Hello Lovelies and thank you all for reading and favoriting this fic. I am deeply appreciative of each one of you. As always I own nothing, and all the mistakes are mine.

Chapter 4 - All She Ever Wanted/Simple Kind of Life

Waking up without an alarm clock screaming was somewhat unusual for Annabeth. There wasn't an obnoxious noise to rouse her from a deep slumber, or the sound of an incoming email notification. Although time was necessary for her to adjust, this shift was well received.

She'd lived her life in a way that was disciplined from stem to stern. An overplanned filofax used to take up room in her bag, reminding her of the battle of urgent versus important. Annabeth had been running, running on an invisible treadmill to reach an elusive goal, one that she wasn't even sure was worth the battle.

War was over, and now those rigid barriers no longer served her.

There weren't any messages waiting from Luke either, which was a relief. The asshole used to send one, maybe two if he was in the mood, while Annabeth was sleeping, but apparently that habit drained his lifestyle. Besides, reading his daily log of disappointments used to steal a tiny portion of her soul. His words became a little more bitter with each passing day. Enough was really enough.

This morning, though, all was calm, until the potent scent of maple syrup and bacon urged her out of her mind and out of her bedroom.

Thalia was pulling a dish down from the cabinet in order to load it with breakfast. She was wearing a white cropped top, that revealed tanned skin, and ripped jeans. The image of a black Phoenix, tattooed on her left arm, peeked out for a moment.

"Morning' cuz. Sleep okay?" Annabeth caught her gaze for a heartbeat, though. There was a look of mischief in her eyes that was impossible to miss, along with those lifted, angled brows. Shit, she felt like a teenager that had snuck out after midnight and consequently caught.

Annabeth pulled back the chair before brushing her messy curls away from her face. "Are you insinuating something?" She narrowed her eyes while looking in Thalia's direction. Thank God a hot cup of coffee was within arm's reach.

"Hmmmm." She tapped her chin before bringing over a bright blue plate, loaded with mini pancakes and an abundance of syrup. "All I know is that you and Perce seemed awfully cozy last night before I crashed, so spill the damn tea already."

She almost spat out her coffee. "Have you lost your fucking mind? I swear this," she waved her fork around, "is just like that time when you thought Connor Stoll and I were making out under the pier."

"That's cause you were making out with that loser under said freaking pier" She yanked an oversize dish out of the sink and began piling sizzling bacon onto it.

"But that's beside the point, Thals. Besides, there's no so-called 'tea' to spill or drink or whatever." Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I mean, yeah, he's a really nice guy that-"

"Wait, wait, wait a skinny lil' minute." Thalia sat in the opposite chair. "This is the same Percy Jackson that came by yesterday, right? Nice guy my ass."

She dropped her utensil and cupped her face with her hands. "'Kay, I think you need to rewind the conversation because you've lost me. He seemed to be a great guy, but I could be wrong."

"All I'm saying is that, yeah, the dude is great, but why are you moving so fast? Weren't you working in a bank like two days ago and hooked up with whatshisname?"

"Is that the impression you got? That he and I are…um, what the hell?" Annabeth set her mug down, reached over for some crisp bacon, and processed Thal's statement. "What exactly brought you to that conclusion, cousin of mine?"

"You always fell easily y'know." She shrugged her shoulders. "And boys are drawn to you like fucking magnets. I'm not jelly or anything cause it is what it is."

With hands open up as if she were making an offering to heaven, Annabeth felt a bit exasperated. "I'm not sixteen anymore, alright? I like Percy as a friend, okay, nothing else right now. Besides, there's Luke somewhere in the middle of all this." Saying his name made her stomach recoil in horror.

Thalia stopped chewing and swallowed. "Well you've got some shit to sort now, don't ya? I mean didn't you bail on the wannabe rich dude?"

As enraged as she had been the past few moments, other emotions began to surface. A kind of heartsickness mixed with a dash of regret flew all over Annabeth. Her usual stoicism was fading. Before either one knew it, she was doing her best to not cry.

"Shit…shit, hold on a sec." Thalia jumped up and knocked the chair over to the floor. Seeing her cousin in this state was heartbreaking; something deeper was at the core. She led her from the table to the sofa, wrapping a cotton blanket around her shoulders.

If Thalia had a gift, it was in her ability to give comfort in moments such as these, yet most of the time, no one knew about this part of her personality. She preferred to keep some secrets to herself.

"I'm not about to tell you to hush or any shit like that. Cry a damn river and get it all out of your system. I know I haven't told you in years, but I do love ya." She handed Annabeth a wad of kleenex.

"Yeah…I love you…too." She blew her nose before continuing. "There's a lot that I haven't or really couldn't tell anyone. Fuck..all I ever wanted was a simple life. Marriage and kids, maybe, and a…a nice home." She stopped gazing at the floor in order to look at Thal. "What the hell is the matter with me? Damn it. I've left every stupid thing I knew behind, threw a shitton of caution to the fucking wind, and here I am - a sobbing mess on your sofa."

Before she could start a round of apologies, Thalia stopped her with a tight hug.

"C'mere. Yeah you did that, but guess what? The fucking world hasn't come crashing down, and I'm sorry for pushing ya too soon."

Annabeth, while taking in the weight of her cousin's words, nearly giggled. "I can say that I've never actually heard you apologize, ever."

"Bullshit!" she shot back. "That summer when we were at camp, remember? When I accidentally threw your Care Bears lunch bag in the pond and kept saying sorry every damn five minutes?"

"Huh? You did that?" She pointed her finger at Thalia. "Nooo…all these years I thought it was that mean girl Silena. Are you sure?"

Thalia tilted her head and looked rather proud. "Hells yeah. You and some shidiot had the same fucking bag, and she kept kicking me. So chunking it was top tier revenge."

After she gave a sarcastic thumbs up, and then they both broke out in laughter, the tummy clenching kind, that feels good until it doesn't.

"Shit, I think we…ah, needed that." Annabeth wiped away the remaining tears. "And this is honestly what I want in my life."

"Lukewarm breakfast and smartass convos?"

"Exactly, my smartass cousin." She folded the blanket and set it on the side of the sofa. "Now let us finish eating cause it's a crime to waste good food."

-WMHB-

After Thals left for work, Annabeth had some time to herself, and she was turning into an overthinking party. Sorting through her thoughts was all kinds of funsies. What if she and Percy were 'cozy' last night? Was that a crime exactly?

She paced the length of the room, a habit used to combat anxiety, and turned up the volume on her phone. Jumbled thoughts about Luke, their so-called relationship, even the robbery, floated through her brain like a lopsided fish tank.

For a second, Annabeth considered the insane option of telling him every detail, including this morning's slight breakdown. Maybe there was, deep down inside, a part of him that was genuinely concerned about her well being. Luke would come to his senses, drive to the beach, and be the man she needed him to be. Deep talks over long walks and all that shit. Being the object of his attention, instead of his latest drops, would be a game changer. They could have a chance to begin again.

'Sure, and I can wear my Miss Delulu crown, too. Who the hell am I kidding?'

At best, their connection was on life support, with no obvious reason to keep the plug in the socket.

Luke wasn't headed in her direction. The biggest concern in his miniscule mind was that fucking game world he lived in, rent free.

The fact of the matter was she'd told him it was for the best that they take a break. If he didn't call or text, then he was following specific orders. Expecting anything else was only going to lead to discontent.

It was time to pinpoint exactly what she wanted. What compelled her to leave everything behind? Had the robbery pushed Annabeth over the edge?

In the grand scheme of life, she could call it the great metaphorical exclamation mark, and her banking career had come to an end. The past few years had left her burned out, unsure of what to do, but she was losing her mind over the direction of her future.

Living without a plan for the first time in years was her reality. Sure it seemed like a grand idea when she woke up, but now the gravity of her choice was staring her in the face.

Yet in the midst of her colossal mental rant, she almost missed a message from Percy. With the approval of his boss, he was allowed to give her a tour of the facility, including his work space. Unless you were an employee, or had some type of clout, most people didn't see the labs, according to him.

Sure the tour sounded great, but why was he taking her to see labs? With equal parts confusion and intrigue, Annabeth sent him a message simply asking for the time and place. If for no other reason, Annabeth needed to get out of her mind so she could start living again.

Thank you all for reading and following! I'm working on the next chapter. HUGS!