Memories

The Jacksons

I heard Annabeth take in a sharp breath beside me before I opened the door to my apartment.

A slightly older version of me stood in the kitchen making pancakes, looking more mature and grown up, but hair messy as ever. He turned around and looked straight through us as he shouted, "Zoe!", over his shoulder to somewhere else in the apartment.

I looped my hand through Annabeth's as we both observed the older version of me. I was awestruck. Not to sound lame or anything, but I was shocked at how happy and content the older me looked as he hummed to himself merrily in the kitchen. I hadn't failed to notice Annabeth stiffen when the name I called wasn't hers, but just stroked my thumb against the back of her hand, knowing that it wasn't his wife that the older me called for.

A young girl- of about three- with Annabeth's precious blonde curls tore through the doorway of the kitchen, giggling tremendously. I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face as I watched the little girl's interaction with her father.

"Do you want to flip the pancakes, Zoe?" The older me asked the little girl. Almost instantly, Zoe leapt into her father's arms and he sat her against his hip. He held Zoe's little hand in his as he wrapped both of their hands around the handle of the pan. "Countdown," the older me announced.

"Three, two, one," Zoe giggled as Percy and her flipped the pancake together so that it lay perfectly back in the pan. She turned to Percy and said, as if this was a routine they rehearsed every morning, "Countdown."

This time, Percy took the role of counting down to one, "Three, two, one." Together, they thrust the pancake into the air, but watched as it whizzed through the air and promptly landed on the light that hung from the ceiling.

From beside me, I heard my Annabeth mutter, "Typical."

I laughed at the sight as older me and his daughter turn to look at each other in a jokey fear and say at the same time, "Oh-oh."

"What are you two doing?" A voice came from behind the father and daughter, who whizzed around in surprise, the girl giggling at her father's misfortune. In the doorway of the kitchen stood an older Annabeth, still as beautiful as she is now, with her hair swept up into a messy bun.

When Annabeth saw the future version of herself, she grinned and looked up at me. I let go of her hand and instead hooked my arm around her waist and pulled her in towards me. This is our family, I thought. This is our home.

"Why is there a pancake on my light?" Future Annabeth demanded, though the amused smile on her lips showed that she wasn't the least bit angry.

"Zoe did it," Percy said instantly, raising an accusing finger at his daughter.

"No, I didn't," Zoe protested, shaking her head at her mom. She jumped out of her father's arms and skipped over to older Annabeth to spring into her arms instead. "Daddy did it."

"Now who do I believe more, my beautiful little girl or my idiot husband?" Annabeth pretended to think before deciding, "Percy, you're cleaning up."

Older me threw his hands in the air in mock annoyance despite chuckling, "Every time!"

He pulled up a chair and climbed onto it so that he could scoop the pancake off the lamp as the doorbell rang. Older Annabeth strode towards the door, so we jumped out of the way and into the lounge-like area that was joined to the kitchen.

She swung the door open to be met with an older Nico di Angelo and Will Solace. I sneaked a look at Nico to see him blushing profusely and wide eyed at the picture of him and Will. I just smiled to myself as the boys followed Older Annabeth into the apartment.