Hello again! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask! And also, I'd like to say quickly that the last chapter was like a Prologue, and so this is the official chapter one. Also, if you're able, I'd love it if you could check out my oneshots or other stories! It would be much appreciated, but obviously, no pressure.

And there was a little mistake in the last chapter: I update Monday's, Wednesday's and Saturday's as opposed to Friday's. Sorry for any confusion!

Disclaimer: I'd like to think Rick Riordan has better things to do with his time then sorting through fanfictions to see if they credited him, but then again, I don't know, so here it is: I don't own PJO. Never have, never will.

~headline: dead moms are a good conversation starter~

…

Four Months Later

"I fucking hate my dad." Annabeth says into the phone, as she stands in the Los Angeles International airport, waiting for her father to pick her up. "He cheats on my mother, moves across the country, practically abandoning us, and now he wants me to live with him?"

Thalia's voice is muffled through the receiver. "I don't know Annie. It seems as if he has pure intentions."

She groans. "With my luck, his stepmother will hate me, and the offspring he had with her will also despise me."

"'Offspring,' Annabeth?" Thalia deadpans. "Really? Come on, they're technically your brothers."

Annabeth frowns. "Half brothers."

"You're living with them now," Thalia says, "I mean, for god's sake, you haven't even met them yet. Who are you to judge?"

She sighs, "Thalia, my mom died, and now my father who might I add, abandoned me, is trying to move me across the country, away from New York. Why couldn't I live with you guys?"

"Because technically, he's your legal guardian now, so he has the first right." Thalia pauses and Annabeth hears a large 'clunk,' on her end. "Look, as much as I want you here, and as much as this is a sucky situation, you need to find peace with it."

Annabeth sputters, astounded at what Thalia's saying. "What am I even supposed to talk to them about? 'Hi, my mom died, and now I'm living with you, isn't this fun?'"

"It would spark an interesting conversation."

Annabeth shakes her head, irritated. Does she have no sympathy? "God, you're so annoying. I'm grieving, be nice to me." She looks up to see a large poster board that says her name on it. Behind it, is a scrawny man wearing glasses, next to a tall woman with red highlights. The woman, who is probably her step-mother, is scrolling through her phone, and frowning. "I think I see my dad," she says to Thalia, "I gotta go."

"Okay Annie," Thalia says, "keep Luke and I updated. Good luck, seriously. Know we miss you. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything. We're your friends, and we'll be there for you, okay?"

Annabeth tries to respond, but feels her throat tighten. God she misses them. She misses her mother, her friends, her life, everything about New York. The only thing that has stayed constant the last couple of months is Pylos. Thank god for that.

She tries to shake herself out of everything, and then walks up to her so-called father, trying to look brave. "Hey." She says to him, her voice cold.

"Annabeth!" Frederick Chase's face erupts into a smile. "You've grown so much, it's great to see you." He goes in for a hug, which Annabeth denies, motioning to her suitcase as an excuse.

Frederick bites his lip (there's no way in hell she's going to call him 'dad'), and moves his hand away, reaching for his wife's. Helen Chase. She's exactly how Annabeth imagined her. Prissy, proper, and oh-so-pretty. Frederick told her that she's a model or something, which Annabeth understands. And it makes her even more annoyed. "We should get going." Annabeth says, frowning. "I have a lot to unpack."

"Right," Frederick says, "we got you a lot of stuff for your room. We didn't know what you'd like, but we hope it's nice."

Helen looks up for the first time in a while, her face forming into what's this? A smile. It's sickly, and sweet, and makes Annabeth want to barf, but it's there. Maybe before all of this, she would be able to see it as genuine, but somehow losing her mother gave her the special ability to see through bullshit. "Whatever you want hun," she says, "we have the money."

God Annabeth hates her. She nods curtly, and motions to her bag once more. "We should get going." she repeats, and this time, the two of them actually get the hint. Helen purses her lips, and Frederick tries to smile, but it looks incredibly halfhearted. Annabeth follows them as they walk out to the car in silence. LAX is pretty big, so it's a long, dragged out, awkward walk. Annabeth isn't sure if she should speak, she remembers what she doesn't have to. She's the one that's suffering, she's the one in pain. As she looks up at her father's face, she sees no hidden anguish, nothing. His ex-wife is dead, doesn't that do something to a person? He should feel something, guilt, sadness— no, he doesn't deserve to feel sad, he was the one that left them— but at least something. Anger, remorse, guilt. She doesn't want him to console her, anything but that, but he should at least show something. Is he even human?

Annabeth has found herself wondering this many times in the past couple of months. She's talked to people, who pay their respects, and then move on, as if Athena Chase's death didn't do anything to them. A person has died, and from her mother's death, Annabeth realizes how in the past, she took death lightly. Then, when she actually experienced loss, she realized what a toll it takes on a person. Annabeth isn't sure she trusts anyone completely anymore, apart from Pylos and Thalia. Even Luke, she doesn't think he's the same. She's not sure which one of them has changed, her or him. Annabeth knows it's probably her though. But Luke could at least make an effort to reach out. His best friend is suffering, and even though there was a point Annabeth wanted more, first, as a friend, he should support her.

This happens every couple of days, she gets herself so fed up on an issue, she can't stop thinking about it. It takes an interruption to help her zone out of it. And just that happens, when Frederick speaks, breaking the silence as they walk.

"So when we get home, you'll meet the boys."

Annabeth doesn't look at him. "Okay." She says, biting her lip as she tries not to tear up. Why doesn't he understand that this makes it worse? Seeing more and more of the life he lived without her, it's an awful feeling. She doesn't want to know the boys, she doesn't care about them. It's selfish, that's obvious, but it's her whose suffering. And from the look on Frederick's face, he doesn't seem to realize it. Does he know what loss does to a person? Did her mother's death mean nothing to him? They had a child together, that has to be something. Hell, they were in love, they were married. Was he remorseful at all?

"I'm sure that they're excited to meet you." Frederick adds, and for a second, she almost admires his effort. Then, she stops herself, because there's nothing to admire Frederick Chase for. He left her, he left her mother and didn't even say goodbye. He left her when she was six, when she didn't even have an understanding of the world. Honestly, Annabeth's grateful he left, because if he didn't who knows what he could have done to hurt her even more. She sighs, feeling weight against her chest, knowing that she'll have to respond.

Through her bitten lip, she speaks. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"And you have a blog, right?" Her father prods, obviously not getting the message. "We can get you set up with a new computer and everything."

Annabeth shakes her head quickly. Along with Pylos, her computer was one of the only other things that was constant. Investors bought their apartment, and she sold off a lot of her clothes and objects after the funeral. She couldn't stand to see them, they were a constant reminder of what she lost. But she couldn't give away her computer. It was a present for her fourteenth birthday, and although it was almost five years old now, it still worked better than ever. Her mother had always told her she had a gift, and that having a computer would help her utilize it. She did, and now she can't bear to part with the crusty old machine.

Frederick pulls out his keys, and presses a button, causing one car to light up, one that looks big and expensive. Living in LA is obviously going to be way different than New York. For one, there's way much more open space, and the air doesn't smell like piss and smoke all the time. That was one of the bad things about New York City. It smells so damn bad.

Annabeth gets into the car, breathing in the smell of perfume and gasoline. It's not unpleasant, but definitely overwhelming. Then, almost seamlessly, the car begins to drive. Only the hum of the engine can be heard, conversation has stopped. Probably because Frederick has given up, just as he did when he left Annabeth and her mother. He seems to give up easily, but maybe that's just because Annabeth jumps to conclusions easily. And Helen seems alright, although overly fake.

But whatever. It's not like she's been particularly inviting.

So they drive in silence for about ten minutes, until the pull into the driveway of what's basically a McMansion. The place is huge— Annabeth hasn't seen anything this big in her life, it's ridiculous, how can people actually live in places like this. "Is this your house, or a museum?" She asks, just to make sure.

Frederick chuckles like it's a joke. "No, it's our house. Welcome home."

This isn't home. Annabeth thinks, glaring at the house, as if it's the reason she's here. "Alright," Frederick says, with a huff. "I guess it's time to get you all unpacked."

Annabeth nods slowly, and makes a move to open the car door. But before she can, it pops open. Who can't just open a damn car door by themselves? She thinks, but goes with it. So far, this hasn't been a terrible experience, but that's bound to change soon.

"Darling," she hears Helen say to her father. "It seems the boys are out with friends." She looks back at Annabeth, not unkindly, "it seems you'll have to wait till dinner to meet them."

Fuck you. Annabeth thinks, clenching her fists as she exits the car. She trails behind Helen and Frederick as they unlock the door to the house. It swings open, to reveal something Annabeth can only think of as magical. Her father's a script-writer for a couple television shows and movies, so this was accepted. She knew they were wealthy, but not this wealthy.

God, this is definitely going to be more than she signed up for.

…

The room they've chosen doesn't suit her at all. It has all these weird greenish toned pastel colors, and grandma furniture in it. She doesn't say anything about it, because of course, she doesn't want to feel ungrateful, but it's bothering her incessantly as she unpacks her things.

As she finishes putting her clothing away in these bright purple, antique drawers, she finds a picture, hidden among the stacks of shirts and pants. It's of her mother when she was young. Annabeth almost cries right then and there, she looks so young and vibrant. So alive. She isn't sure what to do with it, so she sets it on top of the dresser, looking at it one more time before she moves on.

Once she finishes with her clothing, she moves on to other things, like her backpack, computers, earbuds, books, and chargers. There's a little book-shelf, that's actually fairly cute, where she stacks all of her greek history books, smiling at it ever so softly as she moves on. She sets her phone to charge, it's a low battery, and then sets up her work space. There's a small little desk, that has orange lining to it, where she puts her computer, inserting the charger. Next to it, she places a small notepad and a mug with pens and pencils.

Cautiously, she opens her computer, looking to see what's open. It's a blog post, one about a new movie that came out. She knows she'll have to look it over tomorrow to make sure it's ready for publishing, but for now, she opens her email, going to her conversation with Pylos. "Hey," she writes. "I just finished unpacking."

He replies so quickly, she's surprised. But then she remembers that they're in the same time zone now. Now, there's the possibility she might actually bump into him. "How'd it go?"

"Well, my father tried to make small talk, which resulted in several concentrated awkward silences, and my step-mom is so fake that even her smile seems artificial."

"That's not a nice way to talk about your new guardians," he types back, but Annabeth knows he's joking.

She rolls her eyes. "Nice my ass. My father left me when I was six. If he wanted to be nice, he wouldn't have left."

"I'm sorry A." He types back.

She sighs. "It's not your fault. I'm just not used to this. But I'm glad I have you." She adds a smiley face at the end.

"Me too." He responds. "I have a couple more things to do today, but I promise, I'll text you after I'm done. Feel free to keep me updated on things."

"Thanks Pylos." She types, using his full nickname. God, this really hurts. She sets her phone back down to charge, and then looks up to the picture of her mom. "I know you can't hear me," she says, her eyes tearing up. "But I don't know what to do without you. Frederick… he doesn't understand. No one in this world understands. You were the only one that really did. You pushed me hard, because you knew what I could do. And more than ever, I wish I could have been there with you during your last moments. I just— I miss you so much mom. Unbelievably."

She closes her eyes, and falls backward against the gross yellow rug. Nothing in this room matches, it's the most uncoordinated thing she's ever seen. But that isn't what she dwells on. It doesn't matter in the scheme of things. It feels like nothing matters. She's all alone.

…

She meets her so-called "half brothers" during dinner, and learns their names. Bobby and Matthew, the twins, as Frederick calls them. They're two years younger than her, in their sophomore year, and look absolutely stoned.

She doesn't hold anything against them, just the fact that they exist, and stays silent for the entire dinner, picking at her food, which is this roasted chicken. Most nights in New York, Annabeth had frozen burritos for dinner. She never had family dinners, ever. There was something she liked about that. But this… this is awkward. Frederick asks Bobby and Matthew to tell her about their high school, which next week, will become her high school. She just stays silent, unmoving, not eating a bite of her food. She knows it's ungrateful, but she doesn't care. With this family, she'll never be able to stomach a group dinner.

In the end, she knows she'll regret not eating, but that's what their fully stocked pantry is for, right? Midnight snacks. As Annabeth scans it, she sees that there's practically everything, all the good snacks. Her mom used to always get healthy foods, random gluten-free snacks with low calories, and she'd always steal "good" snacks from Thalia or Luke at lunch.

She tries to help clean the dishes, but Frederick says she doesn't need to, she's the guest. That makes Annabeth feel even more inadequate, because obviously she's out of place here. Bobby and Matthew wear all on-brand stuff, while Annabeth doesn't even know where half her jeans came from. Although her mother used to work as an attorney, money was never flowing out of her blood. But that seems like it's the norm here in LA. Everyone's either rich or famous. Or both.

And Annabeth, well, she's just out of place. So out of place. She wishes she had someone to talk to, but Thalia's probably unavailable because of the time differences, and Luke… well, she hasn't heard much from Luke other than stuff on the group chat. It's almost as if he's scared of her, worried that her bad luck might rub off in him. She almost wants to say, "don't worry, you're good, I won't try to spread my black magic." But she knows she'll be shut down by Thalia, saying that he's going through his own things. She can't help if she doesn't know what though. If Luke just talked to her, then everything would be fine, she would understand, and back off.

It's easy to see that he's a sore topic for Annabeth. They're supposed to be best friends, along with Thalia, but there was a period of time when she liked him. In fact, she had thought she loved him. Annabeth wasn't sure where she stood now, especially since Pylos had taken center stage in that category. She misses talking to Luke, of course, because he only ever texts her if it's on the group chat. She doesn't know if he understands how shitty of a feeling that is, but it's not like she can confront him. That would be uncomfortable for the three of them, and Annabeth doesn't want to force Thalia to pick sides.

It's just… everything is so weird now. She can't stand it. Change has been so imminent for the past couple of months, Annabeth doesn't even know what normal feels like anymore. It's something she's constantly battling, comparing her old life to her new one. Even when she lived with Thalia, it was weird. She could barely go an hour without crying or becoming extremely depressed. All of this is so damn hard. And now, all she wants is for things to go back to normal.

More than ever, she wishes her mother was back. She wishes she could tell her that she loved her one last time, to see her face.

Now, all she has is Pylos, and she doesn't even know Pylos is real life. He could be anyone, and Annabeth would never know. She'd be entirely fucking oblivous. Hell, she could have passed him at the airport, or in the car already.

In short, her life sucks now, incredibly. And she's not sure how to fix it. But she's open to suggestions.

Oh, that's right, she doesn't know anyone here.

…

~happiness shouldn't have just one address~

So yeah, poor Annabeth. Things will get better soon enough, but of course, healing takes time. I think that moving to a new place is one of the hardest things to do, especially if it's because of something like this. I mean, in the grand scheme of things, none of us really matter, but it's still a hard thing to go through. So yeah. That's your depressing thought of the day, you're very welcome.

Thanks so much for reading this chapter! Leave a review, I'd love to know what you think about the story so far! Stay safe and healthy!

Replies!

HoOStorys: ...maybe… I mean, I don't intend to. But also thank you so much! Glad to see you're enjoying it! Absolute Theater Trash: I think a mixture of both, I've read Geekerella before, but the plots of these two are going to be pretty different. I hope you're enjoying the story! Leoisthebadboysupreme: you got it right! Great detective work there lmao (am I really that predictable?), and also tysm for being an ongoing supporter, you're amazing. 1234booklover: thank you so much, I'm glad that you're enjoying the story so far! 123Thomas321: I'm glad you're enjoying it, and yes, we definitely can predict that! PurpleBunny5540: thank you! I'm glad that you're enjoying it, and yes, I plan to be pretty consistent with updates. PaigeJames: Yeah, they never married in the actual books, but in this AU, they were briefly. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story!

TheLil'Lion