Seaweed and Wise - Never letting go

Meant to be

"Dad?" Annabeth picked up the phone, surprised as ever. She sat down on the bench and watched as Victoria plugged the grass out of the dirt and examined it. Annabeth hoped she wouldn't put it in her mouth.
"Hey kid, is it a good time to talk?" Frederick Chase had asked.
And Annabeth said yes, because it was nice to hear from him from time to time. It was nice to ask about her little brothers, well, they apparently weren't so little anymore.
She was even glad that they moved in to New York. Even though it was clearly because of some amazing work positions.
Simply, and not grudgingly, it was good to know her father still remembered she was his child too.
He had flown sooner for the graduation ceremony. And that was something at least.
"I'm all yours." She added, now actually wrestling the greenery out of the one year old's hands.
"Good, that's great. I wanted to invite you somewhere, maybe a lunch, or a cake, ice cream, whatever you feel like."
Annabeth found herself agreeing again. "But I'm in the camp. I can be in Queens in about an hour. I'll have to-"
"Hold on, how about we meet up by the museum? Not to go in, it's a good meeting point. I still can't exactly find myself around here."
Annabeth laughed, the jungle New York seemed like for others was actually home to her for years already and she moved through the streets as smoothly as one walked the Central Park.
"We can be there. Is half past one okay with you, I could pick you up somewhere?"
"I- am good. I cannot count on you to drive me around. Not unless Bobby and Matthew get lost somewhere and I can't find them- then I'd call you to fetch them- well, see you later!"
Annabeth fought the urge to say alligator and said goodbye before she hung up. She had no plans but hanging around the camp with Victoria as Percy had his obligatory portion of sword fight teaching duty.
Annabeth did her time last Friday, and took Percy's training the day after that. But she finally forced him to face the rookies too as she, herself, got a little tired of the whining children that wanted nothing more but to be able to get snacks.
She had gone to tell Percy of her whereabouts so he wouldn't go looking for them later.
Annabeth found him sitting on the sandy ground of the arena, watching the kids and shaking his head desperately as the boys and girls slammed their swords at each other sloppily.
"Not like that Roger! Amanda stop hitting him when he's on the ground!" Percy called, getting up to break the fight before casualties occured.
"I recall that image from the past," Annabeth sneaked up behind Percy.
"Hahaha, don't you wanna show them how it's done with me?" Percy asked, pleading her to stay.
"No." She laughed. "My dad called, he wants to meet up with me in Queens. I'm gonna take Victoria-"
"Please help me." Percy cried.
"Nah, we're going. We're meeting him in an hour." She said.
"Can I at least keep Victoria?"
"So you could use her as an excuse like always? No way, darlin'." Annabeth snickered. "I'll text when we get there."
She stole herself a kiss and started off.
"Drive safely!" Percy shouted after Annabeth.
Victoria waved Percy a goodbye, he waved back. And as they disappeared from his view he turned back to the campers.
"I said let him go, Amanda!" He shouted.

...

Annabeth texted Percy first thing as she parked the car, already seeing her father waiting there.
They walked along a park at first before finding a good restaurant that seemed friendly to the idea of a moody baby throwing pasta under the table. She'd leave a tip to make it up.
And as they ordered the ice cream after they ate what they ordered for lunch, Frederick Chase picked up his backpack and rummaged through it.
They had been chatting just fine and Victoria behaved exceptionally good while sitting in between Annabeth and her, by the events declared, Grandpa. Even though she tried showing off a little.
"I brought you something we found while packing. Not that I don't want it- I just thought you'd welcome to have some of your things from whenever you were with us... Here-"
Frederick finally pulled out the objects.
A wind up flashlight Annabeth used to read with, her cousin Magnus gave it to her.
Desks that she knew contained her old drawings and the photos from camp half blood.
And a plush animal she forgot there after Percy convinced her she should try to go live with her family again but things didn't work out.
Annabeth took the plushie curiously and slowly handed it to the tiny nudging hands of Victoria.
"Thank you." She said. "I really appreciate that. I do."
"And that-" Frederick Chase, her father, pulled out a small golden blanket Annabeth somehow knew was the one Athena sent her down in. She took the blanket and fought the urge to hug it, out of curiosity, wondering if it would bring her any memories.
"You kept that?"
"Of course I did. I thought you might like to give it to Victoria now that you're all grown up and a- a-"
"A mother, yeah." She laughed. "I have to be that. I love her." Annabeth smiled at Victoria as she tried the plush fish's fins. "It's not weird, dad. It's not any weirder than when I landed on your doorstep."
"Well you definitely took it better than me. I'm glad you and Perseus are doing so well. And I'm proud of you."
"Thanks dad. And, don't be a stranger." Annabeth said. And just then Victoria started getting cranky. And so he insisted on paying the bill and helped Annabeth with the child, carried the tired baby to the car, and fixed her in the seat, pulling out another little gift from the backpack, a wooden teething airplane.
Annabeth didn't mention that she had millions of those already.
"Thank you." Annabeth smiled. "You can come over when we're moved into our own, take Bobby and Matthew... I'd like to see them. And Percy never met them-"
"We'll try." Frederick Chase smiled.
Annabeth stopped before getting into the car and hugged her father awkwardly while Victory blabbered in the backseat.
"Thanks again."
"I thank you for coming." Frederick said.
Annabeth knew deep inside that he somehow had a reason to thank her.
She smiled.
She had given him so many chances before that she wasn't even dreading a time he'd let her down again. She was used to fake promises... But maybe this time... She told herself.
They could see each other during the holidays, for the least. Maybe it would finally blossom to something stable.
She hated being let down. That's why she loved Percy so much, he never betrayed her in the long years they knew each other.
"Tell Perseus and his mother I say hi." Annabeth's dad said as she finally strapped herself in and opened the window.
"You say hi from me too." Annabeth said. "Say bye-bye Victory." Annabeth sing songed.
Victory waved and cooed something and Frederick Chase waved back with a silly face, a gesture Annabeth tried to shield from her heart because she was still fearful that she'd end up heartbroken once again.
Annabeth waved and backed from her parking spot. She glanced back once more at her father as he pulled out his phone to what seemed as a navigating application.

Maybe...

...

"Hey there!" Annabeth pulled over in front of the house they'd move into soon, they were still working on it, but they did sleep over from time to time. She hugged Percy quickly before moving to free the child out of her car seat.
"How was your date? Everything alright?" Percy asked.
"Yeah, I was actually surprised how cool it went, he even brought a gift for Victoria. And brought me some things I left there- I have them in the trunk. I didn't want her playing with it in case they were dusty-"
"You have to show me later then, dinner now?" Percy chirped up.
"But will it be your first or second round?" Annabeth laughed. She let Victory on the ground. The child immediately started showing the new toy to Percy.
"Maybe second, you'll never know."
"So that's third, is it?" Annabeth grinned.

...

Percy drove the way home that night and they came home to be welcomed by Sally, holding Greer down so she wouldn't wake Victory who fell asleep in the car. Percy took the dog over and let her out on the street, going a short walk with her.
"Sally, could you get the box from the trunk, I'm gonna get this one to bed." Annabeth whispered, carrying Victory who's head rested on Annabeth's shoulder.
"Sure thing." She walked out and towards the driveway.
When Annabeth ran down the stairs just a minute or two later, she found Percy and Sally sitting on the couch next to the box Annabeth filled with the treasures her father brought to her.
"Annabeth?" Percy asked. "Where did you get that?" He picked the plushie that was on the top and she shrugged.
"I got it from someone when I was a kid, it doesn't matter." Annabeth said. "I kept it because it's from the time Luke and Thalia and me were a thing, it's from the day before we arrived to camp, I think..."
Annabeth tried to remember the situation of acquiring that toy better but she was at loss for the time being.
Percy looked at her, wide eyed but grinning.
"What's  wrong with you?" She stared back at him, shaking her head. "Sally?"
"My dear, children, you're gonna be the death of me one day." Was Sally's respond.
"Why? What did I do? What did He do?" Annabeth walked behind Sally who got up from the couch and walked to the kitchen to sip her tea.
"Ask Percy, dear."
"Perce?" Annabeth walked back to him and he held up the plushie she now recognized as Nemo, the fish.
He turned the plushie over and took the smaller of the fins into his hands, checking something.
"Look at this." Percy handed it to her, a stupid grin plastered on his lips.
Annabeth turned to Sally who looked at her all resigned and amused.
She looked at the plushie carefully, feeling strange as she knew it so well. It was her comfort toy after all that happened to Thalia. Annabeth turned over the fin and found a monogram stitched in blue thread into the orange skin of the fish.

P. J.

"You're freaking kidding me right now?" Annabeth let out.
"Nope." Percy blew into laughter.
"That's- Percy's-" Annabeth mumbled.
"Sally? You sew that name on? It's in blue- And- No way! You're the boy that found me crying after I lost Thalia and Luke, even Grover was with us. But I- I forgot-"
Percy laughed more.
"All those bedtimes I wondered where it went and that boy really gave it up to someone... I thought he made that up because he lost it." Sally said.
"No, that's impossible, it must be a diff- No of course it's not." Annabeth slowly accepted it.
"Come here?" Percy spread his arms wide, prepared for a hug.
"I love you, Seaweed brain." Annabeth walked into his arms indeed, rolling her eyes.
"Love you too, Wise girl."
"Well- I'm going to bed, you guys. Good night. And just remember, if this isn't destiny then I don't know what is." Sally shook her head, smiling too.

And Annabeth and Percy talked for hours then, because their faith was apparently to be together all along. Even before they knew each other's names.
And they were thankful for it.

.
.
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So this summed up some more unspoken business and my completely bestest canon that Percy and Annabeth met as kids in some store or somewhere in New York when she, Thalia, Luke and Grover were travelling to the camp. But well didn't know... And this kind of gave it a chance for them to find out