The Path Of Glory (Annabeth Chase x Male Reader)

77. Cruising With Explosives

Y/N sat in the middle of the living room, cross-legged beside the coffee table. He licked his fingers before grabbing another cookie. Then he moved his remaining bishop across the chessboard.

"Did you really go to the Underworld?" Matthew asked him.

"Of course," he said distractedly.

"Did you ever meet Zeus?" Bobby asked.

"First time I did, he threatened to kill me."

"Is it true that Ares cursed you?" Matthew went on.

"Mmm. . . ." Y/N moved one of his rooks. "Yeah."

The boys gaped. "That's so cool!"

Y/N chuckled and glanced up at Annabeth. Sitting on the other side of the table, she looked focused on the game, but a tiny smile stretched her lips. Obviously, she was trying hard not to laugh.

"Come on, tell me if I've already lost," he said.

She raised an eyebrow. "When I'm about to win? No." She moved her queen, took his now ex-knight, and said, "Check."

He sighed, and moved a pawn. "I must've been completely out of my mind to accept a game against you."

She smiled mischievously, said, "Yes," and moved her queen again, taking his pawn. "Mate."

He flicked his king down and pushed the last bits of his cookie into his mouth.

"Another game?" Annabeth offered.

"I think I'll pass this time."

Bobby tugged at his sleeve. "Do you want to build Legos?"

"We've got a new robot!" Matthew added.

At that moment, a woman with Asian features, her red-highlighted hair tied up in a bun, walked into the living room. Mrs. Chase wasn't Annabeth's mother. Annabeth was the daughter of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. Mrs. Chase was her stepmother, and Matthew and Bobby's mom.

Seeing her two sons pulling at Y/N's arms, she smiled. "Bobby, Matthew, stop bothering Y/N. He didn't come here to play with you. He came to spend time with Annabeth."

"But Annabeth has been playing with him all day," Matthew complained. "It's our turn."

"It doesn't work like that," Mrs. Chase said. "Come on, boys. I've made some more cookies."

"Great!" Bobby exclaimed.

He jumped onto his feet and ran toward the kitchen, Matthew one step behind him. Mrs. Chase went out of the living room after them.

Annabeth stood up and grabbed Y/N's hand. "Come, I have something to show you."

He followed her through the house. A smell of cookies wafted from the kitchen, and Y/N thought about all the delicious food that Bobby and Matthew were eating without him. O despair! How cruel the world could be.

Like the first time he'd been here, there were Lego robots on the stairs. One of the two cats slept on a drawer. The other walked between Y/N's legs as he climbed the stairs—he almost fell face forward trying not to step on it. Upstairs, jazz music came from the office of Annabeth's father, Dr. Chase.

Annabeth's room was a mess. But it was an organized mess, with everything in its place. Books were in disarray on the bookshelves. Other books lay with blueprints on the desk—projects that kept bubbling up from her mind. Pictures and posters of her favorite buildings covered the walls; she'd complained once that she couldn't put more. One poster showed a view of the Hoover Dam, with the cafeteria. It reminded Y/N of a dam burrito fight.