Disclaimer: I own nothing.

AN: This is short, I know, but necessary. I shall close this up in about 3 chapters, give or take a bit, and cyber Hershey Bars to EVERYONE who reviewed! Want one? REVIEW THIS TIME PLEASE! Happy 4 of July to everybody, and does anyone like Bad Day by Daniel Powter?

Skywriter5: Yes. *sighs regretfully* Percy is one heck of a Seaweed Brain.

Kittycat32: Thank you; I try.

Towerprepfan: Aww... Thanks!

klydo: Sorry, can't tell you what it says, but I did update!

Chapter 9

Annabeth POV

I took a look at the screen, and immediately understood. It contained a picture of the Florintines with their scars exposed. Underneath there was a play sign. I clicked on it, and faint speaking came through. It was the Florintines telling us about their past. The message said, "If u r wise u will do what i say, or else ur father will hear this. Sincerely, C.C."

A pale hand snatched it away. I looked up at the unnaturally pale face of Rose. She called out, "We're sorry, but we have to leave, it's an emergency." Without waiting for an answer, she rushed out, with all of us following her. Maple looked at me and held out her hands. "Keys." She commanded. I didn't argue; it was obvious they were on the verge of screaming. I meekly held out them, and she snatched them away. Within moments, we were on our way to their house. They slammed open the door, and then without led us up the stairs. I expected them to just lead us to the fourth floor, but they revealed another staircase in a room on the forth floor. "Where does this lead?" Thalia asked curiously. Rose stated curtly, "A hidden floor, without windows, where nobody can hear us. Now be quiet; do you want for that person to find us?" That was enough to shut us all up. Soon, we came to a huge, ornate door with a lock on it. Rose took out a tiny golden key that glittered. She thrust it in and turned it twice. With a tiny click, the lock fell away and the door swing open. I looked in and gave a quiet gasp. It was a huge library, with shelves as far as the eye could see, with armchairs and lamps to read by. Without halting, the Florintines led us to a circle of armchairs. We each sank into one. Rose took out her phone. "Who on earth is C.C?" She demanded. Furiously, we a wracked our brains for a person with the initials C.C. Suddenly, Rose's phone beeped again. Shakily, she took out the phone. There was one new text message. "i go 2 ur school. now, my first command is that u have 2 go 2 school 2morrow without any makeup." she read out loud.

The Florintines looked at each other in horror. Suddenly, Rose stood up and stiffly shook her head. "No." She stated. "We won't do it. Let Marcus come. We have these scars to prove everything. We've grown up, it's time to stop running." One by one, the Florintines stood up as their eyes hardened to steel. Rose turned to us and said in a soft voice, "We won't do it, and I think your parents will be missing you by now."

I think we all knew instinctively that it was time to leave. One by one we departed. I took one last look at the towering house before I drove away.

Rose POV

In my bedroom on the second floor, I gently rubbed off the makeup, tracing the scars. They still felt like they hurt sometimes, but that was in our imaginations. A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. I opened the door, and all four of my sisters stood there, tears in their eyes. I drew them into a hug, then led them onto the fourth floor. Opening a door, I revealed a bedroom with five beds, each one a different color. They had been used when we had just escaped, and were still afraid. "We used these when we were kids." protested Maple. I smiled sadly and said, "Maybe it's ok to be a kid once in a while." (AN: Anyone recognize this line? If you do, PM me and tell me.) They seemed to agree, and all moved into bed. I lay awake that night, thinking about everything that had happened. Eventually I slipped asleep, knowing that even if Marcus came, we would be ok. It was time to confront our fears.