Author's notes

So I wrote more than I expected and then the chapter ended kinda awkwardly, this is my first fic, constructive criticism is always welcome. enjoy.

I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians those belong to Rick Riordan

Chapter 2

The flight was long and boring, not to mention the baby that was crying all the time two seats behind them, Athena menaged just fine, after all she was used to flying all the time to show up at important meetings and stuff, but Annabeth didn't go quite well. First she tried sleeping, but the baby was so loud she couldn't close her eyes, its cries reminded her of Bobby and Matthew when they were that age, oh how she missed those older, simpler days already. She then tried to listen to music but after going through her playlist of 12 songs four times she got bored, her aunt was asleep so she couldn't start any form of conversation, she brought no books on her backpack, so she couldn't read anything either. After 20 minutes of looking out the window, she grabbed her cap that she was wearing and held in front of her, remembering the day she got that.

Flashback

Excitement means different things to many people. In 2008, to Annabeth it meant the finals of the national baseball league the NY Yankees vs the Boston Red Sox. Annabeth, her dad and her mom were going to watch it live on the stadium, it would be her first time watching a game at the Yankee Stadium, her dad would always talk about how he met her mom during a game. Something about him looking at her mother the whole time instead of the match and then falling in love, it still seemed a pretty weird story for Annabeth. The day they were going to the stadium her mother forgot the purse where the tickets were and they had to go back home and get it.

"Goddammit Helen, why did you have to forget this purse today?!". Yelled Frederick.

"Fred language! Our daughter is here if you don't remember, and it's not like I'm the only one who messes up". Defended Helena Chase, Annabeth' s mother.

"It's not like dad doesn't have a point". Added a little blond girl who was sitting on the backseat.

"Are you two teaming up on me? That's it! no caramel corn for you".

"Ahh mama". Whined the seven year old.

They got to their house and got the tickets, Frederick then drove so fast that it looked like he was James Bond on a car chase, but it was useless because the traffic near the stadium was terrible, like all the drivers decided to take a little walk and park their cars on the street.

"I'm going to take a look and see how bad it is". Said Helen as she opened the door and walked over to the sidewalk.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!". She screamed, it seemed like there was no end to the amount of cars in front of them.

"Run to the stadium, take Annabeth with you, I'm gonna find a place to park the car, meet you there as soon as I can". He said.

"Ok, be safe". She said as she kissed him.

"Always".

Helen then took Annabeth's hand and started to run towards the stadium. "Come on sweetie, we got to hurry."

They ran five blocks holding their hands, until Annabeth stopped breathing heavily. "Mommy, I'm tired my legs hurt."

"Already?". She looked, surprised at the little girl's lack of stamina. "Ahh fine, climb on my back". She sighed. Annabeth then hugged her mother's neck and put her legs between Helen's arms. After 10 minutes of piggybacking to the stadium with the girl screaming 'wheeeee' all the way, they could see their destination.

When they got there it was worse than the traffic, it seemed that all the drivers that decided to take a walk were there, Helen fought her way into the entrance of the place and dropped Annabeth to rest a little.

"At least you're tiny". She managed to say while she was panting heavily, when she looked back up she saw Annabeth wandering into a crowd that was screaming. "Billy! Billy! Billy!".

Even though she was tiny, it was incredibly difficult to pass through the crowd, she tripped on someone and fell in the middle of the circle of people, when she looked up she saw a big black man wearing the Yankees uniform, it was Billy Roger the pitcher of the NY Yankees, he kneeled down to the girl.

"It's very sunny today, a little girl like you shouldn't take that much sun, or else you might get a burn or something, here keep this". He said as he put his cap on her head. "Go Yankees". Annabeth's eyes just widened.

"Hey Billy, hurry up we got some asses to kick!". Hollered another member of the team.

Billy stood up and yelled back. "Coming Pete!". And with that he walked away, Annabeth was speechless, that day she saw first hand what glory meant.

"Th-tha was, was, wa-was he?". Helen stammered her eyes just as widened as Annabeth's, like she saw a miracle take place, she then looked over to her daughter

"Let's go watch this game". She lifted little Annabeth. "And don't you dare lose that cap!". Annabeth held onto it like her life depended on it, because her mother would definitely kill her if she didn't.

End of flashback

Annabeth was pulled back to the present when she heard the pilot over the speaker telling the crew to prepare for landing, Athena woke up with a yawn.

"What a smooth flight". She said like she had a day at a SPA, Annabeth slowly turned her head to her aunt, glaring at her.

"What?". Athena said completely oblivious to the suffering her niece went through that flight.

30 minutes later

They were in a cab, Annabeth was admiring the city, it was just like she remembered, some new houses and buildings but it was generally the same town she went on vacation when she was nine, the same tall pine trees, squirrels and racoons, the same almost empty streets save the little children who were playing around, the same cool weather that made her relax. Life there seemed ordinary and much smoother than it was back in New York, the cab stopped in front of a two story house with white walls, Annabeth was observing the exterior of it, soaking in the place she used to stay with her family on their trips to Oregon, a small staircase made of gray bricks led to the wooden front door, around it was an arch of grey stones, to the left of the door, in front of a window, was a bush of wild white lilies and lavender, a sign that her aunt wasn't around her home too much. Annabeth liked to look at buildings, something about their design attracted the girl, she thought of being an architect when she grows up, but the future seemed so distant to her that it wasn't worth to worry about these sort of things.

"Well, make yourself at home". Said Athena awkwardly when she opened the door into a living room, she put her coat on the rack that was nailed to the wall, Annabeth looked around, the living room had three leather sofas arranged in a "U", all facing a square coffe table.

"Let me show where you'll stay". Annabeth followed the 29 year old woman up the wooden spiral stairs, they passed the bathroom and Athena's room until they stood in front of a plain white door.

"Here's your bedroom". Athena opened the door, Annabeth entered and observed the room, it was a little bit smaller than her old room, and definitely empty, there was just a wooden bed with some yellowish orange sheets with a folded thick brown blanket on top of it, a wooden wardrobe and a very old looking drawer.

"I'm sorry it's a little empty, I didn't have time to furnish it. But you can use the TV and the computer in my room anytime you want". Annabeth shrugged and continued looking around.

"I'm going to order a pizza, are you hungry? Do you want anything?". Annabeth got to her notepad and started writing.

"Do they have pepperoni NY style?". She held the pad in front of her aunt.

"Classic, I'm sure they do, I'll be downstairs if you need anything". Athena closed the door behind her leaving Annabeth alone. The girl started unpacking her things, she started hanging her clothes in the empty wardrobe, putting her books in the drawer, she thought she could use more sunlight, so she opened the white curtains and was met with a great view of the whole neighborhood below, the Columbia river and the Megler Bridge. Funny, she didn't remember seeing such a pretty view of the city as a kid, maybe because she wasn't tall enough at the time.

After she hanged all her clothes and put all her books in the drawer all that was left in her suitcase was a small wooden box, she opened it and it was full of photos, a kindergarten drawing of her house made by her, a necklace and a portrait of her family, they were all smiling, their eyes where shining, full of hope. All the fights they had seemed foolish given the tragedy that happened. She missed them so much, she was taught by her mother that things, even the mightiest skyscraper, the fiercest nation, the people we most loved would eventually go away, but that's what rebuilding and making new friends were for. Annabeth wanted to follow her mother's words and move on but she just couldn't do it, she felt alone and worse yet incapable, there was nothing Annabeth feared more than being incapable, and when she least expected a tear formed in the corner of her eye and fell on the portrait, and then another and another, she wiped her tears and mentally said to stop or else she would look like one those dorks she called brothers, and then her throat started burning, it felt like that bullet came back to haunt her, to mock at her weakness.

Dammit. She thought. I need a painkiller. She opened her backpack and found a little jar with some pills, she took two pills and went to the bathroom across the corridor, she didn't want to aunt Athena see her crying, Annabeth didn't want to be a burden to her aunt, the girl was sure that Athena deserved some rest, she put the two pills in her mouth, opened the sink, took some water with her hands and swallowed it, the painkillers started to take effect, the burning sensation was ceasing.

Annabeth took off her scarf and touched the scar while looking at it on the mirror. Freak. She said mentally in response to her own reflection, she let out a sigh and went back to her room, she closed the jar containing the painkillers and placed it on the drawer along with the portrait of her family, she looked at the small box on the ground with the photos and some other stuff scattered on the ground, she stored everything in the box, except the necklace, she pushed the box under her bed, in that box was everything that Annabeth managed to get back from her home that now was considered a crime scene, those things were all that was left of Annabeth's old life, she would protect them with her life.

She then grabbed the necklace and started fiddling with it. The necklace looked simple, the pendant was an omega made of silver. It belonged to her mother, she was a history teacher at an university, and guess what was her favorite subject... Yup, it was ancient Greek and Roman mythology.

"Annabeth! The pizza arrived!". The girl put the necklace and went downstairs, hoping her aunt wouldn't know that she cried, that she felt empty and sad inside.