Oh my dog. Just one more chapter then we would be on chapter 30! Already! I know the last chapter was pretty crappy but I had major Writer's Block. It's a little better now but it isn't completely gone. But I still hope you like this chappie!
Disclimer:
Honestly I think this is a little bit pointless... If I was Rick Riordan I would be publishing this and making a lot of money, wouldn't I? And plus, I would have better writing skills. :3
Chapter 29: Helen's P.O.V
I stand up, my back aching from crouching for so long. Finally, the whole house was clean, not a speck of dust in sight. Today all I had done was clean and cook like crazy. This evening at seven, my stepdaughter Annabeth was visiting in what seemed like forever. I was praying that by the end of the night she would like me and we would become friends. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't though. Frederick and I, we weren't the best parents. I went into the guest bedroom that was decorated just for Annabeth. Since I wasn't sure what her favorite colors were, I had fixed up the room with light pink walls and a plush purple bed with pink flowers laced on the edges of the sheets. I smile, proud of my work.
"Bobby, Mathew!" I yell.
"Yeah?" they ask, poking their heads in the guest room. By now they were taller than me and were starting their second year of high school. I couldn't believe how fast time seemed to go by.
"Clean your room, your sister's coming." I order the two boys.
"Seriously?" Bobby says, climbing the stairs two at a time.
"Hey! Wait up!" Mathew calls out, following his almost identical twin. I sigh and stretch, my back cracking. I check my watch, and its short and long hands stated it was six o'clock. Right now, Frederick would be in his car, driving to the airport. At this time, the traffic was probably horrible. I walk into the kitchen to check the lasagna cooking in the oven. So far it looked and smelled wonderful.
I go upstairs and stand in front of my sons' door, hearing them from their room.
"I'm finished," Matthew says, sounding pleased with himself.
"Well, I'm not, and you should help me put my sports equipment away," Bobby says grumpily.
"Oh, fine," Matthew says reluctantly. "Only because I owe you from last time."
"Boys! Don't be taking so long, alright?"
A second later Bobby comes out of his room with his brother behind him. "Why do we even have to clean?" he questions.
"Because I don't want your sister to come here and think her brothers are slobs. Don't you miss her?" I ask.
"She's my half-sister and I don't even remember her!" Bobby replies, scowling.
"Well, you're still related to her by blood. So go and finish cleaning your room right now, young man! And Matthew, don't help him," I demand, glaring at them both in an or else you'll be sorry way.
"Fine." he mutters. He lets Matthew out before slamming the door shut. I roll my eyes. Teenagers these days.
"Since you're done, you can watch TV or something." I address Mathew. He nods and goes downstairs to the basement. I hear my phone ring loudly and determine it's somewhere in the kitchen. I rush in, scanning the room until I find it. I pick my phone up from the table and press the 'accept' button lightly. "Hello?"
"Hello, hun." Frederick's voice says over the line. There was something off about it.
"What's up?" I say a bit coldly. My eyes narrow in suspicion.
He clears his throat awkwardly to buy time. "It's just that Annabeth's boyfriend decided to come. It was a last minute decision so Annabeth couldn't inform you." He says at last.
"Oh, that's fine! Goodness, you scared me. You made it sound like it was something really bad. Hurry home, dear, the food's getting cold," I say, and end the call. An hour later, the doorbell rings.
"Mathew, Bobby! She's here!" they came running to the front door. I smooth out the wrinkles on my apron before opening the door. My stepdaughter and her boyfriend smile rather awkwardly while Frederick walks past them to enter the house first.
"Come in, come in," I say, ushering them inside.
Annabeth looks around at her former home in amazement. "Wow, nothing has changed," she says in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
I smile. "We haven't really wanted to change anything," I say. "So much already changed after you left," I say distractedly, my eyes fixed on the top of the doorway behind her.
Just then, Matthew and Bobby emerge from the room behind us, where I suspect they had been hiding the entire time, waiting for the right moment to approach their half-sister. "Annabeth! How are things?" Matthew asks, as if she had merely gone on vacation for a weekend instead of leaving the family and not returning for years.
Bobby merely gives Annabeth a glance-over. "Sup," he simply states.
"Bobby Richard Chase!" I scold. So far I wasn't liking his approach.
"What do you want me to say? It's not my fault I never knew Annabeth!" he shouts, before storming back upstairs.
I stifle the urge to cry. Not now. Not when Annabeth is finally here, I think. I manage a smile and wipe my sweaty palms against my apron. "Dinner's right this way," I gesture towards the dining room I had very carefully polished.
Once they were seated, I serve the lasagna. (I specifically told Annabeth to sit on the right side of me, now with Percy beside her, Matthew and Bobby on their further right, and Frederick on my left.)
"The food looks delicious, Miss Chase," Percy says politely.
I grin. "Oh, no, call me Helen," I say, eager to get on my daughter's boyfriend's good side.
Once everyone's plates are piled, I dig right in, drilling Annabeth with questions.
"So, how'd you meet this young man?" I ask, propping my elbows on the table and leaning forward, anticipated.
"Well, we met at the summer camp I went to," Annabeth begins. "We were both twelve. He was annoying, and currently still is."
Percy playfully smacks her with his fork, a piece of his lasagna sticking out of it. "Ah, Wise Girl," he says. "Relishing the past as always."
Annabeth rolls her eyes at him but I can see how much she adores Percy in her smile.
That was how our dinner went. Time to time I would question her and then go into a somewhat fan girl state (I was trying hard to act like an adult), Frederick would look down and switch his fork over to his other hand constantly as if he knew something while Annabeth recounted events that had happened in her life, Bobby started talking to Percy upon recognizing him from the Olympic Stars magazine, and Matthew listened to Percy describe how he won his gold medals, eyes widened in amazement.
Later on during dinner, I ask Annabeth if we could step outside on the veranda for a moment. She agrees, and I open the back door of the kitchen, letting the fresh breeze sweep in. Percy departs with Matthew and Bobby and they go downstairs to the basement to play video games, while Frederick goes to his study to work on his latest creation with a display of mine fields.
For a moment, we're both quiet, listening to the cars honk below us. Besides the sounds of people and vehicles hustling in San Francisco, the air around us is quiet. Then Annabeth speaks up. "Was there a reason you invited me out here?" she asks.
"No," I reply. "I just needed to step out of the stuffy room for a while."
Annabeth looks at me, grey eyes skeptical. "You didn't need me to do that," she points out.
I shrug. "What's wrong with stepping out with company?"
"I guess you have a point," she says. "It's not bad to feel needed for that. It's nice to be needed, actually."
I sense the thickness of double meaning airing around her words. "I'm sorry," I exhale. It was the first time I had ever said those very words. "I understand how I made you feel like you were unwanted. How I treated you was wrong. And even though your stories about spiders attacking you seemed unbelievable, I never should've kept it against you, Annie."
Annabeth flinches in shock, for I had never called her that, not since the one time when she was three, and I had only nicknamed her to impress Frederick, to prove to him having her was okay.
Now, standing on the veranda and saying it seemed to have the name take on a whole new meaning.
She smiles. "It's okay," she says quietly. "I forgive you. Let's start over. I want to be friends, Helen. Mom." Then she embraces me.
I start to sob, but not because I was emotionally upset. Because I was touched, happy. Sometimes at night I would sob with regret for not being a good motherly figure and letting go of a smart girl. Now I stood on the veranda with that same girl, hugging her, friends at last.
I know, I know this is horribly late. But I do have a life! But I know that's no excuse. This is a bit longer than my chapters cause my awesome BETA Slytherin - Hunter of Artemis edited and finished it for me! Huge shoutout and applause to her! Yay. Please check out her work!
Wishing on a Star,
Director of Dreams
(Dia)
