Changing Fate

AN: Thank you so much for your reviews! They really help to inspire me to write more often. On with the chapter!

Chapter 14: A Little Talk

I walked into the big gray building for the third time in the past week. As I crossed the threshold I felt like a weight was lifted a little from my shoulders. Just anticipating seeing Leo and Piper made life seem like it was a little more worth living. So maybe I cried myself to sleep every night but for the few hours I spent working each day I could forget that. I could forget the grief, the pain, the brokenness. So maybe it would always be there, the pain, but it seemed manageable when I could leave my worries behind. Sometimes my smiles even reached my eyes.

"Good morning!" I said cheerfully to Eila the receptionist.

She looked a little mystified. "Good morning, Annabeth."

I stepped into the elevator just as Leo and Coach Hedge stepped out.

"Hey, Leo, Coach." I had taken to calling Gleeson 'Coach' just because everyone else did. Leo greeted me warmly and Coach Hedge just waved awkwardly.

"Where are you going?"I asked.

"Wonderland." said Leo, "Did you see a white rabbit go past?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'll never know what exactly you're on. Where are you really going?"

"We're getting coffee." said Hedge. "Milk and sugar?"

"No sugar. I thought coffee day was Friday."

"I spontaneously decided to change it to Wednesday." Leo told me, smirking.

"Yeah, sure. Now tell me what happened, Valdez"

"What happened when? I never said anything happened."

"Don't give me that, elf. Since when do you spontaneously change the coffee day? You shouldn't even be drinking caffeinated drinks, your hyperactivity is bad enough already."

"Hey!" protested the son of Hephaestus, "I am not a hyperactive elf!"

"Yes, you are. Now spill."

His shoulders fell. "Piper yelled at us. She said she never wants us to come back."

"What did you say now?"

"What?" Leo looked outraged, earning him a chuckle from Hedge. "Why does everyone assume I said something?"

"Did you?"

If possible his shoulders fell even lower. "Yes. I brought up Jason."

"Who's Jason?" I asked, suddenly curious.

"He was her 'boyfriend'." Leo made air quotes when he said 'boyfriend'. "He used to have your job. He was also my best friend."

"Why did he leave?"

"We have a sister company called 'Jupiter Enterprises' in San Francisco he told me that there was something urgent that he had to do there. I don't know what."

"Him leaving must've upset Piper."

"Yeah. Especially since his old girlfriend is the sub-head of the company. Piper thinks he left to go back to her. They had this huge argument, practically shouted down the whole building. He stormed off and we haven't seen him since. He broke her heart, I think. We waited a week but he didn't come back, so in the end we had to advertise the job. A building company can't function without an architect, you know?" Leo explained, he looked like he shared Piper's pain, they must've been really good friends.

"Did he love her?" I asked.

Leo nodded. "Unconditionally. He told me, a week before he left, that he was working up the courage to ask her to marry him. I swore on the river Styx I wouldn't tell her so she still thinks he doesn't love her."

"Why didn't he ask her to marry him?"

"He had doubts. I think he was worried she'd say no. I don't think he would have been able to live with himself if she didn't want to marry him. Jason always doubts himself and he regrets his mistakes too much, he has since he was young. He's probably killing himself over leaving her right now."

"I think it's pretty clear she wouldn't have said no." I pointed out. "I think I should go talk to her."

Leo and Coach stepped out and the doors began to close.

"Wait!" Leo stuck his hand in to stop the doors closing. "What kind of coffee do you take?"

"Cappuccino. No sugar. You better keep off the sugar too, hyperactive elf." I smiled at the indignant expression on his face as the doors closed fully and the elevator music began to play.

-oOo-

I found Piper curled up in an office chair, sobbing. She looked up when I walked in and I could see there were black trails down her cheeks where the tears had painted a path with her mascara.

"Oh, Piper." I ran over to hug her.

"Why, Annabeth? Why did he leave me?" She cried into my shoulder.

"You'd have to ask him that." I said, stroking her hair.

"I never want to speak to him again. I don't even want to see him."

"You're lying." I said, "Of course you want to speak to him. You want to have him come running back and sweep you up and make you feel safe and loved and at home. You want him to kiss you and tell that it's all going to be okay. You want him to take away all your pain and all of your fears and everything that hurts you. If you didn't want all that, you wouldn't miss him so much now, would you?"
For a second I didn't quite know what I was saying. I was telling her exactly how I felt. I was the one who wanted to have Percy come running back and sweep me up in his arms and make me feel safe and loved and at home. I was the one who wanted to have him kiss me and tell me that it was all going to be okay. At least for Piper, it was possible. For me all those things were just impossibilities and delusions. Percy would never be able to take away all of my pain and fears and everything that hurt me, never again.
Piper looked at me with wide eyes as a lone tear slid down my cheek. "Are you okay, Annabeth?"

I looked at her, my throat felt tight and I could feel all the other tears just waiting to spill over. "No, Piper, I don't think I'll ever be okay."

I sank into sitting position on the floor and Piper joined me. For a few minutes we just sat and let our combined tears drench the office floor.

"What happened?"

I suddenly found myself spilling out the story of the past few weeks to this girl I had only known for a few days. I told her about leaving Camp Half-Blood, moving into the apartment, the engagement party then the Amphisbaena attack, Percy's death, leaving my friends and moving in with Ethan. I told her how I missed Percy, how I felt alone and how I fought every minute of every day to keep from crying.

Piper dabbed at her smudged make-up with a crumpled tissue. "I'm such an idiot. My boyfriend goes to San Francisco for a while and I fall to pieces. The guy you're going to marry dies, you leave your old home, your friends, and you're attacked by a monster but you still manage to keep a brave face. When my best friend even mentions Jason I scream and rant."

"It doesn't matter what you cry yourself to sleep over, Piper, it just matters that you're crying. We're both hurting, both our hearts are broken. Maybe your heart will heal one day, maybe mine won't. At least we can share each other's pain."

"It must be so hard for you." said Piper. "You know, trying to be strong. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose Jason. I think my world would fall to pieces."

"My world's already in pieces. I never thought I'd let a guy mean this much to me. But he does, and I can't change that now. I can't change that's he's gone. I'm not going to try to move on, because that's impossible, like walking on water. I can just hope that maybe, when I die, I'll meet him in the Underworld and I'll get to see his face one more time. That's all there is to do." I told her as I clutched my knees to my chest.

"Do you want to die?"

"Sometimes I do." I admitted, "In the middle of the night when the pain seems unliveable. And then the sun rises and I think 'what would happen if the sun just decided not haul itself over the horizon?' I know what it's like to lose someone and I wouldn't want to put that pain on anyone, even if I have nobody to leave behind."

"You have me." said Piper. "You can't leave me behind."

I hugged her tight and said, "I won't leave you Piper. I think we've become good friends now, I won't leave you like I left Thalia and Rachel."

She looked up at me, fresh tears leaking down her face. "And I promise to never leave you. I won't give you any more pain."

"You know what?" I said, "Sometimes, in the middle of the night, when I feel most lonely I like to imagine that everyone I love is in a room just next door and that, if I wanted to, I could go and see them all and they'd take away my loneliness. It comforts me to imagine that my friends, my relations, Percy that they're close by even if the people I love are a world away. Maybe now I'll imagine that you're there too."

"I'd like that. Ever since I was a younger I used to feel lonely a lot. My father's a famous movie star and I always felt a bit like I needed to get his attention. I used to feel especially lonely at night, just like you. Then I met Jason, and Leo. They were such great friends to me and they stopped me from feeling lonely. It was good to know I'd wake up in the morning and see them smiling at me. Now Jason's gone it's been harder."

"But you still have Leo."

"Yeah. I guess. I still miss Jason, though."

"I know you'll see him again, someday. He'll regret leaving and he'll come running straight back to you, eventually."

"You really think so?"

"Yes, I know he will. You'll have your happy ending. You won't feel alone."

"What am I supposed to do in the mean time?"

"Be strong. And if you can't be strong just come right over to my place. We'll sort it out."

"Thanks, Annabeth." I stood up and pulled Piper up with me. We both looked like a mess. Blusher, concealer and eyeliner smudged all over our faces like a piece of particularly bad artwork. There was loud 'clunk' and muffled cursing in the corridor outside.

"Oh, crap!" cried Leo, "I'm gonna smell of decaf for months."

"Get over it, cupcake." scolded Coach Hedge, "You're the one who spilt it."

We opened the door to find Leo and Coach Hedge staring at a growing brown puddle on the floor where the tray of four coffees was slowly leaking.

"What in Hades did you do?" I demanded.

"I'd think that was obvious." said Coach. "He dropped the coffees."

"Thank you for your input, Coach, quite helpful. I was referring to the fact that I found Piper sobbing in an office chair."

"Oh, Piper!" Leo squeaked. He looked past me to see his friend trying desperately to wipe away the residual tears that drenched her face. Leo ran to his friend and pulled him to her.

"I'm so sorry, Pipes." Leo told her hair. "I really wasn't thinking. You know how I just sometimes say things on an impulse? I'm just that kind of idiot."

Leo really cared about this girl. I could see that he was beating himself up over hurting her.

"Get off me Valdez, you're suffocating me and don't call me Pipes. Ever."

I thought she was still angry but a wide smile spread across Leo's elfin features. "Am I forgiven?"

"Am I?" she asked.

"You are but am I?"

"Maybe."

"I will take that as a yes because I seriously don't want to have to beg."

"Hmm, that's an appealing thought, you begging at me feet. Maybe you're not forgiven…"

Leo dropped to his knees, "Please don't make me beg." He begged.

Piper laughed. "Get up Valdez, and stop begging for me not to make you beg. Of course your forgiven."

Leo jumped to his feet and hugged her again. It was so cute to see the friendly banter. I could tell he would do anything for her.

"So, do we have work to do?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"Octavian isn't here." pointed out Piper.

"Where is he?" I asked. "I haven't seen him today. Not that I'm complaining."

"He's probably cutting open some stuffed toys to find out if it's going to rain tomorrow." said Coach Hedge.

Leo shrugged. "Well, if the team isn't complete we may as well go home."

"You mean I came all the way over here for nothing?" I complained, but my heart wasn't really in it. I loved every minute of being here, even if I was crying my heart out for some of them.

Piper shrugged. "I could do with going home. I'm exhausted."

"It's a quarter past eleven. Are you going to get into the habit of taking morning naps? Maybe I should buy you a t-shirt that says 'I am becoming my grandfather'" Leo teased.

"You mean my grandfather Ouranos, the Sky? I'm becoming the Sky, wow, now that is an insult."

"Whatever, Pipes."

"What did I say about that nickname?" Piper had a menacing look on her face, but her voice held an undertone of amusement.

"Okay, break it up, you two." said Coach Hedge. "I can't stand here and watch you two cupcakes banter all day. I have to get home to see the documentary 'The Violence of Nature Unleashed' on Discovery."

"I didn't know satyrs had televisions." I said.

"We do." replied Coach. "Now, I'm leaving. See you tomorrow, cupcakes." The satyr strode out of the room.

"I'll leave too." I told them. I hugged Piper tight. "Don't forget to call, okay?" Awkwardly, I hugged Leo too.

"I get a hug too?" said a somewhat surprised Leo, "Wow, beautiful girls don't usually hug me this easily."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"What? Uh… no… I mean, yes but-"

I giggled, "Don't worry about it, Leo, you're beautiful too. But more on the inside, you're quite a sight to look at." I winked at him and walked out of the room, ignoring his disgruntled 'Hey!'

-oOo-

The air was warm and humid outside, a shocking change from the air-conditioned interior. It was strange feeling to be walking out of the building after only half an hour. I looked up and down the street, trying to find the company car I had been given the other day. When I found the white car with the silver 'Zeus Enterprises' emblazoned on the side, I walked over to it. Once I got close I realised there was a white owl sitting on the roof. I looked at it suspiciously. An owl awake in the day?

It blinked at me with big yellow eyes and flew to the ground. In mid-flight, it transformed into a tall woman with a golden circlet in her long hair and a white gown that fitted her perfectly.

"Mom?"

Athena rushed forward and pulled me to her.

"Annabeth."

"Why are you here?"

"You and I need to have a little talk."

There it is. I was going to include Athena and Annabeth's conversation but I got kin of carried away with Piper and Annabeth's conversation. Next chapter:

15: Jupiter Enterprises

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