Annabeth couldn't keep the smile off of her face as her two brothers tackled her into a hug. A wince flared up on face as the force of teenage boys colliding with her jolted her ankle, but it was quickly dulled out by happiness. She hugged her brothers back as tightly as she could.
"Ribs!" Matthew complained.
"Back," Bobby winced.
"Oh, so it's fine for you two to crush me?" Annabeth teased as she released the hold on her brothers. She studied both of them with a smile. They had inherited their father's blonde hair but the brown eyes of their mother, Annabeth's stepmother.
"Have you two grown since Christmas?" Annabeth asked. She had always teased them about their height when they were younger, sometimes as a joke, others in malice. Now, it was purely joking. At least they didn't grow taller than her. That would have made things really awkward and given her just a little bit less ammunition.
"Have you shrunk?" Bobby teased. Annabeth rolled her eyes.
"Go get your suitcases," Annabeth ordered. "We're going to get lunch on the way."
Annabeth watched the two boys hurry to grab their suitcases. She hummed to herself and grabbed her phone to text Piper and let her know they would be heading there soon. Originally, Piper was the one who was going to pick them up. Annabeth's injury changed that.
Annabeth's phone rang, and she glanced down to see it wasn't Piper. She raised her phone, "Hey, Thalia."
"Are your brothers here yet?" Thalia questioned.
"Yeah. They are," Annabeth answered. Thalia was staying with Jason while she sorted through her personal issues, and it was mostly at Jason's insistence. He did not want to let Thalia out of his sight. "How are you doing?"
"I was doing really good," Thalia began. She sighed. "Then, I had a very awkward run in with my ex."
"Which ex?" Annabeth questioned.
"The one at your gym," Thalia answered. Another sigh left her. "It didn't go terribly. We agreed to be cool about everything. And I apologized."
"That's good," Annabeth said. "And, hey. Please come to me next time."
"I will," Thalia promised. "I was in a really bad place before, but I'm not going back there. If I have another problem like that, you or Jason will be the first to know. Now, have fun. I'm going to hang out with Lupa."
"Don't get her into trouble," Annabeth warned.
"Oh, I will," Thalia said, and Annabeth could hear the grin on her face. "Have fun with your brothers. I'll send you pictures of Lupa and I destroying public property."
"Bye," Annabeth replied.
"See ya," Thalia returned as she hung up. Annabeth checked a text from Piper as the boy hurried over with their suitcases in hand. Annabeth nodded to them.
"You can pick the restaurant, but I suggest a place that you don't have back home," Annabeth said as she led them outside.
"Gonna need some recommendations," Bobby said.
"Also want to know how your ankle is doing. Are those reporters telling the truth?" Matthew questioned. Annabeth gave them a small, tight smile.
"Unfortunately yes," Annabeth answered. "It's just a sprain, and I've been resting it."
"Oh man. Can you still fight?" Bobby questioned.
"Yeah. I'm going to fight," Annabeth confirmed. "I have to defend my title. I'll be fine, though."
"You're going to kick her ass," Matthew said. Annabeth gave him a look. "Alright, mom. You're going to kick her butt. Is that better?"
"Better," Annabeth said with a small smile. They made it to the car, and Piper popped the trunk. She smirked at the two boys.
"Hey," Piper greeted. "How was the flight?"
"Boring," Matthew said. "And this loser kept snoring."
"Should have brought your earbuds then," Bobby retorted as he stuck his tongue out. Annabeth rolled her eyes at them and tried to grab her brother's suitcases. Piper slapped her hand hard.
"Car," Piper ordered. Annabeth held up her hands in defense and made her way to the passenger side. She sat down in the car and let out a deep sigh. She watched her brothers help Piper with the suitcases before they sat in the back.
As they all sat inside, Piper started to drive. Annabeth looked back at her brothers, "How is high school? Excited to finish this year and finally be seniors?"
"So ready," Bobby answered. Matthew nodded his agreement and groaned dramatically.
"Can we just skip senior year?" Matthew complained.
"Senior year is the best year of high school," Piper chimed in. "You're almost an adult, so your parents will think you're responsible and let you get away with more. But, you're young enough that they'll still pay for your things. Not to mention you can have an easier workload your senior year."
"Not if dad has anything to say about it," Bobby said with a shake of his head. "We could both leave early next year because we finished most of our required classes. Dad wants us to take an elective that free hour. I'd rather leave early."
"I want to come in late," Matthew said.
"I'm guessing dad wouldn't listen to your side when you told him that," Annabeth assumed.
"He wants us to use that free hour to do an AP class or one that gives credit in college," Matthew muttered. "None of that is fun."
Annabeth frowned as she looked out the window. She spoke, "Is he worried about you two going to college?"
"Yeah," Matthew said with a nod.
"I don't even know what I want to do. How am I supposed to decide," Bobby complained. "I'll gouge my eyes out if dad tries to convince me to be a professor like him."
"I hate kids," Matthew huffed.
"You two are kids," Piper said with a smirk on her face. Both boys opened their mouths. "I will pull this car over if you two say something mean."
"You opened the door," Annabeth commented. Piper whacked her arm. Annabeth laughed and looked back. "Have you two thought about going to college?"
"I want to attend community college for my first two years," Bobby said. "That way, I don't have to spend a lot of money at a four year university. I can also stay close to home."
"I'm not going to leave my bro," Matthew said as he bumped into Bobby. "Besides, we can't get a full ride anywhere with our grades."
"I'm sure the family will pull some strings," Annabeth commented. The back seat fell silent. Annabeth turned to look back at her brothers. Both were looking out the window, then down at their hands. Anywhere but her face. "Bobby. Matthew. What's wrong?"
"We don't want to owe dad anything," Bobby admitted.
"Especially how he acts with you being bisexual," Matthew added. He shook his head.
"Dad and I have had our rough patches, but he accepts me now," Annabeth said. The words sounded hollow coming out of her mouth, and she averted her gaze.
"He says that," Bobby muttered as he looked down. "But, we hear the conversations he has with grandpa. And with our aunts and uncles. He never defends you. In fact, it looks like they convince him more and more that what you are is wrong."
"I asked him about it, and he swears that he loves and supports you no matter what. He would love and support us no matter what. Then, we see how he really acts. What he says around the family. If he's acting like this over something as simple as your sexuality, how will he react when we do something he doesn't approve of?" Matthew questioned as he picked up the rant.
"We just don't want to be tied down to him by owing him," Bobby said.
"You're not going to owe him if he pays for your college," Annabeth assured. Her brothers didn't look convinced. "I'm serious, but I understand how you feel. I didn't want dad to pay for any part of my college, so I launched my career in fighting and did everything I could to get a full ride."
"It wasn't easy," Annabeth admitted; then, a smile brightened her face. "But, I'm happy that I did it. When you two settle on a college, let me know. I'll help you pay."
Both boys went to protest, but Annabeth held up her hand, "It's a graduation gift. No arguing. Now, do either of you have your eyes on anyone?"
The rest of the ride passed with catching up. The boys told Annabeth about their friends and the trouble they had been getting into. Annabeth told them stories from the gym, and her brother's eyes lit up as they kept asking her questions. Piper also chimed in with a few comments that were mostly designed to embarrass Annabeth.
They stopped at a restaurant to eat. And from there, they went to the gym. The boys thought they were going to Annabeth's house first, but she had a surprise for them. As Piper turned at the light, Annabeth's gaze moved to the gym. She heard Matthew make a noise and saw him nudge Bobby.
"No way," Bobby said. Annabeth looked back at them and grinned. "C...can we go in?"
"Why else would we be here?" Annabeth questioned as Piper pulled into the parking space. Annabeth looked at her brothers. "So, who's ready for the tour?"