Another month passed. Annabeth was seven and bold. Tony was broken and tired.

"RUN ANNABETH!" Thalia yelled. It was midnight and the three were trying to reach Camp Half-blood. Grover had found them about a week ago and the four were so close.

Annabeth cried out as she tripped on the roots and fell. Luke grabbed her arm and helped her scramble up. The monster was just behind them. Annabeth glanced back and felt her heart go cold. This was how they were going to die. At a monster's hand, forgotten by the world and mere feet from the safety of the Camp.

Suddenly, Thalia charged the cyclops. She stabbed it in the back with her celestial bronze sword and climbed onto its head. She yelled in anger and said a string of curses even Tony would blush at.

"GO!" She screamed.

"HADES NO! THALIA WE STICK TOGETHER!" Luke screamed back.

"GO LUKE!" Her tone was commanding and Annabeth remebered that this was the daughter of the king of the gods. "I'll hold him off. Get to camp."

With teary eyes, Annabeth, Luke, and Grover ran to the border. Anabeth turned back, the monster had her pinned on the ground and was beating her brutally. "THALIA!" Annabeth screamed and tried to run after her, but Luke caught her waist. "THALIA!" She cried again as the monster hit her with a final blow. A bolt of lightning struck across the sky. "THALIA!" She sobbed and broke down in Luke's arms.

The fury from the king of the gods was felt across the world, as storms broke out. Annabeth couldn't see through her blurry eyes, and struggled as Luke pulled her into the border.

A bolt of bright lightning came down and struck Thalia's dying body. As her breathing faded, she began to change shape. Her fingers lengthened and dug into the soil. Her skin turned rough and hard, like bark. She took her last breath, and the monsters finally stopped.

—*—

Annabeth awoke in the infirmary. An older girl with long black braids stood beside her. "Good. You're awake." The girl said with a kind smile. Annabeth looked around.

"Where's Thalia?" She asked.

The girl's expression fell into pity. "I'm sorry. Zeus saved her, but-"

"Where is she?" Annabeth interrupted.

"Right outside the border." The girl answered, "But really she's-"

Annabeth had already taken off. She blew past the kids sparring with swords and dodged the arrows from the line of practicing archers. She looked around and saw the stone gateway, the one from the night before.

She sped up as she got closer. "Thalia?" She yelled.

She found the spot where Thalia had been beaten and noticed it was different. A large pine tree grew in the center of the clearing. Annabeth knelt at the base of the tree and peered at the odd roots, suddenly she gasped. A girls body was covered with bark and moss, trapped.

"I know." Luke whispered behind her. "It's not fair."

Annabeth turned to him, startled. "I don't understand. He turned her into a tree? Why not kill the monsters!"

Luke wrapped her into a hug. "He chose to let her die." He murmured. "That's what the gods are like."

Annabeth glanced up at him, surely she'd heard wrong. The gods were gods. They wouldn't just allow evil.

Luke realized what he'd said and looked away. "Thalia used to talk." He mumbled as an explanation.

Annabeth wasn't satisfied with his explanation, but she wouldn't press, not now. Now she had a new fear in her heart, was her mother just like Zeus?

—*—

Annabeth and Luke quietly walked back to the camp. She noticed that he stood roght behind her, almost like a bodyguard. The thought made her think of Happy, who was always trying to keep her safe. Now that she was gone, things were probably easier for him. She wondered if he missed her, then remembered. No one ever missed her, they didn't notice her and they were always tired of her.

She and Luke reached the tables around the campfire, where many early risers were already eating breakfast. She followed him to the Hermes table and quietly sat beside him, she wasn't hungry.

After a bit of aimlessly picking at Luke's plate, one of the boys spoke to her. "So, where are you from?" He asked. She looked up, surprised by the question.

The boy had a mischievous face, freckles and curly brown hair. She was about to explain her father, but then hesitated. She remembered how often she was left alone. She remembered how her father barely had time for her. Did he really love me? She wondered.

She remembered chasing Thalia in a park they had stayed in. Chase. She thought. It was easier, pretending to be someone else. She also remembered their trip to California with Tony and Pepper, he'd had business and so Pepper took her to the beach.

"I'm from California, and my name's Annabeth Chase."

—*—

Luke didn't know it was a lie, she'd never said her last name. He just nodded and hugged her. The heaviness in her heart faded. It would be okay. She had Luke. Her dad would be okay. He had Pepper.

Annabeth looked around the camp and smiled slightly, this was her home now, and it was beautiful.

Suddenly, people around her gasped, and pointed at her head. "What?" She asked, standing up and looking around.

Above her was a golden owl insignia, intricate and amazing. Out of thin air a woman appeared in armor. She had long black hair, a helmet and a spear in one hand. Annabeth stared in shock at the woman.

"Athena." Campers murmured around her.

Athena radiated power and Annabeth felt a surge of nervousness. "You are my daughter." She declared.

"How? Dad said my mom was a scientist!" Annabeth argued, before realizing it was probably stupid to argue with a goddess.

Athena merely raised an eyebrow, "That was the form I took. I am proud of your journey and success. You arrived at camp much earlier than your siblings. As a reward," She waved her hand and a navy blue Yankees' cap appeared in it, "Take this."

Annabeth silently took it and Athena nodded, before vanishing in a flash of light. She was still in shock. Luke came over to her with a grin. "Athena. Should've known." He said.

She smiled at him and then looked at the cap, it wasn't the most common for the gods to grant gifts to their children after claiming them. She was lucky that Athena cane in person to deliver the gift.

An older girl, probably around sixteen, pushed through the crowd to hug her. "We're sisters!" She cheered and Annabeth couldn't help but grin. Now, she had family here.

But through all the celebrating and laughter, she couldn't miss the miserable expression in Luke's eyes. It was like he was looking at his broken mother again. She squeezed his hand. "I won't leave you, I swear it on the River Styx." She whispered under her breath.

—*—