Into the Clouds | Percabeth| Mortal AU

Twenty-Three

Annabeth rushed into the coffee shop. As soon as she was behind the counter, she noticed Pidge sitting on the counter, texting on her phone, with a smile plastered across her face. "Hey, whatcha doin' over there?" Annabeth asked. 

"Oh my gods, sorry, I was just checking my phone," she apologised, hopping off the counter. 

Annabeth chuckled. "It's fine. Who were you texting?"

"I met a boy at school."

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. "You did?" She tried to contain her smile. "Who?" She began drinking from her water bottle. 

"His name is Jason and--"

Annabeth choked on her water. "Hold up. You're dating Jason?" she asked, trying not to laugh. 

Pidge paused. "Is that bad?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No, not at all. I just... was so not expecting that..."

"So you know him?"

"He's like my brother. I'm really close with his sister, Thalia." Annabeth braced herself against the counter and started to say something else but the phone rang instead. "I'm gonna get that," she said, walking away. 

"Anchor Grounds Coffee and Pasteries, Annabeth speaking," she greeted. 

"Is this Annabeth Chase?" the voice on the other end asked. 

Annabeth stood a little straighter. "Um... Yes? Who is this?"

"This is Detective Geolack. We have your father in custody. Can you come down to the station with your brothers and answer a few questions?"

Annabeth's face flushed. "Um, yeah, sure. Why is he in custody?"

Detective Geolack cleared his throat. "We got an anonymous tip that he was abusive. He may be charged with child neglection and abuse."

Annabeth sighed. "Fuck, okay. I'm on my way." She walked over to Pidge. "Hi... Um, I have to leave a little early. Can you cover my shift? It's really important."

"Absolutely, it's not a problem," she said, smiling. 

"Thank you so much."

;;;

Thalia came by the coffee shop and picked Annabeth up. Her brothers are in the back seat and the police station in from of their car freaks Annabeth out a little bit. 

"You ready?" Thalia asked. 

"Nope," Annabeth answered honestly, "but let's get this over with."

Inside, Thalia waited with Bobby and Matthew in the plastic chairs while Annabeth walked up to the receptionist desk and said was here for an interview. 

A little while later, a gruff but nice-looking man walked into the waiting area. "Are you Annabeth?" he asked Thalia. 

"No," Annabeth said, standing up. "That would be me. That's Thalia, she just helps me out every now and then."

The detective nodded. "Will you and your brothers follow me?" 

Annabeth nodded and they headed back into one of those rooms you see on TV with the mirror that's really a one-way window. 

"I need to know everything your father as done. If you are okay with it, I would also like to interview Bobby and Matthew, you will have to stay with them."

Annabeth nodded. "That's fine." Then she sat down in the uncomfortable plastic chair, and for the first time, starting with her first memory, told everything to the gruff detective sitting before her. What the hell, she thought. This is the one chance I have to put him away.

;;;

That night when she got home, there was a dinner laid out on the table. Thalia's parents, and Jason, were standing there, welcoming them. 

Jason pulled Annabeth into a bear hug. "You will always have a home here," he said. 

Annabeth elbowed him in the rib, trying to cover up her nerves with sarcasm. "Yeah thanks. Oh, by the way," she said in a taunting voice. "What's up with you and Pidge?"

Jason's eyes got wider than dinner plates. "Uh... Stuff."

Thalia snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure that stuff is real fun. Just make sure you use protection when you do that stuff."

"You two are truly disturbing," Jason sassed.