A/N: Hiya there, everyone. See? I told you I'm going to update twice each month. Although this has been a crazy month for me, I will make sure that I will still find time for you guys. :D

.982:No, thank YOU for giving my story a shot and reading it. You guys are the amazing ones. I'm glad that you liked what I did to Luke. I honestly, I think he really is a good character and I wanted to explore that other part of him here. And I'm sure that you'll pull it off, writing him that way, just don't think too much and let your talent. And don't be afraid to take risks. :D

shira.b:Thank you, for taking the time and providing me with a feedback. I really appreciate it. And here, I didn't take too long on this one, I hope. :D

frozenlavareflector:I will keep that in mind. Thank you. :D

Sonny James:And I will keep on trying to find taller cliffhangers. :D

Tina-Daughter-Of-Poseidon-23:Oh, my. . . That's terrible. I hope that she's doing better now. I don't know why awful things seem to happen to good people. Did the driver go to jail for that? I hope so, so he'll learn the gravity of what he did. No worries about the language, I get it. I'd probably cuss more than you if the same thing happened to someone I care about.

I appreciate you sharing that, I do. And of course, I always say this: you provide one of the most useful reviews here and i always look forward into reading them. And hey, a little favor, please? Say hello to your cousin for me. Thank you.

puprpleorchid25:Well, you ARE special. :D

miyame-chan:I try each chapter, I really do. Am I doing it right? *grins*

PLEASE READ:Guys, I have a small request. Can you help me have this story reach 1000 reviews? Pretty please? I would really appreciate it and every review you post means a lot, so keep 'em coming! :D

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NEVER LET ME GO

Chapter 21: ON MY WAY

ANNABETH

They say that no secret will remain a secret - they will be revealed in time. Whether you come out clean yourself or someone uncovers it for you.

In my case, the latter.

When Poseidon went with Percy and Reyna and I was left with Noah and Sally, I didn't think that something was going to happen. I thought that I would actually be able to watch over my son in peace.

Even the beginning of that day didn't start that way.

About half an hour after they left, Sally excused herself to go find something we could eat. I stayed on my place, beside Noah's bed, my eyes refusing to leave his face for even a second. Ever since I came back, and apart from that day that we spent together in the mall, this was the first alone time that I got to spend with him. I was never really good in just sitting and doing nothing - usually I would have to fidget and make small movements - but right then, I felt like I could spend eternity just watching Noah sleep.

Most of the time, I said that he was like a little Percy, only with blonde hair and paler skin, but staring at his face in the falling rays of the afternoon, I saw that he had some of me in him. Although anyone could tell that he had his father's lips, that little twitch at the left corner when he's smiling or frowning? The shape of his eyes that was round in the middle but were narrow by the edges? And of course, that cute button nose that only Noah could pull off - those were all me, those things all say Annabeth Chase.

I took a deep breath as I reach out my hand and carefully brushed the hair that were falling on his forehead, ran my thumb across his cheek and placed a kiss on his lips. Then I settled back on my seat and held his hand. The way mine covered his smaller one, the way mine shielded his from the harsh reality - I told myself that this was how its going to be now: Me taking the fall for him, me owning his pain. I didn't care if it was almost unbearable. It was the most beautiful thing I ever felt.

For five years that I was away from Noah, I always wondered what it would feel like to hold him in my arms, to feel him close to me. I thought of what I would do on our free time, of the things I would say to him once I was given the chance. Imagination was my ally and form of escape back then.

I guess I really am an awful person. I make my decision on what I think is right and seldom consider what others think. When I felt it was the right thing to do, I act. I was trying to change it. Hard as it was, I'd been trying to reach out and meet Annabeth Chase. I needed her. I had to bring her back, and that moment, that very second I was holding Noah's hand, I felt her presence. She resurfaced from years of guilt and shame, overcoming all the negative feelings that held her back. She broke free from all the chains that bound her and came back stronger than ever.

It wasn't Percy, then, who brought her back. It was Noah. It was the boy whom I loved all my life.

I brought up his hand and pressed it against the side of my face, inhaling the scent that can only come from a child. I fought the urge to cry, as I saw the bruise that was showing at the side of his neck. I ran a fingertip across it softly, biting my lip. Dr. Mears said that donating my bone marrows won't be good for me but I didn't care. If it killed me, then so be it.

My phone rang and I immediately grabbed my bag to silence it, only to find my hand frozen on the keys as I read the name that registered on the caller ID.

Chase, F. My father.

I hesitated as my finger ghosted over the answer button. Noah squirmed in his sleep, which made me stand up and raced to the door. Closing it softly behind me, I clicked answer and, after another moment of indecision, held it against my ear.

There was no answer from the other line at first. I waited, not daring myself to be the first one to speak.

"Annie," he said. For as far as I could remember, he had been the first to call me that. Thalia copied him, and started using the same nickname.

I didn't really know what to say as I found myself at the landing that separates the first from the second floor, so I settled for a usual, "What's up?"

"Nothing much," he answered. "Matthew received a special award last week for creating his own, complex formula for a rather simple problem." I could hear the pride in his voice, how proud he is of my stepbrother. "Bobby, on the other hand," he said, sighing. I could predict what he was about to say. The twins may be identical when it comes to their facial features but there's no challenge in telling who's who. Matthew is the responsible and smart one. Bobby is also smart, although he always gets in trouble. Even when I don't get along with their mother, the twins and I are actually close. "He was sent to the guidance counselor for trying to take Matt's test yesterday when his brother was sick."

That made me chuckle. Those two had always been trying to fool people before, trying to confuse them that Matthew is Bobby and Bobby is Matthew. It never worked, of course.

"It's nice to hear you laugh," he commented, which made me kind of uneasy, but not as uncomfortable as the words he said next. "I can't wait to see you again; I miss you."

I would've rejoiced at that moment - Dad rarely tells me that kind of thing, except that there was something with the way he said it that told me that it was an order, really.

I sighed. "Look, Dad. I know that you don't really like my being here back in New York and I know you're not the biggest fan of my decisions but I will stay here. I made the mistake of letting you direct me before and I'm not going to let it happen again."

"Annabeth Chase," he breathed, his voice kind of raspy, or maybe it was only because of the poor connection. I knew my father too well; he only uses my full name when he's about to tell me off.

"Dad," I answered firmly. "I don't really care now what you do to me. You can disown me but I've made my decision." I paused, allowing him some room because I knew that what I was about to say was harsh. "I don't really care what you think. My son - your grandson - needs me to save him. I'm staying here."

He didn't respond and for a heartbeat I thought he was going to scream at me, but he chose to stay quiet. "I love you, Dad," I whispered as I felt a pair of tears fell. "But it's time I live my life the way I choose, not the way you want me to."

As I wiped the tears away, I disconnected the call, staring at my phone screen, silently willing it to ring. Had I become a part of my own family, only to lose my other? How can it always be that way? Why do I always have to lose someone I love everytime I make my decision?

I heard footsteps and I looked up to see Sally climbing the stairs, her phone in hand. When she saw my expression, she hurried up and touched my arm. "What is it?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.

I tried to smile, although I knew that Sally didn't believe me. "Nothing," I said. "Just got a phone call."

Sally didn't pry. "Well," she said. "Speaking of phone calls, I just got one from Poseidon."

That got my attention. "How's Percy?" I asked.

"From what he told me, my son is currently having a conversation with a young gentleman who is a part of the support group where they went to."

"That doesn't sound like much of an outlet," I commented.

Sally chuckled. "That is after Percy trashed his office, smashed his china set, destroyed his laptop and punched a hole to this 18th Century painting hanging on his wall." I couldn't stop the sound of surprise that escaped my mouth. Sally just gave a small nod. "I know. That doesn't sound like him at all but I guess my son really has changed." She cleared her throat and gave me a motherly smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," I answered truthfully. Although phisycally I felt drained, I still felt good, especially after Dr. Mears informed me that we were on the right track, and that we would be needing to do more and more transplant in the next few days. Even his warning that it would be very hard for me wasn't enough to make the feeling that for once I was doing what was right to go away. "Although," I added bashfully, "I'm kind of hungry."

Sally gave a hearty laugh. "My apologies. Poseidon's phone call distracted me, but I will go ahead and find us something to eat."

"Thank you."

She gave me another kind smile before squeezing my hand softly. "Have I told you how glad I am that you came back?" I smiled back at her, grateful that even when I couldn't count on my father, there was someone looking out for me in a parental way.

"This is the best choice I ever made, Sally," I told her. "I'm just glad Percy let me back in."

She was about to reply when her phone rang again. She looked down and cursed herself silently. "Oh, I haven't called Paul yet. I'll have to take this and buy us food."

"Alright, I'll go check on Noah."

Sally nodded and went down the stairs while I went back to check on my son. Except that this time, he wasn't alone Josiah was sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees and eyes trained on the wall.

I hesitated to enter but then I remembered what happened the last time. Josiah hurt Noah. This gave me courage to come in. I wasn't going to let him do the same again.

He looked up when he heard the door open. He looked sad . . . and scared. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hey."

He didn't speak and I didn't, either. I just leaned back and press myself against the door, waiting.

After almost a minute of silence, he spoke. I thought he was going to yell at me, scream that I hid the truth from him, but his question caught me off guard. "Did I do this?" he asked, gesturing towards Noah's bed.

I took some time to process what he was asking. I thought before that the first time I see Josiah, he would be furious at me. I expected hurtful words, or even physical pain, I never anticipated that he would actually be concerned that what he did was the reason why Noah was in the hospital. But then again, I looked back on the Josiah Hudson I knew back in San Francisco, of how he was undeniably a good guy. I guess I pushed him too much when I kept the truth from him.

"No," I answered. This time, I took a risk and sat beside him. "It's not because of you," I said. Even when I was trying to reassure him, I still couldn't find the justification on what he did – of course there wasn't. There was no way to justify the fact that he did hurt a five year-old.

"Why is he here?" he asked carefully.

I took in a deep breath before answering, fighting the tightening in my throat that was a clear indication that I was close to crying. Josiah tentatively placed a hand on my shoulder. "He's sick," I told him. "He has cancer." I didn't dare say anymore. It was different, saying the words. Those made the situation harsher, as though this awful situation could get worse.

"I'm sorry," Josiah said softly, squeezing my shoulder. I swallowed thickly, forcing back a sob. I looked up and stared at the man sitting beside me, whose eyes at that moment were locked on the small form of my son on the bed. Josiah was a good person to his core. I knew that from the moment I met him. Percy always said that I have this ability to see straight into people. He said that it didn't matter if you wore a mask, I would be able to tell who you really are. And the moment I saw Josiah, I knew he was one of those people who are capable of kindness, not because it's what's expected of them, but because it's who they really are.

Too bad he had the misfortune of falling for the wrong person.

"He looks like you," Josiah commented, looking back at me. I broke my eye contact and settled myself for looking at my son.

"No," I said. "He has so much Percy in him."

"I disagree."

As he said this, his hand slipped into mine, his fingers closing around my own. That gesture sent stabs of guilt in my chest. I pulled away. Josiah's expression didn't change and I had a feeling that he knew what was about to happen.

"Josh," I began.

"I think I know what you're going to say," he said, cutting me off. "And before you say it, I just want you to know that you're the first girl I ever loved like this. You're the very first one whom I cared so much about that it hurt me to be away from." I couldn't meet his eyes. I bit my lower lip as I looked down. "And I will always love you, Annabeth, no matter what you choose."

That last line, knowing that this time, Josiah was letting me make my own decision, gave me enough strength to look up, to meet his eyes and let him know that I meant what I was going to say. "You're a great person, Josh," I said. "And you deserve so much better." I reach up and touched his face. "You're going to find someone who will love you the say you deserve to be love, someone way better than me."

He nodded slowly. "Is it because of Percy?"

I shook my head. "No, it's not because of me. It's because of me; it's because of you. I can't string you along. I have to let you go." I brushed the hair out of his face the way he would always asked me to whenever we were together. "I care about you and I know I should've done it before and I'm sorry for not being strong enough to do so but I can't do this anymore, Josh. I can't keep on hurting you. I need to do the right thing and the right thing is to set you free."

Josiah was biting his lip, as well, but he didn't say anything, so I decided to continue. "I love you, Josh, okay? I love you, but not the way you want me to . . . not the way I'm supposed to. And now that you're free, you can find someone to do just that."

"Do you . . . do you still feel something for him?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I can't really think of anyone that way at this point. All I can think about every second, every waking moment since I gave birth to Noah is how afraid I am."

Josiah took in a deep breath. "I understand," he said. "I'm not going to try and change your mind, Annabeth. And I know that Percy is going to sue me for what I did and I promise I'm not going to run away. Whatever happens, if you need a friend, you know where to find me," he said, standing up. He paused, and said "Just remember I love you, okay? I always will."

"And I love you," I said, but quickly added, "friend. What you say goes both ways. If you need someone, I'm here. I'm staying with Noah. He's my son and he needs me right now." I drew him into a hug and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He gave me a small yet genuine smile. "Staying here, huh?" he asked. "That's good, good for you." Josiah looked behind me for a second, no doubt checking Noah out. "Protect your son, okay? I know that's something you will be doing moving forward." I gave him a small nod and his smile widened. "You be a good mom, Annabeth."

Josiah gave my hand a small squeeze before leaving.

"Annabeth?" I heard a voice calling behind me. I froze, my mind scrambling to come up with some explanation. Did Noah hear what Josh said? Did he understand what it's about? "What is the bad guy doing here?" he asked.

I sighed as I went back to my earlier place. "He was here to say he's sorry with what he did," I explained. "And Noah, he's not a bad guy. He's a good person; I just pushed him too far by keeping the truth - " I caught myself, my words running out. I just hoped that Noah didn't capture it, that he wouldn't ask what truth I was referring to.

No such luck. He really was his mother's daughter, which meant he was exceptionally smart. "The truth?" he wondered.

"N-nothing," I stammered, praying that he wouldn't push the subject.

"Tell me," he requested, his voice soft. "I hear what he said."

That completely stopped my ragged breathing. He heard what Josiah said before he left? How much of it? Did he understand what Josiah meant? He was five; he shouldn't grasp the implications of Josiah's words, of how heavy and hurtful the truth can be. But then again Noah was never an ordinary child. I knew he understood things with an adult's perspective.

"He said . . ." he paused to remember the words he captured. "He said 'protect your son' and then . . ." he faltered again, and I wanted to stop it, to stop the truth from coming out, but I couldn't. Was this fate, telling that five years of lies was enough? Was this destiny interfering now? "He said 'be a good mom.'" He stared at me, his eyes locked into mine.

When I met Percy, I thought I would never see another pair of sea green eyes that could hold so much power over me but I was wrong. With Noah's eyes boring into mine, I felt a pull that was like no other. It was stronger than gravity, more powerful than life, more solid than anything I ever felt. That moment I knew that Noah was the one who held the most influence over me. He need only ask and I would do anything, whether within my capabilities or what.

"Please tell me," Noah said.

"I - I"

Noah's eyes didn't leave mine as he said the following words: "Are you my Mom?"

The quiver in his voice disarmed me completely. Suddenly, I wasn't brave, tough-assed Annabeth Chase. Suddenly I was just another woman longing to tell her son how he meant the world to her.

It was my one chance, one chance to keep my family from falling completely apart. Would telling the truth be a good thing, or would it trigger our already fragile world into crumbling down into dust? We only have one life to live, one heart to give, one chance to lead the type of life that we wanted. We should get it right that one time but bad decisions were part of it. Does making a mistake forfeit anyone of that one chance? Or does it mean that we should take that one chance and make our life actually mean something?

"Annabeth, please," Noah whispered. "Please tell me."

Tears were falling relentlessly down my cheeks now. Noah reached out and wiped them away. That simple touch, the feeling of him comforting me was enough to let one word slip out of my mouth. One word that confirmed what Noah knew, one word that uncovered five years of lies.

"Yes," I croaked out as I pressed my lips against the palm of his hand. And then that one, same word caused everything to be revealed. "I- yes, Noah, I'm your Mom. You're my son, my handsome, handsome baby . . ." I could sense the questions in his eyes but I didn't let him voice them out. I wanted him to hear my side of the story, I wanted him to hear it from me before he started hating me for not being by his side. "I left after I gave birth Noah, I left the night you were born because . . . because I'm a bad person. I couldn't be the one you need. I wasn't strong enough for it. I was a coward and I ran away."

Noah was unresponsive and I dared myself to stare into those eyes, finding enough courage to finish what I wanted to say, words and love I kept for five years. "I know you probably resent me now, and I completely understand if you do but I just want you to know that I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you, baby. All I wanted was to protect you and I'm hoping that one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I hope that one day you learn to love me as your Mom because I love you, Noah. I love you so, so very much."

I couldn't continue; my throat was too tight and my voice was too hoarse. Besides I already tried to tell Noah how I felt. iTriedi, because the dictionary lacks the appropriate words strong enough to express how much I regret leaving and how much I love him.

Noah was still staring at me. His lack of response was unbearable. "Please say something," I whispered.

His face then broke into a grin. "Can I call you Mommy?" he asked innocently.

That one simple question, and its indication that not only Noah knew the truth but he accepted me as his mother made cry louder.

I stood up from my chair and stooped down, hugging Noah around his middle while he clung to my neck. "I'm so very sorry, Noah. I'm so sorry for leaving . . . I'm sorry for everything." I broke our hug and started peppering his face with kisses. "I love you very much. Please don't think that I don't because I do, so very, very much."

Noah was just grinning the whole time, too young to fully grasp what it's all about. He then lifted his upper body a bit and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

The door opened and Sally came in, kind of breathless, a bag of food on her arms. "I saw that Hudson guy downstairs and he seemed to be in a hurry. Did he . . . ?" Sally stopped short when she saw us. "What happened?"

Noah, still smiling hugely, answered his grandmother. "I met my Mommy."

[Next - Chapter 22:FRIDAY NIGHT BITES]