Forgotten Paradise by Average Canadian

Chapter 13: The Stepmother From Hell

"Annabeth!" Helen screamed from downstairs.

"What?" she yelled back.

"Annabeth!" Helen continued like she was deaf.

"WHAT?" Annabeth persisted louder

"ANNABETH!"

Dear Zeus her voice was so high and squeaky.

Annabeth groaned and slid the laptop off her lap. Tromping down the stairs she could already see the grouchy expression on her step mom's face.

"I thought I told you to do the laundry!" Helen scowled.

Annabeth decided to drop the whole you're-a-deaf-old-bat issue. Rolling her eyes she picked up a bundle of smelly laundry containing everything but her own things. She chucked it to the basement and followed slowly feeling the old steps creak under her weight.

At least the Tide smelled fragrant.

Annabeth hopped up the first set of stairs and through the kitchen and was about to go up to her room when an accursed

"ANNABETH!" rang through the house. "Going back to your room? I don't think so. Living room needs to be cleaned" Helen looked at her expectantly from the kitchen, her hands on her hips. Dark brown hair was up in a tight bun while her blue pencil skirt and dark red lipstick accentuated her personality.

Helen was always trying to look on point. But the more she tried (in Annabeth's opinion) the more she failed at it.

Annabeth gritted her teeth "I did that when I got back from Pipers"

"Well it needs cleaning again."

Trudging down to the living room Annabeth turned the corner and did a double take.

Bags of crackers and chips littered the floor with the sprinkles of there remains digging into the sofas. Roughly four Pop drinks were balancing on chair arms and the corners of the coffee table. A purple stain deep in the carpet made her boil.

The two culprits of this fiasco were sitting in the middle of it as if it were there nest.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Annabeth's brothers Bobby and Matthew.

Twins, both 13 and both oblivious to the arrangement around them.

If Annabeth had a hole in the top of her head she swore she would be letting off steam like a locomotive.

"Oh and Annabeth? Work around them please" Helen sweetly finished.

Why work around them? The bums were playing video games and they weren't exactly in shape. It would be beneficial for them to be kicked out so Annabeth could just clean the bloody place!

Besides they were getting a bit pudgy.

Annabeth sighed and held her breath. If she could do it all before she had to breath then it wasn't that bad.

She picked up the bags, collected the cans and brushed the crumbs into crevices.

Hey she wasn't a maid, she wasn't getting paid so who said she had to do a good job?

After Annabeth crept up the stairs and quickly closed the door to her room.

She turned on her laptop and sunk into her daybed cozily.

This was her job. Literally.

She clicked up an icon and started piling through the requests she had. Math problems, science equations, Calculus questions. They were all here and varying.