When Sun Meets the Sea ~ PJO 1

~17~

        Annabeth tolerated a lot of things. That name wasn't one of them. 

        "Are we under arrest?" Annabeth repeated, much more firmly and snarky than the last time and soon the officer had ordered them to go back to their breakfast table and now they had another officer watching over them, but she kept pacing back and forth, so the kids managed to talk. 

        "So, we're just killing time until we find out that guy is like a werewolf or something, right?" Percy asked as an announcement over the PA said that the train would be arriving at St. Louis Gateway station in ten minutes. 

        "Percy, he's just a transit officer." Andie stated.

        "Well, if he's not a monster, what's going on here?" Percy shot back. "Why would anyone tear our room apart?"

        "Maybe they were looking for something." Grover said. Annabeth watched the 'witness' talk to the transit officer and she felt something was off about her.

        "We don't have anything." Percy replied. 

        "The people who think you stole Zeus's master bolt might disagree." Annabeth commented.

        "Well, look, they're not going to find something that we don't have." Percy mumbled as the officer who had been watching them walked by. "Either way, we aren't spending the day answering questions in the St. Louis police station."

        "Then we need to get out of this before we get delayed." Annabeth declared and right as she was going to try and figure out a plan, the witness woman appeared beside them. 

        "D-Do you mind if I sit?" She asked but she didn't wait for an answer, instead she sat right next to Annabeth who had to smush into Andie in order to make space. "You poor dears. Your parents aren't here, are they?" 

        Annabeth stared at the woman as the animal in her carrier began to whine. 

        "Isn't that right, precious?" The woman asked the carrier. "Don't children get scared when they're all alone? It's okay. I'm a mom, I know how scared you must be." 

        Annabeth looked over at Andie who shook her head slightly, as if trying to tell Annabeth that this woman was not a good woman and Annabeth nodded, agreeing with her. 

         "Excuse me. Might you give us a little space? I think-I think you're making them nervous." The woman said to the officer who had been watching the group and Annabeth was sure she'd say no but instead the officer nodded, going over to talk to her fellow officer. "I want you to know, I don't actually think that you made that mess back there. I just wanted a moment alone with you. There are some things I need you to understand-

       "You have something on your jacket." Grover interrupted the woman and Annabeth looked at Grover in warning, not knowing if this woman was a monster or not but Grover continued on. "It looks like...it looks like glass."

        There was a tense silence amongst the group and Annabeth found herself gripping her dagger. 

        "No one smashed out the windows from inside our cabin." Grover declared. "Someone smashed them in from the outside."

        The animal that was in the carrier began to whimper again but soon the whimpers turned into snarls. The woman turned to the carrier, petting it affectionately. "Yes, sweetheart. I know, I know. You're impatient."

        There was something else that the woman said but it was too quiet for Annabeth to hear and that made her suspicion grow even more. 

        "This isn't your fault." The woman stated, she had now stood up and was staring at the group from the end of the table with a sickly-sweet smile on her face. "But sadly, you're going to have to bear the burden of your parents' mistakes today."