I've learned that sometimes all a person needs in life, is a hand to hold and a heart to understand


Smith walked off, phone in hand, saying that all he needed to do was make a quick phone call and then we would be all set. Is Athena even licensed to be a lawyer? I thought, Or is this also part of the plan…? He smiled, gave a, and I quote, "huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge" thanks, smiled (again) and turned his phone off. He, 'cool-y' walked back to me, and unlocked my cuffs, I could almost hear the jealous thoughts of the other prisoners. Oh wait, they were actually saying them out loud, whoopsie. Heehee.

Smith guided me back to an interrogating room, and left me there. An hour or so later, Athena was in. We went over the details of Phase Three. Apparently, both of Gabe's confessions, and all the beatings he had given me within the last twenty four hours, was downloaded into the hard drive of the security system, so Athena and anyone who knows the password, has access to the footage. After Phase Three, we move into the final step, if, however, we fail- we move to Plan B: Escape, although, Athena, Poseidon and I all hope it doesn't come down to that, we have plans ready for any occasion.

"Athena?" I stopped Athena from her ramble. A little annoyed, and yet curious as to why I stopped her, she looked up, "Yes?" Athena sat straight and curled her fingers. I uncomfortably shifted in my seat, and looked her dead in the eye, "Do you really think I'm worth your daughters time?," she seemed taken aback by this, but I continued, "I mean, Fredrick seems like he's more than happy to have me here. Annabeth has lived with him, he should know what's best for her. What if, what if I'm not the best for Annabeth?," I asked her sincerely. She looked at me, and for the first time since I have ever met Athena, she was at a loss of words. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, she reminded me of a fish out of water.

I felt my heart, soul, and very being melt into darkness when I felt the second turn into half a minute, that 30 seconds turn into 1 minute, one minute turning into five, but, in my head, days past. Supereons passed before I dropped my head in shame. Athena reached across the table and cupped my chin. She pushed my chin up, forcing me to face her. She looked at me, dead in the eye, and spoke her mind, "Percy, the fact that you're in jail, for my daughter, in ways that not even you may understand at the moment, shows me all I need to know. You're a very loyal, caring, strong-willed, and selfless man. You're perfect for my daughter, and she knows that, which is why she hasn't let go. So, you shouldn't either, unless you have a great reason as to why you should do so."

'Tis be a pretty, pretty line break (not my doing)

Sorry, I saw this in another story and couldn't help but put it in here, apologies if you are the author and feel offended.

I watched as Athena confidently walked to the middle of the wooden floor, fixing the angle of her glasses and fixing the cuffs of her suit, she walked back and forth before facing Smith, the first who will give his testimony. "Mr. Smith, what happened at the night of Sally Jackson's death?" Athena asked. Smith shifted in his chair, "I was, uh… well, the office received a call that a women was killed and, I was sent to pick up the family for questioning. Wh-" Athena turned and faced him, fire burning in her eyes. With the intensity of the hypothetical daggers impacting on his skin, Smith shut up. It must run in Athena's genes. I could imagine how many people she's used that stare- sorry, ADHD can be a real pain in the butt sometimes. To stop detouring my train of thought, I softly started tapping my knee with no rhythm. Athena pushed her grey metal glasses further up the bridge of her nose, her eyes at this point were bright with excitement and determination.

I figured a long time ago that Annabeth got her eye color from her mother, but Annabeth's seemed more like a stormy gray, a color that I have come to love.

The tapping on my knee became even more irregular as Athena used a minute to just walk around and read something in her file. "Mr. Smith," she began, "it says here, that you reported that Mr. Jackson, when interrogated, had retracted back into the farthest corner of the room, when you brought your hand up. Did I get that right?" Athena asked, pointing out one of my vulnerable states. Smith nodded a little hesitantly, I would have done the same. Why would Athena bring this up? Why did the jury all the sudden seem interested? Why are my palms so sweaty? Did I brush my teeth? Put on clean underwear? Did I forget something? What in the world am I thinking?!

"You said so yourself, when you entered the booth, you said, and I quote, 'Weird, it's like the boy was afraid or something. Did I do something scary?' and after looking through the tape, you came up empty handed. Percy was scared. Why would he be so scared, to a getter as simple as the raising of an arm? Smith, do me a favor please, if you don't mind, and raise up your arm the way you did during Percy's interrogation." Smith did as told and the jury gasped.

I saw it too.

It looked like he was ready to strike someone, and with him being in front of me, I decked out of my chair. At the moment, I had forgotten of the case, and me being in a court room, and straight up fell off my chair. It felt so embarrassing to have at least half a hundred or more people staring at me. I climbed back into my chair awkwardly and drank some water, the jury seemed to be hard at work, thinking. I could practically see the gears turning in their heads.

For the rest of Smith's testimony, all I heard was a ringing in my ears as if a bomb had gone off.

When it was my turn, everything was fuzzy and blurry. I walked up to the stand, and the only sound I was able to hear was the echoing of my heels clicking against the smooth polished court floor. I looked at the crowd gathered before me, I noticed a few reporters, a few of my cousins, my dad, Mr. Fredrick, and Annabeth. I guess Thalia stayed to take care of Mathew and Bobby or something.

Athena was the first to question me.

"What happened on the night of your mother's death?" I shifted in my seat.

"Well, I came home from school, a boarding school, and my mom and Gabe were arguing. At first I ignored it, it was a fight they fought annually. My mom always wanted to send me to a boarding school- she didn't want me alone with Gabe everyday- but Gabe wanted me to go to a public school, claiming that 'We would save over $357 dollars a month' but my mom didn't care about the money. Anyways, this one day though-" Athena raised her hand to cut me off and raised an eyebrow.

"You say, your mom didn't want you home, why?"

"Gabe, when she was around, would verbally abuse me. He also had very bad drinking habits, and was always playing poker with people that lived in the building. His poker friends were always drinking, smoking, and down drugs: she didn't like that."

"And when she's not home?" I sighed.

"When mom wasn't home, Gabe would physically abuse me. He would uh, tie me up, beat me until either he or I knocked out. Um, I would get tied down to a wall, and he would throw empty beer bottles at me. Even as a drunk, he had great aim.

"He wouldn't feed me, but expect me to feed him. If I ever got home a nanosecond after three, I would get his worst punishments." Athena seemed pleased and the jury gave me sympathetic looks. The judge had to bang his gavel to get the court room silent once again. He shuffled through some papers, "It says here you've got some evidence of Mr. Ugliano confessing this himself? Okay, let's see it." Gabe fidgeted in his seat.

Athena grabbed a little remote form her pocket, and clicked Play. The video showed him confessing he killed Mom, him showing the camera the many scars he imprinted in my body to last forever, it seemed like the jury was in my favor. Most of them glared at Gabe, some of them beloved this was fake. The judge and everyone in the room looked disgusted, and they seemed as if they wanted to feed Gabe to the crows.

The judge banged his gavel six times before the room was at least down to whispers. Everyone seemed like they already made their decision, but we had to hear Gabe's side, and I wasn't done.

"Mr. Jackson…"


PLEASE VOTE ON POLL IN MY PROFILE! Hey guys, how's life? Anyways, as promised, a new chapter has been posted! A little later than usual, I think, but you know, like I said last chapter, I have to slow down a little and take my time between chapters because of my hand. =( but, I will definitely have another chapter posted by Christmas or sooner! Don't forget to review, and I'll see you next chapter.