DISCLAIMER: I don't own PJO, but I'd love to. I only own my characters.

It gets complicated

Annabeth's POV:

'Today I will solve the case with Luke.' I thought with a smile.

I reached the construction site by 8. I thought about my project and hoped for just a regular day, where the only surprise, if possible, would be from Luke. But boy was I wrong.

I walked up to the café counter and picked up an espresso. I have a craving for those. Just as I got to my seat near the café counter, a boy came to me and handed me a letter. I opened the letter. It read:

Dear Annabeth,

Do not visit him today evening. It is for your own good.

I dropped my espresso.

"Who gave it to you?" I asked him.

He pointed to door in the fence and said "A woman gave me this. She pointed at you and asked me to give it to you. She gave me 5 dollars." He held up a 5 dollar bill.

I ran to the fence to find no one there. I ran back to him and asked him "Describe her. How did she look?"

"I couldn't notice much. She was wearing a gray colored jacket with a hoodie. She was looking away, at the building for most of the time. She was taller than you and she had red hair. I couldn't catch her face though." he replied

"Don't you remember anything else? Anything?" I desperately wanted to know about this mystery woman.

"All I remember is that she had a very costly diamond ring. I'm sure that it was a diamond because my father owns a jewelry shop."

"Thank you. Here's another 5 dollars." I handed him the cash., and walked back to my seat.

'How did she know about it already? Is she tapping my phone? And why doesn't she want me to meet him? Meeting him would answer a few of my questions. And I want answers. I have to go, whether she likes it not.' I thought.

Just then, I received a call from Ms Smith.

"Annabeth, I need you to visit my house today. Be at my office by 5. I will send a car to pick you up from there. I want to help you with the presentation, as Maria said she is very ill. Viral fever can be very contagious. And as no one else knows the project so well, it leaves me no other choice. Also, get some night clothes on your way here. We will probably spend the whole night together. The slides and your speech should be ready by tomorrow. That way, you will one day to prepare. So be there by 5 on the dot. Don't be late." And with that, she put down the phone without giving me a chance to speak.

'I missed my chance again. Stupid Ms. Arrogant always times it up perfectly. I make an arrangement with Luke, then the letter arrives, and then she calls me when I refuse to do as the letter tells me to. Wait.'

I pondered over the words I just said. 'I say yes to Luke, the letter tells me not to do, I throw the letter away, and she calls me. Could she be the one who is against my meeting with Luke? The boy told me that she is taller than me. Ms. Smith is taller than me. Could she be the one?' The thought brought a smile to my face. 'If that is true, then why won't she let me meet him? And how do I prove that she is the one?' My face dampened again.

'Great now I have to leave from here by 4, if I want to reach her office by 5. It will take at least half an hour to get there even by car. Wait a second. It takes half an hour to get there. The mystery woman just gave me the letter. If Ms. Smith isn't in her office, then I can almost confirm that the mystery woman is her.' I let out a few more smiles only to be dampened again when I realized that I didn't have anyone's phone number at the office. I had forgotten to get even Maria's. The only number I had was Ms. Smith. I definitely couldn't call her. It would be crazy, like "Hi Ms. Smith, are there in office right now, because I wanted to confirm if you are the mystery woman who has been giving me freakish letters and seems to know exactly where I am and what I'm doing?" I must be crazy to even think of that option.

Just then, my phone rang.

"Hi Annabeth, I'm Steven. Can we meet up today? There's something I want to tell you."

Thank the gods. "Hi Steven, sure we can meet up in office at 4:30. I have to go Ms. Smith's place at 5 for work. By the way, can you just do me a small favor?"

"Yes, anything for you."

"Can you just go to Ms. Smith's office and see if she is inside. Don't go inside. Just look at her from outside and tell me if she is there. Please." I had high hopes on this test. I was clearly craving for answers.

"That's an odd request. But I'll do it anyway. Just wait."

I was so excited, that I didn't realize that I was standing on my toes.

"Let's see….. She's not there." I fist pumped and started jumping.

"Oh wait, she is in the back of the room. I didn't notice her. Yeah, she's here." My smile dropped and was replaced by a frown.

"Why what happened? I don't like it when you're like that." He sounded really concerned.

"It's nothing. I'll see you in the evening." I replied.

"Fine then, I'll see you at 4:30. Bye." He put down the phone.

'Now what? It has only been 10 minutes since the boy gave me the letter. She couldn't have traveled all the way back to her office in 10 minutes. There goes my last string, unless Steven is lying. And how did he get my phone number? What is going on here? Why did my life suddenly get so complicated?'

Ms. Smith's POV:

'I guess it is about time that Flame Boy rescues his beloved from that island. We need him anyway and all the others.'

Hold on guys. Because it gets really complex from now. Let's see who do you think who is who in this story. I assure you that I have already written this story and I am not going to change it now. I swear on whatever you want me to. Read, Rejoice and Review.