I know, I'm so sorry for the wait. My life has been hell.

This chapter is very personal. It's been so good for me to write it as a form of therapy and comfort. In this chapter, while I usually write Annabeth as I would write about myself, I wrote her as my own wonderful mother and had Ruby take on my current situation. Please, take the time to think about what you say before you say it. Words hurt, wether you're joking or not... It may not be all that funny to some of us.

This chapter is dedicated to my fabulous mother, who I swear this song is written for. She is amazing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or the song "The Best Day".

I checked my watch impatiently.

Forty more minutes. Forty more minutes and I'm-

"Momma!"

Free.

"Yes, sweetie?" I said, carefully picking my way around the pumpkins that littered the ground toward where Helena was crouched, her tiny five year old figure inspecting something intently.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing at a bug on the ground.

"Looks like a lady bug," I said patiently, bending down next to her and sweeping her bangs out of her eyes. She looked like a marshmallow, totally encompassed by her big white winter coat that I had forced her into. Her little cheeks were bright red with the cold.

"Here, sweetie," I said, taking out tissue out of my own coat pocket and wiping her nose for the hundredth time that day. What I was thinking when I volunteered to chaperone a bunch of kindergarteners on a field trip to the pumpkin patch, I had no idea. So far the day had consisted of me chasing after my daughter in the apple orchard, cleaning her shirt after she spilled apple cider on it, having to return the baby chick she stole from the petting zoo, and untangling her when her feet became snarled in pumpkin vines. While I loved Helena dearly, today had been a terrible experience.

But it would all be over in forty minutes.

"Momma, why do leaves change in the fall?" asked Helena.

"Well," I said, happy to answer a science question, "The leaves of trees and other plants contain three main pigments: carotene, anthocyanin, and the photosynthetic pigment, chlorophyll, which captures the sun's energy to make glucose for plants. As the most abundant pigment, chlorophyll is what gives leaves their green hue in spring and summer. When the weather turns cold and there isn't sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis to occur, the chlorophyll fades into other colors because-"

"Gourd!" squealed Helena with glee, having spotted a rather colorful gourd across the field. Leaf hues forgotten, she ran and ran across the patch, wispy auburn curls flying every which way. Where the red hair had come from, we had no idea, since neither Percy nor I had any relatives with that hair color.

I checked my watch; thirty eight minutes.

Percy and I had been planning a weekend getaway for weeks. Just a quick trip up to Vermont to see the fall colors, have a nice dinner, and give us some peace and quiet away from the kids.

Don't get me wrong; we loved our kids to death. But sometimes... well, four kids made for a loud house and a lot of chaos. We needed alone time. Desperately.

When it was finally time to go, I dusted the dirt off Helena as best I could before boarding the bus. Seventeen more minutes, seventeen more minutes...

As I thought longingly of the novel that I had picked out to read on the car ride to Vermont, I felt small arms hug my legs.

"Lena, honey, get back on your seat," I chided, though I secretly loved when she hugged me like that. She looked up, smiling at me as I pulled her up on the bus seat next to me.

"Momma, is Snow White's house near, or far away?" inquired Helena.

"Oh, far, far away," I said.

"Look!" she cried suddenly. "Look now, Momma, the sky is gold!" I peered out at the October sunset, which indeed had stained the sky a lovely amber color.

"Watch this," I said, and, leaning close to the window, fogged up the glass with my breath.

"Ohh," cooed Helena, amazed. Taking my finger, I drew a heart in the condensation. Delighted, she drew her own tiny heart next to mine. "Love you," she said.

"I love you too, Helena," I told her, tucking a curl behind her ear.

As our journey back to school progressed, Helena ended up with her head in my lap, lulled to sleep by the motion of the bus. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, and carefully extracted it to find a message from Percy.

Almost home?

Yes, I typed. A few more minutes. I'm already packed, so we should be able to leave straightaway.

Ok. And Jason and Piper are coming to watch the kids tonight and tomorrow night?

Yeah, they said that they'll come a few hours after we take off tonight.

Sounds good, Percy responded. Ruby's thirteen, she's old enough to hold down the fort until then.

Yeah, I agreed. I'll be there in ten minutes. Love you.

Love you too.

When the bus lurched to a stop, I scooped up Helena and her gourd and carried her to the car, tucking her into her car seat as she slept. She snored the entire way home, the sound drowning out the classical music CD that Harper, my musical prodigy, had left in my car.

Classical music. Gourds. Why were my children so peculiar?

Shaking my head and attributing my offspring's quirks to Olympian genetics, I turned onto the lane which harbored our house. As I did each time I pulled into my driveway, I took a split second to admire the architecture of my house, crafted by yours truly. Red brick, white trim, huge front door, ivy growing up the sides... I liked to say that my house had all the aspects of the iconic American house paired with the grandeur of classical Victorian architecture, creating an over all visual masterpiece of rustic charm with my own personal twist.

Percy liked to say that it looked nice.

Percy popped out the front door as I pulled the key out of the ignition, his body a long shadow across the flagstone drive.

"Burr," he said, kissing me on the cheek. "It's cold out here!"

"I know," I said, agreeing. "Fall is definitely here." Percy opened the door of the car as I collected my purse. He gently lifted Helena out of her car seat as she continued to sleep soundly. Percy placed a kiss atop her tousled curls, smiling fondly at our daughter. However, his look of fondness soon turned to one of disgust as he looked down to see both his and Helena's shirts soaked.

"Ugh, she's drooling," he whined.

"She gets it from you," I said with a wink.

"Does she now?" said Percy playfully.

"Mhmm..." I said absently, shutting the car door and turning to walk up the steps.

"Momma?" said Helena sleepily, stirring in Percy's arms.

"Yes, honey?"

"I had the best day with you today."

There's nothing quite like feeling appreciation from your child. It was like butter melting on hot toast.

"Me too," I said, and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Mommy!" shouted a gleeful voice as I looked up to see three and a half feet of kindergartener barreling towards me, arms out stretched and blonde hair whipping about.

"Hey, sweetie!" I said, wrapping my arms around Troy and hoisting him up on my hip. "Oh boy, we need a haircut, don't we?" I asked, tucking his hair behind his ears. Troy's hair curled once it got long, and I simply couldn't stand to cut it off, despite Percy complaining that his locks were too long for a boy.

"Mommy! I'm so glad you're home!" he said happily. "I missed you! I want to show you the picture I drew in school, and then we play pirates. Will you play pirates with me? Can I have a snack? Can I have a dog? Can I-"

"Whoa, slow down there, pal," I said as Percy and I grinned at each other, enchanted by our sons seemingly infinite energy. "Mommy and Daddy are going on a trip, remember? So I can play pirates with you some other day. But I'd love to see your drawing and get you a snack."

"Oh! Can my snack be sugar?" asked Troy as we climbed the steps to the front door.

"Ha... No," I said, pushing the door open and setting Troy down. "How about string cheese?"

"Alright," he said, shrugging.

"Why don't we put in a movie?" I suggested, hoping to distract him while I took made final preparations before Percy and I left.

"Okay!" said Troy, scampering off to the living room.

"I'm going to set Helena down on the couch in there," said Percy, nodding in the direction Troy had just dashed away.

"Sounds good, I'll go find Helena and Ruby, I replied, starting up the sweeping staircase that occupied a considerable amount of our entryway. At the top of the stairs I was greeted by the sound of Ode to Joy being plucked out on a piano. Poking my head into Harper's room, I saw her at her piano, brow furrowed in concentration as she practiced.

"Hi honey," I said, inviting myself into the room as my daughter stopped playing mid-measure.

"Hey, Mom," she said cheerfully.

"Where's Ruby?"

"The bus hasn't come yet," said Harper, marking something in her music as she talked. "Are you leaving now?"

"No, I'd rather Ruby be here when we left." Harper nodded. "Well, the twins are in the living room watching a movie, I'll leave some sandwiches out on the counter for dinner, and Jason and Piper should be here around eight to put the twins to bed. Okay?"

"Yep," said Harper smiling. "Have fun!"

"Thanks Harp," I said, giving her a hug. "Text me if you need anything."

"I will!" she called as I left the room. I walked down the stairs, just in time to see Ruby burst through the front door.

"Welcome home, Ruby!" I said brightly.

"Hi, Mom," croaked Ruby, and promptly burst into tears.

Oh dear.

"What's the matter?" I asked as Ruby ran toward me and buried her face in my chest, her body convulsing with sobs.

"I- I- I just don't know how my friends could be so mean!" she sobbed. Percy appeared in the doorway, leery of teenage female hormones. He slowly started backing away, looking nervous.

Rolling my eyes I waved him over. If I had to be doused by my daughter's tears, so did he.

He shook his head furiously.

I waved him over again.

He again shook his head, looking frightened.

I have him my most intense mommy-glare, and he reluctantly approached us.

"What, are you scared?" I challenged as Ruby continued to cry, oblivious to Percy as I.

"Little bit," he said dubiously.

"She's a thirteen year old girl, not a Minotaur," I chided.

"Yeah, well, when you were thirteen, I would've much rather battled a monster than tried to deal with your emotions," he said.

I smacked his arm.

"What?" he protested. "You were scary!"

"Was not," I said, and then beckoned back to Ruby again.

Giving in, Percy shave his hands in his pockets. "Er... What's wrong Ruby?"

Ruby's wails only rose to a new level of hysteria, echoing about the entry way. Harper poked her head out of her room, clearly alarmed. The twins were apparently unbothered by the chaos ensuing in the front hallway, remaining in the family room watching The Little Mermaid for the umpteenth time.

"They're just saying horrible things- and teasing me, and stealing my stuff, and making fun of my dyslexia, and I hate them!" Ruby cried, descending into a new round of tears.

"Oh, honey..." I held her tight, and looked over the top of her head at Percy. Our eyes met, Percy's face looking wistful. The look on his face was the same one he would use when we were teenagers and he was trying to get me to kiss him, his eyebrows drawn together and green eyes glinting with hope. He seemed to be asking, Do we have to be good parents and do the right thing?

I felt bad. We had both been looking forward to this trip so much... but being a good parent meant putting your kids' needs before yours, and right now Ruby needed me. I couldn't leave her.

I jerked my head, indicating that we did indeed have to be good parents, and Percy's shoulders slumped a little though I knew he understood perfectly. "I'll call the Graces," he said, shoving his hand in his pocket. "What can I do to help?" he asked, nodding toward our hysterical daughter in my arms, whose wails where as loud as ever.

"I think what Ruby needs is some quality time with her momma," I said. "Maybe do something with the kids."

"Like what?"

"I don't know... Ice cream?" I suggested.

"I'm on it," said Percy, mock saluting me with a handsome wink. Thank the gods Percy was the best husband and father, ever. "I love you, Ruby," he said, gently kissing her head before going to round up the troops.

"Come on, sweetie," I said and grabbed the keys, steering Ruby toward the door. She sniffled her way to the car, continuing to cry as I started the engine and backed down our drive. I didn't really have a plan; I just knew that Ruby needed space. Space for her to sort out her emotions so she could face whatever challenges ailing her. She just needed a mini getaway.

I turned onto the highway, driving us away from the city. Ruby blew her nose noisily before turning to me, eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Where are we going?" she asked hoarsely.

"Dunno," I said shrugging.

"But... Athena always has a plan," my daughter said, reciting back to me my old motto.

"True," I said as I switched lanes smoothly. "And I do have a plan. I just don't know where that plan will take us."

"What's the plan then?"

"Well, we're just going to drive and drive until we find a town far enough away."

"We're just driving aimlessly?" asked Ruby doubtfully, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"Pretty much," I said with a shrug. "You tell me when to stop."

"This is weird," said Ruby.

"No, this is good parenting," I insisted.

"Have you lost your mind?"

"No," I said with a smile. "Just tell me when to stop."

We drove for about an hour, letting the radio fill the silence as Ruby pulled herself together. While my ADHD was dying to ask her for every nitty gritty detail of what had happened, I held back. I sensed that this silence was essential for Ruby to cope, that our humble SUV was an oasis for her right now. It was peaceful, the car rumbling smoothly as we sped along. She would tell me when she was ready to.

I was feeling quite proud of myself for keeping quiet the entire ride when Ruby suddenly straightened up in her seat. "Turn off here," she said, pointing to an exit just ahead.

"Aurora?" I asked, reading the sign in the fading sun. Ruby merely nodded. "Okay," I said, veering the car off onto the exit ramp. Five minutes later found us driving slowly through a little cutesy downtown area that bustled with Friday night traffic. After a while, we parked in front of a window shop named Angela's Eatery. We pushed into the shop, and I smacked right into a woman that had to be a few years younger than me, her curly blonde hair piled up into a bun an sheet music tucked under we arm.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I said, stepping around her.

"No problem," she said with a smile. Wondering why she was grinning so broadly about being collided into by a stranger, I gave one last murmur of apology before navigating to a vacant table were Ruby and I sat down.

My willpower broke down shortly after we ordered. "Ruby," I began, bitting my lip, "Do you want to talk about what happened now?"

"Yeah," she said reluctantly, squirming uncomfortably. "It's just the girls at school."

"Bullies?" I asked, ready to kick middle school ass.

I mean... call the principal.

"No," Ruby said. "It's Allison and Meghan."

"Allison and Meghan?" I asked in surprise, shocked to hear that my daughter's supposed best friends where her tormentors.

"Yeah," Ruby mumbled, looking downtrodden. My heart ached to see her so sad.

"What are they doing?" I asked.

"Well, they always joke and say stupid stuff and we used to laugh about it, but now it's like they aren't joking anymore. And they're mean. Really, really mean." Ruby fiddled with her napkin. "The thing that's really been bothering me is that they keep making fun of my weight."

"What?" I asked, caught off guard again by this second revelation. "Are you serious?" I asked. Ruby was in perfect health and had always looked nice and fit to me. Sure, she could lose a few pounds if she wanted, but she was in the healthy weight range and looked beautiful. Never in a million years could you call her fat.

Across the table, Ruby looked miserable. "Yeah," she said. "I guess today it just got to be too much and I just broke down..."

"Ruby," I said, taking her hands in mine, "You are not overweight. At all. You are such a stunning girl." She met my gaze, and I saw her stormy grey eyes, identical to mine, glisten with tears as she listened to me. "Sweetie those girls are jealous," I told her. "Jealous of your brain and of how pretty you are, and you're wonderful personality. Please don't ever think that you are anything less than amazing."

"But they said..."

"Don't listen to what they say," I told her, giving her hand a squeeze.

"How can I not?" she asked, her face crumbling. "They're my friends! Mom, I just look in the mirror and hate myself and my body, and I feel guilty eating and just don't know what to do or who to turn to-"

"Ruby, you can always come to me or Dad. Always," I said. "And these girls don't know a thing. They don't have anyplace controlling how and what you think of yourself, and quite frankly if they're saying stuff like that to you then yet probably aren't your real friends anyway. Forget them."

"But I still just feel so fat," she insisted as tears began to fall again.

As I watched my skinny daughter cry about being fat, I silently asked the universe why in fact it was so cruel, and why did it seem to always be testing us.

"Ruby," I said, and Ruby looked at me again and wiped her tears. "If you really feel uncomfortable with your body, then we can work at a healthier lifestyle. But I want you to do this for you, not for Allison or Meghan. Okay?"

"Okay," said Ruby, sniffling.

"One more thing," I said. "You're not overweight at all. I promise, you are so beautiful and I wish that you could see it. But even if you weren't... it doesn't matter. Because its what's inside that counts." I smiled at her. "And I inside Ruby, you are ten times prettier than you are on the outside. And that's saying something."

"Thanks, Momma," she said, smiling weakly at me.

"Promise me you'll forget about what they say?"

"Promise," she said, right as the waiter set her grilled cheese down in front of her.

After our soups and sandwiches were devoured and we worked our way through an entire pot of chocolate fondue, Angela of Angela's eatery kindly asked us to leave, seeing as the cafe had closed over an hour ago. Having spent the majority of the evening talking and giggling, I tipped her generously and Ruby and I hit the sidewalk, stopping to get ice cream to go.

"Why is it that you and dad always buy ice cream when something's wrong?" asked Ruby, licking her cookie dough ice cream with a satisfactory smack.

"Well, when I was pregnant with you and I was stressing out about parenting, Nico was over watching a football game with your dad," I told her, grinning. "As I sat at the table trying to read every parenting book under the sun, Nico told me not to worry, any problems with kids could be solved by ice cream." Ruby laughed, no doubt picturing all to well Nico saying something like that. "It's funny," I mused. "While I smacked him at the time, your father and I have really taken it to heart. Surprisingly, it's worked pretty well." We started laughing again, and I savored each one of Ruby's giggles. It was so nice to see her smiling. As our laughter subsided though, her smile faltered a bit.

"I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school," she said, a little sadly.

"Stay strong," I advised.

"I will. I just don't know long it's gonna take to feel okay... I guess this probably seems like nothing compared to what you were going through at this age, huh?"

"Emotional wounds heal a lot slower than broken bones and claw scratches," I told her with a sad smile. "And Greek fire burns. And acid," I said as an after thought.

"And getting impaled by spears," added Ruby with a smirk.

"And being stabbed by a manticore," I said.

"And bruises from falling into Tartarus," giggled Ruby.

"Okay, maybe those healed a little slower than the emotional scars," I joked. As Ruby laughed again, my ears picked up a few bars from the tune playing on the radio. Perking up, I dialed up the volume to hear one of my favorite songs. Phil Collins's You Can't Hurry Love filled the car, and Ruby and I split into identical grins.

"I can remember you and daddy singing to this in the car on the way to camp when I was little," said Ruby.

My mama said you can't hurry love

No, you'll just have to wait

She said love don't come easy

But it's a game of give and take...

"This song makes me happy, even though he's heartbroken," Ruby told me. "Weird, right?"

"No, I feel that way too," I told her. "It's the memories you have with the song that make you happy." Soon we were singing along, wildly off key. We laughed the entire car ride home.

But before long we were turning off at our exit. Ruby became quiet and subdued as we neared our house. Thinking that she was probably feeling down again, I was surprised white what she said.

"There is a video I found from back when I was three," she said.

"Really?" I asked, smiling.

"Yeah," she said. "I kind of like it because its just you and me and daddy. You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you were talking to me. You were explaining all about the Industrial Revolution in baby talk," she said, smirking.

"Hey, we Athenians start learning young," I said with a wink.

"Anyway," said Ruby, grinning at me, "It was about the age when I was into princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs." She paused. "Sometimes, I wish I could back to those times. When all I knew was that daddy was smart and you were the prettiest lady in the whole wide world." We pulled into our driveway and I turned the car off with a flick, turning to face my daughter.

"I'm really lucky," she whispered.

"We all are," I told her, taking her hand. We sat there in the dark, examining each others dimly lit features by the dim glow of the street light.

"I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to roam... and then you and dad," said Ruby expressively. "Daddy's an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger and you, Mom," she said, squeezing my hand, "You're always on my side, even when I'm wrong. And I love you for giving me your eyes and for staying back and watching me shine." She took a deep breath. "And I didn't know if you knew, but I'm taking this chance to say that I had the best day with you today."

I looked up at my house and saw my family perched in the window. The twins had their faces pressed up against the glass, Harper was waving, and in the back stood Percy, his arms around all of the kids, smiling broadly at me. His goofy lopsided smile took me back to my teenage years every time, without fail. Then, I turned back to Ruby, her gorgeous black ringlets framing her hear shaped face. My baby was so strong.

"Me too, Ruby."

Pretty please with a cherry on top review or PM me. I love you.