The Huntress and her Lion

Thirteen

After hearing Annabeth give a short overview of her father, one would have expected to find him as the demon with horns and fangs. Yet what we found were an old-fashioned man wearing some old aviator's cap and goggles, this of course suited the mad scientist theory.

He looked rather weird with his eyes bugging out through his glasses, but each for their own Skye supposed.

"Ah Hello. Are you here to deliver my airplanes?" he asked in a friendly voice, not noticing his daughter standing in the back of the group.

"Um, no, dad," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes at his antics.

"Drat," He said before recognition entered his eyes.

"Annabeth, my dear?!" He exclaimed, shocked.

"Hi dad, can we come in?" Annabeth asked with a sad smile.

"Are you alright? Has something happened?" Dr. Chase asked worriedly as he moved out of the way to let the group of friends in.

"You can say that," Thalia muttered as she entered the house.

"Ah, yeah I know I should be at the camp, but we will need some help," Annabeth said softly.

"We better take this to my office then." Dr. Chase sighed worriedly as he moved farther into the house.

Skye noticed that the house looked well lived in and very cosy. There were Lego's on the stairs and two tabby cats sleeping quietly on the living room couch. The coffee table was stacked with all kinds of magazines, and a little kid's winter coat lay on the floor. The house smelled like freshly baked cookies and soft jazz music playing softly in the background. It seemed like a messy, happy kind of home – the kind of place that she would have loved to live in.

"Dad!" a little boy screamed. "He is taking apart my robots!"

"Boddy," Dr. Chase called out absently, "do not take apart your brothers' robots."

"Dad, that was Bobby, Matthew is the one you need," Annabeth said, hating how they are disrupting her family for the quest.

"Thank you, Annie, Matthew, do not take apart your brother's robots!" Dr. Chase called out.

"Okay, Dad!"

Dr. Chase turned back to his daughter and friends. "Come, my office is upstairs."

"Honey?" a woman called out just as they started towards the stairs.

"Who are our guests?" she asked as a pretty Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied into a bun appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"Oh, sorry dear." Dr. Chase said. "Annabeth and some of her friends are here for some help, we were just heading up to my office."

"Frederick," she chided. "Annabeth arrived home after months and you did not even call me to come and see her myself?"

Mrs. Chase turned towards her stepdaughter. "Hello dear, welcome home. Are you guys hungry? Should I bring you all some sandwiches to Frederick's office?"

"Hi... ah yes some sandwiches would be lovely, but we cannot stay much longer. We are on a time-sensitive quest." Annabeth said softly as she gave her stepmother a quick hug.

Mrs. Chase pursed her lips in concern before nodding. "All right dear. Go on up to your father's office and I'll bring you some food." She smiled slightly at Annabeth before turning to the group. "Nice to finally meet you Percy, Thalia but who might the rest of you be?"

"Ah, please forgive our thoughtlessness milady," Lyra said with a slight tilt of the head. "My name is Lyra Black, and these are Skye Potter, my goddaughter, and finally Zoe Nightshade, Lady Artemis's lieutenant."