Someone messaged me asking if I had seen any of the movie version of Pride and Prejudice, and if so, which one was my fav.

Personally, I really love the BBC Pride and Prejudice series, the one with Jennifer Ehle as Lizzie. She friggin kills it, and you can't beat Colin Firth's version of Mr. Darcy. The movie version with Keira Knightley is decent, but it leaves out a lot of important stuff I feel like, and doesn't follow the book very well.

I do not most of the characters, nor most of the plot. I merely adapted it. I do own Claire though (I don't mean that in a creepy way) because I created her and she's awesome IMO.

CHAPTER 21

When Annabeth heard the sound of someone else's car pulling into the driveway of the lodge, she immediately jumped up and ran to the window. Sure enough, there was Mr. Jackson's old Pontiac Firebird sitting in the drive. Annabeth left the window, and went to inform her cousins of his arrival, before checking herself in the mirror for just a brief second. On the outside, she did not appear nervous or edgy, but inside, her heart was beating rapidly, and her mind was full of anxiousness.

Her thoughts bounced around from question to question, most of them centered around Mr. Jackson's sister.

What is she like? Is she proud, and haughty like Dr. Castellan said she was?

What if she hates me? It's a possibility, seeing as how she's probably heard how terribly I've treated her brother, and about my connection with Dr. Castellan.

Some of these thoughts were quite irrational, Annabeth knew, but that didn't stop them from appearing in her mind, a mind that was usually very rational. Malcolm and Claire had now joined her in the living area, and at that moment, a knock could be heard on the door. She tried to keep up the façade of being calm, as Annabeth went to answer the door, her flip flops slapping on the floor as she walked.

Whatever doubts she may have had about Perseus Jackson's behavioral changes were swept away as soon as she opened the door. Annabeth was half expecting him to have returned to his prideful demeanor, but instead, he greeted her with a friendly smile, and sparkling sea-green eyes.

"Good afternoon, Miss Chase."

Annabeth felt the tingling in her lips, as they threatened to betray her thoughts, and burst into a full-on grin. She managed to restrain her face muscles though, and to keep it down to a soft, gracious smile.

"Mr. Jackson," she replied with a sociable tone, "Come on in."

She moved to the side, as he walked past her into the den, and it was then, that Annabeth's eyes finally found something to distract them from the dark-headed man. A blur of brown hair walked in briskly behind Mr. Jackson, and all Annabeth could make out was a brief, shy smile that was flashed in her direction as the person walked by. After she closed the door behind her, Annabeth turned to face the newly arrived guests, one of whom was currently greeting her cousins in the living room, while the other stood behind him awkwardly. She then got a good look at the unfamiliar arrival, who turned out to be not so unfamiliar.

Annabeth could recognize the same look of kindness, and natural hospitality, and just overall pleasant demeanor, that she had seen in a one Mrs. Blofis. It was apparent who this girl was, as she had the same chocolaty brown hair, and speckled blue eyes. She wasn't as confident as her mother was, it seemed, as she still had a look of shyness, uncertainty, but also curiosity as well. And yet, despite all that, the girl radiated warmth, and she looked like she would have a killer smirk, which didn't make sense with her introverted manners so far.

So she takes after her mother as far as looks go, but probably after her brother in personality somewhat.

"Miss Chase."

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Mr. Jackson' voice, as she was approached by the two guests.

"I'd like to introduce to you, my sister, Estelle Jackson. Estelle, this is Miss Annabeth Chase, the one I was telling you about."

Annabeth, with a warm, welcoming smile, confidently shook the hand of Miss Jackson, who returned the gesture with a faint, but not unfriendly, smile of her own. The blonde girl figured that it was possible this girl was just a little bit lacking in the confidence and self esteem department. It wasn't hard to figure out why that might be.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Jackson."

"You as well, Miss Chase. My brother has told me a lot about you."

Both of the girls turned to glance at the man standing beside them, who may have had a slight blush on his face. Annabeth raised her eyebrows just a bit, before turning back to the sister.

"This," she said, gesturing towards her relatives who were also standing in the living room, "is my cousin, Malcolm Pace, and his wife Claire."

Annabeth gently led Miss Jackson over to where the aforementioned couple were standing, coordinating the invitation, and allowing for pleasant conversation to follow. Mr. Jackson's sister was friendly, but only answered her cousins' questions in short sentences, never bothering to elaborate further, or to ask her own. It was obvious that she wasn't doing this out of rudeness, but rather because of a lack of comfortability.

As Annabeth tried to discern how best to accumulate Miss Jackson, she was suddenly hit by the smell of saltwater. She thought that was odd, as it didn't seem like anyone had opened a door or a window, and so there was no way that she should have been able to smell the ocean as strongly as she did. Her confusion was abated, when Annabeth felt a presence appear somewhat behind her, and a little to her left.

Perseus Jackson stood somewhat in between herself and his sister, but behind them so that there was no barrier between the two. And as Annabeth turned to acknowledge him, the scent in her nose grew stronger, and then fainter as she turned back away.

Oh my word, she thought to herself, it's him.

She wondered how someone could possibly come to smell like the literal ocean. Was it a cologne that he wore? Or did he literally spend so much time in the water that he had just absorbed the smell altogether? Either way, Annabeth found that she liked it very much.

Another strange thing happened when he approached; his sister seemingly grew in confidence, and became more outgoing, just slightly, but enough to be noticeable to Annabeth. Miss Jackson actually asked a couple questions to Malcolm and Claire, regarding how they met back in college, and her face was no longer pointed at the floor as much. The turnaround was too sharp to be the result of Miss Jackson just getting acclimated to the company and becoming more comfortable. It had to be the direct result of her brother's presence.

Annabeth's mind worked double time, as she turned this bit of information around in her head.

She's more confident around her brother, which must be due to the fact that she feels protected around him. This reaction must stem from some event or circumstance… probably something to do with what happened with Luke.

The steely-eyed woman's reaction to her realization was mixed. On one hand, she thought it sweet that Miss Jackson should feel as close and protected as she does around her brother. But on the other, Annabeth was solemn to think that this girl suffered from such confidence and self-esteem issues as to rely on her brother to uplift her so. And to think that such issues were the direct result of one man's actions, a man that Annabeth herself had once given the benefit of the doubt to over Mr. Jackson himself.

She felt a tap on her shoulder suddenly, and turned to see Perseus Jackson looking at her.

"I hope it's not an issue, Miss Chase, but there was someone else who dearly wished to see you, and I informed him of your whereabouts. Is it okay if Jason makes a stop by?"

Annabeth felt a grin forming on her lips at the thought of seeing the joyful man again, and she chose to ignore any feelings regarding her sister for now.

"I would be delighted," she replied, and Mr. Jackson nodded his head in return.

"Good, because he is almost here. I'll go outside and wait for him."

Annabeth knew that as soon as her brother walked away, Miss Jackson would probably go back into her shell. She was determined, however, to try and keep the poor girl out of it if at all possible, as Estelle Jackson was probably a beautiful soul when she was able to fully be her outgoing self.

"So," Annabeth said turning to the sister, "I hear that you are quite the avid drawer."

Miss Jackson's blue eyes sparkled at the mention of the topic.

"Oh, yes," she said joyfully, "I do find it quite entertaining."

She was silent for a second, and Annabeth waited, hoping to see her elaborate some more, or even raise her own question. She was rewarded for her patience soon enough.

"My brother tells me you're an architect. I assume you like to draw as well?"

"Indeed, I do, though not as well as you."

The sister's eyes were unbelieving.

"I highly doubt that, Miss Chase."

"Trust me," Annabeth said with some amusement in her voice, "I have seen you drawings. I'm surprised you decided to go into psychology, and not graphic design or some similar degree."

Miss Jackson blushed profusely.

"I thought about it, but I decided not to because I like to draw as a hobby. I do it merely as a means of entertaining myself. And I've always found the brain to be quite interesting."

Annabeth was enamored to see Miss Jackson speak so outgoingly without the presence of her brother, as they all continued on in pleasant conversation, until Mr. Jackson returned, followed closely by his friend.

The onslaught of kindly remarks soon overcame any ill thoughts that Annabeth may have still harbored for Jason Grace, and she did not even hesitate to return his cordiality.

"Gods, Annabeth, it has been too long," the blonde-haired man said.

"Indeed it has, Jason," she replied kindly, noticing in her peripheral, that Miss Jackson had moved over to where her brother stood, and was now engaged in serious conversation with him. Annabeth returned her focus to the conversation at hand, and her thoughts now wandered to the feelings of the man in front of her, specifically in regards to her sister, Piper. Had Jason Grace moved on from her?

Annabeth was reminded of the fact that there was a plan to unite him and Mr. Jackson's sister, and she wondered whether that was still in the works. She decided merely to observe the both of them, and to determine for herself whether the claim held any water. She also was determined then and there, that if it were to be the case, that she would not let the knowledge ruin her perception of either Mr. Grace, or Miss Jackson.

"How long have you been on Long Island?" Jason asked curiously.

"Only since Thursday night."

"Ah, so merely a vacation weekend then?"

"Yeah, I'm here with my cousins." With that, she moved to introduce said couple to Jason, and the three of them exchanged pleasantries. But it wasn't long before he had gone back to inquiring after Annabeth's family.

"How is your family doing?"

"Quite well, thank you."

"I'm glad to here that," he replied, his gaze seemingly more interested on the floor currently.

"I do wish to see them again, truly," he spoke again, but with caution, and a timidity that suggested he was almost regretful of something.

"I know they would be happy to see you as well."

Annabeth wasn't sure how true that was in the case of certain individuals, namely her stepmother, who had constantly spoken of her vexation at the hands of Jason Grace, but Annabeth was not going to let him feel dejected on her stepmother's account. As for Piper, the blonde woman knew her sister was not over Jason, and if Annabeth could confirm that his feelings still existed as well, she could exposit this to her sister with a clear conscious. For so long, she only had the assumptions she gathered from what Mr. Jackson had told her regarding Jason's feelings, which were not credible enough for her to go on, nor could she tell Piper such assumptions without exposing Perseus Jackson.

"Really?" Jason perked up slightly at her words, "I'm… I'm relieved to hear that."

He was silent again for a few moments, and then, after taking a sneaky look at Mr. Jackson, who still engaged in conversation with his sister, he turned to her and asked, "Would all of your family really be contented to hear from me?"

There it was, all the evidence Annabeth needed; the inflection in his voice, the manner in which he spoke, the implications given.

"I believe so," was all she said in reply.

She was almost positive now of his still existent feelings for her sister, and she only needed to confirm that there was none harbored for Miss Estelle Jackson. It was an odd thing to think about, Jason Grace and Estelle Jackson. The girl couldn't have been more than nineteen years old, being a freshman in college, while he was close to Mr. Jackson and herself in age, probably around 24.

Knowing what she knows, Annabeth had to believe that Mr. Jackson was not so keen to see his sister paired off so quickly, so he couldn't have been a supporter of such a plan. Especially after what he and his sister had gone through at the hands of a man who had been just as close, if not closer, than Jason had ever been to the family. Annabeth, for the sake of her sister, had to believe that there was no relationship, other than platonic friendliness, between Jason and Miss Jackson.

If she could confirm this, then she could rest easy, knowing that, given time, and being left to their own devices, Jason and Piper could find their way back together.

At this point, she and Jason were approached by a tentative Miss Jackson, who, no doubt after being encouraged by her brother, said assuredly, "Miss Chase, my brother and I were wondering if you and your cousins would like to join all of us for dinner tonight at Callisto?"

After confirming with Malcolm and Claire of their availability that evening, Annabeth kindly replied, "We would love to."

….

Later that evening, Annabeth was getting herself dressed for dinner at the Callisto estate. She had inquired of Miss Jackson on what to wear, and she was encouraged to hear that she could dress however informal she wished, which was good, because Annabeth had not packed for a formal dinner.

"Tell me what you plan on wearing, and I'll make sure to wear something similar," Miss Jackson had whispered to her, "I'd rather wear comfy clothes anyway."

The memory of the exchange made Annabeth smile, as she undoubtedly was growing attached to Estelle Jackson already. So her she was, wearing the only pair of skinny jeans she had packed, and a cute, blue front pocket tee she had found at a little store they had visited that afternoon. It had been planned on them showing up a bit early for dinner, so that Mr. Jackson could show Malcolm his late father's car collection, and as such, it was almost time to leave.

"You look very pretty, Annabeth," Claire said as the blonde girl made her way down the stairs. "I'm sure Mr. Jackson will find your look quite appealing."

Annabeth threw the brunette woman a confused look, "What on earth are you talking about Claire?"

"Just saying," Claire seemed to be giving a pointed look to Annabeth's butt, "I think he'll approve of what you're wearing very much."

The blonde girl took no notice of this however, "We're dining at the Callisto estate, Claire. I figured I should dress as nicely as I possibly can."

Malcolm strode out of his and Claire's bedroom, buttoning up his shirt as he did so.

"Is she playing dumb, Claire?" he asked nonchalantly.

"I'm afraid so, honey."

Annabeth was sure she misunderstood something, but she had no time to dwell on that, as she glanced at her watch.

"Oh my word, we're going to be late. Let's go!" And with that, she grabbed her purse and flew to the door, thus missing the knowing looks passing back and forth between her cousin and his wife.

I think my wisdom teeth are coming in. My jaw has been sore for like a week, which sucks cuz I really don't want to go to the dentist right now. I'm pretty sure I have like 3 or 4 cavities, which I'm sure you wanted to know. Either way, it's gonna be rough.