Apologies for not updating much on any of my stories. I've been hit with a mix of writer's block, general burnout, and work. Hopefully, I'll get back on a consistent schedule soon. Enjoy the new chapter.

Considering Annabeth took a quick power nap on the way to the hotel, she was more than excited to get the day started. The plane ride felt like it lasted forever, mostly because she could not wait to land and get this vacation under way. While she was still feeling some jet lag, that power nap was just going to have to carry her through the day. As soon as they were settled in their rooms, she was dragging Percy out to eat and to the nearest historical site.

Annabeth's eyes moved around the lobby they stood in. She expected to go to either a hotel chain or one that had multiple floors. The one they stood in only had one floor. The front lobby was full of decorations, mostly on the walls. The other end of the room had a desk with an old woman behind it.

Octavian was the first one up to the counter, but as Lupa came over, the old woman fell into an animated conversation with her. They seemed to be talking like they were old friends, and Annabeth wondered if they were. Her gaze moved around at the walls.

The majority of the pictures seemed to be of the woman that was behind the desk. Some were photos in black and white with others being in color. The woman seemed to be of various ages in each photo, detailing what was probably most of her life. Though, it was hard to tell if the ones in black and white were her or her mother.

Annabeth found her gaze moved to the wall to her left, which was covered in recipes. She stepped a little closer and studied the different recipes. With a lack of pictures and a different language, she wasn't sure what everything was, but she could see most of them were desserts with others being pasta and the rest probably being somewhere in between.

As Annabeth was studying what seemed to be a particularly complicated recipe, someone stepped next to her. She turned her head to see Reyna. Her teammate stood near the window and seemed to be looking out it.

Reyna's gaze flickered to the wall, and she studied the recipes before turning her gaze to the pictures. Annabeth looked back over and saw that Lupa was still deep in conversation with the old woman: the hotel owner? A smile lit up the stranger's face, and she pulled Lupa into a hug. Annabeth felt a smile drift onto her face, and she looked at everyone else.

Percy stood not too far from her and had a sleeping Estelle in his arms. Paul insisted that he carry the child, but Percy didn't look like he wanted to give her up. Sally had watched the two with a look of amusement on her face, and as she made eye contact with Annabeth, she smiled. Annabeth returned the smile.

Will and his mother stood not far behind. Hazel was talking to Will's mother, and Frank stood slightly off to the side. Nico had drifted his way forward, looking at some of the recipes. A heavy weight pressed against Annabeth's back, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Spiky hair poke Annabeth's check, and Thalia mumbled something into Annabeth's shoulder as she adjusted her face. Thalia had slept through most of the flight but woke up near the end. When Thalia realized they were still in the air, she closed her eyes as tightly as she could until they landed.

"You okay?" Annabeth asked. Thalia groaned into her neck. "I'll take that as a no."

"Why did I agree to go on a plane?" Thalia grumbled.

"For Lupa," Annabeth answered. Thalia muttered a few obscenities into her neck.

"I need a nap," Thalia decided.

"You can nap in the room," Annabeth suggested.

"Just need a room," Thalia grumbled as she moved her head, so her lips were close to Annabeth's ear. Piper walked up beside them and gently rubbed Thalia's back. Out of the corner of her eye, Annabeth saw Reyna's gaze move to them before quickly averting.

"Alright," Octavian said as he walked over. He held onto actual keys, not the cards that Annabeth's was accustomed to when she stayed in regular hotels. "I tried to arrange everyone in a way that is hopefully satisfactory. Which means no unmarried couples in the same room."

"Lame," Piper booed as she coughed in her hand.

"Which means Thalia and Piper together," Octavian began.

"I take back the lame."

"Hell yeah," Thalia said as she transferred herself over to Piper's shoulder. Piper took the key and led her away. Octavian turned toward Annabeth.

"I think you ended up with Reyna. I can change it if you want," Octavian said in a quiet voice. Annabeth shook her head.

"It's fine," Annabeth promised as she took her key and the extra one for Reyna. Her gaze moved to her roommate. Reyna and Nico were talking by the window.

Octavian moved to give a key to Sally and Paul. Nico was roomed with Frank, and Percy grinned, grabbing Will before he could get away, while also holding onto Estelle. Annabeth couldn't attempt to keep up with the rest as there was a mass movement of everyone.

Annabeth took a step back as she heard someone step next to her. Sally smiled at her and spoke, "We were going to settle in and then get some food. Do you want to come with?"

"Of course," Annabeth said quickly. "Let me just settle in first."

"We won't leave without you," Sally promised. She squeezed Annabeth's shoulder. As everyone else filtered down the hall and into their respective rooms, Annabeth looked back at the recipes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lupa finishing up with the woman.

Lupa took the time to look out the window. A content smile came to her face. Annabeth hesitated for a moment and then walked toward her trainer. She spoke, "Happy to be back home?"

"Yes," Lupa answered. She blinked, and tears came to her eyes. Her gaze averted to the window, and when she looked back at Annabeth, the emotion was cleared. "It's... I don't know how to feel. Happy. Tired. Nervous. I just feel a gigantic rush of emotions."

"Just try to enjoy the vacation," Annabeth began. She looked back out the window and saw a beautiful view. There were marble walkways on each side of the river, and she could see a bridge out in the distance that crossed it. A few people stood near the river.

Lupa smiled again and turned to Annabeth, "We do have a few interviews along with some preparation for the hall of fame event. Octavian will receive the schedule tomorrow and will hand it out. The league is also sending someone who helps with a tour of the city to allow all of you the opportunity to make the best of this trip."

"I know I will," Annabeth promised. Lupa nodded to her and looked back out the window. An emotional look came to her face, and Annabeth turned to let her be alone. She glanced down at her keys and then started to walk toward her room.

There was a long hallway in front of her. The end of the hall had a split in it. Each side seemed to have more rooms. Annabeth glanced down at her key and made her way to the room. As she unlocked the door, she glanced to the right to see Piper and Thalia in the room next to them. To the left was a closed door.

Annabeth opened the door to her room and stepped inside. Two beds were in the room with a dresser across from the bed. There was also a window with curtains. Annabeth placed her bags by a bed and walked toward the curtain. She parted them and stared at the gorgeous view of the city.

Annabeth focused on the river. She fluttered her eyes to the numerous buildings nearby, and her stomach grumbled. Annabeth closed the curtains slightly and turned around as Reyna walked into the room. Reyna gave her a nod.

"Long time no see," Annabeth joked. Reyna smiled slightly and placed her bag near the free bed. The rest of their luggage was in the car they used to get there, but Octavian told them not to worry about it. "You can have the other bed if you want."

"It doesn't matter to me," Reyna shrugged.

"Catch," Annabeth said as she tossed the key. Reyna caught it with ease. Then, she collapsed back onto the bed. "Not hungry?"

"Starving," Reyna answered. "I'm just going to take a power nap while Hylla and Kinzie unpack. You?"

"I'm going to get some food with Sally and scope out the first place to stop at," Annabeth said.

"Octavian said he could help everyone plan where they want to go, and that someone was being sent to help us with that as well," Reyna commented.

"Hopefully Octavian enjoys his vacation instead of worrying about us," Annabeth commented. Reyna shrugged and then folded her arms behind her head.

"I don't think he wants to relax. He's a workaholic, and if he keeps working, he's not worrying about the civil war in his house," Reyna stated. She closed her eyes. It was quiet for a few moments. Annabeth turned to look at the closed door near her bed.

Upon opening it, she found a bathroom with a walk-in shower and a toilet. She studied herself in the mirror and noted the bags under her eyes. That wasn't going to stop her, though.

What did stop her was a vibration from her phone. She slowly grabbed it out of her pocket, and after a moment of deliberation, she answered, "Hey, Dad."

"Did you land safely?" her father asked. Annabeth felt the ghost of a smile touch her lips.

"Yes. We just got to the hotel. It's a local one," Annabeth replied.

"Do you think you could do me a favor, Beth?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"There's a book..."

Annabeth tuned out the rest of the conversation from there, hardly processing that she was supposed to go to some bookstore and collect a book for her father. He didn't even ask for souvenirs for himself or the boys. Or ask about Annabeth's plans.

A voice in the background caught Annabeth's attention. Her father only continued, "And a book or two for your grandfather."

"Yeah," Annabeth answered numbly. She hated her extended family. It seemed like her father lost his spine anytime they were around. He always said he would support her and that she was more important, but he never went through with it while they were there.

"And-"

"Actually, I have some press stuff to get to. Just text me everything," Annabeth cut off.

"Sure," her father said. "I'll send you a check for everything too. Love you, Annabeth."

"Love you," Annabeth mumbled as she hung up the phone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then, she threw water on her face and cleaned it before applying a small layer of makeup. By the time she was done and leaving the bathroom, Reyna had curled up in the bed and was fast asleep.

An amused Hylla stood by the door and studied her sister. She walked toward Reyna and placed a hand to her shoulder. Reyna groaned and seemed to curl up more. Hylla turned her head and nodded to Annabeth.

Annabeth returned the nod. She watched Hylla reach down toward Reyna, and then after a moment, she scooped her younger sister up. Reyna mumbled a protest. She shifted in Hylla's grasp.

"How have you gotten so heavy?" Hylla teased. Annabeth felt an odd sensation in her chest, and she slipped past the two to walk out of the room. Seeing the two sisters like that just made her... jealous. It was the same when she looked at Percy and saw how he interacted with his mother.

Annabeth felt disconnected from her family, and she knew it was partly her fault. And, she shouldn't have been jealous of others. Annabeth just wished her father would completely accept who she was without going back and forth and being influenced by their extended family.

Annabeth bit back a sigh and stepped into the hall. She just needed to focus on the vacation and enjoy her trip. No need to get worried about things that wouldn't change. It wasn't like her father would ever accept her. Or care enough to make her feel accepted.

"Surprise!" Piper called. Annabeth jumped and felt two arms wrap around her. "I was going to jump on your back, but then, I remembered your ankle."

"Thank you for not jumping on me," Annabeth returned. A small smile came to her face, and she turned her head to look at Piper. "You coming to eat with us?"

"Yeah. Jason is tagging along too. Thalia says she just needs a cat nap, and she'll come too," Piper said. "Now, you make a list of where you want us to go. And also help me find the most romantic place in the city."

"For a date?" Annabeth asked. Piper looked left. Then, she looked right and leaned closer.

"I'm going to propose," Piper whispered. Annabeth turned to stare at her. "It was because of that conversation we had about Jason when we were with his father. And I know his father is always going to be an ass, but Thalia approves of me. So, that's all that matters.

"Do you think it's a bad idea?" Piper asked. She sighed and looked down. "It's not traditional."

"Fuck tradition," Annabeth stated. "If you want to do this, do it. I know Jason wouldn't care one way or another if you propose. He would be happy you did."

"Yeah," Piper said. She hugged Annabeth again. "Yes. I'm going to do this. Will you help?"

"Anything you need," Annabeth promised as she hugged Piper back. A head of blonde hair appeared around the corner to look at them.

"Everything good?" Jason asked.

"Perfect," Piper promised as she looked at Jason. "Is Thalia okay?"

"Yeah. She's just getting dressed," Jason answered. "We found a nice local restaurant not far from here."

"We'll be ready soon," Annabeth promised. She looked at Piper. "I am going to change into something nice."

"You already look beautiful," Piper assured. Annabeth grinned at her and then slipped back into her room. It was empty now, so she closed the door and quickly changed into a nice outfit. She just needed to focus on enjoying this vacation. No thoughts of fighting or family. Just relaxation.

Annabeth hoped she could enjoy this vacation.