Money Isn't Everything

Piper's Idea

This chapter isn't my finest. Sorry, it just isn't. Anyway I may not be able to update on time because exams are coming up in two weeks and I'm getting more homework than usual. Also Afrikaans is hell, sorry very random but seriously? Someone has to understand.

Percy POV

Nico and I have to share a room with a boy called Michael. He's not a bad guy and he's hardly ever in the room anyway. There are six of us staying here in total though Nico and I are temporary guests at the moment. Yesterday we heard that Hazel was going to be okay and that they'd identified the problem though they didn't tell us what it was. A week ago we got told that Jason and Leo were staying in a foster home about ten minutes away. We haven't seen them or Thalia yet and no one's mentioned the rich kids. It's only been two weeks but they've been really long.

We're sitting in the common room playing cards when Chiron arrives. It's just is because all the other boys are at school. They can't quite figure out what to do with us since it's been almost seven years since I went to school and Nico's never been.

"Hello Percy, Nico." He says, nodding in greeting.

Nico nods back and I ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, first of all I'm your social worker so I have to check on you and second there were more than to people in your building. In fact there were eight and six of them had been reported missing by their parents the night before." Chiron says gravely, "Can you tell me why they were there and why you didn't tell us about them?"

"They were there because they were stupid enough to be wondering out on the streets late at night and Ethan attacked them. I stopped him and brought them back to our building because I didn't want them to be killed on the street. I didn't tell you because you didn't ask, you asked if there were any other homeless children there." I tell him and he nods.

"Your story lines up with theirs though they didn't call themselves stupid." He says, and I start in surprise, "You seem surprised Mr Jackson, were you lying?"

"No, I just didn't expect them to tell the truth." I say even though I know it's a dangerous thing to say.

"Because they think you're a dirty street creature." He says and I nod, "Well it will surprise you to know that all of them have been asking about you and your friends."

"All of them?" I ask, that can't be possible. Piper hated us and I didn't really talk to anyone else besides Annabeth.

"They're grateful you saved their lives, wouldn't you be?" Chiron says, raising an eyebrow at me.

I shrug, "Yeah, I guess." Few people have saved my life before save Luke and Thalia.

"Do you like it here?" Chiron asks, pulling out that little black book.

"Yeah, it's not so bad but I want to see Jason and Leo and Thalia." I say, pulling Nico onto my lap. I've been asking the house mother that question every day and her answer has been the same, that's not my call.

"We'll work on that. You all seem very close, how long have you lived together?" he asks, scribbling in the black book. Maybe it's our profiles or something.

"I found Nico and Hazel two years ago, Leo has lived with us for three and I found Thalia and Jason nearly four years ago now." I tell him because there's no point in no telling him. We didn't do anything illegal.

"That long? How old were you when you started living on the streets?" Chiron asks, obviously intrigued. To them we are foreign creatures, mysterious beings they don't understand.

"Eight, I'm fourteen. I'll be fifteen in two months." I answer with a sigh.

"So you lived on the street for six years give or take and your friends Thalia and Jason have been on the streets for four. Nico and Hazel, how long have they lived on the streets? Do you really want to keep them from going to school and having a loving family in a safe environment?" Chiron is challenging me. Trying to get me to admit to being selfish or maybe just trying to show me that that's what they can have.

"It's thanks to me and Thalia they have a family at all, they lived on the streets for a year before we found them! It's not me who robbed them of those things or continues to do it, it's their father and their damned stepmother okay? So don't pin this on me, I'm looking out for them. I will leave them with you if that is what they need, if that is what's right for them but at the moment it isn't and I know that!" I jump up and storm out, pulling Nico with me. Chiron's protests following me up the stairs, saying he's not accusing me of anything and that he's sorry.

I lock the door even though I doubt Chiron can get up those stairs in his wheelchair. I sit on my bed with Nico in my arms, "I'll never let them take you." I tell him.

"Not unless you had to, right? Not unless it was the best thing for Haze?" he asks and I nod pulling him closer to me. Eventually we fall asleep like that even though I'm fairly certain Michael was locked out of our room.

Annabeth POV

We got told the charges for kidnapping were dropped yesterday and that all the kids are being taken care of. I saw Thalia a few days ago. She's not happy about being away from her brother or any of them but she's healthier than she was on the streets, not as thin. They won't let us see any of the others yet but I got told what Percy had said. How he hadn't expected us to tell the truth and how he was surprised we had all been asking about them.

Piper keeps asking about Jason, she told me she kissed him. Piper Mclean, the girl who's told me that street and poor children are dirty and diseased, kissed one of what she calls the street rats. It's funny how much we have changed from one little experience, from one little day. Even Frank and Will who didn't really talk to any of them have been concerned.

"Annabeth, are you all right?" Rachel, the kitchen maid, asks.

"Yeah, sorry what were you saying?" I say, shaking my head to clear it. After the whole thing with the street kids I decided to socialize more with the servants, starting with Rachel.

"I was saying that I have to get back to work but I can stay and talk more if you want." It's slow going because they're all scared of me but Rachel brought me a present for my fifteenth birthday yesterday and she sits down when we have tea.

"No, it's fine. You get back to your work, there's a book I want to get anyway." I tell her, getting up and opening the door for her.

She leaves blushing and stammering though I don't know why. Maybe because I'd held open the door for her? I sigh and go over to my bookshelf, the alphabetically organized one. I pick up the fifth Harry Potter book and Nico's words some back to me about how they never have money for books and how they're all scavenged from bins. I drop the book with a sigh, and flop down on a bean bag.

Why does everything lead back to them? They're all I seem to think about lately, especially Thalia and Percy. When we saw her Thalia told me that she and Percy were essentially Nico, Hazel, Jason and Leo's parents'. It was why she kept asking to see them even though she'd been denied about a thousand times. I take one of my books off the floor, Playlist for the Dead. When I'm finally able to lose myself in the words someone snatches it from my hands, its Piper.

"Annabeth," she gasps, breathless. "I have an idea."

"What?" I ask, confused.

"I have an idea about how to get them all together!" she exclaims, her cheeks are flushed with excitement.

I sincerely apologise for the cliffhanger especially since I don't even know where it's going from here. Your ideas would be appreciated!

P.S has anyone read Vampire Academy because I need someone to rant to as no one I know has read it?