Found Family (HoO, Mortal AU)

THE 'BROKEN' TRIO

[JASON GRACE]

Thalia wasn't coming home for Thanksgiving. How could she not go back to her family for Thanksgiving?

He did understand why. She didn't want to see her alcoholic mother or fucked up brother. But he needed her more than ever. The fact that she didn't care made Jason much madder.

He had to find out how Annabeth knew her. Maybe Thalia babysat Annabeth when she was younger but that seemed unlikely. Thalia hated raising her own brother, she wouldn't want to babysit.

He picked up his phone, calling Annabeth. He had all of his friends' phone numbers.
It took a moment for her to answer but thankfully she did. "Hey, Jason. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, uhm, I need to ask you something."

"Okay?" Annabeth said, sounding worried.
"How do you know my sister?"
There was another few seconds of silence. Then Annnabeth hung up.

[ANNABETH CHASE]

He found out. How did he find out?!
Annabeth paced back and forth. Her dad, stepmom and brothers weren't home, thankfully.

She'd have to see Jason again- at school, wherever. Now he knew.
Just then, there was pounding on the door. Annabeth wanted to hide, but that never got her anywhere in life.

She took a deep breath and opened the door, Jason was already there though it had only been a few minutes. Annabeth knew he didn't own a car, so he must've ran.

"Jason-"
"You need to tell me everything, Annabeth," the urgency in Jason's eyes made Annabeth realise she had no way to hide the truth.

[JASON GRACE]

Annabeth let him come inside. She seemed to be there alone. She told Jason to sit down on the couch.
"So," she eventually sat down beside him. "What is it you want to ask me?"

"Well- how do you know her?"
Annabeth shook her head. "I really don't want to talk about it."
Jason was about to get furious. "Wh- okay. Okay. I can go."
"You don't have to I just- need a minute."

[ANNABETH CHASE]

She tried to think of the best way to tell the story. The best place to start.
"So, uhm, I haven't talked about this in a long, long time but you deserve to know."
Jason didn't say anything, just watched her, waiting for her to say more.

"When I was in second grade, I ran away. My home life is okay now, honestly. Back then was different."
Jason nodded. "Second grade. You were very young."
"Yeah, I was," Annabeth sighed.
"That also would've been the same year Thalia ran away."

Annabeth took a deep breath.

[JASON GRACE]

She took a deep breath.

"How did you find Thalia?" He asked.
"Well, technically she found me," Annabeth wouldn't look at Jason. "It was in middle of the night, about two days after I ran away. You'd be surprised how far a seven year old can travel in two days. Anyway, I knew police were looking for me, so I was hiding in an alleyway. It was in the middle of winter and it was freezing, all I had was my pyjamas from the night I left."

Jason kept listening- barely even daring to breathe.
"Then I heard these people running down the alleyway. I hid behind a dumpster, terrified. Honestly, I wanted to go home. Nothing could've been worse than sleeping in those dumpsters alone." Annabeth kept pausing, taking shaky breaths. Jason instantly felt terrible, he shouldn't have pressurised Annabeth into any of this.

"They had the same idea as me, hiding behind the dumpster. They were running from cops."
"They? Who's 'they'?" Jason asked.
"Thalia and-" Annabeth's voice broke. "Luke."
"Luke? Who's Luke?"
She shook her head. "Just listen."