Chapter 10

(Three Months Later)

"So," Thalia said. She sat alone at a booth in the cafe Percy and I worked at, grinning from ear to ear as she sipped her latte. "Enjoying the relationship so far?"

"You're a pain," I responded, using my rag to wipe the spot of coffee she'd spilled on the table. It's been three months since Luke left my life forever, and also since Percy and I became a couple. Thalia has been teasing me about it ever since.

Thalia leaned back in her chair, still smiling. "Hey, what are best friends for? Besides, he's my cousin. He's only back in New York until the end of our senior year, so I only have so long to torture him before he leaves."

It felt like all the air had left my lungs. "What?"

Thalia frowned. "Didn't he tell you? His dad wants him to follow him into his company. It's why he traveled all over the world. He'll make amazing money, too."

"I..." I closed my mouth, feeling as though my happy little bubble had suddenly just been popped, leaving me exposed. I never really thought about life after high school. I kind of always assumed we'd stay together while in college. But if Percy were leaving the country, God only knows when I'd see him again.

"And anyway," Thalia continued, "I know what you're thinking. But Percy said it's what he wants to do. His dad didn't twist his arm into it. If Percy goes, he'll get to help a lot of people, and a lot of wildlife, especially out at sea, which Percy loves anyway. He'll have to travel all the time, though..."

Like it or not, who was I to stand in the way of something he really wanted to do? I was going to Harvard anyway, I already got my letter. I would be leaving New York, too.

Thalia waved a hand, spilling more coffee on the table. I glared at her but didn't rush to clean it, seeing as she'd probably spill more. "Hey, long distance relationships sometimes work. Don't worry about it, kay?"Her hand dropped onto the table, right onto the mess she'd made. She made a face, and I snickered.

"What you get," I told her, then ducked out of the way as she threw a wadded up napkin at me.

"Get back to work," she laughed. I stuck my tongue out at her, and left.

...

"Hey, Dad?" I asked. "When is Malcolm coming home again?"

My dad and I were sitting outside the ice cream parlor. He was licking his vanilla cone while I devoured my chocolate fudge sundae.

"Probably this summer," he said. "Why?"

I shrugged. "Just curious. I miss him." I made a face. "I can't believe I just said that."

Dad laughed. "See, I told you. You can't wait until he leaves for college, until he actually goes. Then you realize how much you liked having him around."

"Yeah, yeah. At least we didn't fight regularly like most siblings do."

Dad wiped his face with his napkin before answering. "True, you two didn't fight physically. You used words, which sometimes got you both into even more trouble than if you'd been fist fighting."

"Hey, I only cussed him out once. And I was seven."

"And you got grounded for a month." Dad laughed again.

I grinned. "Totally worth it."

Dad shook his head, then suddenly turned serious. "So...how's Percy?" It was an innocent question, but I could see the twinkle in his eyes. He was teasing me.

I raised my chin. "He's fine. We're fine."

He raised a hand in defense. "Hey, just asking a question. I can't ask about your friends?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Then how come you didn't ask about Thalia?"

"Because that girl pretty much lives with us. I don't have to ask, because she'll tell me and then proceed to eat every bag of chips in the house."

I burst out laughing. "It's true!" he said. "I've even hidden chips and she still somehow managed to find them."

"That's my best friend for you," I giggled.

"Frederick?" a voice called suddenly. I looked up, and stopped laughing. My dad froze.

"Hey, I thought that was you!" the woman said. She was pretty, her red highlighted hair pulled up into a ponytail. She was wearing dress pants and a blouse, with high heels. She looked like she was either about to attend a business meeting or a fancy dinner date. I knew who she was upon first glance, and hated her guts immediately.

"Sarah," my dad said uneasily. "What are you doing here?"

The lady, Sarah, shifted her weight. "Well, I moved here. My company that I work for offered me a great deal and I took it." She smiled. "I never thought I'd run into you, here. I figured you'd stay in Virginia."

My dad's ice cream was starting to melt. It ran down his hand, but he didn't notice. "Well, I got a better job offer, too. To be honest, though, I'd thought about leaving Virginia for a long time before I got the job offer."

I'm sure you did, I thought crossly. Trying to run from your past. A thousand memories came rushing back, and suddenly I found I couldn't stand to be beside my father. I tried so hard to forget, to keep my mouth shut so it would pass, so our family wouldn't be ruined. And yet it still happened.

I stood up. "I've got to go," I told them. "Percy's probably waiting for me. Don't wait up, okay?" And without looking back, I quickly disappeared into the thick crowd of people.

...

Percy frowned. "You aren't serious?"

We were sitting on his couch. While I told Percy what happened with my dad and his former mistress, he just quietly listened, rubbing his hand gently on my arm while I talked.

I sighed. "She was all smiles, too, like she didn't even care that she'd ruined his marriage. She knew he was married. That day I saw them together he was wearing his wedding ring, which I don't understand at all."

Percy pressed his face into my hair. "That totally sucks, Annabeth."

"Big time," I agreed. His scent was really distracting. His hair was wet, which told me he'd just gotten out of the shower. He smelled clean.

"And of all places, she had to end up here?"

"It can't be a coincidence. She probably followed him here."

Percy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe have her arrested for stalking?" he suggested. "That would get rid of her."

I shook my head at him, smiling. "You're evil."

"Hey, I just say whatever comes to mind."

Suddenly I remembered my conversation with Thalia this morning, about Percy leaving. A lump formed in my throat. Swallowing, I reached up and kissed him. I didn't think I would ever get used to this. Each time was like the first, and it felt like my stomach was full of butterflies.

Our kiss was broken when the sound of the baby crying in the next room pierced the air. Percy sighed. "The monster has awoken."