A/N: Hey guys! I meant to get this out yesterday as a Christmas present from me, but I'm still figuring out my new laptop. Here's some more book stuff. Hopefully next chapter will have more Lacy. Not entirely sure yet. Eh, until then, review and let me know what you think. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

Creep

Chapter 37

Tabitha made Chiron jump so high, he spilled his tea.

The sun was just peeking out over the horizon as she made her way around the first floor, still a little groggy despite washing her face in cold water. She was messing with her hair styled in a braid Delilah taught her how to do; she wasn't used to having her hair up and away from her face. The clinking of glasses caught her attention and she crept towards the kitchen.

Chiron was nervously wheeling around between the stove and the counters, making himself a cup of tea and murmuring under his breath. He aggressively tapped his fingers against his armrest, unable to keep still. He watched the kettle boil with intense anxiety, his brow deepening as the whistle grew louder. He poured himself a cup with shaky hands and added a dash of honey. He cupped the mug as carefully as he could despite his shaking and rested it in his lap.

Tabitha cleared her throat softly and stepped forward. Her bare feet made no sound, so he was unaware of her approaching. She hovered a moment behind him, unable to think of something to say. She hesitated, her hand outstretched to touch his shoulder, when he started rolling backwards. He was inches away from running over her foot when she let out a surprised squeak and jumped, catching him off guard and throwing his mug off his lap. It clattered to the ground with a high-pitched crack and shattered into uneven pieces, steam rising from the puddle beneath.

"I am so sorry!" Tabitha squealed out in a quick breath, bringing her hands to cover her mouth.

Chiron sighed deeply and let his head fall as if defeated. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He groaned loudly.

"It's… It was bound to happen." He reached over to slide a washcloth off the counter as Tabitha kneeled to pick up the pieces.

None of the pieces had been too small, so she was able to pick at them with care. She brushed them off her fingers and into the trash can under the sink. It was quiet for a long while until Tabitha turned on the sink to rinse her hands. Chiron hadn't moved. He just sat there staring intently at the cloth soaking up the tea. She came over and wiped up the remaining tea before taking it to the sink, cupping her hand underneath to catch any excess. Without saying anything, she filled the kettle with enough water for two. Chiron hadn't moved, instead watching her calculated movements in thought.

She leaned back against the counter next to the stove with her eyes on his shaking hands. She pulled her gloves out of her pocket and slipped them on. Without hesitation, she reached forward and gripped his hand tightly. He was still for a few seconds before registering the contact and squeezed her fingers. The corner of his lips twitched before his face went slack again. She hesitantly pulled away when the kettle screeched steam.

She rummaged through the cupboards for a couple of mugs as she heard the familiar sound of wheels against hardwood. Chiron brought out some creamer and honey and placed them next to the cooling kettle. Tabitha fixed them with equal amounts and watched the honey sink beneath the cream. She slowly mixed them as she poured. Placing the kettle back on the stove, she handed Chiron his cup, considerate to give him the mug with a handle.

Chiron carefully kept it in his lap and let his fingers run against the edge. He sighed. "I'm getting too old for this."

Tabitha slipped her gloved back into her pocket. "How long have you been too old?"

He chuckled humorlessly. "Far longer than I care to admit."

She took a sip as she thought about her next words. "You'd think they'd learn that history repeats itself…"

He stared past her out the fraction of the window he could see and watched the clear sky as if waiting for thunderclouds to roll in. "You would think…"

Tabitha looked up from the sip she was about to take with hints of shock and confusion etched in her brow. She slowly pulled the cup away from her face and clutched it close to her chest. She was contemplating how to respond to that when the screen door shuttered open followed by the sound of footsteps.

A mass of black curls came into view. Silena glanced around in a bit of a daze before seeing Chiron. She smoothed the nonexistent folds of her shirt as she stepped forward.

"Good morning, Chiron," she articulated without a hint of drowsiness considering the hour. Tabitha caught her attention and she eyed her with an unreadable gaze. "Tabitha."

"...Silena."

Chiron took a long gulp of tea before placing it on the counter and making his way between the girls towards the hall. "Come along, girls. Everyone should be here soon."

He rounded the corner followed by slow, heavy thumping that gradually softened the further down the stairs he went. Tabitha tensed to step forward, but caught Silena's eye from behind her lashes. The elder looked her up and down out of the corner of her eye, calculating crystals intrigued. Tabitha shifted to face her fully when the rickety screen door opened, shaking both of them from their staring. They stood awkwardly for a few seconds before Tabitha gestured for Silena to go ahead. She stepped into the hallway at the right moment to brush shoulders with Clarisse. The daughter of Ares took all the attention away from Tabitha as the two spoke amiably. She stared after them until she felt a soft grip on her shoulder.

Pollux and Castor were standing in front of her with raised eyebrows. Castor cleared his throat. "Well, this is different."

Tabitha frowned, perplexed, then rolled her eyes at her own forgetfulness and brushed a stray strand back behind her ear. "You can thank Delilah."

Pollux's eyes trailed up and down her petite frame. "I'm guessing we can thank Delilah for the clothes too?"

Her cheeks flushed a little as she tugged at the cut-off overalls; they barely reached the tips of her fingers so she wore red tights underneath. "Yep."

"You look nice," he offered with a dorky smile.

She smirked playfully. "Thanks."

Katie Gardner popped her head in, bright eyes glancing around. "C'mon, guys, the meeting's about to start."

A dreadful heaviness suddenly dropped in Tabitha's chest. The same feeling fell across the twins' faces. They followed Katie with some hesitance down the creaking stairs. Tabitha stopped when she saw the round table. If they weren't in a compromising position, she would have laughed. It's a ping-pong table…

While the others were ushered around the table, she chose to linger around the stair case. From her spot, she counted the heads and noted a particular blonde was missing. As if by coincidence, said blonde trumped down the stairs in a dismal state. Annabeth had slept through most of yesterday and yet there were still dark bags under her bloodshot eyes. She passed Tabitha without a second glance and sat on Chiron's right. The centaur's brow creased with worry as he glanced down at her. Annabeth ignored him and looked out into the sea of faces with a flat, somber face.

She swallowed thickly. "Percy is...gone."

It was as if saying it made it become reality. Her face suddenly dropped and her eyes went wide and wet. Tabitha looked around and watched everyone's shoulders tense as they looked at their laps and everywhere else but at each other. Pollux and Castor sat closer than they usually did, finding comfort in each other's warmth. Under the table, Travis reached for Katie's hand and she didn't pull away. Clarisse, who had a similar train of thought and stayed behind, glanced a little passed the stairs to the lower levels a little misty-eyed.

Connor sat up a little straighter trying to get the others' attention. "Hey… I'm sure he's fine. I mean… He's Percy; he always comes back…"

"What…?" Silena ventured forward, staring with wide, innocent eyes at Annabeth. "What actually happened?"

Annabeth had her eyes firmly on the table as she spoke. "We… We were in Mount St. Helens, on a small quest from Hephaestus-" Beckendorf's brow dipped. "-and there were some telekhines… We were surrounded and Percy told me to leave… I should have stayed… Next thing I knew, there was an explosion. I barely made it back to Hephaestus in one piece…"

"He's not dead…" Tabitha whispered into the thick silence that followed.

Pollux glanced over his shoulder with a quirked brow. "What did you say?"

She looked up to see everyone looking at her with a mixture of suspicion and fearful hope. She shifted from foot to foot. "I… I would know… He's not dead… just… gone."

Chiron breathed a small sigh of relief with a sad smile on his face. "If that is the case, then we just have to wait."

Tabitha glanced at Annabeth and suddenly wanted to be invisible again. Her eyes dug into Tabitha as if trying to pry every thought floating around her head. They were coldly curious, defined by the puffy redness around them. They were almost inhuman.

"I hope you're right," she murmured.

Travis glanced among Chiron, Clarisse, and Beckendorf. "And what do we do about the Labyrinth?"

"What we've been doing." Clarisse stepped forward with her arms crossed, her naturally calloused expression back on her face. "We defend it and wait for their sorry asses."

"Although I would have worded it differently," Chiron murmured pointedly, to which Clarisse responded with a snarky smirk, "Clarisse is right. We will continue defending the entrance. In the meantime, the quest is on hold until Percy returns." He looked between the Stolls and the Boivins. "I want your two cabins on first watch this morning."

The two sets of twins nodded in unison.

Chiron's gaze wandered around the table. "Then until further notice, you are all dismissed to breakfast."

Slowly but surely, the counselors made their way up the stairs until it was just Chiron, Tabitha, and Annabeth. Tabitha hesitated under the daughter of Athena's gaze. It wasn't until she caught the centaur's kind gaze that made her start up the steps. After a few steps, she stopped.

Without turning around, she said, "I know for a fact that Percy's not dead. I swear."

She was up and out the door before Annabeth could fully register her words.