The Skeletons In The Closet

Chapter Five

Annabeth's POV

I took a deep breath to calm myself upon seeing my old Virginia home. "Who's past is this?" Rachel asked, looking around. Reyna eyed the house suspiciously.

"That would be me," I said, pushing to the front of the group, deciding I would face my past head on. "May I ask, where are we?" Frank asked.

"Virginia," I answered shortly, pushing the door open. Percy was right behind me.

The living room was just as I remembered it. There were baby toys everywhere. You couldn't step anywhere without almost tripping on something. My dad's bookshelf was packed with all of his books. One of my drawings was taped to the fridge.

Photos decorated the mantle: pictures of my dad and Helen, more pictures of my dad and Helen. Pictures of Helen holding the newborn twins. Other pictures of the twins. One school picture of me.

No one was home yet, so we decided to just sit on the living room and wait. Besides, the people who've already gone needed a break. We were hopping from past to past without any break in between and it was emotionally taxing. For everybody.

"Frederick, help me," we heard from outside. A lock clicked and my step-mother came in with a baby boy in her arms. My dad followed, holding the other one. "I didn't know you had siblings," Leo whispered out the side of his mouth. "Shut up," I answered.

"Annabeth, get in here!" Helen yelled. Seven year old me grumbled something and stomped into the house. "I'm laying the boys down for a nap. You need to watch them while I take a shower. If they cry, just gently rock them back to sleep. Don't touch them though. Have you ever heard of shaken baby syndrome?"

"Yes I've heard of it, I'm not stupid," I grouched. "Watch your mouth. Your father's off to work and he won't be back till late. Say good bye to your father."

She took the two steps to Frederick and said "Bye" before turning and running up the stairs. "She's evil," Frank scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"I called her my step-monster for years," I told him, "she never accepted me. Everything was always my fault."

"That sucks," Travis said glumly. So we waiting for something significant to happen. We weren't exactly eager to go looking for trouble, so we sat on in the living room, basking in the little time we had.

It was maybe 10:00 at night when young Annabeth started screaming. Calypso jumped up, waiting for someone to do something Percy shrugged and ran up the stairs to my room. I followed, knowing what awaited. We slipped into the room and saw that I was covered in spiders. I buried my face in Percy's chest, not wanting to see the creepy crawlies.

Several people gasped and gagged. They were everywhere. In my sheets, in my hair, in my mouth. The door was almost ripped off it's hinges as Helen yanked it open. She flicked the light on and I half expected her to jump at the sight of sixteen teenagers standing in her stepdaughter's room.

"Annabeth! What on Earth? Bobby and Matthew are sleeping!"

"B-but...the spiders! There were spiders! Everywhere! You have to call my dad! Please, I want to talk to my dad!" Annabeth was crying, horrible hiccuping sobs.

"What is this?" Helen asked angrily, ripping cobwebs out of Annabeth's hair. "Some prank! I've had enough of you, girl. I'm not going to bother your father at work because of some dream. Go back to bed." And with that, she shut the door.

"It continued like that for about a month," I said, "the spiders would come every night. And Helen never believed me. So eventually, I ran away."

There was a time lapse and it showed me in my red flannel pajamas, my blonde curls knotted with leaves and twigs. I'd been hiding in alleyways, eating when I could.

One day, a boy and a girl came. I recognized them instantly as Luke and Thalia. I watched myself fly at Luke with a hammer, and then them taking me in. It skipped to a certain Cyclops lair.

"Oh I hate this part," I grumbled to myself. "What happens at this part?" Clarisse asked. "Oh this part," Thalia nodded. "Yeah me too."

The three of them entered a building and saw the cyclops. They tried to run right back out but the doors were locked. The cyclops laughed and charged straight at them. Thalia pulled me to one side and Luke dashed the other way.

Luke took out his golf club and whacked the cyclops. He did nothing but succeed in bending the golf club. Travis and Connor sighed and shook their heads at their half brother.

Thalia came in charging with her shield, forcing the cyclops to retreat. The three of them tried to backtrack and find their way back to the exit, but the house was a maze. They soon got separated when Luke took a sharp turn and disappeared.

"Thalia! Help!" Luke screamed. "Luke!" Thalia yelled, letting go of my hand to run in the direction of the sound. "Thalia!" I yelled. I was scared and alone. Then I started to hear their screams. "Annabeth!" Thalia pleaded. "Help us!" Luke yelled. I followed the sounds, deciding to be a little more cautious.

I took out my dagger, the one Luke gave me, and twisted it in my hands. I wasn't very good yet, but I'd get better. I just knew it.

I was really close. I peeked around the corner only to jerk back. He'd almost seen me. The cyclops was using Luke's and Thalia's voices to lure me in. The two half-bloods were tied upside down, watching me with wide eyes.

I steeled myself, ready to dash forward. "Why do I feel like she's going to run at the cyclops?" Jason asked. "Because she's gonna run at the cyclops," Thalia replied, biting her nails.

Mini me sprung forward, taking the cyclops by surprise. Before he could react, she stabbed him in the foot. He howled and hopped backward, grabbing at his foot and hollering.

"Go Annabeth!" Connor cheered. Without hesitation, I cut Luke out of his bonds. He fell to the ground, grinning from ear to ear. "Way to go, Annabeth! I knew you could do it!" Mini me beamed with pride.

"Hey! Praise later, get me out of here now!" Thalia yelled at Luke. After cutting Thalia free, the three ran off into the night.

The time lapses to Half-Blood Hill. It only took me a second to spot the four figures running from what looked like a small army. Grover, Luke, Thalia, and I came into view, followed by all three furies, a horde of hellhounds, and some other miscellaneous monster. And that's when my vision faded to black.

Who's next?