LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE . . . pjo

XVI.

MIA DIDN'T EXPECT anyone to come over when she was home.

Occasionally, Sophia's friends would go to their house, but the house was so big, Mia never saw them. And, honestly, she didn't want to. Sophia was friends with a group of rich kids that they'd known since they were little. Spoiled, stupid, trust fund babies. But Mia knew why her sister was friends with them; because if she even looked at anyone else, it would be disgraceful on the Starfury name.

And their father sometimes brought people over to show off, but he mostly had dinners with business partners at expensive restaurants or meetings at work. He barely went to his own house, let alone bring other people over.

No one from Mia's side would come over. She had friends in school, but she'd never bring them over to her house. She would never bring them to the place that gave her the most traumatic memories.

Which was why she was confused when one of the maids came into her room where she was packing for camp, Sophia helping her by packing up her makeup and promising to buy her some products on Amazon and shipping them to her.

"Your friends have come to see you, Amelia," the maid recited.

Mia frowned, pointing at Sophia. "Her friends?"

"No, yours."

Sophia's frown was identical to Mia's. "You never have people over. Have you told any of your friends where we live?"

"I'm pretty sure I haven't," Mia stood up and walked out the room toward the parlor.

Sophia followed her, walking beside her. "You're pretty sure?"

"Shut it, Soph," Mia elbowed her.

They continued bickering until they got to the parlor, where Mia saw a familiar face and gasped.

"Percy?" she asked.

When he saw her, he smiled at her. "Mia!"

Mia ran over to him and hugged him, relishing the feel of being in his arms.

"Not that I'm not excited to see you, but what are you doing here?" she pulled away, her lips pulling into a small frown. "You look like you've been a victim of arson."

"You would know all about that!" Sophia's voice called.

"I told you to shut it, Soph!" Mia rolled her eyes, her eyes still on Percy. "How do you know where I live, anyway? I don't remember telling you."

"You told Annabeth where you live," he pointed sideways. "You never told me, and we've been hanging out for the past school year."

Mia followed where his finger was pointing to her best friend. She gasped again. "Annabeth!"

"Took you long enough," Annabeth teased, but they also hugged.

"I thought you were coming tomorrow," Mia frowned. "Why are you here now? And when did you get my address?"

"You told me in a sleep deprived I-M," Annabeth supplied. "And as for why we're here—" she gestured to her, Percy, and Tyson, Percy's Cyclops friend that he'd befriended earlier this year, "it's a long story, that we can tell you when we go to camp."

"I'm not done packing yet, because I thought I was meeting up with you two tomorrow," Mia said slowly, glancing up at Tyson and waving at him.

"Something happened at Percy's school," Annabeth sighed. "So we're here early. And the camp's in trouble. Can you drive us to camp?"

"I . . ." Mia looked back at Sophia, who was standing in the doorway. "Are you okay with this?"

Sophia shrugged. "We didn't plan on doing anything tomorrow," she said. "And the day after tomorrow, I'm going to Cancun with Lucille and them, remember?"