Day Eleven aka Christmas Eve:
My Girls (Part Two)
Ten Years Later
Luke sat on the couch his arms crossed and his foot tapping angrily as his glared at the door to his apartment. He then switched his glare to the clock, two am.
"Dad go to bed," a tired voice groaned. "Your tapping is annoying."
"I'm not going to bed until your sister gets home," Luke responded. "You should be in bed though."
"I got up to go to the bathroom but now I can't fall back to sleep with your tapping."
"Where did Thalia go Annie?" Luke asked his daughter.
"My name is Annabeth," she yawned sitting beside him on the couch. She swung her legs up on his own so he would stop his foot tapping, luckily for her he did. "And I don't know where she went. She doesn't tell me anything besides 'don't touch that' or 'that's mine'. She's sixteen dad," Annabeth said before another yawn. "You should teach her how to share."
Luke rolled his eyes and stared at the clock again as Annabeth curled into him getting comfy.
Damn what kind of father am I? Luke asked himself. I let my daughter run around people I don't know doing whatever she wants. Well I don't let her exactly. I always ground her- but then she sneaks out... Why doesn't she just listen? I'm only trying to do my best for her?
Luke thoughts were interrupted suddenly as the door to his apartment swung open and the light clicked on. In the doorway stood his daughter Thalia. The girl wore a leather jacket, black jeans, and black boots but Luke's eyes went straight to her hair.
She had cut it to be short and spiky a few years before but the ends of her hair certainly weren't blue last he saw her.
"You dyed your hair?" He asked.
"Aren't you great at stating the obvious," Thalia said with an eye roll. "So, wanna get this thing over with so I can go sleep?"
"This isn't just some thing Thalia," Luke told her.
"It is," she argued. "I come home past curfew and then you rant then we start over and repeat the next night."
"You don't understand it do you?"
"Understand what?" She asked crossing her arms.
"You don't understand how to be quiet," Annabeth put in climbing off her father. When she did Luke stood and then she laid across the couch.
"That you don't understand the downside to me not knowing where you are," Luke told her.
"Oh calm down. I always come back!"
"And what if you don't?" Luke argued. "I would have no clue what to tell the cops to find you!"
"Then I'd simply not want to be found! And stop being so melodramatic!"
"I'm not being dramatic! I don't know if you remember but back when you were six you ran away! I was a wreck because I had no clue where you were! I-"
"Too bad six year old me didn't know to stay away."
"Excuse me? Stay away from what?" Luke shouted.
"My lying dad! My lousy excuse for dad who just sits here on the couch all day!"
"You know I've been trying to get a job!"
"What happened to that interview dinner you were supposed to have last week? Huh?"
"I was here watching your sister and cousins because you didn't come home! I was waiting for you to come watch the kids so I could go!"
"You make it sound like it's my fault!"
"Listen to me Thalia. This isn't going to work anymore! From now on you will do as I say and you will be home on time!"
"Oh stop trying to act like you're my father!" Thalia shouted.
"I am your father!" Luke yelled back.
"No you're not! We're not even related! I don't give a shit if you adopted me, cause really? In my life? You're nothing! You mean shit to me!"
Luke's mouth opened and closed soundlessly as Thalia smirked triumphantly. "And you know what dad? I feel like staying over a friend's house."
Luke only stared open mouthed as Thalia marched out the door slamming it behind her. Luke slowly sat back down on the couch and put his head in his hands.
"Dad?" Annabeth asked quietly sitting up.
"Go to bed Annabeth," he whispered.
"But Daddy..."
"I said go to bed!" Luke shouted.
Annabeth stared at him for a moment unsure of how to respond when banging sounded on the door. Annabeth hurried to it hoping to see her sister behind it. But when she opened the door, it was their landlord.
"Mr. Castellan?" The man asked angrily.
Luke slowly looked up and groaned at the sight of him, even so he stood and moved to the door. "I'm sorry for the noise. It won't happen again, Mr. Kronos."
"You're right it won't. Cause you're out of here!"
"E-excuse me?"
"You're behind on three payments! And you wake up the entire building every morning before four am! Am I just supposed to let you stay?"
"Yes!" Annabeth nodded quickly.
"Please sir! You know I-"
"I don't give a shit that your own father fired you! Get out right now! You can come pick up your stuff this afternoon. But if you're not gone in the next three minutes I'm calling the cops."
Luke bit his tongue to keep from yelling. Instead he turned and grabbed his coat and started to pull on his shoes. "Annabeth grab my wallet, keys, and phone from my room."
"It's not your room anymore," Mr. Kronos muttered.
Annabeth's eyes widened but she nodded nonetheless and hurried out of the room. Luke now with his shoes on began to pull on his coat. "Please Mr.-"
"No."
Annabeth ran back into the room a few minutes later with a small backpack on her back and the items Luke requested in her hands. Luke took them and shoved them in his pockets as Annabeth pulled on her coat and shoes.
When she was done Mr. Kronos crossed his arms and motioned to the door. Luke grabbed his daughter's hand and hurried down the hall and down the stairs. When he reached the front door he hesitated but after another glare from his now former landlord he walked out the building and into the cold and snow. He led the way down the street she around the corner.
"Daddy?" Annabeth asked after a moment. "Where are we going?"
"I'm gonna call Ethan and Bianca," Luke replied unlocking the car.
Annabeth climbed into the passenger seat and hugged her bag to her tightly. Her father climbed in a moment later and started the car. Once they were driving for a few minutes in silence he called a number.
"Hello?" Came a voice on the other side.
"Hey Ethan it's me."
A groan was the response. "You do realize what time it is right?"
"Yeah. I know," Luke sighed. "Look I'll explain later just unlock your door Annabeth and I are coming over."
"Now?"
"Yes now."
"But why-"
"Just do it," Luke said before hanging up.
"Dad?" Annabeth asked.
"Don't worry Annabeth," he told her. "Things will work out."
"I know they will," Annabeth said. "I was just wondering about Thalia... she-she doesn't know we left."
Luke passed his daughter his phone. "Text her please."
"Are you mad at her?" Annabeth asked as she typed.
Luke took a hand off the wheel to run it through his hair. "I'm only mad that she just goes off and does as she pleases without thinking of consequences. I just don't want her to get hurt."
"And that's what makes you her father. Blood doesn't matter."
Luke blinked surprised and looked to Annabeth who smiled back at him.
"What would I do without you Annie?" He asked.
"Without me you'd probably would've forgotten to go to a lot of Thalia's school things. And you wouldn't remember Uncle Ethan and Auntie Bianca's anniversary or their birthdays. Oh! And you definitely wouldn't remember-"
"It was a rhetorical question."
~~~~
"Idiot didn't leave the door open like I asked," Luke muttered pressing the doorbell again.
Annabeth opened her backpack. "Too bad I didn't pack hand warmers."
"What is even in that bag?"
"I have a book, Jason- I knew Thalia would kill me if I left him, a flashlight to read the book, a pencil, my math homework, my emergency only phone-"
"Did you put clothes in there?"
"No... oh and I have a can of chips I had hidden under my pillow."
"You stole my Pringles?"
"They're mine now."
Luke rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone about to call when the door opened and a bleary eyed Bianca opened the door.
"Better have a good reason for murdering my doorbell this early in the morning," she told Luke letting them in.
"Thanks Auntie Bianca," Annabeth said giving Bianca a hug.
"I do," Luke promised rubbing his hands to warm up. "We were-"
"It's too early for me to care," Bianca said cutting him off as she closed the front door. We'll talk in the morning. Well when I feel like getting up. The guest bedroom is open and you guys know where everything is."
Luke nodded. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah."
~~~~
"Okay," Bianca said setting a plate of eggs in front of Annabeth and Luke. "Exp- Michael if you touch Art's breakfast again you are going into time out."
Michael pouted and moved his hand away from his sister's spread out cereal and focused on his own food. "I don't like eggs."
"I don't care. If you want to grow up strong you need to either drink milk or eat eggs. And since you won't drink milk you will eat your eggs. And you're going to sit in that chair until you finish them."
"Daddy!" Michael whined.
"Nope," Ethan said shaking his head. "I've never won an argument against your mother."
"Thanks for the support Ethan," Bianca said with an eye roll as she sat down to eat herself.
"I try."
"Anyway... Luke. What happened? And I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure you have another daughter."
"Oh yeah Thalia's not here."
Luke looked downward suddenly not interested in his breakfast. "She and I had another fight and as usual she stormed out," Luke said slowly as he pushed food around his plate. "And as usual we woke up everyone, including Mr. Kronos... who officially evicted us. I mean I can't blame him, despite the loudness I'm three payments behind... And so, I have to go back and get our stuff this afternoon."
"Oh shit," Ethan said surprised. "I-I-I uh mean shoot."
"You guys can always stay here," Bianca smiled. "And listen, I know you're dad isn't exactly uh... well he may not want you back but I'm sort of a Daddy's girl. And if I ask, my dad can certainly get you a spot."
Luke nodded slowly. "Usually I'd say no but at this point I don't think I can afford to be picky. And we'll help out all we can while we're here."
"Please. I don't understand how you raised three kids on your own. I'm struggling with three. And eat your breakfast I used effort making that."
Luke chuckled and took a bite.
"Wait," Ethan commented. "Who is this third kid? Luke has two and so do we."
"She means you Uncle Ethan," Annabeth told him matter of factly.
"Oh."
~~~~
Luke walked into his old apartment with Ethan and Annabeth by his side hours later to see his daughter glaring at him from where she sat upon a couple boxes.
"Mind telling me why Mr. Kronos was boxing up our stuff when we got here?" Thalia asked crossing her arms.
"We're moving out," Luke answered stepping past her. "You didn't see the text?"
"Wow. How much of our stuff did he throw in boxes?" Annabeth asked.
"We should start with the big stuff," Ethan suggested. "The truck I called should be here soon."
"My phone died. Why the hell are we moving out?" Thalia demanded.
"Because yelling woke him up early and I was already behind on paying on him so he wasn't in a good mood," Luke explained before walking out the room.
It took the rest of the day for them to move everything out of the apartment and then into Bianca and Ethan's garage. But all the time Luke and Thalia barely spoke.
"So how bad was this fight exactly?" Ethan asked Annabeth when the two weren't in the room.
"Thalia told Dad that he wasn't her dad since their not related biologically. And that he meant nothing to her..."
"Wow."
"Yeah..."
~~~~
"Luke guess what!" Bianca shouted when she came home from work a few days later.
"What?"
"My dad said yes! You got the job!"
"Really?" Luke asked standing and pulling her in a hug. "You're the best!"
"I know!" She smiled pulling back from the hug. "And you haven't heard he best part yet."
"What is it?"
"Technically as you're now working on the Di Angelo side of the business you're rank is practically equal to your father. So it's a promotion too!"
"Jeez, did you sell the man my soul to get that job for me?"
"I didn't know you had a soul to sell," Ethan commented.
"Shut up Ethan. And is there a catch to this job?"
"Yes," Bianca said slowly. "You need to head over to meet him. Like now."
"Now?"
"Yeah. He's got a big meeting tonight and he decided the best way to see if you'll fit is to just force you to work. So dress nice and head there. Good luck!"
"You don't think you could've called and told me that?" Luke shouted running out the room.
"I wanted to see your reaction!"
~~~~
Bianca di Angelo sighed as she headed down the stairs in her home. She turned off the house alarm when it went off and went for the kitchen for a midnight- well one am snack.
She opened a cabinet when she heard a rattling. She didn't dare breathe for a moment as it continued and after a moment she recognized it as someone shaking the doorknob, and it was coming from the front of the house.
She hurriedly grabbed two knives and made her way back to the stairs and up them. She ran to her room and dropped the knives before shaking her husband awake.
"Ethan someone is trying to get in the house!" She whispered shouted.
Ethan blinked and sat up. "What?"
Bianca cursed and grabbed the knives.
"I'm sorry!" He screamed using his hands to cover his face.
"I'm not going to kill you right now!" Bianca hissed. "There is someone trying to break in- damnit I'll get Luke."
Before Ethan could respond Bianca had left her room and entered the guest bedroom. Luke slept on the floor and she hurriedly woke him up as Ethan appeared behind her a baseball bat in hand. "Someone is trying to get in."
Luke nodded and stood. He grabbed a knife from Bianca and together the three went back down the stairs.
The rattling at the front door had stopped but they followed the sound of an angry voice to the back door. They made eye contact before springing in the room with weapons drawn and turned on the light.
"Motherfucker!" Thalia screamed clutching her chest. "What the hell is wrong with you people?"
Weapons were lowered.
"I thought someone was breaking in," Bianca explained.
"I couldn't find the key you gave me."
"We didn't give you key," Ethan told her confused.
"I took the spare that hangs in your cabinet. You're going to need another spare."
"Damnit Thalia you can't walk in other people's houses this early in the morning," Luke told her.
She only rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever. I'm going up to bed."
"No you're not," Bianca disagreed. "You and your father are going to sit and talk and Ethan and I are going to monitor you-"
"We are?"
"But for now let's move into the kitchen for coffee and to put these knives away.
Ten minutes later the four sat around the kitchen table silently.
Finally Luke sighed. "Thalia I know you don't want to hear this but you need to listen anyway. I may not be your biological father, but I am the one responsible for you. So you need to realize that it's hard for me to watch out and be responsible for you if I don't know where you are or who you're with."
Thalia didn't respond at first. "You need to lay off. I'm fine on my own."
"You're sixteen."
"I know how old I am."
"Listen when you're eighteen I legally cannot stop you from doing anything but for now you need to listen to me. I only want what's best for you. Just please tell me where you're going at night!"
"It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me."
"But I don't care what you want! All you do is lie and ruin my life!" Thalia screamed standing up.
"Thalia!"
The teen didn't listen and rather ran out the front door.
The adults sighed and sat there a bit longer. Luke shook his head. "I don't know what to do."
"What does she think you lied about?" Ethan asked.
"When you find out tell me."
"Maybe Thalia needs some girl talk," Bianca suggested.
"I'll talk to her."
The three jumped up surprised by he new voice.
"Don't scare us like that Zoë," Luke grumbled.
"How did you get in here?" Ethan questioned.
"You're front door is wide open," Zoë Nightshade responded setting down her suitcase.
Bianca smiled and stood pulling her friend into a hug. "I thought your flight didn't get in till later."
"They told me they would move to first class if I took the overnight flight. So here I am. Someone want to fill me in?"
~~~~
When Thalia returned about an hour later she found the front door unlocked and the TV in the front room on and a woman watching it.
"Auntie Zoë?" She asked surprised.
In response Zoë waved her over to sit beside her on the couch. Thalia slowly sat down on the couch and watched her aunt carefully.
Zoë muted the TV. "I hear you and your father aren't getting along."
Thalia wiped her eyes even though she didn't have tears but Zoë could see that her eyes were red. "He's a liar. Why should I get along with him?"
"May I ask what he lied about?"
Thalia didn't respond. Rather she switched her gaze to stare at the bright TV screen. After a few minutes she spoke quietly. "He lied about my mom."
"What about her?"
"That he hadn't seen since the day she left. I know that's a lie. She told me so!"
"You've talked to your mother? How?"
"I-I've been out with friends a lot lately and I saw her name on something once a few months back. So I got interested and I've been going out looking for her."
"And you found her?"
Thalia didn't meet her aunt's eyes but she nodded. "Yeah. I met her. She told me she'd tried coming to see me but Dad never let her. Why would he do that?"
"Then your mother is the liar in this situation," Zoë told Thalia.
Thalia quickly looked to her aunt. "How do you know?"
"I was there. You were probably seven maybe eight, and your father and myself were at your apartment in order to plan a surprise party for Bianca."
Thalia couldn't help but give a small laugh. "You two all alone? And you're both living?"
"Ethan was supposed to be there," Zoë shrugged. "But the idiot had to stay late at work. But anyway we were up late working out the details when someone knocked on the door. Your father opened it and there she was. Your mother. He was so happy to see her that he pulled her in a hug and into the apartment. She then sat on the couch and told us that she had been arrested but things were cleared up. We talked for hours and hours and Luke told her all about you and hour sister and she only- repeatedly, asked your father for money. He didn't say no. And once he gave it to her she told us she'd run off and be right back she just needed to give the money to a friend that she had borrowed it from. She hurried off and after a moment Ethan arrived and I left him there with you and your sister and dragged your father with me to follow her. At first he was against it. But then I had pointed out that he had brought up the two of you. And that she herself had never actually mentioned her daughters.
"We followed her for a while until we ended up back in a part of town we used to drag your mother away from a lot. It's where she would meet her dealer. And that's what she did that night. We saw her get the drugs. Then we hurried back to the apartment, explained to Ethan, and your mother returned, high. When we confronted her she just said that she needed the drugs. We told her she needed help. When she refused, your father told her not to come back until she was clean. And then and only then would he allow her to see you. And over the years he told me that she came back three or four times and each time she asked about money before you and your sister so he turned her out. Last time I think was about two years ago." When Zoë finished her story she looked to her niece who looked conflicted. "Is that different from what she told you?"
Thalia nodded slowly. "Yeah. Really different... I feel like an idiot," she said as tears welled in her eyes. "Why did I believe her?"
"Because she's your mother. And it was easier to believe what she told you than to question it. Either way now you know better. I don't advise going to speak to her again, especially not without talking to your dad first."
"I won't," Thalia promised wiping away a few tears. "She's dead anyway."
"She is?" Zoë asked surprised.
"She overdosed about a week ago..."
Zoë didn't respond but rather pulled Thalia into a hug as Thalia continued to cry. Once Thalia had calmed Zoë pulled back from the hug. "You should go get some sleep."
Thalia nodded and stood up and headed up the stairs. She entered three guest bedroom to find her father sitting on the bed beside his sleeping daughter watching her carefully.
"I should've told you," he said quietly.
"You were listening then?" Thalia asked pulling off her jacket and boots.
"Yeah."
She moved toward the bed and he stood up so she could lay down. For. A brief moment both just stood and stared at each other in the dark. Then Thalia wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry Dad. I didn't mean those things I-"
"It's okay if you did," He told her hugging her back. "I haven't been the best father to you-"
"Bullshit! I've just been a brat to you my whole life! I haven't been the best daughter. And if you argue with me I'll knee you in the balls."
"Certainly regretting paying for those self-defense classes," Luke chuckled. "But perhaps we can both try to be better?"
"Got it."
Luke pressed a kiss into her hair. "Now I think you need some sleep."
"Back at ya," she smiled letting go of him.
Luke laughed again. "I think I'll go sleep down on the couch and let Zoë come up here."
"Okay," Thalia nodded laying on the bed. "And Dad?" She asked as he was about to leave the room.
"Hmm?"
"Despite all this I'm still your girl right?"
"Am I still your father?"
"Yes," she answered without missing a beat.
"Then back at ya."
"You two are cheesy."
"Go back to bed Annabeth."
"Stop talking and I will."
Luke rolled his eyes. "Goodnight girls."
"Night dad."
"Night!"