Enjoy!

~GoGreen52

Chapter 25- Dinner at the Jackson's

-Annabeth POV-

You know, about how I said that Piper and Jason were going to kill me? Yeah… that was an understatement.

-Flashback-

When I showed Leo the letter from Mrs. Jackson, he flipped. It wasn't necessarily an understatement, because he was scared of Piper and Jason too, but it was pretty evident he was ticked off.

To be honest, I don't really know what I did, but apparently I did something wrong. Yeah right.

"What did I do Leo? Mrs. Jackson figured it out by herself," I told him, trying to explain my part of the whole thing.

"What did you do? Mrs. Jackson knows your secret. Luke is smart- he watches your old ties. That means he's watching Mrs. Jackson, using her as bait."

"I still don't understand- why are you mad at me? If anything, why not Mrs. Jackson, she's the one who figured out my secret after all!" I was fuming- how is this my fault? Now I'm going to get killed by Piper and Jason before Luke can even think about getting to me.

"I'm mad at you because you let her figure it out! You could've done something else, avoided them somehow. You practically invited her in," Leo explained, pure logic in his tone.

"Mrs. Jackson is good people. She knows I'm hiding, she knows the risks. She's like my mother now, Leo. How could I just ignore her?" I asked, looking at him in the eyes. "What would you do in my position, huh?"

Leo looked down, and took a deep breath. I noticed something change in his face, but other than that it was pretty much the same old Leo.

His voice came out in practically a whisper, "I have been in your position before, Beth."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"My mother was murdered too," he explained, his voice still in the same sullen whisper.

I gasped, looking at him in a new picture. Leo's mother, like mine, was murdered. Wow… did not see that one coming.

"The firefighters claimed it to be arson. Someone burned down my house, taking my mother with it. I was sleeping over at my friend's house, and I didn't figure it out till the next day… I lost everything- memories, my school work… my mother, everything. I still can't help but feel I was supposed to go down too."

I closed my eyes- what a nightmare- hearing your mother being murdered, and losing everything. Poor Leo…

"They caught my mother's murderer, but at the same time I still feel sick to my stomach every time I remember what happened that day. I never really got over it."

I looked at Leo, and told him, "We never really do."

"Okay, back to me being mad at you," he said jokingly. I laughed a little bit, but then a serious look became plastered back on his face.

"If I were in your position I would do the same thing- but when you're in that position, you should do the thing that's right and not let your emotions take control of you."

"But you just said you would do the same thing," I corrected.

"What I do isn't always what is right. I'm not perfect either, remember?"

"But I'm not perfect either, remember?" I asked, copying him.

He really had nothing to say after that. We sat in silence, waiting for Jason and Piper to get back. You see, Leo already called them, and from what I could hear over the receiver (which happened to be everything from all the yelling) they were coming back to the apartment quick.

And that I was in a lot of trouble.

We ended up waiting for three minutes for them to get here. They walked in, not looking too mad, so I got my hopes up that they had a little talk on the way here and decided not to be mad…

But then Jason slammed the door shut, and the sound echoed throughout the apartment. Well, that, and an old lady who lives next door screaming "KEEP IT DOWN!"

But Jason didn't care.

Yep. I'm dead.

"Beth, what happened back there?" Piper asked, using her 'nice' voice. And by that, I mean the voice she uses before she's about to blow up in someone's face.

"Percy's mom recognized me at the book store I used to work at…"

Jason sighed, and fell into the chair across from me, and asked, "Why did you even think about going there?"

"I don't know… I guess I just had to. Look, she wants me to go to her house at 6… if I'm going to go-"

Jason cut me off, "Absolutely not. We are not sending you in blind."

"I didn't say that I had to go in alone. I could bring you, Leo, or Piper too," I told him. "I mean, who knows? She could hold some valuable information to my case."

"I'll agree to that. But do you know how stupid you were?"

I took a deep breath, knowing how Jason kind of has a short temper. Well… scratch out the kind of and you get the point.

"Beth, I don't think you understand it here! We come to New York, and you just go and connect with some old friends!" Piper exclaimed, working an angry look on her face.

"I didn't try to connect with them, though!" I exclaimed, feeling myself coming to the breaking point. I don't get how these people can just come on in here, and blame everything wrong in the world on me. I mean, God, life doesn't run that way.

Piper sensed that I was almost pushed over the edge, and walked over to sit next to me on the couch. "Look, I'm sorry. But we're all really frustrated that someone figured out what we've been hiding for a year. And all it took was one person to figure it out in the course of ten minutes. It can just be really frustrating, Beth.

"But you're right, too. We need to talk to Mrs. Jackson, see if she knows anything, and if she will keep this investigation secret. The last thing we need is for other people to know," Piper spoke, being the person who cuts the tension in the room.

"Who's going in with me then?" I asked, looking at all of them.

"I want to come with you- since I'm the only person here who has an emotional side," Piper said, directing it at Jason, who shrunk back a bit.

"I'm going, too. I want to figure out why this chica is so important to Bethy," Leo said, giving me my old Nick Name.

Jason looked at him shaking his head in amusement. But when he noticed all eyes were on him, he shrugged. "I guess I'll go too."

-End Flashback-

Piper helped get me ready for dinner. She dressed me up in black skinny jeans, and a blue dress shirt. She let me wear my favorite flats, since she felt bad for blowing up at me earlier.

I could handle it, since I'm a murder attempt victim, victim of harassment, and so one. But Piper just saw the little kid in me- the one who watched my mother be murdered.

Twenty minutes before Six, I walked out of the apartment, with Leo, Jason, and Piper at my flanks.

We walked out of the complex, hailed a cab, got a ride to the Jackson's, and came to a stop in front of her front door all in twenty minutes. Amazing, right?

I totally agree.

Gathering all the courage I possibly could, I took a deep breath, then knocked on the door. I heard footsteps in the background, someone quickly moving to get to the door. Excited much?

Well, I was too.

The door snapped open, and I saw an excited face of Mrs. Jackson. She didn't seem surprised to see other people with me, and she invited me in.

I walked in first, followed closely by Jason, who was ranked with Piper and Leo. They looked pretty intimidating, but I guess it is their job to do that, so whatever.

Once we were all in the living room, Piper and Leo took a seat, following Mrs. Jackson's orders. Jason and I stood still, Jason looking at her with a calculating look plastered on his face, and me just looking around, taking it all in.

I was really home.

"Annabeth Chase… we all thought you were gone forever," Mrs. Jackson told me, grabbing me in a hug. Jason looked a little hesitant, though, but I gave him a look, and he nodded back at me, taking a seat rather close to Piper.

When we pulled apart I spoke, "It's really nice to see you Mrs. Jackson." I felt some tears come to my eyes, but I held them down. I didn't need to cry.

"Oh, you know I want you to call me Sally, dear! Mrs. Jackson makes me feel old," she said, and we laughed a bit, thinking back to old times. I never really once got to the point to call her Sally- it seemed weird to me.

After our fit of laughter stopped, we moved to the dining room, where there was a feast prepared for us. Before we ate, I had to close my eyes, and take a deep breath… to get a grip on the fact that I was actually back in New York.

In the Jackson's house.

In the dining room.

"Annabeth, if you don't mind me by asking… how exactly are you alive?" Mrs. Jackson asked, causing me to snap my eyes open, and look at Jason.

"Annabeth Chase attempted to be murdered that evening," Jason said, clearing his throat. He was all business now. "We can't tell you who tried to murder her, but we can tell you to keep her safe until we catch him, and let her give a testimony, we will need her in Witness Protection."

Mrs. Jackson nodded, but throwing me a look that said- Are you two dating?

I gave her a grossed out look, and shook my head in disgust. If anyone would be dating Jason, it would be Piper.

I noticed when she saw my reaction; she smiled a bit, and picked more at her food.

What was that all about?

I explained to her about what has been going on with me lately, leaving out a few details about certain things. But all I could really focus on was the fact that I had my mom back… well, not really my mom but you know what I mean.

"Beth, we got to go. I have to check in with the Chief later," Jason told me, interrupting my thoughts.

I nodded, and grabbed the dishes to bring them to the sink- as a kind gesture to Mrs. Jackson. She wouldn't let me take hers, and took her own to the kitchen, following me through the door.

"Annabeth, Percy still loves you," she told me, seeing right through my poker face.

I shook my head. "If he still loves me, then why, out of all people, would he be with Rachel?" I asked, putting the dishes in the sink, and putting my palms down on the sides.

"He's just grieving, dear. He went back to the only way he knew of protection- his wall. He keeps himself in, leaving everybody out. I've tried talking to him about things, but he always goes to something else in return. I can tell- he's not the same son I had a year ago," Mrs. Jackson told me, and I turned around to face her.

"Look, he's the one who broke it off with me… not the other way around," I told her, closing my eyes as the memory came back to me. "I was acting like a jerk, and he called me out on it- case closed. We aren't meant to be."

"Annabeth, please. You're the only person who has made my son smile like he did since his father left. You're the only person that can get him to change! He needs you!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry… I just can't deal with this right now," I said, and walked out of the kitchen, leaving a sad Mrs. Jackson behind. The others were listening in, I could tell.

I ignored them, and walked out of the apartment, only hearing them follow me.

When I was waiting at the elevators- angrily at that, I gasped when I saw who came out.

Percy Jackson.

He walked out of the elevator, Rachel at his side, and his new agent, Ethan. I never got his last name… Percy caught me staring at him, and his eyes widened when he saw me. He kept on walking though, Rachel forcing him foreword.

I really don't like that girl.

He walked the way I came from, to his mother's apartment.

I stood there for a minute, taking it all in-

Percy was here in New York.

I was here in New York.

I just saw him.

He's going to his mother's apartment.

His mother knows who I really am.

Well, Annabeth Chase, you're life just got more complicated.

Yesss! This was a LONG chapter to write.

Is it weird if I typed the chapter while listening to "I'm Sexy and I Know It" by LMFAO?

~GoGreen52