Hi! I decided to update before I exploded of guilt. More than 500 views! Yippee! Thank you, bleubarry, dudeurcool789, and Guest, for all of your support! This chapter is in Annabeth POV, after the second chapter. So no repeats this time! Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any other characters.

I paled and balked. Memories flashed through my mind. Thalia. This random person that decided to come into the café that I worked for, knew Thalia. How is that possible?

"Um," he interrupted my musings. "Do you know my boss?"

"Yes," I replied, seeing no point in lying. "She was my best friend – sort of like a sister – in one of my more difficult times of life." More like my most difficult times, a voice suggested in my head. Especially after Luke…

"Oh," he nodded. "But do you think you could help me with this plan? 'Cause I still don't really understand how this thing works."

We worked for a couple of hours, but my mind, for once, was not focusing on the work in my hands. I could tell that he knew I was preoccupied. He occasionally shot me glances, but I just looked away. Luke Castellan… that traitor. I hated myself. I hated Luke. I hated my forgiving self that just couldn't hate him for what he did.

He had joined in an extremist group a while back, and rose in ranks. From what I have heard, he was participating in couple terror attacks. How did he transform into this monster? I constantly asked myself, how? But, internally, I knew the answer. Lack of care and love, and his fatal flaw, power. I always got distracted whenever Thalia is mentioned. When we were only teenagers, Luke, Thalia, and I, we all left home. We all ran away. Luke, because of his father, who left as soon as he was born; Thalia, because of her missing brother and terrible mother; and I, because of my parents, who ignored me and treated me like a freak. After all, nothing comes without a price. We ran away, but we were caught by a group of policemen. They interrogated us, and was on our tail for a long time. They were determined to take all of us away. We refused to go. We were cornered, just as we were nearing a school. Thalia volunteered to go, just to save Luke and I.

For a long time, I thought Thalia was in prison. A run-away teenager that couldn't explain her problem, because her mother was famous. Stupid Beryl Grace, I cursed. Until now. Thalia in Percy Jackson's company, as his boss.

I was so caught up in my troubling thoughts and memories that I had not been paying attention to the things I have been writing on Jackson's paper. "Chase?" I heard a voice inquire. "Chase!"

I jolted out of my trance and tore my thoughts away from the past. "Jackson!" I exclaimed, putting down the pen. "Don't do that!"

He shrugged. "Well, you were trapped in your head, and writing down random stuff on my paper for the past five minutes. I called you for at least five times already. I think I have no right to interrupt you, right?"

I rolled my eyes at his obviously sarcastic last question. "Never mind. What did I write down?" I stared at the paper, registering my writing. I sighed. Waterpark? Helm? Labyrinth? What on earth was I writing? I erased the words (yes, I used pencil), and rearranged my thoughts.

It was nine-thirty into the evening when we stopped. How did two-and-a-half hours end so quickly? I retreated into the kitchens after he paid up for his salad and pasta. Today's sleep would definitely be plagued by nightmares.

A month later, Jackson and I developed a routine. Every Friday, I would help him on his work, but not do it for him. We would talk, laugh, joke, until nine-thirty. I realized that this man was unlike any other. He was slow when you first meet him, but soon his intelligence and logic would shine through his humor (which is great, by the way!). We bonded, and I could soon safely say that he was my friend when we had met for four times already. We were on first-name terms a week before that.

But, never once, did I forget the relationship between Thalia and Percy. They were so alike that it was scary. Either they would be best friends or worst enemies. They were both natural leaders, they are both stubborn, and they are both fiercely loyal to their companions. Percy, especially, was extremely loyal to anyone he knew.

It wasn't long before I spilled my secret about Luke and Thalia – the second month into our meetings. Percy had this glow to him – it makes you feel as if you could trust him with your darkest secrets and he would never betray you. He was, indeed, understanding. Unlike Luke, the traitorous voice told me. Stop! I shot back at it. "So, you do know Thalia," he had said wistfully when I told him. "She did seem to know your writing style. She hesitated when I showed her the first report."

A person to tell your secrets to really would help you with your pressure and guilt. Before I told, I felt I was going to explode. Explode with grief, mourning, anger, sadness… everything. But when I told Percy, it felt as if weights were taken off of my shoulders. I felt light and the pressure that was always present faded.

I thought that the issue with Thalia had ended, until, in the third month, Percy showed up on Friday. "Hi, Percy," I greeted warmly. "With your usual pasta and salad?"

He shifted nervously on his feet. "You see, Annabeth, she requested to come. More like forced, I think. She would make me write three more reports if I dared to refuse…"

I panicked. "What do you mean, Percy? You took who here?"

"Me," a voice replied calmly. A voice I hadn't heard in a decade. No, no, it couldn't be! A voice screamed in my head. The panic in me increase by a hundredfold. "He brought me here."

Stepping out from behind Percy, a woman appeared. Thalia. And she was the last thing I registered before I passed out.

Cliffhanger! I know this is relatively short, but I have the writer's block, and that's terrible. Again, review, and tell me what you think! I will accept constructive criticism gladly. Thanks to everyone that decided to review/favorite/follow!

HG519 out.