A/N: Hey guys, I was planning on making this a series of oneshots about some of the mortal parents in the pjo series. There will be about eight or nine. (I think) This is my attempt at writing about Frederick Chase's life and his feelings toward his daughter. I always thought there should have been more depth on the relationship between Annabeth and her father. Hopefully, this will meet your expectations. Enjoy!

Diclaimer: everything is Rick Riordan's

Annie, sweetheart, I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt anyone. Yet things turned out so wrong, didn't they?

I was just starting out, trying to find my place in this world. My family was constantly telling me that I needed to find a more stable career, that there would be no guarantee in pursuing what I wanted to do. But I couldn't help myself, military history was my passion. Something I could finally believe in.

For hours at a time, I would be poring myself into books on ancient military history, World War Two, individual battles, or pretty much whatever I could get my hands on. I was always particularly interested in the Sopwith Camels used in the third battle of Ypres. Their use in combat, their design, everything. It was never easy for me to focus on other things, everything just seemed to pale in comparison to what I loved.

Annie, sweetheart, I didn't mean to take so long in figuring out that you were what I loved. Not those silly books.

Yes, it sounds boring, but all the plans, tactics, strategies, and setbacks were like a giant chess game in my eyes, waiting to be played.

That's probably what caught Athena's attention.

I had been struggling with college tuition, even if they were in favor of supporting me, my family had little to no money to spare. I would never have made it this far without her help.

I met her at a seminar on ancient Greek military strategies, and now that I look back, I feel ridiculous. She watched the speaker with obvious boredom, as if she knew all this. She kept eying me every once in a while, and I got the feeling that she wasn't here for the information. The only time she showed interest in the seminar was to correct the speaker. Multiple times.

Afterwards, she approached me and introduced herself as Athena. Such a fitting name, I thought. Our conversation felt like a mental battle. My mind was intent on hearing her words. They had a way of captivating me and leaving me pondering their many meanings. But my eyes had other ideas. Looking into her eyes was like looking into a storm cloud, violent yet tempered. It turned out she was interested in everything I was. We talked about Sopwith Camels, War, tactics, defense, all of it.

Athena demonstrated her almost unusual quantity of knowledge about military history. Especially Ancient Greek.

Annie, Sweetheart, I was so clueless wasn't I?

I should have caught on earlier, but Athena was just so fascinating. All sense seemed to escape me when I looked at her, listened to her.

We met up to have coffee every chance we got after that, discussing war for hours on end. I was completely immersed in everything she said, waiting for whatever logical response she would come up with next to counter mine.

When I opened up about my financial predicament, she readily offered assistance. I tried to reason with Athena, but she would have none of it. Only then did I stop to speculate the lack of normality in our situation. Someone who I had known for barely a month was offering to pay my way through college? Someone whose last name I didn't even know, let alone their past?

But with one look in her eyes, all my doubts fled against my will.

Annie, sweetheart, she had me wrapped around her finger from the start. Just like you.

With Athena's help, I was beginning my studies in Ancient Military history. She was my constant companion, helping me with my work, discussing theories with me, and broadening my views. I quickly learned to be comfortable in her company.

Did I love Athena? No, not really. Did I ever regret the time I spent with her? No. never.

Annie, Sweetheart, I loved you. I still do. I always will.

Our time together was so short, but it felt like a lifetime. Which I later found hard to believe, considering how little I actually knew about her. For that brief amount of time, I could finally see what it was like to have someone understand. If only I knew what the consequences of her understanding me would be.

Annie, sweetheart, you were never a consequence.

One autumn morning, I walked into the coffee shop to see Athena staring at me expectantly. People were bustling all around us, refilling cups, talking, but I only saw her eyes watching me sadly. I got a horrible feeling in my stomach.

Everything became more vivid under her gaze. The strong, fragrant smell of coffee felt like a punch in the face, very similar to its taste. The voices of the people around us got ten times louder, yet I continued to ignore them. My vision sharpened around her form, as if that was all that existed. I knew she was leaving. I just knew it. What would I do?

In the time that I was spending trying to assess the amount of damage, she had approached me, just as carefully as she had when we first met. Her words snapped me back to reality.

"Frederick my friend, you have come such a long way. I have enjoyed sharing your knowledge, but it is time for me to move on," That horrible feeling got even worse.

"You are a very bright man and will reach unimaginable heights. But you must always remember," her eyes visibly darkened. "There are more important things in life than you know."

She took a step closer, her stormy eyes raging before me.

"I wish you the best of luck, Frederick. Now this is where I must take my leave," I was dumfounded. This was it. She would never come back.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" I asked, dazed and confused.

She stared at me sympathetically. "Yes. But my knowledge will forever be bound with yours," she paused for my reaction, but I was expressionless. "You will soon learn how," was all she said. With that she walked past me and stopped at the door.

"Goodbye,"

And she was gone.

Never did I fully understand her words until one day. The day all the pieces came together without that same distraction pulling me off track. That was the day a golden cradle was left on my doorstep.

My daughter.

Annie, sweetheart, I didn't know what to make of it. Of you.

Athena. Greek history. War. Everything came falling into place. A goddess? A goddess. No, it was not possible. Gods didn't exist. I tried to remain logical, but that was just it. This was the only logical explanation.

That was the first and only time I could even begin to comprehend the nature of the Gods. But it was short lived. Why did I have to keep the child? I never asked for this.

Then Athena came to me in all her Godly glory, seeing that I obviously wasn't catching on. "A demigod must be raised by their mortal parent. They will be safer that way," She firmly explained, as if it were so simple. But it wasn't that simple. I wasn't ready for this! I could barely manage on my own, I was in no shape to raise a child. I could barely wrap my mind around it. A brain child? It made NO sense. No matter how much I pleaded with her, Athena couldn't be swayed. She made it clear that adoption was definitely not an option.

when I finally realized that there was no possible way around it, I tried to accept it. I named her Annabeth, meaning "Gracious." It was almost like I was trying to assure myself that she was a gift, not a burden.

I tried my best, I really did. As she grew, Annabeth became more and more like Athena. Not just her appearance, curly, blonde hair and stormy gray eyes, but also her personality. She had trouble getting along with the other children and fitting in because of her intelligence level. Even I couldn't help but questioning that something wasn't exactly right.

Yet the thing that reminded me most of her mother was her way of speaking. Just like Athena, she could capture your emotions through words. Annabeth never shared the same my interest in military history, though. Her fascination was architecture. I know that's hard to believe, considering she was so young.

Annie, sweetheart, you were full of surprises, weren't you?

The monsters weren't much of a threat at first. Just an odd coincidence from time to time. Athena had warned me about monster attacks and how they would worsen as Annabeth got older, but I wasn't sure what to expect. For a while, I thought that we might just manage. I married Stacy soon after the appearances started.

I loved Stacy, I really did. I never felt the same connection as I did with Athena, but it felt good to actually understand what was going on in our relationship for a change.

I explained our "situation" to my new wife straight away, hoping she would understand. And of course, ever-caring Stacy did her best to do so. But really, who can?

Annabeth wasn't as accepting as her stepmother. She was afraid that Stacy would dislike her because of what she-who she-was, that was obvious enough. But she was also worried. Worried that I would lose interest in her and move on to something less…..risky.

Things didn't improve when Bobby and Matthew were born. I divided my attention among my children the best I could, but it was easy to see that I was more at ease with the boys. The monster attacks became more and more frequent as Annabeth grew. Stacy still made an effort to remain calm about what was going on, but it wasn't easy. Bobby and Matthew weren't all that gentle about the situation, but they were still little kids. Then again, so was Annabeth.

Annie, sweetheart, you have a way of fooling everybody don't you?

Annabeth acted as aloof as possible towards the rest of us. I tried to stay patient with her, I knew it must have been hard. Why couldn't she understand that we didn't resent her?

I soon paid the price for my lack of patience. As Annabeth approached her 7th birthday, things were not in good shape. Stacy was not as patient as she always was. Annabeth was short with everyone and I responded just as ill-tempered. Sometimes I forgot that she was only 6 and treated her like I would in an argument with another adult. She easily countered what I said, but she was still only a little girl. Words can hurt anyone at any age.

Annie, sweetheart, I wish I could take it all back, all of it.

Annabeth ran away a few weeks after her 7th birthday. I woke up and she was gone. Gone. I called the police, but for some reason they couldn't track her at all. It was like Annabeth Chase hadn't even existed.

I feared the worst. What if she had gotten killed by a monster? I didn't even stop to think about the possibility that she had fallen prey to a mortal. Some of my fear subsided when I received word that she had been safely placed at the camp that Athena had told me about. She had promised that Annabeth would be safe there.

Relying on Athena's word, I let her stay. I was devastated when I found out that mortals weren't allowed in the camp. I wanted to apologize and tell her that she always had a home here with me. But I never got the chance, at least not for a long time.

Annie, sweetheart, I took to long. Much to long.

For years I waited, waited for a chance to get my daughter back. She wrote me every once in a while, but it was stiff and formal. As time went by, she seemed to relax for once in her life. I heard a lot about a boy named Percy Jackson. Do you know how hard it is to hear your daughter talking about a boy and you can't do anything about it?

I think Annabeth often sugarcoated the "safety" of the camp. I was always assured that the camp itself was safe, but there was no way to make the quests sound safe. I was constantly on edge and found it extremely difficult not to worry. I still had Stacy and my sons to keep me from going crazy from worry, though. It was obvious Stacy felt guilty, but she knew it was for the best. And though they would never admit it, the boys were lonely without an older sister to annoy. Time would go by, we would get over it. Or at least my family would.

I wanted her to come home desperately so I offered her a place back home with me. I knew it would be dangerous with her being so close to the Titan Base, but I thought we could try.

We tried. And failed. It was even worse than before Annabeth ran away the first time. Monster attacks were constant and whatever guilt Stacy harbored was gone, in its place anger. The Chase household was full of hostility and fighting. Then my worst fear came true. I knew it was coming, but I didn't want to face it. Annabeth ran away again. Later, she claimed it was for the camp, but that wasn't the only thing that drove her from me and we both knew it.

I began to relax and accept the fact that there was nothing I could do, Annabeth wouldn't be coming home. Not until some beat up, dirty looking kids showed up at my door did I start to feel afraid again. They were talking about something, I don't know what. I was only waiting to hear them say the name Annabeth. Except when they did, I wished they hadn't.

Annie, sweetheart, I thought I had lost you forever.

When they told me what had happened, I immediately was ready to slay every monster that ever existed. Then the shock set in. I couldn't believe it, she was gone. But hopefully not forever. Annabeth had been so brave.

Annie, sweetheart, you were so much like your mother.

The anger returned when the demigods told me I couldn't go looking for her. But it soon disappeared when I remembered how dangerous it really was in their world. I would only slow them down. So I waited. Again.

Annie, sweetheart, I was so tired of waiting.

And I was. So I stopped waiting and started doing. Annabeth was the reason for my whole hero act, the big scene with the Celestial bronze bullets. I know it sounds braver to say that I was doing it for all the demigods in danger, but I'll be honest. Annabeth was the only thing on my mind.

I would have been alright if she hadn't come home. I was just so glad to have her safe, or at least somewhat.

I was overjoyed when she came back. She promised it would be permanent and she would try her best. Stacy treated Annabeth like she had when she first joined the family, before all the pressures and monsters. Bobby and Matthew acted like real brothers to her, though that I don't think Annabeth was to ecstatic about.

We weren't perfect. But that was alright.

Annie, sweetheart, I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?

A/N: So that was it. I wasn't to happy with the ending, but it wasn't that bad. If I messed up the sequence of events or details at all, please tell me. I'll probably be doing the next oneshot on Ms. Grace next, as they're in no particular order. If you have any suggestions, let me know. Please Review!