Famous Fate

16

"You ready?"

Annabeth gripped my hand tighter as we peered at the fresh looking door to the Chase household.

It was warm in California, too warm for my liking. On Christmas, at least. There was no snow, the only sign it was even Christmas was the ugly snowman statue on the porch we stood on.

Annabeth sighed as she brought her hand to the door and knocked slightly, almost as if she didn't want them to hear her.

The door swung open to reveal an older man in an ugly Christmas sweater. He had graying honey blonde hair and wrinkles around his eyes.

"Annabeth!" he said as he instantly pulled her into a hug, which seemed to make Annabeth fairly uncomfortable as she awkwardly patted his back. "Bobby, Matthew, Helen, Annabeth's here! And...she brought a friend!"

He led us inside and took our not used coats and hung them up. As he left a short Asian woman took his place.

She had straight black hair pulled back into a bun with streaks of gray. Although she was short she radiated authority.

"Hello Annabeth, who is...this?" she asked as she gestured to me.

Annabeth grimaced as she linked arms with me. "This is my boyfriend, Percy. My invitation said I could bring him."

She nodded as she crossed her arms. "I'm Helen Chase, Annabeth's stepmother. You can call me Mrs.Chase."

I nodded as she led us into the formal dining room, which was pristine. A pair of identical twins sat in there, shoving food into their mouths.

"Annabeth, you're here!" one of the twins said, food still in their mouth. "And holy crap, you're Percy Jackson! I'm Matthew!"

He instantly stood up and shook my hand forcefully. His brother, who introduced himself as Bobby, did the same.

"Yes, yes, Percy Jackson is here. Now let's finish eating," Helen said. "You two, grab a plate and begin eating."

We did what was told and sat at the two empty places around the table. Everyone remained quiet for some time except Helen, who was blabbing on about her Christmas shopping experience.

"Sorry, we don't have any presents for you, Percy, I didn't know Annabeth was seeing you anymore," Helen said.

I nearly snorted. Had she been living under a rock? All the media did was talk about us, and Helen seemed the type to follow the tabloids.

"Oh, okay," Annabeth said quietly as she picked at her meal with her fork. I stared at her in confusion, but she forcefully peered down at the floor.

Why isn't she saying anything? I thought. The Annabeth I know isn't a pushover.

"Honestly, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I'm surprised you came home, let alone brought someone with you," Helen said in a fake cheerful manner.

Annabeth shrugged. "I guess you're right. It...it is unusual for me."

Helen smiled warmly as she continued on with her rant. "I'm just glad you're happy, Annabeth. I mean, Fredrick and I were a little confused when we found out. And I'm confused that it's been so long!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice growing angry. Annabeth gripped my arm, but I ignored her.

Helen shrugged as her face turned pale. "No, I'm not meaning to offend anyone, it's just...surprising. We're all new to this, right? At least you're not that dud she used to date. Wasn't he something?"