Gift of the Magi

Annabeth found it because she almost tripped on it.

  “Oh, Hades,” she cursed as she bent down to pick up her camp necklace from the Manhattan street. That was the third time it had fallen off this week. She carefully dusted the snow off, trying not to smudge the paint, and remarked to herself how nice it would be to get a new cord for it.

  Over the past year or so, it had become more of a charm necklace than a camp necklace. Not only did she have her ten commemorative camp beads, but she also had her father’s college ring, the piece of red coral Percy had given her, and a new addition: a real platinum pendant from her mother, in the shape of an owl. She took special care of that one. And it deserved a new chain. At least she knew what she herself wanted for Christmas.

  But what to get Percy?

  She’d wracked her genius brain trying to figure something out for Percy’s present, but no ideas were forthcoming. She’d even braved the 5th Avenue Christmas Eve crowds to see if she could find something. Still, there was nothing. At least, nothing she could afford.

  Dejected, she wandered back downtown to her dorm. The wind had picked up considerably, and she bundled her coat tighter against the cold. But a strong gust blew through the tall buildings and ripped her necklace from her hands, sending it tumbling into a snowdrift. She was becoming quite used to this, and stooped in the snow apathetically to retrieve it.

  As she stood, she noticed for the first time the store she was outside of. A snowboarding shop. Percy loved snowboarding… but there probably wasn’t anything in there she could afford. Still, she somehow felt compelled to walk inside.

  The interior was warm and brightly lit. There were long lines of people at the checkout counter, weaving in and out of the racks of snowboards, or trying on boots in the back. She sighed. This probably had been a bad idea—

  “Miss?”

  Annabeth turned suddenly to find a strikingly beautiful—and somehow familiar—woman standing behind her. She was dressed in khakis and a green polo with a ski lodge logo, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Annabeth glanced around. “Who, me?”

  The woman smiled, and Annabeth decided she had definitely met her before. She couldn’t remember where, though. “Can I interest you in a vacation at the Deer Valley Ski Resort? Lovely little lodge in New Hampshire, beautiful this time of year. Maybe there’s a special someone you’d like to take with you?”

  “I don’t—“

  “Nonsense, dear. It’s a special Christmas giveaway we’re having. I’ve got all the information here, even the lift passes! What do you say?”

  “I’d love to, but I don’t think I have enough money.”

  The woman looked thoughtful for a moment. “You know, there’s a pawn shop about a block from here. They’d give you enough for that platinum owl pendant of yours.”

  Annabeth’s hand automatically flew to the pendant. She hesitated. Part of her thought that this was too good to be true. But the rest of her wanted to go for it. A romantic vacation with Percy, up in the mountains, just the two of them… after the Giant War, they really did need a vacation. But she didn’t want to sell the pendant. “Um, okay,” she found herself saying. “I’ll be right back.”

  As she rushed out into the cold, wondering what she had been thinking, yet unable to stop, she wondered why the woman had approached her. And where had she seen that woman before?

  Whatever the case, the lady had been right. The owner of the pawn shop gave her plenty for the charm, though it felt like Annabeth was losing a part of herself. It’s for Percy, though, she reasoned, and made her way back to the snowboard shop. He’ll be so excited. And he gets to try out that new snowboard of his. It’ll be worth it.

  The mysterious woman was standing outside. “Do you have the money, dear?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Most of her instincts were screaming that this was a really bad idea, but she handed over the money anyway. In return, she was handed some papers with the address of the lodge and her confirmation number.

  “You enjoy yourself, Annabeth.”

  The woman disappeared in a puff of pink, fragrant smoke and Annabeth knew just who had arranged this whole trip. Though it didn’t make her feel much better about it, she decided to let it go. This trip was going to be perfect.



  Percy opened the door with his usual, wide grin. His green eyes sparkled, and… so did his sweater. It was some sort of horrendous Christmas knitted…thing that was beyond tacky. It featured a little Christmas tree with a sparkling star on the top and Annabeth dearly hoped it had been a gift.

  Percy read her mind. “Paul got it for me. I lost a bet.” He kissed her on the lips and Annabeth’s heart raced. “Come on in.”

  She followed him to his room at the back of the apartment and found that it was even more tacky than the sweater, though Annabeth knew he’d decorated it this way on purpose. Percy loved Christmas. There was a miniature fiber optic Christmas tree on the window sill, balancing precariously on top of a string of garland. Wreaths were hung from the bedposts, and a string of multicolored lights hung above the closet door.

  “I like what you’ve done with the place,” Annabeth mused as she sat down on his bed.

  “Thanks.” Percy pulled off the sweater and started rummaging through the drawers for a new shirt. Annabeth tried not to make it too obvious that she was staring, but he noticed anyway. “Want me to keep it off?” he asked with a wry smile.

  Annabeth threw a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt at him and smiled back. “I think I’ll be okay.” She hesitated for a moment, fingering the white envelope in her coat pocket. “I, uh… I have your Christmas present.”

  Percy sat down on the bed next to her. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to get anything for each other this year.”

  “I couldn’t help it,” Annabeth replied, handing him the envelope.

  Percy pulled a small box out from behind him and handed it to her. “Neither could I.”

  “Open it.”

  “What ever happened to ‘ladies first?’”

  “Just open it, Seaweed Brain.”

  Annabeth carefully scrutinized every expression that crossed his face. Excitement as he cut through the white paper, confusion as he struggled to read the contents, and… disappointment?

  “I bought us a night. At a ski lodge,” Annabeth explained. “It’s up in New Hampshire, and I thought you could bring that new snowboard of yours and teach me—“

  “Thanks, Annabeth,” he answered quickly, smiling a little sadly. “Open yours.”

  She didn’t quite understand his reaction, but tried not to let it get to her anyway. She pulled the bow off the little velvet box and flipped open the lid. Her heart stopped, then sunk. “Oh.”

  “It’s a chain. For your owl pendant. You always said you wanted another one because the cord kept breaking. And that pearl, I thought you could add it to your collection.”

  Annabeth fingered the silver pearl and the chain that it hung on. It was stronger than it looked, perfect for fighting monsters. She’d probably never lose it…. She sighed and pulled her camp necklace out from under her shirt, showing Percy the missing pendant. Tears filled her eyes. “I sold the charm to buy that trip.”

  His eyes widened. “Annabeth, how—“ But he stopped suddenly and his shoulders fell. “I sold my snowboard to buy you that necklace.”

  “That was an expensive snowboard,” Annabeth whispered.

  “And that charm was from your mom.”

  They sat staring at each other in disbelief for a moment.

  “Gods, I love you, Annabeth.” He reached across the bed and pulled her into his lap.

  “I love you, too, Percy. I can’t believe you’d do that for me.”

  “I just told you I love you. It shouldn’t be that hard to believe.”

  She rested her head on his shoulder, laughing lightly, and they sat in the silence for a moment. He sold that expensive, one-of-a-kind snowboard to buy me a Christmas present, Annabeth thought in disbelief. “Thank you, Percy,” she whispered. “This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had.” She paused. “You know, I can still use that necklace for my other beads.”

  “And we could still use that trip. Just the two of us, alone in the mountains—“

  "Percy?" Sally called from the living room.

  Percy flinched in surprise, then sighed. "I swear she knows!" he whispered, kissing her cheek. "We'll talk about this later. Merry Christmas, Wise Girl."

  "Merry Christmas, Seaweed Brain."