14

Before my mom died... I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay in New York, but my sister decided to stay here anyway, and that made me decide to stay too. But I did get kicked out of school a few times. Once for stealing food from a diner, another time for trying to cheat on finals. They never did figure out the reasons behind those decisions though." Her smile faded, and a heavy look settled onto her face once again. "Once my mother passed away, I guess I decided to leave my home town, and maybe go elsewhere, to make sure I was doing the right thing."

Percy glanced at everyone else and noticed that they weren't saying a word. They seemed to be listening intently and taking in everything she said. He tried his best to ignore the sudden pang of jealousy inside of him; they were his friends. Not hers.

"As to other topics," she continued, wiping at her tears, "well… there's one other thing. You know how when people lose their parents, sometimes they just move to their next family member's house? Well, that's how it worked for me for a while. I moved with my aunt, uncle and cousin to California. Then my cousin's boyfriend moved to Hawaii a year ago with his girlfriend. Now, my aunt lives in Hawaii, too, and we all lived together in San Francisco for three whole years. Then my cousin married his wife, and they had two kids. After that, I ended up living with my Aunt Linda. She's about seventy years old. I've never seen her, but I imagine she's beautiful, just like everybody says.

"And then there was my father. I called him Daddy for the longest time. Actually, the nickname stuck, because when I moved out of San Francisco, he had to drive to the airport in the middle of the night every day to pick me up, just to keep me alive and safe."

She paused for a second, looking around the room. "After my father died, it was hard for me for a while. Everything reminded me of him. His car, his house, his picture on the wall. But after awhile, everything stopped reminding me of him. Everything just became background noise, and he faded into a distant memory. So I decided I needed some distance, and my apartment building wasn't far from the airport, so I decided to move to the city for some fresh air. I figured I needed some time to think about all of my problems alone without anybody constantly talking to me. Plus, it gave me more freedom than sitting in a hotel room." She shook her head slowly. "So many things have changed since I moved to this city. I feel almost numb to it all. I still miss my father terribly. When you find someone who makes your heart ache in the exact way that daddy used to make mine ache, you'll realize how true that phrase truly is. All of these things reminded me of him and I missed him so badly, but I had to learn to live with it and accept that he's gone. I'm so tired of being sad and angry over him, so I'm moving on from him, starting a new life, forgetting about him, and focusing on living my own life instead." She laughed lightly. "And then I met you."

Percy frowned softly. "How could you forget about your dad? How could you just throw him to the side like that and not even think about him? What kind of daughter does that?" he asked.

Pexy rolled her eyes. "Don't be stupid," she said firmly. "I haven't forgotten him. It's just that I've finally let go of the past that caused so many problems for me. I'm finally allowing myself to move on and be happy. Because he never got a say in how my life was. If anyone deserves happiness, it' s me. Besides, I learned that he didn't care about me. I guess that's something that I just have to accept and move on with my life."

Percy looked deep into her dark eyes, wondering if there was something else hidden behind those green orbs. However, there was definitely not. She didn't seem to want to tell him anymore. He could see the pain and regret lingering in those clear, emerald eyes, and he wondered how she managed to keep such emotions locked inside for so long. It must be difficult, but at the same time, he knew it was for the better and he felt relieved. At least he could now understand her better. At least he knew how she felt. Although he didn't have to live with it himself, at least he understood the reason behind it. And it made him grateful that he had been able to help her and that she had been willing to tell him.

Chapter 7

Chapter VII – A New Beginning

Percabeth sighed and placed the bag of groceries that Annabeth handed her onto the kitchen table before heading to the refrigerator and pulling out a bottle of water. She had just gotten home from work, and she had just dropped off her groceries, which she then headed straight upstairs where she dropped off her purse before entering their shared bedroom.