So if you're one of the few that read my first chapter like forever a go, please re-read it. I've changed a few things. that is all, please let me know what you think.

Credit to Rick Riordan for his characters.

Annabeth's head was reeling. Her day had started off so normal, albeit ludicrously early. Now here she was, standing in her father's house with two FBI agents asking about her mother. There were so many thoughts in her head, so many questions and unfinished sentences. She could barely retain her grasp on the reality that was before. She couldn't believe it, or maybe she simply wouldn't accept it. Closing, her eyes she tried to focus her thoughts. Deal with the problem, don't make it worse.

She sat in the center of the living sofa alone. Her stepmother had gone into the kitchen to watch over her brothers and her father opted to sit in the Lay-Z-Boy off to the side. The agents sat in the two wicker chairs on either side of the coffee table directly across from the sofa. This arrangement kept the two agents trained in on Annabeth while the parental consent sat on the sidelines. Annabeth knew they weren't accusing her of anything, but the whole setup made her feel uncomfortable. In response she only gave the shortest answer she possibly could to each question.

"So, Annabeth, we understand that you live with your mother, not your father."

"Yes."

"And you know what your mother does for a living?"

"She's a private consultant. Any and every kind of firm will hire her to solve a problem or simply to have her advice on a new business plan."

"Does your mother ever talk to you about the work she does."

"Occasionally, if the story's worth telling or she's really worked up about something."

"Worked up?" Agent Costello asked his first question of the day. He had barely said a word the entire time, letting his partner do all the work. He just sat in his chair, unmoving, brown eyes taking everything in. Annabeth liked Agent Costello the least.

"Yeah, she loves what she does, has a passion for it. Sometimes she can get worked up over a case if the people are being irrationally stupid." The real reason behind that wasn't so much her passion for her work though. Athena, like Annabeth, had a low tolerance for uneducated people or people who refused to use their education. Of course, her mother wouldn't have a job if everyone had her level of intellect, so Annabeth tried to phrase it another way.

"I see," Agent Costello commented indefinitely. That was another thing Annabeth didn't like about Agent Costello. She realized the FBI were critically judging everything she said about her mother, but she didn't need to hear it, especially when the comment gave no tell of how they were feeling. However, Annabeth got the feeling Agent Costello had already made up his mind to condemn her mother. At least Agent Mason remained truly neutral up front, making no side comments after she answered his questions.

"Right," Agent Mason continued. "Has your mother ever mentioned a group called DOME?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No. Who are they?"

"DOME stands for Defenders of Mother Earth. They are a radical activist group that promotes clean energy, animal rights, clean up the ocean projects, things like that. Their 'protests' tend to be on the more… volatile side."

"Like setting car dealerships on fire," Annabeth supplied.

"That's exactly what they do." The way Agent Costello said that made Annabeth suddenly fearful. She honestly had nothing to do with DOME. She had never even heard of the before, except, now that she thought about it, from a news article about an activist group getting in the way of a construction crew that was clearing land for a new housing division. She hadn't paid much attention to it. It didn't really peak her interest. The FBI, however, might be skeptical after she said that.

"Excuse me, but what does this group have to do with my mother?"

"During the investigation her name came up. We know she may have nothing to do with DOME, but she is the only person we've found so far that has a real name. Everyone else uses an alias," Agent Mason explained. "Right, now we are just trying to determine her involvement. Your mother however hasn't been giving us anything that is definitive one way or the other."

Annabeth tried in vain to keep the smirk off her face. She knew how her mother was. If she thought someone was being unreasonable, she'd make them reason out her responses by telling them what they wanted to know, just not directly. When Annabeth was younger it was rather annoying, but now she admired the clever invention. "Oh, I'm sure she is. You just have to listen."

"What are you implying?" Agent Costello all but snapped at her.

His partner held up a hand in restraint and directed his own question at Annabeth. "Perhaps it's a lack of experience with her mind. Would you mind talking to her for us?"

"Wait, no. I don't want my daughter being dragged into this mess," Frederick spoke up for the first time. He had been silent so long Annabeth almost forgot he was still in the room. Annabeth was going to decline herself, but her father's sudden interjection sparked something inside her.

"Like most of the things you do, father, it's a little late to speak up for me now."

"Your father has already answered all our questions. There's no reason for him to speak."

Annabeth shot daggers at Agent Costello for stepping in and then turned her eyes back to her father. "You may not care, but I want to see Mom's innocence proven. I will talk to her and you have no control over that."

Frederick looked over at the agents with a hopeful look, silently pleading for support. Agent Mason just shrugged. "If she agrees there's nothing wrong with it. It's not like she's going on trial or would be in any danger."

"Fine, but I want to be there."

"She won't talk with you in the room, at least not anything the FBI would want to know," Annabeth argued. She got into an intense starring match with her father before one of the agents cleared his throat.

"So, um, is there a time when you can come down to the office? We can go right now.

"I'm sorry I have to go into work today and I have school tomorrow."

"We can pick you up after school, that would be a perfect," Agent Mason decided. Annabeth had a feeling the point wasn't arguable, but she didn't like the idea of being picked up by the FBI at school. With that settled the agents stood up to leave. They shook hands with Annabeth and her father politely, but Agent Costello gave Annabeth a hard look as he shook her hand. Once they were gone and the door was shut Frederick opened his mouth to speak. Annabeth simply ignored him and ran up the steps to her room. Thankfully she always kept a spare work uniform at her father's place.

The realization of what just happened hit Annabeth hard after she escaped into her room. For moment she felt like she could barely breath as it weighed down on her. Her mother was being investigated by the FBI for association with a borderline terrorist organization and she was going to help determine her mother's involvement. It all seemed to unreal for her to process so she tried to focus on the little things in her room- two full bookcases filled with well-worn and well-loved books that kept her company her nights trapped in her father's house, the few postures she put on her wall she put up to cover the cracks in the walls from her punching her fist through the plaster, Thalia's controller sitting on top a stack of old video games on her desk. This was her place in her father's house and she felt little attachment to it. It was just a place to contain her while she stayed there with a few things to try and appease her. More likely than not this was where she'd be forced to stay while the FBI investigated her mother.

Annabeth felt defeated. She slid down to the floor, her back pressed against the smooth wood of her door. She sat there for a few moments, holding her head in her arms, as she tried to clear her mind and her emotions. For the first time that day she was happy she had to go into work so early. It would offer a distraction from everything that was going on. If menial labor was good for anything, it was making things feel normal.