You're upsetting Skye!"
"I'm upsetting Sky? Who's making the racket here?" Before slamming the coffee mug, Annabeth had also banged the refrigerator door (knocking a picture off the wall), hit the button on the microwave so hard that she punctured the label, and nearly torn off the toaster handle in her violent rage.
Meanwhile, Sky sat on the staircase in boredom, chin resting on her hand. She hardly felt "upset" by her parents' frequent arguments. In fact, they kind of reminded her of her friends at school sometimes. They were silly, always bickering over little things. Like today her mommy was running late for a presentation at some fancy museum, and her daddy had accidentally let the car run out of battery. That made mommy mad. Sky usually didn't mind their fights, since it was kind of funny to watch her parents act the same way that her best friends did when they fought over magic markers, but today she was running late for a gymnastics meet. Her mommy was supposed to drop her and Daddy off on the way to the museum, but now the car was broken. Broken, broken, broken.
"You know," Annabeth said, hands wrapped over her swollen belly, "you'd think that fatherhood would have instilled just a little responsibility in you, but no-no-no, that would be asking too much." She sneered cruelly, and Percy sighed in defeat. Arguing back was clearly not working for him.
"I know you're hormonal," he said softly. "It's natural. And I am sorry about the presentation, really Annabeth! Why don't we call car service, and we can call the museum from the road and - "
"Percy," Annabeth said, "this is my very last work assignment before..." All three stared at her tummy. "... Well, anyway, I wanted to make a good expression." She sniffed.
"Here," he said, gently taking the mug from her. "You really shouldn't have coffee."
She glared at him, and he threw up his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. Have coffee, do whatever you want. It's not like it's our baby or anything," he snapped.
Sky shook her head, thinking how stupid Daddy could be. He wasn't supposed to speak sarcastically when Mommy was pregnant. Dr. Vega told him so.
"What? You think you're so special, you son of a - " Percy caught her in a glare. Whether she was going to say the "b word' or the "P word", neither could pass through Sky's ears without a rather heavy does of exposition and trauma. She sighed, hands rubbing her temples. "Now I have a headache," she moaned.
Rising carefully to her feet, Sky wondered if she should run out of the room. As interesting as a baby sibling sounded, she hated when her mommy threw up all over everything. Throwing up was no fun. When that didn't happen, Sky advanced slowly into the room. She took her father by the hand, leading him into the kitchen with a superior expression on her face.
"Daddy," she whispered, tugging his shirt. "Mrs. Jenson would say that this is the part where you say sorry."
"Huh?" he asked, momentarily startled.
"You know," Sky replied, taking her mother's hand as well, "after you fight with someone. You say you're sorry cause that's how they know that you love them even though you were mad." She climbed onto Percy's shoes, peering up at him in a pleading expression. "Please say sorry? I'm gonna to be late to gymnastics."
He stared at her for a moment, bewildered, and then burst out laughing. "We did a pretty good job with this one, huh?" he asked Annabeth, hands rifling affectionately through Sky's hair.
"I think this is Mrs. Jenson's doing," Annabeth replied wryly. She stepped towards the pair anyway, smile widening. "Sky," she said, "I think you're going to be a great big sister."
"Really?" Sky asked, looking delighted. "Yay!" She clapped her hands, but would not be deterred for long. "Now make up," she instructed, stepping back.
Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other, mild grins twitching on their lips. Partially stalling and partially acting parental, Annabeth turned quickly to her daughter. "Honey, you understand that when your daddy and I fight, it doesn't mean we don't love each other. And it doesn't mean we don't love you."
Sky rolled her eyes. That's what they always said. "Yes Mommy."
"Okay, good." She smiled, going to Percy at last. Without another word, they pecked lightly on the mouth, and Sky purposely covered her eyes. She didn't say 'ew' though, despite the fact she knew she was supposed to. A part of her liked to see her parents acting happily. Still, as Percy shepherded them into the car service, she rolled her eyes again. What kind of parents couldn't even say sorry? Watching her parents as they argued over which highway was best to take, she smiled quietly to herself. Hers.