18 Chapter 18

'So here I am, writing on Halcyon Green's diary — my diary, now.

I'm sitting in a chair by Annabeth's bed. It wasn't hard, getting to the cabin, and the little one devoured the bolognese I cooked for us; she was really hungry. I gave her some of my old clothes that were kept in this house and tried to put her to sleep like my dad did to me: telling a story made up on the spot. I'm not very good with improv, but I thought that got the job done. The thing was, when I left the room, minutes later she called for me, crying about some spiders biting her.

Now, there weren't any signs of spiders, but with the world we live in, I grabbed a chair and placed it by her bedside.

So, yeah, here I am now. No spiders in sight for the last two hours, but Annabeth's been sleeping peacefully. Don't really need to sleep, myself. At least, that's what it's been like for the past month. My brain's exhausted, but my body's not. So I'll have to wait until I pass out like before.

Tomorrow, I'll need to go buy some more food, clothes and toiletries for her. After that… I don't know. I keep thinking about Hal's prediction. An ominous feeling weighs on my chest. There's something dark in my future that probably means death. It may be a long way off, but it feels like a thunderstorm on the horizon, supercharging the air. I just hope I have the strength to take care of this kid.

Looking at her now, asleep, I'm amazed by how peaceful her face is. If I'm going to be her "dad", I've got to be worthy of her trust. The two of us had no luck with our godly parents, so I have to be better than that. Better like my dad. I may only be eleven, but that's no excuse. I'll keep this little family together.

When I look north, I imagine how long it would take to reach my old house in Brooklyn. I wonder how my friends in Queens are doing. How are Grover and the coach doing?

But then I tell myself it's not my fault, and that I had to run away, knowing damn well I could've tried to find the two satyrs.

However, I have no regrets. I wouldn't have found my dad's letter, wouldn't have met Hal, and wouldn't have rescued Annabeth.

If they eventually find me, the better course of action will be going with them to camp, even if don't find the camp appealing. It'd be better for Annabeth that way.

For now, I'll just have to survive day to day. I'll write in this diary whenever I have the chance, though I doubt anyone will ever read it. 

Annabeth is stirring, so I should probably stop making noises. Wow, my hand hurts. I haven't written this much in forever. I'd better keep on the lookout for spiders, you never know.

Alexander Sinclair — signing off for now.'

Alex closed the diary and sighed. His head felt heavy, but his body was restless. He just hoped morning came quickly so it would shut it up.

==========

Morning sunlight filtered through the cabin's curtains. The small dining table was set for two, and the soft and sweet smell of pancakes filled the kitchen. Little Annabeth stood on a step stool, her pyjamas clad in an oversized apron. She had a determined expression, but it was softened by the small mischievous glint in her eyes. The girl was on a mission.

Exhaling, she whispered to herself, "Okay, Annabeth, you can do this."

She opened the refrigerator and pantry. Her tiny hands searched for the ingredients the recipe book mentioned. Eggs, flour, milk, sugar and other essentials. Annabeth lined them up neatly on the countertop. She surveyed her supplies and nodded with satisfaction.

"Pancakes," she muttered. "Alex loves pancakes."

Her hands began moving around the kitchen, and as they did, her grey orbs went to the book.

Flour sifted with a whisper of baking powder for lift. Eggs cracked one by one, golden yolks blending into the mix. A splash of milk, a hint of sugar - just enough for that subtle sweetness.

Flour dusted the air as she poured it in, and a giggle escaped her lips. "Whoopsie!"

A dollop of butter, let it melt - medium heat, not too hot. Pour a scoop of the batter, and watch it spread.

Wait. Bubbles form, edges lift - it's time. Flip. Golden brown, just right. Another flip, confidence is growing.

Once golden on both sides, stack them high; a pat of butter on top to melt into every layer. A generous drizzle of maple syrup for that gooey goodness. And for the finishing touch, a sprinkle of fresh blueberries and a dusting of powdered sugar.

And there she had it — a stack of fluffy pancakes ready for the two of them.

"Perfect!"

And just in time, she thought. The sounds of footsteps creaking down the wooden stairs reached her ears. Alex, her new family, entered the kitchen, rubbing the first sleep he had in ages from his eyes, smiling at the sight before him. He watched her place the plate on the table, a mix of surprise and amusement evident on his face.

"Good morning, chef. What's cooking?" He asked, trying to make a horrible pun. For some reason, Annabeth noticed that his eye bags, although thin, were darker than usual.

"That was horrible," She giggled before beaming. "But, I made pancakes!"

"You know, I remember a time when I usually made breakfast." Alex joked, ruffling her hair. "Thanks, pipsqueak. They look delicious."

"Don't call me that!"

"Alright, my bad kiddo."

Annabeth joined him at the dining table. They were silent at first, with Annabeth watching with pride Alex's pleased face as he ate more and more of the syrup-drenched batter blimps.

The older boy swept his hair back to stop it from falling in front of his face as he ate. He raised his eyes from the food and looked at the girl across the table.

"Did the spiders bother you last night?" Alex asked, setting the fork down.

Little Annabeth bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. She nodded. "Y-yeah… they came after you left and bit me all over! But the marks always disappear before you come in, and-"

Seeing her desperately talk like that, Alex smiled softly.

"I believe you, Annabeth." He said simply.

"You… you do?" She looked at him with those big eyes of hers.

"Of course. Magic spiders that appear out of nowhere and their bites fade in a few hours? Sounds more plausible than some things I faced," He leaned back on the chair. "Would you believe if I told you that twenty minutes before I met you I was trapped in a house with undefeatable monsters and man-eating drapes?"

Annabeth thought for a second before giggling. "No, that sounds silly!"

"Right. But it happened, kiddo." Alex ate the rest of his pancakes. He smiled at her. "But you don't have to worry about stuff like that. I'll make sure you don't get hurt."

The little girl looked like she regretted her words, but Alex ruffled her head to show he wasn't upset.

After breakfast, they tidied up the kitchen and sat on the sofa, each reading their own book. A few days ago, when Alex went on another supply run, he had to fight through a wave of monsters that had gathered in search of him.

The monsters were so large in number that, at some point, he had run away. He had no idea what they were called, but some were snake-like, others dog-like, and some even humanoid.

His escape led him to a bookstore, where after defeating the rest of the monsters, the owner of the shop came out and offered him some books.

Alex was confused at first, obviously, but then remembered that the mist probably made the woman see a bunch of thieves.

To summarize it, he had brought a sack full of books for him and Annabeth to read.

The little girl was still occupied with Alex's grandpa's architecture books — she said she wanted to be an architect when she grew up — so Alex began reading the new books alone.

Every single book was about or related to Greek Mythology. The first book he read, he thought that at first, it read: HERNIA ARE US. But then he squinted his eyes and realized it said: HERMES TALES.

It was fun, learning about the Messenger of the Gods. He apparently also was the God of Thieves, Travelers, Roads, Merchants, and loads of other stuff. Alex laughed when he read that the first thing the God did when born was steal Apollo's cattle — deserved, honestly.

He got tired after a while, so he grabbed another book. This time it was on the goddess Athena. It started like 'Athena, the Greek Virgin Goddess of wisdom-'. Alex skipped that text, cheeks red. He had to, however, admit once again that the story of the goddess was interesting. Her mother was Metis, a Titaness and Zeus's first wife. Being afraid that the child of Metis would dethrone him, Zeus tricked her into transforming into a fly and swallowed her whole.

In a fun turn of events, Zeus had such a headache that Hephaestus split the King of the Gods's head open to try and cure it. That fissure was big enough for Athen to squeeze her way out after which she grew into a full-size goddess wearing battle armor and holding a spear, much to the astonishment of the other gods.

"What's so funny?"

Alex took his eyes off the book and looked at Annabeth. He hadn't even realized he was laughing.

"The Gods." He said with another chuckle.

Annabeth tilted her head and peaked at what Alex was reading from his shoulder.

"Hm, that's my mom."

The older kid almost dropped the book. He whirled to look again at the little girl with raised eyebrows.

"You never told me, Annabeth." He said as a matter of fact. He'd always thought she didn't know her godly parent like him.

"You never asked." Annabeth gave him a toothy grin before going back to her book. She dropped her legs on Alex's lap and sprawled on the sofa, taking most of the space.

The boy just shook his head with a snort. But then it made him think. Did every other demigod know who their godly parent was? Was it just his mother that didn't want anything to do with him?

Maybe the Olympian gods weren't great parents, but the more he knew, his mother, whoever she was, seemed to be the worst of them all.

Lost in thought, he looked into the reflection of the TV. His light-brown hair fell to each side in the middle part like he liked. His tan skin was still the same — except for the scar on the left labial commissure of his mouth. His eyes, with that light purple that sometimes freaked people out, were now accompanied by thin eyebags that grew darker by the day. He had changed so much, yet so little in the past few months. At least he was taller.

Annabeth had changed a bit too. Her cheeks were fuller, and she didn't look like a starved child anymore. Her blond hair had gained a shinier glow, and her tan skin, similar to his, looked healthier than ever.

Alex was glad. It took some time for her to finally trust him, but seeing her like this, relaxed and unbothered, made all the effort that took him by leaving this cabin and by being susceptible to monsters worth it.

If there's one thing that he hoped, was that, if things changed, they changed for the better. He didn't anyone else he cared for to die. That was Alex's only wish.