Percy's POV
Once I made it out of the van, with much struggling and jabs of pain, Annabeth handed me my crutches. I leaned on them, and examined the house for the second time.
It was pretty big. At least two, if not three, levels high. Now, I'm not great at math, but her house is at least 1/3 of my apartment building . . . was that right? Note to self: don't try to figure out fractions, Percy. You'll just give yourself a headache.
Anyways, the flowers on the windowsill have grown a little more. I could tell from where I was standing that they've gotten bolder in color and size. The lawn was still that fantastic shimmering green that I saw before. Also, very neatly trimmed. There were hardly any cracks in the sidewalk leading up to the polished wooden door, and there weren't any plants sprouting from the sidewalk either. All in all, this is the kind of house you see in movies. The one that's perfect in every way; great for a family to play, easy on the eyes.
"What do you think? I never got to ask," Annabeth said as she came up behind me. She had her hands on her hip and was focusing on her house intently, as if she had never seen this building before.
"I mean, given my home, this is awesome," I replied.
Annabeth scrunched up her face as if she was revolted by my answer. "Well . . . Eh. It isn't that good. I could have improved the structure a bit if I built it. Maybe make it a bit thinner instead of wider so there's more garden space. The roof shouldn't have been done at a 90 degree angle. It should have been done at a . . . I'm thinkin' 45 degree angle. And don't even get me started on the height the stairs are causing . . ." By now Annabeth was more mumbling to herself about the way it could have been built differently than talking to me.
I was pretty amused by this. I just rolled my eyes and interrupted her. "Oh, that's right. You're an architecture dork, aren't you Wise Girl?"
She immediately stopped mumbling to herself and glanced up at me. "If you couldn't already tell, from being blinded by your own stupidity, then, yes. I am," she answered coolly.
I threw up my hands in defeat.
I heard the car door slide shut, and two sets of feet run around the van. Bobby and Matthew were barrelling towards us, huge smiles on their faces.
Annabeth snapped out of her little genius stupor and noticed the boys. She hopped in front of me, and crouched like a monkey, sticking out her arms one at a time to catch both boys before they could ram into my legs. They whined and struggled against her grip, but she had them locked tight in her arms.
"And where do you think you're going, Mr?" She turned her head towards Bobby.
"Let us go!" He squeaked.
"Where are you going?" Annabeth asked again.
"We're gon' go see Percy," Bobby answered.
"Not barrelling towards him, you ain't."
"We were gonna slow down!" Matthew whined.
"Mmhmm," Annabeth didn't sound so convinced.
"Can we pleeeeease go see him?" Bobby pleaded, giving Annabeth what I call, the Puppy-Dog Plead.
"Fine. But you have to slow down when you're around him. And no climbing! And make sure you don't hit his legs or crutches!" She warned.
"We won't!" The twins said in unison.
"Fine then. You're free to go," she unfurled her arms and unleashed the beasts. The two ran toward me, then stopped dead in their tracks not even two centimetres in front of my bad leg. They looked up at me expectantly, their eyes wide, teeth showing in huge smiles. I couldn't help but think that this is what two shark pups would look like when they're begging Momma Shark for a few sea lions for lunch.
"Umm . . . Hi," I said awkwardly.
"Hi!" Bobby (I think) said loudly.
"Why do you stick your leg out funny like that?" Matthew asked.
"I have to," I answered.
"Why?"
"Otherwise . . . My foot will feel bad."
"Why?"
"Because I broke it."
"Why?"
"Because I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Why-"
"Okay, guys, we don't have time for Twenty Questions, okay? Not right now," Annabeth interjected, thankfully. "Here, just . . . uh . . . go with mom," she pointed the twins in the direction of their mother, who was standing on the porch, waving them over. The door was open, and Mr. Chase was already inside. The twins rushed away, and Annabeth stood up and dusted the pebbles off her knees.
"Sorry about them," she said. "They can be a real pain in the butt sometimes, but, oh well! Get used to it!" She laughed evilly and nudged me in the side lightly with her elbow. She walked away, and into the house still laughing. I followed.
I was still surprised even when I walked into their house a second time. I was shocked at how roomy it was. Just the living-room alone was bigger than my own apartment. There was a little walkway made out of semi-dark grey tiles, that separated the living-room with the kitchen. The tiles led off into some other rooms, and to the stair-way. In the living-room, there was a big-screen TV even bigger than my bed, hanging on the wall right above a fireplace with wire fencing around it. Facing the Television, was a long brown leather couch, and by the looks of it, it reclined. In front of the couch sat a glass coffee table. On either side of the couch, about ten feet away, sat two more leather chairs, except they were about half of the couch each. Behind those chairs, there was a shelf full of pictures, on the left, and on the right, there was a huge bookshelf full of books. There were so many crammed into that shelf that it would make a dyslexic kid's (a.k.a, me) brain explode. That entire side of the room was made out of grey bricks.
As the Chase's walked into separate rooms, and put down their things, I examined the kitchen.
Mrs. Chase was walking in there. Like the tile road that led to it, the kitchen was also made out of the same tiles. There was a tall counter with a smooth granite top. Around that, there were wooden stools. Along the walls, there were cabinets and sinks that were all connected. Some of the top cabinets were made out of wood, others were made out of glass. The tops of those counters were also wood with a smooth granite top. In the corner of the kitchen, a little close to the front door, there was a polished wooden table that looked like it could fit about twenty people around it. Although, there were only five wooden chairs. I was completely in awe about how awesome this place was.
"Peeeercy," Annabeth was waving her hand in my face.
I snapped my head back to look at her. "Oh, sorry. What?"
"I've been trying to get your attention for the past minute. What are you lookin' at?" she asked.
"This place.'' I said, still in slight awe. "It's so . . . big."
I heard Mrs. Chase laugh from the kitchen. She had been digging through the cupboards and was laying down some plastic Tupperware. "I'm gonna get supper started for later. I forgot to tell you that your dad and I have to go shopping for a few things, so you can heat this up later. But . . . now I'm thinking we should stay home, at least for tonight-"
"They're teenagers, hon. They can handle things by themselves more so when we're only gonna be gone for a few minutes." Mr. Chase came in with an armful of mail. Supposedly, the mailbox is in the back? . . . I have no idea! This place is already confusing!
"I know, but I feel like we should stay. Percy-"
"Percy can handle himself, especially when Annabeth is here. Plus, you and I both agreed that we'd go . . . shopping, tonight. Remember?" Mr. Chase asked slowly. I didn't like the way they were talking. It sounded like they were hiding something from us . . . and I had no intentions of finding out. But apparently, Annabeth did.
"Why are you guys debating this? You can go shopping; it's not a big deal at all. I mean, unless you have somewhere else to go-"
"No, no. We just need to stop at the store real quick. That's all," Mrs. Chase interrupted.
"Okay then. That's no big deal. I can babysit all three of these kids, easy," Annabeth confirmed.
"Hey!" I caught on.
"Go ahead and go. The nurse said herself that it was no big problem to take care of a few broken bones," Annabeth said.
Mr and Mrs. Chase exchanged a curious look, but then they finally agreed.
"Okay," Mrs. Chase said. "We'll go right after I'm done fixing supper. In the meantime, Annabeth, why don't you get Percy settled in the guest bedroom?"
"Sure thing. Come on Percy," she started walking towards the stairs, so I followed her.
Climbing that many stairs was a pretty challenging effort. My Pex muscles were sore from all the lifting, and they felt like they were gonna rip open or something. Especially with the ribs . . . Yeah, that didn't help. With every step I went up, pain bubbled down my sides and around my body. Plus, the stairs we r made of solid, polished wood. The odds would not be in my favour if I fell on my face, which, knowing me, was likely to happen.
Annabe th seemed to think nothing of this, surprisingly. She raced right ahead in front of me.
When I finally did manage to each the top of the steps, Annabeth was peering down from the railing at me, one eyebrow raised. She folded her arms across her chest. "It's about time," she said when I got on the top floor.
"Well," I panted "Excuse me for breaking a ribcage . . . And an ankle, then being forced . . . To shimmy up a hardwood . . . Staircase!"
"No excuses Mr!" She smirked and whirled around, speed-walking down he hall.
I sighed, rolled my eyes, and followed her.
When I got in the room, she was standing by the doorway, arms folded. "Welcome, Percy Jackson, to the guest bedroom at the Chase household. Luckily for you, this is where you'll be sleeping," she explained.
I looked around and took in the room. It had a creamy, light yellow tint to the walls. In the middle of the room, a queen sized bed sat pushed up against the wall. It had a quilt made with patterns of what looked like birds, neatly folded with pillows on top. There as a small little coffee table right next to the bed, on the left side. There was a desk on the same side of the room, pushed into the corner with a spinny black chair behind it. There was a huge dresser right across the room from the bed. It had six drawers, and a huge mirror with wood framing around it. All in all, this place had an aura of coziness, just like downstairs.
I nodded. "I like it. This place is nice."
I crutched over to the bed, and slowly laid down, taking in all the comfortableness. It was way softer than the hospital bed, and definitely way better than my bed back at the apartment. I stretched out my hands above me. This was great: you actually have space to stretch in!
"Havin' fun there?" Annabeth smirked, looking down at me.
"Oh yeah," I said, in pure bliss.
She gave a soft chuckle. "Good." She walked over to the big dresser, and plopped down the plastic bag full of my pain medication.
"Well, your meds are right up here, and the rest of your stuff . . . Never mind," she remembered. I chuckled.
"Thank you, Wise Girl. I really really appreciate this," I said, carefully propping myself up on my elbows.
"Eh, no problem." She came over to the other side and plopped down on her stomach. "As long as you're okay, I'm okay," she said.
"Wow. That's really . . . Nice . . . And not like Annabeth at all."
"Hey, I just think for all the shit you've been through, this is the least I can do."
"Ooh, swearing now, are we? Who are you, and what have you done with Annabeth?" I joked.
She laughed and playfully punched my arm. "Oh, shut up, Seaweed Brain." She pushed herself up from the bed. "I'm gonna go see if I can find a couple changes of clothes for you, means you haven't told my parents yet so we can get the rest of your stuff from your apartment," and with that, she left the room, leaving me alone for the time being.
When she got back, I was leaning up against the wooden board connected to the bed. She had a pretty big pile of clothes balancing on her arm.
"Alright, I'm back," she said, placing the clothes on the dresser. "I found some of my dad's old clothes that you can wear for now. I'm sure he won't mind," she said.
She opened one of the drawers on the dresser, and began folding a pair of grey sweatpants. I silently watched her fold the clothes and stuff them in the drawer.
Once she was finished, she came back over to the bed and sat down across from me. "I really need to talk to you," she said.
"About what?" I asked, concerned at her worried, serious tone.
"About . . . You know."
"Oh."
"B-but I mean, you don't have to talk right now, if you're not comfortable yet. Maybe when my parents leave or something. I just need to know more about . . . you, and how this all happened."
I thought about this for a bit. I didn't say anything because I really did not want to have this conversation, so I just nodded.
"Percy, I'd understand it if you'd-"
There was a knocking outside on the doorframe. Mr. Chase was leaning his head in.
"Hey kiddos. Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted you guys to know, dinner'll be ready in about an hour or so. We can just bring it up to you, Percy. And, if you need anything at all, just let us know."
"Thanks, Mr. Chase," I said.
"Call me Fred."
I nodded, and he slipped away, downstairs.
Annabeth turned to me after a moment. "You should get some rest."
"Already?" I asked playfully.
She gave me a lopsided smile. "What did Isobel say?"
Before I could answer, she slipped out the door.
Annabeth's POV
I felt bad about Percy. I want him to open up a little, but he just won't. Hopefully tonight he'll open up when it's just me and him. I know that he just got here, but in a few days or less, I know he'll get comfortable enough to open up to me.
I made my way downstairs. My stepmother was the only one down there, besides Bobby and Matthew. She was in the kitchen chopping vegetables.
"Hey Annabeth," she greeted once she saw me.
"Hey. Where's dad?" I asked.
"Oh, he's in the garage, I think."
"Oh."
I walked over to the kitchen and sat down at the counter watching my mom work. She had several bowls laid out. At the moment, she was cutting carrots and then dumping them into a bowl. By her cutting board, she had several other vegetables laid out like onions, broccoli, and tomatoes . . . Wait, tomatoes are a fruit, not a vegetable. Oops.
"What'cha makin'?" I asked.
"I am making homemade vegetable soup with little chunks of lamb and topped off with Mozzarella cheese. For a side dish, there'll be bread completed with vegetable oil and pepper for your dipping pleasures. And, as well as dessert, I will proceed to make a glorious cake bigger than Matthew's head," she was talking like a professional chef when she was explaining the menu for tonight.
I laughed. "Why so much food? We're only six people."
She shrugged. "Exactly. Six. That's one more than five. And that sixth person has the combined bodyweight of a twelve year old, remember? The nurse was telling us all about that this morning?"
"I remember."
"I just want to make sure there'll be enough food for everyone. Plus, poor Percy is so skinny I want to make enough for him to have seconds, and thirds, and fourths, and fi-"
"Alright mom. Got it, thanks," I held up my hands, silencing her.
"So is he settled in okay?" She asked.
"Yeah. He's fine. I told him to get some rest, so . . ." I trailed off.
"Are you okay honey?" She asked, bending down closer to look at me. "You seem kinda . . . Sad."
"No, mom. I'm fine. Really, I am. I guess this whole situation is just getting the better of me. The dance, Luke and the football team beating Percy . . . I-it's just all too much for me," I admitted.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, concern in her eyes.
I sat up straighter. "No, mom. I'm fine. I guess just a little time is the only way to help me cope."
My mom backed away and continued cutting her carrots. She eyed me warily. "Okay. But if you ever need to talk to anyone about this, I'll always be here."
"Thanks, mom," I stood up and walked over to the other side of the counter where she stood.
"What are you doing?" She asked curiously.
"I'm gonna help you cook," I answered. She perked up and a small smile grew.
"Oh . . . Well, alright. You can help me cut the rest of these," she gestured to the veggies with her knife.
"Sure thing," I walked over and grabbed a cutting board. Then I pulled open the drawer and grabbed a cutting knife. I slowly started chopping up the broccoli into little bits, then I pit them in the same bowl mom was putting the carrots into.
We continued to do this until all the veggies were cut and stored away.
Then, I helped her carry the veggies over to the stove where a big metal pot sat, steam rising from the top of it. That was where the broth to the soup was being cooked. With a slight splash, I dumped all the freshly cut vegetables into the brew, and began to stir them while my step-mother dug the bread out of oven. It smelled amazing. She let that sit as she started working on the cake.
I figured this was a pretty good bonding exercise with my step-mom. We were laughing and talking as we mixed the batter to the cake. We never really cooperated together like this before. It was good to have a fellow female to talk with. I've never known my real mother, so it was like talking with your . . . really cool, fun aunt, you know? I mean, you know that your step-mom isn't your real mom, but you're somehow related. It doesn't have the same feel as if you were to talk with your mother. But, it's like talking to another experienced woman that you can't help feeling attracted to. I realize now that she might not be my real mother, but that doesn't mean she can't try to act like one.
A few hours later, everything for dinner was finished and was cooling off on the counter. Dad was still in the garage and Bobby and Matthew are playing in their room.
My stepmother and I went over to sit on the couch. She looked at me, as if she wanted to tell me something.
"What?" I asked cautiously.
"Annabeth, sweetie . . . I have something I need to tell you. But, you can't tell anyone else about this; not the twins, not your father, not Percy. Okay?" She asked slowly.
"What are you hiding?" I asked warily. This kind of talk, especially coming from her, kinda creeped me out a little bit.
"Promise me you won't tell."
"Uh . . . I-I won't tell," I promised, unsure of what I was getting myself into.
"Okay. Good. So," she took a deep breath. "You know how your father and I need to go to town tonight?"
"Yeah," I urged warily.
"Well, we aren't really going shopping," she admitted.
"Umm . . . Where are you going then?"
"We know everything."
This caught my attention. "What?" I cocked my head to the side, wondering if I'd heard correctly.
"We know all about Percy," she said.
Suddenly, it dawned on me. "What did you find out?" I asked, even though k already knew the answer.
"We know he's getting abused. And we're going to the police station tonight."