Chapter 7 - No One Wanted to Tell Me My Aunt Was Murdered?

Last semester. Last freaking semester. Don't get me wrong, I like school. But I was also so relieved to be almost done. One more semester in the mortal world and then Percy and I would be able to get to college - a place that we could relax and breathe, for at least a few years. After that, well, we could decide wherever we wanted to live. We could try to come back to New York, or live our lives in New Rome, or, heck, maybe Percy and I could sail the world on a ship. That could be fun. Crazy, but fun.

I was finishing up my homework for my calculus class when I heard my cell phone ring. I glanced at the screen. My dad? I answered it but the phone call kept glitching in and out. I heard,

"Annabeth!" Something, something. "Boston, can you -" Something, something. "School?"

"Dad! IM-ing." I told him. I grabbed a drachma and the little portable-Iris-message-machine Leo had made me during my search for Percy. I started it up and began the call. My dad's image appeared, but it was still fuzzy. I wasn't sure what was going on with demigod communications but it wasn't good.

"Dad! What's going on?"

"Annabeth! I finally heard from Randolph. My sister Natalie was killed two years ago - the police said it's a suspicious case. Possible murder or arson? No one knows."

A lump formed in my throat. I hadn't been close to Natalie but she'd been nice. Even so, each death I encountered seemed to compile, reminding me of each person I'd already lost.

"And Magnus?" I asked, remembering my younger cousin. The last time I'd seen him was just before I ran away - I'd been seven years old and already planning my escape.

"No one knows." My dad said. "The police have been trying to find him. They've picked up kids matching his description but he's managed to get away each time."

My mind raced. The streets were not a safe place for kids. Now that I was older, Thalia had told me more of what she'd encountered before she'd found Luke and they'd teamed up for safety. Even though Magnus was mortal, there are plenty of monsters who are humans.

"We need to find him." I told my dad.

He smiled at me. "Time for another quest, huh? I kinda like our dad and daughter missions."

"Me too. I'll talk to the school, see if I can get make-up work for a week or so and we'll go try to find him."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll book a flight out and let you know when I'll be there."

He waved his hand through the mist and the image dissipated. I sat back on the bed. And here I'd been worried about Percy getting into a mess, not me. I chuckled at the thought, then went to get ready.

Thankfully, the office was happy to grant me an absence from the school when I explained the situation. Something about "Hey, my aunt was murdered and the police can't find my cousin and he's some of the only family I've got" sounds super sad and convincing to mortals. Anyway, I spent the day collecting assignments from my teachers that I'd work on when I could to keep up with school. Then I packed two bags - one for my school work, and one with my usual questing supplies. Just because Magnus was mortal didn't mean that I wasn't going to be attracting monsters, so I made sure to tuck my drakon sword into that backpack and add my usual demigod supplies. I locked up my dorm and headed out - straight to my home. Percy.

"Annabeth!" Percy swung me around, then kissed me properly. When he pulled away, he frowned. "Something's wrong. What's wrong?"

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "Nothing between us, but a mortal family issue. Sit down."

He noticed my suitcase with me. "Y-You're leaving? But -"

"We should talk." I didn't meet his eyes. Percy and I haven't been apart for more than a day or so since we were reunited in New Rome. We picked each other up from school, helped quiz each other on classwork, and generally were stuck together more than ever before.

"Can I join?" Sally asked, looking worried. I smiled and nodded.

We sat together at the kitchen table, Sally handing me a blue cookie, which I broke small pieces off of as I talked.

"You know I mentioned a cousin in Boston, right?" I tried to sound soothing.

"Uh, sort of. You mentioned that right before we beat a bunch of Giants and stuff, yeah. Like six months ago. You contacted them?"

I shrugged. "I tried to contact them." I corrected. "Well, I asked my dad about them. He and the other siblings had a big fight, right before I ran away. It was Thanksgiving and we were at the family mansion -"

"Wait, your family has a mansion?" Percy asked, looking stunned.

"Um, sort of. It was my grandparents', but they left it to my uncle, Randolph." I shook my head. "Randolph is….. Sort of….. Off." I explained weakly. "His wife and daughters were killed during a boating trip. I-I only remember a little bit of them. My older cousins, Emma and Aubrey. They were sweet, and smart, and very, very spoiled. Before their deaths he was consumed with his work, something about Vikings. He'd been a professor at Harvard but after their deaths -" I took a deep breath. "He got kinda…. Scary. He got into all these conspiracy theories -"

"Conspiracy theories like the Greek gods existing?" Paul asked. I hadn't realized he'd walked in and I jumped at his voice. He settled a hand on my shoulder, a silent apology. He and Sally still weren't used to just how jumpy Percy and I had gotten after Tartarus. And Percy and I were still going to therapy to try to get less jumpy. Someday, we'd meet in a happy medium, I was sure of it.

I thought about that. "You know, that's a good question, Paul. I'm not really sure. I just know he lost a lot of jobs. He became a laughing stock. And that…. Infuriated him."

"So, your cousins are dead?" Percy asked quietly.

"Um, maybe. Emma and Aubrey are, but I knew that. It's my last cousin, Magnus, that I'm concerned about. I haven't thought about him much, we haven't seen each other since he was six and I was seven. But….."

"But?" Sally prodded, gently.

I realized I had trailed off, thinking of all the possibilities. "Right. I just talked to my dad. He said Randolph finally returned his call to tell him that Natalie was dead under suspicious circumstances and that Magnus has been on the run from the cops. For two years."

"Two years?" Everyone said at the same time.

"I know. I talked to the school and they're letting me take my school work with me for a while. I'm going to go to Boston and try to track him down. My dad's coming into town to try and help." I tried to say it firmly, but kindly. I didn't want to make Percy worry more than he would.

There was silence for a few moments before Percy reached his hand across the table and took mine. "Hey, count me in too, I'll be ready -"

"NO!" His parents and I said at the same time.

He flinched. "What?"

"Percy, that's sweet, but you went missing for a full semester last year. You need to be here, every moment you can, if you're serious about coming with me to New Rome in the fall."

He grimaced. "I don't like you going alone."

"I know."

"That's the longest we've been away from each other since…."

"I know." I said quietly. "I'll try to stay in touch, ok?"

He looked troubled.

"Percy, Annabeth's right." His mom said quietly. "She can graduate just fine, even missing a week or two. Even with all the help she and Paul and I are giving you -"

"I know." He muttered, glaring at the textbook that was open on the counter. Percy hated his new school. His classmates teased him constantly, he hadn't made a single friend. His teachers treated everyone like a waste of time. But he was determined to get through this. For us.

"I'll be safe." I assured him. "Magnus is mortal. The scariest thing to deal with should be homeless people and cops."

He grunted. I could tell he still didn't like the idea of me leaving him for that long.

"Is there anything I can say, or do, or -"

He shook his head. He forced a smile onto his face. "Can you, uh, help me with this math problem, at least?"

I smiled. "Sure. And, uh -" I looked at Sally and Paul. "Maybe I can stay here tonight?"

They both smiled at me. "Sure Annabeth." Paul said, glancing at Sally for confirmation.

That got an actual smile out of Percy. We spent the evening together, no more talk of me leaving except when my dad texted to let me know his plane would arrive in Boston tomorrow at noon.