Annabeth stood in front of a yellow painted house for the first time in ten years. Even with the heavy snow that was trickling down at the approach of Christmas, she could still point out to you her mother's rose bush that never grew any roses and the cracked cement bench that was embedded with her handprints. She felt nostalgic just thinking back to all the memories flooding back to her. Here she was, finally in front of her childhood home. She wanted to feel happy and rejoice, but a crude voice shook her out of her reverie.

"Get your ass in here! I'm tired of holding this goddamn door open. I'm fucking cold!" Luke growled at her from the front door. She rolled her eyes and walked up to him with fury.

"Language, Luke. My parents are in the house, and I'd rather them not see you for the raging asshole you really are." Annabeth smirked as she walked past her dumbfounded husband. Her house still smelt of chocolate chip cookies and burnt firewood, like it always did during the Christmas season. She set her bags next to the staircase. "Mom! Dad?" she called out.

"Annabeth!" Called two deep voices in almost perfect unison. Bobby and Matthew rushed from the kitchen, engulfing Annabeth in a hug. Bobby still had a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie hanging out of his mouth. She smiled into their shoulders. This was the first time in many years that she felt secure and comfortable. Luke didn't necessarily offer her that.

"Hey, guys!" Annabeth's voice was mumbled as she slurred her words into their shoulders. She used to be way taller than them, and now, at 23, the twins towered over her.

"How have you been?"

"Why haven't you visited?"

"How's San Francisco?"

"Did you bring Luke?"

The sudden bombardment of questions threw Annabeth a little off, but she focused in on the last question. Sadly, she had brought her good-for-nothing husband along to meet her parents for the first time in a while. He had definitely changed.

Annabeth probably shouldn't have hated her husband so much, but she did. She couldn't help it, though. He was a piece of shit and she couldn't even remember why she had married him in the first place. She would have packed up and been long gone if not for the fact that it wasn't in her best interest. Luke was a very persuasive lawyer, and despite her heart telling her to go, her mind freaked out every time Luke mentioned the fact that he would leave her bankrupt on the side of the street if she dared to leave him. That's how their marriage went. To the casual observer, they were the best match. They didn't sleep in the same room anymore, though, and even then, their marriage found a way to be dysfunctional. Behind closed doors, they were every couple's worst nightmares.

"Yeah! He's getting our bags now actually," Annabeth told Matthew with a smile. He pumped his fist in the air, because she guessed after not seeing your sister or her husband for five years, you get a little excited. The boys flew out the front door, rushing to see their new favorite person for the week. Annabeth, however, wandered farther into the house and towards the kitchen, where the smell of cookies kept getting stronger.

Her mom and dad were waiting for her with open arms. She rushed in for a hug, because her heart ached after not seeing them for so long. They were rocks in her stormy sea of life, and now that she was back with them, she knew she had missed them more than ever.

"I missed you guys so much." She could feel their steady breathing on her hair, and it comforted her to know that they would always be there for her. She needed that reassurance when she lived with a man like Luke.

"We missed you too, sweetheart," her dad's soothing voice rang in her ears.

"Annabeth. We need to unpack." Luke's voice ruined the moment she was having with her parents. His jawline was sharp as he glared at her, which couldn't have looked too loving to her parents. His scar looked more ominous today than most. He earned the jagged line over his eye when he ran into a tree with his car in high school. Annabeth knew that he didn't drink much for that very reason.

"Of course, darling." She forced a smile for her parents' sake, but the line came out cold and unforgiving, like everything she said to him. She could see her parents share a look as she followed Luke out of the kitchen. Of course he'd be the one to mess up her family reunion with his bullshit.

"You left me with your dumbass brothers outside, you bitch. I had to make conversation with 23 year olds that acted like they were nine." Her blood boiled when he talked about her family like that.

"Why don't you just shut the fuck up, you bastard. They're better people than you'll ever be," Annabeth growled. She walked past him on the stairs and walked to her old room, now the guest bedroom of the house. The walls were still the light gray her parents painted them when she was born, and she could tell that there were still some stickers littering the wall that she stuck on when she was four or five. Luke slammed the door behind them. He flung their suitcases on the bed, and spun around on her.

"Listen here, bitch. Don't you ever call me a bastard again, you got it?" She knew she should've taken more from this warning, but being in her comfort zone—her childhood home—was making her feel risky.

"Why, cause it's true?" she smirked. Then Luke did the unthinkable. He slapped her across the face, and hard. She stood their dumbfounded before retaliating with her own hit to the jaw. He fell back, cradling his cheek like a wimp. She stormed to the door, fury bottling up inside of her.

"You fucking piece of shit! I hate you!" Tears began rolling down her face, the sting of the slap ringing in her ears somehow. She flung open the door and screamed something unintelligible back at him then she slammed the door, a full on sobbing mess. Sure, they had gotten into arguments, but he had never dared to hit her. Bobby and Matthew came up the stairs, their faces worried, but she pushed through them, not in the mood for talking at the moment.

Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she ran to the front door, not sure what to do, but certain that she had to get out of this house and far away from Luke. She let her feet take her on their own path, suddenly recalling all of her old walking routines and shortcuts through town. The cold, snowy wind of Christmas Eve bit at her face, drying the tears up. She felt blank and empty. If Luke had hit her once, what was to say that he wouldn't do it again? Next time he would be more comfortable with it, which meant he would get more aggressive.

Stop! She told herself. She knew she was just freaking herself out, and if she kept going, she would have some kind of panic attack.

Her feet stopped in front of the Argo Bakery. Of course she had brought herself here when she was upset. This was where she had faced middle school and high school issues in front of a heated fireplace on comfy couches. It was her second home.

Memories flooded back of six other habitants of the shop, and Annabeth instantly felt guilty. Once she met Luke, her old life seemed to have melted away, and she forgot all about her best friends. They probably all still talked and laughed about high school. Maybe they even wondered "What that Annabeth girl was doing now?" at their little get-togethers. She bit her lip, thinking about all the great memories she had shared with the six of them.

She walked inside, shivering at the temperature change. It still looked the same too, with warm brown wall paper and old antique seating. She smiled at the familiar appearance. She strolled up to the counter, and when she saw no one, she rang the little silver bell on the counter.

"I'm coming! Hold on just a sec!" someone yelled from the bathroom. The voice sounded recognizable, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then, a girl that Annabeth knew well exited the ladies room, her dark haired ponytail swishing on her neck.

"Reyna?" Annabeth asked in shock. Her neck snapped over to Annabeth, and a smile lit up her face.

"Annabeth!" Reyna ran over to greet her friend, who returned the hug just as energetically. "Holy shit, it's been a while!" she laughed, and pulled away. She seemed astounded to see Annabeth. It had been five years, though.

Reyna and Annabeth had disliked each other through their lowerclassmen years, when they both crushed over the same guy, until Reyna realized that she didn't actually like boys and started dating Rachel Dare. Then, Junior Year hit and Annabeth and Reyna realized just how much they had in common. They became great friends, and hung out a lot more once Reyna started working at Argo's.

"I know! How have you been?" Annabeth asked. The last time she had seen Reyna, she was coaching a girls' soccer team at the recreation department and applying to get into Texas A&M.

"Great! I just finished up my last few classes at A&M and Rachel and I are working on adoption!" Reyna said, excitement slipping into her voice. Annabeth grinned at her friend's joy.

"Reyna, that's great! I—"

The door opened, cutting them off, and Annabeth could have sworn she was getting lucky. Leo Valdez walked in through the door, grinning like the Cheshire. He and Annabeth had been on the Robotics team together in high school, and he was also one of her fellow bakery patrons. Although he was looking down at something on his phone, Annabeth could tell it was him from the spring in his step.

"Hey, Reyna, can I get my usual? Calypso is at home and—" He looked up and stopped, taking in Annabeth. "Annabeth!" He engulfed her in a hug, just like Reyna had. So maybe they hadn't forgotten about her. Her trip around town was turning out better than expected.

"Hey, Leo, it's been awhile!"

"Fuck, it's been more than awhile. Five years all alone with RA-RA over here has been making me go crazy," he joked. She flipped him off and returned to her job behind the counter. He said he had been alone. Did that mean he hadn't been with the other five friends? Maybe she hadn't cut herself off. Maybe they had just drifted apart.

"Well we probably have a lot to catch up on, huh?" Annabeth asked, laughing as she joked with one of her best friends.

"Let's do it over coffee."

Okay, this is my first attempt at a Percy Jackson fanfiction so we'll see how it turns out. I hope you enjoy! I had this idea the other day and thought it would be cool to write. I'll probably post the next chapter soon, and until then...

BYE!

Grace