Annabeth's Perspective of the Percy Jackson Books (Annabeth's POV)

Letter from my Dad

Luke looked a little shocked, which was better than the angry expression he had been wearing most of the night.

He opened his mouth, but it was a minute before any words came out, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Oh, it's not important. Please, continue what you were talking about," I was feeling really red and embarrassed, and I didn't know how I had managed to make a really awkward night even more awkward. But that was my talent, never knowing when the timing was right.

"Not important," he sounded angry again, but less brooding and more incredulous. "How can you say it isn't important, your dad wrote you a letter. You haven't seen or heard anything from him since you ran away three years ago. I'd say that's important. Look, my quest royally sucked, and I probably do need to figure out what I'm feeling about that eventually but that can definitely wait. What did your dad say?"

"Oh, um, I don't know," I was a little surprised by the shift in tone, but I guess it was good to talk with him about anything rather than just watch him stare at the fire. "I, um, haven't read it yet."

"Why not?"

"Well at first, I just wanted to throw it straight in the fire, not read it at all. He doesn't deserve another chance. But I couldn't do it. I was curious but when I went to open it, I got scared and just shoved it in a corner. I didn't know what to do."

"Ah, then I guess you and I have the same problem," he muttered. "Father's doing far too little, far too late."

"You think it's too late?" I asked my eyes betraying me as my tear ducts activated, "you don't think my dad's changed his mind?"

"Oh uh, I mean maybe not," Luke seemed a little lost with this conversation. He sighed, exhausted and rattled, it was almost heartbreaking. Luke had never been a particularly happy person, but he'd always tried to maintain a positive outlook on things.

Sometimes, I thought that maybe he was only doing that for my sake, like he wanted me to at least have something good in my life. But now even that was gone. He had tried to backtrack and be positive again, but I could tell his heart wasn't in it.

"I don't know, maybe he wants to change, but wanting to and being able to are different things," he decided. "What I do know is that if you don't read the letter, there isn't any possibility for something positive."

"That's true," I said. As I thought about his words, I realized that they might apply to Luke's problem as well, "Are you glad you got the chance? I mean I know the quest didn't go the way you had hoped but are you glad you tried?"

He thought about it for a while and then said, "Yeah, I think I am. I learned a lot and I discovered new things about myself and if I hadn't tried, I wouldn't have learned those lessons. I think if I hadn't tried, I would have just regretted not taking a chance when it was presented."

He said it as though it was a positive thing, that he was glad for the things he had learned but he seemed angry, and I wondered if maybe knowledge wasn't always a gift. Maybe there are some things we mortals just aren't supposed to know.

"So, you think I should read it?"

"I'm just saying that I think you will always regret it if you don't," Luke responded. "But try not to get your hopes up, people can fail us just as much as the gods have."

"Oh, okay," I didn't like the way he said that, like he expected things to go wrong. "Do you want to talk about your quest at all?"

"Maybe," he started, "maybe, someday, but for now I think we should probably go to bed."

"All right." I didn't know for sure what had happened, but Luke was different, and it didn't seem like a positive change. I stood up and started to head towards my cabin, but before I got too far, I turned back around, ran and gave Luke a big hug, "I'm glad you're back."