Please be advised that this story may contain content which could be upsetting to some readers.
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Annabeth Chase grew up, all alone, under the ruthless watch of Kronos, otherwise known as 'The king of T...
They didn't live in grandiose by any means,but Annabeth was alright with that. In fact, she loved their tiny home.
Luke called of a shack rather than house. And that was true. With its run down brown walls, leaking roof and windows which barely let in the sun, it was by no means comfortable.
Yet it was a home nonetheless
They lived in an almost minuscule shack, with a footprint that is barely larger than two rooms, decorated solely by the seven year old's drawings and doodles.
The first room being living area, with a few basic pieces of furniture, such as a wooden table and a couple of chairs. It also doubled as a kitchen, where Luke cooked using a small electric stove, If they were lucky enough to have electricity during the week.
It gave way to the bedroom, being separated by a squeaky metal door.
With a small bed against one wall,and a worn out mattress on the floor, the family of misfits made do.
The size of the house didn't matter to Annabeth at all. She loved their house in fact.
It was a castle compared to where she stayed before Luke and Thalia found her , hidden behind a dumpster and shielded by nothing but a torn blanket and a rather heavy hammer.
They had taken her in, and given her everything she ever wanted. They gave her a family, they showered her with attention, doused her in love. She looked up to them. They were a perfect couple, polar opposites but very much in love.
It was like a fairytale.....until recent weeks.
In the past month....she watched her found family break apart. Thalia and Luke fought, almost everyday. They stopped reading to her at nights, or concocting magical stories to lure her into slumber.
They'd never done that before and it set off within Annabeth, a cacophony of nightmares which plagued her sleep.....the same dreams she'd worked so hard to get over.
"There's nothing you can do to stop me! I'm taking Annie too! You're not yourself at all! Why can't you see that?!" Thalia's voice rang from the other side of the door, brimming with emotion.
"Don't you dare!" Luke shouted back.
The fighting did not stop for a long time. She tossed and turned, desperate to fall asleep despite the sound.When quietness finally set it, she could feel herself drips into an unconscious state.
When she did....she remembered why she so desperately needed the reassurance of fairy tales and magic myths. Why she needed her brother and sister, her best friends.
She woke up with a start, blinking away the fervid images of monsters and memories as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She scanned the room for Luke or Thalia, they always slept with her. Made sure she was not alone, made sure to brush her tears away.
But she didn't see them....she rarely did anymore. They began working late into the night, till almost dawn. Leaving her alone in the darkness.
Luckily for the Annabeth,this was not one of those days. When the little girl began to cry, shaking in her bed, a familar pair of hands wrapped themselves around her.
"It's alright Annie, shhhhh," Thalia whispered, gently stroking her ward's hair as Annabeth cried into her lap.
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