My mind stumbled through the thought. Who would do something like that? Who could possibly do that? Most of all, why?

I opened the door and walked out without a word. I saw Nico shake his head as I passed the window.

The night air chilled me to the bone since I had forgotten my coat. But I kept walking, and walking, and walking. The sun set reflected off the river as I walked along it the whole way down to a park. I stopped briefly to read a sign that told me this was Point State Park, the place where the Ohio River forms. It was pitch black except for a few streetlights by the time I reached the fountain at the Point and laid down on the wide rim.

I just let it all catch up to me and my mind race with my worries until I finally fell asleep.

I woke up blinded by sunlight and covered in a black and yellow fleece blanket. I sat up slowly and pulled the blanket off. A lady stood a few yards away with her back to me and her feet in the river.

I stood to stretch the soreness from sleeping on a stone ledge out of my muscles. The lady turned to me and smiled. She looked to be somewhere around the age of sixty.

"You're finally awake, sweetie." She walked over to me. "I came down here last night to take a walk and found you instead, so I gave you a blanket."

The lady was still smiling by the time she'd finished talking. I had a feeling she wasn't actually as nice as she was letting on.

"Uh, thanks. I think I'll just go now." I moved to leave but the lady grabbed my wrist.

"Now, sweetie, give me a hug before you leave." She pulled me in before I could protest and I'm fairly sure she put her hand into my back pocket.

I quickly backed away and started running back to Oakland.

I bent to catch my breath just outside the door to Taylor's apartment a little while later. The door whipped open and Kezi's head poked out.

"Oh, look!" She teased. "The cat really did find its way home."

"Do you realized how many freaking hills there are in Pittsburgh?" I wheezed.

Kezi smiled. "I told you; Pittsburgh has everything but flat land. Now get inside."

Once inside, I filled them in on where I'd spent the night.

"The lady had a Steelers blanket. Any idea who she is?" I asked.

Easton narrowed his eyes. "Please, that description fits half the people in this city; the other half are male."

Kezi grinned and shook her head. "Yeah, but how many to you know that patrol the park at night, willing to give their blanket to sleeping strangers? He ran into little Ol' Meg."

Everyone muttered, "Ah, Meg."

"She's crazy!" I insisted.

Kezi waved off my comment. "She's harmless."

"She grabbed my ass!"

Again Kezi waved it off, this time with a grin. "She grabs everybody's ass. And it's not like you had to hug her; as a New Yorker you should know better than to hug strangers."

"I didn't have a choice! She grabbed me before I could react!"

Jayce walked into the room. "Are you talking about Ol' Meg? Is she still alive?"

"Of course she is! She just grabbed Percy's ass." Taylor said.

"You should check your pocket then, she likes to leave presents." Jayce suggested with a grin similar to Kezi's.

"What kind of nutcases do you have in this city? She puts 'presents' in people's pockets?" I freaked out.

"Every city has their personality piece. Not many people get to know Meg; you're lucky to have met her." Jayce nodded. "I've actually missed her since I moved to Boston."

"You miss a creepy old lady who sticks her hand in your pocket? What kind of nutcase are you?" Seriously? What kind of a city is this?

"She always gives you what you need. You need a pen- go hug Ol' Meg, and you'll get a pen. You don't even have to tell her what you need." Jayce shrugged.

Kezi laughed at the face I made. "Something about people from bigger cities. Athan reacted the same way when he first met Meg."

Athan rubbed his chin. "I fell into the fountain; she had a Steelers towel back then. Of course, all I got was the part of the present that everyone gets."

"That everyone gets?" I repeated.

They all grinned. "Check your pocket."

I looked over to Nico, who shrugged, and then pulled out the contents of my pocket.

"What is this?" I asked, holding up an envelope.

Kezi took it from me and opened it up. She pulled out a note card and handed it to me.

"Your side gift."

I took it and flipped it over. "It's an I-owe-you."

"What? No! There's supposed to be a condom stapled to that!" Taylor took the card from my hand and flipped it over again. "The old bat must've finally run out! The things were older than we are."

"What other way is faster to get pregnant?"

"Ah ha!" Kezi shouted. "Ol' Meg has come through again."

"What?" I asked, moving closer to her.

"A security pass to the Heinz plant." She held up the card. "Now I have the tools to bs our way in."

"Oh, good. We're definitely getting in, then." Easton said and turned to me. "After all, Kezi is the queen of bs-ing."

The original five of us got to Fallingwater just as they were opening the door. Kezi wove her way through the crowd up to the desk and talked her way into getting us in the first tour of the day.

We stayed to the back of the group and when everyone else left the first room, we stayed behind.

"All right," Kezi whispered. "We won't have much time, so try to tap lightly on the walls and check if they're hallow. We're looking for a secret door."

We were all just about to move to separate parts of the room when another tour guide, without a group, walked into the room.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing?" She asked, with her arms folded across her chest.

Kezi stepped in front of her. "So sorry, madam." She started in a French accent. "I am Kezi Astley, ze restorative architect." She pulled out her architecture license and handed it to the lady. "I am here to write an article about zis lovely building and how wonderfully it is, how you say, up kept. You see, back home, zey just love some of ze buildings you Americans have in ze middle of ze woods. We do not have ze space for such things, you see."

"I see," the lady said handing back Kezi's license. "But would you like to explain to me why your license says you are American when you have a French accent?"

Kezi smiled bashfully. "Well, you see, my father was an American and my mother was French, and she came here for, how you say, college. She met my father and zey had me. When zey finished college, we moved to Paris, where I grew up. Zen I came back to America and married a sweet American. He is ze great great nephew of Frank Lloyd Wright, you see, so he thought it would be a good idea for me to do an article on Fallingwater before I return to France for my parents' anniversary."

"Oh!" The tour guide exclaimed. "It just would have been best if you had cleared it with the office first."

"Would you like to be mentioned in ze article?" Kezi asked and nudged Athan, who pulled a small notebook out of Kezi's back pocket.

"Oh, yes—I mean, oui! I am Henrietta Henry. I've been working here for five years now." She paused and looked at Athan, who hadn't written anything down.

Athan looked at Kezi awkwardly. Kezi smiled and shook her head. "Je regrette. He does not speak English. Only my photographer does." She pointed at Easton, who glanced quickly around and picked up a camera someone had left on the table.

"There it is!" He exclaimed in a French accent and then pointed the camera at the guide. "Sourire!"

The guide smiled. "Why do you have such a low-end camera if you're a photographer?" She asked.

"Stupide americaine!" Easton exclaimed. "Ze aéorport lost my valise!"

"I'm sorry?" The guide asked.

"His bag was lost somewhere along ze way here. We zink it was on ze ozer side of pennsylvanie." Kezi explained.

The guide nodded. "Would you like me to show you around?"

Kezi shook her head. "No, that is okay. I am a restorative architect. I know what I am looking for."

The guide nodded one final time and walked out of the room, finally leaving us alone.

"And that, kids, is why I am the Queen of bs-ing." Kezi said with her normal diction.

We all split up and started to tap on the walls, periodically calling Annabeth's name.

We moved from room to room without luck until, nearing a corner, I thought I heard something.

"Annabeth?" I asked a little louder.

"Percy!" Came the muffled reply.

"Guys! Over here!" I called over my shoulder.

I pulled out Riptide in pen form and was about to uncap it when Kezi hissed at me.

"No! It's Frank Lloyd Wright! It'll have a latch!"

She slid inbetween where I was crouching and the wall perpendicular to mine. She moved her fingers behind the drapes in the corner (there was a window nearby) and something clicked.

Kezi nodded. "Pull it out now."

I grabbed the panel and was just about to slide it out of the way when Annabeth shrieked on the other side. I pulled the panel out as quickly as I could and Athan pulled Kezi out of my way.

Annabeth was gone.

And another! I've been writing recently, aren't you proud?

Anyway, Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: Good tidings we bring to you and the morons who think that I could possibly be Rick Riordan! (sing it in your head, would you?)

Please review if you have the time and/or internet connection!