Chapter 4

The four hours I spent in the waiting room were the longest four hours of my life. Thalia, Jason, Percy and my mom were sitting with me, but no one was talking. I was glad. I didn't want to listen to anyone right now. I sat hunched in the sofa chair facing the door so that I could see when the doctor returned to give us the news. I couldn't even cry anymore. I was too numb.

I saw Percy stand up in my peripheral vision to get a snack from the vending machine, but I kept my eyes on the door. I wanted the doctor to come in and tell us Chiron was going to be fine, that he could go home tomorrow and get plenty of rest, and go back to school to teach...

Something touched my shoulders, and I flinched before realizing it was Percy. He'd put his jacket over me.

"You're shivering," he noticed. I looked down at the goosebumps on my arms. I hadn't even registered the cold until now. I shuddered, pulling the jacket tighter around me.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." He started to return to his seat, but I stopped him.

"Percy, wait. Um, there's plenty of room here." I scooted to the side. The chair was probably big enough to fit both of us comfortably. Percy wasn't big or bulky. Now that he was beside me I didn't want him to leave. Suddenly the thought of being alone was terrifying, and the warmth of another person was comforting.

"Okay." Percy glanced nervously at my mother, who raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. He sat down beside me. It was a bit snug, but comfortable. I sighed, leaned my head back against Percy's shoulder, and continued to watch the door.

...

When the doctor finally came, his expression was unreadable. I knew how to read people fairly well though. His shoulders were slumped, and he wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. He had bad news.

Slowly, he closed the door behind him.

...

When the school heard the news, everyone cried. Chiron was loved by everyone. There wasn't a single student, teacher, or staff member alike who didn't care for and respect Chiron. Nearly a hundred people attended his funeral. Despite the heat from the remaining days of summer, there was the slightest breeze, a breath of fall, which was really sad. Chiron loved the fall.

What do I do, Chiron? I thought. I'd stayed behind long after everyone left, unable to comprehend this, unable to believe my second father was gone. It was too surreal. Tears escaped my eyes and flooded down my cheeks.

What do I do? What do I do? Tell me! Tell me how to bring you back.

But he wasn't coming back. And I was alone.

I knelt beside the grave, placing my flower against the headstone. "Miss you," I whispered. I don't know how long I sat there for. I just let the tears fall until I couldn't cry any- more, staring at the boquets of flowers people had left. There were so many you couldn't see the pile of dirt underneath. It looked as if he'd been buried under a bed of roses, and I was okay with that. I wiped my cheeks and stood, giving the final resting place of my father, my mentor and my friend one last look before turning away and leaving.

...

(Three months later)

"Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you see?"

"Um...stars?"

I rolled my eyes. "Beyond the stars, Seaweed Brain."

Percy squinted at the night sky. "I don't see anything except the moon."

"I was talking about the constellations," I laughed. "But yeah, the moon is kind of hard to miss."

He gave me a weird look and rolled his eyes. "I can't see them. Who creates shapes out of stars anyway?"

I lightly smacked his arm. "Who thinks of seeing shapes in clouds? Look." I pointed up. "There's the Big Dipper."

"So you see a ladle?" he asked.

"It kind of looks like that, yeah," I laughed again. "Something you dip into a bowl of soup."

"So you look at the stars and think of soup?"

"Oh shut up."

We lay there in silence for a moment, staring at the sky. Since it was cold out we were bundled up in jackets and several blankets. We'd dragged two lounge chairs together, and the two of us were laying there side by side, snuggled up underneath the blankets with hot chocolate. When he'd called I had been finishing up my math homework. I was shocked when he invited me over, but accepted anyway. Now we were star gazing and sipping hot chocolate. I was thankful for the peace.

More than that, I was thankful to be out of the house. My parents were driving me crazy, and not for the reasons I thought they would. They were being so nice to each other, much more than they have in months. The only explanation I could think of is that they were happier this way. And if they were happy, I was happy. Although there was still one thing that bothered me, and that was the fact that my dad hasn't told my mom about the affair. And they were both so happy, I couldn't bring myself to shatter this truce between them.

That memory still haunts me. I was only a kid then, so of course I didn't really understand until later what an affair was. All I knew was that daddy was kissing someone who wasn't my mother. I wasn't allowed to tell mom, he'd said. It would cause our family to fall apart. Just keep quiet, and everything will go back to normal.

And I did. Looking back now though, I realized I could've prevented so many late night arguements when they thought I was fast asleep. I used to sleep with my pillow over my head to block out the noise.

I kept my head down like a good girl and pretended that we were a perfect little family. We fooled everyone. Except Chiron, of course. Chiron knew. And Luke. Sometimes I wonder-

"Annabeth?"

I blinked, jerking back to the present. Percy was leaning over me. "How can you sleep? It's freezing out here. Want to go inside?"

"Sleep?" I asked groggily. "Wow, I was so deep in thought, I didn't even realize I'd dozed off." I sat up, my body shivering at the exposure to the biting cold air.

Percy grabbed our mugs and stood. "Come on, Wise Girl. I'll drive you home."

"Kay." I grabbed his outstretched hand and stood. He really has grown up, I realized. And not just physically. I wasn't as alone as I thought. Between him, Thalia and the rest of the crazy crew we called friends.

We put away our cups and blankets. After saying good bye to his mother, who was holding the side of her swollen pregnant belly and wincing, we grabbed our coats.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Percy asked. Judging by Sally's continuous flinching, it appeared she was having contractions, and a lot of them. Her husband Paul was working late and wouldn't be home until later.

Sally waved her hand. "I'm fine, sweetheart. I'll know when to go to the hospital. She isn't going to pop out the ten minutes you're gone."

Percy still looked unsure, but grabbed the keys off the counter. "Call me if you need me, mom. Okay?"

"Okay, honey."

We left Sally and made our way to the elevator. Neither of us spoke, but I didn't mind. The silence was comfortable. I felt bad making Percy drive me home in this weather, but he was the one who'd picked me up and I didn't have the guts to tell my parents I'd been with a guy I barely knew.

I laughed quietly. If hanging out with strangers was the most rebellious thing I've ever done...I had nothing on Thalia. She's gotten into enough trouble for the both of us.

"Don't laugh," Percy suddenly said as we got into his step-dad's Prius. "The road is slippery."

"What?" I asked. Then I realized he must have slipped on the icy pavement as we were geting into the car and thought I'd laughed at him. "Oh, no, sorry. I wasn't laughing at you, I was thinking of Thalia."

Percy started the car. We sat for a few seconds to let the air warm up. "Thalia? Why?"

"Just of all the trouble she's gotten into over the years. I was thinking if hanging out with guys behind my parents' backs is the worst I've done then I really am lame."

Percy pulled out of the parking lot carefully, glaring ahead to see through the snowy frost covering the windshield. "So your parents don't know you're with me?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm eighteen. They give me freedom if I want it and don't question it. I don't think they even noticed I was gone."

Percy finally turned his eyes off the road and looked at me. "Annabeth, that's crazy. What if I were a stranger trying to kidnap you or something?"

"But you're not," I argued.

"But what if I was?"

"But you aren't." I crossed my arms. "So there."

Percy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Do you always have to be right?"

"No! Besides, after tonight, I think I can hardly call you a stranger."

Percy grinned. "Yeah?"

"Yep. So I was right."

Percy laughed. "You're impossible."

"Am not. You're insufferable-Percy look out!"

The car suddenly went spinning across the road. The world spun in bright colors, and everything was in slow motion as we headed straight for a tree. Percy cut the wheel in a panic but the car turned in the opposite direction. We jerked to the side; there was a gush of cold air. My head was throbbing, and when I touched my cheek, there was scarlet on my fingers.

"Percy?" I croaked, turning my head. At first Percy didn't respond to his name being called. I shook his shoulder gently. "Percy, wake up. Can you hear me?"

Then, finally, Percy stirred. His head turned in my direction. "Yeah," he said shakily. "I'm okay. Are you?"

"I think so." Everything had happened to fast to comprehend. One minute we were talking, the next sitting with the car wrapped around a tree. One instant, one moment and we could've died. I took a shaky breath.

Percy unbuckled his seatbelt. "I can't get out, my door is blocked. Are you hurt?"

I unbuckled my seatbelt. "No, here. Let me get out first, then crawl over to the passenger side." I gently pushed open the door and scooted out into the chilly air. Percy crawled out after me, and we stood there together. I gripped his arm.

People were rushing over to us, making sure we were okay. Someone wanted to call an ambulance, but I opted for calling my parents, seeing as neither of us were in life threatening danger and no one else got hurt. Thankfully we didn't hit anyone after we lost control. The manager of the local pizza joint nearby ushered us into the restaurant to rest while we waited. To my surprise, half a dozen people followed, insisting to stay and make sure we were alright. It was sweet to see how many people truly cared.

When my parents finally came, I gave them both an extra hug.