Twelve years later...

Once upon a picture

Annabeth

"Mom" said my little girl, "who are they?"

She pointed at an old picture. Me and my 7 years old daughter were looking at my old photo album. The picture she pointed at contains 12 individuals, at the background was the camp I can and will never forget. I remember their names, their faces, their overall personality. They are the kind of people who you wouldn't forget. I smiled at thought of my friends.

"They are my friends Sweetie" I said to my daughter

"Who's that?" she asked again

She pointed at a middle aged man in a wheelchair. He has gray shaggy hair and neatly trimmed beard. It's been a long time since I last talked to him, and that was the same day that picture was taken.

"That's Chiron, my mentor when I..." I trailed off as I remember my old mentor, how he cared for me and taught me all the things I should know on how to survive the world. Remembered his calm eyes when I first entered the borders, when I ran away.

"Mom?" My little girl woke me back to reality.

"Yes, sweetie?" I asked

"you were saying something"

"Oh, yes. He's my old mentor when mommy was little."

"Like me?"

"Yes sweetie"

"Will I meet him?"

I smiled at my daughter's question
"Maybe some other time sweetie, but not now, it's getting late." I answered her question

"How about them?" she pointed at the others, "who are they?"

I said all their names one by one while pointing at their faces.

"That's Frank and Hazel" I pointed at an asian guy and a black girl

"That's Jason and Piper" I pointed at a blonde guy and a cherokee girl

"That's-"

"You and dad" she said loudly

"Yes dear" I said trying not to wince at her sudden loud voice.

"That's Reyna" I pointed at a fierce looking latina girl, but smiling, wearing her usual attire, her camp t-shirt and jeans.

"That's Calypso and Leo" I pointed at a girl with caramel hair and a latino guy with elvish features.

"And that over there is Nico and Will" I pointed at a guy with black hair and olive skin and a guy with blonde hair and nicely tanned skin.

That was us. Friends, different shapes, colors, sizes. Different races, heights and parents. We were a family. Not normal, not ordinary. We... we were our own happy. Content with what we have. Happy for who we are.

"And that... " I ponted at a seperate picture bellow. The picture that was taken years older than the picture my daughter found interesting. She has spiky black hair and striking blue eyes,"that's Thalia, she's the one who took the picture."

"Who's that mom?"
I felt a poke in my heart when my daughter pointed at a guy with sandy hair and blue eyes. I choked back a sob.

"That's Luke" I answered

"My big stinky brother?" She asked

"No Chelsea," I laughed," Luke Castellan... He was like a brother to me."
I smiled at the memory of him.

"Like Uncle Bobby and Uncle Matthew?" She asked

"No sweetie," I said," he's a... different kind of brother. Like a... cousin"

"Like uncle Magnus?" she asked again

"Well... Yeah... But not exactly. He helped me with a lot of stuff"

Looking back, thingking of the day I met the people who treated me as one of their own. I can never repay them for the things they taught me. For the things that made me me. I can never imagine how I would get here without them. They are like a part of me, just like how Percy is a part of me.

I heard a car park at our garage.
They're here, I thought

"Mom!" I heard my 12 years old daughter yell from outside. My eldest son came inside running.

"Luke cheated!" she yelled while entering our house.

"No I didn't" Luke yelled back from the kitchen. Probably hiding from her angry sister. "You basically just suck at a game of chess"

"You-" Zoë was saying until I cut her off

"Okay, that's enough" I lazily ordered them (you'll understand why when you have kids, kids)

"But..." she tried to make a sad face

"Go help yourself with some blue cookies Zoë" I calmly said

"Gradma was here?" she asked, obviously forgetting her brother.

"Yeah... She was here" I answered

"And she did'nt even wait for her son" Percy came inside carrying groceries.

I carefully placed the photo album on the coffee tabled and got up.

"Well... If she stayed she might miss her flight." I said and then kissed his cheek while taking the groceries.

"Oh yeah... She has a book tour" he said

"Daddy" Chelsea ran up to her dad

"Chelsea" he picked her up.

"You will not believe what just happened Annabeth" Percy said walking into the kitchen.

"Yeah? What happened?" I asked while sorting the groceries

"Zoë talked to Jasper" Luke teased

"Shut up!" Zoë yelled and threw cookie crumbs at her brother.

"Who's Jasper?" I asked while refilling the milk

"Jason's son" Percy said and I accidentally spilled milk.

"What?" I asked

"I know" Percy said because that perfectly answers my question.

"Mom" Zoë said," you okay?"

"Yeah...yeah..." I said while wiping the spilled milk,"just..."

"Who's Jason?" Luke asked

"The guy in the picture" said Chelsea

"Picture?" Percy asked

"We were looking at my old photo album" I said

"Anyways..." he said, "They're here"