"Hey dad,"
She bit her lip looking at the heading of the letter. Sighing, she rubbed her eraser over "dad" and scribbled an almost legible "Father" in its place. Her brow wrinkled looking at the revision, she liked it even less. Once again she rubbed the eraser over the heading, removing the entire greeting.
She did this every time. She never knew how to address the letter. Dad was so informal, Father was too formal. She hardly felt close enough to refer to him as dad, but would he take father as anger? He should think it is anger, after all they had suffered through.
"Dr. Chase,"
She began again, rubbing her eye with the back of her hand. She should have been sleeping, the call for lights out felt like hours ago. But she felt she had to do this. This letter was necessary.
That was formal, far more formal "father". It was suggest that they were strangers. That was not too far from the truth. It had been three years since she had last seen him. She had changed a lot, he probably had too.
"I hope this letter finds you well."
More formalities. The letter needed all that formality, Mrs. Chase would approve of that when she read the letter. Mrs. Chase always read anything she gave Dr. Chase, and sneered at it like it was a monster.
She wrote the message out carefully, her letters large and bulky compared to the lean writing of her siblings. Her hand shook as she tried to sort through her jumbled emotions.
What did I ever do wrong? Why did you take her side? I'm sorry I wasn't what you were expecting. But was there ever a time that I wasn't a disappointment? I only ever wanted to make you proud of me. And I can't keep pretending that I never cared, because I really did.
"I'm doing fine."
She felt tears welling in her eyes. All of those questions she needed to ask, and she could not force herself to write them. She licked her lips and took a deep breath.
"I've made lots of new friends. They're all like me, and we like all of the same stuff. I've learned I really like architecture, I think I might even want to be an architect someday. I know it's not what you saw for me, but,"
But what? What had he planned for her? To be a history scholar like him, playing with toys to recreate battles and get some new insight that had been lost to time for decades? Had he even harbored any plans for her, the unwanted child forced upon him?
I don't know what else to say to you. I've apologized so many times. I can't help what came after me. I couldn't stop them, but I can now. I once thought you could chase them away for me, I once thought you could do anything. Now I see that I was wrong, and I seriously doubt you ever actually cared that I was afraid. It seems like you just did that to soothe me.
"I'm sorry for the things I said, to both of you. I hope you'll forgive me. Tell the Matthew and Bobby I miss them And mom too. And don't worry about me, I think I'm where I need to be. I'm safe here at least."
I'm sorry I wasn't perfect.
She held her flashlight up so she could reread the letter, scribbling her signature across the bottom as she did so. She ran the back of her hand over her cheeks to wipe away the tears that had spilled over them, and sniffed quietly to herself.

"Hey dad Father
Dr. Chase,
I hope this letter finds you well. I'm doing fine.
I've made lots of new friends, they're all like me and we like all the same stuff. I've learned I really like architecture, I think I might even want to be an architect someday. I know it's not what you saw for me, but.
I'm sorry about the things I said, to both of you. I hope you'll forgive me. Tell Matthew and Bobby I miss them. And mom too. And don't worry about me, I think I'm where I need to be.
I'm safe here at least.

Annabeth"

Slowly Annabeth folded the letter into thirds, tucking her pencil behind her ear as she turned away from the small work table in the corner of the Athena Cabin, turning her flashlight off. She easily navigated the dark cabin and stopped at the closed door.
The steady breathing of her siblings soothed her racing heart. She took the knob firmly in her hand, her resolve hardening at the solid touch. She opened the door silently and crept out on to the common ground.
The ground was covered in a fine powder of snow, her tracks marking her progress toward the amphitheatre. At the fire brazier she held the letter to her father close to her chest, looking at the red coals of the camp fire. She took a deep breath, her eyes flicking momentarily to the heavens.
"Am I doing the right thing?" she asked the silent camp grounds. As always, there was no reply. Her hand tightened around the letter as she looked to the coals again.
She turned to one of the benches and brushed the snow away. Carefully she spread her letter out on the bench, and pulled her pencil out of her curly hair. She bit her lip adding one last addition to her letter. She tucked the pencil again and stood returning to the brazier.
Annabeth sighed looking up at the heavens again. The stars twinkled high above her, the same as they had every other time she wrote the letter to her father. She sighed, and closing her eyes tossed the letter onto the coals.
The paper curled in on itself and turned to ash on top of the red embers. A breeze rushed past her, carrying the ashes away from Annabeth. As the letter vanished into the night, she whispered quietly. "I love you daddy."

"I'm safe here at least.
I love you,
Annabeth"