Wow, I didn't realize this was such a short chapter. But here is some reconciliation between Annabeth and Katrina.

HEY.

Keep the reviews coming. ;)

Happy Reading!

-c.c.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything you recognize. (Riordan)

We made it to dinner and met Piper and Jason in line. Piper had remembered the whiteboard and marker, which she ended up just giving to me to keep. She said that it would be more useful to me than it would ever be to her. Of course, Percy was just in awe that HE didn't think of that sooner. But we all knew that he would never have come up with it, even if his life depended on it. I stopped at the fire altar to make sure my mac and cheese hit the fire and went up as an offering to Athena, to ask for her blessing tonight in bringing her kin back together.

Piper and I sat together at the table and I spent most of the meal talking with her about our days. Finally, she asked the question I was waiting for.

"Katrina," she started out, "Are you sure you want to do this?" I took a second to think over it and responded with a firm nod. I didn't want to put it off any longer. She nodded too and we waited for Annabeth to come to sit. But she never came.

Where is she?

Piper looked at me with concern in her eyes.

"I'm not sure."

We should go and look for her.

"That's a good idea." Piper told the boys that we were going to go for a walk and we dumped our trays on the way out of the pavilion.

"Let's try her cabin first, that's the most logical place right?" I gave Piper a reassuring nod and we made our way to Athena. Piper knocked and proceeded to call out to Annabeth.

"Annabeth? Are you there?" There was no immediate answer, but I pressed my ear to the door and heard the sound of muffled tears. Instead of waiting for a response I turned the knob on the door and walked in.

Annabeth's desk was positioned on the right wall and it was there, sitting on the floor with a box of tissues, that we found Annabeth.

I wasn't really expecting to talk to Annabeth until tonight, but there's no time like the present.

Piper walked in behind me and shut the door. Annabeth looked up with puffy, red eyes and sniffled. She didn't say anything, but her mouth opened slightly in protest when she realized that Piper had brought me here. Piper sat down on the floor across from Annabeth and I did the same. I looked over at Piper for some help, I didn't know how to start this.

"Hey Annabeth, can we talk to you?" Piper asked cautiously. Annabeth swallowed slowly and then grabbed another tissue to blot her tears away. But she nodded and tried her best to be composed.

"I'm sorry that I did this," Piper started out calmly, "but I told Katrina about what happened and what you felt and thought concerning her for the past six months or so. Now, I'm going to ask that you please not try to hide anything or act stronger than you are, there's not anything you can say right now that Katrina doesn't know."

Annabeth's eyes flowed over with tears and she grabbed another tissue and hid her eyes behind it.

"Katrina, I'm so sorry," Annabeth whispered.

I took out my board.

Annabeth, I forgive you.

She looked up and read the note. Then she looked at me and continued to cry.

"I don't know how you ever could," she whimpered back to me.

Because every action was my decision.

She looked down at the floor.

"Annabeth, the first thing that you need to know is that there is nothing between Katrina and Percy."

Annabeth's head shot up and her wet eyes were glued to me. "Don't lie to me to make me feel better."

I'm not. But I don't love Percy. I understand what you thought and why you thought it, and I'm sorry for putting you in the position that I did. But I promise you there is nothing going on that would ever come between you and him.

"How can I be sure?" Annabeth demanded.

"Annabeth, have you ever asked Percy?" Piper asked. Annabeth's lips parted and she took a moment to realize that she hadn't.

I wrote.

Percy is my brother, and that would be just gross.

I had to lie. I had to go with the identity of being a daughter of Poseidon. At least for now.

Annabeth took that statement and mulled it over too. Then she burst into tears again.

"But I can't ask him now!" she cried. "He won't talk to me! He won't even look at me, Katrina, I know what you said is true, at least from you—" she stopped to take a breath. "But I will never know what he felt if he felt anything at all." At this Piper jumped in.

"This won't last forever, and he will come around. I promise."

Annabeth just cried.

You can't give up on him.

"Well why not!?" she spat at me in despair.

If you give up on him, what reason does he have to come back to you? You need to let him know that you still want to be there for him because right now he's probably not seeing that you still value him.

"I do," she said.

Then show him.

"You don't have to pretend like everything's okay," Piper consoled her. "Just hold onto that hope, please?"

Annabeth nodded while rubbing her eyes.

I started to write again.

I don't want there to be any hard feelings or tension between us anymore, Annabeth. I'm sorry for what has happened and I know you are too and I forgive you. I hope you can do the same for me. But can we start over? I don't want to throw away this opportunity to have a friendship with you.

"I do forgive you, Katrina," she paused to breathe shakily. "I would like that, to start over I mean," Annabeth tried to smile, and I smiled back to encourage her. I got up from the floor and held my hand out for her to grab. Piper saw my intentions and filled the words in for me.

"Let's go back to the pavilion, most everybody should be in their cabins preparing for the competitions. I bet there's still some macaroni left for you."

Annabeth nodded and Piper went to the door.

Annabeth stopped to hug me and I embraced her tightly. When we parted, I held her hand and we walked together, the three of us, to the pavilion and got Annabeth some food. Piper made a point to suggest that we skip the games that night and have a girls night in Aphrodite instead. There were no oppositions and we spent the evening painting our nails, doing our hair, and listening to Piper retell my story to Annabeth. There were parts that were hard, but she definitely freaked out when Piper told her about when Will and I kissed. She was shocked, but so happy, for me and for herself I'm sure. It was important for her to see the evidence of Will and I. I'm just glad that we were okay now, if any part of my story was going to help her, I would tell it ten times over.

She accepted me. That was more than I could ever ask for. I was so caught up in the idea that I would never have a real relationship with Annabeth, but it was real now. The war between my mother and I was over, and we both won.