AN: I'm going to try and update one of my stories a day. It will be fair so the one I haven't updated recently will be first and then the next day will be another and so on. Please bear with me though. With six stories on the go I'm trying to update as fast as possible.
Chapter Eighteen
Annabeth
I wake up to the loud noise of Percy gagging in the bathroom. Instantly I'm out of bed and rubbing his back while he pukes into the toilet. I'm not surprised he's being sick after how much drunk last night.
When I first found him in the bar my first thought was that I was going to give him a piece of my mind this morning but now I know it wouldn't be fair to do that. He's going through just as much as I am, except the pregnancy bit, of course.
"What happened last night?" Percy asks after he stops being sick and turns to face me after brushing his teeth.
"You decided to visit the bar," I say.
"I kind of guessed that," he replies. "Was I an asshole?"
"A little," I admit.
"I'm sorry," he apologises and wraps his arms around me.
"Don't worry about it. Just don't do it again or you will be sleeping on the couch," I reply, hugging him back. He chuckles lightly before pulling away.
"What do you want to do today?" he asks as he walks into the kitchen area of our hotel room.
"I was thinking we can buy some flowers and go to visit Chiron," I say, stripping out of my clothes and turning the shower on.
"Sure," I hear him reply quietly and with that I step into the shower, leaving the bathroom door open so I can hear him if he's talking to me.
I hear my cell phone ring as I'm washing my hair and I yell to Percy to answer it. "Who is it?" I yell once I hear him start talking to the person on the other end.
"It's Ethan. He says he wants to come over earlier with Ocean," Percy says, coming into the bathroom, my cell phone still pressed to his ear.
Despite what has happened in the last twenty-four ours I can't help the little excitement I feel at the thought of seeing my daughter again.
It was so hard to say goodbye to her for both Percy and me but he wanted to get married at Montauk so bad that I agreed to come so we can plan the wedding.
I don't think it matters if we are married or not. It's only a piece of paper. I don't see the point in spending so much money on a wedding when we act married anyway.
I gave in to Percy's begging and decided it was time to tie the knot. I think part of me was scared that he would disappear and that's why I didn't want to get married but he's still here so why not?
"That's awesome," I smile as I finish rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. I go on to wash my body and then massage my head with conditioner. Once I'm finished I turn the shower off and wrap a towel around myself before stepping onto the cold tiles.
I hold my hand out to Percy and he hands me the phone. I press it to my ear. "Hey, Ethan," I greet.
"Hey, Annie," he replies and I roll my eyes at the annoying nickname that Thalia also called me.
"Is she behaving?" I ask, talking about my three-year-old.
"She's been as good as gold but she misses you. So I thought we might as well come over early since I have time off work," Ethan replies.
"That's great. I miss her so much and it's only been a day."
"You want to talk to her?" he asks.
"Yeah, please," I reply and I hear him call out to my daughter in the background that I want to speak to her. I hear her squeal before she starts talking loudly into the phone.
"Mommy!" she calls.
"Hey, baby," I grin, walking into the bedroom. I go over to the bed and sit down next to Percy. I put the phone on louder speaker so Percy can hear Ocean too.
"Ocean!" Percy says.
"Daddy! Efan took me to da beach and we went in the sea," she giggles. I laugh at how she says Ethan's name with an 'f' instead of 'th'.
"Did you have fun?" I ask.
"Yeah, mommy. He took me to get ice cream and he even made me blue pancakes for bweakfast!"
"That's great. Are you excited to come see us?" Percy asks.
"Yeah," she says. "I didn't want you to go."
"I know, honey, but we'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?" I say.
"Yay!" she squeals.
We talk to her for a while longer and then for another two minutes with Ethan before we hang up and I get dressed into a long gray maxi-dress. I slide on silver sandals and a denim jacket before applying some tan concealer over my red eyes.
I know that I'm going to have to be strong when Ocean comes. I don't want to upset her so it's better to get the tears out sooner rather than later. I'm hoping going to visit Chiron's grave will make both Percy and I feel a little better.
I brush my teeth while Percy gets changed. I realise while I'm brushing my teeth that I haven't had any morning sickness today and I'd love to keep it like that.
Once I'm finished and Percy is ready we leave the hotel room after grabbing my purse and head to the elevator. When we reach the lobby I look at the reception desk and find that Calypso is sitting behind the desk again. She looks up as we walk past and I mutter a greeting and she does the same.
I wonder if she's talked to any of the guys from the care home and told then that we're here.
Percy and I step into the cool air and start walking to a nearby flower shop that I noticed when we had arrived yesterday. "Which cemetery is he in?" I ask Percy as we search for Chiron's favourite flowers, lilies.
"I…" Percy trails off and I frown.
"You didn't ask Calypso, did you?" I ask.
"I forgot," he said, scratching the back of his neck. I roll my eyes.
"We'll go back to the hotel and ask Caly after we buy these," I say and grab a handful of different colour lilies.
We walk towards the pay counter and stand at the back of the line. It's only when it's our turn to pay and my eyes meet the chocolate brown orbs of the lady serving me do I realise who she it.
"Katie?" Percy asks. He must've realised who it was seconds before I did.
"Percy?" the girl says, confirming that she is Katie Gardner. She turns to me. "Annabeth? Y-you are alive." I gulp and hope that she's not going to act like Calypso did.
"Yeah," I say. I want to get of here now, I think selfishly.
"Where have you been for the last ten years? Thalia is going to go crazy when she finds out you are back! We thought you were dead!" Katie replies, her voice getting louder.
"I'm sorry, Katie, but can we meet up another time and then you give us a lecture? I'm trying to buy some flowers so I can visit Chiron and I'm really not in the mood to be explaining why we went and where and all those details," I snap, tears in my eyes. I can't cry in public!
"Chiron's dead," she says. She thought I meant we were going to visit him at the care home.
"We know," I sigh. "I meant we're going to his grave."
"So you know?" she asks, taking the flowers off me. I hand her some money.
"Calypso told us last night," Percy explains.
"I can't believe it's really you two," Katie whispers. "I missed you so much. W-we were all so worried." Her lips trembles and I feel guilty. I gulp.
"Do you know which cemetery he was buried in?" I ask, taking the lilies off her again.
"It's the one by the care home, a few blocks away," she replies.
"Thanks," I say.
I grab Percy's hand and drag him out of the store after calling a goodbye over my shoulder. I can't stay in there any longer. This is so hard, coming back here after so long and bumping into everyone. I can only selfishly hope we don't bump into anyone else.
We start walking in silence the few blocks to the cemetery. I realise as we stroll that we'll have to go past the care home to get to the graveyard. I wonder who owns the place now. Percy stops abruptly and I bump into his back.
"What is it?" I ask, annoyed that he stopped.
"Look," Percy whispers.
I step aside and follow his eyes. They fall on a familiar building that I'd just been thinking about- the care home. Half-Blood Care Home. I frown at the appearance of the once beautiful house and I gasp as I take in the view.
The large house is now bordered up, the windows and doors replaced by wood, the sign saying 'Half-Blood Care Home' upside down. The grass so long that I can't see the ground, holes in the roof.
The care home has been abandoned…
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