A Drop Of The Ocean - ( Percy Jackson Fanfiction)- Completed

Ch 10

You drool when you sleep."

Percy opened his eyes to see Estelle's face looming over him. She giggled and fell backward against the pillows on the sofa bed. Percy buried his head in his pillow and groaned, which only made Estelle laugh harder. She yanked the pillow off his head and scrambled away. Percy sat up to retaliate, but was met by Annabeth and a hot cup of coffee.

"Nectar of the gods," he whispered to his cup. Annabeth shook her head. "Hey, stop teaching Estelle to be mean to me."

Annabeth blinked innocently. "Me? I'd never."

Percy leaned against the back of the sofa and grunted, so Annabeth kissed his cheek and ruffled his hair.

Estelle returned, sweetly climbing in between the two of them and snuggling up to her big brother.

"Mommy says we can open presents as soon as you get out of bed," she said with a bright smile.

"Well, then I'm never leaving and no presents for you," he replied taking a sip of his coffee.

"Perseus," Sally called from the other room, just as Annabeth said it next to him. His eyes widened and he threw off the blankets with one hand and stood.

"I'm out of bed!" He called back, his eyes on his wife. "You guys are scary," he muttered. Percy took another long sip of his coffee and motioned for the two girls to move so he could put the living room back together.

Sally brought out cinnamon rolls while Paul poured more coffee and Estelle dug into her presents. There were things for everyone else, but none of the adults seemed to mind. Christmases were small when Percy was a kid, although Sally always made the best of everything. He loved watching Estelle and the pure joy on her face as she opened her gifts.

Her eyes widened in awe when she opened Percy's gift.

"Whoa," she whispered and Percy grinned, feeling triumphant.

Sally and Paul looked at the little box in their daughter's hands and then at Percy, no doubt wanting to scold him for spending too much on her, when he hadn't spent anything at all.

"I found them," he cleared his throat giving his parents a you know what I mean look, "and Tyson helped me make it."

Inside the box was a set of earrings and a bracelet intricately woven with silver and the most beautiful tiny pearls.

"Can I wear it?" She looked at Sally, who smiled, so Estelle turned to Percy. He took it out of the velvet box and placed it on her tiny wrist.

"They're real, so you have to be very careful. I wrestled a lot of clams to get those babies," Percy said with a teasing glint in his eye. Estelle smiled and threw her arms around her big brother. She pulled away, kissed his cheek, and went back to her gifts: books from Annabeth, a new doll from her parents, but she kept looking at her new bracelet.

Percy could feel Annabeth's eyes on him, but every time he turned to look at her she was talking to his parents or she got up to get something from the kitchen. After Estelle had opened his gift it had felt like Annabeth was avoiding him. She'd know about the pearls and even helped him design the bracelet, wanting it to be perfect for Estelle. Annabeth wasn't the jealous type, so he knew she wasn't upset about the gift. Besides, he'd found her some really old, weird smelling books that she'd been dying to have for years and she was happy with them. (He'd also saved a pearl for a necklace, but he wanted to give it to her later.)