Money Isn't Everything

A much needed talk

Hi, um, I know I said I would update soon and I meant to but this chapter has been sitting in my notebook for the last few weeks and I could never seem to find the time. I apologise but please enjoy this chapter and comment and/or vote. (This one is longer than the others to make up for it's lateness).

Annabeth POV

I watch as Thalia pulls out the mattress from another room, is this really what has become of the mighty Thalia Grace? A homeless girl that probably weighs 25 kilograms and hates more than she loves. Why did she leave? Why did she do this to herself and Jason? Why didn't she stay with her dad and with us? She knows what happened to Luke, one thing I don't. It seems like everyone but me knows and he was my best friend. It's not fair.

The little boy, Nico, runs up to me, "Who are you?" he asks.

"Annabeth Chase," I tell him confused, he knows who I am.

"No, not your name silly." he says impatiently, "What's your story, what makes you Annabeth Chase?"

"I like books and movies, my dad is one of the richest people in the world so I pretty much have an unlimited supply of both those things. I just wish he would spend more time with me," Why am I telling him this? Can't stop now. "I know he loves me but my stepmother doesn't really think I need him anymore, she thinks I need female guidance. Which I do and she's nice but she doesn't understand that I still need my dad."

"You should tell her that." Nico says wisely then jumps right to another question, "You have books? New ones? And movies?"

"Yeah, don't you?" I ask, surprised but not at the same time.

"Well, no. We don't have any movies and the few books we do have are from Luke and some from the bins by the library. They throw out all the old books every month and Percy and Thalia go and fish out the best ones. I can't read though, so Thalia and Percy have to read to me. Jason never does, all he ever does is sit by the fire and sometimes goes out when Percy or Thalia is sick."

I follow Nico's gaze to where Jason is sitting by the fire, his gaze is fixed on Piper who is looking at all the going ones with thinly veiled disgust.

"What's her problem?" Nico asks pointing at Piper.

"She thinks we're disgusting rats that would be better off dead because we don't live in a mansion full of servants." The boy, Leo, says from behind us, startling me.

"That's stupid, we don't hate her because she does do we? And anyway even if we did live in a mansion full of servants she's still hate us because-" Thalia interrupts him.

"We'd be the servants. Now come on, It's time for bed." She says, "Annabeth, you'll be in the mattress with Jason, Nico, Hazel and hater girl over there, " She nods towards Piper, "Leo you have to sleep in the storeroom again, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it's warmer in there anyway but were will you and Percy sleep?" he asks.

"By the fire." she mutters.

"So, in other words you and Percy will sit on the cold hard ground all night talking and not sleeping at all." Leo says, raising his eyebrows at her.

"Yes, now go to bed you idiot." Thalia says, pushing him towards the door,

"Why can't you and Percy sleep on a mattress or something?" I ask.

"Because there aren't enough mattresses, now go."

                                                                                                                                       888

I lie awake listening to Percy and Thalia's soft voices, "We have to take them back soon or we'll be accused of kidnapping." Thalia says.

"I know but something's strange is going on, anyway we can't send them back quite yet. Who knows? Maybe they'll come in handy?" Percy replies.

They're silent for a few moments the Thalia goes, "Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and leave him there, he would have been happier. Less bitter."

"Maybe," Percy says, "but then again, maybe not. No matter how hard these last few years have been they've been the best of my life, it's better than being alone, anyway. Jason would have been alone if you'd left him there, he may have lived with your father but we both know what kind of a person he is and any friends he might have made would never have compared with you. You guys are my family, as sappy as that sounds, and I think he feels the same way."

"You're my family, the only thing I've got." Thalia says and they fall into silence again. I roll over and see Jason's eyes shining in the darkness. He's smiling sadly and it looks like maybe, just maybe, he might be crying.

"Thalia," I say, sitting up and she turns around so fast you never would've guessed she'd been so peaceful seconds before, "Can we talk? Please?"

Percy gets up, "I'm gonna go check on Leo and see where Hazel's got to, okay Thals?" she nods and he leaves. We're alone now or, well, as alone as one can be in a room full of sleeping people.

I get up and walk over to the fire, settling myself down next to her, the ground is harder than I anticipated. Thalia's eyes are dancing with the light from the flames, their electric blue made darker by the darkness. We sit in silence until she says, "Luke."

"Luke." I repeat.

"His mother was shot and he nearly was too. He ran, I ran, Percy ran, we all ran. You never had to, you didn't because as much as you might complain you still love your life and your family and you don't realize how hard it id for most people." she says softly, her eyes still on the dancing flames, "When I ran I took Jason with me because I couldn't leave him."

"Why did you run?" It probably sounds simple enough but it's one of the most important questions I've ever asked.

"The police where at my fathers house just like with my mother and I couldn't do it, not again so I just grabbed Jason and ran. We got split up about a month later, I was looking for food and Reyna found him. They thought he was alone so they took him and he was going through his silent angry faze, angry with me that is, so he didn't bother telling them he had a sister. I went with Artemis after that, until Percy found me." She still won't look at me.

"Artemis, isn't she the one who-" 

"Shot the last king?" Thalia completes for me, "No, she was just there and anyway he was worse than this one. Like so many things, it wasn't planned it just happened."

"How's you get here?" I ask.

"Percy helped me find Jason three years ago and we picked up Leo about a month after that, he got sick and we needed shelter. This was the only one livable at the time, about a year after that we found Hazel and Nico. Nico was nine, Hazel eight. I wish they hadn't been out there, they should have been at home with their families. It was Christmas day after all."

"Why weren't they?" I really don't understand why.

"Why do you think?" she snaps and I can sense her closing, pulling her walls back up and shutting me out. So I start talking.

"You just disappeared, they searched for you for months. After two months they said you were either dead or didn't want to be found.  They searched for another four months after that but then they stopped, saying it was no use and that you were never going to be found or they would've found you already. We never stopped looking though, we didn't understand why you would leave. Luke thought it might have had something to do with our fight, he said you had finally got tired of our lifestyle." I wait for her to confirm or deny any of this but she doesn't so I continue.

"Your dad was really worried about you, your uncles were too. And we were, maybe more than anyone."