A/N: This is a short story that popped into my head and I couldn't resist. Read away!

Of course, I don't own Percy Jackson or any of the characters, no matter how much I wish I did... :)

"If you don't get over here right now, we're not coming back anytime soon!" I threatened briskly, watching Carter's small head bobble over, her golden curls flying around her face as she shoved her way through the rushing crowd.

"We have to go home," I emphasized, my patience for the zoo waning. I hated everything about it—the screeching babies, the overcrowded gift stores, the awful stench, and the creepy clowns that would sneak up and grab Carter when my back was turned.

Plus it was a blazing day, at least ninety degrees. Surely we had to go before Carter got overheated. I hadn't even put on sunscreen in the rush to get out of the house. The more I tried to justify getting out of this place, the more I realized that I was just tired myself.

We'll do something fun when we get home, I reasoned to myself. Maybe I'll take her to the pool or Percy will bring her to the park.

Carter finally reached the bench where I was sitting, and I eagerly grabbed her hand. We had been watching the seals get fed, and Carter had gone with the other young kids to the edge of the tank to get a better view.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" I asked, smoothing the top of her head and squeezing her small hand in mine.

She looked up at me, her sea green eyes boring into my grey ones, shining in the bright sunlight.

"No," she stated sincerely, shrugging her shoulders.

"No?" I repeated, the corners of my mouth pulling into a grin. "And why not?"

"Because I don't like these seals. I like the real ones that Daddy brings me to see in the ocean," she said matter-of-factly.

The lady next to me, a young brunette with a baby strapped to her chest and a three-year-old boy tugging on her sleeve, gave a sharp laugh and rolled her eyes.

"What?" Carter said defensively, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "My Daddy brings me to see all the animals in the ocean. He even talks to them, and he says they like me and I really like to see the seals and the dolphins and—"

I scooped her up in my arms quickly, cutting her off.

"What a crazy imagination this one has," I stammered, waving my arms as if it was nothing. "Her dad reads her lots of bedtime stories, maybe that's where she gets it from. Sometimes I can't tell if she's actually learning, or if it's just messing with her head."

The woman gave a nod and turned her attention back to her boy, which I took as an opportunity to walk away.

"Carter," I chastised, putting her on the ground, "you can't talk about those things to other people. Remember we had this discussion?"

"But Mommy," she whined. "Why are the seals in the zoo? Why can't they be free?"

"Well, sometimes they're sick or can't live on their own. They need help to be happy," I explained.

"From a vegetarian?" she asked intently, skipping alongside me.

"A vegetarian?" I repeated. "Do you mean a veterinarian?"

"What's that?"

"A doctor for animals."

"A veterinarian," she confirmed with a nod, her mouth struggling slightly with the new word.

I snorted at the mistake, which caused her to laugh. The bright sound bubbled from her mouth like chimes and I couldn't help but feel a little less tense.

When we arrived at the car, I walked to the back to help her to her seat. I bent down to lift her up, but she sidestepped my grasp and swatted away my hands.

"I don't need help," she said, taking both edges of the car seat in her hands and hoisting herself up. "I'm a big girl and I can do it myself." Using all her strength, she yanked the seatbelt across her body and the hugest smile stretched across her face when she heard the satisfying click.

I wonder where she got the stubbornness from, I thought to myself with a grin.

"Well, aren't you so mature," I commented as I slid into the driver's seat.

"What's that mean?"

"All grown up. It means you're getting so big."

"I know Mommy, I know," she said, resting her head on the pillow. Within a few minutes, she was asleep.

"How was the zoo?" Percy asked, grabbing Carter's hands and swinging her around in circles, her feet flying off the floor.

"Well," I interjected, "it was fine until she started telling strangers about how her daddy talks to the real sea animals."

Percy stopping spinning and turned to look at me, the goofiest smile stretched across his face. I slapped his arm lightly.

"Guess what Daddy!" Carter announced, jabbing his leg with a tiny finger.

"Yes?" Percy replied, crouching down on his knees and lightly tickling her stomach.

"I buckled myself into the car. Mommy says I'm manure—it means all grown up," she explained in a superior tone, a completely stoic expression plastered on her face.

Percy turned to look at me, his expression shocked for a brief second. The second we made eye contact, we both erupted into laugher, much to Carter's frustration.

"I'm a big girl! I really am!" she pouted, trying to prove herself.

"I believe you," Percy replied, still chuckling slightly at the mistake. "Carter, my big, big, BIG girl, has to take her nap now."

"But Daddy, big kids don't take naps!" Carter argued.

"But you're not a girl anymore—you're an AIRPLANE!" Percy shouted, picking her up above his head and running with her down the hallway, her arms flailing out to the side, her voice echoing throughout the house as she tried to make airplane noises.

By the time a story had been read, a bathroom trip was made (not once, but twice), a snack was eaten, and a song was sung, Carter was finally asleep in her room. Percy entered the living room, where I was sprawled out on the couch, and sat next to me. I flicked off the remote and turned to him, taking his hand in mine.

"Manure," he said. "Good one."

I let out a laugh. "She was learning new words in the car on the way home!" I tried to defend myself.

"Our little walking dictionary… reminds me of someone. Just can't put my finger on who," he teased, leaning down to give me a kiss.

"Like mother, like daughter," I agreed, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I wasn't aware I signed up for two of you," he joked, reaching across me to grab the remote.

I slapped his arm playfully and gave him a quick jab to the side.

"Hey, at least some of us have a brain in this household, kelp head," I countered, sticking out my tongue.

"Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way," he replied.

And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't resist smiling at that overly cheesy sentence.