#sally taking percy and annabeth out to eat later that weekend as a family

[demigods-posts]

let me be delusional. let me believe that annabeth heeded percy's advice at the end of the summer and went to virginia, only to realize that in the five years she's been away, her father hasn't changed. let me believe that annabeth ran away from home once again, intending to live at chb until she's old enough to live on her own. let me believe that during the boat ride she and percy go on later that year in the SOM, annabeth admits that she's been staying at camp since a few weeks after the summer ended. let me believe that after the quest, percy offers annabeth his living room couch in case she ever gets tired of being at camp all the time. let me believe that annabeth takes him up on the offer one night and sally does her best to make her feel welcome. let me believe that annabeth starts visiting the jackson residence more often, so often that she has extra pairs of clothes and a toothbrush over there. let me believe that when annabeth falls off the cliff and gets held hostage in TTC, all she wants to do is go home, and for the first time, 'home' stops meaning the sixth cabin in a bordered-off summer camp, or a thirty-minute nap in an abandoned alleyway - it starts to mean a certain apartment in manhattan with blue chocolate chip cookies and the occasional movie nights on the living room couch. let me believe that after TTC, sally sits annabeth down at the kitchen table and asks if she feels comfortable with her filing for guardianship. let me believe that a few weeks later, annabeth is sitting in a court room, squeezing percy's hand as they watch sally fight for custody over her. let me believe that as soon as the judge grants sally guardianship, annabeth cries into percy's shoulder because after years of running, she's finally found a family that chooses her.