I just got in a huge fight with my mom. We are selling our house (which I have lived in since I was adopted at six months old) and getting rid of my dog. I might even have to give up the lease on my horse, John Wayne. On top of that, she told me that my writing and stuff has no meaning. She's never even seen anything I've written! I just... I need to write.

Happy Reading!

Annabeth was four years old.

Her mother was dead.

She clutched the cold hand helplessly as her daddy tried to pry her away from the person she saw as her angel. It couldn't be true. Her mommy couldn't be gone. Why would she leave her alone? Mommy wouldn't leave without her... would she?

Annabeth screamed as they took her mommy away.

Three days later, she cried in anguish at her mom's funeral. She finally understood that she would never see her mommy's angelic face again.

Her best friend, Percy, looked at her, wishing he could help but not knowing what to do.

Annabeth's dad walked over to her.

"Annie, honey, it's time to go," he said gently. Without responding, she squeezed her teddy bear - the one her mom had given her for her third birthday - closer, as if it could offer protection against the tormenting pain that pounded her relentlessly. But the hurt never stopped.

As she got up mutely and clasped her dad's hand, she wondered if her wounds would ever be healed.

.
.

Annabeth was five.

The hole in her heart still burned.

She swayed on the swing, going higher and higher, as if hoping that if she got upraised enough, she'd be high enough to be with her mom. But no hand ever reached down to lift her up. She just kept swinging back to the ground again, hoping that the momentum would finally be enough to lift her into the heavens next time.

Percy swung next to her, looking up sadly at his best friend. He could see the change in her, but couldn't understand why she wasn't the Annabeth he knew. All he knew was that she was hurt, and he wanted nothing more that to give her a Band-Aid, so that it could feel all better.

Annabeth watched the kids around her play and laugh happily, and she longed to be one of them. But she had sworn to herself that she never would be. Not after her mom couldn't ever smile or live again. Annabeth didn't deserve to live, while her mommy had died. It wasn't fair.

Everyday was like living in a daze. She felt like she was watching herself from the outside, as though she were seeing herself from a distance.

But that didn't change the fact that she could still feel the pain.

She felt Percy looking at her, and felt a flash of guilt. Everyday, she'd smile and say hi to him. She'd try to act like she was all right. But she knew he could see through her. She knew he wanted to make her feel better, but she pushed him away. It was easier that way. He wouldn't be able to hurt her.

When she'd get home from day care, she'd always come home to a cold, empty house, except for her cat, Yankee. Her dad was always too immersed in his studies, and would come home from work late every night and leave early in the morning. Annabeth felt lonely, and she wondered if it was even legal to leave a child so young home alone most of the time. It certainly made her grow up fast.

She always turned up the heat, put the lights on, and played some music, trying desperately to make it like her mom would have it for her when she used to get home. Annabeth remembered how she used to get home from day care and be greeted by a burst of light and warmth and her mom with a huge smile on her face. She thought of how her dad would give her mom a little kiss and then pick Annabeth up and run her around the house.

Annabeth hadn't been twirled in her daddy's arms since.

.
.

Annabeth was seven.

It was her first day of elementary school.

She was nervous. She watched as the other kids were walked to their class by their parents. But her dad had dropped her off at the front of the school, saying that he was sorry he couldn't go in with her and that her loved her.

Now she stood alone in front of the classroom, too scared to go in alone. She felt a pang as a kid's mom smiled reassuringly to the child, and enveloped the kid into a big, loving hug. Annabeth had never wished for her mother more.

"Annabeth!" a voice called, and she turned around and smiled. It was Percy with his mom, Sally Jackson, trailing behind him.

"Are you ready for first grade?" Percy asked eagerly, looking excited.

Annabeth shrugged, but she was pretty excited - just really nervous. She'd always loved learning, and when her mom was around, she'd ask so many questions, even at the age of four. But, now, when she'd ask a question, she was always met with a blank silence, indicating that her father's mind was elsewhere - somewhere more important than her.

"Annabeth, would you like me to walk you and Percy in together?" Sally asked, smiling kindly down at the anxious girl. Annabeth smiled back in return. Percy grabbed one hand, and Sally grabbed the other. For just a second, she could almost believe that this was her family. But then reality hit her, and she remembered that her real mom was dead. Still... she knew this was how a family was supposed to be.

Together, hand in hand, the three of them walked into the room.

.
.

Annabeth was turning ten.

It was her birthday.

She stood alone in the cold, empty house. When she got up this morning, she felt a flash of excitement. She was finally in the two-digits! She ran straight to her dad's room, excited to spend the day with him. He'd promised that he would be there for her tenth birthday. But when she got to his room, ready to pounce on his bed, a big smile on her face, she found his room to be vacant.

It wasn't long before that smile died.

She sat on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her, staring blankly at the TV, which wasn't even on, trying to give herself a warmth she didn't feel. Her orange tabby cat jumped into her lap, as if he could sense that she needed comfort.

Annabeth's eyes found the picture sitting on a bookshelf of her mom, dad, and herself. Athena held her little girl in her arms, a look of fierce pride on her face as she smiled down at the little angel. Her dad stood next to them, an arm draped lovingly over the two girls as they basked in happiness. I can't even remember the last time Dad put his arms around me, Annabeth thought bitterly.

The picture was obscured as tears flooded her eyes. Her heart throbbed with nostalgia, and she couldn't help but think of a quote from a book her mom once told her: "That's the thing about pain - it demands to be felt." And she understood it. Because years had gone by since her mother's death, and the pain still had not faded. She wanted to be happy, but the hurt was more insistent, and wouldn't allow joy to come. Not when her mother was dead.

The bitter tears streamed down her face in a relentless river. She sobbed into the cat's soft fur.

"Oh, Yankee. I'm so alone." The cat purred softly, as if to tell her that she still had him. He rubbed her face against Annabeth's hand in a comforting gesture and purred softly. The gentle rhythm calmed her down, and her eyes drifted close.

The rain pounded the windows, as if determined to leave a scar. Her mom's hands clenched the wheel of the car tightly, until her knuckles turned white. Annabeth sat in the back seat of the car, not saying a word. She knew her mommy was trying to concentrate on the road.

"Come on, come on," Athena muttered to herself, willing the sudden torrent of rain to pass. While minutes earlier, the sky around them had been sunny, the world around them was now a violent swirl of black, gray, and flying tree limbs from every direction. It was a dangerous beauty.

The car itself was practically shaking. The wind shoved against the car like a huge hand trying to push it back. Annabeth placed a timid hand on the window, feeling the coolness of the glass and the harsh vibration of the rain, as it cascaded down the window in an intricate curtain.

Annabeth was in awe at how dangerous the storm was, but how safe she was inside the vehicle, being separated only by a thin sheet of breakable glass. It intrigued her how if she were able to stick her hand out not even a centimeter farther, she would be out of her sanctuary and a part of the storm.

Suddenly, an ominous snapping noise tore through the storm, the inevitable sound of a tree falling. Annabeth tried to look out the window to see where the tree was - it to be somewhere close - but she could see nothing beyond the curtain of rain.

Her mom gasped, and, through the rearview mirror, Annabeth could see her eyes widen. Before Annabeth could ask what was wrong, a loud screeching noise ripped through her senses. It took her a moment to realize it was her mom, trying to stop the car. But the tires slid, trying desperately to grab hold of the slick cement, but failing horribly.

Athena's eyes met Annabeth's frightened one in the mirror, a calm determination settling in her eyes.

"Annabeth, honey. I love you. I will always be with you. Don't ever forget that." Annabeth couldn't understand. Why was her mommy saying this? What was happening? Quick as lightning, Athena grabbed a thick blanket and tossed it right on top of her daughter. She could feel the protective heaviness of the quilt.

Annabeth heard more screeching, and screamed for her mom. Her cries were drowned out by the crunch of metal, the shattering of glass that made delicate spider-webbing lines in the windows, and then a crushing silence, except for the rain, which now ceased, as if triumphant for finally hammering through its target.

The last thing Annabeth heard before she was engulfed in blackness was the howl of the wind, like a victorious cry as if to tell the world:

I have won!

Annabeth woke up with a gasp, as if breaking the surface of a raging river. She'd had that dream almost every night for the last six years. The only thing that confused her was that this time, she could still hear pounding. It took her a second to realize that it was coming from the front door. She quickly stood up, startling Yankee, who jumped off her lap with a reproachful glare.

Walking to the door, she looked out the window, and smiled when she saw Percy standing outside her door with Sally, and his step-dad, Paul. She opened the door and beamed brightly at her best friend, who was grinning.

"Percy!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" He frowned for a second.

"What do you mean? It's your tenth birthday! Wait, have you been crying?"

"Come on in," was all she said. Annabeth saw Sally and Paul exchange a concerned look.

"Why is it so dark in here? Has your dad given you any presents? Where is your dad, anyway?" Percy fired off the questions one after another. Meanwhile, Annabeth walked quickly to the kitchen table and flicked the lights on, telling them all to sit down.

"It was dark, because there were no lights on, Seaweed Brain. Two, my dad has not given me any presents. And three, my dad is - somewhere - doing who knows what," she explained as she rummaged through the fridge, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. When she turned around with a jug of milk in her hands, she avoided looking any of them in the eye.

She sat down at the table, serving milk and cookies, and they all chewed thoughtfully.

"I'm sorry that your dad isn't here. He was probably called in for a super emergency meeting that he absolutely had to go to," Percy said, trying to comfort her. She smiled gratefully.

"Yeah," she said, trying to sound upbeat. He studied her for a second.

"How come you were crying?"

"I wasn't crying," she lied, but the effort was fruitless.

"Your tear-streaked face and red eyes beg to differ," Paul said.

"You know you can trust us with absolutely anything," Sally said gently. Annabeth looked away, tears welling in her eyes. It had been years since anyone had shown her any kind of parental affection.

"It was nothing," she protested. They all stared at her with a look of disbelief. Sensing that she didn't want to talk about it, Percy changed the subject, producing a neatly wrapped gift from Sally's bag.

"Happy birthday, Annabeth!" he said as he gave it to her. Her eyes widened at the thoughtful gesture. Her dad had hardly ever done anything for her birthdays. She'd wake up to a small bit of money on the table and a note that said he'd be at work 'til midnight. It was like that every year, and she felt foolish to think that he'd be here for this one, even if it was her tenth birthday.

"You didn't have to get me anything!" Annabeth exclaimed, though her eyes shined with delight. Percy, Paul, and Sally smiled kindly at her.

"Of course we did! Now, open it!"

Annabeth carefull unwrapped the beautiful paper, not wanting to rip its owl design. When she got it all off, she was presented with a hand-made paper book, bound by red ribbon. The front cover had a picture of her and Percy riding bikes together down the street, smiling gleefully at the camera as they lifted a hand in a wave. When she opened the book, she realized it was a scrapbook, a picture on every page.

She kept turning the pages, mesmerized by the happiness each memory in the picture represented. One picture was of her and him at the ice skating rink for the first time. The held onto each others arms, standing on shaky legs as they tried to keep each other from falling. In the next photograph, they were both sitting on the ice, clearly after fallen down, and their mouths were open in a huge smile as they laughed.

On and on the pictures went, and in each picture they got progressively older. She had forgotten the solace the Jackson's had given her to help her with her pain. It was easy to forget that she'd felt content at times, even after her mother's death.

When she got to the last couple of pages, which were empty, she looked up at the family that had all but become her own.

"Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I made it myself!" Percy said proudly.

"You have no idea what this means to me. I am going to keep this forever and ever and ever!"

"I'm glad you like it! Oh, and the last pages are empty, because I thought you could add more pictures in it as we get older," he explained.

"It's perfect!" she explained happily.

For the rest of the day, she hung out with the Jackson's, who took her to see a movie and get ice cream. They went to the park, and she played on the swings with Percy. For dinner, they took her to a restaurant, and even bought her a piece of cake and sang Happy Birthday to her. And when they took her home, she laid on her bed for a couple of hours, sifting through the pages of her new photo album, until her dad came home.

"Annabeth?" he said, knocking on her door quietly. She didn't answer, and instead kept her gaze on the picture she was looking at.

"Annabeth, honey, it's late. Why are you still up?" he asked from her doorway. Still, she ignored him. He sighed.

"Where did you get that book?" he inquired.

"From Percy for my birthday," she answered in a harsh voice. She looked up in time to see her dad pale.

"B - But you're birthday is tomorrow. Why didn't they give it to you then?" he asked, flustered. Annabeth just gazed at him solemnly with her startling grey eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. Her dad finally realized his mistake.

"Your birthday was today." It was a statement, not a question. A heavy silence filled the room to a point where Annabeth thought she might scream. her dad held a pained look on his face, regret evident in his eyes. He made a move to come over to her, but she stood up and put her hands in front of her.

"Annabeth, I'm sor - "

"It's fine, Dad. Really. My other family took care of me instead," she said flatly.

"Other family?"

"The Jackson's. So don't worry about me. I'm fine. Go thank them," she said, trying to shove him out of the room. He tried to resist, but she pounded him with her small fists.

"I said I'm FINE! GO AWAY!" she cried. "Go ignore me like you have for the past six years! I'm used to it!" Her dad looked as if she'd slapped him in the face, and he stepped back.

In a flash, Annabeth slammed the door in his face, wanting to have as much between him and her as possible.

When she turned back around to face the depressing silence in the room, she thought she could hear him putting a fist through the wall.

Or maybe what she heard was her heart breaking.

.
.

Annabeth was thirteen.

She came home to find her father making out with some - girl.

After a whole Saturday of hanging out with the Jackson's, Annabeth was feeling pretty good. They'd all gone to play mini-golf - Sally and Annabeth against Percy and Paul. Annabeth and Sally lost sadly. Percy dropped Annabeth off at her front door, giving her a goofy grin and a "See ya later!" before she went inside. She was still smiling as she walked through the door.

She was completely unprepared with what she saw.

On the couch, her dad and some brunette were kissing each other with a passion that made Annabeth want to yell, "Get a room!" The TV was on, but neither of the two were paying attention to it. Annabeth let the door slam loudly behind her, and looked on with a mixture of savage amusement and fury as her dad and this - somebody - tore apart hastily.

"Annabeth! What are you doing here?" her dad asked.

"Last I checked, I live here," she answered dryly. He looked a little lost.

"Uh, I mean, I know that you live here. I just meant - well, I thought - "

"You thought that you'd have a couple more hours to 'get it on' with your girlfriend. You know, the one sitting right next to you that you never told me about!"

"Annabeth! Don't say that! That is enough!" her father said angrily. "This is my house, my rules!"

"Yeah, and I suppose that she-devil is your new family as well. Because she certainly isn't a part of mine."

"That is enough! I am your father, and you will NOT speak to me that way!"

"I am your nothing! You are not my father! Paul Blofis is! You lost the rights to be called my dad when you stopped treating me like your daughter. And when you forgot when my birthdays were, and when you started leaving me alone for days at a time. When you forgot to pick me up after art club, and when I had to take care of myself at the age of six. So don't you dare call yourself my father, until you man up and act like one!" By the time Annabeth was finished, she was breathing hard, tears streaming down her face.

Her dad stared at her, mouth opening and closing wordlessly. A shocked silence filled the house, and the lady was staring at the scene, eyes wide, and no doubt feeling awkward.

"Annabeth." The word sounded deadly coming out of the man's mouth. "I don't ever want to hear you speak to me like that again while you're under this roof."

She glared daggers at him. "Well, I guess that won't be a problem for you anymore." A look of confusion flashed across his face.

"I don't - "

"I'm leaving!" And with that, she turned on her heel, storming to her room, grabbing a bag, and mindlessly shoving clothes at random into it. She could hear her dad get up and follow her, so she quickly slammed her door shut and locked it. Immediately, he started banging on the door.

"Annabeth! Open up! Just let me talk to you for a second." He sounded desperate.

"What is there to say? You ruin everything! For once in my life, I came home smiling! And then I come home - to the place I should feel happiest - and BOOM! Everything is ruined by you eating some girl's face on the couch in front of the TV like some pathetic cliché!" As she spoke, she continued to toss as much of her belongings as she could get a hold of into her bag.

"It's not what it looked like!"

"Oh, really? Then what exactly was it? Friends with benefits? A one night stand?" With shaking hands, she zipped her stuffed bag and slung it over her shoulder.

"No, it was - " But he never had a chance to finish. She opened the door, and pushed past him in a flash. As she ran through the living room, she noticed that the girl was still there. She sent her a death glare, wanting more than anything to cause the mystery girl the pain that had been inflicted on herself. But the woman just returned the glare coldly, and Annabeth ran out of the house.

Her dad caught hold of her before she left the porch.

"Why are you so upset?" he asked. "Look, I'm sorry. I really am. I was going to tell you, I swear it. I know I should have sooner, but..."

"Why am I sorry?!" Annabeth screeched incredulously. "Could it be that you have forgotten about Mom? Because the dad I used to know wouldn't have just gone and replaced her like that."

He flinched as if she had stung her.

"Of course I haven't forgotten you mother. I could never - I mean, how could you even think...?" Is voice cracked on the last word.

"Could've fooled me," Annabeth said quietly, not backing down.

"Annabeth, you have to believe me. I'm still the same person I was before. I love you. You can't go. As much as you hate to admit it, Paul Blofis is not your father. I am." That was the wrong thing to say. Her eyes flashed.

"Then you are a fool. Because family is more that just blood! It's how you act towards one another. It's always being there for each other, sharing the pain, and offering comfort when one of us has nightmares in the middle of the night. Family is getting into stupid arguments, and then laughing about them a few minutes later. It's supporting each other when things get rough, when a boyfriend breaks up with you, and when school gets chaotic. And it's eating dinner together as we tell each other the ups and downs of our day, and saying good morning and hugging each other good night. We haven't done any of those things since Mom died. But the Jackson's - they have. And they are the people I consider to be my true family, whether you like it or not!"

"Annabeth, you can't do this!" was all he had to say. She snatched her arm from his grip.

"Watch me."

She turned and walked away, her dad calling after her. She was almost across the street to the Jackson's' house when she turned around for a brief moment. And in that moment, she just had time to see her dad in the doorway, his back facing outside, as he wrapped his arms around the woman, Annabeth all but forgotten.

Annabeth flung a hand across her mouth as a sob worked its way deep from her heart, clawed through her throat, and tore through her mouth in an agonizing cry of pain and longing to be held by her mother.

She ran up to the front door of Percy's house, tears flowing down her face in a current of years of anguish built up inside her. Annabeth banged on the door over and over as hard as she could, practically screaming - screaming for someone to save her from this hell and carry her into the heavens.

The door flew open to Percy's alarmed face as he took in the scene before him. Without a moment's thought, he opened his arms wide and she slumped into them immediately. He wrapped her arms around her as she took in his comforting warmth. He gently tugged her inside, and closed the door.

Sally and Paul rushed into the room to see what was going on. Their looks immediately went from startled to concern as they took in the sight of Annabeth sobbing into Percy's arms. Without a word, they strode over and wrapped their arms around her as well.

And they stood like that, as a family.

Another thing family is, Annbeth thought as she stood in their comforting arms, is being able to give your love to the people you love without even saying it.

Not a word was spoken.

.
.

Annabeth was eighteen.

She was graduating with Percy.

As she stood in line waiting to be called, she looked around. On one side of the room, the Jackson's sat, beaming with pride at their children. On the other side of the room, her father sat with his wife, Susan, and two little boys.

Annabeth all but lived with the Jackson family. She had meals occasionally with Frederick Chase, and sat politely through the wedding of he and the very woman she had walked in on. But mostly, she lived and breathed and worked with the Jackson family.

Frederick's eyes met hers for a second, and she saw something she had never expected to see in them: Pride. He was proud of her. It was a thought so hard to comprehend, that she had to look away.

Moments later she was walking onto the stage, being handed her diploma with her head held high. As of this moment, she was free. Soon after, she was applauding her best friend and boyfriend, Percy Jackson, as he was handed his token of survival of school.

At the awards ceremony afterwards, she couldn't help but yearn for her mother, who would have been here. But she also felt a small sense of fulfillment. While there would always be a small hole in her heart where her mom, Athena, had been, she could always live with knowing that she still had a person in her life who loved her like a mother.

Sally smiled down at her, eyes full of tears as she hugged her little girl. Paul strode over and patted her awkwardly on the back, affectionately ruffling her hair. And the last piece to the puzzle, Percy, came over and planted a small chaste kiss on her lips. And together, as a family, they turned to smile at the camera that was facing them.

The picture went straight into the photo album Percy had made for her years ago.

And later, when Frederick came to offer her an awkward hug, she felt a small sense of release that she couldn't quite place.

But when she was walking out the doors with her family, she realized what it was.

The other thing you do in a family, Annabeth thought, climbing into the car with Percy, Sally, and Paul, is you forgive the people in it you love, even when they hurt you the most.

She did something she thought she'd never do.

She forgave her old family, while embracing her new one.

.
.

Annabeth was twenty-six

She was married to Percy, had two kids, and was an architect.

They shared an apartment on Long Island, and went to stay in a beach cabin at the beach with Sally and Paul during the summers. occasionally, the two kids would go to Fredericks house, and they always came back grinning happily.

Everyday, when she'd come home from work, she'd be greeted by a full house, with Sally and Paul babysitting the kids while she and Percy are at work. Percy usually got home first, and he would always stand on the front porch to give her a small kiss as she came in. The house radiated warmth and happiness.

Annabeth called her dad once a week to catch up on things, and she had lunch with Sue, their two boys, and him once every month. It wasn't the worst life.

But still the empty compartment in her heart was there where her mother , and she visited her mother's grave every day without fail.

Her cat, Yankee, had passed and she now had a kitten in his place.

Every year, she picked one more picture to add in her album, until the whole thing was full. And when it was done, she took a pen and wrote a single word on the back.

Family.

Not my best work, I know. The whole ending part especially sucked, but I think I was going delirious when I wrote it. I sort of typed this on a pure adrenaline rush, and now I'm exhausted, furious at my mom (and life), and am going to post this just to prove that words do mean something. Plus, I feel like banging my head into a wall, because IT IS RAINING AGAIN! Like, WHAT THE HECK?! Ah, sorry guys. Obviously, I'm not in a good mood. But I wrote my longest chapter of anything I've ever written: 5,000+ words. Hurrah, and all that shiz, I guess. Well, I love you guys, because I probably would have run away or something by now (I'm so not exaggerating), had I not been able to write here. Thanks, and it would mean a lot if you could tell me what you think of this depressing one-shot!