Secret Santa

Part 1

As you (hopefully) read the description, I have nothing more to say except the picture is Percy and his mom, and I hope you enjoy!

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What would be the best gift of all time?

This was one of many questions Percy couldn't answer.

Happy Holidays, from the one and only Percy Jackson who can assure everyone that the worst part of the holidays is picking out gifts for everyone. It's stressful, and the pressure to get the best one out there increases the fewer there are to give.

Percy is spending winter break with Annabeth back in New York this year, which has been great. New Rome is awesome, but it's nice to be back at camp for a few weeks.

Almost everyone is getting together for Christmas this year, and Hazel suggested they do a gift exchange. They all agreed, some of them more reluctantly (cough cough, Nico), and pulled names out of Annabeth's Yankees cap, which had started working sometime after the war with Gaea.

Percy got Leo, who decided to stay at camp after the accident with Calypso. Percy still felt guilty for leaving her on that island and forgetting to check if the gods had kept their promise. Now... he didn't know if he'd ever get the chance to apologize to her. She was kept in the big house, which Leo frequented often nowadays.

They all mourned Jason's death, Piper and Leo especially. Which just made celebrating harder because it felt like they were still waiting for him to come flying in, announcing he'd somehow charmed or fought his way back here.

But that was how it worked. As a demigod, you lose people. That's just life.

And now Percy had less than a month to get Valdez a present, someone who built a flying war machine, and then a flying metal dragon inside said war machine, and recently came back from the dead. What's the saying? "What do you get for someone who has everything?" Well, try someone who can build anything.

Annabeth won't tell him who she got but keeps hinting at how amazing her gift will be. So Percy did the first thing he could think of; Percy called his mom for ideas.

"Well, what does Leo like?" She asked, and through the misty screen of the Iris Message, Percy could see a laundry basket and the pile of clothes she was folding.

"Well, he likes building things? He's a son of Hephestus. Did I mention he can spontaneously combust?" Percy said, tapping his fingers on the edge of his bunk in the Poseidon cabin.

"You did," she said, nodding, "Maybe bake him something? Or get him something from a celebrity he likes?"

"Maybe," Percy said, thinking. "Except, I can't bake and I don't know any other celebrities he likes besides Archimedes, and he's been in the underworld for a while now. I guess I could ask Nico for a favor..."

His mom pursed her lips. "Maybe find someone he likes that isn't... dead? Buy him a book written by a famous engineer and get it signed. Something like that." A signed book? Maybe. Annabeth would know some good engineers, right?

"Okay, thanks, mom. I'll see you this Thursday, right?" Percy asked, trying to remember what date they had agreed on for dinner.

"Yes, and make sure to bring Annabeth. I haven't seen her in so long," his mom said with a small frown.

"It's been less than a month mom, you saw her at Thanksgiving," Percy protested, but couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"Oh, but it feels like forever," she said, her eyes sparkling as she continued folding clothes. "Good luck with that present for your friend. I love you."

"I love you too, mom. See you Thursday," Percy said, not wanting to end the conversation. Percy missed talking to his mom more often.

"See you!" She said, cutting the connection as she continued folding clothes.

Percy sighed, standing with a wince; he had spent the majority of yesterday in the arena, sparing and catching up with old friends, and was just now feeling the full effects of that.

Trying to find Annabeth took him no time at all, as they almost collided outside her cabin door.

"Woah! Just couldn't wait to see me, could you Wise Girl?" Percy said, squeezing her in a tight hug.

She laughed as Percy spun her around. "How was the chat with your mom? We're still having dinner with her and Paul on Thursday, right?" Annabeth asked, on top of things as always.

"Yep, and I'm starting to think she likes you more than me now. She sounded more excited that you'd be coming than her own son." Annabeth laughed as he pouted and slapped him playfully on the shoulder, looking pleased nonetheless.

"Come on Seaweed Brain," she said, starting to walk towards the pavilion. "So why were you trying to find me?"

"I, uh, I have an idea for Leo's present. But I need your help," Percy said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. Technically, they weren't supposed to tell anyone about their gift or who it was for. Now Annabeth would know both. But Percy trusted her with his life, so why not a Christmas present?

"Did you come up with the idea, or was that why you wanted to call your mom?" Annabeth asked, a knowing grin plastered across her face. Percy sighed in mock defeat.

"Okay fine, I got a little help from a third party. But will you help?" Percy asked, clasping his hands as if in prayer.

After a beat of silence, Annabeth asked, "What do you need help with?"

"Awesome! Do you know any famous engineers that might live in the city? I figured Leo probably would be less interested in architects, but that you might know some people?"

Annabeth thought for a moment as they walked in silence.

"Tony Stark. A billionaire, owner of one of the leading companies in technological advancement. He used to build weapons for the military but then disbanded his weapons department, which caused a huge upset. He built this suit of metal armor that he could fly around in, and used it to save a lot of people. Now he mostly works on energy efficient technology and general research in electronics."

"Wow," Percy said, thinking of nothing else he could say to that. "I'm surprised he didn't try and take over the world or something. Are you sure he's not evil?"

"Percy!" she scolded. "Of course, I read that from a biography I found in a library just outside New Rome. Remember when we went out for the weekend?"

"Yes, I think I might remember your endless admiration for that little bookstore, with the fairy lights, and the nice lady at the register, and-"

"Okay, I get it." Annabeth cut me off. "But I think it was pretty up to date, up until a few years ago I think. What are you going to do?"

"Well at first my plan was to get him to sign a book or something. But... I don't think he's the kind of guy to write books. He sounds like a workaholic," Percy said plainly.

"Yeah, pretty much. But he also built one of the tallest buildings in New York, 808 feet tall, powered by an arc reactor that could sustainably run the entire tower for a year." Ah, now Percy understood why she knew so much about this guy.

"Could we get one of those? Or the designs for one of those for Leo? He would like that, right?" Percy asked.

"I don't know, he's probably not giving away high-tech parts to teenagers. Maybe he has a gift shop," Annabeth suggested, pursing her lips and tapping her fingers against her side as if waiting for him to ask.

"So, would you want to come with me to-"

"Glad you asked! Yes, yes I would," Annabeth said, cutting Percy off for the second time in as many minutes.

Percy smiled. This might be really fun.

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