How it all started... But in High School

Time For Detective Chase

After Thalia finished crying we stayed home from school and watched movies. She would try to recall an old memory she had with Jason. It was hard because they never really did spend much time together. She said that’s one of her biggest regrets.

It killed me seeing how much pain everyone was in, especially Thalia. They didn't even see each other enough to develop a bond.

According to her Jason used to live in California. I didn't understand because she used to say they just never hung out. I didn't think I knew the whole story. I intended to find out.

Nobody had gone to school that day. Our parents were fine with it, but had to let the school know what had happened. Thalia went back to her apartment to try to find one picture of her and Jason together. Something told me she would break a lot of things.

I was still curious about what had really happened to the Grace family. So I decided to investigate. With Percy of course. I went up to his apartment and was immediately greeted by an angel named Sally Jackson. 

She told me Percy was trying to study in his room and was actually very frustrated over it. I offered my help and she walked me to his room. She handed me a plate of blue cookies and I walked in.

Percy didn't notice me walk in and I was surprised. He was never this focused on any subject. I looked over his shoulder and saw that he was studying for the SAT's. I leaned down and kissed his cheek.

He looked up and his face immediately lit up. I smiled at this adorable dork I managed to have in my life. 

"What are you doing here Wise Girl?" He asked, turning his chair around towards me. "Just thought I'd come and be with you Seaweed Brain" I replied.

He raised his eyebrows at me, clearly not buying it. I sighed and smiled at him. "Ok I'm trying to figure something out and thought it would be more fun with you". He smiled at this and closed up his book.

He stood up and hugged me. He rested his head on mine and sighed in content. "Sure thing Annie". He kissed my forehead and I felt my face heat up.

"What are you trying to figure out Wise Girl?" He said leaning back on his wall. He crossed his arms and stared at me. 

"I want to figure out what happened to Thalia's family." I said. He looked at me with a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?" 

"Well I thought I knew what happened to her family. Her mom died because she was sick and her father became distant since they reminded him of her. And Jason was never close with Thalia. But what if that was a lie to cover something up?" I started to say walking around his room.

"What if their mother didn't die due to sickness? What if she was murdered and the murderer took Jason? Earlier today Thalia told me Jason lived in California for a long time. But that didn't add up since she said they always lived together." 

"I know this might sound crazy right now, but there is something going on and I want to know what it is." I said a bit louder than I intended to. Percy didn't respond for a count of 5 seconds.

"I just don't understand why it means so much to you Wise Girl. I mean I kind of understand, but why so much?" Percy asked as he walked to me and held both of my hands.

"Percy, my best friend has been lying to me about her past for years on end. What went so wrong that she felt the need to hide it from someone who has told her everything?" I said with obvious concern.

I felt my eyes tear up and Percy's eyes widened. He wrapped me up in a hug and started rubbing circles on my back. He kissed my forehead. I tried not to let too many tears soak his shirt and luckily barely any tears came out. 

"It's ok Wise Girl. It's okay I'm here. Don't worry I've got you" He said quietly. I took a deep breath and pulled away from the hug. "Ok enough crying. We've got work to do."